741023 - Lecture SB 01.08.43 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

741023SB-MAYAPUR - October 23, 1974 - 42:53 Minutes

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

śrī-kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa-sakha vṛṣṇy-ṛṣabhāvani-dhrug-

rājanya-vaṁśa-dahanānapavarga-vīrya

govinda go-dvija-surārti-harāvatāra

yogeśvarākhila-guro bhagavan namas te

(SB 1.8.43)

(break)

Translation: "O Kṛṣṇa, O friend of Arjuna, O chief amongst the descendants of Vṛṣṇi, You are the destroyer of those political parties which are disturbing elements on this earth. Your prowess never deteriorates. You are the proprietor of the transcendental abode, and You descend to relieve the distresses of the cows, the brāhmaṇas and the devotees. You possess all mystic powers, and You are the preceptor of the entire universe. You are the almighty God, and I offer You my respectful obeisances."

Prabhupāda:

śrī-kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa-sakha vṛṣṇy-ṛṣabhāvani-dhrug-

rājanya-vaṁśa-dahanānapavarga-vīrya

govinda go-dvija-surārti-harāvatāra

yogeśvarākhila-guro bhagavan namas te

(SB 1.8.43)

So Kuntīdevī, first of all she prayed that, "My attraction for my family . . ." Two different families, Pāṇḍu and Vṛṣṇi: Pāṇḍu family, the husband's family, and Vṛṣṇi family, the father's family. So woman has got attachment for both the families. She wanted to get relief from this attachment. This is called anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). So long we have got family attachment, we shall be disturbed by so many material desires. But bhakti begins when all material desires are finished. Therefore a guru's definition is given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta

jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ

brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

(SB 11.3.21)

Upaśamāśrayam. Upaśama means fully satiated; no more any desire. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42).

Now the Durgā Pūjā is going on. This is also recommended in the Vedic śāstra, that those who want material opulence . . . material opulence means riches and good wife. For this purpose, śāstra recommends that you can worship Durgā. There are different purposes, and different demigod worships are recommended. But at the conclusion it is said that:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā

mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ

tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena

yajeta paramam puruṣa

(SB 2.3.10)

There are three kinds of men. Akāma . . . akāma means one who has no desire. Desire there is—not material desire. Desire you cannot kill. Desire must be there. We have to simply transfer the quality of the desire. Instead of desiring material opulence, we have to desire the favor of Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual. So akāma means devotees. They do not want anything from Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakta. Bhaktas, they are simply satisfied by serving Kṛṣṇa. They are therefore called akāma, no desires, no material desires.

A bhakta feels ashamed to ask from Kṛṣṇa for his material comforts. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was offered by Nṛsiṁha-deva, "Now you ask from Me whatever you want," so Prahlāda Mahārāja became surprised. He said: "My dear Sir, I am not a mercantile man. We are in the modes of passion, and You are offering me all kinds of benediction. I can ask You. But do You mean to say that I served You in expectation of some return? No, no. Don't induce me in this way." This is śuddha-bhakta. Śuddha-bhakta never gives trouble to Kṛṣṇa for his personal benefit. They are called akāma. And sarva-kāma means karmīs, ordinary. They are working hard to get some result, good result for sense gratification. They are called sarva-kāma. And there is no limit of their desires. Just like this Durgā Pūjā, they'll want dhanaṁ dehi rūpaṁ dehi rūpavatī-bhāryāṁ dehi yaśo dehi, this dehi, that dehi, dehi, dehi . . . there is no limit how much they are asking. Therefore they are called sarva-kāma. You go on supplying a karmī, he'll never be satisfied. "More, more, more." You go to so many businessmen—they have got crores and lakhs—but if you want to talk something about Kṛṣṇa, they have no time, "Please take your money, contribution. Let us do business." Because their kāma is never satisfied. Therefore sarva-kāma. And another is mokṣa-kāma. Mokṣa-kāma means when they could not fulfill all the desires in this material world, they, at that time, want to become one with God that, "If I become God, then my all desires will be fulfilled." That is called mokṣa-kāma.

