So these, I mean to say, warriors' name mentioning, we should not neglect. Kṛṣṇa wanted to gather all the demoniac power in that Battlefield of Kurukṣetra and kill them. That was His plan. So there is a plan of Kṛṣṇa. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. We should not be attached to things as there, but we should try to understand that there is relationship with Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as there is relationship with Kṛṣṇa, we shall properly utilize it. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as we understand that there is relationship with Kṛṣṇa, nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe... Everything can be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not a stereotyped, stagnant block. Kṛṣṇa is a dynamic force. Therefore everything can be dovetailed in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Simply one should learn the art under proper guidance how to utilize. Then that will be perfect form of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
We understand (Lectures, BG)
Expressions researched:
"we understand"
|"we understood"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Devotee of Kṛṣṇa is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā as sādhu. Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). One who is strictly a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he is mentioned as sādhu. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ (BG 9.30). He is first-class sādhu. Even if he's a gṛhastha, it doesn't matter. Generally, we understand sādhu means with saffron cloth. No. Sādhu's qualification is that he must be a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇaḥ. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇaḥ. So now Kṛṣṇa speaks, śrī bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān. This Bhagavān means one who is full with six kinds of opulences. He's called Bhagavān.
It is not to be acquired by our own efforts, by argument or by being expert in scripture or by becoming a philosopher or a similar way. It is very confidential. Then how? Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). You have to follow a pure devotee, acknowledged devotee. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gītā, if we follow Arjuna, then we understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. But if we don't follow Arjuna, if we follow somebody, Dr. Frog, or create our own interpretation, then we remain impure. So mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. We have to follow the footprints of mahājana, great soul. So here is directly you are meeting great soul, Arjuna. He is directly being taught Bhagavad-gītā by the original teacher. Who can be greater authority than Arjuna? So as Arjuna accepts Bhagavad-gīta, if you accept Bhagavad-gītā in that way, then your study of Bhagavad-gītā is perfect.
"If I get a machine like a human body, then I can enjoy like this." So Kṛṣṇa fulfills your desire: "All right." And if I think, "If I get a machine in which I can directly suck blood of other animal," "All right," Kṛṣṇa says, "you take the machine of a tiger's body and use it." So this is going on. Therefore His name is Hṛṣīkeśa. And when we understand properly that "I am not the proprietor of this body. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of the body. I wanted a certain type of body to use it for my sense gratification. He has given it and I am not happy. Therefore I shall learn how to use this machine for the proprietor," this is called bhakti. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Because Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of the senses—He is the proprietor of this body—so when this body will be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service, that is our perfection of life. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate.
That is going on in the name of nationality or communism, or society or friendship and this and so on. We have invented so many "isms," but they are all misuse because actually the machine does not belong to the American or the Indian or the African. The machine belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So this is misuse. So when we understand that we are misusing this machine improperly, that is called pure machine. That is called pure understanding, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). "I am not American. I am not Indian. I am not brāhmaṇa. I am not kṣatriya. I am not human being." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." Not the Supreme Brahman, but part and parcel of Brahman. Supreme Brahman is Kṛṣṇa, Para-brahman. He is addressed as Para-brahman. So we are part and parcel of Brahman. Therefore we are Brahman.
We are in this material world simply suffering life after life. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This place is miserable. But māyā's illusion, we are taking this miserable condition of life as happiness. This is called māyā. there is no happiness in this material world. Everything miserable. The sooner we understand that everything is miserable in this material world and the sooner we prepare ourself to leave this material world and go back to home, back to..., that is our sense. Otherwise, whatever we are doing, we are simply being defeated. Because we are missing the aim. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Durāśayā. We are, by hope against hope—it will never be fulfilled—we are trying to adjust things here to become happy without God consciousness. It will never be accompli... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā. Durāśayā means "the hope which will never be fulfilled."
Vedeṣu durlabhaṁ adurlabhaṁ ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Vedeṣu durlabhaṁ. If you want to search out... Although Vedas means knowledge, and the ultimate knowledge is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). This is the instruction. So if you independently wants to study Vedas, just, there is, there are some rascals... They say: "We understand only Vedas." What do you understand Veda? How you'll understand Veda? So Vedas says, tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). You'll understand Vedas by taking one, purchasing one Vedas book, or taking it, you'll understand Vedas? Vedānta is not so cheap thing. Without becoming a brāhmaṇa, nobody can understand a Veda, what is Veda. Therefore, it is restricted. Without becoming brāhmaṇa, nobody is allowed to study Vedas. It's all nonsense.
It is very difficult to understand what is religion, what is the process of religion. People are very much puzzled. But if we follow the great personalities... They are also mentioned in the śāstras. Svayambhu, Śambhu, Manu, Kumāra, Kapila, Manu. So if we follow their footsteps... Just like Arjuna. That, that is, really we understand. "If Arjuna has understood like this, so let me understand like that." That's all. Simple thing. Then we understand Bhagavad-gītā. But, if we want to speak very learned scholarly, but do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, this is simply waste of time. As the so-called scholars and philosophers are doing. They do not understand Kṛṣṇa, but talking all nonsense, and such things are very much appreciated by others. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: śva-viḍ-varāha-uṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. These rascals, so-called scholars, so-called incarnation, are accepted by similar class of animals. Śva-viḍ-varāha.
So anyone who accepts this body as self, he is animal, he is not human being. That is the beginning of knowledge. People are accepting knowledge from a school, college, university, but at the present moment at least, how many people know that he is not body? Unless we understand this first principle of knowledge, there is no question of spiritual advancement of life. So the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā is to give lesson that we are not this body. It will be later on explained that the spirit soul, or the real person, is within this body. Just like we are here. We are within this shirt and coat, but we are not the shirt and coat. So if the shirt and coat is stolen and if somebody becomes mad after it and lamenting, that is not very good sense. Therefore He is saying that aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "You are lamenting on the subject matter which is never done by any learned man." So we shall go further on? Yes? Read, you, purport in Spanish.
Hṛdayānanda: (translating) How can we understand the guru?
Prabhupāda: How do you understand? When you go for treatment to a physician, how do you understand that here is a physician? How do you understand? Tell me?
Hṛdayānanda: He says by the title and reputation.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Some way or other, you know that he is a physician. So similarly, you have to find out guru. Guru... First of all, who requires a guru? That is the question. Because guru is not a fashion... The... It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta: (SB 11.3.21) "On account of this, you should go to a guru." What is that account? Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam: "One who is very much inquisitive to know about spiritual affair, he requires a guru." Spiritual affair means that... We are in this material world. We are suffering.
Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna that "This science of understanding God, long, long ago I spoke to the sun-god Vivasvān." In the Vedic scripture we understand that every planet is inhabited by living entities. The sun is also one of the planets, and there are living entities. Otherwise how Kṛṣṇa could go there and speak the predominating person, Vivasvān? The name of the person is also given, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). And vivasvān manave prāha. Vivasvān, the sun-god... Because in the higher planetary system the sun planet, moon planet, and many, many other planets, they are called the heavenly planets. The inhabitants of those planets are very opulent. The material happiness available in those planets are hundreds and thousand times better than in this planet.
And it is very easy to understand. The perplexity which Arjuna met at the Battle, in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra... The fight was between two sector of family members. They're cousin-brothers, one family, but there was some trouble, who would occupy the throne. From Mahābhārata we understand that the Pāṇḍavas, at least up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he ruled over the whole world. Bhāratavarṣa means the whole world, and the capital was here, Hastināpura. This information we get, Mahābhārata. Mahā means greater, and bhārata means India. Mahābhārata. So there was trouble, who will occupy the throne. So there was fight. So when fight was arranged, then Arjuna... He was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. (aside to someone talking:) Please stop. He declined fight. He said to Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa"—Kṛṣṇa was his friend—"I don't like this fight because they are my cousin-brothers. Although they have usurped my kingdom, let them enjoy it. I don't wish to fight with them."
Why you are finding out God?" These are so many statements. So God has become so cheap. There are so many incarnations of God, especially in India. It is a breeding ground of Gods, so many. So that is, means they do not know what is God. Mūḍha. They think God is so cheap thing. But from the śāstra we understand, from Bhagavad-gītā we understand... When Kṛṣṇa was asked by Arjuna, "How You are controlling the whole cosmology, Your vibhūti, Your power, energies?"
