So this Brahma-saṁhitā was copied by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu from one Keśava mandira in South India, and He gave it to His disciple, that "Here is the summary of Vedānta and Bhāgavatam." Therefore we quote from Brahma-saṁhitā. It is authorized. It is authorized by the Supreme Person, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So in that Brahma-saṁhitā it is said about Kṛṣṇa in so many ways that here, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ekāṁśena sthito jagat: (BG 10.42) "Only by one of My portion, the whole material creation is resting." So in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is explained in many places, one of the places, that yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Loma-vilajā: "The pores on Your body, from that pores and from the breathing process, the universes are coming out." Universes are coming out. Yasyaika, the loka, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48).
Pores (Lectures & Conversations)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
"Only by one of My portion, the whole material creation is resting." So in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is explained in many places, one of the places, that yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Loma-vilajā: "The pores on Your body, from that pores and from the breathing process, the universes are coming out." Universes are coming out. Yasyaika, the loka, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48).
Devotee: Pores.
Prabhupāda: Pores. Pores of the body. From breathing in this way. Then just imagine how many pores are there in the Mahā-Viṣṇu's body and how many universes are coming. And this is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- athavā bahunaitena
- kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
- viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
- ekāṁśena sthito jagat
- (BG 10.42)
"This material manifestation is one fourth-part of My energy, so many innumerable universes." And this is the plenary portion of God, Govinda—not full, but plenary, one part only. And do you think God is so cheap, anyone can become God? You don't take so cheaply that "Here is a God, incarnation. Here is a God." All bogus. Immediately reject them. Sādhu śāstra guru vākya.
lying in the Causal Ocean, that many innumerable quantity of universes are coming out by His exhaling and in..., exhaling. And from the pores of His body, innumerable universes are coming. And the Brahma lives only during the exhaling and inhaling time, that's all. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ, viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kāla-viśeṣo (Bs. 5.48). This Mahā-Viṣṇu is portion of the portion of Kṛṣṇa's expansion. Just like Kṛṣṇa says... This Mahā-Viṣṇu and Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. When Kṛṣṇa... When Arjuna was asking Kṛṣṇa about His vibhūti, about His power. So He summarized, athavā bahunaitena kim jñātena tavārjuna, "How much I shall explain about My power and energy?" Vistabhya aham ekamsena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Aham, "I enter in one of My plenary portion, that is Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, I maintain the whole material cosmic manifestation." Ekāṁśena sthito jagat.
So the original creation or the beginning of the activities of this universe was first the entrance of Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu. The Mahā-Viṣṇu... Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). First of all this universe is one of the millions of universes who is coming out from the pores of the transcendental body of Mahā-Viṣṇu, and then Mahā-Viṣṇu, in the form of Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu, enters each and every universe, and then things takes place. Then Brahmā is created. This is the process of creation. Anupraviṣṭaḥ. The first entrance is of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So actually, ekas tvam eva: "Whatever we are seeing, that is... You are." Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8), the Bhagavad-gītā says. Aham, that is one, Kṛṣṇa. Mām ekam. That is one.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Aja means who does not take birth like others, human beings or animals, but from this aṇḍa. So the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu another name is ajāṇḍa aṅghāśrayanda. His whole body is producing universes. Ajāṇḍa-saṅghāśraya. Saṅghāśraya means aggregate, congregation. Just like we have got holes on the body, pores in the body. So we do not know even how many pores are there in my body, but it is a fact. We cannot, even in a localized head, we cannot count how many pores are there from which the hairs are coming. Is it possible to count? And how many pores are there in our body? This is a little body. And just imagine Mahā-Viṣṇu. Therefore His name is Mahā-Viṣṇu. From His pores of the body, the universes are coming. From His nostril, with the breathing, universes are coming. So just imagine how many universes are there.
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. That sort of explanation—"There was a chunk, and it exploded"—no, these are not explanation. Here is the explanation, in the śāstra. Śāstra cakṣuṣāt. You have to see by your śāstric eyes, not your limited, speculative eyes. That will not help us. Such gigantic business... You are a tiny soul. Your brain is very small.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Just like if you sit down on this chair, on this bench, I can see the bench you are sitting. But this whole universe is floating on something, but you cannot see on which it is floating. You are so limited. This universe is floating on water, just like (indistinct). Yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-nidrām anantam aśeṣa-bhūtam, viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi (Bs. 5.47). Each and every universe is coming out of the pores in the body of Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu. Just like an infected person, he distributes infection by breathing. Is it not?
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: I think I saw you sometimes in Detroit.
Dr. Judah: Yes, we've met before. I interviewed you several years ago. Yes.
