741222 - Lecture SB 03.26.10 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

741222SB-BOMBAY - December 22, 1974 - 36:29 Minutes

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

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

yat tat tri-guṇam avyaktaṁ

nityaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam

pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ prāhur

aviśeṣaṁ viśeṣavat

(SB 3.26.10)

(break)

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: 'The unmanifested eternal combination of the three modes is the cause of the manifested state and is called pradhāna. It is called prakṛti when in the manifested stage of existence.' "

Prabhupāda:

yat tat tri-guṇam avyaktaṁ

nityaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam

pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ prāhur

aviśeṣaṁ viśeṣavat

(SB 3.26.10)

Viśeṣa means varieties, and aviśeṣa means without variety. Just like we have got experience: the earth is there. Now, if . . . from the earth, you can make so many other things. You can make doll. You can make pot. You can make bowls. You can make bricks. You can make house. So many things you can make. So this transformation into forms, that is called viśeṣa, varieties. And when the transformation is not there, that is called aviśeṣa or nirviśeṣa.

So viśeṣavat. The word is used here, viśeṣavat. It appears like viśeṣa, variety, but actually it has no variety; it is the material element. In another place it is said, tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayo yatra tri-sargaḥ amṛṣā (SB 1.1.1). Somebody says mṛṣā. It is created. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said this creation is going on, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is created at a certain time, and then again it is annihilated. And when annihilated, mixed together, that is avyaktam. And when they are again created into forms, that is called vyaktam. Just like you take a lump of gold and prepare many ornaments. You can make bangles, you can make necklace, earring and so many things. And again melt it—it becomes lump of gold. So that is the distinction between vyaktam and avyaktam. When they are made into varieties, that is called vyaktam, and when it is again mixed together, then it is called avyaktam.

So śrī-bhagavān uvāca. Kapiladeva is speaking. He is Bhagavān. The word Bhagavān we have explained several times. Bhagavān is person. Uvāca: Bhagavān said . . . "Bhagavān said" means Bhagavān is person. Unless one is person, he cannot say, he cannot speak. So the source of knowledge is Bhagavān. Bhagavān is the origin. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, aham evāsam agre: "Before the creation, I was there." And when Bhagavān speaks "I was there," that means He was not alone. Just like here is Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān; He is not alone. He is with Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs and the cowherds boy and His friends. That is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Bhagavān is not alone.

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-

lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam

lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.29)

veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ

barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam

kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.30)

ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī-

ratnāṅgadaṁ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam

śyāmaṁ tribhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ . . .

(Bs. 5.31)

There are hundreds of verses like this. So Kṛṣṇa is not alone. Kṛṣṇa is always in varieties. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is ānandamaya.

ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis

tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ

goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.37)

He is ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. So Kṛṣṇa is not nirviśeṣa; He is saviśeṣa. But this material world is actually nirviśeṣa, but it appears something like varieties. The same thing, the example, I have already given: a lump of matter—either you take earth or water or gold or silver—and you can make varieties of things, cause and effect. But that is nirviśeṣa. But the spiritual world, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), as it is said in the Vedānta-sūtra, the origin of everything, the cause of all causes, that is full of spiritual varieties. That is not nirviśeṣa. Here in this material world we are seeing these varieties. We have got these planets. On the planets there are so many mountains, so many trees, so many plants, so many houses, in each and every planet. Don't think the other planets, that is void. No. They are also full of varieties. Full of varieties.

We get information: yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). Vibhūti-bhinnam, different varieties. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's creation, they are full of varieties, anywhere you go. Vibhūti-bhinnam. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣu vasudhādi. Vasudhā means planet. Vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam. In every vasudhā, in every planet, there are different atmosphere. Just like we get information from here by the scientists that the moon planet, the temperature is two hundred degrees below zero. So that is another variety. Similarly, on the sun planet many thousand times temperature, thousand times the temperature is very, very high. Fire. It is almost fire. So vibhūti-bhinnam. Different planets, different . . .

