730410 - Lecture SB 01.08.18 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730410SB-NEW YORK - April 10, 1973 - 37:40 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Read.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

kunty uvāca

namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam

īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param

alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām

antar bahir avasthitam

(SB 1.8.18)

Prabhupāda: Hm. Word meaning. Hmm.

Pradyumna: (chants synonyms) (break)

kuntī uvāca—Śrīmatī Kuntī said; namasye—let me bow down; puruṣam—the Supreme Person; tvā—although; ādyam—the original; īśvaram—the controller; prakṛteḥ—of the material cosmos; param—beyond; alakṣyam—the invisible; sarva—all; bhūtānām—of living beings; antaḥ—within; bahiḥ—without; avasthitam—existing.

Translation: "Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all."

Prabhupāda: So this is the position of God, that He's everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. He's within this universe; He's within the atom also. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayā . . .

eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ

yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ

aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.35)

This is Brahma-saṁhitā. The Lord, by expansion of one of His plenary portions, He's existing within this universe. Not only within the universe, but within the atom also. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. This is God's qualification, that He can become the greater than the greatest.

Just like the have got conception the greatest—this universe. We cannot even imagine how long, how far it is extended. But such universes are coming out from the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Yaḥ kāraṇārnava-jale bhajati sma yoga-nidrām ananta-jagad-aṇḍa-saroma-kūpaḥ (Bs. 5.47). From His breathing, when He exhales, innumerable universes come out, and when inhales, all those universes again enters. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is generated and again annihilated. This is going on. This is one side, universes, innumerable universes can be put into the nostril hole of the Mahā-Viṣṇu. And another side, He can enter even within the atom. This is God consciousness. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.20). He is greater than the greatest. We generally say, "God is great," but we do not know how great He is. People say: "God is great," but we have no conception how great He is. He is so great that He can swallow innumerable universes within His belly.

Just like when Kṛṣṇa was challenged by His mother that "Show me Your face. You say that You have not eaten the earth. Your friends complained, and You say that You have not eaten. So I want to see. Open Your mouth." So when He opened, (s)he saw all the universes within mouth. All the universe. He proved, "My dear mother, not only a little earth, but the whole universe is within My mouth." (laughter) So when Mother Yaśodā was astonished, she thought something illusory, "All right, don't do it again. That's all." (laughter) She does not know that "Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To show me His mercy He has become my child." She does not know. She always thinks, He's my child. She's (He's) is under my control."

This is the relationship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with His devotee. This is wanted. Simply to understand "God is very great," that is not sufficient knowledge. When you deal with the great, exchange your relationship with the great, that is perfection. That is perfection. Suppose your president is very great. That's all right. Everyone knows, "President is very great." But what shall I derive out of that? When I actually deal with him, I become his friend, I become his servant, I become his secretary, I become . . . some way or other, if I am related with that great personality, that is my benefit. Otherwise, what is the use knowing, "Oh, President Nixon is very great"? There are so many great . . .

What I am deriving from that great? This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they simply remain silent, "Oh, God is very great," and they cannot imagine how great He is. But a devotee can understand how great He is. He can see that innumerable universes are within the mouth of God. This is the position of devotee. This is not sufficient knowledge: "God is great." God must be great. That's all right. But unless you come in dealing with that great, you cannot relish actually what is God and how great He is.

So here Kuntī says, alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). Sarva-bhūtānām, "All living entities . . ." alakṣyam, "You are invisible, invisible, although," antar bahir avasthitam, "You are within and without." God is within yourself. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, is situated in everyone's heart. The yoga system means to see, find out, that God, Paramātmā, or meditate upon Him. Now the yoga system has come down as bodily exercise to keep the health very good, to reduce fat, this is yoga system. This is not yoga system. This is a bodily exercise. Real yoga is the God is within me, but He is invisible, alakṣyam. Antar bahiḥ: although He is within and without, still I cannot see.

