710806 - Lecture SB 01.02.06 - London

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

710806S2-LONDON - August 06, 1971 - 44:25 Minutes

Devotee: (introducing tape) Side 2, track 2, London lecture number 4, evening, 6th August, Hampstead Hall.

Prabhupāda: Ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati (SB 1.2.6). Ātmā means this body, ātmā means this mind, and ātmā means also the soul. So yaya ātmā samprasīdati, to satisfy the ātmā, it means for satisfaction of the body, for satisfaction of the mind and for satisfaction of the soul.

We are situated in three strata, covering. Just like you all ladies and gentlemen, you are covered by the shirt, coat. Similarly you, as spirit soul, is covered by two layers. The first layer is very subtle: mind, intelligence and ego; and the second layer is this five gross material elements—earth, water, air, fire, like that. So . . . but all of them, in one sense they are one, because it is created on the basis of ātmā.

Just like our body—your body, my body, anyone's body, cat's body, dog's body—these bodies are developed on the basis of the spirit soul. After sexual intercourse of the man and the woman there is an emulsification of the secretion, and they form into a material body just like a pea, and the ātmā, the spirit soul, takes shelter within that pea, and therefore it develops gradually in the embryo. It develops, then there are different holes, nine holes, and that holes different way develop two eyes, two ears, one mouth, one rectum, one genital, one navel, in this way.

So the spirit soul is covered by this matter. The first layer is called subtle, sūkṣma—mana, buddhi, ahaṅkāra: mind, intelligence and ego. Now we are under the false ego. Exactly if you have got a nice dress you become very proud, that "I have got this very nice, costly dress." But you are actually not the dress. That's his misunderstanding. If you have got a nice car, Rolls-Royce car, if you sit on it, you feel very proud.

So this misidentification is called māyā. The Bhāgavata says that everyone is trying to be happy according to different layers of consciousness. One who is . . .

(aside) One man is smoking. Stop.

One man who is under bodily consciousness that, "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am man," "I am woman," this is bodily consciousness. He is trying to be happy in a different way. They are called karmīs. Another person, who is little advanced, thinking that "I am mind, intelligence, ego," taking part in nice philosophy, poetry, ideas, they are identifying with the subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego.

But there are other persons, who are far advanced, they are identifying with the soul. And actually we are that. Unless we come to the platform of identifying ourselves with the spirit soul, our existence is impure. Therefore in our Vedic literature the idea is to understand his real constitutional position, which is called ātmā-jñāna, or self-realization.

So the authorities, they say parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto (SB 5.5.3). Abodha-jāto means everyone is born ignorant, fool, anyone, even the human being, because he does not know what he is. He is under the bodily concept of life, just like animal. Therefore he is called abodha-jāto. Abodha means no knowledge, and jātāḥ means born. So the Vedic literatures indicate that a person born fool, rascal, abodha-jātaḥ, if he go on acting on that platform, that foolish platform . . . foolish platform means identifying oneself either with the body or with the subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego.

So Vedic literatures indicate parābhava. Parābhava means defeat. Everyone is trying to be victorious. Everyone is trying, working so hard day and night. Why? He has got some idea, and he wants to become victorious. Either individually or sociologically or community-wise or nation-wise or international-wise, they are trying to be victorious. There is a, I mean to say, impetus to become situated on the highest platform. So therefore everyone is trying—never mind in what status of life he is—everyone is trying to become victorious.

But Bhāgavata, Vedic literature, says that you are trying to be victorious, that is all right, that is your nature; but you are being defeated. Therefore there is frustration. Either the karmīs or the jñānīs or the yogīs, they are meeting with frustration.

I shall let you know one very nice example. Our great leader in India, in the later days, he was so much disgusted, because he wanted Hindu-Muslim unity, but the result was that Muslim partitioned, made a partition, and they took away the Pakistan. He wanted nonviolence, but actually there were so many violences, the Hindu-Muslim riots during the last days of the British Empire. There was furious Hindu-Muslim riot all over India. So his philosophy of nonviolence was frustrated. His philosophy of uniting the Hindus and Muslim, keep one India, that was also frustrated.

So we read in the papers that on the very day, morning, when he was killed, he was speaking to his secretary, "I am very much disgusted. I don't want to live anymore." And in the evening he was killed. So this is an example. Who can be better karmī and sincere worker for the country, for the society—but he was frustrated. You can take many examples in your European countries, Hitler, Napoleon. They are all frustrated.

