730312 - Lecture Bengali - Calcutta

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730312LE-CALCUTTA Bengali - March 12, 1973 - 22:24 Minutes

(Translated from Bengali)

The Sun, from millions of years giving us light, giving us heat, but he has not lost its power. If this is possible for a dead matter, then how God will be Form-less after creating unlimited universes with His power? This is what kind of Lila? Nowadays a father gives birth to 1 to 2 or 4 sons. Then father of 100 sons- Father of Bharat Mahārāja, Hrishakdev has 100 sons, Dhritarastra has also 100 sons. They are big big kings. Their descriptions are there in history. From this we can assume that then common people could also give birth to 100-200 sons. Then there was no increase of population. But now a days without giving birth of a child or after giving birth to 1-2 child population is increasing. What kind of justification is this? Then after giving birth of 100-200 sons there was no population increase, but now it is increasing after giving birth to 2-4 sons. God id also father. After giving birth of 100 sons why He will become formless? In the same way God is saying: Sarva jonisu Kounteya - whatever types of joni is there, Aham bijaprada Pita. I am the seed giving father. God has created innumerous millions of jivas, All are parts & particles of Him, His sons. He has created them, but then why He will become formless? You all please justify this. If a father gives birth to many sons, he will become formless. That's why God has said: Klesha adhiktara sesam, abaktya achetasam. Whose mind is contaminated with abaktyata, for them to understand God is very hard. Klesha adhikatara. And who is agree with that He is God, Kṛṣṇa. He is saying - Aham sarvasya prabhavo, Everything enamates from Me. In vedantasutra it is said - Janmadasya jatah, He is the supreme father, and that supreme father is saying aham sarvasya prabhobo. So where is the difficulty for us to understand?

There is no difficulty. But if we do not understand and speculate the Bhagavad-gita and distribute to other people, then those people will not understand and also I did not understood. That's why we have published our Bhagavad-gita, you all might know - Bhagavad-gita As It Is. There is no speculation in this. Whatever God has spoken, is there in this Gītā. The direct result of this, I am speaking to you. Our Bhagavad-gita As It Is is published by Macmillan Company. Every year they are publishing 50,000 copies. It has started from 1968. 68, 69, 70, 71 four years there are four editions. There are total five editions. All the people in America and in England are taking this. Although there are many English editions, also there are editions from India, also many scholar from those country has published. But our, this Bhagavad-gita As It Is, like us simple minded people, Kṛṣṇa is saying I am God. We believe that He is God. We do not research on that who is God. God Himself is telling that He is God. Sastra said: Kṛṣṇa stu Bhagavan swyam. Ete cha amsa kala punsam, Kṛṣṇa stu Bhagavan swayam. Iswara parama Kṛṣṇa sadchidananda vigraha. It is there in sastra, in vedas. All the acaryas has agreed on this. Ramanucharya, who are greater than them? Madhabacharya, Vishnuswami, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So will hear the words of these great personalities or shall we hear from some rascals? mahajans yena gatasta pantha. Whatever paths the mahajans are showing, not the speculative mahajans, mahajan means who is abide by the previous mahajan. He is mahajan. As I am following these mahajan, I have also become a mahajan. Who is not following they are not mahajan, but mahayama. Brahma is a mahajan, Siva is a mahajan, Narad is a mahajan, Kapil is mahajan, Manu is mahajan, Prahlada Mahārāja is mahajan. Bhismadev, King of Janak, Byasdev, Sukhdev Goswami . . . they are all listed mahajan. People are asking who is mahajan? Sastra is telling no need to search. These are the Mahajans. Following this parampara, please try to understand the vedas, vedanta, sastra. Sampradaya is coming from Brahma-Brahma sampradaya. Our Gaudiya sampradaya is from Brahma. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also in Brahma sampradaya. Sriman Ramanuja is from Sri-sampradaya. Power of God-Laxmi, She has a sampradaya. Vaishnav jatha sambhu, Mahadeva. He is a param Vaisnava, he also has a sampradaya-Vishnuswami. Kumar sampradaya, the four Kumaras has a sampradaya, i.e. Nimnagra sampradaya. In this way you have to go to any sampradaya and learn Bhagavad tattva. Athato brahma-jijnasa-that question whom should you ask? You have to ask to these sampradaya. Sampradaya means, they are all devotees of God. But there are some characteristics. Just like political parties. They are all lover of country, but then also there is some characteristics. Characteristics is necessity, otherwise growth is not possible in right way. To do a good work, somebody guides to do in this way, other person guides to do in that way. Everybody aims how to make that work in better way. In the same way all the sampradayas of devotees their main aim to become a devotee to God. That's why they have given separate name to the sampradayas. They all worship Sri Radha Kṛṣṇa. All Nimbarka sampradaya worship Radha Krsna. Our Gaudiya sampradaya worships Radha Kṛṣṇa, Madhvacārya also. Sri sampradaya worships Lakṣmī Nārayaṇa.

