This direction is given in all the Vedic literature, and the essence is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. Vedic literature are meant for the human being and not for the cats and dogs. The cats and dogs can kill their eatable animals, and for that there is no question of sin on their part. But if a man kills an animal for the satisfaction of his uncontrolled taste, he must be responsible for breaking the laws of nature. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly explained that there are three kinds of activities according to the different modes of nature: the activities of goodness, the activities of passion, the activities of ignorance. Similarly, there are three kinds of eatables also: eatables in goodness, eatables on passion, eatables on ignorance. They're all clearly described, and if we properly utilize the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā, then our whole life will become purified and ultimately we shall (be) able to reach the destination. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6).
Ultimately (Lectures, BG)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
These nine processes. So the easiest process is simply hearing. Hearing of this Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the realized person, that will train up oneself, one, into the thoughts of the Supreme Being twenty-four hours, which will lead one ultimately, anta-kāle, to remember the Supreme Lord, and thus leaving this body, he will have a spiritual body, a spiritual body, just fit for association with the Lord. The Lord therefore says,
- abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena
- cetasā nānya-gāminā
- paramaṁ puruṣaṁ divyaṁ
- yāti pārthānucintayan
- (BG 8.8)
Anucintayan, constantly thinking of Himself only. It is not very difficult process. One has to learn this process from the experienced person in this line. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). One should approach a person who is already in the practice. So abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena. This is called abhyāsa-yoga, practicing. Abhyāsa... How to remember the Supreme Lord always. Cetasā nānya-gāminā.
Prāpañcika means material. So prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. Everything has got connection with Kṛṣṇa because ultimately everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. The material world is also manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). You'll find. Material world means these five elements, gross and subtle. Earth, water, air, fire, sky, these are gross. And mind, intelligence, and ego, these are subtle. These elements, material elements, Kṛṣṇa says, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā: "These material elements, they are separated, but they are My energy. They are My energy." The same example. Just like cloud. Cloud is created by the sun. It is sun's energy which creates the cloud. You know. By temperature the sea water is evaporated, forms into gas. That is cloud. So cloud is created by the energy of the sun, but when there is cloud you cannot see the sun. Sun is covered. Similarly, material energy is Kṛṣṇa's energy. But when you become covered by this material energy, you do not see Kṛṣṇa. This is the position.
Because he knows how to conduct kingdom, how to make everyone happy. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. So here is another list of fighters. But the real purpose of this battlefield is to bring all the fighters, big fighters of the world, together. And under Kṛṣṇa's guidance they would be all killed. Nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin. When Arjuna was declining to fight, Kṛṣṇa ultimately said, "My dear Arjuna, you fight or not fight, it doesn't matter. These people are not going back home. It is already settled up. You simply become, take the credit that you have fought and killed. It is al... They are already killed. Because that is My plan." Nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin. They are already killed.
So this battlefield, because Kṛṣṇa wanted to kill them, and the result was—you will find in the Bhagavad-gītā, they all attained svarūpa. Anyone who was killed, who died in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, in the presence of Kṛṣṇa, they all attained their original, constitutional position, spiritual form. They all went back to home, back to Godhead, everyone. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. Either His killing or His protecting, it is all the same. You don't think that Kṛṣṇa is killing. No. If anyone is killed by Kṛṣṇa, he immediately gets liberation: the liberation for which great great saintly persons, sages, they undergo severe austerities for life after life, simply by being killed, he gets that. So by becoming Kṛṣṇa's enemy, one gets this benefit. Just think over if you become Kṛṣṇa's friend, what is the benefit. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra says, "Now this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth, what is the original cause of everything." Because there must be some cause. That is education. Just like your appearance is caused by your father. Your father's appearance is caused by his father. Similarly you go on researching, his father, his father, his father... Then ultimately you will come to the original father, whom you call God, Kṛṣṇa, or whatever you call. There must be some original father. So the Vedānta-sūtra explains when the question is that what is the original cause of everything... What is Brahman? What is the Absolute Truth? Athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." What is that Absolute Truth? The next answer is janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), means "The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything emanates," or "The Absolute Truth is the original cause of all causes." This is the... So this knowledge, anyone who has knowledge, not only this knowledge, absolute knowledge as well as relative knowledge, such class of men is called the brāhmaṇas, the most intelligent class.
What is that Supreme Being? We are all living being, but amongst ourself there is comparative, superlative positions. I am here; you are here; he is there. So you may be better than me, he may be better than you, and somebody else may be better than him. In this way you go on searching after one better than the other. When you ultimately come to a point that nobody is better then him, that is Bhagavān.
Bhaga means opulence. So there are six kinds of opulences. One opulence is to become very rich, another opulence is to become very powerful, another opulence is to become very strong, another opulence is to become very famous, another opulence is to become very wise, and another opulence is to become very much renounced. So these six kinds of opulences, when present in the superlative degree, that is Bhagavān. This means, as it is stated in the Vedic literature, na tasya samaḥ adhikaś ca dṛśyate: "Nobody is found equal to Him or greater than Him." In this material world any person you take, next moment you'll find somebody equal to him and somebody greater than him. But the Vedic information is: God means who has no equal and who has no greater person than Him. Actually Bhagavad-gītā was spoken by Kṛṣṇa, and here it is said, bhagavān uvāca. So Bhagavān, the Supreme God, means Kṛṣṇa. That is the statement in all Vedic literature.
As we become more and more sinful and without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they will be put into difficulties, they will be dying within the womb, they will be killed, within the womb, there will be war, there will be pestilence, there will be famine, there will be earthquake. In so many ways, we have to die. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Again, take birth, this business will go on. And ultimately, when the whole universe is annihilated, then again we take shelter in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu and live for, in that way, without any body, for many millions of years. Again, there is creation, and then again given chance. "All right, take another chance. Be Kṛṣṇa conscious."
So this is material creation. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). As we have got this body, we have got the chance, not to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and if we miss, then I do not know where I am going next life. But I am not going to die, that's a fact. That will be explained in the next verse. I am not going to die. So we existed in the past, we are now existing at present, and we shall continue to exist in the future. This is the position. But how we shall exist? What kind of body, either demigod's body or dog's body or tree's body or fish's body, that will depend on my work. Or we go back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa like... We get the spiritual body like Kṛṣṇa. Everything is possible.
The so-called scientists, philosophers, they are theorizing, "It may be," "Perhaps." So what is this knowledge, "Perhaps," "It may be"? That is not knowledge. Say definitely. But nobody can say. They are blind. The doctor is giving medicine, but he is not definitely sure whether his patient will die or live. If you ask him whether the person is going to live, "Oh, that depends on God." Ultimately depends on God—although he is posing himself that authorized, he is giving scientific medicine. If you are giving scientific medicine, why you are not sure? This is called cheating. While he is not sure, still he says, "I am scientific man." This is one defect. And of all these defects, there is sublime defect that our senses are imperfect. All our senses. The same thing, just like with our eyes we see daily the sun, but we see just like a disk. Due to our imperfect senses, we see a planet which is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet, we are seeing just like it is... That means we cannot see very distant place—or nearest. Even we cannot see our eyelids, which is just a smear over the eyes. Packed, the packing material of the eyes, we cannot see.
So therefore the question is that I am eternal and why I have been put into this temporary life? This is intelligent question. This is the problem. But these rascals, they have set aside this real problem. They are thinking how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex, how to defend. Even if you eat nicely, if you sleep nicely, but ultimately you'll have to die. The problem is there. But they are careless about this real problem. They are very much alert in the temporary problem. So temporary problem, actually there is no problem. The birds, beasts they also eat, sleep, they have sexual intercourse and they defend. If they know all these things without becoming a human being, without having sufficient education or so-called civilization, how to live, how to sleep, how to defend. If they can live, so what is your problem? These things are not problems. The rascal says, "Overpopulation, this..." These are not at all problems. The real problem is that "I do not want to die. Why death comes, takes place?" This is real problem. But the rascals do not know it. They think these are problems, temporary things. He will live for fifty years and maybe.... That will be explained in the next verse, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14).
I know that I had a small body like this. I had a boy's body, youthful body. I can remember. Therefore I am eternal. The bodies are temporary.
So this is evolution. This evolution theory... It is not theory; it is fact, stated in the Vedic literature, Padma Purāṇa, how we have passed through so many bodies, and ultimately we have got this civilized, human form of body. We have to pass through 900,000 forms of aquatic bodies within the water. Then, gradually, we come to the form of trees and plants. There are 2,000,000 varieties. Then we get the bodies of the insect. There are 900,000 forms of body. Then we enter into the species of birds, 1,000,000 forms of body. Then, after bird's body, there are 3,000,000 different varieties of beast body. Then, after this period, we become human body, but there are 400,000 species of human body. And thus we get this nice human form of body with good brain and good consciousness. So it should be utilized properly. That... By the laws of nature, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). This is the law of nature. Gradually we develop different types of body and different types of consciousness. So when we come finally to God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the perfection of life.
