750306 - Lecture SB 02.02.06 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1975

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

750306SB-NEW YORK - March 06, 1975 - 73:36 Minutes

(kirtana)

Prabhupāda: Prema-dvan) Thank you very much.

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

(28:47)

Prabhupāda: Hmm. (sings Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava) Prema-dvan) Thank you very much.

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

(34:33)

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2nd Canto, 2nd Chapter, verse number 6.

(Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

evaṁ sva-citte svata eva siddha

ātmā priyo 'rtho bhagavān anantaḥ

taṁ nirvṛto niyatārtho bhajeta

saṁsāra-hetūparamaś ca yatra

(SB 2.2.6)

evam—thus;

sva-citte—in one's own heart;

svataḥ—by His omnipotency;

eva—certainly;

siddhaḥ—fully represented;

ātmā—the Supersoul;

priyaḥ—very dear;

arthaḥ—substance;

bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;

anantaḥ—the eternal unlimited;

tam—unto Him;

nirvṛtaḥ—being detached from the world;

niyata—permanent;

arthaḥ—the supreme gain;

bhajeta—one must worship;

saṁsāra-hetu—the cause of the conditioned state of existence;

uparamaḥ—cessation;

ca—certainly;

yatra—in which

(38:19) (Video - 00:38)

"Thus being fixed, one must render service unto the Supersoul situated in everyone's own heart by His omnipotency. Because He is the Almighty Personality of Godhead, eternal and unlimited, He is the ultimate goal of life, and by worshiping Him one can end the cause of conditioned state of existence."

Prabhupāda:

evaṁ sva-citte svata eva siddha

ātmā priyo 'rtho bhagavān anantaḥ

taṁ nirvṛto niyatārtho bhajeta

saṁsāra-hetūparamaś ca yatra

(SB 2.2.6)

So last night we discussed that why one should bother about his maintenance and go to beg from a person who is very proud of his wealth. He can arrange his own living condition. The living condition is āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ (Hitopadeśa 25). So far one is in the renounced order of life, so he should first of all renounce the sex life and the state of fearfulness. That is renounced. Just like here there are many brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs. They are supposed to be renounced order, especially the sannyāsī, and vānaprastha, brahmacārī. Renounced. First renunciation is to renounce sense gratification. Therefore the person in renounced order is called svāmī. Svāmī means master. Or gosvāmī. So go means "senses," and svāmī means "master." One who has become master of his senses, he is gosvāmī or svāmī. Otherwise, if one is servant of his senses, how he can be svāmī or gosvāmī? Every word has got meaning. So one has to renounce. This is material life. Material life means everyone is engaged for sense gratification, and that is taken as the advancement of civilization. The same sense gratification in different way, same intoxication, same meat-eating, same sex life; either go to club or naked club or this club. Therefore the practice is the same. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), repetition of chewing the chewed. This is material life.

So renounced order means to stop; not stop, at least control sense gratification. That is renounced order. And without being in renounced order you cannot go to the spiritual world. Just like if your . . . your hand is there, you have got something which is not very good within your hand, and if you want to take something better, so you have to throw it away and take it, the better one. You cannot keep the both things. That is not possible. Therefore, what is the difference between material life and spiritual life? Material life means simply full of problems, every step. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ (SB 10.14.58). Simply dangerous. We are riding very nicely, comfortably, in a Cadillac car or motorcar, but we are riding on danger, that's all. We are driving; any moment the car may be smashed, especially in your country. Any moment. So shall I sit down at home? No. At home also there may be so many dangers. We are in dangers. Simply we are trying to counteract it. That is called advancement of civilization. The animals, they depend on nature's protection. But we are human being; we are utilizing our higher consciousness, higher intelligence—the same thing. The Russia is manufacturing an, what is called, weapon, an atom bomb. So . . .

Devotee: Nuclear weapons.

Prabhupāda: Nuclear, yes. And America is also trying to. And the cat and dog, they are trying to protect by their nails and teeth. So the real question is defense. So the defense is . . . it is not that because we have got better life than the cats and dogs we haven’t got to defend. We have to defend. This is . . . but in a better way. Not better way—after all, we have to die. So anyway, we think that is a better way of defense.

