One portion of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has direct expansion and expansion of the expansion. Just like Kṛṣṇa, His immediate expansion is Baladeva, Balarāma. Then from Balarāma the next expansion is Catur-vyūha, quadruple: Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. Again, from this Saṅkarṣaṇa there is another expansion, Nārāyaṇa. From Nārāyaṇa, another expansion. Again, second status of Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva... Not only one Nārāyaṇa, but innumerable Nārāyaṇas. Because in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the spiritual sky, there are innumerable planets. How many? Now, just imagine here in this universe there are planets. This is one universe. There are millions of planets. You cannot count. You cannot count. So similarly, there are innumerable universes also. That also you cannot count. Still, all these universes taken together is only one-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's expansion. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka there is three-fourths expansion. So we cannot count even one planet how many Kṛṣṇa's expansions are there, because He is aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). He's within the atom also. The scientists are perplexed to analyze one atom. More and more they're finding components. Kṛṣṇa... Therefore His name is Ananta. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). He has got multiforms. Multiforms.
Just imagine (Lectures, SB)
Expressions researched:
"Just like imagine"
|"Just you can imagine"
|"just imagine"
|"just see, imagine"
|"just try to imagine"
|"just we can imagine"
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So religion is like that. There are... As this is a small state or small city, London... It is small city in comparison to the universe; it is nothing, a spot. So there are so many rules and regulation and laws, and the Supreme Lord, who is maintaining, creating this universe, there is no law? How do you think like that? For a small city, an insignificant city... In our estimation, it is not insignificant, but in comparison to the universe, what is the value of this London city or New York city? As soon as you go a little high up, say, twenty-five miles above, you cannot see your city. It is all finished. Similarly, there are so many cities in the stars and planets, upwards. So many universes, so many seas, mountains, skyscraper, houses, we cannot see. Because in the universe these are all simply insignificant particles only. So if in this insignificant particle there are so many state laws, you just imagine to manage this universal affair, the Supreme Lord, how much laws and regulation must be there. Who can deny it? Deny means he's a rascal. But intelligent man will understand that if in a small place there are so many rules and regulations, and in so big place, so universal—aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu—there are laws.
Just like I am claiming, "It is my body," but when the body, there is some disarrangement, then I do not know how it has happened. I know that I am eating something, that is going to the stomach, and the stomach, from the stomach many secretion is coming out. That secretion is going to the heart. It is transforming into blood. Again the blood is diffused all over the body. There is a nice mechanical process. But we do not know. Although I am claiming that "It is my body," I do not know how, internally, my bodily functions are going on. Therefore my knowledge is imperfect, although I am claiming "My body." But God's knowledge is not like that. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). He knows everything. That is the distinction between God and ourself. I do not know even what is going on within my body. I do not know how my hairs are growing, I do not know how many hairs are on my head, and still, the rascals claim, "I am God." How much rascaldom it is, you can just imagine. God is not like that. God knows everything. That is God. Anvayād itarataś ca. Indirectly and directly. Directly I can see this is my finger, but I do not know what is the composition of the finger. So direct, indirect. Indirectly I do not know. Directly I can see. So we may have some experience of direct perception, but God has got both direct and indirect perception. We do not know how a flower is coming out, but God knows how the flower is coming out.
So this materialistic way of life, without any knowledge of the outside world, or without any knowledge... Outside world means just like we are within this universe. It is covered. The round thing which we see in the sky, that is the covering. Just like a coconut shell. A coconut shell, within and without. Within the coconut shell it is darkness, and without it is light. Similarly, this universe is just like the coconut. We are within. As in within coconut there is water, half water, similarly, within this universe there is half water. On that water, Lord Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is lying. And from His navel, a lotus stem is sprouted. Just imagine within the coconut there is water, and somebody's lying, and there is some stem out of the navel. Exactly this universe is like that. But outside the universe there is light. Here, within the universe, because it is covered, light is required. Sunlight is required. Moonlight is required. Electricity is required. But in the spiritual world there is no necessity of light. They're self effulgent. Therefore tamo 'ndham. Those who are actually serious about going out of this darkness and come to the light, tamasi mā jyotir gama: "Don't remain in this darkness. Come to the light."
Besides that, so far I am concerned, I do not want so many things. So many things. Just like I do not want to become old, but old age is forced upon me. I must become old. I do not want to die. Then death is forced upon me. I do not want to take birth. These are all very troublesome business. We have forgotten birth, death, old age, and disease. But when we are within the womb of our mother, it is very precarious condition. Any medical man knows. We have to live there in this way, in a packed up bag, practically without any air. Airtight condition. Just imagine. Now just at the present moment if you are put into the airtight condition, you will die within three minutes or three seconds. The medical opinion is that. But in the womb of our mother we have to live for clear ten months or more than that in that airtight, packed-up condition. Just imagine how much troublesome condition was there. That is practical. We may have forgotten.
The one is singular number, nitya, cetana. The others are plural number. So we living entities, we are many, asaṅkhya. There is no limit how many living entities are there. That you have got experience. Even within your room, from a small hole, thousands and thousands of ants may come out. Just imagine. Even within a drop of water there are thousands of microbes. They are all living entities under different condition of life. So living entities are many, but God is one, not God many. God cannot be many. Therefore it is singular number. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Then what is the distinction between this singular number and plural number? The distinction is also stated, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān: "That one single number living entity is supplying all the necessities of these plural number living entities." That is the distinction between God and living entity.
Because in the spiritual world, the only enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He's the only proprietor. So therefore in the spiritual world, all the living entities... There are many more times living entities in the spiritual world than in this material world. In the material world we see so many living entities, conditioned, 8,400,000 species, and in each species, millions and millions are... And there are millions and millions of planets and universes. All these taken together, they are conditioned soul. Similarly, many more times... This is called one-fourth creation, and the three-fourth creation is the spiritual world. Just imagine how many living entities are there. They're all mukta. They're liberated. Because they do not think that "I am enjoyer." Kṛṣṇa is only enjoyer. Here everyone is thinking that "I am enjoyer." I am enjoyer, therefore fight. You are enjoyer, I am enjoyer. So you are enjoying most... "Oh, you have taken more food." Just like cats and dogs, they fight. Because the disease is that "I am enjoyer." Prasāda means that whatever by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa I get, that is called prasāda. And when we fight, oh that is not prasāda. Then immediately it becomes ordinary ḍāl wal.(?) So this is the center of devotion, that Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer. And as soon as we think that "Why Kṛṣṇa should be enjoyer alone? I am also enjoyer," that is māyā.
God is one, God cannot be two. It is not that Hindus have got one God and Christians have got another God. No. God cannot be two. Then there cannot be any competition of Gods. "I am God." Just like nowadays it has become a fashion, so many gods, rascals are coming, "I am God." He says, "I am God," "I am God," "I am God." Now how many Gods are there? No, God is one, eko brahma dvitīya nāsti, that is the Vedic injunction. Just like the sun. Sun is one. From our practical example. You cannot say that "This is American sun," and "this is Indian sun," or "it is African sun." Sun is one. See, if a creation of God is one and it is so powerful... Sun is one of the creation of God. There are millions of suns. We can see one only. So if one sun created by God can do so much work, can distribute so much heat and light, just imagine how much powerful is the creator of the sun. This is common sense. So we get information from Bhagavad-gītā... (aside:) Rūpānuga you can come here.
So here, whatever is spoken in this Bhāgavata statement by Sūta Gosvāmī, dharmasya hy āpavargyasya... Everyone is trying to become engaged in particular type of occupational duty. Suppose one man is professor or one man is engineer or one man is medical man, anyone. Everyone has to do work for livelihood. That's a fact. You cannot live in this material world without working. In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa advised Arjuna that "You have to work. Without working, you cannot," I mean to say, "keep yourself, your life and soul and body together. You have to work." Śarīra-yātrāpi na prasiddhyet. Śarīra-yātrā. So you have to work. Kṛṣṇa never said... Kṛṣṇa is... Arjuna is a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Just imagine, he's talking personally with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is personally helping him. How much exalted he is! But still, Kṛṣṇa is advising to work. Kṛṣṇa never said, "Oh, Arjuna, you need not fight. You sit down silently. I shall..." Actually, He was doing everything. At last He said, nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin: "You are simply instrumental, and I am doing everything." So Kṛṣṇa does for the devotee everything, but it does not mean that he will sit down. It is not. This is not our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement that idle, creating some idlement. You must work for Kṛṣṇa's sake. That is the program. Not for sense gratification. That is called dharma.
So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). His energies are working so nicely that svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Svabhāva, natural. Just like a rose flower is coming into existence, very nicely painted, very nicely colored, very nicely flavored. So it requires brain. How you can say that it has been done automatically? No. There is brain. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The nature is working under His direction. But His direction is so complete that it appears to us as it is being done automatically. Not automatic. There is brain behind it. Just like nowadays there are so many mechanical inventions. You just push one button and things come, as we see in the airplane. There are simply... The pilot is working simply by pushing some buttons, and such a big, gigantic plane is floating in the sky. We can understand. The television, simply by pushing one button... So if materially it is so much advanced, perfection is possible, you can just imagine, spiritually how much it is perfectly possible.
So they do not get that ānanda. They simply are elevated to the position of eternity. But eternity without ānanda. Just like you just imagine: suppose you are given a very nice place. You are ordered that "You live here eternally, but don't allow nobody else. You can live alone." How long you will live? Because as a living entity, as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, you want ānanda. So ānanda, you require society, friendship and love. That is ānanda. That is not impersonalism. That is personalism. So unless you enter to the personal activities of Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be ānanda. There cannot be. Unless you are qualified to dance with Kṛṣṇa or to play with Kṛṣṇa, to become father of Kṛṣṇa, mother of Kṛṣṇa, and enjoy the ānandamayam, ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37), you cannot be happy. Therefore āruhya kṛcchreṇa. The brahma-pada, the Supreme, paraṁ padam, it is called paraṁ padam... Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Adhaḥ. They fall down. Therefore we see sometimes, big, big sannyāsīs, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, they give up this world, take sannyāsa, but after some time they come to politics, to sociology. Why? If the jagat is mithyā, why you are interested in politics and sociology an welfare acts? That means anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: He could not get ānanda without being in touch with the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they come this ānanda. Ānanda. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa. This is practical.
So that is the standard of highest perfection. If you do not die, if you do not take birth... If you know what are the miserable conditions of birth, to remain within the womb of the mother... Not only to remain. Nowadays, modern advanced civilization, they are being killed by the mother. Not only abortion, but they are being killed. Now the Western world is very familiar with these things. So just imagine. First of all, you have to remain within the mother's womb, head down, packed-up condition. You cannot move, ten months. And that is also not secure. Even within the... Now this is the... Within the mother's womb you are not secure. At any moment the doctor may advise that "Kill the child." So these are the miserable condition of birth, but we do not remember them. We have to know it from the śāstra. So similarly, at the time of death, coma and... Nowadays it is a very common disease. For seven days or fifteen days he's unconscious, crying.
So here Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). If the living entity does not enter into another gross body, then where does he go? So Kṛṣṇa says, mām eti. "He comes to Me." Now just imagine what is the speed of spirit soul, just after leaving this body after death, he immediately goes to Goloka Vṛndāvana, or at least where Kṛṣṇa is there. Mām eti. Kṛṣṇa's nitya-līlā, that has been described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, how Kṛṣṇa's nitya-līlā is going on. Kṛṣṇa is present in a bhauma-līlā in one of the universes every time. The Lord Caitanya has given the example as the movement of the sun. The sun is moving, and the twenty-four hours into sixty minutes, into sixty seconds... The... All these time changes are there, every time. Just like our sunrise was, say, at six-thirty, or six. This six thirty, passed here, but somewhere else it is now six-thirty. Again when it will pass six-thirty there, in somewhere else there will be six-thirty. Similarly Kṛṣṇa is passing from one universe to another, and when He's visible in this universe, we find Kṛṣṇa's appearance.
We get this information from Brahma-saṁhitā: yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). This very word is used. Jagad-aṇḍa means "one universe." And koṭi, koṭi means "millions." So there are unlimited number of universes also. And in each universe, koṭiṣu vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam, in each universe, there are millions and trillions of planets, each different from one another. This is the creation. So just imagine that what is God's creation, how He attains every universe continually. His līlā is going on. As soon as in one universe the Kṛṣṇa's birth, appearance, is finished, immediately in another universe His birth takes place. This is called nitya-līlā. Exactly like... The same example: as soon as six-thirty, morning, finished here in India, immediately the six-thirty of the sunrise in some other place. Six-thirty another place. another... The six thirty is going on. It is very easy to understand. The six-thirty or seven-thirty or eight, nine, whatever you take, that is going on. That is called nitya-līlā. Kṛṣṇa's līlā is going on. So just imagine how many universes are there.
So the spirit soul has got immense power, immense power. That is only fragment of Kṛṣṇa, part and parcel. Now, just you can imagine what is the power of Kṛṣṇa. A..., a small, fragmental portion of Kṛṣṇa... Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). The living entity, he has got so much potencies. And what potency Kṛṣṇa has got, who is full of spiritual potency? So actually if we want to be happy, as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we must join Him. That is our value. This example I have given several times, that a small screw of a machine has got immense value when it is attached with the machine. The same small screw, when it is detached from the machine, it has no value. Not even a farthing. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. Our value is in full when we join Kṛṣṇa, when we dovetail our activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then it is valuable. Otherwise the so-called progress is simply illusion. There is no progress. It is simply illusion. Ato vai kavayo nityaṁ bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā.
