Now the purport is that Bhagavad-gītā is a treatise which is specially meant for the devotee of the Lord. There are three classes of transcendentalists, namely the jñānī, the yogī and the bhakta. Or the impersonalist or the meditator or the devotees. So here it is clearly mentioned, the Lord says to Arjuna that "I am speaking or I am making you the first man of the paramparā. Because the old paramparā or disciplic succession is now broken, therefore I wish to establish again another paramparā in the same line of thought as it was coming down from the sun-god to others. So you, you take it and you distribute it. Or the system, the yoga system of Bhagavad-gītā may now be distributed through you. You become the authority of understanding Bhagavad-gītā." Now here is a direction that Bhagavad-gītā is especially instructed to Arjuna, the devotee of the Lord, the direct student of Kṛṣṇa. And not only that, he is intimately in touch with Kṛṣṇa as friend.
Coming down (Lectures, BG)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
It has been found by modern chemists, modern science, one Dr. Lal Mohan Gosal, he has very minutely analyzed the cow dung and he has found that cow dung is a composition of all antiseptic properties. So similarly, he has also analyzed the water of the Ganges out of curiosity. So my idea is that Vedic knowledge is complete because it is above all doubts and all mistakes. So, and Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is therefore infallible. It comes down through the perfect disciplic succession.
Therefore Vedic knowledge is not a thing of research. Our research work is imperfect because we are searching everything with imperfect senses. Therefore the result of our research work is also imperfect. It cannot be perfect. We have to accept the perfect knowledge. The perfect knowledge is coming down, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, just we have begun, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). We have to receive the knowledge from the right source in disciplic succession of spiritual master beginning from the Lord Himself. So Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Lord Himself.
They have become just like animals. Therefore they are called mandāḥ. Sumanda-matayaḥ. And if one is little interested, he accepts something bogus which has no meaning. "I belong to this 'ism,' I belong to that 'ism,' that 'ism,' that..." "Ism," what is that "ism"? Dharma, or "ism," what is that required? Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam... (SB 6.3.19). It is simple thing that the dharma means, religious code means, the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We have to obey. That is called dharma. But they have no knowledge, what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, what is His order. They are here in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down to teach us, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). "When people forget their regulative life, I come down." So He has come down. He has come down. He will teach Arjuna that "You are so family-wise attached." Then He will teach. From the Second Chapter He will begin the teaching. Prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11).
There are four, twelve authorities. One of them is Bhīṣma. Prahlādo janako bhīṣmo balir vaiyāsakir vayam. So Bhīṣma is not ordinary person. Therefore he said, katham, gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke (BG 2.5). "I do not like to kill my guru, who is so great, and my grandfather. Better I shall become a beggar." A kṣatriya's business is not to beg. A brāhmaṇa can beg. A brāhmaṇa can accept charity, but kṣatriya cannot accept any charity from anyone else. Neither he can come down to do business like the vaiśyas. That is not. Everyone should stick to his own principle. If this is followed, then it is really secular government. A government must see whether—you are claiming as a brāhmaṇa—whether you are actually discharging your duties as a brāhmaṇa. That is secular government. You are claiming as a kṣatriya; whether you are discharging your duties as a kṣatriya? You are a vaiśya; whether you are discharging your duties as vaiśya? This is government's duty. That is cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). Now they are eager to wash off this social system. They want classless society. But in the material world there cannot be any classless society. It is not possible. Classless society can be established in the spiritual world. Just like we are propagating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is classless society.
"There is no more better type of worship than it was conceived by the vraja gopīs. Vraja-vadhu. The most abominable. For a young girl to leave the care of husband, father, and go to another young boy, according to Vedic culture, it is the most abominable. So still, because, it was, the center was Kṛṣṇa, it is accepted as the highest type of worship. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to learn how to act only for Kṛṣṇa, how to love only Kṛṣṇa. Then our life is successful. And the human life... Because we have also come down from Vaikuṇṭha some millions and millions of years ago. Anādi karama-phale. Anādi means before the creation. We living entities, we are eternal. Even the creation is annihilated after millions and trillions of years, the living entities, they are not annihilated. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). They remain. So when this whole cosmic manifestation will be annihilated, the living entities will remain in the body of Viṣṇu. Then when again another creation will take place, they will come out again to fulfill their desires. The real desire is how to go to home, back to Godhead.
So Kṛṣṇa says, "I spoke." So it is millions and millions, at least, four hundred thousand millions of times, millions of years ago, according to the calculation of Manu. So Kṛṣṇa said million; and millions of years ago this Bhagavad-gītā, He remembers. But Arjuna inquired from Him that "How can I believe that You spoke this Bhagavad-gītā millions of millions years ago to sun-god, because we are contemporary?" Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, they're of, practically of the same age.
So Arjuna was calculating as a human being about Kṛṣṇa. That was his mistake. That was his not mistake. That was his inquiry to clear the mistake of our. We mistake Kṛṣṇa as one of us. Because Kṛṣṇa comes down as human being, we, due to our lack of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge, we think Kṛṣṇa is as good as we are. But actually it is not. Kṛṣṇa is God. We are ordinary living entities. His knowledge, His power of remembrance, His power of knowing everything perfectly is different from our knowing. But unfortunately we think, "God may be little greater than me." That is that Dr. Frog philosophy. We have explained several times. Kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya. The frog within the well, he is calculating the dimension of Pacific Ocean. So by this dog, frog philosophical way, we can, we cannot understand what is God.
Kṛṣṇa speaking, and he noted down in his book Mahābhārata. This Bhagavad-gītā is found in Mahābhārata. So we accept the authorities of Vyāsa. And from Vyāsa, Madhvācārya; from Madhvācārya, so many disciplic succession, up to Mādhavendra Purī. Then Mādhavendra Purī to Īśvara Purī; from Īśvara Purī to Lord Caitanyadeva; from Lord Caitanyadeva to six Gosvāmīs; from six Gosvāmīs to Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja; from him, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya; from him, Viśvanātha Cakravartī; from him, Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī; then Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī; Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura; my spiritual master. The same thing, we are preaching. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is nothing new. It is coming down from the original speaker, Kṛṣṇa, by disciplic succession. So we are reading this Bhagavad-gītā. Not that I have manufactured some book and I am preaching. No. I am preaching Bhagavad-gītā. The same Bhagavad-gītā as it was first spoken forty millions of years ago to the sun-god and again it was repeated five thousand years ago to Arjuna. The same thing is coming down by disciplic succession, and the same thing is presented before you. There is no change.
These feelings were there. This ill feeling was created by the Britishers. When they saw that Gandhi is improving the Hindu-Muslim situation, they created a, what is called, a split. Anyway, that is political. So this Chand Kazi informed Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "Nimāi, I call Your grandfather, Your mother's father, as my cācā, as my uncle. So in that way Your mother is my sister according to our village relationship, and You are my nephew. So how is that a nephew is so much angry upon his uncle? Is it not good?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu could understand that he has come down. He has now become uncle. So He said, "Yes, My dear uncle, I know that. It is not My duty to be angry with you, but how is that, I am your nephew, I have come to your home, and you went upstairs, you did not receive Me? Anyway, what is done is done, forget."
Yes, the thing is we should be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Just like electrification. Touching electricity by one wire, another joining another, another wire, if the touch is there factual, then the electricity is everywhere. Similarly if our Kṛṣṇa consciousness is rightly connected, then there is no question of direct or indirect. Because absolute world there is no difference. As soon as it is touched with the direct connection... That is called disciplic succession. Because the connection is coming down one after another, so if we touch here, the spiritual master who is connected by the same way, then the electric connection is there. There is no question of direct or indirect. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Simply we have to see whether the connection is disconnected. If the connection is there, tight, then the electricity come without fail. So in our conditioned stage there will be so many doubts, so many implication. But the same thing as I gave you example, that don't be very much hasty to receive the result immediately. Simply we have to follow. We have to follow. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. This is advised by Rūpa Gosvāmī. The six things we have to take particular care, and six things we have to avoid in order to be perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
That I have already explained, that although you have got the God's qualities, but you are very small. Just like a big fire and the sparks of the fire, similarly, God is big fire, and we are like sparks of the fire. When the sparks come down from the fire, it becomes extinguished. So because we are very small, very... I have already given you the dimension. As soon as we become out of the big fire, in touch with God, then we become extinguished. So somehow or other, if you are, again go to the fire, you have your original, brightened, I mean, illuminating quality, the spark. So at the present moment, somehow or other, being fallen in this material condition, we have lost our godly qualities. We can cure that, just like a diseased man lost his appetite, but by treatment he can again awaken his appetite and eat properly. So we, being very small—we may say "a small god"—therefore we fall under the clutches of māyā, illusion, but it can be cured. We can again revive our original position.
