Category talk:Lectures and Conversations - Bengali Translated

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730312LE-CALCUTTA Bengali - March 12, 1973 - 22:30 Minutes

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(Translated from Bengali)

Srila Prabhupada:

Surya is continuously giving light and heat for millions of years, without any diminishing of power. If this is possible to create and maintain for an entity within the material universe, then why would Bhagavan (the Supreme Person) who has created of the entire manifestation of innumerable universes with his unlimited energy, become formless? This is not possible.

Nowadays, only five or six, or two or three children are born to parents. In the earlier times, Bharata Maharaja’s father Rsabhdeva had hundred children. Dhritarastra had one hundred sons. They were great kings, and they lives are historically documented. From this we learn that at that time, even ordinary people gave birth to a hundred sons. At that time there was no problem with over-pupulation. Now, even with smaller numbers of children, there is a problem with over-population. What is the logic behind this? At that times with hundreds of children, there was no overpoupulation. And now with just two or four children, there is overpopulation? This is to be contemplated. Bhagavan (Supreme Person)... Just as a father does not lose his form after giving birth to hundred children, Bhagavan says, “sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya, as many forms are there, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, I am the seed-giving father.” (BG 14.4) Why would Bhagavan, who is the creator of innumerable forms of living entities, become form-less Himself? Please give this a thought and decide...why would a father become formless after procreating many children? This is reality. That is why Bhagavan has said, “kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5) Those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested it is very troublesome for them to understand Bhagavan. Kleśo 'dhikataras. And those who accept Krsna as Bhagavan, who is Himself stating, “ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo, everything emanates from Me.” In the Vedantra Sutra it is stated, “Janmadasya jatah” That He is the Supreme Father,” and the Supreme Father is saying that “I am ‘sarvasya prabhavo’, the origin of all creation,” then where is the difficulty in understanding this? There is no difficulty. However, if we do not want to understand, concoct our own meaning, destroy the Bhagavad-Gita and give it to people. Neither are the people going to understand, nor will I. You perhaps know, that the Bhagavad-Gita we distribute and preach is called Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. There is no need to distort the meaning, we have to present it exactly the way Bhagavan has spoken. The ‘protokkho’ result I would like to share with you. Our Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, is being published by the MacMillan company. They are printing 50,000 copies every year. This started in 1968. ‘68, ‘69, ‘70, ’71 – there are four editions. Now it is the fifth edition. People in America and England are eagerly accepting it. Even though there are many English editions, written by reputed scholars from India, as well as scholars of other countries. However, in this Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (indistinct), Krsna says, “I am Bhagavan,” and we are also saying, “Krsna is Bhagavan.” That is all. We do not need to do research to find, “What is God?’ Bhagavan is Himself saying, “I am Bhagavan Krsna.” Sastra says, “Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.” (indistinct) (SB 1.3.28) īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Krsna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes....BS 5.1) This is stated in all the scriptures, in the Vedas, and all the great acaryas have confirmed it. Rāmānujācārya. No one is greater authority than them. Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu.So, should we listen to the conclusions of these great devotess and learned acaryas who have dedicated their lives to the protection and propagation of practical Vedic dharma, or should we listen to the heto-bendos? Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC 17.186) We have to follow the path of the great Mahājanas, not the so-called mahājanas who are manufactured by the figment of imagination. mahājana means one who accepts the earlier Mahājanas. That person is a true mahājana. The ones who rejects the previous mahājanas, and declares themselves mahājanas, they are not mahājanas but maha-yama (Maha means great. Yama means death.), they are all-destructive. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa... it is stated in sastra that the mahājanas are Brahma, Shiva is mahājana, Narada is mahājana, Kapila is mahājana, Manu is mahājana, Prahlāda Maharaja is mahājana, Bhismadeva, Janaka Raja, Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami, Yamaraja. They have all been listed as Mahājana. Scriptures say, ‘Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. People may ask, “Who is Mahājana?” There is no need to speculate, it is clearly stated who these Mahājanas are. The are all in the line of disciplic succession. This needs to be understood from Veda, Vedanta, and the scriptures. The disciplic succession begins with Lord Brahma, the Brahma-sampradaya. Our Gaudiya sampradaya is in the Brahma-sampradaya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is in the Brahma-sampradaya. Rāmānujā is in the Sri-sampradaya. That is Bhagavan’s potency, Laksmi’s sampradaya. Vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ, Sambhu – Mahadeva is an exalted Vaisnava, he has a sampradaya (called Rudra-sampradaya) represented by Viṣṇu Svāmī. Kumara-sampradaya, is the sampradaya of the four Kumaras, also known as the Nimbarka-sampradaya. We have to receive transcendental knowledge from one of these four sampradayas. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. From whom do approach for that jijñāsā (enquiry)? From the sampradayas. All the sampradayas are bhaktas, or devotees of the Supreme Person, Bhagavān. However, each sampradaya has their own speciality. Just like political parties, who are all dedicated to the nation but each has their own speciality. That speciality is essential to ensure growth. Even though each one offers different and unique ways of performing a particular task, the objective is to render service and achieve a good outcome. Similarly, all the devotional sampradayas, their prime objective is to render devotional service. Hence, even though the sampradayas have different names, the focus is to render service to Radha-Krsna. Nimarka-sampradaya worships Radha-Krsna as we do in the Madhvācārya‘s Gaudiya-sampradaya, and the Sri-sampradaya worship Laksmi-Narayana. All these sampradayas worship the Supreme Person, B Bhagavān. They are not impersonalists. They are all worshippers of the Supreme Person, Bhagavān. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa... (BS 5.29) Brahma, in the Brahma-saṁhitā has described the transcendental form and qualities of the Supreme Person, Bhagavan. Many people concur that Krsna’s form is merely the imagination of the artist who have given Him a flute and made Him look beautiful, standing in the three-way curved form. No, this is not the artist’s imagination. It is Vedic statement, as spoken by Brahma in the Brahma-saṁhitā, describing the Supreme Person, Bhagavān: cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (BS 5.29)

