Electric bulb

Expressions researched:
"bulb to accept the electric" |"electric bulb" |"electric bulbs" |"electric light bulb" |"electrical bulb"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.3.28, Translation and Purport:

All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.

In this particular stanza Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is distinguished from other incarnations. He is counted amongst the avatāras (incarnations) because out of His causeless mercy the Lord descends from His transcendental abode. Avatāra means "one who descends." All the incarnations of the Lord, including the Lord Himself, descend on the different planets of the material world as also in different species of life to fulfill particular missions. Sometimes He comes Himself, and sometimes His different plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, or His differentiated portions directly or indirectly empowered by Him, descend on this material world to execute certain specific functions. Originally the Lord is full of all opulences, all prowess, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. When they are partly manifested through the plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, it should be noted that certain manifestations of His different powers are required for those particular functions. When in the room small electric bulbs are displayed, it does not mean that the electric powerhouse is limited by the small bulbs. The same powerhouse can supply power to operate large-scale industrial dynamos with greater volts. Similarly, the incarnations of the Lord display limited powers because so much power is needed at that particular time.

SB 1.13.10, Purport:

The Personality of Godhead is omnipresent by His diverse potencies everywhere, just as the power of electricity is distributed everywhere within space. Similarly, the Lord's omnipresence is perceived and manifested by His unalloyed devotees like Vidura, just as electricity is manifested in an electric bulb. A pure devotee like Vidura always feels the presence of the Lord everywhere. He sees everything in the potency of the Lord and the Lord in everything. The holy places all over the earth are meant for purifying the polluted consciousness of the human being by an atmosphere surcharged with the presence of the Lord's unalloyed devotees. If anyone visits a holy place, he must search out the pure devotees residing in such holy places, take lessons from them, try to apply such instructions in practical life and thus gradually prepare oneself for the ultimate salvation, going back to Godhead.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.1.15, Purport:

The consciousness of the Lord is also in the part and parcel, and according to the proportion to which that consciousness is cleared of material dirt, the living entities are differently situated. In the Vedānta-sūtra, the living entities of different gradations are compared to candles or lamps with different candle power. For example, some electric bulbs have the power of one thousand candles, some have the power of five hundred candles, some the power of one hundred candles, some fifty candles, etc., but all electric bulbs have light. Light is present in every bulb, but the gradations of light are different. Similarly, there are gradations of Brahman. The Viṣṇu svāṁśa expansions of the Supreme Lord in different Viṣṇu forms are like lamps, Lord Śiva is also like a lamp, and the supreme candle power, or the one-hundred-percent light, is Kṛṣṇa.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

And what is that? Now, avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam: "You just try to understand. In your body there is some thing which is spread all over body, all over your body. And that is eternal. And what is that thing which is spread all over your body? That is your consciousness. Your consciousness."

Just like this electric bulb is here, and the light of the electric bulb is diffused all over the, I mean to say, room. We can see. Similarly, the spirit soul is within your heart. It is situated there. But it is so powerful that its light is spread all over this body so that wherever you pinch, you feel, by consciousness, "Oh, I am feeling some pain." That consciousness. And as soon as that consciousness is gone from this body, if your head is cut off, or your leg is cut off, by chopped off, you don't feel anything.

Lecture on BG 7.9 -- Vrndavana, August 15, 1974:

These are explained here. Everything, that is there. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1).

But we should not, like Māyāvādī, we should not make mistake: because the electric bulb, or electric light, is being caused by Kṛṣṇa, therefore the electric lamp is Kṛṣṇa. No, not that. Kṛṣṇa—always separate from the electric light. The Māyāvādī says that "Because Kṛṣṇa is there in the electric lamp, or in the tree, or in the seed, or in the color, or in the flavor, therefore Kṛṣṇa is finished. There is no more Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa has spread Himself in so many ways, therefore Kṛṣṇa is finished." This is material consideration. Just like you take a piece of paper and make it small fragments and throw it, then the original paper is lost. This is material.

Lecture on BG 13.18 -- Bombay, October 12, 1973:

Jyoti. Jyoti means light. There are different types of light. There is lamp. There is candle. There is electric bulb. The power also, they are different powers: one hundred powers, fifty powers, twenty-five... There are different grades of jyoti. But there is supreme jyoti.

Just like this moon. The moon. This night is full moon. This moon has got its illumination, but wherefrom this illumination comes? It comes from the sunshine. The sunshine is reflected on the moon, and the moon has become illuminating source. Just like in a mirror when there is reflection of the sunshine, the mirror can also reflect another dark place, not independently. Everyone... In childhood everyone has played with a mirror. Just put a mirror in front of the sunshine, and the reflection is there, and you can pass on the reflection in the darkest place and it will be illuminated.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 3.25.27 -- Bombay, November 27, 1974:

That's all. So, so long we are in the service of māyā, duṣkṛtinām, engaged in sinful activities, it is not possible. But if you engage the positive and the negative... The Māyāvādī, they are simply trying to be negative. There is no positive engagement. But here in the bhakti-yoga the negative is there and positive is there. Therefore there is electric light bulb, negative and positive. Therefore there is enlightenment. Simply negative will not help you. And if you don't care of the negative sides, simply positive also will not. But bhakti-yoga is so strong, if you take to the positive side of service of Kṛṣṇa, the material service or māyā's service will automatically become negative. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). That is called vairāgya. The bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-yoga. Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam.

