Prabhupāda: Sales tax, present here, and he has asked me (loud applause) one intelligent question, which I, I was just going to answer. So I shall try to answer, here in this meeting, what is the objective of this movement. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a purificatory process.
Consciousness is there, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam (BG 2.17) There are two kinds of consciousness. One consciousness is limited, another consciousness is unlimited. The unlimited consciousness is there in God, and limited consciousness is there in you, in me, and of all living entities. (still much talking in audience)
Host: (calls for silence)
Prabhupāda: Just like if I pinch your body, you feel pain. This is also consciousness that, "Somebody is pinching me." But if I pinch somebody else, you cannot feel it. Therefore your consciousness or my consciousness is limited within this body. Similarly, there is another consciousness, which is Kṛṣṇa's consciousness, or universal consciousness.
If I pinch your body, He feels that I am pinching somebody, as Paramātmā. These things are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṣetra-kṣetrajña chapter (BG 13.27). Kṣetra means this body, and kṣetra-jña means the knower of the body. Kṣetra-jña. Jña means knower. So Kṛṣṇa says that each and every body can be kṣetra-jña. I know about the pains and pleasure of my body; you know the pains and pleasure of your body.
Host: (calls for silence)
Prabhupāda: I think they cannot understand.
Host: (calls for silence) (break)
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa says that kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Just like I am present in my body. I know the pains and pleasure of my body, but Kṛṣṇa, because He is present in everyone's body, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61), He knows the pains and pleasure of all bodies. That is difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourself, or God and ourself. This is the test. Somebody is claiming that, "I am God." How you can be God? You cannot know the pains and pleasures of others, but Kṛṣṇa knows. That is the difference between God and living entity.
Host: (calls for silence) (break)
Prabhupāda: So far consciousness is concerned, God is also conscious, we are also conscious, but our consciousness is limited and God's consciousness is unlimited. That is the difference.
Arjuna, when he was . . . he was taking instruction from Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says that, "This yoga system, I explained to the sun-god." And Arjuna inquired, "How is that, Kṛṣṇa? Both You and me, we are born recently. How it is that You say that You explained to the sun-god, long, long years, forty millions of years ago?" Kṛṣṇa answered this point, "My dear Arjuna, you are My eternal friend. You are always with Me. When I instructed the sun-god, you were also present, but you have forgotten. I do not forget."
That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Kṛṣṇa knows everything—whatever had happened in the past, whatever would happen in the future, and what is happening at the present, vedāhaṁ samatītāni. But we do not know. First of all this is . . . we should understand this is the difference between God and the living entity. (break)
The jīva are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. The example is given, just like the fire, big fire, and the sparks. The sparks are small, but in quality they are fire. They are not different from fire. If a spark of fire falls on your cloth, it will immediately burn. So the burning quality is there, either in the big fire or the small fire. Therefore, qualitatively we are one with God, the quality of burning. Another example is just like the drop of the ocean water. Chemical composition of this drop of ocean water is the same as the chemical combination of the big mass of water.
So Kṛṣṇa, He is all-powerful. We are also powerful. Kṛṣṇa can create. We also can create. Kṛṣṇa can create, just like innumerable planets floating in the air. We can create a small, teeny aeroplane or sputnik flying in the air. You see? So the creative power is there, but there is far difference between Kṛṣṇa's creative power and my creative power. Kṛṣṇa, in the Vedas it is said:
- parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate
- svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca
- na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇam ca vidyate
- na tat-samaś cābhyadikaś ca dṛśyate
- (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8, CC Madhya 13.65, purport)
The difference between Kṛṣṇa and me is this, that suppose I am painting one nice flower: so I require the brush, I require the color, I require the intelligence, I require the time, so that somehow or other, in few days or in few months, I paint a very nice color fruit, flower or fruit. But Kṛṣṇa's energy is so experienced that by working His energy, many millions of flowers, colorful flowers, come at once. The foolish scientists, they say that it is the work of the nature.
No. Nature is instrumental. Behind nature there is brain of God, Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he understands that this flower has not come blindly. These varieties of flowers, trees and leaves, they are developing under direction of Kṛṣṇa. But His direction is so powerful it comes at once, svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Just like a great scientist pushing on a button, electronics. Immediately something wonderful happens. But it is not that the machine is working; it is the scientist who is pushing on the button. Similarly, don't take . . . this is nonsense that nature is producing. No. Nature cannot produce. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
- sūyate sa-carācaram
- hetunānena kaunteya
- jagad viparivartate
- (BG 9.10)
"Mayādhyakṣeṇa, under My supervision, the nature is working." Not blindly. This is not something ignorance. This is crude knowledge. Just like a child, he sees that aeroplane is running on the sky. He may think that the aeroplane is running automatically, by itself. No. The machine, without being touched by the pilot, cannot work. The machine may be perfect, very nice, but the pilot is required. So at the present moment the civilization is trying to avoid God, the brain of God. That is foolishness. That is not fact.