720429 - Lecture SB 02.09.01-12 - Tokyo

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720429SB-TOKYO - April 29, 1972 - 44:27 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting, etc.) (Prabhupāda and devotees respond)

śrī-śuka uvāca

ātma-māyām ṛte rājan

parasyānubhavātmanaḥ

na ghaṭetārtha-sambandhaḥ

svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā

(SB 2.9.1)

bahu-rūpa ivābhāti

māyayā bahu-rūpayā

ramamāṇo guṇeṣv asyā

mamāham iti manyate

(SB 2.9.2)

yarhi vāva mahimni sve

parasmin kāla-māyayoḥ

rameta gata-sammohas

tyaktvodāste tadobhayam

(SB 2.9.3)

ātma-tattva-viśuddhy-arthaṁ

yad āha bhagavān ṛtam

brahmaṇe darśayan rūpam

avyalīka-vratādṛtaḥ

(SB 2.9.4)

sa ādi-devo jagatāṁ paro guruḥ

svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya sisṛkṣayaikṣata

tāṁ nādhyagacchad dṛśam atra sammatāṁ

prapañca-nirmāṇa-vidhir yayā bhavet

(SB 2.9.5)

sa cintayan dvy-akṣaram ekadāmbhasy

upāśṛṇod dvir-gaditaṁ vaco vibhuḥ

sparśeṣu yat ṣoḍaśam ekaviṁśaṁ

niṣkiñcanānāṁ nṛpa yad dhanaṁ viduḥ

(SB 2.9.6)

niśamya tad-vaktṛ-didṛkṣayā diśo

vilokya tatrānyad apaśyamānaḥ

svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya vimṛśya tad-dhitaṁ

tapasy upādiṣṭa ivādadhe manaḥ

(SB 2.9.7)

divyaṁ sahasrābdam amogha-darśano

jitānilātmā vijitobhayendriyaḥ

atapyata smākhila-loka-tāpanaṁ

tapas tapīyāṁs tapatāṁ samāhitaḥ

(SB 2.9.8)

tasmai sva-lokaṁ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ

sandarśayām āsa paraṁ na yat-param

vyapeta-saṅkleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṁ

sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir puruṣair abhiṣṭutam

(SB 2.9.9)

pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ

sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ

na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer

anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ

(SB 2.9.10)

śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ

piśaṅga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ

sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi-

praveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ

(SB 2.9.11)

Prabhupāda: (aside) Leave it.

(devotees chant verse)

Devotee: What is that word bharaṇāḥ, ābharaṇāḥ, niṣkābharaṇāḥ?

Pradyumna: Niṣkābharaṇāḥ.

(more devotees chant verse, with Prabhupāda correcting pronunciation) (break)

Pradyumna: ". . . ants of the Vaikuṇṭha planets are described as having a glowing sky-bluish complexion. Their eyes resemble the lotus flower, their dress is of yellowish color, and their bodily features very attractive. They are just the age of growing youth. They all have four hands, they are all nicely decorated with pearl necklaces with ornamental medallions, and they all appear to be effulgent."

Prabhupāda: So, still you are not prepared to go to Vaikuṇṭha? If we get this body, if we go to Vaikuṇṭha, four hands, catur-bāhavaḥ, four hands. You cannot see any human being here with four hands. Although Kṛṣṇa is two-handed, but Nārāyaṇa, He is four-handed. Therefore when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes on this platform . . . you have seen two hand, not four hand. Four hand is not for human being; it is only . . . Brahmā has got four hand, and above him, in the spiritual world, all the inhabitants, they have got exactly the form like Viṣṇu. You cannot distinguish who is Viṣṇu and who is ordinary living being.

But Viṣṇu has got some special feature on His chest. So by seeing that, He is recognized by the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī. Otherwise, just like here, if some big man comes, president, he looks like ordinary man, but he has got his badge. By that badge one can understand that he is president or some big man. From generally body feature, bodily feature, one cannot understand distinction between Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, and the devotees. But there are special features of Lord Viṣṇu by which He can be . . .

