Real devotee, santaḥ, saintly persons, their eyes are purified by the ointment of love of Godhead. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). They are seeing Kṛṣṇa or his worshipable God... Kṛṣṇa has many forms. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu. Kṛṣṇa has His form as Lord Rāmacandra, as Varāha, as Kūrma, as Nṛsiṁha. Ananta-koṭi. Innumerable forms He has got. All of them are Kṛṣṇa. So a devotee, on account of his eyes being smeared with the ointment of love of God, he sees Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours within his heart. That is the vision of the devotee. Atheist class will say, "Where is God?" Because he has no eyes to see the God. But a theist class or a devotee, he sees God, or Kṛṣṇa, twenty-four hours. He does not see anything else. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, sthāvara jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). A devotee, mahā-bhāgavata, highly advanced devotee, he sees trees, but he does not see the tree. He sees Kṛṣṇa. How? Has he gone mad? No. Actually he sees. But what is this tree? The tree, outwardly, is Kṛṣṇa's energy.
Innumerable (Lectures, Other)
Lectures
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Govinda. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo. Pantha means road. If you walk over the path of Kṛṣṇa... Suppose Kṛṣṇa, there is Kṛṣṇaloka. Above this material universe, there is another spiritual sky, paravyoma. It is called paravyoma. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ 'vyakta 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another nature. As this is material nature, there is spiritual nature. And in that spiritual nature there are innumerable spiritual planets. They are called Vaikuṇṭha planets. And the highest Vaikuṇṭha planet is called Kṛṣṇaloka, or Goloka Vṛndāvana. This Vṛndāvana is replica of that original Vṛndāvana. When Kṛṣṇa comes on this planet or within this universe, He comes in this Vṛndāvana. This is called Bhauma-Vṛndāvana. Of course, there is no difference between Bhauma-Vṛndāvana and Paravyoma-Vṛndāvana. So if we want to see Kṛṣṇa, then we must be freed from designations. That is the process. Not only designations, but from all kinds of desires.
Our philosophy is that as there are varieties in this material world, there are varieties in the spiritual world. That varieties. Just like the sky. In the sky, there are varieties. There are different kinds of planets, floating in the sky. Ordinarily seeing, in daytime, we see the sky is vacant. How it is vacant? It is not vacant. It is the defect of my eyes that I cannot see the varieties. The vari... At night we can see the varieties. There are so many planets, so many stars. And each of them full of varieties. Just like this planet. It is, we learn from the śāstra. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudādhi bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). There are innumerable universes. This universe is one only. And each and every universe, there are millions of planets. And each of them has got special significance. Just like this Moon planet, the Sun planet, this Earth planet, each one has got significance. Here, the bodies are earthly. In the Sun planet, the bodies are fire. Fiery. Similarly in the Moon planet, the bodies are different. Each and every planet.
Both the tree and the bird being green, we see it has merged. Because the spiritual sky and the spiritual living being, a small, it merges it does not merge. It is there. The individuality is there. And because this individuality, fragment of the Supreme Brahman, is eternal, is eternal, sanātana... It is not that spirit can be cut into pieces. That is not possible. So we are fragmental parts. That means eternally we are so, individual. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). We are one of the nityas. There are innumerable nityas and cetanaś, the living entities, part and parcel of the supreme living entity, Kṛṣṇa. They're all individual.
Pradyumna: "Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and ācāryas or holy teachers, who are compared with sharks in the great ocean of nectar and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation. Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be compared with liberation and the rivers with all the different paths of liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water, which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information, however, that within the ocean, as within the rivers, there are innumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the ocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it."
Prabhupāda: Yes. The shark, big fish, shark, big body, they have no place to come into the river, come back. There is no place. Big crocodile, big sharks, they do not come to the river. They constantly remain in the ocean. Go on. Yes.
Pradyumna: (reading) "Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the Supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be compared with liberation, and the rivers with all the different paths of liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water, which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information, however, that within the ocean, as within the river, there are innumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the ocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it. The devotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and they do not care for the rivers."
Prabhupāda: This comparison that the rivers, it does matter from which way it is coming down to the sea, when they mix together, they become one. But if this comparison is taken, that the rivers merging into the sea, and when it mixes there is no separate existence of the river, but they do not see analogy. Analogy, according to law of analogy, the points of similarities must be one. Analogy is perfect when the points of similarities are there. Just like we say, "Your face is as beautiful as moon." That means the face, beauty of the face is as attractive as the moon is attractive. The points of similarity is there. We cannot say an ugly face, your face is like moon. That cannot be.
So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Supreme Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, has got innumerable, multi-energies. Out of that, learned scholars, devotees, they have divided the whole energy into three, external, internal, and marginal. So the living entities, they are production of the marginal energy. The living entity is energy, prakṛti. Not the puruṣa. Puruṣa is Kṛṣṇa. We are all prakṛtis, all living entities. Prakṛti means predominated, and puruṣa means predominator. Just like we see, ordinarily, husband and wife, the husband is predominator and the wife is predominated. Although there is no difference between husband and wife. They are one, divided into two. Similarly, prakṛti and puruṣa, they are one. They are not two.
Pradyumna: (reading:) "...Kṛṣṇa we refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His many expansions. He is expanded by His plenary part and parcels, His differentiated parts and parcels, and His different energies. Kṛṣṇa, in other words, means everything and includes everything. Generally, however, we should understand Kṛṣṇa to mean Kṛṣṇa and His personal expansions. Kṛṣṇa expands Himself as Baladeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, and Varāha, as well as many other incarnations and innumerable Viṣṇu expansions. These are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to be as numerous as the uncountable waves. So Kṛṣṇa includes all such expansions, as well as His pure devotees. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated that Kṛṣṇa's expansions are all complete in eternity, blissfulness, and cognizance. Devotional service means to prosecute Kṛṣṇa conscious activities which are favorable to the transcendental pleasure of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, and any activities which are not favorable to the transcendental favor of the Lord cannot be accepted as devotional service."
Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa does not mean alone. Kṛṣṇa is not imperson. He's person, and He expands in so many persons. Eko bahu śyām. He is one, but He expands Himself to innumerable forms. The Viṣṇu forms, They are known as svāṁśa. And the servitor forms, the living entities, they are also expansion of Viṣṇu, part and parcel, differentiated, vibhinnāṁśa. So everything—expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat.
Yes. Satatam, satataṁ smartavyaḥ viṣṇuḥ. This is the injunction. One should always remember Viṣṇu, the form of Viṣṇu. That is possible only when we have enhanced a little in the path of loving Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). So everything is possible provided we are serious. Then everything is possible. Go on. Otherwise why Rūpa Gosvāmī has taken so much trouble in the matter of giving us Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, quoting from so many, innumerable śāstras? Sad-dharma-pravarta. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-pravartakau. The Gosvāmīs were so compassionate with the fallen human society that he, especially Rūpa Gosvāmī... All the Gosvāmīs, they first of all searched out all the datas of spiritual life and quoted them, in each and every line. Sufficiently he quoted from śāstras. This is the business of sādhu. Sādhu-śāstra-guru. They'll act in the same way. There is no difference of opinion. Sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya tinete kariyā aikya. One has to see a sādhu by corroborating his statements according to the śāstras or another sādhu.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
"All the material manifestation..." Material manifestation means these material universes. They are many. This universe, what we see, one only, the sky, the covering, but there are many millions of universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Koṭi means millions. Jagad-aṇḍa. Jagad-aṇḍa means universes. So Kṛṣṇa says that "All these universes in the material world is display of My one-fourth energy." Just imagine what is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat. And we are trying to imitate Kṛṣṇa. So many rascals, they declare they are Bhagavān. They do not know what is Bhagavān. Bhagavān... These universes are coming, innumerable universes are coming, from the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu.
They have no idea what is Bhagavān. This is one of the description of Mahā-Viṣṇu, that from His breathing, innumerable universes are coming out. When He is exhaling, the universes are coming out, and when He is inhaling, all, everything, is going within Him. This is Bhagavān. So anyway, this is partial exhibition of the energy of the Lord. And this is one-fourth energy. This material world is manifestation of His one-fourth energy. The three-fourth energies are in the spiritual world. So in that spiritual world Kṛṣṇa exhibits His spiritual energy. That is only spiritual energy. This material world is made of material energy, and we are marginal energy.
This Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is creating innumerable universes by breathing... Just like sometimes we breathe and there are some germs, small, we cannot see; in the same way, the universes in a small minute form, they are coming out of the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu. That is Kāraṇa-toya-śāyī, kāraṇa-udaka, Causal Ocean. That is beginning of creation. Then all the universes, they gradually develop into gigantic form. In the originally, it is coming out. We cannot understand. Sometimes we become surprised that "How such innumerable universes are being created by a person?" So, the universe is not so big in the beginning. Just like our, this body is not so big in the beginning of our body within the womb of our mother. It is not so big. It is very small, minute, and then it becomes just like a pea, and gradually the body develops.
And then, from Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, in this way, quadruple expansion... Then Nārāyaṇa, then another quadruple expansion, then from that quadruple, second manifestation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, all these different Viṣṇus, Kāraṇa-toyāśāyī, Garbhodakaśayī, Kṣīrodhi-śāyī—in this way, expanding. Dīpārcir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya (Bs. 5.46). Just like you take one candle, then you lit up another candle, another candle, another candle. All these candles are equally powerful, but still, the calculation is, Kṛṣṇa is the first candle, Balarāma is the second candle. In this way, viṣṇutayā vibhāti—the expansion of Viṣṇu, innumerable.
You cannot count how many living entities are there. But they are to be maintained by the singular number. That is the distinction. God is person; you are also person; I am also person. We exist eternally, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna that "You, Me, all these soldiers and kings who have assembled there, it is not that they did not exist in the past. They are existing in the present, and they will continue to exist in that way in the future." That is called nityānāṁ cetanānām.
So this is the process of creation, that the Garbhodakaśāyī, here, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, from His breathing, He created from the breathing, from the pores of the body, He created innumerable universes, and in each and every universe He entered again. And entering there, He produced a lotus flower. Within the stem of that lotus flower there are so many planets. Just see the gigantic lotus stem. These are to be known from the śāstra. You cannot imagine how the creation takes place, huge creation.
So there are three principles—the īśvara principle and the māyā principle and the jīva principle—these three principles. So Advaita Ācārya is īśvara principle. He belongs to the īśvara group. Even in communistic country, they call "classless society," but they are also creating a managerial class. They cannot do without that. They could not avoid it, managers. Why manager? Make classless society, all worker. That is not possible. There must be īśvara. Īśvara means controller. That is the beginning, from the creation, īśvara. So īśvara, there are innumerable īśvara forms, as it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Many, many, many millions and trillions of īśvara forms... It is stated in the Bhāgavatam that many... How many, how you can calculate? That is compared—just like in the river or in the ocean there are waves, but you cannot count how many waves are there. That is not possible. Can you count the waves of the ocean, going on, day and night, waves? Similarly, in big, big rivers... So God's incarnation, they are coming out, innumerable, just like the waves, but we can understand by the action that He is incarnation of God.
So Advaita, Advaitācārya, is Īśvara, but there are many īśvaras. Even in this material world there are īśvaras, innumerable. But the śāstra has analyzed that the supreme īśvara is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1): "There is no more higher īśvara than Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa also says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no more. This is the end." You go on finding out īśvaras that... In material world, every one of us, īśvara. Īśvara means controller. So anyone controls, he can be called īśvara. But there are īśvaras over īśvaras. You go on searching, īśvara over īśvara over īśvara. When you come to the point there is no more other īśvara, then He's God. That is definition. That is Kṛṣṇa. You go on searching out, searching out. Just like... Generally, you know, Brahmā is the cre... He's also īśvara. He has created this universe. But he's not the supreme īśvara. He's created by Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He's also Īśvara, but He is expansion of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Then He is also Īśvara. Then He's also expansion of Sankarsana.