Similarly, we conditioned souls in this material world, we are suffering so much, living like wretches and rascals. So Kṛṣṇa is not happy. Therefore He comes personally to teach us, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7).
So when Kṛṣṇa comes, He comes in His original form. But unfortunately, we understand Kṛṣṇa as one of us. He is one of us because He is father, we are sons. One of us. But He is the chief. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is more powerful, the most powerful, supreme powerful. We have got little power. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa... We cannot be equal. Nobody can be equal with Kṛṣṇa, or God, or greater than Him. Everyone, under Kṛṣṇa. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Therefore everyone is servant of Kṛṣṇa.
Our own business is that we should know that "I am not this dream. I am fact, spiritual fact. So I have got a different business." That is called spiritual life. That is spiritual life, when we understand that "I am Brahman. I am not this matter." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). That time we shall be joyful. Because we are afflicted with so many changes of the material features, and we are sorry and happy, being afflicted by all these external activities, but when we understand rightly that "I am not concerned with all these things," then we become joyful. "Oh, I have no responsibility. Nothing, I have nothing to do with all these things." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). At that time, you can feel that every living entity is exactly like you. It doesn't matter whether he is a learned brāhmaṇa, whether he's a dog, whether he is a caṇḍāla, whether he's an elephant.
Just like Bhagavad-gītā is there, and the explanation of Bhagavad-gītā by the representative of Kṛṣṇa is there. So Kṛṣṇa, being absolute, His representative, His words are nondifferent from Him. We should not think that "Kṛṣṇa is not in my presence." As soon as Bhagavad-gītā is there and as soon as we understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, that means we are hearing directly Kṛṣṇa. So if we do according to the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna did, then there is no reaction. We are free. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra. Then you go on.
"And now, who is my father?" That is evidence to be taken from mother. Similarly nobody can deny the existence of God because everything has got a father, generator. So therefore this whole creation, there must be generator. Now how we can see the father? Through the mother, Vedas. That's all. As we understand our father through the mother, similarly through the mother of Vedic knowledge you can understand what is God. Go on.
Even it is inconceivable to me how it is growing. Even my hair grows inconceivable, I do not know. I cut every week, and it still grows. There are so many little inconceivable power within me. I am part and parcel of God. Just imagine how much inconceivable power is there in Kṛṣṇa. It is common sense.
We understand from the śāstras that Kṛṣṇa, as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, He created water within this universe and lie down, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Now we cannot conceive that how a person can produce water from the body like the sea and ocean. But if you think over little soberly, that sometimes we perspire, we get perspiration. That is water. In India, we have got special experience during summer season.
So these four things, four principles of life, there is in the animal kingdom and in the human kingdom. But the human kingdom, the human body is distinct from the animal body in the respect, in this respect, that in human society there is religion. Religion. Generally we understand as religion. Religion means a culture of the spirit soul. It may be in different way understood in different countries, but the whole idea is to understand the spirit soul. So dharmeṇa hīnaḥ paśubhiḥ samānaḥ. If the human society is not very eager to understand the real position of the soul or consciousness, then he is no better than the animals. That is the version of the Vedic, and actually it is so.
So that sunshine is not different from the sun, but at the same time, sunshine is not the sun. This is called simultaneously one and different. This philosophy was, I mean to say, expounded by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, acintya-bhedābheda, acintya-bhedābheda, "simultaneously one and different." Now, in order to keep our position intact, that is to... That theoretically we understand or we have understood that "I am not this body, but I am consciousness, pure soul," that is our theoretical... Not theoretical, but it is practical. Anyone can understand. Any sane man can understand that "I am not this body; I am the soul." Now, to keep myself fixed up in that conviction, we require to work for it. Otherwise, as I was explaining to you, just like a child, a boy, he is, I mean to say, very much addicted to play. But if you want to give him... If you want to stop his mischievous activities and if you want to stop him, then you must give him some good engagement.
So our life should be so formed that in our every activity there will be God consciousness. That is the technique of yoga-sthaḥ. You haven't got to separately being seated in meditation as yoga, generally as we understand. Now, how much you can devote your time to meditation? Suppose one hour in the morning or one hour in the evening you can devote. But if you mold your life in such a way that always, twenty-four hours, you are in meditation, that is the platform of yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi. I am earning for the Supreme Lord. Then, when I earn, I bring things for cooking, I am thinking, "Oh, this thing will be cooked for Lord." Now, your wife cooks, and she is also very clean because it is being cooked for Lord Kṛṣṇa. You see?
Then everything will come to you automatically by and by. Because in this age penance is not at all possible. Nobody can undergo any penance. But without penance, without sacrifice, from history, from books, from scripture, we understand nobody has attained spiritual perfection. So we require to undergo some sort of penances. That penance is that engage our senses not in the process of sense gratification but in the process of serving the Supreme Lord, dovetailing, dovetailing our independence, our consciousness, to the supreme consciousness. Just like the example... Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna is very nice example, that he dovetailed, he dovetailed his consciousness with Kṛṣṇa. He did not want to fight, but after hearing Bhagavad-gītā he dovetailed his senses. One has to fight with senses. Non-sense cannot fight. The senses must be there. So he, what did he do? He applied his senses to the senses of the Supreme Lord. That's all.
Dvāpara-yuga means just during the Mahābhārata time. Mahābhārata time, five thousand years before, that was the end of Dvāpara-yuga. Then, after the battle of Kurukṣetra, this Kali-yuga has begun, Kali-yuga, this age, present age which we are passing on. In this age, this Kali-yuga will exist... From the Vedic scriptures we understand, it will exist for four hundred thousand years, four hundred thousands of years, four hundred twenty-seven thousands of years, not twenty-seven, thirty-two. Out of that, we have passed only five thousand years. So there is balance still, four hundred twenty-seven thousands of years, to finish this Kali-yuga, this age of...
Now, for this age... Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ. Now, different ages, different methods are prescribed.
Prabhupāda: No, we understand past, future, everything present. That is spiritual consciousness. Yes. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, "I know past, present and future," similarly, when you also become pure, purified in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you'll also know past, present and future.
Guest (1): (inaudible)
Madhudviṣa: The gentleman is asking about the authenticity of Moses.
Prabhupāda: Moses. They are representative of God. That's nice.
Guest (2): How strong is the power of Kṛṣṇa?
That very love which is reserved for God, we are applying it in this material world: "I love my country. I love my society. I love my family. I love my dog. I love my... I love." But I am missing whom to love. That is the point. I am placing my love in so many things, and I am becoming frustrated. So when we understand the love is meant for God, that is our perfection of life. And if you love God, then you love everyone. That is perfect love. Without loving God...
So in this way, being punished in different types of life, when we come to the sense... That sense can come in human form of life. When we understand that "I have traveled through, in, transmigrated from many species of life, but every life I can see, not that I have forgotten. Even if I have forgotten, I can see the suffering of the cats, dogs, tiger, man, bulldog and everyone. So I had all these lives in the past. Evolutionary process, I have come to this human. So I suffered all these things. So when the question comes, "Why shall I suffer?" then the inquiry—this is called, Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsā—the inquiry of God begins. That is human life. Yes.
What is that? Meditation? (break) Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). This is meditation, that by meditation that they try to find out Kṛṣṇa within your heart because Kṛṣṇa is situated everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So that is dhyāna—find out. In the śāstra we understand, "Kṛṣṇa is within my heart." And if you meditate, try to find out Kṛṣṇa, then, if you are fortunate, you'll be able to see Him. This is meditation.
It was spoken long, long ago.
Long, long ago. If you make an estimate of the time, then that estimation also, we can make from Vedic literature. That estimation is... I have made an estimation. It is about four hundred millions of years before, it was spoken. So far, as far as we get the information of Bhagavad-gītā, from Mahābhārata, we understand that this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to Arjuna about five thousand years before. But we have to calculate in the fourth chapter that the Lord says that "I spoke to the sun-god, and sun-god spoke it to Manu, and Manu spoke to Ikṣvāku."
