The impersonal Brahman is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that impersonal Brahman is also subordinate to the complete person. Brahmaṇo 'haṁ pratiṣṭhā (BG 14.27). Impersonal Brahman is also. It is... The impersonal Brahman is more explicitly explained in the Brahma-sūtra as the rays. As there is the rays of the sunshine, sun planet, similarly, the impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the Supreme Brahman or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization of the absolute complete whole, and so also the conception of Paramātmā. These things are also explained. Puruṣottama-yoga. When we shall read the chapter of Puruṣottama-yoga it will be seen that the Supreme Personality, Puruṣottama, is above the impersonal Brahman and partial realization of Paramātmā.
Explicitly (Lect., Conv., & Letters)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So the history is that same family, there was dispute who would occupy the throne. Dhṛtarāṣṭra and, actually he was the eldest son of the king, and next was Pāṇḍu. So every country the law of primogeniture, what is called? The eldest child... In your country even the eldest child is a girl, she also occupies the throne. Just like present Queen Elizabeth. Formerly there was Queen Victoria; before that, another Elizabeth. But in India woman has no such right. Woman is never given any responsible post. That is the opinion of the greatest politician in the history of the world, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. According to his opinion, viśvāso naiva kartavyaḥ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca. He has given his explicit opinion that "You cannot trust with any responsible post or any responsibility with a woman and politician." Those who are diplomat, politician, you cannot trust them.
So this Kali-yuga so strong that it attacks even the so-called devotees also. Kali-yuga is very strong. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended that if you want to save yourself, if you at all desire to take the position of amṛta, if you are interested... Nobody is interested. Kṛṣṇa says sa amṛtatvāya kalpate. That is the aim of life: How I shall become immortal. How I shall not become subjected to the four principles of distressed condition—birth, death, disease and old age. Nobody is serious. They are so dull. Therefore they have been described, manda. Manda means so bad, so rascal that they have no ambition of life. They do not know what is the goal of life. Manda. Manda means "bad." And sumanda-matayaḥ. And if some of them, just to become little recognized as very religious, he will accept some rascal as guru, magician, and eat everything, do everything, and become spiritualist, and his rascal guru will say, "Yes, you can eat anything. You can do anything. Religion has nothing to do with eating." It is going on. The Christian people, it is explicitly, clearly said, "Thou shall not kill." But they are killing. Still, they are very much proud, "I am Christian." And what kind of Christian you are? You are regularly disobeying the order of Christ, and still you are Christian?
So this is a great science, what Kṛṣṇa is—Kṛṣṇa science. It is simply a synopsis; Bhagavad-gītā is only a synopsis of the science of God, and it is more explicitly given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. But after all, it is a great science. If we study it very seriously, then we can understand... We should not take so cheaply that "Here is a God, here is a God, here is a God." No, no. God is not so cheap. God is one, and He is great. "God is great," as in your English language it is said, and nobody can be greater than Him or equal to Him. That is the position of God. Now here, Arjuna, he accepts Kṛṣṇa and he says that "You are Paraṁ Brahman." Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12). Dhāma means in which everything rests. We are resting, everything is resting. Just like... This is scientific and practical, you know, that the innumerable planets that the, that you can see at night as, I mean to say, luminaries, stars in the sky, each and every one of them, more or less, they are all different kinds of planets. But do you know how they are floating in the space? They are floating on the sunshine, on the sun rays. They are floating. That you can see.
