Prabhupāda:
- acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam
- akledyo 'śoṣya eva ca
- nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur
- acalo 'yaṁ sanātanaḥ
- (BG 2.24)
Here is the import of sanātana. Nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur acalo 'yaṁ sanātanaḥ. Sanātana... Here is mention of sanātana. In another place, in the Seventh Chapter, er, Fifteenth Chapter, there is the mention of sanātana: mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). Another place there is mention of sanātana. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). In another place, there is mention, in the Eleventh Chapter, Kṛṣṇa is addressed as sanātana. So Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, and we living entities, we are also sanātana. And there is a place, paras tasmāt tu... "Place" means another nature, not this nature, not this prakṛti. There is another prakṛti. Paras tasmāt. Para means transcendental. This nature is not sanātana. It is asanātana, perishable. Sanātana means not perishable.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an attempt to bring all these sanātanas together. The living entity, sanātana; God, Kṛṣṇa, sanātana; and the place, sanātana. Just like here we are trying to live together, our family—father, mother, children, friends, countrymen, communitymen. We are trying to make a permanent settlement here. Making very nice building, spending millions of dollars, making it very strong so that it may not, may not be destroyed. So everyone is trying to keep himself permanent. A old man is trying to make himself young man. Nobody wants to become old man. Nobody wants to be destroyed. But the difficulty is that here everything is destroyed. Asanātana. But we have got a tendency to become sanātana. We want permanent life. We want permanent place. We want permanent relationship. But that is not possible. That is not possible. Therefore śāstra says, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The andhas—means blind, blind leaders—they are giving us false hope that we shall make here permanent settlement. Therefore they are called andhas. They have no sense. You cannot make it sanātana. But the whole attempt is going on to make everything sanātana.
This is called illusion. Illusion means you are accepting something which is not possible. But they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Durāśā, this is a hope which is never to be fulfilled. Durāśayā. Āśā means hope. So the whole material world is going on, durāśayā. They are trying to make permanent settlement. But there is always disruption, fight... Just like they have now created the United Nations: "My dear all-nations, please do not fight. Let us make a permanent settlement, peace." But the result is the fighting is going on. It cannot be stopped. Here... This is not a sanātana place. This is impermanent, temporary, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This is the nature of this material world. Something is generated at a certain date and it stays for some time, it grows, it gives some by-products, then again dwindles, and then it vanishes. Just like this body. This body is given by the father and mother at a certain date. Then it stays, say, for some time. It grows. Then it gives some by-products. From this body, there will be so many children. Or from the trees, there will be so many fruits and seeds. Then dwindling. Then becomes older. And vanish. This is the nature.
So here we are getting information that acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam akledyo 'śoṣya eva ca, nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ. This is another qualification of the living entities: sarva-gataḥ, "everywhere." The rascal scientist says there is no living entity in the moon planet or sun planet. This is rascaldom. There is. Otherwise how Kṛṣṇa says sarva-gataḥ? Any, everywhere there is living entities. This is a false theory. We can see practically. We see there are living entities in the water. There are living entities in the air. There is living entities within the earth. There is living entities in so many ways. Why not in other planets? Where is the difference between this planet and that planet? This is also made of five elements. And that is also meant of, made of five elements. Here, the earthly element is very prominent. And the sun globe, the fire element is very prominent. So this material world is made of these five elements. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). So Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-gataḥ. The living entities are everywhere. Kṛṣṇa is also within everyone. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Kṛṣṇa is within this universe. Kṛṣṇa is within your heart. Not only your heart, but in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Now, if you are a great scientist, take one insect. There are so many insects, we have seen, especially in the books, less than the full stop. Now, if you are a great scientist, find out where is the heart of this insect. And where is Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-gataḥ, everywhere there is Kṛṣṇa. Unless there is Kṛṣṇa, there is living entity, how that small, full-stop-like insect is moving? There is everything. The physiological condition is there. There is heart also. You cannot make that. You have imitated a big bird, aeroplane, flying, but just imitate the small insect which is also flying.
So there are so many questions that if we actually, philosophically study, then we can see vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19), how Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa is acting. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). So here the living entity is described as sanātana. And the process by which we can understand our sanātana nature, that is called sanātana-dharma, not that having a big tilaka and considering this rascal lump of matter as "I am brāhmaṇa. This body is brāhmaṇa, and sanātana-dharma." This is all nonsense. Sanātana-dharma means you first of all you must know what you are. That is sanātana-dharma. Is it... Is sanātana-dharma is limited to a certain area? How it can be? Sarva-gataḥ. Sanātana-dharma must be there everywhere. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everywhere, Kṛṣṇa's kingdom, Kṛṣṇa's property. How is that you are simply claiming that "India, there is sanātana-dharma"? "In India there is brāhmaṇa"? What Kṛṣṇa creates, that is for everywhere. Because Kṛṣṇa is the father of everyone. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). So this rascaldom, that sanātana-dharma is only in India, and that is also cut off... "Now, the Pakistan is cut off, and therefore there is no sanātana-dharma. Simply in here." If you remain foolish like that, then andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), that means you are being led by some blind leaders. You do not know what is what. If living entity's sanātana, and if the process by which one can realize his sanātana nature... That is called sanātana-dharma.