Then?

Pradyumna: Purport: "The inhabitants in Vaikuṇṭhaloka are all personalities with spiritual bodily features not to be found in the material world. We can find the descriptions in the revealed scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Impersonal descriptions of transcendence in the scriptures indicate that the bodily features in Vaikuṇṭha are never to be seen in any part of the universe. As there are different bodily features in different places of a particular planet, or as there are different bodily features between bodies in different planets, similarly the bodily features of the inhabitants of the Vaikuṇṭhalokas are completely different from those in the material universe. For example, the four hands are distinct from two hands in this world."

Prabhupāda: So in other planets also there are different types of body. Some of the bodies are prominent in earth, earthly body. Just like we have got here earthly body. Similarly, fiery body, watery body, gaseous body. There are different types of body. What the scientists know about? Maybe in Candraloka they are going, but they cannot see the body. They say that there is no . . . there is no life. Suppose there is gaseous body, so they do not see it. But every planet has got different types of body. And Vaikuṇṭha planets also, their bodily features are described herein.

Then?

Pradyumna: Next verse? Pravāla . . . (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . valuable jewels. Pravāla is coral. Is that? Yes.

Pradyumna: Pravāla-vaidūrya . . . ( break)

Prabhupāda: . . . skin some animal nowadays. Nowadays it has become fashion.

Pradyumna: Furs.

Prabhupāda: Cow skin dress.

Śyāmasundara: Leather.

Prabhupāda: Leather dress. Leather was specially used for shoes. Now they have become dress—advancement of civilization. Has become coat. You see? Iti manyate. The Bengali verse is, piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya. Just like ghost-haunted person, he talks so many nonsense things, similarly:

piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya

māyā-grasta jīvera haya se bhāva udaya

(Prema-vivarta 1)

Māyā-grasta, those who are too much materially covered, they are thinking, "This is nice. This is nice. This is nice." In Kali-yuga it is said, lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam (SB 12.2.6). Keśa-dhāraṇam. When I did not come to your country, I was thinking, "What is that keśa-dhāraṇam?" But as soon as I came to your country I saw the hippies—big, big hair. Keśa-dhāraṇam. Keśa, keśa means hair. (chuckles) It is predicted.

Just see. This is śāstra. "In the Kali-yuga people will think very . . . think themselves of very beautiful feature by keeping long hairs." That is stated. This is called śāstra. Five thousand years ago, Bhāgavata was written, and there the symptoms of Kali-yuga are mentioned, and this is one of the symptoms, lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam.

In the Twelfth Canto you will find this description, svīkāra eva hi udvāhe—all these predictions are there. "Marriage will be done simply by agreement." Now it is . . . just see. It is being done. Svīkāra eva. Svīkāra means agreement: "I accept you." No actual marriage ceremony is performed. Practically marriage is going out of date. So these symptoms are there. Dāmpatye ratim eva hi. Husband and wife relations will be stronger if there is sex power. That's all. Otherwise divorce. Just see the symptoms. Dāmpatye ratim . . .

Sūtratam . . . sūtrate . . . vipra. Vipratve sūtra-dhāraṇam: a brahmin means having a piece of thread, that's all. Vipratve sūtra-dhāraṇam. And only two-paisa worth sūtra will . . . just like in India: "Oh, I am brahmin because I have got this thread." That's all. Vipratve sūtra-dhāraṇam. Anardhena nyāya-rahitam: "If you have no money, then you cannot get justice." If you are poor man, then you will never get justice. You see? First of all, if you want to get some money . . . somebody, he is not paying. You have to go to court.

So first of all the pleader will charge, "Give me so much money." Then stamp charges, then percentage of stamp charges. Suppose you are claiming $5,000. Then you have to five percent . . . so, so many thousand dollars you have to pay for stamp charges to claim, to push good money after bad money. The money which is not being realized, that is bad money. Now you have to push further good money to realize that bad money. So if you have no good money to push, then you cannot get even that bad money. And that also will be pending for years together. Unless you bribe the clerks and the bench clerk and others, "Please get my case swiftly in . . ." So he will ask money, bribe.

