So you cannot go even in the moon planet. How you can go to that spiritual planet penetrating the material coverings coming to the spiritual effulgence, Brahman, and after all these universes, then...? Therefore it is said, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ (Bs. 5.34). Koṭi-śata-vatsara, millions of years, if you go with your sputnik with full force... Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. Not this sputnik, but make your planes of mind speed. This is material speed. What is this speed? A few thousands, twenty thousand, fifty thousand. But do you know mind speed? You are sitting here, and immediately, within a second, you can go to India. This is mind speed. Immediately. So panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34). By the air speed or mind speed. Vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām. And driven by great scientists, muni-puṅgava. Puṅgava means very expert, nara-puṅgava. So big, big scientists, expert scientists, if they can discover airplane which is running on mind speed or air speed... They are not, they cannot go by the air speed. They fly on the air, but not with the air speed. So in this way, still, avicintya-tattve, after going many, many millions of years in that speed, still you will find, "Oh, Goloka Vṛndāvana is far, far away." This is the position.
Far away (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
The spirit soul is measured, first of all, divide the tip of your hair into one hundred parts, and then take one part again, and again divide it into one hundred parts. That portion is the measurement of the soul. Or, in other words, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of your hair. Now, we have no measuring instrument. Therefore, because we have no measuring instrument, although the soul is there, within this body, we cannot find it out. Although the soul and the Supersoul both are situated within the heart, and the heart is the center of all vitality, energy of this body... That is accepted. But we have no eyes to see the soul or the Supersoul because these material eyes are blunt, imperfect. You cannot see so many things. I cannot see even my eyelids, the nearest, and I cannot see which is far, far away, distant place.
Yes. That is the statement in the Vedas. Apāni-pādo javana grahīta.(?) The Supreme Lord has no legs and hands, but still, He accepts whatever we offer. Now we are accepting, we are offering here foodstuff, Kṛṣṇa. So it is confirmed that He accepts. Now He is... We do not know how far away He is staying in Vaikuṇṭhaloka. There is no limit of measurement. Then how He's accepting? It is said that javana, He is accepting our offerings. So He must be accepting with His hand. So He can stretch His hand so many millions and trillions miles away. Therefore when it is said that He has no hand, that means He has no hand like us, limited. But that does not mean He has no hand. He has hand unlimited. Unlimitedly He can stretch. That we cannot conceive. Because we have got this three-feet hand. So Kṛṣṇa must have at least four-feet. That's all. That frog philosophy. (laughter) Simply imagining. "Ah, Kṛṣṇa may be very great. So we have got this three-feet, Kṛṣṇa, let Him have six-feet. That's all."
"Those who know the Absolute Truth, they know that Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān, they are one. It is different phases of understanding only." Just like if you see one hill from a distant place, you will find impersonal, hazy, something cloudy. If you go still forward, then you can see it is something greenish. And if you go actually within the hill, you'll see there are so many animals, trees, men. Similarly, those who are trying to understand the Absolute from distance place or far away, they are realizing, by speculation, impersonal Brahman. Those who are still forward, yogis, they can see localized aspect. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). They can see, dhyāna avasthita, localized within himself. This is Paramātmā feature. And those who are devotees, they see Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of God, eye to eye, one person to another. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13).
I have given you several times the example that the sun is far, far away from us. Still, he can distribute his heat and light to us. So if we work with God consciousness, although we are here in this platform, material platform, that work is admitted by the Supreme Lord. That is called yoga-sthaḥ. Yoga-sthaḥ... Yoga means keeping touch with the Supreme. That is called yoga. There are different kinds of yoga mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, especially jñāna-yoga, karma-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. And within jñāna-yoga there are many other yogas—dhyāna-yoga, haṭha-yoga, so many things. Now, here it is said that yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi: "You be situated in your yoga or in meditation." Generally yoga is understood as meditation. But yoga, real meaning of yoga—to keep in touch with the Supreme—that is called yoga, to keep in touch. So you have to work for, er, from the platform of spiritual consciousness.
Now, we have to understand in this way, that He has got His hands, He has got His leg, but not this limited hand or limited leg. In another place in Bhagavad-gītā you'll find. God says that "Whatever is offered to Me in the group of flowers, fruits, vegetables, I accept for eating." Now, if we think that God is far, far away, how He eats? I offer here. How He eats? That means His eating process is different. He can eat even from millions and millions of miles away. So these things are to be understood, that God has got a form, but that form is not exactly our form. If we try to understand God's form as limited as our form, then we'll misunderstand.
In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). His form is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, just exactly opposite to this form which we have got just now. We can also attain that form. That is being explained here.
The mistake of the Māyāvāda philosophy is that "You are the same." You are the same in which way? I am the same in quality, not in quantity. Just like if I say, "You are as good as President Nixon," there is nothing wrong because you are American, he is American. Is there anything wrong? From the point of view, American citizenship, you are as good as President Nixon. But when you go deep into the matter, you will find, oh, you are far, far away from President Nixon. Similarly, we are identifying ourself with this matter, but Vedas says that "You are not matter. You are supreme spirit soul." Not supreme, "You are spirit soul."
So we have to cure this disease, material disease, accepting this material body. Our real problem, which is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam... (BG 13.9). Our real problem is that we are accepting a material body, and after some days, we are giving up the present material body, and we are accepting another material body. How we are accepting different bodies? That you have got experience. Just like you, I, both of us, had a small child body. That is now gone. The boy's body is now gone. The youthful body is now gone. Now I have got a different body. But I know that I had such and such body. Similarly, when this body will be useless, I cannot use it, I will have to accept another body. That we have got experience daily, in day and night. When we sleep at night, although we have got this body lying on my bed, I accept another body, subtle body, and I go to another place and dream. Similarly, at night, when I give up that subtle body, which took me far away from my bed, again I come and accept this material body and wake up.
Now, durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ: "They have accepted this external, deluded nature as the goal of life." They want to be happy by adjustment of this material nature. This is durāśayā. Durāśayā means... Duḥ means a difficult, a far away. This hope will never be satisfied. They have made it a point to forget God for good, and they want to make it a point that "We shall be happy in this material world by adjustment of our scientific or so-called knowledge."
And how they are acting? Just like the electric powerhouse is situated far away from your residential apartment, but from there the energy is being distributed and you are finding heat, cold, and so many things, electrically, you are working, so although the Supreme Lord is far, far away... Of course, He is not far, far away, but in our conception, in the material conception, because we cannot see... We are on a different planet. So by His energy He is not far away. Just like the sunlight, the sunshine, in the morning you find the sunshine is within your room, the sun is just within your room. It is actually. But still, the sun is 93,000,000 miles away from you. Similarly, in all circumstances we must understand that Kṛṣṇa is, although far away from us, still, He is with us, within us. This is called knowledge. This is called knowledge.
And He says also in the Bhagavad-gītā that sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: (BG 15.15) "I am situated in everyone's heart." So just think how much nearest He is if He is sitting on my heart, and He is actually there, which is called Paramātmā, or the Supersoul. So sarvasya, sarvasya means everyone's, not only in human body, but in animal body, in the atoms also. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Paramāṇu means atom. He is situated. So practically, He is not far away. He is the nearest friend. He also claims in the Bhagavad-gītā, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām: (BG 5.29) "I am the friend of everyone." So this knowledge, we have to acquire, that "We have got the greatest powerful friend in Kṛṣṇa, and He is with me." This is knowledge.
Therefore a devotee, mahātmā... Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ... (BG 9.13). There are two prakṛtis. Those who are not mahātmās, durātmā... Durātmā means trying to satisfy the ātmā in a different way, far, far away from Kṛṣṇa. They are called durātmā, dur. Dur means distant or very difficult. So everyone can become mahātmā, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, simply by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. It is not very easy to become a mahātmā and to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. But if we can do that, if we engage our senses in the service of the Supreme Lord...
Just like suppose I came to your country, United States of America. Oh, in my childhood I heard of it in school when I was reading geometry or something like, history or geography. I heard first of all. I did not come first of all. So hearing, hearing, when I understood, "Oh, that's a very wonderful country, and it is far away, and if I go there..." Similarly, as you think also about going to India, so first of all hearing. Not immediately seeing what is America or what is India. First of all hearing. So similarly, if we want to see God, then we have to hear. That is the process. Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is first with hearing. Śravaṇam. Śravaṇam means hearing.
Just like the sunshine. The sunshine, although the sun is far away, but if the sunshine has got direct connection with sun... The sunshine is connecting me from this earth to the sun, ninety millions of miles away. Still, I have got connection with that. So similarly, this material world is the manifestation of the energy, energy of the Supreme Lord. Therefore it has got intimate relation with the Supreme Lord. That we have to understand. We should not take it, accept it as false and reject it. No. We cannot reject it because there is connection with Kṛṣṇa. Now we have to utilize it properly. Because it has got connection with Kṛṣṇa, and because it is the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the whole thing is that this should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. That's all. It should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. If this material world is utilized for Kṛṣṇa, then there is no trouble, there is no disturbance of peace. There is always peace and tranquility and happiness in this world, and at the same time happiness in the next world.
We have practiced so many unnecessary things in our life. Unnecessary things, when they are too much strong, that becomes sinful life. Unnecessary. The modern civilization is simply meant for creating unnecessary necessities of life. That's all. So we are becoming deviated from God. The more we are advancing in so-called material civilization, we are more becoming far away from God. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung: jaḍa-bidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā. Jaḍa-bidyā, the material education, they are simply paraphernalia of this illusory energy, māyāra vaibhava. And the effect of this advancement of material civilization means stopping one's relationship with God. Jaḍa-bidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā, anitya saṁsāre. Anitya means this temporary life, this... Everyone, we are in this material world, say, for fifty years, sixty years, hundred years. That is temporary. In the unlimited time, a duration of life, say of hundred years, that is nothing. Even, not even a point. It is very temporary, but in this temporary life, we are addicted to so many unnecessary things, and we are forgetting our real business, how to go to home, back to home, back to Godhead.
So Kṛṣṇa also says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). But this kṛṣṇa-bhakti has become easily available through the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so liberal that Rūpa Gosvāmī offered Him respect, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "People cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa. It is far, far away. But You are so magnanimous that You are distributing this kṛṣṇa-prema to everyone." Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne. "You are Kṛṣṇa, I can understand, but You have now appeared in the name of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya."
So what is the difficulty? Even in your ordinary life you can study Kṛṣṇa, you can understand Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa will help you. As soon as you begin studying Kṛṣṇa, understanding Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will help you from within. Kṛṣṇa is with you. Kṛṣṇa is not far away. He is so kind that He is sitting in your heart as your friend just to help you, how you become liberated from this material contamination. Why you do not take this advantage? Every sane man should take advantage of this instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, but rightly, as it is said. Then anywhere he may be, it doesn't matter, he is a liberated person.
First of all in the beginning of the instruction one has to learn what he is, in the Second Chapter. Now, this is Ninth Chapter, far away. If we read chapter after chapter very nicely, then we come gradually to the perfection of knowledge. Now, here Kṛṣṇa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā. Everything, whatever you see, material or spiritual, that is Kṛṣṇa. Sarvam means everything. So Kṛṣṇa said that "I am spread all over the universe." Or, if you expand more, "That is my avyakta, nonmanifested form." Nonmanifested form.
