Srimad Bhagavatam – 2.3.19 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | Jun 9, 2026
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
jaya sri-krishna-caitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-adwaita gadadhara
shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2 Chapter 3 Verse 19.
ŚB 2.3.19
श्वविड्वराहोष्ट्रखरै: संस्तुत: पुरुष: पशु: ।
न यत्कर्णपथोपेतो जातु नाम गदाग्रज: ॥ १९ ॥
śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ
saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ
na yat-karṇa-pathopeto
jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥ
Synonyms
śva — a dog; viṭ–varāha — the village hog who eats stool; uṣṭra — the camel; kharaiḥ — and by the asses; saṁstutaḥ — perfectly praised; puruṣaḥ — a person; paśuḥ — animal; na — never; yat — of him; karṇa — ear; patha — path; upetaḥ — reached; jātu — at any time; nāma — the holy name; gadāgrajaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer from all evils.
Translation
Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer from evils.
Purport
The general mass of people, unless they are trained systematically for a higher standard of life in spiritual values, are no better than animals, and in this verse they have particularly been put on the level of dogs, hogs, camels and asses. Modern university education practically prepares one to acquire a doggish mentality with which to accept the service of a greater master. After finishing a so-called education, the so-called educated persons move like dogs from door to door with applications for some service, and mostly they are driven away, informed of no vacancy. As dogs are negligible animals and serve the master faithfully for bits of bread, a man serves a master faithfully without sufficient rewards.
Persons who have no discrimination in the matter of foodstuff and who eat all sorts of rubbish are compared to hogs. Hogs are very much attached to eating stools. So stool is a kind of foodstuff for a particular type of animal. And even stones are eatables for a particular type of animal or bird. But the human being is not meant for eating everything and anything; he is meant to eat grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, sugar, etc. Animal food is not meant for the human being. For chewing solid food, the human being has a particular type of teeth meant for cutting fruits and vegetables. The human being is endowed with two canine teeth as a concession for persons who will eat animal food at any cost. It is known to everyone that one man’s food is another man’s poison. Human beings are expected to accept the remnants of food offered to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the Lord accepts foodstuff from the categories of leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. (Bg. 9.26). As prescribed by Vedic scriptures, no animal food is offered to the Lord. Therefore, a human being is meant to eat a particular type of food. He should not imitate the animals to derive so-called vitamin values. Therefore, a person who has no discrimination in regard to eating is compared to a hog.
The camel is a kind of animal that takes pleasure in eating thorns. A person who wants to enjoy family life or the worldly life of so-called enjoyment is compared to the camel. Materialistic life is full of thorns, and so one should live only by the prescribed method of Vedic regulations just to make the best use of a bad bargain. Life in the material world is maintained by sucking one’s own blood. The central point of attraction for material enjoyment is sex life. To enjoy sex life is to suck one’s own blood, and there is not much more to be explained in this connection. The camel also sucks its own blood while chewing thorny twigs. The thorns the camel eats cut the tongue of the camel, and so blood begins to flow within the camel’s mouth. The thorns, mixed with fresh blood, create a taste for the foolish camel, and so he enjoys the thorn-eating business with false pleasure. Similarly, the great business magnates, industrialists who work very hard to earn money by different ways and questionable means, eat the thorny results of their actions mixed with their own blood. Therefore the Bhāgavatam has situated these diseased fellows along with the camels.
The ass is an animal who is celebrated as the greatest fool, even amongst the animals. The ass works very hard and carries burdens of the maximum weight without making profit for itself.* The ass is generally engaged by the washerman, whose social position is not very respectable. And the special qualification of the ass is that it is very much accustomed to being kicked by the opposite sex. When the ass begs for sexual intercourse, he is kicked by the fair sex, yet he still follows the female for such sexual pleasure. A henpecked man is compared, therefore, to the ass. The general mass of people work very hard, especially in the Age of Kali. In this age the human being is actually engaged in the work of an ass, carrying heavy burdens and driving ṭhelā and rickshaws. The so-called advancement of human civilization has engaged a human being in the work of an ass. The laborers in great factories and workshops are also engaged in such burdensome work, and after working hard during the day, the poor laborer has to be again kicked by the fair sex, not only for sex enjoyment but also for so many household affairs.
