Generally, this example is given, that the, the rivers, the rivers all flow into the sea, and they become one. Or the drop of the ocean water, when put into the ocean, the drop of the ocean water loses his existence. It become one with the... That's all right. Now, if you have seen the ocean, there are always millions and millions of drops coming out by the dashing of the waves. You see? That is going on continually. And some of them again falling into the water. They lose their... They lose the drop existence. But that does not mean that that creation of drop is stopped. Even from that example. You see? And because the river waters comes and, I mean to say, merges into the sea water, that does not mean the river, all rivers are stopped. The rivers are there. Another example: now, there are many aquatic animals within the water. They are also... Now, as the drop of the water emerges from the sea water and again merges into the sea water, so that is a nice example, but these fishes, these aquatic animals, they are also born in that water. Nobody has given these aquatic animals from anywhere else. They are... They have taken their birth from that water. They are also born of the water. Just like the drops of the water also born of the water, similarly, these living aquatic animals, they are also born of the water. Now, the drop of the water merges into the water and loses his existence—that does not mean—there are other living entities within the water, millions and billions—they also lose their identity. They keep their identity.
Born from... (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"birth from"
|"birth. From"
|"born from"
|"born to"
|"born, from"
|"born, to"
|"born. To"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Jaya-gopāla: I've often been told that when you become dvija then we would not incur any more karmic reactions by our actions, but also...
Prabhupāda: When you become dvija, twice-born. Twice-born means you come to the point of understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When you take your birth from your parents, your consciousness is different. Just like the child. His consciousness is different, but when he's grown-up, if he takes to knowledge, if he tries to understand Kṛṣṇa, his consciousness is different. So when one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the beginning of his second birth, dvija.
Just like children. A child born, immediately it cannot take anything in the world except the mother's milk. The girl, the first child born to a girl... Before the childbirth there was no milk in the breast, but as soon as there is child, oh, there is milk supply in the breast. You see? This is nature's law. This is God's law. So practically, we have nothing to bother; simply we have to work according to the direction of the Supreme.
Just like Kṛṣṇa's birth, Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance, is just like the sun, is just like the sun. Now, sun, in the morning, you'll see that it, it appears as if it is born from the eastern horizon. It is not born. The sun is always in the sky. It is the position of the earth in which we understand that sun is now rising from the eastern horizon. He's neither rising, nor he's dipping into the sea. He is, the sun is as it is, in his position, but due to the position, changing position of this earth, we see that the sun is rising and sun is setting. Similarly, the Kṛṣṇa, when He comes as incarnation, He comes just like this, in the same way.
Just like this body. It was born from the mother's womb at a certain time, and it is staying for some time. It is staying for some time, and the body has got some byproducts, like children. We have got some children, the byproducts. Then it is dwindling. Just like I am getting older. Anyone, everyone, we are getting older. And at the last, it will vanish. Similarly, the whole material world, it has a time of its appearance, it grows, it makes so many varieties of byproducts, it dwindles and again vanishes.
So the whole program is made: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). So by birth one is supposed to be the lowborn. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Śūdra means without any culture. The man who has no cultural life, he is called a śūdra. And those who are cultured, they are called dvija. Dvija means twice-born. So one has to take his birth twice. He should not be satisfied simply by taking birth by the father and mother. One should be anxious to take his twice-born, to become twice-born, brāhmaṇa. But that chance is... Don't think that you cannot become a brāhmaṇa. You can become a qualified brāhmaṇa provided you abide by the qualification of a qualified brāhmaṇa. Just like to become a lawyer it is not, I mean to say, limited to a certain section or to a certain person. Anyone who takes the qualification of a lawyer, he becomes a lawyer.
So these relationships which we find here in this material world, they are reflections of the original relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Because in the Vedānta-sūtra you find, janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "Everything, whichever you find in this material world, that is born from the Absolute Truth." So in the Absolute Truth, there is the relationships, these relationships, which we are experiencing here. But they are perverted. Perverted. Because suppose I accept somebody as master, and I am serving, and as soon as the salary stops, my service is also stopped. Therefore it is perverted. Or I am... There is a girl I love, or there is a man I love. Oh, as soon as there is some misunderstanding, we break. So that relationship, that conjugal relationship, that paternal relationship, that friendly relationship.
