Similarly, the Bhagavad-gītā also should be taken or accepted as it is directed by the speaker Himself. The speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā is Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is mentioned in every page of the Bhagavad-gītā as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. Of course, "bhagavān" is sometimes designated to any powerful person or any powerful demigod, but here bhagavān is certainly designated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, a great personality, but at the same time we must know that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as He is confirmed by all the ācāryas... I mean to say, even Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka Svāmī and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and many others. In India there were many authoritative scholars and ācāryas, I mean, authorities of the Vedic knowledge. All of them, including Śaṅkarācārya, has accepted Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord Himself has also established Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Bhagavad-gītā. He is accepted so in the Brahmā-saṁhitā and all Purāṇas, especially in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). So therefore we should take Bhagavad-gītā as it is directed by the Personality of Godhead Himself.
Krsna - as He is (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"God as He is"
|"Godhead as He is"
|"Visnu as He is"
|"krishna as He is"
|"krsna as He is"
|"lord as He is"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
One who has got, one who has taken shelter of ācārya, bona fide spiritual master, he knows. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Because he is receiving the right knowledge from the right source, ācārya... Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Ācārya means by disciplic succession. As Kṛṣṇa says, disciplic succession, all the ācāryas will say the same thing. They will not change, they will not interpret. They can explain. But the original fact is not distorted. That is ācārya. Ācārya will never say that "Kṛṣṇa is material. Kṛṣṇa... There was no such thing as Kṛṣṇa. There was no such battle, Battle of Kurukṣetra. These are all imaginary." So if we don't want to be cheated, then we should take Kṛṣṇa as He is presenting Himself and as it is confirmed by the ācāryas. Then our knowledge is perfect. So here it is said,
- tataḥ śvetair hayair yukte
- mahati syandane sthitau
- mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaś caiva
- divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ
- (BG 1.14)
Kṛṣṇa and His devotee Arjuna, they are on the same platform. Therefore Mādhava and Pāṇḍava. They blew Their transcendental conchshells. This is not ordinary. (reads from purport:) "The sounding of the transcendental conchshells indicated that there was no hope of victory for the other side." This is the sounding. Divyau. They are also sounding their conchshell, even Bhīṣma, but that cannot be compared with the conchshells of Mādhava and Pāṇḍava. Arjuna, associates, they are also equally powerful.
Anyone who is leading his life on the bodily concept of life, he is no better than the dogs and hogs. So in order to stop this civilization of dogs and hogs, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is essential. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to take instruction from Kṛṣṇa. This is the first instruction. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). So gradually He will give instruction.
So it is our request that you try to study Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Don't try to distort it by your so-called education. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is saying. Then you will be benefited. Your life will be successful. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)
And misunderstand. And therefore they sometimes say, "Kṛṣṇa is immoral." How Kṛṣṇa can be immoral? By accepting, by chanting Kṛṣṇa's name, the immoral persons are becoming moral, and Kṛṣṇa is immoral. Just see the foolishness. Simply by chanting Kṛṣṇa's name, all immoral persons are becoming moral. And Kṛṣṇa is immoral. And it is spoken by a rascal professor.
So it is very difficult. Nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa without becoming a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yas cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Tattvataḥ, in truth. Tattvataḥ means truth. If one wants to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, then he has to take this process of devotional service, bhakta, bhakti. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). When one is employed as the servitor of Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of senses. Master, and hṛsīkeṇa, when your senses are also engaged in the service of the master of the senses, then you also become master of the senses. You also. Because your senses are engaged in the service of the Hṛṣīkeśa, the senses have no other opportunity to be engaged. Locked up. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). So this is the process of devotional service. If you want to become master of the senses, gosvāmī, svāmī, then you should always keep your senses engaged in the service of Hṛṣīkeśa. That is the only way. Otherwise it is not possible. As soon as you become a little slack to engage your senses in the service of the master of the senses, immediately māyā is there, "Come on, please." This is the process. Kṛṣṇa bhuliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare, pāsate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare. As soon as you forget Kṛṣṇa, even for a moment, immediately māyā is there: "Please, my dear friend, come here."
So first of all you have to understand that we are spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, Brahman. "I am not matter, I am spirit," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. These are Vedic words, so 'ham. So 'ham does not mean "I am God." I am God-ly—I am part and parcel of. As God is in quality, so I am also in quality. Just like a drop of ocean water, qualitatively it is the same as the vast mass of water in the sea, but not the drop of water is equal to the vast mass of water. Similarly, in quality, so 'ham, "I am," that means the Supreme God, as He is in quality, I am also the same in quality. So 'ham. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am Brahman. I am not this matter, I am spirit soul." These are the knowledge.
So when one comes to that knowledge, brahma-bhūtaḥ... Now we are not brahma-bhūtaḥ, prākṛta-bhūtaḥ, jīva-bhūtaḥ, the exact word. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). The world is being maintained by this jīva-bhūtaḥ, by the living entities. Just like this city of Manila is very important so long the living entities are there. If there are no living entities, nobody will be prepared to purchase the whole land even for (indistinct). What he will do with the dead matter? The dead matter has no value. It is valuable so long we utilize it in different purposes. Otherwise, it has no value. A nice motorcar with nice machine, first class, it has value so long it is driven by a living entity. Otherwise, who cares for it? Nobody cares for it. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedam (BG 7.5). Therefore matter, however valuable it may be, it is inferior to the spirit. The spirit is superior energy of God. Matter is inferior energy of God.
You be yourself devotee and try to make others devotee. Then both your life and the person who is under your instruction, he, everyone is successful. And without being devotee, you cannot make others devotee. That is also a secret. If you remain nondevotee, you cannot convince others. That is not in your power. Therefore the nondevotee class of men, they cannot understand God, they cannot convince others about God. That's a fact. They'll simply present hodge-podge thing, they do not understand clearly, and they present hodge-podge. That's all. Without being... Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). "If anyone wants to understand Me as I am..." Of course, nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, still, as far as possible. That is only through bhakti. Bhaktyā, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. It doesn't say that through knowledge, philosophical speculation or through haṭha-yoga system. No. He says bhaktyā, clearly. And in the beginning also He says, "Because you are My bhakta, therefore I shall reveal to you." The whole science is for the devotee. Not for anyone else. Those who are not devotees, their understanding of God is blocked forever. They cannot understand. It is a fact. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, māyāvādī-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). If anyone tries to understand these impersonalist Māyāvādī philosophers, then his, I mean to say, progress is blocked for good. Not for good, of course. Nothing can be for good. But for the present at least his progress is blocked. Sarva-nāśa. Chant
That is his perfection. He doesn't require... Because he's delivering one thousand dollars, he doesn't require to become a very rich man. He may be a poor man. Similarly, a guru, a guru is perfect when he delivers the words of the superior authority as it is. Then he's perfect. He may be imperfect in your estimation. But that is his perfection, that he is not misleading people by becoming a so-called rascal scholar and interpreting in a different way and misleading the whole population. That is perfection. People say so much about me, that I have done some wonderful thing. But I say that I am not a magician. I'm not a magician. My only credit is that I am presenting Kṛṣṇa as He is. That's all. I am not diluting Kṛṣṇa. That is not my business. And therefore, because it is pure, pure ghee, therefore everyone accepts. And if you place dalda, mixing with ghee some rascal thing, then nobody will accept. Therefore, so many swamis went before me in the Western countries, and they presented adulterated, and there was not a single person became a kṛṣṇa-bhakta. Now, by thousands they are becoming. Why? Because it is presented pure thing. Pure thing will be accepted everywhere. I give this example. In a, in Delhi, there is... I have seen. One, there is confectioner's shop. He rigidly prepares in pure ghee all the sweetmeats. So you'll find always hundreds of customers there. And there are by the side of that... Dalda manufacture. It is not... People are still prepared to pay sufficiently if you give pure thing. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We have not manufactured anything. While I started this movement in America, some friend suggested that "You are writing 'International Society for Krishna Consciousness.' Why not make it 'God consciousness.' It will be accepted by everyone." God is Kṛṣṇa.
It is not possible that we can give up sinful activities by our own endeavor because in this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is addicted to some sort of sinful activities. But if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa as He is instructing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), fully, without any reservation, He will help us to become free from the sinful reactions. (end)
Do you think you are as good as Arjuna? Kṛṣṇa says, Arjuna addressing, that I am instructing to you my dear Arjuna, because you are my dear friend. And you are very great devotee. Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyam etad uttamam (BG 4.3). I am speaking to you this Bhagavad-gītā because you are qualified. What is that qualification? Because you are My devotee and very intimate friend. So you become also intimate friend and devotee, you will understand everything. That is our request. If Arjuna becomes a friend and devotee you can also become. Why you are losing this opportunity? That is our propaganda. You also become a friend, a devotee, and be happy and see Kṛṣṇa as He is simply symbolic representation. He says everyone. Let us take this opportunity and become like Arjuna. That is perfection of life.
Madhudviṣa: "Arjuna is recognized by the Lord as a devotee. Therefore one who follows the line of Arjuna in understanding the Gītā will derive benefit from it. Otherwise one will simply waste his valuable time in reading commentaries. Arjuna accepts Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and any commentary of the Gītā following in the footsteps of Arjuna is real devotional service to the cause of this great science. But the demons do not accept Lord Kṛṣṇa as He is. The demons concoct something out of their imagination about Kṛṣṇa's instructions. Here is a warning regarding such misleading paths. One should try to follow the disciplic succession from Arjuna and thus be benefited by this great science of the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā."
Prabhupāda: Yes. If we want to study Bhagavad-gītā, then we follow the principles. Just like we have explained this in the introduction, that when you take a bottle of medicine, there is some direction that "Two tablets, twice in a day after meals." So you have to follow the instruction. Then you get benefit. You cannot take any instruction about taking that medicine from a friend or from an expert educationist. No. You have to take direction only from the physician. He is the expert in that line.
