741231 - Lecture SB 03.26.22 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

41231SB-BOMBAY - December 31, 1974 - 41:59 Minutes

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ

śāntatvam iti cetasaḥ

vṛttibhir lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ

yathāpāṁ prakṛtiḥ parā

(SB 3.26.22)

(break)

"After the manifestation of the mahat-tattva, these features appear simultaneously. As water in its natural state, before coming in contact with earth, is clear, sweet and unruffled, so the characteristic traits of pure consciousness are complete serenity, clarity and freedom from distraction."

Prabhupāda:

svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ

śāntatvam iti cetasaḥ

vṛttibhir lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ

yathāpāṁ prakṛtiḥ parā

(SB 3.26.22)

In the previous verse we have discussed that yat tat sattva-guṇaṁ svaccham. Svaccham means transparent, clear. Now that svacchatvam is explained, what is the meaning of clarity, clear, uncontaminated. These are the symptom: svacchatvam avikāritvam, "Without any change," "freedom from all distraction." Just like here there are many mothers sitting, and the natural affection for the child and the child's complete dependence on the mother's mercy is visible. There is no need of explanation. That is natural. If the mother is taking care of the child, it is not artificial. And if the child is feeling uncomfort without being on the lap of the mother, that is also natural. This is called avikāritvam, natural affection between the mother and the son.

Similarly, we have got our natural affection for Kṛṣṇa. That is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta:

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

(CC Madhya 22.107)

Just like sex impulse. It doesn't require to . . . how to awaken sex impulse. Natural. Similarly, kṛṣṇa-bhakti is our natural inheritance because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or sons of Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). It is the same example, that as the mother and the child has got natural affection, similarly, with Bhagavān we have got natural affection. Bhagavān has got natural affection for us, and we have got also natural affection for Bhagavān. And the external covering which checks this natural affection, this is called māyā. Just like touch . . . what is called, magnetic stone? Magnetic stone naturally attracts the iron, and iron is naturally attracted by the magnetic stone. Similarly, kṛṣṇa-bhakti is not something which is unnaturally taught or unnaturally gained, artificial.

This . . . another vivid example is this: these foreigners, Western boys and girls, how they became attracted with Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless it is natural? Their forefathers, or they also, even four, five, six years ago, they did not know what is Kṛṣṇa, neither they cared to know. But now they are almost mad after Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, why they are coming here? They have not come here in India to see your skyscraper building or industry. They are not at all interested. They have seen all these things in their own country. They have enough. So why they have come here? They are after Vṛndāvana. They are after Māyāpur. They are after me. What is the attraction? The attraction is Kṛṣṇa. They are not interested with anything else. They do not go to see your skyscraper building in New Delhi or in Bombay. They have seen it enough. So why it is so? Because it is natural. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is natural. That is the original consciousness.

The example is given here: yathā apāṁ prakṛtiḥ parā. Just like the water, rains, fall from the sky. If you do not allow to touch the water the ground, you take it in the middle, you will find crystal, distilled water. You will find. And as soon as it comes down on the ground, it becomes muddy, the purity lost. Muddy, opaque; you cannot see, agitated. Similarly, our original consciousness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is svaccha, svacchatvam avikāritvam. In the original consciousness we do not know anything else than Kṛṣṇa. Avikāritvam. There is no change. Therefore in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, especially in the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, that is exhibited. When Kṛṣṇa comes to show His dhāma—goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni—that is His own abode. So Kṛṣṇa, when Kṛṣṇa comes, He brings everything with Him: His dhāma, His qualities, His place, His paraphernalia, His associates, His father, His mother, His friend, His consort, His trees, His water—everything He brings. That is Vṛndāvana. You will find in Vṛndāvana still—still you will find—people are all automatically Kṛṣṇa conscious. Eighty-four, curāśī crores, about 160 miles' area. So they are Kṛṣṇa conscious naturally. And if you go to Vṛndāvana, this area, wherever you go, you will feel Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So the example of purity is still there. And what to speak of in the original Vṛndāvana?

