Now anyone who can approach that spiritual sky will not be required to come back again in this material sky. So long we are in the material sky, what to speak of approaching the moon planet.... The moon planet, of course, is the nearest planet, but even we approach the highest planet, which is called Brahmaloka, there also we have the same miseries of material life, I mean to say, the miseries of birth, death, old age, and diseases. No planets in the material universe is free from the four principles of material existence. The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). The living entities are traveling from one planet to another. It is not that we can simply go to other planets by the mechanical arrangement of the sputnik. Anyone who desires to go to other planet, there is process. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). If anyone wants to go to any other planet, say, moon planet, we need not try to go by the sputnik. The Bhagavad-gītā instructs us, yānti deva-vratā devān. These moon planets or sun planets or the planets above this Bhūloka, they are called Svargaloka. Svargaloka. Bhūloka, Bhuvarloka, Svargaloka. There are different status of planets. So Devaloka, they are known just like that. The Bhagavad-gītā gives a very simple formula that you can go to the higher planets, Devaloka. Yānti deva-vratā devān. Yānti deva-vratā devān. Deva-vratā, if we practice the process of worshiping the particular demigod, then we can go to that particular planet also. We can go to the sun planet even, we can go to the moon planet, we can go to the heavenly planet, but Bhagavad-gītā does not advise us to go to any one of these planets in the material world because even we go to the Brahmaloka, the highest planet, which is calculated by the modern scientist that we can reach the highest planet by traveling with sputniks for 40,000 years. Now it is not possible to live 40,000 years and reach the highest planet of this material universe.
What to speak of... (Lectures, BG ch 1 - 4)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
As it is said that one who drinks the water of the Ganges, he also gets salvation, then what to speak of Bhagavad-gītā? Bhagavad-gītā is the nectar in the whole Mahābhārata, and is spoken by Viṣṇu. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu-vaktrād viniḥsṛtam. It is coming out of the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And gaṅgodakaṁ, the Ganges is said to be emanated from the lotus feet of the Lord, and Bhagavad-gītā is emanated from the mouth of the Lord. Of course, there is no difference between the mouth and the feet of the Supreme Lord. Still, from neutral position we can study that Bhagavad-gītā is even more important than the Ganges water.
- sarvopaniṣado gāvo
- dogdhā gopāla-nandana
- pārtho vatsaḥ su-dhīr bhoktā
- dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat
Just... This Gītopaniṣad is just like a cow, and the Lord is famous as cow boy, and He was milking this cow. Sarvopaniṣado. And it is the essence of all Upaniṣads and represented as the cow. And the Lord being expert cow boy, He is milking the cow. And pārtho vatsaḥ. And Arjuna is just like the calf. And su-dhīr bhoktā. And learned scholars and pure devotees, they are to take this milk. Su-dhīr bhoktā dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat. The nectar, the milk of Bhagavad-gītā, is meant for learned devotees.
"I cannot spare even so much land which can hold the point of a needle." Then the war was declared. There is no question of settlement. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa requested that "These five Pāṇḍavas, they are kṣatriyas. They cannot become merchant or brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa's profession is paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigrahaḥ. Brāhmaṇa can take charity from others. A sannyāsī can take charity from others. Not a kṣatriya or a gṛhastha. No. That is not allowed. "So they are kṣatriyas; they cannot take the professions of a brāhmaṇa, neither they can take the profession of a mercantile man, business man. They must have some land so that rule over, take taxation. And that is their living means.
So spare only five villages to these five brothers and settle up." But Duryodhana replied, "No, Sir. What to speak of five villages, we cannot spare even so much land which can hold the point of needle." Then the war was declared. So Vaiṣṇava, they are non-violent. But if need be, they can become violent for Kṛṣṇa's sake. This is the Battle of Kurukṣetra. So any more? Or end here? All right, end here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (End)
That is the nature. Dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41). These are four principles of human activities. First beginning is dharma. Dharma means to abide by the orders of the Supreme. That is dharma. So people do not know who is the Supreme and what is His order. So what kind of religion? They accept dharma as religion, faith, a superfluous faith only. But that is not dharma, religion. Dharma means to abide by the orders of the Supreme. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). That is the meaning of dharma: obedience to God. There is no conception of God, and what to speak of obedience. But this is the simple meaning of religion: obedience to God. That's all, three words. God is the supreme proprietor, God is the maintainer... Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Therefore we are maintained, we are predominated, we are servant, we should remain obedient to God. This is religion. Where is the difficulty? Unfortunately, they do not know what is God, what is His command, what is religion. They do not know. They manufacture. And because they do not know the simple process, they are called durbuddhi, not very nicely intelligent. A rascal, in other words.
So is there any difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa? But this rascal will not take it. Persistent. "Oh, why Kṛṣṇa can be accepted? I have got a God, manufactured." This is misfortune. Durbhaga, durbuddhi, miscreant rascal. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). These are the qualifications of persons who do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa: miscreants, mischievous, sinful, mūḍha, rascal, asses, narādhama, lowest of the mankind. These are the qualifications. So they are all durbuddhi. Human life is meant... This is an opportunity to understand Kṛṣṇa. Hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu, manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. This is Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's song. Anyone who is not trying to understand Kṛṣṇa... Not even trying, what to speak of worshiping Him, giving Him service... And Kṛṣṇa says simply by trying to know Him, one becomes liberated. Simply by trying, not perfectly. Even imperfectly. Because he is endeavoring to understand Kṛṣṇa, that very activity will make him liberated. That very activity. It is not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa. He is so great, unlimited. How we can understand Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa cannot understand Himself. Or Ananta cannot understand. So... Actually, that is the fact. We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. But still, whatever Kṛṣṇa says about Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā, if we accept so much, then we immediately become fit for going back to Godhead, back to home. Simply. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Tattvataḥ. Tattvataḥ means in truth. The tattvataḥ cannot understand. Even siddhas, those who are perfect...
He's come simultaneously, not only within your heart, within the atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham... (Bs. 5.35). Not only within your heart, but within the atom. Just imagine. How many atoms there are. So Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. These are..., we have to take information of Kṛṣṇa from the śāstra. Śāstram eva cakṣusā (?). Vedānta-sūtra. Your eyes should be śāstra, not your so-called imagination. śāstra-cakṣusā. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma... (BG 16.23). If you give up the direction of the śāstra and manufacture your own way, yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ, as you like, then na sa siddhim avāpnoti: you will never get siddhi, perfection, never get. Na sa siddhim avāp..., na sukham, neither happiness. And what to speak of parāṁ gatim, going back to home, back to Godhead. So śāstra-cakṣusā. Everything we have to take from the śāstra. Because we are blind now. śāstra-cakṣusā. Our, the śāstra-jñāna, because the spiritual master enlightens the disciple with śāstra-jñāna, therefore he is spiritual master. If the spiritual master bluffs the disciple, then he is not spiritual master. Bluffing. No.
- om ajñāna-timirāndhasya
- jñānāñjana-śalākayā
- cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena
- tasmai śrī-guruve namaḥ
(I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.)
They have to go outside. So things are deteriorating very, very much. Adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Therefore the human civilization means to make progress towards the quality of goodness. That will help him for making farther progress. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). Ūrdhvam means higher planetary system. Here it is said that api trailokya-rājyasya hetoḥ. Trailokya. Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ. This is bhūr-loka. Above this, bhuvar-loka, and above that, svar-loka, heavenly planets. Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyam. This is Gāyatrī-mantra.
So Arjuna is speaking of trailokya-rājyasya. He is ascertaining that "Even if I get the kingdom of the three worlds, what to speak of only this earthly planet, what is insignificant, even if I get the kingdom of trailokya, svarga, martya, pātāla, like that, still, I am not prepared to fight with my kinsmen, what to speak of this earthly planet." He decided like that. This is called family attachment. He is speaking, "Even in exchange of kingdom of the three worlds, I am not prepared to fight."
- api trailokya-rājyasya
- hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahī-kṛte
- nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ
- kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana
- (BG 1.35)
"What I shall get by killing my cousin-brothers? And along with them, there are so many relatives."
Immediately he transcends. He's in the Brahman platform. One who has taken very seriously this devotional service, he's no more on this material platform. So long we are in the material platform, these distinction, brāhmaṇa, ksatriya, vaiśya, varṇa-saṅkara, they are considered. But when one is transcendentally situated, simply in pure, unalloyed service of the Lord, he's no more in the material platform. He's in the spiritual platform. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. He's already in the Brahman platform. Brahman platform means sa guṇān samatītya etān. This material platform means three modes of material nature. Sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Here, even one is brāhmaṇa... Sattva-guṇa means the brahminical qualification. He's also contaminated. He's conditioned by the material nature. And what to speak of śūdra and varṇa-saṅkara? Everyone is conditioned by the material nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī (BG 7.14). Brāhmaṇa means to be situated, a first-class prisoner. A first-class prisoner is also prisoner. You cannot say that he's free. No, free is different from a first-class prisoner. Sometimes, any respectable gentleman, some political offense, he's put into jail. Just like Gandhi also went to jail. And so many others. But they were given the place, first-class prisoners. They got servant. They got separate bungalow and books, library, all facilities. But they cannot go out of the prison house. They are called first-class prisoners. So to become a brāhmaṇa means to becomes a first-class prisoner. That's all.
