Therefore there is Garbhādhāna saṁskāra, to find out when the husband and wife should mix and give birth to a child. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll see that sex life which is according to the principle of religious ideas, that is "I am." So sex life is not bad, provided it is executed according to the religious principles. So Garbhādhāna saṁskāra... Just, what is the idea? The idea is the child born must be first class. He'll be able to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. He'll be able to understand the śāstras, the Vedas. He must have the good brain. These were the ideas. But if they are not born in that way, like cats and dog, that is called varṇa-saṅkara. Varṇa-saṅkara. You cannot specify whether he's a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya and vaiśya and śūdra. That is called varṇa-saṅkara. So varṇa-saṅkara population is not good. Varṇa-saṅkara. No caste. No designation, no definition to which class this man belongs.
Able to understand (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Those who are demons, those who are sinful, nature's law is to place him in such condition that he will become more and more a demon so that he will never be able to understand what is God. This is nature's law. If you want to forget God, then God will put you in such a condition that you can never understand what is God. That is demonic life. That time is also coming. At the present moment, still a few men are interested, what is God. Arto arthārtī jijñāsu jñānī (CC Madhya 24.95). But time is coming ahead when there will be no sense to understand God.
So śāstra recommends that you give up this aṅganāśrayam to go to the paramahaṁsa-āśrayam. Then your life will be saved. Otherwise, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, gṛham andha-kūpam, "If you keep yourself always in this dark well of so-called family life, then you'll never be happy." Ātma-pātam. Ātma-pātam means you'll never be able to understand spiritual life. Of course, not always, but generally. Generally, who are too much attached to family life or extended family life... Extended... Family life, then society life, then community life, then national life, then international life. They're all gṛham andha-kūpam. All gṛham andha-kūpam.
Because Bhagavad-gītā was explained directly to Arjuna, and if you don't accept the appreciation of the direct person who heard Bhagavad-gītā, then whom do we believe? Suppose I have heard something directly from one person. So what I am saying, another person who has no direct relation, he's also saying. Whom do you believe? You have to believe the person who has directly heard. So here there is no doubt about it, that Arjuna directly heard Kṛṣṇa, and his appreciations are recorded here. So therefore, if we want to study Bhagavad-gītā, then we have to accept the appreciation of the direct hearer, Arjuna. If we do that, then we can get the right thing. But if we change it for our ulterior motive, as some, so many annotators are doing in the case of Bhagavad-gītā, then we shall not be able to understand what is Bhagavad-gītā.
The same Bhagavad-gītā, now scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan, and others, so many big big scholars, they are scrutinizingly studying; still they cannot understand. But this Bhagavad-gītā was meant for the less intelligent class of men of that time. Just you can imagine what class of less intelligent class and women were there. It is specially written, you will see, strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). Because woman class and less intelligent class, and these unworthy sons of the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, they will not be able to understand the original Vedic literature, therefore it has been presented in a story form with historical facts so that they can understand. That was the origin of Mahābhārata.
So Lord Jesus Christ said, "My Lord, hallowed be Thy name." He wants to glorify the name of the Lord. And some people says that there is no name of God. How? If Lord Jesus Christ says "Hallowed by Thy name," there must be name. The name is there, but he did not pronounce it because the people at that time will not be able to understand or maybe some reason, but he says there is name. So we are making this propaganda, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the "Hallowed by Thy name. My Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, let Your holy name be glorified." This is our movement.
"You are My dear friend." This is... Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "Whatever I've spoken, they are all nonsense. There is sense, but the truth which I am speaking to you just now, 'You just become My devotee, just think of Me, just offer your obeisances unto Me, just work for Me,' this is the most confidential." But those who are not able to understand, they are not to be spoken. They are to be instructed that "You become a yogi, you practice your breathing, you sit like this, you sit like that." Because he's unable to understand. Therefore He says, idaṁ te na atapaskāya. One who has not undergone severe austerities, don't speak this final knowledge. He'll not understand. He'll misunderstand.
Everywhere the same thing is. Everywhere the same thing. But it is concluded that sarva-guhyatamam: "I am speaking to you." in the Eighteenth Chapter. Just open the Eighteenth Chapter. Sarva, giving up meat-eating, giving up all kinds of intoxicants including coffee and tea, they are giving up illicit sex life—don't you think this is not tapasya? Great tapasya, at least for this country. So idaṁ te nātapaskāya. Without undergoing austerity, this science is difficult to understand. Therefore it is warned, idaṁ te nātapaskāya. Now people ask us, "Swamiji, why you make condition?" The condition, if I don't make condition, he'll not be able to understand it. But I don't make condition in the beginning. I invite everyone to come and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then you automatically accept all conditions. This is so nice. Because he becomes purified.
Because it is said here that "that very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee," so this transcendental science cannot be understood simply by academic education. It is not possible. There is a secret. Just like in the ordinary educational field, nobody is allowed to study law unless he is a graduate of the degree college. At least in India that is the law. Nobody can be admitted in the law college unless he is a graduate because he will not be able to understand.
Those who cannot understand, they make difference between His ātmā, Kṛṣṇa's ātmā, and Kṛṣṇa's body. They think... The Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that "Kṛṣṇa, He is God... Or godly." They have got the imagination. "But His body is made of matter." No. That is not. If His body had been made of matter, then how He could remember millions of years ago what He did? We cannot remember even what we did yesterday night or just this morning. We forget. The body's changing. The blood corpuscles are changing. That is scientific. But Kṛṣṇa hasn't got that. Therefore He is explaining Himself. We can understand Kṛṣṇa by Kṛṣṇa's explanation. We should not make any rascal interpretation. Then we'll not be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. Because our senses are imperfect.
If you don't like to come to this temple, it doesn't matter. At, in your home only, you sit down with your friends, with your boyfriend or girlfriend or family members, children. Sit down and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you have got a nice musical instrument it is all right. Otherwise, God has given you these hands. You can clap, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Very easy. Just try it and you will understand everything gradually.
Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). By simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, gradually all coverings... (break)
...God, the living entity, the material nature, the time, and the activities. If you can thoroughly study these five principles, then you become perfectly advanced in knowledge and your life is successful. And all this will be possible simply by this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And when your mind will be clean, you will be able to understand the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā automatically. These things are there. Thank you very much.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Chanting... We are recommending chanting of the holy name of God. If the Muslim or the Japanese or the Christian, they have got the holy name of God, that is also as good.
Question: I would like to know if the teachings of Kṛṣṇa can be an assistance to a person, an individual, who is interested in healing on a mass basis vibrations.(?)
Prabhupāda: Yes. For the mass of people, this chanting of holy name of God is very easy and very beneficial, for the mass of people. Mass of people do not understand very much philosophy. Therefore the easiest process of realization of God is to chant these holy names, and that will gradually cleanse the mind, and a man will be able to understand what is God.
So if you are anxious to know then please come to our classes. We are discussing simply this subject matter so you'll kindly, if you kindly come, gradually you'll be able to understand. It is not very difficult. All my students, they are all American boys and girls. I have not brought with me any Indian or Hindu but they are understanding. Just talk with them. They will be able to explain how they are understanding. So similarly you will also be able to understand. It is not very difficult subject. But you must be sincere to understand. That is the only qualification required. That's all.
Or just a child. A child is attracted generally to his mother, in human being, in animals, everywhere. So if a child wants to know his father, then the authority is the mother, and there is not other authority. The child cannot know the name of his father by his own imagination or speculation, if he thinks, "Oh, he may be my father, he may be my father, he may be my father..." Go on imagining, speculating, but you will never be able to understand who is your father. But the mother indicates, "My dear child, he is your father"—immediately business finished. You see? So if you want to speculate who is God, who is the supreme father, you go on speculating for lives together. But if somebody knows, "Here is your God," you accept it—the business finished. Very simple truth. You cannot imagine, you cannot speculate, even on your ordinary father, what to speak of the supreme father. Is it possible? No.
So if my mind is always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then these dualities can be practiced very easily. Śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā kūṭastho vijitendriyaḥ. Why he will be able to understand, to tolerate? Because jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā. Jñāna means knowledge. Theoretical knowledge is called jñāna, and practical knowledge is called vijñāna. Vijñāna. Just like a science student has to study theoretical and appear theoretical examination as well as practical examination. If a science student has to pass his examination, then he has to prac... Simply theoretical knowledge that so much quantity of hydrogen and so much quantity of oxygen will make water will not help him. He has to practically show in the laboratory that so much quantity of oxygen gas and so much quantity of hydrogen gas mixed and water is produced. That is called vijñāna. Vijñāna.
Just like if you have got some disease, cataract on your eye, that does not mean you cannot see. Because your eyes are suffering from cataract, you cannot see. That does not mean there is nothing to be seen. You cannot see. Similarly, you cannot just conceive what is the form of God now, but if our cataract is removed, you can see. That is required. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). The Brahma-saṁhitā says that devotees whose eyes are anointed with the love of God ointment, such persons, within his heart, seeing God Kṛṣṇa, always, twenty-four hours. Not that... So you require to purify your senses. Then you'll be able to understand what is the form of God, what is the name of God, what is the quality of God, what is the paraphernalia. God as everything. These things are discovered in Vedic literature.
So if you simply hear sincerely and submissively, then you will understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will reveal to you. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam, there are different nine kinds of variety. So vandanam, offering prayers, that is also bhakti. Śravaṇam, to hear about it. Just like we are hearing about Kṛṣṇa from this Bhagavad-gītā. Chanting about His glory, Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the beginning. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). Viṣṇu means, everything is Viṣṇu. The meditation is Viṣṇu. The bhakti is Viṣṇu. Not without Viṣṇu. And Kṛṣṇa is the original form of Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). The original form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So if we follow this process then we'll be able to understand without any doubt.
Now here Kṛṣṇa says that "I am speaking to you." He's particularly marking Arjuna. Why? He does not say here, "I'm speaking to everyone." No. Everyone cannot understand this knowledge. It is confidential. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not understandable by any ordinary man. Of course, Lord Caitanya has made it so easy for this age that if you sincerely, with devotion, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you'll be able to understand. But the science as it is, itself, it is very difficult. It is very difficult. But because the age is not very favorable, the time is not very favorable, therefore Lord Caitanya has inaugurated this saṅkīrtana movement by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and dancing, so that your mind very quickly becomes cleared so that you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This simple process. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa says it is not for all.