So anyway, then Bhāgavata says, anadhena nyāya ratim: "If you have no money, then don't expect justice. Don't expect justice." Even high-court judges, they take bribe to give you favorable judgment. In India we have seen so many bribe. Police, you give bribe; high-court judge, you can give bribe. This is the position of Kali-yuga, horrible position. The king or the so-called president is simply showbottle. If you approach . . . you cannot approach. Formerly, if anyone was ill-treated, injustified, then he could go, similarly, in front of the king.

Just like Lord Rāmacandra, He was approached by a citizen: "My Lord, in the presence of father, son has died. What is Your kingdom?" Just see. These are . . . King is responsible. Natural death is father dies first, the son dies later on. But somebody's son died in the presence of the father, he immediately brought the case before the king: "Why it is?" This is called king. The king is responsible. In our Kṛṣṇa book you will find that one brahmin sons were stolen, and he, every time he chastised the king. You have read that portion? Yes. So in Kali-yuga they are not actually functioning as king or president, but still, they are drawing high salaries and respect, doing harm to the people, and still, they are exploiting.

This is Kali-yuga, very abominable condition, precarious condition. You cannot get justice, you cannot get nice food, you cannot get nice treatment, your age is diminished, your power is diminished, everything is topsy-turvied. The best thing is to prepare yourself very quickly to go back to home, back to Godhead, and there you become one of them, like these Vaikuṇṭha persons. These are the description already there.

So many ornaments. We do not see what is . . . if you ask somebody . . . they may have some plastic utensils, but if you ask somebody that "Have you seen pearl, sapphire or coral, or diamond?" everyone will say: "I have never seen in my life." And still they are proud: "Oh, we are now advanced." What advanced? Simply plastic and paper. I see in Japan, all paper, simply papers. All big, big buildings packed up with papers. I was observing from the train all the big, big . . . what is the contents? Contents means paper. That's it. The house is made of paper. And Japan is considered to be very advanced, and industrialist. Simply outward dress. Actually, nobody has got any wealth. The money is also paper. No pearl, no gold, no silver—nothing. But they are satisfied with papers. That's all. Paper house, paper money, paper book, paper everything. Plastic, paper.

Now intelligent person should be anxious that if Kṛṣṇa says, mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate . . . yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma (BG 15.6): "If you go to this planet . . ." Why you are trying nonsensically to go to the moon planet? Suppose you have gone there? What is there? You see piles of dust. That is your explanation. Why don't you try here, rascals, and go, and become so nicely dressed with decoration, ornaments? And all young men. What is that? Sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi. Where is that?

Pradyumna: Supeśasaḥ.

Prabhupāda: Surucaḥ supeśasaḥ. Supeśasaḥ. What is the meaning of supeśasaḥ?

Pradyumna: "Growing youthful."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Supeśasaḥ means this. Just like we are old man. Now it has become slackened. But when I was young it was very tight. This is called supeśasaḥ, muscles very tight. Supeśasaḥ means young, all young. Suvarcasaḥ, and luster. When a man is young, there is some luster, attractive luster. This is nature's gift. A woman becomes . . . a girl becomes full of youth, lustrous. A man, a boy becomes . . . attraction. Without attraction, there cannot be sex. And without sex, there will be stopped of generation. So by nature these things are there.

So śāstra makes them adjustments. The natural attractions are there, but they know what is the meaning of this attraction. Therefore, according to Vedic rules, the boy is selected by the father, the girl is selected by the father. They are given in marriage, so that that natural attraction can be utilized for generating good population, not prostitution. You see? Therefore early marriage, selection by the parent, these are recommended. That is called marriage. Now the boys and girls are loitering in the street, and they are mixing freely and having all business. And then one day say: "All right, I agree. You are my wife. You are my husband." Svīkāra eva ca udvāhe.

