750104 - Lecture SB 03.26.27 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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750104SB-BOMBAY - January 04, 1975 - 42:34 Minutes

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

vaikārikād vikurvāṇān

manas-tattvam ajāyata

yat-saṅkalpa-vikalpābhyāṁ

vartate kāma-sambhavaḥ

(SB 3.26.27)

(break) (01:08)

"From the false ego of goodness, another transformation takes place. From this evolves the mind, whose thoughts and reflections give rise to desire."

Prabhupāda:

vaikārikād vikurvāṇān

manas-tattvam ajāyata

yat-saṅkalpa-vikalpābhyāṁ

vartate kāma-sambhavaḥ

(SB 3.26.27)

So, this mind is material because it is the product of transformation of the modes of goodness. Then, gradually, being contaminated by different kinds of material desires, it becomes degraded. Kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ (BG 3.37). When it is deteriorated, then, from the standard of goodness, it comes to rajo-guṇa. And rajo-guṇa means lusty desires, unending desires. And if desires are not fulfilled, then there is krodha, anger. In this way, kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya—everything becomes very prominent, and we become servant of these propensities, kāma, krodha, moha, mātsarya, mada, lobha. This is called illusion, gradually degraded mind. And the business of the mind is saṅkalpa and vikalpa. Saṅkalpa means decide to do something, and vikalpa means again to reject it. That is the business of mind. Everyone desires the peacefulness of mind, but the material mind—the nature is saṅkalpa and vikalpa, restlessness. You cannot fix up.

So if you can control the senses by the yogic . . . mystic yogic process—this mechanical endeavor, how to control the mind—then you can again be placed in the original spiritual status. That is the yoga system. The yoga system is recommended to persons whose mind is very restless. Everyone's mind is restless—not a particular man mind is restless. Everyone's. But it is very difficult, also, to bring the mind into peaceful status. So long the desires are there, it is not possible to bring the mind in complete peace and tranquillity. It is not possible, because the saṅkalpa-vikalpa . . . vartate-kāma-sambhavaḥ. So long there is desire, so it is not possible to bring the mind under control. Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, Kavirāja Gosvāmī, that even the pious actors, those who are acting very piously . . . those who are acting impiously, sinfully, there is no question of peace of the mind. That is not possible. Even those who are acting very piously, that is also not possible. You cannot control even the mind in that way. Then those who are desiring to stop these material activities completely, pious or impious, they also cannot control the mind. And then the yogīs . . . the first group, who are interested in pious activities, they are karmīs. And those who are neither interested in pious activities or impious activities—they want to stop all kinds of activities . . . just like the Buddha philosophy says, nirvāṇa: "Stop the activities of the mind, or desires." On that status also, it is not possible to control the mind, meditation. And . . . these mukti-kāmī. And then siddhi-kāmī, the yogīs, they also cannot control the mind, what to speak of ordinary man who are neither interested in pious activities or in mukti or yogic perfection.

So when Kṛṣṇa advised Arjuna to practice yoga for controlling the mind in the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna refused. Arjuna said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are advising me to control the mind by practicing yoga, but I have no such opportunity because I am a family man. I am also politician, royal family. I have to see things, administration of the kingdom. And besides that, in family life I have to seek for my material interest. So how it is possible for me to control the mind?" So he flatly said,

cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa

pramāthi balavad dṛḍham

tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye

vāyor iva suduṣkaram

(BG 6.34)

"My dear Kṛṣṇa, I think the mind is very, very restless." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa. Pramāthi: "as madman." A madman is always restless. "And very strong. I want to control the mind, but it does not come under control. So this is the position. Therefore, You are asking me to control the mind . . ." tasya ahaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram: "I think it is more difficult than controlling the wind." Suppose there is very strong wind, and if you want to stop it, you see, it is not possible. There is cyclone. Similarly, Arjuna has compared the mind with the speed of cyclone. How it is to be controlled? So completely denied. But Kṛṣṇa said, just to encourage Arjuna, that he should not be disappointed because he could not control the mind. But still, because his mind was always engaged in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he is the best of all the yogīs.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

He encouraged Arjuna that "Don't be disappointed, because your mind is always engaged in Me." Arjuna might be anything, but he was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. He was always associating with Kṛṣṇa. He did not know anything else, Kṛṣṇa. That is the position of first-class yogī. Otherwise, if you try to control the mind from kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya, that is not possible. You have to change the position of such activities.

