760530 - Lecture SB 06.01.31 - Honolulu

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

760530SB-HONOLULU - May 30, 1976 - 28.11 Minutes

Pradyumna: (leads devotees in chanting)

vikarṣato 'ntar hṛdayād

dāsī-patim ajāmilam

yama-preṣyān viṣṇudūta

vārayām āsur ojasā

(SB 6.1.31)

"vikarṣataḥ—snatching; antaḥ hṛdayāt—from within the heart; dāsī-patim—the husband of the prostitute; ajāmilam—Ajāmila; yama-preṣyān . . ." (break)

Translation: (01:09) "The order carriers of Yamarāja were snatching the soul from the core of the heart of Ajāmila, the husband of the prostitute. But with resounding voices the messengers of Lord Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇudūtas, forbade them to do so."

Prabhupāda:

vikarṣato 'ntar hṛdayād

dāsī-patim ajāmilam

yama-preṣyān viṣṇudūta

vārayām āsur ojasā

(SB 6.1.31)

So the Yamadūta was dragging Ajāmila—not this body, but the soul. Body will stay there, but the soul will be . . . now, wherefrom? Vikarṣato antar hṛdayād, from the core of the heart. Now, from the śāstra you can understand where the soul is. Soul is not in the brain or not in the here, there. No. Therefore when the soul is taken away, or goes away from the heart, we say "heart failure." Heart failure means the soul has gone. The soul lives in the heart. This is proof from the śāstra. Not only the soul, but the Supersoul also is there. Supersoul is God, Kṛṣṇa, and the individual soul, they're living together. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, He's also there, very minute form, aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.20). The dimension of the soul is also mentioned in the śāstra: one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair.

keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya

śatadhā kalpitasya ca

jīvaḥ bhāgo sa vijñeyaḥ

sa cānantyāya kalpate

(CC Madhya 19.140)

Very minute. So just see that minute portion of God is so powerful. Hah? Just like potassium cyanide. Minute quantity, if you take one grain, immediately you'll die. Immediately you'll die. Similarly, if some ordinary material thing is so powerful, just imagine the spirit soul, how much powerful he is. And they have no machine to find out. How they will find out? One ten-thousandth part of the hair, we cannot see—the tip of the hair is so small—and divided into ten-thousandth part. That one part is the dimension of the soul. Everything is there in the śāstra, Upaniṣads. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca jīvaḥ bhāgo sa vijñeyaḥ (CC Madhya 19.140). And . . . it is very powerful. We can take the example that very minute quantity of potash cyanide. There is no taste. In chemical analysis there is a taste. So up to date, nobody has tasted potash cyanide, because as soon as the chemist will taste, immediately, he'll not be able to say what is this. (laughter)

So you have to understand from the śāstra, śāstra-cakṣuṣa. The Vedas say that you have to see through the śāstra, through the authoritative śāstra. With these blunt eyes what can you see? You're so much anxious. Everyone says, "Can you show me God?" What you can see? What is the power of your eyes? You cannot see your eyelid. The eyelid is attached to the eye. Can you see? So how you can see God? You're so imperfect. Just like if there is some particle within the eyelid, we become embarrassed. But why . . . the eye is attached. Why not see and take it away? This is practical. So what is the power of your eyes? You cannot see the nearest and you cannot see distant place. You cannot see in darkness. So many conditions. So you're always under the conditions, and you declare "Independent." How foolishness it is. Your senses are all imperfect. No senses are perfect. You can use the senses under certain condition only. I'm claiming, "This is my hand," and as soon as there is some nervous disability it is paralyzed, finished.

So actually we are claiming that "This is mine," but you have no right to claim it. You're dependent. Suppose if you live in a rented apartment, you cannot claim that this is your apartment. It belongs to the landlord. You're allowed to stay here under certain conditions. You're not proprietor. Similarly, this body, this body is Kṛṣṇa's. What is this body? Bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir . . . (BG 7.4). It is constituted of these things: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego. And Kṛṣṇa says, bhinna me prakṛti aṣṭadhā: "These are Mine, My things." You cannot create water. You cannot create earth. You cannot create fire. You cannot create ether. Nothing. So this body is pañcabhūta, five elements. So you have not created; Kṛṣṇa has created. So how it is your body? It is Kṛṣṇa's body. He has given you the concession that you can live. "You can live peacefully. You can enjoy the products which are given to you. I have given you food grains. I have given you fruits, flowers. Or, even if you want to eat meat, that also I have given you." You cannot produce an animal. So everything you are eating—given by God. Your body is given by God. Your mind is given by God. And you, yourself, the soul, you are also part and parcel of God. So where is your independent existence? There is no independence. This is knowledge. Not only that. Because you have forgotten that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, He is also sitting with you. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna . . . (BG 18.61). Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣ . . . again He says hrdi, "in the heart." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭa, mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Everything is there. So God and the living entity, both are within his heart.

