Calamities welcome the devotee who uses them as reminders to advance toward Krishna and liberation from repeated birth and death.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.25 — April 17, 1973, Los Angeles 730417SB-LOS ANGELES [44:24 Minutes] SB-01.08.25_730417SB-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: [leads singing of Jaya rādhā-mādhava] [04:50] [prema-dhvāṇī prayers] Thank you very much. [break] Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
[leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat tatra tatra jagad-guro bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād apunar bhava-darśanam [SB 1.8.25] Prabhupāda: Now girls. [men continue] [Prabhupāda has conversation aside about a photograph]
Devotee: It's the wife of Bhaktivinoda. Bhaktivinoda's wife.
Prabhupāda: Girls. That's all. Word meaning. Pradyumna: vipadaḥ—calamities; santu—let there be; tāḥ—all; śaśvat—again and again; tatra—there; tatra—and there; jagat-guro—O Lord of the universe; bhavataḥ—Your; darśanam—meeting; yat—that which; syāt—is; apunaḥ—not again; bhava-darśanam—seeing repetition of birth and death. [13:01] Translation: "I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we can see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths." Prabhupāda: So that is very interesting verse that vipada, calamities, danger, that is very good if such danger and calamities remind me of Kṛṣṇa.
That is very good. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam [SB 10.14.8]. A devotee, how he receives dangerous position? Danger must be there.
Danger... Because this place, this material world is full of dangers. These foolish persons, they do not know that. They are trying to avoid the dangers.
That is struggle for existence. Everyone is trying to become happy and avoid danger. This is the material business. Ātyantika-sukham. Ātyantika-sukha, ultimate happiness. A man is working and thinking, "Let me work now very hard, and let me have some bank balance so when I shall get old, I shall enjoy life without any working." That is the inner intention of everyone. Nobody wants to work.