740329 - Lecture BG 04.09 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740329BG-BOMBAY - March 29, 1974 - 41:20 Minutes

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

janma karma ca me divyam

evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti so'rjuna

(BG 4.9)

janma—birth; karma—work; ca—also; me—of Mine; divyam—transcendental; evaṁ—like this; yah—anyone who; vetti—knows; tattvataḥ—in reality; tyaktvā—leaving aside; dehaṁ—this body; punah—again; janma—birth; na—never; eti—does attain; mām—unto Me; eti—does attain; sah—he; arjuna—O Arjuna

(break)

Translation: "One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna."

Prabhupāda:

janma karma ca me divyam

evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti so'rjuna

(BG 4.9)

This is very important verse. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti. Our problem is this transmigration of the soul, one body to another, this is going on. Because you do not know how to get out of it. Modern education, they do not know even what is soul, what is this body, how the transmigration of the soul taking place. All blunt. There is no educational institution all over the world to understand this science, although it is the most important science for the human being. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). No more transmigration of the soul.

The soul, in its original, spiritual body, can be transferred from this material world to the spiritual world. And there is the spiritual world, as I've already explained, that is three times creation of the Lord. This is only one-fourth, this material world. So our problem of human life is to get out of these material clutches and transfer ourselves to the spiritual world. That is real problem, not this food problem, that problem. This will go on. So long you are in the material world, such problems will come and go. They're not permanent. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: āgamāpāyinaḥ anityāḥ tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. These problems, they'll come and they will go, just like seasonal changes.

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya

śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ

āgamāpāyino 'nityās

tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

(BG 2.14)

That is real knowledge. We should not be disturbed by the material problems. You cannot avoid them. So long . . . just like if you are in the winter season, how you can avoid cold, infection by cold, or affection by cold? You cannot avoid. That does not mean because it is . . . the season is very cool and you cannot take bath. No. You must take bath. That is Āryan civilization. Still in India we'll find in the villages severe cold, still the people are taking bath early in the morning. They are accustomed. But now we are giving up. Now we are rising at seven o'clock, because we are advanced in education. And if there is maṅgala-ārātrika, it is nuisance. This is our advancement of civilization at the present moment. But if you go in the villages, you'll find that the villagers rising early in the morning, they're taking bath, changing cloth, and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa as far as possible. Still in the mass of people of India, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is still existing—it is not yet lost.

And they believe in the next birth, next life, past life. They believe in God, in Kṛṣṇa. They're satisfied with that position. But the modern leaders, they do not like it. They want to make them intoxicated so that they can work like an ass for the morsel of food. But this is not the problem. Real problem is here, stated, that you should stop the disease of birth and death. That is real problem. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). The human life is meant for making a solution of the repetition of birth and death. That is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are finding fault with so many things, but real . . . with really we should find fault with this process of repetition of birth and death. People are now being educated in this way, that there is no more life. You have got this life, and you enjoy the senses as far as possible. That is nāstika theory. This nāstika, or atheism . . . there were many saints in India also. One of them is Cārvāka. He's very famous atheist. His philosophy is hedonism. Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. His theory is, because in India the luxury is to eat something which is cooked in ghee—lucī, purī, halavā—so Cārvāka Muni says that you take loan from your friends if you have no money and eat as much as possible ghee. Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. And so long you live, you live by gratifying your senses. Here sukham means sense gratification.

But according to Vedic civilization, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyam grāhyam (BG 6.21). What is the actual happiness, that is beyond your senses. Not sense gratification. But because we are materially absorbed, we think indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur (BG 3.42). Indriya, the senses, all in all. To satisfy the senses, that is sukha, that is happiness. And those who are a little disgusted with sense gratification, indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ (BG 3.42). They are mental speculators. They write poetries and utopian theories, "This philosophy, that philosophy." In this way they satisfy the mind. But that is also not happiness. Mental happiness. Mano-rathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ. If you become satisfied by mental happiness, then you'll have to come down again. Asato. Asato mā sad-gamaḥ. Real life is, "Don't stay in this temporary world, but go to the real world," paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). You'll find all these things in Bhagavad-gītā. So either on the bodily plane or on the mental plane you cannot be happy. That is not possible. But if you want to be happy, then you have to come to the spiritual platform and engage in spiritual activities, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyam grāhyam (BG 6.21). Atīndriya means above the material platform of sensual and mental activities.