So our, our point of view is not to become a first-class prisoner. To get out of the prison. That is Vaiṣṇava vision. You'll find... Last night I have given comments that Mādhavendra Purī, he was performing the Annakuta ceremony and installing the Deity. So everything was being brāhmaṇa, done by brāhmaṇa, qualified brāhmaṇa, but Mādhavendra Purī initiated them again to become Vaiṣṇava. Then he gave them in charge of the Deity worship. So the Vaiṣṇava functions cannot be done even by a brāhmaṇa. Even one is qualified brāhmaṇa, he is unfit to propagate Vaiṣṇava philosophy. That is stated in the śāstras.
If you want advice, instruction, niścitam, which is without any doubt, without any illusion, without any mistake, without any cheating, that is called niścitam. That you can get from Kṛṣṇa or His representative. You cannot get right information from the imperfect person or a cheater. That is not right instruction. Nowadays it has become a fashion; everyone is becoming guru and he is giving his own opinion, "I think," "In my opinion." That is not guru. Guru means he should give evidences from śāstra. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ: (BG 16.23) "Anyone who does not give evidences, proof, from the śāstra, then" na siddhiṁ sa avāpnoti, "he does not get at any time success," na sukham, "neither any happiness in this material world," na parāṁ gatim, "and what to speak of elevation in the next life." These are the injunction.
So we must select guru. Here it is, example, Arjuna. He's accepting Kṛṣṇa as guru. Why he is accepting? Because, he says,
- na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād
- yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām
- avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ
- rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam
- (BG 2.8)
So he has selected that the right person, guru, and he said that "Unless I hear from You what is right and wrong, I cannot decide whether I shall fight or I shall not fight. Which way is better for me I cannot understand."
They are not only my gurus, but they are great personalities." And Kṛṣṇa is addressed "Madhusūdana." Madhusūdana means... Madhu was Kṛṣṇa's enemy, a demon. So He killed. So "You are Madhusūdana, You are killer of Your enemies. Can You give me any evidence that You have killed Your guru? So why You are asking me?" This is the purport. Iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv ari-sūdana. Again Ari-sūdana. Ari means enemy. Madhusūdana, particularly "the killer of the Madhu demon." And next is Arisudana. Ari means enemy. So Kṛṣṇa has killed so many demons, ari, who came to fight with Him as enemy. Therefore His name is Arisudana.
So Kṛṣṇa has got enemies also, what to speak of ourself. This material world is so made, that you must have some enemies. Matsaratā. Matsaratā means enviousness, jealousy. This material world is like that. So there are jealous enemies of God also. They are called demons. Ordinary jealousy or enemy, that is natural. But even to God. Just like yesterday night, evening, somebody came to see me. He was arguing that "Why Kṛṣṇa should be accepted as God?" That was his argument. So Kṛṣṇa has enemies. Therefore Kṛṣṇa... Not only He, but everyone who is in the material world is enemy of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone. Because they want to be competitor of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says that bhoktāram: "I am the supreme enjoyer." Sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the Supreme proprietor." And the Vedas also confirm, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). "Everything is the property of the Supreme Lord." Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. These are Vedic injunctions. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante: "From whom everything has come." Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). These are Vedic versions. But still, we, because we are enemies, "No, why Kṛṣṇa shall be the proprietor? I am the proprietor. Why Kṛṣṇa shall be God only. I have got another God. Here is another God."
Prabhupāda: That is being exemplified by Arjuna. When he's too much perplexed... He was talking with Kṛṣṇa as friend, but he saw that "This friendly talking will not solve my question." And he selected Kṛṣṇa... Because he knew the value of Kṛṣṇa. At least, he ought to have known. He is friend. And he knows that Kṛṣṇa is accepted... "Although He is acting as my friend, but by great authorities Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead." That was known to Arjuna. So he said that "I'm so much puzzled that I cannot understand. Even accepting that I shall be victorious in this battle, still I shall not be happy. What to speak of being victorious on this planet, if I become the king of all other planets or if I become a demigod in the higher planetary system, still this distress cannot be mitigated." You see?
Devotee: Verse 11: "The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead (BG 2.11)." Purport: "The Lord at once took the position of a teacher and chastised his student, calling him indirectly a fool. The Lord said, 'You are talking like a learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned, one who knows what is body and what is soul, does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the living nor in the dead condition.' As explained in the later chapters, it will be clear that knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of both. Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is more important than religious formularies.
So hṛṣīkeśaḥ, prahasann iva. Kṛṣṇa began to laugh, smiling, "What a nonsense this is, Arjuna." First of all he said, "Put me." Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta (BG 1.21). "Kṛṣṇa, just put my chariot between the two parties of soldiers." And now... (coughs, aside:) Bring me water. He was so enthusiastic in the beginning that "Put my chariot between the two armies." Now this rascal is saying no yotsya, "I will not fight." Just see the rascaldom. So even Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa's direct friend, māyā is so strong that he also becomes a rascal, what to speak of others. First of all very enthusiasm: "Yes, put my chariot between the two armies." And now in the..., na yotsya iti govindam (BG 2.9), "I am not going to fight." This is rascaldom. So he was smiling, that "He is My friend, direct friend, and such a big, and he is now saying that 'I will not fight.' "
So Kṛṣṇa smiling, this smiling is very significant, prahasann. Tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasann iva bhārata, senayor ubhayor viṣīdantam, lamenting. First of all he came with great enthusiasm to fight; now he is lamenting. And Kṛṣṇa is mentioned here as Hṛṣīkeśa. He is solid. He is Acyuta. He is solid. He is not changed. Another significance of this word Hṛṣīkeśa... Because in Nārada-Pañcarātra the bhakti means hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. Therefore this very name is mentioned here, Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Bhakti means to serve Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses. And the master of senses, some rascals are describing that Kṛṣṇa is immoral. He is master of senses and He is immoral. Just see how he has studied Bhagavad-gītā. If Kṛṣṇa is perfect brahmacārī... Kṛṣṇa is perfect brahmacārī, for... It was declared by Bhīṣmadeva. Bhīṣmadeva is the first-grade brahmacārī in the universe. He promised to Satyavatī's father... You know the story. Satyavatī's father... His, Bhīṣmadeva's father was attracted by a fisherwoman, fishergirl. So he wanted to marry. And the father of the girl denied, "No, I cannot give my daughter to you." So "Why? I am king, I am asking your daughter." "No, you have got a son." Bhīṣmadeva was the son of his first wife, mother Ganges.
So why these Māyāvādī philosophy, philosophers, do not understand this direct version from the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Because āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ (BG 7.15). The Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not accept the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead. They think God is as good as they are. Therefore they introduce themselves as Nārāyaṇa. But according to Vaiṣṇava philosophy, Nārāyaṇa cannot be equal to any one of us. What speak of us, Nārāyaṇa cannot be equally estimated even with great demigods like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva. That is... The Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa says, yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ, samatvenaiva vīkṣeta sa pāṣaṇḍī bhavad dhruvam: (CC Madhya 18.116) "Anyone who calculates Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, equal with such demigods, not, what to speak of ordinary human beings, even big, big demigods like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā, he immediately becomes a pāṣaṇḍī, atheist." So if... The Māyāvādī philosophy, they put forward this argument that "Because we are now in māyā, we are thinking that we are different from God." But Kṛṣṇa is making thus such differentiation that... He's making, He's saying, "You and I and all these." So does it mean that Kṛṣṇa is also covered by māyā or illusion? Because He is very clearly differentiating between Him and the living entities, all individuals. So if the Māyāvādī philosopher is right that this differentiation is due to our illusion, then we have to accept Kṛṣṇa is also in illusion. Because He's making differentiation. So if Kṛṣṇa is in illusion, then what is the use of taking His version? Because our proposition is that we have to take knowledge from the perfect person. So if Kṛṣṇa is in illusion, then how He can become perfect person, and the knowledge delivered by Him is perfect? No. Kṛṣṇa is not illusioned. We are in illusion. Kṛṣṇa is not in illusion. Kṛṣṇa cannot be in illusion.
So when this body will be finished, I'll get another body. As I have got consecutively from boyhood to childhood, childhood, I have, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, aged body, so why not next body? This is simple truth, that the living entity, or the soul, is transmigrating from one body to another. This is the basic principle of spiritual understanding. The vital force of the body is the spirit soul. It is not a mechanical arrangement of matter. The modern so-called scientists, they think that the body is combination of matter and, at a certain stage, these combination of matter develop living symptoms. But that is not a fact. If it is a fact, then the scientists can manufacture with chemicals a living body. But a scientist even up to date is unable to manufacture even a body like an ant, and what to speak of other, bigger animals.