Lecture on SB 3.26.8 -- Bombay, December 20, 1974:

So they were giving their acquaintances to Draupadī, "In this way I became a maidservant of Kṛṣṇa." You will find this in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Even the queens... Every queen possessed a big palatial building, and all the palaces were made of first-class marble, and the furnitures were made of ivory, and the beddings, and the within the room, there was no need of electrical bulb. They are set up with jewels, and they would throw the focus of light. And there was garden, pārijāta flower. You will find all these things in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And each queen had ten sons. And the sons were also married. They had sons. In this way, very, very opulent. But still, they were placing themself in the position of maidservant. They were also king's daughter, not ordinary being. So that is the Vedic conception. Of course, I do not know what is the practice here. But in Bengal this is the practice. When the son goes to marry to the bride's house, it is a custom. The mother asks the son, "My dear son, where you are going?" So the bridegroom answers, "I am going to bring one maidservant for you."

General Lectures

Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, February 9, 1969:

So Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel is also one with Kṛṣṇa. In the spiritual world there is no two. All one, one unit. This will take time to understand. Theoretically we can understand. And here, in this material world, we are all separated. Therefore, just like if electric bulbs are separated from the powerhouse, practically it has no value, similarly, so long we are separated from Kṛṣṇa, we have no value. Sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ. Sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ. Sthānāt means from the right position one falls down. So by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by reviving your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by engaging yourself in Kṛṣṇa's service, you revive your original position. That is called liberation. Now we are not liberated; we are dependent on so many laws, so many conditions, although we are very much proud and puffed-up, independent. Who is independent? Nobody is independent. It is not possible to become independent.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: Everything for jīva souls, all relationship. Kṛṣṇa is one, the Supreme, and all the jīva souls are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the eternal relationship is there. Now they are exhibited in these twelve kinds of humor, either directly or indirectly. Jīva soul, a part and parcel, cannot be separated from the Supreme. Sun and the light, electric bulb, and the diffusion of light, they cannot be separated. But this portion is covered. It appears darkness. So when it is covered, that is called māyā, and he thinks that "I have no relationship with God," or "I am God," "There is no God." This is māyā. He is covered. He cannot see. So he has to be treated by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness treatment, and the māyā will be separated, and he will see, "Ah, yes, I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa." Then he comes to the direct relationship. Anyone, so-called spiritualist or transcendentalist, if he is claiming that "There is no God," "I am God," "There is voidness," these are all disturbing positions, different symptoms of this disease of māyā. It is disease. How one can think of, that he is God?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 17, 1976, Mayapura:

Devotee (1): Two lanes. They'll probably have...

Prabhupāda: Within that temple, there will be the tree of planetary system, electric bulb, and they'll move round. And upon that, sun will run. That requires electrical mechanism. (break) ...all side, other, different planets, Vaikuṇṭha-loka.... There will be escalator to go.

Yaśodānandana: I think in some of the Western countries they have these elevators with brass windows all around, so that one can, even though he's going up, he still sees all around. It would be very fascinating for these people.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What to speak of escalators?

Room Conversation -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: That we already admitted. That I can see ten feet, let me credit, take credit for that. But why shall I say, "I can see the whole universe." What is this nonsense? Speak the truth. "Now we have manufactured machine, and this, I have calculation that..." All talking nonsense. I say it is not possible for you to see beyond ten feet. Why you are claiming that you can see the whole sky? That is our protest. You can see ten feet, take that credit, that much. If somebody manufactures the electric lamp, all right. Take this. But if he says, "I can manufacture the sun." Then he is to be beaten with shoes. Talking nonsense. You take this credit, that you have manufactured light in electric bulb, that's all right. But why you claim that, "I can manufacture the sun"? That is their claim, defying God. Because we are explaining God consciousness, therefore we have protest. Otherwise let them move(?), all nonsense (indistinct). But we cannot tolerate when they challenge God. We must (indistinct).

Letter to Sai Baba -- September 13, 1976, Vrndavana:

Pradyumna: Exactly like illumination of light is resting...

Prabhupāda: On the bulb, electric bulb. Not the bulb is resting on the illumination. Besides that, we learn from Bhagavad-gītā, Second Chapter... Find out that verse. "It is not that we were..."

Pradyumna: Na tv evāham?

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is Vedānta. Yes. That is Vedānta. Brahma-sūtra. This is Vedānta. So this life is meant for Vedānta. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. And what is Brahman? Janmādy asya yataḥ. Brahman means the Supreme Soul of everything. And Kṛṣṇa replies, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Then Vedānta study... I'm inquiring what is the ultimate source of everything and here is the answer. If you don't believe, that is another thing. You go on talking like anything. That is another thing. But answer is there. Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). So we have to go to such mahātmā who knows vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti. Then it will be all right. If we want to waste time, that is another thing. I am very glad to see you. So I wish that you may spread real Vedānta. That is essence of Vedas. Vedānta means the essence of Vedas. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Light is, of course there is light in the sunshine and there is light in the sun-globe, but the source of light is coming from the sun-god. Just like electric bulb, thousand power.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Steven Hebel -- London 6 December, 1969:

Just like the electric current is equal on all points of the electric system, but different light bulbs will take different amounts of energy. This depends upon the capacity of the bulb to accept the electric current. Similarly, the Lord is not partial to anyone, but according to one's sincere desire to render unalloyed devotional service, so will He respond to enlighten such devotee. So the way for you to increase the capacity of receiving Krishna's Mercy is to chant Hare Krishna regularly, at least 16 rounds per day, to associate with devotees of Krishna, and to follow the rules and regulations. In this connection Brahmananda and the others will be able to give you good guidance. My request to you is that you stick with this process sincerely, and I am sure Lord Krishna provide all facilities for your advancement.