Just for our understanding... As we think that "I had my former life"—actually I had—but that former life is finished; I am now a new life. But in case of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is not like that. It is simultaneously existing. Kṛṣṇa is also existing, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also existing. The example is given in this connection, just like the sun. Now it is not visible in India, the sun. But other part, in America, it is visible. So sun is there, but it is not visible at the present moment in India. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is there, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is there. Their pastimes are there, it is going on, but it is now not visible in this part of the universe. There are innumerable universes, so by rotation Kṛṣṇa or Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes to a particular universe at a certain period. Just like the sun will rise again, tomorrow morning, at six p.m., at six a.m., similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa and all His incarnation, they are rotating regularly. That is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā:
So Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, and innumerable incarnation... These incarnation have been compared just like the flow of waves. If you sit down on the riverside or on the oceanside, if you want to count how many waves are there, it is impossible. They are coming regularly, day and night. That is not possible. Similarly, how many incarnations are there, it is impossible for us. Our knowledge is not so unlimited. Therefore we cannot understand. So in this way incarnations are coming.
Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He comes here, exhibits Himself, how He is dealing in His spiritual abode. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). Kṛṣṇa, in the spiritual world, Goloka Vṛndāvana, is engaged in tending the cows, surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). So when He comes on this planet, in this universe... Kṛṣṇa rotates His touring. There are innumerable universes, and in every moment there is Kṛṣṇa-līlā is going on. That is called nitya-līlā. The example, I have given several times. Just like the sun is rotating within the orbit. Now it is, say, eight o'clock at night. But at this time, there is six o'clock, seven o'clock, nine o'clock, ten o'clock—everything is there. Similarly, every moment, Kṛṣṇa's līlā is going in some of the universes. There are innumerable universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). So in each universe, Kṛṣṇa-līlā is going on. And in rotation, after some lakhs of years, again Kṛṣṇa comes on this planet. This is... Therefore Kṛṣṇa's līlā is nitya-līlā. So just to attract us, that "You are fond of dancing. Why don't you come back to Me and dance with Me?" this is Kṛṣṇa's business. "Why you are rotting in this rotting dance? You want association. You want sporting. Why don't you come to Me and take part in My sporting with the cowherds boys?" This is invitation of Kṛṣṇa.
That is not possible. So Kṛṣṇa... Try to understand. Here it is said that svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa ekale īśvara. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa also says. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "Nobody is superior than Me." And how these rascals, they think that "I am equal to Kṛṣṇa"? Kṛṣṇa cannot be two. Kṛṣṇa is one. But He can expand. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu-kalā-niyamena-tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Kala, aṁśa-kala, avatāra. There are description in the śāstra. So we have to understand how Kṛṣṇa expands. There are expansion. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta-rūpam. Just like Kṛṣṇa... Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna... (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart, innumerable living entities. And not only that. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. Aṇḍāntara-stham.
Within the sun globe, there is sun-god. So which one is the chief? That we have to consider. The sun-god or the sun globe or the sunshine? Everything is light. Sunshine is also light, sun globe also light, and the original source of this light, the sun-god, is also light. So sunshine is impersonal, sun globe is localized, and the sun-god is personal. If you be satisfied that "I am in the sunshine," be satisfied. That is called sāyujya-mukti. The sunshine means combination of different molecular shining parts. Any scientist knows it that what is the sunshine. The sunshine appears to be a homogeneous thing, but actually, in minute analysis it will be found that there are innumerable shining sparks, molecular sparks only—their combination. (baby making noise) (aside:) They're disturbing. (speaks to some men in Hindi)
And these classes of men are called āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Asuric bhāva means denying the existence of God, or defying the supremacy of God. That is āsuri bhāva. Just like example... We have got many examples in our śāstras—Hiraṇyakaśipu, Kaṁsa, Rāvaṇa. They were very powerful materially, but their only fault was that they denied the supremacy of God. Therefore they are called asuras, rākṣasas. Āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. So four classes this way, four classes that way.
So jñānī... Jñānī is accepted... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that koṭi-karmī-madhye eka 'jñānī' śreṣṭha. There are karmīs, innumerable, millions and millions, all karmīs. Karmīs means they are working hard simply for sense gratification. And according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are called mūḍhas. These are the statement in the śāstras. So we have to explain the śāstras. So karmīs are called mūḍhas because they are working so hard, but do not know what is the aim of their life. Simply going on working very hard. And in the modern education, in the modern civilization, people are simply taught to work very hard and gratify senses. That's all. "Get money and gratify your senses." That is the modern mode of civilization.
That is equality. But you cannot think that the drop is equal to the ocean. That is not possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is vibhu. God is great, and we are anu, infinitesimal. Kṛṣṇa is infinite, we are infinitesimal. So when there is question of merging into the existence of the Supreme, that means we remain in the effulgence, Brahman effulgence, as the minute particle of Brahman. There is dimension. That is mentioned in the śāstras: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). One ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of hair. That minute particle, cetana. So there is... Anantāya kalpite. There are innumerable such particles. That is the formation of nirviśeṣa-brahman. That is nirākāra-brahman. Brahman, but there is no visible formation. But there, there is formation. Unless there is formation, how the material formation can take place? Just like you have got formation; therefore your shirt and coat has got a formation. You have got hands; therefore your shirt has hands, your coat has hands, according to your formation. So this material body is called vāsāṁsi, garments, or dress, shirt and coat. The mind, intelligence and ego, that is shirt, subtle body; and this gross body, kṣitir-ap-tej-marud-van (?). So there are two kinds of shirt and coat, and within that, dehino 'smin yathā dehe... (BG 2.13). The minute particle, that is called dehi, who has formed this body.
God, Brahma, the great. Brahma means the great. Bṛhatvād bṛhannatvāt. The Absolute Truth is the great and can expand also unlimitedly. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Rūpam: He has got His transcendental forms, ananta, unlimited. But they are all one. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam. Ādyam, the original; Purāṇa, the oldest; puruṣam, person. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam. Although He has got innumerable forms, they are advaita, they are one. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ādyam, original; Purāṇa, the oldest; and puruṣam, the person. Nava-yauvanam. The oldest, but nava-yauvana, just beginning of youthful life. That is the description in the Brahma-saṁhitā. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms that brahma saviśeṣa. Saviśeṣa means person with varieties of energy. Not imperson. Ataeva śruti kahe. According to Vedic evidence from the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, apāṇi pāda, He has proved that when the Upaniṣad says that "The Absolute Truth has no hands and legs, this means that He has no material hands and legs. But He has His hands and legs." (shouting in background) (aside:) Who is shouting? Why they do not come? Why they are shouting there? All right.
Then who is talking? Now, the Māyāvāda philosophers, their point of view is the Absolute Truth is imperson and there is no different energy. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's challenge is that Absolute Truth has got multi-energies. That is also stated in the Upaniṣads: parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Absolute Truth has multi-energies, innumerable energies. And such energies have been divided into three divisions. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva..., na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. Why He has to do? Because His energies are working. Therefore, He has energy. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā: (BG 9.4) "The whole universe in its avyakta-mūrti, nonmanifested form, I am." Ahaṁ tatam idaṁ sarvam. Aham. "But at the same time, aham is there." Aham means "I." And the word avyakta is there, "nonmanifest." So Kṛṣṇa is manifest. Then what is this nonmanifest? The nonmanifest is the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Mayā tatam idam.
Now there are innumerable devotees who are offering Kṛṣṇa with love and faith, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. Just like in this temple, we are offering to the Deity according to the order of Kṛṣṇa some preparation made of patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. So He's accepting. He says that "I accept. I eat." But the atheist class says that He does not eat. Why? If Kṛṣṇa says, "I eat," what the atheist class of people has the right to say that He does not eat? He eats. So now not only in one temple or in one place, but millions and trillions of places, they are offering Kṛṣṇa, devotees. And Kṛṣṇa says, "I eat." So everywhere He is eating. Now, just imagine how He has expanded Himself in millions and trillions of forms. He says, "I eat." And there are millions and trillions of devotees offering Him. Then everywhere He's eating. That's a fact. Yes. He can expand. But that does not mean that He is no more in Goloka Vṛndāvana. He is still there. He has expanded in millions and trillions of forms to accept the offerings of His devotees; at the same time, He is in Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is Kṛṣṇa. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37).
That "Kṛṣṇa has got, by nature, innumerable energies, and they are divided into three: cit śakti and bahiraṅga śakti, antaraṅga śakti, and tatasta śakti." All the... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva. All the śaktis, or energies, they are summarized in three divisions. One is called spiritual energy, and the other is called material energy, and the rest is called marginal energy. In the Bhagavad-gītā these three energies are stated. Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). "These eight kinds of energies are My separated energies." How separated energies? Try to understand what is separated energy. Just like in the tape record, I sing or speak, it is recorded. But when the tape record plays, I do not speak, I do not sing, but it is my energy. It is working. That is separated energy. And when I speak directly, that is not separated energy. That is also the same thing. So they are from Kṛṣṇa, the whole material... Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). "Everything is created from Me. I am the creator of everything."
Then we are brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). That is our Brahman situation. Simply realization of Brahman is not all. You have to be always engaged in Brahman activities. Then there is possibility of remaining in the Brahman platform. The Māyāvādī philosophers, as soon as they realize that ahaṁ brahmāsmi, they think that they are liberated. But no. That liberation is theoretical. That is not practical. Practical liberation is when you are situated in devotional service. Then there is no chance of falling down. If you simply think that "I have become Nārāyaṇa," or Nārāyaṇa position, that is falldown. There are innumerable examples. So we are taṭasthā-śakti. The idea is... Taṭasthā means marginal. We can fall down in the material world, and we can raise ourself in the spiritual world. This is our position. But we are energy, not the energetic.
He's not poor man. He's, He's... What you are? Your human, human being, they are very few. If you compare with other animals, other living entities, you are most insignificant number. Your number is very little, especially for the civilized. If you search out a hole in your room, you'll find millions of ants coming out. Even in your room you'll find. You'll be over-voted. So who is supplying their necessities? Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. In the Vedic language we can understand that one singular entity... God is also a living entity. He's not void. He's just like a person, like you and me. But He's so powerful. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. One single number, He is providing so many, innumerable living entities. So our business is... And the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham: (BG 10.10) "I supply whatever he needs. Who is constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I supply it. I take the goods personally and deliver there." Why should you be anxious? Kṛṣṇa will take hundred pounds of flours, hundred pounds of rice, and deliver you. Just be Kṛṣṇa conscious. In ordinary home you don't find more than five pounds. You see in our stock, all hundred pounds.
The Brahma-saṁhitā says that advaita acyuta. Advaita means although Kṛṣṇa has many forms, many expansions, still, they are one. There is no duality. Just like Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, They are one. They are not different. Similarly, rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Beginning from Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, He has got innumerable forms. Tiṣṭhan: He is existing always with all these forms, expansions, rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā. Just like Kṛṣṇa existing in everyone's heart. There are millions and trillions of living entities. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is existing. That is Kṛṣṇa's omnipotency. If you do not try to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, with inconceivable omnipotency, then you cannot understand God. That is not possible. So Kṛṣṇa... Just like we are sitting here; we are not sitting in the other room. But Kṛṣṇa can see in innumerable rooms simultaneously at one time.
The transcendental forms of Kṛṣṇa, innumerable, vaibhava, and His opulence, that is also innumerable. Nobody can estimate. How many forms are there of Kṛṣṇa or how much opulent He is, nobody can estimate; nobody can measure. This is inconceivable. The first proposition. Cic-chakti māyā-śakti jīva-śakti āra. And His potencies are also unlimited, out of which, three potencies are generally accepted: cit-śakti, spiritual potency; material potency; and marginal potency. These three potencies I have described many times. Cit-śakti, the spiritual potency, is a manifestation of the spiritual world, and material potency is a manifestation of this material world, and the marginal potency, we are, we living entities. We are marginal potency. Why it is marginal? Because although we belong to the spiritual potency, but we have got tendency to come into contact of this material potency. Therefore it is called marginal, "this way or that way." That a slight independence which is there in every living entity, he can use that, and he may select either to live in the spiritual potency or in the material potency. Therefore the living entities are called marginal potency. So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Although the energies of the Supreme Lord are innumerable—nobody can count or measure—but they are divided into three.
