720917 - Lecture SB 01.03.11-12 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720917SB-LOS ANGELES - September 17, 1972 - 49:16 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (Govindam prayers playing; sings along) (leads singing of Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava) (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to Ācāryadeva. (obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Thank you. Hmm.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, Chapter 3, text 11. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

ṣaṣṭham atrer apatyatvaṁ

vṛtaḥ prāpto 'nasūyayā

ānvīkṣikīm alarkāya

prahlādādibhya ūcivān

(SB 1.3.11)

Prabhupāda: Ladies. (corrects pronunciation) Strong ū, ūcivān. (another lady chants; corrects pronunciation) That's all. Word meaning?

Pradyumna:

ṣaṣṭham—the sixth one; atreḥ—of Atri; apatyatvam—sonship; vṛtaḥ—being prayed for; prāptaḥ—obtained; anasūyayā—by Anasūyā; ānvīkṣikīm—on the subject of transcendence; alarkāya—unto Alarka; prahlāda-ādibhyaḥ—unto Prahlāda etc; ūcivān—spoke.

Translation: "The sixth incarnation of the puruṣa was the son of the sage Atri. He was born in the womb of Anasūyā, who prayed for an incarnation. He spoke on the subject of transcendence to Alarka, Prahlāda and others (Yadu, Haihaya, etc.)."

Prabhupāda: Purport?

Pradyumna: "The Lord incarnated Himself as Dattātreya, the son of Ṛṣi Atri and Anasūyā. The history of the birth of Dattātreya as an incarnation of the Lord is mentioned in the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa in connection with the story of the devoted wife. It is said there that Anasūyā, the wife of Ṛṣi Atri, prayed before the lords Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva as follows: 'My lords, if you are pleased with me and if you desire me to ask from you some sort of blessings, then I pray that you combine together to become my son.' This was accepted by the lords, and as Dattātreya the Lord expounded the philosophy of the spirit soul and especially instructed Alarka, Prahlāda, Yadu, Haihaya, etc."

Prabhupāda: So here we see that you can have God as your son. There are so many instances. Just like Devakī got Kṛṣṇa as his (her) son: Mother Yaśodā got God as his (her) son—Śacī-mātā, (s)he also got Caitanya Mahāprabhu as son. So this is better philosophy than to accept God as father. That is especially in the Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Others, the impersonalist, voidist, they have no conception of God.

Voidists—"Ultimately everything is zero," and the impersonalists, "God has no form." Both are the same thing, in a different language. The voidists, they say, "Ultimately there is nothing but zero," and the impersonalist statement that, "Maybe something, but it is not person, it is imperson."

Therefore in the Padma Purāṇa this Buddhist theory, voidism, and the Śaṅkara's theory, impersonalism, they are taken as one and the same. Pracchannaṁ bauddham ucyate. Pracchannaṁ bauddham. The Buddhists, they decline to accept the authority of Vedas, and the Māyāvādī, the impersonalist, they wanted to accept the authority of Vedas, but under the garb of Buddhism.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given His remark, veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta' nāstika (CC Madhya 6.168). According to Vedic line of thought, anyone who does not accept the authority of Vedas, he is called atheist. Just like the Muhammadans, they also call kafir. One who does not accept the authority of Koran, they call kafir. And the Christians also, they call heathens. So there are different terms.

So according to our Vedic line of thought, anyone who does not accept the Vedic way of life, he is called atheist. Therefore Buddhist, according to Vedāntist, Buddhist are called atheist. Actually Buddha philosophy does not accept God, neither soul. They simply philosophize on the material elements, and they want to finish the material exis . . . dismantle the material elements. Nirvāṇa. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has remarked that the Buddhists are honest. They frankly say that "We don't accept your Vedas." But the Śaṅkarites, they are cheaters, because they are accepting Vedas, but on the basis of Buddha philosophy. That is cheating.

So there are many conception of God. But here is a conception of God: to accept God as son. That is only in Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Because we are eternal servants of God. That is our philosophy. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). The living entity, his real constitutional position is to serve God. We have several times explained this fact, that the part and parcel of God must be engaged in the service of the Lord.

Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. Its duty is to serve the body. It has no other duty. The finger cannot go elsewhere and serve something else; it must serve my body. Therefore, it is part and parcel. Similarly, if I am part and parcel of God, then my only duty is to serve God. This is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. So therefore, in Vaiṣṇava philosophy, everything in relationship with God is service.

