We belong to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s school of thought: pure devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. What are the teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu? One renowned saint, Śrīnātha Cakravartī, has summarized the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in a nutshell, in this verse:

ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas
tad-dhāma vṛndāvanaṁ
ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-
vargena yā kalpitā
śrimad-bhāgvataṁ pramāṇam amalaṁ
premā pumartho mahān
śrī caitanya-mahāprabhur matam idaṁ
tatrādaro naḥ paraḥ
(from Caitanya-manjusa, a commentary on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)

“Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas”: Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us to worship Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja. According to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is the highest object of worship—the Supreme Lord. “Tad-dhāma vṛndāvana”: His transcendental, spiritual realm is Vṛndāvana. What form of bhakti is foremost there? The vraja-gopīs, or milk women of Vraja-maṇḍala, worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa with all their senses and all the objects of their senses. Their worship is unparalleled. No one else can worship in such a manner, as do the vraja-gopīs. You will find this evidence in the quintessence of all scriptures, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. What is the ultimate goal of human life? Kṛṣṇa-prema. Dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa are not the ultimate targets for human beings. “Dharma” means performing many actions, for our own worldly benefit here and hereafter, as per the instructions of the scriptures. That dharma performed with the aim of receiving benefit in this world, in other worlds or after death is not our ultimate goal of life. “Artha” means to amass money and “kāma” means to fulfill our sensual desires. These are not the ultimate goals of a human being. Even mokṣa, deliverance from the cycle of births and deaths, is not our ultimate goal. A prisoner may be released from prison but, after that, what does he get? A prisoner may be granted deliverance or emancipation but, if after that he gets nothing, if he does not become rich, what is his situation? He is free, but what does he have? At first, he was in an undesirable state, in bondage. Now he is released from bondage, but what is he getting after he is released? It is an important point. So, merely getting deliverance from the cycles of māyā cannot be the ultimate goal. After that, what shall we get? Love of God—kṛṣṇa-prema. That is wealth. If I become released from my debts, that does not mean that I have become rich. I was in debt for the sum of one million dollars and then I paid it back. I can be said to be rich only to the extent of what I may receive after that debt is paid. So, when we get positive things, such as love for Kṛṣṇa, that is called “wealth.” That is our requirement: kṛṣṇa-prema.

There is a question that is often raised. In several places we have been asked this same question. “Svāmījī Mahārāja, you are saying that kṛṣṇa-prema is the ultimate goal of life. But there are many views in this world—many tenets, many ‘isms’, many creeds. Others are also speaking on the evidence of scriptures, but they do not support your view. So we have our doubts. All these teachers are saints and you are also a saint. There are many minds and many views. What shall we do? So many different views of so many sages exist and, for an ordinary person, it is difficult to determine which view we should accept and which view we should disregard.”

Human life is very short and people are confused. So, some people ask this question. However, you will find that there is nobody in India, or at least no followers of sanātana-dharma, who do not have belief in Mahābhārata or Rāmāyaṇa. All schools of thought in India have accepted these two literatures and are, therefore, unified in this respect. Bhagavad-gītā is, itself, one section of Mahābhārata. So, I shall give an item of evidence from Mahābhārata. To answer this important question, I am not giving any evidence from Bhāgavata (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam), as some might object, thinking it to represent a specific viewpoint. If you have any objection that I am giving evidence from Mahābhārata, if you do not believe Mahābhārata, then you are not a sanātanī (a follower of sanātana-dharma). If you are not a sanātanī, then you do not believe in the Gītā, a part of the Mahābhārata. It is a big topic and, although it is not possible to narrate it so concisely, I shall try to relate it briefly.

After being defeated in gambling at a game of dice by the Kauravas, the Pāṇḍavas were banished from their kingdom and exiled to the forest for twelve years. After that period, they were to spend one more year incognito, during which time, if anyone recognized them, they would have to spend yet another twelve years in the forest. During the time of their exile in the forest, they first went to Dvaitavana. But, when they saw that all the beasts there, especially the deer, were being assassinated, they became very distressed. They left that place and went to Kāmyavana, within Vraja-maṇḍala. We visit this place when we perform Vraja-maṇḍala parikrama (circumambulation). At Kāmyavana, they experienced yet another mishap. Jayadhrata, the King of Sindhu, abducted Draupadī, and a battle between the Pāṇḍavas and Jayadhrata ensued. Through the efforts of Bhīma, Arjuna, etc., the Pāṇḍavas defeated Jayadhrata and rescued Draupadī. At that point, they felt that they should not remain in Kāmyavana, and henceforth returned to Dvaitavana.

