701217 - Lecture SB 06.01.32-33 - Surat

Lectures by Date, 1970

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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701217SB-SURAT - December 17, 1970 - 36:44 Minutes

(The text previously on this page is now: 701216 - Lecture SB 06.01.27-34 - Surat)

Prabhupāda:

ke yūyaṁ pratiṣeddhāro

dharma-rājasya śāsanam

ūcur niṣedhitās tāṁs te

vaisvasvata-puraḥ saraḥ

(SB 6.1.32)

So the constables of Yamarāja inquired from the Vaikuṇṭhadūta, the messengers of Vaikuṇṭha, that yūyaṁ pratiṣeddhāraḥ: "Why you are interrupting in our business?" Pratiṣeddhāraḥ. Pratiṣeddhāraḥ means the opposite element.

"Why you are opposing? We are Yamadūta. It is our duty to take away a sinful man, sinful soul, like Ajāmila, who was simply acting misdeeds throughout his whole life. Now, at the end of his life, we are authorized to take him to the Yamarāja. Why you are preventing us? Why you are interrupting in our business?"

kasya vā kuta āyātāḥ

kasmād asya niṣedhatha

kiṁ devā upadevā vā

yūyaṁ kiṁ siddha-sattamāḥ

(SB 6.1.33)

So because the Viṣṇudūtas were very beautiful, four-handed, exactly resembling Lord Viṣṇu . . . as I have explained, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka all the inhabitants, their feature of the body are exactly like Lord Viṣṇu, four-handed, with conch shell, lotus flower, club and disc. So they never saw Viṣṇudūta before, these Yamadūtas, because they go in an atmosphere where sinful activities are executed. But this time they were astonished that, "How these beautiful personalities are here?"

Kiṁ devā upadevā vā yūyaṁ kiṁ siddha-sattamāḥ. So, "Will you kindly let us know wherefrom you are coming? Are you coming from the Siddhaloka planet or heavenly planet?" Because in the material world nobody knows that there is a spiritual sky beyond this material sky . . .

As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmād tu bhava anyaḥ (BG 8.20): "There is another nature." This is one nature, material nature, where millions and trillions of universes are clustered together in the corner of the spiritual sky. This is only one universe, within which there are innumerable planets. But there are millions and trillions of universes also. That is material creation.

Material creation means one-fourth part of the whole creation. Three-fourths part is spiritual creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "This whole material world is existing in one fourth of My energy." Kiṁ devā upadevā vā bhṛśaṁ kiṁ siddha-sattamāḥ.

Sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ. They were very much satisfied by seeing the Viṣṇudūtas. Just like in your country they are very much satisfied by seeing your face. They have named you "bright-faced." Why? You are naturally very beautiful, but they understand, your countrymen, that you have become more beautiful by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's a fact. (aside) You can sit down there. This is disturbing.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that naturally it will make you beautiful—not black-faced, not morose—beautiful face. That is the sign of spiritual advancement. By the face you'll understand that, "Here is a man who is spiritually advanced." Pratyakṣam avagamaṁ dharmyam (BG 9.2). This process of spiritual consciousness can be directly perceived.

It is not theoretical, "Oh, I am a very great devotee." No. Simply theoretical understanding, "I am a great devotee . . ." From the very face it will be understood. Face is the index of mind, how you are thinking. If you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa always, then your face will be beautiful. Therefore it is called pratyakṣam avagamaṁ dharmyam, direct perception. There is no theoretical. It is practical. Pratyakṣyam avagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukham.

Then to become such spiritually advanced, is it very difficult task? No. Su-sukham: very easily and very happy. How it is happy? Happy because this spiritual consciousness is developed by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That is very pleasing. With music, with musical instrument we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. There is no trouble. Even a child can take part, experience. A child also claps; he also dances. So what can be easier method than this?

Any other method you take, you have to exercise, you have to tax your brain, press your nose, or so many other things. But here automatically you chant before ārātrika and you become spiritually enlightened. Even the child becomes. Therefore it is susukham, very happy to execute. Susukham kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). And whatever you do, little, that becomes a permanent asset, avyayam. It is never to be vanished. Even one percent of devotional service you execute, it will help you again to begin from that point.

