SB 03.26.06 evam parabhidhyanena... cited

Expressions researched:
"evam parabhidhyanena" |"gunair atmani manyate" |"karmasu kriyamanesu" |"kartrtvam prakrteh puman"

SB Canto 3

SB 3.26.6, Translation and Purport:

Because of his forgetfulness, the transcendental living entity accepts the influence of material energy as his field of activities, and thus actuated, he wrongly applies the activities to himself.

The forgetful living entity can be compared to a man who is under the influence of disease and has become mad or to a man haunted by ghosts, who acts without control and yet thinks himself to be in control. Under the influence of material nature, the conditioned soul becomes absorbed in material consciousness. In this consciousness, whatever is done under the influence of the material energy is accepted by the conditioned soul as self-actuated. Actually, the soul in his pure state of existence should be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When a person is not acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is understood to be acting in material consciousness. Consciousness cannot be killed, for the symptom of the living entity is consciousness. The material consciousness simply has to be purified. One becomes liberated by accepting Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, as master and by changing the mode of consciousness from material consciousness to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

Nitāi: (leads chanting)

Prabhupāda: (corrects pronunciation) Kartṛtvam, kartṛtvam.

Nitāi: (leads chanting, etc.) "Due to his forgetfulness, the transcendental living entity accepts the influence of material energy as his field of activities, and thus actuated, he wrongly applies the activities to himself."

Prabhupāda: (aside:) He'll fall down.

evaṁ parābhidhyānena

kartṛtvaṁ prakṛteḥ pumān

karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu

guṇair ātmani manyate

(SB 3.26.6)

Being influenced by... (aside:) It is not working? Being influenced by the modes of material nature, he is, the living entity, is identifying himself with the particular type of material nature, particular modes of material nature. We are getting different types of bodies according to the modes of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said. Whatever we are doing, we are doing under the spell of material nature. Just like a madman. A madman is insulting his father. Why? Naturally a man is not supposed to insult his father, but being maddened, sometimes we have seen that insults his father. I... One friend... I went to the Poona lunatic asylum with the father of the patient. The complaint was that the son who is mad was kept in Poona at the lunatic asylum. He would attack his father immediately he sees. His only anger was with his father. So similarly, nature is the father, son is respectful to the father. But sometimes, in madness, he is not only disrespectful, but he want to insult actually.

As this is quite happening in our daily experience, similarly, we are sons of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is a fact. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ: (BG 14.4) "All different types of bodies, they are born of the mother, material nature, and I am the seed-giving father." This is the fact. We living entities... Just like father gives the seed within the womb of the mother, and then the son develops a body from the ingredients supplied by mother's body, and when the body is completely developed, the child comes out with a particular type of body given by the mother, in the same way, we living entities, we are part and parcel of God.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

So we are all sons of God. This is a fact, either I am human being or demigod or cats or dog or tree or plants or insect, anything, all living entities. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu. Sarva-yoniṣu mean "All different forms or species of life, as many living entities there are, they are all My sons." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving father," or "They are all My sons." This is our relationship. Actually, this is our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. And as the father and son relationship means the son may live at the cost of the father... Father has got immense property. They can enjoy. But they must remain very obedient to the father—very natural—then he is happy. If the father is very rich man, he has got all the resources, and if the son is obedient, then where is trouble? Is there any trouble? Father wants simply... Father is ready to give all the property to the sons. That is natural inclination. And the son's duty is just to become obedient to the father.

But that we have rebelled: "No, why shall I be obedient?" Therefore it is said, evaṁ parābhidhyānena kartṛtvaṁ prakṛteḥ pumān. All the living entities in this material world, they are thinking that "I am proprietor. I am supreme. I can do anything, whatever I like. There is no question of accepting any authority of God. These are primitive thoughts. We are self-sufficient." That means he is speaking all nonsense under the influence of prakṛti. He is a rascal number one. Just like a madman speaks so many things full of rascaldom—nobody cares for—similarly, when a devotee sees that a nondevotee atheist is claiming so many things for himself without giving credit... Even big, big swamis, they are teaching that "Why you are giving credit to God?" The communists also. There are big swamis, they also say like that, that "You are working hard. You have got some good result. Why you are giving credit to God?" These things are being taught. And the atheist also says, "I have worked hard. I have achieved this nice result. It is due to my labor." And..., but when he is in loss, then the credit goes to God. Bhagavān ki chaya chalagiya(?) (laughter) When he gets something, that is his credit. And he loses something—that goes to the responsibility of God: "Why God has created so much trouble? Why God has...," so many things.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

