670104 - Lecture CC Madhya 21.13-48 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1967

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

670104CC-NEW YORK - January 04, 1967 - 28:27 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

nāntaṁ vidāmy aham amī munayo agrajās te

māyā-balasya puruṣasya kuto 'varā ye

gāyan guṇān daśa-śatānana adi-devaḥ

śeṣo 'dhunāpi samavasyati nāsya pāram

(CC Madhya 21.13)

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This was recited by Brahmā. The purpose of this verse is . . . Brahmā says that, "Although I am Brahmā, and before me all the great sages, everyone, has tried to know the Supreme Lord in," I mean to say, "Incomplete, but nobody could understand where is the end of these unlimited potencies of the Supreme Lord."

seho rahu-sarvajña-śiromaṇi śrī-kṛṣṇa

nija-guṇera anta nā pāñā hayena satṛṣṇa

(CC Madhya 21.14)

Even Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, He does not know how unlimited is His potency. Lord Caitanya says that. He also does not know.

seha rahu-vraje yabe kṛṣṇa avatāra

tāṅra caritra vicārite mana nā pāya pāra

(CC Madhya 21.16)

prākṛtāprākṛta sṛṣṭi kaila eka-kṣaṇe

aśeṣa-vaikuṇṭhājāṇḍa svasvanātha-sane

(CC Madhya 21.17)

In this way, the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, by His plenary expansions, He is doing unlimited activities, transcendental. So for a living entity, a small living entity like us, we cannot know. The only thing is that, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ, tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca (BG 9.14).

The subject matter is so nice that the devotees who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the transcendental loving service, they like. And in the association of pure devotee, these topics become palatable.

There are many instances in the Bhāgavata also. When śaunakādi ṛṣi, sages headed by Śaunaka Muni, was hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Sūta Gosvāmī, they also uttered this, vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma (SB 1.1.19): "You are reciting about the glories of the Supreme Lord, His activities, so please continue. We are not yet satisfied. The subject matter is so nice that we want to more and more . . ." Svādu svādu krame krame. As you go on hearing, and as you become purified . . .

There is a very practical example: the sugar candy. Sugar candy is, by nature, it is very sweet. But if you give it to a patient who is jaundiced, if you give, he will taste it, that he'll say that it is bitter. It is bitter. You will have practical example. If you ask him what is the taste, he'll say bitter.

Everyone knows that sugar candy is very sweet, but if you give to a patient suffering from jaundice, he'll say it is bitter. Similarly, the kṛṣṇa-kathā, the Lord's name, fame, quality, entourage, all these things are very sweet. To whom? Those who are liberated from this jaundice of materialism. For them it is very sweet.

So as you feel sweetness of this kṛṣṇa-kathā, you should know that you are becoming liberated from this material entanglement. The same thing: sugar candy is the only medicine for jaundice. Those who are suffering from jaundice, they are prescribed by physician to take sugar candy water in the morning. And by drinking that sugar candy water, gradually he feels the sweetness of sugar candy. That is the test that he is getting free from the disease.

So similarly, Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or anything where the topics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is discussed, if you feel it is interesting, that means you are getting out of the jaundice of this material disease. Yes. This is the test. If you don't feel interested, then you must know that the jaundice of material disease is there. So this is the test. The more you feel kṛṣṇa-kathā, the topics of Kṛṣṇa, tasteful, the more you'll know that you are getting free from the jaundice of material disease.

e-mata anyatra nāhi śuniye adbhuta

yāhāra śravaṇe citta haya avadhūta

(CC Madhya 21.18)

kṛṣṇa-vatsair 'kṛṣṇa-vatsairasaṅkhyātaiḥ'-śukadeva-vāṇī

kṛṣṇa-saṅge kata gopa-saṅkhyā nāhi jāni

(CC Madhya 21.19)

Gopa. Kṛṣṇa, you know, in His abode, He is just like a sixteen-years-old boy, and His main pastime is to take the cows and . . . in the pasturing ground with His friends, boyfriends, and play with them. This is Kṛṣṇa's day's business. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī has written a very nice verse, that these boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, in their past life they had accumulated heaps of pious activities. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11). Sākaṁ vijahruḥ. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā.

Now, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is writing. Now, these boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they are playing with whom? They are playing with the Supreme Absolute Truth, who is considered as impersonal by the great sages. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma . . . brahma-sukha. Brahma, transcendental Brahman realization. The reservoir of Brahman realization is here, Kṛṣṇa. So these boys who are playing with this Kṛṣṇa, He is the reservoir of the Brahman realization.

Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. And dāsyaṁ gatānām, those who have accepted the Supreme Lord as master, that means devotees, for them this Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. For the impersonalist He is Supreme Brahman, and for the personalist He is Supreme Lord. And māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa: and those who are under the spell of materialism, for them He is ordinary boy. Māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11).

With Him these boys, who had accumulated millions and millions' births of pious activities, now they have got the opportunity of playing with Kṛṣṇa face to face, just like ordinary boys play.

So similarly, Kṛṣṇa is very much fond of playing with His young boyfriends. That is mentioned in the Brahma-saṁhitā: surabhīr abhipālayantam, lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29).

So these things are explained here also.

eka eka gopa kare ye vatsa cāraṇa

koṭi, arbuda, śaṇkha, padma, tāhāra gaṇana

(CC Madhya 21.20)

Now there are so many friends, cowherd boys, nobody can count. Nobody . . . unlimited, everything unlimited. They have unlimited number of cows, unlimited number of boyfriends—everything unlimited.

vetra, veṇu dala, śṛṅga, vastra, alaṅkāra,

gopa-gaṇera yata, tāra nāhi lekhā-pāra

(CC Madhya 21.21)

Now these cowherds boys, they have got a cane in the hand, vetra. And each of them has got a flute also. Vetra veṇu dala. And a lotus flower, and a śṛṅgara, a horn. Śṛṅgara vastra, and very nicely dressed, and full of ornaments. Just like Kṛṣṇa is dressed, similarly, His friends, cowherd boys, they are also dressed.

In the spiritual world, when you'll go, you'll not be able to understand who is Kṛṣṇa and who is not Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is like Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭha planets everyone is like Viṣṇu. That is called sayujya-mukti. The living entities, when they enter into the spiritual planets, they become as good as Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu—there is no difference—because it is absolute world.

Here the difference is there. The impersonalists, they cannot understand that even in individuality there is no difference. As soon as they think of individuality, oh, they think that there is difference. Then what is liberation? Yes. And actually there is no difference. The difference is only that Kṛṣṇa's personality and others' personality, they are conscious that, "Kṛṣṇa is our object of love." That's it. The center is Kṛṣṇa. In this way, the individual boys and girls and Kṛṣṇa, everyone is enjoying spiritual bliss.

sabe hailā caturbhuja vaikuṇṭhera pati

pṛthak pṛthak brahmāṇḍera brahmā kare stuti

(CC Madhya 21.22)

eka kṛṣṇa-deha haite sabāra prakāśe

kṣaṇeke sabāi sei śarīre praveśe

(CC Madhya 21.23)

Now these, all these cowherd boys and everything, cows and everything, they are all expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. It is spiritual. Just like we are expansion of Kṛṣṇa's marginal energy and the matter is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's inferior, material energy, similarly, in the spiritual world all those things—Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boys, the cows and everything—they are also expansion of His spiritual energy.

eka kṛṣṇa-deha haite sabāra prakāśe

kṣaṇeke sabāi sei śarīre praveśe

(CC Madhya 21.23)

ihā dekhi' brahmā hailā mohita, vismita

stuti kari' ei pāche karilā niścita

(CC Madhya 21.24)

Brahmā, he was, I mean to say, bewildered. When Kṛṣṇa came on this planet, Brahmā . . . muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Brahmā was astonished and Indra was astonished: "How is that, my Lord Kṛṣṇa has come at Vṛndāvana as a cowherd boy?" So they came to Vṛndāvana to test. So all . . . Brahmā, by his . . .

He has got so much power, he had kidnapped all the cows and the boys of Kṛṣṇa. And when he came back he saw the Kṛṣṇa is playing with the same cows and boys again. Then he could understand that, "This boy is Kṛṣṇa." Then he offered his prayer and begged pardon from Him, that "I misunderstood." In this way there are many narrations in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Here Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is referring to that incident.

ihā dekhi' brahmā hailā mohita, vismita

stuti kari' ei pāche karilā niścita

(CC Madhya 21.24)

So he was astonished, and then, after prayer, he was satisfied.

ye kahe-'kṛṣṇera vaibhava muñi saba jānon'

se jānuka—kāya-mane muñi ei mānoṅ

(CC Madhya 21.25)

So Brahmā admitted that, "If anybody says that 'I know Kṛṣṇa. I know the Supreme Personality of Godhead in detail,' so maybe he may know, but so far I am concerned, I do not know."