Suppose you are now in America, in the land of America. So next life you may be in China. Who can say? Because we are changing our bodies, you cannot say that we are not changing our bodies. Can you say that you are not changing your body? Yes, we are changing. When I was born, from the mother's womb, my body was so little. Now how I have changed my...? Where is that body? Where is that body when I was a child? Where is that body when I was a boy? Where is that body when I was a young man? I have got my photograph, my studentship. Oh, Swamiji, you were like this? Where is that body? Where it has gone? So we are changing, but I am the same man. I am thinking, "Oh, in my childhood, I was doing like this. Oh, in my youthhood, I was thinking like this. In my boyhood, I did so many things." Now where those days gone? If my body, everything has gone away? It is simply remembrance.
Just like in the fire there is always the sparks of fire. The sparks of fire are not born. It appears... When it is manifested, it appears just like born from the fire. But actually it is not born; it is there. It is there. You have seen fireplace, "phut!" and you see thousands of sparks at once, and again comes down. Similarly, we are not born. We are also not born. But there is difference because the sparks come out of the original fire. So we are all sparks, spiritual sparks. We come out from Kṛṣṇa. So even though we are not born, but the cause is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is different from us. Is not that logic right?
There are six changes: first of all birth, then living for some time, then producing some byproduct, then deterioration, then finish. Janma-sthiti... There are six kinds of changes. So anything material you study, these six kinds of changes are there. So this material world... How this rascal says that "It was existing"? "It was existing." Nothing was existing. Otherwise why the Brahma-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), that "The Absolute Truth is that from whom, or from which, everything is taking birth." This is Brahma-sūtra. So "everything is taking birth" means this material world also has taken birth from that Absolute Truth. That is answered in the Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8).
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Everything innumerable. That is called unlimited. Everything innumerable. And still, some rascal claims that he is God. How much brain a God requires, he does not know. How big brain... Anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ. These are analyzed, what is the nature of the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. How He is? What He is? Immediately the answer is janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "From Him, everything is emanating." Everything is taking birth from Him. Janma. Not only janma, birth, but existence, maintenance, janmādi. Janmādi means birth, maintenance and death. Creation, maintenance and annihilation. Janmādi. Asya, anything you take, asya. Janmādy asya (SB 1.1.1). Janmādy asya yataḥ. From whom everything is emanating, everything is taking birth, this cosmic manifestation, it is being maintained in Him. And again, when it is annihilated, it enters into His own energy. Prakṛtiṁ māṁ gacchati.
So Vyāsadeva, he is giving us this knowledge. Vidvān lokasyājānataḥ. The whole population, the total number of the living entities—either he is Brahmā or a small—proportionately, they are all in ignorance. Otherwise why Brahmā required Vedic knowledge? It is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Ādi-kavaye, Brahmā, he is svayambhū. He's so great that he's directly born from Nārāyaṇa, svayambhū, not through any material mother. Just imagine how he is great. And Brahmā is great, everyone knows. So he had to take knowledge also. Otherwise, why it is said tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye? Even though he's the most learned, ādi-kavaye, he had to take knowledge. So you can say "He is the first creature, there was nobody there. How he took knowledge? Who gave him knowledge?" The answer is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that Vāsudeva gave him.
Actually nirviśeṣa-vāda is for this material world because it is mithyā. They say, the Shankarites, they say mithyā. We Vaiṣṇavas, we don't say mithyā, because mithyā it cannot be. If the Absolute Truth is true, how mithyā can come from the paraṁ satyam? Brahma satyam. If Brahman is truth, how... Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), everything is born from Brahman. How something can be untruth? No. That is not. Truth is there, but when we misunderstand the truth or misuse the truth, then we are in trouble. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. We have to find out what is the truth in everything. And that can be understood when you are advanced. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Here is truth. Nothing can be mithyā; everything is truth. We have to find out the truth.