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, jñānaṁ me parama-guhyaṁ yad vijñāna-samanvitam. Knowledge or science of God is very confidential. This science is not ordinary science. It is very confidential. Jñānaṁ me parama-guhyaṁ yad vijñāna-samanvitam. Vijñāna means... Vi means specific. It is a specific knowledge, and it has to be understood by a specific process. Generally, we understand, we acquire knowledge by direct perception, experimental knowledge, direct perception. But bhagavad-vijñāna, the science of God, is so extensive and so intricate that it is not possible to apply our imperfect senses to understand the science of God. Then we have to understand with our senses. Otherwise what is the meaning of understanding? Hear. Therefore these senses, when they will be purified, then we can understand. Just like a man cannot see due to some cataract complication, but if the cataract portion is surgically operated, he can see also.
Neither, I mean to say, imagination or hypothesis nor direct. Direct perception is always imperfect, especially in the conditioned stage of life. Just like direct perception—with our eyes we see the sun just like a disc, not more than your plate on which you take your meals. But from authority, aitihya, we understand the sun is so many millions times greater than this earth. So which of them is right? By seeing your direct perception, sun just like a disc—is it right? Or you take it from authority that sun is such and such times bigger than the earth? Which one of them you'll accept? But you are not going to prove it that the sun is so great. You do not know.
Just like Kṛṣṇa's birth, Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance, is just like the sun, is just like the sun. Now, sun, in the morning, you'll see that it, it appears as if it is born from the eastern horizon. It is not born. The sun is always in the sky. It is the position of the earth in which we understand that sun is now rising from the eastern horizon. He's neither rising, nor he's dipping into the sea. He is, the sun is as it is, in his position, but due to the position, changing position of this earth, we see that the sun is rising and sun is setting. Similarly, the Kṛṣṇa, when He comes as incarnation, He comes just like this, in the same way.
So we living entities, a small particle, very atomic small particle, one ten thousandth part of the top of the hair. It can simply be imagined. We are acintya. But we understand from Vedic literature what is the magnitude. It is not nirākāra. That is not a fact. It has got ākāra. But at our present position, material condition, we cannot measure it.
And because we cannot measure it... Just like in geometry, I have studied that point has no breadth and length. But actually there is breadth and length, but we cannot measure it. Similarly, the magnitude of the spirit soul is smaller than the point. We cannot measure it with our material measuring instruments. Anyway, even if you can, that is the magnitude.
Water is liquid. You cannot say that water is liquid. If he changes his faith, then he can, it can become solid. No. Liquidity of water cannot be changed. Whenever there is conception, water, if I am blind, so... Suppose somebody gives me, "Take here a glass of water," I know it is liquid. So as the liquidity of water cannot be changed. Now, as soon as you speak of fire, so we understand fire is hot. Now, if you, if you... Can you change that fire becomes cold and still it is fire? No. As... So long it is fire, it is hot. So long it is water, it is liquid. Similarly, everything you analyze. Take for example chili. Chili, red pepper. Oh, it is very hot. Now, when you take chili from the market you see how much, what is the degree of its hotness. If it is very hot, oh, it is very good chili. If you find a chili sweet like sugar, oh, you'll reject it. "Oh, this is not good." Because that is the religion of the chili, to become very hot. Similarly, sugar. If you take sugar, if it is very hot, "It is nonsense. I want sweet."
That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. So long we are in ignorance how these laws of nature working under the Supreme direction, so our study of all these material nature's law is defeat. This is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
And when we understand, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10), so that is the real understanding, to understand the lawmaker. Not to be struck with wonder with the activities of the law. The Vaiṣṇavas, they are concerned with the background lawmaker.
So when we understand Kṛṣṇa in perfection we can understand how His energy and different energies are working it will be revealed to us. And because all energies are working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, because it is in touch with Kṛṣṇa, therefore nothing is inferior or material. Everything is spiritual. And higher platform therefore one can understand, sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Whatever is acting...
In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa also, the same thing is confirmed, parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat. Whatever we are experiencing, that is simply action and reaction of the different energy of the Supreme Lord. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat. So when we understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly, then this distinction of superior, inferior, will disappear.
Just like some fruit you have purchased. You have purchased from the market, and some you are eating. So it is called inferior energy. The same fruit you offer to Kṛṣṇa and eat, this is called superior energy. Now, how the same fruit becomes immediately from inferior condition to superior? Because it is offered to Kṛṣṇa. Do you follow? Because it is offered to Kṛṣṇa, ordinary rice, one say it is bhāta. But we say prasādam. A man may question how it has become prasādam? It is bhāta, rice.
Now, when I come with some mission there are some activities. There are some activities." So there are some philosophers. They do not agree to accept that God comes as incarnation. They do not believe in this theory. They say that "Why God shall come to this rotten world?" That is their vision.
But here, from the Bhagavad-gītā, we understand that God comes. We shall always remember that we are reading Bhagavad-gītā, and whatever is spoken in the Bhagavad-gītā, we have to, at least, we have to accept that. Otherwise, there is no question of reading this Bhagavad-gītā. Here the Lord says that "I am, I am present here as incarnation, and this is My mission." And as He comes with a mission, there are some activities.
And this is the process, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23), chanting and hearing of this Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with aural reception, submissive aural reception. That very process will teach us the truth of the Kṛṣṇa science, and when we understand the Kṛṣṇa science, automatically we understand what is Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as we understand Kṛṣṇa, the next result is that after leaving this material, this present material body, we go at once to the kingdom of Kṛṣṇa. This is the whole process. Tyaktvā deham, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Then he does not come again to this miserable world. He goes back to Godhead, back to home.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Only the Lord can manufacture a system of religion. The Vedas are also accepted as originally spoken by the Lord Himself to Brahmā from within his heart. Therefore the principles of religion are the direct orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These principles are clearly indicated throughout the Bhagavad-gītā. The purpose of the Vedas is to establish such principles under the order of the Supreme Lord, and the Lord directly orders at the end of the Bhagavad-gītā that the highest principle of religion is to surrender unto Him only and nothing more. The Vedic principles are to push one toward complete surrender unto Him and whenever such principles are disturbed by the demons, the Lord appears. From the Bhāgavatam we understand that Lord Buddha is the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who appeared when materialism was rampant and materialists were using the pretext of the authority of the Vedas. Although there are certain restrictive rules and regulations regarding animal sacrifice for particular purposes in the Vedas, people of demonic tendency still took to animal sacrifice without reference to the Vedic principles. Lord Buddha..."
Prabhupāda: Just like still animal sacrifice... Not only the followers of Vedas, every religion—animal is killed or sacrificed under certain religious rituals, in the lower stage. In the higher stage there is no such animal sacrifice.
You have got your consciousness. Is it right? Every one of us, we have got consciousness. Is that right? Now, this consciousness is eternal. This consciousness is not a result of the combination of matter. You cannot create consciousness by mixing so many chemicals or material things in the laboratory. That is not possible. This consciousness eternal. How do we know it? Because we understand it from Bhagavad-gītā. It is stated that avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam: "That thing which is spread all over your body..." And what is that thing? This consciousness. You pinch any part of your body; you feel pain because the consciousness is there. "So that thing, consciousness," Kṛṣṇa says, the teacher of Bhagavad-gītā, "that is eternal." Eternal. Now, how it is eternal? When you were a child the consciousness was there. Then you grew up to your boyhood—the consciousness was there. Then you are now young—the consciousness is there. And when you become old man like me, the consciousness will be there.
So Kṛṣṇa is staying within these universes. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. Not only within the universes but within the atom also. Paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham, In this way, Kṛṣṇa is ruling over the material creation. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭim (Bs. 5.35). There are many places in Vedic literature wherein we understand there are innumerable universes. We cannot take account of one universe, and Kṛṣṇa has to take account of all these universes, how things are going on.
This material world is ekāṁśa. Out of Kṛṣṇa's whole creation, this is one-fourth manifestation of His creative energy. Ekāṁśena. The three-fourths of the creative energy is in the spiritual world. So this material world means the living entities are given chance. They have come here to enjoy.
In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). One has to learn all these things from the person who is in the knowledge of these things. It is not that simply by purchasing one Bhagavad-gītā we understand everything. No. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā. You have to approach a person who is in the knowledge of the thing. Without this, you cannot understand. It is recommended; it is essential.
