661007 - Lecture BG 07.15-18 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1966

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

661007BG.NY - October 07, 1966

Prabhupāda: Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Last day we have been discussing four classes of men who come to God and four classes of men who do not come to God. The four classes of men who do not come to God, they are impious, foolish, lowest of the mankind, and their knowledge is taken away by the illusory energy and they are atheist.

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

(BG 7.15)

We have discussed this point in detail. The next, that four classes of men, ārto arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha . . . ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣa (BG 7.16).

Four classes of men who are pious but at the same time distressed, poverty-stricken, and curious—and inquisitive of transcendental knowledge; and jñānī, and philosopher; jijñāsu, inquisitive; and philosopher—these four classes of men, they come to God.

Now, so far the four classes of men who do not come to God . . . that means the impious, the foolish, the lowest of the mankind, whose knowledge has been taken away by the illusory energy, and the atheist. Apart from these classes of men, the four classes of men who come to God, just like ārta, distressed; inquisitive; arthārthī—arthārthī means poverty-stricken; and jñānī, means philosopher.

Now, out of these four classes, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate: "Out of these four classes men, one who is philosophically trying to understand the nature of God with devotion, with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is viśiṣyate." Viśiṣyate means he's specially qualified. He's specially qualified. Priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ (BG 7.17).

The . . . "For a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, at the same time philosophically trying to understand what is the nature of God, so he is very dear to Me," Kṛṣṇa says. "He is very dear to Me because he has no other business than to understand what is God." Others, just like a distressed man, he is in distress, but because he's pious, therefore he believes in God, he goes to the churches or to the temple or to the mosque and prays, "My dear Lord, I am very much distressed. Kindly help me."

But the difficulty of this person is that God does not require to be prayed for, asking anything. He is . . . he is pious, he is distressed, but at the same time, he is foolish. Why he is foolish? Because he does not know that "God is with me, within my heart. He's sitting along with me. The soul and the Supersoul, both of them are sitting together. And God knows everything about me. So I did not require to pray from God to get me out of this distress. He knows everything. Why shall I pray?" He leaves everything to God. He does not pray. He prays . . . he prays to glorify the God, "How great You are," not for his personal interest, "O God, give me my bread. Give me my dress. Give me my shelter."

That is also good. He is better than the person, that mūḍha, the foolish, the atheist and the lowest of the mankind. He's far better. Even he is going and asking in the church, "O God, give me my daily bread," but at the same time, he is less intelligent because he does not know that "God is with me, and He knows everything about me."

Therefore one who is pure devotee, he does not pray to God for any personal interest. Even if he is distressed, he says: "O Lord, it is Your kindness. You have put me in distress just to rectify me. I would have been put into more and more, thousand times in distress, but You are giving me little. That's all. That is Your great mercy." That is his vision. He does not . . . he's not disturbed. Tulyārthāpamānayoḥ. A person who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he doesn't care for all this material distress or insult or honor, because he is aloof from this. He doesn't . . . he knows very well that "This designation, this honor or this insult, they are pertaining to my body, but I am not this body."

Just like Socrates. Socrates was condemned to death because he believed in the . . . an immortality of the soul. So he was condemned to death, and he was asked to take hemlock or something like that, poison. And the judge wanted, "Well, Socrates, how do you want to be put into the grave?" He replied: "First of all, you catch me. Then you put me into the grave.You are dealing with my body, nonsense. I am out of this. So you kill me or you put me into the grave or whatever you like, I don't mind. First of all, you catch me. Then you put me into the grave."

So this is . . . one who is completely conversant with Kṛṣṇa science, he knows very well, "I am not this body. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. My eternal relation is with Kṛṣṇa. But some way or other, I have been put into this entanglement of this material body. All right. Now I am in sense. I get aloof from you. I am not going to be associated with the three qualities of this material nature," as we are discussing this morning. "I am not concerned with the modes of goodness or modes of passion or modes of ignorance. I am concerned with Kṛṣṇa."

