721022 - Lecture Initiation Sannyasa - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

721022IN-VRNDAVAN - October 22, 1972 - 23:01 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . comes from fire, smoke is not acceptable, but fire is acceptable. Similarly, although this māyā, material world, is coming from Kṛṣṇa . . . mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8), Kṛṣṇa says. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo, mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. Sarvaṁ pravartate means māyā is also coming from Kṛṣṇa. That is a fact. The same example: smoke is coming from fire, but we require fire, not the smoke. This is required. We don't require the māyā's internal energy which disturbs seeing Kṛṣṇa.

There are so many examples: Just like cloud. Cloud is the production of the sun, sunshine. When the sunshine is very strong it evaporates water from the sea, and the air is evaporating from the cloud. That is scientific observation and experiment. But by the cloud, the sun is covered. (break)

We cannot see the sun. Similarly, this māyā is creation of God, mama māyā, Kṛṣṇa says. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). But this māyā covers the living entity so that the living entity forgets his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Mama māyā duratyayā.

That is just like we have got experience by flying in the sky, the jets, they penetrate the clouds and travel above the clouds, there is immense sunshine. There is no more covering. Similarly, we have to come above the māyā to the transcendental position, and then we are in the sunshine; there is no more restriction.

So long we remain under the cloud we are covered; we cannot see the sun properly. Neither the people can utilize the sunshine properly. Similarly, if we remain within the control of this māyā, then we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa as God. Then we cannot understand God. We have to transcend the position of cloud, or fog; then our life is successful, and that is devotional service.

If you remain constantly engaged in devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa, bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate . . . we have got so many . . . (indistinct) . . . for serving Kṛṣṇa; if you always remained engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then there is no question of māyā's entering. That is the transcendental position.

māṁ ca vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

Simply uttering ahaṁ brahmasmi, that is not our goal, "I am Brahman." Actually I am spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ. All jīvas are part and parcel of God, Brahman, part of Brahman, as the spark of fire is also fire. Similarly, the part and parcel of Brahman is also Brahman. So the Vedic injunction is that you are Brahman, you are not this matter. So how you can be given, can be given 'potentially rich man' saying. Simply being that, "I am a very rich man. I am a very rich man," that will not satisfy you. You must become rich, actually then you can say, "I am rich man." Potentially rich man; therefore I am a rich man—no.

So these are the causes. Simply thinking "I am Brahman" will not help you. You must have gained the required qualities . . . and what is that?

māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

He is Brahman. He is realized Brahman, one who is engaged in the unflinching devotional service of the Lord—vādinyā-brahma—he has realized, so simply realization of will not help you. Ahaṁ brahmasmi . . .

(break) . . . will not help you means you cannot remain in the Brahman realization platform unless you fully realize the Supreme Lord. Full realization of Brahman means understanding Kṛṣṇa. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Simply understanding ahaṁ brahmasmi will not help you. You must come to the point of brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti. First realize Brahman, then Paramātmā, then Bhagavān. But if you realize Bhagavān, automatically you realize Paramātmā and Brahman.

Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is directly . . . (indistinct) . . . contact with Bhagavān. Bhagavān. Because Bhagavān . . . what is the symptom of contacting Bhagavān? That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). If one has actually realized how his identification with Brahman, then immediately he will become very joyful. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā, that is the symptom. He has no more any cause of being morose; he must be joyful, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā.

What is the symptom of joyfulness? Na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he has no lamentation nor any desire to be fulfilled. He is fully satisfied. Just like Dhruva Mahārāja, when he saw the Supreme Personality in penance, he said: "My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied." He went for tapasya, for austerities, penances, in the forest, for getting the kingdom of his father or a better kingdom than his father. That was his aim. He was insulted by his stepmother, so on the advice of his mother he went to the forest. So he achieved some success by achieving his goal to attain a position better than his father and grandfather. Grandfather was not so much.

So he was engaged in that way, but when he actually saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa, he said: "My dear sir . . ." Nārāyaṇa offered, "Now you take benediction whatever you like. I am now present. You have undergone so severe austerities. I am very much satisfied. Now you take . . . (indistinct) . . ." But at the same time Dhruva Mahārāja said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42).

This is the position, brahma bhuta. Simply by realizing Brahman one becomes passive, no more lamentation, no more material desire, and what to speak of when one is engaged directly in the service of Bhagavān. He doesn't have any material desires. That is bhakta. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). This is what the bhakta says. And what he says, there is no desire: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11). No material desire. That is bhakti-yoga. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. We have got so many material desires, then desire to improve cultivation of knowledge, jñāna . . . (indistinct) . . . to merge into the existence of Brahman. That is also another desire.

Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ, jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. Karma-kāṇḍī, fruitive activities, those who are engaged in pious activities, yajña-dāna-tapaḥ kriya. By performing sacrifices and giving in charity, undergoing austerities, the aim is to be delivered in the higher planetary systems, svarga-loka, jana-loka, mahar-loka, tapa-loka, brahma-loka. That is the result karmi action of the karmīs. The jñānis, the resultant action they want to merge into the existence of Brahman.

Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī gives us instruction that pure devotional service, uncontaminated by any kind of desires, including the path of jñāna and yoga and karma. Because that is also contaminated. The path of jñāna, yoga or karma, they are all. It may be in the higher stage of material existence, but that is not freedom from material existence. If you want freedom completely from material existence, and situated in eternal life of infinite knowledgable existence, then you have to take to this bhakti-yoga.

