661123 - Lecture BG 09.11-14 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1966

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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661123BG.NY - November 23, 1966

Prabhupāda:

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā

mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam

paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto

mama bhūta-maheśvaram

(BG 9.11)

So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that the mūḍha . . . mūḍha means the foolish, just like animal or less than animal. An ass, he is called mūḍha. So avajānanti. Avajānanti means deride, "deride at Me." That any person who does not believe in God, he must be either a madman or foolish man number one. Any person who does not believe in God. There is no reason that we cannot believe in God. There is every reason.

So suppose if you are saying that, "I don't believe in God," but who has given you this power to say that, "I don't believe in God"? You are speaking, "I don't believe in God," but as soon as there is something, you cannot speak, everything stopped. So who has given you this speaking power that you dare to say that, "I don't believe in God"? Will you not think that, "How I am speaking? Who has given me this power?" Do you mean to say that this speaking power has come automatically from the stone? This body is just like as good as stone. As soon as the speaking power is withdrawn by the supreme authority, you are as good as stone, this body. What is the meaning of this body? So who has given you the speaking power that you are denying that, "I don't believe in God"?

Therefore an atheist or an unbeliever, he must be a first-class foolish man. There is no other reason that one can deny the existence of God. It is very simple reasoning, that who has given you the power to talk and who, if he withdraws the power from you, then what is your value? How can you boastly say that "I don't believe in God"? This very power of speaking is the proof that there is the greatest authority who gives you everything.

Therefore the Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he knows that "Everything, whatever I have got, it is not my . . . under my control. The controller is different. I am feeling . . . I am simply using it. I am talking. This is my hand; I am working. But if the power of working is immediately withdrawn—it is paralyzed—have you got any power to revive this working power of this hand? No. You have not. One hand will work; another hand will stop. Who stops?" These things are to be taught. How can I deny?

There is something. If I don't believe in God, but I must believe some power beyond me which is controlling me every step. Either call it God or anything, nature, but there is a controlling power. You have to admit. How can you deny it? Therefore anyone who denies the existence of God, he is a foolish man. He is not very intelligent man. No intelligent man will deny.

So Kṛṣṇa says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11).

Kṛṣṇa is saying here, because He was present on this earth just like a human being with some supernatural power. But mostly, ninety-nine percent of people, they could not recognize Him, could not recognize Him that He is the supreme power, Supreme Personality of Godhead. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. Because they have no eyes to see.

There are . . . how we can recognize God? Some supernatural power, evidence of authorities, scriptural evidence. These things are required. So, so far Kṛṣṇa is concerned, every authority has accepted Him as God. And when He was present, His activities were superhuman. And from the evidence of Vedic literature, He is God. Then, in spite of all these evidences, if you don't believe Him, then it must be considered that āsuraṁ bhāvam, that "I shall not believe. Whatever evidence you give, and whatever, I mean to say, activities He may show, I'll never believe You God. Finished." Then that is helpless. So avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam.

Besides that, one must have the eyes to see God also. God cannot be seen with our imperfect senses. So the whole bhakti process, bhakti-yoga, is the process of purifying the senses to take . . . to understand what is God, what is spirit, what is soul. It requires . . . sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170).

Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

(CC Madhya 19.167).

And in the Nārada Pañcarātra there is a . . .

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ

tat-paratvena nirmalam

hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-

sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

(CC Madhya 19.170)

Simply, this bhakti-yoga is the process of purifying. Purifying. As soon as you purify your power of seeing, power of hearing, power of tasting, power of touching, all these . . . we have got our senses to taste, to acquire knowledge. But if the senses are blunt, then we cannot understand what is God. But therefore it requires a regulative principle to understand what is God.

That regulative principle must be undertaken. And the most easiest regulative principle is this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you regularly chant with devotion, without any offense, then this very simple process will help you to purify your senses, and you will appreciate presence of God, and God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will develop in you. So paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto, mama bhūta-maheśvaram (BG 9.11).

People, they do not know what is the inconceivable power and potency of God. Therefore they think, "God might be somebody like me." They cannot understand God.

moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo

mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ

rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva

prakṛtiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ

(BG 9.12)

So why they cannot understand? Moghāśā. Moghāśā means whatever they are aspiring, whatever they are desiring, that will be baffled. Moghāśā. Just the karmī . . . karmī means the fruitive actors. They are always hoping, "Something better, something better, something better, something better." There is no limit where they will stop.