Similarly, the soul always keeps separate from this material covering. It is simply on account of various plans and desires that he's making for lording over this material nature. Everyone can see. The, every living being is trying to lord it over the material nature. That is his disease. He wants to lord it. He's servant, but artificially, he wants to become Lord. That is the disease. Everyone... Ultimately, when he fails to lord it over the material world, he says, "Oh, this material world is false. Now I shall become one with the Supreme." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. But because the spirit soul is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, so by nature, he is joyful. He is seeking after joy. Every one of us, we are working so hard to find out some pleasure of life.
So that pleasure of life cannot be had in the spiritual effulgence. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we get this information that āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam (SB 10.2.32). Kṛcchreṇa, after undergoing severe austerity and penance, one may merge into the Brahman effulgence... Sāyujya-mukti. It is called sāyujya-mukti. Sāyujya, to merge. So āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam. Even one goes up to that point, to merge into the Brahman existence after severe austerity and penances, still, they fall down. Patanty adhaḥ. Adhaḥ means again comes into this material world. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Why they fall down? Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. They'll never agree God is person. They'll never agree. Their teeny brain cannot accommodate that God, the Supreme, can be a person. Because he has experience of the person of himself, or others. If God is a person like me and you, then how He can create universe, innumerable universes?
As you like. It is up to you. Make your selection where you want to be. You have, somehow or other, you have come here. That's all right. But Kṛṣṇa gives you chance to be elevated to any planetary system you like. Ultimately, if you want to go back to home, back to Godhead, that is also given, everything. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. So if you want to go to the moon planet, there is no need of the sputnik. There is a process so that after this body you become elevated to the moon planet. Why should you make research for, and futile research, going to the moon? You just prepare yourself. There are different processes. If you want to go to the moon planet, you can go. If you want to go to the heavenly planet, you can go. Similarly, if you want to go to the planet where Kṛṣṇa is, you can go. So sane man, intelligent man, should consider that "If I have to prepare myself for going, for being elevated to the higher planetary system, but we have to come back again, kṣīṇe puṇye martya-loka, why not endeavor for going back to Kṛṣṇaloka?" That is intelligence. But there are big, big yogis, they elevate themselves to the higher planetary system. They... Before going to the spiritual world, they want to see how the higher planetary system are working. Just like the visitors, tourists. They are going somewhere, and drop, by journey, somewhere to see. But you should not make such ambition. You should endeavor directly going back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That should be your endeavor. Yes. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mam (BG 9.25).
Their ultimate goal is nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means stop this combination. Due to this combination, we feel pains and pleasure. Therefore, if we disintegrate the combination, there will be no more pains and pleasure. Materialistic. Their solution, pains and pleasure, any philosophy or any religious system, ultimately aims at ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. Duḥkha means pain, and nivṛtti, nivṛtti means stop. Why people go to the church? Because they feel some pain, they go to church or temple to appeal, "If there is somebody as God..." They think like that. "Let me appeal to the Supreme Person so that my distress may be mitigated." So aim is ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. We are also cultivating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our aim is also the same. Duḥkha-nivṛtti. Kṛṣṇa says janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We keep always in view that in this material existence there are four kinds of miserable condition, primarily. To stop this. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Everyone's aim is duḥkha-nivṛtti. It may be presented in a different way. So the Buddha philosophy is also duḥkha-nivṛtti, stop pains.
The Bhāgavata says that ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, means ultimate solution of miserable condition, is in the fact that we realize God and we go back to home, back to Godhead. This is our philosophy. And persons who cannot understand what is God, what is kingdom of God, they want to adjust. The aim is the same, ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, ultimately solution of all miseries. In a different way. So Kṛṣṇa says, putting forward the Buddha philosophy which was formerly known as lokāyatikas and vaibhāṣikas... These two kinds of philosophers, they did not believe. Mostly the materialistic philosophers, they have no understanding of the soul. Therefore they have different kinds of theories which we do not accept. Kṛṣṇa says that if you are not sanātanist or followers of the Vedic principles, if you think that your principle and views are different, that by combination of matter this existence coming, atha cainaṁ nitya-jātam... Nityam means by combination of... Just like so many things are taking place by interaction of different material elements. Similarly, if you don't believe in this existence of the soul, if you think that there is no soul, the life is the result of combination of matter, nitya-jātam, and when this combination of matter is some way or other dismantled, then there is no more soul, it is finished. It began at a point by combination of matter, and it ends in a point by disintegration of matter. If you think like that, then also tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho. Kṛṣṇa is criticizing Arjuna, mahā-bāhu.
Similarly, māyā cannot affect Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, Bhagavad-gītā says daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā. Mama māyā (BG 7.14), Kṛṣṇa says, "My illusory energy." Kṛṣṇa is never affected by the illusory energy. Exactly like the cloud. But the Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that when impersonal Absolute Truth comes, appears, they also accept the incarnation, but their philosophy is that ultimately the Absolute Truth is impersonal. When He appears as a person, He accepts the māyā body. This is Māyāvāda. Kṛṣṇa may be accepted as the Supreme God, but He has accepted a material body. That means they want to compare Kṛṣṇa with ordinary living entity, and that is condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is said that avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because Kṛṣṇa comes in His original form... Original form is two-handed. It is also accepted in the Bible: "Man is made after the image of God." So God has got two-handed. Even the four-handed Viṣṇu form is not the original form. Viṣṇu form is secondary manifestation of Saṅkarṣaṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is never affected by māyā. This is point.
You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā, "There is no more greater truth than Me." These people, they cannot understand; less intelligent. The same example. Because they see that the sunshine is spreading all over the universe, therefore it is more important, greater than the sun planet. But actually it is not. The simple truth. And if you go into the sun planet you will find Vivasvān the sun-god is there. The sun planet is so dazzling due to his presence. Similarly, with all impersonal conception, when you reach Kṛṣṇa, then you reach to the goal. There are so many crude examples. Just like your country. There are so many departmental government businesses going on. This department, that department, all over the country. The whole thing is concentrate in the President. How can I deny it? The everything is going on on the finger's end of the President. This is a crude example. Similarly, ultimately, unless there is the Supreme Person on the background... That, Hayagrīva has brought one book, Evidence of God. So the many scientists they have written in that book, and they have agreed that if God is there, He must be person. He must be person. Is not that, Hayagrīva?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "One who is not, therefore, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however powerful he may be in controlling the senses by artificial repression, is sure ultimately to fall, for the slightest thought of sense pleasure will drive him to gratify his desires." 63: "From anger, delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool."
Prabhupāda: Our position is, we are constituted of this body. Body means the senses and the controller of the senses or the, what is called, driver, driver of the senses, is the mind. And mind is conducted, thinking, feeling, and willing, the psychology, the science of psychology, that is being conducted under intelligence. And above the intelligence, I am sitting. I am a spirit soul. So how we become victim of this māyā, that is described here, that from anger, delusion arises, and from delusion, bewilderment of memory.
Yes. Taxes. Treasury department collecting taxes. That is not the tax officer of the treasurer is collecting for his personal self. He is collecting for the government. Similarly, these demigods accepting these different kinds of sacrifices, they are on account of the Supreme Lord. Therefore ultimately you have to satisfy the Supreme Lord.
So in this age it is very difficult to satisfy all the demigods differently. People are so much harassed. The best thing is to satisfy directly the Supreme Lord. And what is that simple method? Just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Because we are so fallen in this age, the simple chanting of glorification of the Lord will be equal to performances of all kinds of sacrifices. That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Those who are...
Because each kind of sacrifice, they are very costly affairs. It is not possible in this age. Tons of butter or ghee wanted to arrange for a sacrifice. It is very difficult to find out a pound of butter in a house. And where is the question of tons? Of course, in your country still, butter is available, but in India practically butter is finished. So in one day the whole world will not see any more butter or rice or wheat. Everything will be finished because with the advancement of the age of Kali everything will deteriorate so badly that all supplies will be stopped practically. At that time people will live just like animals.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Performance of yajñas has many side benefits, ultimately leading to liberation from the material bondage. By performance of sacrifice, all activities become purified as is stated in the Vedas."