So spiritual activities means devotional service. Spiritual activities mean devotional service, activities in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhakti-yogam. Bhakti-yoga means, as I have repeatedly explained, that you have to forget your identification with the matter, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). You have to forget your body as American, Indian, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, śūdra, Hindu, Muslim. That you have to forget. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul." That is real identification. And when the spirit soul is active, sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers, they think, "Now I've realized that I am not this body, I am not matter, I am spirit soul, so now I have become Nārāyaṇa. I have become the Supreme." But no, that is also mistake. When you realize that, "Supreme is the Supreme Brahman, Para-brahman. I am part and parcel of the Supreme. I am also Brahman, but I am not the Supreme Brahman—therefore my business is to serve Para-brahman," that is real spiritual life. That is the beginning of spiritual life.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

na śocati na kāṅkṣati

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu

mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

(BG 18.54)

Parā bhakti. Parā-bhakti, that is real spiritual life. Parā aparā. Aparā bhakti means on the material platform—generally, the Deity worship. This is the beginning. But as you go on worshiping the Deity, you realize your spiritual identity. Then you do not see the Deity as made of stone or wood, you see directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and you can talk, you can receive an inspiration. This is the beginning.

arcāyām eva haraye

pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate

na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu

sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

(SB 11.2.47)

We should learn how to do good to the people in general. They have forgotten their relationship with God. You should be sympathetic for them that, "They're suffering on account of their forgetfulness of God. Let us do some service to them. Invoke. Awaken them. Awaken their Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is the best welfare activities to the human society. Because he has got . . . he has forgotten Kṛṣṇa, he's suffering, and if you awaken his Kṛṣṇa consciousness then he will be happy. Just like a rich man's son, he has forgotten that his father is very rich, or his father has left immense property. But forgetting his real position, he's loitering in the street, hungry. You can call him, "All right, you take some food." That is not real benefit; that is temporary. But if you awaken his real consciousness, that he is the son of a very rich man, his father has got immense property, "Why don't you go back to your father and be happy?" that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is stated here. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). One has to understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, in truth, not superficially. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13), supreme leader, perfect leader, without any mistake, without any illusion, without any cheating and without any imperfection of the senses. We have to take direction from such leader, then our life will be successful. And because we are taking direction from imperfect leaders, cheater leaders, therefore we are meeting with so many problems. Kṛṣṇa says that:

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

That I have already explained, what is that glāniḥ. The glāniḥ is when we forget Kṛṣṇa. Then our activities become polluted. Just like a servant: if he forgets that there is master, then he becomes polluted. He steals, he mismanages things, things become very disordered. But if he has got the sense that, "I have got my master. Everything belongs to my master," and if he acts accordingly, that is very nice.

So we do not know what is the constitutional position of Kṛṣṇa and what is my constitutional position. That is called sambandha-jñā—my relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Every one of us has got a relationship. Kṛṣṇa says in the Fifteenth Chapter, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Just like sons are part and parcel of the father. Father's body extends as son and daughter. Similarly, we are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's body. We are vibhinnāṁśa. Kṛṣṇa expands in two ways, svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. The vibhinnāṁśa expansion we are, we living entities. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa—we have come to enjoy this material world—we are becoming infected with the modes of material nature, and accepting different types of body, 8,400,000 species of life. But somehow or other if we come in contact with Kṛṣṇa, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa's confidential devotees, then our life becomes success. That is described here. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then this transmigration of the soul stops. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti.

Punar janma naiti does not mean that soul is finished. No. This body, material body, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This material body, when it is dissolved, pañcatvaṁ prāpta, mixes with these five elements, earth, water, fire, air, it does not mean that the soul is finished. The soul is there. The soul is transmigrating to another body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). By the supervision of the external energy and superior superintendent, we are transferred to a different body by the subtle body, mana, buddhi, ahaṅkāra. But these foolish people, they do not know how the soul is . . . they do not know what is soul and how the soul is being transferred. But these things are all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like we cannot see the flavor, but when the flavor passes through, carried by the air, we can smell. Similarly, we can smell how the soul is being transferred. These processes are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Therefore our duty is to know Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma. Kṛṣṇa comes, Kṛṣṇa appears, Kṛṣṇa disappears. Why Kṛṣṇa comes? Why Kṛṣṇa is not seen? Janma karma. Why He acts? Why He takes birth in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra? Why He teaches Arjuna? Why He dances with the gopīs? So many things, Kṛṣṇa's life. We have read Kṛṣṇa book. There are so many activities. They're all transcendental, although they're written just like ordinary story activities of a person. But they are not ordinary things. If you simply read Kṛṣṇa Book, although it looks like story, then you become delivered from these clutches of repetition of birth and death. It is so nice. Because you will understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, and here it is said, janma karma me divyaṁ ye jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). It is explained. The people who are reading Kṛṣṇa Book very seriously, and tries to understand Kṛṣṇa, he will understand. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. As soon as he begins reading Kṛṣṇa book with a little faith and adherence, Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). As soon as Kṛṣṇa is within your heart, so when you read Bhagavad-gītā or Kṛṣṇa Book with little seriousness, then Kṛṣṇa understands, "Now he is serious to understand Me." He's with the . . . you haven't got to search out Kṛṣṇa. He's already within you. Simply you have to become little serious, "Kṛṣṇa, kindly give me knowledge so that I can understand." Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam.

