Yantra: it is a machine. This machine has been given by Kṛṣṇa to me because I desired that "If I get a machine like a human body, then I can enjoy like this." So Kṛṣṇa fulfills your desire: "All right." And if I think, "If I get a machine in which I can directly suck blood of other animal," "All right," Kṛṣṇa says, "you take the machine of a tiger's body and use it." So this is going on. Therefore His name is Hṛṣīkeśa. And when we understand properly that "I am not the proprietor of this body. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of the body. I wanted a certain type of body to use it for my sense gratification. He has given it and I am not happy. Therefore I shall learn how to use this machine for the proprietor," this is called bhakti. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Because Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of the senses—He is the proprietor of this body—so when this body will be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service, that is our perfection of life. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate.
Yantra
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated within the heart of all conditioned souls, and by His supreme will the living entity, or individual soul, gets the facility to lord it over material nature in various types of bodies, which are known as yantra, or the moving vehicle offered by the total material energy, māyā. Although the individual living entity (jīva) and the Lord are both situated within the material energy, the Lord is directing the movements of the jīva soul by offering him different types of bodies through the material energy, and thus the living entity is wandering throughout the universes in various forms of body and becomes implicated in different situations, partaking of the reactions of fruitive activities.
The owner of the body is called the dehī, and he is situated within this body, specifically within the heart. The living entity is driven by one chariot driver. The chariot itself is made of three guṇas, three qualities of material nature, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61): yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. The word yantra means "carriage." The body is given by material nature, and the driver of that body is Paramātmā, the Supersoul. The living entity is seated within the chariot. This is the actual position.
The living entity is always being influenced by the three qualities-sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance). This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.13). Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ: the living entity is bewildered by the three qualities of material nature. These three qualities are described in this verse as three flags. By a flag, one can come to know who the owner of the chariot is; similarly, by the influence of the three qualities of material nature, one can easily know the direction in which the chariot is moving.
SB Canto 5
yasyaikaṁ cakraṁ dvādaśāraṁ ṣaṇ-nemi tri-ṇābhi saṁvatsarātmakaṁ samāmananti tasyākṣo meror mūrdhani kṛto mānasottare kṛtetara-bhāgo yatra protaṁ ravi-ratha-cakraṁ taila-yantra-cakravad bhraman mānasottara-girau paribhramati.
SB Canto 6
"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy." Yantra means a machine, such as an automobile. The driver of the machine of the body is the individual soul, who is also its director or proprietor, but the supreme proprietor is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One's body is created through the agency of māyā (karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1)), and according to one's activities in this life, another vehicle is created, again under the supervision of daivī māyā (daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14)). At the appropriate time, one's next body is immediately chosen, and both the individual soul and the Supersoul transfer to that particular bodily machine. This is the process of transmigration. During transmigration from one body to the next, the soul is taken away by the order carriers of Yamarāja and put into a particular type of hellish life (naraka) in order to become accustomed to the condition in which he will live in his next body.
SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13
The goddess Durgā is celebrated in Calcutta as Kālī, in Bombay as Mumbādevī, in Vārāṇasī as Annapūrṇā, in Cuttack as Bhadrakālī and in Ahmedabad as Bhadrā. Thus in different places she is known by different names. Her devotees are known as śāktas, or worshipers of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas worshipers of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself are called Vaiṣṇavas. Vaiṣṇavas are destined to return home, back to Godhead, in the spiritual world, whereas the śāktas are destined to live within this material world to enjoy different types of material happiness. In the material world, the living entity must accept different types of bodies. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). According to the living entity's desire, Yogamāyā, or Māyā, the goddess Durgā, gives him a particular type of body, which is mentioned as yantra, a machine. But the living entities who are promoted to the spiritual world do not return to the prison house of a material body (tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so'rjuna (BG 4.9)). The words janma na eti indicate that these living entities remain in their original, spiritual bodies to enjoy the company of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the transcendental abodes Vaikuṇṭha and Vṛndāvana.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
In Maharloka one can live even to the time of the partial annihilation of the universe. This annihilation begins when Anantadeva, from the lowest position in the universe, produces a great blazing fire. The heat of this fire reaches even Maharloka, and then the residents of Maharloka travel to Brahmaloka, which exists for twice the duration of parārdha time.
In Brahmaloka there is an unlimited number of airplanes that are controlled not by yantra (machine) but by mantra (psychic action). Because of the existence of the mind and intelligence on Brahmaloka, its residents have feelings of happiness and distress, but there is no cause of lamentation from old age, death, fear or distress. They feel sympathy, however, for the suffering living beings who are consumed in the fire of annihilation. The residents of Brahmaloka do not have gross material bodies to change at death, but they transform their subtle bodies into spiritual bodies and thus enter the spiritual sky. The residents of Brahmaloka can attain perfection in three different ways. Virtuous persons who reach Brahmaloka by dint of their pious work become masters of various planets after the resurrection of Brahmā, those who have worshiped Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu are liberated with Brahmā, and those who are pure devotees of the Personality of Godhead at once push through the covering of the universe and enter the spiritual sky.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
We have already discussed that we can get our next life as we prepare for it. If I like, I can go to the higher planetary system; if I like, I can go to the lower planetary system; if I like, you can go to the beastly life or godly life. As I desire, I'll get. The Lord is situated in my heart and in your heart, and He is working... He's staying. He hasn't got to work. He's staying to see my activities. And He also understands what is my desire. Accordingly, He offers a machine. This is a machine. It is said, yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Yantra means machine. So just like in our car we can travel here and there, similarly, on this machine of body we can go anywhere.
So as human being, we should know that "Why I am wandering in so many places, in so many species of life and in so many planets? Why? Can it not be stopped for a permanent life?" This should be the consideration.