So we have to study. If we are serious student of Kṛṣṇa, then in the śāstras everything is there. So when we understand the greatness of Kṛṣṇa, then we become more attached. More attached. The greatness attracts. Suppose a man is very exalted position. He attracts the attention. Similarly, if we know the greatness of... One who does not know the greatness of Kṛṣṇa, he thinks Kṛṣṇa, "Yes,... That kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya, Doctor Frog: "Maybe little greater than me. That's all." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Such person thinks Kṛṣṇa as one of them, and therefore it has become a very fashionable thing to become Kṛṣṇa's avatāra, very cheaply. No. They do not know actually what is Kṛṣṇa's position.
We are accustomed to so many things, rascal things, which is not at all wanted. But we have been accustomed. By bad association.
Take, for example, one smokes. Nobody learns smoking from the birth. By bad association one learns how to smoke. Similarly drinking, similarly meat-eating. Because from the birth we require milk, not meat-eating. But then after all we understand that "Beef is very nice. There must be a beef shop." And... This is going on. You see? These are anarthas, not required. You require simple food: rice, wheat, little milk, vegetable, and little sugar. That's all. You don't require all these nonsense. But you have been habituated.
The Bhagavad-gītā is a standard literature. Most of you know this Bhagavad-gītā. But generally the Bhagavad-gītā is read very superficially, not very critically. We do not understand Kṛṣṇa, the author of Bhagavad-gītā, neither we understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, although it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. We read Bhagavad-gītā superficially, not very critically, neither there is any edition so far... Of course, in Sanskrit there are many editions, annotation by Śrīdhara Svāmī, annotation by Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, annotation by Viśvanātha Cakravartī, annotation by Śrī Rāmānujācārya. There are many great scholars. But we have no information of those in the western countries. You have no information of those scholars.
When we go to Kṛṣṇa with spiritual body, we also become like Kṛṣṇa in transcendental body. That chance is given here. So just it is our duty, everyone.
Lord Caitanya, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He appeared as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but He never said that "I am Kṛṣṇa." But from Vedic references we understand that He is Kṛṣṇa. But the same mission. The Kṛṣṇa's mission and Lord Caitanya's mission is the same. How it is same? Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He said that "You surrender unto Me," and Lord Caitanya said, "You surrender unto Kṛṣṇa." The same thing. Lord Caitanya said...
Therefore people are so much disturbed at the present moment. There is no sober life, dhīra. If you want peaceful life in the society, then you must accept this program. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). There must be brahminical class of men, kṣatriya class of men, vaiśya class of men.
The vaiśya... Generally, we understand, vaiśya means the mercantile class of men. No. At the present moment the so-called vaiśyas are śūdras, less than śūdras. Why? Now the vaiśya's business is kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). The vaiśyas must be engaged in producing foodgrains, but they are not interested. They are interested for opening factories for bolts and nuts and tires, Goodwheel tires, Goodyear tires. Now you eat tire and bolt nut. No, you cannot eat. You have to eat rice, and rice is ten rupees per kilo. That's all. Because no vaiśya is producing food grains. This is the defect.
So this idea of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very important factor, although people are, I mean to say, they are unknown to this fact, although it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
In the world, Bhagavad-gītā is very popular book. They are reading Bhagavad-gītā. And in Dr. Radhakrishnan's book we understand that Bhagavad-gītā has been so important book throughout the whole world that there is a sect in Germany who are called Indo-German religious sect. Perhaps some of you may know. They are acting on the principle of Bhagavad-gītā. So actually, in the Bhagavad-gītā, the most important part is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In every verse, in every chapter, in every conclusion, you'll find Kṛṣṇa, the speaker of Bhagavad-gītā is giving stress on His personal self.
So na māṁ karmā... iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti. Anyone who understands this philosophy, this transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, then what is the result? Karmabhir na sa badhyate. Because every act... We are bound up by the reaction of our past deeds. So as soon as we understand the transcendental activities of Kṛṣṇa, at once we become free from all reactions.
Because I cannot understand Kṛṣṇa's transcendental activities unless I am actually dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa. Why I shall be interested with your activities unless I have got some specific purpose? So similarly, let us develop this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and gradually we shall have... Now, that is called svarūpa-siddhi. Now, every living entity has got an eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa because we are part and...
Brahman realization, "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God, "when we understand this position, then we are liberated from the reaction of karma or material activities.
So Sūta Gosvāmī addressed, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Not only brāhmaṇa but "the best of the brāhmaṇas." "The best of the brāhmaṇas" means Kṛṣṇa conscious, one who knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows the spirit distinguished from the matter. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. But when he understands the Supreme Brahman, Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa, then he actually becomes brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇa should advance farther to become Vaiṣṇava.
Whatever you are doing, I am the ultimate beneficiary. I have to take the result." Just like a laborer works in a factory, but who is the proprietor? The ultimate proprietor is the, the proprietor is the ultimate owner of the... So everything, whatever we do... Jñānāgni-dagdha-karmāṇam. Now, we are thinking that "This thing I am doing, I am the proprietor of this thing." That is a misconception. When we understand that everything, whatever we are doing, the ultimate proprietor is Kṛṣṇa, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is jñānāgni-dagdha-karmāṇam.
In the higher conception of life, just it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that everything is visualized as Brahman. Brahman means spiritual. So in the higher conception of life, one who has attained in the higher stage of spiritual realization, for him, there is nothing material. There is nothing material. The distinction of matter and spirit is this. Now, from the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that two energies are working. One energy is called inferior energy, and the other energy is called superior energy. Now, take for example the inferior energy. The energy emanating from the source, is there any possibility of dividing the energy and the energetic? No. That is not possible just like you cannot divide heat from the fire or the illumination from this light. This is not possible. If there is no illumination, then the light has no meaning. If there is no heat, then fire has no meaning. Similarly, if the energy is separated from the energetic, the energetic has no meaning.
So this is brahmārpaṇam. This yajña, this is the highest yajña.
Now, we are discussing of the varieties of yajña. Now, so far sacrifice in the altar of fire, clarified butter and grains, it is not possible. At the present moment... Of course, formerly, we understand from the scriptures that they used to pour tons of tons clarified butter in the fire because at that time they were available. But at the present moment... Of course, we are seeing some butter sticks here in America, but from India practically butter has disappeared. So it is not possible.
Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā: (BG 7.4) "These eight elements, they are also My prakṛti, but bhinnā, separated, separated prakṛti." Prakṛti means subordinate to the puruṣa. As soon as the prakṛti... Generally, we understand that the husband and wife.... Wife is called prakṛti, and the husband is called puruṣa. So puruṣa means enjoyer, and prakṛti means enjoyed. So similarly, when Kṛṣṇa says, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā, that all these elements, gross and subtle, earth, water, air, fire, and these are gross elements, and the mind, intelligence and ego, subtle elements.... Then Kṛṣṇa says, apareyam: "These elements are inferior prakṛti." Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. There is another prakṛti. What is that? Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). Jīva-bhūta, the living entity. The living entity is also prakṛti. We are not puruṣa. But we forget this.
Then he asked his mother, "What is the remedy?" Because he was a son of a kṣatriya, he was resentful. So his mother directed, "My dear son, your father do not care for me, so he will not hear whatever I say. So if God can help you, then you can get revenge." Then—he was child—he said, "Oh, where is God?" Then mother replied, "Oh, we understand that God is in the forest. Somebody goes to the forest and realizes God. So you cannot go, my dear son." "No, I shall go." So he went to the forest. He went to the forest, and he was asking the tiger, "Oh, you are God?" The elephant, "You are God?" Just like a child. Then when he was so serious, then, because God is within himself, then he was..., Nārada was sent to him, that "You go to the boy. How he is anxious that what is the actual point (indistinct).
That's all. Suppose we manufacture a very nice table, but the ingredients, the wood, and the instrument, iron, oh, this is supplied by God. You cannot manufacture iron. You cannot manufacture the woods. So how, why do you claim that it is yours? This is ignorance. This is ignorance.
So by culture of Kṛṣṇa science, when we understand the Kṛṣṇa science, then we become free from this ignorance. And Lord Kṛṣṇa recommends that "By this knowledge, you can very easily cross over the ocean of nescience, ocean of ignorance." The whole thing is: we are suffering due to... Just like ignorance is no excuse in the law court. Suppose you have done something wrong and if you say to the judge, "So I, I did not know, sir, this law," oh, that is no excuse.
