Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Bhagavatam 1.16.8 -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1974

 

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

na kascin mriyate tavad
yavad asta ihantakah
etad-artham hi bhagavan
ahutah paramarsibhih
aho nr-loke piyeta
hari-lilamrtam vacah

"As long as Yamaraja, who causes everyone's death, is present here, no one shall meet with death. The great sages have invited the controller of death, Yamaraja, who is the representative of the Lord. Living beings who are under his grip should take advantage by hearing the deathless nectar in the form of this narration of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord."

Prabhupada: So Yamaraja, Yamaraja is the representative of the Lord. Just like the police chief. The... What is called, the police chief? The superintendent or what? Commissioner. Commissioner of police. He is representative of government. So the police department is fearful department for the criminals, not for the law-abiding persons. Similarly, Yamaraja, who is the superintendent of death... Death is certainly cruel. At any moment death can stop all our activities. Nobody can protest. That is not possible. So... And nobody wants death also. That is also fact. But nobody can stop death also. The so-called scientific advancement, they cannot stop death. You can talk all kinds of nonsense of advancement of life, but after all, you have to die. Big, big scientists, professors, they talk so many things, but when death came, it could not save him by his scientific process. Because death is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Who can check? Therefore the Lord's name is Ajita, Ajita. Ajita means one who is never conquered by any other means. Sva-rat, self-independent. These are the words used. Sva-rat. Sva-rat means fully independent. Nobody can make him dependent. That is Krsna. That is God. Every one is dependent, but Krsna is not dependent. Therefore He is called sva-rat.

So Maharaja, the Yamaraja... Yamaraja is representative. There are twelve recognized representative of God. We have many times cited this verse. Svayambhu, Brahma. Lord Brahma is representative. And Narada, great sage Narada, he is representative. Sambhu, Lord Siva, he is representative. Kapila, Kapiladeva, he is also representative. Kumara, the four Kumaras, Sanaka, Sanat-kumara. And Manu, Manu, Vaivasvata Manu. This is the age of Vaivasvata Manu. Manu received the transcendental knowledge from his father, Vivasvan, the sun-god. So... And Prahlada. Prahlada Maharaja is also representative of God. Prahlada, Janaka. King Janaka, father of Sitadevi or father-in-law of Lord Ramacandra. He is also representative. Grhastha. This Janaka-raja is grhastha, householder, and Narada is brahmacari. Lord Brahma is also grhastha. Lord Siva is also grhastha; Kumara, brahmacari; Kapila, brahmacari. So there are many. Yamaraja is also grhastha. Sukadeva Gosvami is brahmacari. So it doesn't matter whether one is brahmacari or householder or a sannyasi. He must try to become confidential servant of the Lord. Then he becomes the representative, representative of God, Krsna.

So Yamaraja is a great devotee Vaisnava. We should not be afraid of Yamaraja. Those who are devotees, they are... Yamaraja says that "I offer them respect, my obeisances." He advised his messengers that "Don't go to my devotees. They are to be offered respect by me. You go to persons who are reluctant to chant Hare Krsna mantra. You go there and bring them here for judgment." The Christian also believe, "the day of judgment." The judgment is given by Yamaraja. But who goes to his court for judgment? The criminals, those who are not devotees, those who are not Krsna conscious, they go to the court of Yamaraja.

So in other words, it is the duty of the Yamaraja to see that everyone is becoming Krsna conscious. That is his duty, just as the police department's duty is to see that everyone is law-abiding, acting according to the law of the state. Police is not anyone's enemy. He is enemy to the criminals, not to the law-abiding citizens. I have seen it, personal experience. In one of my friend's house there was burglary. The police inquiry was there. So we were going in another's house, the policemen and we also. So we saw in distant place a few men were fleeing. They were going away, hastily running away. So I inquired the police, "Why these people are running away?" So he answered, "You do not know Babaji, that they are criminals. Because we are passing, they are thinking, ‘Now the police is coming to arrest us,' although there is no purpose. How one can arrest? But they are..." What is called, this? Culprit mind is always suspicious. Because they are culprit, criminals, as soon as they saw, "The policeman is coming," they began to go away, run away.