Prabhupāda: Yes. When you perform... Just like we are performing here sacrifice of saṅkīrtana. Everything you will find here purified. In this temple, you go corner to corner, you'll find everything sanctified, purified. Why? Because we are, this sacrifice of saṅkīrtana is being performed. So as soon as you take up the process of sacrifice, automatically, everything will be hygienic, purified, health, wealth, everything, complete. Go on.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "As will be explained in the following verse, by performance of yajñas, the eatables become sanctified, and by eating sanctified foodstuffs one's very existence becomes purified."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Even George Bernard Shaw he has written, "You are what you eat." Your body is purified or impurified according to the foodstuff you eat. Therefore we forbid, "Don't eat this, don't eat that." You have got sufficient food, grains, milk, butter, and fruits, sufficient. Why should you eat meat? That is not sanctified. But this is nature's product, offered to Kṛṣṇa, and you eat, and you become healthy and sanctified in mind, in body. Then you can understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Prabhupāda: Yes. The same example as I always cite, that your direction is "Keep to the right." Then if you don't keep to the right, if you go to the left, then it is vikarma, your driving is unlawful. You are immediately... Similarly, as soon as you perform vikarma... Karma, vikarma, akarma, there are three kinds of work. So vikarma means against the rules. So as soon as we act against the rules, immediately we are bound up by the criminal codes. Therefore if we work for the supreme government, Kṛṣṇa, simply for His satisfaction, there is no vikarma, there is no criminality. There is no criminality. Because ultimately the Supreme Lord is to be satisfied. So if you work for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord you are not subjected to any criminal law. You are free. That is liberation. Go on.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "As one has to work in ordinary life by the direction of the state, similarly one has to work under the direction of the supreme state of the Lord. Such instructions in the Vedas are directly manifested from the breathing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said all the four Vedas, namely the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda and Atharva Veda, are emanations from the breathing of the great Personality of Godhead. The Lord, being potent, can speak by His breathing air, as it is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā."
And nārādhito yadi hariḥ. And after performing all these penances, and jñāna, yoga, meditation, ultimately end there is no understanding of Kṛṣṇa, then whole thing is spoiled. Tapasā tataḥ kim: "What is the use of all this nonsense if you have not understood the real thing?" If you understood the real thing, then also these things are nonsense. And if you have not understood the real thing, then these things are also nonsense.
So there are two stages. But that is the ultimate, but one has to come to that very point, understanding of Kṛṣṇa, ātma-rati, because he is Paramātmā. He is the Supreme Soul, and I am ātmā. I am individual soul. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. That relationship is there, eternal. And that is congenial, and that is my real happiness. We have forgotten that.
We have, by chance, fallen into this material contamination and we have made our relationship with so many material things, so that we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Now, the whole process is to revive our consciousness to Kṛṣṇa. For that purpose, Kṛṣṇa comes Himself or Kṛṣṇa keeps this Bhagavad-gītā for you or Kṛṣṇa sends His confidential devotees to you, to canvass you, "Come to the point and be happy." That is the whole process. So ātma-rati, ātma-rati, self-satisfaction.
The person in material consciousness is convinced by false ego that he is the doer of everything. With him there is no consideration that the mechanism of the body is produced by material nature or that material nature is under the supervision of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A materialistic person has no knowledge that ultimately he is under the control of Kṛṣṇa. The person in false ego takes all credit for doing everything independently, and that is the symptom of his nescience. He does not know that this gross and subtle body is the creation of material nature under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and as such his bodily and mental activities should be engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He does not know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as Hṛṣīkeśa or the master of all senses. But due to his long misuse of his senses he is factually bewildered by the false ego and that is the cause of his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa."
So there was some unwanted population at that time also for which Kṛṣṇa arranged the war, battlefield of war. Battlefield of war. So we have to follow. If we want very good population, very good generation, then we have to follow the principles of Bhagavad-gītā.
The principles of Bhagavad-gītā is ultimately described, as we will find in the last state,
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
- (BG 18.66)
That is the real religion. Now, in the Fourth Chapter you will find that Lord says that "I come down in this, as incarnation." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata: (BG 4.7) "I come down whenever there is some flaw in the religious principles." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, abhyutthānam adharmasya. The flaw in the religious principle means advancement of irreligiosity. Abhyu tthānam adharmasya. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).
Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. Sādhu. Sādhu means who are actually following the religious principles. They are called sādhu. Sādhu means good men.
Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. This material world is like that. Everyone is thinking like that. Asuric pravṛtti. Kaḥ āḍhyo 'sti mama samaḥ: "Who is greater than me?" There is a struggle for this vimūḍhātmā competition.
But at the end he is under the control of nature—everyone knows it—because ultimately the death will come and all ahaṅkāras will be taken away. "I don't care for God. I am independent. I am God"—all these ahaṅkāra, false egotism, on account of bewildered, being bewildered, these things will be finished when Kṛṣṇa will come as death. Everything will be finished. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Kṛṣṇa has described Himself that "I am death. I am death, and I take away all your possession, that's all, as death." It will be taken away. However intelligent we may be, however proud we may be for our possession, but the death is sure. "As sure as death." And when death comes—the death is also another form of Kṛṣṇa—then He will take everything.
Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He was very, very proud of his possession. He was controlling over the three worlds. He was chastising his Vaiṣṇava son, Prahlāda Mahārāja. In this way he was very, very proud. But when Kṛṣṇa came as Nṛsiṁha-deva, everything was finished within a second. So we should not mistake this, I mean to say, fact.
"My constitutional position is to serve." Bring any man in this world. Who can say that "I am not servant"? Is there any man or woman within this world, within this universe, who is not a servant? Can anyone of you say that you are not servant? Is there anyone? Everyone is servant. Somebody is servant of the society, somebody is servant of the country, somebody is servant of his wife or family, or some cats and dogs, ultimately. One must be a servant.
So when a man comes to this knowledge, that "I am serving. Why not serve the Supreme?" this is knowledge. This is perfection of knowledge. Nobody can be freed from being a servant. Either you become a servant of God or you become a servant of dog, you must be a servant. So the intelligent person, a wise person, he prefers to servant of God instead of becoming servant of dog.
There is no escape, that one cannot..., one is master. Nobody is master. Everyone is servant. "Therefore one who executes his duties according to My injunction," God's injunctions, "and who follows the teachings faithfully becomes free from bondage." As soon as you become servant to somebody besides God, then you are in bondage. You are in obligation. Obligation there is, but that is not bondage. To become servant of God is not bondage. But servant of dog is a bondage.
Just like Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi. He also wrote an interpretation of Bhagavad-gītā, and he wanted to prove that from Bhagavad-gītā, nonviolence. How you can prove nonviolence from Bhagavad-gītā? The, the theme of Bhagavad-gītā is that Arjuna declined to fight and Lord Kṛṣṇa is just trying to induce him that "You must fight. You must fight." Ultimately, He said that "The program is already settled by Me. These people who have come here, they'll never return. They are destined to die. It is My program. Now, if you like, you can take the credit that you have conquered them." Last of all, He said like that. When the program is that the Bhagavad-gītā clearly says that in this case fighting is necessary, how can you prove that nonviolence is taught in Bhagavad-gītā? That is a different interpretation. You cannot interpret a thing which is, whose theme is different. The author, the author of Bhagavad-gītā... The author of the Bhagavad-gītā is saying very frankly that "the purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is now lost. So I am just trying to convince you. So you try to understand it." The purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is lost because they have been interpreted in a different way. So as soon as Bhagavad-gītā is interpreted in the way of a particular scholar or particular man, oh, then the purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is lost.
This is a fearful stage of life, devoid of perfect knowledge of spiritual existence. Furthermore, there are many persons who cannot understand spiritual existence at all. Being embarrassed by so many theories and by contradictions and various types of philosophical speculation, they become disgusted or angry, and foolishly they conclude that there is no supreme cause and that everything is ultimately void. Such people are in diseased conditions of life. Some of them are too materially attached and therefore do not give attention to spiritual life, some of them want to merge into the supreme spiritual cause, and some of them disbelieve in everything, being angry at all sorts of spiritual speculation out of hopelessness. This last class of men take to the shelter of some kind of intoxication, and their respective hallucinations are sometimes accepted as spiritual visions. One has to get rid of all three stages of attachment to the material world: the negligence of spiritual life, fear of spiritual, personal identity, and the concept of void that underlies the frustration of life. To get free of these three stages in the material concept of life, one has to take complete shelter of the Lord, guided by the bona fide spiritual master, and follow the penances of disciplinary and regulative principles of devotional life. The last stage of such devotional life is called bhāva, or transcendental love of Godhead.
The same body. This is practical. Therefore I love my body because the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa is there. Or you love your body. I love your body. Only for the reason, jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūtānām—the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa is there. Then why the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa is taken care of? Because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore ultimately, my love goes to Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive.
So everyone is seeking for happiness, but they are misled. Although they are trying to approach Kṛṣṇa, they are misled. One can directly come to Kṛṣṇa, but they do not want. They indirectly. So indirectly and directly, everyone is seeking Kṛṣṇa. Mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that
- vadanti tat tattva-vidas
- tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
- brahmeti paramātmeti
- bhagavān iti śabdyate
- (SB 1.2.11)
The Absolute Truth, tattva, that is tattva. Vadanti tat tattva-vidaḥ. Who can speak of tattva unless one is completely conversant with the tattva? Tattva means truth. So vadanti tat tattva-vidaḥ. Those who are conversant with the Absolute Truth, they say. What do they say? Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). The Absolute Knowledge without any duality, advayam.
