So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not one-sided. It is not that people may think that they are sentimentalist and simply chanting and dancing. No. There is volumes of philosophy of life, from all angles of vision. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). From the point of religion, from the point of economic development, from the point of sense gratification, and from the point of ultimate liberation, go back to home, back to Godhead, it is so nice movement. Unfortunately... Of course, people are gradually trying to understand the gravity of this movement, but at least you should know the gravity of this movement. It is not ordinary movement. It is not a sentimental. It is most scientific, authorized movement, how to make people happy in this world and in the next. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. Because ultimately, he must have liberation. This is the chance.
Vision (Lectures, SB)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
This means that we have got two kinds of body. One body is this gross body, and the other body is subtle body, made of mind, intelligence, and ego. So foolish person, they do not see the subtle body, but the subtle body is there. Everyone will accept. I am working with my mind, intelligence and ego. Everyone knows. So although we cannot see the subtle body, it is there. So death means this gross body, this overcoat is left, and I am carried away by the subtle body, and I enter into another overcoat, or gross body. So practically this is called death. Because we have no vision of the subtle body, how the soul is being transferred or transmigrating from one gross body to another gross body, keeping the subtle body intact. And the subtle body is given up when one is liberated. And at that time he goes, when he is liberated, freed from this subtle body also, at that time he is promoted to the spiritual kingdom in spiritual body. Therefore while living in this gross body, we have to educate our subtle body in such a way that it becomes spiritualized completely.
Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam. Because they do not know, they have no information of the soul, they are talking about this body. Or sometimes about this mind. Philosophical speculation, concoction. One philosophy is theorizing something, another philosopher is theorizing something. Lots of literature. All nonsense, because it is mental speculation. I speculate in one way, you speculate in another way. You refute me, I refute you. So therefore, these talks of the body and talks of the mind, there are varieties. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Why they are engaged in so many talks? Because they do not know, apaśyatām. They have no vision of the soul, ātma-tattva. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Gṛhamedhī, those interested simply to maintain this body, they are called gṛhamedhī.
So not that atheist class men have developed at the present moment. It may be the number has increased, but atheist class of men were long, long ago also. There was Carvaka Muni, he was also called muni. Muni means mental speculator, or thoughtful. So this Carvaka Muni, he also presented his philosophy, atheism, that ṛṇāṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. So long you live, you live very joyfully by enjoying your senses. This is atheistic principle. And in India the sense enjoyment principle is based on ghee, clarified butter, because if they get butter, they prepare so many nice preparations. You have also learned how to do it. (laughter) In India there are varieties. If you sometimes go to India... In Delhi there are shops, many varieties of foodstuffs, all from grains and fruits, that's all. Grain, fruits, ghee, sugar, and salt. Varieties, hundreds. So eating, sleeping, the basic principle is eating, sleeping, mating. So Carvaka Muni says that "Live very joyfully, and eat very nicely, enjoy your senses, finish your life. That is atheism. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). They have no vision that there is soul.
That Absolute Truth, tattva-vastu, those who are in the knowledge of tattva-vastu, they say the Absolute Truth is one, advaya-jñāna. There is no duality. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. They are the same tattva-vastu, but according to our angle of vision, somebody is understanding the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, somebody is understanding the Absolute Truth as localized Paramātmā, and somebody... That is highest realization, Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So by studying Vedas, if one comes to the point of understanding Kṛṣṇa, then he is tattva-vit. Otherwise partial. That is explained here. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). Tattva-jñāna, there is no difference, tattva-jñāna, but there are different angles of vision, angles of..., brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate, but the different capacity. This I have explained many times. Just like from darkness you come to the light, tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ, come to the light. So the example is, just like you are in dark room, and your friend or you want to come to the light, come to the sunlight. So this tattva-jñāna, light, is also the sunshine, has connection with the sun. And paramātmā, brahmeti paramātmeti and bhagavān.
So tattva, the Absolute Truth, is one. Absolute Truth is not two. Ekaṁ brahma dvitīyaṁ nāsti. Absolute Truth is one, but it is realized from different angles of vision. There are transcendentalists, just like... Karmīs are not transcendentalists. Fruitive worker. Those who are simply working for betterment of life or standard of life or economic development-dharma, artha, kāma. Kāma means sense gratification. That is already explained. Kāmasya nendriya-prītiḥ. But they are thinking that indriya-prīti, sense gratification, is the highest perfection of life. But Bhāgavata says, or our Vedic authority says, kāmasya nendriya-prītiḥ. So karmīs, they are rejected. They are not fit for spiritual life, at least, so long they remain karmīs. Muḍḥa. That I have explained last night. Then, out of many thousands of karmīs, one becomes jñānī, jñānī, in true knowledge. They are called jñānī. When one is fed up with this karmī, he comes to the stage of jñānī, knowledge, that "I am not this body. Why I am working so hard for this body like cats and dogs?" He comes to the platform of jñānī. Then above the jñānī, the yogi. Those who are trying to connect, link with the Supreme, they are called yogi. Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. In the yoga stage, there is control of the senses. So yogis, and then bhaktas. Karmī, jñānī, yogi, and bhakta. Bhakta means devotee.
The Bhāgavata recommends that in the human form of life, the only necessity is to inquire about the Absolute Truth. That includes so many other things. The Absolute Truth is experienced by different persons from different angle of vision. That is explained here. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). That is the Absolute Truth—Brahman or Para-brahman—which is nondual. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). Advayam means without any duality. When we say Brahman, impersonal Brahman, or when we speak Paramātmā, or when we speak of Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no difference between these three terms. Just like sunshine and the sun globe and the sun-god. According to Bhagavad-gītā, we have got the name of the predominating deity in the sun globe. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). This is said in the Bhagavad-gītā. First of all Kṛṣṇa says, "Long, long ago, millions of years ago, I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to Vivasvān." Vivasvān means the present predominating deity of the sun globe. Just like we have got a president, similarly, but he has got a particular name, similarly, the president of the sun globe is called Sūrya, Sūryadeva. But he has got a particular name.
Similarly, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11), you can realize the Absolute Truth in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā... (break)... brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. The same Absolute Truth is realized from three angles of vision. Those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by their own scholarship, eruditely... There are many philosophers. They are trying to find out what is the original source of everything. The scientists, they are also trying to find out the original source of everything. So somebody, say, for example, the scientists, they are finding original of everything as matter, chemical, chemical evolution, the modern theory of originality. But actually, if we study what is the position of chemical theory, the so-called scientists, they could not produce life from chemicals, although their theory is that from matter life comes.
Another example is: just like if you see a mountain. Just like surrounding your this place, Tirupati, there are so many hills. From the distant place, your vision is not clear. You simply see something like cloudy, the same mountain. But if you make little further progress, you see the same mountain or hill greenish. And if you actually go in the same hill, you will find there are so many animals, so many men and so many houses. So object is the same, but from different angle vision, it appears differently. Similarly, unless one can understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly, he realizes the Absolute Truth as impersonal, nirākāra Brahman. Unless one understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly well, he cannot understand what is Paramātmā, which is realized by yogic principles. But when you understand Kṛṣṇa, then you understand Paramātmā and Brahman also. This is the verdict of the śāstra. Just like if you have got one lakh of rupees, your possession of few thousands of rupees or few hundred of rupees are already there.
So the Absolute Truth is one. There is no doubt about it. But according to our angle of vision, we appreciate the Absolute Truth in different ways, although the Absolute Truth is one. Somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, and somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as localized Paramātmā, Supersoul, and somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the last word, Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the matter of understanding the Absolute Truth.
So the material vision means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Otherwise there is no material, because everything is coming from Kṛṣṇa, either material energy or spiritual energy. They are coming from the same source, so in the higher spiritual understanding, the spiritual platform, there is nothing material. Everything is spiritual. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. So don't imitate, but there is possibility. So long we are on the material platform, on the platform of forgetfulness, our business should be how to satisfy the Supreme. How to satisfy,(?) you do whatever you like, not whatever you like, within the institution. Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ, it must be organized. If your aim is simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then your life is perfect.
He is sādhu, even he is su-durācāraḥ. Just like sometimes we find these American, European boys, from our angle of vision, they are deviating little. But Kṛṣṇa confirms, "Even if he's deviating, still, he's sādhu." Why? Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. "Because he does not know except Me, Kṛṣṇa." This is the certificate given by Kṛṣṇa. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). Samyak... "Oh, he may be sādhu, but not complete." No. Samyag vyavasito hi saḥ. He's complete sādhu. So what is the qualification? Now, bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. The example you can see, how they are making bhajana by the Deity worship. You'll never find in Calcutta such nice Deity worship. Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. They do not know. All these boys and girls, they do not know anything but Kṛṣṇa. So this is the qualification, sādhu.
We are simply lamenting for our loss, and we are simply hankering for some gain. This is material activities. Everyone is struggling to gain something which he does not possess, and he's lamenting for something which he has lost. But when he realizes himself that "I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose; I have nothing to do with this material world," that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. That is Brahman realization. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). At that time, he realizes that all living entities, they are spirit soul, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). That is equal vision—not the bodily vision. So long we have got bodily vision, there cannot be any equality. That is not possible. When one sees only to the spiritual existence of a living entity, there is question of seeing equally, equal vision, universal brotherhood. That is possible. Not on the bodily platform. That is not possible.
Prabhupāda: Some fruit?
Viṣṇujana: Yes, fruit, to Kṛṣṇa. And while we were offering it up, when we raised our head we looked at the food and we saw a rose-colored light that was vibrating all around the food. Is this how He eats?
Prabhupāda: (pause) He eats. How He eats, that you can understand when you make advancement to that stage. He eats. For the time being, you just take it for granted that He eats. How He eats, that is not possible because you cannot see Him. And how can you see that how He is eating? So that requires spiritual vision, and we shall understand. But He eats, we take it. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā He says that "I eat." Aśnāmi. Aśnāmi means "I eat." (end)
"Now you are mahā-bhāga. You are most fortunate man." Vyāsadeva is not ordinary. Just see. Nārada is his spiritual master. He's not ordinary man. And besides that, he is taken as incarnation of God. Mahā-bhāga. Atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk: "Your vision is without any sin." Because he has dedicated his life to present the Vedic literature for the benefit of the human society, that "They have forgotten God, Kṛṣṇa. Let me help." Therefore, he is trying to give all this Vedic literature.
So this press propaganda, this literary propaganda, is required because it is not sentiment. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not sentiment. It is not that some sentimental people have gathered here and dancing and chanting. No. There is background. There is philosophical background. There is theological understanding. It is not blind or sentimental. So therefore Nārada advises Vyāsadeva that "You are not only fortunate, but you are amogha-dṛk. Your vision is perfect because you are liberated." Amogha. Our vision—we are not perfect. Therefore you'll find in Vedic version, anuśṛṇuyet, anuvarṇayet. Anu. Anu means following. Following. We have to follow the ācāryas. Just like Vyāsadeva. Amogha-dṛk: his vision is without any impediment. There are four kinds of impediments for the conditioned soul. What are those? That we are subjected to commit error. Any man will commit error because he's conditioned, he'll be illusioned, and he will try to cheat, and his senses are imperfect. These four imperfectness of a conditioned soul. Anywhere, you take any great man, any big man, he has got these four imperfections. Therefore without liberated man, you cannot get real knowledge. Therefore you'll find even the so-called scientists, astrologer, and the astronomer, or... They're studying this nature, "Perhaps," "It might be," because they have no clear vision. And another scientist comes.
So it is said: akhila-bandha-muktaye. Samādhinā, akhilasya bandhasya muktaye, akhilasya bandhasya. We are in conditional stage, perpetually bound up by the laws of material nature. This is our status. And Nārada is giving instruction to Vyāsadeva that "Present literature so that they can become liberated. Don't give them more and more opportunity to continue this conditional life." Akhila-bandha. Akhila. Akhila means complete, wholesale. And who can give this contribution? That is also stated, that atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk. Whose vision is clear. Whose vision is clear. (about a child:) He's disturb.
