730214 - Lecture - Sydney

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730214LE-SYDNEY - February 14, 1973 - 45:53 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . to God it is the king of all knowledge, rāja-vidyā. Because it is our constitutional position, normal life, to serve Kṛṣṇa. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Just like part and parcel of my body—what they are meant for? Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. And what is the business of the finger? The business of the finger is to serve this whole body. Now, I have got some pain in this finger, so it is not working—abnormal condition. Normal condition, there is all right. This is normal condition: as soon as I say: "Finger, please come here; do like this," it will do it. And abnormal condition: there is some pain; I cannot use it.

So the conclusion is, we living entities, we being part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa, our only business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. We have no other business. As soon as we are engaged in other business, that is our abnormal condition. That is not normal condition. Just like this finger is not serving me, but it is serving some medicine from doctor, from the other, so that service is not very palatable. If any part of my body is engaged in service . . . in giving service to the physician, that is not very palatable. But in healthy condition, when the parts and parcels of the body give service to the healthy body, that is very nice. That is pleasing.

So this is very simple thing. Mamaivāṁśaḥ jīva-bhūta. They, all the living entity, they are part and parcel, sample God. They are claiming . . . last night some boy was claiming that he is God. He is God—he is sample God, not the original God. This dvaita-vāda, acintya bhedābheda, simultaneously one and different, this is the perfect philosophy. We can be, just like this finger can be said "body," "It is my body." But the real identification of this part of the body is called "finger." You can call it "body." Similarly, we may be called God, because we are part and parcel of God—not the original God, part and parcel of. This acintya bhedābheda, simultaneously one and different: we can be called God, but we are not God. This is called simultaneously one and different, acintya bhedābheda: dual and not dual. There are some philosophers who speculate that we are one, and some philosophers speculate we are different. But the actual philosophy is they are both one and different simultaneously. This is the perfect philosophy.

We are one because we are part and parcel of God, just like part and parcel particle of gold is gold. And because we are sample God, therefore we have got God's qualities in minute quantity. Minute quantity, very minute quantity. We have got creative power also. We are very much proud of scientific advancement of knowledge, but we cannot compare our knowledge with God's knowledge. That is not possible. We can fly one sputnik in the sky, and we will take very much credit: "Now we are advanced so much." But we do not give any credit to the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is floating millions and trillions of heavy planets like this earth in the wa . . . in the air. We do not give any credit. And because we are flying one teeny rocket or sputnik in the air, we are taking so much credit: "Oh, we are so much advanced." What advance you have made in comparison to God?

So this is the . . . this is philosophy to understand. We have got creative power, and God has got creative power. He has created the whole universe—not only one universe, millions of universes. You can create one skyscraper building, that's all. So you have got the quality of creative power, but you cannot compare yourself with the creative power of God. That is not possible. You can create in the laboratory, say, one pound of water, by mixing hydrogen and oxygen, but God has created this Pacific Ocean. How much chemical if you want it, and wherefrom you will got, just imagine. This is philosophy. You can say that, "We can create water by mixing hydrogen and oxygen." All right, you create. How much you can create? One pound, two pounds or ten pounds, that's all.

So don't become Dr. Frog. (laughter) Dr. Frog means he is living in the three-feet well, and he is calculating Atlantic Ocean. You see? He is think that wherever there is water, this three feet, that's all. So similarly, we also calculate, "Kṛṣṇa may be a little bit more intelligent than me and more powerful than me." No. "And therefore I am also God." That is, you cannot compare with Kṛṣṇa. There is no, as, as there is no comparison between the well and the Atlantic Ocean . . . the frog may think himself that, "I am the proprietor of this well," but that will not give him right information what is Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean. Not only one, but there are millions and trillions of Pacific Oceans floating in the air.

Therefore God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is the king of all knowledge—to know God. Don't make God so cheap that, "I have become God." That "What power you have got? What you have done? Why you are falsely claiming that you are God and misleading others?" That because his poor fund of knowledge, his knowledge is very poor, he is thinking like that.

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā

mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam

paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto . . .

(BG 9.11)

Because we do not know factually what is meaning of God, therefore sometimes we falsely claim, foolishly claim that, "I am God." This is foolishness. You are sample of God, or little God, or you have got some . . . you have godly qualities in minute quantity. God has got full independence; you have got also independence. But your independence and God's independence not the same. Similarly, any quality you take, you have got little of it. Just like I explained, you have got some creative power.

aiśvaryasya samagrasya

vīryasya yaśasaḥśriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayaś caiva

ṣaṇṇāṁ itī bhaga ganā

(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

Bhagavān. Bhaga means "opulence," and vān means "one who possesses." So what are the opulences? Riches. You can possess a few hundred thousand dollars, but you cannot say that you are proprietor of all the riches of the world, or in the world. That you cannot say. That is Kṛṣṇa, God. Similarly, strength. You will . . . you have also some strength, but He has got unlimited strength. Similarly, you are also wise, and He is also wise, unlimitedly. Just like He has given us this book, Bhagavad-gītā, five thousand years ago—the book of wisdom. It is the A-B-C-D of spiritual knowledge, but it is so important that not only that because we are preaching on Kṛṣṇa consciousness people are reading Bhagavad-gītā. No. Bhagavad-gītā is widely read all over the world, everywhere. So this is wisdom. Similarly, beauty. Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful, attractive, and we are also, some, some of us, beautiful, but you cannot attract all. Kṛṣṇa can attract all. He is so beautiful.

In this way, if you try to understand Kṛṣṇa, that is rāja-vidyā. Rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ (BG 9.2), most confidential, and pavitram. Pavitram means pure, uncontaminated by this material nature. Our beauty, our strength, our riches, our wisdom—everything what we possess—they are also opulent, but they are limited. Limited, and it will be finished. Finished means as soon as this body is finished, all my opulence, beauty, education, strength—everything—is finished. I begin again, another chapter. This bodily possession, whatever I possessed in this body, as soon as I die, I give up this body, then everything is finished with the body. Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34): "I am death, and I, as death, I take away everything of every person."

That we do not consider that, "I am possessing so many things, but if I do not be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everything will be taken at the time of death." That we do not consider; we are so foolish. We are thinking that these things will protect me. No, this will not protect. No. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, that will protect you. Not this material possession. It will be taken away. They say: "Can you show me God?" Yes, you will see God. If you are devotee, that you will see God immediately, "Here is God." And if you are not devotee, then you will see God at the time of death, because death is God. And, when you will see Him, that, at that time you will be finished. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He saw God, and everything finished with the seeing of God. You will see also. The atheist class, when he will see also, but if . . . he will see when he will be finished. But theist, devotee, will see God constantly in opulence.

Just like in the . . . in this temple, they are worshiping the Lord, so they are enjoying in this life. In this life they are seeing God, they are feeding God, they are offering prasādam to God, they are eating prasādam, they are chanting, glorifying—Kṛṣṇa conscious life. This is also one's . . . one type of seeing. And another type of seeing is when I will be finished, everything, my body and possession, everything, I will see God.

So what kind of seeing you want, that you have to consider. If you try to see God now, when you are fit, when you are healthy, when you are . . . then, ahh, there is no question of losing God at the time of death, and you will be transferred:

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke

tyajanty ante kalevaram

(BG 8.6)

At the time of death, the situation of your condition, bhāvaṁ . . . we have got some bhāvaṁ, some situation. So that is situation in the mind, intelligence. Because this gross body, at that time, stops working, but the mind, intelligence, ego, works. That you do not know. Even a dead body, the mind. So therefore you will see one man is in coma, cannot speak, but he is crying. Crying means his subtle body is working. His subtle body is working. Just like in sleep, this gross body is silent, but the subtle body is working. He is seeing some dream, some good or bad dream. If he sees some bad dream, sometime he cries.

So subtle body, people do not know there is another, subtle, body. They simply see . . . their intelligence is so gross that they simply see this gross body. But there is another, subtle body, and within that subtle body there is soul. So, so condition of the subtle body will carry you to another gross body. Just like it is exemplified, just like air. Air is carrying some flavor from flower garden or some filthy place. The . . . you cannot see the air, you cannot see the smell, but you can perceive the bad smell or good smell. So the subtle body carries like that. The subtle body carries the soul, and good or bad, there are two things. If you have created . . . created your mental situation very good, then you will get next body very good.

There are many types of body beyond this body, this human body, in this world. There are other, very, very nice bodies in the higher planetary system—demigods. Their duration of life, their standard of life is very, very great. Just like Brahmā's duration of life, you cannot calculate his one day. In the higher planetary system, the moon planet, according to śāstra, they, they live for ten thousands of years. And what is that? Divya. Divya means our six months, their one day. Our six months . . . in the higher planetary system, the time is different. That is acknowledged by Professor Einstein.

