Gour Govinda Swami:
dṛṣṭā mayā divi vibho ’khila-dhiṣṇya-pānām
āyuḥ śriyo vibhava icchati yan jano ’yam
ye ’smat-pituḥ kupita-hāsa-vijṛmbhita-bhrū-
visphurjitena lulitāḥ sa tu te nirastaḥ
"My dear Lord, people in general want to be elevated to the higher planetary systems for a long duration of life, opulence and enjoyment, but I have seen all of these through the activities of my father. When my father was angry and he laughed sarcastically at the demigods, they were immediately vanquished simply by seeing the movements of his eyebrows. Yet my father, who was so powerful, has now been vanquished by You within a moment."
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.19)
Within this material world, one should understand by practical experience the value of material opulence, longevity and influence. We have actual experience that even on this planet there have been many great politicians and military commanders like Napoleon, Hitler, Subhāṣ Candra Bose and Gandhi, but as soon as their lives were finished, their popularity, influence and everything else were finished also.
Prahlāda Mahārāja formerly gathered the same experience by seeing the activities of Hiraṇyakaśipu, his great father. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja did not give any importance to anything in this material world. No one can maintain his body or material achievements forever.
A Vaiṣṇava can understand that nothing within this material world — not even that which is powerful, opulent or influential — can endure. At any time such things may be vanquished. And who can vanquish them? The Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore one should conclusively understand that no one is greater than the Supreme Great. Since the Supreme Great demands, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (Bhagavad-gītā 18.66), every intelligent man must agree to this proposal. One must surrender unto the Lord to be saved from the wheel of repeated birth, death, old age and disease.
(End of Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport.)
Prahlāda Mahārāja, offering his prayers, says this to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the eminent mahājanas. Those who are saintly persons, dear devotees of the Lord, they are mahājanas. What they say — their statements — are to be accepted as conclusive statements (siddhānta).
mahājana yei kahe, sei satya māni
tāte chāya darśana haite tattva nāhi jāni
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.56)
There are many philosophers, and they have many philosophies — Gautama, Kaṇāda, Jaimini, Cārvāka, Yājñavalkya, Aṣṭāvakra, Patañjali. So many philosophers are there, and they have many philosophies, but their statements are not conclusive. They are simply mental speculators.
In other words, they only imagine things and speculate — manaḥ-śilā muni. They are called muni, speculators. They only speculate, and they do not come under a bona fide disciplic succession (Vaiṣṇava sampradāya). They never hear from bona fide ācāryas — those who know the truth.
In the Vaiṣṇava Abhidhāna, the Vaiṣṇava dictionary, it is said that these people are aśrota-panthin. Aśrota-panthin means they do not come under śrota-paramparā — the hearing process, the disciplic succession that is formed by following the hearing process (śrota-paramparā). So they are known as aśrota-panthin. They never hear; they only speculate.
All śāstras, Vedic literatures, mahājanas and devotees say that an intelligent person should not hear from them. One should hear from the real mahājanas — the devotees who come under the disciplic succession (śrota-pantha).
So in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said:
tāte chāya darśana haite tattva nāhi jāni
mahājana yei kahe, sei satya māni
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.56)
So whatever a mahājana, bona fide devotee, says — that is conclusive truth. One should listen to it. So this statement given by Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja should be taken into consideration very seriously. One must accept it seriously.
Here Prahlāda Mahārāja says that in this material world the conditioned souls, general people, want to be elevated to higher planetary systems. Why do they want so? This question: why do they want so? Because in the higher planetary systems there is a long duration of life and a great deal of enjoyment — material enjoyment — a great deal of opulence.
All these things are there, and they want to enjoy all these things. Prahlāda Mahārāja says these things: "But I have seen all these through the activities of my father." His great asuric, demoniac father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, was very powerful. He had conquered the three planetary systems — upper planetary system, middle planetary system, and lower planetary system.
He was so powerful. All the opulence, all the objects of enjoyment in the three planetary systems were under his control. Again Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "When my father was angry and he laughed sarcastically at the demigods, they were immediately vanquished simply by seeing the movements of his eyebrows. He was so powerful."