You cannot have it unless you surrender yourself. Niṣkiñcanānām, mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat. So long you do not take the dust of the lotus feet of a devotee, niṣkiñcanānām, who has nothing to do with this material world—he's simply concerned with the service of the Lord—unless you are in touch with such a person, it is not possible to attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These are the statements of the śāstra.
So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth. And He is person. But we cannot understand Him unless we go through a kṛṣṇa-bhakta. Therefore to understand Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa has come down as a bhakta, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. So we have to understand Kṛṣṇa through Lord Caitanya. Because Kṛṣṇa Himself has come... kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne. Rūpa Gosvāmī, when he met first Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Not first, for the second time. First time he met when he, while he was minister in the government of Nawab Hussein Shah. And then, after meeting, Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted them to fulfill His mission. So they decided to resign from the government service and join Caitanya Mahāprabhu to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
We have seen sometimes that from the stone, I have marked it. There is one juma mastika(?) in Agra. On the top of the stone dome a plant has come out, on the top. Now who has gone to place that seed that a banyan tree, banyan plant has come out and it has cracked the stone? So nobody has gone there, but this means the soul is everywhere. As soon as it gets the opportunity, it accepts a material body immediately. As soon as there is opportunity. That is explained in the Seventh Chapter very nicely. (break)
...planetary system, say moon planet or other planet. They also again come down on this earthly planet. Kṣīṇe... (break) ... Just like you get visa for going to a foreign country. As soon as the visa period is over, the visa department immediately reminds you: "Sir, your visa is finished. Now you must go. You must go out." So the whole, the puṇya-loka, the higher planetary system, svarga-loka, you can go there by your pious activities, by performing big, big yajñas, puṇya, pious activities, go there. But kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti (BG 9.21). When your puṇya, it is also limited thing, when it is finished, you have to come back. It is said that when they come back on this planet they come through the water, showers, and they fall down on this earth. Again they begin their life as grass and something like that, evolution. Kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti (BG 9.21). Therefore this elevation to the higher planetary system, Kṛṣṇa condemns them.
Sound is all-pervading, that is a fact, scientific fact. If that sound is potent, then it can penetrate even this material sky and go to the spiritual sky and go to Kṛṣṇa directly. That sound is Hare Kṛṣṇa. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāya. I've given that. He has translated very nice, Hayagrīva. Golokera prema-dhana. This is descended from the spiritual platform, Goloka Vṛndāvana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Rati nā janmilo kene tāya. "I have no attachment for these things." I have got attachment for radio sound, or television sound, so many sound, but I have no attachment for the supreme sound which is coming down from the Goloka Vṛndāvana. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene... saṁsāra-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. "In this material world, I am, my heart is always burning on account of so many miseries." Juṛāite nā koinu upāya. "But I could not find out the way how to get out of it. This sound vibration will get you out from the blazing fire of this material condition. This sound, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Chant always, everything will be perfectly done." Yes. Go on.
Yes. There is a neutral stage. That is not planet. That is the marginal position between the spiritual world and the material world. But one has to come down again. Unless one enters into the spiritual sky and takes his situation in some of the spiritual planet... Just like you fly in the sky. Unless you get some planet, you'll have to come down again. You cannot fly all the days in the sky. That is not possible. That is neutral stage. Neither in other planet, nor in this planet, flying. How long you shall fly? You have to take some shelter. But if you have no shelter in the higher planets or higher situation, then you shall have to come down. So... The same example can be repeated. Suppose if you go in the outer space... Just like the sputnik men, they go sometime. People think, "Oh, where he has gone, so high, so high." But he has not gone anywhere. He's coming down again. So it is false clapping, "Oh, he has gone so high, so high." What is the use of going so high? You are coming down next moment.
Neither in other planet, nor in this planet, flying. How long you shall fly? You have to take some shelter. But if you have no shelter in the higher planets or higher situation, then you shall have to come down. So... The same example can be repeated. Suppose if you go in the outer space... Just like the sputnik men, they go sometime. People think, "Oh, where he has gone, so high, so high." But he has not gone anywhere. He's coming down again. So it is false clapping, "Oh, he has gone so high, so high." What is the use of going so high? You are coming down next moment. Because you have no power to enter into another planet. So what your machine, this sputnik or these planes, will help you? You have to come down again. Rather, you shall fall down in some Atlantic Ocean, or Pacific Ocean, and somebody will go and pick you up. You see? This is your position. So voidism means to fly in the sky and be puffed up, "I have come so high, I have come so high, so high." (laughs) That foolish man does not know how long he'll keep in that high position. You see? He will come down. This is māyā's attraction. He'll have to come down.
Who is doing that? Nobody is doing that. Śaṅkarācārya's first condition is that "First of all you take sannyāsa; then you talk of becoming Nārāyaṇa." Who is taking sannyāsa? So they are simply falsely thinking. Actually, their intelligence is impure, consciousness is impure. Therefore in spite of such endeavors, the result is, āruhya kṛcchreṇa param, although they go very high, say 25,000 miles or millions of miles up, they do not find any shelter, where is moon planet, where is... They come down again to your Moscow city, that's all. Or New York City, that's all. These are the examples. When they're high up, oh, they'll take photograph. "Oh, this planet is so, this earthly planet is so green or so small. I am going round day and night and seeing in one hour three times day and night." All right, very good. Please come down again. (laughs) That's all. māyā is so strong, she will say, "Yes, very good. You are very advanced in your scientific knowledge, but please come down. Come here. Otherwise you are going to be put into the Atlantic Ocean." That's all. And they'll still be puffed up, "Oh, we are making progress. Within next ten years, you can purchase ticket or land in the moon." You know, in Russia they sold land, and they advertised that "There is Sea of Moscow. We have planted our flag on the sea in the..." So these are propaganda. They cannot go even into the nearest planet, what to speak of the spiritual sky. If you actually serious of going to the spiritual sky and Vaikuṇṭhaloka, then take this simple method, Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's all.
Meditation. You have heard the name of Vālmīki Muni. Vālmīki Muni, he meditated for sixty thousands of years. His whole body was covered by, what is called, worms. And... Because at that time people used to live for one hundred thousands of years. So gradually our life is being reduced. Yes. In the Satya-yuga, it is stated, that people used to live for one hundred thousands of years. And then, in the Tretā-yuga, they used to live for one thousands of years. No. In the Dvāpara-yuga for one thousand. And in the Tretā-yuga, ten thousand years. In the Dvāpara-yuga one thousand years. And now it has come down to one hundred years in this Kali-yuga. That also, one hundred years is not completed. Now we are dying within sixty or seventy and gradually it will be reduced to twenty to thirty years. That is also mentioned.
That is the real religion. Now, in the Fourth Chapter you will find that Lord says that "I come down in this, as incarnation." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata: (BG 4.7) "I come down whenever there is some flaw in the religious principles." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, abhyutthānam adharmasya. The flaw in the religious principle means advancement of irreligiosity. Abhyu tthānam adharmasya. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).
Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. Sādhu. Sādhu means who are actually following the religious principles. They are called sādhu. Sādhu means good men. There is description of sādhu also,
- titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ
- suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām
- ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ
- sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ
- (SB 3.25.21)
Sādhu, one who is called sādhu... Sādhu means titikṣavaḥ. Titikṣavaḥ means very tolerant, very tolerant, very much tolerant. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ. At the same time very kind-hearted. We find these two characters in the life of Lord Jesus. He was very much tolerant, at the same time kind to the people in general. You see? So titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. And he is friend.
Just like Lord Jesus Christ had some enemies, and Mahatma Gandhi had also some enemies who killed him. So the world is such treacherous. Even a sādhu, he has some enemies. You see? But sādhu, from his side, he has no enemy. He is friend of everyone. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām (SB 3.25.21). And ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ, always peaceful. These are the qualities of sādhu, saintly persons.
