(New Vrindavana)
So every Vaisnava, every devotee of Krsna, pure devotee of Krsna, is a paramahamsa. We are teaching people to become immediately paramahamsa, the highest stage of sannyasa. The method is simply chanting Hare Krsna. You see? The post is paramahamsa. Vaisnava means paramahamsa. He's above brahmana, above sannyasa. But we must be real Vaisnava. Vaisnava means anukulyena krsnanusilanam. Anyabhilasita-sunyam. There is no other desire, material desire. Desire means material desire, this contaminated desire. It does not mean that we shall not desire to become Krsna conscious.
That desire is real desire. And any other desire, anyabhilasita, for some material benefit, that is not required. But if we can keep ourself without any material desire, without any propensity for enjoying fruitive result,``I am doing something, I must enjoy this result. I must be enjoyer.'' This is called jnana-karma. ``Oh, I must try to understand Krsna by my speculative method.'' Why? Krsna is explaining Himself. Why don't you try to understand Him in that way? Nonsense. What speculative power you have got? Simply you'll commit a blunder. Why? Krsna says, ``I am this, I am this, I am that, I am that.'' In the Bhagavad-gita, explains. God says. Why don't you understand Him as He says? If I say that ``I am from India. My birthplace is in Calcutta. I have got five children. I was formerly a businessman,'' then why do you want to speculate about me? What is the use of this speculation? If you actually want to know what Swamiji is, Swamiji says that ``I was householder, and I was doing medical business. I have got five children. And this and that.'' So that is sufficient. Why do you want to know Swamiji by speculation? Similarly, these rascals will try to understand Krsna by speculation. No. There is no need. Paramahamsa. That is paramahamsa stage.
So Sridhara Swami says, hamsa jatayo. Jatayo means great sages, saintly persons. Hamsa jatayo yatra na niramanti karhicid api na nitaram ramante. Just like our students, a Krsna conscious person, if he is invited, ``Come on, there is a nice picture in the cinema." No. He'll never go. He'll never go. Because he has become hamsa. He is not a crow, that he'll go to such places. Why? What is there?
So hamsa, here it is said, tad vayasam tirtham usanti manasah. They reject, reject. Usanti manasa na yatra hamsa niramanty usikksayah. There was an incidence in my life. I was, of course, at that time a householder. One of my friends, he was going to the cinema with his family, and he saw me. I was in the street, and he immediately stopped his car and he asked me that ``You come. We are going to the cinema.'' I refused, that ``If you give me one thousand dollars, still I shall not go to the cinema.'' So he dragged me. He took me to the cinema house, but I never entered. I came back. You see? Because it was detestful.
When one becomes completely separated from all these material desires, even if you offer him some profit, he'll not accept. It is the test. Na yatra hamsa niramanty usikksayah. Because his mind is absorbed in greater things. Usikksayah. Brahman. Usikksayah means Brahman. Usika kamaniyam brahman ksayo nivaso yesam te, tatha prasiddha hamsa manasi sarasi carantah. Sridhara Swami explains, just like swans, they take pleasure in the manasa-sarovara, in a place where transparent water, lily and very nice garden. They take pleasure. Yatha prasiddha hamsa manasi sarasi carantah kamaniya-padma-khanda-nivasah. You'll find swans, they will gather near the lotus flower and dive there and entangle them with the stem. That is their pleasure, to remain surrounded by the lotus flower.
kamaniya-padma-khanda-nivasa tyakta-vicitrannadi
yukto `py ucchista-garte kaka-krida-sthane na niramanti
They are not like the crows, who are simply trying to take some pleasure from the garbage place. That's all. What is there in the garbage? They are all rejected, thrown away. But the crows will go there. They'll pull on something, ``If there is something there, something?'' So, as there is a natural distinction between the crows and the swans, similarly, there is distinction between a Krsna conscious person and ordinary person. The ordinary persons are compared like the crows, and a fully Krsna conscious person is just like the swan..
tad vag visargo janatagha viplavo
yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api
namany anantasya yaso 'nkitani yat
srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah
On the contrary, this is a kind of literature very nicely written, metaphorical, and poetry, everything. But there is no question of glorifying the Lord. That is compared with, just like the same place, where the crows will take pleasure. On the other hand, the other kind of literature, what is that? Tad vargo visargo janatagha viplavo yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty. A literature presented to the people, to the public for reading, which are even grammatically incorrect, but because there is glorification of the Lord, it can produce a revolution. It can purify the whole human society. My Guru Maharaja, when he was selecting articles to be published in The Harmonist, if he saw simply that several times the writer has written ``Krsna,'' ``Lord Caitanya,'' like that, he passes immediately: ``All right. It's all right. It is all right.'' That so many times he has uttered ``Krsna'' and ``Caitanya,'' so it is all right.
Similarly, even if we present our Back to Godhead or any other literature in broken languages, it does not matter because the glorification of the Lord is there. That is recommended by Narada. Tad vag visargo janatagha viplavo. Janata agha. Agha means sinful activities. If one reads one line of this literature, although it is presented in broken language, but if he simply hears there is Krsna, then his sinful activities immediately vanquish. Janatagha viplavo. Tad vag visargo janatagha viplavo yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api namany anantasya. Ananta means the unlimited. His name, His fame, His glory, His qualities are described. Namany anantasya yaso `nkitani. If glorification is there, even they are presented in broken language, then srnvanty gayanti grnanti sadhavah.
Just like my Guru Maharaja, sadhu, a saintly person, immediately passes: ``Yes. It is all right.'' It is all right. Because there is glorification of the Lord. Of course, general public will not understand,but this is the standard, the standard version, spoken by Narada. You write something; the aim should be simply to glorify the Supreme. Then your literature is pavitra, purified. And however nicely, either literally or metaphorically or poetically, you write some literature which has nothing to do with God, or Krsna, that is vayasam tirtham. That becomes a pleasure spot for the crows.
This is the version of Narada Muni. We should be taking note of this. And for the Vaisnava there is one qualification, poetic. You should be poetic. Everyone should be poetic. But that poetry, that poetic language, should be simply to glorify the Lord. Then it is alright. Just like Narottama dasa Thakura, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Locana dasa Thakura, they are poets. They have produced so many songs. But about whom? About Krsna. Similarly, under the instruction of Narada, now Vyasadeva will produce a literature like Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is simply glorification of the Lord and His devotees. Bhagavat. Bhagavat means the Lord, and Bhagavat means pertaining to the Lord. So pertaining to the Lord, everything. Vastava-vastu vedyam atra. In the beginning of Bhagavat it is said vastava-vastu. Vastu means substance, the summum bonum. And vastava, in relation to the summum bonum.
If we try to understand everything in relationship with Krsna, then we understand vastava, reality. That is reality. If we study something minus Krsna, that is not real knowledge. Actually, Krsna is the original cause of all causes. Sarva-karana-karanam. So unless we come to the point of Krsna, any understanding, any knowledge is imperfect.