Sāṅkhya, sāṅkhya-yoga. Sāṅkhya means analyzing the material elements and dovetail it with the Supreme. This is called sāṅkhya-yoga. Samyak khyāpayate, or things are very explicitly explained for understanding of the common man. That is called sāṅkhya-yoga, or jñāna-yoga. And another is karma-yoga, or buddhi-yoga.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not very difficult job. It is the easiest and the highest, topmost type of yoga system. In the Twelfth Chapter, you'll find it explicitly stated that one who (is) always in devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, he is the first-class yogi. One who is always constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is the first-class yogi. And that is also stated in the last verse of the Sixth Chapter also, and it is accepted by great scholars and ācāryas. So here is an opportunity. It is very simple, very simple—simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Satataṁ cintayantaṁ viṣṇum. Smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit. Always, simply if you think that Hare Kṛṣṇa, if you think simply Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare, that is sufficient, even if you do not go into the Bhagavad-gītā, if you do not go in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, simply as you are chanting. Kṛṣṇa has given us the ear, and Kṛṣṇa has given us the tongue. No expense, no difficulty. You haven't got to go to college and take degrees to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. It is easy for the rich, for the poor, for the learned, for the fool, for the black, for the white, for the rich, for the poor, everyone. There is no distinction because(?) Kṛṣṇa is for everyone.
So here also, it is said, jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam: "I am speaking to you this knowledge which you can practically experience." Not theoretical simply. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ (BG 7.2). Aśeṣataḥ means "without any reservation, as far as possible." "As far as you can understand, I am explaining." Yaj jñātvā, "If you understand this," na iha bhūyaḥ anyaj jñātavayam avaśiṣyate... "If you can understand this knowledge with practical experience, then there will be nothing to know anymore." That means your knowledge is complete, perfect. In the Vedas also, it is stated that yaj jñātvā, kasmin tu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you simply try to understand what is God... Not try to understand. If you understand scientifically what is God then you understand everything. Because God is everything. God is the central point of everything. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. These are the Vedic versions. "From whom all this material cosmic manifestation has come into being." In the Vedānta-sūtra it says janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Absolute Truth is that from which everything has come down. So if you understand the Absolute Truth, kasmin vijñāte, sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati, then you can understand all other departments of knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ: "Explicitly, elaborately I am saying." Yaj jñātvā, "If you understand," na iha, "in this world," anyat bhūyaḥ, "again," anyat, "anything else," jñātavyam avaśiṣyate, "there is anything remains to understand. Everything is understood."
Now here, in this chapter, this is explicitly explained, that who is the supreme worshipable object. We are worshiping. According to our capacity, we are worshiping somebody. At least we are worshiping our boss. Suppose I work in an office or in a factory, I have to worship the boss, I have to abide by his orders. So everyone is worshiping. Now who is the supreme worshipable object, Kṛṣṇa, how He is supreme worshipable object, that is explained in this chapter. Ya svarūpaṁ sarva karaṁ ca yac ca dhiyāṁ tad ubhaya-viṣayakaṁ jñānaṁ vyaktum atra bhakti-pratijñānam. Therefore if we understand that here is the supreme controller, here is the supreme worshipable object, then the problems of our life is solved at once. We are searching after. Just the other day I told you one story that one Muhammadan devotee, he wanted to serve the greatest. He was serving the Nawab, then he went to the emperor, Barsa(?), then from emperor to Haridāsa, a saintly person, and from Haridāsa he was promoted to worship Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.
So these are all facts. If you believe śāstra, if you have got faith in the śāstra, then you have to take this path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in order to transfer yourself to the spiritual world. There is a spiritual world. Because we are spirit soul, without being transferred to the spiritual world we cannot have real happiness or real enjoyment. That is a fact. All these informations are there very explicitly. You do not try to understand Bhagavad-gītā by malinterpretation or malcommentary. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and you will benefit. That is our request. Of course, we are finishing this ceremony today here, but if opportunity is there, we can continue the study of Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and if Kṛṣṇa gives us opportunity, we shall try to serve you again, more and more.
