Now, this material world is described in the Fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā as a tree which has got its root upwards, ūrdhva-mūlam. Have you experience of any tree which has its root upwards? We have got this experience of a tree, root upwards by reflection. If we stand on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, we can see that the tree on the bank of the reservoir of water is reflected in the water as trunk downwards and the root upwards. So this material world is practically a reflection of the spiritual world. Just like the reflection of the tree on the bank of a reservoir of water is seen downwards, similarly, this material world, it is called shadow. Shadow. As in the shadow there cannot be any reality, but at the same time, from the shadow we can understand that there is reality.
Upward (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Dehino 'smin yathā dehe, kaumāraṁ yauvanam (BG 2.13). Here two examples are given: kaumāram... Kaumāram means the age up to fifteen years, the age up to fifteen years, that is called kaumāra. And after fif..., from sixteen years, so upwards, say, up to forty years, one is youth. And then, after forty years, one becomes old. This is process of this body, but it will be later on explained the spirit soul within this body, that is not changing. The body is changing.
So dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra (BG 2.13). Dhīra means the man who is out of ignorance. (aside:) You are... You sit down. That's all right. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. Dhīra means—we began first explanation—dhīra means one who is, one who is out of ignorance.
Makhanlāl: In the living entities such as the trees, which are very much limited in consciousness and ability to move also, are these... It mentions in the purports that they have been very lusty. This tends to show that they have been once before in human form and then have really fallen. But is it also the case that there are, amongst the forms, many souls that are on the process of evolution and going upward in the same way?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like you are stepping some staircases. You go to the second floor or third floor, but some way or other, you fall down again. So you have to cross again the steps. Do you follow? That does not mean because you crossed all the steps and went to the third floor... Now you have fallen down. You have to cross again.
They have no knowledge. But when you come to the, by evolutionary process, come to the human form of life, then it is your duty to inquire about the Supreme Brahman. That is Vedānta-sūtra. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. "Now you have to ask about Brahman." Not the matter. So that Brahman is Vedic knowledge. From the material standard, gradually we have to go upwards and come to the point of understanding Kṛṣṇa. That is Vedic knowledge. That is Vedic knowledge. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). To pursue Vedic knowledge means to understand Kṛṣṇa. But if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa and if you speak as, like so many nonsense things, and if you pose yourself as paṇḍita, that is śrama eva hi kevalam. That is stated. Śrama eva hi. Simply wasting time and laboring for nothing. Vāsudeve bhagavati...
"Oh, it is something material. It is not real." This is called bhaya. But actually it is not that.
Actually this material world is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as the perverted reflection of the actual spiritual world. You will find in the Fifteenth Chapter that this material world is described as the obverted tree whose root is upwards and the branches are downwards. Have you have experience of this obverted tree whose root is upward and the branches and the leaves are downwards? Have you seen any tree like that? You have seen it, but you have forgotten. You have seen... When you see a tree on the bank of a river or bank of a reservoir of water, you find the reflection of the tree, just the opposite number. So similarly, this world, in the Fifteenth Chapter it is described there, the obverted tree. That means the real tree is there. The real tree is there.
Just like the example is given... I have several times..., that the impersonalists, they describe this world as false, as false.
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."
Yes, astrology. Astrology. There is planetary system. It is the Vedic system. You can see at night. The whole planetary system is moving like this, bunch of tree. And in Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham (BG 15.1). This, it is just like a big tree, and the root is upwards and the branches and fruits downwards. This is the... The Pole Star is the center of this root of this planetary system. So you read our books, Fifth Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You will get full description.
Pradyumna: (Translation:) "The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas."
Prabhupāda: So this is the description of Vedic literature. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That will be described. Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda vida jñāne. Vid-dhātu. From vid-dhātu, the word Veda has come, which means knowledge. There are different kinds of knowledge, and all kinds of knowledge you can get perfectly from the Vedas. There is Dhanur-veda, Āyur-veda, Ṛg-veda, Sāma-veda, different branches of Veda, but the objective of studying Vedas means to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvaiḥ. All kinds of Vedas. Any book of knowledge. There are different types of book of knowledge. So if by studying the books of different types of knowledge one comes to the understanding of knowing the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, then his knowledge is perfect.