Similarly, here is the direction, the bottle of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, "It should be understood by the devotee, or you have to understand Bhagavad-gītā from a devotee." This is the direction of this medicinal bottle. How you can go otherwise? Then you will get the benefit. That is explained.
Madhudviṣa: "Arjuna said: The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him? The Blessed Lord said..."
To understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, it is difficult. But if you take to this process of devotional service...
- śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
- smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
- arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
- sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
- (SB 7.5.23)
Either of these process. All the process or either of these. You become successful to develop your dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and then your life becomes successful. Thank you very much. (end)
"You are, because you are My devotee..." Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was ordinary family man. He was a military man. And Kṛṣṇa said that "I am speaking to you." He was not a Vedic Vedantist or a very good scholar in Vedānta philosophy, or he was not a brāhmaṇa, or he was not a renouncer, nothing of the sort. He was a military man. Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was a military man, and he was a family man. He was to look after the interest of his family. Still, Kṛṣṇa selected him to be the authority of Bhagavad-gītā. Why? Now, bhakto 'si: "Because you are My devotee." So that is the qualification.
So to become Kṛṣṇa conscious is the qualification to understand Bhagavad-gītā as well as to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. Therefore we have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And what is that Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Now, this process which you have adopted, which you have adopted. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Now, this chanting and this hearing of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā hearing as it is, from persons who are engaged in this business. That will help us to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And as soon as we become Kṛṣṇa conscious, Kṛṣṇa also help us to understand
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, if Kṛṣṇa has created everything and everything is submitted to Kṛṣṇa's will, can we really say what is good or bad?
Prabhupāda: There is no good or bad, it is mental concoction. But on the whole, in the material world means everything bad. Spiritual world everything is good. Material world means absence of spiritual world, that's all. You bring again spiritual world, it is good.
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, since presently we cannot see Kṛṣṇa as He is as a person, how can we, how should we meditate on Him?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Yogeśvara: He says now, because we are not yet advanced enough to see Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Person directly, how should we meditate upon him.
Prabhupāda: You do not see Kṛṣṇa is in the temple? (laughter) We are worshiping something vague? You have to see Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa says. In the present stage... Just like Kṛṣṇa says raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). Kṛṣṇa says "I am the taste of the water." You see Kṛṣṇa in the taste of the water. That will make you advanced. According to different stages... Kṛṣṇa says "I am the taste of the water." So when you drink water, why don't you see Kṛṣṇa. "Oh, this taste is Kṛṣṇa." Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. When you see the sunshine, moonshine. Kṛṣṇa says "I am the sunshine, I am the moonshine." So as soon as you see in the morning, sunshine, you see Kṛṣṇa.(end)
Because they cannot love Viśvarūpa. Is that all right? Can you love Viśvarūpa? If Kṛṣṇa comes before you with Viśvarūpa, (laughs) you'll forget your love. Don't try to love Viśvarūpa. Love Śyāmasundara, that's all. We have seen Kṛṣṇa in Viśvarūpa during wartime. I remember I think in 1942, December, date I forget. I was just eating and there was siren of bombing in Calcutta. So the arrangement was as soon as there will be siren of bombing the government selected a place, shelter room, this room in your house will be shelter room. So we had to go into that shelter room and the bombing began—chiiiii-gown. So we were seeing that Viśvarūpa, you see, at that time. So I was thinking of course, that this is also Kṛṣṇa's another form. But that form is not very lovable form. (laughter) So a devotee in love, wants to love Kṛṣṇa in His original form. This Viśvarūpa is not His original form. He can appear in any form, that is His all-potency. But the lovable form is Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara.
Suppose a boy's father is a police officer. So if the father comes as a police officer firing a revolver, even the child will forget loving father. You see? So naturally the child loves father when he's at home just like father. Similarly we love Kṛṣṇa as He is—Śyāmasundara. The Viśvarūpa was shown to Arjuna to warn the rascal humanity. Because Kṛṣṇa said, "I am God." Imitating Kṛṣṇa, so many rascals declaring that "I am God." Therefore Arjuna said, "Please show me your Viśvarūpa." So that these rascals may also ask him to show his Viśvarūpa. So if you are God, please show me your Viśvarūpa. That they cannot. Yes?
Similarly, there are millions and trillions of different kinds of devotees of Kṛṣṇa. They are directly playing.
So this yoga system, as described herein, bhakti-yoga, it can be practiced by such persons who have developed such attachment for Kṛṣṇa. Others cannot. And if anyone is able to develop such attachment, then the result will be that he will understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, perfectly. However we may try to understand what is God by our different theories or speculation, it is a very difficult job to understand what is God. We may say that I have..., we have understood what is God, but it is not possible to understand God as He is, because we have got our limited senses and He is unlimited. How you can capture the Unlimited with your limited sense? But it is possible.
It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our senses are imperfect always. Even we cannot understand perfectly the material world. Just like we have seen so many planets and stars in the sky at night, but we do not know what they are. We do not know even what is this moon planet. We are trying for so many years, trying to go there in sputnik and... Even one planet. Even we do not know what varieties are there even in this planet. If you go on the sea, if you go on the sky, you are perfectly illusioned. So our knowledge is always imperfect. That we must admit. Foolishly, if we think we have acquired all sorts of knowledge, we have advanced in science, this is another foolishness. It is not possible. So when it is not possible to understand even the material things which we are daily seeing with our eyes and perception, what to speak of spiritual? And the Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the Supreme spiritual form. So it is not possible for us to understand Kṛṣṇa by our limited senses. Then why we are bothering so much for Kṛṣṇa consciousness if it is not possible?
And the Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the Supreme spiritual form. So it is not possible for us to understand Kṛṣṇa by our limited senses. Then why we are bothering so much for Kṛṣṇa consciousness if it is not possible?
The answer is ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). These imperfect senses cannot realize Kṛṣṇa as He is. Then the process is sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. If you become submissive, if you develop the spirit of service to Kṛṣṇa, either as servant or as friend or as parent or as lover, if you begin to give service to the Supreme Lord... The beginning of service is chanting. Therefore it is said, jihvādau. Jihvādau means, jihva means tongue. Tongue. Your service begins by the tongue. How? By the tongue you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and by the tongue you can taste Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. So the beginning process is very nice. You chant Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and whatever little prasādam is offered to you by Kṛṣṇa by His kindness, you accept it. Then the result will be that sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. If you become submissive and if you begin this service, chanting and eating prasādam, then svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ, simply by these two kinds of practices, Kṛṣṇa will Himself reveal Himself before you, "I am like this." You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by speculation. No, that is not possible, because your senses are imperfect. But if you begin this process of service, then it will be possible that one day Kṛṣṇa will reveal to you, "I am like this."
Therefore you have to seek person, from where you have to hear. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Therefore you have to select person, from where to hear. That is the... Either you search or by Kṛṣṇa's grace you get a person who is authorized. Then your life is successful. Some way or other, you have to come. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He was devotee of Kṛṣṇa from the beginning of his life. Kṛṣṇa sent him, Parīkṣit..., Śukadeva Gosvāmī. "Now Mahārāja Parīkṣit is going to die within seven days. He is very anxious what to do. Please go there." Because Kṛṣṇa is sitting within yourself. As soon as Kṛṣṇa finds that you are very sincere, seeking Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will immediately give you chance: "Here is chance. Here is chance."
So we have to utilize in that way. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). "Hear from Me." Nobody... Either you hear from Kṛṣṇa or from Kṛṣṇa's representative. Just like Arjuna is hearing from Kṛṣṇa, and you hear from Arjuna. Then you get the perfect instruction. If you say, "Where is Arjuna? Where is Kṛṣṇa?" but Arjuna's words are there in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa's words are there. So if you take the words as it is, then you hear Bhagavad-gītā. If you change, then you don't hear Bhagavad-gītā. You hear something nonsense. These are very simple things. So hearing is very important. So "Hear from Me." Nobody can be a great authority than Kṛṣṇa. And therefore, by hearing from Him, one receives the greatest opportunity for progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You hear from Kṛṣṇa as He is speaking. He says that "Practice yoga in full consciousness of Me." If you do that, then you hear Him. But if you do something nonsense, that is not hearing. That is not hearing. But they will do something nonsense which is not approved by Kṛṣṇa or His representative. That is their disease. Yes.
That paramparā system, Kṛṣṇa also says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "I spoke first of all this system of yoga system mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā." That is bhakti-yoga. What is that yoga system? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). "All the Vedas, they are teaching only to understand Me, Kṛṣṇa."
So if we do not understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, although He is explaining, all the ācāryas are explaining... In our country... You come from India. In our country there are big, five ācāryas who is practically controlling the Hindu society or the Vedic society: Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So we have to follow the footprints, the footsteps of the ācāryas. That is mentioned in the... Ācāryopāsanam. If you want to advance in knowledge, then you must worship the ācāryas. Otherwise what knowledge you will get? You cannot get, manufacturing knowledge or getting knowledge from somebody who has manufactured knowledge. The knowledge must be received by paramparā, by paramparā, as Kṛṣṇa says. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. He again spoke the science of Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna because the paramparā was broken. Sa kāleneha naṣṭaḥ. Otherwise there was no need of speaking Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. And why He selected Arjuna to understand Bhagavad-gītā? That is also explained.
We have to know Kṛṣṇa as He is. So "know" means to hear about Him. Because Kṛṣṇa... We are not directly in contact with Him, Kṛṣṇa, in yoga. Kṛṣṇa-yoga means to know Kṛṣṇa, and then we become attached or make connection with Him. Sambandha. This is called sambandha. We must know what is our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That relationship is described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was inquired by Sanātana Gosvāmī, "So what is my position? What I am?" Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that every living entity is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.