So here is a description of the Vaikuṇṭha-puruṣā. Sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ (SB 6.1.34): "Your eyes are so beautiful, just like petals of the lotus flower." And pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ: saffron and yellow, these two kinds of colors of garments, because . . . those who are Māyāvādīs, impersonalists, they cannot understand that there is another, spiritual world and there are spiritual planets, and their inhabitants, their bodily features are like this, their dress are like . . . everything is there. But unfortunate persons, they cannot understand. They think everything is here.

They are that kūpa-maṇḍūka, frog philosophy, that the frog in the well, he cannot understand beyond that well. Similarly, these materialistic persons, frog, they cannot understand that there is a Pacific Ocean, or spiritual world. They are satisfied with this well, three-cubic-feet well. That's all.

And simply imagining, "God may be like this, may be like this, may be like this, and therefore I am God." So God is so easy that "Everyone is God. God is loitering in the street as daridra. God as Nārāyaṇa has become the poor, and I am so rich that I can provide Nārāyaṇa also." This is going on.

So, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Persons who are very much influenced by this materialistic way of thought, āsuri-bhāvam āśritāḥ, such persons are always engaged in misdeeds, duṣkṛtina. Misdeeds. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ. Why they are engaged in misdeeds? Because mūḍha. They do not know what is the responsibility of this human form of life. They are simply wasting their life in animal propensities, mūḍha.

Mūḍha is the symbol of an ass. He does not know. The ass does not know why he is working so hard for the washerman. He carries a very heavy load, but he does not know, "Why I am carrying so much heavy load?" That is the symbol of an ass. If you work so hard, you must know what benefit you are deriving out of it. But the ass does not know.

Similarly, the karmīs, they are very busy, very busy accumulating wealth. But he does not know what for he is doing so, why he is so laboring hard. Ṛṣabhadeva says that this life, human form of life, is not meant for so much hard working.

nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke

kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye

(SB 5.5.1)

Why people are taught to work so hard? Simply for morsel of bread and little sense gratification. So Ṛṣabhadeva says that that is done by the hogs and dogs. Daily they are whole day and night working, "Where is some food? Where is some stool?"

But that human form of life is meant for that purpose, working hard, so hard like hogs and dogs simply for fulfilling the belly and having a sex life? No. So they should be taught for tapasya.

nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke

kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye

tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet

(SB 5.5.1)

Ṛṣabhadeva was advising, instructing His sons, "My dear boys, this life is meant for tapo-divyam, for spiritual realization, austerity. That should be taught."

So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching that tapa. Tapa means you have to accept voluntarily some difficulties. Actually, it is not difficulty, because . . . just like somebody smoking, and we are advising, "Don't smoke." The smoker may feel some inconvenience. But if he voluntarily suffers that inconvenience, that is called tapasya.

Actually he will not die, but because he is practiced to so many nonsense habits, he feels difficulty to give it up. From the birth he is not a drunkard, from birth he is not a smoker, but by bad association, so-called civilized association, he becomes a drunkard, he becomes a smoker, he becomes a woman hunter, he becomes a gambler—sinful life.

So to advance in spiritual life one has to give up all these sinful activities; otherwise it is not possible. Some rascal says that, "You can do whatever you like. It has nothing to do with your religiousness." This is nonsense. Religious life means to approach God, and God is pure. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Pavitra.

Kṛṣṇa is addressed by Arjuna, pavitram. In the Upaniṣad it is said, Īśopaniṣad, apāpa-viddham (ISO 8). God cannot be infected by sinful activities. That is God's . . . just like we are infected by sinful activities, God is not like that. There is Absolute. So He is always pure. So we have to make ourselves purified before we can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So these are sinful activities: illicit sex life and meat-eating, unnecessarily killing the animals. Why should you kill animals? If God has given you so many nice foodstuffs—varieties of fruit, varieties of grain, sufficient milk—why should you take to this obnoxious foodstuff? But it is ill luck, unfortunate. By ill association they'll learned all this nonsense. So therefore one has to give up these nonsense habits. That is called tapasya. Tapo divyam.

Why tapasya? Divyam: for spiritual realization. Why it is necessary? Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattva. Your existence will be purified, because . . . just like in diseased condition we cannot relish very palatable foodstuff. A man, jaundice, suffering from jaundice, if you give him something just like candy, sugar candy, he'll taste it as bitter because he is suffering from jaundice. But sugar candy is not bitter. Similarly, in our diseased condition, this material body, actually you cannot taste real happiness. That is not possible. Therefore we have to cure the disease.