So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s categorization of the common man without any spiritual enlightenment into the society of dogs, hogs, camels and asses is not at all an exaggeration. The leaders of such ignorant masses of people may feel very proud of being adored by such a number of dogs and hogs, but that is not very flattering. The Bhāgavatam openly declares that although a person may be a great leader of such dogs and hogs disguised as men, if he has no taste for being enlightened in the science of Kṛṣṇa, such a leader is also an animal and nothing more. He may be designated as a powerful, strong animal, or a big animal, but in the estimation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam he is never given a place in the category of man, on account of his atheistic temperament. Or in other words, such godless leaders of dogs and hoglike men are bigger animals with the qualities of animals in greater proportion.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So, this is another famous verse to show the uselessness of activities if one does not worship the Supreme Lord. And in particular it mentions that you should listen to the pastimes of the Lord. So, the people who don’t listen to the pastimes are compared to persons praised by dogs, hogs and camels and asses. So, the people who don’t listen to the name and pastimes of the Lord are animals and they are praised by animals. So, by calling these human beings animals they are indicating that the human being is not fulfilling his capacity as a human being.
So, we have common activities of animals and human beings. And if the human being only does those activities and nothing exceptional that the animal cannot do then he is like an animal. So, if we eat and we eat better than the animal we are a better animal. So in this way the human being has to be very careful what activities he does. So, certainly to survive the person has to eat and sleep etc. So, the varnashrama system and karma yoga provides for all of that. So, if we are at that level we are actually better than the animal. And thus we say that the human being who adopts the varnashram system is civilized and those that don’t are like animals.
So, the varnashrama system provides necessities for eating, sleeping, mating, defending but it also does something more. And because it does more it gets praised. However, we also find that the bhagavatam condemns it. So, it’s all a matter of our point of view. If we go from zero point yes, it is better than doing nothing. If we determine the highest goal on life then it is not getting there so it gets criticized and rejected. So, that system is praised because at least it regulates eating, sleeping, mating, defending. We can also say other societies also do that. And the difference is that this system is established by the Lord and indirectly leads to the Lord. So, indirectly it is pleasing the Lord. So, it is better than a system that is not made by the Lord and not pleasing to the Lord. And the Supreme Lord puts great effort into preserving this system.
So, we see throughout the Bhagavatam there is a list of all the different manus and their descendants who are kings, who establish and preserve this system. So, of course the necessity here is that it is maintained because we have qualified persons, the manus and their descendants. However, we also see that it doesn’t directly lead to Krishna. So, therefore it also gets rejected.
So, the direct process of course is Bhakti Yoga. So, if one hears the name of the Lord that’s directly involving the Lord. If we worship the form of the Lord that’s direct service to the Lord. So, this is considered much superior. And we get quicker results. So, these activities of bhakti are actually the swarupa shakti of the Lord, internal energy of the Lord. So, they are not material at all. If we take all the activities of Varnashram with Nitya-kriya’s and Naimitika-kriya’s etc. All of that is material. Certainly, the Lord empowers it with material shakti [Laughs]. And by that shakti eventually you can elevate the sattva guna.
So, of course the material shakti is also the Lord shakti but it’s the inferior shakti [Laughs]. And that internal energy or swarupa shakti is the superior shakti and it’s non-different from the Lord. So, if we directly partake of the angas of bhakti then we get very direct results.
