760921 - Lecture SB 01.07.24 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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760921SB-VRNDAVAN - September 21, 1976 - 37.28 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (chants verse)

sa eva jīva-lokasya

māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ

vidhatse svena vīryeṇa

śreyo dharmādi-lakṣaṇam

(SB 1.7.24)

Translation: (03:01) "And yet, though You are beyond the purview of the material energy, You execute the four principles of liberation, characterized by religion and so on, for the ultimate good of the conditioned souls."

Prabhupāda:

sa eva jīva-lokasya

māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ

vidhatse svena vīryeṇa

śreyo dharmādi-lakṣaṇam

(SB 1.7.24)

So, saḥ, Kṛṣṇa, who is described in the previous verse, tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ, the original person . . . original person, Absolute Truth, that is described in the Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Original person. Just like in our familywise, or guru-paramparā–wise, there is somebody, original person. So similarly, the whole creation, there is original person. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, aham āsam agre (SB 2.9.33). Aham āsam agre. In the Vedic literature, eko nārāyaṇa āsīt. So eko nārāyaṇa āsīt, that is original person. And Kṛṣṇa says, aham agre āsīt. So He's the original person, ādyam. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān puruṣam ādyam (BG 10.12).

So Kṛṣṇa is the original person. And if somebody questions that "If Kṛṣṇa is the original person, who is the origin of Kṛṣṇa?"—naturally we can ask that, because our experience is different—that answer is there in the Brahma-saṁhitā: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādiḥ (BS 5.1). Anādir ādiḥ. He's ādi, ādyaṁ puruṣam. But if you question, "Who is the cause of Kṛṣṇa?" Anādi—He has no cause. That is God. You go on searching after, one after another. I am. My origin is my father; my father's origin is his father; his father's origin; his father, his father . . . in this way you go on researching. Then come to Brahmā. Brahmā is ādi-kavi. In this material world, in this universe, ādi-kavi. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). So he's the ādi, original, first created being. Then who is his ādi? Wherefrom Brahmā is coming? That is Kṛṣṇa. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. So in this way, when you come to Kṛṣṇa, making a . . . Brahmā is coming from Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Svayambhū: he's born of the lotus flower. That Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is coming from Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. And Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is coming from Saṅkarṣaṇa. Saṅkarṣaṇa is coming from Aniruddha; Aniruddha from Pradyumna, like that. Ultimately—Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is ādyam. And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). There is no more. So that is God. You go on researching, researching, ādyam, ādyam, ādyam—when you come to a point there is no more ādyam, that is God.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

(BS 5.1)

Sa eva, that ādi-puruṣa, that original person, He comes down, descends, in this material world. Jīva-lokasya. This is called jīva-loka. This material world is called jīva-loka because here ātmā, the soul, is covered, conditioned. We have given the meaning, jīva-loka means when the ātmā is conditioned. That is called jīva-loka. There is no freedom. Just like there are so many planets. You have got airplane, but because you have got airplane you cannot go there. Conditioned. You cannot go. They're trying, one, two planets, moon planet or Mars planet. No. You cannot go there, what to speak of other planets. If you want to go there then you have to qualify yourself. Not that because you have got a machine, you can go there. No. That is not possible. Therefore conditioned. Conditioned means you have to fulfill the condition. Just like from here if I want to go to America, then I have to fulfill the condition: the visa condition, the passport condition, the health condition, the custom condition—so many conditions. You cannot go immediately. Or nobody can come from there also. In every respect we are conditioned. Every respect. This body is conditioned. You cannot enjoy this body unconditionally. No. That is not possible. You have to change. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). The body has to be changed. A baby has to be changed to become a boy. A boy has to be changed to become a young man. A young man has to be changed to an old man. You cannot stop that. Therefore it is called jīva-loka, conditioned. Every one of us is conditioned. An animal is conditioned. He cannot . . . there are so many animals in the jungles. They are conditioned. They cannot come in the city or in the town. We are conditioned. We cannot go to the jungle. Conditioned. Every step there is condition.