So . . . but everyone is trying to be very satisfied with the idea of his program. And the process he has accepted, you can take it as dharma. Just like the Nationalist, they have taken dharma as country's advancement, deśa-dharma, and somebody is manufacturing another dharma, somebody is manufacturing another dharma. Dharma means occupational duty. But Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6): that is first-class dharma, occupation, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, by which you can advance in your love for God. That is first class.

Everyone is advancing either for his love to the country or to the society or to the nation or to the humanity. There are different stages of dharma. But Bhāgavata says that is first-class occupation by which one can advance his love for God, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Adhokṣaja, another name of God. Akṣaja means experimental knowledge, and adha, adhakṛta, where experimental knowledge cannot reach. That is God.

We cannot understand God by our senses, by seeing or by hearing or by tasting or by touching or by going. No. That is not possible. Ataḥśrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). You cannot perceive God or His holy name, nāma, nāmādi. Because first of all you hear the name of God, either you call "Kṛṣṇa," or you call "Jehovah," or you call something else. So we hear first of all about God by the name.

In every religion they have got a particular type of name. But by our these senses we cannot understand God even by hearing His name. Ataḥśrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ—this indriya, the senses. Therefore His name is Adhokṣaja, where experimental knowledge of perception fails. He is called Adhokṣaja.

But we have to render service to the Adhokṣaja. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, ahaitukī. Ahaitukī means without any motive. We go to church or temple with some motive, for some material compensation: "God, give me this. God, give me this. God, give me that." But without motive. If we execute our dharma, or occupational duty, for attainment of the highest perfection of life, love of God, then it should be done without any motive: ahaituky apratihatā. If it is without any motive then it will never be checked by any material condition.

It is not that a poor man cannot realize God, only the rich man can realize God. Neither it is that a rich man cannot realize God, only the poor man can. Or it is neither that a learned man can understand God by his philosophical speculation and an illiterate man, who has no knowledge, he cannot understand God. In other word, perception of God, realization of God, love of God is not dependent on any material condition. Ahaituky apratihatā. If we can prosecute in that way our religious principle, that is first class religion. This is the definition of first-class religion. The religion's motive should be only realization of God, not any other.

Just like according to Vedic process, the person in the lowest stage of life, on the material platform, they are first of all induced to take to religion, dharma, and they are induced to take religion for material profit, artha. Dharma, artha. Why artha? Dharma, artha, kāma. Kāma means for sense gratification. We take to religion for some material profit. And why you want material profit? Because without material profit we cannot enjoy our senses. Dharma, artha, kāma. And when we fail, when we become frustrated . . . because anyone who is on the material platform, executing some type of religion with a motive, he will be frustrated.

Just like one of my Godbrothers said, Germany, during last World War, all men went to the active field for fighting, and their sister, their mother, their wife, they went to the church, praying, "Please get our men—my father, my husband or my brother—return peacefully, without being injured." But all of them they died, and these women became frustrated, and later on they became atheist: "There is no God. We prayed so much for our husband, for our brother, but they did not come."

So therefore if we approach God with a motive, and if we are frustrated, then we become atheist. Many men. Just like our . . . in India, the policy is that, the leaders' policy is they think that, "By too much attention to religion our country is fallen. We must have economic development and get out all these religious sentiments." Or they say that "If you want economic development, why you are going to temple for praying? Take to technology."

So the danger is as soon as we go . . . approach God with a motive, and if we are frustrated . . . naturally you'll be frustrated. But you cannot make God as order-supplier. God is not order-supplier. The real religion is, we shall execute the order of God. That is religion. Don't make God your order-supplier, "God give me this. God give me this," and if God does not give you . . . why God will give you? Eh? You start war, and when there is dangerous position you go to church, pray God, "Please give us victory." But did you take sanction from God before declaring the war? That is our position.

So if we take, if we worship in that way, we'll be frustrated. Therefore Bhāgavata says that that type of religion which is executed simply to develop the dormant love of God . . . everyone has got dormant love of God. That is natural, because we are all parts and parcels of God. Just like you are part and parcel of your parents. You have got some natural affection for parents, and the parents have got natural affection for the son. So similarly, we are part and parcel of God. Therefore our love for God is there in the heart, in everyone's heart, but artificially we have checked it, blocked it.