So He's not different. As like the dāruṣu, as the fuel wood are different, and therefore the flame appears to be different, similarly although Viśvātmā, the Supersoul, is one, because He's acting with individual soul different according to his different association, mentality, desires... Every account is kept. Just imagine how many numberless there are living entities. Asaṅkhya. Jīva-bhāgo sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate. There is no, you cannot... Innumerable. And each and every individual soul is doing according to his own desires and every account is kept. Just imagine how expert accountant is required. Every account is kept. Because He has to be offered again another body, taking account of his activities. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). He's acting. Innumerable living entities. So how big brain is Kṛṣṇa, you can just imagine. And not only one planet—there are innumerable planets, there are innumerable universes. Everything innumerable. That is called unlimited. Everything innumerable. And still, some rascal claims that he is God. How much brain a God requires, he does not know. How big brain... Anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ. These are analyzed, what is the nature of the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. How He is? What He is? Immediately the answer is janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "From Him, everything is emanating." Everything is taking birth from Him. Janma. Not only janma, birth, but existence, maintenance, janmādi. Janmādi means birth, maintenance and death.
So in this way the whole creation is going on under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Under His supervision... Just imagine how expert supervision is there, that the sun is rising exactly in the same moment as it is to be done. The waves of the sea are going on perpetually, but the waves cannot come beyond the limit. We have walked on the sea beach. So just at ten, one, three feet, away the big ocean, Pacific Ocean is... But we are certain that this Pacific Ocean cannot come beyond this limit. We are certain. How we are certain? Because there is the order of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa. Because we know, I know, you know that there is God's order... The Pacific Ocean may be very, very big, but still, he cannot disobey the order of the Supreme. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). This is understanding of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means you have to study everything, how things are going on. And this is stated. You have to simply think, "Yes." You have to confirm by your brain. If you have got dull brain, then how you can study? Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram.
Nitya-baddha. This word is also technical. Nitya-baddha means ever-conditioned. There are nitya-muktas. Nitya-mukta means ever-liberated. In the spiritual world, there are also innumerable living entities. The... This material world is only one-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy, God's energy. And the three-fourths energy is manifested in the spiritual world. So we can just imagine that in one-fourth manifestation of energy of the Lord, we are so many living entities which is impossible to count. Now you can imagine how many more living entities are there. But here we are conditioned and they are liberated. Those who are conditioned, they are called nitya-baddha, ever-conditioned. Nitya-baddha means we do not know when our, this conditional stage has begun. It is impossible to trace out the history. But we are conditioned. There is no doubt about it. Conditioned means no freedom. No freedom. As spirit soul we are free. Sarva-ga, we can go everywhere, anywhere. Even those who get some mystic powers by perfection of yoga practice, they can also exhibit some powers. So why? As we become free from material conditions, our original freedom comes.
So sometimes this earthly planet was thrown into the water, Garbhodaka-samudra, Garbhodaka Sea, and God took the form of a boar, having two tusks—because it was easier. Just like shovel, you take something like that. So He took the earth. So that is described: kṣitir iha vipulatare tiṣṭhati tava... No. What is that? Daśana-śikhare? The, this is described in Jayadeva's prayer. Vasati daśana-śikhare dharaṇī tava lagnā. Vasati, "is resting"; vasati daśana-śikhare, "on the top of the tusk." Keśava dhṛta-śūkara-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare. So He's yajñeśa. It is not that He's... is shape was just like hog, but He's not hog. Don't misunderstand. His shape was a gigantic hog. You can just imagine what kind of hog He was. The shape was like hog, but He was resting the whole planet, earthly planet, on the tusk. Vasati daśana-śikhare dharaṇī tava lagnā śaśini kalaṅka, keśava dhṛta-śūkara-rūpa. Here it is stated, saukaram. Saukaram means like hog. Not that He's hog. He's yajñeśa. He can take any shape. Just like here is, God has assumed the shape of a lion, half-lion, half-man. So He's all powerful, He can take any shape, any form, but He is not that form. That is for the time being. For the time being, He assumes so many forms. The real form is Kṛṣṇa, the original form. Keśava dhṛta-śūkara, sūkara-rūpa or śūkara-rūpa. "My Lord Keśava, You have assumed this form."
So saukaraṁ vapuḥ. Dvitīyaṁ tu bhavāyāsya rasātala-gatāṁ mahīm, rasātala. We do not know what are the down planets. This is called... Bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ. This is bhūr-loka. Above this, there is bhuvar-loka, svarga-loka; above that, there is jana-loka; above that, there is mahar-loka; above that, there is siddha-loka. In this way, seven upper planetary system, and similarly, there are seven downwards. That is called tala, atala, talātala, rasātala, like that. Tala, atala, vitala, talātala, rasātala. So rasātala, the lowest, that means down the water, rasātala-gatām. Just like this morning we were calculating the depth of the Pacific Ocean. They are sometimes seven miles. So similarly, that Garbhodakaśāyī, Garbhodaka-samudra. Just imagine how deep it is. So within that deep water, the earth was put, and Kṛṣṇa in the shape of Varāha saved it. So Kṛṣṇa will save you. Others may disturb you, put you into the difficulty, but Kṛṣṇa will save you. Be assured. Don't be disappointed.
Therefore it is said that anyān, apāyayat surān anyān mohinyā mohayan striyā. Those who are sura, demigods, they were given the nectar, and others... Others means opposite number of surān, or asurān, the atheist or the demons. They were enchanted by the beautiful form of Mohinī. Kṛṣṇa's another incarnation is female, Mohinī, charming—so much charming that even Lord Śiva was after the girl. Lord Śiva, he is supposed to be dhīra, but he became charmed, and he was after that girl. So when Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is already beautiful, but when He takes the shape of a woman, how beautiful He became, we can just imagine. Woman are naturally beautiful. They are called "fair sex." So mohinyā. So this Mohinī, this attractive feature of woman, is advantage and disadvantage also. It requires simply handling. Then it is advantage. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu played this play, Mohinī role... Caitanya Mahāprabhu was playing drama. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very beautiful. He took the part of this Mohinī-mūrti. And she was dancing with the pot of nectar. So all the devotees, they offered their obeisances, because Mohinī-mūrti means God's incarnation. So "My dear Lord, Your this mūrti, this form, this charming form, is somewhere rākṣasī." Rākṣasī means, what is called, witches? Or the female demon. "And somewhere You are goddess of fortune."
We get the information from the śāstra, although we cannot see it with our material eyes. Śāstra says that every living entity is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. Śāstra says. Everyone has seen the tip of the hair, but he has no idea how to divide it into ten thousand parts. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra. Agra. Agra means tip, keśa means hair. So you just imagine only that you see the top, tip of the hair, and divide it into ten thousand parts. That one part is the form of the living entity. (aside:) Who is extending the...? This is not good.
- keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca
- jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate
- (CC Madhya 19.140)
That is the dimension of the living entity, and they are innumerable, ananta. There is no limit how many there are.
Parāvareśo manasaiva viśvaṁ sṛjaty avati. Manasaiva, "simply by thinking." Just like in the Bible it is said, "Let there be creation." Immediately there is creation. Manasaiva. We can compare just a very rich man, many assistants, many managers. Just like, take, in your country, Rockefeller or somebody like that. He thinks something to do, business. Simply he orders his secretary, "This should be done," it is done. Without his personal effort, immediately done. Because why? Because he has got superior energy or power. In the material world... Material world means this monetary strength he has got. So simply by his desire, the secretary arranges everything and everything is nicely done. But he is sitting in his room. If it is possible for a person who is little materially rich, just imagine how much it is possible by God, the Supreme. Simply by willing, everything will be done. He hasn't got to do anything. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Veda also.
So Vyāsadeva saw the pūrṇaṁ puruṣam. Pūrṇaṁ puruṣaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. And he saw māyā also, but māyā is not conquering over him. Because Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇam, māyā cannot conquer. In full light there cannot be darkness. Any amount of darkness, you put before the sunshine, there is no possibility... It cannot stand. Within the sun globe, within the orbit of the sun, any amount of... Because the sun globe is so big and the orbit is so big that the whole universal darkness you bring there, there will be no darkness. Just imagine. It is not imagine; it is fact. The universal darkness, all the darkness of the universe, you bring before the sun, it will not effect. It cannot effect. Because the sun is full light. It is not that imitation light. Here we have got this imitation light. The big amount of cloud is there. Immediately it will be dark. But sunlight is full light. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-puruṣam. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they think that when Kṛṣṇa comes, He reduces His energy; therefore He also becomes covered by māyā. This is called Māyāvāda. Māyāvāda means the māyā has covered everything; so māyā has covered Kṛṣṇa also. This is Māyāvāda philosophy. "Because māyā has covered me, you and everyone, therefore māyā has covered Kṛṣṇa. Unless Kṛṣṇa or the Absolute Truth, Brahman, becomes covered by māyā, he cannot take a form." This is Māyāvāda philosophy. As we have taken form, because the prakṛti, material nature, has helped us to take this form, similarly, their philosophy is, even the Absolute Truth, Brahman, He incarnates, He accepts a body of this material nature.
So there are māyās of different kind. Kṛṣṇa's māyā... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva... Māyā means potency. So from the Vedic knowledge we can understand that Kṛṣṇa has many types of potencies, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāv... (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). because He has to execute so many affairs, this material world, spiritual world, and just imagine so big universe. There are innumerable universes, and each and every universe there are so many planets, so many different kinds of living entities, and He has to manage everything. Therefore He is called Parameśvara. Parameśvara means the supreme controller. And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15). "I am living in everyone's heart." Now, imagine. There are innumerable universes, and each and every universe, there are innumerable planets, and in each and every planet, there are innumerable towns and cities, and each and every town, there are innumerable living entities, and Kṛṣṇa has to manage all of them. That is Kṛṣṇa. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Kṛṣṇa has to act in such a way that whatever we are doing, that is under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says mattaḥ smṛtiḥ. Just like in the morning you get up and immediately you understand that you were sleeping, "Now I have got to do so many things." So wherefrom this memory comes? Kṛṣṇa says mattaḥ, "from Me." So just imagine how Kṛṣṇa is busy. So this māyā as described here, apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ tad-apāśrayam. Māyā means his meaning, that will be explained in the next verse—which is controlling this material world, that māyā. Māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam.
So Vyāsadeva, he is giving us this knowledge. Vidvān lokasyājānataḥ. The whole population, the total number of the living entities—either he is Brahmā or a small—proportionately, they are all in ignorance. Otherwise why Brahmā required Vedic knowledge? It is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Ādi-kavaye, Brahmā, he is svayambhū. He's so great that he's directly born from Nārāyaṇa, svayambhū, not through any material mother. Just imagine how he is great. And Brahmā is great, everyone knows. So he had to take knowledge also. Otherwise, why it is said tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye? Even though he's the most learned, ādi-kavaye, he had to take knowledge. So you can say "He is the first creature, there was nobody there. How he took knowledge? Who gave him knowledge?" The answer is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that Vāsudeva gave him. "Where is Vāsudeva? There was nothing." No. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Vāsudeva means who stays everywhere. Vasati sarvatra. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). So Vāsudeva is there. So Brahmā was, although there was nobody else except Brahmā, he was in the darkness. Still, Vāsudeva was there. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna (BG 18.61). So He gave the knowledge. Tene brahma. Brahma means Vedic knowledge.
It is said for sixteen years within the womb of his mother, he did not come out purposefully so that he may not be materially attached. Because a small child, the baby comes out from the mother's womb. Within the womb, when he's in suffering, he prays to God, "This time kindly release me. Now I shall begin bhagavad-bhajana." One who is little advanced in his previous life... Because it is very, very terrible condition within the womb of the mother. We have forgotten. But we can imagine, if you are packed up in a bag and put hand and legs tightly knotted, just imagine. You cannot live even for three minutes. They say if you are airtight packed-up like that, as we are put into the womb of the mother, we cannot exist more than three minutes. But we existed by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Only by the mercy. That is also nowadays very dangerous. In that packed-up condition, he's there, he's already suffering, and the mother is planning to go to the doctor and kill the child. Just imagine how precarious condition in the womb of the mother. And if we do not try in this life that "I shall not again enter into the womb of the mother," then what is the value of this life? We have to learn it from the śāstra. You cannot see actually, but the medical science explains that a child is placed in this way. In Bhāgavata also it is stated how the child grows his body, how it is put into that precarious condition.
So prakṛti. Icchānurūpam api yasya. That prakṛti, Durgā, is acting under the direction of Govinda. Icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. The direction is there. Direction is there actually. But because we cannot conceive how in this plan the direction of the Supreme Lord is there so that a nice flower is coming with so beautiful feature. But direction is there we should know. In ordinarily we say sometimes that "Not a blade of grass moves without the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So everything is going on under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Don't think that it is taking automatically. There is no such thing as automatical. But the direction is so quick, so sufficient and so perfect. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Automatically, immediately. There are so many machines we have. Just like the computer. There is machine working, but it is so minute that simply by pushing one button, so many things immediately done. This is a material machine, manufactured by a human being. And how much perfect the machine of Kṛṣṇa will be, just imagine.
Another point is here. Athopaspṛśya salilam: this mantra weapon is so strong that it can be manufactured simply by touching water with mantra. Just like we take mantra, apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhya. The same process. Do not think that it is some ritualistic external. No. It has got meaning. If you can chant the mantra properly, if you follow the rules and... You must be expert in chanting mantra. Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra we are chanting, and Haridāsa Ṭhākura is also chanting. So Haridāsa Ṭhākura, how advanced he was just imagine. He was a young man, and a very nice, beautiful prostitute came there at dead of night, wanted to enjoy his company, and he said simply, "Very good idea. Please sit down. Let me finish my Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." Is it possible for ordinary man? No. It is not possible. That means he was expert, he was advanced. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised, ihā haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomāra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, "Simply by chanting you'll get all success of life." Sarva-siddhi. It is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's blessing. Ihā haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomāra. By simply chanting one gets the highest perfection. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's blessing and gift. So we should be very careful and follow the regulative principles. Then automatically you'll be perfect. There is no doubt about it. Mantra... Just like sometimes the snake-charming mantra can be purchased in the market. But if you do not make yourself perfect about chanting the mantra, it will not be effective.
