So bhakta means when we revive our relationship, how I am connected with Kṛṣṇa. Then he is bhakta. Then he is bhakta. That relationship is pervertedly reflected in this material world. That relationship. Somebody is related with Kṛṣṇa as master and servant. That is reflected here also. There is master and servant, but both of them are cheating one another. The master is trying to exploit the servant, and the servant is trying to exploit the master. They are also forming unions, how to exact money from the capitalists, and the capitalists trying to exploit this labor from the laborers. So here, that master and servant is there, but both of them are cheaters and cheated. That's all. But if we really want to be master and servant, the supreme master is Kṛṣṇa and you engage yourself in His service. You'll never be cheated. You'll never be cheated.
Union (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
There are two kinds of mokṣas. Actually, there are five kinds of mokṣa, but five kinds can be divided into two kinds. Liberation... Sāyujya, sāmīpya, sālokya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi (CC Madhya 6.266). Then again, these five kinds of liberation can be divided into two. One is sāyujya-mukti and another: sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya—these four into one division. Sāyujya-mukti means to merge into the existence of the Supreme. And sārūpya-mukti means to acquire exactly the bodily feature of Viṣṇu, four hands. Just like in the Vaikuṇṭha the inhabitants are exactly of the same feature as Nārāyaṇa. They have got also four hands. You cannot distinguish who is Nārāyaṇa and who is not Nārāyaṇa. So that is called sārūpya-mukti. Just like when vaikuṇṭha-dūtas were sent to reclaim Ajāmila, they were four-handed, exactly looking like Nārāyaṇa. It can be understood. Just in this planet, if the president of the Indian Union comes here, unless he is very well known, nobody can distinguish who is president and who is a common gentleman because the features are the same. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the residents of Vaikuṇṭha are exactly like Nārāyaṇa.
So Yāmunācārya said, yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt: "When I am now realizing transcendental pleasure every moment by serving Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet," tad-avadhi, "since then," bata nārī-saṅgame... Sometimes we enjoy subtle pleasure, thinking of sex life. That is called nārī-saṅgame. Nārī means woman, and saṅga means union. So those who are practiced, so when there is actually no union, they think of union. So Yāmunācārya said that "Not actually union with woman, but if I think of union," tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne, smaryamāne, "simply by thinking," bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ, "oḥ, immediately I becomes disgusted: 'Aḥ, what is this nasty thing?' " Suṣṭhu niṣṭhī... (spits) This is perfect. (chuckles) This is perfection. Yes. So long we'll think of, that is called subtle sex, thinking. They read the sex literature. That is subtle sex. Gross sex and subtle sex. So one has to become completely free from these lusty desires, not to become implicated which will never be satisfied, unsatiated, duṣpūram.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So Karṇa is not a kṣatriya." Karṇa's history is that Karṇa is the pre-marriage son of Kuntī. Before her being married, she was born of Kuntī from the ear. Therefore his name is Karṇa. But still, out of social fear, Kuntī did not kill the child. Nowadays they kill. But he floated the child on a boat, and the boat was let loose, go anywhere. So one carpenter collected Karṇa and raised him. But he was kṣatriya. He was Kuntī's son, born by sun, sun-god, Sūrya. So Kuntī had the power of calling. He got the benediction from Durvāsā. Durvāsā gave her the benediction that "You can call any demigod, and at once he will come by this mantra." So when Kuntī was young, not married, so Durvāsā became the guest of her father, and she served Durvāsā Muni very nicely, attending as maidservant. Although she was king's daughter, but because Durvāsā was guest, he was taken care of very nicely. So Durvāsā became very pleased and gave her this blessing, that "You can call any demigod, as you like." So out of curiosity she chanted the mantra and called the sun-god, Vivasvān. So he came. So he wanted to give her a child, benediction. She said that "I am unmarried. I cannot have child." "No, this child will be born from your ear." Akṣata-yoni. Akṣata-yoni means a girl who has no union with any other man. That is called akṣata-yoni. So in this way Karṇa was born, but he was raised by a carpenter. Therefore he was not considered to be a kṣatriya. So Draupadī knew that Karṇa, if he contests, then he will be victorious, so she played a trick that "I cannot allow anyone else except the kṣatriyas to contest in this svayaṁvara."