So our process should be how to develop that dormant love for God. That is actually our position. Otherwise we shall never be happy. Bhāgavata says:

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

ahaituky apratihatā

yayātmā samprasīdati

(SB 1.2.6)

That type of religious process or occupational duty, the religion is taken. The English meaning of religion, as described in the dictionary, it is said that it is a kind of a faith. But according to Sanskrit etymology, the religion has a different meaning. Religion means which is your natural occupation. That is called religion. Natural. And if we study and analyze our different occupational duties, you will find that the one common factor is there, which is rendering service to other. Every one of us, either Hindu or Muslim or Christian, it doesn't matter, but everyone is engaged to render service to somebody else. Just try to understand.

So our constitutional position is that we are rendering service to somebody superior. In a country, the president or the king or queen, he is also engaged in rendering service to the nation or to the public. Similarly, we are also engaged in rendering service to some office boss or to some government post. If you analyze very nicely you will find that everyone is rendering some service to the superior.

Our this Bhāgavata philosophy says that if you are rendering service to others, somebody superior, you render your service to God, the Supreme. Then you will be happy. Otherwise you will be frustrated. Everyone is rendering service to his family, to his nation. Just like Mahatma Gandhi, he rendered best service to the nation, but the result was frustration, and he was killed. This is a fact.

So you can render service to your society, to your family, to your nation or to the international activities, but unless the center point is God, all such attempts will be frustrated. That is a fact. If you do not understand now, but if you meditate on it, you will see that is the actual fact.

Suppose you are rendering service to his family . . . to your family, and at the old age, if you ask your wife, your children, "Whether you are satisfied? I have rendered service throughout my whole life," now I don't think you will get any satisfactory reply. The children will say: "Father, you have not done this thing for me." The wife will say: "You have not done this for me." That is a fact. Because we are not serving.

Our motive is sense enjoyment. I am serving a wife or a wife is serving his (her) husband, that neither the wife is serving the husband, neither the husband is serving wife, but everyone is serving his senses. When you go to some office, you are serving some boss. Actually you are not serving that boss—you are serving your senses, because the boss will pay you some money, and with that money you will be able to gratify your senses.

In this way, if you analyze, everyone is serving his senses. That is the material existence. And that is said in the Bhāgavatam, that kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśā. One devotee is offering his prayer to the Supreme that, "I have served my kāma, krodha—lust, anger, greediness—so long." Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās teṣāṁ jātā mayi na karuṇā na trapā (Brs. 3.2.35). "But still, lifelong I have served them, but they are not very much pleased upon me."

You go on increasing your lusty desires, serving, but they will never be satisfied. The lusty desires will, I mean to say, dictate that you go on serving like this, go on serving like this, go on serving like this. You cannot satisfy your lusty desires. Similarly, you cannot satisfy your greediness. Increase.

So actually the philosophy is that you cannot satisfy your senses even though you give lifelong service to them, teṣāṁ karuṇā jātā na trapā na śāntiḥ. There is no śānti. They are not pleased, and they are not very much, I mean to say, merciful. They will never say: "Oh, you have served so much, now we retire." The same example like Gandhi. He gave so much service. The country did not say: "Mahatmaji, you please retire." Neither he retired. He wanted to give more service. The result was that he was killed.

So if we think all these matters little cool-headed, we can understand that we are rendering service to our whims, to the senses, but we are never satisfied. That cannot be. Therefore at the end, dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. First of all people take to religion for some economic profit, and they want economic profit for sense gratification, dharma, artha, kāma. And when they are dissatisfied or frustrated in the process of sense gratification, they want mokṣa. Mokṣa means liberation, or become one with the Supreme. That is called mokṣa, or nirvāṇa. The nirvāṇa philosophy, Buddhist philosophy: end this material existence; dismantle this combination of matter. Then there is nothing.

Therefore Buddha philosophy is that we have got this body, combination of material elements, gross and subtle, therefore there is feelings of pains and pleasure. And if you dismantle this, let the earth go to the earth, let the water go to the water—because it is a combination of earth, water, fire, air—so you dismantle it and distribute it, then there is no body and there is no feelings of pains and pleasure. That is nirvāṇa philosophy.

But the Vedānta philosophy says that this is external. This material body is external. Jagat, material, mithyā. This combination is for the time being. But there is soul, brahma, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. They are after brahma. The person who is trying to make this existence void, they are called voidist. Voidist means śūnyavādī, make everything zero.

