721114 - Lecture SB 01.03.01 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

721114SB-VRNDAVAN - November 14, 1972 - 38:26 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

sūta uvāca

jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ

bhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥ

sambhūtaṁ ṣoḍaśa-kalam

ādau loka-sisṛkṣayā

(SB 1.3.1)

(break)

sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta said; jagṛhe—accepted; pauruṣam—plenary portion as the puruṣa incarnation; rūpam—form; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; mahat-ādibhiḥ—with the ingredients of the material world; sambhūtam—thus there was the creation of; ṣoḍaśa-kalam—sixteen primary principles; ādau—in the beginning; loka—the universes; sisṛkṣayā—on the intention of creating.

Translation: "Sūta said: In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded Himself in the universal form of the puruṣa incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universe."

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ

bhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥ

sambhūtaṁ ṣoḍaśa-kalam

ādau loka-sisṛkṣayā

(SB 1.3.1)

So ādau, in the beginning, loka-sisṛkṣayā, for creating the cosmology, jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam, person, the creation is coming from the person, not from imperson. The modern scientists, their theory of creation . . . "There was something matter chunk," or something like that. What do they say? What was the beginning of creation, Hayagrīva Prabhu?

Hayagrīva: Uh, one is that there was a mass that exploded, and all of these universes came out in the explosion. The other is that the universe is a solid state universe, that it is constantly existing and regenerating itself. These two theories. One's called "Big Bang Theory," and the other's called "Solid State Theory." "Steady State," "Steady State."

Prabhupāda: Anyway . . .

Hayagrīva: In either case, there was something there.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Hayagrīva: In either case, there was something originally there, which they don't explain.

Prabhupāda: But here we find it quite reasonable. Because everything is . . . is from the person. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. Rūpam, form. It is not from imperson. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. So we don't theorize. We accept the statement of the Vedas. That is our process of knowledge. Eh? Descending process. We take knowledge from the authority.

Of course, the scientists also say they take from authority, but originally, as explained by our Hayagrīva Prabhu, it does not appear that the knowledge was taken from authority, it is theory. Theory, one can put theory of his own, and there are so many theories. But we don't accept theories. We want solid fact.

The solid fact is the Lord created. In the Bible also it is said that God said: "Let there be creation." So it is from the person. Here also, we find the creation begins from the person. In the Vedas it is said, sa aikṣata, sa asṛjata. Aikṣata, "By the glance, He looked over, God looked over, and He created." The reference is to the person.

We also find from our experience that whenever there is something manufacturing, or creation, we do not find automatically some matter comes into being. We don't . . . we haven't such experience. Whenever there is anything manufactured or created, there is a person behind it.

So this is not a very good theory that from the chunk, or some matter exploded, and immediately the universe came into existence. That is not a very good theory. But this is nice. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. This pauruṣam, the Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, They are expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). He incarnates, He expands Himself in various incarnations.

Now, for the creation, these three persons . . . always person. Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, person; Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, person; and Kāraṇārṇava-jala, Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, person. And Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu, He's also expansion of Saṅkarṣaṇa. And Saṅkarṣaṇa is expansion of Baladeva; Baladeva is expansion of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa becomes the origin. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, anādiḥ (Bs. 5.1). He has no beginning, but He is beginning. Anādir ādiḥ. He's, He has no beginning, but He is the beginning of creation. Anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

So mahat-tattva, the total material energy, and six . . . five elements, sixteen, sixteen, ṣoḍaśa-kalam. What are those? The five elements, namely, earth, water, fire, air and sense objects and senses, and the spirit soul. In this way, sixteen. And from sixteen, it expands to twenty-four. That is the explanation of our Vedic creation. Ṣoḍaśa-kalam.

You read the purport.

Pradyumna: Purport: "The Bhagavad-gītā states that the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa maintains these material universes by extending His plenary expansions. So this puruṣa form is the confirmation of the same principle. The original Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, or Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is famous as the son of King Vasudeva or King Nanda, is full with all opulences, all potencies, all fame, all beauties, all knowledge and all renunciation. Part of His opulences is manifested as impersonal Brahman, and part of His opulences is manifested as Paramātmā. This puruṣa feature of the same Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Paramātmā manifestation of the Lord."