That is accepted. So here Kṛṣṇa gives us a prescription, and if we try to follow, then surely we shall achieve the stage of perfect knowledge and the result will be that we shall be perfectly peaceful in life. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). That is the perfect knowledge when we understand that the Supreme Lord, He is the supreme enjoyer—bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram—He is the supreme proprietor. And if we think very, I mean to say, scrutinizingly with cool head, then we can understand that everything, whatever there is in our presence, the actual proprietor is God, or Kṛṣṇa. We are not proprietor. We have got the right to use them, the things which are given by God to us. We shall have the right to use them, but we are not proprietor. So that is real knowledge.
We are not wasting your time or our time without having full faith that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, theoretically or practically. Theoretically, if you take that "How Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead?" theoretically, from the revealed scriptures, we understand from the Vedic literature that great authorities in the past and in the present...
Take for the present Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is a great authority, a recognized, great authority. Oh, He is mad after Kṛṣṇa. He is mad after Kṛṣṇa. Then after Him, His six disciples, Gosvāmīs, the Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, they have written immense literature, valuable literatures—especially Jīva Gosvāmī—volumes of literature on Kṛṣṇa.
So, similarly, you will find so many differences in so many planets. Their habits, their mode of living, civilization, standard of living is completely different. Even in this planet, if we find, the standard of living in America is different from the standard of living in South America or Africa or India, so why not in other planets?
So everything... In the Brahma-saṁhitā, we understand, every planet has a different situation, not that everything of this nature. So it is... It is not complete idea. "Because you can know what is sunshine, therefore you can know what is sun-god or sun disc"—no, that can (not) be done. Similarly, because you have some spiritual light, impersonal light... What is that impersonal light? The whole Buddha philosophy, impersonal philosophy, is looking to that impersonal.
There are prediction in the śāstras. In this age the duration of life, people's sentiment for becoming merciful, brain substance, in so many ways they are being reduced. They are not so powerful. So the duration of age is very small. We are always disturbed, and practically we have no knowledge about spiritual science. For example, that in this university... Not only in this university—there are hundreds and thousands of universities all over the world—there is no department of knowledge where the science of the soul is taught.
Actually, we are all spirit souls. In the Bhagavad-gītā we understand,
- dehino 'smin yathā dehe
- kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
- tathā dehāntara-prāptir
- dhīras tatra na muhyati
- (BG 2.13)
We are transmigrating from one body to another, exactly like in our present life. Just like all of us present here, we had a body, a small baby body.
When we understand that "I am not this body...," As Kṛṣṇa wanted to impress upon Arjuna in the beginning of His teaching of Bhagavad-gītā: "First of all try to understand what you are. Why you are lamenting in the bodily concept of life? You have to fight. Certainly you have to fight with your brothers and brother-in-laws and nephews, other side. And you are lamenting. But first of all understand whether you are body or not." That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. He tried to make him understood that you are not body. So these instructions were not for Arjuna. For everyone. We have to first of all learn that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul."
So Bhagavān means the supreme opulent. Bhaga means opulence. Just like riches, reputation, strength, beauty, knowledge, renunciation. These are called opulences. So every one of us has got little opulences. I have got also little money. You have got also little money. But I cannot claim, neither you can claim that you are the proprietor of all the riches of the world or the universe. That you cannot claim. Nobody can claim. But God can claim. That is the difference. God can claim. As He claims... We understand from the Bhagavad-gītā:
We come to this form of human being after many, many births. There are 8,400,000 species of life, beginning from water. Then on the land... In the water there are nine lakhs species of life, different aquatics. So in the beginning of creation the whole planet was merged into water. That is also scientifically... Modern science. And from śāstras also, we understand, pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedam, keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare **. So in the beginning there was water. So there must be living entities because living entities are everywhere—in the water, in the air, on the land, within the land, within the water, everywhere. Therefore the living entities are called sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means the living entity can go anywhere. As we are now trying to go to the moon planet, so we may go or not go, but there are living entities in all the planets, in different positions. There are innumerable planets and innumerable universes also. And beyond this material world, there is another nature. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That nature is permanent.
"My boy, my child, although he has changed body, now he has grown-up, say, fifty years old, but my child he is. He is my child." Where is the difficulty to understand? Anyone can understand. But people do not believe in the transmigration of the soul. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). This kind of education, what is the value? The real knowledge begins when we understand that we are not this body, material body. I am different from body.
This is our position. Then, when we understand that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, then real knowledge begins. Otherwise, so long we are in the bodily concept of life, we are animals. Because animal cannot think that the animal is not the body.
So first education should be given to the students that he is not this body, he is spirit soul. And because he is spirit soul, he has got a different business than to maintain this body. Maintenance of the body, that is being done by the cats and dogs also. They also take care of the body very nicely. They fight, struggle for existence to... They fight to keep the body fit. The tiger also, he fights. He secures his eatables by fighting. Similarly, this struggle for existence to get things for eating, sleeping, mating and defending, that is current in the animal society also.
Bhaga, we understand the word bhāgyavān, bhāgya. The bhāgya, bhāgyavān, this word comes from bhaga. Bhaga means opulence. Opulence means riches. How one man can be opulent? If he has got money, if he has got intelligence, if he has got beauty, if he has got reputation, if he has got knowledge, if he has got renunciation—this is the meaning of Bhagavān.
So when we speak "Bhagavān," this Bhagavān, the Parameśvara... Īśvara, Parameśvara; Ātmā, Paramātmā; Brahman, Para-brahman—there is two words. One is ordinary, and the other is parama, supreme. Just like in our cooking process we can cook varieties of rice. Rice is there. The varieties of names are there: anna, paramānna, puṣpānna, kicoranna, like that. So the supreme anna is called paramānna.
So God is seen, not only seen in the history. In the history, when Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, the history of Battle of Kurukṣetra where this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken, that is a historical fact. So we can see through history also Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and through śāstra also. Śāstra-cakṣusā. Just like at the present moment, Kṛṣṇa is not physically present, but we understand through śāstra what is Kṛṣṇa.
Forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by a thousand becomes twelve hours of Brahmā, and similarly twelve hours at night, that is one day and night. Such thirty times makes one month, such twelve times makes a year, and similarly one hundred years is the duration of life of Brahmā. So according to śāstra we understand, once in the day of Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa appears.
Rather, we are contemplating there cannot be any life because so much heat, temperature. So we do not know. We do not know samagram, complete. So this is a material thing. We cannot understand even one of the creation of Bhagavān. And how to know Bhagavān?
So we have to understand Bhagavān from Bhagavān. Then we understand Him asaṁśayaṁ samagram. Paramātma-jñāna, brahma-jñāna, they are partial. Bhagavān is sac-cid-ānanda. Sac-cid-ānanda. So brahma-jñāna means the knowledge of eternity; paramātma-jñāna means the knowledge of all-pervasive Godhead. Everywhere present. That is Paramātmā. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35).
These things are stated. We have to understand through śāstras. We cannot see our past, present, and future, but if we see through the śāstras... Śāstra-cakṣusā. "You should try to see from the śāstras." Actually, we understand everything through śāstras, not directly. Just like we understand in modern science from the newspaper that somebody is trying to go to the moon planet. I do not go personally to the moon planet, but I accept the newspaper. Similarly, we have to accept śāstra, how things are going on beyond our experience. Without that, we cannot have knowledge. That is called Vedic process. Śruti-jñānam. Śruti means hearing from authorities. That is real knowledge. Śrotra-panthā. It is called śrotra-panthā.
With considerable deliberation, we take the decision. All the ācāryas, they have taken decision. Therefore in the next verse Kṛṣṇa says, jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam. This knowledge, with practical understanding, sa-vijñānam. Vijñānam means practical application. We understand Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme. He's the creator of this cosmic manifestation. He's the Supreme. We are all subordinate. This is jñānam. And sa-vijñānam, when it is practically applied, that means when you take to devotional service, then it is practically application, practicing.
So when we understand perfectly, complete knowledge, then there is no more anything remains to be understood. Everything is... Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. So the Bhagavad-gītā is not theory. It is knowledge, and practically applicable in life. Sa-vijñānam. And if we try to understand Kṛṣṇa in perfect order, then there is nothing remains to be understood. Everything becomes revealed. This knowledge becomes revealed. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). Revealed. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi (SB 10.14.29).
So gopīs are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency. Gopīs are not these ordinary women; neither Kṛṣṇa is ordinary man. So unless we understand Kṛṣṇa as were discussing this morning, the verse, kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ... Out of many millions of siddhas, one can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. If we do not understand Kṛṣṇa, then how we can understand gopīs?