So when Kuntī was young, not married, so Durvāsā became the guest of her father, and she served Durvāsā Muni very nicely, attending as maidservant. Although she was king's daughter, but because Durvāsā was guest, he was taken care of very nicely. So Durvāsā became very pleased and gave her this blessing, that "You can call any demigod, as you like." So out of curiosity she chanted the mantra and called the sun-god, Vivasvān. So he came. So he wanted to give her a child, benediction. She said that "I am unmarried. I cannot have child." "No, this child will be born from your ear." Akṣata-yoni. Akṣata-yoni means a girl who has no union with any other man. That is called akṣata-yoni. So in this way Karṇa was born, but he was raised by a carpenter. Therefore he was not considered to be a kṣatriya. So Draupadī knew that Karṇa, if he contests, then he will be victorious, so she played a trick that "I cannot allow anyone else except the kṣatriyas to contest in this svayaṁvara."
Sun does not rise nor set. Sun is already there. Your imperfect eyes—you see there is sunrise, there is sunset. Is it not a fact? Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is always there, but because we do not know Kṛṣṇa, therefore we understand that Kṛṣṇa is taking birth from Devakī, or Kṛṣṇa has taken birth in the family of the Yadus. Yes, He appears like that, that He has taken birth in the Yadu family. Because why? The purpose is to glorify the family because it belongs to the devotee, Mahārāja Yadu. That is His purpose. His real purpose is that the Yadu dynasty... Mahārāja Yadu was a great devotee. Here the yadoḥ priyasya. He appears to take birth in the family of Mahārāja Yadu. Just like Lord Rāmacandra. He took birth in the family of Mahārāja Raghu. Therefore Lord Rāmacandra is called Raghunātha, Dāśarathi, as Kṛṣṇa is called Vāsudeva because He accepted Vasudeva as His father.
Sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṇa jāto hy ātma-bhuvārthitaḥ (SB 1.8.34), ātma-bhū. Ātmabhū is Brahmā's name. He's directly born of the Supreme Soul, Viṣṇu. He's not born as usually we do from the womb of mother. So Brahmā was born from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Therefore his another name is Ātmabhū. Svayambhū, Svayambhū. These are different names of Brahmā. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ (SB 6.3.20). These are the... Brahmā is one, one of the authorities. He's also mentioned in the list of authorities, dvādaśa-mahājana. Twelve authorities.
Generally take birth from the vagina. But Nārāyaṇa is all-powerful. He begets a child from the navel. This is all-powerful, omnipotency. Why? Why it is so happened? That is Nārāyaṇa. Every part of the body has got every potency. That is explained in the Brahma-saṁhitā: aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. Aṅgāni, the different parts of the... That is spiritual body. The different parts of the body of Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa has got all the potencies. Just like I can see with my eyes, but Kṛṣṇa can eat also with His eyes. So the foolish rascal people will say that: "You are offering Kṛṣṇa foodstuff, but where He has eaten? It is lying there. He has not eaten." He does not know, the rascal, that Kṛṣṇa by seeing can eat also. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti paśyanti pānti kalayanti. Just like the washerman who refused to supply cloth in Mathurā, Kṛṣṇa immediately cut his head with his hand. You know the story. So how it is possible to cut one's head with the hand? That is called omnipotency.
So Brahmā's another name is Ātma-bhū. He is born from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu without the help of Lakṣmī. Lakṣmī was there; she was massaging on the lotus feet of the Lord, but the Lord did not take help of Lakṣmī, and He gave birth to Brahmā. Therefore Brahmā's another name is Ātma-bhū, "born from the father directly, without taking the help of the mother." So another name is Svayambhū. Brahmā's another name is Svayambhū.
