740218 - Lecture BG 07.03 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740218BG-BOMBAY - February 18, 1974 - 37:32 Minutes

Pradyumna: (leads chanting etc.) (devotees repeat)

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

Translation: "Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth."

Prabhupāda: Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). Sahasreṣu, many times thousands, many times. That means out of millions and trillions of persons. Many times thousands means . . . one hundred thousand thousand makes one lakh. One hundred times lakhs makes one crore. Similarly, one hundred thousands of crores, billions and trillions, unlimited. First of all, manuṣya. Manuṣya means man. So, to get this human form of life, one has to wait for many, many millions of years, according to evolutionary process. Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu (Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa). In the Padma Purāṇa the evolution theory is described. That is taken away by Darwin, and in a perverted way he has described Darwin's theory of evolution. But that is not very scientific, although it is going on as scientific. But evolution theory is fact. Not that all of a sudden you get this body of human being. No. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), "After death there is another body, dehāntara." Just like in this life also, we get dehāntara, another body. From baby's body to child's body, child's body to boy's body, boy's body to youth's body, from youth's body to old man's body; then, after old man's body, why not another body? But the rascals, they do not believe transmigration of the soul. It is very quite reasonable. After changing so many bodies, I have come to this old body. So what after this old body? There must be some body; it is quite reasonable. But these rascals have no brain to understand that there is life after death. Big, big professors in European countries, they do not believe transmigration of the soul.

So manuṣyāṇām, out of the . . . there are many kinds of men also. Just like kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ (SB 2.4.18). The Africans, the Mongolians, the Huns . . . there are so many. We know so many types of human being. Out of that, a few who are known as Āryans, they are the best type of human beings. And out of the Āryans, those who are followers of the Vedic principle, they are the best. But those who are following the Vedic principles, they say that, "We are Vedic, or followers of the varṇāśrama-dharma"—in common sense they call "Hindu"—but actually, they say so, they do not follow the principles. They do not follow them. They act against the Vedic principles. Therefore it is said that even though one gets this human form of life after many, many millions of years the living soul, still, there are so many divisions in the human form of life; therefore it is said, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3): "Out of many millions of human being," kaścid yatati siddhaye. Siddhaye. Siddhaye means to get the spiritual power, or spiritual rejuvenation. That is called siddhi.

Bhukti-mukti-siddhi. There are three kinds of activities going on in the human society. Some people are karmīs. They enjoy life, or they want to enjoy life by working hard. Enjoyment means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. To eat very nicely and to sleep very nicely, to enjoy sex life very nicely and to make defense force, this is called enjoyment, material enjoyment. If I am secure by defense force and if I have got good bank balance, if I have got a very nice, beautiful wife and if I eat sumptuously to the satisfaction of my tongue, I think I am very much successful. But that is not success. Success is different thing. This is called bhukti, material enjoyment.

So bhukti-mukti-siddhi. When one is fed up with this hard working for material enjoyment and get little sense above material enjoyment, gets little sense for spiritual understanding . . . that we have discussed yesterday. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). That is knowledge. To work hard like an ass for sense gratification, that is not siddhi. Siddhi is different thing. Siddhi means to understand the spiritual identification and work for it. That is called siddhi. So the attempt for such thing is called mukti: to get rid of the material entanglement. So bhukti-mukti-siddhi. There are three stages. So siddhi means when one understands his spiritual identity and tries to make his life perfect on that platform, that is called siddhi. Otherwise, bhukti-mukti.

So in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. So long one is on the platform of bhukti, mukti and siddhi, he is restless. He is working because he's desiring. Siddhi is specially meant for the yogīs. The yogīs, they want to play wonderful magic: aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti-siddhi, īśitā, vaśitā. There are eight kinds of yoga siddhis. That kind of siddhi is not recommended here. Siddhi means to understand one's spiritual identity and work for it. That is called siddhi. So manuṣyāṇām . . . who knows it? There is no such education. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3), "Out of million, million person, one tries for this siddhi, perfection of life, to understand spiritual identity and to work for it." That is called siddhi. And yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3): "One who has attained siddhi and trying for it further, further progress, out of them, millions of such person, one can understand what is Kṛṣṇa."