So we have to take this knowledge from authority. Here is Kṛṣṇa speaking. He's authority. We accept Kṛṣṇa: the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His knowledge is perfect. He knows past, present, and future. Therefore, He is teaching Arjuna, "My dear Arjuna, the spirit soul within this body is eternal." That's a fact. Just like I can understand, I was in the past, I am in present, so I must be in the future. These are three phases of time, past, present, and future. In another place, we read in this Bhagavad-gītā, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. The living entity is never born; neither it dies. Na jāyate means he never takes birth. Na jāyate na mriyate, it never dies. Nityaṁ śāśvato 'yam, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). It is eternal, śāśvata, existing forever. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). By annihilation of this body, the soul does not die. Because... This is also confirmed in the Upaniṣads, Vedas: nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. The God is also eternal, and we are also eternal. We are part and parcels of God. Just like gold and fragments of gold; both of them are gold. Although I am fragment, a particle of gold or the spirit, still, I am spirit. So we get this information that both God and we, living entities, we are eternal. Nityo nityānām, nitya means eternal.
Although they were friends, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna were friends... First of all, they were talking like friends, and Arjuna was arguing with Kṛṣṇa. This argument has no value because if I am imperfect, what is the meaning of my argument? Whatever I shall argue, that is also imperfect. So what is the use of wasting time by imperfect argument? This is not process. The process is that we must approach to a perfect person and take his instruction as it is. Then our knowledge is perfect. Without any argument. We accept Vedic knowledge like that. For example, just like stool of an animal. It is stated in the Vedic literature that it is impure. If you touch stool... According to Vedic system, even after passing my own stool, evacuating, I have to take bath. And what to speak of others' stool. That is the system. So stool is impure. One, after touching stool, he must take bath. This is Vedic injunction. But in another place it is said that the stool of the cow is pure, and if cow dung is applied in some impure place, it will be pure. Now, by your argument, you can say that "The stool of an animal is impure. Why it is said in one place pure and in another place impure? This is contradiction." But this is not contradiction. You practically make experiment. You take cow dung and apply anywhere, you'll find it is pure. Immediately purified. So this is Vedic injunction. They are perfect knowledge. We... Instead of wasting time arguing and putting forward false prestige, if you simply accept the perfect knowledge, as they are stated in the Vedic literature, then we get perfect knowledge and our life is success. Instead of making experiment on the body to find out where is the soul... The soul is there, but it is so small that it is not possible to see by your these blunt eyes. Any microscope or any machine, because it is stated it is one ten-thousandth part of the top of the tip of the hair. So there is no machine. You cannot see. But it is there. Otherwise, how we can find distinction between the dead body and the living body?
So Kṛṣṇa says, just imagine, tat, that. Yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. Idam, this body, tatam. Tatam means expanded, spread. We can understand the consciousness that if I press, if I pinch, or otherwise we feel pinch or... That is consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa clearly says that that thing is avināśi, imperishable. Now Kṛṣṇa has said previously that we, I, you and all others, we existed in the past. So we existed in the past. That means we are all individuals. In the past also, we were individuals, and at the present, we are individuals, and we shall continue to be individuals in the future. There is no such thing as the Māyāvādī philosophers or rascals, they say that after liberation they all intermingle, becomes a homogeneous lump. No. Even after liberation, we remain individual, particles. It is not that we mix up, homogeneous mixing up. Even in matter, what to speak of spirit. It will be explained that spirit cannot be cut into pieces. That means we are all spirit soul. It is not we are lumped together at one time, now we have been cut into pieces, and therefore we are individual—this Māyāvādī philosophy. It is not that. We are individuals, sanātana, eternally. That will be explained. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhutaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). Eternally, we are individuals.
That, "However this demon, Pūtanā, innocent or ignorant, she came to kill Me without knowing that I cannot be killed, that is her ignorance. But so far I am concerned, I have touched her breast as mother; therefore, she should be given the position of mother, like Yaśodā Mā." This is Kṛṣṇa. He felt Himself so much obliged because this is service. Just like mother gives service to the child without any return. She gives from the very beginning of our life within the womb, the mother feeds the child. The process is given by nature, but mother feeds. Therefore, when pregnant, the mother should not eat any pungent things because it will give to the tender skin and heart of the child. She should eat only very simple things. But they have no conscious. They are now killing, what to speak of maintaining the child very nicely that "There is a child, my son or my daughter. She must be provided with all comforts in the womb." There is no motherly affection even in this Kali-yuga. In the material world, motherly affection is considered to be the highest form of love. But the Kali-yuga is so polluted that mother is also giving up her love for the children. Just imagine what is the position. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10).
This calculation is forty-three hundred thousands of years. That is the sum total of the four yugas. Eighteen, twelve, eight, and four. How many it comes? Eighteen and twelve? Thirty, and then eight, thirty-eight, then four. This is rough calculation. Forty-two, forty-three. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam. So so many years, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahaḥ. Ahaḥ means day. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). This is the one day of Brahmā. One day means morning to evening. Forty-three hundred thousands of years your calculation. Therefore these things are to be understood through the śāstra. Otherwise, you have no knowledge. You cannot calculate. You cannot go to Brahmā, you cannot go even to the moon planet. And what to speak of Brahmaloka is the ultimate, the remotest part of this universe. So by your direct experience, you cannot calculate, and neither you can go. They estimate, the modern aeronautics, they estimate, that in order to go to the topmost planet will require forty thousands of years by going in the light year. Just like light year, we have got calculation.
So we cannot estimate by direct perception, even in this material world, and what to speak of the spiritual world. Not (possible.) Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām (Bs. 5.34). By mental, muni-puṅga means mental speculation. You can go on mental speculating, but if you do even for many hundreds and thousand of years, it is not possible to calculate. You have to accept this truth through the śāstra; otherwise, it is not possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, nityasyoktāḥ śarīr-ukta. Ukta means it is said. Not that "I am presenting some dogma," although He can do so. He's Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the method. Unless there is ukta, said by authorities, previous authorities, ācāryas, you cannot say anything. This is called paramparā. You try to understand with your intelligence, but you cannot make any addition or alteration. That is not possible. Therefore it is called nityasyoktāḥ. It is said, it is already settled. You cannot argue. Nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ anāśino 'prameyasya, immeasurable.
Not first, for the second time. First time he met when he, while he was minister in the government of Nawab Hussein Shah. And then, after meeting, Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted them to fulfill His mission. So they decided to resign from the government service and join Caitanya Mahāprabhu to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Therefore when Rūpa Gosvāmī met Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Allahabad, Prayāga, the first verse he composed in this connection, he said, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "My Lord, You are the most munificent incarnation." Why? "Because You are distributing kṛṣṇa-prema. People cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of kṛṣṇa-prema. But that kṛṣṇa-prema, You are distributing like anything." Namo mahā-vadān... "Therefore You are the most munificent, charitable person." Namo mahā-vadānyāya. Vadānya means one who is very charitable, gives in charity as much as you like. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, because people misunderstood Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa asked in the Bhagavad-gītā that "You surrender unto Me." What can He do? He's God. He's Kṛṣṇa. He's ask you, orders you: "You surrender. I take charge of you." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpe... But still, people misunderstood: "Oh, why shall I surrender to Kṛṣṇa? He's also a man like me. Maybe a little important. But why shall I surrender unto Him?" Because here the material disease is not to surrender. Everyone is puffed-up: "I am something." This is material disease. Therefore to become cured from this material disease, you have to surrender.
Tasmād evaṁ viditvainam, this body, na anuśocitum arhasi. Do not be very much serious about this body. The soul is the subject matter to be considered. But the modern civilization, they are concerned with this body. Just the opposite. Kṛṣṇa says: Because the soul is immortal, therefore tasmād evaṁ viditvā, understanding of this principle, enam, this body, na anuśocitum arhasi. The real factor is the soul. We have to take care of the soul, not of the body. So far body is concerned, there are pains and pleasure like climatic changes. Āgamāpāyinaḥ anityāḥ, such bodily pains and pleasures come and go; they are not permanent. Tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. So you have to learn how to tolerate these bodily pains and pleasures, but you have to take care of the soul. But the modern civilization, they have no knowledge of the soul, what to speak of taking care of it, and, like animals, they are in the bodily concept of life, taking much care of the body, but they have no information of the soul, and what to speak of taking care of it.
So why the difference is there? That difference is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kāraṇam. Kāraṇam means cause. Why these varieties are..., kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Asya, jīvasya. He is associating with different kinds of qualities, and therefore he's getting a different type of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya.
Therefore our business should be not to associate with the material qualities. Even up to goodness. Material quality, goodness means the brahminical quality. Sattva śama damas titikṣā. So devotional service is transcendental to these good qualities also. In this material world, if somehow or other, he has got the birth in a brāhmaṇa family or he's executing his duties exactly a strict brāhmaṇa, still he's conditioned under the laws of this material nature, still. And what to speak of others, those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance. Their position is most abominable. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ: (BG 14.18) Those who are in the modes of ignorance, jaghanya, very abominable condition. So at the present moment... That is śūdra. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. In this age of Kali, everyone is in the modes of ignorance. Śūdra. They do not know because they have no... One who know that "I am spirit soul; I am not this body," he is brāhmaṇa. And one who does not know, he is śūdra, kṛpaṇa. Etad vidita prāye sa brāhmaṇa. Everyone dies, that's all right, but one who dies after knowing the spiritual truth... Just like here, the students who are trying to understand what is spiritual life, and, somehow or other, if he understands that he's spirit soul, at least, then he becomes brāhmaṇa. He becomes brāhmaṇa. Etad vidita. And one who does not understand, he is kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. Brāhmaṇa means liberal. These are the shastric injunctions.
