750111 - Lecture SB 03.26.34 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

750111SB-BOMBAY - January 11, 1975 - 34:28 Minutes

Nitāi: (leads chanting of verse, etc.) (devotees repeat)

bhūtānāṁ chidra-dātṛtvaṁ

bahir antaram eva ca

prāṇendriyātma-dhiṣṇyatvaṁ

nabhaso vṛtti-lakṣaṇam

(SB 3.26.34)

(break) (02:09)

"The activities and characteristics of the ethereal element can be observed as the accommodation for the room for the external and internal existences of all living entities, namely the field of activities of the vital air, the senses and the mind."

Prabhupāda:

bhūtānāṁ chidra-dātṛtvaṁ

bahir antaram eva ca

prāṇendriyātma-dhiṣṇyatvaṁ

nabhaso vṛtti-lakṣaṇam

(SB 3.26.34)

Space, accommodating space, this is the function of the ether. So this is technical description. There is nothing very much philosophy. Technical composition.

(aside) So you can read the purport.

Nitāi: "The mind, the senses and the vital force, or living entity, have forms, although they are not visible to the naked eye. Form rests in the subtle existence in the sky, and internally it is perceived as the veins within the body and the circulation of the vital air. Externally there are invisible forms of sense objects. The production of the invisible sense objects is the external activity of the ethereal element, and the circulation of the vital air and blood is its internal activity. That subtle forms exist in the ether has been proven by modern science by the transmission of television, by which forms or photographs of one place are transmitted to another place by the action of the ethereal element. That is very nicely explained here.

"This verse is the potential basis of great scientific research work, for it explains how subtle forms are generated from the ethereal element, what their characteristics and actions are, and how the tangible elements, namely air, fire, water and earth, are manifested from the subtle form. Mental activities, or psychological actions of thinking, feeling and willing, are also activities on the platform of ethereal existence. The statement in the Bhagavad-gītā that the mental situation at the time of death is the basis of the next birth is also corroborated in this verse. Mental existence transforms into a tangible form as soon as there is an opportunity due to contamination or development of the gross elements from subtle form."

Prabhupāda: So one important thing, that "The statement in the Bhagavad-gītā that the mental situation at the time of death is the basis of the next birth is also corroborated in this verse." Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Generally, with our these material eyes, material senses, gross vision, we do not see how a person dying and he is being transformed to another body. The gross material scientists, scholars, because they cannot see with the eyes, they do not believe in that there is soul, and soul transmigrates from one body to another. Big, big scientists, big, big scholars, they do not believe. They think that life is nothing but a mixture of these material elements, and at a time the vitality is finished, therefore everything is finished. But that is not the fact. The fact is the gross body is finished, but the subtle body—mind, intelligence and ego—that remains with the soul. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The . . . just like in dream we do not work with this gross body, but we work in dream with mind, intelligence and ego. We create another atmosphere, and in dream we see or we place ourself in a different atmosphere, although the gross body is resting on the bed. So this we experience every night, that because the gross body stops working, it does not mean the soul stops working. The soul works with his mind, intelligence and ego. So when this body becomes incapable of working further, then the mind, intelligence and ego carries me to another body—means another process of formation of the body into the womb of the mother. And when the body is formed and in working capacity, even as a child or baby, then the body comes out and the living entity's another chapter of life begins. This is the process of transmigration of the soul.

So mind is the basic principle of another form of body. Therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is training the mind how to remain Kṛṣṇa conscious at the time of death. Because Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam (BG 8.6). Therefore in Bengali poetry there is a saying, bhajan kara sādhan kara mate janle haya, means "You are doing everything in spiritual life, but everything will be examined at the time of death. How you have practiced your bhajana, sādhana, this will be examined at the time of death." If at the time of death you remember Kṛṣṇa, that will be the examination. We are chanting,

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

training the mind. So at the time of death if you think of Kṛṣṇa, then your examination is passed. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam (BG 8.6). That kṛṣṇa-bhāvam immediately will carry you to the Kṛṣṇaloka.

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni

mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām

(BG 9.25)

Mad-yājinaḥ, Kṛṣṇa says. "Those who are worshiping Me," yājana . . . yājana means worshiping. So Kṛṣṇa therefore advises, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). So Kṛṣṇa worship, mad-yājī, worshiping Kṛṣṇa . . . Kṛṣṇa says, "Worship Me." What is that? Māṁ namaskuru. If you simply come in this temple and offer little obeisances, daṇḍavat . . . daṇḍa, daṇḍa means "rod"; vat means "like." Just like one stick falls straight on the ground, similarly, if we fall straight before the Deity, that is called daṇḍavat, "like the stick." Daṇḍavat-praṇāma. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa namratā. Namratā is required. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva (SB 10.14.3). Namanta: be submissive. So this daṇḍavat is the symbolic presentation of submission. And Kṛṣṇa wants that. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), submission. The bhakti process is simply submission. So mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). If you do not study or if you have no education to study Vedic literatures, you simply . . . the temple is installed for this purpose, that if somebody comes, simply offers his obeisances before the Deity, before the spiritual master, simply by doing that he will become perfect. Just like these children. A small child is offering obeisances. It may be said that they are imitating, but not all child imitates. There are many children. So there are fortunate children who comes here, offers obeisances, dances with kīrtana, and . . . so these are not in vain. They are taken into account, and he also becomes developed in spiritual consciousness. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt (BG 2.40).