Just like Kuntī. Kuntī, so much qualified lady, she can call any demigod. She got one benediction from Durvāsā Muni. When she was young girl, she served Durvāsā Muni. Mahārāja Kuntibhoja used to invite so many saintly persons. That is the system in India still. So once Durvāsā Muni became a guest of Mahārāja Kuntibhoja, and Kuntī served the Durvāsā Muni. He was very pleased, and he gave her one benediction, that "You can call any demigod by your sweet will. As soon as you desire, the demigod will..." So Kuntī, she was a girl; she made an experiment, immediately called the Sūrya, the sun-god, and he came. So Sūrya asked him (her) that "You have called me. You take some benediction. Take a son from me." She refused. "No, I am unmarried. I cannot." "No, there is no harm. Your son will be born from the ear." Generally, the son is born from the vagina, but Kuntī's son was born from the ear. Therefore Karṇa. The first son was Karṇa. Unmarried. Therefore Karṇa was, I mean to say, given away, because she could not show, and when Karṇa was floating on the water, that one carpenter picked up and he raised him. So Karṇa was known as the carpenter's son, śūdra's son. Actually, he is Kuntī's son.
Although He has no birth and death, still, He appears just like He has taken birth from Devakī's womb. It is just like the sun is rising from the eastern side. It does not mean that the eastern side has given birth to the sun. No. Sun is very big than the eastern side. But it appears like that. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Because there are many theologists. They say, "Why God shall take birth?" That is their argument. So our answer is, "Why God shall not take birth? If He is omnipotent, so why you are minimizing His power that He cannot take birth? He must take birth if He likes." And īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is staying within the heart of everyone.
So to remain with family and children is no disqualification for spiritual advancement of life. That is not a disqualification because after all, one has to take his birth from the father and mother. So all great ācāryas, great spiritual leaders, after all, they have come from father and mother. So without combination of father and mother, even there is no possibility of begetting a great soul. There are many instances of great souls like Śaṅkarācārya, Lord Jesus Christ, Rāmānujācārya. Even they had no very high hereditary title, still, they came out from the gṛhasthas, father and mother. So gṛhastha, or the householder life, is not disqualification.
Just like about Kṛṣṇa, we have to hear from Him. Kṛṣṇa is speaking Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is speaking everything. All Vedic knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is speaking. How Kṛṣṇa is speaking? That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Kṛṣṇa spoke to Brahmā. Ādi-kavi means Brahmā. He spoke to him. But if somebody says, "Brahmā..., when Brahmā was born from the lotus flower, there was nobody there. So how he could hear from anybody?" Therefore Bhāgavata says, tene brahma hṛdā. Hṛdā means "through the heart." Through the heart he was educated. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's another name is caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means "the guru who is sitting within your heart." Caitya-guru. But He does not speak to anyone. He speaks to everyone, but only the devotee can hear.
Ours also, the so-called freedom. But still, we have got some consciousness that we fight for freedom. And they fight for eating. That's all. So here, Parīkṣit Mahārāja... This emancipation... Kṛṣṇa consciousness means emancipation from this material attachment. So he became so much advanced... Because from his childhood, from his birth, from the womb of his mother, he was Kṛṣṇa conscious. So as soon as he understood that "Kṛṣṇa is my goal," immediately, virūḍhāṁ mamatāṁ jahau, immediately gave up. Jahau means "gave up." What kind of things he is giving up? The empire. Formerly the emperor in Hastināpura, they were ruling over the earth, the whole world, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, at least, 5,000 years ago when Parīkṣit Mahārāja was the king.
Kṛṣṇa is the origin of viṣṇu-tattva, and Viṣṇu is expansion of Kṛṣṇa. So when we speak of Viṣṇu, the origin of Viṣṇu is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, aham ādir hi devānām: (Bg 10.2) "I am the origin even of the devas. The most important devas are Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. Creation, in the beginning of creation, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. From Viṣṇu, Brahmā is born; from Brahmā, Lord Śiva is born. And they take charge of the three modes of material nature. Brahmā... Viṣṇu takes the charge of sattva-guṇa, and the Lord Brahmā takes the charge of rajo-guṇa, and Lord Śiva takes the charge of tamo-guṇa. But in the creation, before the creation, when there was no Brahmā, no Śiva, there was Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). All the devas, demigods, or living entities, they are created after this cosmic manifestation is created. Therefore in the Vedas it is said, "In the beginning there was no Brahmā, no Śiva. Only Nārāyaṇa āsīt." Eko nārāyaṇa āsīt. That Nārāyaṇa is also another plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7).