So Kṛṣṇa has explicitly explained that brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir. Hetumadbhir viniścitaṁ. The Brahma-sūtra is called therefore nyāya-prasthāna, with logic and reason, hetumadbhir, cause and effect, Everything. Because people like to understand on the basis of philosophy and reasoning everything. Yes, that is required.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So here also, nanda, nanda-nandanāya... He (she) says, nanda-gopa-kumārāya (SB 1.8.21). Kumāra. Kumāra means "who is not married." So Kṛṣṇa remained in Vṛndāvana up to sixteen years. Therefore He remained always kumāra, Nanda-kumāra, Nanda-nandana. Here it is explicitly said, Nanda-gopa. And who was Nanda? That is also explained. Nanda means that leader of the cowherds men or he was king, Nanda Mahārāja. King does not mean always one has to become a king of very big kingdom. No. Anyone who possesses... Still in India, anyone who possesses some land, he is called king, rāja. He is called rāja, the zamindar, one who possesses some land, in..., especially in the up-country. So Nanda Mahārāja, because he possessed some land... He was well-to-do, rich man. Because... (aside:) Where is water? He possessed cows and grains. Formerly, a man... Still now, also... Actually that is rich, riches. Gavayā dhanavān, one who has got many cows, he is to be considered as rich man. Dhānyena dhanavān. One who has got large quantity of food grains, he is dhanavān. Nowadays one who has got a bunch of paper, he is considered... And the paper is nothing. As soon as the government is failure, then the thousand-dollar note and hundred-dollar notes, it will have no value.
So in Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna says, after understanding Bhagavad-gītā from Kṛṣṇa, he said, "You are Parabrahma." Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Bhavān. Bhavān means "Your Lordship." "You are Parabrahma, the Supreme Brahma." He's the Supreme Brahma. Brahma means spirit and brahma means the greatest. So he has explicitly explained that spirit soul, we are all spirit soul, every one of us. But He is the supreme spirit soul, param. Param means the supreme. He's not ordinary. So He comes as ordinary, not ordinary, as human being, but He is the supreme human being. That is the difference. Supreme human being. But one who cannot understand, one who thinks, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is like us. He has got also two hands, two legs, one head. We have got also. He is like me," he is a mūḍha, rascal. Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ: (BG 9.11) "These rascal fools, they deride." Mānuṣīṁ tanum āś... Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ, "They have no knowledge of the paraṁ bhāvam." So the paraṁ bhāvam, that is understood by the devotees. That is the difference. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ, Kṛṣṇa has said. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ (BG 10.8). Paraṁ bhāvam, this bhāva... Bhāva means assimilation—"Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so great." This is called bhāva. That is real understanding, when you understand really this bhāva stage. Bhāva-bhakti. Bhāva-bhakti. Simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Paraṁ bhāvam. Person who has not come to this stage of bhāva, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. The bhāva stage comes.
At least we should know. They have no intelligence. Because they are entangled. Just see this list. Here is, brahma-varcasa-kāmas tu. Brahma-varcasa means those who are desiring to become one with the effulgence, to merge into the effulgence of the Lord. Varcasa. Varcasa means the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Just like the sun and the sunshine. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahma, and His effulgence is called brahmajyoti. So these jñānīs, they are desiring to merge into the Brahman effulgence. Therefore, it is called brahma-varcasa-kāmas tu. And kāma means desire. Therefore, they are still desiring. They are fed up with these ordinary desires. Ordinarily, they are desiring, "I shall become rich man. I shall become minister. I shall become this, I shall become that." And they are also desiring to merge into the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa. That is also desire, kāma. The word is explicitly said, kāma. Kāma means desire.
So real business of, especially of human being... The animals, they do not know. They have no capacity to know that we are in the darkness-darkness of knowledge and actually darkness. So one has to be, become nirviṇṇā, disgusted. One, intelligent man should be disgusted. One must be intelligent to know that "I am eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). It is the preliminary study of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is instructing about the constitutional position of the soul: na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), na jāyate na mriyate kadācit. Kadācit, at any time, the soul does not take birth, does not die. And more explicitly it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The covering, the body is the covering. So after destruction of this body, the soul is not destroyed. Just like if I change my shirt and coat or somehow or other the shirt and coat is destroyed, I, the person who put on this dress, I am not destroyed. This simple knowledge is instructed in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā.
Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī is giving an example from the history. Now it is explicitly stated here, itihāsaṁ purāṇam. All the Purāṇas that we have got, they are not legends; they are all history. They are all histories. Just like there is no chronological history one after another, but any incident which has taken actually place, they are reciting. They are not fiction or imaginary stories, all the Purāṇas. Itihāsa, yes. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is giving an instance from the history which is very instructive. Atra codāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam. Purāṇa means old history, actually Purāṇa. Purāṇa means old. So purātaṇam itihāsam.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So to find out a bona fide guru, spiritual master, is not very difficult. It is very easy. Kṛṣṇa says explicitly, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). This knowledge, Vedic knowledge, is received by paramparā system. Just like Kṛṣṇa said to sun-god,
- imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ
- proktavān aham avyayam
- vivasvān manave prāha
- manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt
- (BG 4.1)
- evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
- imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
- (BG 4.2)
Kṛṣṇa said that "This yoga system, first of all I explained to the sun-god, and he explained to his son, Manu, and Manu explained to his son, Iṣkvāku. In this way, by the paramparā system, by the disciplic succession, the knowledge is coming." Sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. But as soon as it began to be explained to others, without being in the disciplic succession, in the chain of disciplic succession, speaking the same truth, it becomes broken. Sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ. Yoga naṣṭaḥ. It is spoiled. If one does not come in the disciplic succession, he'll spoil the teaching. That is being done. So-called commentator, teacher of Bhagavad-gītā, he does not come in the disciplic succession. He is self-made guru. Therefore he's not guru.
Just like a person, knowingly, knowingly committing suicide, cutting his throat, similarly, a human being, getting so much opportunity, especially in India... We have got so many books of knowledge, especially the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vedānta-sūtra. Vedānta-sūtra means Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explicit narration of the Vedānta-sūtra. Bhāṣyaṁ brahma-sūtrānām **. So Indians especially should take advantage of this human form of life and spread this knowledge all over the world. Then the whole world will be peaceful and happy. That is our proposition. It is not a... I repeatedly say that this is not a religious cult, that we want to supersede another type of religion. That is not our business. Our aim is to make all people happy. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. This is the Vedic mission. Everyone should be happy. But they are trying to be happy, but they do not know how to, how to become... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They are misguided. They cannot be happy without becoming Vaiṣṇava. This is open declaration in the śāstra. They cannot become happy. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). If they are trying to become happy otherwise, that is durāśayā, hopeless thing. It will never be fructified. It will never be successful. Na te viduḥ. They do not know. Therefore our business is to make them know that "This is the way of perfection. Take Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Make your life perfect. Be happy, and go back to home, back to Godhead." This is our mission. They do not know.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
"In this age of Kali..." Kali means disagreement, quarrel and misunderstanding. This is Kali-yuga, misguiding and, I mean to say, less intelligence, less merciful, living for short period. There are so many disqualifications in this age. So therefore, in the Bṛhad-nāradīya Purāṇa it is explicitly stated that,
- harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
Kalau means in this age of Kali there is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative. Thrice. Just like, when you want to stress upon some point, you say thrice: "Do this. Do this. Do this." Similarly, in the Bṛhad-nāradīya Purāṇa, thrice it has been emphasized that you must take to this harer nāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. Why I must take it? Now, because there is no other alternative than this for your self-realization. If you at all want to know yourself, if you at all want to become perfect or, if you want, at all, to reach the goal of human life, then you must, you must, you must. "So My Guru Mahārāja..." Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "My Guru Mahārāja, My spiritual master, asked Me to 'Keep this verse within Your throat and You go on chanting and I bless You that You will be liberated. You'll not only be liberated, but You shall also reach the highest goal, the Kṛṣṇa planet.' "
"One who is learned, paṇḍita, he has no business to consider about this body." Now see, the whole world is concerned with this body, but this is condemned. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. Anyone who is accepting this body, which is nothing but combination of tri-dhātu... Or you take the material elements: earth, water, air, fire. Or more explicitly: the skin, blood, bone, urine, stool. You'll find these things. But do you think such intelligent person is created, manufactured, by bone and blood and skin and urine and stool? It's common sense. It is something else, spirit soul. That they do not understand.