This is our relationship. We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is asking here: mayy āsakta. We are eternally related with Kṛṣṇa, but now, under the influence of this material energy or illusory, external energy, we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You have to divert your attention, attachment, to Me." Mayy āsakta. Mayi. Kṛṣṇa says mayi. Mayy āsakta. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ. Mind has to be always fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. This yoga has to be practiced. As Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did: sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). He always... He was a great emperor. He had many business, political and maintenance of the kingdom. He was always busy, great emperor of the whole world, but still he fixed up his mind always on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is called kṛṣṇa-āsakti. Kṛṣṇa-āsakti. Mayi, mayy āsakta-manāḥ. Mind has to be fixed with Kṛṣṇa. The process is very simple. Process is very simple. Everyone, at home, in any condition of life, he can fix up his mind in Kṛṣṇa. Our mind has to be fixed in something, because mind is never vacant. It is always fixed up or attached to some, something. Not for a second our mind is vacant. So this vacancy has to be filled up by the presence of Kṛṣṇa. That is perfect yoga.
So gopīs are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency. Gopīs are not these ordinary women; neither Kṛṣṇa is ordinary man. So unless we understand Kṛṣṇa as were discussing this morning, the verse, kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ... Out of many millions of siddhas, one can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. If we do not understand Kṛṣṇa, then how we can understand gopīs?
So this is not the subject matter of the mental speculators. Better not to read all these books. Because they are not realized souls, neither they are devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Neither do they know what is Kṛṣṇa. So what they will understand about Kṛṣṇa? So if we want to understand Kṛṣṇa, er, gopīs, then we have to learn it from the perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa, not from the speculators, mental speculators. This is simply a waste of time. Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti, kabe hāma bujhabo se yugala-pīriti. Yugala-pīriti, the love between Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī... The gopīs are expansion of Rādhārāṇī, pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa... These are all spiritual subject matter. So this is not mental. An ordinary man, if he thinks that "I am becoming go...," that is artificial. That is artificial. This is not artificial thing. And the parakīyā-rasa, the sense of paramourship, that is also there. But this is not this parakīyā-rasa, as we understand from this material world. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, er Sanātana Gosvāmī has said that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam. Those, one who is not Vaiṣṇava... So it is, mental speculator, it is useless to learn from them what is the relationship between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa. Neither it has to be practiced artificially. Th
In the Fourth Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā you will find, Kṛṣṇa says, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa said this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā first to the sun-god, and he spoke to his son Manu, he spoke to his son Ikṣvāku. In this way, disciplic succession, this Bhagavad-gītā has come down to this earthly planet, and if we accept that disciplic succession, do not unnecessarily interpret, then we understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. That is the process. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to understand the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, as He is, without any interpretation. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga. That can be achieved, as Kṛṣṇa says, always keeping center Kṛṣṇa.
- mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
- yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
- asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
- yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
- (BG 7.1)
You can understand. If you practice this yoga, keeping Kṛṣṇa in the center, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, the form of the Kṛṣṇa, then it will be revealed. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23). This is the yoga system of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
This is the idea. Kṛṣṇa is not sectarian. Kṛṣṇa is not Hindu; Kṛṣṇa is not Indian; Kṛṣṇa is not African. Kṛṣṇa is nothing of this material world. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, transcendental. Simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa, one becomes immediately liberated and goes back to Kṛṣṇa, simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). This very thing again, tattvataḥ. His activities, His coming down, His work, they're all transcendental, divyam, not ordinary. So, He's divyam, He's transcendental. If anyone knows in truth, then what happens to him? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by knowing as He is, one becomes immediately liberated. Immediately. So therefore it is said, manuṣyāṇām. Because if one would know Kṛṣṇa as He is, he'll immediately liberated. So liberation is not so cheap thing. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says,
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
- So you can understand Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa said in the beginning of this chapter that jñānaṁ me. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). It is a great science. It is not a speculative; it is not imagination. Just like sometimes they create imagined God. The impersonalists, they think there is no God. "God is not personal, but is impersonal. So you can imagine any form."
And if you cut the head and the tail and accept something and reject something, that is not Bhagavad-gītā. Take it as it is. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, not curtailing this or that: "This meaning is that; that meaning is that." No such nonsense. We accept... This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa says that He is the supreme authority. We are preaching "Kṛṣṇa is the supreme authority." Where is the difficulty? We don't manufacture anything. We don't say, "I am the supreme authority." No. I am rascal. I am fool. I am imperfect. But Kṛṣṇa is Supreme, Kṛṣṇa is perfect. That is our preaching. As servant of Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore, because we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as He is, therefore our preaching is perfect. I may be imperfect, but our preaching is not imperfect. It is very simple. We are preaching all over the world, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." And these foreign boys and girls who are after me, they also accepted. They do not say that "Here is another God, sir. Why you are asking?" That is the difficulty in India. As soon as we shall say, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa is the..., there is no more superior person than Kṛṣṇa," others will say, "No, why this gentleman is not superior than Kṛṣṇa?" That is the difficulty. They'll not accept. Their brain has been full with hodge-podge things. Therefore they cannot take Kṛṣṇa consciousness so... Of course, at heart, in India, everyone feels for Kṛṣṇa, but they have been educated in such a wrong way, th
You can imagine even stool." They say like that. You see.
So... So neither God is limited to any five imaginative forms or this form or that form. His form nobody can imagine, neither He is within our perception. But He is as He is. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśvaram (BG 9.11). Therefore we have to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead from authoritative sources, just like the Bhagavad-gītā. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself speaking, "What I am." This is the science of God. If we take Him as He is saying, then we become perfect knower of God. There is no difficulty. But if we deny, then we are in difficulty. Those who have accepted Kṛṣṇa as He is, God as He is, they have attained perfection also. It is practical. Not that we are. There are millions and billions followers of Kṛṣṇa in India. Not only ordinary followers. Just like many great stalwarts, educationists, I mean to say, saintly person like Śaṅkarācārya, Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya, great educated and learned scholars, they have accepted. Lord Caitanya has accepted. And... There are so many others also. And there are millions and millions of temples of Kṛṣṇa. They are being worshiped by millions and billions of devotees still. Still, if you go some Kṛṣṇa temple in South India, you'll find thousands of thousands of people always assembled. You have no imagination. You see? In Jaipur temple, Jaipur temple, the king's palace... Within the king's palace there is Jaipur temple. So whenever you go in that Jaipur temple, you'll find at least one thousand men assembled. At least. If you go Jagannātha Purī, you'll find at least two thousand men, daily coming and going. If you go to Vṛndāvana, you'll find at least five thousand men, daily coming and going. So... And in Vṛndāvana itself there are five thousand temples. Out of that only seven or eight temples are very big temples. In other words, each and every house is Kṛṣṇa temple. So it is not that... Somebody asked me, "How many there are in India Kṛṣṇa conscious people?" Oh, the Kṛṣṇa conscious men in India, at least, the Hindus, oh, they are ninety percent, at least, all Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Don't you see how nicely he has written Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? There is no comparison, even from the literary point of view. He is perfect poet. Lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām, anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje, lokasya ajānataḥ... (SB 1.7.6). People do not know this, that to get out of the clutches of māyā, all this nonsense, the only thing is bhakti-yogam. And people do not know it. Lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām. The greatest poet, vidvān, learned Vyāsadeva, has written this Bhāgavatam. So he is the greatest poet.
Devotee: Swamiji, while it's true that anyone who thinks of Kṛṣṇa as he is dying can take on the body of Kṛṣṇa, is it not true that if you don't spend your life thinking of Kṛṣṇa, it may be difficult at the time of death to remember Him because of attachment?
Prabhupāda: Certainly. If you don't practice, then at the time of examination, certainly you'll fail. (chuckles) If you say, "All right. I shall see in the examination hall. I shall write everything nice," that is nonsense. You have to study nicely before the examination. Therefore it is said, yudhya ca mām anusmara (BG 8.7). Practice it. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena. What is yoga? Yoga means practice. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā (BG 8.8). Yoga means you do not allow your mind to go anywhere else. Just try to engage. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). Always fix up in Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest type of yoga. All right. Question finished? Let us chant.
So much powerful you can become that you are as powerful as God is. That is called sārṣṭi. And sāmīpya. Sāmīpya means you can always remain with God as one of the associates. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇa as friend. This is called sāmīpya.
So there are different kinds of liberation. Now, any one, any of these five kinds of liberations you can have. But out of the five, the sāyujya-mukti, or the liberation by becoming merged into the existence of the Supreme, is not accepted by the Vaiṣṇava philosophers. We belong to the Vaiṣṇava philosophical school, Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava means we want to worship God as He is, and we keep our separate identity eternally to serve Him. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. And the Māyāvāda philosophy and impersonalist philosophy is that they want to close their individual identity and merge into the existence of the Supreme.
Now, here Lord Kṛṣṇa does not advise you... That is a suicidal policy. That policy is neither recommended by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the Bhagavad-gītā, neither the Vaiṣṇava philosophers, they accept it, to merge. They don't wish to close their individuality.
After getting this opportunity, this human form of life, if we do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is means willingly we are taking poison. Willingly. By becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious in this life, you can be transferred to the spiritual world. Immediately. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Everything is explained there. As soon as you die. Immediately you are transferred to the spiritual world. How? Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa in truth, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ...
This is tāttvika knowledge. Tāttvika knowledge means to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior truth beyond Me. I am the Supreme Truth." Paraṁ brahma param... Arjuna understood it. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). This is understanding. This is paramparā understanding. If you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, if you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then you have to follow the footprints of the mahājanas. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). As Arjuna understood it. How Arjuna understood it? Paraṁ brahma, "the Supreme Brahman." We are all Brahman. There is no difficulty to understand ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That's all right. But we are not Param Brahm
So this Kṛṣṇa philosophy means to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, without any interpretation. And if we actually understand Kṛṣṇa, then our life is successful. What is the mission of our life? The mission of life is to get out of the cycle of birth and death and old age and disease. That means to cease accepting material body, one after another. That is going on. We are wandering throughout the whole universe in different planets and different species of life. We are spirit souls. We don't require to accept this material body. But we have accepted it, somehow or other.
