741101 - Lecture SB 03.25.01 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

741101SB-BOMBAY - November 01, 1974 - 39:04 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā

bhagavān ātma-māyayā

jātaḥ svayam ajaḥ sākṣād

ātma-prajñaptaye nṛṇām

(SB 3.25.1)

So we are reciting from our latest edition of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is Third Canto, Part Four. We have finished Third Canto, publishing. This is very important subject matter. The Kapila, the expounder of Sāṅkhya philosophy, he instructed to His mother, Devahūti. There are two Kapilas. Real Kapiladeva is Kapila. He expounded Sāṅkhya philosophy to instruct His mother. But later on, some imitation Kapiladeva also appeared—atheistic Sāṅkhya philosophy. He has simply dealt with the twenty-four different elements without information of God. Therefore there are two Kapilas. One Kapila is called the Devahūti-putra Kapila; another is atheist Kapila.

So about Kapiladeva it is said, Śaunaka Ṛṣ . . . that kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā: "Kapila, the Supreme Person," tattva-saṅkhyātā, "He can explain what is Absolute Truth." Kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā bhagavān. Without Bhagavān, nobody knows what is the actual position of the Ultimate Truth. Nobody can know it. Therefore Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation occasionally visit to give you information about what is the aim of life. Tattva-saṅkhyātā. Saṅkhyātā means expounder, and tattva means the Absolute Truth. So Absolute Truth is Bhagavān Himself, Kṛṣṇa Himself. So we cannot understand the Absolute Truth or the Supreme Person by mental speculation. That is not possible, especially when we are under the influence of the three modes of material nature. Because material nature is divided into three status: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Those who are in the sattva-guṇa, they are fit for understanding the Absolute Truth. Sattva-guṇa means the brahminical qualification: satya śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). They can understand. Therefore, in our Vedic conception of human society there must be a class of men actually Brāhmiṇ. Then they will be able to expound the real truth of life. If everyone becomes śūdra, then the Absolute Truth cannot be understood.

Just like at the present moment, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ: "In the Kali-yuga, everyone is śūdra." It is hardly to be found a qualified brāhmaṇa. Of course, there are, but very rare. Practically brāhmaṇa is not a single there, especially in this age.

prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ . . .

kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ

mandāḥ sumanda-matayo

manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ

(SB 1.1.10)

The people of this age, they are short-living and manda, very slow in everything, not interested. Actually human life is meant for understanding the spiritual value of life, but on account of the people being śūdras, they are not interested. They are forgetting the real purpose of life. Manda. Manda means slow and bad. Everyone is bad or slow. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. And they have got . . . everyone has got a particular type of understanding. Sumanda-matayaḥ. That is not bona fide. Sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ: "And everyone is misfortunate, unfortunate." Upadrutāḥ: "And they are disturbed by so many causes." And the gradually, the situation will be like this. It is already manifest. Anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9): "There will be no rain in the sky, and there will be scarcity of foodstuff," and kara-pīḍitāḥ, "and government will levy tax very heavily." These are already predicted, and we are experiencing. So this age is very miserable. Kali-yuga is very miserable. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He came. He advised all people of the world that, "You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Very simple thing. Harer nāma harer nāma. It is not His invention, but it is in the śāstras, Purāṇas. This advice is there:

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

(CC Adi 17.21)

In this age, people being all śūdras, less intelligent, unfortunate, disturbed, how they will be able to understand the Absolute Truth, or the aim of life?

So anyway, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that:

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata . . .

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

So similarly, some times before, some hundreds and thousands of years ago, Kapiladeva appeared, Devahūti-putra Kapiladeva. His father's name is Kardama Muni. So after Kapiladeva's birth, when He was grown up . . . that is the system of Vedic civilization. When children are grown up, the father retires. He takes sannyāsa, or goes out of home simply for cultivating spiritual life, not that throughout the whole life rot in this material world. No. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. That is the injunction of the śāstra. We have got eight kinds of āśrama, er, four kinds of āśrama and four kinds of varṇas. So the . . . formerly they used to follow very strictly. So Kapiladeva's father, Kardama Muni, after the son was grown up, he left his home, giving in charge of his wife. The wife was given in charge of the grown-up boy, not that the boy was in charge of the . . . no. So that incidence, that narration, is stated in this part.

So kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā bhagavān. Kapila is Bhagavān. Nowadays Bhagavān is so cheap. They misuse of the word. But here you will find that Bhagavān is not an ordinary man. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Because Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, appeared as human being, so the mūḍhas, rascals and fools, they think of Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being. Mūḍha. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam, tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ mohitam (BG 7.13). So still there are devotees who can understand. Just like Arjuna understood that, "Kṛṣṇa, although He's my friend, playing the part of my friend, but He is Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna for our benefit . . . Arjuna is in perfect knowledge, but aiming at Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction to all human society, and he admitted . . . after knowing Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12): "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the Paraṁbrahman." Paraṁbrahman. Every one of us, Brahman. Brahman means spirit soul. We are not this body. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi . . . this is realization, self-realization. That is Vedic culture. One must understand what he is. We should not keep ourself in ignorance like cats and dogs, thinking that, "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," or so many designation. That is bodily designation. So when one comes to the spiritual understanding, that is called Brahman realization, ahaṁ brahmāsmi.

So we are all Brahman; simply we have to understand it. It is not that we are abrahman, by some practice we become Brahman. No. Just like gold is gold, but if it is covered with some dirt, the dirt can be removed and the gold is gold; similarly, we are Brahman, spirit soul. Somehow or other we have come in contact with these material elements, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), and we have got this body, covered, and I am thinking, "I am this body." This is ignorance. This is ignorance. So unless one is enlightened by the spiritual knowledge, he remains only just like cats and dogs. And to understand spiritual identification, that is called dharma. Dharma means that. And the ultimate goal of dharma is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We have created so many dharmas: Hindu dharma, Mussulman dharma, Christian dharma. These are manufactured. Of course, there is indication how to execute dharma, but real dharma: when you come to the conclusion, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ.

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante

jñānavān māṁ prapadyate

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

(BG 7.19)

So this is . . . Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for this purpose, that we . . . we are not preaching any particular sectarian religious system. No. We are preaching the real . . . what is meant by religion. Religion means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Nobody knows what is dharma. This is the position. Because dharma means the order of the Supreme Being. That is dharma. Just like law means the order of the government, similarly, dharma means the order of the Supreme Being. That is dharma. This is the simple definition of dharma. So God is one; His order is one. How there can be different dharmas? It is not possible. That is ignorance. When we create different dharma, that is due to ignorance: Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma or this dharma, that dharma . . . no. Gold is gold. Does it mean that if a Christian possesses some gold, it becomes Christian gold? Or Hindu possesses some gold, it becomes Hindu gold? No. Gold is gold. Either it is in possession of Hindu or Muslim or Christian, it doesn't matter. Gold is gold. So we are preaching that, that "Here is dharma: to surrender unto the Supreme Being." That is dharma. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). This is bhāgavata-dharma. Everyone should be taught how to surrender to God.

So God is one. God cannot be two. When there is competition of God, they are not God. Just like it has become nowadays, in every state there is a God. That is not . . . Kṛṣṇa is not that kind of God. He is the Supreme God. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7): "Nobody is superior than Me." So that is . . . we are preaching. We are teaching people. These Americans and the Europeans, they have taken it seriously because they are fortunate. They have no information of these hodgepodge Gods. That is their opportunity. I have told them, given the information, that Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). I have not given any wrong information. Right information. Bhagavān means Kṛṣṇa. God means Kṛṣṇa. So I have given them this information as a peon that, "Here is God," and they have taken it seriously. Therefore they are advancing. See practically. Why they are advancing? Because they are not misled. They have been given the right information, and they have taken it seriously, and they are trying their best to do . . . to render service. That is the reason. People are surprised how these Americans and Europeans have become such great devotee and dancing in ecstasy. They are surprised. Yes, it is surprising. Even in their country the priests are surprised. But what is the reason they are advanced? Because they have taken the right thing, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. That they have taken. Either you say blindly . . . blindly or knowingly, if you touch fire, it will act. Fire is fire. It is not that because a child takes fire, it will not burn. It will burn. So why these Western young men, they are taking this movement seriously? Because it is acting as fire. It is acting as fire. They have taken fire, and it is acting as fire.

So there is information in the śāstra, accepted by the ācāryas. Just like kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28), that is accepted by the ācāryas. Ācāryopāsanam. The Śaṅkarācārya even, although he is impersonalist, he has accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and what to speak of others? Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya and Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka and, latest, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers—all accept Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of . . . following the same principle as Arjuna said: "Kṛṣṇa, You are paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12)." So this is simple thing. There is no need of speculation, "What is God?" "Where is God?" Here is God, sir. Here is God. You see: Kṛṣṇa. Why you are, foolish, you are searching? Here is God. He is not . . . although Kṛṣṇa has come in a form which you can see . . . Kṛṣṇa has appeared before you just like stone statue, but He is not stone statue. Of course, stone is also God because stone is another energy of God, just like fire is also heat and light, and the heat is also fire, and light is also fire. Without fire, there cannot be light. Without fire, there cannot be heat.

