View source for By nature I am active. By nature, because I am spirit, and by nature I am active. And my activities are exhibited even I am contaminated with this matter. And when you become purified from matter, do you think you shall be silent?

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[[Category:Inferior Energy - Material Matter]]
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[[Category:Questions Posed by Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, Bhagavad-gita As It Is]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in USA, New York]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG91114NewYorkNovember271966_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="314" link="Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966" link_text="Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966">
<div class="heading">By nature I am active. By nature, because I am spirit, and by nature I am active. And my activities are exhibited even I am contaminated with this matter. And when you become purified from matter, do you think you shall be silent? Is there any reason? So do you...? To become Brahman does not mean to become void. No. To become Brahman means superior energy. With superior energy, we have to work with superior endeavor and superior energy and superior position.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966|Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">
As we have discussed many times, God has got many energies. ''Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate'' (''Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad'' 6.8).
 
There are unlimited energies, different varieties of energy. Out of that, those who are in the knowledge, they have divided the whole energy into three divisions. What is that? Material energy, spiritual energy and marginal energy. This material energy you are seeing. And the spiritual energy, now we have no knowledge. But the marginal energy, something spirit, something matter, that we are, we living entity. I am . . . as I am, I am spirit. But I am mixed up with this matter. Therefore I am marginal energy, between spirit and matter.
 
I am combination of spirit and matter. As soon as I am spirit, I am away from this matter, this body becomes matter. "Dust thou art; dust thou beist." Yes. So those who are ''mahātmā'', they have to take shelter of the spiritual energy. Of course, for God, every energy is His energy. Therefore He has no distinction what is spirit and what is matter. But for me, because I am in marginal energy, I have to make distinction that "This is spirit; this is matter."
 
So ''mahātmā'', those who have broadened their heart for becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious or devoting himself for the service of the great . . . just like to . . . one . . . a government servant, important government servant, he also becomes important; similarly, God is great, and when you are engaged in His service you become great. You become great. That is called ''mahātmā''. So as soon as you take shelter of the spiritual energy of the Supreme Lord, at once you become ''mahātmā''. ''Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ''.
 
And suppose now I have, I mean, identified with the greatness of the Supreme: ''ahaṁ brahmāsmi''. This Vedic word is called ''ahaṁ brahmāsmi'': "I am the . . . I am Brahman." But simply being puffed up, "I am Brahman, I become God," that is another ''rākṣasīm'', another misleading. Here it is said that if you have become Brahman, then you must show your activities in Brahman. Because you are spirit; you are not inactive. To become Brahman does not mean that I become inactive. Oh, in matter I am so much active because I am Brahman. Although I am contaminated with matter, still, I am so active. And when I am purified from matter, do you mean to say my activities stop? What is this reasoning?
 
By nature I am active. By nature, because I am spirit, and by nature I am active. And my activities are exhibited even I am contaminated with this matter. And when you become purified from matter, do you think you shall be silent? Is there any reason? So do you . . .? To become Brahman does not mean to become void. No. To become Brahman means superior energy. With superior energy, we have to work with superior endeavor and superior energy and superior position. And therefore it is called, in the next line, ''bhajanty ananya-manaso'': "One who has become ''mahātmā'', his symptom is that he's fully engaged in the loving transcendental service of Kṛṣṇa." He is ''mahātmā''.
 
How can you stop activity? ''Bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ, jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam''. Why does he engage in that way? Because he understands that "If service has to be rendered, it is to Kṛṣṇa and nobody else. I have so long served my senses. Now I shall serve Kṛṣṇa, the proprietor of the senses." That is called ''mahātmā''. You cannot stop your service, because you are meant for service.
 
Can you show, anybody within this meeting, anybody who does not serve? Is there anybody who does not serve anybody? You go outside, ask hundreds and thousands of people that, "Do you . . . don't you serve anybody?" You go to the president, Johnson. Ask him, "Don't you serve anybody?" "Oh, yes, I am serving the country." So who is out of service? Nobody is out of service. But he's serving the illusion. And as soon as he serves the Supreme, he becomes ''mahātmā''. Service you cannot stop. But you have to stop your service to the nonsense, and you have to give service to the reality.</p>
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