Traiguṇya-viṣayā. Activities of the material world means to act in such a way that you become liberated at the end and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is real activities of this material world, not to act as the animals—eating, sleeping, mating. So this material world is now described, compared with a banyan tree which has its root upwards, above. That means this material world is created from the spiritual world. Eko nārāyaṇa āsīt. In the spiritual world there is always Nārāyaṇa. Even Śaṅkarācārya, he says nārāyaṇaḥ avyaktāt paraḥ. The spiritual world has nothing to do with this material world. This material world is created. Just like the banyan tree. It takes its root and it is created. So the seed of the creation is in the spiritual world. Sa īkṣata, sa asṛjata. The creation is coming from the spiritual world. Spiritual world means the kingdom of God, Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa. So here the material world is described as ūrdhva-mūlam.
Now, the basic principle of devotional service is detachment from material activities and attachment to the transcendental service of the Lord. The process of breaking attachment to the material world is discussed in the beginning of this chapter. The root of this material existence grows upward. This means that it begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of the universe. From there, the whole universe is expanded, with so many branches, representing the various planetary systems. The fruits represent the results of the living entities' activities, namely, religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.
Now, there is no ready experience in this world of a tree situated with its branches down and its roots upward, but there is such a thing.
In New York, when we started this movement, so in the morning, at seven o'clock, we used to hold our class, and there was little sound. Immediately the tenants from upwards, they'll come down and complain. Sometimes they will call for police. And on the street, Second Avenue, there is always big, big trucks and motor cars going on, heavy sound. Then in your country the garbage carrier sound, the digging sound. So many sound they'll tolerate. And as soon, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," "Oh, it is intolerable." (laughter) This is demonic, the demonic. They'll not hear. Because that will do good to them by hearing, they'll not accept it.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
I am caused by my father, my father is caused by his father. His father, his father..., go on making research, who is the ultimate father. When you come... There must be some ultimate father. Just like I have my father, my father has got father, his father... We can see up to two, three generation upwards, and beyond that, we cannot see. That does not mean that the great-grandfather had no father. There must have been some father. Is it very unreasonable? Anyone can understand. Although I cannot see with my limited potency, but with my knowledge, reasonable knowledge, I can understand that either he may be great-grandfather or above that, above that, he must have some father.
Water is the same. Why one is seeking shelter, and why one is afraid of? This is material world. Because I am conditioned in a separate body and the duck is conditioned in a separate body. The trees, some trees are going upwards, and some trees are going downwards. These are the conditions. Deha-yogena dehinām.
So we are being put into different conditions, under different types of body. So liberation means that one shall not be under any condition. Just like Kṛṣṇa, He is not under any condition. That is liberation. We can also, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we can also become without any condition. Just like Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni is traveling in the space because he's liberated soul. He's not conditioned. But because we are conditioned, we cannot travel in the space without the help of some machine or something else.
How do you think like that? For a small city, an insignificant city... In our estimation, it is not insignificant, but in comparison to the universe, what is the value of this London city or New York city? As soon as you go a little high up, say, twenty-five miles above, you cannot see your city. It is all finished. Similarly, there are so many cities in the stars and planets, upwards. So many universes, so many seas, mountains, skyscraper, houses, we cannot see. Because in the universe these are all simply insignificant particles only. So if in this insignificant particle there are so many state laws, you just imagine to manage this universal affair, the Supreme Lord, how much laws and regulation must be there. Who can deny it? Deny means he's a rascal. But intelligent man will understand that if in a small place there are so many rules and regulations, and in so big place, so universal—aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu—there are laws.
Everything is topsy-turvied. The trunk, the root is on the up, and the foliage, which is on the up, that has come down. Similarly, this material world is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Fifteenth Chapter: ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham. Generally, we see tree downwards, root, but in the reflection you will find the roots upward. Therefore ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham means these material varieties are simply an imitation of the original variety. Just like I'll give you very nice example. Just there will be a great fair. Just like we had in this Allahabad, Māgha-melā. So because government knew that many people will come to take bath in the Ganges, confluence of Ganges and Yamunā, all of a sudden, a great city, practically, was developed. Those who have seen—so many houses, camps, electric lights, post office, everything. Temporary, created. But as soon as... It is maintained also so long the melā, the fair, is going on. And as soon as the duration of melā is finished, all people go away and the temporary township is also demolished. That we have seen.