So that is our bondage. We are mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Why you are conditioned? The condition is because māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. Māyā-mohita. They are bewildered by māyā. Māyā means "what is not." Mā-yā. So because we are under the clutches of māyā, this material world, therefore we have been conditioned. And what is that māyā? That māyā is forgetfulness of our relationship with God. That is māyā. Kṛṣṇa-buliya jiva bhoga vāñchā kare. This jīva, when we forget Kṛṣṇa, our relationship with Kṛṣṇa . . . what is that relationship? Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108). That is our relationship. We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. When we forget this, and we want to be master of all I survey . . . "I am the monarch of all I survey." I think, "I shall become independent and I shall enjoy. I shall improve my economic condition, and I shall be very happy." This is called māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. He'll never be. Because he is conditioned. You cannot improve. That is not possible. That is called destiny. So the Western people, they say, "Why should we . . ." (break) . . . any animal, take. You cannot improve the condition. Suppose the pig, he is conditioned to live in a very filthy place and eat stool, urine. You cannot improve that condition. By philanthropic mentality, if you want to improve his condition, not to live in filthy place, not to eat stool, if you try to give them halavā instead of stool, they cannot. That is not possible. This is called conditioned.

Therefore śāstra says that you are conditioned. You cannot change the condition. So there is no need of endeavoring for changing the condition. That is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14), Kṛṣṇa says. Māyā, mama māyā duratyayā. It is not that . . . Suppose if you are in the prisonhouse, you are shackled. You cannot improve your condition. You must be shackled. You are put in a cell, you must live there. similarly, this is useless effort. The so-called māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ, the whole material world is like that. They're trying to improve the condition. But that is not possible. Therefore they're called māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. Simply he's thinking that "If I do like this, if I go a step forward, I shall improve my condition." No. That is not possible. Again and again.

That is described in another place, that na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ andhā yathāndhair . . . (SB 7.5.31), punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām (SB 7.5.30). Gṛha-vratānāṁ, matir na kṛṣṇe. Those who have taken it in vow, that "I shall remain in this family life and improve my condition," gṛha-vratānām . . . gṛha-vrata. Gṛhastha and gṛha-vrata are different. Gṛhastha means gṛhastha-āśrama. A man is living with husband and wife or children, but the aim is how to improve spiritual life. That is gṛhastha-āśrama. And one who has no such aim, he simply wants to enjoy the senses, and for that purpose he's decorating the house, decorating the wife, children—that is called gṛha-vrata, or gṛhamedhī. In Sanskrit there are different terms for different meaning.

So those who are gṛha-vrata, they cannot be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā. Parato means by the instruction of guru or instruction of authority, parato. And svato vā. Svataḥ means "automatically." And automatically is not possible even by instruction. Because his vow is that "I shall remain in this way," gṛha-vratānām. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta. Mithaḥ. But by conference, by meeting, by passing resolution, if we want to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, that is not possible. It is all individual. I have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa individually. Just like when you go to the sky on aeroplane, it is all individual. If one aeroplane is in danger, other aeroplane cannot save him. That is not possible. Similarly, it is all individual. It is all parato svato vā. One has to take it seriously, personally, that "Kṛṣṇa wants, so I'll surrender. Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), so I'll do it." Not that "When my father will do, then I shall do," or "My husband will do, then I shall do," or "My wife will do." No. It is all individual. It is all individual. And there is no restraint. There is no restraint. Ahaituky apratihatā. If you want to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, nobody can check you. Ahaituky apratihatā yayā ātmā samprasīdati (SB 1.2.6). When you do that individually . . . if you . . . collectively if it is done, it is good, but it has to be done individually.