So material life means only busy in four things: how to eat, how to sleep, and how to have nice sex and how to defend: āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām Hitopadeśa). But these things are not solving our problems. That we do not understand. The problems are there. Not that we Indians who have come to America to see that very rich nation, whether they have solved their problems. No. There are problems—more problems than India. India may have only one problem, that there is . . . actually there is no, but we are advertised that Indians are starving. But I have not seen anyone starving. Anyway, so the problem is there. The material life means problem, and if you want to solve the problems, then here is the prescription given: taṁ nirvṛto niyatārtho bhajeta. Taṁ means the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Then the question may be, "Now you have asked me to give up all endeavor for maintaining yourself, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. You have prescribed that for your food you just wait under the tree, and he will give you some fruits; you can eat. For water you go to the river and drink as much water as you like." Then, before this verse, he said, "For sleeping, there is very nice mattress in the grass. I won’t require any pillow. Now you have got natural pillow this; you have got your hand. Lie down." So, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. But if you want to advance in spiritual life, simply you have to give up this sense gratification. And the essence of sense gratification is sex life. Otherwise, there is full arrangement for your eating, sleeping, compartment, apartment. Everything is there. Temple also there you have got. "Where is the temple? I want to worship God. Where is church? Where is temple? If I live on the cave, then I will have to find out another means to go to the temple." Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī advises, "No." Evaṁ sva-citte svata eva siddha. "Your, within the core of your heart, the Lord is there. You sit down anywhere—in the cave, in the jungle or anywhere. If you like, you can find out the Lord is there within your heart," īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61).

Kṛṣṇa says that the Supreme Lord—that means He—He is situated in everyone's heart. If we are sincere . . . "we" means these living entities. We are also living within this body. Asmin dehe, dehino ‘smi . . . dehino ‘smin dehe (BG 2.13). We are not this body. I am, you are, we are also situated within this body, and Kṛṣṇa is also situated within this body. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61). It is not that He is situated in the heart of the Hindus and not of the others. No. Everyone. Sarva-bhūtānāṁ. He is situated even within the heart of cats and dogs and tigers and others. Everyone. That is īśvaraḥ. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe. This verse we have repeatedly discussed—it is very, very important—that this body is just like a motorcar, yantra. Māyayā . . . bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrā rūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Māyayā. Through the agency of māyā, material energy, this vehicle, machine, has been given to me. Why? Because I wanted to wander throughout the universe, just like they are going to the moon planet. So everyone has got this. This is called philosophical ideas. Everyone, every human being, if he is at all human being, he considers. That is philosophical mind. He considers, "Oh, there are so many stars. Whether . . . what they are doing? How many men are there? Whether there is motorcar? Whether there is hill, ocean?" These questions automatically come to an intelligent man. That is the beginning of philosophy. Natural.

So actually that is the fact. We are traveling all over the universe. Not only that we have come to this planet. We have traveled many other planets. Otherwise, how Kṛṣṇa says bhrāmayan, wandering; sarva-bhūtāni, all living entities—either in the higher planetary system or this lower planetary system? And how he is traveling? Yantrārūḍhāni. This yantra, this body. He is given body. Now if I want to go to the moon planet and other higher planet, yes, you will get. But not this yantra, your so-called teeny sputnik. No. You have to take the yantra, the car, the vehicle, from Kṛṣṇa. He will give you if you want, if you are serious, that if you want to go to the moon planet, then you pray to Kṛṣṇa that "Give me a yantra, or a machine, I can go to the moon planet." Then you can go. Otherwise you will unnecessarily spend money and try to go somewhere and bring some dust, and you will say, "Now I . . . we are triumphant." That's all. But if you want to go there seriously, then you have to prepare yourself in this life. Pray to the Supreme Lord, who has created all this moon and sun and other and this planet, and He will make you befitting, qualified to go there. You cannot go to the sun planet. It is very, very hot, high temperature. Similarly, it is very, very cold in the moon planet. So how you can go with this body? This body means this machine.

Then you have to accept another machine. That is the process. That is the process. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni

mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām

(BG 9.25)

Everything is clearly stated there, that if you want to go to the heavenly planets or higher planetary system, they are in the, in front of you. You can see them, that the sun planet is there; but you are so unqualified you cannot go there. But the thing is there. It is not fictitious. The temperature is there, śāstra description, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ (Bs. 5.52). Savitā means the sun. He is the eye of all the planets, because without sunshine you cannot see. You are very much proud of your eyes, but as soon as there is no sun, then you are blind. Therefore, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ. All, all the planets, unless there is sunlight you cannot see. And the sun planet is there in front of you. Every morning you are getting the sunshine. Why don’t you go there? Huh? Go. You have got nice 747. (laughter) That you cannot. Then you have to pray. Īśvara, Kṛṣṇa, is within your heart, and if you fervently pray, He is very kind. Therefore He gives you different types of vehicle. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Bhrāmayan means making him wandering in every planet, in every species of life. Sarva-bhūtāni: all species of life. There are different types of birds, different types of beasts, different types of human being. This is called vicitra, varieties. God's creation is varieties.