So for enjoying different kinds of enjoyment, we require different kinds of instrument. So Kṛṣṇa prepares you, so kind, "All right." Just like the father gives a toy, the child wants a motorcar. "All right, take a toy motorcar." He wants a engine, he wants to become a railway man. Now these kinds of toys were(?) there. Similarly Kṛṣṇa is supplying these toy bodies Yantra, yantra means machine. This is a machine. Everyone understands this is a machine. But who has supplied the machine? The machine is supplied by nature, material ingredients, but it is prepared under the order of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "Prakṛti, nature, is preparing all these things under My direction."
So where is the difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you diligently study and try to understand, you remain fully Kṛṣṇa conscious always. Everything is there. What is my position, how I am working, how I am dying, how I am getting body, how I am wandering. Everything is detail is there. Simply one has to become little intelligent. But we remain unintelligent, rascal, because we are associating with rascals.
So unless the soul is there... There are so many instances. A very nice, big machine, aeroplane, 747, but if there is no pilot, who will drive it? The machine is worthless unless there is the pilot. Similarly this is also machine, this body. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Īśvara... (break) ...yantra... (end)
This is a yantra, this body. Just like somebody seats you... Just like a child is seated on the car, and the car is moving. There are many examples. Similarly, this body is given by material energy. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. This body is given by māyā, but within the body... Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehī, within the body, the living spirit, or living soul, is sitting there. And because we are under the control of māyā, we wanted it, such a, such a body, so Kṛṣṇa has given. Anumantā. He has given order to māyā, that "This living entity wants to enjoy this material world under certain body. So you give him this body." Just like a pig. He wanted to eat everything and anything, without any discrimination. So, by the order of the Supreme, anumantā, upadraṣṭā..., He orders to the māyā that "You give him a body, a vehicle, a machine of pig body, so that he can very nicely eat stool."
So God, Kṛṣṇa, indicates the Supersoul who is situated within your heart. You desire something and He immediately orders the material nature that "You give him such and such body." Yantra. The body is yantra, machine. This body is a machine. So yantrārūḍhāni. He is seated in one kind of machine and he goes from one place to another, from one planet to another, from one life to another. This is going on. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This business is going on. If we want to stop this business, we have got this opportunity, human form of life. We can understand things if we have got little intelligence. And everything is being explained by Kṛṣṇa. If we take Kṛṣṇa's instruction and mold our life accordingly—that is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—then our life becomes successful. And after giving up this body, we are no more going to accept any material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). We get a suitable body in which we can go back to home, back to Godhead. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25).
So we have to work here. So we can prepare ourself to being promoted to the higher planetary system or lower animal kingdom. We can become pig; we can become hog; we can become demigod; we can become so on, so on.
Kṛṣṇa is the supreme father. He has given the seed. Just like the father impregnates within the womb of the mother, the seed is given by the father, the mother develops the body, similarly, in this material world we have come from Kṛṣṇa. He is the seed-giving father, and the material nature has given us this body. This is compared with a yantra or a machine.
- īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
- bhrāmayaṁ sarva-bhūtāni
- yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
- (BG 18.61)
Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. So Kṛṣṇa has given us this body through the agency of material nature. So this is a body. This body is just like yantra. So we are seated in this yantra and we are traveling. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā, under the influence of māyā, seated on this car, this yantra, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni (BG 18.61), we are wandering throughout the whole creation.
Yantra means machine. So we are seated on this machine. This is the knowledge. The person who is seated in this car, on the machine, nobody knows. There are so many advancement of knowledge department, but where is the department to understand that the living force which is driving this machine, what is that living force? How it is working? There is no enquiry and no education. Therefore this education has no value. They do not know what is education. Education means to enquire about the living force which is moving this body. That is education. This is not education, that we have manufactured nice car or nice machine. That is called craftsmanship, that is not education.
Just like one electrician. He knows how to join the two wire and bring current. In India it is called mistri. Mistri means worker. Because he knows that technical art how to bring electric current, that does not mean he is educated. Education is different thing. The worker, they are just working so many wonderfully, but that does not mean they are educated.
The living entity... Just like we, on this jeep car, we can move from here and there. Somebody has given you the car for movement. Similarly we are getting a yantra, a moving instrument, this body, with senses, different bodies. So I'm seated there and, but the movement is not in my direction. That is by nature's own way. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni, in another place it is confirmed,
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
This is our foolishness. So long we are under the clutches of māyā it is just like pulling by the ear, "Come here, sit down," like that. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. But the illusory māyā, by the influence of illusory māyā, the living entity thinks that "I am doing this, I am doing that."
Another place it is said, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). "That Supreme Personality of Godhead as Paramātmā, Antaryāmī, is situated in everyone's heart." Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā: (BG 18.61) "And He is directing māyā to give him a particular type of body and he is moving with that body." Yantra. Just like if you get a car, according to the price, you can get car. You can get a Rolls Royce car, Chevrolet car, Cadillac car or a Ford car or Ambassador car or a Jeep. So as you can pay for it, you get a different type of car, and you can travel, similarly, according to your karma, good and bad, you are getting a type of body. There are eight million four hundred thousand species of body. You can get one of them and suffer and enjoy.
Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change your body. Next body you can get a cat's body or dog's body, a tree's body or a demigod's body or a Brahmā's body or a Indra's body, Indian body, American body, serpent body, insect body, bird's body, aquatic, any, any, There is no guarantee. That will be awarded to you according to your karma. Unfortunately, they do not know it. Just like animals. The animals do not know how to get a better body.
How? You have to enter into the particular type of mother, and the mother's material ingredients will help you to manufacture a particular type of car, or body. The body is also a car, a machine. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Yantra. It has been said as yantra, a machine. This is just like machine. And we can perceive that. As soon as some part of the machine is slackened or not in order, that is your diseased condition. You cannot work.