So . . . because every one of us are māyā-mohita-ceta . . . māyā-mohita-ceta. Prahlāda Mahārāja has described, vimukha-cetasaḥ. Māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ means averse to Kṛṣṇa. I want everything except Kṛṣṇa. That is māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. I want everything, but except Kṛṣṇa. That is my missing point. Because we are rascals, fools, we do not know what we should want. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). He does not know that his actual want is Kṛṣṇa. Just like a small child crying, and we are trying to pacify him, giving this, giving that. But he's crying, crying, because his actual want is his mother. And as soon the mother comes, takes the child on the lap, immediately he stops. Similarly, we want Kṛṣṇa because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. That we want. Just like a part and parcel of a machine, if it is taken away from the machine, it has no . . . one screw. Suppose your typewriter machine, one screw is missing, and the machine is not working nicely. So without the machine that one screw has no value. If it is lying somewhere, one does not know what is the screw, nobody cares for it. It is no worth. But if you want to complete the machine, if you want to go to purchase in a mechanical shop, that very screw which has no value, you have to purchase at ten rupees. Because it is to be fit up. In this way, we are parcel and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. When we are along with Kṛṣṇa we have got value; otherwise no value. There are so many examples. This finger, when it is attached to the body, if there is any trouble you can spend thousands of rupees to cure the trouble. But if the finger is cut off, amputate, and thrown on the street, it has no value. No value. Similarly, so long we are māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ, out of Kṛṣṇa's touch, we have no value. No value. Valueless. Useless. That is our position. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho . . . the position is that adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram (SB 7.5.30). When you forget Kṛṣṇa . . . what is that forgetfulness? When you are interested in sense gratification. That is called forgetfulness.

Everyone is, even an animal, a small insect, everyone is interested in sense enjoyment. Just this morning I was reading in the Bhāgavatam, one Saubhari Muni, Muni, he was a great yogī, and within the water he was executing the yoga, mystic, and he saw that the two fishes are enjoying sex. So he became sexually inclined—old man, yogī. So he went to Māndhātā king, that "You give me one daughter, your daughter." So he was within the water, old man, and old man's bodily feature is not very good. The king knew that "This is a useless person, but he is a yogī. He has come to ask me for a daughter." So he said that "Yes, you are welcome. I have got my fifty daughters. So any one will like you. You can accept. I have no objection." So Saubhari Muni understood that the king has tactfully avoided to give his daughter. So he was a yogī, so he made himself very beautiful young man. That yogī can do that. They can change. Because we are not this body, so body is old, it can be younger; younger body can be older. Nowadays in medical science they are also doing—a man is woman, woman is man. So body can be changed. There is no difficulty if you know the process. So he changed to be a very nice, beautiful young man. So all the fifty daughters, they became attracted. They began to fight: "Oh, he is for me. He is not for you." So anyway, he accepted all the fifty daughters. In this way he became very elevated householder. But at some time he began to think, "What is my this enjoyment? Simply by seeing the sex affairs of the fish . . . I was a yogī, I was a tapasvī; I've lost everything. Now I am a householder and pet husband of these women." So he came to his senses. Again he went to the forest for tapasya.

So this material life, however opulent it may be, it is māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. It has no value. It has no value. Why? Because in this life I may be very favorably situated by arrangement, by improving my material condition. But after death—dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13)—you do not know; we do not know what kind of body we are going to get. It may not be as comfortable. So karmīs, they, those who are little advanced than the ordinary foolish persons . . . there are . . . first of all, ordinary foolish person means animals. They are just like animals. And little above that, they are karmīs, and little above that, there are jñānīs, and little above that, there is yogīs. And above all them is the bhakta. Therefore bhakta life is the summum bonum of life.

So Kṛṣṇa comes here, sa eva jīva-lokasya māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ vidhatse svena vīryeṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes down. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā also, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). The dharma is, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is my position." Dharma means characteristic. Just like sugar has to become sweet, that is dharma. A chili has to be hot. Sugar, if it is chili taste—useless. A chili's sweet taste—it is useless. So this taste of a particular thing is called dharma. So this dharma according to the body is developed in this material world. But the original dharma . . . original is the spirit soul. That spirit soul is the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and his duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is original dharma. So in order to teach that original dharma, Kṛṣṇa comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Glāni means discrepancies. When the conditioned soul is, by the influence of māyā, is engaged in sense gratification, that is called dharmasya glāniḥ. Yadā yadā hi . . . just like nowadays nobody's interested. The so-called educated or advanced man, if we say that "You have to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is not your duty. You are going to the office and earning daily five thousand rupees. That is simply useless. Useless. It is simply a waste of energy," who will believe it? Nobody. "Oh, this is a nonsense proposal."