So these varieties are material varieties. Material varieties means when it is nonmanifested, it is called pradhāna, and when it is manifested, it is called prakṛti, or nature, material nature. But these varieties, the material pradhāna . . . pradhāna is nityam, but the prakṛti is not nityam. Nityam means eternal. But there is another world, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). That is sanātanaḥ. That is eternal. We have got this experience of this material world. This is not eternal. This is . . . just we have got experience of this body. This body is created at a certain stage, and it will stay for some time, and it will transform into many other forms from this body, and then it will dwindle, and then it will vanish. Similarly, the whole material creation is like that. It is created by the interaction of the three modes of material nature. First of all it is a lump of matter, mahat-tattva. It is called mahat-tattva. That mahat-tattva is above this universe, above the sky. Above the sky there are seven layers. Each layer is ten times more than the other layer. In this way, that is called mahat-tattva. Total material elements, they are stocked there. And then these varieties take place. And above that mahat-tattva, there is spiritual world, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ, another material nature. That is called Brahmaloka or Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

There are also spiritual planets. And above all such planets . . . just like in this material world there are millions of planets, and the topmost planet is called Brahmaloka, where Brahmā lives. From Brahmā, all other things are created. So beyond that . . . this is manifested, prakṛti. Beyond that, there is nonmanifested, total stock. That is called avyakta, or pradhāna. And beyond that, there is the spiritual world. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ. There is another bhāva, or nature. Bhāva, svabhāva, or nature—the same word. So that is sanātana. Just means when everything will be annihilated in this material world . . . because material world, anything in this material world, it will be annihilated at a certain stage. Just like my body will be annihilated. Anything. This table will be annihilated. This microphone will be annihilated. Anything will be annihilated. But there, the same things are there, but they are eternal and spiritual. They are eternal. They are never to be . . . even after annihilation of this whole cosmic manifestation, the spiritual varieties will not be annihilated. This information we get from Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic literature.

So Kapiladeva, the Personality of Godhead, He is person. We should always know that Bhagavān, Bhagavān is person, full of six opulences. And because He is full of six opulences, therefore He has got His form.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

(Bs. 5.1)

His vigraha, His form, is not like our form. And because we do not know that Kṛṣṇa has got His spiritual form, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, therefore ordinary man thinks that, "Kṛṣṇa is also a man like me." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum aśritam (BG 9.11). One who does not know what is Kṛṣṇa, he says, "Kṛṣṇa is also a man like me. Kṛṣṇa also gets a body like me." But that is not the fact. Those who do not know about Kṛṣṇa . . . because to know Kṛṣṇa, that is not ordinary thing.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

"Out of many persons, they are trying for self-realization, siddhi." That is called siddhi. "And out of many thousands and millions of siddhas"—siddhas means one who is self-realized; they are called siddhas—"out of them, one may know what is Kṛṣṇa." So Kṛṣṇa cannot be known by ordinary human being. One must be first of all siddha; then, out of the siddhas, the most topmost siddha, he can understand what is Kṛṣṇa.

But Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He comes personally and manifests Himself. Tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata . . .

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

"When I appear . . ." There is time. In one day of Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa appears. Everything is there in the śāstra. That means some millions of years after, once Kṛṣṇa comes within this universe. And when He comes, He comes on this planet and in Vṛndāvana. Therefore Vṛndāvana is so important. This Vṛndāvana is replica of the original Vṛndāvana. There is Kṛṣṇa's place.

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 is the topmost planet in the spiritual world, which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. So below the Goloka Vṛndāvana . . . goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya. Everything is below the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet. And all of them are called devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu. Devī-dhāma, the devī-dhāma means this material world. This is controlled by Devī, Durgā.

sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā

chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā

icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.44)

The Vaiṣṇava philosophy is that govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Govinda is ādi-puruṣa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Kṛṣṇa says that, "I am the original source of all, everything." So the devī-dhāma, the maheśa-dhāma and the hari-dhāma, they are all expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. The whole spiritual world and the material world is manifestation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa.