So these people, these Māyāvādī people, they are trying to become one with the God. But a devotee doesn't like to be one with God but better than God or higher than God. That is devotee's position. Devotee's so powerful that Kṛṣṇa, a devotee can claim to become higher than God. They can produce God. Just like Yaśodā-mātā, Devakī. He (she) produced God. And God agrees. These Devakī and Vasudeva, they underwent severe penances, austerities. Without any conjugal union, they undergone tapasya. And Kṛṣṇa came to them, that "What do you want?" "Now I, we want a son like You." So Kṛṣṇa said, "Who can be equal to Me? That is not possible. I shall become your son." This is the reason that Kṛṣṇa took birth as the son of Devakī, because they become... Kṛṣṇa... Vasudeva and Devakī or mother Yaśodā or Nanda, they became the father and mother of Kṛṣṇa, and now they are chastising Kṛṣṇa. It is not so easy thing. They had to undergo thousands of years in penances to take this position of chastising Kṛṣṇa.
Now, if the Supreme Lord, God, has no hand, no leg, then how He can walk? Just like Sākṣi-gopāla. Sākṣi-gopāla, He was Deity, apparently showing as made of stone, and the devotee's asking, "My Lord, Gopāla, You have to come to give witness." So Gopāla was smiling and said, "How you expect a Deity can walk that I shall go to give witness for you?" The bhakta said, "If the Deity can speak and smile, He can walk also." That is the conviction of devotee. And the other party, they agreed that "If Gopāla comes to give witness, my sister will be given to you." He... Because he's atheist, he is thinking that "How the Deity will come? He'll never come. Then I shall not have to fulfill my promise." He is... He was confident like that. That is the difference between a devotee and nondevotee. The nondevotee cannot understand. They will take it that "Once you say that God has no eyes, then how He can see? God has no leg. Then how can He walk? God has no hand. Then how can He accept your offering?" Therefore the conclusion should be that ajo 'pi, although Kṛṣṇa never takes birth, and again He takes birth. He has taken birth. Therefore His birth is not like our birth. This is to be understood. He has no birth, but He has taken birth. Therefore, an intelligent man will conclude that His birth is not like our birth. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). It is all transcendental. It is not this ordinary birth. Ordinary birth means male and female union, then there is pregnancy, then the child comes out of the womb. It is not like that.
Nitāi: "By the transformation of the false ego in passion, intelligence takes birth, O virtuous lady. The functions of the intelligence are to help in ascertaining the nature of objects when they come into view, and to help the senses."
Prabhupāda:
- taijasāt tu vikurvāṇād
- buddhi-tattvam abhūt sati
- dravya-sphuraṇa-vijñānam
- indriyāṇām anugrahaḥ
- (SB 3.26.29)
So these things are taking place daily within the womb of the mother—how the child is developing from the day of union of the father and the mother, and, on the first day, it is like a pealike form by the semina of father and mother, and then everything develops. Different types of body, different types of intelligence, different types of brain—how it takes place? If it is simply material, then all children would have come out of the same quality. But it does not so come. Every child, baby born, has got everything separate from the others. How subtle laws of nature is working, we can just imagine. It is not possible to understand by our these material senses even this material formation of the body, what to speak of spiritual understanding.
Is there any scientist to put in a small seed all the chemicals and it will come automatically, a motorcar? No. That is not possible. That is not possible. You have to create every car. And Kṛṣṇa's energy is so perfect that she has created one male body and one female body, and innumerable cars are coming. This is car, described in the Bhagavad-gītā, this body. Yantra. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This is yantra, but this yantra is coming by union of two yantras: one male yantra and female yantra. And millions of yantras are coming. Where is that capacity?