As have got pilgrimage, everyone has got pilgrimage. Muslims have got, Christians they have got, Hindus they have got. That means they go to pilgrimage with God consciousness. So in Koran there is God consciousness, in Bible there is God consciousness, in Vedas God consciousness. Now you have to utilize it, develop it. The aim and objective is already there. But in the Vedic literature they are very explicitly presented. That is the difference. The Christians, they agree, "God is great." We also agree, "God is great." But how God is great, that is explained in the Vedic literature. That is the difference between... There is no difference of opinion if one is actually religious. God created this world, God is the supreme father, God is great. This is accepted by everyone, either Hindu or Muslim or Christian. There is no doubt about it. But in the Vedic literature you'll understand how God is great, how He is acting as father. That's all.
General Lectures
So śaraṇāgati, surrender to Kṛṣṇa, is our only business. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to teach people to, not to declare independence, which is not possible, nor to try to make this world happy without Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. That is our propaganda. Whatever you do, you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, or God. "Kṛṣṇa" is the most explicit term for God. God may have many names. Kṛṣṇa is the perfect name. God has no name; some philosophers say like that. No name means that His name is understood by His different action. Just like Kṛṣṇa is sometimes called Yaśodā-nandana. Because He has accepted mother Yaśodā, to become her son, therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Yaśodā-nandana. Kṛṣṇa's name is Pārtha-sārathi. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa has accepted to become a chariot driver of Arjuna. Pārtha means Arjuna, and sārathi means chariot driver. So Kṛṣṇa's name became Pārtha-sārathi. Kṛṣṇa used to steal butter from the stock of His mother's butter stock; therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Mākhana-cora. So in this way Kṛṣṇa's name are varieties.
Anudinam ādareṇa śṛṇvan iti śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ dhyānaṁ harer adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ. Here also, explicitly mentioned, harer adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ. Kṛṣṇa's activities are all wonderful. As you read from the Kṛṣṇa book, He is fighting with many demons, and His activities are wonderful. Just like Kāliya-damana. A boy of five years old or six years old jumping in the Yamunā, and the great snake immediately coils Him, as if it will devour Kṛṣṇa. And from the shore, all the members of Vṛndāvana, they become fainted: "Now Kṛṣṇa is gone." But He was fighting with him and kicking on the head, and blood was oozing out from the mouth of the serpent. So these things are wonderful things—Bakāsura, Aghāsura, Śiśupāla, Kaṁsa. Kṛṣṇa was boy of sixteen years old when He was combating a very powerful wrestler, Cāṇūra. Everything... Everyone present, they thought it unlawful that "Kṛṣṇa is so young, and such a big stalwart and strong wrestler is engaged with Him for wrestling. This is not good. This is not good." In protest, so many people left the arena. And Nanda Mahārāja began to think, "I should have locked up Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana instead of allowing Him to come here. Oh, so much injustice." But Kṛṣṇa killed them. Not only killed them, the wrestlers who were engaged by Kaṁsa, He immediately dragged Kaṁsa from his throne and simply by fisting He killed him. There are so many wonderful.
Just like the other day I cited the example of the illiterate brāhmaṇa. So that is transcendental way of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Take this formula. Kṛṣṇa says here that everything that is working in this material or spiritual world, they are different energies of Kṛṣṇa. He is the original source of creation, He is the original source of maintenance, and He is the original source of annihilation. Therefore nobody is greater than Him. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). Na anyat: "There is no other greater elevated." Kiñcid asti: "Not even one." You cannot say, "Here is something which is greater than Kṛṣṇa." That is not possible. Na anyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya, mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva. Just like in your necklace, pearl necklace, all the pearls are situated in the thread, similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the thread and everything existing... This will be explained more explicitly in the Thirteenth Chapter.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Janārdana: So the subtle is moving the gross like the miller's wheel. The potter's wheel moves the pot. So the pradhāna... So the mind is moving the body. So the pradhāna... They simply put pradhāna...