Now, here somebody may say that "This is too much sectarian, that knowing simply Kṛṣṇa, everything is known." Somebody may say like that. But actually this is the fact. The Vedic statement says like that. Kasmin tu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you can understand the origin, person, the original person... The Upaniṣad does not say directly, "The original person is Kṛṣṇa," simply because there are so many impersonalists. But the Upaniṣad gives hint that if you can understand the original person, kasmin... This is person. Kasmin vijñāte: "If one is able to understand the Supreme Person," sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati, "then everything becomes known." How? Suppose you want to know... Say I am a foreigner. If I want to know how this American government is going on, oh, I will have to study so many things.
Anta-kāle means "at the time of death." "At the time of death, one who remembers Me..." Anta-kāle ca mām eva. Mām eva. Mām eva means... Eva means "certainly," and me means..., mām means "me." "Certainly Me." The Supreme Personality of Godhead says, "Certainly Me." That means Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa's expansion, the form—not formless. Mām. Formless... This is explained in the Twelfth Chapter, that kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). One who is attached to the impersonal Brahman, then his business is troublesome. Kleśa. Kleśa means troublesome. Avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate. Dehavat. Because we are in this material body and our senses are not able to understand except something form. So if by artificial way I want to think of formless, it becomes a troublesome business.
Therefore, we first of all try to make people sukṛtinaḥ. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. He'll become sukṛtī. He'll get some pious assets. Then he'll be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has introduced this method, and actually this method has been successful now all over the world. We began: "Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Simply Chant." So all these foreign students who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously, they began simply with chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is not difficult. Everyone can chant. What is the difficulty? Everyone can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare... Where is the difficulty? But they'll not chant. They'll not chant. They'll talk so many rubbish things, but as soon as you ask him to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, he'll be silent.
We are going door to door: "Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." This is our only propaganda. But it is a very difficult. We are experiencing. Although innocent children, they take part. Just now we went to some gentleman's, kavirāja's house. We began kīrtana. And small children immediately began... Yes. Naturally. Because those who are sukṛtinaḥ, because he's not, the child is not yet polluted. Therefore, immediately he could join Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the position. So our only request is, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is that it doesn't require much education or intelligence or opulence. In whatever condition you are, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then gradually everything will be clear and you'll be able to understand how Kṛṣṇa is conducting.
So the only process for keeping yourself aloof from the touch of māyā is bhakti. Is bhakti. That is the conclusion of all śāstras. Without taking to the process of bhakti, you cannot get out of the influence of māyā. That is required. That is the objective of life. Jñeyaṁ jñāna-gamyam. So if we utilize our life for understanding the supreme, jñeyaṁ jñāna-gamyam... Mayi ca, ananya-yogena bhakti... If you learn that art, how you can become ananya-yoga-bhakti, avyabhicāriṇī-bhakti, then you'll understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). By tattva, by truth, you will be able to understand Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, your life becomes successful. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ.
Therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to purify the people in general to the brāhmaṇa stage. Then they'll be... you'll be able to understand. Otherwise, na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ (BG 16.7). If he's not clean, if he has..., he does not know how to behave, it is difficult. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is still more kind that "Never mind whatever you are. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you become purified." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. It doesn't matter whether what you are. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you'll be purified. Then you'll understand everything, what is God, what you are, what is your relation. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Thank you very much.
So for coming to the platform of devotional service one has to make some sacrifice. That is called tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some difficult things. That is called tapasya. Therefore those who have not taken to that, those who have taken Bhagavad-gītā as a table talk, they cannot understand. Not Bhagavad-gītā should be preached amongst them. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is warning: idaṁ te na atapaskāya nābhaktāya. Idaṁ te nātapaskāya nābhaktāya kadācana: "Never describe, never described this Bhagavad-gītā." Kṛṣṇa said in the previous verse... People will not be able to understand. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This simple fact cannot be understood by any man who has not undergone some austerities, penances, and who has not become a devotee. It is not possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is warning: "Don't speak to these nonsense. They will not understand."
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam: (Bs. 5.30) "He has got a peacock feather on His head." These are the description in the Vedas. "He has got a peacock feather on His head." Barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda: "His color is blackish." What kind of blackish? Asitāmbuda: "Just like new cloud." Asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam: "But don't think because He is blackish, He is not beautiful. He is most beautiful." How much beautiful? Kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobham: (Bs. 5.30) "He is so beautiful that if you gather millions of Cupids, still He is more beautiful." These descriptions are there. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very nice. You will be able to understand what is God, and you will be able to understand what is your relationship with God. And you will be able to understand how you can go back to home, back to Godhead.
So this bhāgavata-dharma is not for such envious persons. Therefore it is stated here, paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām (SB 1.1.2). Not for the envious persons. The envious persons—that means materialists—they will not be able to understand what is spoken in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate. So our process is, because we are envious by nature, therefore we have to cleanse our heart. Therefore we have to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very rigidly, regularly. Then our, this enviousness, the dirty things will be over, and we shall be able to understand what is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the graduate study. Those who are interested in God, for them, this is graduate study. The entrance study is Bhagavad-gītā.
The speaker must sit very comfortably, sūtam āsīnam. Sukha means certainly he should not feel any inconvenience. Then the speaking will go on nicely. Sat-kṛtaṁ sūtam āsīnaṁ papracchuḥ. Then the questions. Idam ādarāt. The questions should be put not by challenging, by ādarāt, with great adoration. "I beg to submit, this is my question." "Can you tell me like this?" No, that is challenge. Very submissively. Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). The question should be put by surrender. If somebody challenges, he'll never be able to understand. The question has to be very submissive. Here it is also said, ādarāt. You'll find Arjuna was questioning Kṛṣṇa, and at the end, "I have heard like this; if You think that I am fit to understand it, You can please explain it." Similarly Parīkṣit Mahārāja also asking submissively, "If you think I can understand, then please explain." This is the process of question. Not that... Then, go on.
People who are endeavoring to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of his puffed-up knowledge, they will never be able to. They will never be able. Jñāne prayāsam. One has to give up this illegitimate attempt to understand the Absolute Truth by his personal knowledge. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap thing that by exercising your brain you can manufacture a way to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ: (BG 7.25) "I am not exposed to everyone. I am covered by yogamāyā. People will not be able to understand Me." "So many jñānīs, yogis, karmīs, they cannot understand?" No. Then? Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: (BG 18.55) "Only through devotional service." Devotional service means submission, surrender. First of all surrender.
Adhokṣaja means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The real, literal meaning of adhokṣaja: adhaḥ—this is Sanskrit word—adhaḥ means "made down," and akṣaja, akṣaja means sense perception, knowledge acquired by sense perception. So adhokṣaja means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who cuts down all kinds of sense perceptional activities. Just like the mental speculators, they are making research, "What is God?" Speculating. You have got experience, they are writing volumes of books simply by speculation. So to them, this word is the answer. What is that? Adhah-kṛtaṁ akṣajaṁ jñānam: "You may go on speculating for many thousands of years; still you will be cut down, you will never be able to understand what is God." Therefore this particular word is used, adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛtaṁ akṣajaṁ jñānaṁ yatra tatram. This is the Sanskrit definition of this word.
So if you regularly chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then the result will be ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), our heart will be cleansed. Because we are in unclean heart, therefore we cannot understand what is God. But if your heart becomes cleansed, then any position, you will be able to understand what is God. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. And as soon as your heart is cleansed, your these material tribulations, the threefold miserable condition of this material world... It is compared with the forest fire. So forest fire is not very easy to extinguish, but it can be... There is process. That is God's arrangement. When there is rain from the sky, the forest fire is extinguished. Similarly, when mercy from Kṛṣṇa comes, your blazing fire of material existence will be extinguished.
So sādhu-vartmānuvartanam. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says: sādhu-śāstra-guru vākya, tinete kariyā aikya. You must learn from guru, from śāstra, what is actually pure devotional service. Just like Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. One should read thoroughly this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu to understand the science of devotion. Sādhu-śāstra. And the śāstra means it is enunciated by sādhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī. You cannot read anyone's book. If he's approved sādhu, you can read his book. Then you'll be benefited. If you read hodge-podge, then you will not be able to understand. Therefore sādhu. And sādhu means he gives quotation from śāstras, authorized śāstra He's sādhu. Sādhu will not give anything manufactured by him. No. He's not sādhu. Sādhu means whatever he'll speak, immediately he'll give evidence from the śāstra.
To become a good man of this world is not a very good qualification. Therefore it is said here, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu. To become bad man... And if you become a good man, it is partially acceptable, because you have avoided the two other things, namely ignorance and passion. But that is not sufficient. But it is favorable. To become a good man, to become a brāhmaṇa, is favorable. Because to, by becoming a brāhmaṇa, one is able to understand things as they are. He's not in ignorance. Just like a ignorant, a cats and dogs, they are under the bodily concept of life: "I am this body." But a brāhmaṇa is not in the bodily concept of life. He knows, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am part and parcel of Brahman." This knowledge will help him. And here it is said that ce..., tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ... (SB 1.2.19). So long one is influenced by the modes of ignorance and passion, he is busy in greediness and lusty affairs.
So similarly, when people will be so much degraded that they will not be able to understand anything about God... That time is coming gradually. Already the time is there. People are not at all interested in God's business. In your Western world all the churches are vacant. Nobody is interested now in church. Especially in Europe, we have seen... In your country also. So people are being degraded, godlessness. Because godless means animal. What is the difference between animal and man? The animal cannot be instructed anything about God. It is not possible for them to understand. But a man, however degraded he may be, if he is trained up, he can understand about God. Just like five years ago, you did not know about Kṛṣṇa.
Each and every word of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, full of volumes of explanation, each and every word. This is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vidyā-bhāgavatāvadhi. One's learning will be understood when he's able to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vidyā. Vidyā means learning, not this science, that science. When one can understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in true perspective, then he's to be understood that he has finished his all educational advancement. Avadhi. Avadhi means "this is the limit of education." Vidyā-bhāgavatāvadhi.