So if you want to go somewhere within this material world or beyond this material world, beyond this material world: paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). Kṛṣṇa giving you the information that there is another material nature. That is spiritual nature. Just like we have got this experience, although we could not go anywhere, but we see, by studying geography, that there are many, many hundred, thousands and millions of planets. Similarly, there is another nature. There also, similarly. The same—not only same; it is three times more than in this material world. This is only God's one part of creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat.

atha vā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam

ekāṁśena sthito jagat

(BG 10.42)

When Kṛṣṇa wanted to know . . . Arjuna wanted to know from Kṛṣṇa, "How much Your potency is extended? How You are working? I want to know." Because he is inquisitive, brahma-jijñāsā. He is trying to understand what is God. And God is personally replying. So He has stated in that chapter that "I am this amongst these; I am this amongst these; I am this." Then, then He summarizes that "How much I shall say? Just try to understand Me, My potency, that the . . . this material world there are innumerable universes, and in each universe there are innumerable planets. So I want in every one of them," viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam, "all of them, and I maintain them." Just like Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart, then the . . . similarly, Kṛṣṇa is situated in everything, even within the atom. That is Kṛṣṇa. We want to imitate Kṛṣṇa, but if I . . . if we are asked that "You enter into the atom," "That I cannot do." No.

Kṛṣṇa, God, means He is . . . can, He can be, become that the greater than the greatest. We can conceive of the greatest, the universe. So, not only this universe, but many millions of universes, they are being created from the holes of . . . of His bodily hair. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vila-jā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs 5.48). That is God. Probably we have got many millions of holes on our body. So God has got, Mahā-Viṣṇu, and from that hole universes are coming out, continually, breathing. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam. So you must have what is the conception of God: greater than the greatest, and smaller than the smallest. That is God. He can produce these big, big universes simply by breathing, and again—we do not know how many atoms are there in each universe—He can enter in each atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ.

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 the conception of God.

So here the proposal is that we are suffering in this material world. We are simply thinking that "In future we shall be happy if I do like this." But before that future comes, we become finished. This is our position. Not only once, but many times. Still I, you, have opinion. Just like the so-called scientist: millions of years' gap, and then this will be happening, this will be happening. No. These are all nonsense. Then how—your age is fifty or sixty years—how you are conceiving millions of years? Your fifty, sixty years of age will be millions' time finished before you realize the truth. But the so-called scientists, they are thinking, "No. This fifty, sixty years is large extent of, span of life." In that way cannot understand. That is not possible. Ciraṁ vicinvan. If you speculate in this foolish way for ciraṁ, eternally, still you cannot understand. Ciraṁ vicinvan.

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-

prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi

jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno

na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan

(SB 10.14.29)

Ciraṁ means "eternally." If you speculate to understand God by your teeny brain and limited sense perception, it will be none. To take the prescription of the śāstra, if you want, the first is that you must give up material attachment. Nivṛtta . . . (aside) Take this. Material attachment, so long I will be attracted by material things, Kṛṣṇa will give me a relative body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir (BG 2.13). If we want this temporary material enjoyment, then according to the body there is enjoyment. In the ant's life there is also the same thing: eating, sleeping, sex and defense. And in the Lord Indra's, or the King Indra, the heavenly king, he has all the same propensity—eating, sleeping, mating and defense. So if you go to the moon planet or sun planet or the topmost planets, wherever you go, the four things will follow: eating, sleeping, mating, defense; and birth, death, old age and disease.

So, so long we shall remain in this material world, I may be Lord Indra, Lord Brahmā, or President of America, or this or that—you cannot avoid these four things. That is material existence. That is the problem. But if you want to solve the problem, then this is the process giving: the nivṛtta. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ. Don’t aspire for material enjoyment. Enjoyment is there. Don’t think that "If I stop my material enjoyment, then my life of enjoyment is finished." No. It is not finished. Just like a diseased man: he is also eating, he is also sleeping, he is also having other duties; but that he is eating, sleeping, and the healthy man's eating, sleeping is not the same thing. Similarly, our material enjoyment—the eating, sleeping, mating and defense—that is with, full of dangers. We cannot enjoy without any hindrance. There are so many hindrances.