So those who are yogīs, they want to find out that "God is sitting with me. Let me see by meditation." That is yogī's business. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). This is real yoga system. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ. Not that manufacturing something nonsense, just so that you'll be stout and strong to enjoy sex, or your power of business brain will expand. This is not yoga. These are all bluff. Real yoga system is to find out within the heart where is God. My business is that I've forgotten God. The karmīs, they . . . karmīs, real karmīs, they do not forget. The upstarts, the rascals, they forget. Karmīs also . . . just like they go to church or to go to temple, they ask some favor from God. Ārto arthārthī jñānī jijñāsuḥ. Catur-vidhā bhajante mām (BG 7.16). In the Bhagavad-gītā everything explained: four kinds of men begins God consciousness. And what kind of man he is? Sukṛtina, one who has background of pious life, not the rogues and rascals. Little pious activities one who has done. Ajñāta-sukṛti. Suppose everyone has got some charitable disposition of mind. In that disposition of mind, if by chance he gives to some Vaiṣṇava some money, that becomes a credit. That is called ajñāta-sukṛti. He does not know that "I am getting some . . ." Of course people, they pay to saintly person, brāhmaṇa, that datavyam iti yad dhānam: "Here charity should be given." So that charity goes into his credit. Catur-vidhā bhajante mām sukṛtino 'rjuna—those who have got background of pious life. So even one goes to the church, "God, give us our daily bread," he's not ordinary person. He's pious man. He has gone to God to ask. He has not gone to anyone. No. "My Lord, I'm very poor man. I have no money. Kindly give me some money." That also accepted. Of course, he should not be foolish, that "God is giving me everything without asking, so why should I bother God, asking?" That is advanced devotion. Therefore pure devotee, they do not ask anything from God. They simply want to give service. "Why shall I ask? God knows my necessities." He says, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). My duty is, this body belongs to God, I belong to God, my mind belongs to God, everything belongs to God. And I'll have to simply offer, "My dear Lord, I have brought this little flower, this fruit, kindly accept it." Nothing belongs to you. The fruit is God's. The flower is God's. You are God's. Simply you have to change your consciousness. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything is given by God. You have not manufactured the fruit or flower or your body or your . . . nothing. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, when you understand that "Everything belongs to God. Why it should be utilized for other purpose?" It should be utilized for God.

There is another example. Just like somebody, I mean to say, drops his money bag, unconsciously drops. So somebody picks up, and he thinks, "Oh, here is so much money. Put it in my pocket." (laughter) He's a thief. He's a thief. That is karmī. Karmī is trying to simply take from God's property and putting in his own pocket. That is karmī: "Bring me more. Bring me more. Bring me more." And the jñānī, he sees that one purse is there, somebody has left, so "Why shall I touch it? Let it remain there." He doesn't touch anyone's property. Jñānī: "Why shall I be criminal? Let it remain." He's jñānī. But a bhakta, he finds a purse, so what his duty? He does not put into the pocket, neither he throws away, let it be there. He finds out, "Who is the proprietor? Who is the proprietor?" So he can ask somebody "if anyone has lost anything?" So somebody says, "Yes, yes. I have lost my purse." So you can examine whether it belongs to him. Or without examining. "Sir, here is a purse." "Yes, yes." Take. So these three men, who is best? Hah? The man who takes the purse and puts in his pocket, he, or the man who neglects, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, "Why shall I touch? This is mithyā. This is false." Eh? He is good? Or one who puts in the pocket, he is good? Or one who finds out and gives to the proprietor? Who is good?

Devotee: The honest man.

Prabhupāda: The last one, devotee. Therefore devotee's business is to know that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa; it must be used for Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He's neither tyāgī or bhogī. Bhogī means takes the thing and utilizes for his own sense gratification. That is called bhogī, sense gratification: "Oh, I have got this bag. Very nice. It will help me in going to the restaurant for one week." That is bhogī. And tyāgī means "Oh, this is all material. Why shall I touch? Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. I'm Brahman. I am nothing." (laughter) He's better than the rascal who takes the money and uses his own purpose, karmī. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, koṭi-karmaniṣṭha-madhye eka 'jñānī' śreṣṭh (CC Madhya 19.147). The jñānī, he does not touch anyone's property. That is very good. Then the karmī, because karmī takes other's property and utilizes it for his own purpose. But bhakta is neither karmī nor jñānī.