There are many philosophers, they write volumes of books to prove everything zero. That is called śūnyavādī. And there are others, philosophers, they say that there is Brahma, the Absolute Truth, but He is imperson. He is not a person. These two classes of philosophy are going on very, I mean to say, prominent at the present moment.

So here, our students they are singing, nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe. There are two classes of philosophers: nirviśeṣa, impersonalist, and the voidist. The whole Western world is full of all these philosophers. Now "You are giving something which is beyond this impersonal idea and voidist," like that.

So try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy. This impersonalist philosophy or the voidist philosophy will not give you any solace after being frustrated. Everyone is frustrated, but they are trying to take some solace from certain type of philosophy. But here Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says that you can be pleased, you can be satisfied, when you know the personal feature of the Absolute Truth and you render service unto Him. Then you will be satisfied; otherwise not. Yayātmā suprasīdati.

You cannot render service to anyone in the void or something impersonal. You cannot love something . . . you do not love sky. Sky is very big, but you love a small child. Why? Why not the sky? Why don't you render your service and love to sky? It is very big. But why you are rendering service to a child? The child is passing stool, immediately you take care of it and doing the work of sweeper, and he is crying, you taking care of. Why? Why not serve the big? No. You cannot have affection without person. That is the main point. You cannot love the sky, but you can love a small child because it is person.

Similarly, if you want to love God, you cannot love God in His impersonal feature. Neither you can love God in His other features. You have to love God as He is. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that:

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ

avyakta-mūrtinā

(BG 9.4)

"I am spread everywhere, avyakta, impersonal nonmanifested form."

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ

jagad avyakta-mūrtinā

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni

(BG 9.4)

"Everything is resting on Me," na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ, "but I am not there."

So this philosophy is very interesting. If you want to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy, we have got many books. I am talking with only one book and only one or two lines. So this is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So if you study scrutinizingly word-to-word Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you will get philosophical understanding of the Absolute Truth in details. Śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam (SB 12.13.18). Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhiḥ. Your learning will be tested if you can understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

There are eighteen thousand verses in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Each line, each word is so much impregnated with thoughts that you can think over them lifelong. But the result will be that you will become God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, and you will know more and more about God. Simply knowing God is great is not sufficient. It is very good to accept God. The atheist, they do not accept God. But anyone who is accepting God, he is described as very fortunate. So not only accept God, but also inquire more and more about God.

If you cannot think of God immediately, the Bhāgavata . . . Bhagavad-gītā gives you direction how you can realize God step by step. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8): "My dear Arjuna, I am the taste of the water." Now, you are drinking water every day, many times, and quench your thirst. If you think, meditate, on the water only, that Kṛṣṇa says that, "I am the taste of the water," you become a great philosopher and lover of God—simply by tasting water. You do not require to see Kṛṣṇa. You just think over the matter which you are using daily, you will come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why Kṛṣṇa says that, "I am the taste of the water"?

Another place He says that prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ (BG 7.8): "I am the sunshine. I am the moonshine." Then you think over, "How Kṛṣṇa becomes sunshine?" If you are philosophical-minded, you will find Kṛṣṇa. Now sunshine, everyone knows, everyone sees. So what is the sunshine? The effulgence of the sun globe. Now whether the sun globe is important or the sunshine is important? You can think over. You will find that sun globe is important, because the sunshine is emanating from the sun globe.

Then what is more important than the sun globe? If you have power to penetrate still further within the sun globe, you will find there is a god, or demigod, whose name is Vivasvān, and he is the supreme personality in the sun globe. This is one of the suns. But there are millions and trillions of suns. The science also accepts it: not only one sun. But just imagine who manufactures all these suns. You go further, and Kṛṣṇa says ahaṁ. Mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). So in this way, if you are actually philosophically inclined, you can find out Kṛṣṇa by studying Bhagavad-gītā.

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to educate people, to awake him to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As it is said, yenātmā samprasīdati. By awakening Kṛṣṇa consciousness you will be happy, his body will be happy, his mind will be happy, and as soul he will be happy. And for example you can see—example is better than precept—we have started this movement only for the four or five years, and we are getting the prowess of every country, young boys and girls, they are coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So do not think that this movement is a bogus movement or a sentimental movement. We have got solid philosophy behind this movement. If you are able to study, come forward. That is our request.

So thank you very much for giving us so much time. I request you to understand this movement and be happy.

Thank you very much. (applause) (cut) (end)