So if you are allowed to keep yourself constantly in company with Kṛṣṇa, then just imagine what is your position. If you keep yourself always near the fire, certainly you shall remain warm; there will be no attack of cold or anything like that. So if we constantly chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then we are not in this material world. But if we purposely again come to the material world... That independence we have got. But if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra according to the instructions... Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. We have to practice. Because Gosvāmīs, they kept a number, a numerical strength. Haridāsa Ṭhākura kept the biggest. Others, they also kept, but not so big. But according... Because, just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, he had to write so many books, so he was not keeping such a big number as three lakhs. But there was some numerical... Similarly, we must have some numerical strength. And we have minimized. I know that you are coming from a different source, so according to time, according to circumstances... Even there, there is no limit. You can chant more than sixteen-sixteen hundred times. There is no... But practically we see that even chanting sixteen rounds becomes difficult. So don't try to imitate, but do it properly, what is advised by your spiritual master, without any offense. That mantra will save you from the dangers of māyā. That's a fact.
The idea is that, as described in the śāstra, who is a brāhmaṇa, who is a śūdra, who is a kṣatriya, who is a vaiśya... It is all described in the Bhagavad-gītā. So satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Karma, guṇa and karma. Here Aśvatthāmā, although he's born of a brāhmaṇa father, he did not possess the quality of a brāhmaṇa, neither the work of a brāhmaṇa. He degraded himself. First of all, he was engaged as a soldier to assist, to flatter Duryodhana. He wanted to please Duryodhana by killing the Pāṇḍavas. But he was such a fool, instead of killing the Pāṇḍavas, he killed the five sleeping sons of the Pāṇḍavas. How much abominable he is, just imagine. Here it is said, suptān avadhīn niśi bālakān. First of all, they were minor aged, and they were sleeping, and they were killed at night. Just see. What kind of brāhmaṇa he is! A brāhmaṇa's business is not to kill. Even brāhmaṇa can kill, he doesn't require even sword or any other weapon. Simply by cursing he can kill—brāhmaṇa was so powerful. But still, it is not the business of a brāhmaṇa. When killing is required, it is done by the kṣatriyas, not by the brāhmaṇas. Just like Viśvāmitra Muni, he was disturbed by the Tāḍakā rākṣasī.
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 asat-sabhāyāḥ. Then again, vana-vāsa. Next betting was vana-vāsa, that "If this time you lose, then twelve years, for twelve years you'll have to go to live in the forest. And one year, incognito. If you are caught up within that one year, then again twelve years." Just see. So vana-vāsa-kṛcchrataḥ. There were so many dangers. So just imagine that the Pāṇḍavas, they had their wife, Draupadī... She is incarnation of goddess of fortune. And friend, Kṛṣṇa, who is always protecting them... But still, there are so many dangers. This is the instruction, that because Kṛṣṇa is protecting you, you cannot expect that you'll be out of danger. Danger you must meet, because..., then you'll know that this material existence is full of dangers. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). This we always remember. We should not be so fool that "I am living very now comfortably." No, sir. You are in danger. That is said by Kṛṣṇa. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). You do not take this material existence as comfortable at any moment. Then you'll not be able to make progress in spiritual life. As soon as you think that "I am very comfortable here," then you are spiritually fall down. That is māyā.
96 miles per second. These are mentioned in the Vedic literature that if you go by this speed, air, 96 miles per second... So just imagine what is the speed of air. So panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34). On the plane which is running on the speed of air. That speed, and for millions of years. Then again it is suggested not only on the speed of air but also on the speed of mind.
The mind you can, everyone, we know, what is the speed of mind. Even one ten-thousandth part of a second, you can go millions of miles. The speed of mind. It is so speedy. You are sitting here, and suppose you have seen something which is millions of miles, miles away, you can immediately, your mind can go immediately. So these two examples are given. Just see how much scientific they were. These rascals says that there was no advanced mind or advanced scientists. Then wherefrom these words are coming? The speed of air, the speed of mind. Unless they had some experiment, some knowledge. Why, how these books are written?
So Kuntīdevī is remembering that scene, and she became astonished. Why? Now, bhīr api yad bibheti (SB 1.8.31). The... There is one thing, bhaya. Everyone is afraid of something. That is called bhaya. So there is the personified bhaya, bhīḥ. So he's also afraid of Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa is the supreme being, controller, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1), so He can control... Just like the superintendent of police. So everyone is afraid of the superintendent of police. Especially those criminals, they are very much afraid. But why the governor should be afraid of the police superintendent? As that is not possible, that is unnatural, similarly, if there is any director of the fear department in the kingdom of Kṛṣṇa, so he's afraid of Kṛṣṇa because everyone is servant. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Whoever may be... Just like Goddess Kālī. She is personified fear. Just see, just imagine the bodily feature of Goddess Kālī. She is killing all the asuras. So many asuras has been killed that all their heads have been made into a garland, and she is putting on the shoulder. And one asura killed, and she has taken the head in the left hand. And the other hand is engaged with the, what is called, chopper? Khaṅga. What is the English of khaṅga?
So in every way Kṛṣṇa proved the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, these rascals, they are searching after God. What is this nonsense? Here is God. You see that He is God in every respect according to the definition, and still, you say that "Where is God?" How much rascal they are, just imagine. Here is God, and still, they are enquiring, "What is God? Can you show me God?" What is this? Is it not rascaldom? What is this? If everything, proof is there, why they are searching after God? What is the answer? Where is the question of searching after God? Just answer this question. God is present here, and still, you are wasting your time. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mūḍha. Mūḍha. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). Simply rascal. They cannot be given any other title except this one title, mūḍhāḥ. Why they remain mūḍhāḥ? Why are they are not intelligent? They are being educated in the universities, getting so many degrees. Still, they remain mūḍhāḥ. Why? Duṣkṛtinaḥ, sinful, engaged in sinful activities, these sinful activities. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā. Every one of them, all these rascals, are... They're engaged in four kinds of sinful activities. They'll search after illicit sex, they will eat meat, and they will drink and they will play gambling. Just one after a... You just study. They cannot understand God because they are mūḍhāḥ.
They are dancing, they are going to the forest, they are sitting down on the bank of the Ganges. Sometimes the demons are attacking, Kṛṣṇa is killing. This is all pleasure, amusement. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. That is spiritual world. Just like, take a sample of spiritual activity. We are... We have got so many branches, so many members, but you are not working. Simple, a sample of spiritual life. Our neighbors are envious: "How these people dancing and chanting and eating?" (laughter) Because they are working hard like cats and dogs, and we have no such responsibility. We haven't got to go to office or factory. Just see, practical example. This is only a little tinge of spiritual life. Simply you are trying to come to the spiritual life, a sample. (break) ...so much enjoyment in the sample, just imagine what is reality. Anyone can realize. This is practical. You take to spiritual life, we are inviting! "Please come, join us. Chant, dance with us. Take prasādam, be happy." "No, no, we shall work." (laughter) Just see. What is our business? We are canvassing simply, "Please come." "No." "Why?" "I shall work like cats and dogs," that's all. So, just try to understand. This is the difference between spiritual life and material lie.
So the point is that Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, how much responsible king he was, that for ordinary woman, the soldiers... Take for... Soldiers or officers, commander-in-chief, they all died. Now he is thinking of their welfare activities, how to give protection to these woman. Just imagine how much responsible king. And he is thinking in this way, that "The sinful activity which I have done in this connection by killing their husbands or sons or father, even if I give some donation as welfare..." Just like in your country there is welfare department. All these helpless girls are given some donation. He says, "That is not sufficient. That... By that way, I cannot compensate what harm I have done to them." That is... That is his con... "Even if I give some money, donation, they'll not be happy, because they have lost their protection." This is called responsible king. How much they are thinking. And similarly he was thinking for the children.
So here one of the most important points is surākṛtaṁ bhūta-hatyām. Surākṛtam means things becoming impure simply by touching liquor. Liquor is so impure. Just like you have got a very big pot of milk, but if you put one drop of wine in it, it becomes immediately impure. You can analyze chemically—immediately impure. That surā, liquor, has become our daily affair. We are so impure. And bhūta-hatyā, and killing of animals. The modern civilization means large-scale arrangement for killing animals and large-scale arrangement for distilling liquor, especially in the Western countries. And India is also now following. So this is the position of the world. What is being condemned by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, that, those items at the present moment are being encouraged by the government. This is the difference between this government and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's government. You can just imagine.
So one very important word is here: sadaśvaiḥ svarṇa-bhūṣitaiḥ. Formerly the horses were used in military division. Horses, chariot, elephants and then infantry. So not one or two, but one division of military phalanx required sixty thousand horses. Akṣauhiṇī. So many horses, so many elephants, so many chariot, and so many infantry soldiers—that will compose one division of soldiers. So "so many" means the, I exactly remember now, sixty thousand horses. So all the horses, when they are required for procession or for going to the fight, were well-decorated with golden ornaments, svarṇa-bhūṣitaiḥ. So just imagine the, all the saddles of the horse, if they are golden ornamented, how many ounces you will require to decorate the horse. And what is the price of gold now?
So that is the test of knowledge, Kṛṣṇa's knowledge. Therefore Bhagavān. Just try to understand Bhagavān. Bhagavān is not so cheap that any rascal comes and he says that "I am Bhagavān. You worship me," and another rascal comes and... Not like that. Don't take it cheaply. Bhagavān is not ordinary thing. He must be complete in everything. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is mentioned here, bhagavān api. Api. Why api? In Sanskrit composition each word has meaning. Api means "Although He is Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, still, He was going to see Bhīṣmadeva." So just consider the position of Bhīṣmadeva. He was lying on deathbed with all these... Of course, the Pāṇḍavas, they were their grandson. It is their duty. But why Kṛṣṇa should go there? Therefore it is said bhagavān api: "In spite of His being the Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of God..." He was also going to show respect. How much great He was, just imagine. And all the brāhmaṇas, all the sages. That will be mentioned. There will be list of great personalities who were present.
So this is the position of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, that completely being confident, completely being freed from all ignorance, then he sat on the throne. Just imagine what is the position of this monarch and these rascal so-called presidents. Sanātana Gosvāmī presented himself... Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, he presented, both of them presented themself by Caitanya Mahāprabhu as nīca-jāti. Nīca. Nīca means lowest, lowest grade; jāti, born. But actually they were born of very high-grade brāhmaṇa family of Karnatak. But why they presented themselves as nīca-jāti? Because that is explained in Bhakti-ratnākara, that because their behavior on account of mixing with the Muhammadan kings degraded, therefore they considered themself as nīca. That is confirmed by the śāstras. You may take birth in high brāhmaṇa family, but by association and culture, if you become degraded, then you have to be designated as such degraded person. Not that you become degraded, at the same time, you keep yourself as brāhmaṇa. That is not possible. Yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ syāt varṇābhivyañjakam. In the śāstra it is said that there are symptoms of varṇa. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the symptoms, who is a brāhmaṇa. So these are the symptoms. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So if you don't find these symptoms, then how one can become brāhmaṇa? That is not possible.
This is the description during the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the king of this earth, and he was so pious that on account of his piety, Kṛṣṇa supplied everything sumptuously, sumptuously. Now, have you ever experienced...? Now, here it is stated, siṣicuḥ sma vrajān gāvaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Now, we are hankering after milk, but in those days, during Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, milk was so sufficiently produced that before milking the cow, it supplied milk so sufficiently that the... What is called? Grazing ground? Pasturing ground, they become muddy. They become muddy with milk. Now, with the scarcity of grain, the earth also does not become muddy. It becomes dry earth. But in those days, with milk it was muddy. Just imagine how much milk was... And how it is possible? Siṣicuḥ sma vrajān gāvaḥ payasodhasvatīr mudā (SB 1.10.4). The milk bag was so fatty and full with milk. Why? mudā, they were so happy. They were so happy. So if you keep the cows happy, then cow will supply large quantity of milk. If the cow knows that you are going to kill it, she is always afraid, always fearful: "Oh, this man will kill." They can understand. I have seen in New Vrindaban. One cow, she was crying because her calf was taken away. So she was feeling so sorry. Now in our New Vrindaban, we see how the cows are happy, how they are dealing. They are not afraid. This is our duty, to keep the cows happy. Just like I want to see my wife and children happy, similarly, it is the duty of the human society to see that the cows feeling very happy. This is human civilization. Otherwise it is tiger civilization, meat-eaters. Meat is not eaten by human being. It is eaten by the dogs, by the tigers, by the animals.
Still, although we are put into this prison house, all these rebelled souls, this prison house, this material world, is only one fourth of Kṛṣṇa's creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Ekāṁśena. The three-fourths part of His creation is the spiritual world. Just imagine, this ekāṁśa. Ekāṁśa means not only this one universe. There are many hundreds and thousands of universes like this. This is one of them. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that this universe is just like a mustard seed in the bag of mustard seeds. You just imagine in a bag how many mustard seeds you can pack. Unlimited. You cannot count. Mustard seed within a bag, two and a half mounds weight. Can you count? No, it is not possible. Similarly all these universes, material universes, each of them is compared with a mustard seed, and this universe which we experience is one of the mustard seeds within the bag of mustard seeds. And all these material universes combined together, aggregate, is one fourth creation of Kṛṣṇa. And the three-fourths part is the spiritual world. So just imagine how many liberated living entities are there. They are also living entities. They are ever liberated. Just like in the jail, the population in the jail is very small in comparison to the population of the city.
So Kṛṣṇa is so nice friend. He is such a nice friend that even to the enemy He gives the greatest benediction. Just like Pūtanā. Pūtanā came to kill Kṛṣṇa, smearing poison on her breast. But Kṛṣṇa gave her promotion on the motherly platform. Kṛṣṇa is so grateful that "This demon might have come to Me to poison Me, but I have sucked her breast. She has become My mother. Therefore she must get the position of My mother." Kṛṣṇa is so grateful. If you give little service to Kṛṣṇa sincerely, Kṛṣṇa will never forget you. And He's so powerful. If Kṛṣṇa becomes your friend and Kṛṣṇa remembers you, then what you want more? Just imagine. So Kṛṣṇa... Here it is said, kṛṣṇa-devatāḥ. fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa and be happy.
