So there must be a section of the learned. There must be a section of the administrators, kṣatriyas. There must be a section, productive. (aside:) It is... It is disturbing me... And there must be a section, worker. So cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society must be divided... By natural way, it is divided: the intelligent class, the administrator class, the productive class, and the worker class. And they should cooperate. Then the society's perfect. The same example: Just like in your body you have got divisions, the head division, the arms division, the belly division and the leg division. It is not that leg is less important than the head. But leg is... Head is most important. Without head, the arms, the belly, or the leg cannot work. So there should be cooperation. But the division must be there. This is the vision of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa conscious persons. They do not say it is false. They utilize everything for the purpose of Kṛṣṇa.
Divide (Lectures, Other)
Lectures
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
"This day, I must kill Arjuna. Either Kṛṣṇa will have to break His promise..." Kṛṣṇa promised that He'd not take any weapon in the battle; He should remain neutral. Because both sides, they were relatives. So it is not good to take part partially in one party and neglect other. Of course, it was divided... Kṛṣṇa divided Himself, His soldiers, one side, and Kṛṣṇa, one side. He said, Duryodhana and Arjuna, that "I shall remain neutral, but I am dividing My strength in this way. One side, I am, and one side, My soldiers." So Duryodhana thought that "What shall I do with Kṛṣṇa? Better take His soldiers." So he took the soldiers in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. And Arjuna said that "I want You." Just like the same thing happened in general politics also. When Gandhi started the movement, noncooperation movement, so he selected some very big men of India, big, big lawyers like C. R. Das, Motilal Nehru.
Pradyumna: (reading) "...divided into four parts, just as the ocean is sometimes divided into four parts, and there are different sections within each of these four divisions. Originally in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, the ocean is divided like the watery ocean into east, west, north, and south, while the sub-sections within these different divisions are called waves. As in the ocean, there are always different waves, either on the eastern side, the western side, the northern side, or the southern side, so similarly Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu has different waves. In the first part there are four waves, the first being a general description of devotional service. The second concerns the regulative principles for executing devotional service and the third wave is devotional service in ecstasy. In the fourth is the ultimate goal, love of God. These will be explicitly described, along with their different symptoms. The authorized description of bhakti, or devotional service..."
Prabhupāda: Caitanya Mahāprabhu compared bhakti as the, a great ocean. So when He was speaking before Rūpa Gosvāmī, He said that "It is just like a ocean. So I'll take a drop of it, and you taste it, and you'll understand what is this ocean." Just like by tasting one drop of sea water we can understand the taste of the whole ocean, similarly Caitanya Mahāprabhu described a small portion of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Bhakti rasa amṛta. Bhakti, devotional service, there is a rasa, taste, and the taste is amṛta, eternal.
Pradyumna: Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is divided into four parts, just as the ocean is sometimes divided into four parts, and there are different sections within each of these four divisions. Originally, in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, the ocean is divided like the watery ocean to east, west, north and south, while the subsections within these different divisions are called waves. As in the ocean there are always different waves, either on the eastern side, the western side, the northern side, or the southern side, so similarly, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu...
Prabhupāda: That Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, the Sanskrit word... We have short cut the translation, Nectar of Devotion, but the, Rūpa Gosvāmī's purpose is to present the ocean of bhakti-rasa. Rasa means mellow. The juice. It is just like ocean. This ocean has limitation, but that is unlimited. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said this ocean is increasing. Now, this material ocean, it has got limit. It cannot increase unlimitedly. That is not possible. Otherwise, how you could build these houses on the beach?
This is also material thinking. Thinking in a negative way. But they have no knowledge, that if God has body, but that is completely spiritual. It has nothing to do with the material body. They cannot think of spiritual body. So the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is teaching people how you can enjoy in the ocean of blissfulness. That is bhaktir avatāra. So Rūpa Gosvāmī is dividing. Just like the sea has got east, west, north, south, similarly, he is dividing the ocean of nectarine in four divisions, and as there are waves in the ocean, so there are different chapters. That means he's dividing the Bhakti-rasāmṛta book in four parts, and in each part there are different chapters. That is the conclusion. Go on.