So from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will find the vṛndāvana-līlā—the cowherds boys and the cows, the calves, the trees, the plants, the flowers, the water. The description is there that everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious. They do not know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They do not know it; neither they care to know it. What is Supreme Personality of Godhead, what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā, they do not care to know these things. But they have unalloyed, unflinching love for Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yaśodāmāyi is seeing wonderful things in Kṛṣṇa, but she never thinks that, "Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa." She thinks that, "Kṛṣṇa is my child. This wonderful thing has happened due to Providence." She thinks that, "The Supreme Lord, or the Absolute Truth, is different, and here Kṛṣṇa is my child."

So as I have already said, the love for the child of the mother is natural. So that is Vṛndāvana atmosphere. Everyone loves Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is overwhelmed with love of Kṛṣṇa. When they cannot find Kṛṣṇa, they become mad. Although they do not know that Kṛṣṇa . . . when they see some wonderful activities of Kṛṣṇa, they think, "Some demigod might have come here. Otherwise, how this wonderful thing is possible?" So this is pure love. This is pure love, without any knowledge of the supreme powerful, almighty. That is svacchatvam, no contamination—pure love.

So the mission of human life should be how to clarify this consciousness again into that pure consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the mission of human life. The consciousness is impure; therefore there are so many varieties, material varieties, and we are captivated by these material varieties. But that is not giving us any happiness. We are especially very much unhappy on account of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). So if we want to get relief from the miserable condition of this material life . . . this place is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15): "This place is meant for miseries." Do not try to become happy here. That is foolishness, mūḍha. Nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam. "The mūḍhas, these rascals, they do not know that here he cannot be . . . one cannot be happy, because real happiness is when he comes back to Me." Mām ebhyaḥ param . . . tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). That is real happiness. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So everyone is very . . . working very hard, struggling for existence, but they do not know how they can actually become happy. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). That they do not know. So it is our humble attempt only, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. At least, we inform people that, "This is the way of happiness." Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat. "Don't be carried away by temporary, so-called happiness. That is not happiness. This is called māyā." Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān. Kṛṣṇa says mūḍha, and Prahlāda Mahārāja says vimūḍhān—not only mūḍha, but again added with word vi, viśiṣṭa. Viśiṣṭa-prakāreṇa mūḍha. Vi, therefore vimūḍha.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). That is the thankless task of the devotees, to turn these vimūḍhān from this māyā-sukha to real sukha. This is the business of the devotee. They have no other business. Their business is not for making money. Money, they have got enough, and Kṛṣṇa supplies all their money. So there is no such problem for a devotee of how to secure money. Their only problem is how to turn these rascals to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all rascals, vimūḍhān. We say clearly, "If you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, you are rascal number one." "No, I am M.A. Ph.D." "Still, you are rascal." That is our verdict. "We don't care for your Ph.D. I know that you are a rascal because you do not know Kṛṣṇa." Just a few minutes before, one gentleman came to see me, and he advertised himself that, "I have read Vedas, I have read the Purāṇas, I have seen Dr. Radhakrishnan and so on, but I do not get peace of mind." So I asked him, "You have studied so many literatures. Do you know who is God?" And the God who has created this, what is His name, what is the address—that he does not know. Yes. This is going on. Vimūḍhān. They are proud of education, proud of learning, advancement, everything, all right, complete. But real knowledge—"Do you know God?"—that he cannot explain. That he cannot explain. He will explain something hodgepodge. This is the disease. Therefore they are vimūḍhān.

Real knowledge means to understand God. That is real knowledge. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). What is the Veda, Vedānta? To know Kṛṣṇa, or God. Kṛṣṇa and God, the same. If one knows God but does not know Kṛṣṇa, his knowledge of God is incomplete. His knowledge of God is incomplete. When he knows that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, then his knowledge is perfect.

ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ

kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam

indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ

mṛḍayanti yuge yuge

(SB 1.3.28)

And Kṛṣṇa said that ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). The Vedānta says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1): "God, or Absolute Truth, means the source of everything." And the source of everything is coming down before you and in His original form, Kṛṣṇa. Dvi-bhuja muralīdhara, Kṛṣṇa. Here He is standing, and He is preaching, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: "I am the source of everything." Mūḍho nābhijānāti. But the rascals, they do not understand that God is speaking in everyone's presence, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ, "I am," aham "like this," aham. Mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. Still, the rascal will not. Just see how much rascals we are.