"There are three puruṣa features in the material creation, and this form, who is known as the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the first of the three. The others are known as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, which we shall know one after another. The innumerable universes are generated from the skinholes of this Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and in each one of the universes, the Lord . . ."

Prabhupāda: This is explained in Brahmā-saṁhitā.

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.48)

Mahā-Viṣṇu. From the skinholes of Mahā-Viṣṇu, the small particles of universes are coming into being. Everything, the nature's way, it comes a very small particle, then it grows. Anything you take. Just like our body. The small particle, the soul, which is measured as one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair, when it is placed in the womb of the woman by the man, then the body grows. That is the seed. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Kṛṣṇa says that, "I am the seed-giving father."

So just like here, we practically see, the male semina is injected within the womb of the female, and because the living entity, very small, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of, is there, because that living entity's there, the body grows. Unless the living entity's there, there will be no pregnancy. As soon as the living entity is there, the body grows. And that is known as pregnancy. Daily grows. The mother can understand it is growing.

Similarly, without the spirit soul entering into the matter, there is no possibility of creation. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, viṣṭabhya aham ekāṁśena.

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham . . .

ekāṁśena sthito jagat

(BG 10.42)

"Because I have entered into this universe by My plenary portion, therefore it is existing." It is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So without spiritual touch, there is no question of matter working or expanding or growing. That is not possible. So in the seed of any tree, because there is that living entity, therefore it grows into a big tree. Every tree, they are also living entity in a different form. So here also, in the creation, without the supreme living entity entering within the mahat-tattva, there is no possibility of creation.

Go on.

Pradyumna: "And in each one of the universes the Lord enters as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also mentioned that the material world is created at certain intervals and then again destroyed. This creation and destruction is done by the supreme will because of the conditioned souls, or the nitya-baddha living entities. Nitya-baddha, or the eternally conditioned souls, have the sense of individuality or . . ."

Prabhupāda: (indistinct Hindi) Hmm? Yes.

Pradyumna: ". . . or ahaṅkāra, which dictates them sense enjoyment, which they are unable to have constitutionally. The Lord is the only enjoyer, and all others are enjoyed. The living entities are predominated enjoyers, but the eternally conditioned soul, forgetful of his constitutional position, have strong aspirations to enjoy. This chance to enjoy matter is given to the conditioned souls in the material world, and side by side they are given the chance to understand their real constitutional position.

"Those fortunate living entities who catch the truth and surrender unto the lotus feet of Vāsudeva after many, many births in the material world join the eternally liberated souls and thus are allowed to enter into the kingdom of Godhead. After this, such fortunate living entities need not come again within the occasional material creation. But those who cannot catch the constitutional truth are again merged into the mahat-tattva . . ."

Prabhupāda: So we can very easily understand by the example of our own body. This body . . . as we, spirit soul, enter into this body, the existence of body continues. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So the body is not created first. The . . . because the living entity enters into the body, therefore the body's created. Similarly, this gigantic body, universal body, cannot come into existence automatically. That is not a very good theory. How . . .?

There is no such example. Unless the living entity is there, this body—we get this experience—it does not grow. If a child is born dead, that body does not grow. Therefore it is to be concluded there is something. Even if we do not accept the spirit soul, there must be something on account of the presence of that something, the body is growing.

Similarly, take this gigantic body of the universe: unless there is something like that, as we are in this body, how this gigantic universe can go? This is common reasoning. We do not find that a . . . matter is growing automatically. No. A tree, a tree is growing, daily growing new leaves, new twigs, new flowers—because that living entity is within the tree. You cut the tree and throw it aside, there will be no more growing; it will dry. It will dry.

Therefore the conclusion is, as it is said here, that jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. So it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He, after entering into the matter, there is possibility of creation. Otherwise, there is no possibility of creation. Now . . .

Go on reading.

Pradyumna: "When the creation is again set up, this mahat-tattva is again let loose."

Prabhupāda: Now another point is that this creation is, because it is material creation, it does not exist forever. It is come into existence, and again it will be finished, annihilated. Exactly like our body. As this body, we have got this body on certain date, and it has got to be annihilated at a certain date, similarly, this gigantic cosmology, material manifestation, it has a date of creation and it . . . it stays for some time.