This is also another realization. Śūnyavāda, to make this material world null and void, they come to the impersonal Brahman effulgence. This is Brahman realization.
And then, for the yogis, the localized aspect, Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). By meditation. This is Paramātmā realization. And then, ultimately, Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Just like we general, people in general, we can see the sunshine, but everyone knows.... At least, scientists know that the sunshine is coming from the sun globe. If you have got power to go to the sun globe, you can see what actually the sun globe is. And if you go still further, penetrate into the sun globe, then you will see there is a sun god, sun god. His name is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā: Vivasvān. In the beginning of this chapter, Fourth Chapter, Kṛṣṇa said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). So within the sun globe there is the person, the predominating deity whose name is Vivasvān. So it requires a little qualification, how to go to the sun planet. Sun planet is a fact. It is not fictitious. We are every day seeing. But we have no such power to go to the sun planet. Neither we have got the power to enter into the sun planet. That is inability.
If you realize Kṛṣṇa, then you realize simultaneously... Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. You realize Brahman, you realize Paramātmā, and you realize Bhagavān.
That is our duty. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Because ultimately Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate, ahaṁ sarvasya.. (BG 10.8). And Kṛṣṇa says... Vedānta says also, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Brahman, Paramātmā, they are expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the original. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). This is the truth. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that either you follow the Brahman path or Paramātmā path, either as a jñānī or yogi or as a bhakta...
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha... Anyone actually who is seeking after self-realization, there are three divisions. Either you have to realize as impersonal Brahman or as localized Paramātmā or as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But if you realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then automatically you realize impersonal Brahman and Paramātmā also. Just like if you have got one crore of rupees, then one hundred rupees, ten rupees or one thousand rupees or one lakh of rupees, they're all included, similarly, if you realize Kṛṣṇa...
Just like jñānī. Jñānī, he does not desire anything to take in exchange, but he simply wants to know Kṛṣṇa, "What is my relation with Kṛṣṇa?" This is called jñānī. He has no other desire. Therefore eko bhaktiḥ viśiṣyate. Jñānī has been eulogized. So even I am not jñānī, even I am a needy person, if I take to Kṛṣṇa and ask Him, that process is also recommended because ultimately, when I shall be purified, I shall know my real nature. Then I shall say like Dhruva Mahārāja, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "My dear Lord, I am fully satisfied. I don't want anything." Because spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is so bright, so illuminated and so valuable that in the presence of such consciousness, you will directly deny to have any valuable things of this material world.
He may be lowborn but what is that? Or he may be highborn. That doesn't matter. But when he comes out from the womb of the mother, he has got his own responsibility. He has to advance his cultural life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is his responsibility. That is his responsibility. Of course, father, mother, state, teacher, friend, they can help us, but ultimately, the responsibility lies with me.
If I want to enter into the kingdom of God, or Kṛṣṇa, if we want to be Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no impediment. There is no impediment. Ahaituky apratihatā. In the Bhāgavata says that if one wants to cultivate the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is without any cause and without any impediment. Because it is transcendental subject matter, it does not depend on any material condition, on any material condition. There is no consideration of material impediment. So it is open for everyone. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). That is a chance given, that you can become a brāhmaṇa, you can become a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and you can become the spiritual master of the world. That is the... And I think you should take seriously.
I am old man. If you, some of you at least understand this science and take up this science, you become future hope of the, this country or the world. That is my request to you, that you should take this chance and become a spiritual master for all the people.
Thank you very much. Now let us have some questions if you want. (end)
Adhyātmika, adhibhautika, then adhidaivika. Adhidaivika means all of a sudden there is earthquake or famine or too much rain or no rain. Daivika means it is... We have no control over it. So there are so many. These are the big heading of miserable condition: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. And there are many, many other categories.
And ultimately, as Kṛṣṇa points out, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may have solved all other problems. Very good. But what about your birth, death, disease and old age? These are the intelligent questions. We have to answer. We have to make solution. Then you say that this material world is very nice. But if you are always faced with so many problems and still you say that "Material world is very nice," so what you are? Foolish. You do not know what is the meaning of pleasure.
Prabhupāda: Yes. God's law you must know. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā ultimately God says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just become obedient to Me, surrendered to Me. I shall give you all protection." This is the law. So if you become a surrendered soul to God, then your position is very secure. Otherwise you will suffer.
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Are there any other questions?
Devotee (1): Prabhupāda? If you follow the essence of any religion, is that the law of God?
Prabhupāda: The essence I have already given: to surrender to God. What else, essence? What is else? The essence is that you surrender to God. You may follow any religious system, it doesn't matter, but whether you know God and whether you have surrendered to Him, that is essence. If you do not know God then what is the meaning of your religion? And if you do not surrender to God, if you surrender to your senses only, then what is religion? Simply by rubber-stamping religion... That has happened at the present moment. Nobody knows what is meant by religion. And this is the essence of religion, to surrender to God. So if you do not know who is God where you are going to surrender? You cannot surrender to the air. You must know what is God and what is surrender meaning gradually. But this is the essence of religion, to surrender to God.
Devotee: "To him Brahman, the Supreme is the offering, Brahman is the oblation and the sacrificial fire and by Brahman the sacrifice is performed. By performing action in this way one ultimate attains the supreme."
Purport: "A person who is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom through his full contribution to spiritual activities for the consummation is absolute and the things offered are also of the same spiritual nature. How activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can lead one ultimately to the spiritual goal is described here. There are various activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All of them will be described in the following verses. But for the present just the principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is described. The conditioned soul entangled in material contamination is sure to act in the material atmosphere and yet he has to get out of such an environment. The process by which the conditioned soul can get out of the material atmosphere is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For example, a person who is suffering from a disorder of the bowels..."
Prabhupāda: "A patient. A patient. A patient who is suffering."
Devotee: Oh. "For example, a patient who is suffering from a disorder of the bowels due to overindulgence in milk products is cured by another milk product, curd. Similarly, the materially absorbed conditioned soul can be cured by Kṛṣṇa consciousness as is prescribed here in the Bhagavad-gītā."
The waterworks department or the man in charge, director of the waterworks department does not consume that.
Similarly in the Vedic rituals there are many sacrificial ritualistic ceremony, demigods, but in that sacrifice there is Viṣṇu also. Therefore Viṣṇu is called Yajñeśvara, the master of the sacrifice. The demigods cannot accept the result of the sacrifice. Viṣṇu is there. Of course, we have no experience of these performances. That is a Vedic ritual performance. Actually the demigods, they cannot accept anything from you. But the sacrificer, he approaches a demigod for quick result for material benefit and these things will be explained in the Eighth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā.
So this is the process. Ultimately it goes to the Absolute Truth. So those who are intelligent, they directly makes connection with the Absolute Person or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. Then everything is automatically done. Go on.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Where is French Bhagavad-gītā.
Harikeśa: Can we read the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Harikeśa: Purport. "How activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can lead one ultimately to the spiritual goal is described here." (break)
Prabhupāda: So discuss any question.
Yogeśvara: Sometimes we speak of the material energy as being different from the spiritual energy and other times we speak of all energies being ultimately spiritual, so what is the understanding?
Prabhupāda: Just like the electricity energy, is coming from the same source. But it is being utilized for different purposes. Sometimes it is helping to make cooler, and sometimes it is helping to make heater. But cooler and heater are two opposite things. But it is being done by the same energy. How it is being done?
So this is one type of yajña, understanding the supreme power. Just like I was talking a few minutes before, the power. But power is not ultimate. Ultimate is the conductor of power, or the powerful. Just like electricity. Electricity is power, but it is generated from the powerhouse. People generally understand that electricity is coming from the powerhouse. But the powerhouse is maintained by the resident engineer, a person. That is real understanding. Or just like this airplane is flying in the sky. A child may see what a wonderful machine is flying in the sky. He does know the importance of the pilot. The big gigantic airship can fly in the sky so long the powerful, or one who knows how to conduct the power, pushing the button. By pushing one button, the plane goes high, and pushing another button, it comes down. It is not automatically. Any machine you take. Nowadays wonderful machine, computer. That is also handled by an expert. Any machine you take, without an expert technologist, it cannot work.
So similarly, if you go on studying the power of material nature, you'll come ultimately to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Yoga-sūtra of Patañjali, the soul is called pratyag-ātmā and parāg-ātmā. As long as the soul is attached to sense enjoyment, it is called parāg-ātmā. The soul is subjected to the functions of ten kinds of air at work within the body, and this is perceived through the breathing system. The Patañjali system of yoga instructs one on how to control the functions of the body's air in a technical manner so that ultimately all the functions of the air within become favorable for purifying the soul of material affection. According to this yoga system, pratyag-ātmā is the ultimate goal. This pratyag-ātmā is a withdrawal from activities in matter. The senses interact with the sense objects, like the ear for hearing, eyes for seeing, nose for smelling, tongue for tasting, hand for touching, and all of them are thus engaged in activities outside the self. They are called the functions of the prāṇa-vāyu. The apāna-vāyu goes downwards, vyāna-vāyu acts to shrink and expand, samāna-vāyu adjusts equilibrium, udāna-vāyu goes upwards—and when one is enlightened, one engages all these in searching for self-realization."