So śāstra recommends that either you belong to the group of akāma or to the group of sarva-kāma or to the group of mokṣa-kāma, tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta paramaṁ puruṣa (SB 2.3.10), you worship very seriously paramaṁ puruṣa. Paramaṁ puruṣa means Kṛṣṇa. Bhakti-yogena. Kṛṣṇa cannot be worshiped by any other yoga system except bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible to any other means. There are many other means—karma, yoga, jñāna and bhakti—but if you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then you have to take the bhakti-yoga, no other. Neither . . . Kṛṣṇa never said that "By jñāna, by cultivation of knowledge, one can understand Me." They can do so. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. By cultivation of knowledge, after many, many births, if that person, searching out the Absolute Truth by cultivation of knowledge, if he comes in contact with a devotee, then he gets the chance of understanding what is Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa, understanding Kṛṣṇa, is not so easy job. Kṛṣṇa says:

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

It is not so easy. But any person, either in karma-yoga or jñāna-yoga or dhyāna-yoga or haṭha-yoga, if he comes in contact with a devotee, bhakti-yogī, then he can understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says:

ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

(CC Madhya 19.151)

Bhakti-latā-bīja, that is not very easily available. But it is available—guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya. Because Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart, if you are actually eager to understand Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa can understand that, "This living entity is trying to understand." So He gives a guru. He gives . . . Caitya . . . He's caitya-guru. He is guru Himself within one's heart, and He gives intelligence. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te (BG 10.10). To a sincere person, He gives the intelligence that, "You accept this guru."

Guru is therefore external manifestation of Kṛṣṇa because he acts as representative of Kṛṣṇa. So what is the qualification of that guru? Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). You must go and surrender to guru. In the Vedas also it is said, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. For whom guru is required? Not for all. But tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). One should go to guru to understand tad-vijñāna. Tad-vijñāna means transcendental science. They require guru. Similarly, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta: "You should go and search out a guru and surrender unto him." Why? Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. If you are jijñāsuḥ . . . athāto brahma jijñāsā—Vedānta-sūtra—if you are actually searching after the Absolute Truth.

So the next question will be, "Then whom shall I select guru?" Now, śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. A guru means one who is fully conversant in Vedic knowledge. Śābde pare. Śabda-brahman. Veda is known as śabda-brahman. In the material world all these books are material sound vibration, but Vedic knowledge is transcendental sound vibration. Hare Kṛṣṇa is transcendental sound vibration. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. This hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana is not a cinema song. No. It is golokera prema-dhana. This sound is coming . . . just like we catch sound in the radios and television, similarly, you can catch sound also which is transmitted from Goloka Vṛndāvana. But you must have the particular machine to catch it. Then you can get message from Goloka Vṛndāvana.

goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya

devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu

te te prabhāva-nicayā vihitāś ca yena

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.43)

There are different planetary systems: spiritual world and material world. The . . . in the spiritual world, the topmost planet is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. So goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni. That is Kṛṣṇa's own abode. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā—there is information—"If you go to My dhāma, My planet, then you don't come back again." Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya (BG 9.32). So these things are all mentioned.

So here Kuntīdevī says that, "Please help me in cutting my affection with my family." Sneha-pāśam imaṁ chindhi: "Please cut off. Please help me cutting this family connection." Then Kuntī says that tvayi me ananya-viṣayā matir madhu-pate asakṛt. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to cut off family connection and enter into Kṛṣṇa's family. Not void. We are not impersonalists or voidists. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they are impersonalist. They think, "Kṛṣṇa is person. Kṛṣṇa's activities are all personal. So this is also māyā." Because they are Nirviśeṣavādī, their ultimate goal is nirviśeṣa-brahman. So anything personal, they cannot accept it. And the Buddhist philosophy is to zero, śūnyavādi. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi. The whole world is now corrupted with these two kinds of philosophies: nirviśeṣa-śūnyavāda, impersonalism and voidism. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy is not voidism, not impersonalism. Vaiṣṇava philosophy means to know the Absolute Truth as person. Impersonal realization of the Absolute Truth is partial knowledge. It is not complete, because the Absolute Truth is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). Vigraha means form. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Absolute Truth is described, tattva:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

(SB 1.2.11)

So Brahman realization is only the sat part realization, because the Absolute Truth is sac-cid-ānanda. And Paramātmā realization is the cit part realization. And Bhagavān . . . here it is said, bhagavān, yogeśvara akhila-guro bhagavan namas te. Bhagavān is the personal. So that is the ultimate, ultimate realization. So the ultimate realization is made possible by the jñānīs. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19): "If one is actually searching after knowledge, and if he is actually a wise man, the symptom is that he'll surrender unto Me," Kṛṣṇa says. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: that is possible after many, many births' searching out, searching out, searching out. Not for the karmīs. Karmīs have been described as mūḍha because they do not know anything more than working hard like an ass and get some return. That's all. They have no other ambition. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says:

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

(BG 7.15)

So we should not remain mūḍha. At least, we must come to the stage of jñānī. Karmī, jñānī, yogī, then bhakta. Step by step. So this mūḍha person . . . Kuntīdevī said: "Kindly help me in cutting this mūḍha relationship. And then give me attachment for You." Tvayi ananya-manasaḥ. Tvayi me ananya-viṣayā matir bhava tu. So this is bhakti, that we have to give up the illusory attachment. Here the attachment is illusory. It will not stay. We want to live in family—husband, wife, children, father, mother—but it is not possible to live here permanently. That is not possible. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Kṛṣṇa says that, "You may think that you are very happy in family relationship, but I'll not allow you to stay here. I will take everything from you as death." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham.

So we should understand that. Therefore intelligent men, they should inquire, "Where we shall enter in family life and we can eternally enjoy?" That is Kṛṣṇa's family. You enter into Kṛṣṇa's family, Vṛndāvana family, where Kṛṣṇa has got His father, mother, His friends, His lover, His beloved, His cows, His garden, His Yamunā. You enter that, that family. Then yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). Then you will not have to return back again to this temporary family, which will not stay. But if you enter Kṛṣṇa's family . . . therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that you are so much family . . . fond of family life, "Just here see. I have got My family. I am not impersonal. I have got My family. I have got My father. I have got My mother. I have got My friend. I have got My beloved, Rādhārāṇī, and the gopīs. Everything I have got. You can enter also. Come. Why you are rotting here?" That is Kṛṣṇa's mission.

So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to practice in this life how to enter Kṛṣṇa's family. You enter Kṛṣṇa's family as you like. There are five rasas: śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sākhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa and mādhurya-rasa. That is reflected in this world also, the same. Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ (SB 1.1.1). This . . . this material world is reflection of the spiritual world. Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Here there are rasas—śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa. Here also there is master and servant, there is friend and friend, there is father and mother and the son, there is beloved. Everything is there, but they are imitation, chāya. They are not reality. So if you want real friendship, then make friendship with Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Kṛṣṇa-sakha here. Here it is said that śrī-kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa-sakha: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are . . ." Kuntīdevī did not say that, "You are my nephew." No. That is not spiritual relationship. But Kṛṣṇa-sakha, Arjuna, is related with Kṛṣṇa eternally. Eternally as friend. How eternally? What is the proof? There is in the Bhagavad-gītā. When Arjuna inquired . . . When Kṛṣṇa said that "This system of yoga I explained to the sun-god millions of years ago," imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1), at that time, to clear the idea, Arjuna, for our sake, he inquired, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, we are contemporaries. You are born the other day along with me. How can I believe that millions of years ago You spoke this philosophy to the sun-god? So what is the answer?" The answer is, "My dear Arjuna, both you and Me, we take so many incarnations, but you forget. But I do not forget. I do not forget." Therefore Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇa. It is not that in this age, in this millennium, Arjuna is friend of Kṛṣṇa. No. He is eternal friend. He has made friendship with Kṛṣṇa. It is never to be broken. It is never to be broken. So if you want relish the rasa, the mellow, the taste of friendship, make friendship with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to make you friend. Therefore He comes: "Please come. Become My friend." But we are denying. Make Kṛṣṇa your friend. Make Kṛṣṇa your son. Then you'll never lament, "Oh, my son is lost" or "My son has gone bad." No.

So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same thing. We are making temporary relationship in this material world, and that is being broken, so many families. Who knows what family I belonged to in my last birth? Might have been something else, not this family. We are changing our family because family means this body. I consider, "I belong to this family," because my body is produced from that family. The next life, the body is produced from another family. Then where is our family relationship? This is called māyā. In the material world, there cannot be anything fact. They are all illusion. The so-called family, the so-called friendship, the so-called lover, beloved, so-called paternal affection, sons, they are all simply . . . māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). This was detected by Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja said to Nṛsiṁha-deva, "My Lord, I am not anxious at all for my welfare because I know that anywhere, if I simply remember Your transcendental pastimes, oh, I . . ." Śoce . . . naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyās tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ. Tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahā. This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, or chanting Kṛṣṇa's pastime, it is just like ocean.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja said that, "I have learned this art. Therefore, for me, there is no problem. But my one problem is, śoce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ. I am thinking, 'These persons who have no attraction for You, and they are simply engaged in māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahataḥ, making gigantic arrangement for happiness which will not stay . . . after death, everything will be finished,' I am simply thinking of them." Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43): "And they are vimūḍhān. They do not consider it that they are eternal," nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This is the Vedic mantra. The Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is nityo nityānām, and we living entities, we are also nitya. We are plural number; Kṛṣṇa is one, singular number. Cetanaś cetanānām. Eternal and living, not dead. We are not dead. Kṛṣṇa is also not dead. We do not die. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So why you have accepted this death? This is inquiry. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Unless this inquiry comes into the mind of a human being, he's an ass. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).