Just like we keep pet dogs here, Bhagavān also has a special pastime, to be a cowherd boy... surabhīr abhipālayantam... So, just because the Supreme Person, Bhagavān, has the desire to be a cowherd boy, does His importance diminish? Brahma suspected, “Has my worshipable Lord and Master, appeared in Vrndavan and is tending cows?” Indra also suspected. As you know, all these pastimes are mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Muhyanti yatra sūrayaḥ (SB 1.1.1) Many highly learned personalities have become perplexed about the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Person, Bhagavān. They have been confused thinking, “What is this?” However, the devotee of the Supreme Person, Bhagavān, understands everything.

Just as, Prahlāda Maharaja, and his father Hiraṇyakaśipu who was a great atheist, while his son was an exalted Vaiṣṇava mahājana. When the Supreme Person Bhagavān appeared as Nṛsiṁhadeva to annihilate Hiraṇyakaśipu, seeing that fierce form of the Supreme Lord, in front of Whom Hiraṇyakaśipu was insignificant, grabbed the demon’s neck, put him on His lap and tore him apart, killing him immediately. Hiraṇyakaśipu who was a great demon was frightened, but Prahlāda Maharaja was not. It is mentioned in the verse that Prahlāda Maharaja says, “Bhagavan, I am not frightened by Your fierce form. Please do not be angry. All the demigods are very frightened, and all the people in this creation are frightened. You have completed Your mission of annihilating my father Hiraṇyakaśipu, so please do not be angry anymore.” The next verse questions if Prahlāda was frightened. So, the verse after that has Prahlāda saying, “I am not at all frightened by Your fierce form. I have only one fear and that is this material existence. I am frightened not by Your angry form but by this material existence where I may have to live birth after birth.”

However, people have no fear of this material existence thinking, “Whatever will happen, we’ll see. For now let us enjoy what we have. What is the fear? Are you mad?”

pisaci paile yena mati-cchanna haya maya-grasta jivera haya se bhava udaya (Jagadānanda Pandita – Prema-vivarta)

Pisaci – ghostly haunted. All of you may have seen the people possessed by ghosts. They will speak all kinds of nonsense. Similarly most human being possessed by pisaci – influenced by the ghost of maya, speak all kinds of nonsense like, “There is no God. God is dead. I am God. You are God. Why are you searching for God?” etc. etc., and all kinds of theories and philosophy. In the Caitanya Caritamrta, the plight of such people have been described as, pisaci paile yena mati-cchanna haya maya-grasta jivera haya se bhava udaya. They talk utter nonsense.

The Supreme Person, Bhagavān cannot be understood like this, rather we have to gain transcendental science by listening to Him and following His instructions. The Supreme Person, Bhagavān, is Himself explaining this knowledge about Himself. However, there is nothing to gained if instead of focussing on this transcendental knowledge, become entwined by the dictates of the illusory material energy and all the nonsensical theories that are propagated. There is no gain. Hence it is said

tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (Kaṭha Upaniṣad - MU 1.2.12) Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21)

This is stated in the sastra and the Supreme Person, Bhagavān is Himself saying,

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ ("Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." BG 4.34)

Approach a Guru who is a ‘tattva-darśi’(who has seen the Truth), and approach the Guru submissively and not in a challenging mood like, “Can you show me the Supreme Person, Bhagavan?” It is pointless if you approach with this attitude. Praṇipātena... sevayā... Offer service and while doing so ask questions submissively. (sloka)

This is our endeavour. We are preaching and propagating the message of the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, all over the world. There is no change or concoction like, “Kuruksetra signifies the body, and the Panadavas the five senses.” No acarya has stated this. Those who concoct like this have the audacity to surpass the words spoken by the great acaryas. What utter nonsense. Instead of following the instructions of the great mahājanas by the descendence or deductive process, such persons pose themselves as greater than the mahājanas.