So Yamaraja is not to be afraid by the devotees. This is the purpose. And it is the Yamaraja's duty to see that these rascals who have forgotten Krsna, or God, and come here to enjoy material sense gratification, they must be punished. Because material sense gratification is always sinful. We may create so many artificial laws, "This is good, and this is bad." Just like in your country, drinking is good. And in some other country, drinking is bad. In your country, meat-eating is no offense. But in the Vedic civilization, meat-eating is one of the foremost sinful activities. So here the so-called "good" and "bad," they are all mental creation. Otherwise, everything is bad, nothing good. Here, only goodness is to become Krsna conscious. Otherwise, everything is bad. So-called ethics, morality and law, good and bad, they are all rascaldom. It has no meaning. Because they are punishable. They can avoid the punishment of the law of the state. Just like in the government in every state, there is some punishment if one kills another living entity. Another man, not living entity. There is punishment. The law punishes. If you kill someone, if you commit murder, then you will be punished. This is punishable. But because it is man-made law, therefore it is defective. A man is a living entity, and a cow is also a living entity. Why this discrimination, that if a man is murdered or killed, that murderer must be punished? But that law is not permissible in God's law. In God's law, either you kill a man or you kill an ant, you are punishable. You are punishable. You cannot avoid this. Because in the eyes of God, the Brahma, Lord Brahma, and a small ant, they are all sons of God.

sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
 [Bg. 14.4]

Krsna says like this, "I am their father." To whom? Sarva-yonisu: "In all species of life, beginning from Brahma down to the ant." So if you kill your brother, say, who is not important, will your father approve, "Oh, you have done nice. You are very nice son. You are earning millions of dollars, and this man is useless, this, this boy. So you have killed. It is very nice"? No, father will never tolerate. To the father, the useless son and the earning son, both are equal in affection.

So therefore it is the duty of the elderly son, those who are advanced, not to kill the insufficient son, but to give them education of Krsna consciousness. This is the duty. It is not that "Because this living entity is useless, then kill him." So you can kill, but you will be implicated. Therefore Yamaraja is there. Yamaraja's business is to see how much sinful this living entity is, and he is offered a similar body. Karmana daiva-netrena. You will be judged after your death, every one of us. Of course, if he takes Krsna consciousness seriously, then the path is automatic. Automatically you go back to home, back to Godhead. There is no question of judgment. Judgment is for the criminals, the rascals who are not Krsna conscious. But if you become Krsna conscious, even if you cannot finish the job in this life, even if you fall, still, you will be given another chance of human body, to begin where you ended, to begin from the point where you fell down. That is...

Therefore svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat. If you have taken to Krsna consciousness, try to execute it very seriously, means to follow the rules and regulation and chant Hare Krsna. That's all. Five things. No illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating... We don't prohibit sex, but illicit sex is most sinful. Most sinful. Unfortunately, they are so rascals, one sex to another, another sex to another, another sex... That is maya's illusion, influence. But if you stick to Krsna... Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. If you catch up Krsna's lotus feet very tightly, then you will not fall down. But if you make a show of so-called brahmacari, so-called grhastha, or so-called sannyasi, then you will fall down. We are experiencing that. Then you must fall down. Krsna will not tolerate a defaulter, a pseudo devotee. Maya is very strong. Immediately capture him: "Come on. Why you are here? Why you are in this society? Get out." That is Yamaraja's duty. But if you remain in Krsna consciousness, Yamaraja will not touch you. Your death is stopped from the point where you begin Krsna consciousness. Your death is stopped. Nobody is prepared to die. That is a fact. You may say, I may say, "No, I am not afraid of death." That is another rascaldom. Everyone is afraid of death, and nobody wants to die. That is a fact. But if you are serious about that thing, that "I shall stop my process of death, dying process," then it is Krsna consciousness.

Therefore it is advised, aho nr-loke piyeta hari-lilamrtam vacah. "O the human society, you have got this body. Just go on drinking the nectarine of krsna-katha." It is advised here. Aho nr-loke. Especially it has been advised in the nr-loke, the human society. It is not addressed to the dog-loke or cat-loke. They cannot. They have no capacity. Therefore it has been: nr-loke. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nr-loke. Another verse in the Fifth Canto: nayam deho deha-bhajam nr-loke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye. These are the Bhagavata. There is no comparison. There is no literature throughout the universe like Srimad-Bhagavatam. There is no comparison. There is no competition. Every word is for the good of the human society. Every word, each and every word. Therefore we stress so much in the book distribution. Somehow or other, if the book goes in one hand, he will be benefited. At least he will see, "Oh, they have taken so much price. Let me see what is there." If he reads one sloka, his life will be successful. If one sloka, one word. This is such nice things. Therefore we are stressing so much, "Please distribute book, distribute book, distribute book." A greater mrdanga. We are chanting, playing our mrdanga. It is heard within this room or little more. But this mrdanga will go home to home, country to country, community to community, this mrdanga.