Pradyumna: (reading) "...may be divided into two classes: one class may be for achieving a certain goal, and the other may be for avoiding some unfavorable circumstances. In Sanskrit these activities are called pravṛtti and nirvṛtti, positive and negative action. There are many examples of negative action. For example, a diseased person has to be cautious and take medicine in order to avoid some unfavorable illness. Those who are cultivating spiritual life and executing devotional service are always engaged in activity. Such activity can be performed with the mind or with the, with the body or with the mind. Thinking, feeling and willing are all activities of the mind, and when we will do something, the activity comes to be manifest by the gross bodily senses. Thus, in our mental activities, we should always try to think of Kṛṣṇa and try to plan how to please Him, following in the footsteps of the great ācāryas and the personal spiritual master. There are activities of the body, activities of the different senses, and activities of speech. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person engages his words in preaching the glories of the Lord. This is called kīrtana. And by his mind a Kṛṣṇa conscious person always thinks of the activities of the Lord as He is speaking on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra or engaging in His various pastimes at Vṛndāvana with His devotees. In this way, one can always think of the activities and pastimes of the Lord. This is the mental culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not inactivity. This we have discussed yesterday. Actually the activity is being influenced by the soul. But it is being expressed through intelligence, mind and body. The activities are coming from the spiritual platform, but because it is now contaminated by the material coverings, the activities are not very adjusted. Diseased activities. The thinking, feeling, and willing... This thinking, feeling, and willing now polluted on account of material coverings. Therefore we have to revert to the thinking, feeling, and willing by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As it is explained here, that we shall always think of Kṛṣṇa's activities, we shall always feel for satisfying Kṛṣṇa, and we shall always will to enact as He desires.
So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Supreme Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, has got innumerable, multi-energies. Out of that, learned scholars, devotees, they have divided the whole energy into three, external, internal, and marginal. So the living entities, they are production of the marginal energy. The living entity is energy, prakṛti. Not the puruṣa. Puruṣa is Kṛṣṇa. We are all prakṛtis, all living entities. Prakṛti means predominated, and puruṣa means predominator. Just like we see, ordinarily, husband and wife, the husband is predominator and the wife is predominated. Although there is no difference between husband and wife. They are one, divided into two. Similarly, prakṛti and puruṣa, they are one. They are not two.
Pradyumna: "The impersonalists sometimes misunderstand devotional service in such a way that they divide Kṛṣṇa from His paraphernalia and pastimes. For example, the Bhagavad-gītā is spoken on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and the impersonalists say that although Kṛṣṇa is of interest, the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra isn't. The devotees, however, also know that the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra by itself has nothing to do with their business, but in addition they know that 'Kṛṣṇa' does not mean just Kṛṣṇa alone. He is always with His associates and paraphernalia."
Prabhupāda: There are so-called pseudo devotees. They say, "What we have to do with Bhagavad-gītā?" They think that they are so advanced that they will jump over immediately to the Kṛṣṇa's rasa-līlā. That means Kṛṣṇa's līlā in the Kurukṣetra is not very much important for them. But no. Kṛṣṇa's līlā, either in the Kurukṣetra or in Vṛndāvana, the same thing. We should know. Abhinnatvād nāma-nāminoḥ. So better, first of all, read Bhagavad-gītā, the preliminary study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Try to read, or try to learn. Of course, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is everything. But for ordinary persons, because Bhagavad-gītā is the ABCD of spiritual knowledge... People even commit mistakes in studying the ABCD of spiritual knowledge. People have become so much degraded that they cannot understand even ABCD of spiritual knowledge. They'll make their own interpretation.
Acyutānanda: " 'Happiness In Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.' Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has analyzed the different sources of happiness. He has divided happiness into three categories, which are (1) happiness derived from material enjoyment, (2) happiness derived by identifying oneself with the Supreme Brahman, and (3) happiness derived from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the Tantra-śāstra, Lord Śiva speaks to his wife, Satī, in this way: 'My dear wife, a person who has surrendered himself at the lotus feet of Govinda and who has thus developed pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be very easily awarded all the perfections desired by the impersonalists; and beyond this, he can enjoy the happiness achieved by the pure devotees.' "
Prabhupāda: Go on.
Prabhupāda: Read, "in Kṛṣṇa consciousness..."
Pradyumna: " 'Happiness In Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.' Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has analyzed the different sources of happiness. He has divided happiness into three categories, which are (1) happiness derived from material enjoyment, (2) happiness derived by identifying oneself with the Supreme Brahman, and (3) happiness derived (through) from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the tantra-śāstra, Lord Śiva speaks to his wife, Satī, in this way: 'My dear wife, a person who has surrendered himself to the lotus feet of Govinda and who has thus developed pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be very easily awarded all the perfections desired by the impersonalists; and beyond this, he can enjoy the happiness achieved by the pure devotees.' Happiness derived from pure devotional service is the highest because it is eternal. But the happiness derived from material perfection or understanding oneself to be Brahman is inferior because it is temporary.