Somebody asked me... That, I think, Mr. Moscowitz asked me this question. I answered this point. His inquiry was: "How long it will take to be perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" So I replied that Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be had in one second, and it cannot be had in thousands of births and deaths. So why? But if we understand this principle that after attainment of full knowledge, I have to ultimately surrender to vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19), I have to become the, I mean to say, sa mahātmā, a great soul like that, why not immediately surrender to Kṛṣṇa? Why not become immediately the supreme, I mean to say, great soul. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. That is a process.
But we are, some of us, or most of us, we are not prepared to accept immediately Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme or we have got many doubts. Therefore, in order to drive away, dissipate all your doubtful ideas, the śāstras, the scriptures, the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, are there, and if we make scrutinizingly study of these two books, we can understand the Kṛṣṇa science very nicely, and our progress in the matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be definite. Thank you very much. If there is any question, you can ask. (end)
So out of these four, the wise man is accepted very nicely by Kṛṣṇa.
So just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja wanted some material prosperity, so he worshiped Kṛṣṇa. But at the end, when he saw Kṛṣṇa, then he said, "I do not want any more this material prosperity." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I don't want any material prosperity." So the thing is that one may be impelled by any desire, but if he approaches directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then his desires will be satisfied; at the same time, ultimately, he will come to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If he rightly performs the sacrifices... They are not needed, but even they are attached to such things, if they do it nicely, then ultimately they will come. Yes, go on.
So what is the result I do not mind. I do not mind." Ayukta. But one who is not connected in that Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then kāma-kāreṇa phale sakto nibadhyate. He, out of his lust, he becomes attached to the result, and therefore he becomes entangled in this material world. Ayuktaḥ kāma-kāreṇa phale sakto nibadhyate. Because he has got attachment for the result, therefore ultimately he becomes entangled with this material world.
- sarva-karmāṇi manasā
- sannyasyāste sukhaṁ vaśī
- nava-dvāre pure dehī
- naiva kurvan na kārayan
- (BG 5.13)
So sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasyāste. Sarva-karmāṇi. Whatever he does, he has decided, manasā, by the mind. Determination comes into the mind. Therefore his determination is manasā āste sukhaṁ vaśī. He has decided to work only for Kṛṣṇa consciousness; therefore his happiness is under his own control. Happiness is under his own control. He hasn't got to seek happiness externally. The happiness is controlled, controlled by him. Sukhaṁ vaśī nava-dvāre pure dehī naiva kurvan na kārayan.
Revatīnandana: "Verse 24: One whose happiness is within, who is active within, and who rejoices within, and is illumined within is actually the perfect mystic. He is liberated in the Supreme and ultimately he attains the Supreme (BG 5.24)."
Prabhupāda: Within. Within means self-satisfied. Bhakti... How this process can give you that understanding within? How? One may question that "How it is possible within?" Yes, it is possible. The example is given by Gosvāmīs that just like a hungry man, he wants some food, he's demanding some food, and if you give him nice food he eats, and with each morsel of food he realizes within that "I am eating. I am getting strength. I am satisfied." Is it not? Similarly, you begin this Kṛṣṇa consciousness chanting. You will feel yourself, "Yes. Yes, I am doing something. Yes, I am eating something. Yes, I am getting spiritual strength." Is it not a fact? Actually, if somebody is disturbed, then it is to be understood that his disease is little more acute. Otherwise, in normal condition, if he chants and follows the regulation, then he will feel, "Yes, I am doing something. I am getting something. I am getting strength. I am getting satisfaction. I am feeing I am spiritually advancing." These things will manifest automatically simply by chanting.
Yoga means to purify the process of our activities and to control the senses. Śrī-bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān. The other day we have explained who is Bhagavān. Bhagavān is the last word of the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases: impersonal Brahman, localized Paramātmā, Supersoul, and ultimately, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ultimately, Bhagavān, or the Supreme Absolute Truth, is person, and secondarily, He is all-pervading Supersoul, and the brahma-jyotir effulgence.
So here it is said, śrī-bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān means the proprietor of everything and all-powerful, all... He has got all the... All-famous. Nobody can be more famous than God. And all-beautiful, and full of knowledge, and full of renunciation. Full of opulence, at the same time, full of renunciation. Here in the material world you'll find if a rich man has got great opulence, he is not liking to give it up. He's not liking. He does not like to renounce. But in the Supreme Personality of Godhead you'll find full of all opulence, but at the same time, full of renunciation. The six qualifications: proprietor of all opulence, all-famous, all strength, all beauty, all knowledge, and all renunciation. Anywhere you find all these six qualifications in full, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Don't make it childish affair. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. If you make it childish affair then you'll be cheated. And so many cheaters are waiting to cheat you and take your money and go away. That's all. Here is the statement, authoritative statement. Free from sex life. One should meditate upon Me. And ultimately, where is the meditation. Not in void. Just on Viṣṇu, this Viṣṇu form. That is sāṅkhya-yoga.
This sāṅkhya-yoga was first practiced by Kapiladeva. He is incarnation of God, Kṛṣṇa. So this is the secret of yoga. That this, I mean to say, process of sitting and seeing the tip of your nose and sitting straight, all these means will help you to concentrate your mind on the Viṣṇu form, or Kṛṣṇa. One should meditate upon Me. This meditation means meditation on Kṛṣṇa. So here in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is directly simply on Kṛṣṇa. There is nothing, therefore nobody is better meditator than these boys. They are simply concentrating on Kṛṣṇa. Their whole business is Kṛṣṇa. They're working in the garden, digging the earth, "Oh, there will be nice rose, we shall offer to Kṛṣṇa." Meditation. Practical meditation. I shall grow rose and it will be offered to Kṛṣṇa. Even in the digging there is meditation. You see? They are preparing nice foodstuff, "Oh, it will be eaten by Kṛṣṇa." So in cooking there is meditation. You see? You see? And what to speak of chanting and dancing. So they are meditating twenty-four hours in Kṛṣṇa. Perfect yogi. Let anyone come and challenge. These boys are perfect yogis.
Devotee: "A consummate yogi who is perfect in understanding Lord Kṛṣṇa as is clearly stated herein by the Lord Himself, can obtain real peace and can ultimately reach the Supreme Abode, the Kṛṣṇaloka known as Goloka Vṛndāvana. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is clearly stated that the Lord, although He resides always in His abode called Goloka, is the all-pervading Brahman and the localized Paramātmā as well."
Prabhupāda: Yes. If you think that if Kṛṣṇa is in His abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, then how you think that in your temple there is Kṛṣṇa? No. The Brahma-saṁhitā says therefore we require to hear from the authorized mother. The Brahma-saṁhitā says: goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Although He is living in His abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, He is everywhere. He's everywhere. The same example can be used. That sun is ninety millions miles or something like that, away from us. But it is within your room.
Devotee: "Therefore a person working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the perfect yogi because his mind is always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa's activities. In the Vedas also we learn, 'One can overcome the path of birth and death only by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.' In other words, the perfection of the yoga system is the attainment of freedom from material existence and not some magical jugglery or gymnastic feat to befool innocent people."
So he was not replying. So He was finding out where he has kept that rice and He took and immediately began to eat. "Sir, You do not eat, this is not for You." "Oh! It is Jagannātha's prasāda! How do you say it is not fit?" Just to encourage him. He may not think, that, "I am eating this rejected," you see? In this way Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī reduced his foodstuff, ultimately, every alternate day only one piece of what is called, butter, so much. And he was offering even bowing down hundreds times and chanting so many times. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma—you have heard it while singing Six Gosvāmīs song. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau. So there are very nice examples of minimizing. Minimizing all material necessities. Up to the point nil. You see? But that is not possible for everyone. Don't try to imitate Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. But because they were associates of Lord Caitanya, each one of them showed some example, unique example of how Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be advanced. But our business is not to imitate them, but try to follow them. Try to follow as far as possible. Not artificially.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Even if you can control the wind, that is not possible. Nobody can control the wind. But even it is theoretically accepting that you can control the wind, but it is not possible to control the mind. It is very difficult. Mind is so flickering and so turbulent. Go on.
Viṣṇujana: Purport: "Mind is so strong and obstinate, that sometimes it overcomes the intelligence. For a man in the practical world who has to fight so many opposing elements, it is certainly very difficult to control the mind. Artificially, one may establish a mental equilibrium toward both friend and enemy, but ultimately no worldly man can do so, for this is more difficult than controlling the raging wind. In the Vedic literatures it is said: 'The individual is the passenger in the car of the material body and intelligence is the driver. Mind is the driving instrument and the senses are the horses. The self is thus the enjoyer or sufferer in the association of the body and senses. So it is understood by great thinkers.' Intelligence is supposed to direct the mind. But the mind is so strong and obstinate that it surpasses even one's own intelligence as an acute infection may surpass the efficacy of medicine. Such a strong mind is supposed to be controlled by the practice of yoga. But such practice is never practical for a worldly person like Arjuna. And what can we say of modern man? The difficulty is neatly expressed: 'One cannot capture the blowing wind.' And it is even more difficult to capture the agitated mind."