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said that mūḍho nābh . . . vimūḍhān, māyā-sukhāya. They are trying to be happy within this material existence—māyā-sukhāya bharam. Bharam means gorgeous arrangement, very gorgeous arrangement, very big, big road, big, big skyscraper building, and big machine, big industry, and so many big, big things, big, big words, big, big politician and big, big political activities. But so mūḍha that he does not think for a moment, "How long these big, big things will be enjoyed by me? I have . . . certainly there is credit for creating all these big, big things, but māyā will not allow me to enjoy these things. At any moment I shall be kicked out. And what insurance and guarantee I have made, just I can enjoy this?" Therefore it is called māyā-sukhāya: wasting time making gorgeous arrangement. Not only the sukha, but this whole thing can be finished within a second. If there is a big earthquake, everything will be finished. We have got experience many times—anything will be finished. This Bombay can be turned into sea, and the Bombay can be pushed in an island within the sea. Material nature is so strong. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). And under her spell we are trying to become happy. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43).

And the devotees, the Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, they know that this is all false—not false, temporary, simply bewildering. On account of contaminated consciousness, people are trying to be happy in this way, but devotees know that this kind of endeavor is simply bewildering, simply waste of time. Real business is how to purify my consciousness, come to the original Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real business. Svacchatvam avikāritvam. That is our real business. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching is that our only business is how to revive our original consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is wanted. Without this, whatever we are doing, in the words of Śrīla Prahlāda Mahārāja, "It is all māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān." Māyā-sukhāya.

Therefore these are the symptoms of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: svacchatvam, avikāritvam, śāntatvam. Śānta I have already explained last night, several times also, that śāntatvam, śānti . . . just like I told you that many people coming, "Oh, I do not get any peace of mind." How you will get peace of mind? Here in the material world you cannot be endowed with the peace of mind. It is not possible. Why? Because here everything is māyā. Bharam udvahato vimūḍhān. Asad-grahāt, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Asat. Asat means that which will not stand. The material nature is like that. It will not stand. This body we have got at a certain date, and it will continue up to certain date, then it will vanish. You will get never again this body. Finished. So this is called asat. Asato mā sad gama. This is Vedic instruction, "Don't remain in the asat, temporary." Sad gama: "Come to the platform of eternity." Asato mā sad gama.

So śānti cannot be attained so long we are attached to this asat. Asad-grahāt sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. We are . . . all people in this material world, we are always samyag udvigna, samudvigna. Udvigna means anxiety, always full of anxieties. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Why samudvigna-dhiyām? Kṛṣṇa consciousness means this, svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ śāntatvam, these three things, Kṛṣṇa consciousness: clear understanding; no change, no change from Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and śāntatvam, peaceful. Just like a man—ordinarily we perceive—a gentleman, after working very hard, if he gets some bank balance and nice house, nice wife and some children, he thinks, "I am very happy." This is also māyā. He thinks, "But I am happy." What kind of māyā? Now, pramattaḥ teṣāṁ nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati. He is in māyā, mad, illusion, pramatta. He does not see that these things will be also finished. Teṣāṁ nidhanam. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣu asatsu api (SB 2.1.4). Asatsu api. He knows that this position—nice position, very good atmosphere, nice children, nice wife, nice house, nice bank balance, nice relative, nice position, everything, prime minister and everything—very all right. But it will be finished. He knows that. But he, although knows, he does not care for it. This is called vimūḍhān. He knows that, "This will be finished. It will not stay, I will not stay, these things will not stay. I will have to change; they will have to change." It is just like straws gathered together by the whims of the waves, and again it is scattered.

So we are going on the waves of māyā. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, therefore, says, māyār bośe, jāccho bhese': "You rascal, you are going, floating, under the spell of māyā." Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi: "And sometimes you are drowned and sometimes in the up by the tricks of the waves. Why you are leading such life?" Jīv kṛṣṇa-dās, e biśwās, korle to' ār duḥkho nāi: "You come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and try to understand that you are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa; you are being carried away by the whims of māyā. So that will make you happy." Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta, er, Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us, patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau (CC Antya 20.32, Śikṣāṣṭaka 5): "My Lord," ayi nanda-tanuja, "O the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa, I am Your eternal servant. Somehow or other, I am now fallen in this ocean of nescience." Patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau. Bhava ambudhau. Ambudhi means sea, ocean. "So how to save myself?" Kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya.