We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa so easily. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is not understandable by ordinary persons, up to the stage of siddhi. But, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that, "One can understand Me by the process of bhakti." Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Here it is said:

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

Tattvataḥ means truth. Simply superficially to know Kṛṣṇa . . . just like in the English dictionary it is said: "Kṛṣṇa . . ." Kṛṣṇa is mentioned in the dictionary, "A Hindu god." So what does he know about Kṛṣṇa? "Hindu god." There are Hindu gods, many. According to our Hindu conception, there are thirty-three crores of demigods, chief of which is Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu, Sūrya and Gaṇapati. Chiefly they worship. In the Hindu world, they worship . . . somebody worship Viṣṇu, somebody worship Śiva, somebody worship Brahmā, somebody worship the sun. Just like the Parsis, they worship the sun. I think I am right. So they also can be concluded as Hindus, and actually, they came from Persia. When there was Muhammadan disturbance, they fled from their country and came to India. That is the history. So these five gods are especially recommended and worshiped. So Kṛṣṇa is considered in the Viṣṇu category; therefore in the English dictionary it is said as "one of the gods." They're under the conception, foreigners, that Hindus, they have got many gods. But actually, that is not fact. There are . . . Many gods means . . . just like "god-ly," because they are servants of Kṛṣṇa. Just like in royal palace, even the servants are dressed with royal garments. Similarly, the chief servants of Kṛṣṇa, like Indra, Candra . . . Sūrya is also servant. Candra, that is also servant. Indra is also servant.

So, as it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ (Bs. 5.52). The sun, so powerful god . . . the sun, you see the sun planet, but within the sun planet there is the sun-god, whose name is mentioned also in the Bhagavad-gītā, Vivasvān. Just like you know your president's name, Mr. Nixon, similarly, we know who is the predominating deity in the sun planet. How we know? We know from Bhagavad-gītā. Vivasvān manave prāha. Vivasvān, the present president, or the predominating deity in the sun planet, is called Vivasvān. His son is Manu, and from Manu, the manuṣya. Manu . . . manuṣya means who is coming from Manu. The human race has come from the Manu. Therefore the Vedic followers, they follow the principles, or codes, of Manu-saṁhitā. Manu-saṁhitā is the law, Hindu law, still accepted, although they have made many amendment. But it is not to be amended. Just like in the Manu-saṁhitā there is no divorce. Now our Hindu laws, they have amended, "Divorce is allowed." That is not according to Manu-saṁhitā.

So there are different kinds of men. So out of many such millions and trillions different kinds of men in the human form of life, some may attempt to achieve success of life. What is that success of life? Success of life—to understand his spiritual identity. At the present moment, being conditioned by the material nature, every man is working under the impression that, "I am this body." "I am Indian because I got this body from India." "I'm American; I got this body from America." All bodily concept of life. Or "I'm Hindu because I'm born of a Hindu family," "I'm Christian because I'm born of a Christian family." These are all bodily identification. When one goes above the bodily identification, that is called siddhi. This is the explanation of siddhi. In the bodily platform, nobody can attain perfection. He's animal. Those who are in the bodily concept of life, those who are thinking that, "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddhist," they're all animals. They're not human being. Because bodily concept. In the śāstra says:

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

'sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

. . . sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow, and khara means ass. So those who are in the bodily concept of life, they're no better than the cows and the asses. This is the śāstra's verdict.

So modern civilization, everyone, mostly, they're under the bodily concept of life and they're fighting like animals, because that is animal life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa instructs at the end that, "You Hindus, Muslim, Christians, this, that, kindly kick out all these conceptions of religion." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Because that is not religion. This is bodily concept of life, the business of ass and cows. "So you give up this business." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge: "I come down just to reestablish the principles of religion." What is that religion? Not this Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion. Those who are thinking that we are preaching Hindu religion—no. We are not preaching Hindu religion. Therefore while registering the association I purposely kept this name, "Kṛṣṇa Consciousness," neither Hindu religion nor Christian religion nor Buddhist religion. Kṛṣṇa does not belong to any sect. Those who are thinking that we are sectarian, they're wrong, because Kṛṣṇa does not belong to any sect. He says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu. Sarva-yoniṣu, sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ. Yoniṣu, not only human society. Yoni means forms of life, or species of life; sarva-yoniṣu.

