661003 - Lecture BG 07.08-14 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1966

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

661003BG.NY - October 02, 1966

Prabhupāda:

raso 'ham apsu kaunteya

prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ

praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu

śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu

(BG 7.8)

Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa is describing how you become Kṛṣṇa conscious fully, in every step of your life. This verse we have been discussing last day, that raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. This glass of water, the taste, the juice of this water, is Kṛṣṇa. You cannot, when you are thirsty . . . this water given by God; there is no other replacement. If somebody offers me, "Instead of water, you drink gold," no, this water is required. The taste of the water is so nice that when I am thirsty, I require water. No manufacturer can create this taste of the water. Therefore, which is not possible to produce by any human being, that is God.

So raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. We can remember Kṛṣṇa, or God, when we drink water, because nobody can avoid drinking water. So the God consciousness is there. How can you forget? Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. When there is some illumination, when there is some illumination . . .

(aside) You want to come here? I ask this . . .

(indistinct) . . . all right.

When there is some illumination, that illumination is also Kṛṣṇa. The original effulgence is brahma-jyoti. That is in the spiritual sky. This material sky is covered; therefore the nature of this material sky is darkness. Now, at night we are experiencing the real nature of this material world—it is darkness. Artificially, it is being illuminated by the sun, by the moon, by the electricity. Otherwise, it is darkness. So this illumination is God, we have to understand. This illumination.

Now, how this illumination is coming? Originally, in the spiritual sky, just like the sun has the shining force which we call sunshine, similarly in the . . . from the kingdom of God, there is a shining which is called brahma-jyoti. The brahma-jyoti is reflected by the sun; the moon is reflected by the sun. I mean to say, sun is reflection of brahma-jyoti, and moon is reflection of the sun. Everyone, you know, the stars, glittering stars, they are also reflection of the sun. Similarly, this electricity is also reflection of sun. The diamond, the jewels, everything, that is reflection of sun.

(aside) That's all right.

So Kṛṣṇa says, prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. Śaśi. Śaśi means the moon, and sūrya . . . sūrya means the sun. And in the spiritual world there is no need of sun and moon. Na tatra bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6).

In the spiritual world there is no need of sun, there is no need of moon, there is no need of electricity. Because in the spiritual sky everything is illuminated, so there is no need. So we can remember God, or Kṛṣṇa, when you see some illuminating property.

Praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu. When we chant Vedic mantra, oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ (Ṛg-veda 1.22.20). Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi (Gāyatrī mantra).

Now, this oṁkāra, oṁ, that is the beginning. This oṁkāra is addressing. Just like we are addressing, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," this is also addressing, "O Harā, O Kṛṣṇa." This oṁkāra is also addressing. So this oṁkāra is Kṛṣṇa, is God. Praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu (BG 7.8).

And śabda means sound. Whenever you hear some sound, you should know, "This is vibration of the transcendental sound." The sound which we are vibrating, that is pure spiritual sound. But any sound in the material world, that is reflection of that spiritual sound.

So when you hear sound, you can remember God. When you drink water, you can remember God. When you see some illumination, you can remember God. And when you chant some mantra, some hymn, that also you can remember God. So where you cannot remember God? Everywhere. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness. Always, twenty-four hours, we can remember Kṛṣṇa. That remembrance means that Kṛṣṇa is with me. Kṛṣṇa is already with me, but as soon as we remember, that is factual. Because the devotional service:

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam

(SB 7.5.23)

There are nine different process of associating with God. The first, preliminary association is śravaṇam. Just like you are hearing. You are kindly hearing the speeches of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That means you are associating with Kṛṣṇa, or God. Always remember when we speak of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa means God. So because we are hearing, we are associating with God. And as we are associating with God, then our material contamination is being reduced. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17).

As you go on hearing, then the contamination which we have acquired in this material world, that is being reduced.