At Dvaitavana, the Pāṇḍavas lived beneath a tree. A brāhmaṇa also dwelt in that forest. This brāhmaṇa used to perform daily oblations by pouring ghee into a sacred fire and, thus, was referred to as an “agni-hotri-brāhmaṇa”. At that time, matchsticks were not considered holy for the lighting of these special fires and were, therefore, not used in the performance of yajñas (sacrifices). There is a special sacred wood by the name of “araṇi.” By rubbing two pieces of this sacred wood together, the brāhmaṇas would ignite the fire for their sacrifices. It is very difficult to find and, therefore, not easily available. The agni-hotri-brāhmaṇa had some of this sacred araṇi wood tied to a churning stick, which he used to churn butter. Suddenly, a great deer grabbed the churning stick and fled with it, causing the brāhmaṇa great distress. “How can I continue my vow to do havana (offerings of ghee to the fire)?” he cried. He tried to catch the deer, but was unsuccessful. He became more and more distraught, as he knew it would be very difficult to find more of the sacred araṇi wood.

At that time, he heard that Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva had recently set their holy footprints in Dvaitavana. When he heard this, he became more hopeful about his situation. “Bhīma and Arjuna are very powerful fighters,” he thought. “It is nothing for them to catch a deer. They are very submissive to their elder brother, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja. If I submit a prayer to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, and he directs his younger brothers, then they will surely come to my aid and assist me in maintaining my religious vow of performing oblations.”

He went to see the Pāṇḍavas. When he arrived, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja and all the Pāṇḍavas stood up out of respect. The king, cordially receiving him, asked, “How can we serve you?”

The brāhmaṇa replied, “I am an agni-hotri-brāhmaṇa. I am to perform havana every day. But I have a problem. The sacred araṇi wood, used to ignite the fire for the oblations, was stolen by a deer. I tried to catch hold of the deer, but it was to no avail. You have with you the very powerful and formidable Bhīma and Arjuna. If you direct them, they will surely go to catch this deer and retrieve the sacred wood. In doing so, they will rescue me from the peril of the contravention of my religious vow—they will save me!”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja immediately directed his brothers to go and help this brāhmaṇa. They searched throughout the whole forest. Finally, toward the evening, they saw the deer, but could not catch it. Arjuna shot swarms of arrows into the sky, but was unsuccessful in catching the deer.

Disappointed, they returned and expressed their mental worries and agonies. They said to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, “We have never been unsuccessful before. We have lost all of our power! This is no doubt due to the fact that, when Duḥśāsana was trying to denude Draupadī in the assembly of kings, we did nothing to obstruct him. We have committed a great sin and have lost our power!”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja told them, “For now, we have other concerns. We are all very thirsty. Go through the forest and search for some drinking water. If there is no drinking water here, we shall all die.”

Nakula, one of the younger brothers, climbed a tall tree and saw that, some distance away, there was a big lake. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja directed Nakula to go search out that lake to find drinking water. When Nakula arrived there, he saw a very grand lake—very beautiful. Never before had he seen such a lake, with very pure crystal-clear water. Elegant swans swam in the lake while gardens of lotus flowers floated on top of the water. The sweet fragrance of the lotuses filled his nostrils. He was astounded to see this.

Nakula was very thirsty. He bent down to drink the clear water, when he suddenly heard a celestial voice, prohibiting him from drinking the water.

“Do not touch the water!” the voice said. “First you must answer my queries. If I receive appropriate answers from you, only then will you be permitted to drink the water! If you ignore me and touch that water, you will die!”

Nakula was so thirsty that he could not heed the request of that supernatural voice. He touched the water and immediately died.

Meanwhile, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was becoming worried that Nakula had not yet returned. He sent Sahadeva to investigate what had happened. When Sahadeva arrived at the lake, he was shocked to see his brother dead. But, in his extreme thirst, he leaned down to touch the water and, just like Nakula, he heard a supernatural voice prohibiting him from doing so. But, like his brother, Sahadeva could not resist tasting the water. The instant he touched the water, he died.

