751124 - Lecture CC Madhya 06.154 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

751124CC-BOMBAY - November 24, 1975 - 35:19 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā

kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā

avidyā-karma-samjñā anya

tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate

(CC Madhya 6.154)

So we were discussing other night about the three principal energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are multi-energies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (CC Madhya 13.65, purport). From śruti we understand that the Supreme Lord is full of potencies. Even we are. We are a small particle of the Supreme Lord—still, we are full of potencies. Just like you shave today, and tomorrow morning, by your own potency, the hairs again grown. We see actually things are happening. How it is happening, that we do not know, even in our body. But it is a fact it is happening. Things are happening. That means due to my potency. As soon as I leave this body there will be no more hair growth. The potency is gone. So as we are a small particle, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ . . . (BG 15.7). Jīva, the living entity, is a very small particle, one ten-thousandth part of the top point of hair. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca. So such a small particle, atomic particle of the Supreme Lord, has got so much potencies. We see different varieties of life, different intelligence all over the world. What is that? Potency. So if we have got so much potencies, just imagine what Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, has got, potency.

So He has got potency. He is not niḥ śakti. He has got śakti. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna . . . everything is happening on account of His potency. Just like in your body so many things are happening on account of potency, similarly, the gigantic universal form of the Lord—His potencies are working. Everything is happening. The tree is coming out, the fruit is coming out, the flower is coming out, the color is painted—everything. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Na tasya kāryam karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He hasn't got to do anything personally, but His potencies are acting. Na tasya kāryam karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Na tat-samas cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. Nobody can be equal to Him or greater than Him. Sama. Asama-ūrdhva. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is explained that Kṛṣṇa is asama-ūrdhva. Nobody is greater than Him, and nobody is equal to Him. So anyone who is claiming equal to Him, they are less intelligent. They have no intelligence. Asama-ūrdhva. Na tasya samaḥ. Nobody is equal to Him, neither urdhva. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7): "Nobody is greater than Me." Therefore God is great. If somebody is equal to Him or greater than Him, then he is not God. God is Kṛṣṇa.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

(Bs. 5.1)

He is the original cause of everything. So He has got . . . He is working. The whole cosmic manifestation is exhibited by His potency. That is described here: viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā (CC Madhya 6.154). That is spiritual potency.

Originally the God's potency, Kṛṣṇa's potency—cit-śakti, sat-cit-ānanda. God is sat, eternal; cit, full of knowledge; and ānandamaya. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). You'll never see Kṛṣṇa nirānandamaya. Even if He is killing a demon, He is smiling. That is also ānanda. So the potencies of God, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu—viṣṇu śaktiḥ parā—they are not these ordinary potencies, material potency. Spiritual potency. Viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetrajñaḥ (CC Madhya 6.154). Ksetrajña means jīva. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kṣetra-kṣetrajñaḥ. The living soul is kṣetrajña, and this body is kṣetra. Kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānam, yad jñānaṁ tad jñānaṁ mataṁ mama (BG 13.3). If anyone understands what is this kṣetra and kṣetrajña and what is their relationship—kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānam—that is jñāna, not this material jñāna. That is spiritual jñāna. So kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā (CC Madhya 8.153). As God's potency is parā . . . parā and aparā. Originally everything is parā. And aparā means forgetfulness. This material world, we forget Kṛṣṇa; therefore it is called aparā. But there is another parā. That is spiritual potency. There, there is no forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious. So if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then immediately you become parā. Kṣetrajñam ākhyā tathā parā. Immediately you become parā. Otherwise you remain in the aparā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), this material contamination. Kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā.

Then what is this material potency? That is explained, avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. In between or besides this, parā and aparā, there is another śakti. That is avidyā, ignorance, darkness. Avidyā-karma-saṁjñā. And in this potency everyone has to work. Karma-saṁjñā. Without working, nobody can live here. You have to work. It is said that the lion is supposed to be the biggest animal, very powerful. So it is said in the Hitopadeśa, na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. Even if one is lion, if he thinks, "I am lion. Let me sleep, and the prey will automatically come within my mouth," no, that is not possible. You have to work. Anyone, whatever you may be, you have to work. Kṛṣṇa also said in the Bhagavad-gītā, śarīra yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. In this . . . this material world means everyone has to work. Otherwise he cannot live. Therefore it is called karma-samjñā. Karma-samjñā anyā.