- dehino 'smin yathā dehe
- kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
- tathā dehāntara-prāptir
- dhīras tatra na muhyati
- (BG 2.13)
In this way, we are wandering throughout the whole universe. But if want to stop it, if we want to become again originally situated in our constitutional position, then we must understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We must try to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. Then our life will be successful. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Go back to home, go back to Godhead. This is very simple philosophy. And everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. If we are fortunate enough, we should study Bhagavad-gītā as it is. And then we become successful in the mission of our life.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
He can hear with His hair. That is Kṛṣṇa. Omnipotency. We say all this, "omnipotency." How He is omnipotent, when you discuss, then we fail. This is omnipotency. Every part of His body has got the potency of other part. That is Kṛṣṇa. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti (Bs. 5.32). Why? Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya. Because His body is not this body, this material body. Ānanda-cinmaya. Therefore don't think that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, stone." No. Because stone is also part of His body. So this is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa. One has to learn. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. So this is not stone worship. It is Kṛṣṇa, personally present. We should worship Kṛṣṇa, as He is personally present. Not with... If you think that it is stone, then it is aparādha, offense. Arcye śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matiḥ. To think of the Deity, worshipable Deity, as stone or wood, to think of the spiritual master as ordinary human being, these are not allowed. Then he is not making progress.
So in this way, this naimiṣa-yajña... Svargāya lokāya. They performed yajña. That is our only business, to perform yajña. So in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, because everything is being done for Kṛṣṇa, it is simply yajña. Nothing else. It is not karma. When it is karma, you are bound up by the results of karma. But if you perform yajña, you are not bound up. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). Bhakti-bhājām, those who are engaged in devotional service, they have no more any karma. Karma means if you do something then it will have reaction, either good or bad. But here, because everything is done for Kṛṣṇa, I haven't got to enjoy or suffer for the resultant action. Karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu... This is philosophy.
So one has to know Kṛṣṇa in tattvataḥ, as He is. So this tattvataḥ means accept the process of devotional service. Tattvataḥ, Kṛṣṇa as He is, cannot be understood by the other methods, namely by mental speculation or mystic yogic exercises. Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood in that way. If we want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then we have to accept the Kṛṣṇa method, bhakti method. That is plainly spoken by Kṛṣṇa: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa does not say that you can know Him by mental exercises or yogic practices. No. Yogi can know... Tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ. Yogi also, by meditation, they see Kṛṣṇa. That is real yoga. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, the first-class yogi is he who always thinks of Kṛṣṇa within himself.
You have to receive through the channel of paramparā system, bhakti. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Paramparā. Ādau gurvāśrayam. Therefore we have to accept a guru who is coming in the paramparā. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is paramparā. Because the paramparā was lost, Kṛṣṇa again said Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. So as Arjuna understood, if you understand Bhagavad-gītā as Arjuna understood, if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then your understanding of Kṛṣṇa is perfect. And if you invent some imaginary meaning, then you are śrama eva hi kevalam, waste of time. So don't do that. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, as He speaks Himself about Himself, that "I am like this." What is the difficulty? If Kṛṣṇa says, if God says, "I am like this," why you are manufacturing ways and means to understand God, uselessly wasting time? God is giving His name, God is giving His address, God is giving His activities. Everything is there. Why don't you understand God? Why you are researching? This is called śrama eva hi...
So don't waste time in searching out what is God. God is canvassing you, "I am God, here." Bhaktyā sa... Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65).
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a manufactured way. It is simply the standard. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. We are preaching this philosophy. It is not difficult. Anyone can do it. Anyone can do it. It is not that I am playing something wonderful. What Wonderful? They talk about this, that I have done something wonderful. I do not know any wonderful thing. I only know to present Kṛṣṇa as He is. That's all. This is the secret. So anyone can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is from Bhagavad-gītā or from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why do they search out? Why they should invent some means? This is useless waste of time.
The matter has not come into so many forms without the touch of the living entity. Everyone can understand. The big, big ship, how it has come into existence? Because a living entity planned, engineered how to do it, and he brought material things, and he manufactured it. Therefore this inferior energy, the material things, they are subordinate to the spiritual energy.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa, when He is prakṛteḥ param, He is beyond this material nature. His body, His activities, His pastimes, His name, His form, everything, it is not material. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). If everyone simply tries to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is in truth, then he becomes liberated, simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. You try to understand Kṛṣṇa not by speculation, but as Kṛṣṇa says, as God says, or as a Kṛṣṇa devotee says. Just like Kuntī. Kuntī is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. She said that "You are prakṛteḥ param." She is authority. She is authority, because devotee, every devotee, pure devotee, they are confidential. Otherwise how Kṛṣṇa has accepted to become her nephew? Just like Kṛṣṇa has accepted to become the son of Yaśodāmāyi or Devakī, similarly, He has accepted to become a nephew of Kuntīdevī. This prayer was offered by Kuntī when Kṛṣṇa was taking leave. After establishing them, after the battle of Kurukṣetra, when everything was settled up and Kṛṣṇa was going back to Dvārakā, so He came to offer His respects to His aunt, Kuntīdevī, and when the farewell was taking place, Kuntī offered this prayer to Kṛṣṇa.
That is, Kuntīdevī is humbly submitting. Although is womanly body, she is a devotee. She is not like ordinary woman, less intelligent. She is the most in... She has recognized Kṛṣṇa, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. "Although He has come to me, materially, as my nephew, to offer me respect, but He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." There in the previous verse she said, alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthitam: (SB 1.8.18) "You are not seen by ordinary men, although You are inside and outside." In another verse also, na lakṣyase mūḍha-dṛśā: (SB 1.8.19) "Fools and rascals cannot see You." That means Kuntī sees Him. Unless she sees Kṛṣṇa as He is, how she can say, mūḍha-dṛśā na lakṣyase? And (s)he says, prakṛteḥ param: "You are transcendental to this material creation."
So here also she continues her humbleness. This humbleness is very good in devotional service. Therefore Caitanya, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us: tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. One should be tolerant than the trees and humbler than the grass to make progress in spiritual life. Because there will be so many disturbances. Because māyā... We are living... Just like if we are in the ocean. So you cannot expect very peaceful situation in the ocean. It must be always tilt, what is called, tiltering, tilting. Even, even a big ship, it is also not very fixed up position. At any moment there may be tumultuous waves. So in this material world you should always expect danger. You cannot expect very peaceful life within this material world. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). Śāstra says in every step there is danger. But if you become a devotee, then you escape. Māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Otherwise...
So Kṛṣṇa, although He's playing the part of human being, His activities are transcendental. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). That is the distinction between Kṛṣṇa and ourself. He is killing. He has killed so many demons; from the very childhood His one side is killing-Pūtanā killing, Aghāsura, Bakāsura, this asura, that asura, then Keśī, and so many asuras He killed. But His killing and our killing is not the same. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti. And in the Īśopaniṣad is..., apāpa-viddham. That is Kṛṣṇa. If we imitate Kṛṣṇa... We cannot imitate. Therefore our business is to follow the words of Kṛṣṇa, not to imitate Him. That is suicidal. We shall follow the instruction of Kṛṣṇa as He is giving in the Bhagavad-gītā, but if we become so rascal to imitate His rāsa-līlā, then we'll go to hell. But the Māyāvādīs, they sometimes do that. That... In the Bhāgavata it is forbidden, that "Imitation of this..." Idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ. What is that verse, vraja..., that...? That "These pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is Viṣṇu, with the gopīs, they should not be..., not only they should be imitated, they should not be thought even within the mind, that 'We can also do like that.' " It is forbidden.
Then the question was... Parīkṣit Mahārāja questioned this: "Kṛṣṇa, He came to establish religious principles." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Paritrāṇāya sādhū..., vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. So why Kṛṣṇa did this act, because it is forbidden to mix with others' wife or daughter? Without being married, according to Vedic culture, no man or woman can mix very intimately. That is even in the ordinary dealings. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said that "Except your wife, all women are your mother." This is paṇḍita. Who is a paṇḍita, learned?
Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. The person, Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His name, they are identical. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's, this is instruction. If we chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, that is not different. That is Kṛṣṇa absolutism. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's form here, they are not different. Kṛṣṇa's form can give you the same result as He can do being personally present. That is Kṛṣṇa's absolutism. So nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. So in the name of Kṛṣṇa, there is complete potency, as it is in Kṛṣṇa personally. Therefore it is so important. In this age, we are so fallen. It is not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. But if we associate with Kṛṣṇa's name, then that is also association with Kṛṣṇa. This is the advantage. Nāmnām akāri. So as you associate with Kṛṣṇa in His sound form, so you become purified. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). This is the advantage.
So everyone's duty is to stop this birth and death problem by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That is the only duty. And this should be taught from the very beginning of life. Just like these pious children, those who are dancing here, taking part in this meeting. You see? And one side you can see that this is the only path of Kṛṣṇa realization that even a child can take part in it. He has no education, he has no knowledge, but the method is so nice that they can also take part. They can enjoy with their father and mother. There is no other yoga system... There are many yoga system, but this bhakti-yoga system is so perfect that the great-grandfather of the child and the child himself—anyone can take part in it. That is practical. They are dancing here.
Prabhupāda: He's already liberated. If one understands this fact, that why God comes, if he is fully aware of the fact, he's already liberated, immediately. Go on.
Pradyumna: "... and therefore he returns to the..."
Prabhupāda: Because without being liberated, one cannot understand God as He is. It is not possible. Because he has no perfect vision. Liberated means perfect knowledge, perfect vision. That is liberation. Yes?
Pradyumna: "Therefore he returns to the kingdom of God immediately after quitting this present material body..."