So this material world is just like the heat and light of the supreme light, of the supreme fire. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śakti sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.22.52). Eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā, tatha . . . sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat. Just like fire is in one place . . . just like sun. It is a, mean, a practical example. The sun is in one place; you have seen. It is light and heat, so expanding the light and heat throughout the whole universe, and as soon as you perceive light and heat, you can understand there is sun. So light and heat can be perceived by anyone. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ: "I am the light and heat of the sun." Of course, moon, there is no heat, there is cooling effect. Two things are there. So all these are energies of Kṛṣṇa. Prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. So why people say: "Can you show me God?" You are seeing daily, every moment. But because you are fool, you have no sense of understanding. As soon as there is some heat, any man can understand there is fire. As soon as there is smoke, anyone can understand there is fire. Similarly, if you can feel the energy of the Lord, then you can feel the presence of the Lord immediately.

Now here, these boys, these girls, they are worshiping Kṛṣṇa, and they are becoming devotee. What is the sign of devotee? The sign of devotee is that the devotees are no more interested with material enjoyment. That is devotee. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). So these young boys and girls, they do not go to cinema. They do not smoke. They do not go any restaurant or club. Why? Virakti! Don't want this! What to speak of here, poor country, but in the European, American countries, everything is available very cheap. But they are not interested. They are interested to sit down on the floor without any chair and follow me, whatever I say. They have no sufficient eating even. I cannot give them to their standard. Still . . . why? Because they don't want this material happiness. That is the test. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt. When one will become detestful to material enjoyment, you will know, or he'll know. Personally one can understand how much he is advanced in spiritual life. Spiritual life does not mean that a sannyāsī is smoking and drinking tea, one gallon of tea. That is not spiritual life. He must be detestful. So this dharma, or spiritual life, means to have no more interest in material activities but only in the understanding of God, the Supreme, and His service. That is spiritual life.

So actually the human life is meant for that purpose, because sense gratification, material happiness, the hogs also, they are enjoying. The enjoying . . . the hog is also whole day and night searching after stool, and after eating stool, when they get some strength, then sex, without any discrimination of mother or sister or anyone. Hog's life. Therefore śāstra says: "Don't lead a hog's life." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Vid-bhujām means the stool-eater. They are also working so hard day and night simply for eating stool. And as soon as there is some strength, hypophosphite . . . because stool contains all good chemicals. Hypophosphite, they say, who have tested . . . of course, I do not know. They say that it is full of hypophosphites, and if you take hypophosphite . . . sometimes doctor prescribes syrup hypophosphites for the weak people. So actually the hogs are very fatty. Therefore those who are meat-eaters, they like hog's flesh very nicely.

So anyway, this human life is not meant for imitating the hog's life. Human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). This is Vedic civilization, tapasya, the state, different grades of tapasya—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—give them chance—gṛhastha, vānaprastha, brahmacārī. They are all meant for inducing people to come to this perfectional stage of understanding God. This is called varṇāśrama-dharma. Real purpose of this is varṇāśrama, four varṇas and four āśramas. Why? Now:

varṇāśramācāravatā

puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān

viṣṇur ārādhyate . . .

nānyat tat toṣa-kāraṇam

(CC Madhya 8.58)

The whole aim is how to worship the Supreme Lord. That is human life. So if we make these divisions, so any class of man, if he comes to this social system of varṇāśrama-dharma, then automatically . . . just like if you admit your son in a school, there is first class, second class, third class or eighth class. In this way he makes progress. One day that son comes out as a graduate. So the human society must accept. This is school of varṇāśrama-dharma. Then gradually he will be educated and he will come to the understanding. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. One day he will understand what is Brahman, and that is brāhmaṇa. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ.

Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth everyone is a śūdra. He has to be educated. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Dvija means twice-born. One birth is by the father and mother, and the next birth is by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. So Vedic knowledge is the mother, and spiritual master is the father. Then one becomes dvija. Therefore the sacred thread is offered that, "He is now divja. He has accepted the spiritual master to learn what is spiritual life." That is the significance. Veda . . . then he is allowed to read this Vedic literature, the essence of Vedic literature. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3), this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the essence. Nigama means Vedic. Nigama-kalpa-taru. Kalpa-taru means desire tree. A tree, desire tree, means whatever you like, you can take from it. Similarly, Vedic knowledge is so perfect, any knowledge perfectly if you want to know, then you must . . . tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet śrotriyam (MU 1.2.12). Therefore Vedic knowledge is called śruti. Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham.