The time, time is different as you go higher and higher. Just like this, this, this was experimented, that when the Russians first of all started this sputnik, in one hour twenty-five minutes surrounded the whole world, orbit. So it takes ordinarily twenty-four hours, but when you go in the higher atmosphere, the time is different. This is scientific. So similarly, everyone lives hundred years, but the ant's hundred years and my hundred years and Brahmā's hundred years, they are different, relative. Law of relativity. You do not consider that the ant also lives for a hundred years. He also runs one mile. His one mile and my one mile is different, because the due to the relative body.

So everything is relativity. That is also scientific truth. As you get different types of body, your atmosphere, your activity, your knowledge—everything—becomes relative. So for a higher relative standard, better standard of life, better life, you can go to the higher planets. Similarly, lower. You can lower down also, according . . . relative, everything is relative. So that, everything depends on your present karma, work—how you are making up your next life. But these rascals, they do not know there is a next life, and they are doctor of philosophy. They are so rascal, and they are leading, doctor of science, doctor of philosophy. They do not believe in the next life. They do not know how it is being done, and still they are doctor of university. Hmm? Is there any doctor here? (laughter) Falsely proud. They have no knowledge.

Here is knowledge: rāja-vidyā, king of all knowledge. Rāja-vidyā raja . . . very confidential. If you want to get this knowledge, then you have to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, it is not possible. Just like a dog cannot get university education. That is not possible. He must get a human body. It is not possible, but anyone can understand a little, that this rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ, this knowledge, this spiritual knowledge, Kṛṣṇa knowledge, is most confidential and the king of all knowledge. Pavitram. Pavitram means "Not contaminated." Here in this material world everything is contaminated by the material qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, goodness, passion and ignorance.

But this knowledge, Kṛṣṇa knowledge, is transcendental. It is not contaminated. Therefore uttamam. Uttamam. Every word has got meaning. Pavitram idam uttamam. Ut, ut means "transcendental," "above." And tama, tama means "darkness." This world is dark. Every one of you know that it is, by nature, it is dark. Therefore, here we require sunlight, moonlight, electricity. Just like if you live in a dark room, you must always have light, electricity. Otherwise you are blind.

So this material world, whole universe, they are brightened by the sunshine. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Because you cannot see without sunshine, without light—this place is dark—therefore in daytime there is sunshine; at night there is moonshine. Everything is arranged there. And in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is described:

yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ

rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ

yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs 5.52)

Now this sun is described as the eye of all planets, yac-cakṣur eṣa sakala-grahāṇāṁ. Sakala means "All the planets." The eyes . . . real eye is the sun, because without sunshine we cannot see. In this planet or any planet you go, as soon as there is sunshine you can see; otherwise you cannot see. Therefore real eye is the sun. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ. Rājā: he is the king, samasta-sura-mūrtir, of all the demigods. There in the sunshine, there is a president. As you have got a president here, similarly the sun planet there is president. His name is Vivasvān.

So we have got such knowledge. We can give you the name of the sun planet, the president of the sun planet, his address. (laughter) We can give you the address of God, Kṛṣṇa, His features, His activities. This is perfect knowledge. Simply vague idea, that is not knowledge. Everything is there: what God is working, how He is acting, what is His address, who is His father, who is His mother—everything. It is so . . . therefore it is called rāja-vidyā, king of all knowledge. You get everything, completely, rāja-vidyā; nothing vague. Nothing as speculation. Act . . . active, everything. Therefore it is pavitram. Uttamam. In the material knowledge, your knowledge is never perfect. Therefore it is called uttamam, "above this material knowledge," transcendental, aprākṛta.

There are different phases of knowledge: pratyakṣa, parakṣa, adhokṣaja, aprākṛta. Pratyakṣa, parakṣa, aparakṣa, adhokṣaja, aprākṛta. So not all knowledge are of the same . . . same platform. So pratyakṣa. The material knowledge means pratyakṣa. Means "Direct perception." But there are other knowledges. Parakṣa: to get from the authority. That is still perfect. Still perfect. Therefore direct perception. I cannot see what is there beyond this wall, but if somebody is there beyond that wall, he says: "It is like this," I get perfect knowledge.

So we are so fool that we simply believe in direct perception. No. Direct perception is never perfect, because our senses are imperfect. So how you can get perfect knowledge? At night I cannot see anything, so what is the use of my these eyes? It is conditioned. So anyone who believes in perfect . . . direct perception, his knowledge is imperfect always, because the senses are imperfect. Therefore we have to receive knowledge from the perfect: Kṛṣṇa, the supreme perfect. Uttamam. He is above, above this darkness. He comes from the kingdom of light. Tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

He comes. It is calculated, He comes once in one day of Brahma. It is some crores of years. Crores of years means forty-three lakhs . . . forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand. That is one day. Similarly one night. So after this period, once Kṛṣṇa comes on this . . . in this universe.