(break) So much money, so much bank balance, so much money, so much . . . still . . . so moghāśā. Mogha means they are hoping to be very happy at a certain point. But that point never comes. That point never comes. Moghāśā. This means moghāśā.

Because he does not know, "What is the ultimate point of my satiation?" Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31).

People, they do not know . . . who are, I mean to say, enamored by the external beauty of this illusory material energy, they cannot understand that what is the aim and objective of life. They cannot understand. Therefore moghāśā.

Mogha-karmāṇaḥ. Mogha-karmāṇaḥ means fruitless, baffled. Whatever they are doing, doing something, but at the end they will find it is frustration. They are not happy. Take for example we have practical experience in India. Mahatma Gandhi, he was a great worker for national emancipation. You have heard his name. But at the end he was so much disgusted—that I have seen personally—wherever he used to go, he used to plug his ears like this. Why? Now, wherever he would go, thousands of people would gather and will cry, "Mahatma Gandhi ki jaya!" So the poor fellow could not sleep even.

The person, as soon as there is some scent that, "Mahatma Gandhi is coming here," at least five thousand people will gather and will cry, "Mahatma Gandhi ki jaya." So at the last stage of his life he could not sleep due to this crying. Just see. And he was so much disgusted, the very morning when he was, I mean to say, assassinated—he was killed by bullet shot—he said to his secretary, "I am so much disgusted, I wish to die." You see. This very word was published in the paper. Now see. Such a big worker, such a . . . simply a worker, but still, he felt baffled. And what to speak of others.

So mogha-karmāṇaḥ. Unless we become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then all our activities will be baffled at the end. Take it what Kṛṣṇa is saying, not ordinary person like me. Kṛṣṇa is . . . moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha-jñānāḥ (BG 9.12).

Mogha-jñānāḥ. Jñāna means research of knowledge, philosophical speculation. So without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without this definite point . . . now, if you have got sufficient knowledge, if you have such power for research, now here is a point, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now make research work whether Kṛṣṇa is not God. Then your research work will be sufficient. But without any point of aim, without any objective, what is this? Thousands of years, simply speculating.

panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo

vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām

so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs 5.34)

Govinda, the Supreme Lord, He is so vast that you cannot reach Him by your mental speculation . . . panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. Koṭi means ten millions, and koṭi-śata-vatsara, similarly, millions and millions of years, with the speed of air and with the speed of mind, if you proceed to speculate, to understand the Supreme, oh, that is not possible. That is not possible. So many speculators at the present moment or in the past, speculating, speculating, speculating. They never reach the point. Never reach the point. There is not a single instance that they have reached the point. So this speculation process will also not help. Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ (BG 9.12).

Vicetasaḥ means they are bewildered, that God cannot be perceived by your own endeavor unless God reveals before you. Vicetasaḥ. Vicetasaḥ means bewildered. Just like if you want to see the sun, can you see the sun just at this time, all-over darkness? Have you got any machine or any apparatus or any searchlight, you can show me sun? No. It is not possible.

So if you cannot see at night with your own endeavor even a material thing like sun, do you think that by your own endeavor you will see God? How it is possible? As the sun reveals in the morning at five o'clock or six o'clock, similarly, when the sun Kṛṣṇa will reveal before you, then you will understand. You cannot find out Kṛṣṇa or understand Kṛṣṇa by your own endeavor. Now, that process is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66).

You will be in confidence. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). Those who have taken this line with faith and love, always engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam, then from within . . . Kṛṣṇa is within you. We have no realization. Due to my material conception of life, I have no realization. So you have to realize that Kṛṣṇa is there, and you have to purify yourself by service attitude. Then Kṛṣṇa will reveal. You will see, eye to eye.

Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha . . . vice . . . rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva prakṛtiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ. Rākṣasī. Rākṣasī means those who are atheists, they are called rākṣasas. Rākṣasa and asura. Asura, they are always against God. They are called asura. And rākṣasa means they don't believe in God. So rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva prakṛtim. Why they . . .? That mohinīṁ prakṛtim. They are bewildered by this illusory material energy. They are . . .