So by the association of God in this way, by consciousness that, "Here is God, here is Kṛṣṇa. In sound there is Kṛṣṇa, in the taste of the water there is Kṛṣṇa, in the illumination there is Kṛṣṇa," so how you can avoid Kṛṣṇa? Every step you can remember Kṛṣṇa. And if you can remember in that way, then your association is permanent, twenty-four hours, your association with Kṛṣṇa.

So association with Kṛṣṇa means just like association with daylight, sunshine, there is no question of contamination. If you get sunshine always, oh, you will never be . . . ultraviolet rays, that is scientific truth. If you are always in the sunshine, there will be no disease. This is a practical point. This is a practical fact, that modern medical science, they approve a disease uncurable. They recommend, "Just lie down on the sunshine." Yes. It is a fact. And the Vedic rules, one man who is diseased, he worships sun. That means he has to come into the sunshine, and naturally his disease will be cured.

Similarly, as you associate with sunshine you are cured of all diseases, similarly, if you associate with Kṛṣṇa always by consciousness, there is no trouble. There is no material trouble. Try it. Simply by sounding Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. Not only sounding; this is also going on at the same time, this consciousness, "This water is Kṛṣṇa. The taste of the water is Kṛṣṇa. The sound is Kṛṣṇa. This illumination is Kṛṣṇa." In this way you have to practice.

The only thing is that our present stage is forgetfulness. We have forgotten, that's all. So we have to revive. We have to revive our spiritual life, our spiritual consciousness. And the simple process is this śravaṇam. This act, which you are performing, is approved by Lord Caitanya. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (SB 10.14.3).

When Lord Caitanya was speaking with Rāmānanda Rāya . . . he is a great friend of Lord Caitanya and great devotee, just like Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. So Rāmānanda Rāya was explaining about gradual development of spiritual life. So he recommended so many things—varṇāśrama-dharma, sannyāsa, and renunciation of work. Lord Caitanya says, "No, it is not so good. It is not so good. It is not so good."

In this way, when he was . . . Rāmānanda Rāya, he was proposing something that, "This is the system of promoting spiritual consciousness," and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was rejecting, "No, no. You say something more, better than." Then he was proposing another, another, another. When the eighth stage, when Rāmānanda Rāya cited one verse from the Vedic literature... This literature is:

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva

jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām

sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir

ye prāyaśo 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām

(SB 10.14.3)

The purport of this verse is that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya: "One should give up his unnecessary endeavor for philosophical speculation about God." One should give it up, jñāne prayāsam, because by speculation you cannot reach to the ultimate truth.

How far . . . how can you . . . just suppose we are speculating . . . very great scientists are speculating about the nature of the moon from here. But they are speculating. They have not come to any conclusion. So you go on speculating which you have no experience. You go on speculating, but the real nature of that thing will never come to you.

So jñāne prayāsam. Especially for understanding God, or God consciousness, speculation is useless. So Lord Caitanya, I mean to say the Bhāgavata, says that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya, that that sort of endeavor, speculating, should be given up. Namanta eva; "You just become submissive."

Just become submissive that, "What I am? I am insignificant creature in this universe." This world, this earth, is an insignificant point in the universe. And within this earth, the America is a small spot. And within America, this New York City is another small spot. And in this New York City, I am there. So what is my importance?

So we should understand that we are very insignificant in comparison to the creation of the whole cosmic situation and God. So we should be very submissive. We should understand our position. Artificially, we should not be puffed up, the frog philosophy.

The frog philosophy is that a frog in the well, he was informed about the Atlantic Ocean by his friend, and the frog inquired from him, "Oh, what is that Atlantic Ocean?" "Oh, it is a huge, vast span of water." Now, the frog is in the well, he is thinking, "Oh, it may be double than this well or it may be triple than this well, or a hundred times," in this way, calculating. But do you think by such calculation the frog will ever come to the conclusion how length and breadth is of an Atlantic Ocean?