So first of all, we have to become brāhmaṇa. Then Vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇa simply knows that "I am spirit soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54).
So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā is not a literature like that. Can you give any evidence, any book written five thousand years ago is still being read with still greater veneration, with greater respect, with greater attention. Is there any book in the world? Find out. Not a single book you'll find. You cannot trace out of any book written, say, thousand years or two thousand years ago. But here is a book which was spoken five thousand years ago; still, all over the world... It is not that Bhagavad-gītā is supposed to be Hindu literature, Vedic literature, it is read simply by the Hindus. Now the number of Hindus has minimized. Practically, in some portion of that India there are few Hindus only, actually speaking. So what is the number of Hindus? That is the, what is called, minority in the whole world. If you take calculation of other religion... I have seen the other day in the World Almanac the Hindus, the Hindus are the lowest. So how many Hindus are reading? In India not that 90% people are illiterate. So what they will read? And who is reading Bhagavad-gītā? It is all over the world. Still, you'll find in Germany Bhagavad-gītā is being read. In England you'll find. Even in Muhammadan countries you'll find, and what to speak of your country. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā. I mean to say that see the importance of real literature.
Now people may say that Arjuna was Kṛṣṇa's friend. To satisfy his friend, he has accepted Him as paraṁ brahma. But that is not the fact. Arjuna gives evidences that "Not only I, but the great authorities like Vyāsa, Nārada, Asita, Devala, they have also accepted You as the Supreme Personality of Godhead." In the recent ages... This is five thousand years ago. Even one thousand, five hundred... Śaṅkarācārya, who is impersonalist, he has also accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇa. He has written in his commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā: nārāyaṇaḥ avyakta, avyaktāt, para avyaktāt. Nārāyaṇaḥ para avyaktāt. "Nārāyaṇa is not a creation of this material world. He's transcendental." He has accepted. And what to speak of the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, all. They have written so many nice commentaries on the Bhagavad-gītā, Brahma-sūtra, establishing that the Supreme Absolute Truth is person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa is speaking as person. And He is warning the rascals: avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). "Because I am speaking as a human being, the rascals, they deride." Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. They do not know what is My influence, what is My power."
So this Personality of Godhead... It is a fact. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). The last word is Bhagavān. From Bhagavān, the expansion is Paramātmā, localized aspect. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). That is expansion. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). That is one of the plenary portions. Viṣṭabhya aham. He enters within this universe, and therefore the universe becomes manifest. Just like I am soul, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13), I enter into this body. You enter into your body. Therefore the body expands. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead enters as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu within each and every universe. Then it becomes manifest. So there is no question of impersonal. The original source is person.
That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā. One who does not follow the regulative principle mentioned in the śāstras, śāstra-vidhim..., vidhim means regulative principle. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ, and lives whimsically, as he, whatever he likes, and that is sanctioned by some rascal swami, that, "Oh, yes, you can do whatever you like..." Yato mata tato patha. "You can manufacture your way of religious principle." These things are going on. But actually that will not help us. Śāstra-vidhim, śāstra-vidhim, that must be observed. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ na sa siddhim avāpnoti. If one violates the regulative principle mentioned in the śāstra, he'll never get success. Na sa siddhim avāpnoti na sukham, neither happiness. Na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim: Then what to speak of going back to home, back to...? He'll rot in this material world.
So śāstra-vidhim is required. So here is one śāstra-vidhim from Parāśara-smṛti. Parāśara was the father of Vyāsadeva. He has got his regulative principles. They're also realized souls on Vedic principles. They wrote so many books. In this Parāśara-smṛti it is said: kṣatriyo hi prajā rakṣan śastra, śastra-pāṇiḥ pradaṇḍayan. Śastra-pāṇi means always with sword in the hand for the benefit of the prajas. He should be so strong. "Oh, you are a thief? You have stolen?" Immediately cut his hand, bas. This one example will stop millions of thieves not to commit stealing. Simply by cutting. Even a hundred years ago this system was prevalent in Kashmir. If a thief is arrested and if he's proved that he has stolen, immediately king will cut off his two hands. Bas, finished. No court witness. And it will go for ten years to find out whether he has stolen. This is government. Therefore, the injunction is kṣatriya hi prajā rakṣan śastra-pāṇiḥ pradaṇḍayan. Always must be very strict. Nirjitya para-sainyādi dharmeṇa pālayet. This is dharma. In the Manu-smṛti it is said that if a man, a murderer, one man has killed another man... Why man? Even animal. He's a murderer. Now murdering is no offense. They are killing daily so many babies within the womb, murderers. That has become a custom. They're killing hundreds and thousands of animals daily in the slaughterhouse. It has become a custom. So now even human being, murder, he's not condemned to death. Is it not?
Whatever you act, there is reaction. Good act or bad act... There are two things. So if while in this body we act piously, then our future is very good. If we act impiously, then our future is not very good. So actually we should act piously, not impiously. That is human life. We should know what kind of action we should do. In the Sixteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā you'll find pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca na vidur āsura-janāḥ: (BG 16.7) "Those who are asuras, they do not know what kind of action should be done and what kind of action should not be done." Not that "Anything I like at my whims..." That is not... At least for human being, he should not do. Even in the state laws, if you act whimsically, whatever you like, you'll be liable to so many difficulties, and what to speak of spiritual life?
So Kṛṣṇa has described so far... Sāṅkhya yoga means analytical study of the soul and the body. He has very nicely... So this analytical study of the soul and body means so far, He has described the activities of the body. That is sāṅkhya yoga. Just like a medical man has got full analysis—not full, to a portion—of this body, the anatomy, the physiology. They have studied how the veins are working, how different secretions are transforming into blood, how the heart is working. This is called analytical study. So eṣā te abhihitā sāṅkhye.
That is not possible. There is a verse in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, tṛtīya-śaktir iṣyate (CC Madhya 6.154). There the situation, material situation, is so stringent, that without working, you cannot live. You'll die. There is an example in the Hitopadeśa. Na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. Suptasya siṁhasya. Siṁha means lion. If the lion thinks that "I am so powerful animal, king of the forest. Why shall I work?" Therefore, it is said that if he does not work, then he'll have to starve. Even though he's a lion. Because he may be lion, but if he sleeps, that "I am king. Let me sleep and my food will come automatically in my mouth," that is not possible. This is the example. Very good example. Na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. A lion is sleeping. If he does not work, he'll also starve. He'll also starve. And what to speak of cats and dogs. So this is not possible. Therefore, there is sva-dharma. Sva-dharma means, you are in brahminical quality, your work is this. You are in martial spirit—one who is intelligent, for him, studying Vedas, understanding the philosophy, preaching for the good of the society, train them, guide them, this is brāhmaṇa's business. Brāhmaṇa is not going to work in the factory. That is not brāhmaṇa's business. But in modern civilization, everyone should go to factory. Never mind whether you are brāhmaṇa or śūdra or a... This is the mistake. Therefore, if I am not fit for a certain thing and if I am engaged in that business, that will be failure. That will be failure. For a particular type of business, occupation, one must have particular type of brain. So therefore this is division. Not that everyone is of the same type. You cannot find. There is not... Because the world is being conducted by the three modes of nature, you cannot find all men of the same category.
That next life is śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe: "You'll have your birth next life either in a very rich family, or in the family of very highly advanced, educated father." Śucīnāṁ śrīmatām. Śucīnām means... I have explained to you the, the life of a brāhmaṇa, brahminical culture. Śuci means brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows spiritual life, how to conduct. And he has got other qualifications. Then he's called śuci. And the, the, the opposite word of śuci is called muci. So we need not explain what is muci, but śuci, śucīnāṁ means highly cultured brāhmaṇa. And śrīmatām. Śrī means wealth, śrī means wealth, opulence, beauty and all these things. That means very aristocratic family, very aristocratic family. So he's given chance to get his birth in two places. One who is, I mean to..., not successful. The successful, oh, what to speak of him! The successful goes back to Godhead directly. And even one is unsuccessful, half-finished, then he is given chance to take his birth in two kinds of family. One set is śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means very well-to-do, rich family. And other is very well polished, cultural brāhmaṇa family.
The teacher says, "My dear boy, kindly do this, this way, this way, 'A.' " So, if he does it, he's nice. It is nice. Similarly, we have to engage our consciousness... There is a supreme plan, supreme plan, all over the creation of the world, supreme plan. Everything is going on under some plan. Don't you see how the sun rises exactly at the right time, how the moon rises exactly at the right time, how the seasonal changes come exactly at the time? Eh? Everything is going on under the control of the supreme consciousness. (break) ...C, A, T, cat, C, A, T, cat, C, A, T, cat. Now, that required. Now, if somebody says, "Oh, 'cat,' he has once said 'cat.' What is the use of again saying 'cat'?" No. When we will learn something, we have to repeat it, even in material things. And what to speak of spiritual? You see.