So it is advised that nr-loke. Nr-loke means the human form of body, in the human society. We don't discard that "This is American society" or "This is European society," "This is Indian society..." No, all human being. All human being. It doesn't matter what he is. All human being. What to speak of civilized men, even uncivilized, anarya. They are also described in the Bhagavatam. Kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah. These names are there. Kirata. Kirata means the black, the Africans. They are called kirata. Kirata-huna andhra. Huna, the nation or the community on the North Pole, above Russian, German, they are called huna. There are so many we do not know. Khasadayah, the Mongolians. Khasadayah means who does not grow sufficiently mustaches and beard, this Mongolian group. Kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah. Yavana, the mlecchas, yavanas, means those who are Muhammadans and others. So they are also included. Nr-loke. Because it is nr-loka. Every human being. Superficially, externally, there may be, this nation is better than that nation. That is fact. The Aryans and non-Aryans. There are divisions: civilized, noncivilized; educated, noneducated; cultured, noncultured; black, white; this and that. There are... Externally these divisions... But that distinction is of the body.

But spirit soul is not this body. He is spirit. That quality is one. There is no such distinction, "This is better," "This is lower," "This is black," "This is white," "This is civilized." In the spirit soul platform, everyone is one, one. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. Samah. Samata. Samata means equality. Where? Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. When one is self-realized, aham brahmasmi... "I am not this body. I am not Christian, I am not Hindu, I am not black, I am not white, I am not fat, I am not thin. I am Brahman." Brahmasmi. That is called Brahman. "I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God. My only business is to serve God, because I am part and parcel of God." Just like I have given several times: the part and parcel of my body is this finger. What is the duty? To serve the whole body. I ask the finger, "Come here immediately. Do this." "Yes." Natural. If I am part and parcel of God, then my only duty is to serve God. That's all. I have no other duty.

So that is brahma-bhutah. It is very simple thing. Not that by becoming brahma-bhutah, one gets four legs and one dozen hands. No. The hand is there, the leg is there, the mouth is there, everything is there. When it is purified, that "These hands, legs, are meant for serving Krsna," that is called brahma-bhutah. That is brahma-bhutah. Not that brahma-bhutah means I become nirakara, no form. The Mayavadi philosophers, they think like that, something different. Because this is not Brahman. This is asat. Brahma satyam jagan mithya. "This world is false. Therefore Brahman realization means that something opposite must be there. In the maya, everything is variety. So Brahman must be without variety." This is also material conception, because he is thinking like that. But my thinking, if I am in maya, so whatever I am thinking, that is also maya. But these rascals they do not understand that. They do not understand that. I am thinking that "Brahman must be opposite of this variety. Therefore Brahman must be impersonal." But what is their conclusion? The conclusion... He is thinking. He is thinking like that. But real Brahman, Parabrahman, Krsna, is not impersonal. He does not say that "I am impersonal." But these rascals say that "God is impersonal." So this kind of thinking by the person who is in maya, that is also maya. Therefore they are called Mayavadi. Mayavadi means all their philosophy is also maya. It has no meaning. Therefore they are Mayavadi. They are handling something in the maya. Therefore they are called Mayavadi.

So here it is said that nr-loke. Nr-loke, in this human form of body... Here advising, aho nr-loke piyeta hari-lilamrtam vacah. This is advised. Those who are born in the human society, they should join this Krsna consciousness movement where simply hari-lilamrtam vacah, there is no other business. What is our business here? Constantly, twenty-four hours, we are engaged in hari-lilamrtam vacah. That's all. And so long you are engaged in hari-lilamrtam vacah, there is no question of death. There is no question of death. Then if you say, "We are seeing that devotees are dying," "Yes, but death has been stopped. "Then still, why he is dying?" "He is not dying. He is going back to home, back to Godhead." Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. Tyaktva deham. He has given up this body, but he is not going to accept anymore a body like this. Then? Mam eva: "He is coming to Me." What is that mam eva? Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. If you go somehow or other to Krsna, you will never come back.

So mrtyu, death, is stopped as soon as you take Krsna consciousness very seriously, immediately, from that moment, as soon as you are initiated. You promise before the spiritual master, "Yes, I am initiated, I shall act like this," and if you follow, then your death is stopped from that point. No more death. No more death. Simply an official business, just like you sleep and again you awake, similarly, a devotee's death is like that. It is like sleeping, and next moment in the spiritual kingdom, immediately. Immediately. When he will rise, he will see that "I am with Krsna."