Now, all this paraphernalia for sacrificing a yajña, for performing a sacrifice—the fire, the butter, the clarified, the wood, and the mantra and other paraphernalia—everything is Myself. Everything I am." That's true, because everything is produced by His energy. Anything, whatever you take, that's a transformation of energy. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat: "Whatever you are seeing in the universal manifestation, they are simply manifestation of the different energy of the Supreme Lord." Just like in this room, this illumination is the energy of this light. Therefore we are seeing each, one another. Similarly, as the fire is placed in one place, but it distributes its heat and light, similarly, although the Lord is in His supreme abode, His energy is acting. The same example: just like the sun planet is far, far away, but its energy, sunshine, is all-over distributed, over the manifestation, material manifestation. So He's everything.
So this is the position of our going to the material planets, and what to speak of the spiritual planets? That is far, far away. You cannot travel within the space of material world.
- panthās tu koti-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
- vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām
- so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.34)
Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. Not only one year, two years, three years or forty thousand years. Koṭi-śata-vatsara. Koṭi, you know, one hundred times lakhs makes koṭi and again multiply it by hundred. Koṭi-śata-vatsara. And the speed. What is the speed of that aeroplane? Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi. Aeroplane. Vāyur manasaḥ. And with the speed of mind. Airplane running with the speed of mind. You know what is the speed of mind. You are sitting here, and within a second your mind can go some ten thousand miles away, within a second. So even with that speed and running on, koti-sata-vatsara, you cannot go to the spiritual planet. This is the position. So 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny-avicintya-tattve. So in that way you cannot go.
Now if you say, Kṛṣṇa is in the Goloka Vṛndāvana, far, far away from here. How He accepts?" That is the answer is here, that sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādam. He has got hands. That is the Vedic injunction. Apāṇi-pādo javana-gṛhītaḥ. The Absolute Brahman has no hands and legs, but He can accept anything, He can walk everywhere. Just contradictory. Paśyaty acakṣuḥ. He has no eyes. but He can see everything. This is the difference. He has got His form. That is spiritual form, that is not this material, limited form, but He has got His form. One who does not understand His unlimited form, Brahman form, sarvataḥ... Everywhere He can go, everywhere He can see, everywhere He can accept whatever you offer. Everywhere He can walk. That is His form, but He is not formless.
These are the Vedic injunctions. He takes whole foodstuff, still He remains full. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). These are the Vedic injunctions." So that is, Kṛṣṇa is teaching, sarvataḥ śrutimal loke. He can hear. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is in the Goloka Vṛndāvana, far, far away, therefore we are chanting His glory here, He cannot... (break)
...sarvataḥ śrutimal loke. He can hear everywhere. Sarvataḥ śrutimal loke. Sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati. Because He is Brahman, He is covering everything. He is everywhere. Bṛhatyad bṛhanatvat(?). Therefore He is Paraṁ Brahman. This is knowledge. You have to understand... Don't think Kṛṣṇa is limited because he appeared before us, He has appeared here in the form of a stone. He's not stone. Stone is His energy. (break) He can appear before... (break)
Then don't think that here "These people are worshiping a stone," as the atheist will speak. Arcye śilā-dhīr guruṣu vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ nārakī... (break) ...in the śāstra that "Don't think the worshipable Deity is made of stone, made of metal." Because in the wood there is Kṛṣṇa and because Kṛṣṇa is omnipotent He can accept. (break)
...apāṇi-pādo javana-gṛhītaḥ. So in this way try to understand... (break) ...anyathā ajñānam. Then you are in ignorance, ajñāna. (break) ...Kṛṣṇa, then you are liberated. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
These are the statements in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you engage yourself always, satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatām, in bhajana, in offering devotional service... Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. With love. Not that official. Love. Then He'll talk with you. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. He'll give you intelligence. He'll talk with you. Because He is within your heart. Simply you have to qualify yourself how to talk with Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa is not far away. He's within your heart. Otherwise He is very, very far away. If you want to understand by your intelligence, what intelligence you have got? You have to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by your service and then He'll reveal Himself. "Here I am. What do you want?" That is the process.
Just like, the same example, as we are very, very far away, ninety million miles away from the sun planet, we can touch the sunshine, not the sun planet. That is not possible. We have no such power that we can touch the... Although the sun planet is there, everyone can go and touch it, but it is beyond our power. This is the position of our material experience, and what to speak of spiritual experience?
Dūrastham. Now, you cannot calculate where this abode of God is there. Dūrastham. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. If you go with your plane with the speed of mind, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34), by airplane, vāyu-ratha... This vāyu airplane is mentioned in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Vāyor athāpi manasaḥ, and with the speed of mind. Muni-puṅgavānām, discovered by great scientists, still, avicintya-tattve, it is so far away. Avicintya-tattve. Therefore it is called dūrastham.
And at the same time, antike, very near, very near, just like Kṛṣṇa is standing here. One has to understand. Very near. He has kindly come to you, near, so near that you can touch His lotus feet, you can offer Him some foodstuff, you can decorate. He's agreeing, "Yes, I will accept your..." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). And before this, Kṛṣṇa has said, sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat. He has got hands and leg everywhere. In the Vedas also it is confirmed, apāṇi-pādo javana-gṛhītaḥ. Apāṇi-pāda, He has no hands and legs, but whatever you offer in sacrifice, He immediately accepts. How He accepts? How He accepts? That is called dūrastham. Very, very far away; at the same time, antike. Immediately... Provided you know the means. If you know, then you can see. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). That is God's power. He can remain far far, away, but He can immediately be approachable by the devotees.
Therefore it is stated that "That Supreme person, Brahman," avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu, "He is staying in everyone's heart." That is Kṛṣṇa. Just like I am sitting here. I am not in my apartment. You are sitting here. You are not in your apartment because you are limited. But Kṛṣṇa, although he is living in his Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, he is everywhere. That is already explained. Yesterday we have already discussed. Bahir antaś ca bhūtānām acaraṁ caram eva ca, sūkṣmatvāt... Sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat sarvato 'kṣi-śiro-mukham. We have discussed all these things. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is God. That He is in His... That is confirmed in the Īśopaniṣad. Īśopaniṣad. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat, tena tyaktena bhu... (ISO 1). And... So everywhere is Kṛṣṇa; everywhere is God. Sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādam. He has got hands and legs everywhere. And because he has got hands everywhere, therefore when you offer something to Kṛṣṇa, or God, with faith and love, He can accept. Not that because He is far, far away, therefore I am offering something with faith and love, He can not accept. No He can accept.
Durāśayā, "expectation which will never be fulfilled, never be fulfilled." They are trying to adjust things by so-called material adjustment, and that will not be. Therefore it is said durāśayā. Āśayā means hope, and dur means "never to be fulfilled, far, far away." Durāśayā. Without God consciousness, without stopping the process of birth and death, you cannot be happy. That is not possibility. But they have become so foolish. They are thinking that this duration of life, say fifty or sixty years, that's all.
Therefore, in our society we first of all try to reform the fallen soul or most infected materially person to reform, to come to the stage of flame, because without there being flame you cannot work. It is not possible. It is very practical example. We want flame. Just like yajña. Yajña... We perform fire sacrifice, but we want to see there is flame, not smoke, although the same thing. You cannot be satisfied: "Now there is smoke. It is all right. There is fire." Without there being fire, there cannot be smoke. Parvato mandimān dhūmāt(?). When there is smoke one can understand there is fire, even it is far away. When there is forest fire, people understand, when the smoke is coming from the forest, then can immediately understand there is forest fire. So smoke is, although indication of the fire, but it is not fire. So similarly, so-called meditation, so-called spiritualism, concocted idea, there is some touch of spiritual life, but that is not spiritual life. One should understand. That is not spiritual life. It is called ābhāsa. Ābhāsa means just like day, sunlight, full sunlight. But early in the morning, you cannot see the sun, but there is light. There is no darkness.
At that time, one can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Tattvataḥ. The same thing. In three places, Kṛṣṇa has been described: tattvataḥ. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). How to understand tattvataḥ? Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55).
So if you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then you have to take the life of devotion. And one who does not take to this life of devotion, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa of Kṛṣṇa-philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā. It is far, far away. It is... My Guru Mahārāja used to say, "It is just like licking the honey bottle." One may come to the bottle filled with honey, but simply by licking the bottle, what taste he will get? The honey must be opened. Then if you taste, you will know what is honey. Similarly, simply by taking Bhagavad-gītā and trying to understand it by so-called scholarship is licking up the honey bottle. That's all. There will be no taste.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Prabhupāda: Yes. Why not? It will change in the Satya-yuga. Just like our body is changed, season is changed, similarly, this will also change.
Revatī-nandana: There'll be temporary changes due to Lord Caitanya's appearance. Right? Sometimes this question comes up, with the devotees especially, that it says the devotee makes advancement when the spiritual master is pleased. Right? So sometimes the spiritual master is far, far away. He may be in Los Angeles. Somebody is coming to Hamburg temple. He thinks, "How will the spiritual master be pleased?"
Prabhupāda: Just follow his order. Spiritual master is along with you by his words. Just like my spiritual master is not physically present, but I am associating with him by his words.
So Kṛṣṇa is situated in the spiritual world, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). But we are trying to offer Him some foodstuff, as far as possible with devotion and faith; Kṛṣṇa is eating, although He's far away. So this is God's position. At least, He hasn't got to work, He hasn't got to take the trouble to come. He's already here, although goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ, although He's in the Goloka. It is not that Kṛṣṇa has gone somewhere, taken incarnation, therefore Goloka is vacant. No. In Goloka also, He's there, and He's everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). So this is God.
Similarly, those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of blind knowledge, they come to the understanding of impersonal Brahman, brahmeti. That is also truth, just like you touch the elephant, a blind man touching the elephant, but because he hasn't got eyes he is concluding that elephant is like, just like a column. But he has touched. Similarly, either the impersonalist or the yogi or the bhakta, they have come to the Absolute Truth; therefore it is called advaya-jñāna. There is no difference between impersonal Brahman and localized Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference, but still there is difference. This is called acintya-bhedābheda-tattva: inconceivable one and simultaneously different. The same example can be given, that when the sunshine enters into your room, it means that sun has entered, but at the same time the sun is far, far away from you. Similarly, to understand Brahman means the Absolute Truth is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). If you simply try to understand impersonal Brahman, then you simply understand sat aṁśa, the eternity; paramātmā, citaṁśa; and ānandāṁśa is Kṛṣṇa. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).
So ataḥ, therefore, in the previous verse it was decided who is qualified to see God. God is there within yourself. He is not far away. Not that you have to go many miles away to see God. Paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁ bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā. Just like you are searching out something, you do not know what the thing is like, you are harassed. But if somebody knows what the thing is like, "Why you are harassing yourself? Here is the thing. Take it," you can get it immediately. Similarly, God is not far away, God is very near to him, side by side, jīvātmā and Paramātmā. You are sitting with God, you simply do not know how to see. But that qualification, we have explained yesterday, is the eagerness, "Yes, I want to see."
Now how He can accept? If He has no hand, how He can accept things from us? That means He hasn't got a hand like us. His hand is different. Therefore even though He is situated in the spiritual world, which is far, far away from us, still, He says in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is said,
- patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
- yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
- tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
- aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
- (BG 9.26)
Kṛṣṇa says that "A little flower or little water or a little leaf, whatever My devotee offers Me in love and devotion, I accept it." And tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam. "And because he has brought it with great devotion, therefore I eat." Tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi. Aśnāmi means "I eat." Now you can say, "All right, I'll offer these fruits and flower to God, but it is the same. It is remaining. How He is eating?" But His eating is not like my eating, because He hasn't got a body like this. This body is material. If you bring me a plate of fruits, this body immediately swallows it. But He has got spiritual body. He eats... Simply as soon as He knows that you have offered it in devotion, He eats immediately.