Now, Lord Caitanya says, Vaikuṇṭha. Just like this universe is a jagad-aṇḍa, is a big round ball, aṇḍa. Aṇḍa means egglike, just like egg is round. Therefore it is called brahmāṇḍa. It is a round ball. Every planet is round, and the universe is also round, and the Vaikuṇṭhas are also round, all round. Vaikuṇṭha, brahmāṇḍa-gaṇa-śakti-kārya haya. So all these universes, the universe which we experience... There are innumerable universes that we cannot see. We can see only one universe, and in one universe there are innumerable planets. Similarly, there are innumerable universes, and in each universe there are innumerable planets. This information we get from Brahma-saṁhitā.
"God is all-pervading" does not mean God has lost His identification. This is the mistake of the impersonalists. "Because God is everywhere, God is all-pervading; therefore there should not be any particular existence of God." This is impersonalism. But this is material thought. They do not study Vedic literature properly. In the Vedic literature it is said, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Just like I have several times explained before you that in the spiritual absolute identity, one minus one equal to one and one plus one equal to one. So although innumerable energies are coming out of the supreme body of the Supreme Lord, still He is full. There is no loss of energy. Just like we can have some material example: the sun. We do not know for how many millions of years the sunshine and temperature is coming out of the sun planet, but still the sun is the same. There is no loss of temperature.
This is a material idea, that "Because God has become all-pervading, therefore He has lost Himself." Why He should lose His identity? This is confirmed in the Vedic literature: pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evavaśiṣyate. If you take from the... He is so full that if you take the whole thing from Him, still, He is whole. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate.
So as described here, kṛṣṇa svarūpa ananta vaibhava apāra. So although He is transmitting innumerable energies and although He is expanding Himself in innumerable forms, still, He is one. Still, He is the same and one. That is the spiritual conception, or absolute conception. Absolute is not relative. "Because something has being taken away, therefore it is something less"—it is relative. It is not absolute. This idea is relative. I have got in my pocket ten dollars. So I have taken two dollars. Now it is eight dollars. This is relative truth. This is not absolute idea. Absolute idea is that pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Avaśiṣyate means the balance is still full. Whatever you may take, the balance is still.
It is figuratively stated. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ, unlimited potency, sunlight, is coming from the sun. This material world, we can practically experience. But the sunlight is also emanating from that light which is emanating from that Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is the real light, which is called brahma-jyotir. So in that brahma-jyotir there are innumerable spiritual planets also. So in the spiritual sky, in that spiritual light, in that spiritual planets, there are innumerable liberated living entities, and each, each and every planet, there is expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. They are named by different names. (break) Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa yāṅra goloka-nitya-dhāma. So origin. He is the origin. His planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, is the original planet, and from that planet, that brahma-jyotir, light, is coming. And in that light, everything is resting. And in an insignificant portion of that light, this material world is situated. In that place there are innumerable universes as we are seeing one. And one of these universes, there are millions and billions of planets, of which this earth is only a insignificant fragment.
He can do without His presence. But when His devotees become very much disturbed, He comes personally. He comes personally, sends His representative. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. Sādhūnām means devotees. Paritrāṇāya and vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. And, simultaneously, when He comes, all these miscreants, they are killed. They are annihilated. Vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, and reestablishing the principle of religion. Yuge yuge sambhavāmi. The Lord says, "I come in different millenniums."
So that is going on. There are innumerable universes, which you cannot estimate, and each of the universes, the Lord is incarnating Himself by one of His plenary portions. Kṛṣṇa is present in some of the universes even now. We do not know where is that universe because we cannot see.
"I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, whose bodily effulgence is brahma-jyotir." The brahma-jyotir, that is nothing but His bodily effulgence. And in that brahma-jyotir... Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Or that brahma-jyotir being manifested, there are innumerable planets and universes. There are. The same example: just like in the sun, sunshine, there are innumerable planets, so similarly, in the original shine, Kṛṣṇa shine—this is sunshine; the original shine is Kṛṣṇa shining—in that effulgence there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, spiritual planets. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). In the Bhagavad-gītā, you'll find, all these planetary manifestations is situated in one fourth of His effulgence. Three fourths of the manifestation are in the spiritual sky. Tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtam. Aśeṣa-bhūtam. It is so much extended that nobody can calculate how far. We cannot calculate even the sunshine, how far it is extended, and what to speak of that original effulgence. So our knowledge is always imperfect. We cannot study even millions and millionth part of the opulence of the Supreme Lord. So it is futile to deny God because we cannot calculate His potencies and expansion of potencies.
Then prakāśa, expansion. From expansion, there are two kinds of division, prābhava and vaibhava. So prābhava, what is the prābhava expansion? It is given: eka-vapu bahu rūpa yaiche haila. Prābhava expansion means the same feature, the same body, but it is distributed in innumerable places. That is called prābhava expansion. The example is, eka-vapu bahu rūpa yaiche haila rāse. In the rāsa dance, Kṛṣṇa performed the rāsa dance, not exactly the ball dance... But it is an imitation of that rāsa dance. Because you cannot have any idea of anything without its being originally in Kṛṣṇa. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). That is the version of Vedānta-sūtra. Any idea, whatever you... But they are simply perverted reflection. That's all. You cannot get anything, any idea, without its being situated in Kṛṣṇa. The rāsa dance, that is described in the Thirty-second Chapter of the Tenth Canto in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Now, the feature, the body, is the same, but in different house with different devotees, the exchange of feelings is different. That is called vaibhava-prakāśa. So it is a very complicated idea, which of them is vaibhava, which of them is prābhava, which of them is vilāsa, which of them is tad-ekātmā, āveśa... There are different divisions of Kṛṣṇa's expansions. But we can note down if we like from original Kṛṣṇa how many, I mean to say, expansions, innumerable expansions Kṛṣṇa has got. But some of them were shown when He was present before us just to prove that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because in future so many fools will imitate to become Kṛṣṇa as the incarnation of God or God, but Kṛṣṇa has in His life so many uncommon features, nobody can show that. Just like Govardhana. You have seen that picture. At seven years old, He lifted the hill. And when He was young He married sixteen thousand wives, and sixteen thousand features... So... And when He was in Battle of Kurukṣetra, He showed the universal form. So before claiming oneself as "I am God," they should be prepared to show these uncommon features. Otherwise, no sane man will accept any fool as God.
Then He says, "There are unlimited expansions of Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world, and..." Nāhi mūrti-bheda. Just like His expansions in the spiritual world... He is originally two-handed, but in the spiritual planets... There are innumerable spiritual planets, and He is situated in each of them in four hand. Now this four hand, each hand... There are four symbols: conchshell and wheel and club and a lotus flower. Now, these four symbols are differently manifested in. Just like four hands. Beginning from right, this is lotus flower, club, and then conchshell, then wheel. And some of them, here begins wheel, here begins club. In this way the four has about sixteen divisions, and they are represented... Not sixteen. Twenty-four. Twenty-four, I mean to say, change of the place of the symbols. And according to the change of symbols, you will find different names. In the cover of the book Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you have seen. These symbols are there. And there are different names. Some of Them named Hṛṣīkeśa, some of Them named Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Padmanābha... In this way there are different names according to the different change of the symbolic representation.
So there are different kinds of devotees also. Some devotee worships the Nārāyaṇa feature, some devotee worships Kṛṣṇa feature, Nṛsiṁha-deva... So there are innumerable devotees and innumerable forms also of Kṛṣṇa. But not these ordinary demigods. When Kṛṣṇa says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: (BG 4.11) "Any devotee who wants to worship Me in My different feature, I offer him in that feature..." Just like Hanumān. He was a devotee of Rāma. So there is one verse by Hanumān, that "I know Rāma and Nṛsiṁha and Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, is the same. But still, I want to worship Rāma." Just like we, ourself, we know Lord Rāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa the same, but we want to worship Kṛṣṇa. So different devotees have different inclination to offer his service to different features of God. And therefore He has got innumerable features of the presentation. They are differently named.
So Kṛṣṇa has innumerable expansions. So far potency of the Lord is concerned, in those expansions there is no difference of potency, but the different names are due to difference of manifestation. Sometimes the Lord is manifested with two hands, sometimes with four hands. And (in) the four hands there are different symbolic representation. So due to these different kinds of manifestation there are different names, but so far God's six potential opulences are concerned, they are always present in every form and manifestation. There is no difference.
- vaibhava-prakāśa kṛṣṇera-śrī-balarāma
- varṇa-mātra-bheda, saba-kṛṣṇera samāna
Balarāma. Balarāma is considered to be the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa was present, Balarāma became His elder brother. When Rāma was there, this Balarāma represented Himself as His younger brother, Lakṣmaṇa. So Balarāma is the first manifestation of His personal expansion.
Such seventy-one yuga is the duration of a Manu. That is called Man... And each Manu is also an incarnation, Manvantarāvatāra. And such Manu takes place, fourteen Manus take place, during one day of Brahma. So Manvantarāvatāra. Then yuga avatāra. Yuga avatāra... In each yuga, during that 4,300,000's of years, there are yuga avatāra. They are the incarnation. They come. They are called yugāvatāras. And then there is śaktyāveśa-avatāra. Śaktyāveśa-avatāra, they are counted just like Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ. They are counted amongst the śaktyāveśāvatāras. They are also incarnation of śaktyāveśāvatāra, powerful. In this way the Supreme Lord manifests all over the universes. There are innumerable universes, and some of His incarnation are working always.
So God's kingdom is not vacant. Just like we are thinking that except this earthly planet, all planets are vacant. Somebody is suggesting it is a lump of ashes. Just like they are thinking of this moon planet—a lump of dust. I cannot, of course, think like that. How dust can remain in a lump and how so much illumination come out from the dust? But they are putting the theory that the moon planet is a lump of dust. So let them do. But from the scripture we understand that there are innumerable universes, and each and every universe is full with innumerable planets, and each planet is full with innumerable living entities, and God's incarnation is working somewhere, other, to reclaim these conditioned souls.
Now, He is concluding about the topics of incarnation, that "There are innumerable incarnations of Kṛṣṇa. Nobody can count." He is giving the example: just like nobody can count how many waves are flowing in the river or in the ocean, similarly, it is impossible to count how many incarnation are there.
- prathamei kare kṛṣṇa 'puruṣāvatāra'
- seita puruṣa haya trividha prakāra'
Now, the first avatāra, first incarnation, is the puruṣāvatāra. He divides Himself into three. This is stated in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
"In this way the Lord created unlimited number of universes." This one universe which you have seen, that is one only; but there are innumerable universes. That is created.
- iṅho mahat-sraṣṭā puruṣa-'mahā-viṣṇu' nāma
- ananta brahmāṇḍa tāṅra loma-kūpe dhāma
"Now, the expansion of Kṛṣṇa who is doing all this material expansion, He is known as Mahā-Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu."
- gavākṣe uḍiyā yaiche reṇu āse yāya
- puruṣa-niśvāsa-saha brahmāṇḍa bāhirāya
Now here is a nice example. You have seen the sunshine entering your room through a hole of your window, and you will find so many atomic demonstration. So these brahmāṇḍas, the so many universes, they are emanating from the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu in that way.
Kṛṣṇa's first expansion, second expansion, the third expansion. The third expansion is Mahā-Viṣṇu. So Mahā-Viṣṇu's potency is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya. Niśvasita-kāla means the breathing period. Just abiding by the breathing period of that Mahā-Viṣṇu, jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ. Jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ means the supreme creature, created, supreme created creature, Brahmā. Brahmā is the principal supreme creature in each, every universe. There are innumerable universes, and there are innumerable Brahmās also.