So this we must... Dangerous position means that we should not be very much satisfied or rest assured that "I am in very secure position because I am American or I am this, I am that." You are not in secure position. At any moment, this car, this body, functioning will stop, and you have to change. So therefore we do not know what kind of change is going there. It may be very nice change, or it may be very bad change. So therefore it is very dangerous position. It is very dangerous. You do not know. You have to know. You can know that if you follow the shastric injunctions in the Bhagavad-gītā. You do now know "what kind of body I am going to get next life," but you can know from Bhagavad-gītā. You cannot speculate, but you can know from Bhagavad-gītā.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Anyway this is a long story. So this body is a bag of the three elements, yasyātmā-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). (baby cries) That baby. So Bhāgavata says yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke, I am not this body. This is a vehicle. Just like we ride on a car, drive car, so I am not this car. Similarly, this is a yantra, car, mechanical car. Kṛṣṇa or God has given me this car, I wanted it. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). "My dear Arjuna, the Lord as Paramātmā is sitting in everyone's heart," bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61), "and He is giving chance to the living entity to travel, to wander," sarva-bhūtāni, "all over the universe." Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā, riding on a car, driving a car given by the material nature. So actual our position is that I am soul, I have been given a nice car—it is not a nice car but as soon as we get a car, however rotten it may be, we think that it is very nice, (laughter) and identify with that car. "I have got this car, I have got that car." One forgets if one drives a very costly car, he forgets himself that he is a poor man. He thinks that "I am this car." This is identification.
This is very significant. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. We are riding on a machine. This body is a machine, but we are accepting machine as myself. This is called sammohita, bewildered. If you are running on a car, if you think, "I am the car," as it is foolishness, similarly, I have got this yantra, machine, body, and it is running on on account of my presence, or I am driving, or Kṛṣṇa is giving me intelligence how to drive, but if I identify myself with this body, exactly like a foolish man—he is driving the car, and if he identifies himself with the car, he is a foolish man—so this is called sammohita. Yayā sammohito jīva. Therefore the example, as I was citing last night, that we do not see the driver, and when the driver goes away, then we see that the car is not moving, and then I can understand, "Oh, the driver, my father, or my son, has gone away." We sometimes cry, "My father has gone away," or "My son has gone away," but because we are sammohita, we actually never saw the father or the son. We accepted this coat-pant body as father and son. This is called sammoha, bewildered.
"All right, it is." If you want this car, "All right." So you are changing this car. Sometimes you are carried by the doggish cars, sometimes goddish car. These are all cars, but we are different from the car. We wanted to sit down in a certain car, so Kṛṣṇa is giving us the chance. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni (BG 18.61). Yantra means car or machine. It is very easy to understand. So this is going on because we are identifying with the car. Just like foolish man, if he rides on a Rolls Royce car, he's thinking "Now I am very rich man. I have bought a Rolls Royce." Similarly, if one body has got inferior car, he thinks that "I am poor"; identifying with the car.
But he's not car. He's different from car. This knowledge is required. This is called viśoko brahma-sampattyā. When we understand our spiritual identity, then we are no more lamenting or jubilation, equilibrium. Read the purport. It is very important verse.
Just like you take care of your car because you, the spirit soul, will utilize it for going here and there. Without a man being interested going by car, nobody takes care. Similarly, this is also a car given by nature.
- īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
- bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
- yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
- (BG 18.61)
This is a yantra, machine.
So in this way we have to understand the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then everyone will be happy, not only in this life, next life also. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Therefore the shastric injunction is, Vedic injunction, that tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). If you want to know transcendental knowledge, tad-vijñāna... Tad-vijñā... It is also vijñāna. Actually, human life is meant for understanding tad-vijñāna. Tad-vijñāna means transcendental knowledge, not material knowledge, bodily. Bodily... Even a medical practitioner, he does not know, he has no knowledge of the spirit soul. He simply studies the mechanical arrangement of the body. The body's a big machine made by nature. It is called yantra. Actually it is a machine. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said,
- īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
- bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
- yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
- (BG 18.61)
Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. This body is machine. The, those who are very much attached to this machine, for them, the yoga system is recommended because... One who is very much in the conception of the body, so they have been taught just to concentrate the mind on some practice, some gymnastic, so that mind may be concentrated and he can focus the mind towards Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu.
This is a yantra, machine. I am not this machine, but this machine has been given to me to move. Just like you get a car to move. Especially mentioned, yantra. Yantra, just like a car is machine, but you are not the car. Suppose if you want a car to move. Your father gives you a car, maybe costly or not. That depends on the father's condition or your condition. But the father or the..., you purchase. But here it is said that the..., because we want to move in this material world under difference desires, so Kṛṣṇa gives us different types of bodies, 8,400,000 different species of yantra. They are just like machine, yantrārūḍhāni, and that machine is made by māyā, this material energy. That is not spiritual energy. I am spiritual energy; you are spiritual energy. But this vehicle, or the car, or the moving machine, that is not spiritual. That is material. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). It is given by māyā. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ... (BG 3.27). We are in a machine made by māyā. And so long we are on this machine, the machine will be old and you will have to change it for another machine. That is going on.
The hands, legs, and the mechanical process of different body... This is a machine. In the material world we manufacture machine, manufacturing different parts and assembling them. (aside:) The child may be... But this machine is automatically developing. There is no question of manufacturing each part and then assembling. It is yantra. This body is yantra, machine. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
- bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
- yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
- (BG 18.61)
Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in everyone's heart. He is supervising what kind of yantra, or machine, this living entity requires for fulfilling his desires. That is karma. He is engaged in such karma, and he is manufacturing by his karma another body.
Is there any scientist to put in a small seed all the chemicals and it will come automatically, a motorcar? No. That is not possible. That is not possible. You have to create every car. And Kṛṣṇa's energy is so perfect that she has created one male body and one female body, and innumerable cars are coming. This is car, described in the Bhagavad-gītā, this body. Yantra. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This is yantra, but this yantra is coming by union of two yantras: one male yantra and female yantra. And millions of yantras are coming. Where is that capacity?