But śāstra says that,

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ

viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ

notpādayed ratiṁ yadi

śrama eva hi kevalam

(SB 1.2.8)

You are doing your duty very nicely. Your dharma means your occupational duty. Suppose you are engineer, you are doing duty very nicely. Or a medical man, or a business man, or anyone—everyone has to do something. You cannot sit down idly and you'll get your livelihood. Even if you are a lion you have to work. Na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ (Hitopadeśa). This is . . . the material world is like that. Even if you are as powerful as a lion, you cannot sleep. If you think, "I am lion, I am the king of the forest. Let me sleep, and the animal will come and enter in my mouth," no, that is not possible. Even if you are animal, you have to catch up an animal. Then you'll be able to eat. Otherwise you'll have to starve. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ (BG 3.8). "You must do your duty." Śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ (BG 3.8). Don't think . . . the rascal says that "Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching people to escape. They've become . . ." No, that is not Kṛṣṇa's instruction. We do not allow any lazy man. He must be engaged. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is Kṛṣṇa's order. Niyataṁ kuru karma. Arjuna was refusing to fight. He was trying to be nonviolent gentleman. Kṛṣṇa did not allow him. "No, no, you cannot do that. That is your weakness." Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame sam . . . (BG 2.2): "You are proving yourself rascal. It is anārya-juṣṭam. This kind of proposal is for the anārya, uncivilized man. Don't do that." That is Kṛṣṇa's . . . so don't think that Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they'll become lazy and imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. That is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means, as Kṛṣṇa instructs, you must be very, very busy, twenty-four hours. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not to become a lazy fellow, eat and sleep. No.

So this is dharmasya glāniḥ. But you have to change your angle of vision. In the material conditioned life your aim is how to satisfy your senses. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means you have to work in the same spirit, same vigor, but you have to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual life. Not that to become lazy fellow. The difference is, as it is said by author, Kṛṣṇadāsa, ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā tāre bali 'kāma' (CC Adi 4.165). What is kāma? Kāma means when one desires to satisfy his own senses. That is kāma. Kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare 'prema' nāma. And what is prema? Prema means when you engage to yourself for satisfying Kṛṣṇa's senses. Why gopīs are exalted? Because their only endeavor was to satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā (Caitanya-manjusa, quoted in Gauḍīya-kaṇṭhahāra 4.41). They had no other business. Vṛndāvana means, those who are in Vṛndāvana . . . if they actually want to live in Vṛndāvana, their business should be how to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa. That is Vṛndāvana. Not that "I am living in Vṛndāvana and trying to satisfy my senses." That is not vṛndāvana-vāsī. That kind of living is . . . there are so many monkeys, dogs and hogs also; they are in Vṛndāvana. Do you mean to say that they are living in Vṛndāvana? No. Anyone who wants to satisfy his senses in Vṛndāvana, their next life is dogs, hogs and monkey. You must know that. So one should not try to sense gratify in Vṛndāvana. That is a great sin. Simply try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ

tat-paratvena nirmalam

hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-

sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

(CC Madhya 19.170)

That is bhakti. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam.

So in order to teach this lesson to us, the conditioned souls, jīva-loka, Kṛṣṇa, vidhatse svena vīryeṇa, by His own potency . . . own potency means, if you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, He has got such potency He can deliver you from this conditioned life, jīva-loka. He can make you purified, mukti. That is called mukti. When you are free from this conditioned stage, this bodily conception of life, then you become free—simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa.

janma karma ca divyaṁ me

yo jānāti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti . . .

(BG 4.9)

After giving up this body, he does not get any more this material body. Then what happens to him? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa comes to call you back. So he comes back. If you take Kṛṣṇa's instruction, you go back to Kṛṣṇa. And again you become happy. Otherwise, māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ, you'll have to suffer life after life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya . . . (end)