You will find in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that one sometimes... It is called līlā, pastimes, that Brahmā, when Kṛṣṇa was here on this planet, so Brahmā was very much proud that "Kṛṣṇa is now in the earthly planet, and this earthly planet is one of the innumerable planets under my control." Brahmā is the controller, is the primal, principal living entity in this universe, so he was little proud that "Kṛṣṇa is within my control." So therefore Kṛṣṇa, because He is Paramātmā, He knows everything, what one thinks, what one does. So Kṛṣṇa asked Brahmā to come and see Him. So Brahmā came. Brahmā came. His doorman informed Kṛṣṇa that... Doorman asked Brahmā, "Who are you, please?"
So Brahmā became astonished: " 'Which Brahmā?' I am the Brahmā. I am the supreme creature within this universe, and 'Which Brahmā?' " He was surprised, and he said, "Tell Kṛṣṇa that four-headed Brahmā." Brahmā has four heads. So Kṛṣṇa called him, "All right, come on." So he came, and he offered his obeisances, and Brahmā asked Him, "Kṛṣṇa, my Lord, may I ask You some question?" "What is that?" "Your doorman asked me, 'Which Brahmā?' So does it mean there are other Brahmās also?" Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, there are innumerable Brahmās. You are only four-headed. There are eight-headed, there are sixteen-headed, thirty-headed, sixty-four-headed, hundred-twenty-eight-headed, and millions of headed. So all right, I am calling them all."
Now, He said, "Now I have explained to you about the first incarnation, avatāra. Now just try to hear about the second, second Viṣṇu." First Viṣṇu is described. Now second Viṣṇu, what is that? Sei puruṣa: "That Mahā-Viṣṇu," ananta-koṭi brahmāṇḍa sṛjiyā, ananta-koṭi, "innumerable universes came out of His breathing period by breathing." Sṛjiyā means "He created." Ekaika-mūrtye praveśilā bahu mūrti hañā: "Now, this Mahā-Viṣṇu again expanded Himself in millions and millions Viṣṇu form and entered in each brahmāṇḍa." The same Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu, expanded Himself in millions other forms.
- praveśa kariyā dekhe, saba-andhakāra
- rahite nāhika sthāna, karilā vicāra
"When He entered in each universe, it was all dark. So He began to think."
Similarly, He took the incarnation of tortoise, Kūrma. There was a churning of the ocean, and the churning rod must be rested on something solid. So He became the churning rod, resting. And the hill, Mandara Hill, was placed, and He was feeling some itching sensation. So it was nicely itched by churning rod. So this is... He is Kūrmāvatāra. Then Raghunātha. Raghunātha. Raghunātha, this Rāma, Lord Rāma, He came to kill that daśanana, who had ten faces. Vitarasi dikṣu raṇe dik-pati-kamanīyam. So in this way there are innumerable incarnation of pastime. Nṛsiṁha. Nṛsiṁha.
Now Lord Caitanya is describing about līlāvatāra. So they are some of the names of the līlāvatāra. There are innumerable līlāvatāra, but these are some of the names: Matsya, Kūrma, Raghunātha, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, Varāhādi. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a verse in which some of the names of the līlāvatāra is mentioned:
- matsyāśva-kacchapa-nṛsiṁha-varāha-haṁsa-
- rājanya-vipra-vibudheṣu kṛtāvatāraḥ
- tvaṁ pāsi nas tribhuvanaṁ ca tathādhuneśa
- bhāraṁ bhuvo hara yadūttama vandanaṁ te
So all these incarnations, especially this līlāvatāra, līlā incarnation, they come, they descend on this material world, to settle up some disturbances by the demons. There are two classes of men in this world, the deva and the asura. Deva means those who are devotees, those who are conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are called deva, gods, demigods. And demigod does not mean that something extraordinary.
Now, what is the constitution of Brahmā? Brahmā... Just there are so many innumerable living entities. If some of them, they are devotee, but they want to enjoy this material world... They want to enjoy. So they are devotee for taking some favor for God and want to enjoy this material world. He is called Brahmā. Brahmā's constitutional position is that.
- bhakti-miśra-kṛta-puṇye kona jīvottama
- rajo-guṇe vibhāvita kari' tāṅra mana
- garbhodakaśāyi-dvārā śakti sañcāri'
- vyaṣṭi sṛṣṭi kare kṛṣṇa brahmā-rūpa dhari'
Sometimes such pious living entities are not available, so sometimes Kṛṣṇa Himself becomes Brahmā and for maintenance, for creation...
Therefore foolish creatures, when they see Kṛṣṇa is here, they think that "Kṛṣṇa is like one of us." But He is not. So here it is stated, pālanārtha svāṁśa viṣṇu-rūpe avatāra. He is providing. Bhūta-bhṛt. Kṛṣṇa's name or Viṣṇu's another is Bhūta-bhṛt. He is providing our necessities. Always know that. This is also another knowledge. Don't think that you are producing your foodstuff, you are producing your necessities. No. You cannot do anything. He is providing. God is giving you. God is giving you. So you should always remember that pālanārtha. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Eko, that one supreme eternal, He is providing all the necessities of so many, innumerable living entities. Don't you see? We are mad after economic development from morning to late at night. In our cars, in our trucks we are going hither and thither. But there are many, many millions of living creatures; they have no economic problem. Who is providing them? Who is providing them? Providing, Kṛṣṇa is providing them. Viṣṇu is providing them.
Thirty days a month. So 420 Manus in one month of Brahmā. Brahmāra vatsare pañca-sahasra calliśa. Similarly, in one year of Brahmā there is 5,040 Manus in one year, and he lives for hundred years. So 5,040 Manus in one year. Now hundred. So 5,040 plus two zeroes. So it comes to pañca-lakṣa cāri-sahasra manvantarāvatāra. Pañca-lakṣa means fifty millions. Not fifty millions. Ten millions a lakṣa. That means five millions and four thousands of Manus are there in one Brahmā's life. Five million and four hundred thousand of manvantarāvatāra, incarnation of Manu, in one brahmāṇḍa. And Lord Caitanya... Ananta brahmāṇḍe aiche karaha. And there are innumerable brahmāṇḍas, universes. Now you can calculate how many Manus are there. Therefore you cannot calculate. He said, "innumerable."
Simply one manvantara in one universe, we cannot count how many manvantaras are there, and what to speak of...? There are innumerable, uncountable universes, and there are so many manvantarāvatāras.
Now He is giving the names of Manus. Just like the sun, the present sun-god, is named as Vivasvān, similarly, in every planet there are heads: sun-god, moon-god, heavenly god, Indra, Candra, Varuṇa, Vāyu, so many, thirty-three koṭi. Koṭi means ten millions. Such thirty-three million demigods are there, and each of them has got a separate planet, and their names are similarly there. So here Lord Caitanya is giving some of the names of the Manu. You cannot count how many Manus are there, but for one day the fourteen Manus are named, and that is given here. Svāyaṁbhuve 'yajña', svārociṣe 'vibhu' nāma. A different period of Manus are differently named. So the fourteen names are Yajña, Vibhu, Satyasena, Hari, fourth; then Vaikuṇṭha, Ajita, Vāmana, Sārvabhauma, Ṛṣabha, Viṣvaksena, Dharmasāvarṇye, Sudhāmā, Indra-sāvarṇya, Bṛhadbhānu. In this..., fourteen Manus. Bṛhadbhānu. I will answer your question.
Lord Caitanya says that incarnation of opulence... Śaktyāveśa avatāra means incarnation of opulence. We have analyzed the opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So śaktyāveśa avatāra... An incarnation who represents a particular opulence of the Supreme Lord, he is called śaktyāveśa avatāra. So Lord Caitanya says that there are innumerable incarnations like that, of whom only the principal, I mean to say, principal incarnations, they are mentioned herein. And who are they?
Now, so far our experience is concerned, Lord Caitanya says there are innumerable. So how we can accept a avatāra, a śaktyāveśa avatāra, whose names are not mentioned herein? Then we have to... As in the beginning, Lord Caitanya says that by the symptoms we can understand that He is śaktyāveśa. By the symptoms and activities and influence. So what is that symptom? Symptom is that eternal and temporary. So avatāra, incarnation, comes to glorify the eternal existence of the Supreme Lord. So any avatāra, any incarnation, he comes to glorify that "There is spiritual kingdom, there is God, and I have come to reclaim you to back to Godhead, back to home." This is the symptom. So therefore, by that symptom, we accept Lord Jesus Christ as śaktyāveśa avatāra, or Hazrat Muhammad, he's also. Because these two religious leaders of the world, they preached about the glorification of the Supreme Lord. And they sacrificed everything for preaching the glories of the Lord. Therefore... And their influence and their followers, there are... These are the symptoms by which we can understand that Jesus Christ and Hazrat Muhammad was, were śaktyāveśa avatāras.
He is personally serving the Supreme Lord as Mahā Viṣṇu, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. You have seen the picture that Viṣṇu is lying on a serpent bed. That serpent bed is supposed to be Śeṣa-avatāra. And pṛthute, Mahārāja, King Pṛthu, he was ideal king. Therefore 'pālana', God has another opulence: maintenance. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That Supreme One is maintaining so many, innumerable eternals. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eka bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). So this maintenance performance, opulence, was invested to Pṛthu Mahārāja. He exhibited extraordinary power, how to maintain the citizens, as king and subjects. Paraśurāme 'duṣṭa-nāśaka-vīrya-sañcāraṇa' Paraśurāma... Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Under two, these two missions, the Lord comes, incarnates, descends. And Paraśurāma was supposed to kill the duṣṭa, the wicked kṣatriyas, when they forgot to rule over the world as bona fide kṣatriyas. They..., they..., they were killed twenty-one times, and it is mentioned in the Mahābhārata during that killing process, many kṣatriyas fled from, fled away from India and they settled in other parts of the world, especially in Europe. It is mentioned in the Mahābhārata. So Paraśurāma was especially meant, vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, to kill the miscreants.
Nitya-līlā-vilāsavān means eternally He's..., He's manifesting His pastimes. Just like Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa-līlā, the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa and His different pastimes in this material world. In the..., on this earth was manifested, that thing is going on, nitya-līlā. As I have several times explained to you that the sun, sunrise and sunset, is going on every moment. Every moment. You inquire by, by communication you'll find in some country, there is always sunrise and some country there is always... Any country, you'll find. Similarly, kṛṣṇa-līlā, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, are going on in some of the universes, in any of... There are innumerable universes. In some of the universes He is there already.
From His childhood, just on the lap of His mother, He killed the demon Pūtanā. Similarly, such pastimes are going on every moment. Every moment. That is called nitya-līlā. In some of the universes... When the round (?) comes in this universe, it takes so many years. For millions and billions years. Just you can imagine how many millions and trillions of universes are there. Ananta brahmāṇḍa, tāra nāhika gaṇana. Ananta means innumerable universes are there. Nāhika gaṇana: nobody can count.
- ananta brahmāṇḍa, tāra nāhika gaṇana
- kona līlā kona brahmāṇḍe haya prakaṭana
- Some of His pastimes is going on in either of the innumerable brahmāṇḍas.
By Lord's grace, by Lord's creative power, energy. That is also inferior energy. This is not superior energy. This is inferior energy. So still it is complete.
So... So He is giving example as the planets, sun planet, moon planet and other planets, are moving in their orbits, similarly, kṛṣṇa-līlā has got a orbit, and the līlā is going on. As the sun is moving or the planets, the earth planet is moving exactly at the same time. Just after twenty-four hours it will be meridian, and at 12 o'clock, just twenty-four hours. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's līlā, exactly after certain millions of years, it will be seen in this planet. Similarly, there are innumerable universes, and it is moving from this, that, this, that... Now, just like kṛṣṇa-līlā, just Kṛṣṇa born at, at the prison house of Kaṁsa... Vasudeva, father, and Devakī, mother. Immediately, as soon as the child is born, the next, the next universe, there is birth. So same very thing. Just like now it is quarter to eight according to sun calculation. Immediately, you'll find some other place quarter to eight. Immediately you'll find quarter to eight in other place. Immediately.