Govindam, Govinda is ādi-puruṣa. So ādi-puruṣa means the original person. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said by Kṛṣṇa Himself, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7), "I am the Supreme Person." Now there are different forms of God, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). There are different incarnations. Just like īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). That Kṛṣṇa, He is staying in everyone's heart. This is also another incarnation, antaryāmī, Supersoul incarnation. Just imagine how many. Anantyāya kalpate, these living entities are unlimited, so this incarnation, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61), the Lord in everyone's heart is staying. So how many you cannot count, there is no question. Not only that; it is said that aṇḍāntara-stham, He is staying as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu within this universe.
So how much rascal he is, that? And if you go that "Give us some money for advancing Kṛṣṇa consciousness," "No, no, we are not interested in religion. I am interested in dog." So how much rascal he is, that. Just imagine.
So everyone is a rascal. Everyone is rascal. How we so boldly say that everyone is? Because Kṛṣṇa says. We are Kṛṣṇa-ite. We have to follow. Just like a small child follows the talkings of his father and mother, so similarly, we learn from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says,
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
Kṛṣṇa says. So we have learned from Kṛṣṇa. So we test. What is the test? Na māṁ prapadyante. He does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa. So such person, what he is? Now, duṣkṛtina, sinful. Meritorious sinful, that when merit is applied for sinful activities, you can do it very nicely than the ordinary man. A scientist discovers some method of stealing, how to break the treasury of the bank. So that does not mean... Because he is doing scientifically, stealing, that does not mean he is not a thief.
So if that moment is wasted for nothing, just imagine what is your loss. A thing which you cannot get back by paying millions of dollars, if that is lost unnecessarily, so how much loss you are suffering just imagine. This is material calculation. Why we keep some valuable things, some jewel, very carefully? Because we know, "If I lose this jewel, I will lose so much money." Similarly, we should always consider that. The modern civilization, rascal civilization, they do not know how to utilize life. So many days, so many hours, they are simply wasting, simply wasting. It is said that the sunrise and sunset, during this period, the sun's business is to take away the duration of our life, sunrise and sunset. That means twelve hours or thirteen hours which is gone between the sunrise and sunset...This sun's business is to take away the portion, the fixed up duration of life which I have been given. That is, some of it, is taken away. The same example. Just like you have got a fixed balance in the bank. If you draw even ten pence, ten shillings, that means it is taken away. You have to replace it. But replacing is not possible. Bank balance you can replace. But the balance... Suppose you have passed... I have passed... Suppose if I live for eighty years or ninety years or hundred years. So this seventy-eight years is already taken away. It cannot be replaced. You cannot make the bank balance or the duration of..., again complete. That is not possible. This is plain fact.
So there are different grades of life. It is called mṛtyu-loka. This material world is called mṛtyu-loka: "where everyone dies." But there are grades of duration of life. One living entity has got four minutes life, another, ten minutes, another, hundred minutes. Then days. One day, hundred days. Then year. One year, or four year, or five year, or utmost, hundred years, on this planet. So the human being can live up to utmost hundred years, but in other planets there are other living entities, demigods. And the highest, the topmost planet is Brahmaloka. And you have learned from Bhagavad-gītā, in the Brahmaloka, the duration of life, to our calculation, is very, very long. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). In the Brahmaloka, the duration of twelve hours, our twelve hours, morning to evening, that is many millions of years to our calculation. So even if you go to that planet Brahmaloka, as you are trying to go to the moon planet... From śāstra we understand in the moon planet, they live up to ten thousands of years according to heavenly calculation. In each planet, in each society, the calculation is different. So it is calculated that in the moon planet you can live for ten thousands of years, and that calculation is compared: our six months equal to one day in that planet. So just imagine how many years of our calculation they can live.
One, all four hundred pages, like this. We don't publish a book less than this volume. So just imagine how much we have to learn about our spiritual life. In no other system—religious system you may call, or cultural system—can give you so many books to read. There is no comparison. The Christians, they can present only one small Bible, and the Muslims they can present one little Koran. But here, the Vedic culture is so great that we can simply give you sixty volumes like this only for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And Bhāgavata is the eighteenth Purāṇa. So there are seventeen Purāṇas, still more, not yet touched. Beside that, there are 108 Upaniṣads. Then there is big Mahābhārata, the great history of India. Then Rāmāyaṇa. There are so many books. So we are trying to present all these books into English translation.
This material world is devī-dhāma, under the... You have seen the picture of Durgā. So material nature is also devī, devī-dhāma. And maheśa-dhāma. Above this, there is maheśa-dhāma, the region of Lord Śiva. Devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu. Then the Vaikuṇṭhas. And the topmost is kṛṣṇa-dhāma. That dhāma, or that universal system, that is very, very big, many times. This material universe is considered one fourth creation. It is one... Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "This material world is one fourth creation of God." And the three-fourth creation is the spiritual world. Just imagine. This material world, this universe, which you are seeing, the big sky, dome, this is one universe. That is also stated. We get all this information from Vedic literature. This universe is only one single universe, and there are so many planets, stars. These are all stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe, and koṭi means millions, 100,000 one hundred times.
So yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means this one universe, and aṇḍa... Aṇḍa means egg. Therefore it is called jagad-aṇḍa, "egglike, round." We are within the egg. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). There are millions of eggslike clustered together. This is material world. Millions, not one. And each universe... Koṭiṣu vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. In each universe there are millions and trillions of stars and planets. Koṭiṣu vibhūti-bhinnam. And each one of them is different from the other. Just like you are going to, trying to go to the moon planet, but you cannot stay there because the atmosphere is different. Everything is there. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣu vasudhādi (Bs. 5.40). Vasudhā means planets. This is also called vasudhā, this planet. So just imagine what insignificant this vasudhā in comparison to the whole material world. There are millions of universes, and in each and every universe there are millions and trillions of the stars and planets. This is the whole creation of material world. And taking them together, this is one-fourth creation of God. The three-fourths creation is the spiritual world, and in that spiritual world, the topmost planet is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is the place of Kṛṣṇa.
So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very scientific, authorized. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa. We have got so many literature. Don't waste a single moment. Kālena. And Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, the moral instructor... He's not spiritual instructor, but moral instructor. But he has said that āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. One moment of your life, if it is wasted without any profit, just imagine how much loss you have suffered. Because you cannot get back one moment of your life again even if you are prepared to pay millions of dollars. That you cannot get back. Nineteen seventy-four, 19th January, passed—you cannot get it back again. If you, any rich man comes forward, "Please get me back again 1974, 19th January," "No, sir, that is not possible." Any price you offer, it is not possible.
So just imagine, if we waste our time, how much loss we are suffering. We calculate loss and gain. So don't waste time. Kāla, kāla is very... Yoga system means to save time. The whole process, mechanical process, of yoga, mystic power, means to save time. We have got a limited duration of life. Suppose one is destined to live for... Utmost they will live, anyone, but nobody goes to live for hundred years-say, seventy, eighty, sixty or something like that. Gradually it is reducing, and it will reduce twenty to thirty years. That will be duration of life. Because people are becoming more and more sinful. So that is fixed up. A body is given to us by the superior power, and the duration of life is also fixed up. Even the greatest scientist, he cannot increase a moment's time for his life. That is not possible. A moment's life. Professor Einstein was a great scientist, but he could not find out any means that instead of living for, say, eighty years, he could live eighty years, one day. No, that is not possible. That is not possible.
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī arrived at the point of death of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy that he would die within seven days, bitten by a snake. Just imagine how the brahminical culture was so powerful that even a boy born in a brāhmaṇa family... He was only ten or twelve years old... When he heard that his father was insulted by Mahārāja Parīkṣit by garlanding him with a dead snake... His playmates informed him that "Your father has been insulted in this way." So he retaliated that "Within seven days this snake will bite the king and he will die."
So just imagine what is the value of our so-called knowledge. We cannot understand even things within this planet or within this universe, so many planets. So how to understand the other nature where there is spiritual planets, where there are spiritual living entities, they are also working, their center is God. So there are so many information, these are called ātma-tattvam. So apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2), those who are blind or rascals, have no complete knowledge, their subject matter of understanding is this newspaper, that's all. Their subject matter is newspaper. Because they have no other information.
So when it was proposed that I am going to translate this sixty volumes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for describing God, so some of the friends, they inquired, "What is the description sixty volumes of books of God?" So our reply was that this universe is a fragment of the whole material creation, and within this universe there are millions and trillions of planets. Out of those millions and trillions of planet, this planet is most insignificant. And within this planet, there are so many cities. London, New York, Calcutta, Bombay, so many. And from each city there are hundreds of newspapers. And each newspaper they are publishing four times. So if for this teeny place there are so many information, just imagine how much information you can have from the spiritual world. Just imagine. So sixty volumes of description of the spiritual world is nothing, it is simply sample. If sixty millions of volumes would have been written, it still was insufficient. There are so many information.
So this is one of the planets, in which we are living. And in this planet, there are so many cities-Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Delhi, Paris, London, and so many, hundreds and thousands. And each and every city, there are newspapers. And each newspaper is publishing three, four editions daily. So this is the most insignificant planet. Still, there are so many news to hear. Therefore it is said here, śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ: (SB 2.1.2) "Millions and millions, subject matter for hearing." This is a fact. Every paper is publishing three, four editions daily, especially in the Western countries. So if they have got so much news in the material world in this insignificant planet, just imagine how much news are there in the three-fourths' manifestation of His energy. So my Guru Mahārāja said that "You are surprised, Mr. Mayabhya, that we are publishing a paper daily. So we can publish every minute a paper. Unfortunately, there is no customer." They have customer for using this newspaper, but our news, we have to canvass, "Will you kindly take this? Will you kindly take this." They are not interested. They're interested in this material news-Radio, paper, magazine, edition after edition.
At that time Kṛṣṇa will not preach, because who will understand? All mlecchas and... Just like nowadays even also. Such a nice quarter, nobody is interested. Nobody is interested. If you ask them, "Please come here. We are discussing Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Just try to understand the self-realization, "Oh, these nonsense, what is this? We are... I shall die and everything is finished. That's all." This is the modern civilization. Even up to this time... The Kali-yuga has passed only five thousand years, and when... If the duration of the whole Kali-yuga is four lakhs, thirty-two thousands of years... Out of that, we have only passed five thousand years, since the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Now, still the balance is four lakhs and twenty-seven thousands of years. So just imagine, after five thousand years we have become so much deteriorated, and what will happen even four lakhs of years? The people will reduce to such small stature because they will not be properly fed. Just like at the present moment the stature of the body is reducing. It is reducing. One, my German Godbrother, in 1934, when he came, he was very... That Sadānanda.
Therefore, after education you'll have to write application, "My dear sir, I am such and such qualified dog. (laughter) If you'll kindly give me some service." And the tail is like this. (laughter) You see? Just imagine. If by education he becomes independent ... Just like Vedic culture. The brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriya, the vaiśyas, they are independent. The śūdras are compared with the dogs because they cannot live without a master. Brāhmaṇa, he will not accept anyone's service. That is real brāhmaṇa. A kṣatriya will never accept anyone's service. Why the battle of Kurukṣetra was there? The Kurus, they took away the whole kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas. But they were kṣatriyas. How they will live? Therefore the fight was necessity. The kṣatriyas must be, must have some land to collect taxes. That is the kṣatriya's source of income. The brāhmaṇa's source of income, paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana ... They must be learned scholar, they must teach others, they must be devotee and teach others how to become devotee.
This is called śānta-rasa. Above this, somebody is giving me flower, sandalwood. This is called dāsya-rasa, serving. Better than ... This is silence; there is work. The śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, then, again develop, sākhya-rasa, more intimate, friendly. Then vātsalya-rasa, more intimate. Just like the parental affection. And more intimate, conjugal love. Just like young boy, young girl, try to love one another. So these rasas are there. Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa is in love with the gopīs. He is playing with friends, cowherd boys. His affectionate Mother Yaśodā, feeding Him, and there are servants also, serving Kṛṣṇa. And the trees, the water, the flowers, they are serving silently. Pañca-mukhya-rasa, five chief mellows, humors. The same thing is here also. Here also the śānta-rasa, sākhya-rasa, dāsya-rasa is there. But that is mixed with material grains. Just like sweet rice. Sweet rice is very nice, but if it is mixed with some grains of sand, just imagine.
As soon as birth is taken, the māyā is there; we forget. Immediately, father, mother, other relatives, they take up the child and pats very nice. So in this way we forget that we were in such a precarious condition, almost suffocating. Almost, it is suffocating. After coming out from the womb of the mother, if you are packed up again in such airtight bag, within three seconds you will die. We live under the protection of the Supreme Lord; otherwise that is not a living condition. Just imagine within the womb. So this we forget, and being taken care of, affectionate father and mother, on the lap, we think life is very nice, this life. But this is māyā, this is illusion. Actually, this bhava, to take birth, is very, very unpleasant task. It is blazing fire, bhava-mahā-dāvāgni.
So if we can cleanse our heart during this life ... This is that opportunity. It is not possible ... When I take birth as an animal, cats and dogs, that is not possible. But as I have got now this human form of body, we should not be again misled. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni ... (CC Antya 20.12). If we can cleanse our heart, then this blazing fire of repetition of birth and death can be extinguished. But the illusory energy is so strong that we forget our last death-time miseries. At the time of death we suffer very much, so that ... Just imagine, when we give up our life, how much difficult position at that time. So we forget. Birth and death. As soon as there is birth, there is death also. Death means ... The more you are advancing in age, that means you're dying. You are advancing in death. The child is born ... "When this child is born?" "Just yesterday." That means he has already died one day. So in this way death is progressing. As soon as there is birth, the death is there immediately, side by side.