Clear vision. Unless one has clear vision, how he can do welfare activities? You do not know what is welfare. His vision is clouded. If one's vision is clouded, if you do not know what is the destination of your journey, how you can make progress? Therefore the qualification... Those who are prepared to do good to the human society, they must have clear vision. Then where is the clear vision? Everyone is becoming leader. Everyone is trying to lead people. But he himself is blind. He does not know what is the end of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). So therefore Vyāsadeva can do it because he has clear vision. Nārada certifies. Nārada knows his disciple, what is the position. A spiritual master knows what is the condition. Just like a physician knows. By simply feeling the beating of pulse, a... An expert physician can know what is the condition of this patient, and he treats him and gives him medicine accordingly. Similarly, a spiritual master who is actually spiritual master, he can know, he knows the pulse-beating of the disciple, and he therefore gives him particular kind of medicine so that he may be cured.
So Nārada Muni knows what is the status of Vyāsadeva. He knows that he has got clear vision. Amogha-dṛk. Śrīdhara Svāmī says, amogha. Amogha means... Mogha means sinful, and amogha means without any sin. Amogha. So long one lives sinful life, he cannot have clear vision. Diseased condition. How? "Physician, heal thyself." He cannot have clear vision. Therefore amogha-dṛk means he is liberated person. He can see. Amogha-dṛk. Dṛk means vision. Amogha-dṛk. And Śuci-śravāḥ. Śuci-śravāḥ. Śuci-śravāḥ means whose śravāḥ, means aural reception... śuci. Śuci means pure. Who has received knowledge by aural reception in pure heart, or from the pure source. Śuci-śravāḥ. Śuci means pure. Śravāḥ. Śravāḥ means hearing. Śuci... These are the qualification of the person who can actually do benefit to the human society. Not that everyone can do. That is the mistake of the... Everyone is giving some idea and some theory that "This way there will be peace, there will be nice thing in the world." But he does not know that he has to receive from the pure source by aural reception. One has to hear from the pure source what is actually benefit to the human society. These are the qualifications. Śuci-śravāḥ. Then next word is satya-rataḥ. Satya means truth, and rataḥ means engaged. "One who is engaged in the matter of the Absolute Truth," not relative truth. Absolute, satya-rataḥ. And dhṛta-vrataḥ. Dhṛta-vrataḥ. Vrata. Vrata means vow, and dhṛta means who has taken vow that "I shall do this." These are the qualifications.
Just like people are understanding... By reading Bhagavad-gītā, somebody is taking Kṛṣṇa as a great politician. Everyone accept Kṛṣṇa as a great personality, but somebody's accepting Him as a great politician, a great diplomat, or in this way, according to one's angle of vision. Just like in Bombay... There are in India and all over the world, I calculated, there are more than six hundred commentary on Bhagavad-gītā, more than. And each one is presentation of the author's own view. One Doctor Rele(?) in Bombay, he has also explained Bhagavad-gītā in his own way. He says that it is a talk between a diseased person, a patient, and the physician. Because he is physician, he has made Kṛṣṇa as physician. Of course, Kṛṣṇa is physician in other way. But he has tried to explain the medical science through the Bhagavad-gītā-anatomy, physiology, medicine, like that. Just like Gandhi, he wanted to prove Bhagavad-gītā as nonviolence. In this way, everyone is trying. But actually who is understanding Kṛṣṇa? That is being explained by Nārada, that "In this way, people will misunderstand. You simply apply, simply write and explain the science of Kṛṣṇa."
So he visioned two things, that one, puruṣam... Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. Puruṣa, perfect, pūrṇam, complete. We are trying to become puruṣa or Bhagavān, but we are not perfect. The Bhagavān means pūrṇam. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. Complete. So we cannot accept anyone as Bhagavān unless he is pūrṇam. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. That is Kṛṣṇa. Ṣaḍ-aiśvaryaiḥ pūrṇo ya iha bhagavān (CC Adi 1.3). So by bhakti-yoge, bhakti-yogena, by practicing... That is called meditation. Meditation means to find out the Supreme Complete Person. That is called meditation, not that anything you meditate, any nonsense. No, that is not meditation. Meditation is described, dhyānāvasthita. Dhyānāvasthita, engaged in meditation. Tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Yogis, they by meditation, tries to find out the Supreme Person who is within everyone. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So by meditation to find out the supreme Paramātmā within yourself, that is called yoga practice. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). This is yogi. So that yoga is perfect when you see Kṛṣṇa. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
So that will be explained, anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣāt. So Vyāsadeva first of all made his life perfect. How? Bhakti-yogena. by practicing bhakti-yoga. And bhakti-yoga means manasā. Manasā vācā karmaṇā. Here it is said, manasā. Manasā, that is very nice bhakti-yoga, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18), as Ambarīṣa Mahārāja did. Always Ambarīṣa Mahārāja fixed up his mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. So here also, Vyāsadeva, bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite amale (SB 1.7.4), when the mind was completely cleansed, then he saw. What he saw? Apaśyat. Apaśyat means "he visioned, he saw," puruṣaṁ pūrṇam, "the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead." And māyā. He saw also māyā, māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam, māyā on the back side, back side. So in this way he made his life first of all perfect, then he wrote this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam after becoming perfect. Therefore you will find in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, each word is transcendental. Each word is full of meaning and transcendental knowledge because the writer, the composer of this transcendental book, is Vyāsadeva. He is perfect, Vedavyāsa, perfect in Vedic knowledge.
So in order to educate people to this understanding... That is the basic principle of all Vedic knowledge, that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul, and I must find out the ultimate goal of the spiritual body or the spirit soul." So some of the transcendentalists, they think that if the spirit soul is merged into the Supreme Soul—that is called brahma-lina(?), to become one with Brahman—that is the solution of this anartha. Anartha means this body. And some of them, they think that with our spiritual body, spiritual vision, if we can observe continuously the Supreme Spirit, Paramātmā, then that is the solution of anartha. That is the yogi. Jñānī, yogi. And the karmīs, those who have no knowledge, ajānataḥ, fools, rascals... Ajānataḥ means one who does not know. That is the karmīs. Karmīs, they think that "If I can satisfy the senses of this body, that is perfection of life." So there are three kinds of philosophers to make the solution of this unwanted material body, anartha. But actual solution is to remain in your spiritual body and meet the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face and live with Him in eternal, blissful life of knowledge. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy.
The Māyāvādī philosophy or the jñānīs and yogis and karmīs... Try to understand. The karmīs want to enjoy the senses of this body. Because the body is anartha, therefore sense gratification is another anartha.
So do not misunderstand that bhakti is lower than something else. There are karma, jñāna, yoga, bhakti. Bhakti is the ultimate. So if you want to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth, take from His instruction, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa or the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). The Absolute Truth is realized from three angles of vision: impersonal Brahman, localized Paramātmā, and ultimately Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. So if you want to understand Bhagavān... Brahman realization is possible. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam (SB 10.2.32). This paraṁ padam, Brahman realization... And Paramātmā realization: dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). But if you want to realize the last phase of the Absolute Truth it requires bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55).
Read the purport also. (Pradyumna reads first few paragraphs of purport) So this śloka is still more elaborately explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. This is the summary. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained this verse in sixty-four ways, each word explained—and how many ways each word can be explained—and from all angles of vision He has proved that Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's scholarship... Of course, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no comparison to His excellence in every respect. Six opulences. Na caitanyāt kṛṣṇāj jagati para-tattvaṁ param iha. That is explained by Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Ṣaḍ-aiśvaryaiḥ pūrṇo ya iha bhagavān sa svayam ayam (CC Adi 1.3). He has explained like that. Ṣaḍ-aiśvaryaiḥ pūrṇaḥ—all knowledge, all beauty, all strength—everything in full. Pūrṇam. Pūrṇam idam. Pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). He is pūrṇa, and whatever He does, that is also pūrṇa. You cannot find any defect in the creation of the Lord. In the arrangement of maintenance and in the arrangement of annihilation you cannot find out any flaw. Perfection. Pūrṇa.
So there is no difficulty to understand what is God. Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord-directly. I do not know why people are searching after God, why they do not know what is God. Just see. That means mūḍha. Although God is here, still, he'll not accept. That is mūḍha, narādhama. And why he's mūḍha? Because narādhama. He does not take the process. He wants to manufacture something. Don't do that. Here Arjuna is mahājana, he's Kṛṣṇa's friend, he's always with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa recognizes him. Not that because one is always with Kṛṣṇa, therefore he knows Kṛṣṇa. No. That is not possible. Just like I have given this example many times, that I am sitting here, and the bug is also sitting here. That does not mean we are very confidential. No. Bug is different visions (business?), and my business different. And bug's business is biting. That kind of association will not help. Association means to develop love for the person. That is association.
So this is dharmasya glāniḥ. But you have to change your angle of vision. In the material conditioned life your aim is how to satisfy your senses. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means you have to work in the same spirit, same vigor, but you have to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual life. Not that to become lazy fellow. The difference is, as it is said by author, Kṛṣṇadāsa, ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā tāre bali 'kāma' (CC Adi 4.165). What is kāma? Kāma means when one desires to satisfy his own senses. That is kāma. Kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare 'prema' nāma. And what is prema? Prema means when you engage yourself for satisfying Kṛṣṇa's senses. Why gopīs are exalted? Because their only endeavor was to satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā. They had no other business. Vṛndāvana means, those who are in Vṛndāvana... If they actually want to live in Vṛndāvana, their business should be how to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa. That is Vṛndāvana.
So in considering all angles of vision, this Aśvatthāmā was not a brāhmaṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa personally advised him, mā enaṁ pārtha arhasi trātum: "Don't excuse him. Kill him, this brahma-bandhu. He has done wrong, now he deserves to be killed." It is clearly said. So does it mean that Kṛṣṇa is advising brahma-hatyā? No. Kṛṣṇa cannot do that. He is the teacher, world teacher. How He can advise somebody, especially His friend Arjuna? Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3). Can you advise anything adversely to your friend? To your son? No. I must give very good advice. So Kṛṣṇa is advising Arjuna, "Don't excuse this rascal brahma-bandhu. Don't excuse." This is Kṛṣṇa's advice. But it does not mean that we can do anything and everything under the pretext of Kṛṣṇa's advice. You must be first of all a confidential friend or servant of Kṛṣṇa. You must receive direct order from Kṛṣṇa. Then you can do it. Otherwise not. Otherwise not. Under the pretext that "Kṛṣṇa said," "My spiritual master has said," "Prabhupāda has said," we manufacture something. Don't do that. Unless you are directly ordered, you cannot do at least such things as to chastise a brahma-bandhu. This should not be done. Here is direct order.
So to realize Brahman realization... That is also spiritual. That is not material. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is spiritual. But that is the first appreciation of the Absolute Truth. That is not complete appreciation or complete knowledge. Complete knowledge is when one understands the paraṁ brahma. That is complete understanding. Not simply Brahman: Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. The Absolute Truth, vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). Tattvam means Absolute Truth. What is that Absolute? Advaya-jñānam. One. Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. They are not different. Advayam, the same Absolute. But it is due to my position, angle of vision, He's realized in three different features—Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. That one tattva-vastu, Absolute Truth. So to understand even Brahman, one requires to become brāhmaṇa. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. Brahman, understands Brahman, that is the first step. Then you have to make further progress. The example we have given many times, that we are in the sunshine. Now there is sunshine, that is also Brahman, or heat and light. But the heat and light here, ninety-three millions miles away from the sun, and the heat and light in the sun—a difference.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa is regretting, that "This rascal, they consider Me as human being." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). They have been described as rascals. One who estimates Kṛṣṇa from material point of view, material vision, he is mūḍha. Therefore he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Lowest of the mankind, narādhama. Why lowest? Sinful? Duṣkṛtina? These things are there. If we want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then we should take the prescription of Kṛṣṇa. What Kṛṣṇa said? Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: (BG 18.55) "One can understand Me by the process of bhakti." Never said, Kṛṣṇa, that "Yogi can understand Me," or "The jñānīs can understand Me" or "The karmīs can understand." Never. Nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi yogināṁ hṛdayeṣu. Although yogis are trying to see Kṛṣṇa always within the heart... Yaṁ brahmā varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ stunvanti dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ... (SB 12.13.1). Those who are perfect yogis, they see always Kṛṣṇa within the core of the heart. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. That is perfect yogi.