. . .mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ

budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

(BG 10.8)

One who understands this, this science . . . iti matvā bhajante mām. Who? Now, budha, one who has understood very perfectly well through the śāstra, through sādhu. Sādhu, śāstra, guru. The source of information is sādhu, śāstra, guru. That is also recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā:

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

So we have to approach to a guru, tattva-darśī. Tattva-darśī. Tattva-darśī means . . . what is tattva? Tattva means truth. One who has seen the truth. We have to approach such tattva-darśī. And what is that tattva?

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

(SB 1.2.11)

Tattva means the tattva-vastu, the Absolute Truth, is manifested in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. They are actually the same thing, but different realization.

I have given several times this example—just like the sunshine, the sun globe and the sun-god, Nārāyaṇa, within the sun globe, that is one thing. One thing means that Nārāyaṇa within the sun globe, his bodily effulgence is so glowing and bright. This is called sun's blazing effulgence. So the sunshine is also expansion of that glowing effulgence. So they are one thing. Just like fire. Fire, direct fire, temperature, and just outside the fire, temperature, and the heat of the fire outside—although they are one, but the temperature different. Similarly, the sun-god and the sun globe and the sunshine, they are one, but different temperature. So one who knows this . . . That means one who knows that the Brahman effulgence is just like the sunshine outside, and the Paramātmā feature is the expansion of the Supreme Lord everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu. He is everywhere, even within the atom. That is Paramātmā feature. And ultimately it is coming from Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ. So one has to understand. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Budha. Budha means one who knows. So such person we have to . . . tattva-darśī, one who knows what is tattva, what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā, what is Bhagavān—we have to approach such person. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12).

So in this way, as Draupadī . . . yes, Devahūti . . . Devahūti is the mother of Kapiladeva, but she is taken instruction from his (her) son. His (her) son is . . . Kapiladeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it doesn't matter whether God appears as my son or guru or father. God is there always. So we have to take knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge. Because He is the origin of everything. Govindam ādi-puruṣam. Ādi-puru . . . the original person. So if we take lessons from the original person, that is perfect knowledge. Otherwise, it is imperfect knowledge. So that . . . somebody was asking about the paramparā. So that paramparā is very necessary, to know the knowledge by the paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Paramparā is very important thing. Therefore, unless we take to the paramparā system, which is, in another word, it is called sampradāya . . . sampradāya.

So to understand the Absolute Truth, there are four recognized sampradāyas, the Brahma-sampradāya, the Rudra-sampradāya, the Kumāra-sampradāya and the Śrī-sampradāya. Śrī-sampradāya mean one sampradāya is coming from directly from the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī. That is called Śrī-sampradāya. And one sampradāya is coming from Lord Brahmā. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. The ādi-kavi is Lord Brahmā. He learned from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Tene brahma hṛdā. The Supreme Personality of Godhead instructed Lord Brahmā from within the heart: tene brahma hṛdā. Hṛdā means within the heart. So in this way, instruction is received from Lord Brahmā, from Lord Śiva, from Lakṣmījī the goddess of fortune, and the Kumāras, Sanat-kumāra, Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanat-kumāra. They have got a sampradāya. So we have to approach the sampradāya. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Abhigacchet: "must approach the sampradāya," either of the sampradāya. Sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ: "If you don't take your instruction, mantra, from the sampradāya, then it is useless." It has no meaning, because they do not know. Therefore we have to take sampradāya, accept sampradāya.

So there are four sampradāyas of the Vaiṣṇavas. At the present moment they are known as Madhva-sampradāya, or Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya, or Rāmānuja-sampradāya, or Viṣṇu Svāmī–sampradāya, and Nimbārka-sampradāya. Here in Bombay, Vallabha-sampradāya, they belong to the Viṣṇu Svāmī–sampradāya. So we have to approach the sampradāya. Without sampradāya, whatever we learn, that is not perfect. Sampradāya-vihīnās ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ. Just like we have got very nice example that in political field there are parties—"This is Congress party," "This is Communist party," "This is . . ." So these parties are recognized. Unless you belong to some party, you cannot stand for election. As it is there in the political field, sampradāya-vihīnā ye, they cannot stand, similarly, if one person who desires to advance in spiritual life, he must take initiation from the sampradāya.