The six Gosvāmīs, they engaged themselves in literary work. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika. They are... You'll find in Rūpa Gosvāmī's books. Oh, how many references are there! From Purāṇas, from Vedas, from this literature, that literature. Highly, great scholars. So that is one of the duty. We have given the list of qualification of a devotee. One of the qualification is poetic. Poetic means not write poetry. Poetic means literary man. They must give literature. Naturally they'll give. That is the nature of devotee. Because without literature, how can we enlighten the people at large? My Guru Mahārāja used to say that this press is bṛhad-mṛdaṅga. Bṛhat means bigger, at large, bigger mṛdaṅga, bigger. Just like we are playing mṛdaṅga. This mṛdaṅga can be vibrated in the neighboring quarter, but our mṛdaṅga, Back to Godhead, that will go far, far away. So therefore this press was considered by my Guru Mahārāja as bṛhad-mṛdaṅga. He said. You'll find in the picture: there is this mṛdaṅga and press. He was very much fond of press. In the very beginning of his, this life, he started one press. You'll find in his life a small press.
Because my only business is to remember Kṛṣṇa. That we can do any stage of life. It does not require that you have to become a brāhmaṇa, an Indian, and so on, so on, great learned scholar in Vedic scripture. No. You may be in the far away country, in Europe, America, or you may not be in brāhmaṇa family. It doesn't matter. But you can remember Kṛṣṇa. We are teaching this art through Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that you may remain in whichever position Kṛṣṇa has put you. It doesn't matter. But try to understand Kṛṣṇa. "How can I understand?" Well, you are drinking water. You can understand Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the taste of water." Then where there is a person who does not drink water? Is there any land where people do not drink water? Is there any land?
There is a place, Śamyāprāsa, above Haridvāra, there Vyāsadeva's āśrama was situated on the river Brahmanadī, Sarasvatī, on the western side, paścime taṭe. Ṛṣīṇāṁ satra-vardhanaḥ, there all the great sages and saintly persons used to perform sacrifice. Tasmin āśrame, tasmin sva āśrame vyāso badarī-ṣaṇḍa-maṇḍite (SB 1.7.3), the āśrama was surrounded by berry trees, badarī-ṣaṇḍa. Ṣaṇḍa means trees. Āsīno 'pa upaspṛśya praṇidadhyau manaḥ svayam. So in that āśrama... Formerly, big, big saintly persons, they used to live in forest āśrama. Now they have to come far away from āśrama to South Africa because people have forgotten. Formerly, big, big persons, they used to visit the āśrama, but nowadays people are not interested. Anartha. They are captivated by the material, external energy. It is said that... Not only now, formerly also, but formerly the number of people who were not interested were very, very small. At the present moment, the number of interested people are very, very small. That is the difference. Kali-yuga. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He inaugurated this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that people in this age are no more interested in their value of life. They are in darkness. Therefore Vaiṣṇava, under the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, should go door to door, country to country, town to town, and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness for their benefit.
So if one takes shelter of a pure devotee... Just like electricity: the powerhouse is far away, but the power is coming. Suppose your body is electrified, and if I touch, then my body immediately becomes electrified. And if somebody touches me, then other's body. This is electric. Similarly, one who is pure devotee, he's authorized by Kṛṣṇa, he's electrified.
So unless we become very serious to understand Kṛṣṇa, it is very, very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa. Māyā-javanikācchannam. On the one side, Kuntī says, antar bahir avasthitam: "Kṛṣṇa, You are within..." Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is not far away. Kṛṣṇa is always with you. He, He's so friendly that just like two birds... It is said in the Upaniṣads: the one bird is eating the fruit of the tree; another bird is simply guiding and seeing. Because this material world, living entity wanted to enjoy. Just like you have seen that the dog and the master. The master is so friendly to the dog out of love. It is a dog, but when it is passing stool, he's waiting. Why? Is the duty of the master to wait because the dog is passing stool? No. Out of love. Out of love. We can see from practical example. Similarly... The master may be a great millionaire, but still, he loves the dog so much that on the morning walk he takes his dog and the dog is passing urine... What, what business dog has got? To pass urine and stool and go this way and that way. But the master is attending. Similarly, God, or Kṛṣṇa, is so affectionate that we have come here in this material world simply to pass stool and urine, still He's attending. Still, He's attending. Just imagine what merciful is Kṛṣṇa.
So you have got this tongue. You can chant Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Immediately you become directly in touch with Kṛṣṇa. Immediately. Because the name Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa-person is not different. Identical. So even if you think that Kṛṣṇa is far, far away... Kṛṣṇa is not far, far away. Kṛṣṇa is not far, far away. Kṛṣṇa is within you. He's not far away. He's far away, at the same time nearest. So even if you think that Kṛṣṇa is far, far, His name is there. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa becomes immediately available. Aniyamitaḥ. And for making Kṛṣṇa available in this shortcut way, there is no hard and fast rule. You can chant any time. Immediately you get Kṛṣṇa. Just see the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that: etādṛśī tava kṛpā. "My dear Lord, You have given Me so nice facilities to contact You, but durdaiva, but My, I am so unfortunate, I have no attachment for these things. I have no attachment. I have got so many attachments for other things. But I have got no attachment for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is My misfortune." Kṛṣṇa has given so much facilities, that He is present before you by transcendental vibration in His name, and the name has got all the potencies of Kṛṣṇa. So if you remain in contact with the name, you get all the benefit of Kṛṣṇa's benediction, but still, I am not inclined to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. this is misfortune.
But when or while or where the sun is there, there cannot be any darkness. Similarly, you keep Kṛṣṇa in consciousness always, there cannot be any ignorance; there cannot be any darkness. You'll be walking very freely in bright sunshine of Kṛṣṇa. Don't try to make Kṛṣṇa absent. That is Kuntī's prayer. "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are going to Dvārakā..." This is an example. They are not going. Kṛṣṇa is not going from the Pāṇḍavas. Just like in Vṛndāvana. In Vṛndāvana, when Kṛṣṇa left Vṛndāvana for Mathurā... So in the śāstra it is said: vṛndāvanaṁ parityajya padam ekaṁ na gacchati, Kṛṣṇa goes not go even one step from Vṛndāvana. He doesn't go. He's so much attached to Vṛndāvana. Then we see that Kṛṣṇa left Vṛndāvana, went to Mathurā. So how is that, He went so far away? And did not return for many years? No. Kṛṣṇa actually did not leave Vṛndāvana. Because since Kṛṣṇa left Vṛndāvana, all the inhabitants of gopī, they were simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa and crying. That was their business. Mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja, Rādhārāṇī, all the gopīs, all the cows, all the calves, all the cowherd boys, their only business was to think of Kṛṣṇa and cry. Absence, separation.
So why? Because na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). Their real fault is that they are trying to become happy in this material existence. That is their fault. In Delhi, when I presented in some library my book Easy Journey to Other Planets, so one gentleman met, "You have got, written some book, Easy Journey to Other Planets?" "Yes." "Then we shall go and come back?" "No, why you shall come back?" "No, no, then I don't want." (laughter) The rascal wants to go to other planet and come back. They are doing actually. They are going to the so-called moon planet and coming back. The first aeronautics from Russia, when he was far, far away, he was just looking after, "Where is my Moscow? Where is my Moscow?" You see. This is our intelligence. You may go far away. There is an example. Just like the vulture, they have got a very good eyesight, very good eyesight. You... Seven miles away from the surface, they can see where there is a dead corpse. So they have got good eyesight, but they are searching after dead corpse only. That is their business. These so-called scientists, philosophers, they are very much advanced, but their only business is how to become happy in this planet. That's all. That is their... Not mahātmā. Durātmā. Their mind is not very broad. What is called? Ah? What is the English word? Crippled. Mind is very crippled. Durāśayā. Therefore they are hoping against hope. They will not live here. Still, they are decorating, decorating the dead body. "This is my apartment, this is my house, this is my country, this is my skyscraper building." Painting. And one day, mṛtyuḥ sarva... Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He's challenging, challenging, "Where is your God?" "Ah, here is God! Come on! Finished. Finished. Here is God."
Therefore our position is perfect, because we are not following rascals and fools. We are following Kṛṣṇa, the supreme perfect. I may be imperfect. That's a fact. I am imperfect. Just like a child is imperfect. That's a fact. But so long he follows the father, catching his hand, he is perfect. He is perfect. He has no danger. He has no danger. Similarly, anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, and following blindly some rascal, he is imperfect and he will suffer. And because we have taken Kṛṣṇa's shelter, Kṛṣṇa says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). He will give guidance. If you follow perfectly, you surrender unto Him, He will guide you. He is within you, everyone. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He is there. He is not far away, although He lives in His own abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is Kṛṣṇa. Although He is in His abode, but He is everywhere. Here is Kṛṣṇa. Although He is living in Goloka Vṛndāvana, He is in this temple, He is within our heart. Simply we have to take advantage, how He is present, how He is advising. That is the technique. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. God is everywhere. He is prepared to guide you. He is prepared to help you. Because He is father, He is always prepared. But we do not take His guidance. We do not take His shelter. That is the difficulty.
Snānam eva prasādhanam. Snānam eva prasādhanam. Cosmetic. Simply if one can take little shower bath, then everything is finished. Actually, snāna means sandhyā. You have to take bath nicely. Then you have to put tilaka and candana. Then perform your gāyatrī-mantra. This is called snāna. Tri-sandhyā-snāna. Now they are simply taking somehow or other bath, and finished. No more. But Kali-yuga, this will be snānam eva. And then dūre vāry-ayanaṁ tīrthaṁ lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. Just see how future tell. At the present moment, Kali-yuga, a man will think himself, he has become very beautiful by keeping long hair. You have got very good experience in your country, long hairs. Just see how future. Who knew that people would be interested for keeping long hair? But that is stated in the Bhāgavata. Keśa-dhāraṇam. Keśa means hair, and dhāraṇam means keeping. Dūre vāry-ayanaṁ tīrtham. And pilgrimage, it must be far away. Just like in Calcutta there is Ganges. So nobody cares for Calcutta Ganges. But they go to Hardwar. The same Ganges. The Ganges is coming from Hardwar down to the Bay of Bengal, but people will like to go to Hardwar, taking so much hardship, to take bath there, because that becomes tīrtha. In every religion they have got tīrtha. The Muslims, they have got mosque. What is that? Mecca, Medina. The Christians, they have got, where? Jerusalem. Similarly, the Hindus. Then they must travel very long. That will be tīrtha. But actually tīrtha means tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni. Where there is saintly person, that is tīrtha. Not to go ten thousand miles and simply take a dip in the water and come back.
How one can see sadaiva? Kṛṣṇa is already there. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). The location is given here in the Bhagavad-gītā, that you can see God, not you have to go far away from your place. Wherever you are, you can see, because God is within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61). Sarva-bhūtānām. Not only for human being, but also animals, beasts, trees, plants, aquatics, insects—everyone, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant. God is everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). God is within this universe, within your heart, even within your atom. So where is the difficulty? Simply you have to make your eyes to see Him. That's all. That is premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). Love. It is not very difficult to understand. If you love somebody, then you can see him always. When you are in office, you are seeing. When you are eating, you are seeing. You are seeing... If you are actually love. So if it is possible materially, how much greatly it is possible spiritually and perfectly? It is possible. Simply by this method, bhaktyā viśuddha-dhiṣaṇāḥ pare.