Those demigods are residents of the higher planetary systems, those who have a very long duration of life and who have much enjoyment, who are more elevated than ordinary persons here in this middle portion of the material world — in this Martyapura, earthly planet. Still, these demigods were immediately vanquished simply by seeing the movements of his eyebrows. He was so powerful. But now, what happened to him?
That powerful person has now been vanquished within a moment by the Supreme Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. So who is great? Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Who is great? Only the Supreme Personality of Godhead — He is great." mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (Bhagavad-gītā 7.7). That Supreme Lord Himself has said that in the Bhagavad-gītā: "There is no one superior to Me." He is supremely powerful. He is the Supreme Person. He is supreme in all respects. That is a fact. All Vedic literatures say so.
Prahlāda Mahārāja achieved this realization. He also says so. Our beloved Gurudeva, Śrī Śrīmad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Mahārāja, also says so in his purport: "We have actual experience that even on this planet there have been many great politicians and military commanders like Napoleon, Hitler, Subhāṣ Candra Bose and Gandhi, but as soon as their lives were finished, their popularity, influence and everything else finished."
Where are they? Where is their popularity, their influence? Everything is gone. It was not eternal at all. That is a fact. But what is really eternal — that is what we should understand.
What is really eternal? Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is eternal. Anything related to Him is also eternal. We also know from mahājanas like Prahlāda Mahārāja, from our beloved spiritual master Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Mahārāja, from Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, from Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura — so many mahājanas are there — from them we can understand how their activities, their glories, their influence is eternal.
By material consideration or material calculation one may say they are no longer here, but their glory, their influence, their statements — everything is here, because they are eternal. They are very dear devotees of the Lord — mahājanas.
Five hundred years ago, when Śrīman Caitanya Mahāprabhu came — who is Kṛṣṇa Himself — He preached the glory of the mahājanas, the devotees. Rāmānanda Rāya was a great devotee, a very, very dear devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rāya Rāmānanda is a great and eminent mahājana.
Śrīman Caitanya Mahāprabhu discussed with him these philosophies — Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-tattva — and heard from him. Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked many questions to Rāya Rāmānanda, and Rāmānanda Rāya answered very conclusively because he is a mahājana. They are very nice questions and important questions also — perfect questions, we may say.
Once, when they were discussing all these things, Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked Rāya Rāmānanda:
kirti-gaṇa-madhye jīvera kona baḍa kirti?
kṛṣṇa-bhakta baliya yāṅhāra haya khyāti
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.246)
This is one of the questions Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rāmānanda Rāya:
"kirti-gaṇa-madhye jīvera kona baḍa kirti?" — Which is the greatest kirti (fame, glory)?
Rāmānanda Rāya answered: "kṛṣṇa-bhakta baliyā yāṅhāra haya khyāti" — One who is known as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he is great. He is the most famous person.
This great demon Hiraṇyakaśipu is not so famous — not at all famous. Where is his popularity? Where is his fame? Still, we speak about him or hear about him because he became famous by having a great devotee son, Prahlāda Mahārāja. Therefore he has become famous. This is the most important thing.
A Vaiṣṇava is always famous — eternally famous. If someone in any way is connected to such a Vaiṣṇava, even if he may be a demon, he becomes famous.
Another question is there. Rāmānanda Rāya answered when Mahāprabhu asked:
"sampattira madhye jīvera kona sampatti gaṇi?"
"rādhā-kṛṣṇa-prema yāṅra, sei baḍa dhani"
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.247)
It is another question — the perfect question and perfect answer. sampattira madhye jīvera kona sampatti gaṇi? Mahāprabhu asked this question: "What is the best property, opulence or asset of the living entity?"
Rāmānanda Rāya answered: rādhā-kṛṣṇa-prema yāṅra, sei baḍa dhani — "He is the wealthiest person in this world, one who has acquired this love for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. He is the most wealthy person — prema-dhanī. And that dhana, that wealth, is eternal wealth. It is never vanquished. It is not material wealth; it is transcendental, spiritual wealth."
So many nice questions and nice answers are there. Another question Lord Caitanya asked, and Rāmānanda Rāya answered very nicely:
duḥkha-madhye kona duḥkha haya gurutara?
kṛṣṇa-bhakta-viraha vinā duḥkha nāhi dekhi pāra
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.248)
Mahāprabhu asked: duḥkha-madhye kona duḥkha haya gurutara? — "Of all types of misery, sorrow, which is the greatest?" Rāmānanda Rāya answered: kṛṣṇa-bhakta-viraha vinā duḥkha nāhi dekhi pāra — "If someone becomes separated from a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, that separation is the greatest misery."