Just like these European, American boys. They are born to enjoy material happiness. They are, in their country, the affluence of material happiness, money and women, they are thrown in the street. You pick up as much as you like. But they are now vairāgya, because they are devotees of Vāsudeva. They have no more attachment. This is bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means vairāgya, detachment for material enjoyment. That is the sign. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Not that "I am a big, big devotee, but I have got very great attachment for material enjoyment." That is not bhakti. This is the sign. If you have got bhakti, then you will have no attachment for material enjoyment. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktiḥ. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 9.59). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is... Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā. Param means better, superior things; dṛṣṭvā, by seeing, these lower inferior things is rejected. That is... Two things cannot go on.
So anyway, even if you go to the Brahmaloka, that is not also perfection. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). There is no benefit. Because there also the four principles of miserable condition, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), they are there, even in the Brahmaloka. Brahmā also dies. Brahmā also takes birth. You know it. Brahmā, he also took birth from the lotus flower generated from the navel of Viṣṇu. So there was birth. And when Brahmā will die, whole material cosmic manifestation will be finished. So he has also birth and death and old age and disease. And the small ant or insect, it has also the same disease, old age, birth and death. So one has to become free from this bondage, because we are eternal. Na jāyate na mriyate. Bhagavad-gītā says. The living entity never takes birth, never dies. Then why even Brahmā dies? Brahmā is also dying. That is material life. That is bondage, bandhana. Guṇeṣu saktaṁ bandhāya.
So Kapiladeva will describe the Sāṅkhya philosophy to His mother, and not only mother, but tanvābhijātaḥ. Naturally, if we take birth from my mother, I have got natural affection for my mother, but Devahūti is not ordinary mātā. She is very submissive. Therefore it is said that jāta-snehaḥ. Naturally there is affection, and when Kapiladeva saw that "This woman... Woman is supposed to be less intelligent, but she is very submissive and My mother," in both ways He became compassionate, that "She is eager to know about the truth, and she is so submissive, and after all, I have taken, I have received this body from this woman, My mother. So let Me try to give her the best of the philosophical conclusion." And that is Sāṅkhya philosophy. He will speak from the next verse.
Just like... I'll give you another example. We require little salt with our food, but if you take more salt, the food becomes (indistinct), and if there is no salt, you cannot take it. Salt must be there, but to the point. Similarly, so far our sense gratification, we have got our senses. We have got our mouth, we have got our stomach. We require to eat. So we do not stop your eating, but we regulate your eating that if you eat like this, kṛṣṇa-prasādam, then your life becomes full of austerity. If you have sex life in regulated married life, fixed-up husband and wife, then it is austerity. If you don't... Smoking or intoxicating, we never learned it from our childhood, from our birth. From childhood, we require milk to drink and live. But we have learned by bad association or good association. Similarly, we can give up also these habits by bad association or good association.
In this way, as it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, His body is completely different from our body. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti, we sing every day in the morning. His body is so made that He can do everything and anything by any part of the body. There are many instances. Just like generally we find a person is born from the yoni. Therefore we call sarva-yoni. But Mahā-Viṣṇu or Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu, He did not take any help from his wife to give birth to a son, Lord Brahmā. He generated from His navel. This is called aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. We have to see that. Where is that instance ordinarily that a child is born from the navel? But He can do that. A child is born from female. That is from the yoni. But here is, a living creature is born from the navel, and that is also puruṣa. So these things are there. And Kṛṣṇa, He exhibited, manifested, His virāṭa-rūpa. So He can do everything and anything because His body is not this body. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). That is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ.