So, a person if he at least is following Varnashram we can’t really call him an animal anymore. But if he is not doing bhakti yoga directly still he is in an inferior category. So, anyone who does not directly partake of bhakti he is called an animal also even if he is doing Varnashram [Laughs]. So this comparison with different animals is given just to emphasize the great superiority of bhakti over all processes. And of course all animals are considered inferior to the human being because they have less intelligence. So, to simply call the human being an animal, that is criticizing him.
But then of course among animals we also get higher animals, lower animals [Laughs]. So, here we get a list of the low animals [Laughs]. If we talk about cows and horses, ok, they are ok. But if we talk about dogs and pigs then of course it is not considered good at all [Laughs]. So the dog is considered very inferior because he is completely dependent upon the master to get his food. So in the purport Srila Prabhupada gives a big explanation or description of the people who are dependent on the bosses for everything [Laughs].
We see in the Varnashram system if you are a Vaishya, a Kshatriya or a Brahmana you are not supposed to be dependent on anybody. But then in Kali Yuga everybody is dependent on somebody else. Everybody is doing Sudra work. Of course if the Sudra himself if he is part of the Varnashram system he is a step better but if we are not following that system then definitely we are very low.
So the pig is famous because it eats anything. So similarly people who are attached to material enjoyment also satisfy themselves in any way not following any of the rules of scripture about what is forbidden food and what is permitted food. Some animals of course are very particular like the cow only eats grass. But the pig eats anything. So the other example is the camel. Of course the camel is useful because he carries things in the desert [Laughs]. But of course the camel has a rather austere existence living in the desert. What can he eat? So the only thing growing in the desert is the thorn bushes and he eats the thorns [Laughs]. But he actually enjoys eating them. So of course the thorns create injury but the taste is nice so the camel keeps eating. So this represents people who waste all their energy to get a little sense gratification. And they are so ignorant that they don’t know that they are actually suffering [Laughs].
And then khara, the donkey is considered the animal that carries big loads. Then the master of the donkey after a day’s work he gives him some water and a little carrot [Laughs]. So just to survive whatever he does this great heavy work but he is satisfied doing that. So human beings if this is the limit of what they can do in the world they are called animals. And what else can they do? Of course they can do many things but still they should take to the process of bhakti and worship the Supreme Lord. If they don’t do that still they are like animals.
So Srimad Bhagavatam is speaking from the highest point of view. And thus it rejects every other process even if it is sanctioned by the Vedas. And that’s Karma Yoga, Varnashram, Jnana Yoga and Astanga Yoga all get rejected even though they are also mentioned in Bhagavatam and they get praised in the scriptures. But even in Bhakti Yoga then if we come to Bhakti Yoga we know that Nama Sankirtan is the highest. And thus sometimes even the other angas of Bhakti get rejected in favor of Nama Sankirtan. And thus Lord Caitanya says harer nāmaiva kevalam He doesn’t say do deity worship or do this or that He says just chant the holy name [Laughs]. So all of this rejection condemnation of the lower processes is there to show the superiority of Bhakti and chanting the holy name.
Hare Krishna.
Q & A:
1.) Maharaj whatever example is given like śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ we see that although name is given animal but we see this kind of animal propensity qualities exist in a human like a dog who are completely dependent and varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ.It’s all like you know although animal name is given we see people are living like this in this material world. So that means can you say that you know there are all animals.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj : Who?
Devotee : Those who are living like this.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj : Well that’s what they are saying here [Laughs]. Of course they often make it a little gentler by saying equivalent to an animal [Laughs] Pasu tulya [Laughs] Pasu eva [Laughs]. Or just to say more directly he is an animal, human being is an animal if he acts like this. In other words if they only concentrate on eating, sleeping, mating and defending then they are like animals, they are animals [Laughs]. So this means they become animals [Laughs], next life. Now if they follow Varnashram and they are still doing eating, sleeping, mating at least they are not animals, they are born as human being, human animals [Laughs].
2.) Maharaj varnashram is like you know we can say it’s a regulated life. You see some other religion also although they don’t accept the Vedas but still they have a regulated life, Sattvic life. But can you also say that you know they are not animals, they don’t follow Vedas but they have a regulated life they live Sattvic life.