So this is all frog philosophy. We are very teeny. Our knowledge, power of speculating, is limited always. So we cannot speculate about the Supreme. It is a useless waste of time. Therefore Bhāgavata says: "You give up this. You give up this process of speculating." Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya: "Give it up." Then what is next? "Now, be submissive. Be submissive." Then? "All right, let me become submissive. Then next?" Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām; "You just try to understand, just try to hear the message of God." The message of God is just like Bhagavad-gītā or Bible, any, as you like. Just try to hear, san-mukharitāṁ vārtām, from realized soul.

Just like the truths of Bible were spoken by Lord Jesus Christ, or Kṛṣṇa. Any, whatever you like, you hear. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām (SB 10.14.3). But you must hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and nothing more. That should be your profession.

Then what will be the result? The result will be sthāne sthitāḥ: in whatever condition you are, that doesn't matter. "Oh, I am a very poor man." That doesn't matter. "Oh, I am a very rich man." That doesn't matter. "Oh, I am European." It doesn't matter. "I am Indian." Doesn't matter. "I am born very low." Oh, doesn't matter. Anything, unconditional.

You remain whatever you are, that doesn't matter. If you simply hear, sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatām, if you simply give your aural reception to these transcendental words, the result will be that God, who can never be conquered, you'll conquer God. How you'll conquer? You will conquer by love. God cannot be conquered, but He can be conquered by love.

Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was a friend of Kṛṣṇa. How he conquered? That Kṛṣṇa become his driver. The Personality of Godhead, who is the Supreme, everyone's master, He became a menial servant of Arjuna. So God is so lovable, and He reciprocates His love in this way. So you can conquer. Just like Kṛṣṇa became the son of Nanda Mahārāja, and when He was child, He took the shoes of Nanda Mahārāja on His head just like child play. You see?

So these are symptoms of conquering God. What you . . . because you are trying to become one with God. Oh, you can become father of God. You can become father of God. God has no father, but He accepts His devotee, His lover, "Oh, you are My father." So that is the question. So if this process is followed, simply hearing, aural reception, sincerely, then by this process, whatever position I may be, in whatever position I may be, I can conquer the Supreme Lord. He agrees to be conquered.

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be spread. It is very easy. You drink water—oh, you remember Kṛṣṇa. You hear something—oh. Suppose there are . . . so many sounds are occurring in the street, but if you know that "This sound is Kṛṣṇa," then in every step you will feel Kṛṣṇa. Then again He says:

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca

tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau

jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu

tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu

(BG 7.9)

He is describing more elaborately. How is that? Now, puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca. Puṇyo gandhaḥ means flavor, the flavor. Any flavor, that is Kṛṣṇa, that is God. You cannot create any flavor. Synthetically we may create some scent, but that is not as good as natural scent. So that is . . . when you have a good flavor, you can remember, "Oh, here is God. Here is Kṛṣṇa." When there is some natural beauty, oh, you can understand, "Here is Kṛṣṇa." And when there is something uncommon, very powerful, wonderful, oh, you can understand, "Here is Kṛṣṇa." And when there is life, jīvanam . . . as long a tree lives, as long a man lives, as long a animal lives, so you understand, "This life, this life is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa."

As soon as the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the spark, is taken away from that body, oh, everything goes. No meaning. So nice brain, we are acting—Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. But as soon as that small particle of Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel is removed from this body, no more Sir Isaac Newton working. Finish.

So jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūtānām: He is the life. He is the life. We can see in every step God. People say, "Can you show me God?" Yes. God is seen in so many ways. You just try to see. If you close your eyes that, "I shall not see God," then who can show you? But you can see God in every step. Jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu. Tapaś cāsmi, any kind of penance, any kind of perseverance, that is also God. Tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu. Bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ, viddhi pārtha sanātanam (BG 7.10).

And bījam. Bījam means seed. The seed is sanātana, that is eternal. Sanātana means eternal. There is a gigantic tree, but what is the platform, what is the background of this gigantic tree? Seed. That small seed, that mustard like grain, seed. That is the background of this large tree.

