661209 - Lecture CC Madhya 20.144-146 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1966

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

661201CC.NY - December 01, 1966

Prabhupāda:

vedādi sakala śāstre kṛṣṇa-mukhya sambandha

tāṅra jñāne ānuṣaṅge yāya māyā-bandha

The . . . Lord Caitanya, summarizing the purport of the Vedic knowledge, He says that vedādi sakala śāstre kṛṣṇa-mukhya sambandha. All the Vedas, all the Vedic literature, all scripture, all over the world, all over the universe—What? What is meant? What is the purpose of the scripture? The purpose is to understand Kṛṣṇa. That's all. He is summarizing the whole thing, that "All purposes of different types of scriptures, Vedas, they are meant for realizing what is Kṛṣṇa." That's all.

Tāṅra jñāne ānuṣaṅge yāya māyā-bandha. Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, one becomes automatically liberated from this material entanglement. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person hasn't got to make separate endeavor and attempt to become liberated. The more you understand Kṛṣṇa, the more you become liberated, ānuṣaṅge, as a by-product.

Just see how material entanglement, this body. At any moment, at any moment you can be finished. You cannot be finished, but your all activities is.

So therefore we should be very careful, because we have to pull on with this body. Because unless you are perfectly in understanding of Kṛṣṇa, there is no release from this body. It is not that, "I want to get release myself from this body, therefore I cut my throat and I get release." No. That is not possible. You have to be completely detached from this body, and that can be possible when you come . . . when you understand at least something about Kṛṣṇa.

You cannot know Kṛṣṇa completely. That is not possible. He is unlimited. But even a little knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, preliminary knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, will make you liberated from this material entanglement. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt (BG 2.40).

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so valuable that even little progress will make you liberated from this material entanglement. He is citing another nice verse from Padma Purāṇa. There are eighteen Purāṇas. Out of that, this Padma Purāṇa is one of the most important Purāṇas.

vyāmohāya carācarasya jagatas te purāṇāgamās

tāṁ tām eva hi devatāṁ paramikāṁ jalpantu kalpāvadhi

siddhānte punar eka eva bhagavān viṣṇuḥ samastāgama-

vyāpāreṣu vivecana-vyatikaraṁ nīteṣu niścīyate

(CC Madhya 20.145)

In different Purāṇas . . . these Purāṇas are made just to complete Vedic knowledge, or supplementary addition to the Vedic literature. Because Vedic literature is very difficult to understand, therefore they have been expanded by the Purāṇas for different classes of men.

So there are three divisions of the Purāṇas: sattvika purāṇa, rājasika purāṇa and tamasika purāṇa. Sattvika purāṇa is meant for the higher class of people who are in transcendental knowledge of Brahman, Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rājasika purāṇa are meant for those who are aspiring to have improvement of material condition. And tamasika purāṇa are meant for those who are in the lowest stage of . . . little, just like animal life, and to develop them the Purāṇa is helping them to come to the second and first stage.

So in the Purāṇas there are worship of different demigods. Just like in the tamasika purāṇa there is description of the worship of Goddess Kālī. You have seen perhaps the picture of Goddess Kālī, a black female standing with sword and cutting the heads of so many people like that, that picture, Goddess Kālī. And animal sacrifice is offered before Goddess Kālī. So such kind of worship is mentioned in the tamasika purāṇa. The purpose of such worship and demigods, I, several times I have explained to you.

So Padma Purāṇa is a sattvika purāṇa, for men who are in the modes of goodness. So here it said that although in the different Purāṇa, Purāṇas there are recommendation for worshiping different kinds of demigods, but at the conclusion it is found that Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, He is all in all. All in all. Just like . . . you have not seen in India. Even there is worship of any other demigod, just like Durgā-pūjā, so even in that paraphernalia of gorgeous worshiping arrangement, when the worship will begin, the first worship is offered to Viṣṇu, Yajñeśvara, because, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajante anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20): "Those who are mad after material sense gratification, they go and worship other demigods to have some immediate reward." And they get it. But how they get it? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayaiva vihitān hi tān (BG 7.22): "They cannot have that reward without My sanction."