Mahato bhayāt. Bhaya, or fearfulness, is of our next life. That is bhaya. Everyone is afraid of dying. Why? There is fearfulness that after this body, after death, nobody knows where he is going. That is bhaya. Everyone should be afraid of that. Suppose you are pushed somewhere. You do not know whether . . . where you are going. So that is very dangerous. One must know "Where I am going." But they do not believe in the next life. Due to lack of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge, they . . . there is no question of disbelieving. It is quite logical, as Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntaram-prāptiḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). As you are changing body . . . everyone is changing. Everyone knows, "I was a child. Then I became a baby, I became a boy, I became a young man. Now I am old man." So these, one after an . . . change, one body after another, that is going on simply . . . similarly, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, after this body is finished, I must get another body.

So I am transformed to one body to another by mind, intelligence and ego. That has to be trained, mind. If you train up your mind where to go . . . we decide even in this life. We first of all decide in the mind, "Where I shall go?" We purchase ticket. We make arrangement. Similarly, the mind should be trained up how to go back to home, back to Godhead. This is called bhajana-sādhana, to train up the mind. If the mind becomes disturbed at the time of death, then . . . even Bharata Mahārāja, such an exalted person, he became very much affectionate with a deer calf, and he had to take birth as a deer. Such an exalted person, so much advanced in spiritual life, but at the time . . . yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam (BG 8.6). He was absorbed in the thought of the small deer whom he loved very much, so he had to take the body of a deer.

So there is such chance. So how much careful we should be, training our mind so that at the end of life we can think of Kṛṣṇa. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, training the mind to think of Kṛṣṇa, the same thing, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This should be trained up. And the . . . that is also practical. We can understand. Just like some air is passing before us, and there is some good smell, rose smell. We can understand that the air is carrying the flavor of this rose because it is passing through the rose garden. So you cannot see the mind or the air—it does not mean that subtle things are not there. Don't believe your eyes in that way. You have to know things as it is stated here. The space, the air, they are acting. Prāṇa-vāyu. The yoga system is controlling the vāyu, the air within the body. That is called prāṇāyāma, prāṇa, prāṇa, vāyu, control the prāṇa-vāyu.

So perfect yogī, they control the prāṇa-vāyu in such a way that by their sweet will they can transfer themselves through the prāṇa-vāyu in different planets. They can do that when they are fixed up, that "Now I am completely able to transfer myself," so they can transfer to any planet. Or if he wants, he can transfer himself to the spiritual world. That is the perfection. We have given this picture in our Perfection of Yoga book: a yogī is transferring himself to another planet. So if you want to go to the planets of the demigods . . . they are trying to go to the moon planet, but by yoga system you can transfer yourself to any planet by yoga practice perfection. Therefore we have written that book Easy Journey to Other Planet. You can go to any other planet by bhakti-yoga or the aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Aṣṭāṅga-yoga, by practicing and becoming perfect, you can transfer to any planet yourself within this material world. But by bhakti-yoga you can transfer yourself immediately to this spiritual Vaikuṇṭhaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām.

So the yoga system is meant for that purpose, that you practice yoga, and when you are mature, you can select an auspicious time and transfer yourself to certain planet, as you like. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). If you want to go to the demigod's planet, so you can transfer there. And if you want to transfer yourself to Kṛṣṇaloka—mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām—that is the best way. Because here, even if you transfer yourself to the Brahmaloka, the topmost planet, where duration of life is millions and millions of years . . . You can transfer in that planet, but that is not very good bargain. Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16): "Even if you transfer yourself to the Brahmaloka, where the duration of life is very, very long, still, you have to come back again." Kṣīṇe puṇye punaḥ martya-lokaṁ viśanti (BG 9.21). So long your pious balance is there, you can stay there. But after that, you have to come back again in this material world.

So śāstra says, "So if you have to prepare yourself, then why don't you prepare for going back to home, back to Godhead?" Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Kṛṣṇa says, "If you go to the spiritual planet, Vaikuṇṭhaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana, then you haven't got to return. That is eternal." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Mām eti. If you go to Kṛṣṇa, then your complete success is . . .

mām upetya punar janma

duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam

nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ

saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

(BG 8.15)

Saṁsiddhim, that is the highest perfection, paramam. Therefore we should try, we should endeavor, for that purpose, how to go back to home, back to Godhead.