So Lord comes down. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). His special purpose of coming down as incarnation is to save the sādhus because sādhus are always persecuted by the demons, the demonic class, the atheist class. They are always prepared to persecute the sādhus. The Lord comes—paritrāṇāya sādhūnām—just to protect the sādhus or the saintly persons, and vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, and to vanquish the miscreants. That is the mission. When Lord Kṛṣṇa comes or any incarnation of Lord comes actually, not so-called advertised incarnation... I mean to say that you will find. All the incarnation in the Vedic literature, they are named there, not that anyone can manufacture himself as incarnation. Every incarnation is mentioned in the Vedic scripture, when and how, what kind of work he will do, and what place, which place, and everything in detail is there so that there is chart of the incarnation. Nobody can become an incarnation beyond that chart. There is chart. Just like there will be an incarnation of Kalki, I have several times spoken before you, which will take place about four millions of years later on. Still, His name is mentioned in the Bhāgavata, and the place is also mentioned. His father's name is also mentioned. This is called incarnation.
So, of course, if you worship impersonal form, brahma-jyotir, that is also Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa has said, kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). If you want to approach the Absolute Truth through the impersonal form, then it will be little difficult. Perhaps you may not reach the ultimate goal. You may fall down. There are so many instances. We have seen in India so many big, big sannyāsīs. They give up this world—brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā—but after some days they come down to the jagat and engage themselves in political... (break)
Why? They could not stay in the Brahman stage. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. By concentrating on the impersonal form they think that they have become liberated but actually that is not. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. So impersonal conception is not purified intelligence. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. You may think that "I have become liberated," but it is not. Why? Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). After so much trouble and austerity, penances, you may acquire the position in the impersonal Brahman, but there is chance of falling down from there. Patanty adhaḥ.
The lost means that the purport of Bhagavad-gītā is lost.
Because scholars they can interpret in their own way about Bhagavad-gītā, but that is not Bhagavad-gītā. That is not Bhagavad-gītā. That is the purport which Kṛṣṇa wants to stress. So any student of Bhagavad-gītā must note it, that Bhagavad-gītā commented by a person—he may be very scholar in the material sense, but that scholarship will not help to comment on the Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā, to understand Bhagavad-gītā, we have to accept this disciplic succession principle as Lord Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, that "It is coming down by disciplic succession." We have to take that spirit. And without taking that spirit, simply by our erudite scholarship, if we want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, that is a misunderstanding. That is the purpose He has said.
That is the first qualification. It is clearly said here. You cannot go beyond Bhagavad-gītā. If you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, you cannot take help of other methods. You have to take the help as it is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. He clearly says that bhakto 'si: "You are not only My friend. There are many friends. I can find many friends. But you are not only My friend, but you are a great devotee. Therefore you can understand what is the real sense of Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore I am speaking to you. I am speaking to you." So if anyone wants to understand Bhagavad-gītā, then...
Just like the disciplic succession was coming down from Vivasvān, the, the, I mean to say, the principal man in the sun, the sun-god, and the sun-god taught the Bhagavad-gītā, the mystery of Bhagavad-gītā, to his son, Manu, and Manu taught the mystery of Bhagavad-gītā to Ikṣvāku, and Ikṣvāku taught the mystery of Bhagavad-gītā to his disciple or son, like that... But now, in course of time, it is now lost. Now I am again establishing that disciplic succession through you. So anyone who has to understand Bhagavad-gītā, he has to understand as Arjuna understood it. If you try to understand in a different way, if you want to give a different interpretation of Bhagavad-gītā, that may be a manifestation of your scholarship, but that is not Bhagavad-gītā. By your scholarship, you can manufacture some idea.
Lord Kṛṣṇa said that before explaining the yoga system, bhakti-yoga system, to Arjuna, it was explained to the Sun-god Vivasvān, and Sun-god explained the same system to his son, Manu, and Manu explained the same system to his son, Ikṣvāku. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Kṛṣṇa said that this system of knowledge is coming down by disciplic succession, sa kāleneha yogaḥ naṣṭaḥ parantapa. My dear Arjuna, although it was coming down by disciplic succession from spiritual master to the disciple, or from the father to the son, but in course of time, it is now lost. Therefore I am speaking the same yoga system to you, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3), because you are my devotee. So, if we want to understand, if we want to know God, we have to become His devotee.
Therefore this Bhagavad-gītā, we have presented: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.
This is our business, just like a post peon's business is to deliver the envelope as it is. And if there is good news, it is for you. If it is bad news, it is for you. But the peon's business is to deliver as it is. Similarly, our business is to present Kṛṣṇa's message as it is. Then you become spiritual master. Spiritual master does not become grown just like tree. No. It is carrying the message from higher authorities as it is stated. "I told this message," Kṛṣṇa says, "to Vivasvān, the sun-god. He told to his son Manu. Manu told to his son Ikṣvāku. In this way this is coming down. Now it is broken. Therefore I am saying unto you, Arjuna."
So there is no difficulty in administering this Vedic message to the world provided we simply carry the same message as it was delivered by Kṛṣṇa unto you. That is not very difficult. Anyone can do it. You simply try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is and distribute it: "Kṛṣṇa says this." That's all. You haven't got to comment or add anything, something. But to present, you can speak something, but the central point should not be missed. Then people will be benefited. Then people will be benefited. They will receive the message as it is, and this is transcendental message.
We don't see the children. But we can conjecture, we can think, we can imagine that there are some children who are playing there. This is called anumāna.
Pratyakṣa, anumāna and aitihya, or śabda-pramāṇa. Śabda-pramāṇa means to take the truth from the highest authority. That is called śabda-pramāṇa. Just like "Man is mortal." Now, this "Man is mortal," nobody knows wherefrom this sound has come first. Who has experienced that man is mortal? But we are accepting this. We are accepting this. By tradition, we know man is mortal. Now if we, if somebody says, "Who found this truth first? Who discovered that man is mortal?" That is very difficult to say. But it is coming down. The knowledge is coming down, "Man is mortal," and we accept everything. There are so many examples. So out of these three, the Vedic knowledge, they say that this aitihya, or the knowledge received from the authority, is the most perfect.
Ātma-māyā, ātma-māyā. Ātma-māyā means He comes down as He is. He does not change His body. But we are conditioned soul. We change our body. That is the difference. And because we change our body, we forget everything. That is the difference. Tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi. Kṛṣṇa says that "I remember whatever has been done in My previous incarnations, and millions and millions of years before, I can remember them. I know past, future, present. Not only past, future, present of My activities, but past, future, present of everyone's activities." You'll find. Vedāhaṁ sama, sarvam etam. In the Tenth Chapter, you'll find that He knows past, present... And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you'll find that the definition of the Supreme Lord is given as sarva-jña. Sarva-jña.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, He descends. The Sanskrit word is avatāra. Avatāra. Avatāra, avatāra. Avatāra means who comes from higher plane down to this material world. He's called avatāra. So sometimes Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes Himself and sometimes He sends His representative also, for deliverance of the conditioned souls.
Now, now the principal religions of the world—Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, and Buddha religion—most of them believes some supreme authority or personality coming down from the kingdom of God. Just like in your Christian religion Lord Jesus Christ, he claimed to be the son of God and coming from the kingdom of God to reclaim you. So this claim of Lord Jesus Christ, we admit. We, the followers of Bhagavad-gītā, we admit this claim. So there is no difference of opinion between the followers of Hindu religion and Christian religion. In details there may be, according to country, climate and people, in details there may be difference, but that does not make any material difference.
So far devotional service is concerned, now, there are several items for offering devotional service to the Lord.
That is called sanātana nature. Sanātana means that nature never annihilates. This nature, this material nature, it is manifested at a certain time, and it remains for a certain period, and then the whole thing is dissolved again. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is manifested and again dissolved, and in, in the spiritual sky. That is the function of this material nature, there is another nature, superior nature, which is called the kingdom of God, sanātana, eternal. Yes. So from that eternal nature all these, either God or representative of God, or incarnation of God, they come down. At times. When there is necessity...
Just like the other day I explained to you, just like there is scheduled time of the appearance of the sun. In your America, just like at 4:30 a.m. in the morning, you find the sun rising, scheduled time, and again, twenty-four hours after, you'll find the sun set, sun rising. In every country, there is a scheduled time of the sun rising. Similarly, there are innumerable universes in the sky. This is one of the universe, which we are seeing. There are innumerable universes. So in one of the universes, there is some incarnation or representative of God always there. And there is scheduled time.