So Kṛṣṇa is the only puruṣa. Prakṛteḥ param. So prakṛteḥ param. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is not a puruṣa like us. We are within the prakṛti. We are within the prakṛti. He is beyond the prakṛti. Therefore His body is not material. He's not within the prakṛti. But the rascals, they cannot understand this. They think that "Kṛṣṇa is like us." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). So because they are mūḍhas, they think that "Kṛṣṇa is like us, Kṛṣṇa has a body like us," but that is actually not the fact. Here Kuntī says, authority says, prakṛteḥ param. Prakṛteḥ param, alakṣyam. The prakṛteḥ param. Suppose something beyond our vision. Just like we are sitting down this house. We cannot see what is going on upstairs. Alakṣyam. So if Kṛṣṇa is a person beyond this material creation, how we can see Him? Alakṣyam. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). Still, He is in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61).
Then ādyam īśvaram, how it is? Now prakṛteḥ param, beyond this material nature. You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā this verse, paraḥ tasmāt bhāvaḥ anyaḥ: "There is another nature." Just like you have seen within your vision the big, I mean to say, horizon, and there within this there are millions and millions of stars, sun, suns and planets we cannot account for, although you are seeing daily. But we have no such knowledge; we cannot account for them. We are so minute. Still we are thinking, "Where is God? I am God." So, Kṛṣṇa is not that kind of God, imaginative. He is real God. Therefore He is prakṛteḥ param. Prakṛteḥ means this cosmic manifestation, beyond that. He is creator of this. God is creator of this cosmic manifestation. Therefore it is said prakṛteḥ. Prakṛteḥ means this material nature. Param, superior, beyond.
So not visible to whom? Not visible to the ordinary persons who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For them He is not visible. Although He is inside and outside, still, He is not visible. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). Sarva-bhūtānām means all these ordinary living entities, they cannot see Kṛṣṇa, or God, either within or outside. Why? Kṛṣṇa says also in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ: (BG 7.25) "I am not visible to everyone because there is a curtain which is covering the eyes of the ordinary persons, yoga-māyā." Just like the cloud covering the eyes to see. One cannot see the sun in complete or in full vision when there is cloud. Similarly, māyā, yoga-māyā, has created a cloud on account of which we cannot see God. But the same eyes can be also, I mean to say, purified. The same eyes. Just like you have got cataract, you cannot see, you become blind. But if the cataract is operated, then your vision is again revived. So you can see. Ordinarily, you cannot see God, either inside or outside. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahiḥ (SB 1.8.18). Although we say that God is there within, God is outside, but why you cannot see? Because we are not devotees. But as soon as you become a devotee, you become a lover of God or Kṛṣṇa, then you can see.
So by mental speculation, so-called big, big philosophers, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can be understood by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is visible. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. When you are trained up how to love God, Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself, and you will see Him. Premāñjana-cchurita. Not with these eyes, but another eyes. What is that eyes? Premāñjana, love, the ointment of love, when it is smeared in your eyes, then you can see. Just like there is medicine, eye ointment, or surma, in India it is called surma. Sometimes you apply, your vision becomes very cleansed, and you can see things very nicely. So we have to cleanse our eyes to see Kṛṣṇa, by the ointment of love of Kṛṣṇa. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilo..., santaḥ. Then, when you are saintly person, santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti, He... He is, actually He is already indicated in the śāstra that God is situated within your heart. So then when your eyes are clear, then you can see, hṛayeṣu, always existing.
Tvā. Tvā means "You." So īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param. He is beyond the jurisdiction of this material world, prakṛteḥ param. So He is neither brāhmaṇa... This brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahma..., they are these material designations. They are not actually fact. So, as Kṛṣṇa is not belonging to this material world... He belongs to the spiritual... Prakṛteḥ param. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, para. Para means "another," or "the superior." Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that... You are seeing this material world up to the sky. Your vision is up to the sky, although you do not know what are these planets, how they are existing. You have no knowledge. But still, at least, you can get experience that this universe is covered by this round sky, and within this universe there are so many planets.
Just like in the state, because a man is lying street, poor man, has no help, can I kill him? Will the state excuse me? "No I have killed one poor man. He had no necessity. There was no need for him in the society. So why should he live?" Will the state excuse me that: "You have done very nice work."? No. That poor man is also the subject of the citizen of the state. You cannot kill. Why not expand this philosophy, that the poor animal—the trees, the birds, beasts—they're also sons of God. You cannot kill. You'll be responsible. You'll be hanged. Just like by killing one poor man on the street you'll be hanged. Never mind it is poor. Similarly in God's eyes, there is no such discrimination. What to speak of God, even a learned man's vision, there is no such discrimination, "This is poor, this is rich, this is black, this is white, this is..." No. Everyone is living entity, part and parcel of God.
Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). Viṣṇu should be heard as He is. Gṛṇanty abhīkṣṇaśaḥ smaranti. The same, meditation, remembering, smaranti nandanti. Nandanti means he becomes jubilant, pleasure, reservoir of pleasure, nandati. Nandana means pleasing. Nandanti... Who? Tava īhitaṁ janaḥ. Those who are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their business is śṛṇvanti, śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanty abhīkṣṇaśaḥ. This is the program, everywhere. We have to hear about Kṛṣṇa, we have to speak about Kṛṣṇa, we have to deal about Kṛṣṇa. Simply There are so many activities in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. We have to adopt everything. Then such persons, sa eva paśyanty, ta eva paśyanty. "By this process one day will come that he will see You." Ta eva paśyanty. And what is that vision? When you see God, Kṛṣṇa, then what is the effect? The effect is: bhava pravāha uparamam. Bhava pravāha. Pravāha means current. Now we are going on. Caitanya, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that: māyāra vaśe yāccho bhese.
So we should not imitate, but at least we must be very careful to complete the sixteen rounds, the minimum. Nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ. We have to increase our taste for singing and chanting. Nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ prītis tat vasati tale(?). And we should increase our inclination to live in the place where Kṛṣṇa is living. Kṛṣṇa is living everywhere—that is, that is the vision of the higher devotees. Actually He's living, but still, because we are in the lower condition, we should know that here is Kṛṣṇa in the temple. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, but for us, because we have no such vision to see Kṛṣṇa anywhere and everywhere, therefore we should come here in the temple and see Kṛṣṇa, "Here is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has kindly appeared here in a manner in which I can see Him. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy." That is temple. We cannot see... Kṛṣṇa has completely spiritual body, but we have no eyes to see what is that spiritual body. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). We are accustomed to see this material, jaḍa, gross things. We can see stone, we can see metal, we can see wood. We can see all these material elements. But Kṛṣṇa is everything. Therefore to be visible to our imperfect eyes, Kṛṣṇa has appeared in the stone form, but Kṛṣṇa is not stone. It is not that we are worshiping stone; we are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. But because we cannot see except stone, therefore Kṛṣṇa has kindly appeared in the form carved from the stone. This is the conclusion.
Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is warning, "My dear friends, why you are being carried away by the waves of this material ocean?" Māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. This is Vaiṣṇava's desire. Vaiṣṇavaḥ para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī kṛpāmbudhiḥ. So Vaiṣṇava vision is different. Vaiṣṇava vision is... He can see what is the position of these māyāśritānām, those who have taken shelter of this māyā, what is their position. Position is miserable. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). And they are being carried away by the waves. Today, one kind of body; tomorrow, another body; tomorrow or next life... So in this way the karmīs are being carried away. So therefore, out of such millions of karmīs, one becomes jñānī. Jñānī. Koṭi karmī madhye eka jñānī śreṣṭha.
As there are many parties, Communist party, Congress party, this party, that party, so there must be one Kṛṣṇa's party. Why not? Then people will be happy, if Kṛṣṇa's party comes to the governmental post. Immediately there will be peace. In India, in India there are so many slaughterhouses. There are... It is said that ten thousand cows are being killed everyday, in the land were one cow was being attempted to be killed, immediately Mahārāja Parīkṣit took his sword, "Who are you?" In that land, now ten thousand cows are being killed every day. So you expect peace? You expect prosperity This is not possible. Therefore if some day Kṛṣṇa's representative takes the governmental power, then he will immediately stop all these slaughterhouses, all these brothels, all these liquor houses. Then there will be peace and prosperity. Bhūta-bhāvana, Kṛṣṇa will be pleased, "Here is My representative."
So there are so many things to understand from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, full knowledge, all knowledge, as it is required by the human society. So we have to study from all angles of vision, not simply by sentiment. This is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
So here in this material world, every one of us, we come here ignorant, like animals, no knowledge. There are so many varieties of living entities. Gradually, by evolution, we come to the human form of life, when our consciousness is developed. We can understand higher knowledge. And that is called Veda. So Veda does not mean it is meant for the cats and dogs. Vedas means knowledge, this knowledge, is meant for the human beings. Vedic... Therefore Indian civilization, based on Vedic knowledge, is estimated so high, perfect. Perfect scheme system for human society, based on Vedic civilization. Everything is correctly visioned, and the ideas are given by persons who are above material contamination. Mukta-puruṣa. Mukta-puruṣa means one who is not affected by the material incompetency. There are material incompetencies. We commit mistakes. We are illusioned. Our senses are imperfect. And sometimes... Sometimes not. Always. We want to cheat. These are the defects of material knowledge. And one who is above these material incompetencies, he's called mukta-puruṣa. So one has to become mukta-puruṣa. That is called Vedic knowledge. That is called Vedānta. Vedānta-sūtra.
So it does not mean that Arjuna was not fully surrendered. Arjuna was fully surrendered, and Arjuna was fully protected by Kṛṣṇa. Neither these queens, sixteen thousand queens could be plundered away by some cowherdsmen. But the... It is an instance, that even a person like Arjuna, he will be helpless without Kṛṣṇa. He will be helpless, what to speak of ourselves? He will be helpless. That is his... He is showing that example. Kṛṣṇa was... So so 'haṁ nṛpendra rahitaḥ puruṣottamena: "Now I am bereft of the association of my dearest friend, Kṛṣṇa." Sakhyā, sakha means friend. Sakhyā priyeṇa. Not only friend, very dear friend, priyeṇa. Suhṛdā. Suhṛdā means... Suhṛt. There are different kinds of friends. But suhṛt is a friend who always thinks of his friend, how he will be happy. That is called suhṛt. That is... This description is given about the devotees also. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). A devotee is always thinking how whole world will be happy. Suhṛdaṁ sarva... Not only human being, but animals, birds, trees, beasts, everyone. A devotee does not like to see even a grass is unreasonably cut. That is devotee vision.
It is nicely presented by the Lord Himself for all who have very little time to go through the vast Vedic literatures, like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas and Vedānta-sūtras. It is put within the study of the great historical epic Mahābhārata, which was especially prepared for the less intelligent class, namely the women, the laborers, and those who are worthless descendants of the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and the higher sections of the vaiśyas. The problem which arose in the heart of Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra was solved by the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā. Again, after the departure of the Lord from the vision of earthly people, when Arjuna was face-to-face with being vanquished in his great acquired power and prominence, he wanted again to remember the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā just to teach all concerned that the Bhagavad-gītā could be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of the great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour. The merciful Lord left behind Him the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā so that one can take the instructions of the Lord even when He is not visible to material eyesight. Material senses cannot have any estimation of the Supreme Lord, but by His inconceivable power, the Lord can incarnate Himself to the sense perception of the conditioned souls in a suitable manner through the agency of matter, which is also another form of the Lord's manifested energy."