So that tattvataḥ one can understand simply by pure devotional service. If you become a pure devotee, without any contamination-unalloyed devotee—then Kṛṣṇa reveals: "This is I am. I am like this." You cannot speculate upon Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na bahunā śrutena na medhayā. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa simply because you are a learned Sanskrit scholar. You are a rascal. Kṛṣṇa is not so easy to be understood by scholarship or Sanskrit language. Don't commit this mistake. Kṛṣṇa is understood by a person to whom Kṛṣṇa reveals. That is understanding. Nāyam ātmā. This is completely said: Nāyam ātmā, nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā. Because you have got a fertile brain, therefore you'll be able to understand Kṛṣṇa? No. Na bahunā śrutena. Oh, because you are very good scholar, you have studied so much... No. If Kṛṣṇa reveals to you, then you'll be able. That revelation is possible when you are a devotee. Otherwise, it is not possible. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyaḥ.
So these three classes of men are there. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to bring persons from the wretched, low qualities, ignorance and passion, to bring him to the platform of goodness. And that goodness also has to be purified. In the material world the goodness is also attacked by the other, lower qualities. Big, big men, very good men, but there are so many defects. Because unless... First of all you have to come to the platform of goodness, brahminical position. Then you have to purify that goodness, sattvaṁ viśuddham, viśuddha-sattva, vasudeva-sattva, vasudeva platform. Then you will be able to understand what is God. It is not so cheap thing that one can understand God so easily while he is in the modes of material nature, especially the lower grade modes.
So alakṣyam, invisible, those who are yogis, they are trying to see. They are trying to... Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Dhyānāvasthita. They are trying to see. So there are different processes of seeing, but actually you can see by one process. That is bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). So those who have taken the path of devotional service, they'll be able to understand that Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Ahaṁ brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhā. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of this Brahman effulgence. You have heard so many times. Kṛṣṇa is Paramātmā, and Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way try to understand Kṛṣṇa, and then you are liberated.
So if one comes to this platform to understand Kṛṣṇa or to see Kṛṣṇa within and without... (break) ...by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One who will see Kṛṣṇa within and without always, twenty-four hours. Nothing, he will see nothing. The others, they will simply say, "Where is God? God is dead. Can you show me God?" Such persons will never be able to understand what is God because they want to see God by challenging. That is not possible. God is not visible by challenging. Simply by love and surrender. Then God can be seen. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthitam (SB 1.8.18).
So in this way, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be realized by you by the process prescribed and try to give to the people. This is the greatest welfare activities in the world, to awaken Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is, of course, practically, you can see, four or five years ago, none of you were in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but it has been awakened. Now you are Kṛṣṇa conscious. So others can be awakened also. There is no difficulty. The process is the same. So by following the footprints of devotees like Kuntī, we shall be able to understand as she's pointing out: kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya devakī-nandanāya ca, nanda-gopa-kumārāya (SB 1.8.21). This is Kṛṣṇa's identification. Just like we take identification of a person: "What is your father's name?" So here we're giving, presenting God with His father's name, with His mother's name, with His address.
Has anybody seen Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa cannot be seen. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). They are... So many people, they ask, "Where is God? Can you show me God?" That... That means people in general, they cannot see God. That is not possible, because with these eyes, these senses, we cannot understand. We cannot understand even that why they are chan... Just like yesterday this man was asking, "Why this chanting?" Because blunt senses, they cannot understand what is the meaning of chanting and why chanting. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. It is not possible. But sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. When we take to the service spirit... Here we are training people how to render service. Then, gradually, he will be able to understand what is this name of Kṛṣṇa, what is the form of Kṛṣṇa, what is the activities of Kṛṣṇa. And that is explained here.
Therefore, spiritual education begins from this body. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, in this body there is the spiritual spark who is the proprietor of the body. This is the beginning of spiritual education. What is, the scientists cannot imagine, or they have no idea, from there we begin our education in spiritual life, beyond their jurisdiction, beyond the jurisdiction of the scientists. And how they can understand this movement? It is beyond their jurisdiction. When they will receive one hundred or one thousands of Nobel Prize, at that time they may be able to understand that where Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement begins. They do not know even where the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement begins.
So if you study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you'll be able to understand the whole material position and how you are situated in that material position, how to get out of it. Everything you'll understand, provided you have got the brain. If you have got a dull brain, filled up with cow dung, that is another thing. If there is brain substance, then you'll be able. Tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām. Alpa-medhasām and su-medhasām, they are two words in the Vedic language. Medhā means brain substance. So one who has got su-medhā, nice brain substance, they will understand something. And one who has got no brain substance but cow dung, they will understand something else. So we are selecting, or even if he is filled up with cow dung, by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness education, we can make him su-medhā, fine brain.
This is the secret. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). If you simply study Veda, you will never be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore so many so-called Vedantists, they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. They consider Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). So the mūḍhas, the rascals, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Only the devotees. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, then you will have to accept this process, bhakti. Kṛṣṇa never says that "By jñāna, by yoga, by karma, you can understand." No.
I have seen many scholars, they cannot understand Bhāgavata. Sanskrit scholars, they will read, but they will not be able to understand. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā also. If anyone studies Bhagavad-gītā from scholarly point of view, a-b-c-d, he'll not understand. Kṛṣṇa therefore says that "Arjuna, I shall speak the lessons of Bhāgavata unto you because you are My very dear friend and you are My devotee." Kṛṣṇa did not want to speak Śrīmad-SB.. Bhagavad-gītā to a scholarly student. No. These books are not to be understood by mundane scholarship. That is not possible. All the Vedic śāstras, all the Vedic śāstras. There is a big commentary on Bhagavad-gītā by a great scholar and political leader, Lokamanya Tilak. So one of his devotees, he's also politician. When I was in London in 1968... So he has got a society there. They're preaching the Tilak's political view, like that.
So this modern science is making steel-framed hearts, but we can understand that formerly, also, there were steel-framed hearts. Otherwise how this word comes? Tad aśma-sāraṁ hṛdayaṁ batedam. So just like stone or steel does not melt very easily, similarly, anyone's heart which does not change after chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra regularly, then it is to be understood that it is steel-framed, made of stone or iron. Actually, hari-nāma... Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). It is especially meant for cleansing the heart. That every... All misconception is within our heart, beginning from the wrong identification, that "I am this body." That is the beginning of all misconception. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). So as you go on chanting, gradually the heart will be cleansed, and you'll be able to understand that you are not this body.
I have given understanding already in my book. That I am explaining. Why these books are being written? Just to explain things very nicely. They are already there. You try to understand. If you cannot understand, then you... (break) ...make the thing clear. But you are unable to understand. So in that case you have to cleanse yourself. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Both things. You must be able to understand and the instructor should be able to make you understand, both of them... Just like Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Parīkṣit Mahārāja, Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa. One answer, and he's answered, but the answer is not understandable by us. But Arjuna is understanding. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is understanding. Just like this is a question, attempt?
Through the authorities. The same example, as I have given, that I do not know who is my father, but through the authority of mother, I can see him: "Here is my father." This is called authority seeing. If mother certifies that "My dear child, here is your father," that is the only certificate, authority, you can understand who is your father. Otherwise there is no... By experimental knowledge, by mental speculation, "He may be my father, he may be my father, he may be my father..." That you go on speculating for many millions of years. Still, you will not be able to understand who is your father. But if you take the authority of your mother, immediately you understand. That is, means, adhokṣaja. You cannot speculate what is God, but if you take the authority, then you can understand God. Otherwise it is not possible.
This is a verse. It is said, "My dear Lord, Your lotus feet," padāmbuja-dvaya, "can be understood by a person who has received a little favor of You." Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi: (SB 10.14.29) "One who has received little favor, he can understand." And what for others? "For others," na ca anya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan, "if they speculate for millions of years, still, they will not be able to understand." Just like in your country Bhagavad-gītā was being read for the last two hundred, three hundred years. So many scholars, so many Indian scholar or American, they have written Bhagavad-gītā. But not a single person understood Kṛṣṇa, not a single person. But now, when they are reading Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, they are understanding by the mercy of God. The mercy is shown if you follow the process, authoritative process.
And the gradually, the situation will be like this. It is already manifest. Anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ: (SB 12.2.9) "There will be no rain in the sky, and there will be scarcity of foodstuff," and kara-pīḍitāḥ, "and government will levy tax very heavily." These are already predicted, and we are experiencing. So this age is very miserable. Kali-yuga is very miserable. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He came. He advised all people of the world that "You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Very simple thing. Harer nāma harer nāma. It is not His invention, but it is in the śāstras, Purāṇas. This advice is there,
- harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
In this age, people being all śūdras, less intelligent, unfortunate, disturbed, how they will be able to understand the Absolute Truth or the aim of life?
So apart from God, now our present problem is that we are entangled by the infection of material qualities, rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19) especially. Kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye, ceta etair anāviddhaṁ sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati. We have to conquer over the quality, the infection of quality of rajas-tamaḥ, and then we have to situate ourself in sattva-guṇa. Then we are in the safe position. And if we do not allow to be infected again by the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, if we keep ourself purely in sattva-guṇa, that is called śuddha-sattva, simply purified sattva-guṇa. Then we will be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. So not only we have to acquire the qualities of sattva-guṇa, satyaṁ śamaḥ śaucaḥ ārjavaṁ titikṣā, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam... (BG 18.42).
I am now submitting myself to you, not that equal position with you, friend and friend equal position, that I am giving up. I am becoming your disciple, submissive, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Prapannam means submissive, that is the way. You cannot speculate. Your speculation has no value, athāpi te deva ciraṁ vicinvan (SB 10.14.29). Ciraṁ vicinvan, you can go on speculating for many births, many years, still you will not be able to understand the ultimate goal of your life. It is not possible, therefore all the śāstras, they advise that you go to a guru. Guru means weighty, one who has got more weight, one who can teach you, because everyone thinks that "I am learned. I am all learned." Who can teach you? No. Nobody is like that. Everyone requires instruction, therefore the Vedic system is (indistinct), to make one's life fruitful, one must approach guru.
Just like here also a young man wants to dance with many young girls; it is not like that. And because people cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, and if they hear about the dancing of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs, they take it the concession, "Now let us dance with young girls." And they are going to hell. Therefore you have to learn from the proper person about Kṛṣṇa's activities. If you learn Kṛṣṇa from the professional uneducated person, nondevotee, then you will go to hell. Therefore immediately we should not try to understand Kṛṣṇa's dealing with the gopīs. It is very confidential. It is kept in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That means you have to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is by reading first nine cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then you will be able to understand janma karma ca divyam. The Kṛṣṇa's activities, they are not ordinary thing. They are divine. And if we actually understand, then immediately you become liberated. Janma karma ca divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ.