After that, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja sent Arjuna. On seeing his two brothers dead, Arjuna was deeply shocked. He went to the lake to take water for his elder brothers, when the voice called out to him, “Do not venture to touch the water! First give me answers to my queries, and then you may touch. Otherwise, you will also die!”

Arjuna searched for the source of the voice. Who was preventing him? Who was there? He searched, but saw nobody. He shot many arrows into the heavens, turning the sky dark.

Then, the voice addressed him once again, “You cannot shoot me with your arrows! You cannot stop me. First, answer my questions and then you may drink the water. Otherwise, you will suffer the same plight as your brothers.”

“No!” Arjuna said. “I cannot remain here. My elder brothers are thirsty. I have to bring them water. After I bring them water, I shall come back.”

Arjuna touched the water and also died.

After that, Bhīma was sent, who also died in the same fashion.

Ultimately, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, being very worried, came himself to the lake. When he saw that all of his four brothers were dead, he was grief-stricken. His intense grief is described for several pages in Mahābhārata. He thought, “This Duryodhana, Duḥśāsana, Karṇa and Śakuni are all hostile to the Pāṇḍavas. They are always trying to kill my brothers. Perhaps they have poisoned this lake and, by drinking the water, my brothers have died.”

In his grief-stricken state, he saw the body of his brother Bhīma and lamented, “O Bhīma! You have taken the vow that you will split the thigh of Duryodhana! Now, how will you fulfill your vow?”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja wept.

Seeing the body of his brother, Arjuna, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja called out to him, “O Arjuna! You are like Indra! There is no warrior equal to you—is this to be your fate? What shall I do?”

After a little while, he suddenly thought, “This water is very clean. It does not appear to have any poison in it. There are so many ducks and swans swimming about in it. There are also tortoises and fish. If this water were poisoned, then all these creatures would also die.”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja looked at the bodies of his brothers. The four Pāṇḍavas looked as though they were sleeping. There were no wounds on their bodies, no deformities of any sort. “This is strange,” the king thought. “It is as if they were in a deep slumber.”

The king entered the lake and bathed. After he came out from his dip, he attempted to take a drink of the water.

He heard a supernatural voice saying, “I am a heron—a crane—a fish-eater! I am the owner of this lake. First, give answers to my queries. If you give me the appropriate answers, all your brothers will be brought back to life and you will also be permitted to drink the water.”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja protested, “I do not believe that a heron can kill like a demon! How can a water bird kill a formidable soldier like Arjuna?”

Then the crane assumed a form that was as tall as a palm tree, with a black complexion. “I am a Yakṣa!” he exclaimed. “I have killed your brothers!”

The king was astounded.

The demon said, “First, give me the answers to my queries!”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was, by nature, both sublime and sober. He told the demon, “Yes, I shall try to give answers to your queries.”

In Mahābhārata, we read that the crane demon asked many queries of Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, but the last four questions are especially important.

kā ca vārtā kimāścaryaṁ
kaśca modate kaha panthāha
mamaitāṁścaturaha praśnān
kathayitvā jalaṁ piba
(Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.114)

Those queries were:

1. What is the news of the world?
2. What is the greatest wonder?
3. What is the true path?
4. Who is happy in this world?

To these questions, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja gave answers that can never be changed. No person in the world can change these answers.

If someone were to ask us, “What is the news of the world?” we would reply, “Such-and-such things are happening in such-in-such place. There is a war somewhere or another, etc.” After a month, everything would be completely changed. But Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja’s answer to this question is immutable—it can never change. What is the verse in the Mahābhārata?

māsartudarvīparighaṭaṭnena
sūryāgninā rātridivendhanena
asmina mahāmohamaye kaṭāhe
bhūtāni pacatīti kālaha vārtā
(Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.118)

What is the meaning of this verse? “Māsartudarvīparighaṭaṭnena”: the twelve months and six seasons are like spoons used for cooking. These months and seasons are rotating like the stirring of those spoons.

“Sūryāgninā”: For cooking, fire is necessary. What is that fire? The sun.

