710118 - Lecture Hindi - Allahabad

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710118LE.ALLAHABAD - January 18, 1971 - 32:26 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (sings maṅgalacaraṇa prayers)

. . . śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca

śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam

sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ

śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā."

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate

gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

"O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari

vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye

"I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa."

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls."

Hare Kṛṣṇa. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu . . . how many living entities are there? Different types of living entities are there. The living entity is only one, but because of taking different bodies, the names are different. On dividing them further, we will notice that the human species are very large in number.

You all are aware that in your house you might be alone, but there are many other living entities in the house and in much greater numbers. There are numerous ants, flies, mosquitoes, bedbugs, geckos . . . there are many living entities in your house and they too have rights. Because they are living entities too . . . God's . . .that is why our spiritual communism is very beautiful. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Narada Muni tells Yudhisthra Maharaja the duty of a grhastha. He says that in your house there might be a mouse, a bedbug, a gecko; maybe a snake too and all of them should get food, they shouldn't stay hungry. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This poor gecko which is in my room, cannot be hungry, it should be given some food. It is not that it should be killed. All of them are God's living entities. The way all of you think that the poor should be given grains, the unhappy should be given happiness, like your welfare activities . . . similarly, they are God's living entities and they should get also food to eat and should not stay hungry. If it gets food to eat, then it will not harm you but since it doesn't get any food it harms you.

I can give you perceptible evidence for this; my father's elder brother had a fabrics shop and at night before closing the shop he used to keep some rice . . . in those days, rice didn't cost much, it would cost you about two to three rupees for about 40 Kgs. So he used to place some rice in a vessel, in the middle of his shop and at night the mice would eat the rice and not chew the fabric. This is directly perceivable that all living entities have rights iśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ (Śrī Īśopaniṣad 1).

It is mentioned in the Bhagavatam, that all living entities have right over the resources available in this world, like all the sons have right over their father's property. In the same manner everything belongs to God, it is not yours or mine. This mud which is there, it is not yours, but we forcefully say that this mud is ours, whereas it actually belongs to God.

How many people came and died? The Muslims also came and ruled, the British also ruled, but the land is still there. The mud is not of the Muslims or the British, neither it is yours or anybody's. It is God's. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When people will understand that God is the proprietor of all the property on earth and not me. God is giving us the facility to stay and that is enough, we won't lay claim on other's property,

īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ

yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat

tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā

mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

(Śrī Īśopaniṣad 1)

Isa, Īśopaniṣad. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything belongs to God and how much he has given to us, we will stay satisfied with it and rest of the time, the topics on our relationship with God should be discussed . . . (indistinct) . . . this is called . . . (indistinct) . . . why are they progressing? I will take their property. This is materialistic life and those who know that everything belongs to God; let others enjoy whatever has been given by God to them and I will be satisfied with whatever is given to me is called . . . (indistinct) . . . he doesn't get sad. Whatever God has given to others is fine and whatever is given to me is also fine. This is the duty of Human society. This is given in the Vedas, the Iso Upanishad is also a Veda, Iśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ, everything is the property of God and all living entities are his sons. That is why all the living entities have a right to stay and to eat on God's property. We are civilised human beings, we say serve the daridra Narayan whereas the goat Narayan should be sent to the slaughter house and then it should be killed and eaten. This is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ (BG 5.29). He is everyone's friend, he wants to see everyone happy, that is being civilised and is called spiritual communism. Everyone gets food to eat . . . sarve sukhina bhavatnu, this is Vedic, a civilisation where everyone is happy is called Vedic Civilisation. For this purpose, we are preaching that everyone stays happy and being happy approaches God . . . (indistinct) . . . human life. Our relationship with God which has been forgotten, but is not broken as it can never be broken. Like an insane son might leave his father, his home and start to roam on the streets, but still his relationship with his father will not break despite the insanity. It is due to his insanity that he has forgotten his father. Similarly, our father, the supreme father is God himself, but because of becoming insane we have forgotten him and the father is not ordinary, he is all powerful, he has a big kingdom, he has a lot of opulence, lot of strength, but leaving him and becoming insane we want to be independent . . . leaving God, that is why we are sad having fallen into Maya's net,

Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare

pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

(Prema-vivarta 6.2)

This is our position and that is why our relationship with God should be awakened which is the purpose of human life Uttiṣṭha jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata (Katha Upanisad 1.3.14). This is a Vedic mantra which means that one should not keep sleeping but should instead wake up.