Prabhupāda: If it is mentioned, five, then it is five gross, and seven means subtle. So five or seven... Of course, seven is more explicit than the five.
Janārdana: I never see anywhere where it is mentioned that there's an earth covering. It's always water as the first. Water is the first layer that's given. So there are four of the elements.
Prabhupāda: Then above water there is air.
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Dr. Weir: A Latin legal phrase: causa causam, the cause of the cause.
Prabhupāda: So God is cause of all causes. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is explicitly said,
- ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
- mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
- iti matvā bhajante māṁ
- budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
- (BG 10.8)
"I am the original source of everything. Everything is emanating from Me." Iti matvā, understanding like this, budhā. Budhā means those who are conversant, thoroughly in knowledge. Iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva samanvitāḥ, in ecstasy, "Oh, here is the original cause of all causes." So in this way those who are advanced in knowledge, budhā, they engage themselves in the service of the original cause of all causes. He's the cause of all causes, but He has no cause. That is God. Anādir ādir govindam. He has no cause, but He's the cause of all life. That is God. Just like I am the effect, my father is the cause. Similarly, my grandfather is the cause of my father. My grandfather is the effect of the cause of great-grandfather. You go on searching out, searching out. So when you find out the original cause, that is God. That is the definition of God.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So things are very complicated, and people should understand very rightly. They are, they are frog philosophy. Frog philos... We say frog philosophy. Frog philosophy means that a frog who lives in the well, he has got experience of water, three cubic feet. And if he's given to understand that there is Atlantic Ocean, it is very difficult for him to understand. So on the whole, it is... But it is not very completely explained. And our point is this, or at least it will give some idea of the Bhagavad-gītā to the people.
Scholar: Yes.
Prabhupāda: But still it has to be expanded, has to be more explicitly ex..., advertised. So our point is this, that we are trying to spread this knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we are spreading the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā. So this is a world-wide organization and you know something about us, about this movement. So this part of the world, this is Southeast Asia?
Scholar: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Southeast Asia. Why not combine it, join together, and scientifically preach this cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People will be very glad to accept it.
Prabhupāda: Guru is the mercy incarnation of God, mercy incarnation. God is kind to everyone, so He is teaching everyone from within, but still, to make it still more explicit, He sends His mercy in the form of guru.
Prajāpati: The śaktyāveśa-avatāra means Kṛṣṇa coming in a form of a living entity empowered by him for some special purpose.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Candanācārya: Guru is greater than śaktyāveśa-avatāra.
Prabhupāda: No, guru is considered as Kṛṣṇa Himself. Guru-rūpa kṛṣṇa hana avatāra. Just to teach the conditioned soul, guru comes himself, er, Kṛṣṇa comes Himself in the form of guru. Therefore we sing in the Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura's prayer, sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ: "In every śāstra, guru is accepted as directly Kṛṣṇa." Sākṣāt. Sākṣāt means directly. Sākṣād-dharitvena: As Kṛṣṇa, is accepted in every śāstra, sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ **, it is said, uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ **, and this statement is accepted by advanced devotees. It is not only statement, but it is accepted. But the next question is: "Does it mean that guru is Kṛṣṇa? Therefore no more Kṛṣṇa wanted?" No. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya: "Guru is exalted because he is very confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa." Here it is clear. Not that he is respected as Kṛṣṇa, therefore he has become Kṛṣṇa. This is Māyāvāda: "He has become Kṛṣṇa." No.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Guest: There is some our ācāryas. How about Christ or Muhammad and Zarathustra, all these people?