The gopīs are expansion of Rādhārāṇī, pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa... These are all spiritual subject matter. So this is not mental. An ordinary man, if he thinks that "I am becoming go...," that is artificial. That is artificial. This is not artificial thing. And the parakīyā-rasa, the sense of paramourship, that is also there. But this is not this parakīyā-rasa, as we understand from this material world. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, er Sanātana Gosvāmī has said that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam. Those, one who is not Vaiṣṇava... So it is, mental speculator, it is useless to learn from them what is the relationship between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa. Neither it has to be practiced artificially. These things are rejected. So my request is that you should not read all these books, simply waste your time. (break)
Asaṁśayam means "without doubt," and samagram means "in completeness." Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām. Kṛṣṇa says... Mām means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi: "As you can understand, please try to hear from Me." Kṛṣṇa is speaking personally. So if we accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as instructed by Kṛṣṇa Himself, then we understand what is God without any doubt. Asaṁśayam and samagram, in completeness. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu.
Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa said this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā first to the sun-god, and he spoke to his son Manu, he spoke to his son Ikṣvāku. In this way, disciplic succession, this Bhagavad-gītā has come down to this earthly planet, and if we accept that disciplic succession, do not unnecessarily interpret, then we understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. That is the process. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to understand the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, as He is, without any interpretation. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga. That can be achieved, as Kṛṣṇa says, always keeping center Kṛṣṇa.
What is Kṛṣṇa. Because if you perfectly understand Kṛṣṇa, then immediately you become liberated, and you become eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. That is stated, divyam. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). If one can understand Kṛṣṇa, why He appears, why He disappears, and... And these are, they are all transcendental; they are not ordinary. Because we understand Kṛṣṇa as a historical person, a person like me, maybe a very great personality with more power than me. Yes, that He is, but you do not know how much powerful He is. Because He is God, He is powerful in full. There is no deficiency in His power.
So Kṛṣṇa is personally speaking about Himself as we understood in the previous verse, that asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Asaṁśayam, without any doubt. If we speculate about God, that will never be sufficient. Not even we can touch the precincts of the knowledge. If we want knowledge without any doubt, asaṁśayam, samagram, and complete, then we must hear from God Himself. This is very easy to understand. By hypothesis, by speculation, you cannot understand anything. It must be known scientifically, and this science can be understood if a person knows the science. So who can know God better than God Himself?
Throughout the whole world, big, big professor, big, big educationist, they do not believe in the next birth. 99.9 percent, they do not. But this is a fact. There is. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Kṛṣṇa says. And we understand this also. Kṛṣṇa gives this example: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). This child is becoming kumāra; a kumāra is becoming boy; boy is becoming young man; young man is becoming old man. So these changes are going on; still, he does not know that "After this old body is finished, I shall have to accept another body." So this is ignorance. Therefore we have to take knowledge from the most perfect Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. This is real knowledge.
They're simply cheating. Simply cheating. It is not possible. But we know that life cannot be produced by any chemical combination because we understand from Bhagavad-gītā that mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). The jīva, the living entities, is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So how it can be prepared by chemical composition? It is not possible. There are so many things. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "If you study knowledge which I am giving to you," yaj jñātvā, "perfectly, then," na iha bhūyaḥ anyaj jñānam, anya, "other department of knowledge will be manifest automatically. You'll know everything." This is the secret. Yaj jñātvā neha bhūyo 'nyaj jñātavyam avaśiṣyate. You haven't got to learn departmentally anything else. Just see.
Even if you accept, "Oh, let it be miserable. I don't mind. I shall remain here..." People say frankly that "We don't want any other world. We don't want, don't believe in it, heaven" or "We don't believe in Vaikuṇṭha. We want to make ourself happy in this world." They say. But from authorities like Kṛṣṇa or Bhagavad-gītā, we understand that this place is meant for suffering. This is called duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Even if we agree to live in this miserable place... Because everyone, we want to live. Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants to die. Suppose we are sitting here, and if there is some death signal, oh, we shall at once flee away from this place, if there is fire, because we do not want to die. That is a fact.
Because he knows that the living force is the same, spiritual quality that is the fragmental portion of the supreme soul, Kṛṣṇa. So we can understand, if we are little sober, how material things come out.
Now, we understand from śāstra that after sex between man and woman, the matter is emulsified and creates a situation wherein the living entity takes shelter. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). So, living entity, every one of us, dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), we shall get another body. So what kind of body we shall get? That is karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. That will be judged by higher authorities according to our karma. If we have done work like human being, then further promotion will be given.
Similarly, this whole universe is also a development of the spiritual body of Kṛṣṇa, Paramātmā.
So it is not very difficult to understand. The Buddhist theory is that living symptoms are produced by combination of matter. But from Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic literature we understand that matter is produced from spirit soul. Matter, not from the matter the living symptoms are produced. According to Lord Buddha's philosophy, that this body is combination of matter... So when we dismantle the matter, nirvāṇa, then there is no more feelings of pains and pleasures. That is called śūnyavādi. But we are neither śūnyavādī or nirviśeṣa-vādī. We are saviśeṣa-vādīs. Saviśeṣa-vādi means that the spirit soul has got its form, and this body has got form. Just like dress takes its form because the man has got a form.
So the material existence, external feature of the Lord, is the, are these eight elements, namely bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). They are subtle forms. Ahaṅkāra, egotism, mind and intelligence. They are also material. They are not spiritual. One who thinks that mental speculation is spiritual speculation, that is wrong. Here from Bhagavad-gītā we understand the mind is also subtle form of matter, and actually that is so. Because we get another body after death according to the mental situation at the time of death. The mind, intelligence, the subtle body... Just like at night our subtle body, mind, intelligence works, and we think that we have got a separate body and have gone somewhere else from our house, from our room. We forget this material body. Similarly, after death, my mind and intelligence carry me to another separate body according to my thinking at the time of death. So false ego. This false ego is that "I am something of material product." This is called false ego. Actually, though, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman."
And that is the stage of liberation. Svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). Now we are acting according to the covering. When we shall not act according to the covering but according to our constitutional position, that is liberated platform. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means when we understand that "We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore our duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa," this is self-realization, this is liberation. When we are fully convinced about this fact that "We are all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Our only duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa," then you are liberated. So the bhakti science means to purify. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). We are differently conscious. Somebody thinking, "I am American," somebody, "I am Indian." This is not our identification. The identification, when I shall think, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives us information, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109), that is self-realization.
So everything is Kṛṣṇa's. So therefore this body, I am claiming, "It is my body." It is not my body. It is Kṛṣṇa's. Kṛṣṇa is giving you. Just like father gives the dress to the children. Actually the dress belongs to the father. So when we understand this body is also Kṛṣṇa's energy, I am also Kṛṣṇa's energy, my intelligence is Kṛṣṇa's energy, and my identification is also with Kṛṣṇa, in this way when we realize fully, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And when Kṛṣṇa withdraws, then it is finished. This Kṛṣṇa, when He withdraws the spirit soul from the body, then the body remains, and in due course of times the body becomes... "Dust thou art, dust thou beist." This is mixed up, pañca. Pañca-tattva prāpta. Again the body is mixed up. Just like from the earth you make so many different types of forms. Again, when it is broken, it falls down on the earth, and in due course it becomes earth again.
Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. We are supported by Kṛṣṇa. We are supported by God. He is one, God is one. And the supported Brahmans, or living entities, they are innumerable, beyond the numerical strength. Asaṅkhya. Nobody can count how many living entities are there, but God is one.
So from the ancient literature we understand that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). There are many incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, expansion of Kṛṣṇa, svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. Some of the expansions are direct personal expansions, just like Lord Rāma, Nṛsiṁha-deva, Varāha. There are many. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Kṛṣṇa is existing, expanding Himself in various forms like Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, and so many others. There are different kinds of incarnations, avatāras—śaktyāveśāvatāra, guṇāvatāra, manvantarāvatāra, yugāvatāra.
And the sound vibrated in the sky, or anywhere, the sound element is Kṛṣṇa. And the energy or the name, fame, opulence of big men of this world, that is also Kṛṣṇa. In this way, if we study Kṛṣṇa, then we know Him gradually. And as soon as we understand Him, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ: "One who understands in truth," tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9), "immediately he becomes liberated, so much so that after quitting this body he comes to Me."