Everything material, there are six changes. First of all, birth; then staying for some time; then growing; then producing some by-products; and then dwindling; and then finish. Exactly like our body. Just like this body is born at a certain date, then it grows, it stays, it produces some by-product. From this body, many children come out, by-product. Then it becomes old, declining. And then one day, finished. This is called ṣaḍ-vikāra, six changes. Six changes.

So similarly, there are six changes of this material world also, because it is also material product. So as I and you enter in our body, similarly, viṣṭabhya aham, Kṛṣṇa says He enters within this material world. Therefore the creation takes place, it grows, it gives off so many by-products, and then again there will be destruction.

It is said at the time of destruction, first of all there will be no rain, no rain for hundreds of years. So everything will dry up and die, practically by continuous sunshine. And it is said the sunshine will be very, very powerful, twelve times powerful. So everything will be ablaze, blazing into fire.

Then there will be rain. As we have experience, after excessive heat, there is cloud and rain, so there will be rain, and everything will be absorbed into water, and the water will be evaporated. In this way, this material world, cosmic manifestation, will be no more. Again there will be creation, mahat-tattva. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). That is stated in the . . . this material world comes into existence and stays for some time, again becomes annihilated.

But there is another world. That is called spiritual world. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ. That is sanātana. That is eternal. And God, or Kṛṣṇa, is eternal. We are also eternal. That is stated in many places. Jīvaḥ sanātanaḥ, jīva-loke sanātanaḥ. And Kṛṣṇa is also described as sanātana in the Eleventh Chapter. And there is another world, which is also sanātana: paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20).

So Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, that world is sanātana, we are sanātana. Therefore we should meet together. And the process which helps us to go back to home, back to Godhead, and stay in that sanātana place with the sanātana Lord, that is called sanātana-dharma. Sanātana-dharma does not mean that a particular class of men having a particular type of dress or hair.

No. Sanātana-dharma is meant for all living entities. They are rotting in this material world, repetition of birth and death. That is asanātana. So every human being should be educated to accept this sanātana-dharma, how one can go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So sanātana-dharma is not meant for a particular class of men. It is meant for all living entities. Unfortunately, the Hindu dharma, or sanātana-dharma, they have identified, and as if others have no right to enter into the sanātana-dharma. No. That's not a fact. The fact is every living entity is sanātana.

And the process by which a living entity is transferred to the sanātana dhāma, er, sanātana place, that is called sanātana-dharma. It is . . . sanātana-dharma is misunderstood. Just like in India there are classes of men who call: "We are Sanātanists." Everyone should be Sanātanist. Sanātana-dharma is not meant for a particular class of men or country or society. Sanātana-dharma means it is meant for the living entities.

The real occupational duty of the living entity is called sanātana-dharma. Dharma means not religion; dharma means the natural characteristic. That is dharma. We don't mean dharma is a certain type of faith. No. Faith or no faith, the characteristics must be there.

Just like salt: it has got a particular type of taste. So you like it or not like it, the taste is there. It is . . . that is . . . if you think that, "I have faith that salt should be sweet," no. That cannot be. You may have faith. You may create that faith that salt has the sweet taste. But that's not a fact.

Similarly, if you say: "I have got my faith that sugar will be pungent," no. That cannot be. Sugar has got a particular type of taste. That will continue. You may believe it or not believe it, it does not depend. And faith means you believe, you can change it. Therefore dharma, the exact word, dharma, is different from the dictionary meaning, English dictionary, "a kind of faith," "religion means a kind of faith." We don't mean that.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That means the so-called faith, you should give up. It is a faith. "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," or "I am this," "I am that," this is a kind of faith. You are neither Hindu, neither Muslim nor Christian; you are servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is real characteristic.

And actually we are servant. We are serving. That is our characteristic. Either he may be Hindu or Muslim or Christian, but the real business is that everyone is serving. It is not that because I am Hindu, I don't serve. Or because one is Christian, he doesn't serve. No. Everyone is serving. But he's serving māyā.