So Lord Caitanya says, "Just like the time calculation of the sun is always present in the orbit of this earthly planet, similarly, in the orbit of Kṛṣṇa-līlā, everything is happening in some universe." That is called nitya-līlā. Because it is happening eternally and continually, in either of innumerable planets, which we cannot calculate, therefore His pastimes, appearance and disappearance are all eternal. We are not worshiper of a dead thing. Just like if a foolish person says at night, "Oh, sun is finished." How? "I cannot see. Because I don't see in the sky, it is finished." Similarly, the foolish person thinks, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is..., I cannot see; therefore He's finished." This is foolish calculation. Now, from the description of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we can understand that Kṛṣṇa is not dead and gone. He's present always and every time, everywhere. And if we are sincerely in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that Kṛṣṇa is always with us, He gives us protection, His mercy is there. Everything is there. With this conviction, we should continue Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not a manufactured, false identification, but it is fact, and we have to follow great personalities like Lord Caitanya, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who actually established the science of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇāya.
So we have already discussed how kṛṣṇa-līlā, or the pastimes, different manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes during one hundred and twenty-five years, beginning from His birth up to the disappearance, as many pastimes there are, they are being manifested in some of the universe, out of the innumerable universes. So God is never dead. Kṛṣṇa is never dead, as some of the modern philosophers, they are putting forward the philosophy of "God is dead." God is dead for those who are following the owl philosophy. Owl has never seen sun, or it does not like to see the sun. Therefore the owl says, "There is no sun." Similarly, the atheistic philosophy is... There are so many logic. Just like the owl philosophy, the frog philosophy, the camel philosophy and the dog philosophy, the hog philosophy—there are so many philosophies. So only the persons who are, who have got two hands and two legs, but they are counted amongst the animals. And therefore they cannot think of the eternal, blissful existence of the Supreme Lord at all times.
This is nitya-līlā. Some other brahmāṇḍa, again it is finished; in another brahmāṇḍa it is being opened. In another brahmāṇḍa it is being opened. There is no end. This is called nitya-līlā. In some brahmāṇḍa Kṛṣṇa is born, Janmāṣṭamī. It is finished here. In other brahmāṇḍa, again Janmāṣṭamī. Every moment. This is pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Kona brahmāṇḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna. There must be some... The same example: quarter to eight is somewhere. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's līlā, it is eternal. Somewhere it is going on. And you have no experience of one brahmāṇḍa, what to speak of innumerable brahmāṇḍas.
They do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). And they're coming out... Just like within our breathing there are so many things, particles, or germs are coming, similarly, with the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, so many universes are coming. This is Bhagavān. By breathing period innumerable universes are created. Not that they create something jugglery and become Bhagavān. Our conception of Bhagavān from the śāstra is different.
So Kṛṣṇa's creation of this brahmāṇḍa and His pastimes, they are going on, nitya-līlā. Kona kona bhagavān ei dekhi bare paya. The līlā is going on constantly, but one who is fortunate enough, he can see how līlā is... Kona brahmāṇḍe kona līlā haya avasthāna, tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṇa. It is not that Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Goswami is manufacturing some idea. No. He says, kahe āgama-purāṇa. "I do not manufacture anything." That is not ācārya. Ācārya does not manufacture anything concocted. He quotes from the Vedic literature. Āgama-purāṇa. That is the qualification.
Now Lord Caitanya describes about the kingdom of God, or the spiritual sky. He says... He has already explained to you about different kinds of expansions: prābhava, vaibhava, vilāsa, prakāśa. You may remember it. So there are innumerable expansions. Eko bahu śyāma: "The one Supreme Lord has become so many." The same example: the original candle, and from that candle, you can expand millions and millions candles. Similarly, the original Personality of Godhead is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and He has expanded in so many ways. Now, Lord Caitanya says, all the expanded plenary manifestation of Kṛṣṇa has got a separate abode. Each and every one of them has got a separate abode. Sarva rūpera dhāma-paravyoma-dhāme. And where they are? That is in the paravyoma. Paravyoma means... Vyoma means sky, and para means transcendental, beyond this sky. This sky is called material sky, and beyond this there is paravyoma, spiritual sky.
Now, so far the spiritual sky is concerned, there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, and nobody can measure how great those Vaikuṇṭha planets are. Therefore how great that space of spiritual sky is, nobody can calculate.
- ananta vaikuṇṭha-paravyoma yāra dala-śreṇī
- sarvopari kṛṣṇaloka 'karṇikāra' gaṇi
Now, all these planets... Just like in a stem there are so many branches and flowers, take it for granted it is something like that. And the topmost flower... Just like if you take a rose flower, there are so many leaves, and on the topmost there is the nice flower, so the topmost planet in the spiritual sky, that is called Kṛṣṇaloka. Karṇikāra. That is just like... The shape of the Kṛṣṇaloka is just like a lotus flower.
So in the spiritual world, that Vṛndāvana planet is the highest planet, and below that planet there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets which are called Viṣṇuloka.
- tāra tale paravyoma-'viṣṇuloka'-nāma
- nārāyaṇa-ādi ananta svarūpera dhāma
And the presiding Deity, predominating Deity in those planets is called Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Generally, Nārāyaṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but from authentic scripture we understand that Nārāyaṇa is expansion of Kṛṣṇa.
And in each and every planet there are innumerable devotees. He's surrounded by the innumerable devotees. And He's reciting evidences, verse from Brahma-saṁhitā:
- goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya
- devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu
- te te prabhāva-nicayā vihitāś ca yena
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.43)
His own personal planet is Goloka Vṛndāvana, and below that planet there are many other, innumerable planets which are known as Vaikuṇṭha. And below that spiritual world there is material world. And between material world and spiritual world there is another space, which is called Śivaloka.
Now, after this spiritual world, this material world, that is full of innumerable universes. 'Devī-dhāma' nāma tāra, jīva yāra vāsī. Now, this material world is called Devī-dhāma. And jīva, jīva means conditioned soul. In this Devī-dhāma, the conditioned soul... There are two kinds of souls: conditioned and liberated, nitya-baddha, nitya-mukta. Just like we are, similarly, there are living entities in the spiritual sky also, but they are liberated. They never become conditioned. We are conditioned. We do not know from when, but we are conditioned. So jīva yāra vāsī. In this material world, we conditioned, we are residents. But in the spiritual world the residents are all liberated souls. Jagal-lakṣmī rakhi' rahe yāhāṅ māyā dāsī.
There are innumerable universes, and each universe contains one Brahmā, one Śiva, one sun, one moon, one Indra, like that, officers just like. So there are innumerable universes, so innumerable Brahmā, innumerable Rudra, innumerable suns, innumerable moons, everything innumerable. But each brahmāṇḍa contains one each. So how it happens? It is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So Lord Caitanya is reciting that story.
- eka-dina dvārakāte kṛṣṇa dekhibāre
- brahmā āilā—dvāra-pāla jānāila kṛṣṇere
One day, when Kṛṣṇa was king at Dvārakā, with sixteen thousand queens, so one day Brahmā of this universe came to see Him. Brahmā āilā—dvāra-pāla jānāila kṛṣṇere.
"Kṛṣṇa smiled. 'Oh, yes, there are so many Brahmās. I am calling them.' " So innumerable Brahmās appeared before Kṛṣṇa.
- daśa-biśa-śata-sahasra-ayuta-lakṣa-vadana
- koṭy-arbuda mukha kāro, nā yāya gaṇana
So unlimited. He had four faces, four heads, and then many Brahmās came with hundred thousands of faces. That was exhibited by Kṛṣṇa.
And then again Kṛṣṇa transformed Himself again into that two-handed Śyāmasundara with flute, and as it is, He transformed Himself. Now, the question is: If Kṛṣṇa is ordinary person, just like some foolish commentators say, "Not to Kṛṣṇa," then how could He assume this viśvarūpa and the Nārāyaṇa-rūpa? Can an ordinary person assume that rūpa, that form? It is not possible. Therefore the answer in the Bhagavad-gītā is avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā (BG 9.11). There is stated, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ: "They do not know." Now, Arjuna wanted to confirm this paraṁ bhāvam, that the less intelligent class of men who are fond of the universal form or the Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa form, and there are so many innumerable forms... Advaita acyuta anādi ananta-rūpam. Kṛṣṇa has ananta-rūpa. But the ultimate, supreme form is Kṛṣṇa. They do not know. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. Ajānantaḥ means they do not know that paraṁ bhāva. So here the same thing is confirmed by Lord Caitanya, that He says, advaya-jñāna-tattva kṛṣṇa-svayaṁ bhagavān.
If we love Kṛṣṇa, then we can love everyone. Just like if we pour water on the root of the tree then the other parts of the tree, leaves and flowers and fruits and branches, automatically... So if we learn to love Kṛṣṇa, then we can perfectly love others.
So those who are eternally liberated, they love Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are perfect in the spiritual world. 'Nitya-mukta'-nitya kṛṣṇa-caraṇe unmukha, 'kṛṣṇa-pāriṣada' nāma. They are all associates. The Supreme Lord is person, and His innumerable lovers, living entities, they are also individual persons. Love means there is person, individual. Without individual person, there is no question of love. When I, when the word "love" is used, there must be two lovers. Then the word is applicable, love. If there is no person, love is not with the air. There must be person. So the Supreme Lord is person, and the lovers, the living entities, they are also persons. They forget who is God, who is not God, but the central focus is in Kṛṣṇa.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
So advaita. Advaita means without duality. Advaita acyuta, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's expansion. Kṛṣṇa's expansion: Baladeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. Then Nārāyaṇa, then Mahā-Viṣṇu, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu-innumerable expansions. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Each and every form, Kṛṣṇa's, they are without any duality. Just like I and my photograph, that is my expansion, but it is not one; it is dual. What service you can take from me, you cannot take the service from the photograph. Therefore it is not advaita; it is dvaita, duality. You may have millions of photographs, but each one of them, they're different. But Kṛṣṇa, He has got millions of forms, they're one. That is the difference. Advaitam acyutam. Acyutam means one who does not fall down. Because he has expanded in so many forms, it does not mean the potency of Kṛṣṇa has decreased. The same thing you chant in the Īśopaniṣad: pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Iso Invocation). Kṛṣṇa is so full, pūrṇa. Pūrṇa means complete. If you take complete Kṛṣṇa from Kṛṣṇa, still, He is Kṛṣṇa. That you cannot understand in the materialistic condition, because if I have got one rupee or one dollar, if I take that one dollar, then it becomes zero. But Kṛṣṇa is so complete you go on taking Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, still, Kṛṣṇa is complete. Advaita acyuta. Acyuta means does not diminish or does not fall.
Kṛṣṇa, He has got multiforms. We are also Kṛṣṇa's forms, vibhinnāṁśa. There are two categories of forms, Kṛṣṇa's: viṣṇu-tattva and jīva-tattva. Viṣṇu-tattva, a Kṛṣṇa person, and jīva-tattva, separated personalities. So the jīvas, they are also Kṛṣṇa's forms, vibhinnāṁśa. They are called vibhinnāṁśa. Just imagine the living entities, innumerable forms there are. That is conditioned living entities. Whatever we see within this material world, that is only a fragment part of all the living entities. The major portion of the living entities, they are in the spiritual world. They are called nitya-mukta, ever-liberated. And we, in this material world, we are nitya-baddha, ever-conditioned. Besides that, Kṛṣṇa has got Viṣṇu tattva form, personal. Viṣṇu tattva form means that one form is as powerful as the other form.
They are called nitya-mukta, ever-liberated. And we, in this material world, we are nitya-baddha, ever-conditioned. Besides that, Kṛṣṇa has got Viṣṇu tattva form, personal. Viṣṇu tattva form means that one form is as powerful as the other form. In the vibhinnāṁśa form, we are not as powerful as Kṛṣṇa. But there are forms of Kṛṣṇa who are as powerful as Kṛṣṇa. Dīpārcir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya (Bs. 5.46). Just like you take this candle and you light on another candle, another candle—but all these candles are of the same power, although the original candle is there. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, and there are innumerable other forms of Godhead also. But they are as good as Kṛṣṇa. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Iso Invocation). The potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so great that if another Godhead is expanded, both of them are of the same potency. Therefore it is advaita acyuta. Acyuta means who never falls. Living entities, although they are forms of Kṛṣṇa, they fall down. Just like our present condition is fallen condition. We are in the matter. But the personal expansions, they never fall in the matter. Therefore another name of God, or Kṛṣṇa, is Acyuta. Acyuta means never falls.