The example, as we have given several times, that the sun and the sunshine and the heat of the shine, sun, they are always present. Wherever there is sun, there is light and there is heat. So heat and light is the understanding of the presence of sun. Sometimes sun is covered, but still we experience heat and light. Therefore we understand the sun is there. Similarly Kṛṣṇa, or God, is there. You have to understand by the energies, the material energy and the spiritual energy. That is already explained in two verses.
Unfortunately, people do not understand even the ABCD of this Bhagavad-gītā. And what to speak of becoming graduate and postgraduate? This is the difficulty. If we try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, at least we understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. God is explaining Himself. And we are searching after God, making sear... There are so many institutions. In Oxford University there is a big research department. But here God is canvassing. He's explaining. There was a great controversy. What is that professor?
Just like pearls. The pearls... Take it. Pearl is round, and the innumerable universes are also round. So all these universes are staying... Mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni (BG 9.4). Kṛṣṇa says. Mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ. So everything is resting on Kṛṣṇa. In another place He says that "I am sustaining all these planets." Of course, we understand law of gravitation according to our theory, but actually, according to Vedic description, the Saṅkarṣaṇa is sustaining all these planets. So anyway, it is to be understood. Just like the, all the planets are floating in the air in weightlessness... How this weightlessness comes? That is explained here. Mayi, "It is resting on Me." Kṛṣṇa says. Mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva.
Or the laws are there; they are discovering the laws. But the original support is Kṛṣṇa. The whole planetary system, the modern science says, the law of gravitation. But that is not very perfectly explained. We can question. There are so many things. But from the Vedic literature we understand that Kṛṣṇa in His ananta feature, Anantadeva, or Śeṣaśāyī Nāga... The hoods are expanded, and all the planets are resting on His hood. It is so small, and the hood is very big. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta... So therefore the planets are resting not on the law of gravitation but on the head of Kṛṣṇa in His form of Śeṣa. This is our Vedic conclusion.
Similarly, dharmāviruddha. The garbhādhāna-saṁskāra has to be observed. Otherwise we become śūdra, no more brāhmaṇa, no more kṣatriya.
So it is very difficult to say at the present moment whether garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is observed. At least, in garbhādhāna-saṁskāra we understand that "This child is born of a real brāhmaṇa," but without garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, who knows how the child is born? Nobody knows except the mother. Therefore the śāstra says, "In this age, Kali-yuga, because this garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not observed regularly," kalau śūdrāḥ sambhavāḥ, "everyone in the Kali-yuga is a śūdra because the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not observed." Of course, those who are observing... But it is very hard to say who is observing. But if it is not observed, then any child born, either in the brāhmaṇa family or kṣatriya family or vaiśya family, because the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not observed, it is to be understood that that child is śūdra.
"Oh, no, no, no. Don't shoot me." He doesn't want to die. So death is a problem. Nobody wants to die, but death comes and captures him, just like President Kennedy, within a second: (snaps his finger) "Leave this position." Forced. Submit. "Yes. What can I do?" No scientific advancement of knowledge. Of course, this is also another science, Kṛṣṇa science. But we understand scientific knowledge, this material scientists, material science. They are also trying. The Russians sometimes say that "Time will come when science will solve the problems of death. Nobody will die." Let them think like that, but it is not possible.
So sunshine is compared with the Brahman effulgence, brahma-jyotir. And sun disc is compared to the Supersoul. And the sun planet, within, that is compared with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Just like in this planet you have got so many personalities, similarly, according to Vedic literature, we understand in the sun planet also there are varieties of living entities, but their bodies are made of fire. As our body is made of earth, similarly, their bodies are made of fire. There are five elements in the material nature: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. So in different planets, there are different atmospheres and different bodies also. Don't think that each and every planet of the same quality. No. Same quality in the sense because these five elements are present there. Without these five elements, no material thing exists. So somewhere the fire is prominent.
So whenever in the scripture it is said that God is without form, that means He has no form which we have got experience. But He has got form. Just the same example. When you cannot measure, you say a point has no length, no breadth. But actually, it is not a fact. The point has length and breadth. We have no instrument to measure it, that's all. Similarly, when as soon as we say "form," we understand this form. Just like I am seeing your form, you are seeing my form. So we understand that God may be a form, and because God also comes in this form also. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā it is said, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: (BG 9.11)
Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām, so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve (Bs. 5.34). Still the subject matter remains inconceivable, inconceivable, not definite.
But here is the definite information. Just in the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that ananya-cetāḥ, ananya-cetāḥ, without any deviation from this path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without any deviation from the devotional service in submission, if anyone thinks always of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says, tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ. Sulabha means "I am very easily available for him." Tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha. "Why? Why You are so...?
No. The thing is that there are different kinds of miseries. That we understand. That is our..., due to our ignorance. We don't care for it. Just like a man who is suffering from very, since a long time. He has forgotten what is happiness. He has forgotten what is real happiness. Similarly, the sufferings are there already. Now take for example, you are now young man. Now, would you like to become old man?
Yes. So suffering's there. You have to take version from realized souls, from, I mean to say, authorities that this... Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "This place is full of miseries." So one has to realize it. Unless we understand that this place is miserable, there is no question how to get out of it.
The Bhagavad-gītā is there, the teaching is there, the example is there. Why should we not accept and make our life successful? That is the first law.
Then Kṛṣṇa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4). Avyakta-mūrtinā: the impersonalist. We understand Kṛṣṇa is person. And what is imperson? Imperson is the expansions of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Just like we can understand by this example, that the sun is person, localized. It is a globe. And within the sun there is sun-god. The sun-god is a person. His name is Vivasvān. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1).
Here in the material science, they sterilize. They, they are under the impression that when there is too strong temperature, the microbes die, or when there is too cold, the microbes die. There are two kinds of sterilization: either by increasing the heat or decreasing the heat, below zero. But Bhagavad-gītā, from Bhagavad-gītā we understand, adāhyo 'yam: soul is never killed in fire, neither it is killed by extreme coldness. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. Spirit cannot be counteracted by any material reaction. That is spirit. So therefore, the theory that in the fire the living entity dies, it is not; otherwise how these ślokas are there in the Second Chapter? Adāhyo 'yam, akledyo 'yam, aśoṣya 'yam.
What is the sunshine? The sunshine is illumination and the heat also, heat and light, sunshine. Now if you go to the sun planet, then what is there? Heat and light. And if you enter into the sun planet and see the person, the supreme personality within the sun... There is a supreme person. We do not know, but we understand from Bhagavad-gītā that Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). He talked with the sun-god, so there is sun-god. There is god, or the president, you may say, president of the planet. And if the president is there, the government is there. There are living entities. In everywhere there are living entities. Don't think that you are simply here in this planet, and there is no living entity. It is wrong conception, foolish conception.
Guest (4) (man): Śrīla Prabhupāda, how can we understand why the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement seems to attract so many young boys and young girls in the Western world...
Prabhupāda: Tax? Tax?
Hari-śauri: Attracts.
Prabhupāda: Attracts, oh.
Guest (4): Attracts so many young people and not so much the middle-aged and older people in the Western world.
In the Vedic literature we understand that these things are so nicely being done as if there are so many plans, so many engineers and so many scientists, they are working. No. The nature is so made by the superior brain of the Supreme Lord, that it is going on automatically. Don't you see a flower, how it is beautifully decorated with paintings? A leaf, just symmetrically... You don't find any change. So this is going on. This is going on automatically. This is God's power. This is God's power. If you have got to paint one picture, one flower, oh, you have to take so much attention, and still, it may not be symmetrical. There may be some mistake.
Somebody else bigger than him. So similarly you go on, searching after who is the biggest? Then you come to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is person. Simply go on searching. As we search. Here is a big man, and here is a bigger man. Here is another biggest man. So go on, go on, you go up to Brahmā. Then after Brahmā, Brahmā is also not the ultimate. Because from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we understand: tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Ādi-kavaye. Ādi-kavi (means) is Brahmā. Brahmā is also educated by superior person. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. Brahmā is also educated. He's not self-sufficient. He gets education from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa haite catur-mukha. So in this way, if we try to find out, if we'll find out, if we are actually sincere to find out the ultimate source of everything, then you will come to Kṛṣṇa. Which is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa: ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Kṛṣṇa says this.