The purport is that Brahmā is the first creature in this universe. He is the first living entity. He accepts his inability to understand about Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of others? What to speak of the commentator who says that "This is not Kṛṣṇa, this is something else"?

ei ye tomāra ananta vaibhavāmṛta-sindhu

mora vāṅ-mano-gamya nahe eka bindu

(CC Madhya 21.26)

Brahmā admitted that, "Your activities, Your pastimes, everything of You, it is not possible even to taste or to understand even a particle of it." The very verse recited here:

jānanta eva jānantu

kiṁ bahūktyā na me prabho

manaso vapuṣo vāco

vaibhavaṁ tava gocaraḥ

(CC Madhya 21.27)

Nobody can understand how great is Kṛṣṇa.

kṛṣṇera mahimā rahu-kebā tāra jñātā

vṛndāvana-sthānera dekha āścarya vibhutā

(CC Madhya 21.28)

That is described, the glories of Kṛṣṇa—nobody can understand. Similarly, vṛndāvana-sthānera āścarya vibhutā. Similarly, the land which is known as Vṛndāvana, it has also got unlimited potency. Still, as I have several times mentioned, if you go to Vṛndāvana you'll find unlimited potency of spiritual atmosphere still. And therefore Lord Caitanya recommended that ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayaḥ tad dhāma vṛndāvanam (Caitanya-mañjusā): "As Lord Kṛṣṇa is worshipable, similarly His place, Vṛndāvana, is as good as Kṛṣṇa. It is also worshipable." And actually, still in India, if you go to Vṛndāvana, you'll see so many saints and sages are still there. They are worshiping Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Yes.

apāra aiśvarya kṛṣṇera-nāhika gaṇana

śākhā-candra-nyāye kari dig-daraśana

(CC Madhya 21.30)

aiśvarya kahite sphurila aiśvarya-sāgara

manendriya ḍubilā, prabhu ha-ilā phāṅpara

(CC Madhya 21.31)

bhāgavatera ei śloka paḍilā āpane

artha āsvadite sukhe karena vyākhyāne

(CC Madhya 21.32)

Now, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's attitude was . . . when He was speaking of Kṛṣṇa He sometimes became in trance, and He became sometimes unconscious. That was His . . . because Caitanya Mahāprabhu's incarnation is that He is Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is trying to understand Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa's devotee. That is His feature. These are very complicated things, but that is the position of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So when He used to speak something of Kṛṣṇa, He sometimes became unconscious.

brahmā viṣṇu hara-ei sṛṣṭyādi-īśvara

tine ājñākārī kṛṣṇera kṛṣṇa-adhīśvara

(CC Madhya 21.36)

Now . . . so far the demigods are concerned, Brahmā is the chief. Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara, they are ājñākārī. They are under the order of Kṛṣṇa: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara.

e sāmānya tryadhīśvarera śuna artha āra

jagat-kāraṇa tina puruṣāvatāra

(CC Madhya 21.38)

Then there are three puruṣa-avatāras; we have already discussed. Jagat . . . for material creation there are three puruṣa incarnation.

mahā-viṣṇu, padmanābha, kṣīrodaka-svāmī

ei tina-sthūla-sūkṣma-sarva-antaryāmī

(CC Madhya 21.39)

And those three incarnation are called Mahā-Viṣṇu; Padmanābha, Padmanābha Viṣṇu—Padmanābha means from His navel there is a stem of lotus flower—and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Ei tina-sthūla-sūkṣma-sarva-antaryāmī.

ei tina-sarvāśraya jagat-īśvara

eho saba kalā-aṁśa kṛṣṇa-adhīśvara

(CC Madhya 21.40)

So all these incarnation are plenary parts of Kṛṣṇa. And this is confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā:

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.48)

So Govinda, the Supreme Lord, the cause of all causes, His plenary portions are these three Viṣṇus.

ei artha-madhyama, śuna 'gūḍha' artha āra

tina āvāsa-sthāna kṛṣṇera śāstre khyāti yāra

(CC Madhya 21.42)

Now, Kṛṣṇa abode, the, I mean to say, planet which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana, that has three divisions. As we have got replica on this earth, there is Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Dvārakā . . . Dvārakā is in Gujarat, and Mathurā and Vṛndāvana is in U.P., United . . . Uttar Pradesh, near Delhi. And Dvārakā is about three hundred miles or more than that from Delhi. So these are replicas of the original Kṛṣṇaloka.

