So if you have to approach the supreme pure, you have to become pure. Otherwise there is no possibility. Without being fire, you cannot enter into the fire. Then you'll be burned. Similarly, although you are also Brahman... Part of Para-brahman is also Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is our identification. But what kind of Brahman? But minute particle of Brahman, small particle. Just like spark and the whole fire. Both of them are fire, but spark is spark, and the big fire is big fire. So the spark cannot become big fire. If he wants to become so, then he falls down. Then whatever little light was there, fire, it becomes extinguished. If the spark out of impudency wants to try to become the big fire, then he falls down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Āruhya kṛcchreṇa, by severe austerities and penances you can rise up to the impersonal Brahman, but you'll fall down again. That is the fact. So many persons, they are trying to become merged into the existence of the Supreme Brahman, but the result is they are falling down. They must fall down. It is not possible. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Without taking care to worship the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they are falling down. So we should be very, very careful not to try to become equal or greater than Kṛṣṇa. There are some rascals, they say that "Such and such rascal is greater than Kṛṣṇa." I do not wish to mention their name. That rascals, they say that "Aurobindo is greater than Kṛṣṇa." They say like that. Do you know that? So this, the world, is full of rascals and fools. We have to... Very cautiously and intelligently we have to make progress in spiritual life. Don't take it very insignificantly. We should be very much careful. Otherwise there is falldown, and once falldown means a gap of millions of years. You have got this human form of life to complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but if you are not serious, then again the gap will be millions of years.
Gap
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 5
By thoroughly analyzing the materialistic way of life, any sane man can understand that there is not the least happiness in this world. However, due to continuing on the path of danger from time immemorial and not associating with saintly persons, the conditioned soul, under illusion, wants to enjoy this material world. Material energy sometimes gives him a chance at so-called happiness, but the conditioned soul is perpetually being punished by material nature. It is therefore said: daṇḍya-jane rājā yena nadīte cubāya (CC Madhya 20.118). Materialistic life means continuous unhappiness, but sometimes we accept happiness as it appears between the gaps. Sometimes a condemned person is submerged in water and hauled out. Actually all of this is meant for punishment, but he feels a little comfort when he is taken out of the water. This is the situation with the conditioned soul. All the śāstras therefore advise that one associate with devotees and saintly people.
SB Canto 7
Making a loud, shrill sound of laughter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, who is extremely strong and powerful, captured Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was protecting himself with his sword and shield, leaving no gaps open. With the speed of a hawk, Hiraṇyakaśipu moved sometimes in the sky and sometimes on the earth, his eyes closed because of fear of Nṛsiṁha-deva's laughter.
Making a loud, shrill sound of laughter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, who is extremely strong and powerful, captured Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was protecting himself with his sword and shield, leaving no gaps open. With the speed of a hawk, Hiraṇyakaśipu moved sometimes in the sky and sometimes on the earth, his eyes closed because of fear of Nṛsiṁha-deva's laughter.
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: He says that everything goes by steps in nature, and not by leaps. In other words, there is a law of continuity, like there are no gaps in nature. Everything is gradual. There is a gradual differentiation.
Prabhupāda: No. There are two ways-gradual and immediate also. Of course, in one sense... (break) ...little force, it goes quickly. The ball has no power. So wonderful things are happening in the material nature due to the will of the Supreme. Everything happening is the same process; it is undergoing the process, but the method, pushed by God, it takes automatically. Just like He created this material nature. It is in the beginning nonmanifest, then gradually it grows three qualities, and by the interaction of qualities so many things come out—the sky comes, and as soon as the sky comes out, there is sound; sound comes, as soon as sound has come out, the ear comes; the controller of the ear comes..., so many things—one after another, one after another, one after another.
Śyāmasundara: He also believes that God is behind it, but he is trying to analyze. He says that there is no gaps or sudden changes, great changes in nature; that everything is gradual.
Prabhupāda: Yes. As soon as there is a process, there is a link of everything, one after another, one after another. That is nature's way. Just like in the creation, the first creation is mind. We have got it in the Bhagavad-gītā, first creation is mahat-tattva, the sum total of material energy. Then there is interaction of the three guṇas, qualities, and then mind comes out, ego comes out, intelligence comes out, in this way, one after another. That is explained in the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how creation takes place. So the Veda says, sa aikṣata. Sa aikṣata. The Supreme Lord, simply by glancing over... In Bhagavad-gītā also it is said that. But just like we impregnate a woman by sex behavior, but here it is said that He simply glanced over the material nature, total material energy, and the creation begins.