Now marriage is being forgotten. That is also written the śāstra, that "There will be no more marriage. One man and woman should live together by agreement." That is going on now in Kali-yuga. Svikāram eva hy udvāhe, it is stated. Simply agree: "Yes, you become my bedfellow; I become your bedfellow." That's all. Finished. Svikāram eva hy udvāhe. That is marriage. No more that ceremonial marriage. That is being forgotten. This is Kali-yuga now. Dāmpatyam eva hi... Ratim eva hi dāmpatye: "And their so-called unity, man and woman, means sex." There is no other meaning. Dāmpatye, union of man and woman, means sex. There is no other religious system, that husband, wife, live together; they should cooperate for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These things are being forgotten.
So, the beginning of instruction was kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). This material world, beginning, those who are not trained up, their beginning is hankering after union for sex. And puṁsāṁ striya mithuni-bhāvam, this is the material world, attraction, and when they are united the attraction increases, we have already discussed. In this way our attraction for material wealth, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair (SB 5.5.8). In this way material possessions, material facilities, we increase. Modern civilization is that. They are simply increasing material wants. The process is pravṛttir eṣaṁ bhūtānāṁ nivṛttes tu mahā-phalaṁ. Natural tendency is, because we have come to enjoy this material world... Conditioned soul means we wanted to enjoy this material world, not to serve anyone. Although our constitutional position is to serve, but artificially we want to give up service and we want to enjoy. That is material disease. So gradually, if we want to enjoy material world, then we require money. Money is the via media for enjoyment of material world. People are working so hard, day and night, just to get money because money is the source or the means of sense enjoyment. That is the disease, sense enjoyment.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: He says that prompted by this vital impulse, the human will identifies with the divine will in a mystical union...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: ... and that this is real religion.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are teaching people that you agree with the divine will. The divine will is that you surrender. So you agree to surrender. That we are teaching. That is real religion.
Śyāmasundara: He says that real religion is a mystic oneness with God.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Oneness means that I agree with God. God says that "You surrender," I say, "Yes, I surrender." God says to Arjuna, "You fight," he fights. That is oneness. That we have no disagreement, in any point, with God, that is oneness. Just like in this institution, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When I say anything, there is no disagreement of any of the disciples. It is being done, taking God's representative, Kṛṣṇa's representative, so similarly with God also. But what I am doing? I am simply taking the order from God, and I am disseminating the same knowledge. I have accepted surrender unto Kṛṣṇa as my life. I am teaching others, "You also surrender." This is called disciplic succession. There is no disagreement with God.
Hayagrīva: Now James equates this mystical union, or samādhi, to be a union in which the individual has lost contact with the external world.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hayagrīva: And he therefore concludes that mystical states cannot be sustained for long, except in rare instances. Half an hour or at most an hour or two seems to be the limit beyond which they fade into the light of common day. "Often, when faded, their quality can be but imperfectly reproduced in memory, but when they recur it is recognized, and from one recurrence to another it is susceptible of continuous development in what is felt as inner richness and importance."
Prabhupāda: Yes. That richness comes to perfection when one thinks of Kṛṣṇa constantly, without any cessation.
Hayagrīva: Well that's his second conclusion. His second is that "Union or harmonious relation with that higher universe is our true end."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Spiritual realization.
Hayagrīva: Three...
Prabhupāda: There is no material realization. No more material realization means no more forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with God. Then it is spiritual.
Hayagrīva: He says, "Use of the words 'God' or 'divine' to convey the union of actual with ideal may protect man from his sense of isolation and from consequent despair or defiance..."
Prabhupāda: That will never happen. The so-called unity of man by the imaginative process of so-called intelligent philosopher, it has never become possible, neither it will become possible, because every man has got little independence. So unless they are controlled, they will assert their independence, and by this imaginative process they cannot be united. That is another insanity. History has never proved this in the past, and it is not going on in the present, so naturally in the future it will not be possible. That is sane man's conclusion.