So dovetailing ourself, dovetailing ourself, dovetailing our consciousness with the supreme consciousness. I give you a small example which is also from the Bhagavad-gītā. I'm not giving any example outside the purview of this Bhagavad-gītā because we are speaking on the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā. Now you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā that
- patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
- yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
- tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
- aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
- (BG 9.26)
The Lord says that patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. Patram means a leaf. And puṣpam means a flower. And phalam means a fruit. And toyam means some liquid, water. Last word, last word, water. "If some devotee offers Me these four things with devotion and with love, oh, I accept them. I accept them. Not only accept, I, I eat them, eat them."
Now here is the difference. Lord Śiva, he is the greatest of the demigods. He was also allured by Pārvatī, and as a result of that attraction, this boy Kārttikeya was born. That was the, what is called, conspiracy of the demigods, that unless one son is born out of the semina of Lord Śiva, it is impossible to conquer the demons. So Kārttikeya is considered the commander in chief of the demigods. But here, another example. Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was young boy, about twenty, twenty-four years old, and he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and the landlord in that village, he was very much envious of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He conspired and engaged one prostitute to defy him. So the prostitute agreed and at dead of night, with very beautiful dress and she was young, and tried to captivate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. But he was not captivated. That is the difference. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, even an ordinary person, not in the level of Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā, he's never conquered by māyā. But one who is not fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, either he may be Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā, he'll be conquered by māyā, what to speak of others. This is the position. Go on. "When Haridāsa Ṭhākura was a young devotee of the Lord..."
No. They are pure devotees, but they are guṇāvatāra. Just like Lord Brahmā is the supreme personality within this material universe. He's the father of all living entities. So they are... Of course, if we very scrutinizingly study, Haridāsa Ṭhākura is, in devotional service, in greater position than Brahmā. Although he is considered the incarnation of Brahmā, Brahmā Haridāsa. So we should not be disturbed when we see Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva is captivated in that way. We should take this instruction, that is Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva becomes victim of māyā sometimes, what to speak of us? Therefore we shall be very, very careful. There is chance of falldown even in the status of Brahmā and Śiva, what to speak of ordinary persons. Therefore we should be very strongly inclined to Kṛṣṇa consciousness like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Then we shall be able very easily to overcome the allurement of māyā. That is to be understood. Not that "Brahmā showed that," what is called, "weakness. He is weak or he is less." No. That is for our instruction. Yes. Or first of all, his. Yes.
When they're high up, oh, they'll take photograph. "Oh, this planet is so, this earthly planet is so green or so small. I am going round day and night and seeing in one hour three times day and night." All right, very good. Please come down again. (laughs) That's all. māyā is so strong, she will say, "Yes, very good. You are very advanced in your scientific knowledge, but please come down. Come here. Otherwise you are going to be put into the Atlantic Ocean." That's all. And they'll still be puffed up, "Oh, we are making progress. Within next ten years, you can purchase ticket or land in the moon." You know, in Russia they sold land, and they advertised that "There is Sea of Moscow. We have planted our flag on the sea in the..." So these are propaganda. They cannot go even into the nearest planet, what to speak of the spiritual sky. If you actually serious of going to the spiritual sky and Vaikuṇṭhaloka, then take this simple method, Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's all.
Sometimes the so-called devotees of Kṛṣṇa... In Vṛndāvana you'll find that they are keeping themself in a secluded place and supposed to be chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But practically it has been seen that by such artificial way of becoming Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it does not make anyone advanced. I have seen practically. They are living in a secluded place, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, but practically, when he comes out, he's smoking. You see. He cannot give up even smoking, and what to speak of this material world? You see? That is artificial. This is not recommended. First of all you become mature. Then secluded place.
Otherwise there is no secluded place. Māyā is everywhere. Māyā will dictate, "Oh, you are so tired. Why don't you come out and smoke a cigarette?" Yes. And he thinks he's advancing, the nonsense is advancing. No. Phalena paricīyate. By the result one has to be judged how far he has advanced. Similarly, there are so many persons, they are meditating. What meditating, nonsense? What is their character? If you challenge their character, nonsense. So these sort of things will not help. Come practically forward.
Just like our students, going door to door, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And people are taking advantage of it, they are hearing. So this process is beneficial to the public. Even a small child who joins here, he also claps, tries to clap. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not to remain in a secluded place to get cheap advertisement, "Oh, that man is meditating." No. Go, practically work.
So Lord Jesus Christ said, "My Lord, hallowed be Thy name." He wants to glorify the name of the Lord. And some people says that there is no name of God. How? If Lord Jesus Christ says "Hallowed by Thy name," there must be name. The name is there, but he did not pronounce it because the people at that time will not be able to understand or maybe some reason, but he says there is name. So we are making this propaganda, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the "Hallowed by Thy name. My Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, let Your holy name be glorified." This is our movement. It is not a sectarian...
It is very scientific movement, scientific movement because at the present moment we are all godless, forgotten what is God and what to speak of His name. They do not believe in God and what to speak of His name, fame, His place, His activities, His form, His qualities. How we can know? There is no educational system about the science of God. This movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is teaching the science of God. And if you accept the name of the God, name of God, Kṛṣṇa—this is also affirmed in other system also—then you will be able to associate with God immediately. Because God is Absolute. Absolute means there is no difference.
Just like in the relative world... This is relative world. Material world means the relative world. Relative world means the son. As soon as I say "the son," there must be a father. As soon as I say, "friend," there must be another man, friend. As soon as I say, "water," there must be something as water. But in the Absolute world, the name water and the water is the same. This is called Absolute, no different separation. So in the kingdom of God, the God is God and His son is also God. There the everything—there is no difference between the name and the substance. Here in this material world the name and the substance different.
That is the way of... Why we are giving so much stress on the Bhagavad-gītā? There are many books available in the market, full of good instruction, knowledge, but why we are giving so much stress on the Bhagavad-gītā? Because it is spoken by a personality who is above all imperfections. What are these imperfections? The imperfections are that a conditioned soul just like we are, we are sure to commit mistake. There is nobody in the world, in this conditional state, who can boldly say that "I have never committed any mistake in my life." Is there anybody? No. We have committed so many mistakes. Even a perfect... I shall speak of our country. Our country, Mahatma Gandhi, he was supposed to be a very great, I mean to say, perfect leader of the country. He also committed mistakes, so many. And what to speak of us. What to speak of us. So a conditioned soul is sure to commit mistake. That is one imperfection.
And the next imperfection is to accept something in place of something. Just like we are accepting this body as myself, which I am not. Under this illusion... Everyone is under this illusion, nobody excepted. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). When you ask me, "Swamiji, what you are?", oh, I'll say, "I am Indian." What sort of Indian I am? Because my this body is Indian, made in India or got in India. But I am not this body. I am not this body. So this, this is illusion. So second imperfection. First imperfection, that we must commit mistake. The second imperfection is accepting something which is not real. This is called illusion. The example of illusion is given generally: Just like in darkness, if you find some curling rope, you are afraid, "Oh, here is a snake!" Actually, that is not a snake. That means accepting the curling rope as a snake. This is the example of illusion.
Just like Mahārāja Janaka. There were many kings, ideal kings. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Rāmacandra. Many kings. Even Mahārāja Parīkṣit, five thousand years before he was so responsible king that when he was on tour he saw that one cow was being attempted to be killed, and the cow was crying. At once the king stopped, "Who are you? In my kingdom a cow is crying? I shall immediately kill you." So the king was so responsible that even animal was not allowed to be dissatisfied, what to speak of man. So they were so responsible. Therefore they were called rājarṣi. Rājarṣi. And it is particularly, everything, knowledge is meant for high class of men. Low class of men, what they will understand?
So this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to the rājarṣis, the great kings who were just like saints and sages. They were on the throne, but they were all, I mean to say, dedicated souls for the peace and prosperity of the people. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. When he was born, this Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the... What is called? Posthumous son? Born after the death of his father? What is called, English word? Posthumous. So his father died before his birth. In the Battle of Kurukṣetra there were two parties, cousin-brothers fighting. So Mahārāja Parīkṣit's father, Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, he was only sixteen-years-old boy, but he was fortunately married. His marriage is also very peculiar. The daughter was... Uttarā was offered to Arjuna, but Arjuna said that "This girl, I have treated her as my student." He was teacher. "I cannot marry. She is my daughter." So then Arjuna said, "I have got grown-up son. I'll arrange her marriage with my son." So Uttarā was married with his son at the age of sixteen years. The boy and the girl, both were sixteen years old, and they were married. Fortunately, when the battle was going on, this boy was also called to fight, and the girl was pregnant. But the boy never returned. He died in the battlefield. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja remained in the womb of his mother.
You are trying to educate people how to become brāhmaṇa. Just like these European, American boys, they are not born of a brāhmaṇa family. According to Vedic understanding, they are born in the family of mleccha or yavana, or caṇḍāla, like that. There are different terms. But Bhāgavata says, never mind what he is, or Bhagavad-gītā says never mind what he is. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the statement by Kṛṣṇa, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32), anyone, it doesn't matter what he is, even he's born in sinful family, it doesn't matter if he takes shelter of Me. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatiḥ, they all are promoted to the supreme planet, back to home, back to Godhead. Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā (BG 9.33), then if they can be promoted, what to speak of persons who are really born in the brāhmaṇa family. So it is a great opportunity to make your life successful. Don't spoil your life like cats and dog, just become a brāhmaṇa. We don't expect that everyone will become brāhmaṇa, but if a little percentage of persons becomes brāhmaṇa, the whole problems of the world will be solved.