Śyāmasundara: Yes. I see what he's saying now. He's saying that our existence as men, man's existence, continually becoming something else, separates thought from our being, our actions, so that there is always a gap between the two, so that we're always becoming something. But when we are united, thought and being are united, then we cease to become.
Prabhupāda: Why don't you unite? Why don't you unite? Why refusing to unite? God is conversing, "Unite with Me. Yes. Surrender unto Me. I'll fix up. What is (indistinct)?" If that is the perfection, (indistinct), why don't you unite? That "You surrender unto Me," that is the difficulty. "You keep your individualism, I keep My individualism, but you surrender unto Me," then it is (indistinct).
Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Of course, there is a gap of understanding.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: There is a gap of understanding.
Prabhupāda: Gap of understanding because the basic principle is wrong, because everyone is fool. And they are trying to understand things with their foolish background. There is the wrong. They are trying to be advanced in knowledge on the foolish background. They do not accept that, that they are foolish rascals. And they are trying to advance in knowledge, active-foolish, fourth class men. Their background is wrong. No scientist, no politician, no philosophers, at the present moment, believe in this, that there is soul, and the soul is transmigrating from one body... Nobody believes it. So their whole background is foolish. So their so-called advancement must be all foolish. They're all fools, rascals, animals. An animal does not know that there is soul and the soul is transmigrating from one body to another. This is animal conception. You cannot teach these pigeons that "You are spirit soul. Your body's different from you." They will, they have no power to understand.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Not he's śūdra. Always remember that. But he has to act to fulfill the, fill up the gap. Proxy.
Hṛdayānanda: So we should encourage people, young people, young students to come to our college.
Prabhupāda: They'll automatically come if you are ideal. Because they are being forced to poverty. So when there is a question of poverty, they'll come.
Hṛdayānanda: Room and board and training.
Prabhupāda: Yes. This poverty. Why there is poverty? Because they are not producing food. Everyone wants so-called comfortable life. So-called education. Sitting idle in the table and chair, and talking all gossips, nonsense, and sleeping. They have been trained up in this way, śūdra.
Hṛdayānanda: So they should be trained to rise early and so on.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the real enquiry. Wherefrom my life has begun? What is the ultimate goal of my life? Why I am put into these conditions which I do not like? Who is enforcing? These things should be asked. That is the proper enquiry of the human being. And we cannot solve the question of birth, death, old age and disease, and you are theorizing something utopian. What is the use of such advancement of knowledge? I live for fifty years and sixty years, and the Darwin's theory they are calculating gap of millions of years. There is a gap of millions of years, and we will live for fifty years. How we are taking calculation of millions of years? Speculation simply. And misleading people. An honest man should not mislead others. He should understand that his knowledge is limited. How can I say something theorizing? That is not very good business. And misleading people. I have no perfect knowledge.
Brahmānanda: Yes. To breach the gap, yoga. (laughter)
Dr. Judah: It might help some reconciliations in some cases.
Jayatīrtha: That's a good idea for devotees to give to their parents. (break)
Dr. Judah: ...it has many imperfections of which I am well aware. Mistakes that I hope in another edition can be corrected.
Prabhupāda: But many parents are very happy because their...
Dr. Judah: Yes.
Prabhupāda: They are very happy. Some of them come to me to give me thanks.
Dr. Judah: Yes, I'm sure that is the case.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is scientific study. But that is not possible. Therefore your theory is always imperfect because you cannot say that "I have studied all." You simply guess, "There is some gap, millions of years." So this is not study.
Brahmānanda: They say even there's a missing link, a part that they cannot explain. So they admit...
Prabhupāda: So that is not science.
Harikeśa: It's the most important part too.
Prabhupāda: Therefore we say they are rascals. And rascals will believe.