Prabhupāda: They accept God, that's all. But God is here explained. They cannot give an explicit idea of God. But here is God speaking personally. They have got "There is God," "God is great." That's nice. But who is that God, how He is great, that they have to learn further. Simply a vague idea, that "God is great..." One should know how He is great and who is that great. That is perfection. So that is explained here. They accept God. That is... They are also our brother because they accept God. They are not atheist. Atheists, they don't accept God. "There is no God"—that is atheist. But here they are theist. They accept God. They want to please God. They go to the church, go to the mosque, offer prayer. Prayer is also bhakti, devotional service. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ... (SB 7.5.23). Śravanaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam..., arcanaṁ vandanam. Vandanam. The Christian way or the Muslim way, to offer... The Muslim offer obeisances and offer prayer. So that is also bhakti. The Christian also do that, so that is also bhakti. And they accept God; we accept God. So there is no difference. But the only point is who is that God.
Prabhupāda: Truth is truth. There is no experiment. Truth is truth. You cannot make experiment. "All right, let us see. The sun may rise this side." Can you do that?
Dr. Patel: I think I am not explicit to you, sir. What I mean to say is way of worshiping...
Prabhupāda: There is no other way of worshiping except bhakti.
Dr. Patel: No, but that is also a bhakti, sir.
Prabhupāda: Yes, but... Only way. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). God is one, and to understand God is one. That is it. Now...
Dr. Patel: He has saints in the same God by all the ways. If I...
Prabhupāda: There is no other way. That is foolishness. That is explained. Ye 'py anya-devatā bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ, mām eva te 'pi bhajanty avidhi-pūrvakam. That is avidhi. That is not vidhi.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Guest (2): Well, that is to know that He lives and that He loves you, and that one day you can live with Him again.
Prabhupāda: That's nice. Very good.
Guest (2): And when you have that knowledge, I think that is...
Prabhupāda: That is more explicitly explained, as I was explaining, that you feel the presence of God every time, as in the Bhagavad-gītā is said that when you are drinking water you immediately glorify God, "Oh, God has created this water so tasteful. It is quenching my thirst."
Guest (2): Exactly.
Prabhupāda: How it is easy?
Guest (2): Could I read you something out of that?
Prabhupāda: No, no, I can understand. The things are all right. Things are all right.
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
I have come to Vrindaban to consult with you if it is possible to form an association of the Vaisnavas of all Indian Sampradayas to protect the interest and principles of all the Acaryas: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu amalgamated the views of all the previous Acaryas in His thesis of Acintya-bhedabheda Tattva explicitly explained by Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana in his Govinda Bhasya of the Vedanta-sutra.
Equal distribution of wealth or knowledge, beauty, fame, energy and non-attachment etc., all these are perfectly done by the above arrangement. The matter is more explicitly understood by the example of our own bodily structure. The whole body is constituted of the senses and organs. All the senses and organs are equally supplied with energy when the stomach is fully fed up. Stomach is the central figure for distributing equal energy to the respective parts of the body as much as watering the root of the tree is the source of supplying energy to all the branches and leaves of the tree.
1968 Correspondence
The answer is there in the Vedanta in the aphorism, "Janma Adyasya Yatah." The answer is to search the Absolute Truth, Who is the Source of all emanation. This Absolute Source of emanation is explained preliminarily in the Bhagavad-gita, and explicitly in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Srimad-Bhagavatam explains the very beginning of its starting that the Absolute Truth is Sentient, and Person, and Independent. The Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead is distinct from all other living entities, in His being the Absolute Independent. Therefore, in the Vedas He is described as the Supreme Leader of all living entities.