Prabhupāda: You can read the purport; it's small.
Pradyumna: "The people of the world in this age of Kali are always full of anxieties. Everyone is diseased with some kind of ailment. From the very faces of the people of this age, one can find out the index of the mind. Everyone feels the absence of his relative who is away from home. The particular symptom of the age of Kali is that no family is now blessed to live together. To earn a livelihood, the father lives at a place far away from the son, or the wife lives far away from the husband and so on. There are sufferings from internal diseases, separation from those near and dear, and anxieties for maintaining the status quo. These are but some important factors which make the people of this age always unhappy."
Prabhupāda: So this age of Kali, we have discussed in the previous verses, is very degraded age. In the beginning, there is Satya-yuga; and next, Tretā-yuga; next, Dvāpara-yuga; and this is the Kali-yuga. The aggregate of all these four yugas is called yuga: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). The duration of Satya-yuga is 1,800,000's of years; and the next, Tretā-yuga, roughly 1,200,000's of years; and Dvāpara-yuga, 800,000's of years; and this Kali-yuga, 432,000's of years. So we are in this Kali-yuga. In this Kali-yuga we have passed only five thousand years. Out of 432,000's of years we have passed only five thousand. Since the Battle of Kurukṣetra, which took place five thousand years ago, the Kali-yuga has begun.
So that is my energy, but separated. I am on there, but still, the vibration is exactly what I am speaking because these words are emanated from me. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says that "This earth is emanation of My energy. So therefore this earth... The stone is also earth, another form of earth. Therefore it is manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Therefore it is Kṛṣṇa. Energy and the energetic—no different. Just like the sun is situated 93,000,000's of miles away from you, but the sunshine, as soon as it reaches your body, you understand what is sun-heat and light-immediately. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is learned about Kṛṣṇa, whatever He sees... When he sees the stone, he also sees Kṛṣṇa, immediately remembers the stone is manifestation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nothing is different from Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one understands that everything is manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's energy, the... Exactly the same: just like the fire is situated in somewhere, but the fire exhibits or demonstrates its energy, the light and heat, although fire is far away, just like the sun is far, far away, but still, by sun's light and heat, he is spread all over the universe, similarly, Kṛṣṇa, by His two energies, material energy and spiritual energy... That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
He was emperor of the whole world. So he's giving up that. Not that a teeny village or something. No. And that empire also, without any disturbance. He was so powerful that nobody could go against him. Rājye ca avikale. Avikale. Vikala means "broken" or "disturbed." But his kingdom was never broken or disturbed. Now the whole world is broken and disturbed, at the present moment. They have got so many countries, independent countries. That means the world is broken into pieces. Formerly there was no such piecework. One world, one king. One God, Kṛṣṇa. One scripture, Vedas. One civilization, varṇāśrama-dharma. Not very far away. They are giving history of... They are studying the earth layer, but while they were studying earth layer from millions years, and millions of years there was perfect civilization. Perfect civilization, God conscious. Happy civilization. Now they are broken, disturbed. It was not the case formerly.
Actually the moon is not moving. It is a māyā, illusion. It appears that the moon is moving. But similarly, the living entity, because he is spiritual spark of the Supreme, it has not fallen. It has not fallen. But he is thinking, "I am fallen. I am material." That is the reason. He is thinking, "I am this body." Actually the body has no connection with me. That is experienced, that the body has no connection with the soul. The body is changing, dying. But I am the same. The same example, the moon: The cloud is passing over in different way. The moon is far away from the cloud, and it has nothing to do with the cloud, but it appears the moon is moving. (break) Try to understand. Have questions and answer. It is very important thing. Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan. Except ātma-māyā, the illusory energy... It is the maneuver or handling of the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa. This illusory energy develops when we forget Kṛṣṇa. That's all. It is... In other words, this illusory identification of me with the body is simply due to my forgetfulness. We wanted to forget, we wanted to give up Kṛṣṇa and wanted to enjoy this material world.
So different qualities. All these, whatever you see in the material world, they are simply permutation, combination, like that, of the material qualities, tri-guṇa. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). They are nothing more. So this jaḍa-vidyā, this material science, expansion of material qualities, so Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says the jaḍa-vidyā, this kind of education, they are simply expansion of material qualities. And they are simply impediments for, to advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The more you become technologist and attached to this material world, then more you go far away from Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Because in Upaniṣad the negating, that negation, negation of the material form... Therefore it is described in an impersonal form. These nonsense are sticking to that impersonal form. Impersonal—there is no form. Really, Veda says, apāni-pāda javano grahitā: "The Supreme Absolute Truth has no legs, has no hands, but He accepts whatever you offer." Now, how He accepts? He has no hand; then how He accepts? But they have no brain. They have no brain. When it is said that "He has no hand," it is said that "He has no hand like you." When he says that "He has no leg," it means that "He has no leg like you." If he has no hand, then how Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad aham aśnāmi bhakty-upahṛtam: (BG 9.26) "If I accept them"? If He is far away within the Goloka Vṛndāvana, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātmā (Bs. 5.37), but He has got such a hand-although He is living in Goloka Vṛndāvana, far, far away, He will immediately Whatever you offer, He will take. That kind of hand, not your three feet hand. If somebody offers me downstairs, "Prabhupāda, take this flower," but I am here. How can I take? But He can take. He can take. That is called apāni-pāda javano grahitā paśyaty acakṣuḥ. He can see. His eyes are not like this, that beyond this wall I cannot see anything. He can see everyone, what you are doing nonsense. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. As witness, He is seeing. He is within your heart. How you will hide it? Anumantā upadraṣṭā.
So the Absolute Truth is not without varieties. That is spiritual variety. That is not material variety. But the Māyāvādīs, they think that... Because they are seeing the Absolute Truth from distant place, far away, they think that in the Absolute Truth there is no variety. As soon as there are varieties, it is material. That is their misunderstanding. No. The Absolute Truth is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā:
- cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
- lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.29)
There are, in the spiritual world, there are Vaikuṇṭhalokas. There are inhabitants, the devotees. They're all liberated persons. They're akṣara. They do not fall down. Kṣara akṣara. We are kṣaras. We have fallen down in this material world. But there are devotees in the spiritual world, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, they never come down. Never come down in this material world, but they are also persons like us, but eternal persons, with full knowledge and life of blissfulness. That is the difference between them and us.
If you actually come in contact with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is within your heart... Kṛṣṇa is not far away. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. But He's still nearer. He is within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva... So if you become attached to Kṛṣṇa... When Kṛṣṇa sees now you are attached to Kṛṣṇa, then hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām. He is friend of the devotees. He's friend of everyone, but a special friend of the devotees. Suhṛt satām. Therefore you have to become a devotee. Therefore it is said, na yujyamānayā bhaktyā. Bhaktyā means devotee. Who performs devotional service unless he's a devotee? Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). So if we become devotee, if we take to devotional service, then Kṛṣṇa says, teṣām evānukampārtham (BG 10.11), for special favor. Special favor. What is that? Teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ nāśayāmi. Kṛṣṇa says, "I kill all kinds of ignorance."
To understand Kṛṣṇa is very, very difficult. Out of many, many millions of person, one tries for making his life successful. And out of many, many such successful, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3), one who has attained siddhi, such person, may... One may understand Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa, to understand... So first of all, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Then what is the, where is the question of love of Kṛṣṇa? If you do not understand somebody, how you can love him? Love is far, far away. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so kind that He is distributing kṛṣṇa-prema: "Take, anyone. Come on." Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). So therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very practical, that "I want to give kṛṣṇa-prema. One should be ecstatic, emotional in kṛṣṇa-prema. One shall cry for Kṛṣṇa." And He taught everyone by His practical example how He was mad after Kṛṣṇa. Govinda-viraheṇa me. Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. This is kṛṣṇa-prema: without Kṛṣṇa, one should see everything vacant. This is Rādhārāṇī's prema.
Either this material nature or the spiritual nature, it is not possible. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). You have to take āśraya, shelter, of either of the prakṛtis, parā-prakṛti or aparā-prakṛti. Aparā-prakṛti is this material nature, and parā-prakṛti is the spiritual nature. So therefore jīva-śakti is called taṭastha. Taṭastha. Antaraṅga, bahiraṅga, taṭastha. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport), the Absolute Truth has got multi-potencies. They have been summarized into three. First is parā-prakṛti, spiritual nature, and then the material nature, and another nature, prakṛti—we are also prakṛti—between the two, taṭastha. Just like the beach is between the land and water. Beach is sometimes covered with water, and sometimes it is uncovered; the water is far away. When it is not covered, we call it beach, and it is covered, we call it sea. So similarly, our position is like that, living entities. Although by nature we are parā-prakṛti, spirit, spirit, but because we have got the tendency to enjoy material nature, therefore we come to this material nature. Therefore our position is in between the spiritual nature and the material nature, taṭastha. Taṭastha means in between.
"It is My energy, it is My energy. The earth, water, air, fire, sky, mind, intelligence, they are My separated energy." So it is emanation from Kṛṣṇa. Either you take the earth, water, fire, air, anything. It has come from Kṛṣṇa. So they are not different. The energy and energetic are not different: identical. And Kṛṣṇa, being omnipotent, He can do anything by His energy. That is the meaning of omnipotent. Even in ordinary things also. Just like a man has got enough money. That money is energy of the man, we can understand. So with that money he can do so many things. Although the money is in the bank and he's at home, by his order, so many things can be done. He can start a big factory, business, everything, although he's in the home. It is very easy to understand—because the energy is there. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa may be far away from us, even we think... Kṛṣṇa is not far away. Kṛṣṇa is within our heart. But even if we think that Kṛṣṇa is living in Goloka Vṛndāvana, which is unlimitedly far away from here...
So these things are there. I can quote many verses like that. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very easy, and everyone should become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the aim of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). We are trying to adjust things externally, but that will never be fulfilled. Durāśayā. This is hope against hope. You cannot do anything independently because you are fully under the clutches of māyā. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa says, "My dear Arjuna, Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, is situated in the core of everyone's heart." He is not far away. And He is observing. In the Upaniṣads it is said that there are two birds on one tree. One is eating the fruit, and the other is witnessing. The witnessing bird is Kṛṣṇa, and the eating bird is the jīvātmā.
Pradyumna:
iti nānā-yoga-caryācaraṇo bhagavān kaivalya-patir ṛṣabho 'virata-parama-mahānandānubhava ātmani sarveṣāṁ bhūtānām ātma-bhūte bhagavati vāsudeva ātmano 'vyavadhānānanta-rodara-bhāvena siddha-samastārtha-paripūrṇo yogaiśvaryāṇi vaihāyasa-mano-javāntardhāna-parakāya-praveṣa-dūra-grahaṇādīni yadṛcchayopagatāni nāñjasā nṛpa hṛdayenābhyanandat
"Translation: O King Parīkṣit, just to show all the yogis the mystic process, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, the partial expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, performed wonderful activities. Actually He was the master of liberation and was fully absorbed in transcendental bliss, which increased a thousandfold. Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva, is the original source of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva. There is no difference in Their constitution, and consequently Lord Ṛṣabhadeva awakened the loving symptoms of crying, laughing and shivering. He was always absorbed in transcendental love. Due to this, all mystic powers automatically approached Him, such as the ability to travel in outer space at the speed of mind, to appear and disappear, to enter the bodies of others, and to see things far, far away. Although He could do all this, He did not exercise these powers."