So one gentleman, he challenged me. He's atheistic class. He said, "What is Kṛṣṇa's intelligence? It is just like an watch. If you wind the watch, it goes and gives time. Similarly, it is just like a machine—the whole world is going on." That's all right. Still, you are lacking knowledge, because Kṛṣṇa hasn't got to prepare each and every watch. He has made two watches, male and female, and they are producing. That is Kṛṣṇa's intelligence. Therefore even if you supposed to be very intelligent, still, you are lacking intelligence. You cannot be as intelligent as Kṛṣṇa. There must be some less quantity. Just like Yaśodāmāyi wanted to bind Kṛṣṇa with ropes, and as soon as she was going to knot it, there was little difference.
At that time what Kṛṣṇa will do? He is affectionate father. "All right, what do you want to do?" "I want to do like this." "All right." Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). He immediately orders prakṛti... Mayādhyakṣena prakṛteḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "This living entity wants a body like this. So give him a body like that." Yantra. That is called yantra. It is a machine. This body is the machine. And therefore we are changing, one body to another, yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. This is our business.
So if I am now in a yantra, Mercedes car, and suppose next life I ride on another yantra which is four-legged dog, then what is the benefit of this kind of struggle for existence? But that is going on. Therefore Kṛṣṇa warns, aśraddhadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyasya parantapa mām aprāpya. "The aim of life was to achieve Me," Kṛṣṇa says, "but the result is, because he does not hear what I say," mām aprāpya nivartante, "again goes back," mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. This material world means to take birth and die. That is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Now I am born as Indian or as brāhmaṇa or something like that. The next life, there is no guarantee. Kṛṣṇa does not say that there is guarantee. Kṛṣṇa says tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. You have to change your body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13).
Therefore it is said parābhava. Whatever you are doing, simply defeat. Because you do not know ātma-tattva. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). Very dangerous position. If we do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we are defeated in every sphere of life. And then, after death, karmaṇā daiva netreṇa yantra dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). Tathā dehāntara-prāptir. You have to change your body. And that will be selected not by you, not by your government, not by your father, not by your so-called guru. It will be decided by the laws of nature. That you cannot avoid. You should always remember that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). These rascals, they do not know that his self-interest, ultimate goal of self-interest, is Viṣṇu. Duraśayā ye bahir-artha māninaḥ. Simply by the false hope, hope against hope, they are trying to adjust things materially or so-called spiritually, by this or that. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. These rascals, they are tied with the laws of material nature, hand and legs, and they are thinking they are free to do anything and everything without any consultation of śāstra.
This is the fact. We have got this yantra, machine. This body is a machine. That's a fact. But this machine, we are accepting as self—"I am this machine." This whole world is accepting—"I am this body." "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am black," "I am white." No. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said in the beginning that "You are not this body." Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). This change of body is different. That is on the body. At different times we are accepting different body. So we are not this body. But that is not possible for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's body—the same. These foolish persons, they do not know. Therefore avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). These mūḍhas, these rascals, they think that Kṛṣṇa has got a different body. No. Kṛṣṇa hasn't got different body. We are given this body by māyā. Māyayā. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). We are sometimes getting a human form of body, sometimes a tree's body, sometimes a demigod's body, sometimes an insect's body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantor dehopapatti (SB 3.31.1). By karma we are forced to accept a certain type of body. You cannot say, "No, I don't want." That is not possible. "You have behaved like a dog. You got this human form of life for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra; instead of doing that, you have cheated. You have misused your opportunity like a dog and hog. You must accept." This is nature's law. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). We, by practice, we may be, appearance like a human body, but my mentality is just like a dog. I don't discriminate, yoni-vicara (?). I don't discriminate about eating. I eat everything, even up to stool like... That is going on.
The next stage is manyu. Manyu means anger. And mada, then pride, then greediness, then śoka. These are different stages. Lamentation, bhaya. So many things. What is the cause? The root cause is karma-bandha. Because I am bound up by the resultant action of my past karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa yantra-dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). By the superior arrangement, according to my karma I get a body with varieties of kāma, krodha, moha, like that. Kāma, because somebody has got the body of a human being, his kāma, desires, are different from the hogs and pigs because he has got a different body. He has got also kāma, and the human body, he has human being, he has got also kāma. But one is desiring to have a very palatable dish, and the other is desiring stool. The different..., according to the bodies the desires are (indistinct)-less. So conclusion is that when you get your spiritual body then the desire will be different. And that is prema. Desires are going on. Now the desires are designated. Designated. Because one has got a particular type of body, his desires are different from another because another person, he has got a particular type of body. But in the spiritual world, because there is no material body, only desire is how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Kāma kṛṣṇa-karmārpaṇe. This is spiritual. Spiritual means when the center is Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual. Otherwise it is material.
"By the..., affected by the machine which is called affection." So everyone is affected by this machine. This machine... This body is a machine. And it is being worked by the nature. And direction is coming from the Supreme Lord. We wanted to enjoy a certain way and Kṛṣṇa has given us a certain type of body, yantra. Just like you have got different makes of motorcar. You want. Somebody wants. I want Buick car. Somebody says, "I want Chevrolet," some, "Ford." They are ready. Similarly, our body is also like that. Somebody is Ford, somebody is Chevrolet, somebody is Buick, and Kṛṣṇa has given us the chance, "You wanted this kind of car or body. You sit down and enjoy." This is our material position. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). We forget. After changing the body, we forget what I desired and why I have got this kind of body. But Kṛṣṇa, He is situated within your heart. He does not forget. He gives you. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). You wanted this kind of body: you get it. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. If somebody wanted a body so that he can eat everything, so Kṛṣṇa gives him the body of a pig, so it can eat even stool. And if somebody wanted a body that "I shall dance with Kṛṣṇa," then he gets that body. Now, it is up to you to decide whether you are going to get a body which will be able to dance with Kṛṣṇa, to talk with Kṛṣṇa, to play with Kṛṣṇa. You can get it. And if you want a body how to eat stool, urine, you will get it. So we have to decide, this human form of life.
