731225 - Lecture SB 01.15.47-48 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

731225SB-LOS ANGELES - December 25, 1973 - 29:36 Minutes

Pradyumna: Translation: "Thus by pure consciousness due to constant devotional remembrance, they attained the spiritual sky, which is ruled over by the Supreme Nārāyaṇa, Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is attained only by those who meditate upon the one Supreme Lord without deviation. This abode of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, known as Goloka Vṛndāvana, cannot be attained by persons who are absorbed in the material conception of life. But the Pāṇḍavas, being completely washed of all material contamination, attained that abode in their very same bodies." (SB 1.15.47-48)

Prabhupāda: Tad-dhyāna udriktayā. Dhyāna means meditation. So the Pāṇḍavas, always they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa. While they were eating, they were sitting, they were sleeping, they were talking, they were fighting—Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When Arjuna was fighting, so there was also Kṛṣṇa. When they were dealing in politics with Duryodhana, there was Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is his friend, always talking with him, staying with him, sleeping with him, eating with him.

So anyone can do that. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. If in our ordinary life we deal with Kṛṣṇa as Arjuna did and the Pāṇḍavas did, so where is the difficulty for us? There is no difficulty. Simply we have to practice his. And that practice is bhaktyā. Therefore it is said, tad-dhyāna udriktayā bhaktyā: this is only possible through devotional service. Kṛṣṇa was so near to the Pāṇḍavas on account of their devotion. Nārada Muni eulogized the Pāṇḍavas that, "Jñānīs and yogīs, they cannot reach even, but by your devotion, He is living with you as friend. Not only as friend, but sometimes as your order-carrier." Pāṇḍavas sometimes, during their negotiation with the Duryodhana, sometimes asked Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, You take this letter and deliver to Duryodhana." Agreed, "Yes, I will go." So ordinary peon. Then ordinary chariot driver, Pārtha-sārathi.

So this is possible. If we become devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then you can live with Kṛṣṇa, face to face, talk with Kṛṣṇa, eat with Kṛṣṇa, dance with Kṛṣṇa, even in this life. Even in this life. Because Kṛṣṇa is omnipotent, if you are really devotee of Kṛṣṇa, He will talk with you, He will dance with you, He will eat with you—everything. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). Again this bhakti. By bhakti, prema, love.

Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva. Santaḥ, saintly person. This word, Sanskrit word, santa, is also I think Latin. "Saint," santa. Santa means saintly person. So santa, those who are saintly person, those who have developed love of Kṛṣṇa, they can see Kṛṣṇa every moment. Santaḥ sadaiva. Sadaiva means "every moment." They do not see anything except Kṛṣṇa. That is saintly person. Rascals inquire, "Have you seen God?" "Not seen God, sir. He is seeing every moment." There is no question of seeing God once. No. Sadaiva. Santaḥ sadaiva.

Now, how one can see sadaiva? Kṛṣṇa is already there. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). The location is given there in the Bhagavad-gītā, that you can see God, not you have to go very far away from your place. Wherever you are, you can see, because God is within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe. Sarva-bhūtānām. Not only for human being, but also animals, beasts, trees, plants, aquatics, insect—everyone, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant. God is everywhere.

Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). God is within this universe, within your heart, even within the atom. So where is the difficulty? Simply you have to make your eyes to see Him. That's all. That is premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). Love. It is not very difficult to understand. If you love somebody, then you can see him always. When you are in office, you are seeing. When you are eating, you are seeing. You are going . . . if you are actually in love. So if it is possible materially, how much greatly it is possible spiritually and perfectly? It is possible, simply by this method, bhaktyā viśuddha-dhiṣaṇāḥ pare.

Viśuddha. Viśuddha means purified. Our consciousness is not purified at the present moment, but if we purify it . . . that purification also is possible simply by becoming in touch with Kṛṣṇa always. And this touch is very easily made possible: śṛṇvatām. This is the chance, śṛṇvatām. Śṛṇvatām means by hearing, by aural reception. Simply those who are coming here, even they do not know anything about it, but God has given this ear, and let him hear about Kṛṣṇa.

We are therefore discussing so many . . . we have written so many books simply about Kṛṣṇa. Not all books published—we have published about twenty books—but we have to finish it. It cannot be finished, but at least, to some extent, it will be finished by sixty books. And what is that subject matter? Kṛṣṇa. That's all. People cannot imagine that about God, sixty books can be written. There is no, I mean to say, system of religion where you can find . . . not only . . . sixty is the minimum. So minimum sixty books of four hundred pages can be written simply on God. So there is possible . . . if we divert our attention to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we can chant Kṛṣṇa—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya (SB 12.3.51). We can read about Kṛṣṇa whole life, such big literature. Whole life. If you read twenty-four hours daily—that you cannot—still, you have to devote your whole life to finish this literature.