Devotee: "When the yogi engages himself with sincere endeavor in making further progress being washed of all contaminations, then ultimately, after many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme goal."
Prabhupāda: Yes. So it is a question of practice. Just like a child born, he does not know how to smoke, how to drink, but by association he becomes a drunkard, a smoker, intoxication. By association. So it is a question of association only. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. If the association is good, our carrier is being spoiled because we are not keeping good association. So this is explained here, that: "But when the yogi engages himself with sincere endeavor in making further progress." Just like in business also, there are so many association, corporation. Because by becoming member of that corporation the particular type of business flourishes. They have got exchange. They can make exchange, bill of exchange, stock exchange. So association is so important. So if we become serious for developing divine consciousness, then this is the only association—we have established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Here simply the method how one can become divine conscious, that is taught. So this is a good chance. We invite everyone to join and the process is very simple.
Our method is directly to connect you. That is the special gift of Lord Caitanya. Immediately to contact him with Kṛṣṇa. Because ultimately you have to come to that point, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So here this method is that directly, immediately. And it is practical also. Those who have no qualification, they simply by coming in contact with the society they have become highly advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is practical. So in this age we have to give chance to the people, direct contact. No slow process method will help them because the life is very short, they are not very much fortunate and the association is very bad. Therefore, direct contact—harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). Simply Kṛṣṇa is presented in the form of His transcendental name and you contact Him immediately by hearing. You have got natural instrument, hearing. You simply hear "Kṛṣṇa" and you become uncontaminated immediately. Go on.
After two stages. Impersonal conception of the Supreme or localized realization of the Supreme. They have again to come to this consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, after many, many births. So therefore it is better if they're intelligent enough, when you get the information that ultimately you have to come to this point, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. That sort of great soul is very rare. So why not become a rare great soul immediately and just become in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make your life successful? Thank you very much. Any questions? Yes?
It is very simple to understand. As I have changed so many bodies, not only childhood, babyhood, boyhood, youthhood. According to medical science we are changing body every second imperceptibly. So this process, that the soul is permanent... Just like I remember my babyhood body or childhood body. I am the same person, soul, but I have changed so many bodies. Similarly, when ultimately I shall change this body, I shall have to accept another body. This simple formula is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone can think on it. And there must be some scientific research. Recently I got one letter from a doctor in Toronto. He suggested there is body..., there is soul. I had some correspondence with him. Actually this is a fact. The soul is there. There are so many proofs. Not only in the Vedic literature, but even ordinary experience. The soul is there, and the soul is transmigrating from one body to another. This is going on, but unfortunately there is no serious study on the subject matter or department of knowledge in the universities. This is not very good.
When we forget, when you become other than Kṛṣṇa conscious, at that time māyā captures. That is māyā. When they put off Kṛṣṇa means māyā—forgetting Kṛṣṇa and trying to become here a big businessman or big minister, big this, that, or so many things. Ultimately I am trying to become God. When I fail with all these things, then I try to become God. So all these things are māyā.
- kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare
- pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā (dhare)
And Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that actual constitutional position of living entity is jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109), that living entity is eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa, part and parcel. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of your body. What is the business of this finger? It is to serve this, serve this body always. I want, "Mr. Finger, please come here." "Oh, yes." He will do(?). And everything, part and parcel means to serve the whole. That is also explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that the brāhmaṇa is the facial part of the universal form of the Lord, the kṣatriya is the arms of the universal form, the vaiśyas are the belly of the universal form of the Lord, and the śūdras, they are the legs of the universal form of the Lord. So the leg..., the head may be very important part of the body, but you cannot neglect the legs. If you want to keep the body in fitness, then the brain must work nicely, the hand must work nicely, the belly must work nicely, and the legs also must.
Avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannaṁ manyante mām abuddhayaḥ (BG 7.24). That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. You know. Avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannam. "The original is impersonal Brahman. Now He has taken form." This conclusion, who makes? Avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannaṁ manyante mām abuddhayaḥ (BG 7.24): "Those who are less intelligent, whose intelligence is very poor, they consider that ultimately I am nirākāra. I have taken the form." Sākāra-nirākāra. No. Kṛṣṇa says, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā: (BG 4.6) "I come out of My good will." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham: (BG 4.7) "At that time I appear." Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). We have to understand Him in truth, not by imagination, not by malinterpretation, but by fact. The fact is being explained by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Why we should go to understand Kṛṣṇa by the commentary of some less intelligent, some poor fund of knowledge? Why we should go?
The person is the ultimate understanding of the Absolute Truth, not the impersonal feature. That is preliminary understanding or imperfect understanding. There is brahma-jyotir. Just like we are experiencing the sunshine. The sunshine is also experience of the sun-god, but it is imperfect understanding. It is not perfect understanding. If you want to understand the sun-god, then you have to penetrate through the sunshine and reach the sun planet. And then, if, if, you are able to see the predominating deity of the sun planet, whose name is Vivasvān... Similarly, the whole material creation is a part of the brahma-jyotir. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma.
So you have to penetrate... In the Īśopaniṣad, it is said that, requested, it is requesting the, that "You kindly wind up Your brahma-jyotir so can, I can see Your face rightly." So ultimately, there is person. Tattva-vastu.
- vadanti tat tattva-vidas
- tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
- brahmeti paramātmeti
- bhagavān iti śabdyate
- (SB 1.2.11)
This is the version of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So Brahman realization is for the persons who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by philosophical speculation. That is the understanding. Similarly, the localized Paramātmā feature is realized by the yogis. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). And the devotees, they realized directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān, ṣaḍ-aiśvarya bhagavān, with full richness, full reputation, full strength, full knowledge, full renunciation. This is the meaning of Bhagavān. I have already explained. So that Bhagavān is speaking.
So this misconception of life, that "I am God," "There is no God..." Atheists and voidists, they say like that. The voidists, they say śūnyavādi. They say, "There is no God." And the impersonalists, they say that there is God, but there is no head, there is no leg, there is no hand, there is no mouth, there is no, no, no... Ultimately, what is their God? If God has no head, no leg, no body, no mouth, then what is that God? That is also another way of explaining God as zero. The voidists, they directly say, "There is no God. We don't believe in God." That is understandable. But this impersonal explanation of God, that is not understandable. What is this? "God has no leg, neither God has no head, God has no hand, God has no mouth." Then what is that God? They cannot say.
So this impersonalists and the voidists, they are of the same group, denying the existence of God. But that is not the fact. There is God. The devotees know there is God, and He is Bhagavān. God is called Bhagavān Therefore although it is said here... Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, everyone knows. But in some places in the Bhagavad-gītā it is described as bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān and Kṛṣṇa—the same person. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Bhagavān, there is a definition of the word bhagavān.
Therefore if you want clear idea of God without any doubt, asaṁśayam, and samagram... Samagram means full, not partially. The spiritual understanding is partial in this way, brahmeti paramātmā iti bhagavān iti śabdyate. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features, Brahman, beginning from Brahman, then Paramātmā, Supersoul. I think in Christian world they call holy ghost. Anyway, Paramātmā, the Supersoul. And ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is the statement of the śāstra. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). If you want to know, here is Bhagavān. In many other places,
- īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
- sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
- anādir ādir govindaḥ
- sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
- (Bs. 5.1)
Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. There is nothing accidental. Everything is there as cause and effect. That is clear idea.
The Māyāvādī philosophy is that "When Kṛṣṇa comes, He comes with a material body." That is called Māyāvādī. "God is impersonal. When He comes, He takes a form, He takes the form of this matter." This is Māyāvādī. There are so many faulty statements of the Māyāvādīs. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, māyāvādī haya kṛṣṇe aparādhī. They're offenders, offenders. Therefore, māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. One becomes doomed by hearing the Māyāvādī commentary. This is so much condemned.
So actually, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, we can understand that the Absolute Truth is ultimately the Supreme Person. But we cannot accommodate within our teeny brain that how the Supreme Absolute Truth can be a person. That is the difficulty. That is the difficulty of Māyāvāda philosophy. That is the kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya, that "Because I am a person, I am so much limited, how a person can be unlimited?" That is the difficulty for them. But therefore to remove this difficulty, one has to surrender. Without surrendering, it is not possible to understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa demands, "Surrender. Then you'll understand." Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). By challenging, you cannot understand actually what is Kṛṣṇa. One has to become submissive.
Therefore the Bhāgavata says, vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). The object is one, but according to the understanding of the same one, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, and somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as localized Paramātmā, and somebody is realizing the same Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ultimately, the Absolute Truth is Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. Therefore Vyāsadeva, the compiler of Mahābhārata, he says, śrī bhagavān uvāca.