Such persons, envious persons, are put into the hellish condition of life. They are envious of God's position. They want to occupy high position in this material world, and when they are frustrated, they think "Now I shall occupy the position of God." But that will be also frustrated. Nobody can become God. God is God, and living entity's living entity. He's supreme, He's infinite; we are infinitesimal. Our position is to serve God. That is our perfect position. That will make us happy. Not otherwise. Not by imitating how to become God. That is impossible. How you can become God? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). There are innumerable universes, and within the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu so many universes are coming out by exhaling. And when He inhales, so many universes are dissolved within His body. So how we can become God? God is not so cheap.
The same example, as I have given you many times, that the sun, sun, sun planet is there in the sky, but sun is visible when he is in our front. Otherwise sun is there. Similarly Kṛṣṇa is always there, but when He descends, incarnates, He becomes visible to us, exactly like the sun. At the present moment, it is night. Sun is not visible. But in due course of time, say, after eight hours or ten hours, in the morning, the sun will be visible. Similarly there is scheduled time when Kṛṣṇa becomes visible on this planet, on this universe. And there are, there are innumerable universes. They..., therefore He's called nitya-līlā. Nitya-līlā means eternal pastimes. Kṛṣṇa is born as Yaśodā, Devakī-nandana. Immediately He begins to grow. But that birth is taking another planet, another universe. Just like six-thirty, sunshine... It is now visible on this planet, or on this city, but again six-thirty, again, in another city, six-thirty in another city, six-thirty another city. It is not very difficult to understand. That six-thirty's continuing. That seven-thirty's continuing.
Festival Lectures
Very scientific analysis in the śāstra. Not that any rascal comes, "I am God." This is not acceptable. We have to understand śāstra-vidhi, as śāstra it is said. So about Śrī Cai... Because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so many rascals have imitated: "Well, this Nimāi Paṇḍita, if He can become avatāra, then why not Gadādhara Paṇḍita?" This Ramakrishna, his name was Gadadhar Chatterjee. So he was also imitation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Where is the reference in the śāstra? So far Caitanya Mahāprabhu is concerned, there are so many innumerable references, in Mahābhārata, in Bhāgavata, in Purāṇa, in Upaniṣad. Therefore we accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not by rascal's vote that "Let us vote this man is God; then he becomes." So kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam (SB 11.5.32). He associated with other devotees—Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, then Gadādhara Prabhu and Śrīnivāsa. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Whenever Caitanya Mahāprabhu is present, there are so many devotees. Gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. So sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. This is the incarnation of Kali.
There is a planet in the spiritual world. The material world, you can see the material sky, limit of the sky, the horizon, but you are not able to reach even the moon planet, the nearest planet. But within this universe, within this horizon, there are innumerable planets. Aśeṣa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). By the shining effulgence from the body of Kṛṣṇa... That is called brahma-jyotir. Within that brahma-jyotir or effulgence there are innumerable universes. Ananta-koṭi. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Koṭi means innumerable. One million, ten millions equal to one lakh. Such hundred lakhs makes a koṭi. So actually we see there are innumerable planets but beyond this creation, this is material creation, one-fourth manifestation, one-fourth manifestation of God's creation, this, this material world... This is also only one universe. There are innumerable universes clustered together and beyond this clustering of universes there is another sky which is called paravyoma or spiritual sky. If you want to go there, then you have to penetrate through the material coverings—earth, water, fire, water, fire, air, like that. Each layer so big. And the next layer is ten times more than the first layer. In this way there are seven layers. So penetrating through that seven layers you reach the spiritual sky. And after reaching the spiritual sky, there are so many Vaikuṇṭha planets, spiritual planets.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Prabhupāda: But then, as soon as you say "Bhagavad-gītā," immediately, "Hindu."
Indian man (1): What sister wants to know is that how can we add in innumerable, rather, uncountless schools and colleges? The management will be most willing, I mean, the progressive management will be most willing to introduce classes where such laws of nature and such-on scientific line, without giving it a Hindu or religious name. That should be taught. A curriculum should be drawn up. Because we control some of the schools.
Prabhupāda: That is my program. I am writing all books just only on this point; therefore they are coming. Otherwise, what is the use? They were Christians and Jews. What is the use of becoming Hindus? So anyone wants to understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they can understand easily if he joins Hare Kṛṣṇa, chant. That is all right. If he wants to understand scientifically, there are eighty-four books. Come on. Which way you want?
Initiation Lectures
Whatever... If you remain in the temple you will get Kṛṣṇa prasādam, and if not, outside you prepare your capati, dahl, offer to Kṛṣṇa and take. Don't take anything except Kṛṣṇa prasāda. The third... And no gambling or unnecessary sporting. People are wasting time. So many sportings they have invented-sporting balls, this ball, that ball. You see? Human life is very short. We do not know when we shall die. Before that, we must prepare ourself for the next life. Next life means directly going back to Kṛṣṇa, highest perfection. As you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). There are innumerable varieties of planet. The higher planetary system, they are resided by demigods, very powerful. They are also human beings, but they are very beautiful; they are very powerful. So you can go there. The moon planet, sun planet—that is clearly stated—if you act accordingly, as they are prescribed, that "If you want to go to the moon planet, you have to do like this," then after leaving this body, you can go there.
Not any other kīrtana. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they introduce so many other kīrtanas. No. Kīrtana means Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma... Or any name glorifying the name of the Lord. That is kīrtana. But this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is especially recommended in this age, and Lord Caitanya personally chanted, so we should follow. Although every name of Kṛṣṇa is as potent as the name Kṛṣṇa... Viṣṇu name, or there are thousands and thousands of names... Nāmnām akāri bahudhā. Bahudhā means there is no counting. Innumerable names. And each name has the same potency like Kṛṣṇa. But this is recommended, especially, those who take advantage. This is one thing.
General Lectures
If you want to enter into another planet, say moon planet or sun planet or Venus planet... There are innumerable planets. The ultimate, highest planet is called Brahmaloka. And the advantage of going to Brahmaloka is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that you can get a life, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). You can get there life for millions and millions of years. But still, there is death and there is birth and there is that old age and there is that disease. But mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. But if somebody is transferred to that planet which is called Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka Vṛndāvana, or Vaikuṇṭha, then one hasn't got to come back to this material, I mean to say, temporary existence. So these informations are there, and they are very scientific. They are not dogmatic. If you accept them with reason and argument and with human consciousness, the solutions are there.
No. The souls are innumerable. Asaṅkhyaya. It is stated in the Vedic literature, asaṅkhyaya. You cannot count. Asaṅkhyaya. And in the Upaniṣad it is said, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). God is also a living entity. As we are living entity, He is also living entity. But He is the chief living entity. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. He's the leader of all living entities. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That one Supreme is supplying all the necessities of these many. So living entities... Just like sparks of the fire. The fire is..., big fire is one, but the sparks, there are millions. Similarly, we are all qualitatively one with God. Just like fire and fire sparks. Qualitatively all of them are fire, but the big fire and small fire is different. Similarly, we are also of the same quality as God, but we are very minute and God is great.
If you think that "Why shall I chant the Indian name Kṛṣṇa, Sanskrit name Kṛṣṇa?" so Lord Caitanya says that there are millions and billions of names of God. If you think that this Kṛṣṇa name is not very suitable, you can accept any name. That doesn't matter. Our proposition is you chant God's name. That is our proposal. Therefore it is universal. If you like, you can chant Jehovah or you can chant Allah, but we request you that you chant God's name. Is it very difficult? It is not at all difficult. Lord Caitanya said that there are innumerable names of God according to different languages, different countries, different societies. And each and every one of them has the potency of God Himself. If there is any God, so God is Absolute; therefore there is no difference between His name and He Himself. Just like in the material world, in the world of duality there is difference between the name "water" and the substance water. The name water is different from the substance water. If you are thirsty, if you simply chant, "Water, water, water, water," your thirstiness will not be quenched. You require the substance water. That is material, but spiritually, the name Kṛṣṇa or the name Allah or the name Jehovah is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa... You may inquire why we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, this name, was chanted by Lord Caitanya, who introduced this movement five hundred years ago in India. We are following the footprints of Lord Caitanya. Because He chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But Lord Caitanya has recommended that God has innumerable names, and any one of them can be chanted, and there is no hard and fast rules and regulations for chanting. It is not that you have to prepare yourself or you have to educate yourself or you have to adjust yourself for chanting. No. Everyone. Just like immediately we began to chant. You were not prepared, but you joined with us, you clapped with us, you danced with us. So similarly, there is no preoccupation or any rules and regulation. You simply chant. And this is very easy. While walking, you can chant whatever name you like. We like Kṛṣṇa. We chant always: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. While walking the streets, while you are going in the bus, and whatever, even while working with your hands, you can chant. There is no loss on your part. There is no expenditure on your part, but the gain is very great. Why don't you try it? Try it. That is our request.
So we are worshiping the ādi-puruṣa, the first person. Generally, in grammatical knowledge, first person means "I." Here, first person means "the Supreme Lord," ādi-puruṣa, the original person, not the first person, original person. The original person is in the original planet. There is the original planet. Just like here the original planet, scientists accept the sun. Similarly, the sun is also one of the millions of many other suns. There are millions of sun. So sun, in the estimation of this universe, is the original planet. But there are innumerable universes, and in each and every universe there is a sun. So therefore there are innumerable sun and moons. That is accepted by the modern science, and it is stated in the Vedic literature also. So sun is not the original planet, but the original planet is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. But the sun has similarity. Just like the sun is shining, the shining planet, and on the sunshine there are other planets, they are moving by the heat of the sunshine in their orbit. So similarly, sun is also moving. According to modern science, sun is fixed up, but according to Vedic literature, sun is also moving.
Just like the drop of sea water and the vast mass of sea water—both are qualitatively one. The chemical composition of the drop of sea water and that of the mass of sea water are one and the same, but the quantity of salt and other minerals in the whole sea is many, many times greater than the quantity of salt and other minerals contained in the drop of sea water. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement maintains the (sic:) speciality of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. From the Vedic Upaniṣads we can understand that both the Supreme Person, or God, and the individual person are eternal and living entities. The difference is that the supreme living entity, or Supreme Person, maintains all the innumerable living entities. In the Christian way of understanding, the same principle is admitted because in the Bible it is taught that the individual entities should pray to the supreme father for supplying means of maintenance and giving pardon for their sinful activities.
Kṛṣṇa is always existing with innumerable forms. How? Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. Aṇḍāntara-stham. Aṇḍa means this universe. It is just like an egg. Aṇḍa means egg. All these planets and universes, they are made on the shape of egg. Aṇḍāntara-stham. So each and every universe, Kṛṣṇa enters as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Just like within matter, when there is male and female, sex, it becomes just like a small pea. That is also egglike, emulsified. And the living entity enters, and then the pea form becomes developed into a body. Similarly, without entrance of spirit, no matter can develop. Matter itself cannot develop. There must be spirit soul; then it develops. Pregnancy is formed when the spirit soul is there within the matter. Not that simply material secretion makes life. That is foolish understanding. Without spiritual spark being entered within the matter, it does not develop.
Why? Because Kṛṣṇa has entered within this universe as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Therefore it is developing. So there are innumerable universes, and so therefore there are innumerable Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇus. Because without Viṣṇu entering, this universe cannot develop. And the first creature is Brahmā. From the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, a lotus flower is grown. And upon that, Brahmā is the first creature. So the first creature is the most intelligent person. So Darwin's theory cannot be applicable because his theory is that human form develops after many evolution. That is another process. That is also stated in the Padma Purāṇa. That is called jīva-paryāyā. But this is not a fact, that in the, during..., in the beginning of the creation there was no human being or intelligent creature. The first creature is Brahmā, who has created this universe.
