690914 - Lecture SB 05.05.02- London

Lectures by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

690914SB-LONDON - September 14, 1969 - 41:10 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

. . . sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

jayatāṁ suratau paṅgor

mama manda-mater gatī

mat-sarvasva-padāmbhojau

rādhā-madana-(mohanau)

mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes

tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam

mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā

vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye

(SB 5.5.2)

Last meeting we have been describing the symptoms of mahātmā, great soul. So the first symptom is that he is equal to everyone, sama-cittāḥ. And the next qualification is praśāntā. Praśāntā means pacified. He's not disturbed by any material anxiety. And why a great soul should be disturbed by material anxieties? Because he has no material desire. Anyone who has got material desire, he is full of material anxiety. But one who has no material desire, one who lives only for serving Kṛṣṇa, naturally he has no anxieties. Praśāntā.

There is another verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam quoted by Yamunācārya, that he says, bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ.

bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ

praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ

kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ

praharṣayiṣyāmi sanātha-jīvitam

(Stotra-ratna 43)

This is very important verse. Śrī Yamunācārya says: "My dear Lord," bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ, "When I shall be fully engaged in Your service?" This is the process of being freed from all anxiety. Just like this child. This child is restless. He's going here, going there. But if the child is given some engagement, toy, which he likes, then she will remain there pacified and will not disturb any of us. That is natural.

Similarly, we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. So long we are not again linked up with His service, with His . . . so long we are not again reestablished in our lost relationship with Kṛṣṇa, we shall remain restless. That is our natural condition. Just like the child is crying, restless. But as soon as the mother takes the child on the lap, the child is immediately pacified. Why? Because the child wants that. She cannot express what she wants. She is crying. But she has no language to express, but she can express her feeling. As soon as she is on the lap of the mother, she understands, "Now I am fully satisfied." You can also understand.

So even there is no language, there is a stage of satisfaction. That stage is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as one comes to the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he'll be satisfied. And unless he comes to that stage, he'll always be disturbed, full of anxieties.

Therefore our prayer should be how we shall be twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ praśānta-niḥśeṣa. I'm just trying to explain the word praśānta, "pacifism," how one can be pacified, fully satisfied. Just like Dhruva Mahārāja, a boy. He wanted the kingdom of his father, and he underwent severe penances to see God, Nārāyaṇa, so that he may ask His benediction to be, I mean to say, seated on the throne of his father. That was his desire. He went to forest to undertake severe penances to see Nārāyaṇa so that he can ask from Him the benediction that he should have . . . seated on the throne of his father. Because by the intrigue of his stepmother, he was rejected by his father. He wanted . . .

That is that material desire we, every one of us in conditioned state, we want. Sometimes we competitive. We become very much obstinate, that "I must have this," and we work very hard. Just like in Europe, that Hitler, he wanted supremacy over Europe, and he fought very valiantly. But at the end he became vanquished. Similarly, in the material world we have got so many desires and we want to fulfill it—and for which we work very hard. But at the end we become frustrated.

That is the nature of the material world. You cannot have anything here permanent, however hard you work. You may achieve that. Not only in this material world . . . even you achieve the liberation, perfectional stage, as the impersonalist philosophers want. They want nirvāṇa. Just like Buddhists, they want nirvāṇa, extinction of this material conditional life. That is called nirvāṇa. And the Māyāvādī philosophers, impersonalists, they want not only extinction of these material pangs but they want to be situated in spiritual consciousness only. But our Vaiṣṇava philosophy that you cannot keep yourself in spiritual consciousness unless you are fully engaged in spiritual activities. That is the perfect philosophy.

So Yamunācārya is praying to the Lord, "My dear Lord, when I shall achieve that stage of life when I shall be fully engaged in Your service?" Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ. Nirantaraḥ means without any interval. In the material world, after working for some time, we want an interval for rest. But if you are actually engaged in spiritual activities, you won't like to be rested.

You want to continue always: work, work, work. Rest will be disgusting. Of course, so long we have got this material body, we have to take rest, but this rest is also not required, because in the spiritual world there is no such fatigue. Everyone is always active. So that is perfectional stage. Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ. And how one can be pacified fully? When he does not manufacture the fulfillment of desire.

We manufacture. The whole material world is going on by manufacturing ideas. The so-called scientists, the so-called philosophers, poets, they are manufacturing ideas that, "We shall be happy in this way, in that way." So this will not help us, this manufacturing. I may be satisfied by some manufactured ideas. Just like in USA especially, the frustrated, confused younger generation, they are manufacturing ideas that, "We shall be happy in this way." But that is not possible. You cannot be happy. So long you manufacture ideas, you may be pacified for some time, but it will not exist.