“Rātridivendhanena”: Where there is fire, there must be fuel. Fuel is consumed by fire. So, what is that fuel? The day and the night. When the sun rises, the day begins. When it sets, the night begins. Day and night are coming and going, so they are like fuel that is consumed by the sun.

There must be a pot for cooking—a large pot, a cauldron. What is the meaning of the cauldron? “Cauldron” means “mahāmoha”—great ignorance. We are in nescience. All the jīvās, being enveloped by the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord, believe that they are the masters and enjoyers of the world. They think, “This house is mine. This wife is mine. These children are mine. I am a brāhmaṇa, I am a kṣatriya, I am a vaiśya, I am a śūdra, I am an outcaste, I am Indian, I am Russian, I am American. This property belongs to me! I am the owner of this house.” Actually, we are not the proprietors of anything. We belong to the Supreme Lord, and everything belongs to Him. By the influence of the illusory energy, we think that we belong to this world and that the things of this world belong to us. “I am of this world, I am Indian, I am Chinese, etc.” This is false ego, false knowledge, the result of nescience. This is a big cauldron of illusion.

What are the articles to be cooked in this cauldron? The articles are the living beings. They will be cooked in that cauldron. So, who is the cook? Yamarāja, the god of death! He is cooking all the living beings of the world. Can anybody change this? Can anybody change this answer of Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja? Nobody can. When a cauldron is put over a fire, it will become very hot. If the living beings are thrown into that cauldron, they will feel its intense heat. All the living beings are afflicted with miseries. This is the news of the world! This is the whole picture. Nobody can change this answer.

The next question was, “What is the greatest wonder?” In our boyhood, in school, we were always taught that there were “seven wonders of the world”. The Taj Mahal of Agra! In Babylon, there was a garden in the sky! In China, a gigantic wall! In Russia, a gigantic bell! In Egypt, the great pyramids, etc. But these are not wonders now. On the other hand, the answer Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja gave to this question posed by Yamarāja cannot be changed by anyone. It is the answer for all time to come. What is this answer?

ahanyahani bhūtāni
gacchantīha yamālayam
śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti
kim āścaryam ataḥ param
(Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.116)

Every day we are seeing that living beings are entering the jaws of death. Is it not so? Those who are younger than I, those who are older than I, those who are the same age as I, are all dying. But those who presently exist are thinking that they will exist in this world this permanently. They are busy erecting huge buildings and other things thinking, “We shall remain here eternally!” Is this not a wonder? We think that we shall remain in this world eternally, even though we are seeing daily that all living beings are dying, regardless of their age. So, how is it possible that I will be able to remain in this world? Is this not the greatest wonder? Can anybody change this answer for all time to come?

The third question was, “What is the true path?” We are desperate to know what is the actual path of life. The answer to this question was given by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja for all time to come, not to be disputed by anyone:

tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā
nāsau ṛṣir yasya matam na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitam guhāyāṁ
mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ
(Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117)

Remember that this evidence is being given from Mahābhārata, not from any other scripture. Mahābhārata is accepted by all schools of thought in India. “Tarka”: by the words of logical argument, you cannot substantiate any view or any contention. An intelligent person will establish his viewpoint and another intelligent person, who is, perhaps, more intelligent, will refute that view and establish his own. Then a third person may come along and do the same. There is no foundation for this tarka, this reasoning, this mundane system of argument. In Bengal, it is said, “viśvase mile vastu, tarke bahudūra.” “By faith, we can get Bhagavān—by firm faith.” Those who are without faith cannot get the Supreme Lord by means of bandy arguments and pedantic quips. “Tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ.” “Śrutayo vibhinnā”: In the Vedas, you will find different kinds of teachings, because the status of each human being is different. There are three primary qualities of the Lord’s external potency, sattvas, rajas and tamas, and human beings are enveloped by these qualities. If sattva-guṇa predominates, that person is called sāttvika; if rajo-guṇa predominates, that person is called rājasika; if tamo-guṇa predominates, that person is called tāmasika. So, each person has his own status:

trai-guṇya-viṣayā vedā
nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho
niryoga-kṣema ātmavān
(Bhagavad-gītā, 2.45)