You have seen the picture in our Nectar of Devotion. Kṛṣṇa's friends . . . Kṛṣṇa is resting; they are all engaged in service. Somebody is fanning, somebody is massaging. Although they are friends, there is equality. None of them think that Kṛṣṇa is greater than them. No. They think, "Kṛṣṇa is our friend, very nice friend, very beautiful friend, and very powerful friend." Every day they go to the forest, and they see one demon is killed by Kṛṣṇa. So they become very much devoted. Their love for Kṛṣṇa increased by seeing Kṛṣṇa's activities, beauty, opulence. Similarly, the gopīs.

So they did not think Kṛṣṇa is God. They did not know. Even Mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja, all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they did not know, neither they did care to know whether Kṛṣṇa is God or not. They simply loved Kṛṣṇa, without any identification. We are worshiping God, Kṛṣṇa, because we are impressed with so many things, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, He is the Absolute Truth.

And therefore we are little inclined, "All right, let us serve Kṛṣṇa if He is God." You see? There is some condition: "If Kṛṣṇa is God, so if I do not love, if I do not worship, there may be something wrong." So that is business. But amongst the gopīs and the cowherds boy and the Vṛndāvana inhabitants, there is no business. "We love Kṛṣṇa unconditionally. That's all. We do not know anything except Kṛṣṇa." This is Vṛndāvana atmosphere.

So Mother Yaśodā, Nanda and other elderly gopīs, they used to treat Kṛṣṇa as son, as beloved son. Because if we accept God as father or mother . . . there is conception of mother also. The śāktas . . . there are many devotees of Durgā, Kālī, they also accept the mother. The Christian accept as father. The conception of father and mother, that is good, but there is little service. Because children, they take service from the mother and father. They give . . . render very little service to the father and mother.

Every children, every man, every woman has taken so much services from the father and mother. Everyone knows that. Just like those who are mothers here, how much service they are giving to the little children, how much careful they are that their child may not be in some difficulty. Always anxious. Similarly, this philosophy, to accept God as son means opportunity for rendering more service than to accept God as father.

God is neither father nor . . . he is father. Actually He is father, because He is the origin of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Kṛṣṇa also says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Pitā means father. So actually, God's position is father. He is father of everything. Not . . . all living entities, all material energy. As . . . if you discover something, it is called "The father of this scientific discovery." So He has discovered everything, material and spiritual both.

Therefore He is original father of everyone. Not only of the living entities, but also stones, woods, earth, water, fire—everything He has created. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva . . . prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā, bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4), in the Bhagavad-gītā. So He has created everything. He is actually the father. But out of love, the devotees, they accept the father as son, to give more service. Father is obliged to give service to the son. He has given birth; therefore he has obligation to maintain the son, to give service.

So here, if you accept God as son, then you cannot avoid the obligation of service. In other way you can avoid. This is compulsory. Therefore sometimes devotees, they pray . . . here it is said, prayed for. "The sixth incarnation of the puruṣa was the son of the sage Atri. He was born in the womb of Anasūyā, who prayed for an incarnation." She requested that, "You all three, you become my son." So next.

Pradyumna: Next verse?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse)

tataḥ saptama ākūtyāṁ

rucer yajño 'bhyajāyata

sa yāmādyaiḥ sura-gaṇair

apāt svāyambhuvāntaram

(SB 1.3.12)

(devotees chant, Prabhupāda corrects pronunciation)

Prabhupāda: All right. Word meaning?

Pradyumna:

tataḥ—after that; saptame—the seventh in the line; ākūtyām—in the womb of Ākūti; ruceḥ—by Prajāpati Ruci; yajñaḥ—the Lord's incarnation as the name; abhyajāyata—advented; saḥ—He; yāma-ādyaiḥ—along with Yāma etc; sura-gaṇaiḥ—demigods; svāyambhuva-antaram—the change of the Svāyambhuva Manu period; apāt—ruled over.

Translation: "The seventh incarnation in the line was advented as Yajña, the son of Prajāpati Ruci and his wife Ākūti. He controlled the period changed by the Svāyambhuva Manu, assisted by the demigods as His son Yama and others."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So you are marking that so many incarnation of God have been described. We are now in the seventh. So there is chronological number, which incarnation, what is His chronological number, what is His father's name, what is His mother's name, what are His activities, how the bodily feature, what is the mission. Everything is described in the śāstra.