So when things are mismanaged and people forget the aim of life, at that time the Supreme Lord comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). So dharmasya glāniḥ means the human society, when missing the aim of life, at that time, when things are very much mismanaged, then out of compassion . . . because God is more anxious to get us back to home, back to Godhead, than we are, because we are in ignorance. We do not know what is the kingdom of God, how to go back there, how to become happy. We have all forgotten. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes at interval. He sends His representative, the devotee. That is going on. So sometimes He comes personally; sometimes He sends His incarnation. The Kapiladeva is an incarnation of the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is stated here, kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā bhagavān. Incarnation of Bhagavān is also Bhagavān. Bhagavān ātma-māyayā (SB 1.2.30). Ātma-māyayā means . . . Māyā means illusion, māyā means affection, and māyā means energy.

When Kṛṣṇa comes, or Kṛṣṇa's energy or Kṛṣṇa's incarnation comes, that is not by force. Just like we, we are forced to come. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). We have to accept a certain type of body by force, not ātma-māyayā. Suppose I have got this human form of body. I cannot demand that, "Next life I will have like this." No. That is not possible. Next life you will get according to your karma. Just like you are being educated. You cannot say that, "Make me the high-court judge." That is not possible. If you are qualified, then you'll become. Similarly, karmaṇā. You have to qualify yourself. So there are 8,400,000's of different forms of life. So by your karma, next life you can become a devatā, a demigod. Even, if you like, you can become Indra, Candra. Or you can become cats and dogs. That depends . . . karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. So this will depend on my karma.

But Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation, when He comes, it does not depend on His karma, because He is above karma. He is fully independent. Therefore it is said, ātma-māyayā. Ātma-māyayā, "By His own energy," not by any external energy forced by. Just like if the governor goes to the prison house, it is not that he has been forced to come to the prison, he is a condemned person. No. He goes there out of his good will to see how things are going on. But when a ordinary person is put into jail, he has been forced. He has been proved a criminal. So if the criminal thinks that, "Here is governor. Now we are one, the governor and myself, one . . ." The pocket, pickpocket, criminal, if he thinks like that, that . . . similarly, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Therefore rascals and fools, they think Kṛṣṇa is one of them, the same thing as the criminal thinks the governor as . . . Mahatma Gandhi went to jail, and if a pickpocket thinks that, "Now Mahatma Gandhi and myself are the same . . ." No. Therefore it is said, ātma-māyayā. Mahatma Gandhi went to jail just to show the people, "Now, if you want to drive away the Britishers, so disobey their law, and they will put us into jail, so that jail will be effective." Jail svarājyake mandira hai, Mahatma Gandhi said. That was a policy, not that Mahatma Gandhi had to go to jail, he was a fit for that person. Similarly, this is an example.

Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation comes in this material world, He maintains His position. That, the same thing—Mahatma Gandhi maintained his position. It is not that because Mahatma Gandhi went to jail, he become unpopular and nobody would respect him. No. His respect was still there. Similarly, when the incarnation of God, Kṛṣṇa, He comes, He is not ordinary man. He is not ordinary man. He has come out of His good will. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. The rascals, they do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, and they think that, "Kṛṣṇa is like one of us, a human being, like that. He is . . ." No, that is not Kṛṣṇa understanding. Kṛṣṇa . . .

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin vetti māṁ . . .

(BG 7.3)

Kṛṣṇa understanding is not so easy. It is said by Kṛṣṇa, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasre . . . "Out of millions of people, one become siddha." Siddha means self-realized. And yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3): and after becoming siddha, out of many millions of siddhas, one can understand what is Kṛṣṇa.

But it is our great fortune that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He appeared. He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and He has given us a very, I mean to say, easy process to understand Kṛṣṇa. What is that? This is the easiest process, that you come here and hear about Kṛṣṇa. That's all. You haven't got to do anything. Simply come here. We are opening all these centers just to invite you, "Please come here and hear about Kṛṣṇa."

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

If you hear about Kṛṣṇa, you become purified. Hearing about Kṛṣṇa means associating with Kṛṣṇa. This secret they do not know. But we are canvassing, "Please come and hear about Kṛṣṇa. Your life will be perfect."

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (end)