Dharmādhyakṣa: And this is Dr. John Pore. He is the chairman of the religion department at the University of Southern California, and he has written a few books called "The Radical Suburb" and "Ethical Choice," and his academic interest is in ethics and religion and culture and education in public policy. And this is Dr. Crossley back here, also from the University of Southern California. He has a doctor of theology, and he is interested in modern theology. He's written many articles on modern theologians...
Prabhupāda: Then why modern theology? (laughter) Is God modern?
Prabhupāda: Because if you are not prepared to give up, then you cannot accept God.
Dr. Pore: I think you're being a little unfair to Dr. Crossley. I think what you say is true, that the most important thing we can do is to seek and know God, but I don't think it's right to say that it's a bad thing to study how other people or how man has...
Prabhupāda: No, I don't say bad thing. I say if you are serious about God, now, here is God.
Dr. Pore: That's what a university in part is for, to study about how people have thought on different matters.
Prabhupāda: No, that's all right. I have already said. If you are seeking after something, if you get that something, why don't you accept it?
Dr. Pore: Do you believe that Christ said that Kṛṣṇa was his father?
Prabhupāda: The name may be different. Just like in our countries we say this flower something. You say something, something. But the subject matter must be the same. Name is not... You can say in a different way, as you understand. But God is one. God cannot be two. You may give Him different names. That is different thing. But God is one. God cannot be two.
Dr. Pore: In that illustration is Kṛṣṇa the sunshine or is Kṛṣṇa the sun?
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is the person. God is ultimately a person. And then, by His another potency, He is situated everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramānu-cay... He is situated within the atom also. That is called Paramātmā, Supersoul. And He is situated in His impersonal, the whole material creation or any creation. The example is given just like fire. Fire is one place but its heat and light is expanded to mines. Just like the sun. It is a fire light, but heat and light is expanded throughout the universe. So similarly, God is one and His energy is expanded everywhere. You can understand Him by His energies.
Dr. Pore: But then God in His essence is Ātman, Brahman, not Kṛṣṇa. Is that what you're saying?
Prabhupāda: God is three. I have already given you the example. The sunshine, then sun globe, and the deity within the sun globe, they are all one; still, they are different.
Dr. Pore: And we as human beings, are we part of that too?
Prabhupāda: Why human being? Even the trees, plants, everyone. We are part and parcel of God.
Prabhupāda: Why human being? Even the trees, plants, everyone. We are part and parcel of God.
Dr. Pore: And how is Kṛṣṇa different from us?
Prabhupāda: He is not different. Because we cannot realize Him we are thinking He is different from us. That is māyā. Just like father and son. They are not different, but the son, out of his foolishness, he is thinking father is different from him.
Dr. Judah: Wouldn't you say, though, that, in the case of us, that we are, as it were, jīva-śaktiḥ, we are the marginal energy, and so we do have, as it were, that aspect of Kṛṣṇa, but we also have in this world then the māyā-śaktiḥ. We are the combination, as it were, here in the...
Dr. Pore: Is it possible to find Kṛṣṇa in the Christian tradition or in Islam?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Oh yes. Why not? Christians are seeking after God. You are going to the church. "O God." You accept God has created everything. Here also He says, "Everything is My energy." Where is the difference?
Dr. Pore: The Christians describe Kṛṣṇa in a different way. Are they making mistakes?
Prabhupāda: That is... Just like the heat, the question of energy, the heat 93,000,000's miles away from the sun, heat may be different, and in the sun-globe the heat may be different. But the heat is there; and light is there. The same thing: heat and light is the same, but the degree of presentation of heat and light may be different.
Dr. Pore: Is chanting absolutely necessary in the knowing...
Prabhupāda: That is the easiest way of being directly in touch with God. Because God and God's name, they are absolute, so your chanting the name of God means that directly in touch with God.
Dr. Crossley: Why is that better than loving your fellow man in the traditional bhakti-mārga?
Prabhupāda: But you love your fellow man, but you don't love your fellow animal. You love man, but you send the animals to the slaughter-house. That is your love.
Dr. Pore: I agree with you that we love very badly and we slaughter the animals.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So badly love is not love.
Dr. Pore: But is the converse true, that we chant very well and that we can love Kṛṣṇa even when we cannot love our fellow people?
Prabhupāda: Oh, that... We are not... Chanting... We are also working. It is not that we are simply sitting down and chanting. Because we are chanting, therefore we are loving everyone. That is a fact. These Hare Kṛṣṇa chanters, they will never agree to kill any animal, even a plant, because they know everything is part and parcel of God. Why unnecessarily one should be killed? That is love.