Devotees: Jaya! Prabhupada!

Prabhupada: This is the fact. So don't fall down. Don't be childish, that "Yes, I have promised before spiritual master, before Krsna, before fire. All right, that's all right. Let me break." No, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't lose this opportunity. You are now on the point of deathlessness, but if you again commit... Bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi. There is chance. If your execution of devotional service is not going perfectly, so there is chance of falldown.

So devotional service so nice, that even if you fall down, there is not very great loss. Great loss means you get human body, not an animal body. That is stated in the Bhag... Yoga-bhrasto 'bhijayate. Sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrastah. One who has fallen down from the bhakti-yoga, where does he go? Sucinam srimatam gehe: in the house of very rich man and in the house of nice, Vaisnava brahmana. This is the opportunity. This is first-class opportunity. If you take your birth in the house of Vaisnava brahmana, just like these children are taking birth, father and mother Vaisnava... They are very fortunate. They are not ordinary children. Otherwise they would not have gotten this chance of chanting and dancing before Deity and Vaisnava. They are not ordinary children. The parent must take care, very good care, that they may not fall down. They have got the chance. Now train them to complete this Krsna consciousness. That is the duty of father and mother. "Now this child has come under my care." If both the father and mother think like that... Not contraceptive. Oh, rascaldom. "Oh, here is a child who has taken shelter of me as mother, who has taken shelter of me as father. Oh, it is my duty to train him in such a way that no more birth, no more death." Therefore Bhagavata says, pita na sa syat...na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum: "One should not become mother, one should not become father, if he cannot release his children from the clutches of death." And how one can be saved from the clutches of death? This is the process, hari-lilamrtam vacah. If he is trained up... Therefore we have got this school from the Dallas. From the beginning, hari-lilamrtam vacah. They are being trained up in hari-lilamrtam vacah.

So once one becomes situated in hari-lilamrtam vacah, that means he has stopped his process of death. So this dying again of this body... Of course, this body is material. It must make a show that this material body... But he is a spiritual body. He is going back to home, back to Godhead. There is no doubt about it. Therefore Yamaraja's duty... Yamaraja is Vaisnava. He wants to see that you do not die again. He wants to see that you continue your deathlessness. Now you are engaged in krsna-kathamrtam vacah. So that is the point of... Just like a diseased man. A diseased man, as soon as goes to the physician and he gives the right medicine, and he takes it, that means his diseaselessness condition has already begun. It will take little time. So in the meantime, in that treatment time, diseaselessness condition, if you make another infection, that is your fault. Otherwise, deathlessness begins from the day of initiation. Adau gurvasrayam. As soon as you take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, your point of deathlessness begins immediately. Immediately. And if you continue the advice and instruction of the spiritual master, or the sastra, then you become deathless. No more death. And Yamaraja wants to see that actually you are continuing your deathlessness process. This is... Krsna consciousness is so nice. Therefore it is advised.

Now if somebody argues that "Here is... A devotee is also dying." A devotee is also dying. How can I say that it is deathlessness? No, he does not know. Devotee is not dying. There is very good example. Just like a cat. He catches the rat and he catches his cub also. But these two kinds of catching is different. When the cat catches a rat, that rat means his, "Chi chi chi," means dying, actually dying. And the cab (cub), he is feeling very comfortable: "Meow, meow, meow." Because the same cat, catching, process is the same, but the feeling is different. So a devotee seemingly dying, he is not dying. He is going back to Krsna. He is very pleased, "Now my labor is finished. I am going to Krsna." That is his feeling. And others, they are crying, "Oh, this is my estate. This is my family. This is my, this is my, this is my... I am leaving. I do not want to leave it. What will happen to that?" He is crying. That is death. And this is not death.

So it appears like death, but it is actually not death. Just like the electric fan, if you make the switch off, it has stopped running, but if you say, "Still running," that is not running. That is a show of running. Actually, the running is stopped. Similarly, as soon as you surrender to God, through His representative, your death is stopped unless you make it nullified by accepting anything which is against the bhakti principle. Otherwise your deathlessness is guaranteed. That is stated here. Na kascin mriyate tavad yavad asta ihantakah. If you simply know that "Yamaraja is there; he is supervising that I may not fall down," then you will not die. You will not die. It is not impractical. It is practical. Try to perceive the truth that since you have begun Krsna consciousness, to become Krsna conscious, your death has been stopped. But don't fall down and again capture death. That is the instruction.

Thank you very much. (end)