If you are serious devotee, if you are in love with Kṛṣṇa, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10), if you are engaged in His worshiping, in chanting, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru . . . (BG 18.65). If you simply follow these four principles, simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa, simply, always, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). Simply meditate. This is meditation. Meditation means you see the form of Kṛṣṇa, and whenever you go, the impression of the form will be within your eyes—and if you think of Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful. Therefore the Deity of Kṛṣṇa should be seen. That is the benefit of the eyes. The ears should be engaged hearing about Kṛṣṇa. The tongue should be engaged for eating Kṛṣṇa's remnants of foodstuff, prasādam. The nose should be engaged for smelling the flower which is offered to Kṛṣṇa, or the tulasī. In this way, when you engage all your senses . . . the legs should be utilized for coming to this temple to see Kṛṣṇa, not to going to the cinema rascal. Then your life will be successful. You'll understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He says, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām (BG 10.10), if you engage all your senses for understanding Kṛṣṇa with devotion and faith, prīti-purvakam, with love . . . the love is the basic principle of understanding Kṛṣṇa. But you will develop your love.

The love means, just like it is said, dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You are coming into the temple. If you give something, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ, little things, "Kṛṣṇa, I have brought it. I could not bring any very costly thing, but I've collected these patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ," Kṛṣṇa is pleased, tad aham aśnāmi. Kṛṣṇa says:

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ

yo me bhaktyā prayacchati

tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam

aśnāmi . . .

(BG 9.26)

Because he has brought it. Kṛṣṇa is not beggar. Kṛṣṇa can create millions of fruits and flowers. He's ātmārāma. He's fully satisfied in Himself, He's so opulent. But He wants that you should also love Kṛṣṇa and give Him something. That He wants. Therefore He comes, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). Therefore He comes. He's not poor. Kṛṣṇa is all-opulent. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). He's always being worshiped by many hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune. Here we worship Goddess Lakṣmī, goddess of fortune, "Mother, give me some money." And that also does not stay. Lakṣmī's another name is Cañcala; sometimes she favors and goes away. But Kṛṣṇa is so opulent that millions of goddess of fortune are engaged in His service. So why He's asking you, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ (BG 9.26)? He's asking out of love that, "You try to love Me. If You are so poor you cannot give Me anything, all right, give Me little flower, little fruit. I will be satisfied." Kṛṣṇa is so kind.

And still you are not taking the opportunity of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Just see how much unfortunate we are. As you serve Kṛṣṇa, you understand Kṛṣṇa. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa otherwise, unless you render service. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). If you simply exact your senses, your nice brain, "Kṛṣṇa is like this, Kṛṣṇa is like that," but if you are not a devotee, Kṛṣṇa will not reveal Himself. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). The rascal's mental speculation will not help him to understand Kṛṣṇa, what He is. That is not possible. His all activities are divyam, transcendental. We cannot understand with our material blunt senses. That is not possible. Therefore the śāstra says, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. These blunt senses, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Or Kṛṣṇa means His name, His form, His quality, His activities, His pastimes, so many things. Janma karma.