It is said in the śāstra, dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇam. Kuṭumba. Kuṭumba means family. If one can provide his family very comfortably, he is considered as very expert. But the family maintenance is done by the cats and dogs also. They also maintain their family, their wife, children, very nicely, according to their standard. But this age is so fallen that if one, even one is not married, the preliminary necessities of life, eating, sleeping, sex life and protection from fear... These are the preliminary necessities. So the age is so fallen that people have no eating substance even. We know, everyone, how things are going on. People are hungry, no eating substance. And what to say of sleeping? Or what to speak of...? Nobody's married timely, either boys or girls. And nobody's secure. Nobody knows what will happen next moment. This is called Kali-yuga.
Kali-yuga means mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. Asmin yuge, kali-yuge, alpa āyuṣaḥ, they are living very short time. The duration of life (is) reducing. Anyone can know. His forefather, his grandfather, lived for, say, hundred years. His father lived for eighty years. And he's going to live for sixty years. In this way, the duration of life will be reduced up to twenty years. That is already foretold. If a man lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered very old man. That day is coming. Because how they will live? There is no eating, there is no sleeping. There is no fixture of this program. These are required. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Simply by dry lecture, how they will feel happy? There must be sufficient food grains so that people may live happily, the animal may live happily. Especially in India you will see. No animal is fatty, either cat, dog or cow. They have no eating. So annād bhavanti bhūtāni. They must be given sufficient food, annād. Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You fast and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." He does not say. Kṛṣṇa is not so impractical. He says, "Eat very nicely, keep very nicely, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Make your life successful." That is Hare Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not one-sided. It is all-embracing. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement wants to see everyone happy.
Every one of us have different features of body. Why? According to different karma. The body is made according to karma. That is the explanation of difference. So we cannot know. And we can understand that your mentality, my mentality, is different. You act in different way; I act in different way. That is the way, every one of us. Therefore we are forced to accept a certain type of body according to our karma. But Kṛṣṇa does not. We change our body. Just try to understand.
This forgetfulness means change of body. Just like we had some certain type of body in our previous life, but we do not know. Forgotten. Because I have changed the body, therefore I have forgotten. What to speak of my last birth? Even in your childhood, when you were, say, three or four years old, you did so many things. But do you remember them? No. Because you have changed the body. That body is gone. Therefore we have forgotten. Forgetfulness means change of body. We are changing body every second, every minute. Therefore we are forgetting. And Kṛṣṇa does not forget. That means he does not change body. This is pure understanding of Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa said that "Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them." Many, many. Thousands and thousands of times Kṛṣṇa appeared on this world, but He remembers everything. And I cannot remember about my childhood. So how can I become one with Kṛṣṇa? These Māyāvādī philosophers, they are declaring that "I am God." How you can? What is your qualification that you become God? God is not so cheap thing. People have taken it that "Everyone can become God. Every one of us God." This is another illusion, another māyā, because we do not know what is God. Here is God. He says that "Many, many millions of years ago I spoke to sun-god. I remember it." This is God. Simple truth. This is the proof that He is God. Read the explanation, purport. "In the Brahma-saṁhitā..." Read it.
Yes. Here is... Nowadays there are many gods. Especially anyone comes from India in the name of so many saintly persons, and they claim that they are gods. Everyone says, "I am God." Or somebody says that "Everyone is God." But here is the difference between God and ordinary living entity. What is that? God does not forget and we forget.
If I ask you just exactly at this time what you were doing last evening, you will have to remember. You have forgotten. And what to speak of one week ago or one year ago? That is our nature, forgetfulness.
So here Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, although they are on the level of friendship, one is God and another is ordinary living entity. God does not forget; living entity forgets. That is the distinction. How you can say that you are God? You are so forgetful that you cannot say what you were doing a few hours before, and you claiming that you are God? They have made God as very cheap thing. Everyone is claiming, "I am God." They do not know what is God.
Now, here try to understand what is the difference between God and dog. A dog forgets. A dog comes to your place to eat something. You give it a slap. He goes away, again comes. He forgets that slapping. You see? That is the dog's nature. And God's nature is different.
So if we increase our memory, then we approach godly nature. In this age we are decreasing our memory. Formerly, when this Bhagavad-gītā was written by Vyāsadeva, before that, people were so sharp in their memory that there was no need of publication of books. As soon as one hears from the spiritual master of any instruction, they remember for life. Now, gradually, that memory is decreasing. That means we are not advancing. We are decreasing in our duration of life. We are decreasing in our memory. We are decreasing in our prosperity.
And when he's trained up, then he is, again, he's transferred to the Goloka Vṛndāvana, the spiritual sky. These are the description of Sanātana Gosvāmī in Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, how a living entity...
So in this way we are changing our body but because we are minute particle of Kṛṣṇa.... We have got qualities of Kṛṣṇa not cent percent. Seventy-eight percent. When they are perfect, so minute quantity, then we can also become a little more advanced than at the present moment. But not like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is cent percent perfect. We can become minutely perfect, seventy-eight percent. These are all analyzed by the Gosvāmīs. So in the present stage, our conditioned stage, there is no comparison with Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of becoming Kṛṣṇa. The rascal foolish persons, they claim that they have become Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. This is the defect, that we forget. They ask so many the incarnation of God, about his past life. They cannot speak.
So this is the qualification of God. He knows past, present and future. And those who are false God, they cannot say. That is not possible. This is the test. They are claiming, falsely claiming. But God means, He knows. His body does not change. Past.... He knows past, present, future means His body does not change.
After setting of the sun the people on this part of the world, they will not see the sun. That does not mean that sun is not there. Sun is there, but this part of the world cannot see it, and that we say sunset.
Similarly, if this is possible for a material object... sun is nothing but a material object, lump of material matter, very powerful, predominantly fiery. That's all. Everything in the material world, they're made of five elements: ether, air, and fire, water, and earth. So in somewhere the earth is predominant, somewhere the air is predominant, somewhere the fire is predominant. So there are innumerable planets, and the sun is one of them. So this is also material object. If it is possible for the material object to disappear and appear within our limited senses, what to speak of God and His devotees. So God does not mean that because He is not visible to our imperfect senses, therefore God has no existence. This is foolishness. God is existent. But one who has got eyes to see...
What is that eye? Just like a small child. If I say to the small child, so "Sun is there in the sky, and the child will say, "Show me where is the sun." And if somebody says, "Yes, come on, I shall show you sun. Come on the roof. I have got a torch-light." As it is not possible to show the sun at night, although the child is insisting, similarly, the so-called scientists who are claiming that there is no God, they're just like the child. You have to understand. Just like a man who is advanced in knowledge, he knows that sun is there. Although I cannot see at night, but sun is there. He's convinced. Similarly, those who are advanced in spiritual knowledge, they can see God in every moment. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38).
We are trying to open so many branches just to give facility to the poor people who do not know what is the end of life, what is the objective of human life, how one can become perfect. These knowledges, these informations are there. We are trying to distribute. It is not dogmatic, it is all scientific.
Now there are so many things that it is not possible even to understand by the modern process of scientific experimental knowledge. It is not possible. And what to speak of about God? You cannot know even material objects by your so-called scientific study and research. You simply... You can know little more, that's all. Not complete. So Vedānta-sūtra advises therefore, acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet. Things which are beyond your imagination, beyond your reach, beyond your thoughts, beyond your words, beyond your sense perception, how you can understand them by your experimental so-called scientific research? Acintya. Acintya means inconceivable. Inconceivable. Now we cannot conceive even these material things.
That means forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand, ahar yat. That calculation is one day of the inhabitants of the Brahmaloka.
So we cannot imagine, you see, that how long year. Such hundred years they live. That is their twelve hours. Similarly, twelve hours night. Similarly, thirty days, one month. Similarly, twelve months equal to one year. Such hundred years they live. So we cannot imagine even, even in the material world, how long a living entity can live even in this material world. So these are acintya. Acintya means beyond our conception.
And what to speak of the spiritual world? We cannot calculate even anything of the material world perfectly.
Therefore the best thing is our process, Vedic process, is to receive knowledge by the descending process. Kṛṣṇa has come from His kingdom, kingdom of God, the Kṛṣṇaloka. And it will be explained in the next verses,
- yadā yadā hi dharmasya
- glānir bhavati bhārata
- abhyutthānam adharmasya
- tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
- (BG 4.7)
He comes and He sends His own, I mean to say, confidential sons or servants to give us information of the spiritual world of God, or everything, both material and spiritual. This knowledge is perfect knowledge. We have to receive from the authority.
Prabhupāda: Yes That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourselves. We do not remember what we have done a few hours ago. What to speak of millions of years ago. But we take our birth because we are eternal. We have taken many births. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa's birth and our birth. Then?