Therefore such a learned, and who has understood his real position and his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he is jñānī. He knows. Therefore he is very much dear to Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa always guides him. This man, who is in distress, goes and prays to God. That praying of God is an asset to him, but it may be, when he is put into opulence, he forgets God. There is defect in that. But a jñānī, one who knows, he'll never forget God. His business will go on, continue.

Then, therefore, Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yuktaḥ. Jñānī is nitya-yukta. Jñānī is not a . . . he is not a jñānī, or man in knowledge, who is not eternally engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa. There are . . . there is a class of jñānī, impersonalist. They say that "Because to worship impersonal is very difficult for us, so imagine some form of God." They are not jñānī; they are fools. Oh, you cannot imagine the form of God. God is so great. That may be your imagination, but that is not the form of God. That is concoction. They are called iconographer. Iconographer.

There are two classes of men: iconoclast and iconographer. Those who imagine the form of God, they are not jñānī, they are iconographer. And those who think that "I have killed God" or "I have finished God," they are iconoclast. Just like in India we have experienced during British days, there were Hindu-Muslim riots. So the Hindus would go to the mosque of the Muslim and break it, and the Muslim would go the temples of the Hindus and break the idol. And they'll think that "We have finished Hindu's God." Just like Hindus also think, "Oh, we have broken their mosque; therefore I have broken their God." These are foolishness.

In another case . . . I have got experience. When there was, I mean to say, noncooperation movement of Gandhi's, the people became riotous, and they began to break anything government, especially the postboxes on the street.They thought by breaking the postboxes they are finishing the post office.

So these are foolishness. They are not jñānī. One who has got real conception of God, they have no quarrel with each other. All the history of religious fight, Hindu-Muslim or Christian–non-Christian, they are all ignorant. They are all ignorant. One who is in the knowledge, he knows that God is one. God cannot be Hindu. God cannot be Muslim. God cannot be Christian. God is God. He has no material qualification. It is our conception that "God is such and such, God is such and such." That is imagination. That is called iconographer.

So they are not jñānī. They are not man in knowledge. Man in knowledge is different. He knows that God is transcendental. Just like even Śaṅkarācārya, the impersonalist, he says, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. And in this morning also we have discussed this point that one who knows God transcendental, above this material qualities, he knows.

So therefore Kṛṣṇa says here, priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham. The man who is actually in knowledge of the science of God is very dear to God. Priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ. That is the personal relationship with the devotee and God. The devotee, he does not know anything beyond God, and God also does not know anything beyond His devotee. So sweet relation.

God is always after me, as we have discussed many times, that He is sitting in the same tree, in this heart. I am sitting, and my friend, God, is also sitting, Supersoul, eternally. Wherever I am taking my transmigration, when I leave this body and enter into another body, oh, God also goes there just to see what I am doing. When I shall turn my face towards Him—He is simply waiting. And as soon as I turn my face towards God, oh, He says: "My dear son, come on." Sa ca mama priyaḥ. Lord says, "Oh, you are eternally dear to Me. Now you are turning your face to Me. So I am very glad."

So therefore jñānī—one who understands the science of God. Simply God, "God is good," that is also very good. But one should understand what is the . . . that science of God is Śrīmad-Bhāgavata . . . er, Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of the science of God. So anyone who is actually interested in God, they should study the science of God, Bhagavad-gītā. Vijñānam. Vijñānam means science. Jñānaṁ me parama-guhyaṁ, yad vijñāna-samanvitam (SB 2.9.31).

In the Bhāgavata there is a statement like this. Jñānam. Jñānam means knowledge. Parama-guhyam: very confidential, very subtle and confidential. Parama-guhyam. Yad vijñāna-samanvitam: which is full of scientific knowledge. Sa-rahasyam: it is full of mystery also. Jñānam me parama-guhyaṁ yad vijñāna-samanvitam, sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca, and how to understand the different departmental knowledge of God. Gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā: that knowledge can be imparted by God Himself.