They think, "This is all, and this life . . ." "There is no God. There is no life. Let us enjoy as far as possible. Squeeze out the extract of this matter." Squeezing, squeezing, they don't . . . they are frustrated, frustrated, moghāśā, baffled in every respect. Squeezing to take essence of this material pleasure, they are baffled. They are baffled. Don't you see this practically? "So much money, so much I have earned." They go to enjoy, fifty thousand dollar, hundred thousand dollar, squeezing—they do not find any pleasure. Simply squeezing, squeezing. Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇaḥ.

That is not the process to find out real pleasure. If you have to find out real pleasure, then you have to take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to be trained up in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will have to change your habits in this way. You will find ananta. Ramante yoginaḥ anante (CC Madhya 9.29), unlimited happiness which will never end. Never end.

Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande. That is real happiness, that does not end. Don't you see? Is there happiness in the material world, in your sense enjoyment, which does not end? It begins and ends, say, for few minutes or few hours or few seconds. It ends. But real happiness has no end. That is real happiness.

That you have to search, and for which you have to undertake some voluntary penance. You are trying to get the unlimited happiness, and you are not prepared to sacrifice anything? What is that sacrifice? You have to sacrifice little time. Come here and hear this Bhagavad-gītā and chant with us. Is it very great sacrifice? And you will learn everything, just to sacrifice little time. In former days they used to sacrifice their whole life for realizing self-realization. Deva-munīndra-guhyam (CC Madhya 22.42). Even the demigods, even great saintly persons, they sacrificed everything; still, they were unsuccessful. You see?

Now, for this age, Lord Caitanya mercifully has given you so much easiest process for God realization, there is no comparison. Simply to sacrifice a little time. Śravaṇam. Simply hear. You haven't got to pay any charges. Śravaṇam. Simply you have to sit down a little patiently and hear. You'll realize it. It is such a nice thing. Lord Caitanya, therefore, recommended this process. In this age no process will help you for self-realization but this process. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (SB 10.14.3).

If you be situated in whatever position you are, it doesn't matter. We are not going to enquire what you are: "Are you businessman, engineer, doctor, or police, or intelligent, or educated, non-educated, black, white?"—there is no question. No question. The only thing is that sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatām. Śruti-gatām means . . . śruti means this aural reception. You have to receive this word little submissively. Namanta eva. Don't think yourself that you are very mean, man of knowledge. Because our knowledge is very limited, so we should not be puffed up with false thinking that "I am very learned man." No. Just become a little gentle and submissive, and hear these messages from Kṛṣṇa.

Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Tanu. Tanu means your body, and vāṅ means your words, and mana means mind. Just try to adjust your mind, your body, your words, and hear the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā, which is spoken by the Supreme Lord, and put your arguments, put your reason, whatever you have got. Don't accept it blindly. And think over it, and then you'll see what is the result. This is . . .

So rākṣasīm. But in spite of all these facilities, the Lord says, the rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva, those who are rākṣasa . . . rākṣasa means almost man-eaters. Rākṣasa are called man-eaters, more than tiger. They, for their self-satisfaction, they can eat, I mean to say, even, even their own sons. You see? They are called rākṣasas. No shame. "My sense gratification should be satisfied. Never mind. You go to hell." So this is the age. So we, we create a machine that everyone comes and becomes smashed in that machine, and my sense satisfaction is there, although I'll never be happy by that sense satisfaction. This is going on.

You can know this world is now managed by the rākṣasas. Rākṣasa. They don't mind what is happening. They are prepared to sacrifice everything for fulfilling their whimsical nonsense. They are called rākṣasa. Rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva prakṛtiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ. Why they are? Now, they are very much enamored by this material beauty. Not beauty; the material civilization. So they cannot. They cannot understand. It is very difficult for them. They cannot understand. And they'll never try to understand, because they are rākṣasas. Then, who will understand God? Mahātmā.

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha

daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ

bhajanty ananya-manaso

jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

(BG 9.13)

And here it . . . "Those who are mahatma . . ." Mahātmā means one who has enlarged his heart. Enlarged his heart: "Oh, everything belongs to God, and I also belong to God." He's mahātmā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha: "My dear Arjuna, these mahātmās, they are not in . . . under the control of this material nature." One who can think that "Everything belongs to God, and I also belong to God. Therefore the supreme proprietor is God. Everything should be engaged in His service . . ." this is the qualification of mahātmā, broader. "God is great," and his heart is also has become great for serving the great. He's mahātmā.