Why you should suffer? You are My sons." Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he also told that "I am the son of God." He's happy. So everyone, you can become similarly happy as soon as you are reinstated in your position. The whole Bhagavad-gītā is meant for convincing me, I mean to say, conditioned souls. We are conditioned. Just like, just like under awkward circumstances we are always, always conditioned life. We are not free. Some condition is there, either state condition or nature's condition or condition left by other living entity or condition laid down by my own body. So we are always in condition.
So Lord says, Kṛṣṇa says, ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā: "Although I have no business to come down here, and I am eternal..." Both of us are, the Lord and the living ent..., we are, both of us are eternal. Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. Īśvara. Why He comes? When Lord comes, He comes out of His good will. And when we come, we are forced. We have been forced to accept this body under the condition of the material nature. So when Lord comes or His representative comes, they do not accept the condition of the material nature. That is the distinction between ordinary living entity and the Supreme Lord or His representative.
Now, we are now in contact with inferior nature. That is our conditional life. We are also su... Actually, as spirit soul, we belong to the superior nature. Just like God is superior nature. Prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya. The Lord says that "I come down, I incarnate Myself in My superior nature." Svām adhiṣṭhāya. But what is our position? Although we belong to the superior nature, we have come to this material world not in superior nature, but we are in contact with the inferior nature. Therefore death takes place. Our birth and death is due to this body. The body is subject to be annihilation at a certain period, and that we accept as death. And similarly, when we accept another body and come out of the mother's womb to work here, then we call it birth. And when we give up that body and go to another to take another body, that we call death. So this birth and death is due to this inferior nature.
Although He's neutral, still, the person who is devotee, who's always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, oh, there is a special protection, special. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa declares... You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: (BG 9.31) "My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna, you can declare it in the, to the world that My devotee will be never vanquished, never be vanquished."
So here the same thing is said, that what is the mission of Lord, why does He come down. Now, that is explained here. He says, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām: "I come down, I incarnate Myself, or I send My representative only for the protection of the saintly persons, sages." And vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. Duṣkṛtām: "Of those who are miscreants, just to finish them." Lord Kṛṣṇa's mission, this was two things. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). He wanted to establish Arjuna, the five brothers, the most pious, I mean, devotees and kṣatriyas, He wanted to establish them for ruling over this world, and He wanted to vanquish the party of Duryodana. That was His mission. Two things. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, duṣkṛtām, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya.
So when Lord comes, He has three functions. He gives protection to the saintly persons. He vanquishes the, I mean to say, irresponsible or irreligious or demonic persons, and He establishes the real religion, real religion. Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. He comes down not only once, but He comes down many, many times, many, many times. Because the, this material world is such.
Now, suppose an adjustment is made, again, after some time, it will deteriorate. Just like there was first war. There was some armistice and some arrangement of peace, arrangement was made between Germany and the other party. So again the second war took place. And again, preparation is going on for a third war. So this is, world is like that. Even if you make a very good arrangement, it will gradually deteriorate. This is, this is the function of the time, kāla. Just like you, you build up a very nice house. Then, after fifty years, it deteriorates. And after hundred years, it more deteriorates.
Everyone is kissing and everyone is working. Now I am becoming old and nobody cares. You see? So this is the function of this material nature. Even if you make a very good adjustment, gradually it will glide down to the lowest status. Therefore it requires a periodical adjustment. For that reason, the Supreme Lord or His representative comes.
That is explained here that paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: (BG 4.8) "For protecting the saintly persons and for vanquishing the," I mean to say, "unfaithful unbelievers and for establishing real function of the living entities," dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge, "I come down, not only once, but many times, in many millenniums," and that is the function of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Thank you very much. Now you can ask any questions. (break)
When there is war between two parties, somebody takes part with this party, or somebody takes part, or some nation takes part with one party or another nation takes part with another nation. So here also, we see that Kṛṣṇa is taking part with Arjuna. Partiality. It appears that Kṛṣṇa is partial. So Kṛṣṇa is not partial. But it, externally, it appears that "He is partial. How He can be God?"
Now, therefore this verse is spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa. So janma karma me divyam: (BG 4.9) "My activities and My coming down to this material world is transcendental." Divyam means transcendental. It is not ordinary thing. Just like Kṛṣṇa, we observe in India the Kṛṣṇa's birthday. This month of August, by the end of August, there will be Kṛṣṇa's birthday, and every Indian home, especially the Hindus, never mind in whatever sect or division they belong, they observe Kṛṣṇa's birthday. As here in the Christian world you observe the birthday of Lord Jesus Christ, similarly... So janma... Now, here Kṛṣṇa says that "My janma, My birth..." And because there is birth, so there are some activities. Just like we have taken our birth and there are some activities. So this Kṛṣṇa's birth and Kṛṣṇa's activities are transcendental. Transcendental means they are not these material activities.
There was no battlefield of Kurukṣetra. It is imaginary," that means the Kaṁsa's program, for killing Kṛṣṇa. So we should not adopt that. That is pratikūla, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, reading Kṛṣṇa's books but trying to kill Kṛṣṇa. So this is going on. "Not to Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), and a learned scholar, commentator is saying, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa, not to the person Kṛṣṇa." This is going on. This kind of consciousness will not help us. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167).
Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes down.
Not sense gratification. But because we are materially absorbed, we think indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur (BG 3.42). Indriya. the senses, always all. To satisfy the senses that is sukh. That is happiness. And those who are a little disgusted with sense gratification, indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ (BG 3.42). They are mental speculators. They write poetries and utopian theories, "This philosophy, that philosophy." In this way they satisfy the mind. But that is also not happiness. Mental happiness. Mano-rathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ. If you become satisfied by mental happiness, then you'll have to come down again. Asato. Asato mā sad-gamaḥ. Real life is: "Don't stay in this temporary world but go to the real world, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). You'll find all these things in Bhagavad-gītā. So either on the bodily plane or on the mental plane you cannot be happy. That is not possible. But if you want to be happy then you have to come to the spiritual platform and engage in spiritual activities, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyam grāhyam (BG 6.21). Atīndriya means above the material platform of sensual and mental activities.
So artificially, the Buddha philosophy or Śaṅkara philosophy, they, artificially if you want to make it nirvāṇa, zero, that is not possible. Avyaktāsakta-cetasām... Te..., kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). Avyakta means zero, impersonal. If you become attached to simply making zero, or impersonal, that is not possible. Because we are accustomed. We are... As living beings, we want varieties. Variety is the mother of enjoyment. We cannot remain in the zero position.
You have got experience. Just like when you fly on the plane, after some hours, four, five hours, you become disgusted. You want to come down. Everyone has got this experience. Because the sky is zero, we cannot remain there more than four or five hours or six hours. We must come down. In the sea also. We have got all these experience. If you remain on the ocean for three, four days... Because it runs on. When I first went to America, I went by ship. So thirty-five days. So after four, five days, it was disgusting. As soon as we saw one island, then we became relieved. (Laughter) You see?
It is stated in the Vedic literature... (baby starts crying very loudly and Prabhupāda stops speaking for a few moments)
Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "Unless you become elevated to the position of serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, simply by impersonal Brahman realization you cannot become happy. Therefore for enjoyment..." Enjoyment means variety, the varieties of enjoyment. "You come down again to the material world." We have seen it practically. Many big, big sannyāsīs and transcendentalists, they give up this world as mithyā or false and take to sannyāsa, but after some time, again they come back to this material world for executing philanthropic activities like opening hospitals or opening schools and other philanthropic activities. It so happens because they cannot fully realize the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Person, they again come to these material persons.
Because He does not belong to any community or anything of this material world He has nothing to do. We work. Why we work? Because we want some material profit. He hasn't got to take any profit so why should He work? He says therefore that "There is no work that affects Me." But still He comes. Why? That is explained in the beginning. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). When there is discrepancies in the matter of religiosity I come down to make things all right. To set things in right order." That is His work. Go on.
I have been requested to simply translate this verse, Hindi. So... (Hindi) Intelligent, buddhimān (Hindi). The subject matter is very easy and difficult also. The example is given, just like a boy flying kite, and with that, what is called, reel, he is doing like that. But in one way the kite is coming down, and in the other way the kite is going up. And one who is seeing from outside, he sees only the boy is moving the reel. That's all.
