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The Mature Fruit of the Vedas - matfruit.txt [4/5]
The Absolute Truth is one, but some accept the Absolute Trugh as
impersonal Brahman, some accept the Absolute Truth as the localized
Paramatma, or Supersoul, and some accept the Absolute Truth as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna or Visnu.
The Krsna consciousness movement is for understanding the Absolute
Truth in the ultimate sense. That means to understand the Absolute Truth
as the Supreme Person. The Bhagavatam describes the Absolute Truth in
the beginning - om namo bhagavate vaasudevaya: "I offer my respectful
obeisances unto Vasudeva." Vaasudeva means Krsna, the son of Vasudeva.
Krsna appeared as teh son of Vasudeva. Vasudeva also means
suddha-sattva, or "pure goodness." Unless one comes to the position of
Vasudeva - pure goodness - one cannot understand Vaasudeva, Krsna.
In the material world there are three statuses: goodness, passion, and
ignorance. Ignorance and passion are simply material. The symptoms of
ignorance and passion are greed and lust. Above greed and lust is the
Vedanta platform, from which one can understand everything clearly. That
platform is called goodness. And pure goodness is transcendental to the
material platformof goodness.
The material platform of goodness can be contaminated by the other two
qualities, namely passion and ignorance. For example, a pure brahmana is
on the platform of goodness. He is truthful, tolerant, and full of
knowledge, he controls his mind and senses, and so on. These are
brahminical qualifications. But sometimes the brahminical qualifiications
become contaminated by passion and ignorance. Today we see that many
people from brahminical families have been contaminated by passion and
ignorance.
So material goodness can be attacked by the other two qualities, and a
person on the platform of material goodness may fall down. But when you
transcend the material platform of goodness and come to the
transcendental platform of goodness, you cannot fall down. Sattvam
visuddham vasudeva-sabditam. Sattva, existence of pure goodness, is
called Vasudeva. In that pure, transcendental platform of goodness you
can understand Vaasudeva, Krsna. Vaasudeva is already within your heart,
but you realize His presence by placing yourself on the platform of pure
consciousness.
We can come to the platform of pure goodness simply by discussing
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Therefore it is said here, nigama-kalpa-taror
galitam phalam: Srimad-Bhagavatam is the mature fruit of Vedic
knowledge. And suka-mudhad amrita-drva-samyutam. The
Srimad-Bhagavatam was written by Vyasadeva. And it was spoken for the
first time by Sukadeva Gosvami, Vyasadeva's son. Vyasadeva wrote the
Srimad-Bhagavatam under the instruction of his spiritual master, Narada
Muni. And Vyasadeva told his beloved son, Sukadeva Gosvami, "I have
written Srimad-Bhagavatam; now you preach it."
This is the duty of the student: The spiritual master writes, and the
disciple must preach. And if the student is as pure as the spiritual master,
then the student's preaching will be very nice.
There is another explanationof this verse: A fruit ripened in the tree will
be very nice, very sweet. If you take an unripe fruit from the tree and keep
it at your home, it will also ripen, but it will not be so tasteful. And if a
tree-ripened fruit is cut by the beak of a parrot, or suka, the fruit becomes
still more tasteful. Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam, the ripe fruit of Vedic
knowledge, is already very tasteful, but because it has been touched by the
lips of the Sukadeva Gosvami, it is drava-samyutam - still more tasteful.
Therefore it is recommended, pibata bhagavatam rasam: "Drink the juice
of the ripe fruit of the Bhagavatam." When we eat something, we taste its
rasa. its juice. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya:
"My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna, I am the taste of water." When we are thirsty
we ask for water because the taste in water will immediately quench our
thirst.
That which we enjoy is something is also called rasa. Everything we do is
to get rasa. A man may work very hard day and night. Why? To maintain
his wife and children. There is some flavor in maintaining the family with
hard labor. Unless there is some rasa, some taste, a man cannot work so
hard day and night. Sometimes we see, therefore, that a person with no
family or no family affection does not work so hard. Thereforein the VEdic
civilization family life is recommended, because a person without the taste
of family affection may become confused and hopeless. So in everything
we do there is some rasa. Without that taste one cannot live.
Now, here it is recommended, pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam: "Here is a
taste you can enjoy up to the end of your life or up to the point of
liberation." Life is meant for getting liberated from our painful material
existence. Everyone is trying to get out of the painful situation we are in.
That is the struggle for existence. But people do not know that hte
ultimate goal of life is to be free from all painful activities. That is called
liberation. The whole Vedic civilization is based on this point - how to get
liberated and enjoy eternal happiness.
ramante yogino 'nante
satyanande vid-atmani
iti rama-padenasau
param brahmabhidhiyate
The word raama comes from ramana, enjoyment." And Raama is a name
for the Supreme Lord, the source of all enjoyment. In the material world
people are engaged in ramana in the form of sex, that's all. But if you take
shelter of Lord Raama, you will get real happiness.
Ramante yoginah anante. Those who aspire after spiritual perfection are
called yogis, or transcendentalists. Today people practice a preliminary
yoga system such as hatha-yoga. But they are not perfecting even the
beginning practices, what to speak of making further progress.
Bhakti-yogis are engaged in the bhakti-yoga system. What is that
bhakti-yoga system? Hearing about Krsna, chanting about Krsna,
remembering Krsna, and so on. And Krsna says,
mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate
"One who takes to the bhakti-yoga system without any deviation and who
strictly follows the regulative principles at once becomes transcendenatal
to the three material qualities, namely goodness, passion, and ignorance."
To transcend the material qualities is called mukti, liberation. Mukti does
not means getting many heads or many legs. No. Mukti is defined as
sva-rupena vyavasthitih - to be situated in one's original constituional
position, or Krsna consciousness.
This verse recommends, pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam. Laya means
"to merge." We are now merged into the material world. Although we are
the soul, our bodies are material, and we are merged into the material
body. But because we are spirit, merging with the body does not give us
happiness.
If you are put into the Atlantic Ocean, you will merge with the ocean, but
because you are not a living entity of the water, you cannot be happy
there. Similarly, you cannot be happy there. Similarly, you cannot be happy
by merging into the material existence. You have to merge into the
spiritual existence, in Krsna consciousness. Then you'll be happy. That is
the meaning of bhagavatam rasam alayam.
Thank you very much.
Please call (800) 927-4152 (in USA) for more information or mail your
comments/questions/suggestions to "jagadish@aol.com" or
"anand@primenet.com"
BTG(Nov/Dec 1994)
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