Sometimes you will find the dying man is crying, ākulendriyaḥ, tearful eyes. He cannot express. He is not practiced. But he was given the chance. Kṛṣṇa gave him the conscience when the child was born to keep his name Nārāyaṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy, that "This rascal was My devotee, and now he is so fallen. All right, he is attracted to his children." So He gave the conscience, "Now keep your son's name Nārāyaṇa." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Kṛṣṇa says, "From Me everything, remembrance and forgetfulness, come." Those who want to forget Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa helps him to forget: "All right, you forget." He does not give. He does not dictate from the within. And one who is foolishly in bad association, unfortunately forgets Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa gives him chance. Offenders are very nuisance. Kṛṣṇa... Too much offender, purposefully, guru—Vaiṣṇava, his position is very difficult. But by chance if one forgets Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa does not forget him.
Janma-aiśvarya. Nowadays they want money, and nobody wants any spiritual advancement. So they get money by pious activities. They get good birth. To born, to take birth in very rich family... Janmaiśvarya-śruta. He can become very learned man, B.A., M.A. Ph.D., Dh.C, so many things, title, learned man. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī, and beautiful, beautiful body. These are the results of pious activities. But that does not mean you are a devotee. Devotee is different thing. Devotee means who does not aspire of anything like this, that "Let me take birth in rich family. Let me possess very good amount of wealth. Let me become beautiful. Let me become very learned." These are material aspirations, but a devotee has no material aspiration. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11)—zero, nothing of the sort.
Kṛṣṇa was born, but you have to know how Kṛṣṇa is born. That is your intelligence. Just like sun is born every morning. There is no sun now, but in the morning we will see sun and from the eastern side. So do you think that eastern side is the mother of sun? Because sun is born from the eastern side, you can take it for granted that eastern side is the mother of sun. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa appears in similar way, but that does not mean that He is born. That is stated in the Fourth Chapter, Bhagavad-gītā: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. "Anyone who understands in truth how I take My birth, how I work, how I am transcendental..." Simply by knowing these three things—how Kṛṣṇa is born, and how does He work and what is His actual position—the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "My dear Arjuna, simply knowing these three things, one comes to Me after quitting this material body."
Just like Brahmā, Brahmā was born from the lotus flower grown from the naval of Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu, and mother Lakṣmī is engaged in giving massage to Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu. You have seen the picture. But Kṛṣṇa, without taking help of goddess of fortune, He begot Brahmā. This is aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti (Bs. 5.32). We beget a child through the help of the wife, but Mahā-Viṣṇu or Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu, although the wife is there, He did not take any help from the wife, but He begot.
Lord Viṣṇu is lying on the Śeṣa bed, and Lakṣmīji is engaged in the service of massaging the lotus feet of Viṣṇu, but Viṣṇu did not take the help of Lakṣmīji to beget Brahmā. He personally begot from the navel. Therefore we should understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can perform anything he likes from any part of His body. That we chant always, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. We have got knowledge, experience, that when a child is born it has got a different source of being born, but Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu wanted the child be born from the navel and not from the mother of the navel—there was no mother—but the father Himself. This is called aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. Every part of the body, every limb, has got the potency to act like other parts of the body. We can see only with the eyes, but God can see with His finger. That is God.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
From the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, from His abdomen, there sprouted a lotus flower, and (on) the lotus flower, Brahmā was born. Therefore Brahmā's another name is Svayambhūr. He did not come out through the womb of his mother, although the mother was present. Kar..., Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, we have seen the picture. Lakṣmījī is massaging the lotus feet of Viṣṇu, and Brahmā is sprouted from the abdomen. So this is called omnipotency. Generally we have got this idea that a child is born from the yoni, but here Kṛṣṇa gives birth to a child without the help of His wife and from His abdomen. This is called omnipotency. We say, "God is omnipotent," but how God is omnipotent, that we do not know practically. Here is omnipotency.