So if we want that uninterrupted happiness . . . happiness is there. Just like a diseased man, he is also eating, and the healthy man is eating. But he is having bitter taste. A man with jaundice, if you give him sugar candy, he will taste as bitter. That's a fact. But the same person who is cured from the jaundice disease, he will taste it very sweet. Similarly, in the material condition of life there are so many inebrieties, we cannot enjoy life fully. If you want full enjoyment of life, then you must come to the spiritual platform. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This material world has been described in the Bhagavad-gītā that this is duḥkhālayam. It is the place of miseries. Then if you say, "No, I have made arrangement. I have got now good, nice bank balance. My wife is very nice, my children are also very nice, so I don’t mind. I shall remain in the material world," Kṛṣṇa says aśāśvatam: "No, sir. You cannot live here. You will be kicked out." Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. If you agree to stay here, in this miserable condition of life, that is also not allowed. No permanent settlement. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir.

So these problems, where is the scientists they are discussing about these problem? But the problems are there. Who wants to give up whatever family he has got? Everyone has got family, but nobody wants to give up his family. But by force he is taken away. The man is crying, "Oh, I am now going. I am now dying. What will happen to my wife, my children?" He is forced. He must get out. So this is the problem. So where is the solution of the problem? There is no solution of the problem. If you want solution of the problem, then Kṛṣṇa says,

mām upetya kaunteya

duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam

nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ

saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

(BG 8.15)

"If one comes to Me," mām upetya, "then he hasn’t got to come to, again, in this material world full of miseries."

So here Śukadeva Gosvāmī is suggesting that you become devotee. Your all problems will be solved.

(Video end - 30:09)

He is describing here, evaṁ sva-citte svata eva siddha (SB 2.2.6). You don't have to find out where is God, God is there within your heart, svata eva. How he has come? Svata eva. He is so kind that he is by his own nature, by his habit, he is accompanying you, as friend, just to save you. Just to save you. You are rotting in this material world and Kṛṣṇa, God is within your heart, just to . . . looking forward, when you will say, "Kṛṣṇa, now I have finished my business, please save me". He is simply waiting, and he says, "sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), you rascal, you are simply suffering, you give up all this nonsense engagement, you surrender unto Me, I shall give you protection." Kṛṣṇa is opportunities, he is looking after the opportunities when after being thoroughly being experienced, that your so-called material life hasn't given you any comfort at any moment, now you surrender unto the Supreme Lord. That opportunity he is saying, therefore He comes, just to offer, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya. Those who are a little advanced, Kṛṣṇa gives His instruction, "Oh, you are very nice, all right, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). You, 24 hours chant about Me, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ, satataṁ. Satataṁ means knowledge. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). So this is the opportunity to make solution of all the problems. Bhajataṁ, bhajeta, bhaja, this is Sanskrit word, the root meaning is to serve, bhajeta. How bhajeta? Taṁ nirvṛto niyatārtho bhajeta (SB 2.2.6). You become relieved from all these so-called material duties.

Nirvṛta. Nirvṛto niyatārthaḥ. Niyata artha means that is your permanent duty. Artha. Artha means the aim of life or the achievement. Niyata. That is your real purpose of life. "Real purpose of" means that you are part and parcel of God, and He is waiting when you give up service, your manufactured service, and come to this service of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service. Then what will be the result? Saṁsāra-hetūparamaś ca. Your this material life begun because you did not like to serve Kṛṣṇa. Saṁsāra. Saṁsāra means this material life. Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam. So it is the spiritual master's duty is, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that inform this, that "You are suffering in this material world. So because you wanted to be relieved from the suffering, so here is the message. Here is the message." Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14). Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that, enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi'. "This māyā, this illusion, you want to get relief from this illusion. So I have brought medicine for you." Enechi auṣadhi. Auṣadhi means medicine. Enechi, "I have brought," enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro, "to . . . just to drive away this māyā." What is that? Hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi. Māgi, "you voluntarily take it." He doesn't force. That is not good. It is not force.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means on behalf of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are canvassing from door to door; "My dear sir, you are very intelligent, but you are suffering always. Take this medicine. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! Haribol! (applause) (end)