Similarly, unless one is very intelligent, he cannot understand what is karma and akarma. That is the whole subject matter of Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna was thinking that "I am going to commit some sinful activities by killing my kinsmen, the other side, my brothers, my nephews, my master, my grandfather, my so many relatives." So he was seeing sinful activity in that fight. So long there is deliberation of sinful and pious activities, that is called karma. Karma has got two results, either suffering or enjoying. Of course, in this material world there is no enjoyment. But with the hope of enjoyment, we agree to suffer. And that is called enjoyment.
"Their intelligence is still contaminated, not purified." Aviśuddha. Then what is the result? The result is āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "After severe austerities, penances, they may come to the impersonal understanding of Your brahma-jyotir, but patanty adhaḥ, again comes to the material world."
Therefore the impersonalists, without understanding of Kṛṣṇa, even very much advanced, they do not get any occupation. They again come down to the material platform to open hospital, school, college. Why? Because the impersonalist says that this material world is false. If the material world is false, why you come down again to the false platform to open schools and hospitals? That means āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32).
That is the process, the whole Vedic process.
In the Kaṭhopaniṣad also it is said that tad-vijñānārthaṁ gurum eva abhigacchet: "If you want to understand the transcendental science, then you have to approach to a spiritual master." And who is spiritual master? Oh, nowadays everyone wants to be spiritual master. Oh, that is also mentioned, who is spiritual master. Samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham: (MU 1.2.12) "You have to approach a spiritual master who is śrotriyam and brahma-niṣṭham." Śrotriyam means who has come down from the disciplic succession, or from the Supreme. Just like we have understood in the Fourth Chapter, in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). There is a paramparā; there is disciplic succession. So one who is coming into that disciplic succession and by coming from that disciplic succession, he is firmly convinced in the Absolute, he is firmly conversant in the Absolute Truth, he is guru. Two qualifications. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena (BG 4.34).
Ultimate is the conductor of power, or the powerful. Just like electricity. Electricity is power, but it is generated from the powerhouse. People generally understand that electricity is coming from the powerhouse. But the powerhouse is maintained by the resident engineer, a person. That is real understanding. Or just like this airplane is flying in the sky. A child may see what a wonderful machine is flying in the sky. He does know the importance of the pilot. The big gigantic airship can fly in the sky so long the powerful, or one who knows how to conduct the power, pushing the button. By pushing one button, the plane goes high, and pushing another button, it comes down. It is not automatically. Any machine you take. Nowadays wonderful machine, computer. That is also handled by an expert. Any machine you take, without an expert technologist, it cannot work.
So similarly, if you go on studying the power of material nature, you'll come ultimately to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Everyone wants ānanda, and part and parcel of ānanda, Kṛṣṇa, he wants ānanda. So simply realization, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, will not stay, will not stay. Because simply knowing "I am such and such," simply knowing that "I am a millionaire," or simply knowing that "I am a big man," that will not help him. He must also have activities. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. Abhyāsāt means there must be activities. If you stop activities, there will be no ānanda. Then you will again search out where is activities. And because you have no spiritual activities, you will come down to the material activities.
So this artificial type of saṁyamāgniṣu juhvati, it may help you for the time being to stop the activities for the indriya, but that will not be permanently done. Therefore this process, that sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam... (CC Madhya 19.170). When you become free from all designation... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said—I was going to explain—that "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a śūdra, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya, I am not..." This is negation. Then what you are? Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). There is activities.
Revatīnandana: "But one who doubts the authority of Kṛṣṇa falls back. One is therefore advised to study the Bhagavad-gītā or any other scripture with a bona fide spiritual master, with service and surrender. A bone fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession from time eternal, and there is not the slightest deviation from the instruction of the Personality of Godhead as it was imparted millions of years ago to the sun-god, from whom the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā has come down to the earthly kingdom."
Prabhupāda: It is not very difficult. Just like in this Bhagavad-gītā the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that He is the Supreme, and He is advising, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: "Just try to think of Me only, always." Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: "And become My devotee." Mad-yājī: "Just worship Me." Māṁ namaskuru: "Just bow down unto Me." So simply these four processes, if one can do, He says, mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ: (BG 18.68) "Surely, without any doubt, you shall come to Me."
When you have no demand, then your mind is naturally becomes controlled. Manaḥ saṁyamya mac-cittaḥ. Now, doing all these things, the next item is mac-cittaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says mat, to transfer the whole thinking to Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. Not vacant. Mac-cittaḥ. So if that is the system of yoga, mac-cittaḥ, yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ. Mac-cittaḥ and yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ. "Always thinking of Me, or Viṣṇu. Always thinking of Me." So now, that one who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he gets the opportunity of the highest yoga system, but he hasn't got to take the trouble of the process. That is the beauty of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here the whole thing is coming down, the Lord says mac-cittaḥ. The mind should be engaged in Viṣṇu. The yogi, the real yogi, who goes to the forest, to the secluded place, he thinks of the catur-bhuja Viṣṇu. That will be explained here.
Of course, it may be stories, but I am telling you of my practical life. In 1942 there was heavy bombing in Calcutta, heavy bombing in Calcutta. By once or twice bombing, all the population vacated. Calcutta was a city of no man. But there were... Of course, many people remained there, those people who could not leave the city for some urgent or some other business. So somehow or other, I had to remain in the city, and on the 12th December, 1942, I remember, there was heavy bombing. But fortunately, we stayed perplexed.(?) He saw something, fireworks, is going on. "So let us enjoy." (laughter) You see? (makes sound of bomb coming down) Do-do-dee-dee-dong! Like that, so many bombings. So what can be done? There may be so many dangers in our life because it is the place only full of dangers. We do not know. Because we are foolish, we are trying to adjust these things. That is our foolishness.
That faith begins... In the Bhagavad-gītā, the Kṛṣṇa is creating that faith, personally. He's speaking about Himself to create your faith. Kṛṣṇa says that "You are searching after the Supreme." Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). So in this way Kṛṣṇa... Not advertising Himself, but He is presenting Himself. Because He comes down to establish real religious system. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. He has come. He came to establish real religious principle. Real religious principle means to accept the codes of Kṛṣṇa. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Nobody can create religious principle. A man cannot create. That is not possible. Any religious system which is created by man, that is not religion. Religion means what is created by God. That is religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣāt. Sākṣāt mean directly.
Therefore all the speculators, they, so-called scientists, philosophers, they put forward theories: "Perhaps," "It may be," like that. That means it is not perfect knowledge. But if we receive knowledge from the supreme perfect God, that it is actually perfect. Our process is like that.
In the Fourth Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā you will find, Kṛṣṇa says, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa said this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā first to the sun-god, and he spoke to his son Manu, he spoke to his son Ikṣvāku. In this way, disciplic succession, this Bhagavad-gītā has come down to this earthly planet, and if we accept that disciplic succession, do not unnecessarily interpret, then we understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. That is the process. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to understand the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, as He is, without any interpretation. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga. That can be achieved, as Kṛṣṇa says, always keeping center Kṛṣṇa.
In the Vedas also, it is stated that yaj jñātvā, yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you simply try to understand what is God... Not try to understand. If you understand scientifically what is God then you understand everything. Because God is everything. God is the central point of everything. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. These are the Vedic versions. "From whom all this material cosmic manifestation has come into being." In the Vedānta-sūtra it says janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Absolute Truth is that from which everything has come down. So if you understand the Absolute Truth, kasmin vijñāte, sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati, then you can understand all other departments of knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ: "Explicitly, elaborately I am saying." Yaj jñātvā, "If you understand," na iha, "in this world," anyat bhūyaḥ, "again," anyat, "anything else," jñātavyam avaśiṣyate, "there is anything remains to understand. Everything is understood."
Therefore tviṣā akṛṣṇam. Tviṣā means by complexion. So kṛṣṇa-varṇam, kṛṣṇaṁ varṇayati, iti kṛṣṇa-varṇam, or kṛṣṇa iti kṛṣṇa-varṇam, and tviṣā, by complexion, akṛṣṇa, pīta, idānīṁ pīta-varṇam. Pīta-varṇa gaura, golden avatāra. And sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. He is always surrounded by associates, specially by Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsādi. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, He is Kṛṣṇa, then Nityānanda, then Advaita, then Gadādhara, then Śrīvāsa, and many other devotees always followed. That is the life of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Wherever He went, many followers chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, plus these principal associates were with Him. Therefore sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣa... And these sāṅga upāṅga were His astra. Astra, astra means weapon.