Therefore you have to stop this manufacturing process that, "I shall be happy in this way." No. That is called free of anxiety. If you want to manufacture that, "I shall be happy in this way," that will also create another anxiety. That will create another anxiety. Therefore Yamunācārya says, praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ. Mano-rathāntaraḥ, this particular word, is used, "mind," "on the chariot of mind." In the material stage of life, we are being driven by the chariot of mind.

In the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is stated, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni. All living entities are traveling within this material world in different species of life, in different planets. Sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā: on the chariot given by the material energy. So that is mind.

So, so long we shall travel on the chariot of the mind, mano-ratha, then there is no question of our being freed from anxiety. Therefore we have to give up this chariot of mind. The chariot of mind will not give us satisfaction. We have to transcend the mental state, the intellectual state. The philosopher, they are intellectually trying to be happy. That also we have to transcend. We have (to) come to the spiritual platform, brahma-bhūtaḥ. And not only come to the spiritual platform; we must have spiritual engagement. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

We have got engagement. We are not only satisfied that "I am spirit," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. No. There must be duties of the Brahman. The Brahman must be engaged. Otherwise . . . because we want some work, because we are active . . . we are not just like stones. We cannot sit down. So there must be activities. Just study the nature of the child. He's always active, must be doing something. Maybe it is useless, but how can you stop the child's activities? That is not possible. Similarly, we are active. So simply by understanding that, "I am spirit soul" will not help me. I must be active in the spiritual world. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone is engaged in some activity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And that will make him praśānta.

Niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ

kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ

(Stotra-ratna 43)

That stage of pacified condition of life can be attained, as it is stated by Yamunācārya, kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ. Aikāntika. Aikāntika means absolutely, without diverting my mind in any other thing; nitya-kiṅkaraḥ, eternally servant of God, eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. When I am convinced in that way, then I shall be happy. Kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ praharṣayiṣyāmi. Praharṣayiṣyāmi means "I shall be always jolly." How I shall be jolly? Sanātha-jīvitam: "Because I will be living under the protection of my Lord."

Just like this child is happy. She's happy because it knows, the child knows that, "I have got my parents. As soon as there is some danger, I shall immediately call my mother, and mother will give me protection." This confidence is there. She doesn't care for anyone. She wants to go to touch the fire; mother is going behind her to give her protection. That is natural.

So as soon as you become free from all these designations, manufacturing process of the mind and intellect, and fully engage in Kṛṣṇa's service . . . therefore, we require to be trained in the service of Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of the representative of Kṛṣṇa. Training. In this way, when we are fully trained, we shall reach that stage, oh that, "I am protected by Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa gives you assurance, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66) "I shall give you liberation from all sorts of sinful reaction of your life." Then immediately I will come to Kṛṣṇa.

Of course, it does not mean that anyone who comes to Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative, he has finished all the reaction of his past sinful activities. That is not possible. Everyone is full with the result of his past sinful . . . here in the material world, whatever you do, it is more or less all sinful activities. So therefore, our life is always full with sinful activity. So when you surrender to Kṛṣṇa through His transparent via media, not that immediately your sinful activities are stopped, but because you surrendered to the Supreme, He absorbs your sinful activities. He makes you free. But you should be conscious that, "I shall not commit any more."

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He accepted Jagāi-Mādhāi, great sinful brothers, He simply asked them, "You simply promise that 'Henceforward you shall not commit any sinful activities.' Whatever you have done I am taking. I am absorbed." That is the process. So the Lord or the spiritual master absorbs. But we should be conscious that "We shall not commit any more sinful activities so that my spiritual master or Kṛṣṇa will have to again accept them on my behalf." We should be conscious.

The Christian process, that going to the church, confession, that is very nice. You confess, and God or God's representative is quite able to excuse you and to make you free from all sinful reaction. But why should you commit again? Why should you commit again? This is not good. Lord Jesus Christ . . . the Christians believe that he has taken the reaction of everyone's sinful activities and he has suffered by crucification. That's all right. But why should you commit again the same sins for which Lord Jesus Christ suffered? This is less intelligent. We should not indulge in that.

In our ten kinds of offenses in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra there is one item, you know: nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir (Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-khaṇḍa 25.1). The . . . we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So we are, I mean to say, becoming free from the sinful reactions of our past activities. But if we think that, "Because I am now . . . I have got a machine of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, so I shall commit as much sin as possible and it will be counteracted by this process," oh, that is the greatest sin. You cannot do that. You cannot make Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra as agent of nullifying your sinful activities. Similarly, you cannot make God or His agent or His representative as a machine for counteracting your sinful activities. You should stop.

Therefore niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ. Niḥśeṣa. You must cease all kinds of sinful activities. We prescribe to our students that, "You should not do this, you should not do this, you should not do this." That is a warning that these are the different gates of sinful activity. If you indulge in illicit sex life, then you open the gate of sinful activities, and you go deeper and deeper. Similarly, if you take meat-eating, that is also opening the gate of sinful activities. Similarly, if you indulge in gambling or in intoxication . . . these are the gates.