Prabhupāda: Yes, immediately after giving up this body. The example is given in the śāstras that if, when you walk... Just like the steps, like this. So this step is secure, the another step, when you feel it is secure, then you get up, get up this step. This is our practical experience. Similarly, unless our next birth is fixed up, we do not leave this body. At the time of death, by superior authority, what body I'm going to take next, that has to be decided. Then, when it is decided, if he takes little... Because that is for the most sinful person. And for the devotee, it is already decided. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9)— immediately transferred to the spiritual world. Immediately. There is no question of decision; it is already decided. Kṛṣṇa's decision. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Therefore it is said, "A devotee..." Jīvo vā māro vā: "A devotee, either you live or die, the same thing." Why? "You are living, you are serving Kṛṣṇa. When you die, you go to serve Kṛṣṇa. That's all." Jīvo vā māro vā. Therefore they are called jīvan-mukta.
The real message of Indian culture is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati (Bg 18.68). Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). Kṛṣṇa says at the end of His instruction that "Anyone who is taking the responsibility of preaching the message of Bhagavad-gītā to the devotees..." Because unless one is devotee, one cannot understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). To know Kṛṣṇa superficially, that is a different thing. You can imagine anything nonsense. But if you want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, that requires intelligence.
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
So we have to understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, as He is. This tattvataḥ word has been used in several places in Bhagavad-gītā. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Here is one tattvataḥ. Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance is not ordinary thing. Yo jānāti tattvataḥ: "Anyone who understands in truth..." So what is the result? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Immediately becomes liberated. Immediately he becomes eligible not to accept any more this material body. Tyaktvā deham.
"Either you die or live, the same thing." Because, a saintly person is engaged in the service of the Lord so his life is so blissful. So either he lives or when he dies, he goes back to home, back to Godhead. He'll do the same business. So there is no difference. Just like you are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. You are getting the same service, eternally. This is a progressional period only.
Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaun... (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says, anyone who can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, then after leaving this body he comes to home, back to home, back to Godhead. Mām eva. So saintly persons, their life is so pure that in this living condition, they are in Vaikuṇṭha, and after leaving this body, they are going to Vaikuṇṭha. So jīva vā māra vā. Both ways they are benefited. And the hunter was said, mā jīva mā māra, "You don't live, don't die." What is that? "Now you are hunter, butcher. So nasty life you are living. It was better death. Better for you to death, die. But if you die, then you go to hell. Therefore don't die, don't live." So... (aside:) Don't close your eyes. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja's... This was blessing. Parīkṣit Mahārāja... Don't think that Parīkṣit Mahārāja lost everything. Because he has understood Kṛṣṇa, so according to the statement of Bhagavad-gītā, it is fact that he is going back to home, back to Godhead.
Karandhara: "Now the next question will automatically be made as to why the Lord influences the living entity to such consciousness and forgetfulness. The answer is that the Lord clearly wishes that every living entity be engaged in his pure consciousness as the part and parcel of the Lord, and thus be engaged in loving service of the Lord as he is constitutionally made. But because the living entity is partially independent also, he may not be willing to serve the Lord, but may try to become independent as the Lord is. The whole nondevotee class of living entities are all desirous of becoming equally as powerful as the Lord, although they are not fit to become so. The living entities are..."
Prabhupāda: They will never be God, but we see so many persons. By the influence of the illusory energy they think, "I am God. I am God. I shall become God by pressing my nose like this, doing this." So this is going on. They will never be able. That is not possible. Otherwise, there is no meaning of God. If everyone can become God, then there is no meaning of God. But by influence of... Just like karmīs are saying "I shall become millionaire. I shall become trillionaire. I shall become head of the state. I shall become prime minister." This struggle, this is another struggle: "I shall become God." This is another struggle. But it is illusion. It is illusion. So Kṛṣṇa gives them opportunity, some yogic success. Just like in India there is a rascal. He makes like that, and there is immediately some gold. And people become after him: "Oh, he is God. He is God." By producing a little gold, he becomes God. Another yogi, he gives immediately two rasagullā. So by producing two rasagullā, four annas' worth, he becomes God. You see? This is illusion. These rascals, they do not know that, "What is this rasagullā, two rasagullā? I can purchase from the market for four annas. So he is becoming God by four annas?" But they have no sense. "Oh, he is God. He can produce rasagullā." Rasagullā I can produce in our kitchen. But they are so rascal. "Oh, wonderful." So the yogic siddhis... So Kṛṣṇa gives him some power of yogic siddhi and he thinks that "I have become God," and some flatterers, they also think, "Oh, you are God." The same dream. And as soon as death comes, everything finished, your Godhood and everything finished. Now becomes doghood, come to the stage of doghood. Again, another dream: "I am dog." First of all "I am God," then next stage, "I am dog." This is going on. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, keno māyār bośe jāccho bhese': "Why you are being washed away by the waves of māyā? Just fix up. Stand up." Jīv kṛṣṇa-dās ei viśwās korle to ār duḥkho nāi. You simply remain fixed up on this standpoint, that, "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." Then there is no more dream. And if you allow yourself to be washed away, Kṛṣṇa gives you facility, "All right, come on. Be washed away." Then?
"Here is Kṛṣṇa. We cannot do anything wrong." And therefore there is list of offenses of worshiping, sixty-four... Or how many? It is stated in The Nectar of Devotion. Do you discuss this? So we should avoid these offenses, not that "Here is a stone statue. He is not going to see I am doing this offense." Then that is not very good. We should always feel that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, personally present." Actually He is personally present. Then are we so fool, that we are worshiping a stone deity? No. "We" means we have installed this Deity under the direction of previous authorities, ācāryas. So it is not whimsical. We have installed the Deity exactly under the direction of the previous ācārya, and therefore the Deity is personally present, Kṛṣṇa. As He is present everywhere, sarva-bhūta-guhāvāsam, similarly, He can live in many millions of temples simultaneously and live at the same time Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa's omnipotency. So Kṛṣṇa, being very kind, He has appeared in our various temple. So we should very careful that "Here is personally present Kṛṣṇa. Here is... Personally, Rādhārāṇī is there. Personally, Lord Caitanya is there, Lord Jagannātha is there." But He is keeping Himself is such a way that you can handle in any way. Even if you commit some mistake, He does not protest. But we should not commit any mistake. That is our duty. We should not create such thing as it is offensive. Therefore the direction is there in the śāstra that "You do like this. Do like this; there will be no offense." And offenseless service will make you more and more advanced in spiritual life.
That is bhakti. And if you sta..., if you are situated in that transcendental position, bhakti, then you can understand Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Not by so-called speculation. No. That is not possible. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa would have said, "By jñāna, by yoga, by karma, one could understand Me." Kṛṣṇa says "No" clearly. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, then you have to accept this process of bhakti, and that bhakti means sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). You should not consider yourself...
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is actually, factually the movement for unity of the whole world. And that is actually beginning. It is actually being happened. All classes of men, from all groups of men, all religious societies or nation, they are joining this movement. They are joining. Actually there is the possibility. The United Nations could not unite the nations, but if you push on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, all people of different dimensions, of different nations, different religions, they will join. That is required.
So otherwise, we are in the moha, illusion. So it is the business of guru to dissipate this illusion, darkness, and enlighten the student to the real life.
Just like here also a young man wants to dance with many young girls; it is not like that. And because people cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, and if they hear about the dancing of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs, they take it the concession, "Now let us dance with young girls." And they are going to hell. Therefore you have to learn from the proper person about Kṛṣṇa's activities. If you learn Kṛṣṇa from the professional uneducated person, nondevotee, then you will go to hell. Therefore immediately we should not try to understand Kṛṣṇa's dealing with the gopīs. It is very confidential. It is kept in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That means you have to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is by reading first nine cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then you will be able to understand janma karma ca divyam. The Kṛṣṇa's activities, they are not ordinary thing. They are divine. And if we actually understand, then immediately you become liberated. Janma karma ca divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ.
Therefore here it is said, kīdṛśaḥ kati cāṅgāni. How that bhakti-yoga is situated and how many processes or branches are there? Kīdṛśaḥ kati ca aṅgāni yatas tattvāvabodhanam. Then we can understand Kṛṣṇa in tattva, in truth. That is required. That is bhakti-yoga. And that aṅgāni, aṅgāni means they are all the same. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). There are nine aṅgas, nine... Aṅga means different varieties. They are the same. Spiritually they are the same, spiritually absolute. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. Either you hear or you chant or you memorize or you offer worship, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam, or you simply work under the direction of your spiritual master or Kṛṣṇa. Just like Hanumān: he dāsyam.
So this is our duty, to dress Kṛṣṇa in such an attractive way that people at least see that it is very beautiful. Then he becomes a devotee, simply by appreciating. Simply by appreciating, if they say, "Now the Deity worship is very nice," then they go a step forward, step forward immediately, simply by appreciation. Then other things will come gradually. Therefore the temple worship should be exactly to the routine, to the instruction of the śāstra and guru and ācārya, so that the worshiper in the temple as well as the visitor, both of them will benefit. They will be gradually seeing. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has consented to appear in a way so that we can see. At the present moment we cannot see Kṛṣṇa as He is spiritually embodied, sad-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, because we have no eyes to see sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So here is also sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, arcā-mūrti. It is not idol worship. The atheist class may say so, but it is not so. Those who have got eyes, they can see. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He entered the temple of Jagannātha, immediately He fainted, "Oh, here is My Lord. Here is My Lord." So one has to become santaḥ. Then one can see. But it is culture, by culture. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva (Bs. 5.38). When you develop that culture, when you develop that love for Kṛṣṇa, then you will see immediately and you will faint, "Oh, here is my Lord."
Somebody is pointing out, "Here is your brother, dancing." You cannot see him. Naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā. Just like a person dressed in dramatic performance, his relative cannot see him, similarly, Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Simply one has to make his eyes purified to see Him. Then he can see always Kṛṣṇa, within and without.
Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). This seeing is possible only in bhakti, not in jñāna, karma. No. No other way. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. No other method is prescribed. In Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, then you have to know Him through bhakti-yoga, not any other. Others, they may go on speculating for many, many millions of years. Still, they will not be able to understand.
- panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
- vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām
- so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.34)
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...
Prabhupāda: Their brain is full with hodgepodge. You see? Brain is full with hodgepodge. They cannot understand clearly. Just see. The other day the boy was speaking that Aurobindo is greater than Kṛṣṇa. You see? How much misled they are. That is the difficulty in India. The so-called preachers, yogis, they have filled up the brain with so many hodgepodge things that it is difficult for them. These boys in..., they had no such hodgepodge things. They accepted Kṛṣṇa as He is, and therefore their progress is very quick.
Guest: (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest: And some people I have told that they are the friends of Kṛṣṇa...
Prabhupāda: Yes. Anyone, not only they. Anyone. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Anyone who will accept this principle, he will be elevated. That's all. But his brain is filled, "Then why Kṛṣṇa? Why not Aurobindo? He is greater than Kṛṣṇa." You see?
Guest: I don't think he is greater than Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: No.
Guest: He has told only,"Ahaṁ brahmāsmi."
Prabhupāda: Ahaṁ brahmāsmi... Not he says, but his disciple says.
Bhāgavata-dharma means beginning is hearing. That's all. Śravaṇam. You simply hear about God. You haven't got to do anything. God has given you the ear. You simply hear about God. That is the beginning of bhāgavata-dharma. It doesn't require that you have to pass M.A., Ph.D. examination, then you'll understand God. No. Very simple thing. What God says, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto (BG 18.65), you hear it from Bhagavad-gītā. God says, Kṛṣṇa says that "You simply think of Me." Is it a very difficult task? Here is God, Kṛṣṇa. Either you say the image of God... We take God as He is. It is not image of God, but God Himself. He has come here in the form which you can see. God is everywhere, but unfortunately we haven't got eyes to see Him.
God is everywhere. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭim yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). God is everywhere. Even within the atoms. But we have no eyes. The part of God, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). The little portion of God is there in you and me. The living force. But we cannot see that. So we haven't got eyes to see God. We cannot eyes to see my father, mother. We are seeing the body. When the father dies, we cry, "My father has gone." Where your father has gone? Here he's lying. But he has not seen ever who is his father. Therefore our present eyes are not fit to see spiritual thing. We are fit to see stone, wood, like that. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, out of His great kindness, He has appeared before you. You are thinking it is stone. It is not stone. Kṛṣṇa. But because you cannot see except stone, He appears like stone. This is called Deity worship. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that because you cannot see anything except stone and wood or something material...
You are sitting here, you can immediately remember ten thousand miles away, it is so speedy. So even by the mind's speed you cannot, by going over the space, koṭi-śata-vatsara, many millions of years still it remains unknown. So this is not the way to understand the Absolute truth, but if we accept the Vedic process, avaroha panthā, when the knowledge comes from the Absolute Truth, then it is possible.
So we Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees, we try to understand the Absolute Truth by the grace of the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "I am the Supreme." Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). In this way, if we try to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is speaking, as they are stated in the śāstra, as it is accepted by the ācāryas, then we can have some trace of the Absolute Truth. Just like Kṛṣṇa says,
- athavā bahunaitena
- kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
- viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
- ekāṁśena sthito jagat
- (BG 10.42)
The expansion of the Absolute Truth how it is working, so Kṛṣṇa summarized before Arjuna that this material world, material world... Ekāṁśena sthito jagat, this material world. What is that material world? This material world, we see only one universe to our vision. Similarly, there are millions of universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jadad-aṇḍa koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa means one universe. And in each universe, koṭiṣu aśeṣa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭisv aśeṣu vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40).
Unless Kṛṣṇa agrees to be seen, you cannot see. It is not possible. You cannot force Him to be seen by You. No, that is not possible. Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. He... When He likes, He'll be seen by you, not that you can force Him. You cannot say that "Now I am qualified. Kṛṣṇa must come, and I'll see Him." That is not possible. We are never qualified unless Kṛṣṇa agrees to be seen by you. This is the... Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ: (BG 7.25) "Everyone cannot see Me." Yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ: "I am covered, I am veiled by the yoga-māyā." Yoga-māyā will not allow you to see unless you are devotee. Therefore Kṛṣṇa confirms this fact: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, God, as He is, then you must practice devotional life. Then He'll be seen. Bhaktyā mām, yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. To know Kṛṣṇa ordinarily—"Oh, Kṛṣṇa was born in India, in Mathurā. He's the son of such and such, and He was very big man"—that is not tattvataḥ. Tattvataḥ means as He is, sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).
So for to know Kṛṣṇa, there are so many Vedic literatures. So we have to know through the mercy of the spiritual master. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Everything is there, just like Kṛṣṇa is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, but people could not understand Kṛṣṇa. Now we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as it is. People are understanding. They are becoming devotee. So we have to go through the right channel. Then we'll know Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you know Kṛṣṇa as He is, your life is successful. That is the aim and object of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—simply to help the people to know Kṛṣṇa.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. After being liberated from all these designations, one begins his devotional service, devotional life. And Kṛṣṇa says, "If one wants to know Me, then he must accept." Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Tattvataḥ. If one wants to know Kṛṣṇa, God, as He is, then he has to accept the process of devotional service. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhakti-yogena (SB 1.2.20). There is another verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. By practicing the bhagavad-bhakti-yoga, bhagavad-bhakti-yoga prasanna manaso, one has to become first of all joyful by identifying himself with the spirit. Brahmā bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). Then when he becomes joyful, he understands that "I am not this material body, I am spirit soul. I am not American, I am not Indian, I'm not brāhmaṇa, I am not this, this, this, so many things... No, I am spirit soul. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa." This is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso. When one becomes brahma-bhūtaḥ, self-realized, at that time, he becomes prasanna-manaso, joyful. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he has no more lamentation or hankering. Evaṁ prasanna. In this state of life, prasanna-manaso, evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20), by practicing bhagavad-bhakti yoga, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ mukta-saṅgasya jāyate. At that time, one can understand what is the science of God, bhagavat-tattva. It is not a sentiment; it is a vijñāna, science. Bhagavad-tattva-vijñāna. So who can understand this bhagavad-tattva-vijñāna, science? Mukta-saṅga. One who is liberated from this material contamination, he can understand.
"Where is viśeṣa? Where is varieties? Where is variety?" This is natural. Therefore śāstra says, āruhya kṛcchreṇa param... You can go very high with your aero..., aeroplane, but if you don't get any shelter in the sky, then you'll have to come back. As they are doing. They're trying to go to the moon planet, not in the sky. The sky, you can remain in the sky. Why you are coming back? No, that is not very pleasing. That is not very pleasing.
So bhakti-mārga means that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). You can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. "As He is" means He's not a human being like you or me. He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sac-cid-ānanda vigraha.
- īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
- sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
- anādir ādir govindaḥ
- sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
- (Bs. 5.1)
That is understanding of Kṛṣṇa. If we understand Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11), then we don't understand Kṛṣṇa. We understand Kṛṣṇa's māyā, not Kṛṣṇa. Nāhaṁ sarvasya prakāṣaḥ yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ. Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood because He's covered by yogamāyā. He can be understood only by the devotees.
Now somebody, some big sannyāsī, very famous in your country, he's explaining Kṛṣṇa, "Something dark within us which we do not know, that is Kṛṣṇa." That is explanation of Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa is not dvi-bhuja-muralīdhara-śyāmasundara; He's something dark which you do not know." This is the explanation of big scholar, big swami. So in this way, we are being misled. Take it, Kṛṣṇa, as He is. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the Supreme." Accept it, supreme. Actually He's supreme. Who can be bet..., more supreme than Kṛṣṇa? Prove it by śāstra, by history, by incidences, by action—everything. By votes also. If there are so many rascal Gods, but if you take vote, still in this age, the vote for Kṛṣṇa will be greater. Still. Although we are so fallen. So how we can escape Kṛṣṇa? And śāstra says, confirm, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). If you want the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvara means controller. So everyone is controller, but nobody's supreme controller. That is not possible. Even the so-called Gods, they also, when there is some toothache, they go to the doctor. They cannot control even toothache. So these kind of Gods will not help you. Take to Kṛṣṇa. Take to Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa says, the method: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). These things are there in the Bhagavad-gītā. You take it, practice it, and see how your life becomes successful and how you become happy. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Pradyumna: (reading) "...may be divided into two classes: one class may be for achieving a certain goal, and the other may be for avoiding some unfavorable circumstances. In Sanskrit these activities are called pravṛtti and nirvṛtti, positive and negative action. There are many examples of negative action. For example, a diseased person has to be cautious and take medicine in order to avoid some unfavorable illness. Those who are cultivating spiritual life and executing devotional service are always engaged in activity. Such activity can be performed with the mind or with the, with the body or with the mind. Thinking, feeling and willing are all activities of the mind, and when we will do something, the activity comes to be manifest by the gross bodily senses. Thus, in our mental activities, we should always try to think of Kṛṣṇa and try to plan how to please Him, following in the footsteps of the great ācāryas and the personal spiritual master. There are activities of the body, activities of the different senses, and activities of speech. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person engages his words in preaching the glories of the Lord. This is called kīrtana. And by his mind a Kṛṣṇa conscious person always thinks of the activities of the Lord as He is speaking on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra or engaging in His various pastimes at Vṛndāvana with His devotees. In this way, one can always think of the activities and pastimes of the Lord. This is the mental culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not inactivity. This we have discussed yesterday. Actually the activity is being influenced by the soul. But it is being expressed through intelligence, mind and body. The activities are coming from the spiritual platform, but because it is now contaminated by the material coverings, the activities are not very adjusted. Diseased activities. The thinking, feeling, and willing... This thinking, feeling, and willing now polluted on account of material coverings. Therefore we have to revert to the thinking, feeling, and willing by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As it is explained here, that we shall always think of Kṛṣṇa's activities, we shall always feel for satisfying Kṛṣṇa, and we shall always will to enact as He desires.