So meditation means concentrating the mind to find out God, where He is within my heart. That is real perfection of yoga. So people do not know this science. Here it is nicely explained antar bahir avasthitam. The virāḍ-rūpa . . . just like Arjuna wanted to see the gigantic form of God. He showed him. So we can see the gigantic form in this universe. That is described in the Bhāgavatam. You have read that the big, big mountains, hills, they are the bones of gigantic form. So they are described. The highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, is the head, or what it is called? Skull? What is this portion?

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: No, no. What is the English, this . . .

Devotees: Skull.

Prabhupāda: Skull. So the rivers are the veins. The seas are their holes, like here we have got. In this way it is all described, the gigantic form. So . . . and gigantic form, at the same time, He is within your heart, very small form.

So He is within and without. Simply we have to purify our eyes to see Him. That's all. You can see God without and within, but you cannot see with these eyes. These materially contaminated eyes or materially contaminated senses, you cannot understand by these senses. But God can be perceived, can be seen, by these senses, by these eyes, when you purify it. That purificatory process is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The more you purify, the more you can see God within and without. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). The indriya, these senses, cannot perceive, cannot see, cannot touch, cannot hear nāmādi. Unless you are purified, you cannot hear also Kṛṣṇa name. Unless you are purified, the name enters this ear and goes out in this ear. You see? You cannot appreciate. Therefore purificatory process is required.

People are affected with three kinds of material qualities: goodness, passion and ignorance. Generally, they are affected by the lower two qualities—ignorance and passion, rajas-tamaḥ. How do we know that, "This man is in the modes of goodness and this man is in the modes of passion and this man is in the modes of ignorance"? How do we know? By the symptoms. By the symptoms. When one is affected by the lower qualities, rajas-tamaḥ, passion and ignorance, his symptoms are that he is very greedy and lusty. These are the symptom. As soon as we find a person is very greedy and lusty, he is to be understood under the control of the lower-grade qualities of this material nature. And sattva-guṇa means prakāśa, illumination.

When one is situated in the goodness, that is brahminical qualification. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā (BG 18.42). He's truthful, he's controlling the mind, controlling the senses, śama, dama; titikṣā, he's tolerant; titikṣā, ārjava, he's simple, simplicity. Śamo damas titikṣā śuci, he's cleansed; jñānam, he knows things what it is; vijñānam, he can apply the knowledge in practical life, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam. Āstikyam means to have firm faith in God. He knows that God is there. God is there, and he knows that God is within, God is without. These are the symptoms of a person who is in goodness.

So these three classes of men are there. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to bring persons from the wretched, low qualities, ignorance and passion, to bring him to the platform of goodness. And that goodness also has to be purified. In the material world the goodness is also attacked by the other, lower qualities. Big, big men, very good men, but there are so many defects. Because unless . . . first of all you have come to the platform of goodness, brahminical position. Then you have to purify that good sattvaṁ viśuddham, viśuddha-sattva, vasudeva-sattva, vasudeva platform. Then you will be able to understand what is God. It is not so cheap thing that one can understand God so easily while he is in the modes of material nature, especially the lower-grade modes.

So at the present moment, most people—they are in the lower grades of the material quality, ignorance and passion. Therefore you see all over the world, rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobha (SB 1.2.19). Every man is greedy and lusty. Every man. So in this position it is very difficult. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). So unless you change this quality . . . this quality can be changed. It is not that it is stereotyped. How these European, American boys and girls, they are coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? How? They have changed their quality by the process. We have got this process. In this process we can change the quality. That process is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:

māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

Kṛṣṇa says: "One who is engaged in My unalloyed service," avyabhicāreṇa, "no adulteration, pure devotional service . . ." Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate, one who is engaged in the service of the Lord, purified, unalloyed . . . unalloyed means no motive. No motive. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Other motives, completely zero. Generally, they go to temple, to church, to . . . or mosque, generally, they go with a motive. Just like in the Christian world, they go that, "God must be order supplier. We shall pray to God, and He must supply. Then I accept God." This is the condition. "And if He does not supply my order, I don't care for this God."

So they are not going to become servant of God. They want to make God his servant. "God, give us our daily bread," that's all right. God is giving daily bread. Why you are asking, bothering God? He is supplying food to so millions and trillions of living entities, and why not to you? He will supply. That is not our problem, that God will supply our bread. He's supplying without asking. Do these the animals go to the church and ask for bread? But they are getting sufficient. They are getting sufficient.