Prabhupāda: Iti nānā-yoga-caryācaraṇo bhagavān. So Bhagavān's another name is mahat-pada. Mahat-pada means whatever wonderful things are there, that is resting at His lotus feet. Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Samāśritā, if you take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, bhagavān, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: (SB 1.3.28) Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all manifestation of Bhagavān, Viṣṇu-tattva. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of Viṣṇu-tattva. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Viṣṇu-tattva is also originated from Kṛṣṇa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. He's the ādi-puruṣa. And Kṛṣṇa was accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā, puruṣam ādyam. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12). So everything is there in Kṛṣṇa. Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. All this manifestation of cosmic creation, that is from the mahat-tattva. That mahat-tattva is resting within the dust of the lotus feet of mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ.
So there are so many birds, eagle birds, they fly, and they go from one planet to another. They are resting... Just like a bird you see, they fly from one tree to another tree. So their resting place is one planet to another. Just see. You are trying to go to the moon planet bogusly. I'll say bogusly because you could not go there. The moon planet is far away from the sun planet. So it is not possible to go there by the so-called jets plane. No. It is far, far away. It is sixteen hundred thousand miles away from the sun. The modern scientist calculation is ninety-three million miles, the sun is situated, and above that, sixteen hundred thousand miles up, there is moon planet. So by the Vedic calculation it is not possible to go there by the method we are attempting. That is not possible. And the proof is that why, if they are going to the moon planet, why they cannot stay there? Now, the argument is that "There is no vegetation. The atmosphere is different, where living being cannot stay." They say like that. But from the Vedic information we understand that moon planet influence the vegetation in all other planets. So if the moon planet helps vegetation in all other planets, how it is that there is no vegetation? So there are many thing, contradiction, and practically we see, they are going to the moon planet, but they cannot stay, uselessly going and coming. So let them do that, but we have got our other inform..., other sources of information, that we cannot go to the moon planet. It is not possible.
Otherwise the effulgence, the sun effulgence, the sunlight is not (indistinct). Similarly, brahma-jyotir is like that, just like sunshine, but you cannot rest there. If you want rest, then you have to take shelter under the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is stated in the Bhāgavatam. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas: (SB 10.2.32) Those who are in the impersonal situation, they think themselves that they have become liberated. Exactly the same example. Suppose you are very high in the sunshine. Do you think, "Now I am liberated from worldly connection. I am far, far away, or high"? But unless you have shelter, you have to fly. This is crude example. Similarly, these impersonalists, they are in the liberated atmosphere, that's a fact. Brahman. He has realized that "I am not this matter. I am Brahman." And because he has no information in the brahma-jyotir there are innumerable planets, he thinks that "This is all in all, this jyoti, brahma-jyotir." That is his imperfect knowledge.
He was praying to Lord, adyaiva me viśatu mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ, prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ smaraṇaṁ kutas te (MM 33). He was praying to the Lord, "My Lord, Mukunda, now I am healthy, very strong. Everything is all right. My mind is in order. My health is in order. So I am praying to You, let death come immediately so that I can soundly remember Your name. Otherwise natural death, it may be that on account of dissolution of the..., arrangement, physiological arrangement of the body..." Just like in sleep we forget everything. In sleep we forget everything. The subtle mind, intelligence work. I am sleeping in a nice bed, but mind and intelligence have taken me far away near the desert. And I'm seeing I'm in the desert. That is happening daily. Dream means the stock in the mind of our experience past, may be many, many years past, but the stock is there. Sometimes they come. That is dreaming. Just like you'll find in a lake all of a sudden... There is discussed in psychology also how this remembrance comes all of a sudden. The example is given just like in a lake all of a sudden you'll find there is a bubble. So similarly, the mind is the subtle matter. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano (BG 7.4). This gross is this land, bhūmi, earth, straw. Water is a little more subtle. Just like in land you can stand, but in the water you cannot stand. It has become little subtle. Then fire, then air, and then ether. This is the position, from gross to subtle. And then mind. Still finer than the ether is the mind. And then intelligence. And then false ego, and then the soul. These are the different position.
When we shall be free from viṣaya... Viṣaya means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. So who can give up viṣaya unless he is a great devotee? Others cannot. Viṣaya, it is very difficult. But if one is advanced devotee—paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59)—they can give up. So if you come to Vṛndāvana and arrange for a viṣaya-bhoga-āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam—then Vṛndāvana is far away. Viṣaya chādiyā. The whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is on the basis of viṣaya chādiyā. And Śrī Locana dāsa Ṭhākura also sings, viṣaya chādiyā se rase majiyā, mukhe bolo hari hari. Viṣaya chādiyā. If... Of course, in the beginning it is not possible, but the ultimate goal of life is to give up viṣaya—no more āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. That is called viṣaya chādiyā. Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī did. He came here, lived in Vṛndāvana. He was a very, very rich man's son. Five hundred years ago his father's income was twelve lakhs of rupees. Now it may be crores of rupees. Five hundred years He was such a rich man's son. And very beautiful wife. Because Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was restless, he was always trying to go with Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so his father and uncle He was the only son of these two brothers. So they thought that "This boy is very restless. He wants to go away with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Let him have a very nice, beautiful wife and he'll be attracted." But he was not attracted. He was not even going inside the house. He was lying down outside the house, young man. He had no taste for viṣaya. Viṣaya chādiyā. Therefore later on he became Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Formerly he was simply Raghunātha, and when he joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then he became Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.
That is confirmed in the Vedas, Vedic literature, Upaniṣad also: parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The energy of the Lord are differently manifested. Just like this light. Take the same example, fire. Fire is placed in one place, but it is manifesting in different way. It is illuminating, it is distributing its heat from one place. Similarly, the Supreme Lord, He may be far, far away. He's not far, far away, because He is present by His energy. Just like sunshine. Sun is far, far away from us, but he is present just before us by his shining. We can understand what is sun. Similarly, if you study the energy of the Supreme Lord, then you are in conscious, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if you engage yourself in the energy of Kṛṣṇa, then you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And as soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you become nonseparated. You become nonseparated from Him. Just like qualitatively the sunshine and the sun is hot, warm, similarly, you are also the same spiritual energy, or this whole world is spiritual energy, nothing but... There is nothing but spiritual... Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Everything is Brahman. But how to realize it? If everything is Brahman, then why we are separating, "This is material, this is spiritual"? This is māyā. This is called māyā. Māyā means illusion or forgetfulness. How it happens? It happens just like the sunshine is covered by cloud. Sunshine is covered by cloud—not all the sunshine. An insignificant part of the sunshine is sometimes covered by the cloud. And when it is covered by the cloud, there are so many inconveniences. Just like you say in New York when you find a sunshine in the sky, you say, "Oh, today is very nice." Why nice? Because the pure sky is open. Therefore it is very nice. And so long it is over, covered by cloud, you don't find so happy. Similarly, if you can, I mean to say, drive away the cloud of ignorance, then you actually becoming Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Cloud of ignorance. And what is that cloud of ignorance? The cloud of ignorance is that "I am the enjoyer." The first beginning of cloud of ignorance... (end)
So gradually we are becoming like that Hiraṇyakaśipu. But Hiraṇyakaśipu tried, Rāvaṇa tried, Kaṁsa tried to exist without God, but they did not exist. So nobody can exist. So this Hiraṇyakaśipu tried to protect himself by so many material ways, but when he was too much against his innocent devotee son, then Kṛṣṇa appeared as Nṛsiṁha-deva, and He was very fearful. So much fearful that all the demigods came to pacify Him, but He was groaning in anger. So there is anger in God also. Somebody says that "Why God should be angry?" No, God, there is anger. Everything is there in God. Otherwise where anger comes from? He is the source of everything, but He is absolute. His anger is also as good as His mercy. That is the difference. When we become angry, there is no mercy. Mercy is far away from it. But God, Kṛṣṇa, because He is absolute, either He is angry or He is merciful, He's the same. The word God is good. He's good when He's angry and He's good when He's merciful. That is difference. In the material contaminated state, not only God, even God's devotee, they also acquire the same quality. Sometimes we see that saintly persons like Nārada, Śiva, they also become angry and curse somebody, but that curse becomes benediction. So that is the absolute stage.
Prabhupāda: He's mine, He's your, everyone's. That's all.
Himāvatī: I can understand it now.
Prabhupāda: That's all. Yes?
Rukmiṇī: How does (one) feel so far away from you when you're not here?
Prabhupāda: Hm? What is that? I did not follow.
Rukmiṇī: I feel so far away...
Prabhupāda: Janārdana?
Rukmiṇī: I feel so far away from you, you know, when you're not here.
Janārdana: She's saying she feels so far away from you when you are not here.
Prabhupāda: Oh, that you should not think. If... The words... There are two conceptions: the physical conception and the vibration conception. So physical conception is temporary. The vibration conception is eternal. Just like we are enjoying or we are relishing the vibration of Kṛṣṇa's teachings. So by vibration He is present. As soon as we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or chant Bhagavad-gītā or Bhāgavata, so He is present immediately by His vibration. He's absolute. Therefore try to remember His words of instruction; you'll not feel separation. You'll feel that He is with you. So we should associate by the vibration, and not by the physical presence. That is real association. Śabdād anavṛtti. By sound. Just like we are touching Kṛṣṇa immediately by sound. Sound vibration.
Gopīs' surrender is the perfection of life. That is the highest perfectional stage of surrender. So that stage is very far, far away. First of all, learn to surrender; then you... Just like let us first of all enter into the school; then talk of M.A. examination. The gopīs' love is just like M.A. examination. So people are not even schooling. So first we have to surrender by the regulative principle, by the order of the spiritual master: "You do this, you do that, you do this, you do that." Then gradually, ādau śraddhā, if you have got faith, then ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅga (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Sādhu-saṅga means to associate with the bona fide spiritual master and abide by his order. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅga 'tha bhajana-kriyā. And as soon as you intimately associate with the spiritual master, he teaches you how to develop devotional service. Bhajana-kriyā. And if you are perfectly executing devotional service, then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt, then all your misgivings and misunderstanding will be cleared. Then niṣṭha, then you get firm faith. Beginning is the faith, but when your misgivings are all, I mean to say, eradicated, then the firm..., faith becomes firm. Tato niṣṭha tataḥ rucis. Then after firm faith, you come to the stage of taste. It is very nice, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Tato niṣṭha tataḥ rucis tathāsakti, then attachment. Then you cannot leave. Then ecstasy. Then you come to the stage of gopī love. Don't try to come to the stage of gopī immediately. First of all, follow the rules and regulation. Gradually, when misgivings are all gone, you have got firm faith, attachment, ecstasy, then come to this stage.(?) But the ideal is to come to that stage. Just like a student's ideal is to pass the M.A. examination. But that requires time and endeavor, patience. Not immediately.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Śraddhā, beginning is śraddhā, śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the association is opening different branches to give people the chance of hearing about Kṛṣṇa in the association of pure devotees. That is required. Read, hear about Bhagavad-gītā from the pure devotees, not from the rascals. Then you'll never get any benefit. Sanātana Gosvāmī forbids... nasam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam, never hear from these rascals. "Why? Kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ is very good. Never mind he's a rascal, what is the fault of kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ?" He's giving this example: śravaṇaṁ na kartavyaṁ sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payaḥ yathā, milk is very good, everyone knows, but when it is touched by the lip of a serpent, immediately it becomes poison. If you take that milk, then you'll die. So kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ is very good, but when it is touched by the lip of the Māyāvādī, nondevotee, it becomes poisonous. It becomes poisonous. Poisonous in this sense. It will push you far away from kṛṣṇa-bhakti. That is the loss, greatest loss of life.