It is very difficult. You cannot find out a being who is the most, I mean to say, famous within this universe. We can know. Just like in your country, your President is the most famous man. But in other country there may be another famous man. In other planet there may be another famous man. So you cannot fix up that "Here is the man who is the most famous within this universe, who is the most influential, strong, wise." So therefore, if you try to understand who is God by corroborating the definition of God, it is very difficult to find out. If you travel all... Now you have got sputniks, but you cannot go further than 25,000 miles. But there is no limit even of this material, one universe, and there are innumerable universes. To find out the most important man or living entity within this universe... Of course, from Vedic literature we understand Brahmā is the most, I mean to say, opulent personality within this universe, Brahma. He is called the creator of this universe.
"Now, this material world is simply a fractional part of My creation." And what is this material world? This material world, we cannot even estimate one universe, what is the length and breadth and how many planets are there, how they are working. We have no information. And we are very proud of advancement of knowledge. And there are innumerable universes. All taken together, that is called material world. Yasya prabhā prabhavato... (Bs. 5.40).
In the Brahma-saṁhitā we get this information: yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa. Jagad-aṇḍa means universes. Koṭi means innumerable, hundreds of thousands multiplied by another hundred, hundred, hundred. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that this universe is a grain of mustard seed in the bag of a mustard seeds. Just imagine. Can anyone count what is the number of mustards seeds in a bag, in a one-ton or two-ton bag? Innumerable. It is beyond our experience. But there are so many universes just like packed up in a bag. This is called material world. So what to speak of the spiritual world?
Even you take... One part, maybe, one hundred. But even not going so far, one part means divide the whole thing into four parts. That will be one fourth. This material world is only one fourth of the whole creation, and the three-fourth part is spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is similarly innumerable planets, innumerable living entities. Just like, as I have already explained, that this material world is the just like prison house of the criminals. So our criminal department in the state, say, jail or prison house, that is not the countrywise, as big as the country. That is a fractional part only. Maybe a few hundred people or few thousand people living there, but the state is very big. Similarly, the Lord's state is so big, though the criminal living entities are living in a corner only. This material world is in a corner. So what information we can get about God? "God is great," we simply theoretically say, but we do not know how great it is, He is, and how His greatness is working. That we do not know. But Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, because they are getting knowledge from Kṛṣṇa directly, they have got all this knowledge. Therefore their knowledge is perfect.
"God created" means before creation, God was existing. "God created"—this very word suggests that before this creation of this cosmic manifestation, God was existing. Therefore God is not under this creation. If God is under this creation, then how He can create? He becomes one of the object of the material creation. So God is not under creation. He is the creator. Before creation, He was existing. That is called sanātana. That means He is also sanātana. And there is a spiritual nature, sky, where there are innumerable spiritual planets also. And there are innumerable spiritual living entities also. And some of them, those who are not fit to live in that spiritual world, they are, I mean to say, sent to this material world. The same idea is expressed in Milton's Paradise Lost.
They have different forms of body. How they are evolving one after another—everything is there. It is not a new thing. But people are giving stress only to the Darwin's theory. But in the Vedic literature we have got immense information of this living condition in this material world.
So apart from that, here it is said, deha-bhājām. Deha-bhājām means "those who have accepted this material body." That means there are some, not some... There are many who have not accepted this material body. But they have no experience who has not accepted this material body, in this material world. That is there in the spiritual world. These living entities, innumerable living entities in so many universes in the material world or material universe or material nature, they are only fractional portion of all living entities. Only a fractional portion. Because they are condemned. Those who are in this material world, with this material body, they are condemned. Just like you take another example: just like in the prison house.
Just like in the material science they are trying to go to the moon planet or other planets also by certain standard of speed in the sputnik. (aside:) It is not working? (microphone comes back on) They are finding it difficult even to go to the moon planet, which is the nearest planet to the earth. And there are innumerable other planets. And the modern scientists calculate that the highest planet, if we want to go there, it will take the sputnik speed, which is running eighteen thousand miles per hour, in that speed if we go forty thousands of years, we can reach the highest planetary system within this material world. But so far the kingdom of God, which is called Vaikuṇṭhaloka, or sanātana-dhāma..., as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nya 'vyakta 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That is sanātana-dhāma. There is—we get this information from the Bhagavad-gītā—the kingdom of God, where everything is permanent. Within this material world, everything is nonpermanent, temporary. Anything you take, it has got its creation, it stays for some time, it produces some by-products, then it grows, and then it dwindles, and then it vanishes. Anything you take. Just like our body.
So Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, whose plenary portion is Mahā-Viṣṇu. And what is Mahā-Viṣṇu's activity? That He is lying on the Causal Ocean, and while He is breathing, with His breathing only, innumerable universes are coming out. And innumerable universes are going into Him. In this way He is sleeping. That Mahā-Viṣṇu is the plenary portion of Kṛṣṇa. So we have to believe in the śāstras, and there is no other way for understanding Kṛṣṇa. What is beyond our imagination, beyond our mental cultivation, beyond the reach of our senses, we have to accept authority. Exactly in the same way, just like we have to accept somebody as our father simply on the version of mother, similarly, we have no information of Kṛṣṇa, but we have got Kṛṣṇa's books, we have got Vedic literatures, and if we study... Śāstra-cakṣuṣāt: you have to see through the śāstras. Then you will understand Kṛṣṇa and your life will be successful.
So this body, if you like, you can get the body of a human being, or you can get the body of a tiger, or you can get the body of demigod, or you can get the body of Lord Brahmā, or you can get the body of the microbic germ in the stool. This will depend on your work. This is going on. There are innumerable planets, there are innumerable universes, and the living entities are all innumerable, and they are getting innumerable types of bodies, and every account is kept. Now just imagine what is the government of Kṛṣṇa. And this is being managed, ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). This whole worldly affair is being managed by one Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. This information we get from the śāstras.
So our position at the present moment is we are desiring something. We know, every one of us know we have got different desires. Not that everyone has got the same desire. Why you have got different desires? And that different desires means different consciousness.
Now, there are Vedas, four Vedas—Sāma Veda, Atharva Veda, Yajus Veda, Ṛk Veda. And there are Upaniṣads, the Vedānta-sūtra, the Purāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata—there are so many things. That is in India. And outside India or outside Vedic culture, there are many scriptures. Therefore it is said, śrutayo vibhinnā. There are innumerable Vedic scriptures. So we cannot come to the conclusion what is right or wrong, because sometimes you will find contradiction from one... Of course, there is no contradiction, but because we are not advanced in knowledge, sometimes we will find contradiction. Just like in India there are two classes of transcendentalists: the impersonalist and the personalist. That is not contradiction. The Absolute Truth is both impersonal and personal, but somebody is stressing on the impersonal point of view and somebody is stressing on the personal point of view. But we Vaiṣṇava, we know what is the meaning of impersonalism and what is the meaning of personalism. We take it for understanding, as it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). The Absolute Truth is simultaneously Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. It is simply different stages of understanding. In the first stage, it is Brahman realization. In the second stage, it is Paramātmā realization. And at the last stage, it is Bhagavān realization.
The jīva are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. The example is given, just like the fire, big fire, and the sparks. The sparks are small, but, but in quality they are fire. They are not different from fire. If a spark of fire falls on your cloth, it will immediately burn. So the burning quality is there, either in the big fire or the small fire. Therefore, qualitatively we are one with God. The quality of burning. Another example is just like the drop of the ocean water. Chemical composition of this drop of ocean water is the same as the chemical combination of the big mass of water. So Kṛṣṇa, He is all-powerful. We are also powerful. Kṛṣṇa can create. We also can create. Kṛṣṇa can create, just like innumerable planets floating in the air. We can create a small, teeny aeroplane or sputnik flying in the air.
Now, we are trying to understand the planetary system by our scientific method, but we could not finish even studying one nearest planet, the moon planet, and what to speak of other millions and millions of planets? You see? But we get this knowledge directly from Brahma-saṁhitā. What is that? Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. By the effulgence, glaring effulgence of the rays of the body of Kṛṣṇa, yasya prabhā prabhavato, there are innumerable universes. We cannot study even one universal position, but we get information from this Brahma-saṁhitā that there are innumerable universes. And in each and every universes there are innumerable planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe, and koṭi means hundreds and thousands. One hundred times of one hundred thousand. That means innumerable. There are innumerable universes—innumerable suns, innumerable moons, innumerable planets. So this is being possible in the effulgence, brahma-jyotir, of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's bodily effulgence is called brahma-jyotir. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, brāhmaṇaḥ ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā.
You cannot fix up one name. Just like Kṛṣṇa is sometimes called Yaśodā-nandana, the son of Mother Yaśodā. That is quite all right, because He played the part of son of Yaśodā-mā. So Yaśodā-nandana means son of Yaśodā. Devakī-nandana, son of Devakī. Vasudeva-nandana, Nanda-nandana, Pārtha-sārathi. Pārtha-sārathi means He acted as the charioteer of Arjuna, Pārtha, the son of Pṛthā. Arjuna's mother's name was Pṛthā. So Arjuna's another name—Pārtha. And because He acted as the charioteer of Pārtha, His name is Pārtha-sārathi. So actually, Kṛṣṇa, or God, has many dealings with His many devotees, and that particular dealing may be called His name. Therefore... He has innumerable devotees, therefore He has innumerable names. You cannot fix up one name.
We can see this nature up to the limit of the sky. The scientists, they're trying to go to the highest planet, but they are calculating it will take forty thousands of years. So who is going to live for forty thousands of years, go and come back? But there is planet. So we cannot calculate even the length and breadth of this material world, what to speak of the spiritual world. Therefore we have to know from authoritative sources. That authoritative source is Kṛṣṇa. Because we have already described, nobody is wiser or in knowledge than Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa gives this knowledge, that paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo (BG 8.20). "Beyond this material world there is another spiritual sky." There are also innumerable planets. And that sky is far, far greater than this sky. It is one-fourth only. And the spiritual sky is three-fourths. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). This is only one-fourth, this material world. The other spiritual world is three-fourths. Suppose God's creation is one hundred. It is only twenty-five percent; seventy-five percent is there. Similarly, the living entities also, a very small fragmental portion of the living entities are here. And there, in the spiritual world, the major portion are there.
The brahma-jyotir, yasya prabhā, is the bodily effulgence of God, Kṛṣṇa, Govinda. So on that effulgence, jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi, there are innumerable universes. It is not very difficult to understand. Just like you see, in the sunshine innumerable planets are floating. So what is the difficulty to understand that there is a shining effulgence from the body of God, Kṛṣṇa, and in that shining effulgence, innumerable universes are floating? What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. It is most scientific proposal.
So these are the potencies of God. Not that I can show some magic and immediately I become God. Just see the magic, real magic of God. Don't accept cheap God. God must show godly magic. Just like we are showing little magic, floating some airplane or sputnik or jet in the sky.
We are getting, enjoying the sunshine. We are indebted to him. This is responsibility. Suppose if you take electricity, light, you are responsible for paying the bill. Similarly, you are taking so much advantage of the sunlight. You are also obliged to pay the debts, repay the debts. Deva ṛṣi. Ṛṣi means those who have given us the Vedic literature. Just like Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva, they have given us... Vyāsadeva given us immense literature. Immense literature. He has written Mahābhārata. He has written the eighteen purāṇas. One of the purāṇas is the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. And he has written the Upaniṣads. Then he has compiled the Vedānta-sūtra. And each and every book, there are innumerable verses. In Mahābhārata there are 100,000's of verses. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 18,000 verses. And if you study one verse, it will take at least one week to understand. So grave thoughts. So therefore, we are reading all these Vedic literatures. Certainly, we are indebted to them.
These are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.