He has descended just suitable for our handling. That is His mercy. Therefore we should not consider that this arcā Kṛṣṇa is made of stone, as atheists will say, that "These foolish persons are worshiping... Heathens, they are worshiping." No, we are not worshiping stone. We are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. But that they do not know. Kṛṣṇa has appeared before us. Because at the present moment, we cannot see except stone and wood, therefore, suitable for our vision, He has appear in such a way. Otherwise how we can appreciate? Here... They are searching after what is God, but here is God. Here is God. Therefore in the śāstra it is forbidden, arcā, arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. It is forbidden that when you worship Deity, you should not think that it is made of wood or stone or something else material. No. What is this material? Material is... Matter means energy of Kṛṣṇa. Just like the sunshine, or like the illumination of this light. It is the energy of this lamp. So it is not different. Similarly, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), this earth, water, air, fire, anything material, that is expansion of His energy.
So God or demigod, everyone can be akṣi-gocarāḥ, within the purview of your vision, provided you are qualified. This is the process. These rascals say, "Can you show me God?" But what power you have got to see? First of all gain that qualification. Then you will see. God is everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayān... Even He is within the atom. Therefore one who is not competent to see God, he is advised to see God in different way in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ: (BG 7.8) "My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna, I am the taste of the water." So you try to see God there in the taste of water. At the present moment, we have got many senses. You want to see God with the eyes. So begin with your tongue. This is also another sense. Just like if there is nice foodstuff, if I say, "Let me see how it is," "Let me see" means... You are already seeing. What do you want? "No, I want to touch in the tongue." That is "Let me see." Not by the eyes.
At least amongst his associates, nobody could drink even tea. No cigarette. Gandhi was very strict. And of course, he could not prohibit, but he was also against illicit sex, drinking, gambling. But he prohibited. He introduced prohibition in so many states. But now government is encouraging. Government is giving license, "Yes, openly you can drink." Kali's influence. Meat-eating. In India, at least, we never saw big signboard in a beef shop. In upper country, even there was... Always there are meat-eaters. So the meat shop is kept out of the vision of public. I mean to say, privately one could purchase, and if one was accustomed to eat meat, he could not get the chance daily. Because in the family, no Hindu family will allow meat-eating or fish-eating. No. In our childhood we have seen, our family also. If one wanted to eat meat, then he would do it hundred miles away secretly. Nobody will know. Or he will go to some rascal hotel. That was the system. Now they are keeping chickens, everyone's roof. This is the advancement, Kali's advancement. And government is giving license, "Yes, you manufacture liquor."
"I shall get you released." This is one side. And... From spiritual angle of vision. But from material angle of vision ṛṇa, debts, you can become insolvent. "I cannot pay." If you apply to the court... I do not know whether this act is there in your country. In India there is insolvency act. If one is debtor, then his assets, then he submits to the court that "I have got so much asset and I have got so much debt. So people may not harass me, the court may divide amongst my creditors whatever I have got." This is called insolvency. So court decides that he has got thousand dollars' debt, but he has got only hundred dollars, so that hundred dollars is divided: "You take this and be satisfied." He is not... That is called insolvency. That is in terms of debts.
Prabhupāda: He's already liberated. If one understands this fact, that why God comes, if he is fully aware of the fact, he's already liberated, immediately. Go on.
Pradyumna: "... and therefore he returns to the..."
Prabhupāda: Because without being liberated, one cannot understand God as He is. It is not possible. Because he has no perfect vision. Liberated means perfect knowledge, perfect vision. That is liberation. Yes?
Pradyumna: "Therefore he returns to the kingdom of God immediately after quitting this present material body..."
Prabhupāda: Yes, immediately after giving up this body. The example is given in the śāstras that if, when you walk... Just like the steps, like this. So this step is secure, the another step, when you feel it is secure, then you get up, get up this step. This is our practical experience. Similarly, unless our next birth is fixed up, we do not leave this body. At the time of death, by superior authority, what body I'm going to take next, that has to be decided. Then, when it is decided, if he takes little... Because that is for the most sinful person. And for the devotee, it is already decided. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9)— immediately transferred to the spiritual world. Immediately.
We therefore welcome everyone. There is no distinction. "Come here and chant," loka-hitam. And a sādhu, a saintly person should always think of loka-hitam. That is the difference between sādhu and ordinary man. Ordinary man, he thinks only of himself, or expanded himself, for family, for community, for society, for nation. These are all expanded selfishness. Expanded. When I am alone, I am thinking of my benefit only. When I am little grown up, I think of my brothers and sisters, and when I am little advanced, I think of my family. Little advanced, I think of my community. Little advanced, I think of my country, my nation. Or I can think of the whole human society, internationally. But Kṛṣṇa is so big that Kṛṣṇa includes everyone. Not only human society, animal society, bird society, beast society, tree society—everything. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving father of all these forms." There are 8,400,000 different kinds of forms. Kṛṣṇa claims "They, all of them, are My part and parcel living entities, but they are now covered by different dress only. But they are living entities." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness vision.
So does it mean to become a family man is bad? No. It does not mean. But if you become gṛhamedhī, that is particularly said, gṛheṣu gṛhamedhī. Gṛheṣu, living in family life, but in family life there are also two classes of men: gṛhastha and these gṛhamedhī. Therefore I say that each and every word of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you will have new enlightening, new. Difference, there is difference between gṛhastha and gṛhamedhī. Gṛhamedhī, just like ordinary persons, their household life means they have made the home as the center of their existence. Just like I was seeing just now the rooms of our gṛhastha, householder, boys and girls. Things are scattered. (laughter) But if you go to another person's, gṛhastha (gṛhamedhī), you will find their apartment nicely decorated, chairs, cushions, and sitting place, but they have no vision about self. And here, although we see that household affairs, their resting place, is not so nicely decorated, but their aim is Kṛṣṇa. So that is the difference between gṛhamedhī and gṛhastha. Gṛhamedhī means they simply want to decorate their apartment and children and wife. That is their end of life. That is all.
Material world means apaśyatām ātma-tattvam, one who has no enquiry or vision of the ātmā. Ātmā, paramātmā. Ātma-tattvam. Tattvam means "in truth." Ātmā means this body also. Ātmā means the mind also. Ātmā means the soul also. So in the present material world they are interested in understanding ātmā—the body. The medical science, physiology, biology, they are studying the science of the body. And some of them are studying the science of mind, psychology—thinking, feeling and willing. But nobody is studying the deepest meaning of ātmā: soul. There is no such... Throughout the whole world there are schools and colleges and universities to study the physiology, psychology, biology, sociology, so many things. But there is no university, school, college throughout the whole world to understand the soul.
"They do not know what is self-realization." Apaśyatām, cannot see. Their vision is very poor. Why? They are thinking this body as self; therefore they are very poorly thoughtful. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in another place, it is stated, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Every day we are experiencing that "I am not this body. The body is growing. I am still there." There are so many instances. But we cannot understand that we are not this body. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Ātmā means, the ātmā... There are various meanings of ātmā. Ātmā sometimes is meant, indicating this body, ātmā is sometimes indicating this mind, ātmā is soul, and ātmā, Paramātmā, the Supreme Lord. Ātma-tattvam. Tattvam means truth, philosophy, or science. So they do not know the science of ātmā, either take it body or mind. Generally, they take it as this body.
They will simply say that "It is my duty to earn money. It is my duty to maintain my children, to give them education, to give them good opportunity for prospective life. And if I have got little more money, then I can give in charity to the poor man, daridra-nārāyaṇa. And..." These are their program. But nobody knows the necessity of, I mean to say, liberating the soul which is conditioned by this material covering. Nobody knows. That you will find. Nobody knows. Big, big professors, big, big... They simply say that "Yes ..." If you ask, "Why you are constructing some big, big scheme?" "Oh, for the future generations. That's all." They will reply. Nobody will reply, nobody knows about the necessity of the soul. That is the important point. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Nobody knows. Nobody has any vision of the ātma-tattva. Simply they are talking superfluously. This is the defect.
So as soon as you understand that "This is not... I am not in contact with tiger. It is all a dream," then you are delivered. Similarly, as soon as you understand, "All this material condition of life we are simply dreaming; I am actually servant of Kṛṣṇa," then you are liberated. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. If you keep in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," then you are liberated. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyaa kalpate (BG 14.26), Kṛṣṇa says. Immediately brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). He has no more lamentation, no more hankering. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. He can see everyone on equal vision. Because he knows, "Here is also another living entity." He is not a Chinaman. He is a part and parcel of God. He is not a Christian. He is not a Hindu. He is simply thinking like that. So give him Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real benefit, to bring him to the original position.
Just study this analysis of the whole world, this verse. This is Bhāgavata. By two lines the whole world is analyzed. Now you see the whole world is working under these two lines. Ramamāṇa guṇeṣu asyā. Guṇeṣv asyā. Ramamāṇo guṇeṣv asyā mamāham. And whole world is struggling: "This is mine. This is my country. I am Japanese." "I am Indian." "I am German. Let us fight. We shall take For country. We shall give our life." So many And after death, where is your country? Mister? Get up. Where is your country? Just see. This is going on. Mūḍha. Mūḍha, all rascals, all rascals. All rascals from our angle of vision. Why...? It is actual fact. One who has got eyes to see who is a rascal and who is intelligent Anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is a rascal. We accept him. He may be very big man, but a very big means means amongst the rascals, another set of rascals, because they are also under the influence of māyā. Just like in the society of asses, one ass is singing. (Imitates ass noise.) They ass feeling, "Oh, how nicely he is singing." (laughter) All asses. One ass is singing, and they appreciate. "Oh, great singer." And you are all, "Stop it! Stop it! Please stop it! Stop it. Stop it." This is going on. So all these leaders, all these rascals, they are all rascals. At least you must know. You may behave gentlemanly. That is your duty. But you should know that he is a rascal number one.
So our vision is different. We are not under the control of māyā. At least we should be like that. Then we remain in the transcendental state. Otherwise all these people, those who are not working under Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are under the influence of these material modes. So therefore they are all rascals. They are mistaken. Anyone who is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's a rascal. This should be our conclusion. So any question on this verse? It is very important. Every verse, Bhāgavata, every verse is illumination. (break) Therefore those who are yogis, ramante yoginaḥ anante, (CC Madhya 9.29) they are not desirous of enjoying this creation of māyā. Yoginaḥ anante. They want to enjoy in the association of the ananta, not māyā. Māyā is temporary. However māyā may exhibit in so many ways, it is temporary. This nice city or this nice country, this nice world, decorated—one day it will be finished, all finished. Pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedam **. When there will be inundation, all these planets will be merged into water, finished.
So we have to learn how to purify our senses. Then we can see God everywhere. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). Brahma-saṁhitā. Premāñjana-cchurita. When we develop love of God, prema añjana, that ointment... Just like we apply some ointment to the eyes to make it clear—our vision becomes clearer—similarly, there is ointment which is called love of Godhead. If we develop that love of Godhead, so by that ointment, when our imperfect eyes will be cleansed, then we can see God. This is the process. Ātma-tattva. So ātma-tattva viśuddhy-artham. Ātma-tattva. Yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. So the beginning of purification is first of all to understand "what I am. Am I this body or something else?" Ātma-tattva. If we can understand "myself, what I am," then I can understand God also. Or if I can understand God, then I can understand me also. Just like if you see the sun, you can see yourself also. In the darkness you cannot see yourself, neither the sun.
