720820 - Lecture SB 01.02.17 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720820SB-LOS ANGELES - August 20, 1972 - 55:06 Minutes

(Govindam prayers playing) (Prabhupāda sings along)

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: (sings Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava) (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrī Guru and Gauranga. (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Hmm . . . (indistinct) . . . (hums)

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

Prabhupāda: Next. Ladies. Ladies. (corrects some pronunciation) Alright. That's all right. Now, word meaning.

Pradyumna:

śṛṇvatām—those who have developed the urge to hearing the message of; sva-kathāḥ—His own words; kṛṣṇaḥ—the Personality of Godhead; puṇya—virtues; śravaṇa—hearing; kīrtanaḥ—chanting; hṛdi antaḥ sthaḥ—within one's heart; hi—certainly; abhadrāṇi—desire to enjoy matter; vidhunoti—cleanses; suhṛt—benefactor; satām—of the truthful.

Translation: "Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is also the Paramātmā in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, does cleanse the desire for material enjoyment in the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge for hearing His (Kṛṣṇa's) messages, which are themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So Kṛṣṇa is very selfish. He says . . . here it is said, sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: anyone who is engaged in hearing Kṛṣṇa's kathā. Kathā means words, messages. So, in the Bhagavad-gītā also, Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekam: "Only unto Me." Ekam. This is required. Although everything is Kṛṣṇa, but according to the pantheist theory we cannot worship everything.

Everything is Kṛṣṇa, that's a fact, but that does not mean we have to worship everything. We have to worship Kṛṣṇa. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they say: "If everything is Kṛṣṇa, so whatever I worship, I am worshiping Kṛṣṇa." No. That is wrong.

Just like the same example can be given that in the body—I am this body—everything "I," or "mine." But when foodstuff is to be taken, it is not to be pushed through the rectum, but through the mouth. That is the only one. You cannot say, "The body has got nine holes: two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, one rectum, one genital—nine holes. So why not push the food in any hole?"

That is Māyāvādī theory. "After all," they say "the foodstuff has to be given to the body, inside the body. So I can push the foodstuff through any hole. There are so many holes." Sometimes in medical science, when it is impossible to push food through the mouth, they push through the rectum. That is artificial. But emergency, they do sometimes. But that is not the way. The real way is that food is required to be given to the body, but it must be given through the mouth, not through any other hole.

Similarly, if we actually want our contact with the Absolute Truth, then we have to go through Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has many forms. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta-rūpam. So . . . because nothing is but Kṛṣṇa, everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy, so the process is . . . to contact the Absolute Truth means Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa here says . . . not Kṛṣṇa—Vyāsadeva says, through Sūta Gosvāmī that, "Kṛṣṇa is very kind, very friendly to the suhṛt satām." Satām. Satām means devotees. He is very intimately in friendship with devotees. Kṛṣṇa's another qualification is bhakta-vatsala. Here it is also said, suhṛt-satām. Satām means devotees.

He is friend of everyone. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). Without Kṛṣṇa being friend of everyone, nobody can live for a moment. You are . . . Kṛṣṇa is protecting everyone, supplying food to everyone.

nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām

eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān

(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)

Eka, that one person, supreme personality . . . there are . . . we are all personalities. All living entities, we are all personalities. We are not a homogeneous lump. Everyone has got individual, individuality. So every one of is a individual personality. Everyone.

So Kṛṣṇa is the supreme personality. That is the difference. He is also an individual. The only difference is that He is supreme; we are all subordinate. We are dependent on Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa does not manage things nicely, then we are doomed. Just like we were walking on the sea beach. Such a vast ocean. We are confident that, "The sea waves cannot come beyond this line." We are confident.

Therefore we are walking. But actually, the vast ocean, within a second, it can succumb so many cities. But by whose order it is keeping the honor, "No, not beyond this. You may be very great, that's all right, but not beyond this line, demarcated"? This is Kṛṣṇa's order.

The sun is so big, fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth, and so powerful, blazing fire. You know, those who are scientific men, they know, the sun has got his orbit, and little deviation from the orbit can turn the whole world into snow, and turn the whole world into blazing fire. Where is our scientist friend? Is it not a fact?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: . . . (indistinct)

Yes. It is running under certain orbit exactly, because a little deviation from the orbit will create havoc, catastrophe, immediately, either fire or snow. So under whose order the sun is so strictly following the demarcation? Such a big body. Our, in our practical experience, if he has got heavy body, he moves like this; he's not steady. But such a huge body is exactly . . . according to astronomical calculation, they calculate, some one ten-thousandth part of a second, in this way.