So we can have Vṛndāvana anywhere and everywhere. Vṛndāvana is not that limited. It is not material. As Kṛṣṇa is not limited... Kṛṣṇa says in the Brahma-saṁhitā, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Just like Kṛṣṇa says that patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aśnāmi (BG 9.26). Now, one can say that "Kṛṣṇa is far, far away in the Goloka Vṛndāvana. How He will eat?" That is material conception. Kṛṣṇa can eat even He is in Goloka Vṛndāvana, provided the foodstuff is offered by a devotee. Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. It is a question of bhakti. Then Kṛṣṇa eats. Kṛṣṇa is present in His Goloka Vṛndāvana, in His dhāma. He does not go out, but His expansion goes out and takes, accepts the service of the devotee. This is the bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam. One should understand the bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam. It is a science, how He takes... We have got our limited sense that "I am sitting here." If you offer my foodstuff some yards off from me, I cannot reach, because I am limited. But Kṛṣṇa can expand His hand. He Himself comes. Svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ. Kṛṣṇa becomes manifest to the devotee. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (CC Madhya 17.136). When one becomes devotee, beginning from the tongue, jihvādau, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau, svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ, He becomes revealed. Yei nāma sei kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection of chanting without any offenses. Then you'll find the name is not different from Kṛṣṇa. When you are chanting, you'll find Kṛṣṇa is dancing on your tongue. This is the conclusion.
The same example: just like the sun, by expanding its energy, heat and light, is perceived. The sun is ninety-three million miles away from us. So how we can understand the sun? By his heat and energy. By his heat, we can calculate what is the actual temperature. The scientists are calculating the actual temperature of the sun. So similarly, although Kṛṣṇa is far, far away from us... Goloka eva nivasati. He's residing in His abode, Goloka, Vṛndāvana. This is the replica of that Vṛndāvana. So akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. How He's akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37)? How He's all-pervading? By His energy. By His energy. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagat avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4). That energy is avyakta, impersonal. But Kṛṣṇa is not impersonal. Kṛṣṇa is person. Just like the sun-god, he's a person, but his energy, sunshine and heat, that is impersonal. To reach impersonal feature of the sun or the sunshine is not approaching the sun. It is approaching and not approaching. It is approaching in the sense that directly in touch with his energy, but still, the sun globe and the sun-god is far away. Similarly, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). To approach the impersonal feature of Brahman is not sufficient. We have to approach Kṛṣṇa. So the Rādhārāṇī, the personal,... His energy's also personal. So mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). If we take shelter of His external energy, where forgetfulness, Kṛṣṇa, is very prominent, then we become far and far away from Kṛṣṇa. But if we take shelter of the internal energy of Kṛṣṇa, Rādhārāṇī, because She's directly serving Kṛṣṇa... Just like in Vṛndāvana, they always speak of Rādhārāṇī because they have taken shelter of Rādhārāṇī to approach Kṛṣṇa very easily. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. The facility of Vṛndāvana is that you take shelter of Rādhārāṇī directly and She will help you to approach Kṛṣṇa very soon. This is the idea of coming to Vṛndāvana. Go on.
Therefore devotee's another name is niṣkiñcana, akiñcana. Niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Niṣkiñcana. He doesn't possess anything, don't want to possess anything material. These are all material things. What are those? Sense gratification, economic development, liberation. They are all different stages of material existence. And Kṛṣṇa is not for the persons who are hankering after material possessions. Kṛṣṇa is far away. Therefore in the Kuntī-stotra in Śrīmad-Bhāgavata it is said, niṣkiñcanasya gocarāḥ: "You, Kṛṣṇa, You are understood by persons who have become niṣkiñcana." Niṣkiñcana. So niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. The qualification of devotion is to become a niṣkiñcana. Means one should not try to possess anything material. He should simply try to possess Kṛṣṇa. There must be some possession. The Māyāvādī philosophy, to dispossess material things, will not help him. He must possess something positive. Otherwise he'll fall down. That is our... Because we want something. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). So we simply, we try, that "Let me become sannyāsī, niṣkiñcana." That is not possible. You must take to the service of Kṛṣṇa. Then when you are fully satisfied that "I possess Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is within my heart," then you can give up all this nonsense, kick out: "I don't want." Otherwise not possible. So the two things: Niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajano..., param paro jīveṣa (?). Those who have become ni..., what is this liberation for them? Nothing. The four things, dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa. So when one takes to this shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, that is the highest dharma, topmost. That is the topmost yoga. So why he should hanker after dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90)? It is so nice thing. That is the statement of Uddhava. One who has become pure devotee... One who has possessed... Svāntaḥ-sthita gadābhṛtā. He has become purified. But don't imitate. Actually see whether you are always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Then it is all right.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Ravindra-svarūpa: I thought it was a place that was far away.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is... Just like above the cloud there is sunshine, fully. We have seen it in an aeroplane. This airlines, U.S. airlines, they say, "Friendly skies." So go to the friendly sky. Why do you remain here, nonsense sky, always covered with cloud? Go to the friendly sky. Just go above the cloud. The cloud is māyā. Go above the māyā. Then you see. You are seeing already, but it is not full-fledged experience. Everything we are seeing. We have experienced God's power, God's energy. But because we are in ignorance, therefore we cannot conceive perfectly. And as soon as you are above the māyā... Māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). That māyā you can, I mean to say, surpass simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As you become full-fledged Kṛṣṇa conscious, oh, then you see always brahma-jyotir and Brahman and Kṛṣṇa and everything. And so far your present condition is, you are seeing also just now. Because without Brahman, there cannot be any existence. So one has to learn. In the flower you can see. In the tree you can see. In the taste you can see. In the water you can see. In the sound you can see.
Early in the morning they rise up, and they are certain, somewhere there is some fruit. They will eat and sleep in the top of the tree. They haven't got to make arrangement, economic development. It already is there. But it is very difficult to understand that these material necessities of life is already arranged. You cannot get more, cannot get... Suppose some of our Indian friends, they come to this country, far away. Does it mean that simply by coming here he has become millionaire? No. In Bengali it is said, yadi gar baṅge kaphala yabe saṅge (?), Wherever you go, your this fate will go with you. If you are meant for getting ten thousand, you'll never get ten thousand, one hundred. You'll get, either you remain in your country or go to hell. Destiny. This is called destiny.
In the previous verse we have discussed that fire is situated in one place, but it is expanding heat and light. We should always remember this comparison, that the sun is there, localized, and from millions and millions of years it is distributing heat and light. Take for... That is not yet reduced. The same transformation is going on. Similarly, we can understand very easily that God may be far away from us. He's not far away; He is within us, but we think like that: "God is far away." Simply we have no knowledge to understand. Just like in the morning, as soon as there is daylight we can immediately understand, "Now the darkness is finished; the sunlight is there." Gradually the sun comes out, and the whole day becomes very brilliant and warm. Immediately things are changed. Similarly, when we see that the nature's way... That is the heat and light of the sun, material world.
Very important passage. Just note it carefully. Now, by apprenticeship, by practice, if one sincerely follows this practice, then what is the result? Dhana pāile yaiche sukha-bhoga phala pāya. Just like a poor man, if he gets sufficient money, then at once his all distress is over, at once, immediately. Simultaneously, as soon as the sun is in the sky, at once the darkness is gone. Just in the morning, a little, not sun directly, but even there is sunshine far away, immediately the darkness goes away. I am in distress; I am in poverty-stricken. Suppose I get immediately some large amount of money. Immediately my distress gone. So exactly like that, dhana pāile yaiche sukha-bhoga phala pāya, then automatically he becomes happy, a poor man when he gets money. Similarly, as soon as we have little taste of this devotional service, at once all our miserable life becomes happy at once. Yes. Sukha-bhoga haite duḥkha āpani palāya. And if there is happiness, where is the question of misery? If there is light, where there is question of darkness?
Although this Viṣṇu is the shelter, shelter of the material energy, still, He has nothing to do with this material energy. He is free from the contamination of material energy. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a verse: apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca yad apāśrayam. When Vyāsadeva, he was just attempting to write Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by bhakti-yoga, he saw two things: apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. He saw the Supreme Personality and the material energy, apāśrayam, just far away from Him. Because this māyā's task is very thankless task. Māyā's task is very thankless task because she is in charge of these conditioned souls, and her business is to give all the conditioned souls always miseries. Trisura. You have seen in the hand... You might not have seen, but there is a picture of Durgā, she has got three, trisura. Trisura means three kinds of miseries. So the māyā, this material nature, is inflicting upon the conditioned soul always three kinds of miseries so that they can come to their consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But the conditioned souls are so foolish and so dull, they have accepted, "Oh, these miseries are very palatable." Yes. They have no sense that they are always in three kinds of miseries: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. This is constantly going on. Just like in the prison house, when the prisoners are there, it is not meant that they should be comfortably situated there. The prison house (is) meant for giving them always some trouble so that they can come to their consciousness that "We have broken. We are lawbreakers. Therefore we are punished here." But if the prisoner becomes so fool that "All right. Don't care for this prison. Let me finish this term and again commit nuisance and again come to the..." That is going on.
So far the forms of Kṛṣṇa are concerned, they're also unlimited. Śākhā-candra-nyāye kari dig-daraśana. So śākhā-candra-nyāye. There is a logic, śākhā-candra logic. What is that? That the sun, uh, moon, at night, is far, far away, but one is pointing out that we can see the moon through the branches of the tree. So there is a location. So through that location one can see the moon. Similarly, although kṛṣṇa-līlā and Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, Kṛṣṇa's forms, no human being can describe, still, as far as possible, Lord Caitanya says, this śākhā-candra logic: just like the branch of a tree is far away from the moon, still, one can see it by perspective view through the branches of the tree.
Sarva rūpera dhāma-paravyoma-dhāme. And where they are? That is in the paravyoma. Paravyoma means... Vyoma means sky, and para means transcendental, beyond this sky. This sky is called material sky, and beyond this there is paravyoma, spiritual sky. They have no information. The material scientists, they have no information. What information they have got? They cannot reach even the moon planet, what to speak of others. It is far, far away. Whatever... We can see the sky just like a pot, and that is the covering of this universe. And if you can penetrate that covering—that space is also many, many times longer than this outer space—then you'll find the spiritual sky. That is not possible for any material scientist to find out where the spiritual sky is. But you can understand from authoritative scriptures and from authorities like Lord Caitanya. He says that for each of the expansions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there is a separate, I mean to say, planet into the, in the, I mean to say, spiritual sky. Pṛthak pṛthak vaikuṇṭha nāhika gaṇane. Pṛthak pṛthak. Each of them has got a separate Vaikuṇṭha planet, but how many planets are there nobody can count. Nāhika tara gaṇane.
Sri Isopanisad Lectures
Thank you. So you like this? This chandelier? Śrī gurave prāṇa sadece goura sampad setuce (?). This is, this is a song by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. He says that one who has dedicated his life for Lord Caitanya, he sees everything belongs to Lord Caitanya. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Now mantra. (devotees chant Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 5) Thank you. "The Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He is far away, but he is very near as well. He is within everything and again He is outside of everything." This is the process of understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He walks and does not walk. Just like crude example I give you, that the sun and, at noontime, it is on your head and somebody walking eastern side or western side, he also sees the sun is also walking with him. Long ago, about forty years ago, when I was householder, my second son, he was four years old. He was walking with me, and he said, "Oh, father, why the moon is coming with us?" This is very intelligent. Yes. So similarly, if a material object can walk so swift... You have seen. You are going on aeroplane or train, you'll see the moon or sun is going with you. So how it is not possible that Kṛṣṇa cannot walk? Although He's situated... But you ask your friend, "Where is the sun? Where is the moon?" He'll say, "Oh, it is on my head."