Bhagavad-gītā therefore says curing the disease means janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-doṣa . . . kleśa-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Those who are actually advancing in spiritual life, they should always keep in front that, "We may advance in so many things, but these four things—birth, death, old age and disease—cannot be solved by our so-called material advancement of science." And Bhagavad-gītā points out that you should always keep these four principles of misery in front. Then you'll be able to advance in spiritual path.

And if you become callous—"Oh, death takes place. What is that?"—why you should die? You are not subjected to death. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Even after the destruction of this body you do not die. "Then why should I accept this material body?" This is intelligence. This is science. "I do not want to be old. Why I become old?" Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. Because the living entity is eternal, so why he should become old? Kṛṣṇa never becomes old. Kṛṣṇa's picture you have never seen old. Similarly, you also cannot become old.

So these questions do not arise. They are simply, I mean to say, engrossed with animal propensities—eating, sleeping, mating and defending—as if these are the problems. These are no problems. We have created these problems. Eating is no problem. The animals, they do not endeavor for doing some work for eating. Eating is already there.

The birds, beasts are eating. Similarly, human body, eating is there. For example, we are, these forty heads, we are traveling. So eating is already there. Before our coming, our Padubhai has arranged for our eating. So why should we think for eating? (laughter)

So . . . but actually that is the fact. There is no problem of eating. They have created this problem. God has given enough food. In America they throw away foodstuff in the ocean. You see? This is nonsense. Because they have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they do not know that these food grains belong to Kṛṣṇa. He has sent. So instead of throwing in the ocean, it should be dispatched to the countries where there is scarcity.

There cannot be any scarcity. Pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Everything created by God is sufficiently pūrṇam. Pūrṇāt pūrṇam. It is . . . there is arrangement of raining; there is arrangement of producing. We simply, so-called rascals, so-called politicians, they have created all this trouble by . . . for their political ambition. Just like our politicians created the Pakistan and Hindustan. So all the foodstuff is there in Pakistan. Rice is in East Bengal and wheat is in East Pakistan. So this Hindustan is in shortage, in short of wheat and rice.

So this is the creation of the politicians. By God's arrangement everything is complete. Therefore you have to change the whole consciousness of the people if you want to be happy. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (devotees offer obeisances) (break)

Devotee (1): You were talking about Ajāmila, and I would like to know what is the difference between the planetary systems that the earth here, or the universe, that is the planetary system the universe, or is there something beyond the planetary system which it is situated in? I do not not understand the difference between planetary system and the universe.

Prabhupāda: Universe is a covering just like a football, and within that, there are planetary systems. And these football-like universes, they are floating in the Virajā water, where Mahā-Viṣṇu is lying. So each universe is covered.

Revatīnandana: Like a coconut?

Prabhupāda: Eh? Yes.

Revatīnandana: Like a coconut half filled with water?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa. Jagad-aṇḍa means this universe, aṇḍa, round sphere. Koṭi. Koṭi means innumerable.

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-

koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam

(Bs. 5.40)

And in each of them there are innumerable planets, and each planet, the atmosphere is different from one another. Vibhūti-bhinnam. Just like sun planet. It is a different thing from this planet, but . . . and the moon planet is a different thing from this planet. And the scientists, they are thinking that the sun planet being fiery, there cannot be any living entity. No. There are. There are living entities. Their bodies are also fiery. Fire is also one of the elements. Here we have body with material elements. Major portion is earth, and their major portion is fire. So somewhere major portion is water.

So therefore there are vibhūti-bhinnam, different atmosphere. That is God's creation.

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-

koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam

tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.40)

Govinda's bodily rays is brahma-jyotir. The impersonalists, by their ascending process they realize brahma-jyotir and they think, "This is end." No. You have to go further, further. Brahmaṇo 'haṁ pratiṣṭhā, Kṛṣṇa says. "I am the," what is called . . . "reservoir, or the background of this brahma-jyotir." Background. Because Kṛṣṇa is there, therefore brahma-jyotir is there. You'll find always in Kṛṣṇa's picture there is an auri. It is called auri?

Haṁsadūta: Aura.

Prabhupāda: Aura.

Revatīnandana: When Kṛṣṇa appeared . . . I think the translation in Bhagavad-gītā begins that, "I am the source . . ."