Mahātmā, not a stamp, a political leader, mahātmā. Don't misunderstand. "I stamp you mahātmā by votes, and you become God. You become mahātmā," these are not accepted in Bhagavad-gītā. Mahātmā's description is there, that mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ: "He has taken the shelter of the superior, spiritual energy." As we have discussed many times, God has got many energies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8).

There are unlimited energies, different varieties of energy. Out of that, those who are in the knowledge, they have divided the whole energy into three divisions. What is that? Material energy, spiritual energy and marginal energy. This material energy you are seeing. And the spiritual energy, now we have no knowledge. But the marginal energy, something spirit, something matter, that we are, we living entity. I am . . . as I am, I am spirit. But I am mixed up with this matter. Therefore I am marginal energy, between spirit and matter.

I am combination of spirit and matter. As soon as I am spirit, I am away from this matter, this body becomes matter. "Dust thou art; dust thou beist." Yes. So those who are mahātmā, they have to take shelter of the spiritual energy. Of course, for God, every energy is His energy. Therefore He has no distinction what is spirit and what is matter. But for me, because I am in marginal energy, I have to make distinction that "This is spirit; this is matter."

So mahātmā, those who have broadened their heart for becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious or devoting himself for the service of the great . . . just like to . . . one . . . a government servant, important government servant, he also becomes important; similarly, God is great, and when you are engaged in His service you become great. You become great. That is called mahātmā. So as soon as you take shelter of the spiritual energy of the Supreme Lord, at once you become mahātmā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ.

And suppose now I have, I mean, identified with the greatness of the Supreme: ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This Vedic word is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am the . . . I am Brahman." But simply being puffed up, "I am Brahman, I become God," that is another rākṣasīm, another misleading. Here it is said that if you have become Brahman, then you must show your activities in Brahman. Because you are spirit; you are not inactive. To become Brahman does not mean that I become inactive. Oh, in matter I am so much active because I am Brahman. Although I am contaminated with matter, still, I am so active. And when I am purified from matter, do you mean to say my activities stop? What is this reasoning?

By nature I am active. By nature, because I am spirit, and by nature I am active. And my activities are exhibited even I am contaminated with this matter. And when you become purified from matter, do you think you shall be silent? Is there any reason? So do you . . .? To become Brahman does not mean to become void. No. To become Brahman means superior energy. With superior energy, we have to work with superior endeavor and superior energy and superior position. And therefore it is called, in the next line, bhajanty ananya-manaso: "One who has become mahātmā, his symptom is that he's fully engaged in the loving transcendental service of Kṛṣṇa." He is mahātmā.

How can you stop activity? Bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ, jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam. Why does he engage in that way? Because he understands that "If service has to be rendered, it is to Kṛṣṇa and nobody else. I have so long served my senses. Now I shall serve Kṛṣṇa, the proprietor of the senses." That is called mahātmā. You cannot stop your service, because you are meant for service.

Can you show, anybody within this meeting, anybody who does not serve? Is there anybody who does not serve anybody? You go outside, ask hundreds and thousands of people that, "Do you . . . don't you serve anybody?" You go to the president, Johnson. Ask him, "Don't you serve anybody?" "Oh, yes, I am serving the country." So who is out of service? Nobody is out of service. But he's serving the illusion. And as soon as he serves the Supreme, he becomes mahātmā. Service you cannot stop. But you have to stop your service to the nonsense, and you have to give service to the reality. Then you become mahātmā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. They are under the influence of the spiritual energy. They are no longer under the control of this material energy. So:

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha

daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ

bhajanty ananya-manaso

jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

(BG 9.13)

He transfers his service potency to the Supreme instead of serving the false. Instead of becoming baffled always, he wants to make some asset in his life by serving the Supreme. And how does service begins? Now that is also stated here. You see? Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). This kīrtana. This kīrtana, always chanting, glorifying. This is the beginning of mahātmā. So you come here. You chant. You become mahātmā.

Thank you very much. (end)