So how it is not possible that Kṛṣṇa cannot walk? Although He's situated... But you ask your friend, "Where is the sun? Where is the moon?" He'll say, "Oh, it is on my head." Similarly, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Kṛṣṇa, although He is in Vṛndāvana, Goloka Vṛndāvana, enjoying pastimes with the associates, He is everywhere, according to the position, shape, form, activities. Everywhere. Therefore it is said here that Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He does not go from His abode. He is fully enjoying. But at the same time, everywhere He is. Everywhere walking. Just like we offer foodstuff. So do not think that Kṛṣṇa is not accepting. Kṛṣṇa is accepting, because He can spread His hand immediately if you offer something with devotion. Tayā bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi. Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone offering Me, offering Me something with faith and love, I eat." People may ask, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is far away, in Goloka Vṛndāvana. How He eats? How He takes?" Oh, that is God. Yes, He eats. Yes, He takes. He walks; He does not walk. Immediately comes. But you must have the qualification to call Him. If you are actually a devotee, immediately Kṛṣṇa is present. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu challenged devotee Prahlāda, "Where is your God? Do you think...?" The Prahlāda was looking to the column. "Oh, do you think your God is here? All right." He immediately broke. "Ahh!" Kṛṣṇa came. That is Kṛṣṇa.
Festival Lectures
So let us go and see..." So they went to Kurukṣetra to see Kṛṣṇa. Whenever they got some opportunity, they wanted to see. Just like these cowherds boys, when there was Battle of Kurukṣetra near Delhi... Vṛndāvana is not far away from Delhi. It is about ninety miles. So they went to see Kṛṣṇa in the charioteer fighting dress. They were astonished. They thought that "Kṛṣṇa is our friend, cowherd boy. How is that, He is in the chariot fighting?" So they became astonished. So this is the pastimes of Vṛndāvana. So similarly, when the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana went to see Lord Kṛṣṇa, Jagannātha... Kṛṣṇa means Jagannātha. Jagat. Jagat means this world, and nātha means master, or proprietor. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the proprietor of all the planets." Therefore He is Jagannātha. Jagannātha means the proprietor of all the world, all the planets. So the Vṛndāvana inhabitants went to see Kṛṣṇa because their life was Kṛṣṇa. They did not know anything except Kṛṣṇa. So that was the opportunity. So it was the request of Rādhārāṇī to Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the same Kṛṣṇa; I am the same Rādhārāṇī. We are meeting, but We are not meeting in the same place. Here You are, just like a royal king with chariots, with soldiers, with Your ministers, secretaries. And there in Vṛndāvana You were a cowherd boy, and We used to meet in the jungles, in the bushes. So I want to take You there. Then I will be happy."
So devotee sees in a different angle of vision. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He entered Jagannātha temple immediately He fainted: "Oh, here is My Lord." And the nondevotee is seeing: "It is wood, a lump of wood." Therefore, to the nondevotee, He remains always as wood, but to the devotee He speaks. That is the difference. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). If God is everything, why wood, through wood and stone, God cannot manifest? If God is everything? According to Māyāvāda philosophy... That's a fact. God, omnipotent. He can express Himself even through wood and stone. That is God's omnipotency. That is called omnipotency. Not that God is unable to express Himself through wood and stone. Then how He's omnipotent? Omnipotent means His potency can be expressed through anything. Because anything, everything is the expansion of God's energy. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat. The whole world is manifestation of different energies of God. Therefore... Just like through the energy of electricity the electric powerhouse, although far, far away from this place, was expressing. There is electricity. Through this glass, through these wires, the power can be expressed. There is a process.
Asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ. There are two classes of men: asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ and daivī-prakṛtim āśritāḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find these two words. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Those who are mahātmānas, broad-minded... Mahātmā means broad-minded. And durātmā means cripple-minded, just the opposite word. Durātmā. Dura means far away from Kṛṣṇa consciousness, dura ātmā. And mahātmā... Mahān, mahato mahīyān, Kṛṣṇa. So whose ātmā is attached to the Supreme, the great, he's called mahātmā.
So durātmā means one who is under the influence of this material nature, far, far away from Kṛṣṇa. This material nature actually situated many, many, many, many thousands and millions of miles far away from Vaikuṇṭhaloka. This universe is unlimited according to our measurement. And beyond this universe there is the spiritual world, paravyoma. And far, far away, the topmost planet of the spiritual world is Kṛṣṇaloka. So those who are in this material world, actually they are durātmā in this sense that they are far, far away from the planet which is known as Kṛṣṇaloka, or Goloka Vṛndāvana. This Vṛndāvana is the replica of that original Vṛndāvana. Because when Kṛṣṇa comes on this planet He appears in this spot of land, Vṛndāvana. Just like when the governor goes somewhere, they have got a circuit house. It is something like that. And there is no difference between that original Vṛndāvana and this Vṛndāvana.
So pravṛtti means we are dictated by our kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya, and we should agree to be dictated by Kṛṣṇa, that's all. That is intelligent. Pravṛtti, nivṛtti. Our pravṛtti is to abide by the dictation of the senses, and when we learn not to abide by the dictation of the senses but to abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa or His representative, then your life is successful. This teaching, this learning, means Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not difficult. Everyone can do it. Simply he has to change: instead of being dictated by the senses, one should be dictated by Kṛṣṇa. That requires qualification. Kṛṣṇa is there, in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is not far away, but you have to search out where is Kṛṣṇa within your heart. That is called yoga. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Yoginaḥ, those who are trying to understand Kṛṣṇa by the yoga process... The yoga means controlling the senses. Without controlling the senses you cannot practice any yoga. Nowadays it has become a fashion, meditation yoga, but that is not bona fide. That is not only (not) bona-fide; that is farce. Real yoga is controlling the senses and concentrating the mind to the Supreme Person. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). That is the... And farce yogi is going like that.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
That is not possible. The only remedy is to pick you. If somebody can pick up from the ocean and give you shelter on the land, then you will feel happy. Similarly, our program is not to become happy by so-called adjustment of material condition. That is not possible. Better come to the spiritual platform and act in the spiritual life. Then there is possibility of happiness. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that those who are cultivating spiritual life, spiritual knowledge, for them, after giving up this body there is promotion to the spiritual world. That is eternal, blissful life, and that will make us happy. So if we become serious, if we actually want to be happy, then we must take to spiritual understanding. Of course, in every country or in different parts of the world, there is some religious system. Religious system means to understand spiritual life. But unfortunately, nobody is interested in spiritual or religious system because they have been more and more induced to become addicted to the material and sensuous activities, and so they are going far and far away from the spiritual life, and more and more confusion and what is called disappointment is rising all over the world. So to mitigate this sort of disappointment and confusion, one has to take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and try to understand the philosophy and act accordingly. Then people will be happy.
Initiation Lectures
It is very nice service. You simply chant and eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Is it very difficult service? Everyone will accept, "Oh, yes." But unfortunately, everyone does not accept. (laughter) (chuckles) You see. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says, etādṛś ī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi: "My dear Lord, You are so kind that You have approached Me in..., by transcendental sound. Or You are always with Me." You can be. If I take, then Kṛṣṇa is always with me. If I reject, then... That is the ignora... "Kṛṣṇa is everywhere" means as soon as we accept, Kṛṣṇa is immediately with us. And as soon as we reject, oh, He is far, far away. So Kṛṣṇa can be with us very easily simply by this chanting or engaging the tongue in His service. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended this process, or He inaugurated this process in this age. Although it is not new system, but He especially introduced because His incarnation is to reclaim the fallen souls of this age. So He... (break) ...before advent of Kṛṣṇa he's simply planning, "As soon as Kṛṣṇa will take birth, I will kill him." This is the plan of the demons, to kill God. Atheism. "God is dead." That is also killing, one sort of killing. "There is no God. I am God." These are all different processes of trying to kill. But God is never killed. (break) Rather, they are killed. That is the whole history everywhere.
General Lectures
Akhilaṁ jagat. In this world, whatever you are seeing, it is nothing but distribution of the energy of the Supreme Lord. Just like you can feel the light and the heat of the sun. This light and heat of the sun are different energies of the sun. The energy and the energetic, the thing from which the energy is generated and the energy, they are nondifferent. The sunshine or the sun heat is not different from the sun. Because there is heat in the sun, therefore we feel the heat of sunshine. And there is light in the sun, therefore we see the sunshine. So this sunshine and sun heat is not different from the sun as it is. But still it is different. Still it is different. You cannot say that "Because I am feeling the heat of the sun, therefore I have approached sun." No. Sun is far, far away from you. And because the sunshine has entered your room, you cannot say that "Sun has entered my room." No. Still, sunshine and sun heat is not different from the sun.
Young man: I am subordinate to God, yes.
Prabhupāda: No, no, don't... Forget God. Just now we are speaking common sense.
Young man: Kṛṣṇa... I don't...
Prabhupāda: No. Don't speak of Kṛṣṇa. That is far away. You just try to understand that you do not want to die, why you are forced to death?
Young man: Why am I forced to death?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because you are subordinate.
Young man: Oh, yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Then you understand your position, that you are subordinate. You cannot declare that "I am free. I am not subordinate." If you are wishing that "I don't wish to be subordinate, don't wish to bow down," that is your disease.
Now here is one word used, marginal potency. Marginal potency, the exact Sanskrit word is taṭastha. Just like at the end of the land, the sea begins. So there is a marginal land. Just you go on the coast of the Pacific beach, you'll find some land. Sometimes it is covered by water and sometimes it is open land. This is marginal. Similarly, we spirit souls, although we are constitutionally one with God, but sometimes we are covered by māyā and sometimes we are free. Therefore our position is marginal. When we understand our real position, then... The same... Just like the same example. Try to understand. On the beach you'll find a certain portion of land which is sometimes covered by water, and again it is land. Similarly we are sometimes covered by māyā, the inferior energy, and sometimes we are free. So we have to maintain that free state. Just like in open land, there is no more water. If you come little far away from the sea water, then there is no more water; it is all land. Similarly, if you keep yourself from the material consciousness, come to the land of spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you keep your freedom. But if you keep yourself on the marginal position, then sometimes you'll be covered by māyā and sometimes you'll be free. So that is our position. (aside:) Go on.
This example I have given you several times. Just like you try to understand the sun. This is daily affair. Now when you try to understand what is this sun, you first of all come to the sunshine light. If you are covered with cloud and if you have not known what is sun, that is a different thing. Or even if it is covered, you can go up to the over the cloud and see the sunshine and sun. So the cloud is compared with māyā. So sun is compared with the kingdom of God, and the president of the sun planet is God. This is example. God is far away and He's the greatest. He has created so many millions of suns. But I am giving that example. Now to study the sun, first of all you come to the sunshine. The sunshine is distributed all over the universe, and the sun planet is situated in a localized place. And within the sun planet, there is the predominating deity who is called sun-god. But if you want to study all these things, first of all you come to the sunshine. The sunshine is impersonal. Similarly, there is a transcendental rays from the planet where Kṛṣṇa, or God, is there. Just a few minutes before I recited one verse from Bhagavad-gītā that na tad bhāsayate sūryo (BG 15.6). That means it is illuminating. There is no need of sunshine. Just like this planet is not illuminating; therefore we want light from the sun, from the moon, from electricity. But Bhagavad-gītā says that the planet of the Lord, there is no... Why planet? The sky. There is no need of sunshine. Every planet in the spiritual world is illuminating. So because every planet is illuminating, the whole spiritual sky is dazzling illumination. So one who approaches that dazzling illumination called brahma-jyotir, they are called impersonalists.