Bījaṁ māṁ . . . bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ viddhi pārtha sanātanam. And that seed is eternal. The seed within me, within you, everyone, the seed is there. And as soon as the seed takes place in the mother's womb, the seed begins to fructify, little by little. Then it comes out. When it is properly developed, with hands and legs and eyes, it comes out from the mother's womb. Then again develop, again develop. He becomes a boy, he becomes a youth, he becomes a . . . so many things, changes everything. But that seed is permanent. The body is changing, but the seed is there. Therefore it is sanātana.

It is very easy to understand how we change our body. We are changing our body every moment, imperceptibly. Imperceptibly, we are changing our body every . . . every moment, every second. So change of body is a fact. Therefore that bījam, that small particle, spark of spirit, that is sanātana. This body is changing. Now, when it is changed to another body, that means transmigration of the soul from one body to another. This is a fact, and it is not very difficult to understand.

We are changing our body every moment. Bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ viddhi pārtha sanātanam, buddhir buddhimatām asmi (BG 7.10). One who is very intelligent, that intelligence, extraordinary intelligence, must be considered, "Oh, he is Kṛṣṇa." Without being especially favored by Kṛṣṇa, nobody can become extraordinarily intelligent. Anyone . . . everyone is trying that, "I shall be more intelligent than my friend, my others," but without Kṛṣṇa's, I mean to say, special favor, nobody can become extraordinarily intelligent. Therefore, wherever you find extraordinary intelligence, you should consider, "Oh, there is Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Buddhir buddhimatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham. One who is very influential, that influence is Kṛṣṇa. That influence, that particular influence of a particular man, that is also Kṛṣṇa. Balaṁ balavatāṁ cāham (BG 7.11).

And one is very strong, stout and strong, that particular strength is also Kṛṣṇa. Just like an elephant is very strong. And more than elephant, the gorilla is still more strong. That strength, wherefrom . . . wherefrom he gets strength? Now, suppose I am a human being. I cannot get such strength by my own endeavor, but I can get strength ten thousand times more than the elephant if Kṛṣṇa favors. Therefore strength.

Just like Bhīma. Bhīma had strength ten thousand times than an elephant. He was so strong. There is no question of not believing. Because as I find you are stronger than me and he is stronger than you, oh, similarly, there are many degrees of strength. Now, these degrees of strength is Kṛṣṇa. So you can understand Kṛṣṇa. Without Kṛṣṇa's favor, nobody can be stronger than the others. So balaṁ balavatām asmi.

Hmm. Kāma-rāga-vivarjitam. Kāma. Kāma means desire. Rāga-vivarjitam: without attraction. Desire with(out) attraction, that is Kṛṣṇa. Desire with(out) attraction, how it can be possible? Desire with(out) attraction. Whenever we desire something . . . I want some young girl; I desire. Desire means I have got attraction. But desire without attraction, how it is possible? Can you explain? Yes. Desire without attraction means Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I desire for Kṛṣṇa's benefit, not for my benefit. That is desire without attraction. So that kāma-rāga-vivarjitam.

Kāma-rāga-vivarjitam, dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha: "And lust, lust which is not against religious principle, that is also I am." What is that lust? Lust means, generally means, sex, sex life. Sex life which is not against religious principle, that is Kṛṣṇa. How it is religious principle, sex life? Yes. Sex life is religious principle in this way, that when you want a good child, in that sense if you undertake sex life, that is sanctioned. That is religion. And without that, everything sex life is nonreligion. If you can produce a good child, you can have thousand times sexual intercourse. But if you produce cats and dogs, don't take. That is irreligious.