Pradyumna: (leads transliteration of verse 8 word by word.) divyam-pertaining to the demigods in the higher planets; sahasra—one thousand; abdam—years; amogha—spotless, without a tinge of impurity; darśanaḥ—one who has such a vision of life; jita—controlled; anila—life; ātmā—mind; vijita—controlled over; ubhaya—both; indriyaḥ—one who has such senses; atapyata—executed penance; sma—in the past; akhila—all; loka—planet; tāpanam—enlightening; tapaḥ—penance; tapīyān—extremely hard penance; tapatām—of all the executors of penances; samāhitaḥ—thus situated. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...memory was so sharp, that once heard, it is practiced immediately. In the Kali-yuga this memory is declining, and they are proud, "We are advanced." There is no question of advancement. It is simply degraded. But this is māyā. Falsely they are thinking, "We are advanced." In this age, memory will be reduced, duration of life will be reduced, people's merciful tendency will be reduced, strength of the body will be reduced. In this way everything will be reduced. Now we do not find very strong men, very strong memory, living for a long time, bodily strength. No. These are reducing. Now people are not merciful. One man is being killed before you in the street; nobody takes care. This is the sign of Kali-yuga. Everything will be reduced. Memory also being reduced. There are eight kinds of things reducing.
Pradyumna: (devotees repeating) sahasra—one thousand; abdam—years; amogha—spotless, without a tinge of impurity; darśanaḥ—one who has such a vision of life; jita—controlled; anila—life; ātmā—mind; vijita...
Prabhupāda: That anila, life. The soul is being carried by that anila, air. The yoga system is controlling the air, apāna, prāṇa, udāna. There are different kinds of air, passing. And the ātmā is within that air. The yoga system is to take the ātmā, sata-cakra(?), from down to up. That is yoga practice. So anila means life air, and the ātmā, the soul, is within the air. So by perfect yogic practice, with this air the yogi can transfer himself to any planet. That is yoga, not that showing some gymnastic without any rules and regulation, without following any principles. These are all bogus. Actual yoga practice is to control the air within this body. Then, by mechanical means, he can control, and at the perfection, the yogi can leave this body according to his will. That means unless he thinks that "I am now perfect; I can transfer to any planet," he does not leave the body. Therefore yogis... Still there are yogis who are seven hundred years old, three hundred years old, four hundred years. You see just like young man. Still in India you'll find such yogis. They can give complete history which happened two hundred years here. Simultaneously, history they can give. "This happened. This Englishman was here. He did..." like that.
Pradyumna: "Purport: Lord Brahmā then heard the occult sound tapa, but he did not see the person who vibrated the sound. And still he accepted the instruction as beneficial for him, and therefore he engaged himself in meditation for one thousand celestial years. One celestial year is equal to 6 x 30 x 12 x 1000 of our years. His acceptance of the sound was due to his pure vision of the absolute nature of the Lord. And due to his correct vision he made no distinction between the Lord and the Lord's instruction. There is no difference between the Lord and the sound vibration coming from Him, even though He is not personally present. The best way of understanding is to accept such a divine instruction, and Brahmā, the prime spiritual master of everyone, is the living example of this process of receiving transcendental knowledge. The potency of transcendental sound is never minimized because the vibrator is apparently absent. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the Bhagavad-gītā or any revealed scripture in the world is never to be accepted as an ordinary mundane sound without transcendental potency.
One has to receive the transcendental sound from the right source and accept it as a reality and prosecute the direction without any hesitation, and the secret of success is to receive the sound from the right source of a bona fide spiritual master. Mundane manufactured sound has no potency, and as such, seemingly transcendental sound received from an unauthorized person also has no potency. One should be qualified enough to discern such transcendental potency, and either by discriminating or by fortunate chance, if one is able to receive the transcendental sound from a bona fide spiritual master, his path of liberation is guaranteed. The disciple, however, must be ready to execute the order of the bona fide spiritual master, as Lord Brahmā executed the instruction of his spiritual master, the Lord Himself. Following the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the only duty of the disciple, and this completely faithful execution of the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the secret of success.
Lord Brahmā controlled his two grades of senses by means of sense perception and sense organs, because he had to engage such senses in the execution of the order of the Lord. Therefore controlling the senses means to engage them in the transcendental service of the Lord. The Lord's order descends in disciplic succession..."
Prabhupāda: If you simply engage your senses to execute the order of the Lord, then it is controlled. Otherwise, you cannot control. It is impossible because we have got our senses—they are very strong. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). The mind is the master of the senses. The central sense, the chief sense, the prime minister sense is the mind. Therefore Mahārāja Ambarīṣa first of all engaged his mind in Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ. If you engage your mind always to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then the sense deviation, sense going other, otherwise—immediately controlled. Immediately controlled. The senses are very strong. They are compared with serpents. Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī. Kāla-sarpa. Just like cobra. Someway or other, it touches—immediately death. So our senses are so strong that it is simply dragging us towards hell. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram (SB 7.5.30). Mind is dragging somewhere, eye is dragging somewhere, ear is dragging somewhere, and touch sensation is dragging somewhere. In this way we are perplexed.
So one has to do it. This is tattva-jñāna. Tattva-jñāna. Here it is said, tattva-mārga-agra-darśanam. This is tattva-jñāna. of course, as it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). The Absolute Truth are differently understood according to the different position of the student. The Absolute Truth... Some of them understand that Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman. And some of them understand the Absolute Truth as localized Paramātmā. And some of them understand the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. They are not different. Brahman, Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead—they are one. They are simply different phases. It is simply angle of vision. Just like a mountain from a very distant place, you'll see just like hazy cloud. And if you come nearer, then you see something green, very high, raised, I mean to say, earth. That is one vision. But you are seeing the mountain. From the distant place you see it is hazy cloud. As you come nearer, you see something green. And if you actually enter the mountain you'll find there are so many houses, so many trees, so many animals. The vision is the same mountain. But on account of my different position, I see hazy cloud or something green or something animated. But the final stage is the varieties. A mountain, there are so many trees, so many animals, so many men, so many houses—varieties.
The Absolute Truth, tattva... Tattva means the truth, original. Tat tvam asi. That tattva is Bhagavān. In the... The Absolute Truth is understood in three features, three angles of vision. The first is Brahman, impersonal Brahman. The second is localized Paramātmā. And the ultimate is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So Brahman realization is not complete realization of the Absolute Truth. Neither Paramātmā realization is absolute, or the complete understanding of the Absolute Truth. When you realize Bhagavān, then you understand what is Paramātmā, what is Brahman, and what is Absolute Truth. Yaj jñātvā... No. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. That is the Vedic instruction. If you understand Bhagavān, then you understand Paramātmā, you can understand Brahman also.
This is self-realization. Self-realization means to see one's proper identity. At the present moment we are not finding out our proper identity. We are seeing to the body. I see you, your body, and you see me, my body. We have no vision of the real person, which is, who is occupying this body. This is the first lesson we get from Bhagavad-gītā: dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehi... This body is called deha, and the owner of the body is called dehī. So
- dehino 'smin yathā dehe
- kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
- tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ...
- (BG 2.13)
So when we can see that we are not this body, "I am not this body," that is beginning of self-realization. That is called brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20) stage. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am not this material body." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is self-realization.
Therefore here it is said, bhaktyā pumāñ jāta-virāga. Bhakti is so powerful that if you engage yourself in the bhakti-mārga or bhakti-yoga... Here it is said, ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ (SB 3.25.26). Ṛjubhiḥ means very easy to perform. How? Now, dṛṣṭa-śrutān mad-racanānucintayā. Dṛṣṭa. You can see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is kind enough. Although Kṛṣṇa is beyond our vision—we cannot see with these eyes Kṛṣṇa—but Kṛṣṇa has agreed to be seen by you or by us. How? He has assumed this arcā-vigraha. Kṛṣṇa, this vigraha-don't think it is stone. Even it is stone you think, but Kṛṣṇa can become visible before you like a stone, because you cannot see beyond stone. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Because your eyes or senses are so imperfect that you cannot see Kṛṣṇa present everywhere in His original spiritual... We have got difference between spiritual and material. We have got because we are imperfect. But Kṛṣṇa has no such distinction. Because He is Absolute, He can become spiritual, He can become material, as He likes. That does not make any difference of Kṛṣṇa. Then how Kṛṣṇa is almighty, all-powerful? He can change matter into spirit, spirit into matter. That is Kṛṣṇa. So don't think that, as the atheist class men, they think, that "They are worshiping an idol." Even it is an idol, still Kṛṣṇa. That is absolute. That is absolute nature of Kṛṣṇa. Even you think it is stone, it is metal, it is wood, still, He is Kṛṣṇa.
These things can be understood not by ordinary person without any devotion. One who is bhakta, he can understand that Kṛṣṇa is everything and everything is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is everything—that is dṛṣṭa. When a bhakta sees a tree, he sees Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakta's vision.
It is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
- sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti
- sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti
- (CC Madhya 8.274)
A devotee, sthāvara-jaṅgama... Sthāvara means which cannot move. Just like tree, it cannot move, or a mountain, it does not move. And jaṅgama means moving. Just like we are moving, animals are moving, and other, so many other, living entities, they are moving. So a advanced devotee, he sees both of them, the standing, immovable and movable, but he does not see immovable or movable; he sees Kṛṣṇa.
He does not make any difference that "Here is a learned brāhmaṇa and here is a dog." Because he knows the learned brāhmaṇa has got a different body and the dog has got a different body. Ultimately the dog is also a spirit soul and the brāhmaṇa is also a spirit soul. That is his vision. It does not mean that he's so fool he makes a brāhmaṇa equal to the dog. No. That is not. But he knows the fact what is the dog and what is the brāhmaṇa. That is Brahman realization. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). Then the real bhakti begins.
So how this can be possible? This suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām is possible when one has surrendered himself to the Supreme Being. On His account, because he has surrendered to the Supreme Being, he is friend to all living being. Artificially you cannot. Artificially you select some section, the poorer section, and worship him like Nārāyaṇa, and you call him daridra-nārāyaṇa. But a devotee, if he has got vision of Nārāyaṇa, he will see the daridra-nārāyaṇa, the rich Nārāyaṇa, the chāga-nārāyaṇa, and the every Nārāyaṇa, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Why a section should be called Nārāyaṇa? If you have got such broader vision, that you are seeing Nārāyaṇa in everything, then what the rich man has done? He is also Nārāyaṇa. And the goat has... He is also Nārāyaṇa. The cow, he is also Nārāyaṇa. Then you should... If you have such broader vision, that you see everywhere Nārāyaṇa, then why should you specify a section, daridra-nārāyaṇa?
So it is not possible. So long one is not a devotee, one who is not on the transcendental platform, this equal vision is not possible. It is crippled, all crippled. Therefore bhakti-yoga should be animittā, ahaitukī. These words are used. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, ahaitukī (SB 1.2.6). "I am serving Kṛṣṇa..." The devotee is serving Kṛṣṇa not with any purpose; just to satisfy Him, not any purpose, my profit-Kṛṣṇa's profit.
We have got experience of this body. That is gross experience. Anyone can see. I see your body; you see my body. But you don't see me actually; I don't see you actually. We see or perceive your presence when the soul is off from the body. Then we cry, "Oh, my friend has gone away. My friend has gone away." Why your friend has gone away? He is lying here. Then we can perceive that "My real friend or my real father, the soul, who is different from this body..." And now, at the present moment, "He is my father, he is my friend, who is this body"—that is animal vision. That is not human being vision. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke...sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Animals also see, "Here is a friend dog. Here is my mother dog."
So we have no eyes to see. So we cannot see even the soul, minute soul, and how we can see God in these blunt eyes? And still we want to see God. We cannot see even you; you cannot see me. We are part and parcel of God. And how you can see God? Therefore it is said, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ: (CC Madhya 17.136) "The present senses is incapable of seeing God." Or seeing you and me. There is no spiritual vision. But we can perceive. Just like after death we can understand there was something which has gone away: "Now, the body which I was seeing is neither my father nor my friend. It is a lump of matter, that's all." This is knowledge.
The advanced devotee sees that he is not a devotee, but all others are devotees. This is advancement. But in the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, in the neophyte stage, they simply concentrate on the Deity. Arcāyām eva haraye yaḥ pūjāṁ śraddhayā īhate. That is required in the beginning. According to the prescribed duties as they are mentioned in the scriptures, one must take care of the Deity. But that unless a little farther advanced, he does not know who is a devotee and what is his function with others.