So that is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ordinary living being. Kṛṣṇa remembers everything, knows everything. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni: (BG 7.26) "I know everything." That is Kṛṣṇa. But we do not know. That is the difference. Kṛṣṇa is not impersonal. He's also a person, but He is not a person like us, like you, like me. His personality is supreme. Nobody is greater than Him. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. These are the Vedic information. He's individual, but He has nothing to do. He's such individual. Just like Kṛṣṇa is here. The whole world is going on under Kṛṣṇa's direction, but He has nothing to do. He's enjoying with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. That is Kṛṣṇa's position. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He has to create one universe or destroy one universe—He hasn't to take any attention. He's engaged in His pleasure—Kṛṣṇa, the reservoir of pleasure. His pleasure is never disturbed by all these activities. He's so perfect. Just like in our society, we are not perfect. Still, you boys and girls, you love me. Whatever I say, immediately done. So if an ordinary person like me, he can do things without his personal endeavor, how far..., how Kṛṣṇa is great, that na tat-samaḥ, there is nobody equal to Him. How great He is, how powerful He is, you can just imagine. If the ordinary person can have some power that he hasn't got to do anything personally—simply by his desire everything is done—so why not Kṛṣṇa also? Where is the difficulty?
Not speed of... Sound. You say "Kṛṣṇa." This word, immediately within a second, seven times. And therefore we quickly capture. We have got a machine. So therefore it is still speedy, sound. Sound is sky. So subtler than the sound is the mind. Then you can imagine how much speedy is mind, how many millions of miles you can go. And subtler than the mind is soul. So just imagine how quickly the soul can be transferred to the other world, other planet. You can transfer by yogic principle. So it is said, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). The most subtler. And in the spiritual world that is completely spiritual. There is no tinge or contamination of anything of this material embarrassment. Ahaituky apratihatā. Then, what is...?
So we can take instruction from the vivid, living examples of this Kardama Muni and Devahūti. Kardama Muni is an ascetic, very simple living, and Devahūti is the daughter of emperor. And she agreed to marry Kardama Muni, so, engage in the service of her husband. So just imagine a person, ascetic. What assets he has got? No home, no good food, nothing. Still she agreed gladly. Here it is said, dadau tulyāṁ praharṣitaḥ. So 'nu jñātvā vyavasitaṁ mahiṣyā duhituḥ sphuṭam. Duhituḥ, consent of the daughter. It was, the daughter's consent was taken, "Whether you like," but she selected her husband. She told that "There is Kardama Muni. I want to marry him, that Kardama Muni." She expressed her desire to her father, and the father and mother came to offer the daughter to Kardama Muni. The first consent was the daughter's. Now just see, she was emperor's daughter, how comfortably she was living, but she voluntarily accepted all the difficulties for becoming the wife of an ascetic. You cannot expect royal comforts when one becomes the wife of an ascetic. Of course, later on everything was given to her by the mystic power of Kardama Muni, but in the beginning she accepted in a very humble cottage to live with her husband and serve him.
Just like a big man. He wants to do something. He simply says to his secretary, "This thing must be done." He does everything. And he is quite confident that "I have told my secretary, and it will be done." So secretary is a person's śakti, energy. Similarly, if an ordinary man within this world has so much energies or secretaries to act, so just imagine, although Kṛṣṇa is Jagadīśvara, He's managing the whole universe... He's managing. There is brain. The foolish men, they say there is no brain. No, there is brain. But we do not know who is the brain. That is our foolishness. But if we take information from the śāstra, we can understand what is that brain. That brain is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
- sūyate sa-carācaram
- hetunānena kaunteya
- jagad viparivartate
- (BG 9.10)
So behind this material energy... Material energy, just like we see, there is cloud, there is thundering sound, there is rain. And from the rain, there is crops, there is food grain. Then we eat those food grains. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ.
So this Sanātana Gosvāmī, I was speaking to you. He was minister. He had enough money. When he retired, he came to home bringing money with him, one big boat full with golden coins. Just imagine. Big, big coins in those days. Aseraphee.(?) It is... At that time it was eighty rupees worth. Now there is no gold. Where is aseraphee.(?) It is paper only. One-rupee note. So, so Sanātana Gosvāmī, in those days... Even we have seen in our childhood in India, there was gold coins available, any number you want. People used to purchase this guinea gold for making ornament. We have seen it. There was no... Now you cannot get this guinea gold. So that is all finished. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was very rich man. Still, he's asking Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita tāi satya māni: "These foolish villagers, or my neighbor men, they call me 'Paṇḍitajī.' " He was brāhmaṇa. Actually he was paṇḍitajī. You know, in India, the brāhmaṇa is addressed as "paṇḍita." Because a brāhmaṇa is expected to become very learned. A foolish man cannot be a brāhmaṇa. Learned means Vedic knowledge. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. How one becomes brāhmaṇa? By studying thoroughly the Vedic literature, when one can understand Brahman, he realizes himself, hṛdayānanda, then he becomes brāhmaṇa. Therefore a brāhmaṇa means naturally paṇḍita. But nowadays simply by birth. That is another thing.
So God comes, God explains Himself. He leaves behind Him His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā. Still... He says, "You try to see Me like this, see Me like that," raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi... (BG 7.8). Still, if we do not know what is God, then what kind of man I am? Just imagine. A mūḍha. That's all. So try to see God through the instructions of Devahūti and Kapiladeva. Your life will be successful.
Five thousand years ago a personality like Arjuna, who was so qualified that he could talk with Kṛṣṇa as ordinary friend... How much exalted he was, just we can imagine. And born in the royal family, very exalted position, great warrior. He said that "Kṛṣṇa, I cannot execute this yoga system. It is not possible." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham, tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye (BG 6.34). "My mind is so disturbed that to control the mind is exactly like that, to control the wind." Suppose there is very heavy wind, and if one tries to stop it by spreading his hand, is it possible? It is not possible. He has given this example. Pramāthi balavad dṛḍham. Mind is so uncontrollable, just like madman. Mind's business is like that. Immediately I am accepting something and again rejecting. Everyone has got this experience. Therefore he frankly said that "To control the mind is not possible for me. I cannot do so."
"My Lord, Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, is playing on His flute." Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam: (Bs. 5.30) "His eyes are just like petals of the lotus flower." Aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam: "Oh, He has some nice peacock feather." These are the Vedic description of Kṛṣṇa, not that the devotees have imagined some... Just like Māyāvādī says, "Just imagine the form of God." God's form cannot be imagined. That is not God. Anything imagination is not fact. It must be factual. And the factual information you get from the Vedas. Not only you get the Vedas, when Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth He exhibited His rūpa, His form, His activities, His līlā. Everything He exhibited so kindly. So you have to think of this kṛṣṇa-līlā, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's activities. Janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). They are divine. They are not material, because Kṛṣṇa has got divine body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). But to favor us, because devotees are always anxious to see, therefore He comes.
Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa takes care of you, as He says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66), then you are just in the, at the care of... Just like if a big man, a very rich man, if he assures you, "Oh, don't bother, I'll take care of you for everything," just imagine what is your position, if a big man gives you assurance that "I'll take care of you. Don't bother. You haven't got to do anything. I shall take." So when Kṛṣṇa says, the Supreme Lord, who is the proprietor of all opulences... Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa. Aiśvarya. Six kind of opulence. Kṛṣṇa has got full control over six kind of opulences. All riches. We can say, "I am millionaires. I am proprietor of crores." But I cannot say that "I am the owner of all the banks of the world." That is not possible. But Kṛṣṇa can say. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Not only the banks, but everything which contains the banks, all the planets. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. So who can be richer than Kṛṣṇa? So if Kṛṣṇa says, "I'll take care of you," then where is the question of poverty?
So bhayaṁ tīvram. We have become so much dull or foolish that we do not know what is bhayaṁ tīvram. Tīvram means very fierce, and bhayam, fierce fearfulness, very strong. And we are entangled in this very strong fearfulness, but we have become so dull by the spell of māyā that we don't care for it. Just imagine. At the time of death there are so many troubles, very fierceful. Sometimes a person is dying, he is attacked with coma, and he is lying unconscious. Big, big politicians, "Mr. such and such," prime minister, and this and that, but he is lying unconscious in coma for seven days. And we do not know, but he is going very fierceful test. He is dreaming so many things that sometimes he is crying. He cannot express. Especially those who are very sinful, they die in that way. So this is not finished. Then, after death, you have to enter in the womb of the mother. That is another fierceful stage. You become packed up in a bag, and the bag is filled up or surrounded by stool, urine, worms. And you have to remain there, airtight packed, for ten months.
We are so much in this age engaged in sinful activities. The sinful activities are generally... The four pillars of sinful activities are illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling. So this whole world is now full of all this business. There is regular gambling house, there is regulation intoxication centers, regular slaughterhouse, and regular prostitution. This is the whole world. Which are sinful life—illicit sex life, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling—that is prevalent all over the world. You will find organized by government. This is going on. And within this dangerous condition of the human society we have to push on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. How difficult it is! Just imagine. But still, it is going on. But so many obstacles. So many obstacles. But we do not care for these obstacles. We must push on. This is our determination. Therefore it is called tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena. Tīvreṇa. There may be so many obstacles, but you must push on your movement. Tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena. That is our duty.
Īśvara, the Supersoul, it is said here, antaḥ puruṣa-rūpeṇa, the Supersoul. And the Bhagavad-gītā also confirms, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. He is situated in everyone's heart. In the Upaniṣads also, it is said that two birds are sitting in one tree. So one bird is eating the fruit, and the other bird is simply observing as witness. Anumantā upadraṣṭā—in the Bhagavad-gītā. So just imagine. There is no limit of the living entities. Sa anantyāya kalpate. Anantyāya means there is no numerical count. Innumerable. Nityo nityānām. Nityānām, bahuvacana, plural number... So there is no limit of these living entities. And still, Kṛṣṇa has to live within the heart of every living entity. Just see. And every living entity has different business. And He has to sanction and witness.
When Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya was talking about spiritual realization, so Rāmānanda Rāya was from a śūdra family and he was householder and governor of Madras, politician also. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asking question from him and... This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's līlā: mūkaṁ karoti vācālam, how He is making a śūdra, gṛhastha, politician, His guru, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's guru. So nobody can become Caitanya Mahāprabhu's guru, but He was playing the part. He was questioning, and Rāmānanda Rāya was replying. So just imagine how his position was exalted. So he was little hesitating, and when very intricate questions were put before him... He was quite able to answer. He was answering. So he was feeling little hesitation, "Sir, You are coming out of a very high brāhmaṇa family and the most learned personality, and now You have taken sannyāsa, the supermost position in the human society."
So these things are taking place daily within the womb of the mother—how the child is developing from the day of union of the father and the mother, and, on the first day, it is like a pealike form by the semina of father and mother, and then everything develops. Different types of body, different types of intelligence, different types of brain—how it takes place? If it is simply material, then all children would have come out of the same quality. But it does not so come. Every child, baby born, has got everything separate from the others. How subtle laws of nature is working, we can just imagine. It is not possible to understand by our these material senses even this material formation of the body, what to speak of spiritual understanding.
So to know Kṛṣṇa means know everything, because Kṛṣṇa is everything. How Kṛṣṇa is working in everything, even in different parts of our limbs, represented by demigods, they are all described. Even our eyelids moving under the direction of some demigod. And demigods, they are different parts and parcels, bodily limbs of whole Kṛṣṇa. So do not mind, "Why Bhāgavata is studying Kṛṣṇa so analytically?" That is required. If we understand Kṛṣṇa by analytical study, how His divine power is working throughout the whole universe, within the atom, within myself, within the movable, immovable, everywhere, antaryāmī... Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭim (Bs. 5.35). Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. This universe, that is not one universe. We are in one of the universes. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has described, "As there are many multimillions of mustard seed within a bag..." Just imagine. If you bring one bag of mustard seed, round, round. So that round, round seed, that each and every universe. So one devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Vāsudeva Datta, he prayed to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "Sir, You have come. You deliver all these fallen souls, conditioned souls within the universe. Your kindness can do that. And if You think they are so sinful they cannot be delivered, then I am prepared to take all their sins. I shall remain here alone to suffer. You kindly deliver them." This is Vaiṣṇava desire. Vaiṣṇava is not selfish.
There are millions and trillions of living entities, not only in this universe. There are millions and trillions of universes, and there are millions and trillions of planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). Koṭiṣu, there are innumerable universes, and as you see, experience, within this universe, within this ball-like sky... In the even..., in the night at least, we can see so many twinkling stars. Similarly, there are innumerable universes. And there are innumerable... In each and every universe there are innumerable, these planets. This is called material world. You cannot estimate how many universes are there and how many planets are there. But this is only one-fourth manifestation of God's creation. All these universes taken together, ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42)—this is only one-fourth manifestation. Therefore the Vaikuṇṭha, spiritual world, is called tripāda-vibhūti, three-fourth. This is one fourth. So just imagine. We cannot have any estimation even the one-fourth manifestation of the one-fourth energy of God, and what to speak of the three-fourth energy manifestation, opulence, everything. In the spiritual world the number of living entities are far greater than the number of living entities here in this material world.
Pores. Pores of the body. From breathing in this way. Then just imagine how many pores are there in the Mahā-Viṣṇu's body and how many universes are coming. And this is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- athavā bahunaitena
- kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
- viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
- ekāṁśena sthito jagat
- (BG 10.42)
"This material manifestation is one fourth-part of My energy, so many innumerable universes." And this is the plenary portion of God, Govinda—not full, but plenary, one part only. And do you think God is so cheap, anyone can become God? You don't take so cheaply that "Here is a God, incarnation. Here is a God." All bogus. Immediately reject them. Sādhu śāstra guru vākya.