After taking birth as a dog, a hog, a tree, and in so many others species . . . eighty-four lakh species, as I had mentioned earlier; after roaming in all these species one gets a human birth. They don't know how they get this human life . . . (indistinct) . . . no school, university or college teaches it and no one knows this. This is nature's law that after roaming and roaming . . . labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29) is said in the scriptures and bahu-sambhavante means that after many births one gets a human birth. That is why it is not correct to spend it like an animal . . . (indistinct) . . . Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that one who is a civilized human being, who is Vedic, i.e., who believes in the Vedas, the arya category, that too is also less because . . . then he says that one who believes in the Vedas, veda-niṣṭha-madhye ardheka veda mukhe māne (CC Madhya 19.146), like we are Hindus, from Bharat and we say that we believe in the Vedas, but we will not exert ourselves according to it. Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha, nānyad astīti vādinaḥ (BG 2.42). He doesn't understand what is Veda, but says we believe in Vedas. Because of such a situation being prevalent God took the form of Buddha and . . . (indistinct) . . . because it is given in the Vedas that for certain yajnas an animal has to be sacrificed. It is not that an animal is killed in a slaughter house and then eaten because during the yajña when the animal is sacrificed, it is through the power of Vedic mantras made alive again, it is given a new life. Gau medha yajñas is also there in the śāstra, where an old cow is offered in the yajña and then it is given a new life and brought out, this is also the display of the power of the Vedic mantra. It is not that an animal is killed and eaten. No, that is not the case. The animal which is offered in the yajña, is not killed and eaten, it is given a new life and a better life, this was the proof of the efficacy of the Vedic mantra. But those who say we believe in Vedas, actually in the name of Vedas, kill and eat animals. There are many such people today, in Calcutta there are a lot of people who keep Goddess Kali's statue in the slaughterhouse and sell Kali's prasadam, it is a slaughterhouse but has been given the name Kali's prasadam. This is not right and such a thing had happened one time . . . (indistinct) . . . then Lord Buddha came.

Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam (Gīta-Govinda 1.9) seeing the animal killing God's heart became tender which is why the Buddha avatar had to come. Lord Buddha preached Ahimsa parmo dharma and despite being an avatar of God, we still call atheists. Why do we say atheists? Because he didn't accept the Vedas and if the Vedas are accepted, then the foolish people will say the animals should be killed, because it is mentioned in the Vedas. That is why lord Buddha said we don't believe in your Vedas, nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaḿ (Gīta-Govinda 1.9) Shruti means Veda. Buddha Dev is Kṛṣṇa's avatar Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare (Gīta-Govinda 1.9).

This is a vaiṣṇava song by Jaidev Goswami. The vaiṣṇava know this . . . (indistinct) . . . We call someone an atheist, who doesn't believe in the Vedas, veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta' nāstika (CC Madhya 6.168).