In the madhyama-adhikāra, when one still farther advances, he has got four kind of visions:
- īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
- bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
- prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
- yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
Madhyama-adhikārī is not only interested in Deity worship, but he knows who is a devotee and who is innocent and who is Bhagavān. Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu. Bāliśa means innocent. There are many innocent men. They... Actually, they do not know what is to be done, who is God. They are innocent. They are not offender. But there are other others who are offenders, dviṣat. Dviṣat means envious. They are immediately envious as soon as they hear of a devotee of God.
That's all. If you want to do business, do it very nicely, but give the profit to Kṛṣṇa. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Kṛṣṇa says, "Give it to Me." That is bhakti. Nothing is stopped, but you cannot do any unlawful. Bhakti does not mean you can do anything unlawful. But ultimate issue: whatever you do, if it is for Kṛṣṇa, that is rightful. Just like materially, Arjuna was trying to become very gentleman, nonviolent, Arjuna: "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight." People very much appreciate, "Just see, Arjuna is so gentle, he is trying to become nonviolent, and Kṛṣṇa is inducing him to become violent." This is the vision of the demons. They do not know, whatever Kṛṣṇa desires, that is rightful. Kṛṣṇa wanted Arjuna to fight. That is rightful. And Arjuna wanted to become nonviolent. That is not rightful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa chastised him, kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam: "Why you are talking like anārya?" Anārya-juṣṭam: "This kind of talking... You are kṣatriya, and you are not willing to fight. What is this? This kind of proposal is made by the anārya, uncivilized.
So one important thing, that "The statement in the Bhagavad-gītā that the mental situation at the time of death is the basis of the next birth is also corroborated in this verse." Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Generally, with our these material eyes, material senses, gross vision, we do not see how a person dying and he is being transformed to another body. The gross material scientists, scholars, because they cannot see with the eyes, they do not believe in, that there is soul and soul transmigrates from one body to another. Big, big scientists, big, big scholars, they do not believe. They think that life is nothing but a mixture of these material elements and at a time the vitality is finished; therefore everything is finished. But that is not the fact. The fact is the gross body is finished, but the subtle body—mind, intelligence, and ego—that remains with the soul. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The... Just like in dream we do not work with this gross body, but we work in dream with mind, intelligence and ego. We create another atmosphere, and in dream we see or we place ourself in a different atmosphere, although the gross body is resting on the bed.
So the sat-saṅga is very important, association. Therefore we have named this, "Kṛṣṇa conscious society." Anyone can join it. It doesn't matter what he is. And actually, it is... Practically we are doing. We are collecting, recruiting members, from all parts of the world without any distinction. The distinction is there in the material platform. In the spiritual platform there is no such distinction. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. That is the vision of the devotees. They see only the spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Their sympathy is for the spirit soul, that "Here is a spirit soul, and he is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. He is now bound up by this material bondage. Let me try to rescue him." Prahlāda Mahārāja said, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). They have become foolish. They are thinking that in material bondage he will be happy. That is not possible. Therefore Vaiṣṇavas like Prahlāda Mahārāja and his followers, they very seriously think of these fallen conditioned souls and try to rescue them, and in this Kali-yuga it is very easy. As I have already explained, kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ: "In this Kali-yuga it is a ocean of fault.
So if we keep Kṛṣṇa consciousness very active always, that means try to understand Kṛṣṇa from different angles of vision. Here also, as we are studying analytically the functions of agni, but what is this agni? This is also Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's energy. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā. Anala. Anala means agni. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. They are not different from Kṛṣṇa. Just like sunshine: sunshine is not different from Kṛṣṇa. Whenever there is sun, wherever there is sun, there is sunshine. Similarly, wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the Kṛṣṇa's energies are also there. Therefore Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu means all-pervading. So Kṛṣṇa's energies are spread everywhere, just like the illumination, dyotanam. It is called dyotanam, illumination. If the fire is there, there must be illumination. And you have seen in the morning—as soon as the sun, before the sun rising actually, before we can see the sun, immediately there is illumination, dyotanam. So the energy, sunshine, is the energy of the sun. it is always there. Sunshine is not differentiated from the sun. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's energy is not differentiated from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore fire is Kṛṣṇa's energy, air is Kṛṣṇa's energy, water is Kṛṣṇa's energy, land is Kṛṣṇa's energy, the sky is Kṛṣṇa's energy. This is Kṛṣṇa's all-pervasiveness or God's all-pervasiveness. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat: "Akhilam, the entire universe, is expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy."
This material world, we are living in darkness, hṛdayāndhakāram. Our heart is dark. We do not know what is what. So if you simply concentrate on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa as it is described—there are marks—then, in contact with such vision, your hṛdayāndhakāram, the dirty things, andhakāram... Andhakāram means darkness or dirty things. That will be āhata, off, attacked: "Get out!" Āhata. Jyotsnābhir āhata-mahad-dhṛdayāndhakāram. Mahat means very great. This is our material condition, that we are covered, absorbed in so many darkness, and still we want to show some intelligence. This is material existence. Therefore we always say "fools and rascals." He is... He does not know anything clearly, and simply he wants to see with imperfect eyes, imperfect instrument, microscope, telescope. What is the value of this? It is simply andhakāra. The whole world is... This is called darkness. We can... We experience every moment. If there was no sun, then what is the value of this world? We have got good experience. In the Western countries where there is no sun, it is hell, simply hell, simply hell without sun.
The contamination of material world is called seed. That is seed. Just like you infect some disease, germ, you become diseased. I have got some infection, so I am diseased. You may know it or not know it, that doesn't matter. If you infect, knowingly or unknowingly, you will be diseased. So what is that infection? That infection, that is stated in the Īśopaniṣad, we read every morning, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). This everything what we see, either in the sky or in the water or outside our vision, everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. So everything God's property. You cannot, even you are son of God, you cannot take anything without God's permission. Just like even your father's property. You'll inherit your father's... That's a fact. But suppose a father has got on the table one thousand dollars. If you take it without his permission, if you think that "It is my father's money," but by law you become a criminal. Your father can prosecute you criminally. That is the state law.
Don't take it that it is a type of sectarian religion. No. It is a culture. It is meant for every human being. Therefore we are trying to propagate this movement all over the world, without any consideration of caste, creed and nation. Because we don't see, "This is Englishman, this is European, this is American." No. We have no such vision. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). One who is really learned, he sees everyone on the equal level: soul, spirit soul.
- vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
- brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
- śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
- paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
- (BG 5.18)
One who is paṇḍita, he'll see equally a learned brāhmaṇa and a dog. Why? Because he knows, "Here is a brāhmaṇa and here is a dog. But a dog, by his karma, by his work, he has accepted this dog's body, and the brāhmaṇa has accepted by his karma the brāhmaṇa's body. The king has accepted a king's body. But these are..." Just like we are sitting here. We are not studying what kind of dress you have got. Now, you are also not studying what kind of dress I have got.
Prabhupāda: Bhārata, Bhārata Mahārāja, yes.
Guest (1): You have very named... I couldn't get it. I feel, personally for myself, that the Bhārata was the new vision of the self as the fulfiller, and from that, it has been derived.
Prabhupāda: There are two, three Bhāratas. So Śakuntalā's son was Bhārata, and Rāmacandra's brother was Bhārata, and the Ṛṣabhadeva's son was Bhārata. But from the sastric information we understand this Bhārata-varṣa is meant from the name, from the name of Ṛṣabhadeva's son Bhārata.
Guest (1): Name of?
Prabhupāda: Bhārata.
Guest (1): And you say it has been derived from the twelfth son, Bhārata.
Prabhupāda: Yes. He had one hundred sons. The eldest son's name was Bhārata.
So we are follower of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We do not accept this Śaṅkara's philosophy, that the world is mithyā. No. It is fact. It is fact. Because unless it... But the vision is different. Vision is different. That is called māyā. What is the fact? The fact: this world is created by Kṛṣṇa, or God; therefore it is God's property. But we are thinking our property. That is false. That is the meaning of Śaṅkarācārya's..., that you are thinking that it is your country. No. It is Kṛṣṇa's country. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Why you are falsely claiming your and fighting yourself? This is false. Not the world is false, but the acceptance of the world falsely, that is false. Not the world is false. That is fact.
So we must have common sense to understand and understand through other sources also.
So here it is said, mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā, always very peaceful. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa śāntā. There is no disturbance. Because he knows himself, he is not disturbed by any material conditions. Ahaituky apratihatā. Spiritual advancement of life is never hindered by any material condition. It is not that "I am under such and such condition. I cannot make any advancement in spiritual life." No. Spiritual advancement is never checked by material condition. Therefore it is said praśāntā. Vimanyavaḥ: "He is never angry, never angry." Vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ. Su... And well-wisher for everyone. That is the vision of mahānta. He is seeing that "Without God consciousness, without his relationship with God, he is suffering." Suhṛdaḥ sādhavaḥ. Sādhava, sādhu. The sum and substance... Sādhu means saintly person. So who is saintly person? Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 3.25.21). Sādhu means, saintly person means, titikṣava, tolerant, tolerant, without being disturbed. Now, in the Western countries Lord Jesus Christ, the tolerant. He is being crucified; still, he is praying to God, "Please excuse them." So of course, his position is different.
Poor is God? Then why rich is not God? If you have so broad vision, that you see God everywhere, so why you make distinction between poor God and rich God? Why you make distinction? If poor is God, the rich is also God. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). If you have got so broader vision, then why you distinguish between poor and rich. A paṇḍita, a learned scholar,
- vidyā-vinaya sampanne
- brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
- śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
- paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
- (BG 5.18)
Sama-darśī means he has no distinction. Why you should make distinction between poor and rich? That is sama-darśī. As soon as you make distinction, then your vision is imperfect. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, samata (BG 18.54). Not that I distinguish between this particular class to another particular. That is not brahma-darśana, neither it is sama-darśana.
So vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavaḥ. Sādhavaḥ. Sādhu. Generally sādhu means devotee. Otherwise not sādhu. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. There is a description of sādhu also. That is suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām ajāta-śatru sādhava sadhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikām. These are the symptoms of sādhu. Very tolerant and kind, titikṣava-kāruṇikā. And suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām: and he's friend of all living entities, not that daridra-nārāyaṇa sevā and cow-nārāyaṇa killing. If you have got such vision that Nārāyaṇa is everywhere, why should you distinguish daridra-nārāyaṇa, dhani-nārāyaṇa, cow-nārāyaṇa, goat-nārāyaṇa? It is not that for the humankind Just like it is going on, nationality. What is this nonsense "nationality"? "Nationality" means one who is born in that country. This is the general definition. So why you are giving protection to the human being and killing the cows and goats? They are not national? This means short-sighted. Because they haven't got Kṛṣṇa consciousness they are always crippled. They do not know what is the meaning of nationalism, but they are pushing on nationalism. Rascalism.
Pradyumna: "If one is serious about going back to home, back to Godhead, he must consider the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead the summum bonum and chief aim of life. If he is a father instructing his sons, a spiritual master instructing his disciples, or a king instructing his citizens, he must instruct them as I have advised. Without being angry, he should continue giving instructions, even if his disciple, son or citizen is sometimes unable to follow his order. Ignorant people who engage in pious and impious activities should be engaged in devotional service by all means. They should always avoid fruitive activity. If one puts into the bondage of karmic activity his disciple, son or citizen who is bereft of transcendental vision, how will one profit? It is like leading a blind man to a dark well and causing him to fall in."
Prabhupāda:
- putrāṁś ca śiṣyāṁś ca nṛpo gurur vā
- mal-loka-kāmo mad-anugrahārthaḥ
- itthaṁ vimanyur anuśiṣyād ataj-jñān
- na yojayet karmasu karma-mūḍhān
- kaṁ yogayan manujo 'rthaṁ labheta
- nipātayan naṣṭa-dṛśaṁ hi garte
- (SB 5.5.15)
So there are two kinds of ruler or controller. One is the government, and the other is the teacher. Or guru means spiritual master. Spiritual master can control. The disciples obey the order of the spiritual master out of love. Guror-hitam. This is brahmacārī. Brahmacārī guru-gṛhe vasan dānto guror hitam. What guru wants, the brahmacārī has to do, not for his hitam. Just like Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa: śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7).