So Kapiladeva could understand the desire of His mother. The mother was submissive because to understand the sāṅkhya-yoga, bhakti-yoga, it requires... The first condition is submission. Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). You cannot understand the sāṅkhya-yoga system or bhakti-yoga system by falsely being proud that you are very learned scholar or speculator. These things will not help. You have to hear about Kṛṣṇa very submissively and accepting, not challenging. Then you will be able to understand. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. You remain in your position. It doesn't matter what you are, simply you hear about Kṛṣṇa. There are so many things about Kṛṣṇa we can hear. Even if we are not educated, we can hear from a person who can speak rightly.
But because I am ill-advised, I take conclusion differently. Śrutayo vibhinnāḥ. Or you take Bible or Koran. So by simply reading all the scriptures, it is very difficult also. So śrutayo vibhinnā nāsāv munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. Muni, means thoughtful men, philosophers, they are also defeating, one thoughtful man, another thoughtful man. Unless he defeats another man, philosopher, he does not become a very big philosopher. Therefore it is said, nāsāv munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. Why? You cannot become a muni unless you propound a different system of philosophy. So this is the position. Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyām. Therefore the truth of spiritual life is very complicated. It is very difficult to understand. Then how I shall be able to understand? The conclusion is mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). You follow the mahājana. Out of these twelve mahājana, you follow any one of them, and you will be successful.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Śaraṇaṁ vraja: "Be submissive, rascal. You are manufacturing so much, so many things. Give up this practice. Just surrender unto Me." This is wanted. If you do that, Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises... This is spoken by... Then sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatām. If you become very, very humble and submissive and pray to Kṛṣṇa sincerely, "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me to know You. If You kindly please explain how can I know You, then it is possible. If You please, if You become, if You think I shall be able to understand You..." Just like Arjuna said, that "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible to under... But if You kindly think that I am fit to understand of Your vibhūti, please tell me." This is submission. And Kṛṣṇa explained about His vibhūti.
But we shall not take this business. We shall talk all nonsense and become guru and incarnation and God and so on, so on, and cheat others and cheat oneself. This is going on. Otherwise, to become guru is not at all difficult. Simply you surrender yourself to Kṛṣṇa. You become abhayaṁ sattva-śuddhiḥ. You become fearless, "Yes, I am now under the protection of Kṛṣṇa. I have no more fear. I don't care for anyone. I simply take to Kṛṣṇa." Akuto-bhayam. Akuto-bhayam. This is said by Kapiladeva also, all śāstra says like that, and Kṛṣṇa also says the same thing in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: (BG 18.55) "If you want to know Me, then it is through bhakti, not your so-called jñāna and karma and yoga." You will never be able to understand. You will never be able to understand. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā (BG 7.25). You will be simply covered by yoga-māyā. This is not possible. Bhakti means surrender.
And those who are guru, spiritual master, Vaiṣṇava, if you think of them that he is ordinary human being, that is forbidden. Gāṅga-jala or caraṇāmṛta, if you think ordinary water, that is forbidden. Vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. Vaiṣṇava, who has become devotee of Kṛṣṇa, if you think that he belongs to this caste, he belongs to that caste, that is also forbidden. Nārakī-buddhiḥ. These things are nārakī-buddhiḥ. At least, those who do not know how Kṛṣṇa can be transcendental in all His features... Therefore we are forbidden, "Don't take like that." It is a fact that this Kṛṣṇa in this temple is the same origin Kṛṣṇa who is in the Vaikuṇṭha, but because we have no eyes to see, because we are not mature to see Kṛṣṇa, therefore we should accept this, I mean to say, negation, that "Don't think like that." Then we will be able to understand.
Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who is preaching this confidential cult..." Mad-bhakteṣu abhidhāsyati. Bhakteṣu means "amongst the devotee." Who will understand Kṛṣṇa? And who will surrender to Kṛṣṇa unless he is bhakta? Therefore, guru's business is first of all to make him bhakta. Then he will be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa and surrender to Him. He has got very double business. Kṛṣṇa says, mad-bhakteṣu abhidhāsyati. "This cult, who preaches, anyone who preaches this cult of bhakti-yoga amongst My devotees..." He is selecting, "devotees." He never says the jñānīs, yogis. The jñānīs, yogis, will not be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. From the very beginning they think they have become Kṛṣṇa. Vimukta-māninaḥ. They think like that. Actually it is not. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap thing that one can become Kṛṣṇa. One can become Kṛṣṇa's most confidential servant—that is possible. But one cannot become Kṛṣṇa. That is another illusion, māyā.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu warns that māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. Anyone who listens to the commentary of the Māyāvādī philosopher, then his fate is doomed. He is finished. He will never be able to understand bhakti philosophy. It is so poisonous. Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī has warned not to hear from avaiṣṇava about Kṛṣṇa. There is a very famous Bhāgavata reader in Bombay. He is a pakka avaiṣṇava. But he is going on, and he is infusing poison—means those who are hearing him, they will never be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. They will never be able. It is so poisonous. Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī says, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam: "Avaiṣṇava, who is not Vaiṣṇava, who is not devotee, if he speaks about Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, nonsense..." He will speak nonsense. So it is not good.
So this worship is going on under this paramparā system. It is not manufactured. Ācāryaṁ mām... What the ācārya says, if you follow, then you become perfect. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). If you follow the instruction of ācārya, then you understand perfectly everything. Tad viddhi praṇi... But you have to understand by praṇipātena, by submission, not by challenging. If you challenge, then you will never be able to understand. This whole process is submission. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). If you are not prepared to submit, then you will never understand. You will remain in this tamas, tamas. Tamasi mā. But don't remain in tamas. Come to the light.
Only rascals will do that. He does not see his position, that "What is my position? I am still full of lusty desires. My mind is still disturbed by seeing a nice woman or nice man, and I am discussing Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa?" This is nonsense. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said, rūpa-raghunātha pade haibe ākuti kabe hāma bujhabo se yugala-pīriti. Unless you are expert in devotional service, by practical application of the instruction of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu... Rūpa-raghunātha pade haibe ākuti. Then if we are qualified, then some day we may be able to understand what is yugala-pīriti, love between Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Not so sudden. That is sahajiyā. Not so sudden. We should not try to do that. First of all I must see how much I have become sarvopādhi vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170), how much I am free from the designational position. Then we shall be able. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikrṭi ahlādinī śakti asmād.
So be careful of these rascals. Māyāvādī-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). Then you'll never be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. Yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. We should take the instruction of the śāstra that Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's soul, there are... Ekam evādvitiyaḥ. He is one, without any second. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśi..., niṣevataḥ syāt īśad apetasya. Īśad apetasya. So the more we forget Kṛṣṇa, then we are in the material stage. Material stage means bhayam, always fearful. "Why shall I accept Kṛṣṇa as human being, as a person? Oh, it is... It is not. How He can be a person? How a person can produce such a vast sky?" He says, bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva: (BG 7.4) "Yes, I have produced the sky." But these rascals will not believe how a person can do it. They'll comment in their own way. So avoid this.
He simply wants to be engaged in carrying out the orders of the Supreme Lord. But such person is very, very rare. (break) ...out of many millions of karmīs, one may be jñānī. And out of many millions of jñānīs, one may become mukta. And out of many, many millions of muktas, one may become a bhakta. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Siddhaye means to become perfect jñānī or perfect yogi. And yatatām api siddhānām: and amongst the siddhas, those who have got perfection in jñāna and yoga, kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ: "Some of them may." Not some of them. "May be someone is able to understand Me." Therefore in this verse it is clearly said kecit, the same thing. Kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ. To become a bhakta is not so easy. Therefore he says, kecit: "somebody." Somebody, eka personality, may become a bhakta. So kecit kevalayā bhaktyā (SB 6.1.15).
Prabhupāda: They are giving us land, giving us a temple. And we can raise funds and construct as we increase men. In the meantime we can manage the temple. It is good proposal. Open it. Somebody is knocking. Keep it open. No, don't keep it ope... Yes, open, open. Keep it open like that. Yes. Another thing: that Gopāla is not offered sacred thread? You were not doubly initiated? So he can be initiated doubly. And Bruce, what it is? He is not going to be initiated?
Yamunā: I'll have to ask him (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: Huh? No, you can ask later on. He is now practiced to our habits. So he can be initiated, yes. There is sufficient place. You can sit down here. (break) (Hindi) You can sit down behind the women. Aiye, aiye, (Hindi) Come. Come on forward. Come forward. (Hindi) Now the difficulty is if I speak in English, most probably the ladies will not be able to understand.
One who teaches ācāra, sadācāra, he is ācārya. Ācārya means one who teaches sadācāra. Just like in our society we teach, "No illicit sex." This is sadācāra. "No gambling. No drinking or intoxication." This is sadācāra, gentleman, how to become gentleman. If one is prostitute-hunter, drunkard, meat-eater, gambler, he's not even a gentleman, what to speak of becoming a devotee and philosopher? Impossible. Those who are addicted to these bad habits, in their hundreds and thousands of life they will never be able to understand what is God. The door is locked for them. So naṣṭa-sadācāra. As soon as you become illicit sex hunter, prostitute-hunter, addicted, then you will lose your sadācāra. All good behavior finished. Naṣṭa-sadācāra. Why? Dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-duṣitaḥ. On account of association with the prostitute, one will lose all his good qualities.
Not professional, not gramophone—through the mouth of, through the lips of real devotee. "So then? Next? I will have to become sannyāsa or gṛhastha or what?" "No." Sthāne sthitāḥ: "You remain wherever you are. Either you are a gṛhastha or a vānaprastha, or apart from that, either you are a medical man or engineer or politician or businessman or shopkeeper—something your position is there—so you remain in that." Sthāne sthitāḥ: "You remain in your position. Simply you have to hear the message of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, through the realized saintly person." This recommendation. If you go on speculating, you will never be able to understand. Therefore give up this practice. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. "Be submissive." If you think, "Oh, I am so much advanced. I can speculate. Why shall I go to a devotee and hear from him?" No. You have to adopt this. Why? If you want to conquer the ajita.