It is my earnest request to you that in our country, in India, we have a treasure of transcendental scripture, and these have been brought together, the meaning of the Vedas...the words spoken by the Supreme Person Himself, ya svayam padmanabhasya mukha padma vinisrita (Gita Mahatyam – Verse 4). This Bhagavad-Gita has been presented as it is, without mixing any concocted ideas and theories, that would render it useless. The Supreme Person, Bhagavan, in the Bhagavad-Gita is saying,

dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya (BG 1.1)

There is no need to add any other meaning to this, like, “Kuruksetra signifies the body, Pandavas signify the five senses, this and that.” By doing this the everything is spoilt because this is not the actual meaning. The actual meaning is that Kuruksetra is a place and there is a station by that name in Kuruksetra. Then what is the need for saying that Kuruksetra is the body. Interpretation is needed only when something is not clearly understood. When something is not understood then a person may interpret and explain what it actually means. Only when it is not clear, like it is said in sastras that, “Ganga gosapadi (?)” that, on top of the river Ganga, there is a colony called ‘Ghospada”. So, one may be confused as to how there could be a human dwelling on top of river Ganga that is full of water. Here, the interpretation is needed, and explained that this implies that there is a colony with human dwelling by the banks of the river Ganga.

In the Bhagavad-Gita, every line has been explained in a simple and easy manner, hence there is no ‘colony on the Ganga’ kind of doubt. Even today, Kuruksetra, a place of pilgrimage also known a dharma-ksetra (a religious place) is visited by pilgrims. In the Vedas it is mentioned, ‘kuruksetre dharma...’ that Kruksetra is a place of dharma, hence the battle was fought there. That dharma-ksetra, where the Pandavas were tricked by their sinful relatives... even now, when there is a dispute in the village, they say, “Let us go to the temple and resolve it. Say it in front of the Supreme Person, Bhagavan.” Even in this present day, this practice exists.

Similarly, the battle of Kuruksetra was fought there because it is a dharma-ksetra. This kind of place helps the mind to regain balance, just like it did for Arjuna. The effect of the dharma-ksetra was apparent on Arjuna when he says, “Sri Krsna, let it be. There is no point in my fighting this battle. Let them enjoy what they have taken away from us. I do not want to fight and kill them, my relatives.” This is because Arjuna is a pious person, and the place Kuruksetra had a further effect on him. Even impious people would feel the good effect of such a place. However, if the person is very sinful, then it would not help such a person. Just as, when a person becomes very ill then medicines stop having a healing effect. Factually, Kuruksetra is a dharma ksetra. In fact, Dhritarastra was suspecting, “Since both of them have gone to fight this battle on a dharma-ksetra, they may have a change of heart. Has the battle been called off? Kim akurvata sañjaya - What are they doing? First Dhritarastra asks, “Dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ.The brothers have gone to fight. Māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva. My sons and Pandu’s sons have gone to the dharma-ksetra to battle, so now what are they doing.” Dhritarastra was questioning Sanjaya even though he was aware that they had gone to Kuruksetra to fight a battle so what was the need for him to ask such questions? No, because he was suspecting that even though they had gone to the battlefield, it was a dharma-ksetra, so, “Have they resolved the situation and decided not to fight?” This was his suspicion, and he was anxious to know because he did not want an amicable settlement. If he had wanted a peaceful resolution, that was initiated by Sri Krsna Himself, he would have done so earlier. However, Dhritarastra did not want to negotiate peace because he wanted the battle to take place, so that his hundred sons would easily defeat the five brothers, undoubtedly. Hence, he was asking, “Kim akurvata? (What did they do?)”

In this narration (of the Bhagavad-Gita) there is no hidden or esoteric meaning, this meaning, that meaning or any other meaning. It is clearly a historical event.

Unfortuantely, some people will not understand, and allow others to understand the real meaning by adding many distorted narrations. There are many such narrations of the Gita. However, there is only one narration and meaning of the Gita, that the Supreme Person is Sri Krsna, and we have to surrender ourselves at His lotus Feet is our first and foremost duty.