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura . . . here it is said that kāma-sambhavaḥ. Kāma, kāma means desire. So mind is restless, always desiring something, desiring something. So the best policy to control the mind is to desire how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the best. Kāmaḥ kṛṣṇa-karmārpaṇe. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has said that you cannot be free from desire. That is not possible. This is useless attempt. They say that "You become desireless." No, that is not possible. How can I . . .? If I become desireless, I become dead. So long I am living entity, I must desire. I cannot check it. Therefore kāma means desire. So at the present moment, we are desiring how to become happy in this material world, how to acquire so much money, how to acquire this, how to acquire this, how to get this, how to get that. This is kāma. So this brain taxation, if you engage in Kṛṣṇa's service—how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how to convince people about Kṛṣṇa, how to take them to the Kṛṣṇa's desire, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66)—and in this way, if you go on making plan for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your mind is controlled.

You cannot stop desire. That is not possible. The kāma-sambhavaḥ . . . saṅkalpa-vikalpābhyāṁ vartate kāma-sambhavaḥ. This is the mind's position. I am desiring something, and if it is not very palatable, then I reject it. I accept another desire. This is. You cannot keep the mind vacant even for a single moment. Nobody has got this experience, that mind is vacant. If by force you are trying to do that, it is simply laboring. It is not possible. Just like to concentrate one's mind in the vacant . . . kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). Kleśaḥ, kleśaḥ adhikataras teṣām, impersonal and void. If you want to engage your mind in the impersonality or voidness of variegatedness, it is simply very, very difficult. The best, easy way of controlling the mind . . . because Kṛṣṇa has said that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā antar-ātmanā . . . śraddhāvān bhajate yo mām (BG 6.47). This is the way.

Anyone who is making plan, the plan-making . . . kāma-sambhavaḥ means plan-making. You see the whole world, the big, big politicians. In our government, central government, there is a planning commission. Perhaps every one of you know it, planning commission. From . . . for the last twenty years they are making simply plans, and no plan has become successful. Every plan (chuckles) is unsuccessful, and the result is eight rupees' kilo rice, your staple food. The plan has come successfully to bring rice eight rupees per kilo. That is not possible. So long the . . . you are materially affected and making plan how to get out of it, the material nature is so strong that it will baffle all your plans, and therefore you will have to remain perpetually restless. One plan you make, and it is baffled by the material nature, stringent laws of nature. And at last, making plan, making plan, making plan—one day the time comes and immediately orders, "Please vacate your presidency, your prime ministership." Although I am trying to make plan, successful plans, up to the point of death . . . pralayānta, pralayānta, asuric plan, up to the end of life . . . and then he entrusts. He says, "My dear son, my dear daughter, I could not fulfill this plan, so you do it. Now I hand it over to you." And the son also going on, making plan, plan, plan. It will never be fulfilled.

That is the verdict of the śāstra. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Durāśayā. It is impossible. Therefore this saṅkalpa-vikalpa, accepting some plan and rejecting again, this is going on perpetually. It is never fulfilled; neither it will be fulfilled at any time. And for making this plan, saṅkalpa-vikalpa, perpetually I am giving up one kind of body; I am accepting another body. I am giving up the residence of one planet; I am going to the heavenly planet:

ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā

madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ

jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā

adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ

(BG 14.18)

Plan in the modes of goodness and passion, in ignorance. So different plans, different kinds of body, different residential quarter in different planets, different . . . you see? We have got experience even in Bombay. If one body is living here in Bombay for fifty years, how many plans he has had made and how many apartments he has changed? And still the plan-making business is going on. Everyone has got this experience. It is not very difficult.