Just like a family member, your father or brother, is playing on the stage, but you cannot see him. Somebody is pointing out, "Here is your brother, dancing." You cannot see him. Naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā. Just like a person dressed in dramatic performance, his relative cannot see him, similarly, Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Simply one has to make his eyes purified to see Him. Then he can see always Kṛṣṇa, within and without.
Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). This seeing is possible only in bhakti, not in jñāna, karma. No. No other way. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. No other method is prescribed. In Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, then you have to know Him through bhakti-yoga, not any other. Others, they may go on speculating for many, many millions of years. Still, they will not be able to understand.
For many millions of years running in the speed of mind and air, not this aeroplane speed... Aeroplane speed is, utmost, five hundred, six hundred miles. But you just imagine the mind's speed. Ten thousand miles away your mind can go immediately at a place where you have been. Mind is so speedy. Vāyu, air, is speedy undoubtedly, but mind is still speedier. So even if you try to understand with the..., panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34), in aeroplane or via manasa, aeroplane with the... Aeroplane has got different speed, but even if you go with the mind's speed and time, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara, hundreds and millions of years, still, you will not be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God, if you speculate. But if you are a devotee then you can see twenty-four hours Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ.
This is Bhāgavata. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāniḥ śrotriyam (MU 1.2.12). Śrotriyam. One who has very nicely heard, one who has acquired Vedic knowledge by the hearing process, śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham, and the result is that he is fully, firmly fixed up in Brahman. Bhagavad-gītā also says that tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Tat. If you want to understand the spiritual knowledge, then you have to learn it by surrender, praṇipāta. Praṇipātena, paripraśnena and sevayā—these three things. You have to surrender. You have to inquire or make questions with service, not by challenging way. Upadekṣyanti tad-jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ. Then you will be able to understand real spiritual knowledge.
But where is sattva-guṇa? Sattva-guṇa. So through the śāstra we can understand that who is who through śāstra. Therefore in my poetry, on the strength of śāstra, I said that rajas tamo guṇe erā sabāi ācchanna, vāsudeva-kathā ruci mahe se prasanna: (SB 1.2.16) "Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied; therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vāsudeva. So I do not know how they will be able to understand it." Actually that is the fact. Everyone, so many swamis and yogis, come in this country. So they advertise in India that they went out of India for preaching Vedānta. But being influenced, what Vedānta they learned? When they returned to India, they have learned how to entice women and how to eat meat. This is their Vedānta. Because kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya.
You can train them any way. If you train them to work as a servant, they will work it. So in the gurukula they should live just to be trained up how to control the senses. Brahmacārī. Brahmacārī mean life of celibacy, no sex. That is brahmacārī, strictly. Brahmacārati iti brahmacārī. So ordinary brain or brain with cow dung, they cannot understand the spiritual science. Therefore the brahmacārī should be trained up how to control the senses. Then they will be able to understand. The brain will be sharp. Instead of discharging semina, there are brahmacārīs who takes the semina to the brain. They are called ūrdhvaretaḥ, means the brain becomes very, very fertile. Once heard from the spiritual master or teacher, he will remember. He will never forget. Therefore, formerly there was no written book. Śruti, simply by hearing, a brahmacārī would be educated, simply by hearing.
Caṇḍāla means less than the śūdras. Even śūdras, they eat meat under control. But caṇḍālas, they eat meat without any control. So just like in the Vedic society, although there are meat-eaters, they would eat meat after offering sacrifice to Goddess Kālī. Restriction. Restriction. Because if you eat meat from the slaughterhouse there is no restriction. You can go and purchase at any time. But if you follow the scriptural regulation, they say, "Yes..." It is restriction. It is indirectly saying, "Don't eat," but because this less intelligent person will not be able to understand, therefore they are given some permission under certain restriction. This is restriction, that "If you want to eat meat, then you must offer sacrifice to Goddess Kālī and then you can." And the Goddess Kālī is worshiped once in a month. That means by restriction he will come to his senses; he will give it up. So śūdra, up to śūdra, there is possibility of raising him.
That was the point of Yamarāja to his assistants, that "People like you, they think that Yamarāja... I am the supreme. But that's not a fact. The fact is I am also controlled by another supreme master." And how to know him he is describing. He is describing that, "It is not possible to know Him in this way. It is not possible in this way. Even great sages and ṛṣis, they could not understand in this way. Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute... Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labh... This is Vedic injunction. Simply by talking, becoming a very nice speaker or lecturer. you cannot understand the Supreme. Nāyam ātmā na medhayā. Because you have got very nice brain, therefore you will be able to understand—no. Na medhayā. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na. Then how? Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ-labhyaḥ Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23. "Only such person who is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can understand." He can understand.
If you go on speculating, by speculation, panthās tu koṭi, still, your conception of God or religion will remain incomplete. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34). By airplane, with the speed of the mind... There are different airplanes, and they have got different speeds. Now, if you manufacture an airplane which runs with the speed of the mind... You know the speed of the mind. Within a second, you can travel millions of miles. So an airplane running on, on that speed, and thinking for millions of years, still, you cannot approach the abode of Kṛṣṇa or understand Kṛṣṇa. Only you can understand by His mercy. Only by the mercy of... Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Just like Kṛṣṇa is voluntarily offering Arjuna to understand Bhagavad-gītā. He's not going to canvass anyone. "Arjuna, you understand it. You'll be able to understand because you are My devotee."
If you want to forget Kṛṣṇa or God, He will give you intelligence in such a way that you will forget forever. There will be no chance to come to the precincts of God. But it is the devotees of Kṛṣṇa. They are very compassionate. Kṛṣṇa is very strict. If anyone wants to forget Him, He will give him so many chances that he will never be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa's devotee are more compassionate than Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness to the poor people. Gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām. Mahad-vicalanaṁ nṛṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām. When Nārada approached Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he welcomed him that "My dear sir, you are free. You can travel anywhere you like. You are so great and so free. Then why do you come to me? You have no business to come here. I am ordinary king, and what business you have got with me? But still, you come to my house. You talk with me. Why?" Gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām. Our mind is very poor.
You can taste Kṛṣṇa consciousness without any hesitation, without any check, without any hindrance. You can have. Simply you have to see inside to our consciousness and rectify the consciousness. That is required in this human form of life. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja in the beginning said, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. This understanding, this knowledge can be attained only in human form of life. This analysis of unhappiness and distress can be explained before a human being. If I call three dozen dogs here and ask him, "Now hear Bhāgavata," it is not possible. The dog will not be able to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but a man, however low he may be, if he has got little intelligence, he will be able to understand. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. You have got the opportunity to understand what is bhāgavata-dharma. Don't lose it like cats and dogs.
He is advising to the sons of the demons because the demons, they cannot understand. But it is the duty of the Vaiṣṇava to preach, although Kṛṣṇa advises that "You don't preach the truth of Bhagavad-gītā to the demons." He said, "Those who have not undergone austerities, those who are not very serious, don't speak about these lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66)." Means they'll not understand. But still, the devotees, they take the risk that "All right, let me try to convince this person that 'Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.' " Even Kṛṣṇa says that "Don't try, because they will not be able to understand," still, they try. That is a devotee. Therefore devotee is more merciful than Kṛṣṇa. Devotee is more merciful. Even there is no hope to understand, still, he goes door to door: "Please take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please take to Kṛṣṇa, and you'll be happy."
You cannot understand God by logic and arguments. It will never settle up. There are so many Māyāvādīs, they are going on perpetually: "What is God?" Neti neti: "This is not, this is not, this is not. What is Brahman?" So by that process you'll never be able to understand what is God. Jñāne prayāse udapāsya namanta eva. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has accepted this formula. By knowledge, by your erudite scholarship, if you want to understand, you may be very high standard scholar, but that is not your qualification to understand God. That is not qualification. You have to give up your vanity that "I am rich, I am very learned, I am very beautiful, I am very...," so on, so on. They are janmaiśvarya śruta śrī (SB 1.8.26). These are not qualification. Kuntīdevī has said, akincana gocaraḥ: "Kṛṣṇa, You are akiñcana gocara."
Sometimes they think injustice, that "Why śūdras?" That is modern convention. Actually that is very nice. What a śūdra can understand Vedas? To the śūdras, a different type of knowledge... Just like the same thing, that the two plus two in the lower class is different from the two plus two in the higher mathematics. So śūdra cannot understand. So one has to become brāhmaṇa, vipra at least, dvija, twice—birth by initiation. Then he is allowed to study. Then he will be able to understand the language of... It is not injustice that śūdras are not... Just like... I do not know what is the system in your country, but in India, one who is not a graduate, he is not allowed to study law. If one, anyone wants to study law, if he wants to enter into the law college, then he must be a graduate first of all, at least B.A. Otherwise he cannot. So if somebody says, "It is injustice," why? "Everyone should." Everyone cannot understand.
We have to become serious, that "Kṛṣṇa, give me intelligence so that I can serve You very nicely." Oh, Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. And: "Kṛṣṇa, give me facility so that I can forget You." "All right. You again forget." That is also stated in the Sixteenth... Tan ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram andha-yoniṣu: (BG 16.19) "Those who are envious, asuric, demons, I put them in such abominable life that they'll never be able to understand Me." That is the greatest punishment. For a living being, if he forgets God, Kṛṣṇa, in any condition of life, it is the greatest punishment. They're thinking that "We are happy without this nonsense God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness." They are the most condemned, most condemned. I think Lord Jesus Christ has said like this, "If anyone gains the whole world and forgets God and self, then what does he gain?"
What Dr. Radhakrishnan, Aurobindo, knows about Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Because they are not in the line. They simply tried to exhibit their erudite scholarship. So that is useless. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena. This is the injunction given in the Vedas. Ayam ātmā, self-realization, God realization... Nāyam ātmā bala-hīnena labhyaḥ: "One who has no spiritual strength, he cannot understand." It is not possible. Nāyam ātmā bala hīnena... Na medhayā. If you have got very good fertile brain for manufacturing concocted ideas, that doesn't mean you'll be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena. Only one who is favored by Kṛṣṇa and His, I mean to say, confidential devotee... (aside:) What is this nonsense? One cannot understand.