So He is not coming in this universe, but He is, just like some governor or viceroy, he also tours many places. So Kṛṣṇa is touring. So to complete all the circle, it takes so many crores of years. Just like the sun is touring. Here there is no sun, but if you inquire, you will find somewhere it is sun rising; some time it is twelve o'clock at day; somewhere it is ten o'clock at day; somewhere it is eight o'clock at night. Everything is there at this time. This is not very difficult to understand. All these sun's time, twenty-four hours, they are present even in this hour. You will simply . . . you have to know by telegram or telephone.

So if it is possible for the material thing, sun, so how much it is possible for God to . . . (indistinct) . . .? This is called rāja-vidyā, king of knowledge.

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ

pavitram idam uttamam

pratyakṣāvagamaṁ

(BG 9.2)

Just like if somebody said to an illiterate person, or less intelligent person, "The sun is present now, and he is present in all his aspect. He is present in his six o'clock, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, nine o'clock, and twenty-four hours he is present, every . . ." one who is less intelligent, he will think that, "What this man is thinking? What he is speaking?" But it is a fact.

So one who knows Kṛṣṇa, for him, pratyakṣa: direct perception, everything. Everything direct perception. He knows where is Kṛṣṇa, how He is going, where He is now staying, what He is doing—everything. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ. Or in other words, these boys, these girls who have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, unless they are feeling something substantial, do you mean to say they are fools and rascals? They are going with this movement some uneducated? No. They are actually realizing. Therefore pratyakṣa. Pratyakṣa means "directly"; avagamam, "understandable." Not that vague idea. The more they advance, they get clearer idea, pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ.

Dharma, I have several times explained, dharma is not a kind of faith. Dharma means characteristic, occupational duty. That is dharma. I have several times explained—just like water is liquid. Water is liquid; that is dharma, that it is his religion. Water cannot be solid. If you say, "Yes, water sometimes becomes solid; it becomes ice," but that is unnatural. That is not natural. As soon as it becomes solid, again it liquefies; again it becomes liquid. Because that is his dharma. That is called dharma—liquidity. Similarly, dharma means which you cannot change, just as liquidity you cannot change from water.

Although circumstantially the water becomes solid, ice, but immediately it melts, similarly, our dharma is to serve, because we are part and parcel. Our dharma, our characteristic, our occupational duty, is to serve. When you stop serving, that is our unnatural state. But we cannot stop serving. We want to give service to the family, to the society, to the country, to the humanity. And we will find out where it is. They are liquefied. He wants to give service, but because his service is not rightly placed, he is frustrated. Just like in our country, Mahatma Gandhi, he gave so much service to his country, and his countrymen shot him down, dead. Not recognized.

Therefore, if śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), if you do not give service to Kṛṣṇa, then you must know you are simply spoiling your energy. That's all. Because this service will never give you satisfaction; neither to the served. The same example I have given: Gandhi also, on the very day he was shot down, in the morning he said to his secretary, "Oh, I am so much disgusted. I do not like to deal with it." That was published in the paper. That means he was disgusted, and his countrymen also became disgusted, so that he shot him down. This world is like that. You give service to somebody—he is not satisfied; you are not satisfied. Frustrated. So ask your any family member, your wife or your children or any friend, so "I have given you so much service. Are you satisfied?" "Oh, what you have given?" (laughter) You have to do so many things. You have got so much things. And no. So this is the world, like that.

But our tendency is to give service. But because we are not giving service to God, Kṛṣṇa, we are frustrated. This is rāja-vidyā. This is the king of education. Pratyakṣā . . . su-sukhaṁ. And if you give service to Kṛṣṇa, you give service to everyone. It is so nice thing. Su-sukhaṁ. Just like if you pour water on the root, then you water the leaves. There are many millions of leaves in the tree, millions of twigs. But this process will satisfy everyone. And if you try to water one leaf after one leaf after one leaf, your time will be spoiled, and the tree will dry. This is the position. Everyone is trying to give service, but because there is missing the root, Kṛṣṇa, everything is spoiled.