So the forms of life are 8,400,000 forms of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati (Padma Purāna). Nine hundred thousand species of life in the water. Who knows that? But Kṛṣṇa knows. Kṛṣṇa, because He's the father. Kṛṣṇa says:

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ

tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Kṛṣṇa has given birth to the aquatics, to the trees, to the plants, to the birds, to the beast, to the human being, to the demigods, everyone. Sarva-yoniṣu, including everyone. So how Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be sectarian? Just like our men went to consult about taxation. They're considering that, "This is sectarian, Kṛṣṇa." This is not sectarian. Where is sectarian? Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu. Not only international—universal. So how we can be sectarian? For everyone. Otherwise, how everyone outside India, they're accepting this Kṛṣṇa consciousness if it is sectarian? It is not sectarian. Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . Kṛṣṇa Himself says that "I am the father of all forms of life." How Kṛṣṇa can be sectarian? There is no reason to say that it is sectarian. Therefore it is said that somebody thinking that Kṛṣṇa is Hindu god, somebody's thinking "Kṛṣṇa was born in India, therefore He's Indian." "Kṛṣṇa took birth in the family of Yadu dynasty, therefore He's kṣatriya." "Kṛṣṇa played as a cowherds boy in Vṛndāvana, therefore He's a vaiśya." In so many ways they are thinking. But Kṛṣṇa says this is all rascaldom. Therefore He says, kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ: "Actually what I am, that is known to very, very few men, only to the devotees, not to the common man."

This is the idea. Kṛṣṇa is not sectarian. Kṛṣṇa is not Hindu, Kṛṣṇa is not Indian; Kṛṣṇa is not African. Kṛṣṇa is nothing of this material world. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, transcendental. Simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa, one becomes immediately liberated and goes back to Kṛṣṇa, simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). This very thing again, tattvataḥ. His activities, His coming down, His work, they're all transcendental, divyam, not ordinary. So He's divyam, He's transcendental. If anyone knows in truth, then what happens to him? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by knowing as He is, one becomes immediately liberated. Immediately. So therefore it is said, manuṣyāṇām. Because if one would know Kṛṣṇa as He is, he'll immediately be liberated. So liberation is not so cheap thing. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says:

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ . . .

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

So you can understand Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa said in the beginning of this chapter that jñānaṁ me. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). It is a great science. It is not a speculative; it is not imagination. Just like sometimes they create imagined God. The impersonalists, they think there is no God. "God is not personal, but is impersonal. So you can imagine any form." That is rascaldom. That is not Kṛṣṇa; that is not God. How, with your limited senses, imperfect senses, you can imagine God? Whatever you imagine, that is rascaldom, that is not Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then you must become Kṛṣṇa's devotee. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). You cannot understand by your so-called scholarship, imaginative power. That is not possible. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi, jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). Again that tattvam. "One who has achieved a little favor of You, he can understand You by tattvata, in truth." Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvayam-prasāda . . . padāmbuja-dvayam, prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi, jānāti tattvam, na cānya, na ca anya, ciram. For good. For many, many millions of years, vicinvan, simply by speculation. That is not possible.

There are many places like that. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām, so 'py asti sa avicintya-tattve . . . (Bs. 5.34). If you simply speculate to understand God, He'll remain inconceivable. Even if you endeavor for millions and billions of years, that is not possible. In another place Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Not only billions and . . . but after many billions and millions of births, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān, when one is actually on the platform of knowledge, māṁ prapadyate, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Why? Because he understands at that time, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). That is mahātmā. "Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything." That will be explained, how Kṛṣṇa is everything, in this chapter. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). How Kṛṣṇa is everything, that will be explained in this chapter.

So if we want to understand Kṛṣṇa, it is not to be done by our scholarship, "It may be this, it may be that." That is all rascaldom. You should understand as Kṛṣṇa says. Then you'll understand Kṛṣṇa. How you can understand? You are so imperfect, you cannot understand even yourself. You do not know what you are. You are thinking that you are body, I am thinking I am this body. So bodily concept of life is the business of the cows and the asses. How the cows and asses can understand Kṛṣṇa? They cannot understand. If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then you should hear from Kṛṣṇa and take it as it is. Then you'll understand. If you are fortunate enough, then you'll understand.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

Tattvataḥ means truth. You can understand that, "Kṛṣṇa was an Indian. He was born in . . ." like that. Just like Arjuna also said, aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ, katham etad vijānīyām (BG 4.4). So he also . . . Arjuna understood Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa . . . Arjuna was devotee of Kṛṣṇa. But to clear the idea of Kṛṣṇa as the rascals take, he asked this question, aparaṁ bhavato janma that, "Your birth is just recently, say a hundred years ago, but the sun planet? Millions, millions of years. How can I believe that you spoke this philosophy of science to the sun-god, Vivasvān?"