So if we give up the process of understanding as Arjuna did, then you'll never be able to understand Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is not possible. You have to take up the process which Arjuna accepted. Arjuna also said that, that "I am accepting You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because Vyāsadeva has accepted, Asita has accepted, Nārada has accepted." The same thing. We have to understand Kṛṣṇa. We cannot understand directly. Therefore these rascals who are trying to understand Kṛṣṇa directly by interpretation, they are all rascals. They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. May be very big man, so-called. Nobody is big man. They are also sa vai... No, what is that? No, no. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). Puruṣaḥ paśuḥ.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So our ācārya in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, the śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha, the Six Gosvāmīns, and if we associate with them... this book, Nectar of Devotion, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, if you read regularly, try to understand, this means you are associating with Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī directly. And if you act accordingly, then you are serving their lotus feet. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa. And unless you are associated with devotees, you will not be able to understand the import of the writings of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, recommended one brāhmaṇa, bhagavat para giyā bhagavat sthāne. Bhagavat... He, he came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu to read some poetry he had written, but it was the system that unless anything written... There were many devotees.
"My dear Lord, by your mercy one who has got a little, fragmental portion of your mercy," prasāda leśa. Prasāda means mercy, and leśa means very small portion. "Anyone who has got a little portion of your mercy, he can know you." Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvam, he can understand. Na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan. Others, they can go on speculating on their philosophy for millions of years, still they will not be able to understand. They will not be able to understand, simply futile, simply futile, they cannot. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "Surrender unto Me. If you don't surrender unto Me, you do not become my devotee, I'll not be exposed to you, I am not so cheap." Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap, but He's cheap to the devotees.
He's hankering. He's looking for days when he will be able to understand what is rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya vikṛtir. And these ordinary men, they're immediately..., as if, as if they have become more than Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā... No, you should be very much careful. This Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā can be understood by the paramahaṁsa, liberated soul. We should simply worship... Now we are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. It is not directly Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa; it is Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa sevā. It is not directly... It is not possible... For conditioned soul, there is no possibility of worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But we worship through Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore we keep Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu along with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. By the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we may be able to understand Rādhā Kṛṣṇa līlā some day in our life. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir ahlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau, śrī-caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad dvayaṁ caikyam āptam.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So this is not... Besides that, we have to accept the Vedic injunction, śāstric injunction, not nonsensical theories. If we are guided by nonsensical theories, then we'll never be able to understand how things are going on.
- panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
- vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām
- so 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.34)
You can go on observing, one after another, by many, many years, many, many years. Just like if you start your jet plane from here to see where is the original cause, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara, and go on for many, many millions of years with the speed of mind, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampra... Koṭi-śata-vatsara... Millions and millions of years. And panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi. These airplanes, vāyu-ratha... Vāyu-ratha means airplane. There is airplanes. There are different speeds. What is the speed? The speed is mental speed. Now their speed, say, eighteen thousand miles per hour.
Yes. So this is māyā. And our declaration of war with māyā—no intoxication, no meat-eating, no bingo—(laughter) these are our declaration of war. So we have to fight in that way because nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa without being free from all sinful activities. These are sinful activities. Therefore it is ācārya's business to stop these nonsense activities. Otherwise they'll not be able to understand, especially the meat-eaters. They cannot understand.
- nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād
- bhavauṣadhi chrotra-mano 'bhirāmāt
- ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt
- pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt
- (SB 10.1.4)
Unless one is very expert in killing animals, he's not bereft from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That means one who is very expert in killing, he cannot understand. Therefore Christ also said, "Thou shall not kill," the first business. Nobody will be able if one is a killer of animal, small or big, ultimately killer of his own children, killer of his own self. The killing process is so nice that it goes up to the point of killing one's children. That is now happening.
Therefore he had to preach that "Yes. It is void, but that is truth. That void is truth, and this material manifestation, nirvāṇa, that is false. Therefore Lord Buddha taught you that 'Finish this, these material activities, and your miseries will be solved.' " Śaṅkarācārya said, "Yes, this is all right, but there is Brahman." But he did not describe the Brahman, whether He has, He is person or He has got pastimes, He has got many planets and there are many devotees, because those fools were not able to understand. Therefore he took for the time being. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, while criticizing, I mean to say, Śaṅkarācārya, He is always taking care that "It was not the fault of Ācārya Śaṅkara, because he's Lord Śiva, and he cannot make any mistake, but he was ordered to do so for the time being.
Āra kabe nitāi-cānder koruṇā hoibe: "And when I shall be favored by Nityānanda Prabhu?" Āra kabe nitāi-cānder koruṇā hoibe, saṁsāra-bāsanā mora kabe tuccha ha'be: "When I shall be detached from material enjoyment?" Viṣaya chāriyā kabe śuddha ha'be mana: "And when I shall be detached from this material enjoyment, my mind will be purified. My mind will be freed from all contamination of material dirty things." Kabe hāma herabo śrī-vṛndāvana: "And at that time it will be possible to see Vṛndāvana." Rūpa-raghunātha-pade hoibe ākuti. Now, here the author, I mean to..., the singer says that "When I shall be too much devoted to the principles of Rūpa Gosvāmī so that I'll be able to understand what is the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa?" In other words, if we want to understand Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya philosophy, then we should try to follow the instruction left by Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī. They are the commander in chief in this movement.
One who has not received the favor of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa. Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3). Just like Arjuna understood Kṛṣṇa because he was a bhakta, he was a dear friend of Kṛṣṇa. So you have to become a dear friend, a bhakta, of Kṛṣṇa; then you'll understand what is Bhagavad-gītā, and then you'll be able to surrender unto Him. And the beginning of this devotional service is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). Simply you hear. Śravaṇam, first business, śravaṇam; then kīrtanam. In this way, gradually, we make advance in devotional service. And Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). "Anyone who wants to understand Me, he has to follow the bhakti principle." Then he'll be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. Not any other process.
So "How You are acting within these three worlds, and how You are utilizing Your internal potency, yogamāyā, extending Yourself in so many expansions, plenary expansions? Who can understand You? Nobody can understand You." You may say if nobody can understand, what is the use of discussing such things? That is the qualification of the devotees. In spite of their inability to understand His supremacy, the expansion, the extension of the Supreme Lord, still, by discussing about the Supreme Lord, hearing and chanting, they take transcendental pleasure. It is not that anybody can understand Kṛṣṇa, but still, it is a transcendental pleasure to try to understand. Not that we shall be able to understand Kṛṣṇa fully; it is not in our power. But still, bodhayantaḥ parasparam, tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca. Mahātmā, those who are great souls, in their society, in their spiritual society of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by discussing about Kṛṣṇa in terms of the Vedic literature and authoritative literature, they enjoy transcendentally. This is transcendental pleasure.
Now these cowherds boys, they have got a cane in the hand, vetra. And each of them has got a flute also. Vetra veṇu dala. And a lotus flower, and a śṛṅgara, a horn. Śṛṅgara vastra, and very nicely dressed. And full of ornaments. Just like Kṛṣṇa is dressed, similarly, His friends, cowherd boys, they are also dressed. In the spiritual world, when you go, you'll not be able to understand who is Kṛṣṇa and who is not Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is like Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭha planets everyone is like Viṣṇu. That is called sayujya-mukti. The living entities, when they enter into the spiritual planets, they become as good as Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu—there is no difference—because it is absolute world. Here the difference is there. The impersonalists, they cannot understand that even in individuality there is no difference.
This is a verse from Bhagavad-gītā, that those who are deriding upon God, "God, there is no God; I am God," they are called asuras. Asuras, atheists, or demons. The demons... The Kṛṣṇa, Lord Kṛṣṇa personally says that tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān (BG 16.19). Those who are such envious upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the result is that they are thrown into perpetual ignorance, and born life after life where they cannot understand what is God. Because they want to forget God, therefore God puts them into such condition that they will never be able to understand what is God. This is the version from Bhagavad-gītā by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
There are different species, we have discussed. Even in human society there are some species or class, that it is not possible for them to understand what is God at all. Not even the idea. Generally, even the aborigines, they have got some sense of God. Whenever they find something extraordinary, just like lightening, or a great hill, or a great tree, they offer their respect. So that is sense of God. Sense of God is there in everyone's heart. Unless he is an animal, everyone heart there is. Artificially, we try to drive away this obedience. But there are other Even in the civilized society, there are persons, they are put into such a circumstances that they will never be able to understand what is God consciousness or what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are so misfortunate. And as soon as one becomes godless or forgetful (of) his eternal relationship with God, then his life is immediately condemned.
Festival Lectures
So the sum and substance of happiness is to satisfy the senses. But Kṛṣṇa says that sukham ātyantikam. The supermost happiness can be achieved not by these senses, but atīndriya. Atīndriya means transcendental senses. Just like at the present moment our senses are gross material senses. But there is another sense, not another sense, this sense. This is covered sense. Suppose you will try... You will be able to understand. Now, I want to touch some soft place to enjoy the sense of this hand, touch sense. But if the hand is covered with gloves, I cannot enjoy that sense so nicely. You can easily understand. The sense is there, but if it is artificially covered, then even the facility is there, I cannot enjoy the sense perfectly. Similarly, we have got our senses, but our senses are now covered by this material body.
So we have to study Vedas through authoritative sources. We have to follow the rules and regulations. Then, in this life, we shall be able to understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, you are liberated immediately. There is no doubt about it. Because without being liberated, nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa. Nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa. Tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad anantaram. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that first of all you have to become liberated. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ, identification with Brahman. That is liberation. Now we are identifying with this matter, material elements. Everyone is illusioned. "I am this body; therefore I am American." "Therefore I am Indian." "Therefore I am this." "Therefore I am that." Everyone.
There was prediction, and that has actually come to be true. Similarly, there is prediction about Kalki avatāra, and that will also come to be true. So at that time Lord Kalki's business will be simply to kill. No instruction. Just like... In Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa gave instruction in the shape of Bhagavad-gītā. But at the end of Kali-yuga, people will be so much degraded that there is no more possibility to give any instruction. They will not be able to understand even. At that time the only weapon will be to kill them. And one who is killed by the Lord, he also gets salvation. That is God's all-merciful quality. Either He protects or He kills, the result is the same. So that will be the last stage of this Kali-yuga, and after that, again Satya-yuga, the age of religiosity, will begin. These are the statements of Vedic literature.