Prabhupāda: (aside) Sit down.

Revatīnandana: That, "I am the source of impersonal Brahma, which is eternal, and the constitutional position of ultimate happiness." Does that mean that because everything in the spiritual sky is situated in the brahma-jyotir, that therefore it is the position of ultimate happiness?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Revatīnandana: Or is it because Kṛṣṇa is situated in the spiritual sky, therefore the spiritual sky is the position where there is ultimate happiness to be found?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Revatīnandana: That is the understanding?

Prabhupāda: Yes. In the spiritual sky you will find happiness, real happiness. In the material sky there is no happiness. How it can be happiness, because the four things are there, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)? If you think it is happiness in spite of your death, then you are a fool. You do not want to be a dead man, but you are forced to accept death. You do not want to become old man, but you are forced to accept. And these things, if you accept—happiness—that is your foolishness.

Vyādhi. Jarā-vyādhi, disease. If you are constantly suffering from various types of diseases and if you think that you are happy, that is another foolishness. Therefore Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam (SB 5.5.5), that "All the foolish persons who are born foolish, all their activities are defeat for them unless they are enlightened to inquire about ātma-tattvam."

So in the modern education there is no department for inquiring about ātma-tattvam. And they are proud of advancement of learning. But Bhāgavata says, parābhava: "These are all defeat." They do not know what is ātmā, what is ātma-tattva. They are identifying, "I am this body." "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Gujarati," "I am Bengali," "I am this," "I am that."

Yasyātmā-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Anyone who identifies himself with this body, he is nothing but ass and cow. And that is going on. We are fighting, nations and nations, community and community, religious party and religious party—because due to the misidentification of body.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness begins when one is above this bodily concept of life. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). These are upādhis, designations. So these Kṛṣṇa conscious boys and girls, they are no longer thinking that, "I am American," "I am Canadian," "I am French," "I am German." No. "I am Indian." No. They know certainly that, "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. I am eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa." And that is our real identity. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are no more interested to be identified as American or European. And this is knowledge. And this is mukti. If one is under the misconception that, "I am American," "I am Indian," then how there is mukti? There is no mukti. Mukti means svarupena avasthiti: to stay in his own constitutional position. That is called mukti.

So this movement is very important movement. Everyone should be seriously study and execute this. Don't be carried away by the illusory ideas of material existence. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). It is very easy. If you simply chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12)—immediately all the misconception within your heart will be cleansed. This is misconception, "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmiṇ," "I am Gujarati," "I am Bengali." These are all misconceptions. You are part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa. That is your identity.

So that can be realized. The easiest process is this chanting Hare . . . ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam (CC Antya 20.12). And next stage is that the blazing fire of this material existence will be extinguished immediately. Here in our disciples you will find Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Africans. They are all absorbed in Kṛṣṇa thoughts, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. They have lost all these misgivings, upādhi, designation, nonsense designation. The nonsense designation is the cause of their bondage.

So let us realize that we are not this, not this. We are eternally . . . just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately says, gives to you the highest philosophy, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108). Taṭasthā-śakti jāta acintya bhedābheda-prakāśa. In two lines He has given the whole idea of jīva-tattva. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa. You can explain in so many book these two lines. The real identity of the living entity is that he is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.

'Haṁsadūta:' What is the second line? Jīvera svarūpa . . .

Prabhupāda: Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa, taṭasthā-śakti acintya bhedābheda, taṭastha-śakti prakāśa. The jīva is the manifestation of the marginal potency of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has many potencies. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8, Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport)—the Vedic injunction. The Absolute Truth has many varieties of energy.

Those energies are consolidated into three divisions: spiritual energy, material energy and marginal energy. So these jīvas are products of this marginal energy, bhedābheda prakāśa. Bhedābheda means . . . bheda means different, and abheda means one. So jīva is one and different simultaneous. He is one in quality; he is different in quantity. So when you are free from all these designations:

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ

tat-paratvena nirmalam

hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa

sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

(CC Madhya 19.170)

At that time, when we are purified, when we have purified our senses, when in that sense we shall engage ourself in the matter of satisfying the owner of the senses, Hṛṣīkeśa—Kṛṣṇa is Hṛṣīkeśa—that is called bhakti. Bhakti is not a sentiment. Bhakti is practical, by purified senses. (break) (end)