So there are two kinds of religious system. The karmīs . . . karma-kāṇḍa and jñāna-kāṇḍa. The Vedas, there are three kāṇḍas; therefore Vedas' name is trayī. Trayī means there are three different phases of activities—karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsana-kāṇḍa. That is the teachings of the Vedic literature. So when Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vrāja . . . (BG 18.66). Because there are two kinds of men in this world. One is karmī, and one is jñānī. Karmīs are trying to use up all the money of the world and utilize it for sense gratification. They are karmīs, sarva-kāmo. They're described in the śāstra as sarva-kāmo. Akāmaḥ sarvo-kāma, mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ (SB 2.3.10). So when Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-dharmān patityajya, sarva means "all." So generally, in the material world two things are going on. The karmīs are busy to acquire money for his sense gratification, and the jñānīs, they've given up the world as mithyā. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "Brahman is truth, and this is all mithyā." So Kṛṣṇa said, "You give up all this business." Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vrāja: "You do everything for Me. That's all. Don't utilize the assets of the world for your sense gratification, neither you give it up as mithyā. Why mithyā? I've created." Why it should be mithyā? Mithyā means false. Whatever God has created, that is not false, everything.

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness view is that everything created by God is not mithyā; it is fact. Everything is fact. We don't say unnecessarily, "This is mithyā. This is false." Why it is false? God is truth. If He has created anything, that is also truth. Why it should be false? That is Vaiṣṇava view. Truth does not come out of untruth. Truth comes from truth. Something comes from something; something does not come from nothing. This is voidism. So we should not be impersonalists. We should not be voidists. Nirviśeṣa śūnyavādī. Śūnyavādī means voidist, and nirviśeṣa means impersonalist. The whole world is going on like that. So we should be careful about this voidists and impersonalists. We should take direct instruction from Kṛṣṇa, and He advises, yat karoṣi, yat juhoṣi, yat aśnāsi, yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tat mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27): "You can do whatever you like, but the result should be given to Me." Karmāṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadā . . . (BG 2.47). "Then you become Kṛṣṇa conscious." Of course, Kṛṣṇa does not advise that "You become a thief, and all the money stolen, you bring to Me." He does not say that. That is not. But even if you are a thief, still you can offer. Don't use it for your sense gratification. Yat karoṣi. "Whatever you've got. If you cannot earn honestly, dishonestly, you give it to Me."

So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and from this verse we can understand that the ātmā, the soul, is within the heart. Where they are searching the soul? So the . . . if you want to find out where is soul, and if you dissect the heart, then soul is gone. (laughter) That is another danger. (laughs) Better understand from the authority. That is knowledge. Śāstra-cakṣuṣā. Śāstra . . . from authoritative statement of śāstra you'll see. Don't see by your blunt eyes, rascal, this consciousness. Then you'll never find the actual fact. Śāstra-cakṣuṣā, authority. Just like here. Śāstra says, "Here is the soul." The Yamarāja is snatching, dragging the soul, not his leg or hand. There's no business. As soon as the soul is gone, the leg and hand and everything becomes a lump of matter, that's all. What is the use of it? So vikarṣato 'ntar hṛdayād, antar-hṛdayād, core of heart. Antar means within the heart. Antar-hṛdayād dāsī-patim. Nowadays, sometimes one becomes a prostitute. That is very usual now. But in India still, nobody will marry a prostitute. Nobody. Still. In the Western country, never mind he's a prostitute, she's a prostitute, if she marries, she gets the certificate, that's all.

So this is old custom. Once one girl becomes prostitute, she'll never be touched. Kṛṣṇa married sixteen thousand wives. Kṛṣṇa can do anything. That is another thing. So these sixteen thousand girls were kidnapped by that Bhaumāsura. So without finding any way how to be escaped from this asura's hand, they appealed to Kṛṣṇa that "You save us. This is our position." So Kṛṣṇa is bhakta-vatsala. He came and released them and killed the Bhaumāsura and asked them, "Now you can go to your fathers' house." So they began to cry. Why? "Now our fathers will not accept us, because we have been kidnapped." Just see. "We have been kidnapped. I have no right to go to the father. And we're not married also." "Then, what you want?" "You kindly marry us." "All right. Come on." (laughter) This is Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa. Yes. "You have no shelter. You're taking My shelter? Come on. I shall give you all palaces. Come on." This is Kṛṣṇa. Take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Never mind what is your position. Kṛṣṇa will accept you and give you all comfort. Ahaṁ tvaṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Even you are kicked up, even you are a prostitute. "I will give you protection." So why shall . . . we should not take shelter of Kṛṣṇa? This is very natural conclusion.

Thank you very much.

Devotee: Jaya! (end)