In the Vedas, you will find different teachings for the sāttvika people, the rājasika people and the tāmasika people. But there are also teachings about the Transcendental Reality. That is also there. The Vedas are not like the Koran or the Bible. You cannot complete them in one lifetime. You may go through the Vedas—you may read thousands of verses—but you will still be unable to know what the actual teaching of the Vedas is. It is so vast. It is very difficult. According to the competence or worthiness of people, different kinds of teachings have been given for their gradual progress. So, it is very difficult to determine what the actual teaching of the Vedas is. “Śrutayo vibhinnā nāsau ṛṣir yasya matam na bhinnam.” “A ṛṣi, a saint, cannot be considered a saint if he does not have his own view.” He will not be accepted as a saint:

“What is your view?”

“I have no view.”

“No! You are not a saint!”

Many minds, many views.

So, as we said earlier, people become confused and ask, “There are many saints. They all have different views. Which view should we accept? What is the path?” “Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitam guhāyāṁ, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ”: “The concept of religion—spirituality—is concealed in the cave of a mountain.” What is the meaning of this? “Nihitam guhāyāṁ.” “Guhā” means cave—a cave in the hills or mountains. “The religious concept is hidden in the cave of a mountain.” “Guhā” means the cave of the heart of the surrendered soul, the śuddha bhakta. There have been many philosophical discussions on this topic, among different philosophical groups in India. According to the theistic group, dharmasya tattvaṁ, the tattva—the thing in its true form—cannot be known by the human being by means of his own intellect or mental capacity. Why do they say this? If you claim that Ultimate Reality is that which can be perceived by human intellect and mental capacity, how correct can this be? The human being is born, he will remain for some time and then he will die. A human being is finite. His intellect is finite. His mental capacity is finite. Therefore, anything determined by means of human intellect and mental capacity will also be finite. How can he determine the infinite—the cause of himself or the cause of all things? How? Anything determined by the finite intellect or the finite mental capacity of the finite being will be a mentally concocted thing. That is not reality—it is fictitious. If reality is reality, it must always exist. Reality cannot be manufactured in the intellectual factory of the human being, a conditioned soul. That would be non-reality. Reality always exists. You are not to manufacture it by means of your limited mental capacity. Reality is there, and you have to find out how to see that truth. So, we say, “darśana-śāstra.” The terms “darśana-śāstra” and “philosophy” are not synonymous. Nor are the terms “dharma” and “religion”. There are many words in sanātana-dharma that are very peculiar. You cannot translate them into any language of this world. The word “philosophy” means “philo-sophia”: “love of knowledge.” To which kind of knowledge is it referring? Empiric knowledge—knowledge acquired by the material senses and material intellect. Philosophy means that, depending on the data supplied by the senses and intellect, and utilizing the process of induction, one tries to ascertain Ultimate Reality. But you, yourself, are not an eternally existing person. You have been born and you will die. You have limitations. You are not the cause—you are the effect. So, you cannot determine your cause. That Cause is Self-effulgent. Darśana-śāstra means that truth is there, and you have to find the way to see that truth. You are not to manufacture Bhagavān. That which is manufactured is not reality. Bhagavān is there, and you have to find out how to see Him—darśana-śāstra. Unchallengeable Truth, the Cause of all causes, Who is Self-Effulgent and Self-Luminous, can descend to the completely surrendered soul. That complete submission is like a cave. God descends into the cave of the heart of the completely surrendered soul. Actual religion, or true righteousness, resides within the Supreme Lord, Supreme Reality. That Supreme Reality is the Absolute Conscious Person and, by His grace, He will reveal Himself to the submissive, surrendered soul.

You will find in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that Brahmā, the creator of all the living beings of this world, could not understand Kṛṣṇa. He was bewildered to see Kṛṣṇa. “This is a cowherd boy, how can he be Bhagavān?” he thought. But, when he took complete shelter of the lotus feet of Nandanandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then he could understand. Only by Kṛṣṇa’s grace could he understand. Brahmā, the creator of all the living beings of this world, could not understand by means of his own intellect and mental capacity. If we receive Kṛṣṇa’s grace, we may take absolute shelter but, if we approach Him in a challenging mood, we will be disappointed. There is nothing greater than Him and nothing equal to Him so, without His grace, no one can know Him. If anyone says that he can know Him by his own means, then those means will be equal to, or greater than, Bhagavān. This is absurd. There can be no equal or superior to the Supreme Lord. Without His grace, nobody can know Him—it is the only way.

nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena
yam evaiva vṛṇute tena labhyas
tasyaiva ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṁ svam
(Kaṭhopaniṣad, 2.23)

Paramātmā cannot be known by oration, lectures, intellect or education. Simply by being an “intellectual giant”, a man cannot know Kṛṣṇa. Simply by being a great “Paṇḍit”, possessing great knowledge of the scriptures, a man cannot know Kṛṣṇa. God will manifest His true form to those who surrender to Him.

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja said, “Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ.” The common definition of a mahājana in India is a moneylender. So, a moneylender is very rich and generally has immense amounts of money that he can lend to others. But this is the ordinary meaning. Why do we actually earn money? To get happiness? Let us say that you are offered two proposals. The first proposal is that you will be a multi-millionaire, but you will always be in great suffering with many worries and tribulations. The other proposal is that you will always be very happy and never have any worries, but you will never have a farthing. Which proposal will you accept? Everybody wants happiness. We earn money for happiness—not for money’s sake.

So, where can we find actual happiness? Kṛṣṇa is happiness personified.

Parents have great love for their small child. They find him very beautiful. “This beautiful child is making us so happy,” they think. But then, perhaps, life leaves the body of that child. His body is dead, devoid of consciousness. If that dead body were preserved for a long time, by means of a chemical procedure, could the body of that child give happiness to any father or mother? Of course not. Happiness belongs to consciousness—cetana. As long as cetana dwells within the cages of the physical and subtle bodies, the presence of that blissful entity is what gives us happiness. If an emancipated soul can come in contact with another person, that person can receive immense ānanda.

You will find, in the autobiography of Aurobinda, that he was once a prisoner in a tiny cell. He says, “I felt suffocated from being in that cell. I felt that I should just die.” But, while he had these thoughts, he noticed some ants moving across the floor of his cell. He meditated upon this. By dint of his meditation, he concluded that within each ant there is a spiritual spark. Behind that, there is the All-Pervading Spirit. After meditating in this way, he felt some kind of solace. Material things cannot give us happiness. People, who cannot find anyone to be with them, might keep a dog or cat with them to keep them happy. We see that, sometimes, when a son or daughter leaves home, parents will bring some sort of pet into the home. Material things cannot make us happy. Some sort of sentient being must be there.

So, if a particle of a sentient being can give us so much happiness, then what can be said of the Cause of that tiny sentient being? Wherefrom are these sentient beings coming? Man can beget man. Horse can beget horse. Dog can beget dog. Cetana can beget cetana. We are all sentient beings. We have come from the Absolute Conscious Principle:

yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante yena jātāni jīvanti yat
prayantyabhisaṁviśanti
tad vijijñāsasva tad brahma
(Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1.1)

We are emanating from Brahman, we are sustained by Brahman and we shall go to Brahman. That Brahman, as a conscious unit, is a person. But we say that He is not a person: “That person is a myth, because He has no consciousness. No personality is attributed to That.” But personality is attributed to a conscious principle, not an unconscious principle. So, if an individual sentient being, possessing personal attributes, constitutes a person, then the Absolute Consciousness must also be a person—a personal being. “Raso vai saḥ.”

You will find that, in Kṛṣṇa-līlā, Yaśodā tried to fasten Gopāla, a small boy. A small boy, with a small belly. She took a length of rope to tie around His belly, but could not fasten it. All the ropes of Nanda Mahārāja, one after the other, forming a giant rope—from here to the airport—could not reach around the belly of Gopāla. This is because, within this “limitation” (the small appearance of Gopāla), He is unlimited. “Simār mājhe asīma tumi” (saying by Ravindra Nātha Tagore).