So this inquiry should be there. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to enthuse people to make this inquiry. Just like political leaders: they were sleeping, and Gandhi and other political leaders, they made agitation that "Why you shall remain dependent on this British ruling?" Just like, similar . . . it is not like that; it is an example. Our movement is that, that "You are eternal. Why you should rot in this material world, where there is no question of eternity? Everything is temporary." Everything is temporary. So how we can attain that eternity? Kṛṣṇa says:

mām upetya kaunteya

duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam

nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ

saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

(BG 8.15)

"If you come to Me . . ." Kṛṣṇa is saying to us, indicating Arjuna that, "If you come to, come back to home, back to Godhead . . . why you are rotting in this material world, temporary world?" "No, I have got so many responsibilities, Sir. How can I join You?" So Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān pari . . . "Give it up." "Then? I'll be in trouble?" "No, you'll not be troubled." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa is giving assurance.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa is not an ordinary living being. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality. That is described here. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is Yogeśvara. Yogeśvara means yoga, mystic power. There are so many yogīs, they can exhibit yogic power—aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti-siddhi. So, so many—aṣṭa-siddhi-yoga. Not these ordinary yogīs, simply practicing some āsana, but real yoga means to get this perfection, aṇimā, aṇu, to become very, very . . . we are very small. So the yogic power, they can give up this material body, and in their spiritual body they can enter anywhere, through a hole. That is called aṇimā-siddhi. Similarly, laghimā-siddhi: they can become very light, walking on the water. That is called laghimā-siddhi. Mahimā-siddhi: to becoming . . . become very big also. There are so many siddhis. So we are not very much interested with these siddhis. Kṛṣṇa-bhakta . . . because, just like a rich man's son, He does not bother about earning money because he knows that, "My father is very rich. So if I need money, my father will supply." Similarly, we take shelter of the Yogeśvara, the master of all mystic power. So if you want to see some aṣṭa-siddhi-yoga, we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa and He'll show. Why shall I take so much trouble? Why? So people say that in the Western world, I have played wonderful things. But I did not know any siddhi. It is Kṛṣṇa's desire. He has shown. Kṛṣṇa is pleased that, "For Me, this person has come to serve Me. Now see how wonderful it is." Therefore Yogeśvara. Instead of becoming a yogī, you take shelter of Yogeśvara. Then all yogic power will be within your control. Just like a rich man's son: if he is in trouble, the whole father estate is behind him. So why should he hanker after earning money?

So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ (BG 6.22). If you simply . . . therefore Kṛṣṇa, er, Kuntīdevī says, tvayi ananya-viṣayā, tvayi ananya-viṣayā matir bhava tu: "Without any other desires." She is praying. Why? She is not praying to a loafer. So qualifications are given, mentioned here, that rājanya-vaṁśa-dahana anapavarga-vīrya. Apavarga. So Kṛṣṇa's power is unlimited, anapavarga-vīrya. If we take Kṛṣṇa's shelter, if we become actually surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, then all power of Kṛṣṇa is behind you. And in this age Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Even though we cannot worship Kṛṣṇa properly, still, anywhere we can chant the holy name Hare Kṛṣṇa, and the Kṛṣṇa is there with His all power.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ (Śikṣāṣṭaka 2). The name of Kṛṣṇa is identical with Kṛṣṇa, and all mystic power of Kṛṣṇa is there. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva, nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā. In the name, all the potencies . . . Kṛṣṇa is Yogeśvara, so all the potencies of Kṛṣṇa is there, because the name is not different from Kṛṣṇa. So therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, regrets, etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi: "My dear Lord, You are so kind, so merciful, that simply by chanting Your holy name, I get the full benefit of Your personal association. Still, I am so unfortunate I have no taste for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." Etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ (Śikṣāṣṭaka 2). So you are so unfortunate that this, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, you are not taking part.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)