As Ṛṣabhadeva has said, tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. If you indulge in the process of . . . these are sense gratificatory process. Why a person eats meat? It is simply sense gratification. Now our students, they have given up eating meat. Are they dying? They are eating nicely, cāpāṭis, vegetable. So it is simply sense gratification, that "I like this." Why you like? This is not a liking thing. But we shall . . . for sense gratification we are prepared to enter into the darkest region of the hell. We should not do that. Therefore praśānta.

So a spiritual master or a representative of Kṛṣṇa or mahātmā, he is praśāntā. Praśāntā means he is freed from all these manufacturing process of the mind. He is no more conducted by the dictation of the mind; he is conducted by the dictation of Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa's words. Just like Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa's words. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's words are not different. So if you abide by the words of Kṛṣṇa, just like Bhagavad-gītā—there are many others—then you are abiding by Kṛṣṇa. You are not abiding by the dictation of your mind. That should be the motto of our life. And a spiritual master or mahātmā is he who is situated in that position. He is not dictated by the mind. He is simply following the scriptural injunction. Therefore he is praśāntā. Sama-cittāḥ praśāntāḥ.

And vimanyavaḥ. Vimanyavaḥ means without any anger. Anger . . . a devotee should not be angry. But that does not mean that he has lost his capacity of anger. No. Everything is there. Just like a person does not have illicit sex. That does not mean he has no sexual capacity. He has full sexual capacity, but he does not want to do it unless it is required for certain purpose. That example is given: just like the tortoise. The tortoise, as soon as he likes, he opens his different limbs from the body, and as soon as he does not like, immediately winds within the body. So we should be like that. That is real control.

So vimanyavaḥ means that devotee does not generally become angry. But that does not mean that he has lost his power of becoming angry. No. He can become angry at any time, when it is required. And when he should be angry? He is angry, "krodha" bhakta-dveṣi janam. He'll be angry when there is somebody who's against God and God's devotee. He should be angry. As soon as one says, blaspheming that, "I am God. There is no God," immediately he should be very angry because he is preaching false things. He's blaspheming against the Supreme Lord, that he is making God as very cheap. He should be very angry. Bhakta-dveṣi.

Just like our student Govinda dāsī in Hawaii. In a meeting she became very angry when the so-called incarnation of God and God . . . perhaps you know this incident. And the people did not say, of course, Govinda dāsī, but they hurt her husband, Gaurasundara. But she became very angry that, "These rascals," and so many things she spoke. (chuckles) So she did right, like a heroine. I very much liked it. So we should be very much angry. When? When there is anything against God and God's devotee. But generally, for my personal interest, I should not be angry. "All right, if you like to call me by ill names, I don't mind. You go on with your business." I do not become angry.

So just like Hanumānjī, Vajrāṅgajī. Vajrāṅgajī, he set fire in the kingdom of Rāvaṇa. A very beautiful kingdom, almost made of all gold, but he set fire in that capital of Laṅka. He became very angry. But why he became angry? Not for his personal interest. But he was angry for the interest of Lord Rāma. Sītā, the Lakṣmī, wife of Lord Rāma, was kidnapped by this man Rāvaṇa, and he was very angry that, "He has kidnapped my Lord's spiritual energy, Sītā. I shall set fire in his very valuable capital." So this anger, this demonstration of anger and setting fire, was accepted as service.

So we should know where to be angry. Not that for our personal interest we shall . . . generally, those who are devotees, they are not angry. Just like see the example of Arjuna. Arjuna was so much harassed, all the five brothers, by the opposite party, his cousin-brothers. They insulted their wife, Draupadī. They wanted to make naked Draupadī, because they lost Draupadī in the gambling. Therefore gambling is so sinful, you see. The kṣatriyas are allowed to gamble. So the bet was . . . they made a trick, "Now bet your wife." So if a kṣatriya is challenged to bet something, they cannot deny it. "Yes, I am betting my wife." And they lost in the game. So the wife became the property of the other party. So they wanted to retaliate only.

So there, in the assembly they said: "Well, Draupadī has now become our property. Whatever we like, we can do. So we want to see her naked beauty." You see? This was the demand. So the one of the brothers of Duryodhana asked, "Make her naked. Let us see naked." So she became the property. The others, they did not protest. But Kṛṣṇa supplied clothing as much as required. You have seen the Draupadī's vastra-haraṇa.

So these Pāṇḍavas, they were so much harassed. They were by trick taken away their kingdom; they were put into a house which was set into fire; their . . . I mean wife was insulted; they were driven to the forest for twelve years. So many things harassed. But still, when there was fighting in front, when he saw his brothers are standing, and he said: "Oh, I will have to fight with my these cousin-brothers. Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight." Just see how much tolerant. Not at all angry. This is the position. Enough to make him angry, the whole Bhagavad-gītā was taught to him. Just see.