So how Kṛṣṇa will be understood then? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. If you engage your tongue in His service, then that is the recommendation of Vedic literature, that first of all you have to engage your tongue. Kṛṣṇa's service begins from the tongue, because tongue has got two functions, namely to vibrate, to speak something, and to taste something. So you engage. You simply engage your tongue for chanting and glorifying Kṛṣṇa, and eat prasādam, then the two tongue's business will be finished. Sevonmukhe. You eat Kṛṣṇa's prasādam.

kṛṣṇa baro doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay,

sva prasād-anna dilo bhāi

sei prasādanno pāo, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa gāo

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has taught that our tongue is very fastidious, wants to eat this thing, that thing, this thing, that thing. Even after . . . we have seen: he has eaten sumptuously at home, but as soon as he comes out, "Let us go to the restaurant. Let us have a cup of tea, a little this or that." The tongue is always dictating, "You eat this, you eat that, you eat that, you like that." That is going on. So if you want to control your tongue, then give him Kṛṣṇa prasādam that, "I'll not accept anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa." Then your tongue becomes controlled. And if you can control your tongue, your other senses will be automatically controlled. And yogic perfection means controlling the senses. Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ.

So a devotee of Kṛṣṇa is the first-class yogī. That is accepted by Kṛṣṇa.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to train people to become the topmost yogī. Topmost yogī. Because they have controlled their senses: no meat-eating, no intoxication, not even smoking or drinking tea. This is yoga . . . (indistinct) . . . not that simply by pressing nose one becomes yogī. Practical life. After performing yoga, "Oh, my tongue is now dry, give me one bīḍī . . . (indistinct) . . . one bīḍī." That is not yoga practice—smoking gañja, bīḍī, intoxication, tea, and he has become a yogī. These are useless, all bogus. Yoga means he has controlled his senses. Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ. The yoga practice means controlling the senses and engaging the mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is yoga system.

yaṁ brahmā varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ stunvanti divyaiḥ stavair

vedaiḥ sāṅga-pada-kramopaniṣadair gāyanti yaṁ sāma-gāḥ

dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino . . .

(SB 12.13.1)

Dhyānāvasthita, meditation, always seeing the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Nowadays they have manufactured some meditation, something light, this, that, all nonsense. Dhyānāvasthita-manasā, mind being absorbed. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor (SB 9.4.18). That is real yoga system, meditation. Now it is . . . the age of meditation . . . meditation is not meant for this age. Meditation is meant for the Satya-yuga. What is that verse? Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). Kṛte. Kṛte means Satya-yuga. People were very restrained, all paramahaṁsas. In those days it was possible to meditate. At the present moment our mind is so disturbed. We are disturbed in so many ways, meditation is not possible in this age. Maybe there may be one or two persons who can meditate. The real meditation means to think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). That is real meditation.

So in this way, if we engage our life, that means bhakti-yoga. Then Kṛṣṇa reveals, ataḥ sri-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). If you simply speculate, tax your senses to understand Kṛṣṇa by so-called scholarship, that will not help you. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. You engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then He'll reveal. It is a revelation. It is not speculation. The speculators cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Those who are actually devotees, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām (BG 10.10), twenty-four hours engaged in the service of the Lord. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam . . . (SB 7.5.23). Out of these nine methods, all the nine, or eight, seven, six, even one, if you engage yourself. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he engaged himself simply for hearing—he become perfect, simply by hearing Bhāgavata from Śukadeva Gosvāmī. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī also became perfect, simply by reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrī viṣṇoḥ smarane, śravaṇe parikṣid abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane (Brs. 1.2.265). This is also kīrtana. Abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane. Prahlādaḥ smarane. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was put into so many difficulties by his father. He could not resist; he was a poor child, five years. And the rascal father was teasing him in so many ways. So what could he do? He was simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa, "What can I do?" So there are so many processes. If you take one of the processes your life will be successful—simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa.

Janma karma me divyaṁ, yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Who can know? Yo jānāti tattvataḥ, to whom Kṛṣṇa reveals, he can know. He can know what is Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you have done this business, you have understood Kṛṣṇa, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9): no more birth in this material world. To take birth in this material . . . because you have got this body, therefore we have to suffer threefold miseries. We foolishly . . . you are trying to make adjustment to become happy here. It is not possible, because this place is recommended by Kṛṣṇa, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15): it is a place of miseries. How you can become happy here? This is illusion. You can never be happy in this material world, but you are trying to become happy in . . . so many politician, social workers, this and that, simply wasting their time. They cannot be. You have to accept the leadership of Kṛṣṇa. Then you will be happy. If you accept the leadership of rascals, fools, you cannot be happy. Demons. They'll put you into difficulties.

Now, just this evening, one gentleman was speaking about Ahmedabad, that the students have burned so many buses, they're now uncontrollable. So this is going on all over the world. People are frustrated, because on account of these rascal leaders. They are taking the position of leadership, but they're all rascals and fools; they cannot lead. If you want to be happy, take actual leadership of Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be happy.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya . . . (end)