So anyone's heart is always clouded with ignorance and rubbish knowledge. If you want to drive away this knowledge... Ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā. This ignorance... This material world is tama. A Vedic injunction is tamasi mā: "Don't remain in this darkness." If there is light, why we shall remain in the darkness? That is intelligence. If there is light, why should we rot in the darkness? So there is light. Jyotir gamaḥ, brahma-jyotir. Jyotir gamaḥ, Brahman. That Brahman world go, not this material world. Yasya prabhā (Bs. 5.40). What is that Brahman world? The Brahman world means where there is complete effulgence, bodily rays of Kṛṣṇa. That is Brahman world. Just like here the bodily rays of the sun makes it clear, so brilliant, what we can see. Then what is the sunshine? It is the bodily rays of the sun. Why don't you believe that? The example is there, you learn. If a material thing like the sun globe or the sun-god, he has got so much bodily effulgence that it is keeping lighted all over the universe, just imagine what is the bodily brilliance of Kṛṣṇa.
Because this universe, you cannot estimate. You can see the border of the universe, the round sky, but nobody can reach there. There is no such means. The scientists calculate it will take forty thousands of years to reach there by the light year. So they are so much proud of material science. They see the sun, the moon. They cannot go there. Cannot go there. There are so many planets; we see at night. They are actually planets like this planet. But who can go there? You are so limited. So how you can go to the planet where Kṛṣṇa lives, Goloka Vṛndāvana? You cannot go even to reach these material planets, what to speak of the spiritual planets. The spiritual planets means crossing this wall, the sky, seven layers of wall. Earth, water, again. And each layer is ten times bigger than the other layer. This is the construction of the universe. So you have to penetrate through these layers. Then you come to the spiritual sky. And the spiritual sky, there are millions of planets, Vaikuṇṭha planets. And the topmost is Goloka Vṛndāvana. So just imagine how far it is, Kṛṣṇa's abode.
When one understands Kṛṣṇa... To understand Kṛṣṇa it takes little time. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). So Kṛṣṇa revealed Himself in India before Arjuna, and what the others will understand about Kṛṣṇa unless he's advanced like Arjuna? So there are different persons, so different types of religion they have revealed. That is also Kṛṣṇa—but, to some extent. The full extent they cannot understand. Just like Lord Jesus Christ says "Thou shall not kill." Just imagine what the audience were. They are killers. So what they'll understand about Kṛṣṇa? Let them first stop this killing. Then the stage will come he'll understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
Avicintya or durvibhāvyam, the same thing. Even if you try to understand God or want to go to God, vāyor athāpi, by your airplane at the speed of the mind, not ordinary speed... Mind's speed you can imagine. You are sitting here, and fifteen thousand miles away, New York, you can immediately see your room there. This is mind's speed. Immediately within a second. Just imagine how much the mind is speedy. Mind is subtle. Everyone, you have got mind, I have got mind, but I cannot see your mind; you cannot see my mind. Subtle. This is a material thing. Bhūmir āpo'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano, mano (BG 7.4). The sky, ether, we cannot see but we can perceive. When you press the sky like this, (claps) there is sound. You can understand, "Here is sky." But mind you cannot see, still subtle.
I do not know whether you have got. In our school days, if a boy is making trouble, the teacher will ask him, "Stand up on the bench." So the stand-up punishment... The trees, the plants, they are stand-up punishment. (laughter) "Stand up here for five thousand years." You see? There are many trees, they are standing up for five thousand years, seven thousand years. In California I have seen one tree, they say it is seven thousand years old. So just imagine. If the teacher punishes a boy to stand up for few minutes, how much troublesome it is, and if one is ordered to stand up for seven thousand years, so just imagine what is the punishment. So that is punishment. These trees and plants, because they committed very sinful activities, they... Naked, to become naked, is also another criminal activity. Therefore, by nature's law, the trees, the, they are standing up naked. They do not dress. Similarly, if a human being does not dress, does not cover, then what is the difference between the trees and the human being? It is the human being who requires to be properly dressed. That is the law of nature. If we violate, then the punishment is: "All right, you become tree and stand up naked for ten thousand years." This is the nature's law. You cannot violate the nature's law. And we are completely under the laws of nature. You cannot say that "I don't care for." No. You may say, foolishly, but you are, you are. Just like nature's law is that you must die. Can you say, "No, I shall not die"? Can you say boldly, "No, no, I shall not die. I am now scientific. I have got my science, I shall not die." The nature's law is: you must die.
So in this way you should understand how strongly you are controlled by the nature's law. But foolishly we say, "No." That is not. Just like this Mahārāja Parīkṣit, such a powerful king, he is now somehow or other cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy that "You must die within seven days." So he is preparing. He has got time, seven days. But what we have got? We haven't got even seven minutes' warning. At any moment we can die. And what we are doing? That is the foolishness. One must be ready, that "I will have to die. And 'die' means I will have to accept another body." Now, there are so many forms of body. As I was explaining aquatics, 900,000, then trees. As the water dries, the vegetation comes. You have got experience. That is the nature's process. And after vegetation, then the flies, insects, moving, up to trees and plants, not moving. Then they move—flies, grasshoppers. And they turn into birds again, very freely flying. And there are many, many big birds in the sky, eagles. Some of the eagles, you have got experience. There are monkey-eating eagles. They capture the monkey. And there are eagles elephant-eating. (laughter) We get all this information. Elephant, they will capture elephant and take it away. (laughter) Just imagine. It is no joking. This is a fact.
If you want to go to the higher planetary system where the demigods live, you can go there. Therefore the karmīs, by performing Vedic ritualistic ceremonies, they want elevation to the higher planetary system where the life, prolongation of life is very, very big. As we have got day and night, in the higher planetary system the waxing and waning moon, then when the moon is present there and the sky is in light, that is the day of the higher planetary system. And when the moon is dark, that is the night. That means our fifteen days, in the higher planetary system—twelve hours. Just imagine their year. And such ten thousands of years you can live if you can go to the moon planet. The day and night, fifteen days, your fifteen days, is equal to their one day. No, twelve hours. That means your one month is their one day. Now calculate one day, then thirty days, one month. Then twelve months equal to one year. Such ten thousands of years. Just imagine. You can go there and live like that, yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25), if you like. But that is not eternal life. After that long period, you have to die. So Kṛṣṇa says janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You are trying to avoid all kinds of miserable condition, but your real miserable condition is your birth, death, old age, and disease. Try to avoid it. That is perfection. That is spiritual life.
Yes, following Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes in the Dvāpara-yuga. There are four periods of each yuga: Sattva, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. So Kṛṣṇa comes at the end of Dvāpara-yuga, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes in the Kali-yuga. So almost about the same year, same circulation. Just like the sun appears after so many hours. It is like that. And the sun does not disappear. Sun is already there in the sky. It may not be in Australia's vision, but it may be in other country's vision. The sun is not dead. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa appears by rotation in this universe after so many years, eight billion and billion years. So next He goes to another universe. Just like the sun, after disappearance from Australia, it goes to another country. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, after finishing His business in this universe, He goes to another universe. In this way the rotation takes eight million, nine billion years. Just imagine how many universes are there. He stays in one universe for 125 years. Everything is there, calculation, in the śāstra. Now we can imagine how many universes are there. That is, altogether, material world.
The same thing, the working, so many things are working, going on within the machine, that simply I push it on and it acts. Similarly, work is there for creation. The work is there, but it is actuated by the perfect potency of Kṛṣṇa. That is real understanding. Don't think that it has come like mantra. No. The mantra is like that, but we cannot see how subtle work is going on. If we cannot see even in our body... Suppose there is some injury in your finger or any part of the body. You do not know how subtle work is going on to cure it. Medicine is not cure; medicine is only helping. But there is automatic way of curing. Even your energy, this is your energy. My bodily pains and pleasures, so many things are going on. Just like so many, you cannot count even how many hairs are there on your head. You cannot count. But it is your hair, and it is produced by your energy. You have got so much energy that as soon as you cut your hair, immediately next moment it begins to grow. Thousands and millions automatically growing. As soon as the body is dead, then no more growing, because energy is gone. So similarly, as in your body so much subtle energies are working, just imagine this universal body of Kṛṣṇa, virāṭ-rūpa, how much subtle energies are working. So that we do not know. That is our ignorance.
"Arjuna, all living entities in different species of life..." There are 8,400,000 species of life. They're all sons of God. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. The Lord says, "I am the seed-giving father." Just like in ordinary birth, the father gives the seed, and the mother develops the body. Mother, by her blood, she supplies the ingredients of developing the child in the embryo. That is law's nature. Similarly, we living entities, we are part and parcel of the supreme father. We are very minute. The dimension is also given there in the śāstras: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra, the tip of the hair. Agra means tip; keśa means hair. Just imagine—very small point. And you have to divide it into ten thousand parts. And that one part is the dimension of the living entity, spirit soul, spark. Everything is there in the śāstra. But because we have no eyes to see... Our material eyes cannot see what is the dimension of the soul. But the soul is there within this body. And as soon as the soul departs or takes another body, according to the work the soul is doing here, there is superior superintendence. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). We are working here... Just like in a office, somebody is working, and the service record is kept, "How this man is working." He does not know what is the opinion of the superior boss. But a service record is there in the office.
But at the present moment people are being taught to increase the problem. Increase the problem... Just like I was discussing, they have increased the problems so much so that even in the womb of mother they are being killed. Just imagine how much we have increased the problem. Even there is no security... In India they say, security position, that one is sleeping on the lap of his mother. That is best security. Because the child, when he is sleeping on the lap of his mother, if there is some danger, mother will first of all come forward to save the child. That is natural. But the problems of life has so become complicated that even mother is killing child. Just imagine. The present position of the civilization, that there is no question of security, even on the lap of the mother, and what to speak of otherwise. But the business of human life is to solve the problems of life, but we have increased the problems of life. This is the civilization. Why? Because we are not taking to the process of human life. The process of human life is mentioned here: tapasya, austerity. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena ca (SB 6.1.13). This is the process to make solution of the problems of life. And if we do not do that, then we implicate ourself in more problems. But they do not know. They are so foolish that they do not know the problems of life, how to solve it. And here in the Śrīmad-Bhagavat, Śrīmat Śukadeva Gosvāmī has given you that "You do this." Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa: (SB 6.1.13) "Accept austerities, penance. Observe brahmācārya, celibacy. Control your mind. Control your senses, God consciousness." Dharma-jñā: "Become dhīra, sober." These are the things to be learned in human life. And if we simply, like animals, jump like dog, then what is that civilization?
That is, everyone knows. Jail life is for punishment. Similarly, in this material world everything is punishment, but by the illusory energy you are thinking, "This is all right." Every step there is punishment. Just study your life or my life. What is that? That beginning from the womb of my mother, when the body is formed, the soul, spirit soul, is injected in the womb of the woman, and then the formation of the body takes place. So the body grows. And now imagine when we are in the womb of the mother, how much difficult position packed up in a bag, airtight bag. If we, at the present moment, if I put into some airtight condition, within three minutes I shall die. Within three minutes. But similarly, just like packed the child remains within the womb of the mother. It is very, very painful. But by the grace of God he lives. He lives. Otherwise it is suffocating. Just imagine if you are put in a airtight box, tied up, hands and legs. How long you can live? So we remain in that condition, unconscious stage. Then, when the body is formed, we get our consciousness. Therefore at the age when the child is seven years, er, seven months old, it moves because he feels the pains.
Some devotees have become there land, water, tree, flower. They are attached to Kṛṣṇa. Some devotees, they have become servants. They are attached to Kṛṣṇa. And some devotees, they have become cowherds boy, friendly. They are attached to Kṛṣṇa. And some devotees have become Kṛṣṇa's father, mother, uncle, elderly. They are attached to Kṛṣṇa. And some devotees, they have become gopīs, young girls, and love Kṛṣṇa, dance with Him rasa dance. So in this way Vṛndāvana means this attachment to Kṛṣṇa. Central point is Kṛṣṇa, but the varieties of attachment, they are the same. The only difference is that this attachment centering round Kṛṣṇa is never broken. If you love Kṛṣṇa as your child, just like Ajāmila is loving his youngest child so much, similarly, if you love Kṛṣṇa, then it will continue eternally. You will enjoy. It is enjoyment, ānanda. The father is seeing that the small child is trying to walk and trying to talk with the father in broken language, and he is observing very minutely, and mumude, he was enjoying. So you can have the idea of enjoyment. Not idea. Everyone has got practical experience. So if enjoyment continues perpetually, just imagine what is that life. And you are enjoying, but if it is broken halfway, then it is very painful.
So we shall try to purify ourselves from sinful activity so that Prahlāda Mahā..., Nṛsiṁha-deva may keep His hand on our..., bless head. That is wanted. Then our life is successful. Otherwise nature will not excuse. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Hiraṇyakaśipu will be killed. A demon should be... That is true business of Kṛṣṇa. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8), to kill the demons. Of course, any demon killed by Kṛṣṇa, he also gets salvation. But if the demon gets salvation being killed, but just imagine what is the position of devotees to whom Kṛṣṇa is so affectionate. Just imagine what is his position. And His name is Bhakta-vatsala. Kṛṣṇa's name is "very much affectionate to the devotee." So you have taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Take it seriously. Follow the rules and regulations. Then Kṛṣṇa will give you all protection. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ pranaśyati (BG 9.31). If you are sincere devotee... It is very easy thing to become devotee.
For many millions of years running in the speed of mind and air, not this aeroplane speed... Aeroplane speed is, utmost, five hundred, six hundred miles. But you just imagine the mind's speed. Ten thousand miles away your mind can go immediately at a place where you have been. Mind is so speedy. Vāyu, air, is speedy undoubtedly, but mind is still speedier. So even if you try to understand with the..., panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34), in aeroplane or via manasa, aeroplane with the... Aeroplane has got different speed, but even if you go with the mind's speed and time, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara, hundreds and millions of years, still, you will not be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God, if you speculate. But if you are a devotee then you can see twenty-four hours Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ.