So they are not following the Vedas but they are following all the rules that are there, then what’s the difference [Laughs]? maybe in the previous lifetime they were following. You can also follow the Vedas but you do the wrong parts of the Vedas, animal sacrifice etc then you are also low like an animal [Laughs].
3.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. So if a faithless person comes in contact with a devotee that is also an arrangement by the Lord by any chance.
Since he has no faith and he is not seeking devotion the only way it can happen is by accident. So there is no karma by which he got the association with that devotee but we can say it’s the effort of the devotee that can cause this, the mercy of devotee. So the Lord gives the free will to the devotee to preach as he likes. So in that sense we can say arrangement of the Lord, indirectly [Laughs]. More directly is mercy of devotee.
4.) Maharaj you have mentioned in the previous class if a person has taken birth in a very rural area. Devotees do not have energy to go to preach everyone but that person who is not getting opportunity to come in touch with devotee, is it because of his previous karma? which is for example in previous life he might have given chance to attain bhakti but he might have rejected it because of it he got that opportunity of taking birth in a rural place like he didn’t get the opportunity to meet devotee in this lifetime.
So we cannot speculate on what the cause of not meeting devotees is but I would think that the main thing is that if it’s accidental mercy then the only thing is that we have fewer devotees and the capacity is also limited because they are human beings.
5.) Maharaj, next question is so we see Vaishnava-aparadha is like hathi-matha like mad elephant. So one who did Vaishnavapura it uproots totally the bhaktilata. So can we understand the bhakti is completely lost or is it covered.
So it depends on the extent of the aparadh, if it’s very very serious aparadh then the bhaktilata is destroyed.
6.) Maharaj, we have to serve the spiritual master as how the dog has gratitude to the master. So how we can understand here that śva-viṭ, that this dog is only for sense gratification or any other Maharaj?
So here the dog is condemned because he is dependent on the master for his food. Of course we can say that a devotee also is dependent, he is dependent on the supreme lord ultimately and he is dependent on devotees and gurus etc. But it’s not material dependence.
Devotee : Even in gurukul system the master want to tell the student, the shishya you have to take food then only the shishya will take the food so how can we understand that Maharaj.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj : So of course in all aspects the disciple is dependent upon the guru so that means materially and spiritually but if we take away the spiritual aspect and he is only dependent for his food and whatever like that then it becomes a material process just like the dog [Laughs].
7.) If Srimad Bhagavatam is the source to get the Krishna Prema which is the highest what qualification one should have to preach Srimad Bhagavatam to others?
Main qualification he is a devotee. So if you are a devotee you can get some message correctly from Bhagavatam and you can communicate that. If you have more knowledge more advancement then you can communicate more.
8.) Can we criticize other processes in our preaching Srimad Bhagavatam because sometimes Srimad Bhagavatam criticizes other processes without any reasons and explanation. So can we also do that while we are preaching?
Of course we see Bhagavatam does both it praises and it rejects also. So according to the person then we have to preach differently. Ultimately one interpretation of the second offence to the holy name is sruti-sastra-ninda is that don’t criticize the Vedas, don’t criticize Karma-kanda [Laughs]. So we don’t criticize because it is an authorized process in the Vedas presented by the Lord. At the same time it is for people of lesser qualification. So we are trying to get people to get higher qualification and practice Bhakti. So to encourage persons we may criticize that process.
9.) Since the 10th canto directly describes Krishna’s pastimes how much importance should a devotee give to studying the other cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam?
So our Acharyas say you should study the whole Bhagavatam.
10.) When a Sadhaka attains perfection and reaches the spiritual world can he become Nithya Siddha?
No it is a matter of terminology it is called a Sadhana Siddha. So the process, he got a process by which he became Siddha. Nithya Siddha means he didn’t have any process he was eternally Siddha.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!!!