This is preached in the Buddhist religion, this was from Bharat Varsh and Buddha Dev's description is in the Bhagavatam too, kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati (SB 1.3.24), they do not believe in the avatar of God and in Vedas. He had to take such a policy, because those who are so called Vedic, their intention as given by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is veda 'mukhe' māne (CC Madhya 19.146), simply they accept Vedas and live . . . (indistinct) . . . Most of the people don't knows the Vedas and those who actually know the Vedas are very less in numbers. This is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's analysis, veda-niṣṭha-madhye ardheka veda 'mukhe' māne (CC Madhya 19.146) the so called believers of Vedas say that they are Vedic; but actually they don't know what the Vedas are, what are the teachings of Vedas, they only believe in the vedas simply by giving lip service, then it is said Veda-niṣiddha pāpa kare, dharma nāhi gaṇe(CC Madhya 19.146). Veda-niṣiddha pāpa kare, if they believe in the Vedas, then whatever is mentioned in the Vedas should be followed. Vedas don't say that you should kill the animals in your house or open a shop for it. In the yajña, an animal can be killed, like in the Tamsik Puranas it is said that after worshiping Goddess Kali, meat can be eaten and if you believe the Vedas, the Puranas, then the authoritative procedures given in them should be followed. But they have instead opened a shop, a slaughter house and kept a statue of Kali ji. The procedure should be followed, it should be done once a month on Amavasya (New moon day) and that too in the night, there are lot of difficulties in it. That is why they believe in the Vedas by only giving lip service and do things according to their own sweet will. There are many such people. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is saying Veda-niṣiddha pāpa kare, by doing what is forbidden in the Vedas they incur sin; dharma nāhi gaṇe he doesn't even know what is a actually yajña and dharma. Whereas regarding those who actually believe in the Vedas Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says dharmācāri-madhye bahuta 'karma-niṣṭha (CC Madhya 19.147) amongst the followers of Vedic knowledge most are karmis or fruitive workers. Vedas have three sections the karma kand, jñāna kand and upasana kand; many yajna . . . (indistinct) . . . for going to satya lok. The procedures for yajñas are given in sastras and the Vedas, so he who actually believes in Vedas is more karma nistha. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says koṭi-karma-niṣṭha-madhye eka 'jñānī' śreṣṭha (CC Madhya 19.147) in this way there are crores who are karma nistha; compared to them a jñāni is higher because the jñāni knows that in karma there is bondage due to karma, the jñāni can understand this. As is told in the Bhagavad-gītā yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9) do karma only for yajña and if you do karma as per your desire then there will be bondage; the jñāni knows this. The Bhagavad-gītā is for the jñāni. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9 yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ (BG 3.13 that is why a jñāni is considered greater than someone who is only a karmi and regarding the jñāni Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says koṭi-jñāni-madhye haya eka-jana 'mukta'(CC Madhya 19.148) there are many jñānis, crores of jñāni is actually and only a few of them get liberation. It is not that I have understood that I'm brahman and have therefore become Narayan. No. Then why does God say bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19).

It is not that because of just being a jñāni or by only having brahman jñāna one can get liberation. He can only get liberation when he puts bhakti into it, by bhakti through jñāna he will get liberation. Without bhakti no one can get liberation hariṁ vinā naiva mṛtiṁ taranti (Śrī Śrī Nṛsiṁha Stavaḥ 14 by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmi) without the mercy of God, this repetition of birth and death wherein one keeps taking material bodies again and again; this circle of birth and death, this link like a cinema spool which has consecutive thousands of pictures in it which are joint and shown then . . . (indistinct) . . . in the same manner after many repetitions of life and death one receives jñāna and then the jñāni after many lifetimes bahūnāṁ janmanām ante, jñānavān, who in actually jnanvan gets attracted to the lotus feet of God bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. That is why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says koṭi-mukta-madhye 'durlabha' eka kṛṣṇa-bhakta (CC Madhya 19.148) after getting liberation. It is not that by Kṛṣṇa bhakti one gets liberation. No. Those who are liberated, who have brahman-jñāna, amongst millions of such someone is actually a Kṛṣṇa bhakta. So being a Kṛṣṇa bhakta is not an easy thing. That is why God says:

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante

jñānavān māṁ prapadyate

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

(BG 7.19)

Such kind of great souls, after many births of discussing jñāna surrender their souls unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Such a jnanvan, a great soul is very su-durlabhaḥ, this is written in the sastras. Bhakti is not what the common men construe, that it gives liberation. No. Bhakti is after mukti. As I've said a number of times, that mukti means sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6) mukti is that thing which is established inside the svarup and that which is ingrained in the virup is not liberated, he is also in bondage. The svarup sthiti is described in the Bhagavad-gītā by God bahūnāṁ janmanām ante, jñānavān māṁ prapadyate those who . . . (indistinct) . . . to the lotus feet of God, that is the last gain from jñāna by which he becomes a devotee and it is said:

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

na śocati na kāṅkṣati

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu

mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

(BG 18.54)

This is the consideration and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gives the same opinion too, koṭi-mukta-madhye 'durlabha' eka kṛṣṇa-bhakta (CC Madhya 19.148) many have got liberated who . . . (indistinct) . . . brahman-jñāna. In this way crores have got liberation . . . the person . . . Aham brahmasmi, I'm not a material object, I'm a conscious, a brahman, entity; in this way who has received full knowledge is called liberated and in this way amongst crores of liberated entities only a few know Kṛṣṇa, durlabha kṛṣṇa-bhakta.

So those who are pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ (CC Madhya 19.167) this is the proof of a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa,

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

(CC Madhya 19.167)

This is the description of a topmost devotee, who has no other desire. Their only desire is to serve God, they have no other desires anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ they are not interested in jñāna, karma etc. Those attracted to karma anticipate that they will do pious activities and then they will go to heaven and enjoy, this is known as Karma. Jñāna means that when one is troubled after doing Karma and wants to become one with God, merging into the existence of the absolute truth, that is getting jñāna.

Bhakti is however different from karma and jñāna platform and all kinds of abhilasha . . . what is abhilasha? Abhilasha is that, we are in this world and the only desire is to do sense gratification here. Material desire is how to do more sense enjoyment, a person whose such desires are zero and is ahead of jñāna and karma and only ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ . . . anukul bhāva is the favourable disposition by which Kṛṣṇa can be satisfied and by doing in this manner, such a service is considered topmost bhakti. That is why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, that out of millions of liberated people maybe one such person can be found, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says:

koṭi-mukta-madhye ‘durlabha' eka kṛṣṇa-bhakta

kṛṣṇa-bhakta — niṣkāma, ataeva 'śānta'

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī — sakali 'aśānta'

(CC Madhya 19.147-148)

Peace or disturbance. Everyone wants peace and peace as you've heard before it's formulae has been given by God in the Bhagavad-gītā,

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

(BG 2.42)

That God is the only enjoyer, God is the only master, God is everyone's benefactor and in this way who knows that God is everything, he can be peaceful. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is also saying here that kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma (CC Madhya 19.149), the devotee of Kṛṣṇa has no desire, because anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam which means he has no desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, they dont even want the fruits of jñāna and karma. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has told this in his Śikṣāṣṭakam,

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ

kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye

mama janmani janmanīśvare

bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

(Śikṣāṣṭakam 4)

This is the prayer of a vaiṣṇava who is pure devotee as taught by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ, kavitāṁ vā. What do they karmis want in this world? They want lot of wealth, they want to become leaders, janma they want many people to walk behind them, to be a big leader, they want this, they want wealth and they want beautiful women, all this is sense gratification lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭha-ādi. Actually who is a pure devotee, he says I don't want all these things and says mama janmani janmanī which means they don't even want mukti. If mukti happens how can birth be there. Janmani janmanī wherever there is birth, bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi without reason only Bhagavad bhakti should be there. This is a devotee's prayer, because of which he called nishkaam, kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma (CC Madhya 19.149). Till there is desire, there cannot be any peace, ataeva 'śānta'(CC Madhya 19.149), who has become niṣkāma meaning who has become a pure devotee only he is peaceful. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī, bhukti means those people who want to enjoy this world whereas the mukti and jñāni people want to become one with God; the yogis ask for many type of siddhis and none of them are peaceful. They can't get any peace because as it has been told . . . like we are sitting here and if we have some work at home, then we will start getting restless and eventually leave because peace is not there. Those who have desires for things other than God, they can never get peace, whereas only those person can get peace who are always selflessly fixed in Bhagavat-bhakti. That person is the greatest Yogi and he is peaceful; no one else is peaceful.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)