So everybody of us, we are getting a new type of body. This is a yantra. This is a machine given by Kṛṣṇa through the agency of material nature. This body is made of material nature. I am the owner of the body or driver of the body, and Kṛṣṇa is the giver of the body. We should always remember. Kṛṣṇa is sitting within us, and He knows what kind of body I am desiring. So He is immediately ordering material nature that "You give him such and such body." And she is ready. She can manufacture millions of types of body in a second, material nature. That you have seen, nature, how all of a sudden all the trees become green. Yesterday or day before yesterday, there was no leaf. And the third day, in the morning you see all the trees are full with leaves. How it is done? So nature is so powerful. Immediately. So therefore... Similarly, our bodies, you body, my body, millions and trillions and numberless body, immediately created. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi... (BG 3.27). We have to study like that, how prakṛti is working. The prakṛti is not under your control. That prakṛti is working under the supervision of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhaykṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram. As soon as Kṛṣṇa says, "Now make all the trees leafless," immediately leafless. He says, "Make the all the trees with all leafs," immediately with leaves. That is God; that is prakṛti. Try to understand like that.
So He is giving us the facility. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna ti..., bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni (BG 18.61). You cannot, out of your own power, you can go to the higher planetary, lower planetary, anywhere. No. That is to be sanctioned by God. Bhrāmayan. I want to go here, there. He will give me facility. And what is the process? Now, yantra, a machine. Just like you have got the machine, aeroplane, you go from here to there, similarly, this is also a yantra, this is also a machine. The difference is that this is God-made machine or Yes, everything is God-made, and your machine is man-made. Here the machine is growing automatically, and your machine, each and every machine you have to manufacture in the factory. That is the difference. Both of them are machine, but this machine is God-made, and the other machine is man-made.
So some atheist old man, he challenged me that "Why you are thinking of God? This body is just like a clock. You wind it and it will go on." That's all right. But here a clock machine is there. It can produce other clock. But your clock cannot do that. That is the difference. Here God-made machine is so nice and perfect that He creates one male and one female, and unlimited machine is coming out, so much so that you, being disgusted, you kill some of the machine.
And if you are acting like a dog, then you must get the body of a dog. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. It depends on your karma. If you simply dress like a human being and act like a dog, then you'll get a dog's body. Kṛṣṇa will give you the facility. Māyayā, (sic) yantrā-rūḍhena māyayā. Māyā.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that this body is just like a machine, motorcar. Suppose you have got now a very nice motorcar, Rolls Royce car. So somehow or other, your car is lost. The next car, is it any guarantee that you will get Rolls Royce car? No. You'll get a car as you pay for. That's all. If you can pay for a Rolls Royce car, then you can get. Or any dress. Suppose you have got now very costly dress. Now your dress is torn, you have to change the dress, but is there any guarantee that you'll get the same type of dress? No. You'll get a dress as you pay for it. It's a common sense. Similarly, if you act like a demigod, you will get the body of a demigod. If we act like ordinary human being, then you get the body of a human being. If you act like a dog, then you get the body of a dog. And if you act like a devotee, you go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the process.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
That means the subtle body is acting. Similarly, when this body's stopped, nobody works, no more working, or the machine is broken, then, at that time, the subtle body carries you to another machine. This body is machine. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. This is yantra. So just like your car, you are driving one car, the car is stopped for some reason. It is no more working. Then what do you do? You get down. You get another car. Similarly, when this body's not working, then you give up this body; you take another body.
Now, taking another car means as you are paying for it. If you are paying very lump sum, you can a better car. But if you cannot pay, then you have to accept a low grade car. Similarly, the price means according to your karma, you are offered a car. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛti.
- īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati
- bhrāmāyān sarva-bhūtāni
- yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
- (BG 18.61)
Māyā creates a car for you, a carrying conveyance, this body. So that conveyance is according to karma. So if you act piously in this life, then next life you get good body. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā (BG 14.18). Sattva-sthā.
Those who are under the material energy, they are pulled by the ear of the person by the material energy. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Yantrārūḍhāni. This body is a yantra, is an automobile, mechanical car. Just like I, we are placed on the motorcar and the driver moves us in different places, similarly, according to our karma, we are given a certain type of body, cat's body, dog's body, human body, this body, that body—8,400,000 species. So we are moving. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). So actually, we are under the control of the material nature. But ahaṅkāra-vimūḍha ātmā. Those who are fools and rascals, they are thinking "I am independent, I am God, I don't care for God," this or that... So many. So this is called mati-cchanna, madness. The Vaiṣṇava Kavi says therefore,
- piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya
- māyā-grasta jīvera se dāsa upajaya
Just like when a man is ghostly haunted—in Bengal it is called bhute pava (?)—and he speaks nonsense, even his father is before him, he wants to attack his father without any respect. Madman, crazy.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
According to your karma, the next body is offered. Karmana daiva-netrena (SB 3.31.1). Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe... He is seeing. He is witness. Anumanta updrsta. He is seeing everything, upadrsta. So He is asking the material nature, "Now this living entity wanted to act like this. So give him this body." Daiva-netrena. So you'll get a body, yantra. This body is yantra, machine. You are sat down on a machine, and bhrāmāyān sarva bhūtāni—sometimes you are in nice bodies. Nothing is nice. Everybody will die, so there cannot be anything nice. It may be, the duration of life, little more—a dog's duration of life less than man's duration of life. That may be. But nobody is going to live forever. That is not possible.