Śvādo 'pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate. It is commented by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī that a, a person born in the brāhmaṇa family waits for being initiated as twice-born. To take birth in the family of a brāhmaṇa is not sufficient qualification. He has to study the Vedas; he has to be initiated with thread ceremony; so many ritualistic performances. Daśa-vidhā-saṁskāra. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. So the distinction is being made by Jīva Gosvāmī that a brāhmaṇa, son of a brāhmaṇa, awaits so many ritualistic ceremonies before he is competent to perform yajña. Not that because he's born of a brāhmaṇa father, therefore he becomes eligible to perform yajña. He requires primarily so much purificatory methods. But a Vaiṣṇava, one who has taken to devotional service, for him, it is said, sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate. As soon as he becomes a devotee, he becomes eligible to perform yajña. Savanāya kalpate. That means preference is given to the devotee (more) than to the son of a brāhmaṇa.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Vaibhava-prakāśa, vaibhava manifestation... The example is given: just like when Kṛṣṇa was born, He was not exactly born from the womb of His mother. So He appeared first of all with four hands. Then, when the mother prayed... She could know that Kṛṣṇa has come. She prayed for become an ordinary child, and at once He became two-handed. This is called vaibhava-prakāśa manifestation. Ye-kāle dvibhuja, nāma-vaibhava-prakāśa. When He is two-handed, it is called vaibhava-prakāśa, and when He is four-handed, it is called prābhava-vaibhava.
A man is born out of his father and mother, so He has to take His birth from a father and mother. So these fathers and mothers were, are first sent. I think in the Bible they call messiahs, or what you have? Similarly, nobody can become the father and mother of God. But, when He manifests Himself in this material world, He shows that "He's My father." Just like Kṛṣṇa accepted father, Vasudeva, Vasudeva as His father and Devakī as His mother. Or His foster-father, Nanda Mahārāja, and His foster-mother, Yaśodā. So they are all devotees. Kṛṣṇa's friend, Kṛṣṇa's father, Kṛṣṇa's everyone, when He displays Himself, they are all devotees. He's the Supreme. Nobody can be father of Kṛṣṇa.
Festival Lectures
So this is very instructive struggle between the atheist and the theist. This story of Prahlāda Mahārāja is eternally true. There is always a struggle between the atheist and the theist. If a person becomes God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, so he will find many enemies. Because the world is full of demons. What to speak of the devotee of Kṛṣṇa, even Kṛṣṇa, when He personally came, He had to kill so many demons. There was His maternal uncle, His mother's brother, very keenly related. Still, he wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa. As soon as any son was born to Devakī, immediately he killed, because he did not know who will be Kṛṣṇa. The prediction was that the eighth child of his sister will kill Kaṁsa. So he began to kill all the children. At last, Kṛṣṇa came. But he could not kill Kṛṣṇa. He was killed by Kṛṣṇa.
So Kṛṣṇa, He is born of a kṣatriya father. He is not born, but He appeared as the son. God is never born. Unborn. Therefore the Māyāvādī philosophers, they mistake to know Kṛṣṇa. They think that Kṛṣṇa is born, then how He can be God? But actually, Kṛṣṇa was not born from the womb of His mother. He appeared in four hands before His mother, and the mother was afraid that "My brother Kaṁsa, was awaiting to kill God, and now God is here in four hands. Immediately he'll kill." The mother forgets that "My son, if He's God, how He can be killed?" But the mother's affection is always like that. Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He was going to attack a demon as a boy, Yaśodā-mā, mother Yaśodā, would ask her husband Nanda Mahārāja, "Why do you allow this boy to go out? Why don't you lock Him?" So that is mother's affection.
Just like here in this material world also, there are many boys who like to play on flute. Wherefrom this flute-playing idea came? That answer is given in the Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). All ideas, everything is coming from Him, from Kṛṣṇa. Unless there is in Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be anything in this material world. Janmādy asya yataḥ. Just like janma, your, somebody's birth from father or mother. So the symptoms of the father and mother, the facial expressions, even a spot in the face, everything becomes manifested in the child. So you can study what is God by studying yourself. That is Māyāvāda philosophy. They take it in a different way that "I am God, reflection." God, they say, God reflection. No. We are reflection. God is not our reflection; we are God's reflection.