"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater or outcaste." (Bg 5.18) This sama-darśinaḥ, equal vision, should not be mistaken to mean that the individual is the same as the Supreme Lord. They are always distinct. Every individual person is different from the Supreme Lord. It is a mistake to equate the individual living entity with the Supreme Lord on the plea of vivikta-dṛk, sama-dṛk. The Lord is always in an exalted position, even though He agrees to live everywhere. Śrīla Madhvācārya, quoting Padma Purāṇa, states, vivikta-dṛṣṭi-jīvānāṁ dhiṣṇyatayā parameśvarasya bheda-dṛṣṭiḥ: "One who has clear vision and who is devoid of envy can see that the Supreme Lord is separate from all living entities, although He is sitauted in every living entity."
So we have to learn through bhakti-yoga how to see Kṛṣṇa, how to understand Him. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāniḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). These are required. You cannot jump over Kṛṣṇa and see Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. So everything is sitting place of Kṛṣṇa. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). He is even within the atom, so why not within yourself? He is everywhere. This vision should be developed. And vivikta-dṛgbhis tad ahārhaṇam. If you see in that way, that Kṛṣṇa is everywhere present But that presence can be experienced by love and devotion. There is no other way.
So mahā-bhāgavata means he is above the madhyama-adhikārī. He does not see anyone nondevotee. He sees everyone devotee. He sees all living entities existing in Kṛṣṇa, and he sees Kṛṣṇa is living within the heart of everyone. That is mahā-bhāgavata. What is that verse? Sarva... Mayi paśyati. Yo mām... He is mahā-bhāgavata. He is mahā-bhāgavata. He is broad-visioned. Everything. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam (BG 9.4). In everything He sees Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's hand, Kṛṣṇa's energy. Actually that is the fact. What is this microphone? This is also Kṛṣṇa because what is this? This is made of this material gross matter. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva (BG 7.4). Bhūmi... From earth the iron comes, the aluminium comes, the wood comes. So this is combination of bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ, Kṛṣṇa's energy. Therefore it is Kṛṣṇa. Śakti śaktimatayor abheda. There is no difference between śakti and śaktimat. Śaktimat is Kṛṣṇa, and śakti, the manifestation of His energy, of, I mean to say, gross energy Prakṛtir me bhinnā aṣṭadhā. Bhinnā... Just like I am speaking, and this is recorded in the tape recorder, but when replayed, you will find that I am speaking. But I am not there. Bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. This is bhinnā, originally coming from Kṛṣṇa, but it is an energy where you cannot find Kṛṣṇa directly. But it is Kṛṣṇa's energy.
Yes, following Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes in the Dvāpara-yuga. There are four periods of each yuga: Sattva, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. So Kṛṣṇa comes at the end of Dvāpara-yuga, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes in the Kali-yuga. So almost about the same year, same circulation. Just like the sun appears after so many hours. It is like that. And the sun does not disappear. Sun is already there in the sky. It may not be in Australia's vision, but it may be in other country's vision. The sun is not dead. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa appears by rotation in this universe after so many years, eight billion and billion years. So next He goes to another universe. Just like the sun, after disappearance from Australia, it goes to another country. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, after finishing His business in this universe, He goes to another universe. In this way the rotation takes eight million, nine billion years. Just imagine how many universes are there. He stays in one universe for 125 years. Everything is there, calculation, in the śāstra. Now we can imagine how many universes are there. That is, altogether, material world.
So in this subject matter, topics between Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, there is... Parīkṣit Mahārāja is anxious to know how these conditioned souls who are rotting in the hellish condition of life, they can be delivered. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is first of all prescribing that they have to make atonement. Just like I gave you the example: If one man has committed criminal activities, he has to atone for the sinful activity. He must be arrested. He must be put into the jail and given some trouble for a certain period of time. And then he may be given freedom. So this atonement is there, by nature's law. You cannot avoid it. If you think that "God cannot see. I am doing this nonsense without His vision," that is wrong. Anything we do, that is recorded just like the service record. And the judgment... Just like in other literatures, there is the day of judgment. That's fact. We have to accept the judgment of the superior superintendent of all our activities.
So you take advantage of it. Don't spoil life. Labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29). This human form of life is obtained after many, many millions of years. We have to come through the evolutionary process from aquatics to plants, trees, insects, serpents, birds, beasts. In this way we have come to this human form of life. And in this life we can hear about Kṛṣṇa, think about Kṛṣṇa, see Kṛṣṇa's Deity, so many opportunities. And if you take this opportunity, be accustomed to think of Kṛṣṇa... When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, means God. Kṛṣṇa is the God, Supreme. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So Kṛṣṇa has very kindly agreed to come to your city, Denver city, this temple. Take advantage of it. Come daily, see Kṛṣṇa, think of Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, and be happy. This is our movement. We want to see that everyone is happy. That is the Vedic vision. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. This is human life. Human life means paropakāra. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, to do others something auspicious. That is human life.
This is sum and substance, what we mean by dharma. That means dharma cannot be manufactured by any conditioned soul. Conditioned souls, they are subjected to so many deficiencies; therefore they cannot create any dharma. That will not be accepted as dharma. Here, as the assistants of Yamarāja says, that veda-praṇihito dharmo... Dharma means what is stated in the Vedas. And Vedas means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sākṣād, directly. Just like when you speak, when you speak or hear Bhagavad-gītā, immediately we should know—at least this vision we take—that Kṛṣṇa is directly speaking. And if we interpret, then the whole thing is lost. That is not Bhagavad-gītā, and that is going on, malinterpretation of Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone is taking Bhagavad-gītā, and he is interpreting in his own way. So that is not Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā means as Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). But a commentator, big commentator, says, "Oh, it is not to Kṛṣṇa, to the person." Just see. This kind of commentary is going on.
Yes, but sometimes... That depends on the person. Sometimes... Those who are pious persons, they know that these rats, they are also hungry and they should be given some food. That is the vision of the pious person. And that is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in your house you should see not only to the welfare of your children. Even there is a lizard, there is a rat, even there is a snake, you should see how he is also comfortably situated. That is spiritual communism. In Vṛndāvana still, a snake found in the house is never killed, snake. Still a rat is never killed. If you kill a rat in Vṛndāvana, then so many people will come: "Oh, you are committing such sinful acts. You are killing a rat." That depends on the mentality of the person. You can take care of this animal, I mean to say, against the disturbance created by this animal, but you cannot kill them. That is not.
Everything is being done by the manifestation of energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Everywhere there is control of Kṛṣṇa. So don't think that in the flower some nice color has come without any supervision or control. Don't think. That is nonsense. Not by chance. It is under Kṛṣṇa's direction. He has got artistic sense. Not like us. He can dictate to show(?) the various varieties of living entities, all varieties, trees and so many things, there are varieties. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi: nine hundred thousand different forms of fishes, from big to small. There are whale fishes. There is another big fish; they can swallow up the whale fishes, so big, jala-hasti. They are within the ocean. How many we know? We are... The Nirviśeṣa-vādīs' philosophy is like that, that on the ocean we see it is simply water. No, that is not actual vision. You should take knowledge from the experience. What is that? Now within the ocean there are nine hundred thousand different forms of life. You rascal, you are thinking that there is nothing, nirviśeṣa.
So he knows everything even from within his mind, manasaiva pūrva-rūpaṁ vipaśyati, what this person was in the past, because everything is going on exactly on the rulings of the prakṛti, material nature. It cannot be changed. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). This is called destiny. So destiny cannot be changed. With the insight of destiny Yamarāja can understand what was this man previously, what is his position now, and what he's going to become in future. Anumīmāṁsate 'pūrvam. Apūrvam means that which is not yet in vision. Apūrvam, future. Manasā bhagavān ajaḥ. That is also... So therefore he can give judgment within a second. After death those who are sinful they are taken to the Yamarāja's. Just like in the criminal court, those who are criminals, they are taken there. Thieves, rogues, cheater—not ordinary persons, honest persons—they are not taken there. Similarly, only a few number of the whole human society. Now in the Kali-yuga it is increasing. In the Satya-yuga, Satya-yuga, there was no criminal. Everyone was paramahaṁsa. Then, in the next yuga, Tretā-yuga, seventy-five percent paramahaṁsa, first class; twenty-five percent this third class, fourth class. And then in the Dvāpara, half and half. Now in the Kali-yuga, seventy-five percent all rogues and thieves. Maybe twenty-five percent, that is also decreasing. And with the advancement of Kali-yuga, it will be practically nil. This is advancement of Kali-yuga.
So religion means what is given by God. Dharmāṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-pranītam. You cannot manufacture religion, nonsense, give this dharma, that dharma, that dharma. No. Dharma is only one. That is bhāgavata-dharma. Otherwise there is no dharma. They are all cheating. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). The fight between different religious principles, religious followers—"I am Hindu," "You are Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddhist," "My religion is better," "Your religion is bad"—these are all not religion. Real religion is bhāgavata-dharma. In any other religion there is para-hiṁsa. Para-hiṁsa. In the history you will find many instances. In our country I have seen fight between Hindus and Muslims. And in the history you will find Europe, the Prostestants, and the Roman Catholics, and the Crusades. So this kind of religion has no value. Religion means when one understands Kṛṣṇa, or God, he understands automatically that all living entities are Kṛṣṇa's part and parcels. Some way or other, they have been put into this māyā. Anādi bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela. They have forgotten. Therefore a devotee tries to bring them back to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, back to home, back to Godhead. This is vision. He has no discrimination that "Here is a Hindu. Here is a Muslim. Here is a Christian. Here is an African. Here is a white. Here is a black." No. "Everyone is Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. Let them revive their Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be happy." That is religion. All others cheating.
In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that the living entity never is born, neither never dies. Na hanyamāne hanyate, hanyamāne śarīre. Then "I see that he is dying." Oh, that is dying not, that is his finishing his this present body. The example is given, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like one person changes his dress, similarly, when this dress, the present body, is unworkable... Just like one man cannot see. What do you mean by "cannot see"? When the power of vision is no longer working or the spectacle is broken, therefore he cannot see. Similarly, when the all the senses will be broken or cannot work... Just like eye cannot, the eyes cannot work, therefore it is blind, similarly, the hand cannot work, the leg cannot work, the tongue cannot work because at the last stage when this mechanical arrangement of this body will stop to function, that is called death. That you try to understand, that as because I cannot see, it does not mean I am dead. Similarly, because the senses of the body cannot function, that also does not mean that I am dead. It is to be understood with little intelligence and with cool head.
Because the time has changed. You have to take, consider according to the time, circumstances, atmosphere. Here, at the present moment, our mind is so disturbed that concentration of meditation is not possible. But this chanting, as soon as we chant, by force our mind is engaged in chanting and hearing, by force: "Hare Kṛṣṇa." So even my mind is disturbed, by the vibration I am attracted. So that is, this meditation is recommended. Other meditation, if I sit down and think, I am thinking of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, which is red. At once a red bird comes in my vision and the bird begins to fly and it goes away. You see? So that kind of artificial meditation will not succeed. Meditation is not actually possible in this age.
The expansion of the Absolute Truth how it is working, so Kṛṣṇa summarized before Arjuna that this material world, material world... Ekāṁśena sthito jagat, this material world. What is that material world? This material world, we see only one universe to our vision. Similarly, there are millions of universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jadad-aṇḍa koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa means one universe. And in each universe, koṭiṣu aśeṣa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭisv aśeṣu vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). There are millions of planets and each planet is different from here. That is God's creation. So all this together, ekāṁśena sthito jagat, this material world is one-fourth part exhibition of God's creation. And three-fourths' part is in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, spiritual world. So by speculation, by our research, it is impossible, but we can get a glimpse of knowledge of the Absolute Truth when we receive it through the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
So we have been discussing instruction of Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five-years-old boy, instructing his class fellows. So self-analysis. And he says, "When self-analysis is complete, then the result will be that the person who is in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness after studying self-analysis, his vision will be universal." That is the stage of universal understanding.
- vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
- brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
- śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
- paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
- (BG 5.18)
In the Bhagavad-gītā you have read that a learned person, who is actually learned, he sees everyone on the equal level, sama-darśinaḥ. How? Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne. A person who is very highly learned, very gentle, civilized, vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe, and a brāhmaṇa, still higher, intellectual personality, gavi, a cow, hasti, means an elephant, śuni, the dog, śva-pāke ca, and the dog-eaters, śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama, all these—there are different varieties of living condition—but still, one who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he sees everyone on the same level. How it is, that? Has he become a madman, that a highly intellectual person and the dog, he sees on the equal level? Yes. Because he is not seeing on the material platform; he is seeing on the spiritual platform. In the spiritual platform, there is no distinction. The all distinction is due to our material conception of life. Varieties, the bodies, there are 8,400,000 varieties of bodies, and because we are under the concept of this bodily, I mean to say, identification, therefore we see so many varieties.
So as soon as one is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not see anyone bad. Everyone he sees, he is sādhu. Sādhu means saintly. So that, his vision, completely changes. He does not see any enemy. There are three stages of development in spiritual life, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The first stage is when he's under the training. That is called neophyte stage. That, in that stage, he offers his respect to the Deity.
- arcāyāṁ eva haraye
- śraddhayā yaḥ iṣṭān pūjān
- kriyate na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
- sa bhaktaḥ prakṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
- (SB 11.2.47)
In the beginning stage, he offers respect to the Deity in the church or in the temple or in the mosque, according to different religious conceptions, but he has no idea who is actually devotee, and what is his duty towards others. He does not know. This is the first stage. But he has got good faith in religion and in God. That is the beginning.
The intermediate stage is that he sees four things: īśvara, the Lord, the Supreme Lord, and then His devotee, tad-adhīne. Tad-adhīna means one who has accepted subordination of the Supreme Lord. He is called devotee, or one who has surrendered. So he sees God, God's devotee, and bāliśa. Bāliśa means innocent person, one who has no sense what is God, neither he's against God, he's called bāliśa. And dviṣatsu. And there are atheists. Atheist class, they will, as soon as they hear of God, oh, they become fire. So dviṣatsu, they are envious of the Lord. So these four classes are visioned in the second stage. And he deals with four classes differently: he loves God, he makes friendship with devotee of God, and he instructs sincerely, just like Cai..., Prahlāda Mahārāja is instructing to his friends because they are innocent. They are neither against nor for. So he is instructing them. But those who are dviṣat... His father..., he was not instructing his father because he knew that his father was atheist number one. So he was avoiding. So this is the second stage.
If he chastises his son, it is not chastisement; it is favor. The devotees can understand that even sometimes we meet very reverse condition of life, it is also favor. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇaḥ (SB 10.14.8). Anyone who can see that this unfavorable condition of life is also another favor of Kṛṣṇa... Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇaḥ. "Even there is some suffering, it is not given by Kṛṣṇa. I am suffering on account of my past misdeeds, and Kṛṣṇa is so kind that I would have suffered many hundred thousand times more than the present suffering, but Kṛṣṇa is adjusting the whole thing by little suffering." This is the vision of devotee. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjana evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam. Ātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam. A devotee never accuses Kṛṣṇa that "Kṛṣṇa, I am serving You so nicely, and You are giving me so much suffering?" No. This is not devotee's view. Devotee will take that "This so-called suffering is also Kṛṣṇa's favor." Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇaḥ. So those who are going forward with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they should not be, I mean, a debtor to any condition of life.
And uttama-adhikārī, that is very rarely attained, this stage. Uttama-adhikārī, has only equal, one vision, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate. The uttama-adhikārī, he does not think that "He is envious," or "he is this," or "he is that," he sees that everyone is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not to be imitated. That Prahlāda Mahārāja is like that. He did not know who is his enemy and who is friend. No, he did not know. He is uttama-adhikārī, mahā-bhāgavata. So this mahā-bhāgavata, this word is very important in this verse, mahā-bhāgavato 'rbhakaḥ. Immediately, as soon as Brahmā requested, "My dear boy, please pacify." No hesitation, immediately he fell down. Upetya bhuvi kāyena. He is always at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and, as a child, immediately as Brahmā said, immediately he did. Kāyena upetya nanāma, as it is, he was not to be lesson, that you meant like this, fall down this, no, he knows, everything. Life after life he is doing that. Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe, nitya-siddha kori māne. Whenever there is Kṛṣṇa's incarnation, just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as soon as He advented Himself, immediately there was Advaitācārya, Nityānanda, and other, many, many devotees. They are guarāṅgera saṅgi, they are not sādhana-bhakti, they are eternally associate. So similarly Prahlāda Mahārāja is also eternally associate. Whenever there is need, by the order of Kṛṣṇa, he is present there to execute the order of Kṛṣṇa. This is our position. Eternal servant.
But one must make advance. This is advancement of devotional service. By simply we remain stuck up in Deity worship, we do not feel for others—na cānyeṣu na tad-bhakta—you do not know who is devotee, how to worship him, then we remain kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. And madhyama-adhikārī means he must know his position, others' position, devotee's position, God's position, and that is madhyma-adhikārī. Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca. He'll have four kinds of vision: Bhagavān, īśvara; tad-adhīneṣu, he's one who has taken shelter of Bhagavān—that means devotee—īśvare tad-adhīneṣu baliśu, innocent children, just like these children, baliśa, arbhakaḥ; and dviṣatsu, envious. A madhyama-adhikārī can see these four different persons, and he deals with them differently. What is that? Prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā. Īśvara, to love God, Kṛṣṇa, prema. And maitrī. Maitrī means to make friendship. One who is devotee, we should make friendship with him. We should not be envious. We should make friend. Maitrī. And innocent, just like these children, kṛpa—to show them mercy, how they'll become devotee, how they'll learn chanting, dancing. Give them food. Give them education. This is called kṛpa. And last, upekṣā. Upekṣā means those who are envious, don't take. Don't associate with them. Upekṣā. "No, let him..."
So these things are taught, those who are attached to work, for them; those who are attached to philosophy, for them; those who are attached to yoga system, for them; and those who are devotees, for them it is certainly. So from all angles of vision, when one comes to the point that kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya, if one is engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, then everything is perfect. That is the conclusion of Bhāgavata. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). You... How you can test that the particular engagement in which you are occupied, whether it is successful or not? How it is to be tested? The Bhāgavata gives you the formula. What is that, the formula? Now, saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). You just try to see whether by your work Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, has become satisfied. If you see that He is satisfied, then whatever work you are doing, either you are philosopher or a businessman or a scientist, or anything, politician... There are so many occupational duties. But you have to test whether that is giving you real perfection. That test is that you have to see whether by your activity the Supreme Lord is satisfied. Then... This is a great science.
Although the atheist class of men may think that they are engaged in idol worship, it is not idol. Those who are atheist, they may see idol, stone. But those who are devotees, they see sākṣād brajendranandana hari. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He entered the Jagannātha temple, as soon as He saw Jagannātha, immediately fainted, "Oh, my Lord, here You are." So it is a question of vision. Somebody is going to Jagannātha temple, he is seeing a wooden carved statue, that's all. And he is surprised, "Why for this wooden carved statue so many people are coming?" Because they are not devotee, they cannot understand. But one devotee, thousands and millions of devotees are going every year. Are they going to worship an idol? So this is the difference between the devotee and the nondevotee. A devotee knows that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa and everything is the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Therefore, they want to employ everything to the service of the Lord, and they remain always blissful, transcendental. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Newspaper man has poor vision. He's seeing "Indian" and "American" and "Canadian." So his vision is poor. If anyone thinks that "This Swamiji is coming from India, and the Americans or Canadians, they are offering their respect in that way," so he has to expand his vision in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That... Just like it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that,
- brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
- na śocati na kāṅkṣati
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
- (BG 18.54)
So these obei... (break) ...is taught, just like Kṛṣṇa is asking everybody, Arjuna, that mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is our system. Just like anyone who comes to the temple, he at once offers by falling flat, offering respect to the Deity. And the spiritual master is accepted as representative of the Deity. He's the living representative. That is the system everywhere. Just like in our India somebody was going as viceroy, representative of the King in England. Oh, he was being offered all the respect of a king. Nobody bothered, "Oh, he's coming from England. Why a brāhmaṇa should offer respect to the viceroy?" No. They never grudged. That is a system.
So the sannyāsī replied, "All right. Give me some ashes. Just begin your charity." Just begin your charity. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa, when He wants, "Give Me a little flower, a little fruit, a little water," it does not mean that He is begging. He is just inducing me to the practice of offering everything which belongs to Kṛṣṇa.
- īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ
- yad kiñcid jagatyāṁ jagat
- tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
- mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam
- (ISO 1)
The Īśopaniṣad instructs us that everything that is within your vision, it belongs to Īśa, the Supreme Lord. Whatever you see, whatever you have got, that does not belong to you; it belongs to God. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā. This is the first verse in Īśopaniṣad. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā. You can simply enjoy whatever is given to you as prasādam. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. Don't touch any other's property. This is the instruction of Īśopaniṣad.
This equal vision is possible for a learned man who sees a learned brāhmaṇa, a dog, an elephant, a cow, on the same basis. What is that basis? Spiritual understanding. So unless you are in the spiritual platform, the so-called knowledge has no value. That is not knowledge. That is ignorance. So real knowledge means spiritual knowledge, that "I am Brahman. I am spirit." Then,
- brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
- na śocati na kāṅkṣati
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
- (BG 18.54)
Other things will follow, and he will be very jolly. This is... A person in knowledge should be in, I mean to say, happiness. That is a sign of knowledge. So one who is in knowledge, he is not disturbed. What was my answer? Huh? (break) Yad anyat tad ajñānam iti matam. Bhagavad-gītā, Bhagavān said. He has given the definition of knowledge, eighteen items. You'll find in the Thirteenth Chapter. Ahiṁsā. What is called? There are eighteen items. You'll find in the Thirteenth Chapter.
In this way we are wandering throughout the universe, because unless we become Kṛṣṇa conscious, unless we have taken fully shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, there is no stoppage of this repetition of birth and death, neither there is any peace or happiness. We must know this from all angles of vision and stick to Kṛṣṇa consciousness very rigidly. Then we shall be happy. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja requests Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva that "I have tried life after life to get peace and become happy and friendly, but I have failed. Now, Kṛṣṇa..." Prahlāda Mahārāja says, vada me tava dāsya-yogam: "Because I am now convinced that without Your becoming servant, there is no more chance for peace and prosperity of this troublesome world."
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritaḥ (BG 9.11). When Kṛṣṇa comes just like ordinary human being and keeps with the Pāṇḍavas, people take Him as ordinary human being. That is mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. In everything there is Kṛṣṇa. Simply we have to purify our vision to see Kṛṣṇa in every atom, everywhere, whatever we... That is the highest perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhi nā dekhe tāra mūrti, sarvatra sphūraya tāra iṣṭa deva mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). When one is fully advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he sees this world... The world is full of sthāvara-jaṅgama. Some things, some articles, are moving; some articles are not moving. Just like tree—it is not moving, but an animal is moving. This is sthāvara-jaṅgama. So he is seeing the tree or the animals or the hill or the water or the river or the ground. So because he is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he sees nothing but Kṛṣṇa everywhere. Sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhi nā dekhe tāra mūrti. He does not see anything else except Kṛṣṇa. And actually that is the fact. Simply we have to purify our eyes, then we can see in everything. He is in the atom even. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. But because we are not qualified, therefore we cannot see. One who is qualified, he can see. There is no question of seeing Kṛṣṇa in a particular place.
| Page Title: | Vision (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 14 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=110, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 110 |