So just see that minute portion of God is so powerful. Ha? Just like potassium cyanide. Minute quantity, if you take one grain, immediately you'll die. Immediately you die. Similarly, if some ordinary material thing is so powerful, just imagine the spirit soul, how much powerful he is. And they have no machines to find out. How they will find out? One ten-thousandth part of the hair, we cannot see—the tip of the hair is so small—and divided into ten-thousandth part. That one part is dimension of the soul. Everything is there in the śāstra, Upaniṣads. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca jīvaḥ bhāgo sa vijñeyaḥ (CC Madhya 19.140), and... It is very powerful. We can take the example that very minute quantity of potash cyanide. There is no taste. In chemical analysis there is a taste. So up to date, nobody has tasted potash cyanide, because as soon as chemist will taste, immediately, he'll not be able to say what is this. (laughing)
So the Yamadūtas, their description of the body already given. They are not very good-looking. So when they saw the Viṣṇu-dūta—the description of the Viṣṇu-dūta is in the next verse—they were surprised, that "Wherefrom such nice features of the body..." They have been described here, sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ. They saw that their eyes were just like petals of the lotus flower, so beautiful. Sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ. And all dressed in saffron cloth, yellow. Kirīṭinaḥ, with helmet, kuṇḍalino, and earrings. Kuṇḍalino. Lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ. And with flower garland. Just imagine if somebody is very good-looking, with helmet and nice earring, bedecked with jewels, and the helmet bedecked with jewels, and cloth yellow, with garland, four hands. Sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ. All young, not old like me; all young like you. Nūtna-vayasaḥ. Just (indistinct) very young. Sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ sarve cāru-caturbhujāḥ. And four-handed. Here we get two hands, in the Vaikuṇṭha planet we get four hands. Dhanur niṣa aṅgāsi-gadā-śaṇkha-cakra-ambuja śriyaḥ. And each hand is decorated with bow, arrow, sword, and conchshell, and disc. Like that. This is the description of Vaikuṇṭha features.
Just see. It is practical. Because his... The life is finished there is no sex life. Actually that is the fact here. Birds, beast, you will find the pigeons, the dogs, they are enjoying sex at least four times in a hour. There are men also like that. So here in this material world the sex life is the top pleasure. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. It is very abominable. Just imagine what kind of happiness it is, but we are forced to act like that. So tuccham, very insignificant. Yan maithunādi gṛhamedhi sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). What kind of pleasure? Kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham. It is just like itching between the two hands. And tṛpyanti neha kṛpanā bahu dūḥkha-bhājaḥ. The aftereffects of sex life is very, very bad.
Yes. Not seven years. (laughter) If we regularly read two verses. That will be also not possible. Anyway, we can read. Not once reading you can understand. Repeatedly. Punaḥ punaḥ (indistinct) the stock which we have already got, you can study and take lessons from the Vedic literature. Make your life perfect. What kind of residential quarters are there throughout the whole universe, how many universes are there, what is the special features of different residents. But don't take this nonsense instruction that "Except on this planet there is no life other planet." This is simply nonsense. Every planet is congested with living entities. This is the description of the śāstra. Jana, jana means "congested with," but different types. Just like they have come from Vaikuṇṭha, their bodily feature is different. We have got experience here on this planet in some portion there are black people, some portion there are white people, some portion there are yellow people. There are so many manifestation within this planet. Just imagine how many. This is God's creation, different varieties. Just like we see on this planet. Why on this planet? Even on this Hawaii island how many beautiful things, flowers, trees, and fruits. That is God's creation. Ānanda. Variety is the mother of enjoyment. If you want enjoyment there must be variety. Impersonal without variety, zero, these are not enjoyment. This is all rascaldom. The voidists make everything zero. Why zero? There must be varieties. Variety is the mother of enjoyment.
So that exhaling and inhaling is the duration of this material existence. When Viṣṇu exhales, whole creation takes place. And when He inhales, the whole creation again is... Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "Then it again enters into the nature of the Supreme." So with the exhaling of breathing, innumerable universes are being generated. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam atha. Niśvasita-kāla, that period. Now, imagine what is that period. Jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ. And also from the holes of the body, many universes are coming out. Such Viṣṇu, the Brahma-saṁhitā says, yasya iha kalā-viśeṣaḥ, such Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, He is also a plenary portion of Govinda. Just imagine what is Govinda. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā (Bs. 5.48). That is also confirmed by Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, in the Bhagavad-gītā: ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). When Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa, "What is Your opulence?" then He is describing the opulence, and in that opulence He concludes that "There is no necessity of describing My opulence very much. You simply understand that the whole material creation is existing in one fourth of My energy." So that is understanding of Bhagavad-gītā. We have to understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
We are not independent. This is foolishness. Just like an outlaw. He is thinking that he is free from the jurisdiction of state laws, and he is working irresponsibly, but when he is arrested, then he has no independence. He has to undergo the punishment. Similarly, in this life we may think very independent, "Whatever we like, we can do." That is foolishness. You cannot do that. If you do it wilfully, then you will be punished. That they do not know. Punished means by a different body. If a man, human being, is punished to stand up like as a tree for five thousand years, just imagine how much great punishment it is. And that is possible. Just like in the śāstra it is stated that those who want to remain naked, they are punished in the next life to become tree, that "You wanted to be naked. Now you stand naked." The trees, they do not dress; neither they have the opportunity. Nobody goes to dress them. So they stand naked for so many hundreds and thousands of years. This punishment is awaiting. Human being is not supposed to be naked. That is civilization. They must cover. But if one wilfully does not cover, becomes as dull as the tree, then he gets the next body as tree. This is punishment. Otherwise, wherefrom all these living entities are coming? They have no calculation. They are thinking that "I shall remain in this human form of beautiful body and in opulent..." No, changing. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change your body according to the decision of superior authority, daiva-netreṇa. We should always remember it.
Therefore by practicing bhakti-yoga, gradually,... Immediately it is not possible. But gradually, by sticking to the regulative principles and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, we shall be able to control the senses, and the first sense is the tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). The senses are so strong, they'll not allow me to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. They'll not allow me. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to understand Kṛṣṇa, His name, His form, His pastimes, His paraphernalia, so many things. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. How much we have to learn about Him, just imagine. So all these things cannot be understood by these blunt senses engaged in material sense enjoyment. That is not possible. Therefore we have to control the senses. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our indriyas... We are now habituated to use this indriya for material sense enjoyment. Therefore these indriyas, senses, is not fit for understanding Kṛṣṇa. It has to be purified. The senses, you cannot stop the activities of the senses, but you have to purify. That is recommended. That purification of the senses begins from the tongue. Therefore we have recommended that don't eat meat, don't taste intoxication, don't, and illicit sex. From the tongue, it goes to... Sex is not prohibited, but illicit sex, that is controlled, that is controlled. If one is allowed to have unlimited, unrestricted sex, then he is doomed. Better restrict your sex in one wife, woman (indistinct). That means gradually it will be controlled.
You just see how much time was considered as valuable. By this verse, you will know. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says Cāṇakya Paṇḍita was a great politician. He was sometimes prime minister of the emperor of India. So he says, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhya svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. He says that "A moment's time of your duration of life, moment..." Not to speak of hours and days, but moments. He was considering moment to moment. Just like today, 15th March, 1968, now it is half past seven or past seven, thirty-five. Now this 1968, 7:35, gone, as soon as it is 7:36, you cannot bring back that 1968, 15th March, evening, 7:35, again. Even if you pay millions of dollars, "Please come back again," no, finished. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that "Time is so valuable that if you pay millions of golden coins, you cannot get back even a moment." What is lost is lost for good. Na cen nirarthakaṁ nītiḥ: "If you such valuable time spoil for nothing, without any profit," na ca hānis tato 'dhikā, "just imagine how much you are losing, how greatly you are loser." The thing which you cannot get back by paying millions of dollars, if that is lost for nothing, how much you are losing, just imagine.
And Kṛṣṇa says in the next verse, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). In this way, this knowledge was received by disciplic succession and all the rājarṣis... Rājarṣi means the monarch who is just like a sage. You'll get... In the history of Mahābhārata there were many kings. They were all sages. Simply they were, by name, they're monarch. But they were always thinking for the welfare of the citizens. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. So this is the Now Kṛṣṇa says, sa kāleneha yogaḥ naṣṭaḥ parantapa. Sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. Now this paramparā system, or disciplic succession, has broken by the influence of time. Just imagine it was coming down from the sun planet, and It is, there is every possibility. Suppose I, if I hand over some knowledge unto you and you hand over to some other, in succession, there is possibility that the exact knowledge which I delivered at the beginning, there may be some deviation. That is called breakage of the paramparā system. So Kṛṣṇa says "That paramparā system is, by the force of time, it is now broken; therefore I again begin that paramparā system with you, Arjuna." Therefore if we understand Bhagavad-gītā as it was understood by Arjuna, then we get the real knowledge. That is the way of understanding paramparā. Although we are not present before Kṛṣṇa, but if the message of Kṛṣṇa is received through the paramparā system as it was understood by Arjuna, then we get directly the message from Kṛṣṇa. This is the system. But if I interpret in my own way, then the paramparā system is broken.
Yasya prabhā, that spiritual world is full of effulgence. Just like we have got example: the sun planet, sun globe, there is no darkness. There is always light. On account of presence of the sun, we are getting so much light and heat; just imagine what is the position in the sun globe, sun planet. It is always light. This is the example. Similarly, in the spiritual world, it is only light. Not only this light, but the light of knowledge. Therefore śāstra says, tamasi mā: "Don't remain in the darkness." Jyotir gama: "Come into the light."
Although in Kali-yuga one is destined to live up to hundred years, but they, with the progress of Kali-yuga, the duration of age will be decreased. Nowadays, nobody lives for hundred years. If one is eighty years old he is supposed to be very old man. But time will come when one is twenty years old he will be considered a very old man. That time is coming gradually. If one lives from twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a very old man. So alpa-āyuṣaḥ. This is the effect of Kali-yuga. Duration of life, mercifulness, bodily strength, memory, these things will be reduced gradually. You won't find nowadays very fertile brain. It will reduce. Not very strong man, bodily very strong, and mercy, there is no question. On the street, in your front, if somebody's being killed, nobody will take care; he'll go on. There is no mercifulness. Even the mother has no mercifulness, killing the child. This is Kali-yuga. So just imagine what is the duration of this Kali-yuga. That is all described. Mandāḥ. Everyone is bad. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). And if one poses himself that he is intelligent, then that is a, also a bad way of life. Sumanda-matayo. Manda-bhāgyā. Everyone is unfortunate.
So just see the value that you cannot get back even a moment of your life by paying millions and millions of dollars. How time is valuable, just calculate. Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, sa cet nirarthakaṁ nītaḥ ka no hānis tato 'dhika. If you waste your time, such valuable time, for nothing, just imagine how much loser you are. But we do not know. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ: (CC Adi 17.31) "Your life is meant for chanting. Therefore you should simply chant sadā, always, consistently." This is the advice. This is properly using the moments of time. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said that tat-prayāsa. If you foolishly endeavor for making some economic development, then what is the...? Āyur-vyayaḥ param. You have got this valuable life. Every moment is so valuable. That means you are wasting your valuable life by such endeavor to improve your economic condition. It is not possible. Tad ayatnataḥ. If you get distress without endeavoring for it, you will get happiness without endeavoring for it, because that is destined. You cannot get more or less. You have to... You'll get it.
So we should always remember that Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful, He is the supreme father and He is the supreme proprietor. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). The best life is to remain under the protection of Kṛṣṇa. Avaśya rakhibe kṛṣṇa viśvāsa pālan, rakiṣyate iti viśvāsa pālanam. This is called surrender, that "Kṛṣṇa will give me protection." And Kṛṣṇa also promises, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). Kṛṣṇa is giving protection to everyone without even being devotee. And one who becomes a devotee, how much care is taken by Kṛṣṇa, just imagine.
- samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
- na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ
- ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā
- mayi te teṣu cāpy aham
- (BG 9.29)
God is kind to everyone, merciful. But one who has engaged himself in the service of Kṛṣṇa, He takes special care for him. So we should not miss this opportunity of life and deviate from devotional service and make our life cumberous, again fall into the same material existence, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), "This is mine." No. Everything is Kṛṣṇa's. I am Kṛṣṇa's, everyone is Kṛṣṇa's, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Let us behave in that way, then our life is successful.
So this material world, material world means so many planets you see, so many stars and planets, the sun planet, moon planet and loka, sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). This is one universe, and there are millions of universes. Altogether that is material world, and that is one part of creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). The jagat means this material world. So the whole material, ananta koṭi. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). This ananta-koṭi-brahmāṇḍa is only one-fourth manifestation of God's creation, and just imagine what is the other three-fourth, that is spiritual world. So the nitya-siddha mahā-bhāgavata, they come from the spiritual world on the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they, by example, they preach Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. This is mahā-bhāgavata. By suffering, by example, everything, they look like ordinary men, but mahā-bhāgavata. How it is tested? Never forgets Kṛṣṇa. This is mahā-bhāgavata nitya-siddha. And sādhana-siddha means those who are put into this material world, by the association of mahā-bhāgavata, if he tries, follows, then he can also become mahā-bhāgavata or nitya-siddha, because originally everyone is nitya-siddha.
Just like I am here in America, Los Angeles, and India is about fifteen thousand miles away from this place, but immediately, within second, I can think that I'm sitting in my room there. How it is? The mind is so forceful. Just see. This is practical. You can transfer your mind immediately. So how can you compare with these airplanes? Can the airplanes... Airplanes means vāyu. Vāyu means air. These are all in Sanskrit language in the scriptures. These are not very new things. You see? Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor atha (Bs. 5.34). Vāyu means air, and ratha means plane, airplane. So either by the airplane... Airplane is not so speedy. The jet planes are running at the rate of five hundred miles or one thousand miles per hour, but my mental plane can run fifteen thousand miles per second. You see? And just understand then the spirit, how much speedy the spirit should be. Because here, matter, there are matter: earth, water, fire... Then air. Air is very fine. Earth is crude. Water is crude. Then earth, water, fire. Fire is still finer, but crude. But still finer, air, and still finer, ether and still finer, mind, and still finer, soul. You see? So just imagine if mind is so strong that it can transfer itself from here to fifteen thousand miles in a second, how much speedy and powerful is the soul.