Outwardly, we perceive Kṛṣṇa to have limitations but, within, He is actually unlimited. He is the Cause of all causes. He is inconceivable. We cannot understand this. Vast and infinite! That Ānanda can take any shape. Ānanda is transcendental and omniscient. Without His grace, you cannot get Him. If you can get Kṛṣṇa, you will be happy. There will be no end to it—it is infinite. Nobody can say, “I have tasted Kṛṣṇa!” After tasting again and again, his taste for Kṛṣṇa will still remain. But you are in this world. You might hear a very beautiful song, a very nice song. But, after hearing it several times, it becomes stale and you yearn to hear a new song. But, within Kṛṣṇa’s Name and Attributes, at every step you will find a new, fresh taste. You cannot end it. If you can enter into that region, then you will enter into the happiest region—the region of kṛṣṇa-prema. You will find, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Mahājana is that person who is giving this knowledge of kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Who is a Mahājana?

svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ
kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
balir vaiyāsakir vayam

dvādaśaite vijānīmo dharmaṁ bhāgavataṁ bhaṭāḥ
guhyaṁ viśuddhaṁ durbodhaṁ
yaṁ jñātvāmṛtam aśnute
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 6.3.20-1)

Twelve Mahājanas are mentioned. Brahmā, Nārada, Rudra, the four Kumāras, Kapiladeva, Svayambhuva Manu, Prahalāda, Janaka Mahārāja, Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Yamarāja are all Mahājanas. Here, Yamarāja is speaking to his messengers, the Yamadūtas. He says, “We twelve Mahājanas know bhāgavata-dharma. It cannot be understood easily, without the grace of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. It is very confidential, most secret.” So, those Mahājanas have advised us to love the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. If you love your country, such as the USA, then you will have to fight with other countries, such as those in Europe, Asia, etc. If you love the world, then you will be compelled to exploit Maṅgala-graha (the planet Mars). If you love this brahmāṇḍa (this material universe), you will try to exploit another brahmāṇḍa. But, if you love the Supreme, Complete Reality, you will have no impetus to exploit any other thing. So, this is the most elevated state—love of Complete Reality, the Supreme Lord.

The crane demon’s final question was: “Who is happy in this world?” Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja replied:

pancamehāni ṣaṣṭhe vā śākaṁ pacātī sve gṛhe
anuṇī cāpravāsī ca sa vāricara modate
(Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.115)

At the end of the day, if a man takes only a little bread and nothing else, but has no debts and has not been forced to leave the land of his birth, then that man is happy. If anyone is in debt or cannot live in the place of his birth, then he is unhappy. This is an allegory, of course. The real meaning is this: We are ātmā. We are an eternally existing principle, saccidānanda. Therefore, if we have attachment to non-eternal things, that is known as “debt.” We experience suffering proportionate to what we have spent in our involvement with non-eternal things. By the mercy of the sādhu, referred to here as a mahājana (“money lender”), we shall become free from our debts. Because we are in debt, we have been driven from our home. Where is our home? “Back home, back to Godhead”: The transcendental realm of Goloka is where we belong. We have been driven out to a foreign land, this material world. Whether we are in India, the USA or Russia, it is all foreign land. It is not our home. Our home is there in the transcendental realm. Therefore, we are suffering because we have been driven out from our actual birthplace, Goloka-Vṛndāvana, due to our attachment to non-eternal things. This is the actual purport of the answer given by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja.

After the crane demon, who was actually Dharmarāja (Yamarāja, the lord of death) in disguise, had heard all these answers from the king, he said, “Your answers are very good! One of your brothers may be brought back to life! Choose one only!”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja did not reveal his own feelings, but humbly requested that Yamarāja give back the life of his youngest brother Nakula. Yudhiṣṭhira was the son of Queen Kuntī and Nakula was the son of Queen Mādrī. Therefore, out of affection, he wished that each mother would have one surviving son, even though he was dependent upon the valor and strength of Arjuna and Bhīma for success in the inevitable war to come. Hearing this, Yamarāja said, “Actually, you are a righteous person. I shall bring all four of your brothers back to life! Then, you may request another boon from me.”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja explained how the agni-hotri brāhmaṇa had lost his sacred wood to a deer. He requested Yamarāja to arrange to have it returned to him. To Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja’s surprise, Yamarāja revealed himself once more. “I was that deer!” he said. “I myself took the wood. I shall return it to the brāhmaṇa. Is there some other wish that you desire?”

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja then requested the boon that no one would be able to recognize them when the time came for the Pāṇḍavas to travel about incognito for one year at the end of their exile in the forest.