God advents for two purposes. What are the two purposes? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). Just to give relief and deliver the devotees. The devotees are always anxious to see God, so God comes down to give relief to the devotee, being present before them. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām.
No information of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is thinking that the Absolute is imperson. Therefore, asta-bhāvāt, he has no information of the Supreme Person.
The ultimate, the last word of the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). Unless one realizes Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no question of perfection. And because one is not in complete perfection, there is chance of coming down. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has said, kaścit, kaścid vetti mām. But there is chance. If an impersonalist becomes in association with a personalist devotee, then there is chance of siddhi. Otherwise there is no chance. This siddhi, the so-called siddhi, vimukta-māninaḥ, "I have become liberated," (break) ...that he can fall down. And that we see practically. Big, big sannyāsīs—brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā—they give up this world as mithyā, but again they come to these worldly activities: opening schools, opening hospital and politics and sociology, so many things. But if it is mithyā, why you are engaged in this?
So modern civilization, everyone, mostly, they're under the bodily concept of life and they're fighting like animals, because that is animal life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa instructs at the end that "You Hindus, Muslims, Christians, this, that, kindly kick out all these conceptions of religion." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Because that is not religion. This is bodily concept of life, the business of ass and cows. "So you give up this business." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge: "I come down just to reestablish the principles of religion." What is that religion? Not this Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion. Those who are thinking that we are preaching Hindu religion—no. We are not preaching Hindu religion. Therefore while registering the association I purposely kept this name, "Kṛṣṇa Consciousness," neither Hindu religion nor Christian religion nor Buddhist religion. Kṛṣṇa does not belong to any sect. Those who are thinking that we are sectarian, they're wrong, because Kṛṣṇa does not belong to any sect. He says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu. Sarva-yoniṣu, sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ. Yoniṣu, not only human society. Yoni means forms of life, or species of life; sarva-yoniṣu.
Therefore He says, kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ: "Actually what I am, that is known to very, very few men, only to the devotees, not to the common man."
This is the idea. Kṛṣṇa is not sectarian. Kṛṣṇa is not Hindu; Kṛṣṇa is not Indian; Kṛṣṇa is not African. Kṛṣṇa is nothing of this material world. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, transcendental. Simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa, one becomes immediately liberated and goes back to Kṛṣṇa, simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). This very thing again, tattvataḥ. His activities, His coming down, His work, they're all transcendental, divyam, not ordinary. So, He's divyam, He's transcendental. If anyone knows in truth, then what happens to him? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by knowing as He is, one becomes immediately liberated. Immediately. So therefore it is said, manuṣyāṇām. Because if one would know Kṛṣṇa as He is, he'll immediately liberated. So liberation is not so cheap thing.
Just like this sputnik man, the aeronautics, they go higher and higher, twenty-five thousand or thirty thousand or hundred thousand miles away. But if they cannot take rest in some planet, they'll fall down, at once fall down again. So the rest is required. In the impersonal form the rest is uncertain, uncertain. Therefore in the Bhāgavata says that āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (SB 10.2.32). Even after so much endeavor, if he gets into the spiritual world and remains in that impersonal form, the risk is that patanty adhaḥ: he comes down again into this material world. Why? Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ, because he has neglected to serve in love and devotion the Supreme Lord.
Last day we have been discussing the, how the impersonalists, they transfer themselves in the spiritual kingdom. The yogis and the jñānīs, they are generally impersonalists. So for them, the process—at the time of death, they vibrate the transcendental sound om, oṁkāra, and by that way they transfer to the spiritual world, but they do not enter into the spiritual planet. This point we have discussed. And the risk is that if we do not have any rest in the spiritual planet, if we remain in the outer space only, then there is risk of coming down again in this material world.
The Bhāgavata confirms it:
- ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas
- tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ
- āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
- patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ
- (SB 10.2.32)
It is said that "Persons who are interested of becoming liberated," ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ, "simply by the concept of impersonal merging into the spiritual existence," so ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa, "they consider themselves that they are liberated."
It is said that "Persons who are interested of becoming liberated," ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ, "simply by the concept of impersonal merging into the spiritual existence," so ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa, "they consider themselves that they are liberated." That is also point of liberation, but the Bhāgavata says that "Although they consider themself as liberated, the aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ..." Aviśuddha means their knowledge is not very pure, not yet pure. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. The result is āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "They can rise up to the Supreme Absolute platform by their penances and austerities, meditation." That is right. They can reach to that platform. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa means "raising themselves, elevating themselves by severe penances to that platform," āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam (SB 10.2.32), the Supreme Absolute platform. But patanty adhaḥ: "They again fall down in this material world." Why? Anādṛta: "Because they have not taken seriously about Your personal feature." Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: "Without worshiping Your lotus feet, the result is that they come down again in this material world."
Just like however you may rise in this material space, five thousand feet or any, if you have no rest in any planet, then naturally you'll come down again, naturally, because you have no rest. So in the spiritual effulgence, if we do not have any rest, then we are sure to come back again down. The reason is—that I have already explained—that our life... We, as living entities, we are part and parcel of the Supreme, sac-cid-ānanda. We want pleasure. So impersonal feature does not give us that pleasure which we want, which is our demand. That pleasure is available in the spiritual planets. If you enter in any of the spiritual planets, then that spiritual happiness and exchange of pleasure you can attain. Therefore the Lord says, Kṛṣṇa, ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ: "A person without any deviation..." Ananya-cetāḥ. Without any consideration of jñāna, yoga, or any other process... Simply devotional process, simply surrendered process... "My Lord, I am Your eternal servant. Please give me Your service. Let me engage.
Who is the oldest person? Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa is..., aham sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). Na me viduḥ sura-ganaḥ (Bg 10.2). These things are there. So He is the oldest person. Ādi-puruṣam. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham bhajāmi **. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇah sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ (Bs. 5.1). He is the ādi-puruṣam; therefore purāṇaḥ-puruṣam. Purāṇaḥ means old, the oldest. Who can be older than Kṛṣṇa? Therefore the Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said that ādi-puruṣaḥ, that oldest person, Kṛṣṇa, He has come down to teach vairāgya-vidyā. Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. What is that vairāgya-vidyā? Bhakti-yoga. Our difficulty is that we have been entangled with this material world, because we have been attracted by this sense-gratification in the material world. And vairāgya vidyā means unless you become detestful, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), unless we find a better position, a better enjoyment, we cannot give it up. So this bhakti-yoga means offering the better position, better gratification, better pleasure, so that one can give up this inferior pleasure in the material world. Therefore bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-vidyā, jñāna-vairāgya. Vāsudeve. That vairāgya can be very easily achieved by bhakti-yoga vāsudeva.
As we have read in the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2): "In this way, traditionally, from the spiritual master to the student, this knowledge was imparted." The Lord said that "I imparted this knowledge first of all to the sun-god, and the sun-god imparted this knowledge to his son, Manu, and Manu imparted this knowledge to his son, Ikṣvāku." Ikṣvāku was the king of this planet. So from Ikṣvāku, this knowledge is coming down from the master, or from the father to the son, or from the master to the disciple. It is coming on. And because that disciplic succession was broken, therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa said that "I am speaking again that old system of knowledge to you, Arjuna, because you are My devotee, you are My dear friend." We have already studied this fact. So this is the way.
Now Lord Kṛṣṇa is speaking about His own devotees. So far He has spoken about the elevationists, materialist elevationists. Evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante. Repeating, repeating the same process, sometimes going up, sometimes coming down—this is the material process. Today I am the richest man, and tomorrow I may be a poverty-stricken man in the street. This is going on. As we find in this earth, so also by our pious activities we can be promoted in better planets. Then kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti (BG 9.21). And when the resultant actions of pious activities is finished, then again we are driven to this earth or down than this earth. So this is going on. Lord Caitanya said that ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151), that "This way, this cycle of different species of life, they are going on. So traveling in this way, somebody who is very fortunate, by association of devotees, he gets the seed of devotional service." Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151).
Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "If you want to learn that transcendental science, then you have to approach the bona fide spiritual master." Tad-vijñānārtham. Tat means transcendental; vijñāna means science. If you want to learn. So the Vedic literature teaches us to accept the authorized bona fide spiritual master ācārya. Kṛṣṇa is the head of all ācāryas. He is the principal ācārya. From Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā learned this Vedic literature. From Brahmā, Nārada learned this Vedic literature. From Nārada, Vyāsadeva; from Vyāsadeva, Madhvācārya. From Madhvācārya, so many. In this way the paramparā system, the ācārya system, is coming down. So we have to believe that. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). You have to follow the footprints of ācārya. Not only in the... Everywhere, the footprints of ācāryas are followed. Just like in your country you are following the footprints of Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, that is the way. Or any ācārya. Because the ācārya, they come here to teach us about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness. That is their business. They have no other business. That is bona fide ācārya. If somebody claims that "I am God," then he is fool number one. At once reject him. One who teaches about the message of God, he is ācārya.
This is all false notion. How long I shall remain here?
Therefore this is the only way, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to become perfect. Perfection means to attain spiritual life, eternity, blissful, and full of knowledge. That is waiting us. That is waiting us. Why should we refuse it? It is not a theory. Don't think that Bhagavad-gītā is something, imaginary thing. No. People have taken to it. They have practiced. They have attained success. It is coming on since a very, very long time. It was first advised to the sun-god. Then, after many, many millions of years, again, five thousand years before, it was advised to Arjuna. So it is coming down. It is accepted by all great ācāryas of India, and it is being followed, still being followed. So take it. Don't be destroyed. Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and you will be saved. You will be saved from this destruction in the material...
Suppose if I am thrown into the ocean, that is practically my destruction. I may be very good swimmer, but that is no hope. That is no hope of my life. Any moment, I can go down into the depth of the ocean. Similarly, we are struggling very hard in this material ocean of existence, simply struggling. Just like a man is trying to save himself in the Atlantic Ocean, similarly, we are also trying here.
The principle is evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). This is stated in the fourth chapter, that this Bhagavad-gītā is coming by disciplic succession from sun-god. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "I first of all instructed this yoga system of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god." The sun planet, the Vivasvān... The present ruler of the sun planet is known as Vivasvān. So Vivasvān, his son was Manu, and Manu, the father of the mankind, his son was the king, Ikṣvāku, and King Ikṣvāku was the king of this earthly planet and, from him, this paramparā system or disciplic succession is coming down. But it has broken down. Lord said to Arjuna, sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. "In course of time, that disciplic succession has now broken. Therefore I make again you as My disciple."
There are many spiritual bodies, and we are also having spiritual body, but it is now covered. But our spiritual body is also due to Kṛṣṇa. Because everything is born, everything is born. So my spiritual body is also born. It is not born exactly, but because we have no idea about the spiritual existence, therefore the cause and effect we have to take it for granted.
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?
Kṛṣṇa says, api cet su-durācāraḥ. Even though you find in some devotees some bad behavior, not standard, but because he is a devotee, he is constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore he is sādhu. Even though he has got some bad habits due to his past life, it doesn't matter. Because this will stop. Because he has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all nonsense habit will stop. The switch is off. As soon as one comes to Kṛṣṇa, the switch which impelled one to bad habits, that becomes off immediately. So just like there is heat, heating, heater, electric heater. If you make the switch off, it still remains hot, but gradually, the temperature comes down and it becomes cool.
Similarly, if you have got faith and if you try to engage yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness with association of devotees, not alone... Alone is not possible. Therefore we have established this International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Society is required. Sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Just to give opportunity to persons who have got little faith to develop that faith into Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
In this age people are short-living. Their duration of life is very, very short, so much so that at the end of this age the duration of life will come down to twenty years to thirty years. A man of twenty-five years will be considered as very old man. These are stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And there will be scarcity of food. On account of this scarcity of food, people will not grow very healthy.
It is already happening. Rice is selling seven rupees kilo, nine rupees kilo. How a poor man will eat? So the more the Kali-yuga will advance... Now we are getting ten rupees or twelve rupees or nine rupees kilo rice, but rice will not be available at all. That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because people are becoming Godless, naturally the material nature will put them into suffering. That is the laws of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, whatever knowledge they are spreading, that is perfect. Don't think the man who is spreading, he is imperfect. He may be imperfect. He is imperfect. I am imperfect. Every one of us is imperfect. But we are not spreading the imperfect knowledge because we are simply spreading what Kṛṣṇa has said. We are repeating. That's all.
So this is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, to distribute perfect knowledge, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will make the whole world happy. So try to distribute this knowledge to your best capacity. Kṛṣṇa will recognize you, that you are trying your best to work on His behalf because He comes down to distribute the knowledge. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7).
Because we are all His sons—we are suffering—so He wants to see that our sufferings are mitigated immediately. But we are obstinate. We don't accept the supreme father's advice. That is our difficulty. He says repeatedly,
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
- (BG 18.66)
But we will not accept it. This is our misfortune. So voluntarily we should try to accept the knowledge and instruction given by Kṛṣṇa. Then our life will be perfect. Thank you very much.
We must know what is the constitution of this body, who is the occupier of the body, who is the supreme occupier of this body, how they are acting, how the bodily changes are taking place and how we are suffering in this... I say purposefully, "suffering," because in the material world there is no enjoyment. It is illusion. It is only suffering. Only suffering. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This place is duḥkhālayam, simply for suffering. And if you say, "Never mind it is. I shall stay here and continue like this," then it is aśāśvatam. That also will not be allowed. You cannot stay. You have to change the position. This is material condition of life.
So Kṛṣṇa... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). He comes down to instruct us that "This sort of life, materialistic way of life, will never make you happy. You take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You surrender unto Me. Act according to My advice. Then you will be happy." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
So therefore the Vedic injunction is tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Abhigacchet, "must." Gacchet. This form of verb, vidhilin, is used when there is the meaning "must. Abhigacchet. So it is not optional that "I may go or I may not go." No. You must go. That is Vedic injunction. So here is the perfect teacher, Kṛṣṇa, real jagad-guru. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it appears in due course of time. There is a time when Kṛṣṇa appears. Everything is there in the calculation of the śāstras.
Just like we have got a fixed time for the sunrise. Everyone knows that in the morning at 6:30 there will be sunrise. That is certain. Similarly, in the śāstras there is description when Kṛṣṇa comes down, descends in this universe. In one day of Brahmā at the end of Dvāpara-yuga... Brahmā's days are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand becomes one day of Brahmā. So forty-three lakhs thousand times, add another forty-three lakhs times thousand—this is the period after which Kṛṣṇa comes.
If you don't believe, then you will be punished. That is law.
Similarly, religion means, as it is described in the English dictionary that it is a kind of faith... Faith I may accept. Suppose Hindu faith or Christian faith. So you may accept or not accept; there is no compulsion. But religion does not mean like that. Religion means you must accept. You believe or don't believe. It doesn't matter. You must accept. That is religion. And what is that religion? That religion... From Bhagavad-gītā we find, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is religion.
Why Kṛṣṇa says, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge: "I come down on this planet or in this universe for reestablishing the principles of religion"? Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. Then what is that dharma? That is not Hindu dharma or Muslim dharma or Christian dharma or this dharma or that dharma. No. Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not come down to teach a sectarian type of dharma. There is one dharma. What is that one dharma? To surrender to the orders of God. That's all. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is dharma.
Therefore sometimes He comes here to fight with the demons. (laughter) Just to get the body fit. (laughter) Yes. Therefore sometimes when there are scarcity of demons, some of the devotees, they come and become a demon. Not become demon, just Kṛṣṇa wants to fight, so without demon, how Kṛṣṇa will fight? Therefore they play the part of demon so that Kṛṣṇa—that means they want to serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wants to, just like sometimes big men they keep some wrestlers to make mock fight. Similarly, to serve Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa has desire to fight so they come down and become just like a demon and fight with Kṛṣṇa.
Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. They are Jaya and Vijaya, attendant in Vaikuṇṭha. But Kṛṣṇa wanted to fight, so therefore they came down and became demons like Hiraṇyakaśipu, Rāvaṇa and fought with Him. This is, Kṛṣṇa has all the desires. Otherwise, this fighting desire, where from we get unless it is there in Kṛṣṇa?
So before engaging yourself in devotional service to the Lord, you must first of all worship ācārya, ācāryopāsanam. One cannot become a devotee personally. Just like some rascals say, "What is the use of accepting guru?" Of course, they have got very bad experience.