So here it is stated that dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu. Therefore, for sex life, dharma is marriage. In the human society there is marriage. In the animal society there is no marriage. They indulge in sex life any way, because they are animal. But in human society, either Hindu society or Muslim society or Christian society or any society, any civilized society, there is the marriage. So the marriage, sex life by marriage, is religious, and sex life without marriage, that is irreligious. So here Kṛṣṇa says that "Sex life," dharmāviruddhaḥ, "which is not against religious principle, that is I am."

So there is no harm to become a householder. It is not that . . . I am a sannyāsī; I have given up household life. And one person who is a householder . . . there is no difference, provided it is on the principle of religion. I am a sannyāsī. I am forbidden to make any association with woman. I cannot talk even with woman in a lonely place. That is forbidden. I cannot talk with a woman.

I give you one practical example. When my Guru Mahārāja, my spiritual master, was living . . . I am speaking about fifty years before. We were all young men at that time, and one of my Godbrother, he was also young man, Dr. Oudh Bihari Kapoor, and his wife was also young. So his wife wanted to speak with my Guru Mahārāja. My Guru Mahārāja was at that time not less than sixty, or more than that, and the girl, my friend's wife, (s)he was not more than twenty-two years. But actually, she was just like his granddaughter. But she proposed, "Sir, I wanted to speak with you something confidentially."

My Guru Mahārāja said: "Oh, no, no. I cannot speak with you confidentially. You can speak whatever you like here." Just see. "I cannot speak." Now the so much age difference, so much, I mean to say, affection, still, he refused: "No, no. I cannot talk with you confidentially, because you are woman."

So a sannyāsī is forbidden not to talk even in private place with woman. But a householder, he, if he associates woman under marriage tie, then it is religious. And without this, this is irreligious. And that religious sex life is God. Religious sex life is God. This should be followed. If we, every one of us reading Bhagavad-gītā, every one of us, at least . . . so far India is concerned, that is a different thing. In America also, I find so many American gentlemen, they read Bhagavad-gītā. But I am afraid if they are reading Bhagavad-gītā so scrutinizingly, as it is stated here, dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha: "Sex life which is not against religious principle, that is I am." So in, I mean to say, regulated sex life, married life, that is Kṛṣṇa. So that is not without Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. Then He says:

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā

rājasās tāmasāś ca ye

matta eveti tān viddhi

na tv ahaṁ teṣu te mayi

(BG 7.12)

Now, one may question, "Then if You are particularly—You are Personality of Godhead, Supreme God—You are speaking that You are sound, You are this light, You are this praṇava, You are this bīja, You are also kāma, so many things. So do You mean to say that You are simply in goodness? And what about the other things?" Because there are three qualities of the material world—the modes of goodness and the modes of passion and the modes of darkness. Now, so far Kṛṣṇa has described Himself, that any good thing . . . just like sex life with marriage is a good. "That's all right. You are. What about other things?"

Then Kṛṣṇa replies. He automatically says that, that ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāś ca ye. Whatever there are in this material world, we find interaction of three qualities only—goodness, passion and ignorance. All manifestations that you are observing, they are different combination of these three qualities. Now that can be made into nine. Three into three equal to nine; nine into nine equal to eighty-one; and so on—go on diluting. But the main background is that three qualities.

So Lord says that "Whatever qualities are there,"ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāś ca ye, "either goodness or passion or ignorance," matta eveti tān viddhi: "They are all produced from Me." "They are all produced from Me." How is that? Na tv ahaṁ teṣu te mayi, that "Because they are produced from Me, therefore they are standing, their position is in Me, but I am not there. I am transcendental." So in another sense, even the bad thing, evil things, which is produced out of ignorance, that is also Kṛṣṇa. But when? When it is applied by Kṛṣṇa.

How it is that? Practical example: Now, an electrical engineer, he is producing electricity, energy. Now, you are feeling at your home in the refrigerator it is cold and in the heater it is hot. But in the original generating station, it is electricity. It is neither cold, neither hot. So these qualitative manifestation of the world, they are different for me. For Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference. Therefore sometimes, if Kṛṣṇa acts on the principle of this ignorance, for Kṛṣṇa it is Kṛṣṇa. Just like for the electric engineer—the whole energy is electricity. Nothing. He has no distinction, "This is cold and this is hot." This is the philosophy. Matta eveti tān viddhi na tu, na tv ahaṁ teṣu te mayi (BG 7.12).