Pradyumna: "Here is a general description of devotional service given by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Previously it has been stated that devotional service can be divided into three categories—namely, devotional service in practice, devotional service in ecstasy, and devotional service in pure love of God. Now Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī proposes to describe devotional service in practice. Practice means employing our senses in some particular type of work. Therefore devotional service is practice means utilizing our different sensory organs in service to Kṛṣṇa. Some of the senses are meant for acquiring knowledge, and some are meant for executing the conclusions of our thinking, feeling and willing. So practice means employing both the mind and the senses in practical devotional service. This practice is not for developing something artificial. For example, a child learns or practices to walk. This walking is not unnatural. The walking capacity is there originally in the child, and simply by a little practice he walks very nicely. Similarly..."
Prabhupāda: Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya. Not that by practicing something external, not natural, we become accustomed. That is also sometimes there. But this devotional service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is not that type of practice. It is there already. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabu naya. Not actually by artificial prac... It is there. Śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya. It is to be awakened.
Devotee: "Here is a general description of devotional service given by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Previously, it has been stated that devotional service can be divided into three categories—namely devotional service in practice, devotional service in ecstasy, and devotional service in pure love of God. Now Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī proposes to describe devotional service in practice. Practice means employing our senses in some particular type of work. Therefore devotional service in practice means utilizing our different sensory organs in service to Kṛṣṇa. Some of the senses are meant for acquiring knowledge and are..., and some are meant for executing the conclusions of our thinking, feeling and willing. So practice means employing both the mind and the senses in practical devotional service. This practice is not for developing something artificial. For example, a child learns or practices to walk. This walking is not unnatural. The walking capacity is there originally in the child, and simply by a little practice he walks very nicely. Similarly, devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the natural instinct of every living entity. Even uncivilized men like the aborigines offer their respectful obeisances to something wonderful exhibited by nature's law, and they appreciate that behind some wonderful exhibition or action there is something supreme. So this consciousness, though lying dormant in those who are materially contaminated, is found in every living entity. And, when purified, this is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Prabhupāda: This obedience, the sense of obedience to higher authorities, to love somebody, these propensities are there in everyone. Even a child, we have seen, when there is saṅkīrtana, they also clap their hands. They also try to dance. This is natural. So this has to be little organized. That is called practice. Otherwise the things are there, dormant. Sometimes by bad association that dormant propensities are cut down. They forget. The present situation is like that.
The great saint Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, although a responsible king, fixed his mind on Kṛṣṇa, and similarly anyone who tries to fix his mind in this way will very rapidly make progress in successfully reviving his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now this sādhana-bhakti, or practice of devotional service, can also be divided into two parts. The first part is called regulative principles. One has to follow these different regulative principles by the order of the spiritual master, or on the strength of authoritative scriptures, and there can be no question of refusal. That is called vaidhi, or regulated. One has to do it without any argument. Another part of sādhana-bhakti is called rāgānugā. Rāgānugā refers to the point at which, by following the regulative principles, one becomes a little more attached to Kṛṣṇa and executes devotional service out of natural love. For example, a person engaged in devotional service may be ordered to rise early in the morning and offer ārātrika, which is a form of Deity worship.
When he gets this attachment he automatically tries to decorate the Deity and prepare different kinds of dresses and thinks of different plans to execute his devotional service nicely. Although it is within the category of practice, this offering of loving service is spontaneous.
So the practice of devotional service, sādhana-bhakti, can be divided into two parts—namely, regulative and spontaneous. Rūpa Gosvāmī defines the first part of devotional practice, or vaidhi-bhakti, as follows: 'When there is no attachment or no spontaneous loving service to the Lord, and one is engaged in the service of the Lord simply out of obedience to the order of the spiritual master or in pursuance of the scriptures, such obligatory service is called vaidhi-bhakti.' These principles of vaidhi-bhakti are also described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Second Canto, First Chapter, verse 35, where Śukadeva Gosvāmī instructs the dying Mahārāja Parīkṣit as to his course of action.