Jayatīrtha: Once you said the missing link was your foot in their face. (laughter) (break)
Prabhupāda: ...logic also it is admitted that inductive logic is imperfect; deductive logic is perfect. (break) ...logic means śrota-panthā, paramparā, śruti, Vedic language, śruti. Śruti pramāṇa. Pramāṇa means evidence, and śruti means Veda.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Not rejected. "Yes, it is not very important." Eho bāhya: "This is external." Āge kaha āra: "If you know something more." So the varṇāśrama-dharma is a good help undoubtedly, but it is not important for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise how could I start this movement in the Western country? There was no varṇāśrama-dharma. But that did not hamper my movement. Now people are surprised: "How these people have become such great devotees." So it was not based on varṇāśrama-dharma, no, because the whole movement is spiritual. It starts from the spiritual platform, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ, bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ param. Now just like here is a gap. So you can go by the bridge, and if you can jump over, that is also going. That is also going. So to become Kṛṣṇa conscious means to jump over to the spiritual platform immediately.
Guest (2): How can we glorify God?
Guest (4): There's a little bit of communication gap here. You don't quite understand our thoughts, and we...
Guru-kṛpā: We understand. He just asked you.
Guest (2): And we don't quite understand yours.
Guru-kṛpā: He asked you, how do you worship a piece of flesh and piece of bone?
Guest (2): It's a piece of glorified flesh and a piece of glorified bone.
Guru-kṛpā: How is flesh glorified?
Guest (2): It's perfect.
Guru-kṛpā: Flesh means material, temporary, imperfect.
Guest (2): I'm not perfect. This is not temporary.
Prabhupāda: So you bring some flesh from slaughterhouse and glorify it.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: The difficulty I have found by my personal experience with these groups is that it couldn't give me a concrete enough realization, neither a whole practical lifestyle by which I could stay on the platform of God realization. You can go to the meeting, but then when you go out in the society you're forced to act in so many sinful ways because of the conditioning and the advertising and the force of pressure in the society. But even.... I lived in a Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts, with the monks there, and there was still that gap between how I could not only fulfill my own spiritual life there, but also how to help others in theirs, without losing my purity. And that I've been able to find in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, because it gives you a twenty-four-hour a day program to remain in God consciousness.
Prabhupāda: In our Bhagavad-gītā there is a verse. Find out:
- yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
- janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
- te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
- bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
- (BG 7.28)
Those who are addicted to sinful life, they cannot understand God. So therefore we have to stop sinful activities. If you keep them in sinful activities, and if you expect that God will be revealed to them, it is not possible.
Scheverman: Yes, we certainly agree, no contradiction on.... I think it's very, very important—we do not see you in competition with our...
Prabhupāda: No, there is no competition. It is a science. Science is to...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: From here to here is the chemical evolution, there's a long gap.
Sadāpūta: I was wondering, perhaps these periods that they have here correspond with some of these floods, like this is between two Manus and there is a flood of the whole world, and that might pile up a huge layer of mud and rock. And I was thinking that might correspond with some of these layers here because they are filled with remains of fish that look as though they were buried, things like that.
Prabhupāda: That is also imagination. Again you are bringing imagination, speculation.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So actually it's very subtle and critical.
Prabhupāda: As soon as you bring your imaginations, they'll bring their own imagination. "Perhaps," "It may be," they say
Rūpānuga: Our imagination is as good as your imagination.
Prabhupāda: We are to take the Vedic injunction axiomatic.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Many of us who have similar experiences like that. Naturally, we weren't always so fortunate that we first came in contact with Prabhupāda's books or his disciples. But somehow or another we weren't satisfied by anything, because there was some gap, some void, some missing information that didn't satisfy us.
Prabhupāda: Which portion appealed to you in Ramakrishna's life? Which portion?
Indian woman: (indistinct) When he used to be married he wrote some songs, he used to practice to sing, he used to chant and he used to cry.
Dr. Sukla: Of course, first we were talking about Vivekananda, not Ramakrishna. They are two different personalities and two different paths.
Indian woman: Yes, but I thought Ramakrishna... Many times I get devotees who say to me, "Oh, he's a rascal." I say, "I don't know, I can't say rascal." I don't read him, but he inspired me so much. And I don't know what's wrong. Am I wrong or...?
Prabhupāda: Now what is the philosophy of Ramakrishna?
Ali: And between those gaps, we are sleeping.