Just like the communist class men, they say, "The religion is the cause of all falldown of the human society, religion." Therefore they are very much against religion. When I was in Moscow, in the airport, my custom checking was being done. So they found out one Bhagavad-gītā. So immediately the custom officer called police. So I thought, "Now my destiny is finished, because... (laughter) Because I know that these people send anyone to some unknown place. You cannot question." In our country that is also coming very soon. Anyone government can send anywhere. So the policeman, two policemen came. So they saw the Bhagavad-gītā. Of course, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, they said, "Oh, no, there is nothing dangerous. They can go." This is the country, Moscow. I have got practical experience in going there. And always suspicious. And the people in general, they are very unhappy, very unhappy, because they have no freedom. A young man cannot go out of the country. So they may advertise so much, but so far I have got experience—the most wretched country. Everyone is fearful. And they are not very prosperous, not rich or... Comparing to the other cities of Europe or America, Moscow is a very poor city.

Anyway, this defying the authority of God, this is the our main material disease. That is explained, evaṁ parābhidhyānena kartṛtvam. It is foolishness. Kartṛtvam. He is completely under the control of material nature; still, he is thinking, "I am free. I am the master. I can do anything, whatever I like. There is no need of accepting the authority of God." This is called māyā. Māyā-mohita. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair mohitaṁ nābhijānāti, mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam (BG 7.13). These rascals, they are bewildered by the three kinds of material modes of nature. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair mohitaṁ nābhijānāti, mām ebhyaḥ param. They cannot understand that in the background of everything there is the supreme authority of God. This is called atheism. Although they are being kicked every moment by the modes of material nature, they are feeling that "I am under the control of some power, superior power..." That is appreciating. Just like I gave you the example: the death, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). They are trying to stop, the birth control, but still, the statistics is that every second or every moment, every three minutes, there is one population increased. So this is janma. Similarly, mṛtyu. Mṛtyu means death. So there are so much scientific improvement, medicine and technology and so many things, but who can check mṛtyu, death? Even the scientist cannot. Big, big scientist, why do they not manufacture something that "As soon as I am dead, please inject this medicine. I will come out again." No, that is not possible.

So you cannot solve the problem of janma, or you cannot solve the problem of mṛtyu. You cannot solve the problem of being old, invalid, disease. Then where is your solution of problems? But still, they are proud, "We are advancing." What you have advanced? The real problem are there. Nobody could solve. Try the history of the whole world. There have been so many big, big empires: the Roman Empire, the British Empire, the Mogul Empire. But where are those empires, and where are those emperors? When I go to Agra, I pass through the fort, and they show, "Here the emperor Shah Jahan lived. Here the emperor..." Where is that Shah Jahan now? The place is there. Similarly, in France, in a park there is Napoleon's statue: "Napoleon and France, the identity." And I asked them that "Your France is here, but where is your Napoleon?" (laughter)

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

So this is the way. But these rascals, infatuated by false ego and under the spell of material nature, being kicked by material nature, thinking that he is kartṛ, kartā... Kartāham iti manyate. Kartṛtvam: "I am doing. I am... We have made so much advance in research, so much scientific advancement, this and that, so many things." No. It is not possible. Without God's hand, you cannot do anything. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). A scientist working very hard to find out some chemical or some physical thing, but there are many others working. But unless Kṛṣṇa from within gives his proper intelligence, he cannot invent the particular thing. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa gives him intelligence. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). One... Two scientists working: one has become successful, and one is not successful. Why? Both are working very hard. The one is favored by Kṛṣṇa, and the other is not favored. Otherwise how you can explain? If material knowledge is sufficient, both of them working hard to find out the truth of a scientific discovery, but one is able to find out, another is not able, then how you can explain these discrepancies? The only explanation is that one is favored by Kṛṣṇa, and the other is not favored.

Actually, it so happened. You know this Marconi's invention of wireless telegram. So Marconi and many other scientist were working on this line. One of them was Sir Jagadish Candra Bose. So this was explained by Sir Jagadish Candra Bose in a meeting—I was a boy at that time, in Calcutta—that they were discussing, Marconi and Dr. Bose, Sir Jagadish Candra Bose, about these waves, and so actually Dr. Bose discovered this wireless. The Marconi heard it from Bose, and immediately he published in the paper. And the British government gave him preference that he became the inventor of this wireless telegram, but actually it was Dr. Bose. So that means he was favored. Kṛṣṇa gave him intelligence, "Now you take this opportunities, takes this theory explained by Dr. Bose, and you publish it. You get the name." Nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin. This is the explanation. One is working very hard day and night, and another is enjoying the result. Why? That is prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra (BG 3.27). You may think that you are doing, but you are under the control of the material nature, and the material nature is controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So therefore, ultimately, you are controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

But being spelled by the material nature, he is thinking that...