You cannot manufacture the knowledge of God. As . . . as you discover some scientific knowledge of this material world, similarly, you cannot discover God by such knowledge. That is not possible. The knowledge of God can be had when it is explained by God Himself or a bona fide representative of God. That is the process. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find:

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

"Whenever there is discrepancy in the matter of understanding the science of God, at that time I incarnate Myself." Because the whole system is like that, that it is an opportunity to the conditioned soul to recoup themselves to come back to God. This whole material creation is there, manifestation is there, to give the conditioned soul an opportunity to recoup himself and to understand what is his relationship with God and come back to God.

So anyone who is very much inquisitive and, at the same time, eager to understand his relationship with God, he is called a jñānī, a man in knowledge, and he is very dear to Kṛṣṇa. It is not a sentiment. By sentiment you talk some nonsense. That is not bhakti. That is not devotion. Devotion is not sentiment, it is a science. Rūpa Gosvāmī says:

śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-

pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā

aikāntikī harer bhaktir

utpātāyaiva kalpate

(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101)

He says that "A show of devotion, a show of spiritual," I mean to say, spirituality, "a show of devotion, a show of spirituality, without reference to the Vedic knowledge, śruti, smṛti, and corollaries to the Vedas," pañcarātra-vidhim, "and the definition of bhakti-sūtras like Nārada-bhakti-sūtra and such authoritative books," aikāntikī harer bhaktiḥ, "if a man is showing himself that he is very great devotee and a man in knowledge, without any reference of the authoritative śāstra, books—oh, that is simply disturbance," utpāta. Utpāta means disturbance.

A man showing that he is a great devotee, he's great man of knowledge, but he has no reference with the books of knowledge, or the authoritative books, oh, that is simply creating disturbance. That is not religiosity, neither devotion, nothing else.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a science. You have to take it scientifically, as they are described in the authoritative books, and test it by your reason and argument and knowledge, and follow it. It is science. It is not sentiment. Whatever we are doing here, the dancing, singing and everything, that is all scientific.

Simply you have to understand it. Therefore jñānī, only a person who is in knowledge, who is in knowledge of the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can make an rapid advancement, and he is very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Because slow but sure, he is making sure progress. It is no sentiment. So jñānī.

Priyo hi jñāninaḥ atyartham. Atyartham means very . . . aham. Kṛṣṇa is very dear to the person in knowledge, and that man is also very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Reciprocal. If you love Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will love more than you. You can . . . what capacity you have got to love Kṛṣṇa? But Kṛṣṇa will love. He has got immense capacity. So that is a science. And what is the next? Now, Kṛṣṇa says:

udārāḥ sarva evaite

jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam

āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā

mām evānuttamāṁ gatim

(BG 7.18)

Now, those persons, those who are distressed and those who are poverty-stricken, they go to God. They pray to God. Now, Kṛṣṇa is accepting their endeavor. Udārāḥ sarva evaite: "They are, all of them, these four classes of men, either he is . . . he is coming to Me in distress, or being poverty-stricken, or as inquisitive, or as real man of knowledge, they are welcome. They are welcome." Udārāḥ: "They are very good." Sarva evaite, "But, out of them," jñānī tu ātmaiva me matam, "still, that person who is in knowledge is very dear to Me, still." He is confirming it.

So one should be in knowledge. Devotional service, it is a science. And why others are welcome? Those who are distressed has come to God, and those who are in poverty-stricken has come to God, why they are also welcome? They are welcome in the sense that because they have come to God, in course of time they will also become as good as the man in knowledge—if they continue. But generally it happens, one who goes to the church for some profit, if the profit is not there, he'll say: "It is nonsense." He gives up all connection with church.