Suppose Kṛṣṇa comes here. How much respectful we shall be, immediately. So similarly, when we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we should know Kṛṣṇa is there. Therefore we should be very much cautious and respectful, not neglectful. That is offense. That is offense. If you become inattentive, that is offense. You should know this. Try to avoid. Kṛṣṇa is giving us chance to meet Him in so many ways: nāma, rūpa, līlā, parikara, vasiṣṭha. He is giving us chance in the form of name, in the form of Deity, in the form of His pastimes, in the form of His paraphernalia. Just like this Vṛndāvana. Vṛndāvana is as good as Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said. It is not my manufacture. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛndāvana. As Kṛṣṇa, the Brajendra-nandana Hari, Kṛṣṇa, as He is worshipable, similarly His dhāma is worshipable. We should be very much respectful to Vṛndāvana-dhāma; otherwise we'll be offender. Dhāmāparādha. Dhāmāparādha. If we remain in Vṛndāvana we should know that we are living with Kṛṣṇa. And how much we should be cautious, how much we should be careful if we are actually understand what is dhāma. Dhāma is also Kṛṣṇa. If in the dhāma we commit sinful activities, then we are, what is called, suiciding, committing suicide. It is a fact.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Yogis, there are many yogis, but the bhakti-yogi is the best because by bhakta-yoga only, you can approach the Supreme Personality of... There is no other way. Jñāna, karma, and haṭha-yoga, they can help little, but they are not competent to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānātievaṁ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then karma, yoga, jñāna, these, although they can elevate you to some extent, but you cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead by karma, jñāna, yoga. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, then you have to accept the path of bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇa says personally, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥevaṁ prasanna-manaso. And in order to attain this perfection of bhakti-yoga, you require strength from Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṇa.
- ramante yoginaḥ anante
- satyānande cid-ātmani
- iti rāma-padenāsau
- paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate
- (CC Madhya 9.29)
Rāma means who enjoys. So this word rāma is explained in the śāstra that one who is expert in enjoying eternal happiness, he is perfect yogi. Not flickering happiness. Flickering happiness, the yogis are not interested in flickering happiness or material happiness. Material happiness is always flickering, temporary. That is not happiness, but we take it. Real happiness is when we enjoy life with Kṛṣṇa, rāma. That is real happiness.
And that actual position can be understood... In another place in Bhagavad-gītā it says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: (BG 18.55) "What He is actually, that can be understood by this devotional service, no other process." No other process will help to understand Kṛṣṇa. You can... By other processes you can achieve some other thing, but if you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then you have to understand through your devotional service. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: (BG 18.55) "As I am." Tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā.
So you will have entrance into the spiritual kingdom, into the abode of Kṛṣṇa when you have perfectly... We cannot understand perfectly, but as far as possible, as far we have got the capacity, if we understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, then the entrance will be there. Otherwise there is no entrance. Therefore Lord Caitanya instructed Sanātana Gosvāmī about Kṛṣṇa through devotional service. This instruction is very important. You should very carefully hear and, if possible, note. This is directly the instruction. Just like the Bhagavad-gītā: the Lord Kṛṣṇa is directly instructing Arjuna. But in the Bhagavad-gītā there are many phases of instruction, fruitive action, philosophical speculation, yoga system and jñāna system, all kinds of different paths. Ultimately, of course, Lord Kṛṣṇa instructed him that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is the most confidential part. But here Lord Caitanya, He is not instructing any superfluous things. So that is the blessings of Lord Caitanya. Even what Kṛṣṇa could not give, what Kṛṣṇa could not, or Kṛṣṇa hesitated to give... Because Kṛṣṇa hesitated that "If I speak in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), people would not accept it." There was no necessity of describing Bhagavad-gītā in so many phases of instruction. Because the last instruction, most confidential instruction, was that "You give up everything and just surrender unto Me." That is the actual instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, but that was not spoken in the beginning because there are many phases of human beings. They are under different stages of...
Arrival Addresses and Talks
They mislead people by giving some wrong commentation on Kṛṣṇa. One big scholar in India, Dr. Radhakrishnan, he gives comments on a verse where is direct order of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), that "You become My devotee, always think of Me, offer your obeisances unto Me." But Rādhā..., Radhakrishnan comments in a different way. "This obeisances is not to the person Kṛṣṇa." Just see. Such a big scholar, he is misinterpreting, "Not to the person Kṛṣṇa." In this way, Bhagavad-gītā, although widely read all over the world, in all countries, they are being mislead by improper commentary. So we are therefore trying to present Bhagavad-gītā or Kṛṣṇa as He is. And by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, it is coming out successful. For thousands of years Bhagavad-gītā was being read in foreign countries by big, big scholars, philosophers, but there was not a single devotee of Kṛṣṇa. But we have started this movement, not even five years old, we have got sixty branches, and there are thousands and thousands of devotees. Why? The secret is that we have not cheated people, we have not adulterated. If you put something for sale in the market which is very pure, automatically you'll get many customers. Automatic. Because the thing is pure. If you sell pure milk, just from the farm, there will be many hundreds of customers immediately, and if you sell adulterated, homogenized water mixed milk, the milk will be sold, but not very many customers ordinarily. So anything pure will attract. That is natural. Pure love, pure foodstuff, anything pure. Pure gold. In economics also. It is said, "Bad money drives away good money." If you put bad money, just like nowadays the currency is some paper, paper currency, so drives away good money. Good money means gold coins. They are not to be seen. That's economic law. As soon as you put bad money, the good money will vanish.
So try to present Kṛṣṇa as He is. People will be attracted, because everyone has got Kṛṣṇa's intimate relationship. We are all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁso jīva bhūta (BG 15.7), all living entities, not only human being, other than human being, everyone, all living entities. They have got different bodies only, according to their different desires and inclinations. Otherwise, every living entity from..., beginning from Brahma down to an insect, a small ant, they are all living entities, and they are all parts and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God. We are all part and parcel of God. Therefore, just like you are part and parcel of your parent, so there is some intimate relationship with your parents. It cannot be broken, even if you are absent from home for many years. Still, when you go home, meet your parents, the old relationship—affectionate father, mother and son—immediately you'll revive. It does not take much time—because the son was long, long away from father, and he has come back, he takes another hundred years to establish the relation. No. As soon as the father and the son is together, the natural relationship immediately revives. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the original father, God is the original father. We are all His sons. Somehow or other we have left home. We have tried to enjoy material sense gratification. Kṛṣṇa has given us full facility. But we are not happy. That is not possible. Because we are separated from our original position, therefore we can not be happy. I give you one example. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of your body or my body, your body. If this finger is separated from this body it has no value, but if it is attached with this body, it has value. Similarly, we being part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa, if we're detached from God then we cannot be happy. That is a fact. There are many examples. Just like a baby, the part and parcel of the mother, crying, so many people trying to pacify the baby, taking on the lap, but still it is crying. But as soon as the baby is on the breast of the mother, immediately happy. Naturally. The baby knows, "Now I have come to the right place."
He's very easy. Just like the gopīs. Gopīs, they are village girls, not educated, not brāhmaṇa, not Vedantist. But Kṛṣṇa is within their palms, within their hands. So this bhakti-yoga is so nice that Kṛṣṇa, or God, who is unapproachable by any other method-however efficient it may be, it is not possible—only by love and devotion in service He can be approached. It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa has explained in the Bhagavad-gītā all systems-jñāna-yoga system, haṭha-yoga system, karma-yoga system, rāja-yoga system. But at the end He says that "If anyone actually wants to know Me, that is bhakti." Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. If anyone wants to know Kṛṣṇa as He is... Kṛṣṇa has different features, especially three: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11)—as impersonal Brahman, all-pervasive Paramātmā, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So if anyone wants to know actually what is Kṛṣṇa... Of course, it is not possible to know Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa reveals to the devotee, svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ, revelation. Just like Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā. People should know. Why they are searching unnecessarily? Rascaldom. You cannot search out Kṛṣṇa, God, by speculation. If He reveals Himself by His causeless mercy, being merciful upon you, being pleased upon you, then you can understand Kṛṣṇa. You cannot search out Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. So the process is explained by Kṛṣṇa Himself:
Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). After that, after being brahma-bhūtaḥ-samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām—then bhakti life begins. After being liberated, after being self-realized, then bhakti begins. And as soon as bhakti begins, then you understand Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by any other process—by jñāna, by yoga, by tapasya, by karma, by sacrifice, by charity. You cannot understand. Simply, Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, then you have to take to this process, very simple process. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: (BG 18.65) "Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your respectful obeisances unto Me." Four things. That is here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will be thinking of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā. And unless you are devotee, you cannot engage your time in that way. Then if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, automatically you become devotee. Then you worship Deity. Unless you are a devotee, you cannot worship Kṛṣṇa.
The atheist will say, "They are worshiping some idol." No. That is not fact. They do not know that here is Kṛṣṇa personally. He is accepting the devotees' service in a manner in which we can serve Him at the present moment. If Kṛṣṇa shows you the virāṭ-rūpa, then you cannot serve Him. Where you'll get the dress of the virāṭ-rūpa? The whole world's cloth factory will fail you. (laughter) Therefore Kṛṣṇa is accepted, a four-feet-small Deity, so that you can acquire Kṛṣṇa's dress within your means. You can put Kṛṣṇa within your means. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Therefore it is forbidden, arcye viṣṇu śilā-dhīḥ. If any rascal thinks that in the Viṣṇu form, as stone, as wood..., vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ, devotees considered as belonging to certain nation, caste, these are nārakī-buddhi.