He's serving kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya. He's serving. In this material condition, we are serving our whims, kāma. Sometimes I become angry and I serve my anger—I beat others. That means I am serving anger. I am serving my lust. I am serving my greediness.

So we have become, instead of becoming servant of Kṛṣṇa, we have become the servants of our these enemies. Practically they are enemies—kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ (BG 3.37). Or in other words, we are servants of the three material modes of nature. But we are servant. That we cannot deny. So the whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that instead of becoming servant of these three modes of nature, you become servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is your original position. You cannot give up your position as servant.

In a Bengali proverb there is . . . ḍheṅki svarge geleo dhān bange (Bengali: Dhenki (rice huller) even if it goes to heaven, it still does threshing (it's duty) there). Means a ḍheṅki, that machine, that wooden machine, which . . . husking machine? So if you send it to the heaven, then what he'll do? The same business. It does not mean the ḍheṅki, while it is promoted in the heaven, he can become soul or anything else. No. Similarly, we living entities, we have desire to enjoy this material world, but our position is servant. We have not changed our position. We revolted to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is all right. But what is your position here in the material world? Now, that is also servant.

Just like I told Professor Kotovsky that, "Your Communism, what is the difference between your Communism and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? You have selected Lelin as your leader, or master, and we have selected Kṛṣṇa as our leader, master. So on the principle, where is difference?" The professor could not answer.

So the professor could not answer, but he was impressed that actually what is this meaning of Communism. You simply change of . . . change of master. That's all. And this is going on. All political leaders, they are going from one political leader to another, and he's exploiting. That's all. He, he is giving some manifesto that "If you give me vote, then I shall make you overnight a king." All false propaganda. And these rascal gives him vote and he again remains the same servant. That's all.

There is a Bengali song: tabe kali tomāra bharosā balo ke kare, āpanāra karma phala yadi phalibe āmāra. So if I remain the same servant, then why shall I vote to you? You cannot make me master. But my desire is that I shall become master. That is called illusion. Because I'm not master. I cannot become master. I have to remain servant. I am flattering some men: "Please make me master. Please make me master." That is my position—this political party, that political party.

Therefore the sane man, one who has got good brain, su-medha . . . su-medha and alpa-medha. Medha means brain substance. Su-medhasaḥ. Su-medhasaḥ. There is a word, the su-medhasaḥ. They . . . yes. Saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Su-medhasaḥ.

And there is another word: alpa-medhasaḥ. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Su-medhasaḥ means good brain, and alpa-medha means rascal, less brain substance. Sometimes we say, chastise that, "Your brain, your this skull, is filled up with cow dung. There is no brain substance."

So those whose brains are filled up with cow dung, they want to exploit this material world. It is impossible. It is not possible. Under certain pleas only that, "This political party will give you better chance for exploiting." But you cannot do that. It is not possible. This is called māyā.

In illusion, I'm thinking, "If I make certain more progress . . ." We see, in America, they're increasing the number of motorcars, and the problem is road. One flyway above another flyway, above another flyway. The flyway construction is going on perpetually. Is it not? And this is called advancement.

The rascal do not know that, "I am simply laboring, laboring, laboring. Where is the stoppage of laboring? " No. That you cannot stop. Your progress means you simply work hard. And because you are illusioned, that hard-working you are thinking progress, happiness. That's all. This is called māyā. He is working just like an ass.

The ass, ass, ass is working whole day and night for the washerman for a morsel of grass. But ass, why it is called ass? He can, the ass can have grasses anywhere, but he, for that grass, he's working very hard for the washerman. Therefore he's ass. He has no sense that "Why I shall work for this washerman so hard? I can get this morsel of grass anywhere." But he'll work.

So ass politician, ass family man, ass community leader. So . . . all asses, mūḍhāḥ. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ. All asses. They'll not surrender to Kṛṣṇa to get relief. They'll work like ass. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ duṣkṛtino narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15).

They have no brain, alpa-medhasaḥ. No brain substance. Filled up with cow dung. And those who have got real brain, then, for them it is recommended: saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ.

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

(SB 11.5.32)

Oh, one who has got brain, he catches Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kṛṣṇa-varṇam, always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. And simply worship by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is brain substance. Or cow dung.

Thank you very much. (end)