So we have got enough material to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. My Guru Mahārāja was questioned by one big politician. He came to see him. So my Guru Mahārāja . . . he was asking, "What are your activities?" So at that time he was publishing one paper. I think it is still published in Māyāpur. It is called . . . what is called? Dainika? Daily news, it was a daily newspaper, small. Navadvīpa Prakash, like that. Nadiya Prakash. Nadiya Prakash. So daily. So this politician inquired from Guru Mahārāja, "You are publishing a daily paper about God consciousness?" "Yes." "No, what you are writing?" He was surprised. The politicians think that newspaper can be filled up with rubbish political news only. That's all. They cannot think that newspaper can be filled up by news from spiritual world. Yes. They have no idea. They have no idea there is spiritual world.

So my Guru Mahārāja explained that, "Why you are thinking of only one small newspaper? You do not know what is spiritual world. This material world is one-fourth portion of the whole creation of the Lord. And the three-fourth portion is the spiritual world. And in this one-fourth portion there are innumerable universes. And in one of the universe . . . this is one of the universe. And in each universe there are millions of planets. And this planet, earthly planets, is only a small planet in that universe. And on this earthly planet, there are so many cities. And in each city, there are so many newspapers. And each newspaper has got so many editions. This is the position of the material world. Now, think over the spiritual world. It is . . .

The spiritual world is three-fourth, three times bigger than this material . . . and there are so many planets, so many universes, and so many activities. So we can produce not one newspaper daily, but every minute a newspaper. We can produce. Unfortunately, there is no customer. You see? This is the difficulty. For material news, there are so many customers, but when we put something spiritual news, no customer. This is the difficulty. Otherwise . . . you are thinking of one newspaper daily. We can issue every second a newspaper about spiritual news." So this sixty book is not sufficient. It is simply an introduction to the spiritual activities of the spiritual world. People have no interest. They do not know. We are simply trying to introduce it.

So this can be understood by viśuddha-dhiṣaṇāḥ, purified meditation. That is . . . that requires practice, how to purify. Viśuddha-dhiṣaṇāḥ tasmin nārāyaṇa-pade. And it can be achieved by persons, ekānta-matayo gatim. A person who has decided, "Now, in this life, I must go back to home, back to Godhead," for him it is possible. This decision. So that is called . . . in Bhagavad-gītā it is described,

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir

ekeha kuru-nandana

bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca

buddhi avyavasāyinām

(BG 2.41)

One who has decided that, "This life, it is not ordinary life like the cats and dogs. It is human life. I have got advanced intelligence. And it is possible in this life to go back to home, back to Godhead, athāto brahma jijñāsā, simply by cultivating spiritual knowledge. So why should I waste my time like cats and dogs?" This determination required. "The cats and dogs are busy in eating, sleeping, sex life, and one day dies. So why shall I waste my time in that way? I have got good intelligence. Kṛṣṇa has provided me better standard of life. I can lie in nice room, not like the cats and dogs on the street. Kṛṣṇa has provided for me so nice foodstuff which I can offer to Kṛṣṇa, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26), so nice fruits, grains, milk. So let us utilize these things given by Kṛṣṇa."

Kṛṣṇa has given different foodstuff for different animals and human being. Kṛṣṇa has given stool for the pigs and so nice foodstuff, fruits and grains and milk, for the human being. Not that every food is for everyone. No. What is called? "One man's food, another man's poison." So the stool is also a kind of food. Everything is a kind of food. Even the stone is also food. You know? The pigeons, they eat the stones, particles. They can digest. For them, the hardest peas are supplied. So they can digest. Pāyarā-maṭara. It is called in India, pāyarā-maṭara. Pāyarā means pigeon. Pigeon's peas. They require such thing. Just like the gorilla. The gorilla animal, where they live in the African jungles—we have read book—there are trees, the fruits of that tree are so hard, harder than the iron bullet. You can hammer on the bullet, it may bend; but that fruit will not bend. So those fruits are taken by the gorillas, and they chew it just like you chew peanuts or something like that. Yes. (laughter)

So Kṛṣṇa has given different foodstuff for different animals. So for human being who is determined to go back to home, back to Godhead, they have got their food. For them, no meat-eating. For them, no meat-eating. For them, fine kachorī, rasagullā, purī, for them. As you are . . . I think Dr. Bernard Shaw, he wrote one book, You Are What You Eat. If you eat stool, then you are stool. Because after all, this body will be stool. Because after death, the result is either the body becomes stool or ash or earth. Those who are burying on the ground, in due course the body will turn into earth. That's all. And those who are burning, like in India, Hindus do, this will turn into ash. And those who are throwing for being eaten by the animals and birds . . . just like Parsees do in India; they throw, and vultures come, and they eat, within a second. So after eating, it will be stool of the vulture. That's all. So this beautiful body will be resulted in three things: either stool, earth or ash. And we are taking so much care—for stool, earth and ashes. And the occupier of the body? Forgotten. And we are advanced scientist. This is our position.