"Because I appear as a human being, therefore these rascals consider that I am ordinary man." The rascals, mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍhāḥ means rascals, gādhāḥ, asses. Their designation is given by Kṛṣṇa as asses, rascals. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore said, māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). Because these commentaries, comments by the Māyāvādī school, is simply rascaldom. And if one hears such commentary by the Māyāvādīs, the result will be he'll be doomed. Doomed means forever... Forever, no. For very, very long time he'll not be able to understand actual his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he's doomed. And because he is not able to understand his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he is called rākṣasa or asura. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So we are simply requesting the people in general that "You chant this mantra. It is not very difficult. And if you chant this mantra, then gradually your heart will be cleansed." The whole thing is that due to our material association, we are contaminated. We cannot understand what is spiritual life. But if we take advantage of this mantra, chanting, then gradually our heart will be cleansed and immediately we shall be able to understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul." Then real awakening will come. Because at the present moment, every one of us is working on the bodily concept of life, which I am not. This is the fact. I am acting for something which I am not; therefore it is called māyā, or illusion. Phantasmagoria. I am working for something, and because I am working for something which I am not, therefore there is confusion. People are not happy.
This process... I am very glad that you are following despite all impediments. The Deity is nicely decorated, and the Deity is worshiped, and He's pleased upon you. Be blessed. Continue this process, don't deviate, strictly follow the regulative principle, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa at least sixteen rounds, and you'll be happy. There is no doubt about it. You can experience. It is not an imposition. Don't leave this process. Then, in this life, you will be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. It is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa.
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
To understand Kṛṣṇa is very, very difficult, even for the siddhas, those who have attained perfection of life. Kṛṣṇa said, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). First of all, out of many, many millions of person, one endeavors to become siddha, perfect. That is also not very easy, siddha. Siddha means perfectly self-realized. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is siddhi. That is the siddhi of human life.
Initiation Lectures
So Lord Buddha's philosophy is like that. The atheistic people, they are against God. "Yes, there is no God. But you take this philosophy, ahiṁsā. Don't kill animals." That means if they stop animal-killing, then one day they will be able to understand what is God. Some day. Because so long one is accustomed to kill animals, he will never be able to understand what is God. That is Buddha philosophy. He situated the atheistic people on the line of understanding God. So this is, in one way, cheating. But this cheating is not cheating. Just like father or guardian sometimes cheats the young boy. That is not cheating; that is for his good. But actually, if you take the, I mean to say, behavior, it is something like cheating. So the Māyāvāda philosophy... This Buddha philosophy is also another Māyāvāda philosophy.
General Lectures
And the process is also very simple. You do not require to be highly educated or philosopher or talented or rich or poor, or black and white. Doesn't matter what you are. It is universal. Any human being with little intelligence, he can understand. And even he does not understand, this process is so nice that if you continue this process for a few weeks you'll be able to understand. This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is transcendental vibration, sound. Sound is the origin of all creation. So this transcendental sound, if you vibrate, you will understand very quickly this philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And there is no loss on your part. Suppose you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa; you do not lose anything. But if there is any gain, why don't you try it? We simply request you with folded hands that you kindly chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. We are simply requesting you.
There are hundreds of thousands of women, but the woman who has got relationship with this body is my wife. There are thousands and millions of children, but one child who has got intimate relation with this body I call my son. So if the body falsely identified, then we can understand that our identification with this world is also false. The real identification is, as it is stated in the Vedic literature, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." "I am Brahman" means "I am spirit soul. I am not this matter." So this misconception has to be removed. Of course, it is not possible that everyone will understand or everyone will be able to understand it, but even a certain percentage of the human society can understand, immediately there is solution of so many problems—to understand ahaṁ brahmāsmi. And how that solution is made, that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Now the question is why one is in forgetfulness and why one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Is it a fact that Kṛṣṇa is dealing with different persons differently, that one is being fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and another is in different consciousness, or forgetting Kṛṣṇa? Apohanam. That is also due to Kṛṣṇa. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa is very merciful. The why answer can be given that Kṛṣṇa is very merciful. How merciful? One is given forgetfulness. How Kṛṣṇa is merciful? Yes, He's merciful. How is it? Because he wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa. He wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa will give him such sources of forgetfulness that he'll never be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. "You enjoy. You want to forget Kṛṣṇa, or God? All right. I'll give you intelligence so that you will never be able to understand what is God." Not exactly memory... Because living entity, sometimes by good association will come... So this is not Kṛṣṇa's partiality.
There are three modes of material nature: modes of ignorance, modes of passion and modes of goodness. Therefore if anyone wants to know the science of God, then he has to keep himself on the modes of goodness. Otherwise he cannot. Therefore we are teaching our students that "You don't do this, you don't do this, you don't do this, you don't do this," because he has to keep himself on the modes of goodness. Otherwise he'll not be able to understand. Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be understood on the platform of ignorance and passion. The whole world is under the influence of ignorance and passion. But this method is so simple that if you simply follow the four principles of restriction and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you are immediately surpassing all the modes of material nature. So the anger is on the platform of passion.
Similarly, God has to be approached through God or through His representative. The same thing. Only the difference may be of understanding. Because Lord Jesus Christ spoke to a society that was not very much advanced. You can understand that such a great personality, God conscious person, was crucified. Just see the condition of the society. In other words, they were low-grade society. So they were not able to understand the whole philosophy of God. That is sufficient. "God created. Just take it." They were not intelligent to understand how the creation took place. Had they been intelligent, they would not have crucified such a great personality like Jesus Christ. So we have to understand what is the condition of the society. Just like in the Koran it is said by Muhammad that "From this day you have no sex intercourse with your mother."
Kṛṣṇa helps according to the person's attitude. If... There are... Just like so many philosophers, they want to forget Kṛṣṇa. Just like you will find in Dr. Radhakrishnan's book, in the Ninth Chapter Kṛṣṇa said, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). The translation is all right, but he comments, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa that you have to surrender." Just see. That means his whole process of writing the book is to mislead persons how one can forget Kṛṣṇa. So if anyone wants to forget Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will give him such intelligence that he will never be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. But if anyone tries to love Kṛṣṇa, understand Kṛṣṇa, He'll give full of intelligence. You can understand. That is Kṛṣṇa. You have got full liberty. But if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then you have to serve māyā, and if you love Kṛṣṇa, then māyā will leave you.
Similarly, so long the soul is there within this body, we have got this consciousness. And as soon as the soul is gone from this body, there is no consciousness. So... But this consciousness, my consciousness, your consciousness is limited within this body. I cannot feel what pain and pleasure is within your body, neither you can feel. Therefore your consciousness is individual, my consciousness is individual. But there is another consciousness, which is all-pervading. That consciousness is able to understand your feelings, my feelings, and everyone's feelings. The same example: The sun is located in one place, but five thousand miles away, you ask your friend where is sun, he will reply that "He is on my head." Similarly, you will say. Any direction. But the sun is one, but he is all-pervading. This is crude example. Similarly, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness means when you dovetail your consciousness with the supreme consciousness, then your life becomes perfect.
So there is so many list of understanding that God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So when one is fully cognizant of the energies of the Lord, how they are acting... And we have to practice. We take lesson from Bhagavad-gītā and we practice. You will be able to understand. Then after bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19), when you become mature, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti, "Oh, Vāsudeva is everything," then you surrender. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. That person, who has widened his soul in that way, he is very rare to be seen. And what are the functions of such mahātmā? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmā, one who is so broadminded, he is not crooked to be under the spell of this material energy. He is under the protection of the spiritual energy, daivī prakṛti. Prakṛti means nature. This nature is called the material energy.
Unfortunately, we do not understand or do not try to understand or do not like to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. If we try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then we have to accept a certain prescribed process. Not that because one is very erudite scholar academically, because one has got some degrees of the university he will be able to understand Bhagavad-gītā. It is not like that. Even a very layman, illiterate man, without any understanding of the Vedas, if he is a devotee, he can understand Bhagavad-gītā, whereas a person, very erudite scholar, with reputation, he cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. I shall cite one example when Lord Caitanya was traveling in the South India. When He was in the Raṅganātha temple of South India, one brāhmaṇa was reading Bhagavad-gītā, and his friends and neighbors knew that the brāhmaṇa was illiterate.
And out of many perfect persons..., or, not perfect. Out of many persons who have succeeded in such processes, one may understand Kṛṣṇa. That is difficult also. So without Kṛṣṇa's mercy... The conclusion is: without Kṛṣṇa's mercy, nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is futile to explain Kṛṣṇa, to comment on Bhagavad-gītā, without being a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is a fact. It is not that because one is very learned scholar or because one is very learned scientist or philosopher... Without any Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not possible for him to understand Kṛṣṇa. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi (SB 10.14.29). Na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan. Others, they may go on speculating for thousands and thousands of years; still, they will not be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
If one tries to understand Kṛṣṇa, as He is, not by fiction, not by speculation, not by so-called scholarly, foolish commentation, but Kṛṣṇa should be understood as He is. Then, that is right Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and then one will be able to understand how Kṛṣṇa is working, how the whole world, material atmosphere, and material, cosmic manifestation is working. Then you will understand. Kṛṣṇa says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10), under my supervision. To understand Kṛṣṇa, and anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa, scientifically, then he, Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Not the foolish man, the intelligent man, who knows Kṛṣṇa actually, then the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately he becomes liberated. So after giving up this body, he never, no more comes back to accept another, this material body. He goes back to home, back to Godhead.
But fact is fact. "Two plus two equal to four"—that is science. If somebody does not believe, if somebody says, "Two plus two equal to five" or "three," that is not scientist. Similarly, we may not believe in the existence of soul, but that is a fact. But if we want to study the subject matter very seriously and scientifically, then it will be possible to understand. But the simple method recommended in the Vedic literatures, that if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa, mantra then gradually your intelligence or consciousness will be cleansed and you will be able to understand that you are not this body, that you are spirit soul... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). And if you understand that you are spirit soul, you are Brahman, then, at that time, you will become free from this blazing fire of material existence.