General Lectures
So basic principle of my knowledge is false, that I am considering this material body as "I am." And if the basic principle is wrong, then, in relationship with this body, because I am born in this land of America... "I am born" means my body is born. Or because my body is born from another body, my father and mother, so I think that "This body is my kinsman, and this country is mine," and so on. But the basic principle is false, that "I am considering, falsely identifying myself with this body. But I am within this body." That is a fact. And how can I understand how I am within this body? I can understand I am within this body by my feeling. If there is some pain or pleasure on my body, I can feel. I am conscious that I am there. In consciousness, I am there. And what is this consciousness? This consciousness is the reflection of real myself. Myself means soul. So as soon as the soul is within this body, there is perception of pains and pleasure, heat and cold, and so many things. That is consciousness.
There are 8,400,000 species of different kinds of life. So, so far my condition is concerned, I am not this body; I am spirit soul. Just I am changing my body even at the present moment. Just like when you were born from your mother's womb, your body was very small. Now it has grown. You were a boy; now you are young. Now you will become old man like me also. That means the changing body. It is simple fact. You are changing. From your childhood body, this body is different. Either you take it that it has grown or either you take it that the body has changed, the same thing. But actually it has changed. So the changing of body is accepted. Therefore it is concluded that when you change this body, you may get another body.
Either it is young body or old body or child's body or boy's body—anyone's body—today, tomorrow or one hundred years after or fifty years after, it is perishable. There is no doubt about it. But what is that thing imperishable? That imperishable is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, yena sarvam idaṁ tatam: "That thing is imperishable which is spread all over your body." That is very easy to understand. What is that? If you pinch your body, any part of your body, you feel pain. That means your consciousness. Your consciousness is imperishable. The body is changing. When you took your birth from the mother's womb you were a small child. But perhaps you may remember your childhood activities. The consciousness is the same, but the body has changed. The body has changed. If you have got sharp memory you can remember so many things of your past life, and that means the consciousness is the same but body is changing.
There is a story in the Bhaktamarg grantha that one paṇḍita was reciting Bhāgavata and he was describing Śyāmasundara. Mother Yaśodā was decorating with all jewels very nicely to go with his cowherd boy friends, with the calves and cows. Śyāmasundara. And in the forest of Vṛndāvana. So, one thief was also hearing that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So he thought it wise, "Why not go to Vṛndāvana and get all these ornaments from these boys? (laughter) They are all boys, so either I can kill them or somehow or other cheat them, get these ornaments." So, that's a long story (indistinct). So, with that spirit he went to Vṛndāvana to find out Śyāmasundara to exploit Him, to take all the ornaments from Him. When he actually went to Vṛndāvana, he was finding out, "Where is Śyāmasundara? Where is Śyāmasundara?" Śyāmasundara came and, "Here I am." So, first of all he was (indistinct), "My dear boy, You give me all these ornaments I will give you nice thing." He said, "No, I cannot give you, my mother will be angry, no." (laughter) In this way then he decided that I shall take forcibly. In this way simply by the association of Śyāmasundara he became a devotee. That is the fact. Dhruva Mahārāja also went to worship Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa, to get the kingdom of his father. He was insulted by his stepmother that, "You cannot sit down on the throne, or on the lap of your father, because you are not born from my womb." So he took it very seriously. He went to his mother, "My stepmother insulted me like this." So, his mother said, "My dear boy, yes, it is a fact because you are not born from my..."
If you have read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you can see that Kṛṣṇa was not born. Kṛṣṇa appeared before Devakī and Vasudeva as four-handed Nārāyaṇa. Then the father, mother requested Nārāyaṇa that "You have appeared as Nārāyaṇa. Immediately Kaṁsa will kill You. Please, You become like human child." So He again immediately became a human child. So the conception of birth from the womb of the mother was not actually the fact about Kṛṣṇa. You read Bhāgavatam. You will find this description. So even though if He comes as a child, still He is unborn because Kṛṣṇa, or God, is in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So from the heart, if He comes before you, so is it very difficult task for Him? It is not at all difficult. (break) What to speak of Kṛṣṇa, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa; we do not take birth. You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā, na jāyate na mriyate vā. When the description of soul is given there, it is said that the soul is never born.
| Page Title: | Born from... (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 16 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=46, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 46 |