Therefore it is said, viśuddha-dhiṣaṇāḥ pare. Those who are purified in their thinking process . . . those who are thinking, "I am this body," they are third-class rascals. The present world is simply full with third-class rascals. That's all. Because everyone is thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am white," "I am black," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian." So "I am this body." That's all. But they cannot. They cannot. Therefore it is said, virajena ātmanaiva. Virajena. Virajena means one who has become completely washed, cleansed, viraja. Raja. Raja means this material world, and vi means vigata, "without." Virajenaiva. And it is very difficult to come to this position. Therefore it is said, avāpur duravāpām. It is very difficult to come to this stage of life, but the Pāṇḍavas, avāpuḥ, they got it. And for whom it is very difficult? That is also: asadbhiḥ. Asadbhir viṣayātmabhiḥ.

Who is asat? Asat means that does not exist, or that will not exist. There are two things: one thing will exist permanently, and one thing will not exist. It may exist for few minutes or few hours or few years. So this material world is asat, because it will not exist. Just like your this material body, it will not exist. Everyone knows. Everyone knows that it is born at a certain date, it will continue for certain years, it will produce some by-products, it will change into different forms, and then it will become old and then dwindle, and one day finish. This is called ṣaḍ-vikāra, six kinds of changes. It is not progress. If one is progressing in his age, it is not progress. It means he is going to death.

Suppose I am seventy-eight years old. So I have . . . seventy-eight years I have already died. Only, say two or five years, or something like, remaining balance. So people say "advanced age." No. Advanced in death, not advanced in age. So this is asat. It will not stay. It has begun to die from the very moment of his birth. If you ask a newly born child how old it is, the mother says: "It is one month old." So one month means he has already died one month. And balance months and years he has to die. Simply he has to wait for that death. So this kind of duration of life is called asat. And this kind of existence, the material existence, it also asat. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore sings, sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa, te-kāraṇe lāgila mor karma-bandha-phāṅsa (Gaurā Pahu 3 from Prārthanā): "I gave up sat-saṅga, oṁ tat sat, spiritual society. I associated myself with the material society. Therefore I am now entangled by karma, one after another, one after another."

So spiritual realization is difficult for person asadbhiḥ. Why it is difficult? Viṣayātmabhiḥ. Because they are simply attracted by the four principles of material life: eating, sleeping, sex life and, one day, death. They cannot. One must be above this interest. One must be very sane man, that "These kinds of interests are there in the animals. So if I am also interested in only these things, then where is the difference between this dog and me?" Something more.

That information is given in the Bhagavad-gītā: avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam (BG 2.17). Yena sarvam idam. This body is perishable, asat. But there is another sat, means permanent thing. What is that? Avināśi tu tad viddhi. You try to understand that thing which is eternal. What is that? Yena sarvam idaṁ tatam, that which is spreading all over your body. You pinch your body, you feel pain. Why? Because there is consciousness. Therefore consciousness is permanent. And as soon as the consciousness is gone, you chopped up your hand, no response. So that . . . it is a very nice statement. Tat, that consciousness, is avināśi, is eternal. Where is the difficulty?

So those who are not interested to understand this consciousness and the origin of consciousness, they are asat. They cannot understand what is spiritual life. Therefore the beginning of spiritual life . . . in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13): in this body, in this asat, this temporary body, there is the proprietor of the body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe. The proprietor of the body. So that is to be understood. So how it can be understood? Vidhūta-kalmaṣāḥ. Those who are washed off of the sinful activities . . . therefore we prescribe that, "Don't be associated with these sinful activities." What is that? Illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. One who is washed off of these, vidhūta-kalmaṣā sthānam, that sthānam, that place, is virajena ātmanaiva vidhūta-kalmaṣāḥ . . . those who are washed of. Otherwise it is not possible. If you think that, "I shall do this and do that," then do this, not that. That is finished. You go on doing this, life after life, and remain in this material world. That is the point.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupā . . . (cut) (end)