Pradyumna: "Now this sādhana-bhakti, or practice of devotional service, can also be divided into two parts. The first part is called regulative principles. One has to follow these different regulative principles by the order of the spiritual master or on the strength of authoritative scriptures."
Prabhupāda: Yes. The regulative principles means that you don't manufacture anything. Regulative principle means authorized—as they are mentioned in the authorized scriptures and as it is confirmed by the spiritual master. Because we do not know. When it is confirmed by the spiritual master, yes, it is right. Sādhu guru, sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, tinete kariyā aikya. The same statement of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. Sādhu, principles which are followed, sādhu-mārga-anugamanam. We cannot follow asādhu-mārga. We must follow sādhu-mārga. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We cannot follow an upstart, manufacturing some song, manufacturing some ideas. We cannot follow that. What is authorized song, we shall sing. What is authorized method, we shall follow. Sādhu-guru-śāstra-vākya. Sādhu and guru means on the basis of śāstra.
Prabhupāda: (Hindi)
Pradyumna: "Although it is within the category of practice, this offering of loving service is spontaneous. So the practice of devotion, the practice of devotional service, sādhana-bhakti, can be divided into two parts—namely, regulative and spontaneous."
Prabhupāda: Hmm. Go on.
Pradyumna: "Rūpa Gosvāmī defines the first part of devotional service, or vaidhi-bhakti, as follows: 'When there is no attachment or no spontaneous loving service to the Lord, and one is engaged in the service of the Lord simply out of obedience to the order of the spiritual master or in pursuance of the scriptures, such obligatory service is called vaidhi-bhakti.' These principles of vaidhi-bhakti..."
Prabhupāda: Neither attachment nor detachment. That is the primary stage. One has no very much attachment in the material affairs, but at the same time, he has no strong detach..., attachment for devotional service. This marginal state is called, what is that? Vaidhi-bhakti. Means he is offering devotional service under the instruction of the spiritual master as a professional.
They occupied the land of America by killing the Red Indians, and now they are claiming proprietor, and there is immigration department: "Nobody can come here. It is our land." This is going on. The first thing is stolen property, everyone. There is another story. A group of thieves stolen some things, and when they were dividing, one of them: "Kindly, morally divide. Morally divide. Honestly divide." The thing is taken dishonestly, and they are dividing honestly. This is going on, whole world. Everything is taken dishonestly, and when there is question of division, the United Nations honestly divides it. The association of the honest men, United Nations. All plunderers, rogues, thieves, and they have made an association, United Nations. You see. Basically they're all rogues and thieves. As soon as there is opportunity, they'll commit all criminal activities. And they're doing. So this is not philosophy. So here happiness by material possession is the happiness of the rogues and the thieves.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
"This is not for Me." That was Caitanya Mahāprabhu's humbleness. But the devotees know that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combination of Śrī Caitanya... Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu means Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa combined. In the beginning there is Kṛṣṇa, and then Kṛṣṇa divided into two, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And then again combined, that is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
- rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād
- ekātmānāv api (bhuvi purā) deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau
- caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptam...
- (CC Adi 1.5)
So the Gosvāmī's siddhānta, that Kṛṣṇa is one. There is no rivalry with Kṛṣṇa. God is one. Eka-brahma dvitīya nāsti. There cannot be many Gods. So when God, Kṛṣṇa, wants to enjoy His pleasure potency, that is Rādhārāṇī. So He manifests Himself, manifests His energy... His energy and He, there is no difference. Śakti-śaktimator abhedaḥ. The śāstra says śakti and the śaktimat—means one who possesses the śakti (śakti means power, potency)—they are equal.
This Pañca-tattva. This Pañca-tattva will be explained in this chapter. That is the proposal of the author. Guru-tattva kahiyāchi ebe pāñcera vicāra. Consideration of the five. So although the Absolute Truth is one, He expands in His various features. That has been divided in Caitanya Mahāprabhu's practical exposition of tattva-vicāra, in six: five personal, and the guru is also representative. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair **. Guru is also expansion of Hari for the benefit of the conditioned soul. For the benefit of the conditioned soul, He is within everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So He's trying to teach us from within and He sends His representative for preaching without.