So this is anitya, this body, daiva-netrena, by the order, prakṛti, prakṛti. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati, bhrāmāyān sarva-bhūtāni (BG 18.61). Sarva-bhūtāni, all living entities, are wandering, wandering not only here. There are so many planets, so many up and down situation. So we are wandering within this universe, within this material world, sometimes in good body, sometimes in bad body, and this is our life. Avidyā-karma-saṁjñā anyā.
General Lectures
What is the meaning of this? Yantrārūḍhāni. Just like you are sitting on a carriage, and the driver is taking you anywhere he likes. You are just like that. There is no control how you are being taken. Yantrārūḍhāni. Yantra means just like carriage, a machine. You are sitting on a machine, and under the direction of the Lord, Īśvara... He is sitting in your heart. So māyā is driver, and Kṛṣṇa is dictating, "Drive this person in such and such body," and māyā is there, offering the body. Kṛṣṇa is seeing you, that you are doing, you require such and such body, and He's ordering māyā that "You give him such and such body." So māyā is offering you. You are simply under the control. You are simply thinking, "I shall do that, I shall do that," and everything is there by Kṛṣṇa's order. So you think of Kṛṣṇa; then Kṛṣṇa will give you another body, spiritual body.
Just try to understand. We are given a kind of machine, yantra, this body, a particular type of machine. Actually it is machine. It is a physiological machine. But the machine has developed by māyā prakṛti because I wanted it. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati. Īśvaraḥ, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Paramātmā feature, antaryāmī, He is situated in everyone's heart in my heart, in dog's heart, in demigod's heart, everyone. Not only in the heart of the living entity, but He is within the atom. That information we get from the Brahma-saṁhitā,
- eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ
- yac chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ
- aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.35)
Eko 'py asau racayitum. One partial expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Govinda. The prime factor is Govinda. So in order to create this material world, He has expanded Himself by His one portion, which is known as Viṣṇu-tattva, Mahā-Viṣṇu.
Yantrārūḍhāni. Yantra means machine. So Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart. That is all-pervading. And He knows what the soul wants, so He is given the opportunity. As he wants to work, he is given a particular type of body, machine, yantra. Yantra means machine. And he is seated there, and in this way he is wandering in different species of life and different planets for different times. That is going on. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). So if we stop this business, if we hear Kṛṣṇa-sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66)—then our life is successful. Otherwise we shall continue to change this yantra, one yantra to another, another, another. This is going on. So practically the soul is not locked up, but intentionally he wants some position. And Kṛṣṇa is very kind. God is very kind. He is giving the opportunity: "All right, you want like this? Do it like that."
Indian man (5): Swamijī? Are we (indistinct) to believe in that by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa that we can attain a higher conscious level on this earth and attain self-realization without going through all the rigors of the old Vedas, scriptures?
Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Unnatural means to my constitution. My real constitutional body is servant of Kṛṣṇa. So, so long I do not come to that position, I remain servant of nature and I get so many bodies. According to the nature's direction I am getting body, I am giving it up, again I am desiring something, I am getting another body. This is going on. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā (BG 3.27). He is a rascal. He is thinking, "I am this body." Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This is a yantra, machine. And we are traveling many species of life, all riding on this car, given by nature. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. Māyā has given this vehicle, anywhere wandering, up and down, sometimes demigod, sometimes dog. This is going on. And in this wandering process, if he gets in touch with a devotee, then his real spiritual life begins. Otherwise he has to go on, rotating.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: All brain, last class. It is matter. The man who is working, the soul who is working, he is first-class, second-class, third-class. It is said clearly, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati: (BG 18.61) "Īśvara, Kṛṣṇa, is situated in everyone's heart." Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā: (BG 18.61) "He is offered a yantra, a machine, made by material energy." But that is under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has asked the material energy "Give a good machine; he can work. Good or bad, as He wants, as He wants. That's all. Give him a..." yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. It is all bad. Either this electric machine or that manual machine. They are all matter. So anything material, that is bad. But he wants it; "All right, give it." That is going on. He wants this facility. Now before these motorcars, people were walking on foot. All business was being done. But we wanted a machine like that, so Kṛṣṇa has given us brain to manufacture. That's all. But what you will benefit by this? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "You give up all this nonsense proposal." But they will not do that. They will create another nonsense desire.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: By the material life, these are our field of activities. The body is a combination of all these things. Just like a huge computer machine. It is made of these material things, but the mechanical parts are very minute, different. All these are matter. But within this matter, because the soul is there, therefore the finest machine is working. Just like your composition machine, (imitates machine:) "Kut, kut, kut, kut, kut, kut." But one has to push the button; otherwise useless. However very nicely made the machine, without a living being's touch, it is useless. So all this big machine, body, is wonderful so long the soul is there. And as soon as the soul is out it is lump of matter, useless, not worth a penny. Throw it away. So we are giving importance to the machine, not to the person who is dealing with the machine. This is the folly of modern civilization. We are thinking like child, "The machine is working independently." But that is not the fact. The big airship, 747, is flying because the pilot is there, and the pilot is a soul, covered by another bodily machine. And that, that is missing point in the modern civilization, that who is working with the machine. That they do not know. That is ignorance. It is said—you see Bhagavad-gītā,
- īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
- bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
- yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
- (BG 18.61)
Yantra means machine. So the modern education is missing the pilot. They are simply wandering with the machine.
Prabhupāda: Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt. Everyone, animal up to the king of heaven—always fearful. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. So fearfulness is one of the qualification of conditioned soul. Yesterday you were putting forward the logic, "Machine." Machine, we also accept. In Bhagavad-gītā it is mentioned, this body is machine, yantra. Yantra means machine. So at the same time, you said, "Growing." Do you grow machine Ford car?
Ambarīṣa: Do they grow? No, they... (laughs)
Prabhupāda: Then how the analogy is perfect? Machine it is. That is accepted. Kṛṣṇa says. That is undoubtedly, it is machine. It is nothing but machine. So machine, at the same time, he says, "It grows." How it can be comparable?