The impersonalists ultimate goal is something void, and therefore, any attempt for self-realization ending in voidness is all the same for the impersonalists. But we the personalists, we do not agree that all systems of self-realizing process ends in the same goal. In the Bhagavad-gita, it is explicitly said that the worshippers of different demigods ultimately reach the planets of respective demigods; the worshippers of forefathers also go to different pitri planets, respectively; the worshippers of mammon remain in the mammonish world; and the persons in Krishna Consciousness, ultimately reach to the planet of Krishna loka. So our mission is to reach the supreme planet, in the spiritual sky, namely the Abode of Krishna. As such, we cannot compromise that all sorts of meditation gives the same result. This sort of view is practiced and preached by the impersonalist missionaries like the Rama-Krishna mission, that one may follow any path, but he reaches the same destination. There is no Vedic evidence, neither any proof of the acharya principles.
If Krishna wants vegetable foodstuff, therefore we supply Him vegetable foodstuff, and if He wants non-vegetarian foodstuff, we can offer Him also, but He does not want it, as it is explicitly stated in the Bhagavad-gita. So we are concerned with Krishna Prasadam, neither vegetarian or non-vegetarian. You can say your friend who has invited us that Swamiji is not very expert at speaking about nutritional value of foods, but whatever we take as Krishna Prasadam, there is no comparison of nutrition with any other foodstuff all over the universe. If this group however is ready to hear something about Krishna Consciousness, the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, it is not religious. It is essential information for human life. So all these old men and women, they should be interested in the value of life. There are many vegetarians animals also; the monkeys are vegetarians, the pigeons are vegetarians, so to become vegetarian is not very good credit. But to become Krishna Consciousness is the most important business of life. You should try to convince your friends in that way. They should try to learn about Krishna Consciousness. But because they are vegetarians, there is great possibility for them to understand this philosophy.
1970 Correspondence
So for the time being you just remain in Paris with the devotees there and grasp the ideas more explicitly and then try to open a center in one of the Middle Eastern countries. Sometime before I met one gentleman in New York from Iran. His name and address is given below:
Mr. Majid Movagarh / Mehr Monthly Review
224, Shareza Avenue / Tehran, Iran
He informed me that people in Tehran are interested in such yoga societies like ours. They are also hankering after something like this for spiritual advancement.
Regarding your feelings of burning impatience, these things are very explicitly explained in the Nectar of Devotion in the chapter on ecstasy. These are symptoms of ecstasy, that is not bad.
1972 Correspondence
Now we shall only want good devotees to live with us on that land. Not that we shall form a cooperative housing society and whoever pays us money, we shall accept them to live with us. If they live with us and do not follow our principles we can not take them to court. So we must be very careful from the beginning to select only qualified devotees of Krishna or Vaisnava families to live with us, just like Indira devi and her family. So you may create the building society but there should be an explicit understanding that only those who agree to follow the rules and regulations will be allowed to live with us. So begin collecting in this way from devotee families in Bombay, and when I shall come there in Autumn we shall see how the things are going.
1976 Correspondence
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your telegram regarding the Nellore affair. I have already written you one letter on 18th January in this regard. The summary is, don't relax the conditions. We can either purchase for the price mentioned in the deeds or take in charity, but we cannot accept any conditions. My letter makes everything explicit. If they decline then try to acquire the land through Government because we have already installed the Foundation Stone.
1977 Correspondence
Here are the points in brief: 1) Anyone who comes to a zone from outside must sell books only, no collecting; 2) They must follow explicitly the directions of the local presidents, e.g. they cannot be independent and live separately from the temple. So I suggested to Dhananjaya that each day he designates an area of London for them to distribute in which we have never touched before, especially for instance South London, Greenwich, Woolwich, Brixton, Herne Hill, like that—so they do not interfere with our Oxford Street. So in this way you must control them, and if (they) object or disobey in any (way), they must be sent away; 3) Ultimately the decision rests with the President whether their presence in London (or anywhere else) is favorable for the local situation, or if it is unfavorable. That is Dhananjaya's discretion. If he feels they are doing more harm than good, then they must go immediately.
| Page Title: | Explicitly (Lect., Conv., & Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 04 of Jul, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=25, Con=7, Let=10 |
| No. of Quotes: | 42 |