So we belong to the Gauḍīya-sampradāya. Gauḍīya means . . . Gauḍīya . . . Gauḍa-deśa is called Bengal. There are pañca-gauḍa. Punjab is also called Gauḍa-deśa. There are five gauḍa and five draviḍa. In southern India, they are called draviḍa, and in the north India, they are called gauḍa-deśa. So Gauḍa, Bengal is also Gauḍa, and the Vaiṣṇavas belonging to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult, they are called Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava, Bengali Vaiṣṇava. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu happened to be a Bengali, but He belonged to the Madhva-sampradāya. His guru was Īśvara Purī, and his guru, Īśvara Purī's guru, was Mādhavendra Purī. And Mādhavendra Purī belonged to Madhvācārya-sampradāya. The Gopāla, the Nāthadvāra Gopāla, that belonged to . . . originally it was owned by Mādhavendra Purī. Then it was delivered, the Deity was delivered, to the Viṣṇu Svāmī–sampradāya.

So anyway, if we require knowledge, factual knowledge, we must receive it directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge. Therefore Devahūti is receiving knowledge. Although Kapiladeva is his (her) son, but because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he (she) is taking knowledge from Him. And if we take knowledge from Him also—everything is there in the book—then that is perfect knowledge. Therefore it is said, bhagavān uvāca. As Bhagavān is complete, pūrṇa, pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśo Invocation)—He is pūrṇa, sampūrṇa, complete—so that knowledge is perfect.

So Kapiladeva is giving knowledge, beginning how the creation, the material creation, is begun. He is beginning from that point of view. Pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ sad-asat and yat tat tri-guṇātmakam. This material world is tri-guṇamayī. Tri-guṇātmakam, or tri-guṇamayī, the same thing. As Kṛṣṇa said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī, guṇamayī (BG 7.14). Guṇa. This material world, this prakṛti, is guṇamayī; there are three modes of material nature. So we are controlled by these tri-guṇamayī, and we have to become guṇātītam. As Kṛṣṇa advises to Arjuna, traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna: "You just try to become above the three guṇas." That is human life. Human life is not meant for remaining within the category of these three guṇas and struggle for existence. That is not human life. That is animal life.

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke

jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ

manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi

prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

(BG 15.7)

Kṛṣṇa said that, "The living entities, they are My part and parcel. They are as good as I am." But because the part and parcel of gold is also gold . . . it is nothing else. It may be small gold, but it is gold. Similarly, we may be very small fragmental part of the Supreme Person, Brahman, but we are Brahman. This is Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is Brahman realization. It is not very difficult. If you simply understand that, "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa," that is brahma-jñāna. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). It does not take very much time, but it requires little brain that, "If I am part and parcel of God, then I must be qualitatively the same." Part of gold is also gold.

So that self-realization is not very difficult. But it requires a little fortune and intelligence. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. These big, big saintly person, they are undergoing severe penances and austerities to understand ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But if you believe in the Bhagavad-gītā statement, Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7): "The living entities are My part and parcel." So if Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman . . . paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). This is accepted by Arjuna when he heard Bhagavad-gītā. At the end, he is accepting, "Kṛṣṇa, You are Para-brahman." So if we are part and parcel of Para-brahman, then we must be Brahman. Where is the difficulty? So this brahm . . . aham brahmāsmi, this Brahman realization, can be understood in a moment if you believe Bhagavad-gītā as it is. But if you foolishly interpret in this way and that way, then it will take millions of years. You will not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā, what is God, what is . . . but if you take it as it is, then immediately you can understand that you are Brahman. There is no difficulty.

So what is the duty of the part and parcel? That is also very easy to understand. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. So what is the duty of the finger? I ask the finger, "Please come here," it comes immediately. I ask the finger, "Come here." So that means service. Therefore part and parcel's duty is . . . just like in a office, if I say: "This man is one of our part," or "One of my partner," a partner means he is working for the same interest. That is partner. So similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa—that means we must be partner of Kṛṣṇa. And what Kṛṣṇa wants? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). He wants. So as partner of Kṛṣṇa, you should preach that, "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." That is your business.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol. Jaya Prabhupāda. (end)