Everything is being generated. And the Vedānta-sūtra confirms it: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Everything. "That is the Supreme Truth from where everything is emanating." That is Supreme Truth. So what we are thinking bad, good, that is bad and good for me, because I am conditioned. But because He is not conditioned, therefore for Him, there is no bad and good. He is not conditioned. I am conditioned—therefore I am feeling heat and cold. But because He is not conditioned, everything is all right for Him. So such is Kṛṣṇa.

Now how Kṛṣṇa has described Himself as He is. But why we are not attracted to Kṛṣṇa? That is explained in the next:

tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair

ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat

mohitaṁ nābhijānāti

mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam

(BG 7.13)

"Because they are illusioned by the intermixture of these three qualities . . ." Mohita: "They are illusioned." Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat. Idaṁ jagat. This material world is spread all over with these three guṇas, or three qualities of material nature.

Now, from here you can understand that the division of social orders, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.1): that "The four division of human society is made by Me." How it is that? That guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, "According to the material qualities and work." So in the Vedic literature in India you find there are four division of human society: the brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriya, the vaiśya and the śūdra. So that is natural. That is not artificial.

People misunderstand that Indians have created a caste system. No. That caste system is everywhere—sarvam idaṁ jagat. Not only India, all universe is being conducted by that process. Even here also, you have got that caste system. Some of you are in the modes of goodness, some of you are in the modes of passion, some of you are in the modes of ignorance and some of you are in the mixed quality.

So that is prevailing all over the world. And those who are in the modes of goodness, they are brāhmaṇa. Oh, name may be another thing. You may say, "Oh, this person, this man is very intelligent, very moralist." That means he is a brāhmaṇa. Or "This man is very good administrator." Oh, that means he is kṣatriya. "Oh, this man is very good industrialist, merchant." Oh, that means he is vaiśya. "This man cannot do anything." Oh, he is śūdra.

So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ: "By these three qualities, everywhere, all over the universe . . ." You must know whenever Kṛṣṇa says something, it is nothing limited. Universally true, He says. When He says sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). He claims to be father of all living entities. Even the animals, even the aquatics, even the trees, plants, worms, birds, beasts, this human being, that human being—all He claims. He's the father of everyone.

So similarly, tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ, mohitaṁ sarva-jagat (BG 7.13): "The whole world is," I mean to say, "illusioned, or covered by these reactions of these three qualities." And we are under the spell of that illusion; therefore we cannot understand what is God. What is God.

Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat, mohitaṁ nābhijānāti: "Because they are now illusioned, under the spell of the intermixture of these three qualities, they cannot understand Me, Kṛṣṇa." Mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam: "I am the supreme eternal being. Oh, they cannot understand." So this illusion . . . what is the nature of this illusion? How it can be overcome? That is also explained here.

daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

(BG 7.14)

Oh, you cannot do it by mental speculation. You cannot get rid of this entanglement of three qualities. It is not possible. It is very strong. Don't you think how we are in the grip of the material nature? It is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā. Guṇa. Guṇa means this quality, and another meaning of guṇa is rope. Just like we have seen rope: one rope, two rope, three rope. When three ropes are, I mean to say, bound up, twisted in one, oh, that becomes very strong. So guṇa means rope also.

So we are tied up hands and feet with that rope of these qualities, three. You see? It is very difficult to get out of it. Then? Hopelessness? No. No hopelessness. How can I get rid out of it? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: "Anyone who surrenders unto Me, he is at once free." Anyone who becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious by this way or that way, he becomes free.

Thank you very much. Any question?

Yes.

Student: Did you say you're supposed to have sex . . . (end)