And avidyā. If I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa . . . na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. If Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do, then—I am also part and parcel—I will also have nothing to do. Everything will be there, present. But that is our real constitutional position. We don't require to work. Everything is there for my enjoyment. But because we are now in this avidyā, ignorance, this material darkness, therefore I have to work. Avidyā-karma-samjñā. Karma is meant for this materialistic person. Bhakta does not require to take to karma—karma, jñāna, yoga, nothing. These are all material. Karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti. There are four primary principles for spiritual realization. So out of the four, karma, jñāna and yoga, they are all material, but bhakti is not material. That is spiritual. Therefore Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī describes:

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī-sakali aśānta

kṛṣṇa-bhakta-niṣkāma ataeva śānta

(CC Madhya 19.149)

If you want śānti, then you have to become a devotee. Otherwise, yayātmā samprasīdati.

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

ahaituky apratihatā

yayātmā samprasīdati

(SB 1.2.6)

If you actually want peacefulness of your ātmā, then you have to learn bhaktir adhokṣaje. And this action cannot be checked, ahaitukī, if your bhakti is pure, without any motive. Bhakti means without any motive.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttama

(Brs. 1.1.11)

Bhakti has no other adulteration. Simple, pure. "Simply I shall carry out the order of Kṛṣṇa," as Arjuna did, that is pure devotee. He is not under the resultant action. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ (BG 6.1). One who does not expect the resultant action . . . karmī, they are very much careful about getting the resultant action: "I am working so hard. I must have some material profit." That is karmī. Everyone in this material world, they are working so hard. Why? For some material profit. Therefore they are aśānta.

Bhukti. Bhukti means sense enjoyment. So bhukti, mukti and siddhi. This is karmī, jñānī, yogī. The karmīs, they are expecting some good result, material result, sense enjoyment. That is karmī. And jñānī, he is thinking that, "Material result has no profit. I have tried for it, but I could not get any profit out of." Gatila janja.

sat-saṅga chāḍi' khainu asate vilāsa

te-kāraṇe lāgila mora karma-bandha-phāṅsa

So jñānī means when he understands, "By acting for fruitive result, actually I have not gained anything." That is jñānī. One cannot get actually any good result. That is not possible. That is ajñāna. So jñānī means one who understands that "We cannot get any good result by this karma. So let me become one with God." That is . . . he does not know that is higher expectation. The karmīs are trying to become a big man, a big, very honorable man in the society, or minister or president. But when he is baffled . . . this is also wanting something, karmī. A jñānī, he wants to stop the small business; he wants to become one with God. That is more dangerous expectation. So that is jñānī. So they also cannot get peace, because there is demand. Karmīs, they want something material, and the jñānīs, they tries to become one with the Supreme. Ekatvam. Ekatvam meaning we make differently, but the jñānīs—sāyujya-mukti, to become one with God.

So they cannot be happy also, because there is want. The karmīs, they have got want. They want something. And here also there is want, a different type of want. Karmī wants some material result, immediate sense gratification, and here is also sense gratification. He is expecting something impossible—"I want to become one with God." So they cannot also get peace. That is not possible. And yogī, they also wanting something, siddhi, aṣṭa-siddhi: aṇimā, laghimā, garimā, prāpti siddhi, īśitva, vaśitva. There are eight kinds of siddhis. The yogīs want to get these siddhis and declare that he has become God, the same, like the jñānī. People are hankering after. If some yogī, some . . . play some yogic prakriyā, magic: "Oh, here is God." He does not see the wonderful magic which is going on throughout the whole universe. A simple magic captivate them.

So Caitanya-caritāmṛta kar therefore says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. They cannot get peace. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma (CC Madhya 19.149). Kṛṣṇa bhakta, he doesn't want anything. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, at least, teaches us, and that is the . . . anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11): zero, no abhilasa. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). In the platform of jñāna there is demand, "I shall become one with God." And karma, there is demand, "I must have the highest form of material happiness." Therefore jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam: "without any tinge of jñāna and karma." Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam: "all material desires made zero, śūnyam

." "Then I become zero?" No. That is your purity. When you are not contaminated by jñāna, karma, yoga, that is your pureness. And that purity, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Simply always be ready to serve Kṛṣṇa. Serve Kṛṣṇa.