We are all persons. The Lord, Kṛṣṇa, or God, He is also a person, as you are a person, I am a person. He is not imperson. Otherwise how He can be richest, the most famous, the most beautiful? These qualifications are for person. But He is so great, God is so great, His personality is so great that He transcends all personalities. Parasya puṁso. Parasya means transcendental, and puṁso, the person. God is never imperson. Impersonal understanding of the Absolute Truth is the beginning of transcendental knowledge. But if you make further progress, you will find Him the Supreme Person. The Supreme Person... Just like we offer our humble prayers, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ. He is the original person. In the Bible you will see, "Man is made after God." This feature, this form, is just in imitation of Kṛṣṇa's form. Because Kṛṣṇa has got two hands, because Kṛṣṇa has got two legs, one head, so we are imitation. We are sample God. So just imagine how the original person, the original Personality of Godhead, is opulent, rich, beautiful, famous, so many. All good qualifications, all opulences, are present there.
Yes. Kṛṣṇa is bluish. Kṛṣṇa's color is the sky. When you see the clear sky, bluish sky, are you not very happy? "Oh, today is very nice day, blue sky." Especially in this country, when the sky is always overcast with cloud. So why you appreciate the color of the sky so much? That is Kṛṣṇa's color. Kṛṣṇa's body, there is a ray, brahma-jyotir. That brahma-jyotir is reflected in the sky. That brahma-jyotir is outside this material sky, but that is being reflected. Therefore the sky's color, it appears bluish. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudādhi vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). It is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, "On account of distribution of the rays of His body, the brahma-jyotir, there are generation of innumerable universes." So all these universes—this is one of the universes—they are in that brahma-jyotir, and that brahma-jyotir is being reflected in the sky, and sky is so beautiful. So how much beautiful is Kṛṣṇa, just we can imagine. Just like the sunshine. The sunshine is the rays of the sun planet, and in the sun planet there is sun-god. So if sunshine is so pleasing, just imagine how the sun-god is pleasing. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's jyoti, brahma-jyotir, is so important. Then just imagine how Kṛṣṇa's beauty is appreciated in transcendental world. Yaṁ śyāma-sundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ. Barhāvataṁsam asitāmbudha-sundarāṅgam. Barhāvatāmsam asitāmbudha. His color is compared with the blackish cloud, asitāmbudha, sundarāṅgam, but very, very beautiful.
Who, at least those who are hearing this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is so nice that he is being purified. It is not that all of you are my students, or we are not We don't claim that we have become fully purified, but we have accepted the purificatory process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So anyone who hears this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa and kindly attends this class, he is also purified. Śṛnvatām sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-tanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Kīrtana. This chanting is so nice that it makes people, one who is hearing, purified. So a person who is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, always talking of Kṛṣṇa, then just imagine how much purified he is becoming. So puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satyam. The Lord is friend of the devotee, and as soon as He sees—He is within you—that you are engaged in hearing about Him, He helps you. How He helps you? He cleanses your heart. Therefore a person, although he is born of low family, because he is thinking of Kṛṣṇa, or God, always, oh, he is being purified. Prahlāda Mahārāja gives us evidence that manye tad-arpita-manaḥ. Because he has placed his life, he has placed his endeavor, everything for Kṛṣṇa, by mind, by his body, by activities, therefore prāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ: he is purifying not only himself but his whole family. This is a prerogative. If a boy becomes a devotee, the whole family becomes purified. Sva-kulaṁ. The whole family becomes purified. What best service he can give otherwise than by becoming the devotee of Lord? That is the best service to his father, mother, forefathers, grandfather, everyone. That we will find in this Prahlāda Mahārāja said, sva-kulaṁ. And na tu bhūrimānaḥ.
When Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered benediction by the Lord, "My dear Prahlāda, now whatever you want you can ask from Me," Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "My dear Lord, You are so opulent and I am so poor. And I am addicted to this material enjoyment. You are offering me, 'Whatever you want, you can take from Me.' " Just imagine. Suppose I am a poor man, and if a rich man says, "Swamijī, whatever millions of dollars you want, you can ask from me," then I shall put my claim, a big, very big amount: "Oh, here is a great opportunity." But Prahlāda Mahārāja refused. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "My dear Lord, it is my duty to render service unto You not in exchange of something, gain. Oh, I am not a merchant that I am doing this." Vanig-vṛtti. So the Lord was very satisfied. That is the way of pure devotion. That was taught by Lord Caitanya. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye: (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) "My dear Lord, I do not ask from You any amount of wealth," na dhanaṁ na janam, "neither any number of followers."
Suppose you are working in a private firm. Fortunately you get a very good job in the government service where there are so many regulations. You get pension, you get this, that. So everyone aspires to get some government service. And he becomes satisfied. So if you can become satisfied by becoming a government servant, how much satisfied you will be, just imagine, by becoming the servant of the supreme government, Kṛṣṇa. What is this government? A tiny government. But don't you know how big government is this? This planetary system is running on: the sun is rising in due course; the moon is rising in due course; there is seasonal changes; there are so many demigods, innumerable living entities; their foodstuff is being supplied; it is being produced in different planets, different varieties. So there is a huge, big government of Kṛṣṇa. So if you become a servant of that big government, how much you will be satisfied, just imagine. If you can become satisfied by serving this tiny government, why not become satisfied being the servant of the supreme government? So to become servant of Kṛṣṇa, or God, is the supreme satisfaction. It is not that that service is very valuable service. Sa-nātha-jīvitaḥ. Sa-nātha-jīvitaḥ means that service is not ended, only few minutes' notice. Just like government servant cannot be dismissed simply by saying, "Oh, don't come, come tomorrow. We don't want." So if government service cannot be terminated so whimsically, how Kṛṣṇa's service can be terminated whimsically? No.
So in the higher planetary system, the time, everything is relative. This is relative world. So these demigods, their one day equal to our six months. Our six months equal to their one day. Such one day, then thirty days, one month; then twelve months, one year. Such ten thousand years, their duration of life. Such ten thousand years. So just imagine what is their duration of... Āyuḥ. And so far strength is concerned, that, the Indra is in charge of thunderbolt, so when Indra throws the the thunderbolts to scatter the cloud, we have experience how terrible sound it is. So they have got so long duration of life, strength, administrative power and so many things. Still, they were afraid of Hiraṇyakaśipu, still... In spite of possessing so much big, big possessions. Akhila-dhiṣṇya-pānām āyuḥ śriyo vibhava. And everyone, icchati, everyone desires. "If I could live so many years like Brahmā"—everyone is aspiring. Therefore they want to be promoted to the higher planetary system for which they perform yajña to be promoted. In this life they struggle, the karmīs. They struggle to become prime minister and Birla and this and that. And again, for the next life, they make provision.
So there is no creator of Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa is the creator of everything. That is called īśvaraḥ paramaḥ, the Supreme. Everyone may be īśvara-partially. Īśvara means controller. So every one of us, we are more or less little controller. We sometimes control some little children or some disciples or some kingdom. So everyone may be controller. They are very much fond of becoming God. God means controller. So everyone can become... He is. Kṛṣṇa has given. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, so the quality of controlling must be there. Although very insignificant part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, still, the power of controlling is there, very minute quantity. This is understanding. Svāṁśa vibhināṁśa. Everyone... Viṣṇu-tattva is also Kṛṣṇa's aṁśa, part and parcel. Yasya kalā-viśeṣaḥ. Kalā-viśeṣaḥ means part, part of the part. Kalā, aṁśa, and aṁśa's aṁśa, that's called kalā-viśeṣo. So that kalā-viśeṣa, Kṛṣṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu, He's creating millions and millions of universes. So just imagine what is the creative power of Kṛṣṇa.
So those who are ordinarily sinful, they can at least see the light once, but those who are very severely sinful, they're killed within the womb. They cannot see even the light coming out. There are so many cases now, it is very (indistinct) that so many children, before coming out of the womb of the mother and before seeing the light of the sun, they are killed. And after killing, after being killed, the body is finished. Then he has to be put another body. Then enters another mother's body. Again the body is developed, and again he is killed. Just imagine. This... Because if... Tit for tat. If I kill a child in the womb—"Now I am very much proud of my scientific advancement"—then I am have to be killed in my birth. That's all. You cannot avoid this nature's law. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). There is very, very sūkṣma. The word is used sūkṣma, very, very fine laws. Who can see it? Ātma-yoni, so he's also not free. Although he is Lord Brahmā, he's also not free. He's perplexed: "Wherefrom I came? What is the source of my birth in darkness?" He could see only the lotus flower on which he was sitting, nothing else. Exactly our position... Just like so many scientists, they think that this world is everything, and other planets and worlds, there is no life. Only because he is there, there is life. This is the modern presentation.
So this is the important point, that sa tu ātma-yonir ativismita. He became very much surprised: "Wherefrom I am coming, and where I am situated? What is the purpose?" So to understand all these intricacies, he had to undergo... It was ordered: tapo. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there was a sound vibration. When Brahmā was perplexed there was a sound vibration. That sound vibration was indirectly said that "You undergo tapasya. Tapasya. Then you'll understand wherefrom you have come, why you have come, what is your business. These things will be revealed." Tapasya. So that tapasya he had to perform many hundreds years. Nābhinandat, avindad abda-śatam apsu. Not only he... He had to go underneath the water, apsu, and he performed tapasya there. Just imagine how much difficult it was to go underneath the water. He first of all wanted to search out "Wherefrom my birth is?" Then he saw the stem of the lotus flower on which he was sitting, and then he found there is water. So he went within the water. It is said, apsu. And there he executed tapasya.
So when you come home the every wife is waiting: "My husband will come from work. I shall snatch him in my room by force. Last night he did not come. Now, this night, I shall forcefully bring in my room." So this man enters, and every wife is prepared to take the opportunity, so all of them come. So one catches one leg, another catches another leg, another, hand, another, mouth, another, hair, (laughter) and they're all snatching: "Come here, come here." So he's flat. So what is his position, just imagine. This example is given. Similarly, if all the senses, supposed to be my subordinate wife, they snatch the man, that "Just enjoy this. Just enjoy this. Enjoy this. Enjoy this," then what is the position? Most disturbed condition. So in such disturbed condition one should... What? One should take vow that "No more wife, that's all. I have suffered so much. Now no more wife. That's nice." Then the mind will be in peaceful condition. No more disturbance.
So this jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ, mean Brahmā... Jagad-aṇḍa. Āṇḍa means egglike, egg-shaped, this Brahmāṇḍa or this universe. And there are jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ, plural number. So in each universe there is a chief living entity. He is called Brahmā because Brahmā is created first. So that Brahmā, there are millions of universes, and there are millions of Brahmās and millions of Śiva and other demigods. Each Brahmā is full with all different types of living entities. But such Brahmās, where they are being born? Not only Brahmā, the brahmāṇḍa. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti. Niśvasita-kāla. Just like we exhale and inhale. A minute... Or not minute even. A second. Within a second we exhale and inhale so many times. So similarly, Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu, He is also exhaling and inhaling. But during that period so many brahmāṇḍas are coming and so many brahmāṇḍas disappear... Ādy-antavanta, beginning and... But this Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is this Mahā-Viṣṇu? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilaja jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ, viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo (Bs. 5.48). This Mahā-Viṣṇu, from whose breathing so many brahmandas and Brahmas are coming and going, that Mahā-Viṣṇu's one second just imagine, how many million millions of years. So this is the description of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Then Mahā-Viṣṇu is also partial incarnation of Sankarsana; the Sankarsana is also emanation from Nārāyaṇa; and Nārāyaṇa is also a emanation from the first Catur-vyūha Saṅkarṣaṇa. This Saṅkarṣaṇa is expansion of Baladeva, and Baladeva is the immediate expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore come to the Kṛṣṇa. So ādy-antavanta.
Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam. It is not that I can just imagine the God's form with a flute. No. It is confirmed in the Vedic literature. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam asitām... This is His original form. It is not the imagination of Māyāvādīs. No. But they do not know, they cannot understand. God's form can be understood by the devotees only. It is... Kṛṣṇa is not exposed to anyone except His devotee. Therefore, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa clearly says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. And these bhaktas, Kṛṣṇa says, "This bhakta who has fully surrendered unto Me with full knowledge, not blindly," vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). When one comes to this platform that Vāsudeva is everything, (Sanskrit), simply by worshiping Vāsudeva, you can worship everyone, all the demigods. There is no need of worshiping anyone else. Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, only Kṛṣṇa. This is Vāsudeva.
Therefore this knowledge is perfect. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), by disciplic succession from authority. That knowledge is perfect. Our knowledge, most imperfect. Just like we are studying the moon. So many scientists were engaged to study the moon. Every day we read something about moon. And in Bhāgavata you see that the moon is very cold planet, and there people drink soma-rasa. And the other day I was reading in the paper, the temperature is 200 degrees less than zero. Just you can imagine how cold it is. So how we can go there? Cannot go to Canada because when it is below zero degree, you are you so unhappy. And it is, if we accept the statement of the scientists, it is 200 degrees below zero. So how you can go there? At once you'll die, immediately. Similarly, the temperature of sun, oh, so many degree hot centigrade. So you have to remain. Therefore we are called conditioned. You cannot go outside. You are conditioned. You may try, but you cannot go outside in that way. If you want to go other planets, then you have to prepare yourself.
| Page Title: | Just imagine (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 25 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=123, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 123 |