This is our only business. This Hare Kṛṣṇa means, "O Kṛṣṇa, O Harā, Kṛṣṇa's energy, Rādhārāṇī, Harā . . ." Hari, Harā. So this addressing, "O Kṛṣṇa, O Kṛṣṇa's internal potency . . ." Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, chanting, addressing: "O Lord Kṛṣṇa, O the internal energy of Kṛṣṇa." So They will respond that, "Why you are calling Me, or Us?" You have to submit, "Please again accept me as Your eternal servant." This is the only prayer. Not that, "Give me this money, this me that, this me that, give me that." No. That is not pure devotion. That is devotion, but it is mixed. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtinaḥ (BG 7.16). That is pious life. When we ask from Kṛṣṇa anything other than devotional service, that is pious activities. That is not devotional activity. Devotional activity is different from pious activity. By pious activities you can get material, so-called happiness, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). You can get birth in very nice family, rich family, brāhmaṇa family, janma; and you can get immense wealth, born with silver spoon; and aiśvarya-śruta, education, nice education, material education; and śrī, beauty. Generally, you will find in aristocratic family, rich family, they are very beautiful, they have got education, they have got wealth and good family, aristocratic family. So these are result of pious activities.

So we should utilize the result of pious activities to become more pure. That is called svaccha. We have discussed this verse, svaccha. Yat tat guṇaṁ svaccham (SB 3.26.21). That is . . . just like you have got by . . . on account of pious activities you have got very nice surroundings, aristocratic family, wealth, beauty, education, but it may be polluted again by the other two qualities, means tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. Then you are finished again. Naturally they become polluted. But they do not know that, "By dint of pious activities, I have got this position" and misuse the position by tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, and therefore they again go to hell. This way we are wandering all over the universes, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite (CC Madhya 19.151). We are sometimes rich man, sometimes poor man, sometimes demigod, sometimes dog, sometimes this, sometimes that. This is going on. That is called māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān. They do not know the ultimate happiness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but wandering in this way.

So therefore this is the best welfare activity to the human society, to awaken them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that they will again revive their original svaccha consciousness, and they will be śānta. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). Just like Dhruva Mahārāja—he was pious, born in a very pious family, and by family quarrel he went to worship the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu in the forest, aspiring material opulence. He was a child. He thought that "My stepmother has insulted. I shall go to God and take from Him such opulence which is many, many millions' times better than my father's." That was his ambition. But when he actually saw Lord Viṣṇu standing . . . he was meditating Viṣṇu. All of a sudden he saw the Viṣṇu is missing within the heart. Then his meditation broke, and he saw Lord Viṣṇu is present before him. So this is not very difficult for Lord Viṣṇu. He is always within your heart, and if He likes, He can come outside and become visible by you. That is not very difficult. So when he saw Viṣṇu and Viṣṇu offered, "My dear boy, what do you want? Take benediction," so he said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce.

This is perfection, "I am fully satisfied." Svaccha, śānta, no demand. No demand. That is position: no demand. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce. This is the highest perfection. That is called svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ śāntatvam. And this śāntatvam cannot be attained unless you become pure devotee and fully dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the standard of śāntatvam or vasudeva-śabditam. Svacchatvam śāntatvam. Everyone is hankering after śāntatvam, the whole world, because in the material world you cannot be on the platform of śāntatvam. Only on the spiritual platform. And when you are engaged in the service of the Lord, then you will get this position, svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ śāntatvam.

Iti cetasaḥ vṛttibhir lakṣaṇaṁ proktam. How one has become Kṛṣṇa conscious, there are . . . these are the symptoms, the brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na . . . (BG 18.54). We have to understand by the symptoms. If somebody says, "I am very rich man," so generally we want to see the symptoms, "Oh, he is very rich man? Oh, he has got this car. He has got this house. He has got this . . ." Then we can understand he is rich man. But if these symptoms are not there, how we can understand that he is rich man? Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means these are the symptoms, svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ śāntatvam. When you attain these three stages, these symptom, then you are perfectly Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)