The next austerity, we say that don't take any animal food. There is no need of taking. Perhaps you are coming to our love feast. We can prepare. Of course, these boys and girls, they are not very expert, but still, whatever they have learned, and they are supplying prasādam to your American boys and girls, and people, they are appreciating very much. In Los Angeles—that is our biggest temple in your country—we get in every love feast day not less than two hundred guests. They come from far away with their car and they take. They like it. You see? So if you accept this austerity, that "We shall not eat meat, but we can have very nice foodstuff from grains, from fruits, from vegetables, milk, sugar, so many nice foodstuff," you will forget. Simply you have to learn. That is not very severe austerity. Simply our process is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how from this present consciousness we want to change to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So these austerities are required: no illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication. No intoxication. Our boys and girls, they do not even smoke. They do not take tea, coffee, and what to speak of other intoxicants. They were intoxicated. Some of them were LSD, but they have given up to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And no gambling. These four principles you accept. It is not very difficult, not very severe. Simply you have to be willing, "Yes. Why? If I can live on such nice foodstuff, why shall I take to animal food, for which so many animals have to be killed, so many birds have to be killed?"
Similarly, although God is far, far away, He is everywhere at the same time. That is God's nature. Simply we have to agree that "Now I shall realize..." (break) ...without any difficulty, very easily. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, yayātmā suprasīdati (SB 1.2.6). And without spiritual realization you cannot have peace of mind. That is impossible. If you want to make... If you want to have peace of this world, of your mind, of your society, of your family, simply by amassing money, by material advance, it will never be possible. But if you improve a little in spiritual life, you become immediately happy.
Ladies and gentlemen, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just the appropriate movement for self-realization in this age. Self... When we speak of self, there are two kinds of self according to Vedic literatures. The exact word in Sanskrit, the self-ātmā. And there is another word—Paramātmā. Ātmā and Paramātmā. There is some other words also—mahātmā, durātmā. Mahātmā means one who has expanded his soul up to the Supersoul, Paramātmā. He's called mahātmā. Another word is durātmā, when one is far, far away from the Supersoul. Dur, dur means distant. Bahut dur. Bahut dur pare hai (?), they say. In Hindi also, they say dur. Dur means distant. So Paramātmā and ātmā, or God and Godhead, the Supreme Godhead or Supreme God. So we cannot place everyone on the same level. That is nonsense. As in this world we see that you are richer than me, and somebody is richer than you, and somebody is richer than somebody else... You go on finding out who is the richest, then you'll come to God. You cannot find anyone in this material world as the richest of all.
It is almost impossible. You cannot understand even a planet, and what to speak of the Supreme. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). Those who are in knowledge of the Absolute Truth, they say that the Absolute Truth is realized in three phases. But they're nondual. How nondual? Just like even if you study the sunshine, it is not different from the sun, because the same quality is there. The temperature and the illumination, two main qualities, in the sunshine you'll find. And in the same way, if you study the sun globe, you'll find the same quality: light, illumination, and temperature. And if you go further, if you study the living entity, you'll find the same thing: temperature and light. But there is difference still, varieties. You cannot say... When the sunlight enters within your room through the window, you cannot say, "I have got the sun now. Sun is within my room." That is nonsense. No. Sun is far, far away, but his energy has entered your room. So much you can say, but if you think that because the sunlight is within the room... Sunlight within your room? Sunlight, if it comes a few millions miles nearer this planet, it will be finished. What about your room? The temperature is so high.
So simultaneously one and different. This philosophy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, acintya-bhedābheda-tattva: simultaneously, inconceivable one and different. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy, Vaiṣṇava philosophy. We are neither different nor one, simultaneously, and therefore it is called inconceivable, acintya. In our material conception we cannot think that one thing may be simultaneously one with another and different from another. So this is our position: jīva is śakti-tattva and bhagavān is śaktimān-tattva. But śakti, śaktimān abheda, there is no difference. There are many other examples. Just like the sun and sunlight. Sunlight is not different from the sun, and still the sunlight is not the sun. In the morning, when you find that there is sunlight within your room, you can say that the sun is within your room. You can say that, but the actual sun is far, far away, 93,000,000 miles away from us. So there are so many examples that we are energy of the Supreme Lord, we living entities.
So religion is a kind of faith, but faith can be changed. But the knowledge which is essential in life, that cannot be changed. Therefore this culture, although it appears like a religious system, but it is the essential knowledge of life. Religion or faith, you can change from one to another, but you must know the essential value of your life. And because we have no, I mean to say, connection at the present moment with the essential knowledge of life, we are thinking that you are separate from me, I am separate from you. Just like we are all human being, but for want of adequate knowledge, I am thinking, "I am Indian," you are thinking you are Japanese, somebody is thinking he is American, and yet another is thinking that he is something else. Actually we are one. We are energy of Kṛṣṇa, or God. So, just like in dream I accept a different position, forgetting my real identification, and I think that I have gone far away from home, and I am flying, or I am in the forest—so many things I may dream—but that is not actual fact. So this movement is practically awakening the human society dreaming in sleep. Just like if a man is sleeping very sound, forgetting his duty, and some friend of the man is trying to awake him, "Mr. such and such. Please wake up. It is now morning.
If you constantly, twenty-four hours remain Kṛṣṇa conscious, man-manā, then—Kṛṣṇa is there within your heart—He will give you instruction, "Do like this." So Bhagavān is not far away from you. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna (BG 18.61). He is staying within the core of your heart. But if you qualify yourself as devotee, He'll speak with you. But if you commit offenses, thinking Kṛṣṇa as ordinary man, then Kṛṣṇa will never give you instruction.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is going on. Actually, religion means obedience to God. So religion does not mean some sect. They are trying to understand God some way, but that is not actually religion. That is a method of understanding God. But religion begins when one has actually understood God and giving Him, rendering Him service. That is religion.
Hayagrīva: For Kant, the true religion is the divine ethical state. He is..., he was fond of quoting the Christian Bible. When Christ was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Neither shall they say, 'Lo here' or 'Lo there,' for behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Now Kant footnotes this passage by saying, "Here a kingdom of God is represented not according to a particular covenant, but moral, knowable through assisted reason." So again he insists on the priority of God within, on the priority of ethical action and the freedom to accept ethical action. And this is epitomized in his famous line, "The starry sky above and the moral law within." The starry sky above is the abode of God, is very far away, but the moral law within is very close. Thus he emphasizes that the kingdom of God is within you.
Prabhupāda: Yes. If one is actually aware of God and His instructions, then the kingdom of God is within himself.
Hayagrīva: The Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone—that is one of his last books—he condemns prayer as an inner formal service to God, because God does not need information regarding the inner disposition of the person offering prayers. In other words, God does not need formal prayer to know what man needs. Such a prayer would be, "Give us this day our daily bread." However, Kant believes that it is good to teach children to pray so that in their early years they may accustom themselves to a life pleasing to God. So that prayer might add their...
Prabhupāda: That is religion: how to please God. That is not only restricted among the children, but authorized(?) to the children's father. One must know how to please God. That is real religion.
Prabhupāda: Then one has to believe him?
Śyāmasundara: Yes.
Devotee: He also says that we have the capacity to take matters into our own hands. We don't have to ruin it by some controller far away who we have no control over.
Prabhupāda: But that you cannot do. You cannot take the question of birth, death, old age in your hands. How he says that you shall be able to take matters into your own hands?
Śyāmasundara: Well, most scientists like that accept those problems as inescapable problems. But while we are here, let us have the best life we can.
Prabhupāda: But if he can give you better life, where there is no death, there is no old age, there is no disease, why not accept it?
Devotee: We only accept that as a (indistinct) life here. This life you may remain eternal. We have no (indistinct) beyond this life, nor are we willing to accept.
Prabhupāda: That is your conclusion. This cannot be corrected. This cannot be corrected. That they cannot live. They accept it. But there, after death, it is done. But if we give some thought that after death you can attain, what does he say? After death, if there is a life of blissful knowledge, so why don't they take it?
Hayagrīva: Yes.
Prabhupāda: And He says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8): "I am the origin of everything. Everything emanates from Me." And the Vedānta-sūtra confirms, "The Absolute Truth is that from which everything comes," janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So the Absolute Truth is person, and Arjuna, when he understood Bhagavad-gītā, he addressed Kṛṣṇa, paraṁ brahma. That is Absolute Truth. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So really understanding Absolute Truth means to understand His personal feature. He has got three features: impersonal feature, localized feature and personal feature. So brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). All of them are the same truth, spiritual truth, but different phases or different features. The example is given, just like you see one mountain from a very distant place, very distant place, you see the hazy something like cloud. Then you come nearer, you see something green, there are trees, like that. And if you will come still nearer, you will see, "No. It is not only trees and hazy but there are houses, there are men, there are animals." So actually the same thing, the mountain from a distant place, but because one is far away from the mountain, he sees the same mountains are impersonal, and if he comes little nearer, then he sees Paramātmā, personal within, present everywhere. And when he comes again still, he sees the same person is still there; He is dancing and playing. This is the difference.
Hayagrīva: In his last dialogue, Berkeley writes, "The apprehension of a distant Deity naturally disposes men to be negligent of their moral actions, which they would be more cautious of in case they thought Him"—that is God—"immediately present."
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is a fact. We say, the Vedic śāstra says, that God is everywhere; He is not distant. In the Kuntī's prayer it is said, "God is distant and nearest also." So nearest, by God's paramātmā feature, He is living in everyone's heart, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe... (BG 18.61). So He is within our heart; how He can be distant? But at the same time He is in His personal feature, He is in Goloka Vṛndāvana, which, beyond, far, far beyond this material existence. So that is God's all-pervasive equality, that although He is far, far away, still He is near, nearest. The crude example is there that the heater, the original source of heat and light, is far, far away, ninety-three millions miles according to the modern scientist calculation, the sun. But still the light is in my room. So God is both far away and also within my heart. So one who is expert to see God, he sees both way. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto (Bs. 5.37). Although He is living in His own abode eternally, and enjoying with His associates, still He is present everywhere. That is God.
Purports to Songs
That means these four things can be secured by any poor man in any part of the world. There is no botheration for securing a piece of leaf, a piece of flower or a little water or a piece of fruit. Any poor man, any rich man, can secure. And the Lord says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: (BG 9.26) "Anyone who offers Me these four things with devotion, with love, I accept them. I accept them." Why? Now, tad ahaṁ bhaktyā upahṛtam aśnāmi. "Because that is secured with sincere love for Me." The Lord accepts our love. Now, the Lord is... You cannot see Him. He is far, far away, and still, He is within us. Therefore His hands is not like our hands. The Vedas... When the Vedas describes, "The Lord has no hands," that means He has no hand like ours, not that a two-feet hands which we have got, or two or three-feet hands, not this hand. His hand is so large that He can extend His hand in any part of His creation, millions and billions miles away, and everywhere. That is the specific significance of His body. So this is described here.
| Page Title: | Far away (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 14 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=102, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 102 |