So actually my position is that I can go everywhere. Just like we are trying. Because I have got the desire to go the moon planet, to the Venus planet, or any other planet, and they are trying with our, scientific knowledge. But because it is gross material, we are not yet successful. But the point is that I have got the desire to go this planet, to that planet. Just like we make tour, even on this planet. We want to go this place, that place, that place. So this is natural. Therefore here in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, sarva-gataḥ. You can go anywhere, everywhere. There are innumerable universes, and there are innumerable planets of different nature. And you can go. Sarva-gataḥ, sthāṇur acalo 'yam. So according to the different features, we get... Just like the aquatics. They have got a different type of body. They can very easily and very pleasingly, they can live within the water. But if you are pushed within the water, you'll die. You'll suffocate. So by nature's way, there are different types of body. They are going to the moon planet, but to live in the moon planet, you require a different type of body.
So actually, the combination of this body is like that. As soon as the spirit soul goes out of this body, it is nothing but bones, flesh and urine and stool and it has to be thrown away. In every society, as soon as the man is dead... So, while he was living, he was acting so nicely, so intelligently. Now as soon as the soul is gone, immediately everything is gone. So do you think it is a combination of bones and flesh? Any sane man will accept it? If you say that something is wanting for giving impetus of birth of life in this body, therefore the body's called dead, that is not a fact. Because after this body's dead, after the soul is gone out of the body, innumerable microbes will come out, decomposition. You cannot say the ingredients which give impetus to generation of life, that is lacking. It is not lacking. Because it is not lacking, therefore millions of other microbes are coming out. That is not a fact, that this is the ingredient of life substance. There are so many arguments.
So it acts very wonderfully, but there must be a expert man to push the button. Otherwise, it will not act. Without that expert man, this wonderful machine is lump of iron. That's all. It has no value. Take any machine. Similarly, this huge, gigantic machine of cosmic manifestation where innumerable planets are floating in the sky just like cotton swabs, don't think that it is so acting automatically. No. There is direction behind it, or there is brain behind it. And that brain, that big brain, is God. God is also like us, a being, but He is Supreme Being. As we are being, we have got our brain, we have got our creative power, we can do something, we can manufacture something like airplane, sputnik, but God has got big brain. We may float one mechanic airplane in the air, but by the God's brain, millions and trillions of heavy planets are floating in the air. That is God's brain. He has got also brain; He has got also creative power. We have also creative power, but we have got little and He has got supreme power.
There are many who worship demigods. So they will go to the planet where demigods reside. There are innumerable planets. This, according to Vedic literature, this moon planet is also a place where demigods reside. The sun planet also like that, and many other planets. The Bhagavad-gītā says, yānti deva-vratāḥ devān. If you want to go to the moon planet, sun planet, Venus planet or any other planet, you just prepare yourself in this life, and at the time of death, you'll be transferred to such and such condition of life. Similarly, pitṛ-vratāḥ, there are Pitṛ-lokas, bhūtejyā, bhūtejyam ghost worshiper. They will also go to such planet. And mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām, Kṛṣṇa says. "Those who want to go to Me, back to home, back to Godhead, they can also go there. They can also go there."
The living entities, they are wandering throughout the universe, changing bodies, transmigrating from one body to another, one place to another, one planet to another, but they are rotating within this universe, material universe, brahmāṇḍo bhramite. This science is unknown to the modern education department, how the spirit soul is transmigrating from one body to another and how he's being transferred from one planet to another. We have got our book, Easy Journey to Other Planets. So guru can help you to transmigrate from this planet directly to the spiritual sky, where there are innumerable spiritual planets. They are known as Vaikuṇṭhaloka. And the topmost planet in the spiritual sky, that is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is Kṛṣṇa's planet. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are trying to give information how one can be transferred directly to the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, Kṛṣṇaloka. That is our mission.
Guru's business is not to exploit the śiṣya. It is the business, how to deliver. So who can deliver? Who is actually guru in the paramparā system? Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So we have to take the authority of become guru from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the same thing. Within five hundred years His order is that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā: (CC Madhya 7.128) "You cannot become guru all of a sudden. You must take order from Me." He is jagad-guru. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says you, all of you, to become guru and deliver. Because there are so many innumerable fallen souls in this age-mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10)—we require hundreds and thousands of gurus. But not cheaters. This is the time when requires hundreds and thousands of gurus. But who will become guru? That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's injunction, āmāra ājñāya: "By My order you become guru. Don't be all of a sudden guru. Become guru on My order."
So we have to save ourself from this misconception of life. Then we can make progress in the matter of understanding what is God. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any deviation, and people are appreciating. Our, this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is is being accepted by big, big scholars and professors. We have got innumerable certificates or their opinion, and it is being well received. And from monetary point of view also, you'll be surprised that we are selling millions of copies of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. So we have come to your city to say something about Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. If respectable persons of this city will come and attend this meeting, I shall try to explain more and more so long I am present here. Now, if you have got any question on the subject matter I have spoken, you can make. I shall try to answer. (pause) So there is no question, I think. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Now a kīrtana.
Departure Talks
There are many expansion. You have seen on the cover of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There are different planets, and each and every planet there is the predominating Deity, Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu. They have got different names. So He is always associated with His eternal consort as well as devotees, many thousand, millions, in the spiritual world. In the material world... The creation of the material world is one-fourth demonstration of the whole creation, and this is one of the universes. In the material world there are innumerable universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was requested by one of His devotee that "Sir, You have come. You just liberate all the residents of this universe, and that will make me very happy. And if You think they are so impious they cannot be liberated, then I am ready to take up their sinful activities.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: So we take the atom. Atom is the smallest. So we say within the atom the force is Kṛṣṇa. He is simply suggesting there is some enforcing power. We are giving directly that that is Kṛṣṇa.
Śyāmasundara: But he says that in that enforcing power each atom is individual, separate, different.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa, by His omnipotency, can expand Himself in innumerable forms. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta, unlimited. As it is clearly said, aṇḍāntara-stham. He is within the atom.
Śyāmasundara: Is He between each atom as an individual entity, different from each other entity?
Prabhupāda: Yes. If Kṛṣṇa is there, Kṛṣṇa is individual. And atoms also, there are varieties of atoms. Sometimes they are combined together, six atoms, five atoms, three atoms.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa is always person, Supreme Person. But He can expand innumerably.
Śyāmasundara: And Paramātmā—is Paramātmā a person?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Paramātmā is a person. Every expansion—just like we are also expansion, atomic expansion of Kṛṣṇa. So we are persons. Every individual soul is a person. But we are expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Paramātmā is another expansion, viṣṇu-tattva. Rāmādi mūrtiṣu. That is another expansion, different kinds of expansions.
Śyāmasundara: Jīva ātmā is also a person?
Prabhupāda: Yes. If not person, then why the difference? You may not agree with my opinion, but if we agree voluntarily, not that exactly what I think you think, but because you have accepted me as your guru, as superior, therefore we agree. You are individual; you may not agree. You are individual and I am individual, Kṛṣṇa is individual. That is stated, nityo nityānām. Plural number. There are many individual souls, but He is the Supreme Individual Person.
Prabhupāda: That is Supersoul. Supersoul, although it appears many, innumerable, it is one. Ekatvam anupaśyataḥ (Iso 7). That is Īśopaniṣad. Although we find there are many Supersouls, but there is one. Yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra, in the Bhagavad-gītā, "One who sees in Me everything, and sees everything in Me, he is really seeing." That is oneness. That means they have no clear idea, but trying to theorize something. Clear idea is in the Vedic literature.
Śyāmasundara: He says that God creates the principle of pre-established harmony. Just like He sets two clocks in motion, both synchronized. One is the body and one is the soul. Even though they are going together...
Prabhupāda: The body is separate, body separate from the soul. We say that.
Śyāmasundara: Just like the body is acting, but the soul is independent. It's not really affected by the body.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That's all right. We agree.
Yes. Everyone is individual. God is also individual. So one individual is subordinate to the chief individual. That is the Vedic version. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13), God is also individual being, but He is the Supreme Being, and we are individual being, innumerable. So the difference is that the supreme living being is maintaining us, and we are being maintained. That we should understand. The same example as I gave, the father and the children in the family. The father is maintainer and the children are maintained. This is the real conception of philosophy. The mother is the material nature and father is God, and we are all children. We have got rights to enjoy the father's property, but not encroaching upon others', but as it is allotted by the father. "You sit down here, you take this, that's all," that, that much right I have got. I do not transgress the order of the father; then it is peaceful situation.
Prabhupāda: That's right. (laughter) We accept that. Nityo nityānām. (laughter) We accept that. That is Vedic. That is Vedic. He is also living being, but who is the superior, chief living being? That is Kṛṣṇa. Just like we are also living beings, but you accept me as chief of the society. Similarly, there are innumerable living entities all over the universes, all over the creation, but who is the chief of them? That is God, the leader. Our philosophy is to follow the leader, Kṛṣṇa.
Devotee: But Skinner has no idea that there is an actual representative of God on earth that could set up such a perfect society. Therefore he is dreaming about setting one up in the future while the real representative is actually present with us now. He is thinking of the future.
Prabhupāda: When was he thinking?
Devotee: He is thinking that someday... He is thinking that it can be done. He is living now.
Śyāmasundara: That is his picture. (shows book to Prabhupāda) That is Skinner playing the organ, and it quotes him, saying...
That's right. There are souls, innumerable souls. Anantāya kalpate. Nobody can count how many souls are there. So all the souls are as described above. They have got the same qualities of the One, in minute quantity, but some of them are fallen. Just like in the fire there are so many sparks, but one or two may fall down from the fire. Others remains in the fire. Those who are not falling down, they are called nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. They are never conditioned. And those who have fallen within this material world for sense gratification, they are baddha. They are called nitya-baddha, eternally conditioned. And eternally means that nobody can estimate how long one conditioned soul within this material world is existing here, because the creation is going on perpetually—sometimes manifest, sometimes nonmanifest. But the conditioned soul without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is continuing to exist in this material world. Before the creation he was there in dormant condition. Again with the manifestation he comes out. This is going on. They are conditioned. And for their deliverance that One, Supreme Personality, comes, descends, sends His incarnation, sends His devotee to call him back to home, back to Godhead.
Prabhupāda: Our Vedic conception is almost the same, that the individual souls, or living entities, innumerable, and each one of them has an intimate relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the material condition of life the living entity has forgotten his relationship, and when, by the process of devotional service, he comes to his liberated position, at that time he revives his old relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Hayagrīva: Origen ascribed to the doctrine of the Trinity. In the Trinity, God the father is Supreme, God the son, who's called the logos, L-O-G-O-S, which is Greek for word, is subordinate to the father, and he brings the material world into existence.
Prabhupāda: Who?
So long the individual living being wants to enjoy this material world, so according to his eagerness to enjoy in that way, He gives the facility, and that facility is the particular body. This body is material. It is supplied by the material nature, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). The machine is made by the material ingredients, upon the order of Kṛṣṇa, or God, for the enjoyment of the living entity. So he sits in that machine and travels. Just like we have got a car, we can travel, similarly we get particular machine and we travel in some species of life in some planet. There are innumerable planets, and 8,000,000 species of life. So according to the contact with material nature, the living entity is desiring something, and God is so merciful that He is giving him facility. But actually, because God is friend, when he is prepared to understand from God how he will be happy, He says that "You give up all this nonsense plan. You just surrender unto Me."
Hayagrīva: He says, "I see that the certainty in truth of all knowledge depends on knowledge of the true God, and that before I knew Him I could have no perfect knowledge of any other thing, and now that I know Him I have a means of acquiring a perfect knowledge of innumerable things, not only in respect of God Himself and other intelligible things, but also in respect of that corporeal nature which is the object of pure mathematics." Now he says he knows God but at the same time he seems to be deceived in matters, certain matters that we haven't come to yet, but, uh...
Prabhupāda: No. If he has actually followed God's instruction and if he has actually knowledge of what is God, then he will never be misled. Either he selects a false God or he has not met God, real God. Then he is... But to save this danger there is God's instruction, Bhagavad-gītā. Anyone who will follow, he will be perfect.
| Page Title: | Innumerable (Lectures, Other) |
| Compiler: | Mayapur, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 07 of Oct, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=127, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 127 |