Therefore God consciousness does not mean any motive to take from some God, something from God. That is not God consciousness. You give everything to God. That is God consciousness. Just like the conception of accepting God as child. That is better conception (than) to accept God as father, because from father we simply take away: "Father, give me this, give me that, give me that, give me that." And if you accept God as child, then you have to give everything.

This is Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava conception. Yaśodāmāyi, (s)he has accepted . . . (s)he's is worshiping God as child, so that she is always engaged that Kṛṣṇa may not be in any inconvenience about His body, about His comfort. Always Mother Yaśodā is anxious that, "Kṛṣṇa is now very naughty. He may not capture some monkey, He may not fall down on the water, He may not be burnt in the fire." Always anxious. Because this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. She is always anxious to give protection to Kṛṣṇa. The best service. Kṛṣṇa does not require anyone's service. He is complete, pūrṇam. But for pleasing His devotee, He becomes dependent. He is bothering mother, "I am hungry. Why don't you give Me food? I will steal butter, your stock."

So this philosophy, Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava philosophy, is very sublime, to accept God as subordinate. Kṛṣṇa says in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, you will find that, "Everyone worships Me with awe and veneration. But if anyone worships Me without any awe, veneration, and treats Me as insignificant, I like that." (laughter) "I like that." So that exchange of Kṛṣṇa's feelings you can find in this Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava philosophy, that Mother Yaśodā is treating Arjun . . ah yeah Kṛṣṇa as very insignificant. "He's my child. If I don't give Him protection, He will die." Therefore Kṛṣṇa is very much obliged to Mother Yaśodā. Yes. But nobody . . . everyone comes to God, "Oh, God you are so exalted and . . ." That He is hearing throughout. But when the Mother Yaśodā comes and chastises Him, He likes it very much. Yes, yes, likes it very much.

So Kṛṣṇa . . . Kṛṣṇa, although He happened to be nephew of Kuntī . . . Kuntī was Kṛṣṇa's father's sister. But because (s)he was devotee, she knew, she knew that "Kṛṣṇa also, although the . . . she's (He's) is playing the part of my nephew, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." 25:32 Therefore she said, namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param (SB 1.8.18): "You are īśvara. You are the controller." What kind of controller? There are so many—food controller and house controller, these . . . you have got. No. Not that kind of controller. Prakṛteḥ para, "You are controller. Your position is beyond this material world," prakṛteḥ. Prakṛti means this material world. Prakṛteḥ para.

That means these controllers within this material world, they are produced at a certain date, and they will be finished at a certain date, these controllers. Just like your President Nixon. He is controller of your country, but his controlling power is given at a certain date and it will be finished at a certain date. So Kuntī says: "You are not that kind of controller, that Your controlling power begins at a certain date and finishes at a certain date." Therefore, prakṛteḥ para In the prakṛti, within the material nature, we have got some controlling power, everyone.

But that has the beginning and end. As our life begins and ends, everything here in this material world, it has a beginning and end. But Kṛṣṇa's controlling power is not like that. He says . . . she says, namasye puruṣaṁ tu ādyam: "You are the original person. You have created this cosmos. So before the creation of the cosmos You were controller, and when the cosmos will end, You will remain controller." Therefore prakṛteḥ para, "Within the prakṛti, within the material nature, everything has got beginning and end, limited. You are not that kind of controller." Prakṛteḥ para eternal.

Another understanding is that because Kṛṣṇa is controller beyond this material nature, therefore He is not a product of this material nature. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they cannot understand. Their poor fund of knowledge . . . if God has created this material world, then He must not be anything of this material world. Because before creation He was existing, and after creation, after annihilation, He will remain, then how He can be anything of this material world? Material world, anything has got a beginning and end. But God is beyond this material world. He was existing . . . He said, "Let there be creation," just like in your Bible it is said. So there was creation. So how He can be one of the created beings? By His wish there was creation. And another thing is then His desires, His wish, they are nothing of this material world. They are spiritual. Prakṛteḥ para means "superior to this material world."