Prabhupāda: There is no gap. The nature's law... It is said that just like you are walking, step by step, like this, so when you fix up this step, then you take away this step.
Hari-śauri: Example of a caterpillar, how it moves from one leaf to another.
Prabhupāda: Similarly, when you by nature's law when it is fixed up, you have to accept this body, then you give up this body, and immediately enter into the womb of the mother to prepare another similar body like the mother.
Ali: During this transformation, are we still ignorant? During this transformation from body to body.
Mahāṁśa: So that was happening. Then the other thing is that these people, they are very innocent people and they are very superstitious also. So when they see foreigners, they immediately become a little afraid. And there is some kind of a complex that comes on them and it makes it very difficult for the foreigners to communicate with these people. This is what I have seen happening. It is very difficult to commu... Now this is what I have experienced since last two, three days also. When Tejas was trying to get this garden around here done, but the laborers could not get the message across. They were doing something else and then the blame was coming on me. I never instructed them at all for doing anything. I never took them away from the work at all. I was amazed and I was surprised to hear that I was accused of taking away the laborers from Tejas and put them on some other work which I had no concern at all. So this is what was troubling me today when I was thinking that "How is it that there was this misunderstanding which has caused anxiety in so many devotees?" So this communication gap is going to be a problem which has to be solved. And for that...
Prabhupāda: Oh, this is the explanation of the situation? You...?
Haṁsadūta: You experienced.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So how to adjust these things now? Do it.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Jayapatākā: Not labor class. But we need them also for translation and other things. So to make up the gap them we had to hire. But that's lessened... Now we're getting also. Some labor class are joining.
Prabhupāda: So hire. That also he can become devotee. He can spare fifty percent of his income. Then he becomes a devotee. Hiring men and working, I don't think that will be very profitable. Then we can purchase from the market.
Jayapatākā: Even a lot of men are used for making the garden. In the beginning, converting the land to garden land for flowers requires a lot of labor. Because flowers require very...
Prabhupāda: Fertile.
Jayapatākā: ...fertile and particularly fine soil that has to be dug and chopped and cleaned out.
Prabhupāda: Ordinary soil flower does not grow?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Seminar. Conference. Yeah, we'll bridge the gap. And I think that would be quite appropriate. It will be quite appropriate, so that we can start propagating the message. Then I will... They're making a pamphlet for tomorrow. Dr. Sharma is going to print it in Delhi. So we can do some nice program in Bombay. And in a little time most of the schools in India are closed, so we can have nice conference in Vṛndāvana and have slide shows and... I'm going to see that film tomorrow. Messages that we have... And I proposed that we have nice form so that we present nice slide show and specific objects.
Prabhupāda: That will be very nice. Good idea.
Devotee (2): What time do you recommend they come?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, we can invite some scholars. I saw two students from Delhi today. They are students. So I will start a program of the Institute here if they are interested.
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
Regarding parampara system: there is nothing to wonder for big gaps. Just like we belong to the Brahma Sampradaya, so we accept it from Krishna to Brahma, Brahma to Narada, Narada to Vyasadeva, Vyasadeva to Madhva, and between Vyasadeva and Madhva there is a big gap. But it is sometimes said that Vyasadeva is still living, and Madhva was fortunate enough to meet him directly. In a similar way, we find in the Bhagavad-gita that the Gita was taught to the sungod, some millions of years ago, but Krishna has mentioned only three names in this parampara system—namely, Vivasvan, Manu, and Iksvaku; and so these gaps do not hamper from understanding the parampara system.
So far as my book fund is concerned, you have said that you do not wish to take profit from this fund so as you like you may take the commission as Brahmananda has proposed and then you can return the profit to me in Los Angeles. That will keep the accounts clear. But somehow or other see that our books are sold very quickly. My book fund is now drained by $7,000 and I should fill up this gap very soon. I require to keep this fund because it is helpful in achieving the immigration papers as well as credit for such items as temples and books from MacMillan and Dai Nippon. This account should therefore always be kept for an emergency. Also, I next wish to publish a new book entitled Nectar of Devotion. So if you can help with these funds it will be very appreciated.