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa

(Bs. 5.29)

Brahma in his Brahma-saṁhitā describes about the beauty of God. Many says that the Kṛṣṇa is a imagination of attraction with a flute with attractive threefold form. No, this is not an imagination. This is a vedic statement. Brahma is saying in the Brahma-saṁhitā about God:

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-

lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam

The God, just like we keet pet dog, The God also has a hobby. What is that? - To become cowhard boy-surabhir abhipalayantam. So if by His desire God becomes a cowhard boy, is He becomes lower class? Brahma also suspected, My dear God, Prabhu, after coming to Vṛndāvana, why He has become cowhard boy? Indra also suspected. All these are described in the Bhāgavatam. So, muyanti yat surayh. on the matter of God, big big scholars become muyaban. They faint on what is the matter? But a devotee of God can understand all. Just like Prahlada Mahārāja and his father Hiranyakasipu, pitah mahanasti and son is greater Vaishnava, maha-yogi. When God appeared as Nrisinhadeva to kill Hiranyakasipu, seeing that fearful from, Hiranyakasipu is like a small creature, At once He captured his neck and taking him on His lap killed him by His nails. There the great demon Hiranyakasipu got fearful seeing Nrisinhadev, but Prahlada Mahārāja did not got fear. Prahlada Mahārāja said, it is there in sloka, Your this fearful form, seeing this I am not getting fear. Prahlad Mahārāja saying Now please control your anger. All the demi-gods got fear, All the entities in the world got fear. Your mission is successful, killing my father hiranyakasipu is complete, now You please control your anger. In the next sloka it is there- Has Prahlada got fear? Prahlada is speaking in the next sloka that, seeing your Ugra Form I have not got any fear. But I have a fear, i.e. this samsar. I get fear from this samsar. I get fear from the repetition of birth & death. Seeing your Ugramurti I have not got fear. But we do not fear this samsar. Whatever happens we will see after the death. Now let us enjoy. We do not fear at all, such a mad we are.

pisachi paile jena matichanna hay

mayagrasta jiber hae se bhaba uday

If somebody is attacked by Ghost, somebody of you might have seen, he speaks all nonsense. Like that we speak all nonsense attacked by maya. God is not there, God is death, I am God, You are God, Where you are searching God, etc. etc. etc. There are so many theories like this. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is categorized in a list:

pisachi paile jena matichanna hay

mayagrasta jiber hae se bhaba uday

They speak all nonsense. No need to understand God in that way. God Himself is making us understand, if we understand in this way we will get the knowledge of Bhagavat tattva. God Himself is making us understand about Him, And we do not concentrate on that and speak all these nonsense of the people in maya. What is the benefit here? That's why it is said, tad bignartham sa gurum eb adhigacchet. God Himself also saying,

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

Go to a Guru, who is tatwadarshi. Put obeisance. Do not go in a challenging mood-can you show me God? If you go like that there is no benefit. Pranipatena sevaya. Do service to him, and in between ask something (pariprasnena). Adou durvasayam sad dharma priccha-the sastra has instructions like this. Our main aim to preach is, we preach the Bhagavad-gita-As It Is. There is no mental speculation inside it. Kuruksetra means this body, Pandav means the five senses-no acarya has said like this. Great great acaryas are there, and I have become such great that, greater than those acaryas. What a false ego? Mahajana yena gatastha pantha, without following this I have become a false mahajana. So we are requesting you that in our country India so many sastras are there. God Himself, vedartha gathered them altogether swyam swyam pathanuccha gahabvarga binucchita.

This Bhagavad-gita, you understand this as it is. There is no mental speculation inside this. Then you will get the benefit. God is saying in the Gītā,

dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre

samavetā yuyutsavaḥ

māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva

kim akurvata sañjaya

(BG 1.1)

Don't put separate meaning here, that kurukshetra means this body, pandav means five senses, this that. If you do like that at the end everything will be hotchpotch as that is not the real meaning. The real meaning, the kurukshetra station is there, the place is still there, so where is the need to make the meaning of Kurukshetra as body? Interpretation is needed when we cannot understand something. When the meaning is not clear then somebody speaks that meaning can be like this, other person speaks that the meaning can be like that. Interpretation is needed when the matter is not understandable. Like Sastra says: Gangayam Ghoshpallim, that on the Ganges there is a village called Ghoshpara. Here you can say that the Ganga is water, there how can a village Ghoshpara can come? Then we have to interpret that gangayam means on the bank of Ganges, on the side of Ganges.

But here in this Bhagavad-gita, each and every line is very simple and crystal clear, there is no Ghoshpalli there, that we have to think on the top of water how can there be Ghoshpalli? Till now Kuruksetra is there, and that is a dharmaksetra, till now people goes for pilgrimage there. In the vedas it is said, kurukshetre dharmacharet, that's why the war has happened there. That the people who are trying to cheat the Pandavas with sinful activities, till now in some villages it is there if there is some quarell botween two parties, they decides to go to temple, confess in front of the God, till now it is there in many villages. Thats why the war happened in the dharmakshetra kurukshetra, so that their mind gets purified. On Arjun there was am impact of dharmakshetra. Arjuna was speaking that there in no need of war, let them enjoy, after killing so many people I do not want to enjoy as he was religious. Who is dharmik, they become better after going to dharmakshetra. It is possible for irreligoius person. But if somebody is very very irrelegious, for them it is hard to change, like if the disesse increases too much, the medicine does not work. But is reality that is dharmakshetra. Even Dhṛtarāṣṭra was suspecting, that both have gone to dharmakshetra, has their mind not got diverted? has the war been stopped? Kim akurvata sañjaya? What they have done after going there? In the beginning said,

dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre

samavetā yuyutsavaḥ

They have gone desiring for a war, all the brothers-māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś, after that what they have done? Yuyutsavah-they have gone for war, then what is the necessity to ask again? They will fight only. No, he has suspicion, they have gone for fight, but it is dharmakshetra, have they not concluded without fight? That was his suspicion. He was not for stopping fight. If there was a possibility of stopping the war, it would had happen long back. Kṛṣṇa Himself has come for peace. But he does not want this, he wants fight. He has hundred sons, and they are only five brothers, they will be lost. My sons will win and there will be no opponent further. That is why he is asking-kim akurvata. There is no yogic explanation, loukik explanation here. This is a historical incident. But it is our misfortune that the original thing we will not understand and also will not let others understand, will misguide by different types of explanations. There are various types of explanations of Gita are going on. But there is only one explanation that Kṛṣṇa is God and our only duty is to surrender unto His lotus feet. (end)