Because the demigods, they are also subordinate servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore the demigods, although they can give you the reward which you want, but with the permission of the Supreme Lord. Because they are not fools. If somebody, some of you, somebody comes, outsider, and asks from this institution, our Society, that "Please give me this," so you can deliver it, but you will take permission from me. That is a common custom. Similarly, the demigods also, they cannot offer their reward without sanction of Viṣṇu. Mayaiva vihitān hi tān. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām (BG 7.23).

Therefore Viṣṇu is present there. He . . . in the midst of worshiping other demigods, Viṣṇu is presented. That is the system in Vedic process. So therefore Viṣṇu is Supreme. Why Viṣṇu's sanction is required? Therefore it is understood, although in different Purāṇas different types of worship for different types of demigods are recommended, but the ultimate sanction is of Viṣṇu. Therefore Viṣṇu becomes supreme.

So from this verse, Lord Caitanya wants to impress upon us that "Don't be misguided for worshiping different demigods. The ultimate issue—the Viṣṇu is worshipable." Ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param (Padma Purāṇa).

Even in the Śiva Purāṇa it is stated that Pārvatī, the wife of Lord Śiva, he was, she was asking Lord Śiva that "Sir, worship . . . which . . . which worship is the best?" There are different kinds of worship mentioned in the Vedic literature. So Lord Śiva replied, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param: "There are different kinds of worship, but the best and the supreme worship is worship of Viṣṇu." Then again he gives more stress:

ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ

viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param

tasmāt parataraṁ devī

tadīyānām ārādhanam

(Padma Purāṇa)

"And more than Viṣṇu worship is to worship the devotee of Viṣṇu." Tasmāt parataraṁ. Viṣṇu ārādhanam is the best. And better than the best worship is to worship the devotees of Viṣṇu, Vaiṣṇava. This is recommended in the Śiva Purāṇa.

So Lord Caitanya making an analytical study of the Vedic literature, and He is giving His conclusion. This is called mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186).

We have to follow the footprints of great ācāryas. Lord Caitanya is playing the part of an ācārya; so His conclusion should be taken. Lord Kṛṣṇa said also that kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajanti anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20): "Those who are worshipers of other demigods, they are mad after sense gratification." Oh, that means they are third-class men. Those who are mad after sense gratification, they are not considered first-class men because they are not transcendentalists; they are materialists, just like animals. They do not know anything. Simply sense gratification—āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna (Hitopadeśa 25): eating, sleeping, mating and defending—that is their business.

So those who are engrossed in the matter of sense gratification only, they are not in higher position. Therefore hṛta-jñānāḥ. Hṛta-jñānāḥ means those who have lost their sense. For sense gratification they have lost their sense. Hṛta-jñānāḥ. So Lord Caitanya wants to say that "Don't be hṛta-jñānāḥ. Don't be hṛta-jñānāḥ, or senseless. Be," I mean to say, "senseful."

mukhya-gauṇa-vṛtti, kiṁvā anvaya-vyatireke

vedera pratijñā kevala kahaye kṛṣṇake

(CC Madhya 20.146)

In any way you study Vedas—directly, indirectly, this way or that way—the conclusion is that the objective is Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya says. And in the Bhagavad-gītā also we get the same information. You will find in the teachings of Bhagavad . . . Lord Caitanya, the same thing as in the Bhagavad-gītā. That is the beauty of teachings of all ācāryas, that you won't find any deviation from the teachings of Kṛṣṇa and the teachings of ācāryas.

Therefore it is said, ācāryavān . . . ācāryavān puruṣo veda (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.14.2): "One who has the guidance of a bona fide ācārya, he knows things. He knows things, what it is." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda: "One who is under the guidance of bona fide ācārya, he knows things, what they are."

So Kṛṣṇa also, as spiritual master of Arjuna, He played. He is the original ācārya. Then ācārya's disciple becomes ācārya when he assimilates the knowledge received from bona fide ācārya. So he becomes bona fide to act as an ācārya. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2).