Bhakti-yoga means to try to understand Kṛṣṇa and serve Him, that is bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself in Bhagavad-gītā; you try to understand. Some of you are now taking sannyāsi, sannyāsa āśrama, sannyāsa mantra: Etāṁ sa āsthāya parātma-niṣṭhām. When you accept sannyāsa, means taking vow that, "I shall act only for Kṛṣṇa service," parātmā-niṣṭhām . . . pūrvatamair mahadbhir . . . what is that? Etāṁ?

Pradyumna: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Now those who are taking sannyāsa take this mantra. (Prabhupāda chants each word and they respond)

Etāṁ sa āsthāya parātma-niṣṭhām upāsitāṁ pūrvatamair maha . . .

(break) In the Vedas it is said that I am accepting this sannyāsa for mukundam aṅghri niṣevayaiva, to serve the lotus feet of Mukunda, mukundam aṅghri niṣevayaiva. And by this process, by serving the lotus feet of mukundāṅghri, ahaṁ tariṣyāmi, duranta-pāram tamo.

This material world is called tamo. The Vedic injunction is tamasi mā jyotir gama: "Don't remain within this darkness of material world." This material world is by nature dark. We live in—enlightened by the sunshine, moonshine, electricity. Just like the sunshine is over now. We are now . . . (indistinct) . . . chasing the sunshine, we require electricity, or moonshine. So actually the position of this material world is darkness. Therefore it is called tamah. Ahaṁ tariṣyāmi, duranta-pāram tamo.

Duranta-pāram this material sky over the material world, is very, very . . . (indistinct) . . . just like you have seen the sky, it is covering, but we have no power to, I mean to say, overcome . . . (indistinct) . . . so called Sputnik and aeroplanes, they are in and it is covered but nobody has covered the whole space. That is not possible. It is so big; therefore it is called duranta-pāram. Duranta-pāram, the structure is so great that with your teeny sputniks, they calculate that if you want to go to the limit of this universe, it will take 40,000 of years at the speed of light years. That is beyond your imagination. Unlimited space, you can see, therefore it is called duranta-pāram.

So you have to cross this duranta-pāram, unlimited space of the material world, then you come to the spiritual world. Where there is Brahman effulgence. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. The aim of life is to cross over this darkness, this vast patch of darkness, and go to the spiritual world that is the . . . there is covering there also, as in this material world. Ten times, or hundred times, seventy times bigger than this space that is covering. So how you can cross over this material world of darkness? Simply by mukundāṅghri niṣevayaiva. Simply by serving the lotus feet of Mukunda, you can cross over this great existence of material world. Etāṁ sa āsthāya. Etāṁ sa āsthāya, parātma-niṣṭhām. This sannyāsa means firm faith in Kṛṣṇa: parātmā-niṣṭhām.

So it is not that you are accepting this position something new. Pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ. Many, many great saintly ācāryas, they accepted. Just like in our line Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted; my Guru Mahārāja accepted this order of life; I have accepted. This is not a new thing. That is paramparā. These are all ācāryas have accepted, our spiritual master also, Madhvācārya accepted, Viṣṇusvāmī accepted. But it is not that sannyāsa is only in the Śaṅkara sampradāya—the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. Long, long ago, perhaps you have read in the Kṛṣṇa Book, that Arjuna pretended to be sannyāsī.

So we should not pretend to take sannyāsa, but actually take, and mukundāṅghri niṣevayaiva, simply for serving Mukunda. If you, you are young men, you insisted, so I have given you order with hope, that you stick to the transcendental loving service at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Then you will be very strong. Mām eva ye prapadyante, māyām etāṁ taranti te. If you stick, if you catch hold of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa very tightly, māyā will not be able to touch you—rest assured. But don't forget, this is important thing, aham tariṣyāmi mukundāṅghri . . .

When Caitanya Mahāprabhu took sannyāsa, He was only twenty-four years old. So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya suspected that He was to enjoy women, "You have taken sannyāsa, so You must read Vedānta twenty-four hours, learn from me." He was teaching Vedānta at that time. So there was Vedānta conversation, later with Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So . . . and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya soon became a disciple of Caitanya Mahāprabhu after the argument of Vedānta. That was the system: when there is some argument between two parties, the defeated party becomes a disciple of the victorious party. That was formerly the system; not that you talk for hours and nobody becomes disciple of nobody. Simply this is waste of time.

So you are, sannyāsīs who are accepting this order, you are going outside India. We require many preachers, because to fulfill the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu desired:

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra

janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra

(CC Adi 9.41)

It is the duty of Indians to preach this cult of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all over the world, to do some welfare to the people in general. Because outside India they are in darkness practically, because there is no guidance. India is envied with the experience of so many sages and saintly persons. If this experience of spiritual knowledge simply spread all over the world so that they may be defeated, and their poorer lives may be successful. This is our mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement you have taken the risk to (loud bell ringing) of going to Bangkok when I was coming from Manila) I met one gentleman from Bangkok he was very much anxious to receive us so by the grace of Kṛṣṇa you are going forward I shall thank you can take the address of that gentleman by going and being helpful in so many ways.

Thank you very much. (end)