These are the signs of Kali-yuga. It is simply deteriorating. The human civilization is deteriorating. In the name of advancement of civilization they are becoming animals simply. And the more the age of Kali-yuga will increase, these things will also increase more and more, more and more. Later on, you won't get foodstuff. You will be obliged to kill some animal and eat. Now you have got alternative.

But we are becoming very much fond of animals, so Kṛṣṇa will or nature will make some arrangement that you cannot eat except animals. That day will come. You cannot eat, even if you do not like. Nobody will say: "I don't like." Everyone will like. So there will be no supply of wheat, no supply of rice, no supply of sugar, no supply of fruit. These things will be stopped. No supply of milk. These are stated. You won't get.

Then naturally . . . just like in Arabian desert, they were animal eaters. What is growing there? So if in Jerusalem, if they have eaten flesh, so that is not their fault. Jesus Christ might have allowed: "All right." But why in other places, where there are so many nice foodstuff? What is the reason? If you don't get something . . . (someone calling in Japanese) Who is this?

Śyāmasundara: He's gone to see.

Prabhupāda: So . . . (someone calling in Japanese) it is Japanese language? Why? He wants to see. Hmm. So eternal life, yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). Eternal life, such nice, always youthful, such nicely dressed, and four hands. Now you are eating with two hands. You will get four hands. (laughter) So you can voraciously eat also if you like, with four hands. How much you can eat, two hands? So these are the facilities. Why don't you try for this? And Kṛṣṇa assures, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām.

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni

mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām

(BG 9.25)

So when there is facility, you can go to this kingdom of God. Why don't you . . . just like a student studies very faithfully, taking so much pains. Why? He expects that, "Somehow or other, if I can pass this examination, I will get a very nice job, good salary, and live very happily." Everyone hopes like that. A businessman works so hard day and night with the hope that, "At the end of my life, if I get a good balance, bank balance, then I shall live peacefully, without any botheration."

So everyone hopes like that for future. But what is this civilization? They have no future hope. The rascal professors, they say . . . he is saying that, "After death, everything is finished." After death everything finished—why? Why there are so many varieties of life? After death there is life. But you do not know what is that life. That is your ignorance. Here is a chance, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that you get next life very good life. If you complete, you go to Vaikuṇṭha and get life like this. If you don't complete, if you are so unfortunate that you cannot complete one life, that is unfortunate. Why you . . . so then you get chance to get your birth as a human being in very rich family, in very pious family. That chance is again given so that you can revive your, again, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So those who are taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is a chance. You had previously some advantage of executing this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Somehow or other, you could not . . . not you or you—all of us, we could not. So Kṛṣṇa has given another chance. So don't miss this chance. Make it complete. Make it complete and go to Vaikuṇṭha or Kṛṣṇaloka. Such a nice proposal. Where it is? Who can give this?

Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī adored Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53): "Oh, You are the greatest of the munificent." Namo mahā . . . vadānya means the greatest munificent, who gives charity in the greatest . . . so Caitanya Mahāprabhu is giving that. What is that? Kṛṣṇa-prema. Simply by loving Kṛṣṇa, you are promoted. This is the greatest gift. The human society is so rascal, they cannot understand what is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The greatest gift to the human society given by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

So those who are intelligent, those who have taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they should be very serious to execute the, I mean to say, program. Very nice. We should always pray to Kṛṣṇa that, "Kṛṣṇa, You have given this chance. Please have Your grace upon me—I may not miss it. By māyā's influence I may not miss it. You have given me so great chance." This should be our business. If you have got to pray anything . . . just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu prayed:

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ

kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye

mama janmani janmanīśvare

bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

(CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4)

"Simply I may remain a faithful devotee of Your . . ." That's all, without any reason, without any cause. Causeless. This should be our vow. If we, taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if we want to make some material asset, then we are cutting our throat, suicidal. The only prayer should be how to remain a pure devotee. If we remain a pure devotee, there is chance.

Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Because Kṛṣṇa, He is so kind, at the same time so strict also. Strict. If you have got a pinch of material desire, you cannot go to Vaikuṇṭha. You cannot go. Therefore niṣkiñcanānām. You have to become completely niṣkiñcana: nothing wanted of this material world. That is called tapasya. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (CC Madhya 19.167). If we want to utilize Kṛṣṇa . . . you can utilize. If you want kingdom, Kṛṣṇa will give you kingdom. That is not very difficult for you (Him).

Kṛṣṇa can give you liberation, to merge in His effulgence. That also Kṛṣṇa will give. But it is very difficult to get Kṛṣṇa's service. Very difficult. Kṛṣṇa will give you everything, whatever you want. By Kṛṣṇa conscious, being Kṛṣṇa conscious, by rendering devotional service, if you want to have some material profit, Kṛṣṇa will give you. Kṛṣṇa will give you. That is not very difficult thing for Kṛṣṇa. If you want to merge in His existence—the Māyāvādī—all right, you can get it. But that is not real profit.

Real profit is here described, in Vaikuṇṭha, how they are face-to-face seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having the same body and same ornaments, same opulence, everything same. Sārūpya, sālokya, sāyujya. Sāyujya is damn rascals. Sāyujya-mukti, never, merging, never, no Vaiṣṇava will take. But sārūpya, but so far our Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava is concerned, they do not want even this sārūpya, same bodily feature. They don't want anything. They simply want how to serve Kṛṣṇa. That's all. That is Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava vicāra.

So here is the description of sārūpya-mukti, the same bodily features like Nārāyaṇa. This is called sārūpya-mukti, same bodily feature.

pravāla-vaidūrya-mṛṇāla-varcasaḥ

parisphurat-kuṇḍala-mauli-mālinaḥ

(SB 2.9.12)

Kuṇḍala, earrings. Here, no male person have any earrings. But formerly you will find pictures of big, big kings, they have got earrings. You have seen? Yes. That is opulence. Jaipur Mahārāja's photograph—earrings, big, nice. Ornaments, huge ornaments. Just Kṛṣṇa is going to tend the cows—He has got so much ornaments. That is asset. Formerly also, in our childhood, a woman having no sufficient ornaments, he (she) will be ashamed to go to the society: "Oh, others will think me so much poor. I will not go. I'll never go."

Therefore I was surprised when I came to your country, I saw young girls and ladies, they have no bangles, no ornaments. At least, I was surprised. And smoking cigarettes. (laughs) (laughter) What is this opulence? See? I heard they are very rich. They have got the tendency, but they do not get it. Those who are very rich, they are getting ornaments. These are the psychological. Every woman, every girl has the aspiration for nice ornament, nice dress. But they don't get it. Therefore dissatisfied.

In the Manu-saṁhitā it is recommended that if you want to keep your wife satisfied, you must give sufficient ornament. These are the psychological things. So the Kali-yuga, therefore, dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇe. Dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇam. People will be so much wretched that they'll be unable to maintain his wife and children. Therefore in this age, if a man can maintain his family, that will be dākṣyam: "Oh, very fortunate."

So don't take this so-called material civilization has got any value. Reject it. You see? And be prepared for going back to home, back to Godhead. That should be aim. Don't be allured by these rascal leaders. And the another rascal, the Māyāvādī, they cannot believe all these things—"Make it zero." Śūnyavāda. They also do not like the modern ways of life—disgusted—but they have no adjustment, and therefore, "Make it impersonal, zero, finished." Here is not zero. Here is substance.

We are not after zero. We are after substance. The substance is described here. Just try to understand. We are not fakir. Fakir, this word is used in . . . one who has no hope, simply loitering in the street, he is a fakir, hopeless. So all are, they are fakirs. And we are not fakir. We are hoping to go there, to live with Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa, having this greatest opulence, eternal body, blissful life, full of knowledge and opulence.

That's all.

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