So we have to study this, under whose order . . . they say there is no God, but how these things, the natural functions, are being performed strictly, without any deviation? That is replied in the Brahmā-saṁhitā:

yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ

rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ

yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.52)

The sun is the eye for all planets. We are very much proud of our eyes: "Can you show me?" What, nonsense, what can you see? Eh? You cannot see anything without sun. You are so much proud of your eyes? You cannot see. Why do you say: "Can you show me?" First of all be qualified to see. Then you can see. But the rascals say: "Can you show me God?" They cannot see even ordinary things if there is no sunshine, and they want to see God. Just see. How much lunatic, crazy. You can see God, but you have to qualify the eyes. Then you can see.

So the sun is our eyes, actually. Not only this planet; all the planets within this universe. Therefore it is said in the Brahmā . . . yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. The gāyatrī-mantri, gāyatrī-mantra, oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, that is worshiping the sun, sun god, savitā, savitṛ. So, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. Rājā samasta-grahāṇām. Just like there is king, president, similarly, the sun planet is the king of all planets.

(aside) Those who are standing, they can stand near the wall; don't block.

Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtiḥ. All the demigods, they are worshiping, this gāyatrī-mantra.

Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ. Unlimited temperature. Unlimited temperature. For millions and millions of years it is diffusing temperature, and if it is little more, we become, ninety millions away, ninety millions of miles away, still, little rising of temperature, we become suffocated. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ, unlimited temperature.

And moving, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ, yasyājñayā, "by whose order," bhramati, "is moving," sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ, "the orbit." Sun has got orbit, sixteen thousand miles per second moving. But moving how? Not a little deviation. Exactly in the line. Because little deviation will cause havoc. Just the same way: a little pounching over, the whole sea, finished Los Angeles. You see?

So this is the order of Kṛṣṇa. That is admitted, all Vedas. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ, yasyājñayā . . . govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. So Kṛṣṇa is such powerful. We should know what is Kṛṣṇa. And these rascals, they are becoming incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa personally present. Where is your power like this? If somebody kicks on your face with boot, you cannot do anything, and you are becoming God. You see?

So Kṛṣṇa is so powerful, at the same time so kind. Just see His kindness. Simply you hear His words, sva-kathā, kṛṣṇa-kathā. He is speaking in the Bhagavad-gītā. You hear. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65): "You just become My devotee," Kṛṣṇa says. Man-manāḥ, "Always think of Me." Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, "Just become My devotee." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, "You worship Me." Māṁ namaskuru, "Just offer your obeisances unto Me."

We cannot do that? Is that very difficult thing? If we hear patiently, with a little attention, and hear Kṛṣṇa's words, what Kṛṣṇa is saying in the Bhagavad-gītā or what is spoken about Kṛṣṇa in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, simply if we hear. We don't require any qualification, any education, any Ph.D., M.S.T, this, that. No. Simply Kṛṣṇa has given you the ears, so you can hear. What is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa is so kind. If you simply become a little inclined to hear about Him . . .

If you hear and do not understand what Kṛṣṇa is speaking and what is spoken about Kṛṣṇa, you do not understand— Suppose you have no education, you do not understand Sanskrit or even English translation—still, simply by hearing, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (SB 1.2.17), by simply hearing, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Puṇya means pious. We are all sinful. Life after life, we have committed sins, and this body is the evidence that we are sinful, this material body. It may be degrees different, but anyone who has got a material body, he is sinful.

So every one of us is sinful, but simply by hearing . . . hearing, this hearing is possible in this human form of life. But even cats and dogs, if they hear, even the trees and ants and insects, they hear, they will also gain the benefit, this transcendental vibration. We human beings, we hear about Kṛṣṇa, we can understand about something that "Kṛṣṇa is saying like this," but the small child, or an animal, or even trees, insects, if they hear this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they'll be benefited. They will be benefited. This is the fact. Because the vibration . . .

Just like when there is thunderbolt vibration, that vibration has got effect on everything. That is scientific. Everything. Similarly, this vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is so strong that it will benefit anyone who hears. Therefore we are sending saṅkīrtana party. They may understand or not understand, they may appreciate or not appreciate, we are forcing them to become pious simply by hearing this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. It is so nice.

Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). The whole world is full of sinful life. So we are creating the atmosphere, puṇya-śravaṇa. Chanting and hearing. Simply by these two processes. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Puṇya, pious. So anyone who is coming here, even he does not understand a single word which we are speaking, if he simply hears, he becomes pious. Simply by hearing. Even a child, he becomes pious. And unless we are free from our sinful life, we cannot understand about God.

yeṣāṁ anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ

janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā

bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

(BG 7.28)

This is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So those who are sinful, they cannot understand what is God. Therefore the whole world is godless. They are so sinful, their life, their civilization, has been made so much sinful, the four principle of sinful: illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. The whole world is full of these four business.

Therefore they are all sinful. He may dress like a very nice gentleman, but he's a sinful man. So he cannot understand. Therefore it is very difficult to convince these rascals about God. They say: "I am . . . everyone is God," "I am God," "You are God," "God is dead." They are so dull. You see? Therefore our business is to cleanse their heart.

So we vibrate, and Kṛṣṇa helps from within. Kṛṣṇa said, Sūta Gosvāmī said, śṛṇvatām . . . those who are giving, who are taking the chance of hearing Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra . . . śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Kṛṣṇaḥ is nominative case. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Anything hearing about Kṛṣṇa, that is also pious.

Kṛṣṇa is supposed to be doing something according to our material calculation, killing somebody. Or Kṛṣṇa is dancing with other's wife. According to material calculation, this is not allowed. You cannot dance with other's wife—not in your country, but that is the Vedic civilization. But Kṛṣṇa did it. Although the gopīs came to dance with Him, captivated by His beauty, but they became purified, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ.

If simply by hearing about Kṛṣṇa one becomes pious, how they become pious simply by dancing with Kṛṣṇa? This is the theory. Not that Kṛṣṇa wanted some young girls to dance with Him. He can create millions of young girls, immediately. But they're devotees. They wanted to dance with Kṛṣṇa, might be captivated by His beauty. But they wanted Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa gave them chance, "All right, come on. Dance with Me. And be purified."

Just try to understand. Just simply by hearing about Kṛṣṇa, one becomes purified, and what to speak of persons who are dancing with Kṛṣṇa. This opportunity is there. You can dance with Kṛṣṇa, you can play with Kṛṣṇa, you can talk with Kṛṣṇa. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving this chance to everyone. Everyone, without any discrimination.

So how it is purified? One may say that, "Simply by hearing, how one becomes purified?" No. Kṛṣṇa helps. Here it is said: hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām. Kṛṣṇaḥ vidhunoti. Kṛṣṇa helps you. Those who are hearing with attention . . . Kṛṣṇa is within you, everyone, Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is within you. Kṛṣṇa is so kind, Kṛṣṇa is so sympatic, sympathetic, as soon as He sees, "Oh, this soul . . ."

Because every soul is Kṛṣṇa's son, so He's very much anxious. Just like a father. If a son is in difficulty, the father is more anxious, "How this boy will be rescued from this difficulty?" Similarly, we are suffering in this material world. Kṛṣṇa is more anxious to get us back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore, as soon as He sees, "Oh, he is hearing about Me. Oh, thank you. I shall help you." Immediately He vidhunoti, He washes all the dirty things.

The dirty thing is that, "I shall be happy by material enjoyment." This is the basis of dirty things. The rascal does not know that he cannot be happy in any condition, any material condition. Brahmā is unhappy, Indra is unhappy, what to speak of you, you are a teeny creature. Nobody can be happy in this material world. They must be always in anxiety, because they have accepted something which will never make him happy. Therefore we have to counteract it, these dirty things, that we are trying to be happy in this material world.

These dirty things are accumulated within our heart. Life after life, we have selected so many bodies. "Now I shall become tiger. I am eating flesh, but I cannot attack the animal and eat fresh blood." Kṛṣṇa is so kind, "All right, I am giving the chance to become a tiger. You become a tiger. I'll give you all nails and teeth so that you can pounce over immediately. There is no need of opening slaughterhouse; you can directly eat." You see?

So I wanted to enjoy as a tiger, I wanted to enjoy as a cat, as a dog, as a Brahmā—in so many lives, so many planets. But everywhere I have become frustrated. That is the fact. Now, in this human form of life, is the chance to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make your life perfect.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Chant.

(kīrtana) (Prabhupāda plays gong)

Prabhupāda: (prema-dvani) Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)