So as it is going on in this life, in this span of life, similarly, it is going on life after life, this plan-making business. So the intelligent person, they should understand that how to stop this unlimited plan-making business, still there is no solution. That is called athāto brahma jijñāsā (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.1). That is life, athāto brahma-jijñāsā, when one is inquisitive to know the broader plan, Brahman plan. Brahman means the biggest, bṛhatva, the biggest. The biggest plan, if anyone wants to understand, becomes inquisitive, then his life, real life, begins. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So wherefrom brahma-jijñāsā? Brahma-jijñāsā . . . this ordinary jijñāsā, inquiry, "What is the price of rice today?" or "What is the situation of strike? What is the situation of this, that?" that you can ask from the newspaper or from anyone, friend. But so far brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry of Brahman, then where shall you inquire? Will you go to the exchange market or in the other market? No. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Sa gurum evābhigacchet. That is the injunction of the Vedas, that you must find out guru. Samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. Guru means brahma-niṣṭham. Brahma-niṣṭham. That is the guru's qualification. And śrotriyam, one who has heard from the disciplic succession, he is guru, not anyone magician. No.

Guru, as Kṛṣṇa said . . . Kṛṣṇa is the original guru. He is Brahmā's guru. Then who can be better guru than Kṛṣṇa? Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). He instructed Brahmā. Brahmā instructed Nārada, and Nārada instructed Vyāsadeva, and Vyāsadeva has given us so many literatures. This is called paramparā system. Vedavyāsa. Vyāsadeva has given us four Vedas: Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg, Atharva; then explained them in the 108 Purāṇas. Then again, he has summarized them in Vedānta-sūtra. Then again, he has explained the Vedānta-sūtra by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Brahma-sūtra-bhāṣya. In every chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will find this statement by Vyāsadeva, brahma-sūtra-bhāṣya. Brahma-sūtra-bhāṣya is not that Śaṅkara's bhāṣya, Śārīraka-bhāṣya. That is artificial. Here the brahma-sūtra-bhāṣya. Brahma-sūtra is written by Vyāsadeva, and because he knew that in future so many rascals will misinterpret this Brahma-sūtra, therefore he compiled personally the bhāṣya of Brahma-sūtra. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyaṁ brahma-sūtrāṇāṁ vedārtha-paribṛṁhitam: "The meaning of the Vedas is completely described, and it is the original comment on Brahma-sūtra." Therefore you will see Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins from the words of Brahma-sūtra: jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā (SB 1.2.10). As it is said in the Brahma-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsā, the Bhāgavata says that jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā: "The living entity's only business is to inquire about the Absolute Truth." Na yaś ceha karmabhiḥ: "No other business." Dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41).

So dharma . . . generally, people think that "Becoming religious, we shall be economically developed." Dharma artha. "We shall get artha. We shall be . . ." That is . . . automatically it comes. If you are actually following the religious principle, artha will come. There is no doubt. And . . . but we do not know what is dharma. That is the difficulty. That you have to learn from Kṛṣṇa, athāto brahma jijñāsā, from the guru. And what guru says, Kṛṣṇa says? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). This is dharma. Anything else, that is all cheating. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra (SB 1.1.2). Kaitava. Kaitava means cheating. And Śrīdhara Svāmī says, "This mokṣa is also another cheating." Mokṣa is another . . . "I shall make me void. I shall finish my existence, individual existence. I shall merge into the existence of the Absolute," this conception, mokṣa, mukti, is also commented by Śrīdhara Svāmī, "This is another cheating, another cheating." Because there cannot be mokṣa. You cannot become one with the Supreme. How you can be? As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). Sanātanaḥ. You are part and parcel of the Supreme. How you can become one? So this kind of attempt is also cheating. You cannot become one. Because eternally, sanātana, eternally, you are different. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "Myself, My dear Arjuna, yourself and all the soldiers and kings who have assembled in this battlefield, they were the same individual in the past, and they are individual now, and they will continue to remain individual." So where there is oneness? In the past, present, future the individuality is there.