"Now, where is Kṛṣṇa?" Yes, Kṛṣṇa is there. You can serve. Kṛṣṇa is present before you in His sound representation, Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is absolute, and His words, what He has spoken in the Bhagavad-gītā, they are the same. Kṛṣṇa's words and Kṛṣṇa, they are not different. The material world means my words and me, we are different. But in the spiritual world the words, the name, the form, the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, they are as good as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, if you discuss on the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, like Bhagavad-gītā, then you are immediately in touch with Kṛṣṇa. Abhinnatvād nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). There is no difference.

So ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam. If you want to abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa, anu-śīlanam . . . anu-śīlanam means cultivation. The words are there. The words are not different from Kṛṣṇa. So as soon as you take the words as it is, you immediately associate with Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, you take the instruction of guru, representative of Kṛṣṇa. If you can please your guru, yasya prasādad bhagavat-prasādaḥ . . . if you can please His representative, then you please Him. So in this way, kṛṣṇānuśīlanam, that is our duty, ānukūlyena. Ānukūla, not pratikūla. There are two ways of acting: ānukūla and pratikūla. If you act as I desire, that is ānukūla, and if you act what I don't desire, that is pratikūla. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness must be ānukūla, according to the desire of Kṛṣṇa, as it is confirmed by guru. That is ānukūla, favorable. And if you act whimsically, which Kṛṣṇa does not desire or the guru does not desire, then it is pratikūla. So ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167), that is bhakti.

So here it is said, avidya-karma-samjñānya trtiya śaktir isyate. This material energy is full of ignorance, avidya, and karma-sanga. Here you have to work hard. But if you become devotee, then there is no need of working hard. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Then Kṛṣṇa takes charge. Kṛṣṇa takes charge of you. Kṛṣṇa has taken charge of everyone, but especially yo tu bhajanti yam pritya tesu te mayi. Those who are devotee, for them special care. So here we are careless. Nobody is taking . . . the materialistic persons, they are working in their own capacity that, "I shall become happy in this way, I shall become happy in this way," and therefore entangling, committing so many sinful activities. And he's not becoming happy; more and more unhappy. Karma-bandha. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, sat-saṅga chāḍi khainu, asate vilāsa, te-kāraṇe lāgila mora karma-bandha-phāṅsa.

So if we don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if we act independently, then the result will be that we shall be entangled in the laws of karma. Laws of karma means karmana daiva-netrena jantor deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). By karma we are creating another body, next body. That we do not know. Karma, according to my karma. Karmana daiva-netrena, supervised, decided by the higher authorities, "You have done like this; you must get this body." Automatically. Automatically. Karanam guṇa-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu (BG 13.22). Everything is going on. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). If you don't like or like, it doesn't matter. If you have infected some disease which you don't like, that will not save you because you don't like. You must have to suffer from that disease. That is the law of nature. But that we do not know. We are acting independently. That is not possible. So therefore it is called avidya. Avidya means rascals. They are acting independently without knowing that there is overseer. There is the supreme seer. He is sitting within your heart.

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati

bhrāmāyān sarva-bhūtāni

yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

(BG 18.61)

Now Īśvara is seeing. You cannot do anything secretly. That is not possible. He is seeing. According to your karma, the next body is offered. Karmana daiva-netrena. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe . . . He is seeing. He is witness. Anumanta upadṛṣṭā. He is seeing everything, upadṛṣṭā. So He is asking the material nature, "Now this living entity wanted to act like this. So give him this body." Daiva-netrena. So you'll get a body, yantra. This body is yantra, machine. You are sat down on a machine, and bhrāmāyān sarva bhūtāni—sometimes you are in nice bodies . . . nothing is nice. Everybody will die, so there cannot be anything nice. It may be, the duration of life, little more—a dog's duration of life less than man's duration of life. That may be. But nobody is going to live forever. That is not possible.