Hayagrīva: You..., when you discussed Dewey with Śyāmasundara Prabhu, you said that Dewey wants to make God his scapegoat—why does he mention the word God, and he uses the word God to serve his own ends. His philosophic conception is the working union of the ideal and the actual. This is rather vague, but this is his definition of God: Man striving for perfection.
Prabhupāda: He can define, but he must be a very, what is called, sane man to define. The sane man's definition of God is there. Just like everyone says, "God is great." So now if he can define what is the greatness... The greatness, if one man is very rich, we consider him great man. If a man is very wise we call him a great man. If a man is very strong or influential or beautiful... Greatness according to our estimation. So all this greatness must be there in God. God must be the richest, God must be the strongest, God must be the most beautiful, God must be wisest. In this way, six opulences calculated, and when these opulences are in completeness, that is God.
Śyāmasundara: He says that in this unity of myself, the subject, that I desire objectivity, and he says this union of subject and object is called the "being in itself," or God; that man is desiring to be God or "being in himself."
Prabhupāda: This is the position more or less of Māyāvādī philosophy, that when I am completely in knowledge, I become God. It is like that.
Śyāmasundara: He says this is man's fundamental orientation, that he wants to become God.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That we confirm in this way, that because he is part and parcel of God, so he wants to be united with God. Because he is now detached from God, so therefore, just like a man who is for long, long years out of home, so he wants to go home again.
Śyāmasundara: He says that prompted by this vital impulse, the human will identifies with the divine will in a mystical union...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: ...and that this is real religion.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are teaching people that you agree with the divine will. The divine will is that you surrender. So you agree. You surrender. That we are teaching. That is real religion.
Śyāmasundara: He says that real religion is a mystic oneness with God.
Prabhupāda: That is... Yes. Oneness means I agree with God. God says your surrender. I say, "Yes. I surrender." God says Arjuna "You fight," he fights. That is oneness, that we have no disagreement in any point with God. That is oneness. Just like in this institution, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as soon as I say anything, there is no disagreement of any other disciple. If there is disagreement, then it is ended. Disobedient immediately. As it is going, it is being done, taking God's representative, Kṛṣṇa's representative, so similarly with God also. And what, what I am doing? I am simply taking the order from God and I am disseminating the same knowledge. I have accepted that surrender to Kṛṣṇa is my life. I am teaching others, "You also surrender." This is called disciplic succession. There is no disagreement with God. It is not that I am posing myself, "I am God."
Hayagrīva: The role of woman he envisioned as that of man's companion. He says, "The first aspect, then, under which positivism considers women is simply as the companion of man, irrespective of her maternal duties," and that this friendship or companionship has as its basis sex. He says, "Conjugal union becomes a perfect ideal of friendship, yet still more beautiful than friendship, because each possesses and is possessed by the other. For perfect friendship, difference of sex is essential as excluding the possibility of rivalry." So he felt that sex, there can actually be very little friendship between men, because there's no sexual basis, that sex is the basis for the friendship between the sexes.
Prabhupāda: Hmm. So woman, sex, there is sex, sexual necessity and the bodily demand. So woman not only give the sex pleasure to the man, but woman should prepare good foodstuff also for the man. The man is working very hard. When he comes home, if the wife supplies him good foodstuff and nice comfort and sex, then the home becomes very happy. That is practical experience. So after hard working, when man comes home, if he finds out good foodstuff and nicely satisfied by eating, and then the woman gives satisfaction by sex, then both of them remain fully satisfied, and then they can improve their real business, spiritual understanding, because human life is meant for making progress in spiritual understanding.
| Page Title: | Union (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, MadhuGopaldas, Matea |
| Created: | 29 of Jan, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=17, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 17 |