The United Nation is giving service in so many big, big building in New York, for the last so many years. What service they have given? The war is going on. Instead of being united, the flags are increasing. This is this national flag, this is that national flag, this is national flag, and fighting is going on between America and Vietnam, and this and that, so many going on. What . . . what improvement have they made? There cannot . . . there cannot be any improvement without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the fact, that people must have sane brain to understand, to take this king of education. Then they will be benefited.

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ

pavitram idam uttamam

pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ

(BG 9.2)

Now just see. They are trying to unite all nations, spending so much money. But here, see, we have attempted this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement: join. All parts of the world they have joined. From America they have joined, from Europe they have joined, Australia they have joined, Africa they have joined, India joined. But they have forgotten their nationalities. They are simply under Kṛṣṇa's flag. This is united nation. The rascal do not understand that how to unite. You cannot unite the whole people on this bodily concept of life. You have to unite them on the spiritual platform, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne

brāhmaṇe gavi hastini

śuni caiva śvapāke ca

paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

(BG 5.18)

That is sama-darśinaḥ. Here these boys and girls, although coming from different parts of the world . . . just like I am Indian. Why they should follow an Indian? From political point of view? No. But it is not . . . they are not on the material platform. Therefore they are taking my direction, although I am Indian, coming from a poor country.

So this is the platform of unity: Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the right education, and this is the platform of unity. Everything—all questions, all problems—can be solved by understanding this rāja-vidyā, the king of all knowledge.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya! (offer obeisances) (break)

Guest: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: You forgot? No? So who forgot? Me?

Guest: He's got a problem.

Prabhupāda: This one. Yes.

Devotee: He's asking, when he hears you speak about Kṛṣṇa consciousness he feels some aversion to it, but he knows that you know that it is right. And he's asking you how should he respond, even though he has aversion to it. How should he respond?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone has aversion. Therefore we give this chance to everyone to chant with us Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This is the only. If you go on chanting, then gradually that cause of aversion will be cleared. So to the ordinary person we request that, "There is no question of understanding philosophy; please join with us and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. There is no loss on your part, but there is very good gain." That is our request. Any other question?

Guest (2): We've got a request here. It's not a question. We request Your Honor if you could provide a proper temple room.

Prabhupāda: Well, we have come to your country—you provide, we enter. You see? Our business is ājagara-vṛtti. The mouse makes a hole, and the snake enters it. That's all. (laughter) So you have got so many skyscraper building—let us enter them. (laughter) That's all. Subway. Subway. The mouse also makes subway. (laughter) It is not very difficult task. And we are very much proud of constructing subways, and that business is done by the mouse also. (laughter)

So we are not expert in any way, unless you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you are expert. There are many animals, they are far more expert. There are, just like a vulture goes three miles, but the business where . . . to find out where is a corpse. Just see. His eyes are so powerful that it can see from three miles, four miles, five miles.

But what is the use of seeing, then, if seeing is corpse, dead body? So our sense perception . . . we are very much proud of our sense perception, but there are many other animals who are very, very strong in their sense perception. That is not our credit. When you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, take to it, that is your best credit.

So it is very good suggestion. I was also talking with Madhudviṣa Mahārāja that we have no nice temple. But after all, we are beggars; we have no money, no business, no income. Whatever you pay us in exchange of books or subscription, we utilize it. So we have got one means: we have got very good books. If you collect some money by selling our books, then we can have a nice place.

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you spoke of different species of human life. Is it just one species of human life existing on this planet?

Prabhupāda: You don't bother about species. There are different forms. Just like in Europe the form is different from Africa or India. There is different forms. You may call it species according to Darwin's theory, but we don't accept this Darwin's theory. That is not very intelligent. So we don't speak of species, but we call form:

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ

(BG 14.4)

Mūrti. Mūrti means form. So there are 400,000 different forms of human being. So either you take it as species or form, that is up to you, but in the śāstra it is said mūrti, mūrti. Just like elephant has got his murti, tiger has got his mūrti, the tree has got his mūrti, I have got my mūrti, you have got your mūrti. In this way there are 8,400,000's of mūrtis, and each mūrti there are millions and millions of the living being. This is our position. Is that clear? Yes. Mūrti. We take mūrti, form.

Devotee: Do . . . do we make the distinction between the mūrti of Chinese and American, or do we make the distinction between . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. That mūrti is made according to his mentality. The . . . the nature's work is so perfect that, as you say, "The face is the index of mind." You can understand one's mind from the face. The mūrti is made like that. From the face, if one is very expert, he can understand by seeing the face what kind of man he is. (break) (end)