Brahmānanda: The body is compared to a machine.
Prabhupāda: Not... It is machine, not compared. It is machine. Actually it is machine.
Brahmānanda: But then it cannot grow because a machine does not grow.
Prabhupāda: No.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: This is civilization. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Unless you become civilized like this, there is no opportunity of brahma-jijñāsā. And so long you do not inquire about Brahman, that you remain, that pigs and hogs and asses. If human civilization is wasted to cultivate the pig civilization, naturally, "All right, you come here. Become a pig now. Take this body." Kṛṣṇa will say, "Nature, prakṛti, he got this chance to become human being, but has misused. Kindly give him a body of pig."
- īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
- bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
- yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
- (BG 18.61)
Then you get this yantra, how you can become perfect pig, whole day and night eat stool, and as soon as you get another opposite party, have sex. Doesn't matter whether it is daughter or mother or sister. That's all. Take Freud's philosophy and become highly advanced in civilization. Now the Freud's philosophy is being translated in Hindi and so many other languages. We are advancing in civilization, Indians. They are translating this Freud's philosophy, pig civilization. People therefore do not come to us. (chuckles) They avoid us because "They are not pigs."
Prabhupāda: Then what is the.... I say they're nonsense, rascals. They say that there is no.... And what is their knowledge? We don't give any value to their knowledge. Kṛṣṇa says clearly, hṛd-deśe 'rjuna. And this body is just like a yantra, machine. So as machine means, moving machine means it must have wheel, it must have sitting place.... Everything is there, machine.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That would mean that even the plants and trees also have a heart.
Prabhupāda: Everything. That is proved scientifically. Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose has proved. There is a part(?). What is that? Spi...? Begins the word, the machine, the record?
Devotee (2): Spirograph.
Prabhupāda: Yes, the word begins with s. Spirograph or like that. You do not know? They smear with black, what is called, carbon, and the fine...
Devotee 2: Cardiograph.
Prabhupāda: Cardiograph, like that.
Devotee: Certain foods are cooling to the stomach.
Prabhupāda: Appetite is increased on account of the fire. The fire creates different secretions: blood. This is a big machine. It is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā, yantra. How this yantra is working? Electricity, everything, air.
Devotee: Are persons who are trying to cut down appetite, they should eat cool foods?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Devotee: Persons who are trying to eat less and less for spiritual life, they should...
Prabhupāda: No, less is not spiritual. Whatever you want to eat, your food must be.... Machine is going on by the order of God. It is not after your order. But if you violate laws, then it is disturbed. The more that the fire is disturbed, oblations to the fire—svāhā—that is eaten by God. (indistinct) Grains are offered, fruits are offered, in the fire yajña. It is through the fire, so as the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we have got little fire, we eat through that. In the fire you put tons of grains, tons of ghee—everything will be consumed. Similarly, if the fire is there, whatever you eat...
Hari-śauri: Whatever is there in the universal form is found in small quantity in the bodies that the living entities get.
Prabhupāda: If he wants to remain in this material world, creates a situation and continues his desire, then he has to take... And when he understands that "To live in this material condition is very troublesome. Why shall I live here?" then he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious and he goes back to home, back to... And so long he desires, "No, why not? If I remain in this situation, I'll be happy," then he'll have to get a body. Nature will give him all chances: "Get this body." If one is very pleased to take raw flesh, "All right, why artificially? Take this body, tiger." That's all. Nature is... God is so kind. Before we were talking of God's mercifulness, so if you are thinking that it is very happy life to eat, without any discrimination, anything, so immediately God orders nature, "You give him body of a pig. He can eat anything, even up to stool. Give him this body." Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This yantra, this vehicle, this body, is given to him: "Yes, now you can eat anything, up to stool." And he is very pleased. He wanted it. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). He does not hesitate or feel any inconvenience. God is there, even within the heart of the pig, "My dear pig, you wanted a body like this.
Prabhupāda: Yes. As he desired, so he got a form. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). The form is offered by the Supreme Absolute Truth, as he desires. Just like the cloth has no form, but as the customer desires, the tailor gives a form suitable to his desire. Similarly, material world means we have got varieties. In the spiritual world also we have got varieties. Because we are originally of varieties of form, we are getting these varieties of body, being influenced by the modes of material nature. So I'm desiring that if I get such body, I can eat even stool. So God gives you, "All right, you take this body. Become a pig and eat stool." This is going on. Why? Your desiring. You eat, actually. So īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He's friendly, He's sitting in everyone's heart, and the living entity is desiring. So bhrāmayan. Desiring means he wants to go here and there. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni (BG 18.61). He gives a particular type of yantra, machine. This body is machine. Body is machine, everyone accepts. This is a machine. If we want to go to India, we ride on a machine, airplane, and go there. Similarly, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni. We want varieties of life, and God gives us a particular machine to ride on and travel, go to heaven, go to hell, become a dog, become a cat, become a demigod, become a tree. This is going on.
Prabhupāda: It is a machine manufactured by the material nature under the order of Kṛṣṇa. So actually it is not my body, it is Kṛṣṇa's body. Kṛṣṇa has given us. He has given you a particular type of body, He has given me a particular type of body, so many. Yantra, machine. Just like on a machine, motorcar, we sit down and travel here and there. So we wanted to travel in a certain way so we require some machine, and Kṛṣṇa has given us this machine manufactured by material nature. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ suyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). So Kṛṣṇa is within the core of heart of everyone. He knows what I want. He's giving us facilities. We wanted to enjoy this material world, and He's still giving direction, "All right, you want to get this facility, sit down on it and travel as you like." So we are getting different machines. Sometimes the human body machine, sometimes dog machine, sometimes cat machine, sometimes demigod machine. We are desiring all these things. American machine, Indian machine. When you are in Indian machine you are thinking "I am Indian. My business is to satisfy Indian interests." You Americans are thinking "This is American machine; it should be used for America's benefit." These are upādhi. Upādhi means designation. Neither I am Indian nor American nor cat nor dog. But as soon as I get a particular type of body, I think that I am cat, I am dog, I am Indian, I am America, I am black, I am white, this. This is our position.