Nowadays any rascal comes, and he says: "I am incarnation." So, "What is your father's name? What is . . . where it is described? Whether in the śāstra?" Because incarnation, we cannot accept any rascal as incarnation without proper identification. But it has become a fashion now. Any rascal comes, says: "I am incarnation of God." So where is the mention? Some rascal says: "I was formerly Rāma and Kṛṣṇa." Another rascal accepts, "Oh, you were Rāma and Kṛṣṇa?"

So this kind of rascalism is not very good. You must accept the incarnation of God according to the description in the śāstras. Not one rascal cheats you and you also become another rascal to accept it. Don't do that. You must know what are the indication of incarnation. This question was raised by Sanātana Gosvāmī to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Because in this age of Kali, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's incarnation is stated in the śāstra, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the Upaniṣad, in Mahābhārata. There are evidences. He appeared as the son of Jagannātha Miśra, but His incarnation is stated in the śāstra. Therefore we accept Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as incarnation.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu never said that, "I am incarnation." Rather, to warn the ordinary people that they should not accept any so-called incarnation, when somebody stated Caitanya Mahāprabhu that, "You are incarnation of Kṛṣṇa," He immediately blocked His ears, "Don't say like that. It is great offense, great offense." Because He was playing the part of devotee. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was teaching us how to execute devotional service. And He deprecated Māyāvāda philosophy in so many ways. He was to establish the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He was exemplifying Himself, how to become a devotee. So He never mentioned that He is incarnation. But we understand from the features of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that He is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa.

It is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam (SB 11.5.32). Kṛṣṇa-varṇam. Kṛṣṇa varṇayati: or in the category of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam. And tviṣā akṛṣṇa, by His complexion He is not black. Akṛṣṇa. Akṛṣṇa means not black. So not black. It may be other color? Yes. That may be. But in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said . . . when Gargamuni was preparing the horoscope of Kṛṣṇa, he said, śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ. Incarnation of God, either white, śuklaṁ raktaṁ, either red, yellow or black. These colors accepted.

So Gargamuni said, śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ (SB 10.8.13): "Your son, this son, formerly He appeared in white color, in red color, in yellow color. Now He has appeared in black color." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was yellow color. Therefore, when it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, tviṣā akṛṣṇam, "He is not black," that means "He is pīta, He is yellow." Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam (SB 11.5.32): "He is always associated by His devotees."

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so long He lived on this planet, He was always associated with devotees. The most confidential devotees, Caitanya Mahāprabhu: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, the central point, prabhu nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. So sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, kṛṣṇa-varṇam. He is always chanting "Kṛṣṇa." He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, tviṣā akṛṣṇam, but His bodily complexion is not like Kṛṣṇa. And other feature: sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, and He is always associated with His devotees. They are His soldiers. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam.

In other incarnation, Kṛṣṇa comes with weapon. As Lord Rāmacandra He came with bows and arrows. As Kṛṣṇa He came with disc and club. Here, Kṛṣṇa has come compassionately to distribute mercy to the fallen souls, so He has not taken any astra, any weapon. His weapon is His associate devotee. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's associate, Nityānanda Prabhu, He is going to kill Jagāi and Mādhāi not by weapon, but by His mercy. He went to preach Jagāi and Mādhāi, the drunkards, the woman-hunters, flesh-eaters, and they hurt Him. Still, He delivered them.

So these astra . . . this is the astra. By argument, by philosophy, by entreating, by flattering They are giving Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Advaita Prabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu. Yes. Otherwise, they are already killed. Kṛṣṇa, if He kills them, then everything is finished. They are already killed by so many bad habits. They are going to hell. So those who are already killed, so what will be benefit by killing them? So deliver them. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. This is the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. It is stated. And how He is worshiped? Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32).

The worshiping method of Lord Caitanya incarnation of Kṛṣṇa is not very difficult. Simply yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ. You perform this yajña of saṅkīrtana: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was a minister. So to confirm this, he asked Caitanya Mahāprabhu that, "How I can accept somebody as incarnation?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that, "That is not difficult. Everything is stated in the śāstras, and from the evidence of śāstra, you can accept who is incarnation."

So our point is that you do not become so foolish and rascal that any rascal comes and poses himself as God, incarnation of God . . . you kick on their face. Please consult the śāstras whether his name, his father's name, his mother's name, his features of the body, his activities are corroborating with the śāstra. Then accept. Otherwise don't.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. All glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Begin.

(kīrtana) (break) (end)