1969 Correspondence
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of January 6, 1969 and your letters of January 10th and 11th, 1969. From your recent letters I can understand that you are keeping yourself busily engaged and are improving nicely. This is our process, that you do not let even one minute go by without doing some sort of service for Krishna. Because as soon as there is a little gap of Krishna Consciousness, immediately maya makes an attack to grab us again. So keep up with your kirtanas and outside engagements and always think of Krishna so that maya will not have a second's opportunity to try to conquer you. And Krishna gives all assurance that the sincere devotee will never know defeat, so if you simply try to propagate our movement in the Seattle area, you will be successful, rest assured.
It is very difficult to bring to reason the obstinate impersonalists. For example, Prahlada Maharaja, such a great authority, could not convert his father to devotional service, who preferred death, and still did not agree to accept that God is different from him. So better to avoid the impersonalists as far as possible.
Regarding your third question—"Why are there apparent time-gaps in the line of disciplic succession as listed in the Bhagavad-gita? Is Arjuna an instructor Spiritual Master and not an initiator Spiritual Master and therefore not listed?" The time gap mentioned by you is inevitable, because the disciplic succession sometimes becomes disconnected, as we find from the Bhagavad-gita. This is the influence of material energy, and to link it up again, it takes some time. That some time may appear to our calculation a big gap, but in relation with the eternal time, it is not even as instant. So this big gap or small gap of time is relative. Just like our 24 hours and Brahma's 24 hours, there is much difference. Our 24 hours is not even a fraction of his second.
By Krishna's Grace and by His desire, you are destined to go to Germany to take up the work of BTG in German. The three boys now working there are very sincere workers. You are also very sincere boy and I am sure when you go there you will find a very nice atmosphere of ISKCON workers. I am so glad to learn that you are feeling considerably the missing separation of ISKCON devotees. I am very much hopeful that Krishna Kirtana will be nicely introduced in the Western world by the Grace of Krishna, and by the efforts of our ISKCON DEVOTEES. I am very sorry too that in India you could not fill up the gap of such separation, and I know why you couldn't. So let India may do whatever they like.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 24, 1969. Regarding your working hours, if you can work more, of course that is very good. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that we should be engaged in Krishna's service always, without any gap. So we should mold our life in such a way that not a minute will be blank without Krishna's service. Regarding your first question, the proof of Krishna Consciousness is that the Bhagavad-gita it is oldest transcendental literature about God-consciousness in the history of the world. It is estimated from authoritative sources of Vedic literature that Bhagavad-gita is eternal truth and was first revealed within our knowledge at least 120 millions of years ago. So what other literature can be compared with Bhagavad-gita throughout the whole world or universe?
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 6, 1969, and I thank you very much for your bank deposit receipt. Practically you are the only hope who is filling up the gap in my Book Fund deposit account. Recently I have issued one check for $4,000 from my Book Fund to the Iskcon Press account. Out of that, you have already fulfilled the amount of $2,500. So I thank you very much. Regarding your business, Krishna will surely help you, and He is already helping you. We want to show the world that Krishna's service is not stereotyped, one-sided. Krishna can be served from any position, provided one is willing to serve Him. Krishna can be served and approached by businessmen, by lawyers, by scientists, by artists, by musicians, by philosophers, even by thieves and rogues; everyone. He is so kind. One has simply to accept the prescribed method how to approach Him.
1970 Correspondence
In the beginning one is ordered not to stay more than three days at a place, but at the Paramahamsa stage, one can stop moving, but that is not compulsory. So I have made my headquarters at L.A., that is a fact, still I may go in an emergency outside (not ordinarily) for a few days, and then come back to my headquarters.
There is a gap of some transcriptions—tapes numbers 12 through 16, KRSNA, so please get them done. I shall be slow in making further tapes till I get them back. Please give this instruction to the editors.
Party splint a stumbling block
With world God-Consciousness
The aim His Divine Grace bridges
The gap to bless the world with Gauraprema,
Jayapataka's life is not his own
It's Prabhupada's to do with as His own"
I feel very much obliged to you for your nice understanding about my mission. Your offer of service to the cause of our Lord is also welcomed. I hope in future you shall be of great help in my mission and I can count upon. More when we meet. We are seven starting on Saturday including one Japanese nice boy.
| Page Title: | Gap |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 20 of Sep, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=4, Con=14, Let=9 |
| No. of Quotes: | 30 |