The śāstra therefore says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. In human form of life one should try to achieve that perfection which was not obtained in previous lives after wandering heaven and hell and all species of life. Bhramatām upary adhaḥ. Upari adhaḥ means upwards and downwards. And we are wandering: sometimes downwards, sometimes outwards, sometimes poor, sometimes rich, sometimes man, sometimes dog, sometimes tree, sometimes demigod. In this way, we are wandering. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). We are wandering in this way in different species of life, in different planets, but somehow or other, if one is fortunate, he comes in contact with a devotee by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151).
And from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu has sprung up the stem of the lotus flower the birth place of Brahmā who is the father of all living beings and the master of all the demigod engineers engaged in the matter of perfect design and working of the universal order. Within the stem of the lotus there are fourteen divisions of planetary system and the earthly planets are situated in the middle. Upwards there are other better planetary systems and the topmost system is called Brahmaloka or the Satyaloka. Downwards the earthly planetary system there are seven downwards planetary systems domiciled by the asuras and similar other most materialistic living beings. From this Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu there is expansion of the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu who is the collective Paramātmā of all living beings. He is called Hari and from Him all incarnations within the universe are expanded."
Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. There is another verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kovidaḥ. Kovidaḥ means very intelligent person. He should work for that purpose. What is that? Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Now we have invented so many instruments for flying in the space. Upary adhaḥ means very upward, fifty thousand miles up, and again down, you can travel. But the real goal of your life is not to be achieved in that way. Bhramatām upary adhaḥ. Suppose if you reach the moon planet or sun planet... There are so many planets higher and higher, bigger and bigger. That is not your goal of life. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Your goal of life is that which you cannot achieve even by traveling the whole space. What is that? That goal of life is to search out God and your relationship with God. Because you are part and parcel of God, and somehow or other, you have been entrapped by this material atmosphere, and you are not happy. Nobody is happy.
In the moon planet, one day equal to our six months. Such months' year, and ten thousands of years. That is the duration of life in the moon planet. Those who are karma-kāṇḍīya, perform ritualistic ceremonies very nicely, they are promoted to the moon planet. And there are other planets also. This is Svargaloka. There are seven planetary systems upwards, and seven planetary systems downwards. Now we are living in the Bhūrloka, middle. Then above this, there is Bhuvarloka. Above this, there is Svarloka. Above this is Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Brahmaloka. So this āroha... You cannot go to the Brahmaloka, although there is śāstra... Or you cannot go to the sun planet also. You are seeing every day, but go there. But you have no right. You cannot go.
If we accept simply to obey the words of Vāsudeva ... It is so simple, but we are so unfortunate that we do not accept. Especially in this age, mandāḥ sumanda matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ (SB 1.1.10). In this age, people in general, they're all bad, mandaḥ. Mandaḥ means bad, nobody's good. Because everyone is in ignorance, the modes of ignorance, that is bad. Or little upwards, in the modes of passion. Rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ (SB 1.2.19). And the best part, best platform in this material world, is goodness, sattva-guṇa. Raja-guṇa, tamo-guṇa... There are three modes of material nature—goodness, passion and ignorance. Those who are in ignorance, they are animals, animals platform. Those who are in passion, karmī platform. And those who are in goodness, they're jñānī platform. But our aim is to transcend even the jñānī platform. Not to remain in the platform of ignorance, not to remain in the platform of passion, and not to remain even in the platform of goodness. That is transcendental. That is transcendental. Just like gopīs are going to Kṛṣṇa at dead of night, at midnight.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
That is most abominable in this material world, but that is most first-class thing in the spiritual world. Parakīya-rase yāṅhā brajete pracāra. So these things are very higher principles of spiritual life. But we can understand that whatever we are experiencing in this material world, that thing, in its pure form, is existing in the Supreme Absolute. That is the fact. Otherwise they cannot be manifested in this material... Just like on the bank of a tank, pond, there is a tree, and you find the tree just upverted. The upper portion of the tree has gone down. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Find out in the Fifteenth Chapter: ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākhaṁ aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam (BG 15.1). Find out this verse. This material world is the reflection, urdhva mulam. Generally the tree has got its root down, but the material world... So... It is described as a big banyan tree, but the root is upwards.
Prabhupāda: Yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit. What is the translation?
Pradyumna: "The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas."