evaṁ parābhidhyānena

kartṛtvaṁ prakṛteḥ pumān

karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu

guṇair ātmani manyate

Ātmani, guṇaiḥ. So we have contacted, we have infected some prakṛti, some guṇa, some quality of the material nature. We are acting in that way. So at the present moment the material life means we are all working under the spell of this material nature, guṇaiḥ, guṇaiḥ. So I have got this body, Indian body. I am thinking, "I am Indian. My duty is like this, like that." One is born in America. He is thinking like that. One is born in dog family. He is thinking like that. One is born in cat's family... In this way, different varieties of body and different varieties of thinking. Different varieties of body. It is due to the body. So karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu. We do actually according to the body or according to the temperament. Karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu guṇaiḥ. And that is spelled by this material nature. And I am identifying myself in that way: "I am this," "I am that," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am American," "I am Christian," like that. Guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. So this is our conditional life. Because Kapiladeva is speaking on the subject matter of ātma-darśana. So if we identify like that, that "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," or "I am cat," "I am dog," then we shall continue this life, this conditional life by the material nature. We shall continue forever. Nitya-baddha. Forever. "Forever" means we cannot calculate how long we shall continue. That is... It is not nitya actually, but because I do not know from whence it has begun, neither I know when it will end, therefore it is called nitya-baddha. Nitya-baddha.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

Nitāi: "Material consciousness is the cause of one's conditional life. Conditions are enforced upon the living entity by the material energy. Although he does not do anything and is transcendental to such activities, the spirit soul is thus affected by conditional life."

Prabhupāda:

tad asya saṁsṛtir bandhaḥ

pāra-tantryaṁ ca tat-kṛtam

bhavaty akartur īśasya

sākṣiṇo nirvṛtātmanaḥ

(SB 3.26.7)

So karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu guṇair ātmani manyate. The conditioned soul... We say "conditioned." It was not conditioned, but now it has become conditioned, pāra-tantrya.

kṛṣṇa bhuli' sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha

ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha

(CC Madhya 20.117)

This is a statement in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Kṛṣṇa bhuliyā, forgetting Kṛṣṇa, jīva, the living entity, anādi-bahirmukha... Anādi... Ādi means the beginning of the creation, and anādi means before the creation. Anādi. Nobody knows when it has began. The creation... There are many creations. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Just like this body: it is created, everyone knows. It is created by the father and mother. And it will be annihilated in due course of time by nature's way. Similarly, anything material... This whole universe, cosmic manifestation, is also created. This is a bigger body, that's all, virāṭ body. And it stays for millions and millions of years during the lifetime of Brahmā. We have got information, Brahmā's one day: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). We cannot calculate even one Brahmā's day. Such one day means daytime, twelve hours; then night, twelve hours. In this one day, such month, such year, such hundred years, Brahmā lives. So this cosmic manifestation, brahmāṇḍa, universe, will stay up to that time. So there is no difference in the manipulation with this body and the Brahmā. It is the same principle.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

So this creation... Not only this creation... We are in this material world, maybe. "Maybe" not; it is a fact that we have been in many other creations. Therefore our this forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa is called anādi. Anādi means before creation. This creation is going on. Before that, there was another creation. The same thing was going on. Now, this is called saṁsṛtiḥ, saṁsāra, saṁsāra-bandhana, bound up by saṁsṛtiḥ. Anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, "On account of my fruitive result before the beginning of the creation, I am now in this material ocean." Anādi karma-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale taribāre nā dekhi upāy: "I do not find any means how to get out of it." This is knowledge. When one becomes very anxious, very serious to get out of this saṁsṛtiḥ, continually going on, birth and death, birth and death, birth... People have no knowledge. So tad asya saṁsṛtir bandhaḥ. This is bondage.

The previous verse, it has been described,

evaṁ parābhidhyānena

kartṛtvaṁ prakṛteḥ pumān

karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu

guṇair ātmani manyate

Dictated by the material nature, we are acting in some way and thereby creating another resultant action, means another body. In this way it is going on. That is called saṁsṛtiḥ. Tad asya saṁsṛtir bandhaḥ pāra-tantryam. Svātantrya, and just the opposite word is pāra-tantrya, under the direction of somebody else, pāra-tantrya. Just like dog and the master. The dog is pāra-tantrya, dependent on the master. Similarly, we are now dogs of material nature, pāra-tantrya. We cannot go beyond the rules and regulation, condition, of material nature. That is called pāra-tantrya, not svātantrya. Just like they are trying to go to the moon planet, but because they are under condition of material nature, not that they can go very easily. It is not possible. They are coming back again and again trying to go there. This is also material world. Even in this material world we are so much dependent on the rules and regulation of the nature. And what to speak of going to the spiritual world? Pāra-tantrya is there. We admit or not admit. We are not svātantrya, or independent. We are dependent. Bhavaty akartur īśasya sākṣiṇo nirvṛtātmanaḥ.