I have got information from one of my Godbrother. He is German. He told me that during wartime many Germans, they went to war, and their wives, sister, all woman class, they went to church and prayed for the return of their husband, brother or son. But they did not return, and all of them became atheist: "Oh, there is no God. There is no God." Sometimes it happens like that, that "We want God as my order-supplier. If He does not supply the order, then He becomes no God. There is no God." That is the defect of this kind of prayer. But if they continue . . .

Now, I'll give you one example. There was a little boy, five years old, in royal family, Mahārāja Dhruva. He was insulted by his stepmother. The little boy was sitting on the lap of his father, and the stepmother dragged the boy, "Oh, you cannot sit down . . . sit on the father's, on the lap of your father, because you are not born of me." Oh, the boy became very much, I mean to say, aggrieved at the . . . because he was the son of a kṣatriya—they are in modes of passion—so he took it a great insult, and he went to his own mother.

The king had two queens. The, I mean to . . . the senior queen had this boy, and the junior queen had no son. So junior queen was very much envious of this boy. And so he . . . she dragged the boy from the lap of his father, but the boy felt insulted. He went to his mother and cried, "Mother, my," I mean to say: "Junior mother has insulted me in this way.

I was sitting." "Oh, yes, my boy. What can I do? I am helpless. Your father does not like me." "Then how can I take revenge?" "My dear boy, you are helpless. If God helps you, then you can take revenge." Because womanly character . . . "Oh, where is God?" She said: "Oh, I understand so many great sages and saints, they go to the jungle and forest. They see God there. They undergo penances and austerity and then find God there."

Oh, he at once went to the forest. Then he was asking the tiger, "Oh, you are God?" The elephant, "You are God?" In this way, when Nārāyaṇa saw, "Oh, this boy is very much inquisitive," so He sent Nārada, that "Go and see what is the condition of this boy."

So Nārada came. Nārada is the agent of God. "My dear boy, you are royal . . . you belong to the royal family. You cannot suffer all this penance and austerity. Please go back to your home. Your father is very much anxious for you, your mother is very much anxious for you." The boy said: "My dear sir, you don't try to dissuade me in that way. If you know something about God, how can I see God, then tell me. Otherwise you go away. Don't disturb me." So he was firmly determined.

Now, this boy was initiated by Nārada. When he saw that "This boy is determined," then he initiated him and gave him mantra, that namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. He chanted that mantra and became perfect, and God came before him.

Now, when God came before him, God offered him, "My dear Dhruva, what do you want? Take whatever you like." Then Dhruva said: "My dear Sir," sthānābhilāṣī tapasi sthito 'ham (CC Madhya 22.42): "Oh, I was situated in this severe type of penance simply for the matter of my father's kingdom, a land." Sthānābhilāṣī tapasi sthito 'haṁ tvāṁ prāptavān deva-munīndra-guhyam: "But I have now seen You, and You who is impossible to be seen even by the great sages and great saints. So I have seen You. So what is my profit?"

Now, kācaṁ vicinvann api divya-ratnam: "As if I came out of my home to find out some particles of glass, but I have found out a very valuable diamond." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: "Oh, I am satisfied. I have no necessity of asking from You."

So if anyone, either in distressed condition or in poverty-stricken, if he goes to God and just like the same determination like Dhruva, that, "I must see God and take this benediction from God," and if he happens to God . . . see God, if he understands God, then he is, he no more, no more wants to have anything material. He understands that, "All this material nonsense is foolishness. I have got the real thing."

Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ (BG 6.22): "Which gaining"—you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā—"when one actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not want anything." Just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: "My dear Lord, I am fully satisfied. I don't want anything. I have no distress. I am not poverty-stricken. I am the wealthiest. There is no comparison of my asset." That position he comes to.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that udārāḥ: "They are also good, because gradually they will come to this understanding." Because a jñānī knows that "What are these material things? They are only flickering. Flickering. Suppose I get too much wealth and too much everything. What is this mater . . .?" Lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā. These material assets are three. Something, I want some gain out of my work, profit. And pūjā. Pūjā means people will adore me, "Oh, you are such a rich man. You are so great man." Lābha, pūjā and pratiṣṭhā, and fame: "People may know me that 'I am Carnegie,' 'I am Rockefeller,' 'I am Birla.' " But he does not know that Birla or Rockefeller is this body. As soon as this body is finished, all Birla, Rockefeller is finished. Then I do not know whether I am entering into cat or dog. Huh?

Because after finishing this body, you are neither Birla, neither Rockefeller—you are spirit soul. And according to your own karma, according to your own work, your own work, you have to enter another body, which is different from Birla and Carnegie. A jñānī knows, "So why shall I bother myself for these temporary designation?" That is jñānī. He is jñānī. He is man in knowledge. "I am pure soul. My eternal connection—with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. Let me establish that connection very firmly, so that Kṛṣṇa may take me back into His kingdom. That is my business." So this is the preference to the jñānī, that although . . .

So these persons who come to the shelter of God being distressed or being poverty-stricken, they are also welcome, because there may be chance that one day he may be fully in knowledge: "No, I don't want all these material things. I want simply You. That is my mission. That is my life's mission." One should take it like that. Then that is perfect life. The whole, I mean to say, natu . . . cosmic situation is giving us all facility that you should enjoy.

So far body is concerned, you get all things supplied by you, er, supplied by God. You have got enough grains. You have got enough fruits. You have got enough milk. You have got everything enough. You eat it, live peacefully. Because what is my want of this body? Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca (Hitopadeśa).

Oh, you can eat. Āhāra means eating. So you can eating suffi . . . you can eat sufficiently. Nidrā. You can make shelter. God has given you so many wood, so many, I mean to say, planks you can get, make your home. That's all right. Sleep there peacefully.

And āhāra-nidrā-bhaya. And you can defend as far as possible. Then, you want sex life? All right. There are so many women. Get them married. Live peacefully and culture God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That arrangement is there. Why don't you do it? Why do you want more and more, more and more, more and more? This is foolishness.

So far your material necessities are concerned, oh, there is enough. All right, you are eating? Can your manufacturing process can supply eating from the factories? No. Then why do you bother about the factory? Why you spoil your energy? Just eat. Be satisfied, whatever God has given you, and culture, devote your time for reviving your eternal relationship with God.

Plain living and high thinking—that is the best type of civilization. You want sex? Can you manufacture sex in the factory? No. Then? It is supplied by God. So everything, whatever you require, that is supplied by God. You take advantage of it and be God conscious, or Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is your business.

So God has given us all facilities to come to Him, but we are unfortunate. And He has given us still more facilities in this age, because in this age we are all unfortunate, short-living. So even we have no facility for the primary necessities of life, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna (Hitopadeśa 25): eating, sleeping and defending and mating.

These things are, I mean to say, absolutely necessary for keeping the body fit. But we have no such arrangement even that, you see, in this age. There are so many people who have no shelter, so many people who have no food, so many people who have no married life, no sex life, and there are so many people not dependant from the onslaught of nature or anything. This age is like that.

Therefore, in this age, Lord Caitanya recommended . . . but because I have no facility even for my material body, still I have to make progress in the spiritual life. How to do it? Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā (CC Adi 17.21).

You just always chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Never mind you are in factory. Never mind you are in hell. Never mind you are in the skyscraper houses. Go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. There is no expense. There is no bar. There is no caste. There is no creed. There is no color. Anyone—chant and hear, chant and hear.

udārāḥ sarva evaite

jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam

āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā

mām evānuttamāṁ gatim

(BG 7.18)

So some way or other, if anyone comes in contact with God, God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and he prosecutes the energy rightly under the direction of a bona fide guide, then he is sure to go back to God.

What is time now? All right. Any question? (end)