Pradyumna: "If someone is asked what he did exactly at the same time one day earlier, it would be very difficult for a common man to answer immediately. He would surely have to dredge his memory to recall what he was doing exactly at the same time one day before. And yet, men often dare claim to be God, or Kṛṣṇa. One should not be misled by such meaningless claims."
Prabhupāda: Yes. These, considering these verses from the Bhagavad-gītā, we should not foolishly accept these so-called cheaters as God. That is not very nice thing. These are the symptoms of God, how He takes His birth. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). We should try to understand what is God. We should not take so cheaply that "Here is God incarnation. Here is..." No. That is misleading. Then?
Pradyumna: "And then again the Lord explains His prakṛti, or His form. Prakṛti means nature as well as svarūpa, or one's own form. The Lord says that He appears in His own body. He does not change His body as the common living entity changes from one body to another. The conditioned soul may have one kind of body in the present birth, but he has a different body in the next birth."
"You are not this body."Tat tvam asi: "You are spirit soul." So we also have to accept. We are accepting that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul." But my constitutional position is part and parcel of the supreme whole. So just like the gold mine and a small particle of gold. That small particle of gold is also gold. But that does not mean it has the same value as the gold mine. Tat tvam asi. Just like a drop of sea water. Chemical composition is the same. Salty taste is the same.
Similarly, if you can understand yourself, then you can understand even God. If you study yourself, that "Although I am very small..." What to speak of myself? Even a small ant, it has got individuality. A ant is going on. You stop it. It will struggle. That means it wants to keep its individuality. Therefore, if you are the same, then God is also individual. He is not impersonal. Immediately you can understand. How you can...? I have got so much... I am so small, tiny; still, I have got my individuality, personality, and how God can be impersonal? Even a common sense man can understand.
If I have got tendency to love nice girls and dance with her, or a girl—everyone is individual—why God shall not be? He must have that tendency. Otherwise wherefrom this tendency comes? Because I am part and parcel of God, unless the tendency is there, wherefrom I get this tendency? So if you simply try to understand the tat tvam asi, you can immediately understand your position and God. It is so nice.
Here, in the material world, everyone wants to place himself as the master. "I am your master, you are my servant." That is the mentality of material existence. And the spiritual existence means "I am the servant, you are the master." Just see. Just the opposite number.
The māyā's attraction, the last snare of māyā is in this material conception of life, that so many identification, "I am this," "I am that," "I am that," "I am big man," "I am rich man," "I am prime minister," then so on, so on. When we are frustrated in all these attempts, then we try to become God. I am God. This is the last snare of māyā. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy is just the opposite. What to speak of God? He is to think himself as the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of God (CC Madhya 13.80).
So in one way it is very difficult. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructs that who can become in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Who can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very nicely? Tṛṇād api sunīcena. Tṛṇād api sunīcena means who thinks himself lower than the straw in the street, I am lower than. Humble, very humble. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. Tolerant more than the tree.
Not only in the village. In the town, when we held Kṛṣṇa festival in Bombay, Calcutta, twenty-thousand, thirty-thousand people come. By nature. We cannot expect this big assembly in other countries. That is my experience. But India, because it is Bhārata-varṣa, it is very easy.
But we are sacrificing this birthright, Bhārata-varṣa. Oh, we are misled in such a way that we are forgetting, trying to forget Kṛṣṇa: "Throw away these śāstras. Throw away these ... Throw away... And put all impediments to the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement." This is our misfortune. Actually, every Indian is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Sometimes they ask me in foreign countries that "How many Kṛṣṇa conscious people are there in India." And cent percent, all. Even Mohammedans. What to speak of the Hindus.
So we should take this opportunity, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). This association, society, of sādhus, who have dedicated their life for understanding Kṛṣṇa, for serving Kṛṣṇa, they are sādhu. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu... tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā. By sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83) means next stage is how to adopt devotional life.
"The Supreme Being, who is called Kṛṣṇa, or all-attractive, He has His body of eternity, full of knowledge and blissfulness." Now, compare your this body. This body is not eternal; it is temporary. It is born at a certain date and it will be finished at a certain date. Therefore it is not eternal. Neither this body is full of knowledge. It is full of ignorance. If I ask you how many hairs you have got on your head, you do not know. Similarly, we have got this body. I am claiming my body, but I am not in full knowledge of my own body. And what to speak of knowing your body or other's body? Not only body, the mind, intelligence, and ego. What is going on in your mind, I do not know. Neither you know what is going on in my mind. We are so ignorant. Therefore this body is temporary and full of ignorance. And what to speak of blissfulness? It is always miserable. Here, because we have got this body, we suffer the pains of cold and heat. This is only one example. It is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Śīta means cold. Just like in winter we suffer. In summer also, we suffer. Both seasons, we suffer. So why we suffer? Because we have got this temporary material body. And therefore Kṛṣṇa says,
- mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
- śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
- āgamāpāyino 'nityās
- tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
- (BG 2.14)
The idea is that we should not be disturbed by these material miseries, which come and go like this change of season. It is not permanent. At the present moment, the whole human civilization is simply disturbed by the change of this cold and heat. Our all activities are there—how to stop this miserable condition of the body, which is impossible to stop. So if we simply become affected by the miserable condition... The miserable condition in the material world must be there. You cannot stop this miserable condition of material existence.
Prahlāda Mahārāja was being chastised by his father, five years old, but he did not know how to protest. He was suffering and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa. What can be done? What can be done? He was completely dependent on his father. And father had no mercy. The only fault was he, Kṛṣṇa, turned Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the fault. And he was being punished. He was punished, punished.
This is the world. Even father will be enemy, what to speak of others. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, the whole world will be your enemy. You must be prepared for that. So therefore you require tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily agree to suffer. That is called tapasya. Voluntarily. Suffering is there, but why not suffer for Kṛṣṇa? Everyone is unhappy. Everyone is in suffering condition. Who is not suffering? Everyone is suffering.
Tri-tāpa-yatana. Adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Three kinds of sufferings are always going on. Why you are running fan? Because suffering. There is heat. So where is no suffering? This is called adhidaivika, the scorching heat, scorching, I mean, severe cold. There must be always. We are suffering now due to scorching heat, and when the... We are thinking, "If it is become cooler..." And when it is cool, then also we suffering. Then we think, "If there is some heat." When there is winter, we are hankering after heat, and when there is summer, we are hankering after cooling.
Keśa means the hair, the upper portion of your hair. When it is divided into ten thousand parts... And just imagine. That one part is the spiritual atom. It is so small, it is so minute, that it is not possible to see with our material eyes. Even the material atom also we cannot see. When the material atoms are combined into six, then you can see floating in the air through the sunshine which is entering your room through the holes of a window. You can see some particles. That small particle, they are combination of six atoms. That particle, when it is divided into six, that becomes the atom. So you cannot see even the material atom, and what to speak of the spiritual atom.
When a dead man is there, the medical man or every scientist, everyone is sitting. How that spiritual atom is passed from this body, nobody can see. They can simply say, "Oh, now he is gone." Who is gone? Have you see who is gone? "No." Then what you are seeing? "I am seeing this dead body." So whole life you have seen this dead body. If I cannot see at the present structure of my body even the spark, material atom, how we can see God, the Supreme Spirit?
So we have to qualify ourselves. So that qualification is, here it is stated, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. If you try to surrender yourself into Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Just like Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, asking Arjuna, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam: (BG 18.66) "You just try to surrender unto Me, and I shall give you all protection." And just I described a few minutes before that Kṛṣṇa is seated along with you in the same tree of this body. He is just waiting for your voluntary looking unto Him. That's it. He does not press you. He gives you all instruction.
This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is an eternal fact. It is nothing that by this organization we are imposing upon you something extra. No. It is within you. It is within every living entity. Any living entity—never mind whether he is human being or animal... When Lord Caitanya was singing this Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, He was passing through jungles, forests, and the tigers, the elephants, the stags, and all, I mean to, forest animals, they joined. They joined. It is such a thing. Of course, it depends on the pure-hearted chanting. As we become... This is the process. As we become advanced in this chanting method, similarly, our heart becomes freed from all the dirty things of material contact. So even the animals can be captivated by this chanting, what to speak of human beings.
So in our practical life Kṛṣṇa advises how to invoke this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He says,
- yasya sarve samārambhāḥ
- kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ
- jñānāgni-dagdha-karmāṇaṁ
- tam āhuḥ paṇḍitaṁ budhāḥ
(loud conversation going on in background) Ask them to stop. Why do they come and talk nonsense?
So... Mad-dhāma gatvā. Just the other day we discussed the śloka, that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "Now, one who becomes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the result will be that just after quitting this body, he comes to Me, no more coming to this material world." So long you'll be in the material world... Material world means so long we'll have this material body, we'll have to face so many disturbances. War is one of them. Suppose there is, perpetually, there is no war. Do you mean to say there will be perpetual peace? No. There are so many other things. At once, if there is some upheaval in the Atlantic Ocean, the whole thing is swallowed up, your beautiful New York City will be no more there. There are so many natural disturbances. What to speak of war, what you have...
