[Prev][Next][Index]
The Mature Fruit of the Vedas - matfruit.txt [3/5]
(c) 1994 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International
Used with permission
nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam
suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam
pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam
muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah
O expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit
of the desire tree of Vedic leterature. It emanated from thej lips of Sri
Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful,
although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including
liberated souls. --Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.2
SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM is the ripe fruit of Vedic leterature. The Vedic
leterature is compared to a desire tree -kalpa taru. Kalpa means "desire,"
and taru means "tree." We have no experience of a kalpa taru in the
material world; the kalpa taru is in the spiritualnwold. Here in the material
world, from a mango tree you can get a mango only, not any other fruit.
But from the kalpa taru you can get any kind of fruit. And the kalpa taru is
found on Krsna's planet.
The Brahma-samhita tells us that Krsna's planet is made of touchstone. If
you touch iron with a touchstone, the iron becomes gold. In the spiritual
world there are also houses, trees, cows - and Krsna is there with His
associates. These are all described in the Brahma-samhita.
Do not think that we have imagined something artistic and created a
Krsna. No. Krsna and His planet are completely supported by Vedic
literature, especially the Brahma-samhita. The Brahma-samhita clearly
describes Krsna's original place. The world we live in now is also Krsna's
place, but because we have forgotten Krsna we accept this place as
material.
Just as a king possesses all the places of his country, Krsna possesses all
worlds, material and spiritual. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,
bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhrdam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim rcchati
If one wants peace and happiness, then one must know these three things
about Krsna: that Krsna is the enjoyer of everything, the owner of
everything; and the friend of everyone.
You can perform yajna, sacrifices, you can perform austerities and
penances, but the result you earn by these should be enjoyed by Krsna.
That is Krsna consciousness. Everyone is thinking, "I must enjoy. Why
others?" That is the materialistic way of thinking. But in the Krsna
consciousness movement we are trying to change that consciousness. The
Krsna consciousness movement teaches that you may earn as much as you
like but the enjoyer should be Krsna, not you. That way of thinking is
Krsna consciousness.
The ultimate aim of the karmis, people who work hard day and night, is to
satisfy their senses. That's why they work so hard. The Bhagavatam
therefore says, nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate
vid-bhujam ye: "We should not work so hard simply for sense gratification,
which is available even to the hogs and dogs."
Krsna consciousness means to work for Krsna, not for sense gratification,
because the real proprietor is Krsna. To think "I am the proprietor, I am
the enjoyer" is illusion.
In the cintamani-dhama, Krsna's abode, everything is there, and there
everyone acts for Krsna's pleasure. Here everyone tries to enjoy for
himself, so there is competition - man to man, family to family, society to
society, nation to nation. But that competition will stop as soon as there is
Krsna consciousness, as soon as we think, "We are not the proprietor;
Krsna is the proprietor." To think in that way is the basis of peace.
We must also understand that Krsna is everyone's friend. He is situated in
everyone's heart as friend. That is stated in the Upanisads. There the body
is compared to a tree, and the soul and the Supersoul, or Krsna, are
compared to birds in the tree. One bird is eating the fruit of the tree, and
the other, the friend, is simply witnessing.
The Supersoul is our supreme friend. He's always trying to get us back
home, back to Godhead. Not only does He sit within our hearts, but He
descends as Krsna. He comes and canvasses. Sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja: "Why are you engaged in so many so-called
occupations? Simply surrender unto Me."
But we are so engulfed in matter that we cannot take Krsna's advice.
Therefore Krsna comes again, as a devotee - Lord Caitanya. Lord Krsna
said, "Surrender unto Me." And later Krsna comes as Lord Caitanya, a
devotee of Lord Krsna, to show us how to surrender. He comes Himself as
the Supreme Lord, He comes as a devotee, He sends His representative -
simply to canvass us to come to the cintamani-dhama, the spiritual world,
where there are desire trees and touchstones, where there is eternal
happiness.
The Vedic literature gives us knowledge of the spiritual world. Veda means
"knowledge." Vetti veda vido jnanam: "Anything from which one gets
knowledge is called veda." From the Vedas we have to acquire the supreme
knowledge. We have so many types of knowledge, but what is the ultimate
knowledge? That is called Vedanta. And that ultimate knowledge is
knowledge of the Supreme.
We get knowledge by inquiry. We ask, "What is in hte newspaper today?
Waht has happened?" The answers to those inquiries are also knowledge.
But they are not the ultimate knowledge. The ultimate knowledge is
knowledge of Krsna. Therefore Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, vedais ca
sarvair aham eva vedyah: "By all the Vedas, I am to be known."
People seek knowledge from so-called Vedantists who do not know Krsna.
But one who is actually a Vedantist must know Krsna. Some time ago some
Vaisnavas gave me the title "Bhaktivedanta." "Bhaktivedanta" means that
the ultimate understanding of Vedanta is bhakti, not impersonalism.
Here it is stated, nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam:
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the ripe fruit of Vedic knowledge. All the Vedas are
summarized in the VEdanta-sutra, and the Bhagavatam is the explanation
of the Vedanta-sutra. Therefore in the very beginning of
Srimad-Bhagavatam we find this aphorism of the Vedanta-sutra: janmady
asya yatah.
The first statement in the Vedanta-sutra is athatho brahma-jijnasa: "Now
we have to inquire about Brahman, the Absolute Truth." That inquiry is the
business of a human being. In lifes other that the human form we have
simly passed our time in the matter of bodily necessities: eating, sleeping,
mating, and defending. Animals and human beings both have these bodily
necessities. Then what is the extra business of the human form of life? If a
human being is sikmply engaged in these four principles of life, then what
is the difference between that human being and a dog? There is no
difference. A human being is distinguished from the animals by the ability
to inquire into the Absolute Truth - athatho brahma-jijnasa. A human
being can come to the temple and inquire about Krsna, or the Absolute
Truth. That is the difference. The Krsna consciousness movement gives
everyone the chance to come and inquire about Brahman. In other words,
the whole activity of the Krsna consciousness movement is Vedanta life.
Now, there are different states of inquiring about the Absolute Truth. That
is explained in the Bhagavatam:
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