So it is a concoction to finish the individuality. It is called spiritual suicide. Just like if a man becomes disappointed and he cuts his own throat or hangs him, some way or other, eats some poison, to finish, does it mean that he is finished? Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). He is rascal. He does not know. By finishing this body he is finished—no, that is not possible. The result is, because he violated the rules of nature, he becomes a ghost. That is his life. One who commits suicide, he becomes a ghost. Ghost means he does not get this material body. He remains in the subtle body, mind, intelligence. Therefore ghost can go because he is in the mind. Mind speed is very strong. If you have got this material body, you cannot go immediately hundred miles off. But if you are in the mental body, you can go immediately, thousand miles immediately, within a second. So the ghost, they can play something wonderful because . . . but they are not happy, because they have no gross body. They want to enjoy. He's materialist. He has committed suicide for some material want. So he is in want of material . . . fulfilling material desire. He could not fulfill in this body, therefore commits suicide. But the desire is there. The desire is there, and he cannot fulfill it. He becomes perplexed. Therefore the ghost create disturbance sometimes.

So in this way desires cannot be finished. That is not possible. Kāma-sambhavaḥ. It is not possible. Therefore the best thing is that fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will be happy, the mind always engaged in Kṛṣṇa's business, planning how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That you are . . . require. That is intelligence. Kṛṣṇa wants everyone to surrender unto Him. When Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), He does not say only to Arjuna; He says to everyone. So that is Kṛṣṇa's desire, and if you want to serve Kṛṣṇa, to fulfill His desire, that means you canvass everyone to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. This is preaching. Kṛṣṇa wants it. It is declared. So your business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So do it. Why don't you do it? Why you are aspiring after mukti, siddhi and bhukti? These are all personal. Anyone who is executing pious activities, acquiring puṇya, what is the result? Puṇya means he will go to the heavenly planet. That is sense gratification.

Heavenly planet . . . you go to the heavenly planet, you live for many thousands of years, many millions of years, and get the association of apsarās, very nice standard of life, and so on, so on. These are all personal comforts, bhukti, a better standard of material enjoyment. To go to the heavenly planet means a better standard of, thousand times better, millions times better than this planet. As you go up and up . . . this is Bhūrloka. Then Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Brahmaloka, so many lokas. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). If you increase your modes of goodness, then you gradually promoted more and more comfortable situation. If you go to the Siddhaloka, immediately you become a perfect yogī. The yogīs are trying to get some power, material power—aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti-siddhi. If one gets this prāpti . . . Prāpti-siddhi means whatever he likes he can get immediately. That is cal . . . and people become after him, "Oh, here is God. He is creating rasagullā." (laughter) You see? Yes. One yogī in Benares, he . . . anyone who would come to him, immediately he will present two rasagullā in a pot. He will give, and immediately rasagullā will be there. And big, big men, they become surprised, "Oh, here is God." He does not say, "What is the price of these rasagullā?" Say, four annas? So by jugglery of four annas, he became God. This is going on. This rascaldom is going on. By jugglery of four annas, eight annas, or four hundred or four thousand, if one can make some jugglery, then he becomes God. This is foolishness. This is going on.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that this kind of yoga practice is simply cheating. The first-class yogī is he . . . yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47). One who is thinking of always Kṛṣṇa, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa," he is first-class yogī. And they are all cheaters. Some foolish people are cheated by this yogic jugglery and he gets some position, some material position. So material positions there are many. Even a politician, if he talks, many millions people gather to hear him. But what is the benefit of such hearing? First of all we have to see what is the benefit. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). If you are interested of hearing lectures, then śāstra says that "Hear of Viṣṇu," not of any rascal. Hear from Vaiṣṇava. Then you will be benefited. Otherwise you will not be benefited. Avaiṣṇavo gurur na sa syāt (Padma Purāṇa). This is the injunction of the śāstra. One who is avaiṣṇava, he cannot become guru.

Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ (Padma Purāṇa). A brāhmaṇa, and he is very expert in ṣaṭ-karma . . . ṣaṭ-karma means six kinds of occupational duties. What is that? Paṭhana. A brāhmaṇa must be very, very learned scholar by reading Vedic literature; and pāṭhana, and teach others of the Vedic literature. Therefore it was the custom of the brāhmaṇas—they would not accept anyone's service. They will sit down anywhere and open a school for teaching Vedic literature. Paṭhana, pāṭhana. He will personally become learned, and he will teach others. And the students, they will go from door to . . . brahmacārī, door to door for begging, "Mother, give me some alms." And they will give, because their students are there in the gurukula or catuṣpāṭhī. So whatever they will bring, that will be cooked and offered to Kṛṣṇa, and the prasādam will be distributed amongst themselves. This was the process, not twenty rupees' fee and give some bribe to enter into the school, and that is also all rascal education. No. First-class education, without any fee, from the realized soul—that was educational system, varṇāśrama-dharma.

So we have to find out such guru, Vaiṣṇava. Śāstra says, ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ (Padma Purāṇa). Not only expert in six kinds of occupational . . . paṭhana, pāṭhana, yajana, yājana, dāna, pratigraha, but mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ: Vedic mantra or tantra—everything he knows perfectly well. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra . . . avaiṣṇavo gurur na sa syāt: but if he has got one disqualification—he is faithless; he does not believe in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or Viṣṇu; he is believer in other demigods and other process, even Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā, the best of all the demigods—then he becomes avaiṣṇava. Just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa was very learned scholar, son of a brāhmaṇa, very good scholar, and economically developed, but only fault was avaiṣṇava: he did not care for Rāma. So he is designated as rākṣasa. So avaiṣṇava, who is not devotee of Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gurur na sa syāt, he cannot become guru. That is not possible.

And vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ. Śva-paca. Śva-paca means the dog-eaters, the lowest of the mankind, dog-eaters, caṇḍāla. Caṇḍālo 'pi dvija-śreṣṭho hari-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ: if somehow or other he has become Vaiṣṇava, then he can become guru, not this brāhmaṇa, ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. Because that one disqualification is there, that he is not a Vaiṣṇava, he cannot become guru. But a person born in the lowest of the human society, pāpa-yoni, which is called pāpa-yoni . . . māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Kṛṣṇa says that "Anyone who takes shelter of Me, even he belongs to the pāpa-yoni . . ." Pāpa-yoni means the caṇḍālas, less than the śūdras. Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrāḥ (BG 9.32) . . . again He mentions. Te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim: so they are eligible to go back to home, back to Godhead. There are so many instances. Kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ, ye 'nye ca pāpāḥ (SB 2.4.18): "Lower than them, still more sinful," śudhyanti, "they can be purified," prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ, "if he becomes a Vaiṣṇava."

So vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ is nārakī-buddhiḥ. One should not consider a Vaiṣṇava, whether he is born of low family, he is not born of brāhmaṇa family. This kinds of consideration is nārakī-buddhi. So there are many instances. Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī says that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam (Padma Purāṇa). If a avaiṣṇava, if a Māyāvādī, he speaks about Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā, one should not hear it. He should avoid it, because it will create some misimpression. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has forbidden strongly, māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169): "If one hears from a Māyāvādī about Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then that person is doomed." So this is . . . therefore, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This injunction means one should approach a Vaiṣṇava to accept him as guru and then take lessons from him and make his life successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. (end)