So the reply was that, "My dear Arjuna, you are My devotee. Whenever I appear, you also appear, but I remember what I spoke to the sun-god. You were also present at that time with Me, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten." That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, or God and human being. That is the difference. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Kṛṣṇa, God, knows everything, past, present and future. Just like in the Bhāgavata, in the beginning, God means janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1): "From whom everything has emanated." So everyone can say: "I have given birth to so many children, so many houses, so many factories. I am also God." No. You cannot be God, because you do not know, abhijña. You do not know the past, present and future. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Kṛṣṇa is abhijña. Just like in our body: We are eating. How this eating, I mean, the substance is transformed into different secretion and again blood, again flesh, again bone? How these are, we do not know. But it is actually happening. Anvayād itarateṣu. I know that I am eating, but itarateṣu, how this eating substance are transformed into bones, marrow, stool, I do not know. Therefore I am not abhijña. But about Kṛṣṇa it is said, abhijña: "He knows everything." How this world is going on? How these planets are rotating? How seasons are changing? Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. Actually, it is happening due to the rotation of the sun; every scientist knows. But how the rotation of sun is going on, that they do not know. That we know. How? It is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā, yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. "The sun is moving by His order." Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10): "Under My supervision, everything is going on." That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary thing.

So one who tries to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, tattvata, he is very, very fortunate; therefore he's called manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). The fortune does not come to everyone and anyone. Out of millions of person. Therefore, who have taken Kṛṣṇa, who have understood Kṛṣṇa in tattvata, as far as his knowledge is concerned, he is very, very fortunate. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that we are wandering throughout the universe in many species of life, and when we come to this human form of life, if we are fortunate, or if we are fortunate to meet another fortunate devotee, then we can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That is the saying, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Simply by trying, endeavoring like cats and dogs, that will not help us. We have to approach such a person. That is stated in the beginning of Seventh Chapter, mad-āśrayaḥ. What is that first version?

Pradyumna: Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ (BG 7.1).

Prabhupāda: Ah. Yes. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. That is the beginning. Mad-āśrayaḥ. One has to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa directly, you cannot take shelter. But Kṛṣṇa is not present. Kṛṣṇa is present, but we do not know how to capture Kṛṣṇa. That is another thing. Kṛṣṇa is . . . just like electricity is everywhere, but one who knows the science, he can capture electricity. Telephone wire is everywhere, but still, you have to bring some expert to connect your telephone. The telephone wire is everywhere. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu . . . (Bs. 5.35) (aside) Why you are standing? (indistinct answer) Then stand.

So the process is tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12), in the Vedic injunction. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, Vedas, the ultimate knowledge of Veda . . . vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Vedic knowledge means to understand Kṛṣṇa. So if you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, tad-vijñānārtham, vijñāna . . . jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). It is vijñāna, it is science. Sa-vijñāna. So if you want to know that vijñāna, then you should approach: tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. You must accept guru. Who is guru? Samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). Guru's qualification is that he's śrotriyam: he has heard from his guru perfectly. That is guru. Śrotriyam. And brahma-niṣṭham: and firmly fixed up at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. These are two qualifications. You cannot move from that firmness. You cannot move. And he has heard about Kṛṣṇa from the authorities of guru. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). That is guru. So that is recommended. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then tad-vijñānārtham. In order to understand that science, then you must approach guru. Ādau gurvāśrayam. That is Rūpa Gosvāmī's . . . ādau gurvāśrayam. Ādau śraddhā.

So this is the process. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa sitting in your parlor and speculating on your so-called educational qualification. That is not possible. That is not possible. You must surrender. You must surrender. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām . . . (BG 18.66). You must give up all these idea that, "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I'm Indian," "I am American," "I am white," "I am black." These designation you have to give up. First qualification: sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Upādhi, these are all designation. So you have to give up these designation. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam. You have to become Kṛṣṇa-ite and pure. Tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Then, when you are purified, not designated, not covered by your material designation, at that time, the senses are purified. When you engage your senses to the service of the Lord, that is called bhakti.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya . . . (end)