Such nice questions Mahāprabhu asked. Another nice question:
kaṅhāra smaraṇa jīva karibe anukṣaṇa?
kṛṣṇa-nāma-guṇa-līlā-pradhāna smaraṇa
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.252)
A very nice question and a very nice answer: kaṅhāra smaraṇa jīva karibe anukṣaṇa? — "Whom should we always remember?" This is the question.
Rāmānanda Rāya answered: kṛṣṇa-nāma-guṇa-līlā-pradhāna smaraṇa — "The name, fame, qualities and pastimes of Kṛṣṇa should always be remembered."
Then Mahāprabhu asked another question:
mukta-madhye kona jīva mukta kari’ māni?
kṛṣṇa-prema yāṅra, sei mukta-śiromaṇi
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.249)
mukta-madhye kona jīva mukta kari’ māni? — "There are many liberated souls, but who is really liberated?" Rāmānanda Rāya answered: kṛṣṇa-prema yāṅra, sei mukta-śiromaṇi — "Who has acquired kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, is the crest jewel of all liberated souls (mukta-śiromaṇi)." Very nice.
sreyo-madhye kona śreyaḥ jīvera haya sāra?
kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṅga vinā śreyaḥ nāhi āra
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.251)
Then Mahāprabhu asked: śreyo-madhye kona śreyaḥ jīvera haya sāra? There are two words — preya and śreya. What should one achieve? In English we may say in that way, but it is a specific word — śreya.
In this material world, as it has been said here in the purport, many people want to be elevated to the higher planetary systems to get opulence, enjoyment, bodily beauty, material education — janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī — so many things. One may say these are preyas.
Mahāprabhu asked: śreyo-madhye kona śreyaḥ jīvera haya sāra? — "Among all śreyas, which is the best śreya?" Rāmānanda Rāya answered: kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṅga vinā śreyaḥ nāhi āra — "The association with a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa is the greatest of all śreyas."
No other śreya is there. No other śreya can be compared to the association of a great kṛṣṇa-bhakta. These are eternal things — they never perish.
Kṛṣṇa is eternal. Anything related to Kṛṣṇa is eternal. Those who are akiñcana — deprived of all these things, who have nothing in this material world — are the really wealthy persons, because they see Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa, who is sat-cid-ānanda-puruṣa, is always with them. So these people get nityānanda — eternal pleasure.
But in this apparent consideration or vision — worldly vision — one may see that these people are very distressed, they have nothing. But they have everything, because they have Kṛṣṇa, and they are very happy. They are never distressed.
We see it in the lives of the ṣaḍ-gosvāmīs — the Six Gosvāmīs: Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. All these Gosvāmīs had everything — janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. They were born in aristocratic families. They had material opulence. They were very learned, paṇḍitas, and their bodily features were beautiful. They were not ugly looking but very beautiful looking.
But they kicked everything:
tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat
bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau
(Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka, 4)
They kicked all these things — "Get out! What is the value of all these things?" — and they became dīna, very poor. They put on a kaupīna, they put kaṇṭhī-mālā around the neck, kaupīna-kanthāśritau, and they lived under a tree in Vṛndāvana. But they were very wealthy persons — kṛṣṇa-prema yāṅra, sei dhani.
Rāmānanda Rāya answered all these things. They are eternally great, eternally wealthy, eternally famous persons. Still now we chant their glories. They are never finished. They were wealthy persons because they have kṛṣṇa-prema-dhana — kṛṣṇa-prema yāṅra, sei baḍa dhani. They are eternally wealthy. That wealth will never be exhausted. Eternally they are getting pleasure. This is eternally there.
Kāla, eternal time, cannot destroy all these things. But everything material is destroyed by time — kāla. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says these things.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa demands: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja — "Just surrender unto Me unconditionally. I’ll give you eternal enjoyment, eternal wealth, eternal fame. You’ll be great. You will never be vanquished." (Bhagavad-gītā 18.66)
So, why don’t you? (Gurudeva laughs.)