Prabhupāda: No. Seed is instrumental. Just like you have to do something, you require an instrument. Actually, according to the desire of the living entity, he's given instrument, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Yantra. You require something, you require a particular yantra or machine. So seed is practically the machine, and the living entity is using it to satisfy his desires.
Hari-śauri: So that growth of matter, that's the matter is coming from outside, and the spirit soul is simply taking it and expanding his body.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Sadāpūta: Is earth still being manifested from ether? Like the description in Bhāgavatam is from sound and then through different elements finally down to earth. Is that still happening today?
Prabhupāda: Every, always happening. Nature's law is going on.
Sadāpūta: Yes. So what I was wondering, is like earth still being manifested in living bodies from sound and so on, like the chemists...
Prabhupāda: No, no. The process is going on. I've described. That is going on.
Prabhupāda: They are mad, working day and night. Pramatta. And acting just adverse to his interest. So Ṛṣabhadeva says this is not good. You should know that he has already got a body for which he is suffering. Pritar yantra.(?) And again he is creating another body. By his karma he is creating another body. So as soon as you get a material body you'll have to suffer. Either you become a king or a dog. Because you have got this material body you have to suffer. Pritar yantra. So asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This body will not exist. But still so long you'll exist in this body you'll suffer. But they have no brain how to solve this, although there is solution. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). So paropakāra. So as you have become our life member, try to broadcast the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā. That is the meaning of membership. Everything is there. We have got so many books. At least, thoroughly study Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Yes. Understand the philosophy of life. Apply in own life and try to spread among friends. In your bar library you talk so many things. Why not talk about this? Yes. (laughter) Paropakāra. That is paropakāra. Everyone is in darkness. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31).
Prabhupāda: Yes. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He's there. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni (BG 18.61). If you have done then you must suffer or enjoy. That's all. That is your business. You get... Now you have created a karma. You have to enjoy it by accepting a certain type of body. Now you take it. I ask māyā, "Give him this body. He wants to eat stool. All right. Give him the body of a hog." Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. The yantra, the body is supplied by māyā under the order. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate (BG 9.10). Everything is there. But these things they do not preach. They preach unnecessarily nonviolence. From Bhagavad-gītā, which is being taught in the battlefield, and Gandhi wants to draw some meaning—nonviolence. Immediately it is, what is the value? Not only Gandhi. Everyone. If he can give a new interpretation... I think in Bombay, was there any Dr. Reilly? He wrote some Bhagavad-gītā commentary as...
Dr. Patel: I think it's not that Reilly. Not that Reilly, Dr. Reilly, but there is another Reilly in Baroda who taught...
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: These are the ingredients, any machine. Suppose it is made of iron. So iron is another form of earth. So as all other machines are made with these material elements, similarly, this body is also made with the material elements, and it is yantra. It is particularly mentioned. But this yantra is not ordinary yantra. You cannot make it. But it is yantra. It is made by somebody, and the ingredients are the material elements. So where is that technology? It is made of matter, and it is made by somebody as other machines are made with the material... (break) ...and made by somebody. So where is that advancement of technology? A motorcar, when stops, technology department can repair it and again it runs. So where is that advancement of technology that when this machine stops you run on, again repair it? This was my challenge in your institution. Can you answer this? You have got so many advancement, the nuclear energy and everything. But why you cannot give life to the machine stopped? Why?
Prabhupāda: First of all you have to see what is the actual distress in this material life. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So in this life you are my father, and next time I become a cat or dog, so who cares for this father? I get another father. So who knows this law? Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā (BG 3.27). The laws of nature is going on, and everything is happening. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). We are getting a type of body according to karma.
- īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
- bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
- yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
- (BG 18.61)
This is a yantra. This yantra is, this machine, body, is offered by the material energy under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So actually they do not know the laws of nature, laws of God. Ignorant. So we are trying to deliver people from this gross ignorance. And they do not know the laws. Naturally they'll think "brainwashed."
Prabhupāda: Supplied by māyā, the machine, this, that. He has nothing to do. Karaṇ... This is also Vedic mantra. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Just like I am an ordinary man. If I want to do something, I ask one or two, "Do this." I ask somebody, "Bring some money." I ask somebody that "You do this." So if an ordinary man can do, why God should do anything? Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. Na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. He can do everything, because nobody is equal to Him, but still does not do anything. Why? Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). His energy are so mighty millions that simply by indicating the energy, it will do. This is God. This is God. Just like big man, big industrialist, he simply pushes his button, and the secretary comes: "I want this." Immediately. This is... Ordinary human being can do. So why God has to do? He'll simply dance with the gopīs. That's all. That is God. He'll enjoy. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitā... That is God. Therefore everything is done by God's agent or His expansion. Otherwise God has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Simply indication. Here it is said that Īśvara, the Lord, is situated everyone's heart. He can understand "What this rascal wants." He's so kind, He's living as friend. "My dear son, please come back. Why you are desiring so many nonsense things?" But the child will not hear. He wants. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. He wants sense gratification this way, that way, that way, that way. So He gives him facility: "All right." And all facility. He wants to become a tiger, "All fixed." Nails, jaws, fangs—"Become a tiger." Yantra. The body is yantra, perfect yantra. That is supplied by māyā. Māyā. Daiva-netreṇa. He wants this, to give up this body.
| Page Title: | Yantra |
| Compiler: | Rishab, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 26 of Sep, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=5, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=33, Con=16, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 55 |