antaḥpura'-goloka-śrī-vṛndāvana

yāhāṅ nitya-sthiti mātā-pitā-bandhu-gaṇa

(CC Madhya 21.43)

madhuraiśvarya-mādhurya-kṛpādi-bhāṇḍāra

yogamāyā dāsī yāhāṅ rāsadi līlā-sāra

(CC Madhya 21.44)

So out of these three places, Vṛndāvana-dhāma is the most important. That is the confidential home of Kṛṣṇa. Just like a businessman might have many places for his business, I mean to say, activities, but his home is different from all this business. He may live in the countryside in a cottage, but he may be a very big businessman.

Similarly Kṛṣṇa, although He's all-powerful, He lives at Vṛndāvana in the gardenlike city. Not city, a tract of land. A small city is there now; they have named Vṛndāvana. But Vṛndāvana is not that small city. It is a tract of land about eighty-four miles.

So it is full of garden and full of nice places. Anywhere you go, you will find something wonder to see. There are many trees of fruits and flowers, many varieties of birds, and the cranes on the Yamunā side. Every . . . each and every place is remembering Kṛṣṇa. If you go there you'll find that "Kṛṣṇa is . . . somewhere He was playing. I must find out." It is such nice place. So Vṛndāvana is the most confidential part of Kṛṣṇa's abode.

tāra tale paravyoma-'viṣṇuloka'-nāma

nārāyaṇādi ananta svarūpera dhāma

(CC Madhya 21.46)

So in the spiritual world, that Vṛndāvana planet is the highest planet, and below that planet there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, which are called Viṣṇuloka.

tāra tale paravyoma-'viṣṇuloka'-nāma

nārāyaṇādi ananta svarūpera dhāma

(CC Madhya 21.46)

And the presiding Deity, predominating Deity in those planets, is called Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Generally, Nārāyaṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but from authentic scripture we understand that Nārāyaṇa is expansion of Kṛṣṇa.

madhyama-āvāsa' kṛṣṇera-ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-bhāṇḍāra

ananta svarūpe yāhāṅ karena vihāra

(CC Madhya 21.47)

Although Kṛṣṇa is two-handed and, I mean to say, busy with His flute-playing, but we do not know—many do not know—that He is . . . has expanded as Nārāyaṇa and Viṣṇu. He is the predominating Deity all over the spiritual world.

ananta vaikuṇṭha yāhāṅ bhāṇḍāra-koṭhari

pāriṣada-gaṇe ṣaḍ-aiśvarye āche bhari

(CC Madhya 21.48)

And each and every planet there are innumerable devotees. He's surrounded by the innumerable devotees. And He's citing evidencial verse from Brahma-saṁhitā:

goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya

devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu

te te prabhāva-nicayā vihitāś ca yena

govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.43)

His own personal planet is Goloka Vṛndāvana, and below that planet there are many other, innumerable planets, which are known as Vaikuṇṭha. And below that spiritual world there is material world. And between material world and spiritual world there is another space, which is called Śivaloka. And below that Śivaloka is this Devī-dhāma.

This material is called Devī-dhāma. Durgā. The presiding deity of this Devī-dhāma is Durgā. He's giving evidences from many authentic Vedic literature. One of them is Brahma-saṁhitā. Then He's giving another evidence from Padma Purāṇa, the existence of spiritual planets.

In Indian spiritual society the evidences are given from Vedic literature. Then it is accepted. Not that mental speculationist's theory, "I think this is . . . I think that . . . I" No. Just the same example I have several times cited before you, that the law court, they give evidences from the law book, sections from the law book.

Similarly, the process is whenever we speak something transcendental subject, if we can pick up evidences from Vedic literatures . . . there are many authentic Vedic literatures. They are accepted by the spiritual societies. And one's learning is proved if he can give evidences from these Vedic literatures. Similarly Lord Caitanya, whatever He is speaking, He's giving immediately references from Vedic literature.

So, so far the existence of the spiritual world and different planets, spiritual planets, Vaikuṇṭha and Kṛṣṇaloka, one may think . . . of course, those who have no knowledge, they may think that these are all stories. No, they are not stories—they are actual facts, and Lord Caitanya is giving evidences from Brahma-saṁhitā, from Padma Purāṇa and similar other Vedic literatures.

Thank you very much.

Any question? (end)