Dr. Pore: Love means never killing?
Prabhupāda: There are so many things. It is one of the items. Yes, that is one of the... Do you kill your own son? Why? Because you love him.
Dr. Judah: Would you explain the other side of it, the fact that, of course, the Bhagavad-gītā was, has its setting on a battlefield in which Kṛṣṇa enjoins Arjuna to go out and fight his kinsmen because it is his duty as a kṣatriya.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because in the material world, for the maintenance of equilibrium of the society, sometimes killing is necessary. Just like fight, war. When the enemy has come to your country, you cannot sit idly; you must fight. But that does not mean that you are allowed to kill everyone as you like. That is a special circumstances when fighting must be there.
Dr. Pore: Are you saying that you should never kill a cow but that you sometimes can kill a person?
Prabhupāda: When you can give life. There is sometimes cow sacrifice yajña. The cow sacrifice yajña means an old cow, he is sacrificed in the fire, and by Vedic hymns he is given again new life. To test the potency of the Vedic mantra, an old cow is sacrificed and by mantra he is given again new life. Not for killing and eating. That was discussed between Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Chand Kazi, Mohammedan magistrate. Those who have read Caitanya-caritāmṛta will find. So the Kazi was challenged by Caitanya Mahāprabhu that "You are killing cow and bulls. What is your religion? You are killing your father and mother."
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be. Dr. Judah has admitted. So if mesmerization is for good, why not accept it? If it is for bad, then it is another thing. If it is doing good, why not accept it? Hmm? What do you think, professor?
Dr. Pore: I don't know how to react. I think I agree with you. (laughs)
Prabhupāda: If it is good... Everything good should be accepted.
Dr. Pore: One problem... You see, I keep wondering how you're so sure you know what good is, particularly when it comes to war. I would be a little more worried I think that...
Prabhupāda: What is that war?
Dr. Pore: Well, when you were telling that sometimes war is necessary. I should think that it's important to know how to decide when...
Prabhupāda: No, no, necessary means you cannot expect in this material world all saintly persons. There are bad elements. So if a bad elements comes to attack you, is it not your duty to fight and protect?
Dr. Pore: It just may be, though, that mine are the bad elements, and I keep thinking that other people are the bad elements.
Prabhupāda: No. Even God has got this discrimination. He says, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). There are bad elements. So if in God's mind there is good element, bad element... So we are part and parcel of God. We must have also the same sentiment. We cannot avoid it.
Prabhupāda: Not important. He can have dhotī, you can have pant, you can have... It doesn't matter.
Dr. Pore: It's part of the beauty of the world. It's interesting, it's fun, it's enjoyable, and I see no reason for denial.
Prabhupāda: There are so many thing enjoyable, but who is enjoying? That is the question. The real enjoyer and sufferer is the soul, not this body. When the soul is out of this body the body is no more enjoyer or sufferer; it is a lump of matter. The sense of enjoyment and suffering is there so long the soul is there. Therefore the soul is important. And if you can study the soul then you can understand what is God.
Dr. Pore: Is the body, then, to be resisted? Is the body to be disciplined, to be resisted, to be ignored? Is that what you're suggesting?
Prabhupāda: Ignored?
Bahulāśva: How to treat the body?
Dr. Pore: How do you treat the body?
Prabhupāda: Make the best use of a bad bargain. (laughter) It is a bad bargain. But we have to utilize it.
Dr. Pore: When you say, then, that everything is a part of God you make an exception of the body, the body is not...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: No, why? Body is also part. Yes, that I have explained.
Dr. Judah: māyā-śakti.
Prabhupāda: Yes, it is another energy.
Dr. Pore: Oh, I see.
Dr. Judah: Inferior energy of Kṛṣṇa.
Dr. Pore: Inferior energy.
Prabhupāda: Everything is God's energy, so body is also God's energy. So best use of the body is God's energy should be utilized for God.
Dr. Pore: Hm. (end)
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: First volume. That means you are not reading, you simply are referring. This is the difficulty. Without thoroughly reading something, we bring so many questions. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore forbidden, bahu śāstra nā pore. Don't bother yourself reading so many books at a time. You'll be puzzled. Find out this verse, yad advaitaṁ brahmopaniṣadi...
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I don't believe there's an index in this first volume.
Prabhupāda: In the first chapter you'll find.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Seventeenth verse? "What is described in the Upaniṣads..."
Prabhupāda: Yad advaitaṁ brahma-upaniṣadi.
| Page Title: | Pores (Lectures & Conversations) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 07 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=7, Con=18, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 25 |