So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... The bhagavān is called Kṛṣṇa. He has got many millions of name, but "Kṛṣṇa" name is the chief. "Kṛṣṇa" name means the all-attractive. God must be all-attractive. It is not that God is attractive for one person, not for the other. No. God is attractive for all living entities. Therefore you see the picture of Kṛṣṇa, He is loving the calves and cows, He is loving the trees, He is loving the gopīs, He is loving the cowherds boy. For Him, for God, everyone is lovable object because everyone is son of God. That is stated in this Bhagavad-gītā. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). There are different species of life and different forms of life. Sarva-yoniṣu. "As many forms are there," Kṛṣṇa says... Tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: "Their mother is this material nature, and I am the seed-giving father." So God is attractive for everyone and God is equal to everyone. There is no distinction for God that "Here is an animal, here is a man, here is a tree." No.
Tomorrow I have no money. You will have to work free." "Ah, no, no, sir. I'm not coming because I am not serving you; I am serving your money." So actually we are serving money. Any why you are serving money? Because with the money we can satisfy our senses. Without money, we cannot satisfy our, these informidable senses. If I want to drink, if I want to enjoy such and such things, then I require money. Therefore ultimately I am serving my senses.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa is called Govinda. We ultimately want our sense satisfaction, and go means senses. Here is the person, Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you serve Kṛṣṇa, then your senses become satisfied. Therefore His name is Govinda. Actually, we want to serve our senses, but the real senses, the transcendental senses, is Kṛṣṇa, Govinda. Therefore bhakti, devotional service, means purifying the senses. To be employed in the service of the supreme pure. The Lord is supreme pure. In the Bhagavad-gītā, in the Tenth Chapter you'll find that Kṛṣṇa is described by Arjuna pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: "You are the supreme pure." So if we want to serve the senses of the supreme pure, then we have to become pure also. Because without... Being pure means spiritual. Spiritual life means pure life, and material life means contaminated life. Just like we have got this body, material body. This is impure body.
Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśri..., bhajanti mām ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). Ananya-manaso means "without any deviation." He has no other business than to glorify Kṛṣṇa, and that is specifically mentioned, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). These things are there. And the result is that ultimately, if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious fully, then you become transferred from this material world to the spiritual world. That is also stated in the Eighth Cha... (break)
...loke tyajanty ante kalevaram. So if one dies... It is not for simply Kṛṣṇa conscious man. It is true for everyone that at the moment of his death, whatever he is thinking of, his next life is going to happen like that. So if you practice this Kṛṣṇa consciousness while you are strong enough, then naturally at the time of your death, when everything is oblivion... Because at the time of death you do not know what is the condition of my health, of my body. But therefore, if I practice... This is called abhyāsa-yoga. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gaminaḥ (BG 8.8). If one practices this yoga process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then paramaṁ puruṣam adyam—he can attain, he can arrive the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). If one goes to that place, he hasn't got to come back again to this miserable world.
So if we think over all these material objects, then actually, at the end we come to the platform of spirit soul. And the spirit soul, being part and parcel of the Supreme Soul, Kṛṣṇa, then ultimately you come to Kṛṣṇa. As such, Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything—janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1)—both material and spiritual. There are different kinds of energies of Kṛṣṇa. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). This material energy is one of them. It is called external energy. Just like my body, your body is external energy, similarly, the whole material manifestation, cosmic manifestation, is manifestation of the external energy of Kṛṣṇa.
Then Kṛṣṇa says,
- apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
- prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
- jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
- yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
- (BG 7.5)
Now Kṛṣṇa says that "These material energies are inferior," aparā. Just like in everything within our experience, we have got inferior quality and superior quality. Of course, Kṛṣṇa being absolute, everything is spiritual in the higher sense. But when we analyze scrutinizingly, we can understand that "This is this, this is that." So Kṛṣṇa is analyzing Himself, that "All these material energies, eight kinds of material energies, they are inferior quality. Apareyam itas tu.
He surrenders. He surrenders. That surrendering process is the ultimate goal. Either you do it immediately or you do it by research work of many, many births, but the process and the ultimate goal is that you have to surrender, that "You are great. I am Your subordinate." That is the process. So any intelligent man can do it immediately. If one understands that "Ultimately I will have to surrender to the Supreme Lord, and the Supreme Lord is here, personally speaking Bhagavad-gītā, so why not surrender immediately? If ultimately, after many, many births, I have to come to this point, to surrender, so why should I take so much trouble for many, many births? Why not immediately?" So if we take up this principle, this intelligence, then God is realized in one second. But if you don't, then go on with research work for many, many, many, many births. But you have to come to that point. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā (BG 7.19). Vāsudeva, the Supreme Lord, Personality of God, is everything. He is the root. He is the origin of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ. These descriptions are there.
Now, here the same thing is being presented by the same Supreme Personality of Godhead by His unalloyed mercy to the conditioned souls. We are all conditioned souls. We are under the threefold miseries of this material world, and the Supreme Lord is giving us the opportunity to get out of it by this surrendering process. So if we take up the surrendering process immediately, then God realization is a business for one second.
So God is not subjected to your imagination. That is not God's form. If we imagine something... And that has been degraded. Śaṅkarācārya limited such imaginative forms to five only. Five. What is that five? Viṣṇu, Lord Śiva, and Sun, and Gaṇeśa, and Devī, Durgā. He limited, that "Any of these five forms you can meditate upon, you worship. And ultimately, it is formless." But at the present moment, unauthorized person has degraded in such a way that "You can imagine any form. 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.
Very sinful. Mūḍhaḥ, rascal, ass. Narādhamaḥ, lowest of the mankind. "No, he's so educated." Māyayāpahṛta-jñānaḥ. His so-called education has no value because māyā has taken away the essence of... Because education means... Veda means knowledge. So the Vedas are there for education. So vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Ultimately Vedānta, Vedānta means the ultimate knowledge. The end of knowledge. The end of knowledge is to know Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). So after studying Vedas, if he does not understand Kṛṣṇa, then it is to be understood, māyayāpahṛta-jñānaḥ, his knowledge has been taken away by māyā. So simple thing is that Kṛṣṇa is the original guru. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). There is no more better guru than Kṛṣṇa. So anyone who repeats the words of Kṛṣṇa, teach others, he is guru. Otherwise he's a rascal.
Protects his house, protects his property because he has utilization. Similarly, because we have got utility for this body, we give protection. But when the living entity is no longer there within this body, there is no question of protection. It is thrown away. Even his father, mother or relatives, they take the body and throw away. In a different way, the body is thrown away. It has no more importance. So, then ultimately it comes that you love yourself. And you love yourself, but the self is the part and parcel of the Supreme Self. Therefore you love yourself because you love the Supreme Self. So therefore, ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ. Actually, everyone has got the loving propensity because he loves Kṛṣṇa. That is natural. So Kṛṣṇa says that simply by following this process, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. Mām evaiṣyasi, you are trying to find out the supreme loveable object. So mām evaiṣyasi, come and let us live, loving one another. This is the goal of life.
We do something auspicious or inauspicious. But those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and acting in that way, he has nothing to do with what is auspicious or inauspicious because he's in touch with the most auspicious, Kṛṣṇa. So therefore sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate. He becomes freed from all reactions of sinful activities.
This is the process. And if we adopt this process, so ultimately we can get in touch with Kṛṣṇa and our life becomes successful. The process is very simple, and we can, everyone can adopt. Thank you very much. (end)
This is called material existence. So long we shall desire to enjoy this material world, God will give us facility to possess a similar body so that we can satisfy our desires. Therefore He is situated, witness. Anumantā upadraṣṭā. He is overseer. And without His sanction you cannot act, we cannot act. Therefore His name is anumantā; He gives sanction: "All right, you want to do it? Do it as you like."
But ultimately Kṛṣṇa advises that in this way we'll never be happy. This constant change, repeated change of body and different types of desire, if you continue, you will never be happy. Therefore He advises, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just surrender unto Me and just be engaged in My service. Then you will be happy." So here it is said,
- kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
- sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata
- kṣetra-kṣetra-jñayor jñānaṁ
- yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama
- (BG 13.3)
So this is jñāna, knowledge. We must know what is the constitution of this body, who is the occupier of the body, who is the supreme occupier of this body, how they are acting, how the bodily changes are taking place and how we are suffering in this... I say purposefully, "suffering," because in the material world there is no enjoyment. It is illusion. It is only suffering. Only suffering. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15).
Bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā. Tac chraddadhānā munayo jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā. One can understand the Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth means the Bhagavān ultimately.