So this is anitya, this body, daiva-netrena, by the order, prakṛti, prakṛti. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati, bhrāmāyān sarva-bhūtāni (BG 18.61). Sarva-bhūtāni, all living entities, are wandering. Wandering not only here; there are so many planets, so many up and down situation. So we are wandering within this universe, within this material world, sometimes in good body, sometimes in bad body, and this is our life. Avidyā-karma-saṁjñā anyā. Under the influence of this material energy, on account of our ignorance, we have submitted to the laws of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍha (BG 3.27). He is thinking, "I am independent. I am now this. I am now that." Avidyā-karma-saṁjñā. Bhramāyān sarva-bhūtāni. Everything you will find this.

So prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. This ahaṅkāra, that "I am independent," this ahaṅkāra is making you obliged to accept different types of body in different condition of life within the universe. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu is mahā-vadānyāvatāra. He is very, very kind incarnation. Rūpa Gosvāmī accepted Him, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). So He teaches, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva. Under this avidyā-karma-saṁjñā trītīyā śakti, material energy, we are wandering throughout the whole universe. (child making noise) (aside) This child should be moved. So ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva.

So one who takes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, bhāgyavān jīva, not the dur-bhāgyavān jīva. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā (SB 1.1.10). Those who are unfortunate, they cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says. Kono bhāgyavān jīva. Kono means somebody. That is also not all. That is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa: manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Out of many, many millions of persons, one wants to become perfect, or bhāgyavān. And yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ. So therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says the same thing, kono bhāgyavān jīva. Not always. Not the manda-bhāgyā. Sa bhagavān.

ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

(CC Madhya 19.151)

Guru and Kṛṣṇa. Two persons' favor, guru and Kṛṣṇa.

So Kṛṣṇa is asking to become a guru, everyone. "Everyone become a guru," Caitanya Mahāprabhu says.

āmāra ajñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa

yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa

(CC Madhya 7.128)

Āmāra ajñāya guru hañā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said . . . because Caitanya Mahāprabhu is mahā-vadānyāvatāra, most munificent incarnation to reclaim all the fallen souls. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva. So the guru's business is to make everyone a bhāgyavān, fortunate. That is guru's business. The guru's business is . . . they are so much sympathetic that one can get Kṛṣṇa consciousness if he is fortunate. So guru's labor, guru's activity, is how to make people fortunate. That is wanted. Because without being fortunate one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. And without Kṛṣṇa consciousness he cannot be relieved from this avidyā-karma-saṁjñā-śakti, material nature. Therefore it is the business of guru to make everyone fortunate.

So how he can make everyone fortunate? That is . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises that āmāra ajñāya guru hañā. You follow the principles of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction first of all. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. You just take their mercy. Then you become guru. And then what is your business? His business is yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). So guru-kṛṣṇa. Guru makes the people fortunate, and then the people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and then he becomes fortunate. This is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Everyone is advised to become guru, especially those who are born in India. They can easily take the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, because in the blood there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness on account of taking birth in this holy land of Bhārata-varṣa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says:

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haile jāra

janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra

(CC Adi 9.41)

This is the business.

So every Indian is expected to take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and spread it outside India. There are many people who are hankering after it. It is the duty of every Indian to first of all get himself out of these clutches of avidyā-karma-saṁjñā—ignorance and whole day and night working like hogs and dogs. One has to become free from these clutches of māyā, and then he must undergo tapasya. There is no difficulty. This tapasya is that you have to give up the four principles: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. This is tapasya. It is not that you have to go to the forest or Himalayan mountain and enter into a cave and press your nose and . . . no, that is not possible. You simply practice. Wherever you are, you simply practice this tapasya—no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling and no meat-eating. Then you become perfect. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattva (SB 5.5.1).

"This tapasya, can we do that?" You can do it very easily. It is not said "No sex," but "No illicit sex." That is very sinful. Therefore one has to get himself married. That is allowed. But no illicit sex. And no meat-eating. Why one should eat meat? There are so many nice things given by Kṛṣṇa—so many fruits, so many nice food grains. We can eat many palatable dishes mixed with milk. Take milk from the cows. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises, go-rakṣya. Without milk you will eat all rubbish things like hogs and dogs, and your life will be spoiled. Everything is there, practical. But avidyā, on account of our ignorance, foolishness, rascaldom, we are avoiding this kṛṣṇa-upadeśa and suffering. Be saved from suffering and be happy by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)