Life is going on. "I have become befooled, so I don't want that my son will be intelligent. Let him become befooled. Let him become befooled." This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), repeatedly chewing the chewed. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). But from the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that our ultimate goal of life is to reach Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Lord, gatiḥ. And bhartā. Bhartā means maintainer. Maintainer. He is maintaining everyone. That's a fact. There are 8,400,000's of species of life, and, out of which, human society, human beings, are a very small number, say, about 200,000 species of life. Balance eight hundred, two hundred thousand species of life, they are animal and aquatics, birds, beasts, uncivilized men, so many species of life. They have no economic problem. They have no economic problem.
And within the sun, there are cities, palaces, inhabitants. Just like within this planet, there are cities, there are roads, there are so many varieties of living condition. Similarly in every planet, there is varieties of living condition. Koṭiṣu aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. From Vedic literature we understand: yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Yasya prabhā. Govinda's prabhā, Kṛṣṇa's prabhā. Illumination. Prabhā means illumination. Just like this bulb and the illumination. The illumination is broadcast all over the room. The bulb is located in a place.
Similarly Govinda is located in His planet which is known as Goloka Vṛndāvana. And from there, His bodily rays are being distributed. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. That is Brahman, impersonal Brahman. This impersonal Brahman is the bodily effulgence, rays of Kṛṣṇa.
We have explained several times. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi: "In the water there are nine hundred thousand different forms of body." How many do we know? We do not know all the details. We know there are different types of fishes, and say, a hundred thousand we have seen or experimented, the zoologist. But from the Vedic literature we understand that there are nine hundred thousand forms of body within the water.
According to different desires, we have got these different types of body. Kṣetra. Just like field. The cultivator, the farmer, works on the field and gets some result. Similarly, we have got different types of body and we are working on this body in the bodily concepts of life. That is not advanced life. If we are in the bodily concept of life, that is animal life. When we understand that "I know that I am not this body; I am working with this body," that is knowledge. Abhidhīyate.
"One cannot become a rsi unless he gives his personal different opinion."
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītam. Then which one we have to accept? We have to accept... That is stated in the Vedic literature. Nāsau ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. Śrutayo vibhinnāḥ. Vedic literature—Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg, Artharva—they are different. They are one, but we understand differently, according to our quality of understanding. Otherwise, all Vedic literature aims to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That is the purpose of Veda, to understand Kṛṣṇa. After many, many births of studying of Vedic literature, in the process of jñāna-mārga, when one becomes actually wise, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19), when he is actually wise, jñānavān māṁ prapadyante, he understands Kṛṣṇa and surrenders unto Him. That is actually understanding. So chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak.
Every has got qualification. That is very natural. That is very natural. Yasya hi yal-lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyanjakam. To ascertain which class a man belongs, whether he is a brāhmaṇa, or a kṣatriya, or vaiśya, there are qualifications. Just like ordinarily we know. We understand an engineer by qualification, a medical practitioner by qualification. We don't ask, "Whose son you are, Mr. Engineer?" No. If you have got engineer's qualification, you are engineer. Otherwise, how can you be engineer? Similarly, yasya hi yal-lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyanjakam. Varṇa. This is brahminical quality.
So this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting is the process of wiping out the dust accumulated on the mirror of my mind. Mind, cetaḥ. Cetaḥ is consciousness. Mind is not exactly cetaḥ—consciousness.
So our movement for Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a process of clearing the consciousness. Originally, we are all Kṛṣṇa conscious. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Fifteenth Chapter, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7), "These jīvas, these living entities, they are My part and parcel." And sanātana, part..., but they are not whole. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they claim to be the whole. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy, we do not claim that we are the whole. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they claim that "I am God." But we do not claim. We claim that we are part and parcel of God. As part and parcel of God, we have got the same quality.
In that stage one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very nicely. Of course, it is very difficult, but Kṛṣṇa will help us.
Now, this tṛṇād api sunīcena, one may think, "Oh, it is artificial to think that I am smaller than the grass in the street." But actually, it is not artificial. It is actually the fact. Why? From the Padma Purāṇa, Vedic literature, we understand that the form of the soul is one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair. Now how much small we are, just we can imagine only. There is no instrument to divide the upper portion of the hair into ten thousand parts. And just to take one part as the magnitude of the soul, that is not... Actually, we are very small. That small particle of soul is within the ant and within the elephant. It is a bodily expansion only that we are, we appear..., the elephant appears to be the biggest animal, and the ant or the germ appears to be the smallest. But actually, these are bodily expansions. The soul as it is is really smaller than the grass or straw on the street.
It is Kṛṣṇa's. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we become purified... Purified means at the present moment we have got this false knowledge, "This is my hand, this is my leg." When we become purified, we understand that "This is Kṛṣṇa's leg, Kṛṣṇa's hand, Kṛṣṇa's eyes." That is wanted. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170).
That is called mukti. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, mukti means hitvā anyathā-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). That is mukti. Mukti does not mean that you have got now two hands, and as soon as you become mukta, you'll have three thousand hands. No, not that. Mukti means svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. When we understand that "I am utilizing hands and legs and eyes for my sense gratification. No, this is wrong. It should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service. My hands should be engaged for Kṛṣṇa's service. My hands should be engaged for cleansing this temple. My hands should be engaged for cooking Kṛṣṇa's food." In this way. "My hands should be utilized for writing for Kṛṣṇa, glorifying Kṛṣṇa. My legs should be used for going to the temple of Kṛṣṇa. My eyes should be used for seeing beauty of Kṛṣṇa. My ears should be used for hearing glories of Kṛṣṇa. My tongue should be used for chanting Kṛṣṇa's holy name." That is mukti.
Therefore these people, they cannot understand what is the atmosphere. They understand. Some scientists, they say the atmosphere in the moon planet is two hundred degrees below zero. So there are difference of scientists' opinion, but according to Vedic literature we understand that there are innumerable planets, and one of the planets is the moon planet. Nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. Nakṣatrāṇām: "Among the stars and planets," Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the moon."
"Because I am in touch with the sunshine, therefore I am in touch with the sun." You are simultaneously, you are in touch with the sun at the same time not touching sun. Just like at the present moment at night we are not in touch with the sun because it is darkness. So when... We are not in touch with God when we forget Him. And as soon as we understand that everything is the energy of the Supreme Lord, then we immediately become in touch. That can be done, premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38).
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, iti kṣetraṁ tathā jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ coktuṁ samāsataḥ. "My dear Arjuna, now I have explained to you in summary, not in detail, what is this body, who is the knower of the body, proprietor of the body, kṣetra-jña, and what is knowledge, and what is the object of knowledge. These things I have explained to you." So Kṛṣṇa is explaining, everything. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā.
If you become a sura, then you become fit for entering into the kingdom of God, back to home, back to Godhead. But if you remain asura, then you have to remain in this material world, which is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), full of miseries and temporary. So we don't say anyone asura and sura, but, we understand from the śāstra anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever he may be, he becomes a sura. Even if he is born in asura family, it doesn't matter. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. His father was a asura, but still, he became the first-class sura. Similarly, everyone can become first-class sura. They have to be trained. The asuras, they... Therefore it is said that pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ (BG 16.7). Asuras, the fault is, asuras, they do not know how to live a very happy and clean life. They do not know. Ācāra. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ. They have not cleanliness and good behavior.
So we have to cultivate that sanātana-dharma, means we have to purify ourself from the material qualification or material designation. Here we have got material designation: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am this and that." So one has to become free. That is purification, when we understand that, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced Himself, that "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a śūdra, I am not a sannyāsī, I am not a brahmacārī, but I am servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa (CC Madhya 13.80)." Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. If we come to this understanding, that is our purification.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa recommends, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā: (BG 4.34) "One should approach the ācārya and try to understand by praṇipāta, surrender." This whole thing is depending on surrender. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. The surrender process, the proportion of surrender, is the means of understanding Kṛṣṇa. If we are partially surrendered, then we understand Kṛṣṇa partially. So ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. It is the proportion of surrender. The one who has surrendered fully, he can understand this philosophy and he can preach also, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. What is that?
| Page Title: | We understand (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 03 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=120, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 120 |