So they may merge into that existence of brahma-jyotir but because every individual living entity has got individual desires, therefore they cannot exist very long in that individual condition, I mean to say, impersonal condition. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Any person who is thinking that by merging, or one who has already merged into the brahma-jyotir, he has become liberated. Bhāgavata says that is not intelligence, what to speak of liberation. He says ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Vimukta-māninaḥ means he is simply falsely thinking that he is liberated. Māninaḥ. Just like you think yourself, just like so many rascals, he is thinking, "I am God," you see. "I am God."
So this is only thinking. Actually they do not know what is God. Otherwise they would not have dared to say that "I am God." They do not know the meaning of God. You see. Therefore they are less intelligent. They are thinking, "I am merged into the..." Just like the rabbit. The rabbit when he is faced with some enemy he closes his eyes. He thinks, "Now I am safe." (laughter) The rascal animal thinks that he is safe now. "I cannot see the enemy."
Just like a child. When there is something fearful the child, it is nature, closes the eyes. I have practical experience. When I was young man I went to the zoo with my little son and as soon as there was a tiger cage, oh, the child closed the eyes. Yes. He could not bear the vicious sight. This is natural.
The Lord says that "Those who are not performing yajña, they cannot be happy even in this world, in this life, and what to speak of next life." This is the con... Therefore we have to perform sacrifice. Nāyaṁ lokaḥ, ayaṁ lokaḥ.
Ayam, in this world, in which we are at present, that is also becoming more miserable. At the present moment people are feeling so much painful in the modern existence because this process of yajña has been... Completely, people are engaged, "Work hard, earn money and be engaged in sense gratification." That's all. This is the whole program, at the present moment is going on. That cannot bring any peace and prosperity to the society. We have to perform yajñas. That is the natural law.
The Lord says, nāyaṁ loko 'sty ayajñasya: "Those who are not performing, for them, there is no happiness even in this world, even in this life." And kuto anyaḥ kuru-sattama: "My dear Arjuna, then what to speak of the next life. Oh, next life is still more miserable."
That is called janma. Then aiśvarya, opulence, wealth; śrī, beautiful body; and education also. I have several times explained that to become highly educated, that is also due to previous pious activities. To be highly rich, that is also due to previous pious activities. But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that Karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, kebala biṣera bhāṇḍa. Karma-kāṇḍa vicāra, fruitive activities for getting better position of life, better body... (break) ...though I get my birth in a good family, there is still risk of degradation. Because sometimes we get our birth in rich family and due to opulence we are associated with bad company. Then we begin to act sinfully. That means again degradation. Therefore the Vaiṣṇava philosophy does not very much approve even pious activities. What to speak of impious activities, they do not approve pious activities also.
They are simply after Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply interested in the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is real yajña. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that those who are engaged in devotional service... To hear, devotional service... I have explained several times. To hear about Kṛṣṇa. Simply by hearing Kṛṣṇa, if we simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, that is also better than dravyamaya-yajña, dravya, in charity. But because we cannot devote ourself... Pure devotional service means śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was simply engaged in śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. He was chanting three hundred thousand times Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. We cannot imitate that. That is not possible. But pure devotional service is like that.
Or just a child. A child is attracted generally to his mother, in human being, in animals, everywhere. So if a child wants to know his father, then the authority is the mother, and there is not other authority. The child cannot know the name of his father by his own imagination or speculation, if he thinks, "Oh, he may be my father, he may be my father, he may be my father..." Go on imagining, speculating, but you will never be able to understand who is your father. But the mother indicates, "My dear child, he is your father"—immediately business finished. You see? So if you want to speculate who is God, who is the supreme father, you go on speculating for lives together. But if somebody knows, "Here is your God," you accept it—the business finished. Very simple truth. You cannot imagine, you cannot speculate, even on your ordinary father, what to speak of the supreme father. Is it possible? No.
Therefore just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. One who is fortunate to have a bona fide spiritual master, he is supposed to... Ācāryavān puruṣo veda: "One who has taken shelter of a real ācārya, spiritual master, from the disciplic succession, he knows." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Veda means "He is in the knowledge." One who has accepted a bona fide spiritual master, he is in the knowledge. Others are fools. This is the Vedic version everywhere. Here also, Bhagavad-gītā, it is said that "You try to learn the truth by approaching spiritual master."
And how to learn from the spiritual master? "Inquire from him submissively." You don't approach a spiritual master whom you can challenge. Then your selection of spiritual master is wrong. If you keep one spiritual master as showbottle, then your selection is not right. It is wrong. The spiritual master... You must select a spiritual master where you can bow down your head, "Yes," submissive. Therefore you have to see.
We shall be purified. Na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitram iha vidyate (BG 4.38). The Lord says again, "There is nothing purified things in this material world except jñāna, or knowledge." What is that knowledge? That knowledge is that, that "I am part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore my business is to dovetail myself with the Supreme Consciousness. I am individual consciousness, and I shall be dovetailed with the Supreme Consciousness." That is jñāna.
This is the purest thing in this material world. Everything is contaminated here by some modes of material nature. Even the modes of material nature of goodness, that is also another kind of contamination, and what to speak of the modes of passion and ignorance? Even goodness... In goodness, one becomes enlightened. He becomes enlightened about his position, about this matter, about transcendental subjects. But the defect is there: "Oh, now I have understood everything. I am all right." He wants to stay here. That means a first-class prisoner. And... He's offered all kinds of facilities in the prison house. Oh, he thinks, "Oh, now I am all right."
So even the modes of goodness, that is also a cause of our bondage. Therefore we have to transcend even the quality of goodness. Even the quality of goodness we have to transcend. That transcendental position is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The transcendental position is, also begins, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman. I am not this matter." But that position is also unsettled.
I am feeling satisfaction," so you'll feel it. You won't have to ask anybody that "Whether I am making progress nor not?" You yourself will feel it. Acireṇa. Acireṇa śāntim adhi... He feels full peace acireṇa, very soon. Then ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. And those who are faithless or hesitating, oh, they have no chance. They have no chance. Ajñaś ca. That hesitation is due to also ignorance. Ajñaś ca aśraddadhānaḥ. And ignorant and faithless. Saṁśayātmā, hesitating. Vinaśyati: "He is hopeless." Nāyaṁ lokaḥ asti na paraḥ na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ: (BG 4.40) "Anyone who is hesitating in accepting this principle of knowledge or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for him," nāyaṁ loko 'sti, "not even this material world will be happy. And what to speak of his next life?" If he has no faith, then even in this material world, he'll be unhappy. The material world is unhappy. It is all already miserable. It will be more miserable. He'll feel always disturbed, miserable, faithless. So for a faithless, the situation is very precarious.
So here is an authoritative version in the authoritative book, Bhagavad-gītā. And spoken by the Lord Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And if we accept faithfully, with confidence, that "Here is an authority..." Just the same way that when I am purchasing a ticket from a recognized company... Just like I am keeping my money in some bank, thousands of dollars. Why? With faith. With faith. They have created some faith. Otherwise, thousands of thousands of dollars are coming in the bank. Why? There is faith. Who knows? The bank may fail or may not pay. Because the money's out of my hand, now they may not pay it. It may be. But, because I have faith, I am putting my money there. So faith is required.
Prabhupāda: Yes. One who is doubtful, he has neither happiness in this world, and what to speak of the next?
Revatīnandana: "Therefore, one who has renounced the fruits of his actions, whose doubts are destroyed by transcendental knowledge, and who is situated firmly in the self is not bound by works, O conqueror of riches." Purport: "One who follows the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā as it is imparted by the Lord, the Personality of Godhead Himself, becomes free from all doubts by grace of transcendental knowledge."
Prabhupāda: Because everything is threadbare explained. You can have answer of all questions from this Bhagavad-gītā, chapter by chapter. Everything is completely understood. Yes.
Revatīnandana: "He, as a part and parcel of the Lord in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is already fully conversant in self-knowledge. As such, he is undoubtedly above the reactions to whatever activities he may carry out." Verse forty-two: "Therefore, the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bhārata, stand and fight."
Prabhupāda: The doubt was there in the mind of Arjuna in the battlefield, and there was necessity for preaching Bhagavad-gītā. Go on.
So one who hasn't got faith, for him it is stated, nāyaṁ loko 'sti na paro na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ: "Anyone who has not faith, for him there is no profit even during this life and what to speak of the next life?"
- yoga-sannyasta-karmāṇaṁ
- jñāna-sañchinna-saṁśayam
- ātmavantaṁ na karmāṇi
- nibadhnanti dhanañjaya
- (BG 4.41)
Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "O Dhanañjaya, Arjuna, anyone who is working in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or yoga..." Yoga means God conscious, or Kṛṣṇa conscious. Everything, anything, any attempt, which we perform, which we do for spiritual realization is called yoga. Yoga. So there are many different kinds of yoga, but they have been divided into three: the jñāna-yoga, karma-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. Jñāna-yoga means realization of self by culture of philosophical discussion. That is called jñāna-yoga. And dhyāna-yoga... Oh. And karma-yoga... Karma-yoga means that the ordinary persons who are engaged in working...
| Page Title: | What to speak of... (Lectures, BG ch 1 - 4) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 22 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=60, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 60 |