Ācārya means one who has become a rigid disciple of his ācārya. Just like a critical student under a professor, he becomes a first-class professor, similarly, a person who is a very rigid student of bona fide ācārya, he becomes next ācārya. That is the . . . evaṁ paramparā-prāptam. This is the disciplic succession. So as in the Bhagavad-gītā five thousand years before, Lord Kṛṣṇa said, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15): "The purpose of all Vedic literature, conclusion, is that to understand Me, Kṛṣṇa." By understanding Kṛṣṇa, immediate liberation. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

janma karma me divyaṁ

yo jānāti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti kaunteya

(BG 4.9)

Anyone who can understand critically and in truth about the appearance, disappearance, activities, transcendental activities, pastimes, of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, at once he becomes liberated. Tyaktvā deham: "This person who has known like that," tyaktvā dehaṁ, "by quitting this body," punar janma naiti, "he never . . . no more he takes another material body." Then what does he do? Mām eti: "He comes to Me."

So simply by understanding what is Kṛṣṇa, one becomes liberated. Vedas, knowledge of Vedas, means to become liberated. The knowledge of Veda is set in such a way that they are directing that, "You have come here to enjoy this material world, so you try to enjoy in this systematic way."

Just like government gives you facility. You want to do some business; the government gives you all facility, but under certain rules and regulation, not that whatever you like, you can do. No. You have to get license to do any sort of business. Even if you do any nonsense, still, you have to follow the rules and regulation of the government.

So Vedas means that we conditioned souls, who have come here in this material world to become an imitation Kṛṣṇa, enjoyer . . . because Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer, and we are all here imitation enjoyer. Imitation. Frogs. Frogs philosophers. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He has given you all facility, "All right, you enjoy. You build up. You construct skyscrapers and again break it and again do it. Do it and waste your time."

So He gives us facility. He supplies us materials, "All right, you take material." Because He has no scarcity, pūrṇam, He is complete, so whatever you go on taking, you take, you build and break and keep it again. Dig earth and make high building, and again break it and fill it up. This is your business. Go on doing that and waste your valuable time.

Your life is meant for realizing your self, self-realization, and get out of this material entanglement. But if you want to waste in that way, well, Kṛṣṇa will give you all facility. Waste. This is going on. Therefore Vedas, they give you instruction, "All right, you want to enjoy? Just try to enjoy this way, so that by following the Vedic principles you will come to this stage of liberation." And what is that? Knowing Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). By study of Vedas, when you come to that conclusion, that Kṛṣṇa is everything, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19): "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is everything," sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ: "That great soul is very rare."

So similarly, as Kṛṣṇa says, this is called disciplic succession. Lord Caitanya, although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but He has accepted the disciplic succession from Kṛṣṇa. I have given you the process of disciplic succession: from Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā; from Brahmā, Nārada; from Nārada, Vyāsa; from Vyāsa, Madhva; from Madhva, Mādhavendra Purī; from Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī; from Īśvara Purī, Lord Caitanya. So evaṁ paramparā.

In the paramparā system in that disciplic succession, you will find no change. The original word is there. That is the thing. They are not foolish, to manufacture something new. What new? People are after something new manufactured by this tiny brain. What new you can manufacture? That is all nonsense. If you want really thing, then you have to take the old, the oldest. You cannot change anything. Can you change any law of the sun rising or sun setting? The old laws, they are going on, and you have to follow.

So you cannot manufacture anything. The same seasons are coming for millions of years. As there were system of change of season, that is going on. Millions of years before, the sunrise, sunset, was going on. That is . . . millions of millions of years, the death was there. That is going on. And the birth was there. That is going on. And disease was there. That is going on. So what you can change? You are simply foolishly wasting your time. There is no possibility of changing the laws of nature. It is simply futile attempt.

Therefore those who are sane people, they understand that this life is meant for not fighting with the material laws, which I cannot change. Better stop this nonsense and realize yourself what you are, what is your duty, and what is the human form of life is meant for. And that is stated here, that you have to realize Kṛṣṇa. You have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your your life's mission is fulfilled.

Thank you. (end)