But who is ācārya? Ācārya means one who has received the Vedic knowledge through the paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). He is ācārya. Ācārya cannot be manufactured, self-made. No. He must come down from the disciplic succession. He is ācārya. You have to approach such ācārya who is coming in disciplic succession. ācāryavan puruṣo veda. One who is under the shelter of ācārya, he knows things. So Kṛṣṇa recommends also here that if you actually want to become in knowledge, if you want to have real knowledge, then you must worship ācārya. Ācāryopāsanam. This is Vedic system. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12).
That is rascaldom. Just like if you think, "I shall manufacture law at my home," is it possible? Who will care for your law? If the law is enacted by the state, that is accepted. The government says, "Keep to the left." You have to accept it. You cannot say, "No, why not to the right?" Then you'll be criminal. Similarly, laws means given by the government, and dharma means which is the codes given by God. That is dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). That is religion. And Kṛṣṇa says, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge: "I come to reestablish. When people become cats and dogs without any religion, then I come down to establish religion." Because we are Kṛṣṇa's sons, we are all sons of Kṛṣṇa, He is very much anxious to see us happy. Just like father wants to see his sons, bewildered sons, to see that he is happy. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). That is also the same thing. To deliver the righteous person and to kill the demons, the same thing, because Kṛṣṇa is absolute. His maintaining the devotee and killing the demon, both of them are same thing.
Similarly we are also as good as Kṛṣṇa because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Acintya-bhedābheda. That is the philosophy of simultaneously one and different. We are one with Kṛṣṇa in the sense by quality. As Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda, eternal life, blissful life, knowledge, full of knowledge, we are also like that in minute quantity, not like Kṛṣṇa. But there is the same quality. But now we are covered by this material energy. That Kṛṣṇa is never covered. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourselves although the quality is the same.
But we are prone to be covered. But Kṛṣṇa is not prone to be covered. Otherwise, why should we take lessons from Kṛṣṇa? If He's also like one of us, then what is the use of taking knowledge from Him? There is no use. But these rascals, they think that Kṛṣṇa is like us. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because Kṛṣṇa, by His causeless mercy comes down to teach you how to take you back to home, back to Godhead, rascals think that "Kṛṣṇa is like us." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Therefore Kṛṣṇa says "All these lessons, instructions, can be assimilated, understood, by My devotee," mad-bhakta etad vijñāya (BG 13.19). "And therefore they are eligible to get back his original consciousness." Mad-bhāvāyopapadyate. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
"The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil amongst various species of life." Puruṣa. Puruṣa means enjoyer, the living entity. (aside in Hindi) Hare Kṛṣṇa. So that day I have already explained puruṣa. Puruṣa means the enjoyer. And prakṛti means enjoyed. So puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthaḥ. The living entity, although... Prakṛti-sthaḥ means this material world. The living entity, although part and parcel of God, spiritual entity, but he has come to this material world to enjoy. Anyone who is in this material world, his original cause of coming down from the spiritual platform to this material platform means he wanted to enjoy.
This is called kṣetra, working land.
Just like father gives some capital to the son: "You do some business." Now, you lose the money or increase it hundred times; that depends on you. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa has given us. We wanted to enjoy this material world, and Kṛṣṇa has given us. The first beginning body is Brahmā, very exalted body. But on account of our abominable activities, from Brahmā, we come down to become the worm of stool. This is called karma, kṣetra.
There are eight million four hundred thousand species of life, and according to our work, we get some body, some type of body. And if we work in the modes of goodness, then we get still better body in higher planetary system, long duration of life, better standard of living condition, more and more, thousand times, thousand times. Whatever comforts and facilities we have got here on this planet, if we work in the modes of goodness, then we get more and more facilities.
Actually, they are not liberated. Because aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ, their intelligence is not yet clear, therefore, even after severe austerities, penances, they come to the point of Brahman realization, because they have no realization of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they fall down. Because there is no engagement. I do not wish to name the big, big sannyāsīs of India who fell down in this way. But you know that the Māyāvādī sampradāya, they take this world as mithyā. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. If jagat is mithyā, then why you come down again for philanthropic activities, for political activities? That is called māyā. That is the last snare of māyā. Māyā dictates that "Now we have failed to become minister, to president, and so many other big, big posts. Now you become Brahman." You are already Brahman. Simply you have to realize. That's all. That is knowledge, that I am not the... Brahman realization means that "I am not this body." Because so long one identifies with this body, he is no better than animal. That is the first lesson. Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Deha and dehinaḥ. So that is preliminary knowledge of Brahman realization. But if you do not fix up in your Brahman realization... That is parā-bhakti.
Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the residents of Vaikuṇṭha are exactly like Nārāyaṇa. Sārūpya-mukti. Sālokya-mukti. Sālokya-mukti means to live in the same planets where God is living, Nārāyaṇa is living. And sārṣṭi, you acquire the same opulence as Nārāyaṇa has got opulences. And sāmīpya. Sāmīpya means to remain always with Nārāyaṇa as associates. Just like Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa has His associates. Kṛṣṇa, when He appeared on this material world, He had His eternal associates: the cowherds boys, the gopīs. They're always with Kṛṣṇa. That is called sāmīpya. They are never away from Kṛṣṇa. It is possible. Everyone can attain. Kṛṣṇa comes down on this planet to exhibit His vṛndāvana-līlā just to attract us that anyone can have the same facilities, to play with Kṛṣṇa, to talk with Kṛṣṇa. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
- itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā
- dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena
- māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa
- sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ
- (SB 10.12.11)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing the Kṛṣṇa and His friends, cowherds boys, playing together. So he is remarking that "These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they are not ordinary boys because they are playing with... Itthaṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā.
So they do not like people in divine nature. They will tolerate all kinds of noise, barking of the dogs, the motor car passing, the aeroplane on overhead. But as soon as there is kīrtana, they're disturbed. They'll tolerate so many different types of noise, but they'll not tolerate kīrtana. That is from the very beginning.
In New York, when we started this movement, so in the morning, at seven o'clock, we used to hold our class, and there was little sound. Immediately the tenants from upwards, they'll come down and complain. Sometimes they will call for police. And on the street, Second Avenue, there is always big, big trucks and motor cars going on, heavy sound. Then in your country the garbage carrier sound, the digging sound. So many sound they'll tolerate. And as soon, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," "Oh, it is intolerable." (laughter) This is demonic, the demonic. They'll not hear. Because that will do good to them by hearing, they'll not accept it.
It is practically experienced. I know that the ghost, if you go in a house ghostly haunted, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they'll go away. They cannot tolerate. In my life there was several incidences like that. In my household life, I was doing business in Lucknow. So there was one house, very big house, worth thousands of rupees' rent, but it was ghostly haunted. So nobody would take that house.
The modern scientists, philosophers, Western people, they don't accept that God is the creator of everything. And their theory of creation is the chemical composition. One gentleman has written one book, "Chemical Evolution." They think that chemical combination is the cause of life. So the asuras' theory of creation is aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ kim anyat kāma-haitukam. It is a chance theory, but we don't accept. We are preaching against them, writing books against them. We are challenging this atheistic theory of creation. So this asuric... The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is against the asuras. Every time, always, Kṛṣṇa also comes down to kill the asuras. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). (break) Asuras cannot flourish by their atheistic theory. Unless one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he has to be put into the different types of asuric yoni to suffer in this material world. And if we continue this Godless civilization, Kṛṣṇa says here,
- tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān
- saṁsāreṣu narādhamān
- kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān
- āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu
- (BG 16.19)
He keeps them always put into this asuric yoni, everlastingly forgetting the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and suffer in this material world. So so long we remain in the asuric tendency, then we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa.
Suppose in next life I become some demigod like Lord Brahmā or the Moon or the Sun. They are all demigods. Or Vāyu, Varuṇa. The Vaiṣṇava says, "No, we don't want this." Because either you become Rockefeller or Ford in this life and next life the king of Moon planet or Sun planet or in any way, up to the Brahmā planet, Brahmaloka, Lord Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna: (BG 8.16) "My dear Arjuna, by your endeavor, even you become promoted to the highest position of this material world, still, you have to die, and again—either come down or remain there—there will be change of body." Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). "So why should you be implicated in these material activities? Try to come to Me, back to home, back to Godhead. Then you'll haven't got to return again in this material world. That is the highest perfection." So this is called brahma-jijñāsā. By inquiring about Brahman one can understand that "Even if I go to the topmost planet of this material world, the four principles of miseries—birth, death, old age and disease—there is."
| Page Title: | Coming down (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Mayapur, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 09 of Oct, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=82, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 82 |