Dharma means spiritual activities, viśuddham, pure, pure of the contamination of the material qualities. Guhyam viśuddhaṁ durbodham. Durbodham means very difficult to understand. Anything which is very difficult to understand, if you go to a superior authority, it becomes simplified. Just like you do not know law. Suppose you are in need of some legal protection, but you do not know "Under which legal protection I will be safe." You have to approach a good lawyer. You cannot say that "I'll defend myself. I will do." No, that is not possible. When you are diseased, you have to consult the physician. Therefore if you want to know what is dharma, then you have to approach these twelve great personalities. Otherwise it will remain durbodham, very difficult to understand. Although it is very pure, because I am impure, I will not be able to understand. Guhyaṁ visuddhaṁ dur..., yaṁ jñātvā amṛtam aśnute.
So if you learn this science, simply to understand why Kṛṣṇa advents, why Kṛṣṇa takes part in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra or other activities just like a human being... Why? If you try to understand this fact... That can be known. They are all mentioned in the śāstra. The sādhus, they know; the guru, he knows. So if you want to be learned in the science you can become, because śāstra is there, guru is there, and sādhu is there. Sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya. Then you will be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, why He advents, why His activities are transcendental. So if you try to understand these things, then what will be the result? Result will be tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). After giving up this body, no more material body. No more material body means no more death.
This is practically the beginning of Kali-yuga. Now the more the age of Kali-yuga will increase, the sufferings of Kali-yuga will also increase. At the end of Kali-yuga there will be no food supply. There will be no more food grains, no more fruits, no more milk, no more sugar. These things are stated. And everyone will be obliged to take meat and roots. Gradually the condition of the people will be so dull that they'll not be able to understand what is God. At the present, even in the beginning, even 5,000 years have passed, people cannot understand actually what is God. A vague idea. They do not know actually what is the nature of God. So gradually it will be forgotten. But still, because still people have got some sense, therefore this preaching work is going on. At the end they will be all nonsense, just like animals. Therefore there will be another incarnation, Kalki, at the end of Kali-yuga. He'll simply kill the whole population.
When you understand Kṛṣṇa in that way, then, if you follow the footsteps of the ācāryas, śrī-rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti, then you'll be able to understand what is the loving affairs between Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Don't try to understand all of a sudden like ordinary boy and girl making their loving affairs. Then you'll fall down.
So this is my request, that you have come to Vṛndāvana; try to understand what is Vṛndāvana-dhāma, what is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, but very cautiously, very, I mean to say, carefully. Then Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. And Kṛṣṇa Himself, as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, He is present here. Go through śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsadi gaura..., so in this way, gradually, you'll be able to understand. But that is the highest perfection.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness means we have got attachment so many things, but that attachment has to be transferred to Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayam. Then asaṁśayam, without any doubt. To understand God there are three features: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). So the ordinary person, they can be able to understand Brahman; a little advanced than them, they can understand Paramātmā; but to understand Kṛṣṇa is very difficult. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Out of many millions of persons, one tries to become siddha, perfect. What is that siddha? Brahma-jña. Yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). And out of the siddhas, those who are actually self-realized, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, out of many of them maybe one is able to understand Kṛṣṇa.
But if the same person kindly speaks and explains about himself that "Sir, I am like this." (aside:) Water. "My position is like this. I have got so much bank balance," that is the way. This is the way of understanding. It is called descending process. And there is another process, which is called ascending process. In Sanskrit it is called āroha-panthā, avaroha-panthā. Āroha-panthā... You want to go, to know about the sun planet or any other. Just like they are trying. They are trying to go there, Mars planet, Moon planet, by rising on the sky by their aeroplanes, sputniks. But they have not been able to understand what is the position of these planets. This is called āroha-panthā. But if somebody comes from the planet and explains everything, then you know it very easily. Similarly, God has come to explain Himself. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā.
So in this way if we execute bhakti-yoga, then asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi: (BG 7.1) you'll be able to understand God as He is without any doubt and in fullness. To understand Bhagavān fully means not only understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also understand what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā. In other words, if you understand Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, then you automatically understand what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā. (break) ...the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
- vadanti tat tattva-vidas
- tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
- brahmeti paramātmeti
- bhagavān iti śabdyate
- (SB 1.2.11)
So tattva-vastu, Absolute Truth, is observed from three angle of vision—Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān—but all of them are the same and one object. So simply by realization of Brahman, impersonal Brahman, is not perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Similarly, Paramātmā-jñāna is also not perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth. When you understand fully the Personality of Godhead, then the knowledge is perfect. There will be no more doubt. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1).
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: But because knowledge means to understand God. The animals, they do not understand God. Therefore they are called animal. Similarly, any man, any so-called (indistinct) does not know God, he is animal. He may be nicely dressed, that is another thing, but factually he is an animal, because he does not know God. That is the position of animals. What is the difference between man and animal? That is the difference, the animal cannot know what is God, the man can know. That is fundamental. It may be... There are difference of animals but no animal is able to understand God. And here the difficulty is that one is in the animal's position, he does not know God but he takes the position of teacher. That is the difficulty of this modern civilization. The person in position of animal is trying to teach others. Andhā yathāndair upanīyamānaḥ as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "The blind man is trying to lead other blind men." That is the defect of the modern civilization.
Prabhupāda: So you can talk any nonsense. (laughter) Then what is the use of going to school? There is no need of opening so many schools and colleges. You go on studying, you can know all knowledge and talk all kinds of nonsense. Is that perfect?
Śyāmasundara: No. He says that if a man has a clear intelligence that he will be able to understand the essence of that...
Prabhupāda: But why these schools are there? Every day we see, actually, from the most intelligent persons, scientist, he has to go to a school. Not that at home, by speculating and talking nonsense, they have become a scientist. They will never become.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Guru. Guru, that is required: tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That is Vedic process. To have, to possess perfect knowledge one must have guru, and guru means one has..., one is actually representative of God, not theoretically, but one who has practically seen and experienced God. We have to approach such guru then by service and by surrender, and by sincere inquiries we shall be able to understand what is God. That is required. The speculation is no use. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi, jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). This is the statement of Vedic literature. "My Lord, one who has received a little mercy and favor of Your Lordship, he can understand. Others may speculate for millions and millions of years, avacintya-tattve. Still they will remain in the fathom of inconceivable energy. There is no possibility."
Śyāmasundara: His idea is that in this higher state of consciousness, rather than just enjoying objects, that one is able to contemplate them as they are, to understand them as they are. One is able to understand objects, things, as they are. Most people are on the level... On the mental level, we are capable of enjoying objects; they give us pleasure, but we are unable to understand them as they are. But in this higher level, he says that people will be able to understand things as they are, as well as enjoy them.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our philosophy. Just like common man is seeing a rose flower, but a devotee is studying that rose flower, "How God's energy is acting that through His energy such a nice thing has come out. Therefore it should be offered to Kṛṣṇa. It is Kṛṣṇa's property." Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). "It is Kṛṣṇa's production, it is Kṛṣṇa's property. So it should be offered to Kṛṣṇa." And devotee, after offering it to Kṛṣṇa, then, as prasādam, he smells. This is higher consciousness. In the lower consciousness: "Oh, here is a beautiful flower. Let me take it and enjoy it."
Purports to Songs
Prabhupāda: So he says, rūpa-raghunātha-pade: "Beginning from Rūpa Gosvāmī down to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī," pade, "in their lotus feet, at their lotus feet. When I shall be eager to be attached at their lotus feet..." Rūpa-raghunātha-pade, hoibe ākuti. Ākuti, eagerness. What is that eagerness? That means to understand Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa through the guidance of the Gosvāmīs. One should not try to understand Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa by his own effort. That will not help him. As these Gosvāmīs, they have given us direction, just like Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, so one has to follow step after step how to make progress. Then there will be a fortunate day when we shall be able to understand what is the pastimes or loving affairs between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, if we take it as ordinary boy and girls reciprocating their loving feelings, then we will misunderstand. Then there will be the production of prakṛta-sahajiyā, victims of Vṛndāvana.
So one has to learn the conjugal loving affairs of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa through the teachings of these Six Gosvāmīs. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura giving us the direction that you do not try to understand the conjugal love of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa by your own endeavor. You should try to understand by the direction of the Gosvāmīs. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings (break) ...Narottama
- rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti
- kabe hāma bujhaba śrī yugala-pīriti
Yugala-pīriti means conjugal love. And another he sings that viṣaya chāḍiyā kabe śuddha ha'be mana. This mind, so, so, so long the mind is too much absorbed in materialistic thought, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Vṛndāvana. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says: viṣaya śuddha kabe śuddha ha'be mana. When my, my mind will be completely purified, being freed from material anxieties and desires. Then I shall be able to understand what is Vṛndāvana, what is conjugal love of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and then my spiritual life will be successful.
So appreciation of Vṛndāvana will be possible when our mind is free from all material desires. Viṣaya chāḍiyā. Viṣaya means eating, sleeping, mating and defending. They are called viṣaya. Viṣaya means objects. In the material world there are, these four objects are in view: how I shall eat, how I shall sleep, how shall I mate, how shall I defend. So as soon as one is purified of all material desires, these material objectives will not be a problem.
- viṣaya chāḍiyā kabe śuddha ha'be mana
- kabe hāma herabo śrī-vṛndāvana
So then we shall be able to understand what is Vṛndāvana and what is kingdom of God or Goloka Vṛndāvana. And the next stage is that one has to understand what is the loving affairs, conjugal love, between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And that will be possible if we carefully study the literatures left by the Gosvāmīs. Just like Rūpa Goswami has left behind him bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Vidagdha-mādhava, Lalitā-mādhava. Many books.
It is very practical to understand. Just like in material world there are many associations, societies. Businessmen, they have got their stock exchange association, those who are dealing in exchange. They have got an association. They go there, and their business facility is very good. Similarly, so many clubs. If you want to drink and enjoy sense, you go to so many clubs and associate with them and you'll learn how to drink, how to mate very nicely. So association is very important. Therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society are giving chance people to associate with us, so that he'll be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore Govinda dasa recommends, durlabha mānava-janama-sat-saṅge. Mānava. This human life is durlabha, very rarely obtained. Not dogs' association, crows' association, but swans' association.
| Page Title: | Able to understand (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Matea |
| Created: | 27 of Aug, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=129, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 129 |