Prabhupāda: Yes. One who knows this tree, he knows the Vedas. That means the Vedas says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). That is the Vedānta-sūtra. Wherefrom this material world is coming? That is Absolute Truth. The atheist class men, they cannot think that there is a cause. In the Sixteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā: jagad āhur anīśvara. Jagad āhur anīśvara. What is that? Find out. Sixteenth Chapter. They say that this material cosmic manifestation, manifestation, this world is... Uh? Uh?
Pradyumna: Could we have the verse again?
Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. Because they have not adored or glorified the lotus feet of the Lord, they are not allowed into the Goloka Vṛndāvana or Vaikuṇṭha planet. And they cannot remain perpetually in the impersonal Brahman effulgence. They come down again to these material varieties. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). They cannot go upwards. They come, come down. That we have practically seen. All big, big swamis, all Vedantists, but they could not find. Even big, big swamis, they are now taking to Bhāgavata and other Vaiṣṇava literature at the present moment. Because their own literature is finished. How long they'll simply call for Brahman? Unless they come to Kṛṣṇa, there is no varieties of enjoyment. Therefore here it is said that "There is no..." Go on. What is it?
The material variety is the perverted reflection of the spiritual variety. As it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Fifteenth Chapter: ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākha. This tree, this material world (is) compared with a aśvattha vṛkṣa. The root is up, upstairs, upwards, and the branches and leaves are down, downwards. Why? Because it is reflection, chaya, or māyā. The real tree is in the Vaikuṇṭha planet or in the spiritual world. It is only simply reflection. Just like a tree standing on the bank of reservoir of water, on the bank of a lake or a river, you'll see the tree is reflected downwards. So this description in the Fifteenth Chapter of this material world, downwards... Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākha means this is only a perverted reflection of the spiritual world. The real tree is in the spiritual world. The other day, who was asking about this question? Some of our...? Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākha? Who was asking me? Eh? Oh. Gopāla. He's not here. All right.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
We have several times explained this ūrdhva-mūlam adho-śākha. In the material world this is a shadow. Unless it is shadow, how the mūlam, or the root, can be upwards? We have got experience: a tree on the bank of a river. The tree is reflected adho-śākha, on the root upward, shadow. So this is shadow. Real thing is in the spiritual world. Therefore it is called adho-śākha. Śākha. In the spiritual world the topmost part is this conjugal love, and here, the same thing, when pervertedly reflected, it is the lowest abominable thing. We should know this, that in the spiritual world, to remain as girlfriend and boyfriend, that is the topmost pleasure, and in the material world, the same thing is the most abominable thing. Therefore it is adho-śākha. We cannot imitate the loving affairs of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī unless we understand the real fact.
Because Kṛṣṇa's energy is manifested here, māyikā... Māyikā means like illusory, imitation, perverted. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated, ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham (BG 15.1). Here the tree, the original tree, is presented also, but how it is presented? Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham: "The root is upward, and the branches are downward." I think you may remember. Several times we have discussed. So how the root is upward and branches are downward? Have you seen any tree? Yes. We have seen. Where? In the reservoir of water or in a reflection you see the real tree is upwards, but the reflection is downwards. Therefore this material world is reflection. It is not real. Just day before yesterday I was pointing out the reflection of the sun from this side. So that reflection is playing. It is giving light, everything. But it is reflection, imitation. It has no value. Similarly, all this material world, it appears very nice, as if everything is all right, but nothing is all right. It is simply a temporary illusion. Therefore it is called māyikā.
Festival Lectures
It was going to the royal treasury. The viceroy could accept on behalf of the king all contribution, but it goes to the king. Similarly, this day, Vyāsa-pūjā day, whatever honor, contribution and feelings is being offered to the spiritual master, it is... Again, as we have received the knowledge from upwards, similarly, this respect also goes from downward to the upward. This is the process. So as the spiritual master is teacher of the student, he has to teach the disciple how to send back his respect and contribution to God. This is called Vyāsa-pūjā.
So spiritual master is respected as good as God. Why? Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. They have already chanted this song. Samasta-śāstraiḥ, in all Vedic literatures. Samasta, all. Samasta means all. Śāstra means Vedic literature. The all the śāstras in Vedic literature, they have declared that spiritual master is as good as God. Not God, but as good as God. The Māyāvādī, they think that the spiritual master is also God. No. We Vaiṣṇava, we don't accept that theory.
| Page Title: | Upward (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 18 of May, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=27, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 27 |