So simply you have to train your mind. Man-manā bhava . . . this, the prescription. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśaya. Kṛṣṇa says that "You, this practice," mām evaiṣyasi, "you will come to Me." Asaṁśaya. Kṛṣṇa says, "There is no doubt about it." So why don't you do that? Train your mind, always Kṛṣṇa conscious. And the method is simple. You do not require much education or university degree—nothing of the sort. Simply man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: you just become devotee of Kṛṣṇa and always think of Him. Where is the difficulty? You can walk on the street and remember Kṛṣṇa. Is there any tax? No, the government will not ask you for any income tax, sales tax, that "You are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." They may do so. The time is coming. (laughter) (laughs) They may say, "The Hare Kṛṣṇa people must be taxed three times because they are chanting and doing nothing." The Communist government will do that. So never mind. The tax will be sent by Kṛṣṇa. (laughter) You haven't got to bother. Still, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22), Kṛṣṇa says. You believe in Kṛṣṇa; then every problem is solved. We have no problem if we simply follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction. Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 10.10). Even they tax for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will bring the money. We are getting that practically.

So you know the history, how this land was purchased. There was no money, but Kṛṣṇa sent money and everything was done nicely. So there is no anxiety, provided we are purely Kṛṣṇa conscious, without any other desire.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

(Brs. 1.1.11)

No other desire. Simply . . . desire will not come. Kṛṣṇa is so strong and nice. As soon as you allow Him to sit down within your heart—He is there already; simply you have to see—then the strength is already there. There is no need of acquiring external strength for acquiring Kṛṣṇa. The simple thing is that you follow the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65).

So this is very natural. This temple worship is meant for that purpose. Actually, when we see the Deity, immediately our mind becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. At least, we think of Kṛṣṇa: "Here is Kṛṣṇa." So that is man-manāḥ. Chanting also, chanting, that is kṛṣṇa-manāḥ, man-manāḥ. In this way you become bhakta. Regularly chanting, you become bhakta. Without becoming bhakta, nobody can chant. So man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. And worship Deity. He has come very kindly to accept your service. You just dress Him, just bathe Him, just decorate Him with ornaments, with garland, with nice thing. So He is ready. Just like a child is ready to accept the service of the mother. The mother dresses the child nicely, and the child accepts. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that . . . you cannot capture Kṛṣṇa in His virāḍ-mūrti. You can capture Kṛṣṇa in your capacity. So Kṛṣṇa has agreed. So take this chance. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. Worship Him. Why you are denying? It is not difficult, not expensive at all. And in this way, if you follow the process, then your bhāvam, your nature, will be changed. You will become a complete devotee.

So at the time of death, if you can maintain this bhāva, Kṛṣṇa conscious bhāva . . . the bhāva is the perfection. Bhāva is attained after much practice of devotional service.

ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu

saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā

tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt

tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ

athāsaktis tato bhāvaḥ

(CC Madhya 23.14-15)

Āsakti, when there is āsakti, attraction, attraction . . . now, recently I have received one letter. One boy, he was engaged in worshiping the Deity in our Hyderabad center, and he was transferred to Madras. So he became madlike. He has come back. He could not stay there without serving. He has written me letter. So that is bhāva. He cannot stay without worshiping the Deity. That stage comes. You have to simply adopt it. Tato bhāvaḥ. Tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Anartha. Anartha means we are accustomed to this material condition of life, so many anarthas. Just like there are so many people they are going to the cinema in the evening. But those who have attained bhāva, his anartha nivṛtti is already done. He is not attracted any more by the cinema. He is attracted, bhāva, in the worship of the Deity. That is called bhāva. That bhāva means prema. Only thinking of Kṛṣṇa, serving Kṛṣṇa, simply busy in Kṛṣṇa's service—that is the perfection of life. And if we can maintain that bhāva, that situation, mentality, then yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). And at the time of death, if that bhāva is maintained, that is saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ. That is the highest perfection of life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness practice, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are trying to . . . we are not trying to give others; we are trying ourself also, how to get that bhāva. That is the perfection of life.

So human life is meant for that purpose, not to practice how to imitate barking like the dog. No. That is not human life. Human life is meant for acquiring this bhāva. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. In another place in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, budhāḥ . . .

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ

budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

(BG 10.8)

Bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Budhāḥ. Those who are actually learned, actually advanced, such persons—budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ, bhajante mām. That is perfection of life. So take this opportunity, human life. Don't miss. You may be very proud of your intelligence, but this intelligence is not very good intelligence if you are devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you are a mūḍha. If, by your intelligence, you learn how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa and worship Him with bhāva, that is real intelligence. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). And if you try to become intelligent, some tricks, material tricks, to get some money or cheat others, that is not very good intelligence. These cats and dogs that . . . they have also such intelligence. How to steal food from the room, the cat knows very well. So that is not intelligence. That intelligence can be found even birds, beasts, everywhere. Real intelligence is how to regain your Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be promoted to the stage of bhāva, and at the time of death maintain that bhāva, and then your life is successful. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9).

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. (end)