In the Bhagavad-gītā you understand there are two kinds of nature: parā and aparā. So this material nature is aparā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ para. Apareyam. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). The land, water, fire, air, sky, these five elements, they are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā: "They are separated energy, inferior quality energy. But beyond this inferior quality energy, I have got another, superior quality of energy." What is that? Jīva-bhūta. You can understand that jīva-bhūta, the living entity. Yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5).

Because jīva-bhūta, we living entities, we are superior than the matter because we are controlling the matter. Just like we have been in the riverside, so many things, material things, we saw. But who has made it? The living entities. The matter has not come into so many forms without the touch of the living entity. Everyone can understand. The big, big ships, how it has come into existence? Because a living entity planned, engineered how to do it, and he brought material things, and he manufactured it. Therefore this inferior energy, the material things, they are subordinate to the spiritual energy.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa, when He's prakṛteḥ para. He's beyond this material nature. His body, His activities, His pastimes, His name, His form, everything, it is not material. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). If anyone simply tries to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is in truth, then he becomes liberated, simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. You try to understand Kṛṣṇa not by speculation, but as Kṛṣṇa says, as God says, or a Kṛṣṇa devotee says. Just like Kuntī. Kuntī is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. She says that "You are prakṛteḥ para. She is authority. She is authority, because devotee, every devotee, pure devotee, they are confidential. Otherwise how Kṛṣṇa has accepted to become her nephew? Just like Kṛṣṇa has accepted to become the son of Yaśodāmāyi or Devakī, similarly, She (He) has has accepted to become a nephew of Kuntīdevī.

This prayer was offered by Kuntī when Kṛṣṇa was taking leave. After establishing them, after the battle of Kurukṣetra, when everything was settled up and Kṛṣṇa was going back to Dvārakā, so He came to offer His respects to His aunt, Kuntīdevī, and when the farewell was taking place, Kuntī offered this prayer to Kṛṣṇa. Namasye. Namasye. He's happens to be nephew, but (s)he's offering his (her) obeisances. Because (s)he knows, "He is playing the part of my nephew, but He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore although she is superior in position, because aunt, she is offering namasye, "I offer my respectful obeisance unto You." This is the position.

So God is invisible, who? For the persons who has no eyes to see Him. Alakṣyam. Although He is everywhere: aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35), idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān. This viśvam, this universe, is the transformation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore . . . the energy is not different from the energetic. Therefore the whole world is Kṛṣṇa. Whole world is Kṛṣṇa. So we have to make our eyes. That eyes can be purified, as it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). Santaḥ, those who are saintly persons, those who have developed love for God, prema, that añjana, that ointment, who has smeared the ointment of love on the eyes . . .

That then . . . just like we apply sometimes ointment and surma . . . what is called in English, surma? This powder, something? Anyway . . . so when our eyes are cleansed we thinks clearly; similarly, if we apply the ointment of love of God on the eyes, then we can see God. Just like Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa, Kuntī is seeing. Others, they do not understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Pāṇḍavas and the Pāṇḍavas' mother, they know that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Alakṣyam. Just like Kṛṣṇa was exhibiting His Virat-rupa in the battle of of Kurukṣetra. Only Arjuna was seeing, nobody else.

So God reveals Himself to the devotee. Although . . . just like Prahlāda Mahārāja was seeing that Nṛsiṁha-deva has come, and his father, atheist father, he was challenging, "Where is your God?" So God is everywhere, but He is not visible to the nondevotee. But one who is devotee, he can see Him. Every . . . not only once. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva (Bs. 5.38). Sadaiva means always. He is seeing always Kṛṣṇa. That is the position of saintly person.

Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena

santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu

(Bs. 5.38).

Hṛdayeṣu, in the heart, vilokayanti, they see.

So if you can see God, you can talk with God; if you can go back to home, back to God, why should you lose this opportunity? This opportunity is in the human being. You can see God, you can talk with God, you can go back home, back to God. Everything is possible. And that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol. (end)