- vadanti tat tattva-vidas
- tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
- brahmeti paramātmeti
- bhagavān iti śabdyate
- (SB 1.2.11)
That is paratattva, Absolute Truth, which is known by somebody as Brahman and somebody as Paramātmā and somebody, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The beginners, they understand... The beginners' or the neophyte realization is impersonal Brahman. Brahmeti. Further advanced... This is the achievement of the jñānī. Those who are speculating on the Absolute Truth, they can understand the Absolute Truth in the impersonal feature. And those who are still further advanced, yogis, not only speculating, but they are practicing actually, they are called yogis. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). They are yogis. Yogis, dhyānāvasthita, in meditation the mind is absorbed always. Tad-gatena manasā. Tad-gatena means viṣṇu-gatena. Oṁ tat sat. Tad-gatena manasā, by the mind, absorbed in Viṣṇu understanding. Tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1).
Knowledge can be distributed by a person who has seen what is, who has experienced seeing... Seeing and hearing, these are the sources of gaining experience. So the śruti means hearing. And by hearing you will see. By hearing about God, Kṛṣṇa, ultimately you will see Him. When, by hearing, hearing, you'll develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Hearing is possible by association with devotees, sādhu-saṅga. You cannot hear from the rascals. You have to hear from the superior person, one who is self-realized. Hearing. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ (SB 3.25.25). Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. By association with superior devotees... (break)
...apavarga-vartmani, on the path of liberation, śraddhā bhaktir ratir anukramiṣyati. then śraddhā, bhaktiḥ, attachment, rati, anukrama, one right by another, one by after another. Yes. So this is the process. But the age is so, Kali-yuga is so fallen, that people have lost all interest to understand the problem of life, how to solve them, how to attain to the platform of knowledge. They are not interested. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
The manufacturer of the machine, he knows how to use it, what for it is, how to manipulate it. Everything is there. The Vedic knowledge means that. We have come to this material world. So just like we have purchased this machine for some enjoyment, similarly, we are fallen down to this material world for some material pleasure. So Kṛṣṇa has given, God has given a literature. If you'll be guided by the literature, that, your propensity to enjoy this material world, will be fulfilled, at the same time you'll again be able to go back home, back to Godhead. So now you discuss this point that why we have come to this material world, what is the purpose. These things are mentioned in the Vedas. Vedas gives you knowledge about your relationship with God. That is the first knowledge. And then, according to that relationship, if you act, then you are rightly directed, and ultimately the goal is to go back home, back to Godhead. So discuss on this point if you have anyone any doubt, any question.
We should agree to Kṛṣṇa's desires. We should not allow our desires, demonic desires, to grow. That is called tapasya. Our desires we should sacrifice. That is called sacrifice. We should only accept Kṛṣṇa's desire. That is the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna's desire was not to fight, but Kṛṣṇa's desire was to fight, just the opposite. Arjuna ultimately agreed to Kṛṣṇa's desire: "Yes," kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "Yes, I will act according to Your desire." That is bhakti.
This is the difference bhakti and karma. Karma means to fulfill my desires, and bhakti means to fulfill Kṛṣṇa's desires. That is the difference. Now you make your choice, whether you want to make your desires fulfilled or if you want to make Kṛṣṇa's desire fulfilled. If you make your decision to make Kṛṣṇa's desire fulfilled, then your life is successful. That is our Kṛṣṇa conscious life. "Kṛṣṇa wants it; I must do it. I will not do anything for me." That is Vṛndāvana. All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they are trying to fulfill Kṛṣṇa's desire. The cowherds boys, the calves, the cows, the trees, the flowers, the water, the gopīs, the elderly inhabitants, Mother Yaśodā, Nanda, they are all engaged in fulfilling Kṛṣṇa's desire. That is Vṛndāvana. So you can turn this material world into Vṛndāvana provided you agree to fulfill the desires of Kṛṣṇa. That is Vṛndāvana. And if you want to fulfill your own desires, that is material. This is the difference between material and spiritual.
One should be intelligent to see the troubles of these four incidences of life: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is the whole Vedic system—how to get out of these clutches. But they're given chance that "You do this, you do that, you do that," so regulated life, so that ultimately he can come out.
Therefore Bhagavān said, daivī sampad vimokṣāya (BG 16.5). If you develop daivī sampat, these qualities, as described—ahiṁsā, sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ, ahiṁsā, so many things—then you'll get out, vimokṣāya. Unfortunately, the modern civilization, they do not know what is vimokṣāya. They're so blind. They do not know that there is some position which is called vimokṣāya. They do not know. They do not know what is next life. There is no educational system. I am traveling all over the world. There is not a single institution which is meant for giving education about the transmigration of the soul, how one can get better life. But they don't believe. They have no knowledge. That is āsurī sampat. That will be described here: pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ. Pravṛttim. Pravṛttim means attraction, or attachment. In what sort of activities we should be attached, and what sort of activities we shall be detached, that, the asuras, they do not know. Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca.
Not for ordinary men. So we cannot jump to the highest position. That is not possible. Therefore we have to go abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ. This process is recommended. Kṛṣṇa says, and Kṛṣṇa says also this. So actually, Kṛṣṇa says ultimately, sarva-guhyatamam, "The most confidential knowledge I am giving you: sarva dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). This is the most confidential." So, so long we are not able to come to the platform of thinking the gold and the stone on the equal value, we have to follow these rules and regulation. But that is the highest consideration. Just like Sanatāna Goswāmī, he didn't care for this touchstone. Not for the ordinary man. The ordinary man cannot make that all of a sudden; therefore it is not for him. So what was the purpose of saying that Gītā says sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ? Why did you raise this question? What is the purpose? We can not raise, ordinary man, but why did you raise this question? What is the purpose?
First of all abhayam. Abhayam means we are always afraid. We are always agitated, anxiety, because I am thinking, "I am this body." But if you are completely realized that you are not this body, you are something else, spirit soul, then I am immediately free from anxieties. That is called abhayam, no more fear, no more anxiety. Because everyone is ultimately afraid of being killed. But if he understands fully that he is not this body, then killed or not killed, he is not any attached to this body. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, therefore, deha smṛti nāhi jār, saṁsāra bandhan kaha tār:(?) "If one becomes free from the bodily concept of life, then where is material miseries?" Material miseries does not affect him. He know that... Just like I am putting on this shirt. If it is torn, so am I affected? I am not affected. I am within this shirt. Similarly, if I am fully convinced that I am not this body, then if there is some injury or some disease or some mishap in the body, I am not concerned because I know that I am not this body. That is self-realization.
It is for suffering. Even if you do not take very seriously about this winter season or summer season, suffering or enjoying, at the end, either you accept these temporary sufferings and enjoying... Ultimately we are suffering. Ultimately we are suffering. How? Because we will have to die. Who wants death? Does anyone want death voluntarily? No. As soon as there is any cause of death, immediate death, we become very much sorry. Suppose you are sitting in a airplane and you understand, "Now it is going to be crashed," are you..., will you be happy? No. Why? Because you are going to die.
Suppose you are on the sea and it is going to sink in the water. Will you be happy? No. That time we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Sukhe... Duḥkhe saba hari bhaje, sukhe bhaje kaya.(?) When we are in danger... In Japan you have got many times the experience of earthquake, earthquake. What do you do at that time? Huh? You all Japanese boys and girls, what do you do? Have you experienced earthquake? You have? What do you do at that time? (pauses waiting for an answer) When there is earthquake, what do you do? Hmm? But I have seen in America. They all, everyone, they scream. (laughter)
"I shall not die in the air." "Yes." "I shall not be killed by any animal." "Yes." In this way, whatever intelligence he got, but he forgot one thing, that "God cannot also kill me." Because māyā is there, he forgot it. He took so many benediction, but he did not take this benediction, that "Even God cannot kill me." That he forgot. Therefore, ultimately, with all his intelligence, he failed to become immortal.
So these are all demoniac activities. The divine activities, they are different. So Kṛṣṇa is describing here that etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya. They manufacture so many demonic ideas, but real idea they forget. Real idea is "God is great; I am small. Therefore I am eternal servant of God," Simple thing. "God is great." Everyone says, "God is great," but he is trying to be as great as God. How it is possible? If you are so powerful—you can become as great as God—then why you are trying to become God if you are actually as great as God? That answer they cannot give. Why you have fallen into this material world as a very, very small, insignificant? God is not insignificant. That is demonic idea. Therefore it is called etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya. Their vision is not very correct. Etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya naṣṭa ātmānaḥ. Naṣṭa means lost, lost. Just like if you are lost of your intelligence, you can talk all nonsense. Naṣṭātmānaḥ. "There is no God" means naṣṭātmānaḥ. He's not very intelligent. He has lost his intelligence. Ātmānaḥ. Naṣṭātmānaḥ. Why naṣṭātmānaḥ? Alpa-buddhayaḥ: the intelligence is not very sharp, alpa, poor fund of knowledge. Poor fund of knowledge. On account of poor fund of knowledge they think like that: "There is no God. I am God," and so on, so on, "There is no basic principle of this creation." They do not know.
| Page Title: | Ultimately (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 22 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=77, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 77 |