Immediately they will they will take as mythology, because he's thinking on terms of his capacity, not as Kṛṣṇa says. Therefore nobody could understand Kṛṣṇa. We took the simple method: accept Kṛṣṇa as He says. That's all. Finished. That is the main business. Our philosophy is simple because we take it, Kṛṣṇa's word, as it is, that's all. And we believe it firmly: "Yes, this is the truth." To understand Kṛṣṇa is not difficult. What Kṛṣṇa says, you accept it. Sarvam etam ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava: (BG 10.14) "Whatever You say, I accept it. Not only I accept it blindly, but this very thing was accepted by such great personality as Vyāsadeva." (aside:) Anyone who wants to come... Simple thing. Big, big ācāryas, they accepted Kṛṣṇa as He is. And why shall I not accept? This is paramparā system. If others have accepted Kṛṣṇa as He tells, and they have become big, big ācāryas, so what objection can be there from my part? What I am?
General Lectures
Nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam: "One cannot be a philosopher, muni, thoughtful man, unless he has got a different philosophy." That's a fact. Everyone wants to propound a type of philosophical method and tries to become famous. That is the natural way. But you make your philosophical presentation in different way. You have got right. But don't try to interpret in Bhagavad-gītā in your own way. That cannot be accepted. And that will not give you the effect of Bhagavad-gītā. You have to accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is.
Our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are not presenting Kṛṣṇa in a different way. Our only method is to present Kṛṣṇa as He is. That is our... If there is any credit for this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement or for us, now, our credit is that we are not adulterating Bhagavad-gītā. We are simply presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. And by Kṛṣṇa's grace it is being understood very easily all over the world, and they are accepting it, that one God, Kṛṣṇa; one philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā; and one hymn, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra; and one nation, Kṛṣṇa conscious people. Just push this movement and the world will be happy. Don't create God: "Here is a incarnation of Kṛṣṇa." Sometimes we accept somebody as God because he says that "I am the same Kṛṣṇa. I am the same Rāma," believing on his word. All right, accept that he may be the same Rāma and same Kṛṣṇa. But when Kṛṣṇa is there, why should we accept an imitation Kṛṣṇa? Why? Suppose if you go to purchase some medicine in a drug shop and the shopkeeper says, "Here is a medicine, sir, which is equally good, but the price is very cheap. You can take it," and if you are sane man, you will say, "No, no. I don't want it. Give me that original. Why shall I take this? Let it be cheaper, but I don't want it."
If one tries to understand Kṛṣṇa, as He is, not by fiction, not by speculation, not by so-called scholarly, foolish commentation, but Kṛṣṇa should be understood as He is. Then, that is right Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and then one will be able to understand how Kṛṣṇa is working, how the whole world, material atmosphere, and material, cosmic manifestation is working. Then you will understand. Kṛṣṇa says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10), under my supervision. To understand Kṛṣṇa, and anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa, scientifically, then he, Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Not the foolish man, the intelligent man, who knows Kṛṣṇa actually, then the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately he becomes liberated. So after giving up this body, he never, no more comes back to accept another, this material body. He goes back to home, back to Godhead. (break)
This living entity, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, how he has got this condition of material life? That can be explained in this way. Just like this fire spark. As long as it is in the fire, it is also just like fire, glowing, glowing. Only it is spark, it is glowing. But, if it falls down from the fire, then immediately it becomes extinguished. The glowing quality becomes extinguished, and there are three kinds of different position of the living entity according to the quality of this material nature he associates. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. The living entity is the same, but when he comes into this material world, he associates with three kinds of material qualities, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So one who is in sattva-guṇa, brahminical qualification, actually, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). One who has got the brahminical qualities by work and actually in life, satya, śama, dama, titikṣa, ārjavam, jñānaṁ-vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42).
Prabhupāda: So then take it.
Devotee (1): Before we were coming every Saturday here to teach their children, just kīrtana and some stories. The children of that man, when I first came there and I was saying Hare Kṛṣṇa, they started saying "Bhīma," "Arjuna," "Yudhiṣṭhira," like this. They know many stories. Of course, many stories are wrongly told, but they have some familiarity with Vedic knowledge, a little. They have paintings also of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs, stealing their clothes, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna on the chariot. But they don't know how to present Kṛṣṇa as He is in His original form. They make Him more like a man because they don't know. But it's a basis. (break) ...nice. Maybe we can do that in some of our temples in India. Playing maṅgala āratika over the loudspeaker.
Devotee (2): Like the Muslims, they chant...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee (2): I remember in Allahabad they used to have some camps that were doing that every morning.
Devotee (3): In Māyāpur they play tapes all day.
Devotee (1): With big speakers like that?
Devotee (3): Yeah. Be heard all around.
Devotee (1): That's very nice. (end)
Although he's proud of his knowledge, the māyā says, "No, no, no. Why you are accepting Kṛṣṇa as person? He's imperson." So māyā is dictating and taking away his knowledge. māyayā apahṛta-jñānā. Kṛṣṇa says aham, "I, Me." These are first person, person, first person. And still these people are thinking of Kṛṣṇa as imperson. Why? This is called māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. They have studied the Vedic literature but could not understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
So intelligent person, instead of waiting many, many births to understand Kṛṣṇa, may take it immediately what Kṛṣṇa says, as it is. Then his life is successful. So that is possible to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is saying. But because on account of our sinful activities, we cannot understand. Duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina means always engaged in sinful activities, very intelligent person, but engaged in sinful activities. Nowadays... All the people are nowadays educated, but all of them, mostly, ninety-nine percent, they're engaged in sinful activities—illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, gambling. These are sinful activities and, in spite of advancement of education all over the world, these things are going on. Therefore they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is understood by a person who is no more engaged in sinful activities.
Because Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself, what is the difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa? Hm? If you, Mr. Birla, you explain that "I am like this. I have got so much money, I have got so many business, I have got so many factories," if you explain, then where is my difficulty? But if I speculate, "Mr. Birla may be..., so much (indistinct) may be had." That is always imperfect. But if you understand directly from Mr. Birla, then it is clear. So Kṛṣṇa, God, is explaining Himself, "I am like..." Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). So there is not very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa if we simply... But if we interpret foolishly, and try to understand Kṛṣṇa by misinterpretation, then the business is finished. Don't do that. Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is explaining Himself, then your life is successful. How it is successful?
- janma karma ca me divyaṁ
- yo jānāti tattvataḥ
- tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
- naiti mām eti...
- (BG 4.9)
That is successful. If one can understand Kṛṣṇa, about His activities, why He comes, He explains, yadā yadā hi dharmasya (BG 4.7), (break) ...change this body. But we do not know what kind of body I am going to get. These information are there. But any kind of body you get, even in the higher planetary system as demigod, ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16), that is not good. The best thing is you get a body, a spiritual body, like Kṛṣṇa, sat-cit-ānanda-vigraha. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti... (BG 4.9). Then you haven't got to accept any more this material body. Then what happens to me? Mām eti, you come to Kṛṣṇa and enjoy with Him. That is success of life.
Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Paramātmā, is sitting in everyone's core of the heart, and He is witness, witnessing everything. So according to our karma, we are getting a body or a machine for movement given by māyā. So therefore we are getting different types of body. The reason is kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). The different types of body we are getting on account of association with the material qualities. So if we want to stop this business of repetition of birth and death in this cycle, we must understand. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. We must understand. It is compulsory. We must understand "What is God, what is my relations with Him." Then we can get release from this repetition of birth and death. That process is being described by Bhagavān Himself, that mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha. You have to increase your attachment for Bhagavān. Āsakta. Āsakta means attachment. You have to increase your attachment for Bhagavān. (break) ...recommended process, you can understand Bhagavān. This process of increasing our attachment about God, or Kṛṣṇa, is called bhakti-yoga. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Mad-āśrayaḥ: "taking shelter of Me or taking shelter of My devotee." Mad-āśrayaḥ. That yoga is called bhakti-yoga. Mad-āśrayaḥ means "taking shelter of Me" or "taking shelter of the person who has taken shelter of Me."
So in this way if we execute bhakti-yoga, then asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi: (BG 7.1) you'll be able to understand God as He is without any doubt and in fullness. To understand Bhagavān fully means not only understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also understand what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā. In other words, if you understand Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, then you automatically understand what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā. (break) ...the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: No, this is the process of knowing God. They are partially helpful to know God as He is, but when he actually comes to know God, he sees that "He is the great and I am the small." So the business of the small is to serve the great. That is nature's way. We practically see in our daily life, because you are small you are going to serve a big factory. Otherwise you have no other way. So everyone is serving, but when he realizes that "I am serving. I am not the master," that is the position actually. Ask anybody in this world whether he is master or serving, the conclusion will be that he is serving. His natural position is to serve. So if one hasn't got a family to serve, he keeps a dozen of dog to serve. That is going on, and especially in the Western countries we see that at the old age, when he has no children, so he keeps a dog or two or three pets to serve. So the serving position is already there, and when the servant wants to become master, that is māyā. Because this word māyā means actually he is serving and he is thinking that he is master. That is māyā. Māyā means what is not fact. So by meditation, when he actually becomes a realized soul, he will understand that "Oh, I am servant. So why I am serving māyā? Let me serve Kṛṣṇa." That is perfection. So if his guide, spiritual master, engages him from the very beginning to serve God, then he becomes quickly perfect, because he is servant and he has to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is his perfection. He is falsely thinking that he is master. That is māyā. Here also they are simply serving. Just like President Nixon. He thought himself, "I am the master of America." But actually he is not. The master is the public. As soon as the public wanted "You come down immediately," he had to do that. So if the president of big state, he is under the false impression that although he is serving he is thinking master, then what to speak of others? Everyone is serving, but he is thinking master. So perfect knowledge is there that when he comes to the platform that "God is the supreme master, He is great, and we are servant." That is perfection of life.
| Page Title: | Krsna - as He is (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 09 of Aug, 2013 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=68, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 68 |