This is the position, that for personal interest, a devotee or a mahātmā is never angry. Never angry. Just see the case of Arjuna. But when Kṛṣṇa . . . he understood that Kṛṣṇa wanted this fight, it is the Kṛṣṇa's desire, oh, he became immediately prepared, "Yes." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73), "Yes, I shall fight. That's all right. I shall fight." And he fought and killed everyone. So generally, the devotees are not cruel, angry. But they can be the foremost angry person for Kṛṣṇa's sake. So generally, we should not be angry. A mahātmā is never angered. So vimanyavaḥ.

Vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ. Hṛda means heart, and su means good, good heart. A devotee, a mahātmā, is good heart. How he is good heart? He sees everyone that "This living entity," especially human being, "he is engrossed in the clutches of māyā. He is suffering. Let me try to make him understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa." He tries everywhere. That is his business. He doesn't mind whether he is failure. Failure or success, he doesn't mind. But he thinks, "Oh, this conditioned soul is suffering. Let me do something."

Therefore Vaiṣṇava's prayer is vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca. A Vaiṣṇava, he is just like the ocean of mercy. He always feels for the sufferings of the humanity. That is their business. People think that they have taken relief from all social work. But a Vaiṣṇava is giving the best social service, because he knows what is the cause of suffering, how people can be saved. Therefore he is suhṛdaḥ. Suhṛdaḥ means well-wisher friend. A Vaiṣṇava or spiritual master or a saintly person is suhṛdaḥ. Suhṛdaḥ means he is well-wisher friend. As Kṛṣṇa is suhṛdaḥ, He is friend of all living entities . . . suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 3.25.21).

In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find. Similarly, a Vaiṣṇava, Kṛṣṇa's devotee, is also suhṛdaḥ. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām. Suhṛdaḥ. And sādhava. And sādhava means well-behaved. Sādhavaḥ. Sadācāra. His character is firm, without any spot. So these are the qualification of sādhu, mahātmā or spiritual master. Sama-cittāḥ, praśāntā, vimanyavaḥ, suhṛdaḥ and sādhavaḥ.

So when one is in contact with such person, then the door of liberation is open. If one is in contact with a pure devotee of the Lord, it should be understood, if he follows his instruction, then it is sure and certain that he is going to Kṛṣṇa without any fail.

Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances) Any question? Yes.

Makhanlāl: Prabhupāda, are all living entities always under the protection at all times of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, at all times?

Prabhupāda: Yes. But he . . . generally he is under the protection, but in spite of all protection, if he violates the rules and regulation, he become immediately subjected to the laws of nature. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, gives protection. He says:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

(BG 18.66)

"You just surrender unto Me. You give up all other occupational duties. You simply become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and I'll give you," I mean to say: "immunity, or protection, from all sinful . . ." But if you do not accept, Kṛṣṇa will not force you. So He is giving protection to everyone, generally. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13).

Not only giving the human society—the animal society, the birds, trees, every . . . don't you see it, how the arrangement is there? Everyone is living under certain condition. Just like a prisoner. Prisoners are condemned, at the same time, given protection by the government. Within the prison walls they are protected. If somebody comes to kill them, government immediately calls for military or police to protect them.

But because they are condemned, they are put into the prison. Similarly, all living entities, they are children, they are sons of God. So God is giving them all protection. Kṛṣṇa is giving them all protection. But by misuse of their little freedom, they are misusing; they are misusing their liberty. Therefore they are put into this material world. Otherwise, generally, the protection is there.

Any other questions? Yes, try to understand clearly this philosophy. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). These things are required. You should try to understand the transcendental subject. First of all surrender, praṇipāta. Then paripraśna. You cannot question if you are not surrendered. Just like the other day one rascal was asking—he is not a surrendered soul—"Swāmījī, you know Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Just see. So this is not the process of question. One must surrender. Otherwise, you have no right to question.

Praṇipātena, paripraśnena and sevayā. Sevayā means service. You must find out a suitable person where you can question and get the proper answer, a spiritual master. That means surrender. Then question. Question is not a challenge. Question is to understand. Which I could not follow, I may ask repeatedly to understand.

So two sides: sevā, service; and surrender. And in the middle, paripraśna. So paripraśna is required. Otherwise, how one can understand? So questions are required. But that question is not a challenge. You should not question any person by challenging spirit. You should simply question, being inquisitive to know. That is bona fide. Otherwise, if you question just to examine his strength, that will create only fighting spirit. That is not good.

So you should question, also put your question, to a person who can actually answer. That means you must question only to the spiritual master. Otherwise, you may be misled. He may gave you some wrong information.

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti tad-jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

All right. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (devotees offer obeisances) (end)