Pradyumna: Translation: "Spiritually there are no differences between these five tattvas, for on the transcendental platform everything is absolute. Yet there are also varieties in the spiritual world, and in order to taste these spiritual varieties one should distinguish between them." (CC Adi 7.5)
Prabhupāda: Pañca-tattva. The Absolute Truth is divided into five subject matter of relishing transcendental mellow. Advaya-jñāna, without any difference. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam: (SB 1.2.11) Asolute Truth is one, but still, there are varieties, transcendental varieties. Just like Brahman, impersonal Brahman; and Paramātmā, localized aspect of the Supreme Lord, Paramātmā; and Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead—they are one. There is no difference. Brahman is not different from Bhagavān, and Bhagavān is not different from Brahman. Bhagavān is addressed by Arjuna as Parabrahman.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's challenge is that Absolute Truth has got multi-energies. That is also stated in the Upaniṣads: parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Absolute Truth has multi-energies, innumerable energies. And such energies have been divided into three divisions. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva..., na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. Why He has to do? Because His energies are working. Therefore, He has energy. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā: (BG 9.4) "The whole universe in its avyakta-mūrti, nonmanifested form, I am." Ahaṁ tatam idaṁ sarvam. Aham. "But at the same time, aham is there." Aham means "I." And the word avyakta is there, "nonmanifest." So Kṛṣṇa is manifest. Then what is this nonmanifest? The nonmanifest is the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Mayā tatam idam. "By Me." If I say... I have got a big business, big factory.
That "Kṛṣṇa has got, by nature, innumerable energies, and they are divided into three: cit śakti and bahiraṅga śakti, antaraṅga śakti, and tatasta śakti." All the... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva. All the śaktis, or energies, they are summarized in three divisions. One is called spiritual energy, and the other is called material energy, and the rest is called marginal energy. In the Bhagavad-gītā these three energies are stated. Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). "These eight kinds of energies are My separated energies." How separated energies? Try to understand what is separated energy. Just like in the tape record, I sing or speak, it is recorded. But when the tape record plays, I do not speak, I do not sing, but it is my energy. It is working. That is separated energy. And when I speak directly, that is not separated energy. That is also the same thing. So they are from Kṛṣṇa, the whole material... Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). "Everything is created from Me. I am the creator of everything." How He is creator? This bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ buddhir mano...
Then he offered him one dhotī. Dhotī, in India, they use dhotī, about five yards, one dhotī. So he offered that dhotī, old clothing, and he divided into bahirvāsa and kaupīna, underwear and outward clothing.
- mahārāṣṭrīya dvije prabhu milāilā sanātane
- sei vipra tāṅre kaila mahā-nimantraṇe
Then again one Maharastrian brāhmaṇa also met him. He also invited him that "Next day, you please come to my place."
So there are many energies, and all the energies now aggregated divide into three. One is cit-śakti, the spiritual energy; another is jīva-śakti, the marginal energy. Jīva-śakti... We are marginal energy. We are śakti; we are not śaktimān. You must always remember. Jīva-bhūtaḥ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhārya... Para prakṛti. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām, jīva-bhūta. Jīva is parā prakṛti. It is prakṛti. The other day I have already explained. It is not puruṣa. Puruṣa is enjoyer, and prakṛti is enjoyed, predominated. Prakṛti is predominated and God is predominator. So all these śaktis are under, fully under control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). In another place:
He has divided the whole energy of Kṛṣṇa into three: cit-śakti, jīva-śakti, and māyā-śakti. So the evidence is quoted from śāstra, Viṣṇu-Purāṇa, that viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā. Originally the Kṛṣṇa's energy is cit-śakti. Cit-śakti means spiritual energy, originally. Everything... Just like the sun and the sunshine. The sunshine originally shining, but when it is covered by cloud it is not shining. Within the cloud the real sunshine is there. So this material energy means it is covered by ignorance. This is the difference between spiritual energy and material energy. There is no two energies. Energy is one: viṣṇu-śakti parā proktā. That is parā, spiritual energy. Kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā. Kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā. Kṣetrajña means jīva-śakti, one who knows kṣetra and kṣetrajña. This subject matter is there in the Thirteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānam. So when Arjuna inquired, kṣetra-jñam, Kṛṣṇa replied, idaṁ śarīraṁ kṣetram abhidhīyate: "This body is kṣetra, and one who knows this body..." Just like I say, "It is my body," so I am kṣetrajña.
Others are calling "father," so he also calls "father." There is no evidence. There is no study. Similarly, the Vedic knowledge was coming by hearing. There was no need of book. But when this age, Kali-yuga, began, five thousand years before, they were recorded, and systematically... Vedas, first there was only one Veda, Atharva Veda. Then Vyāsadeva, just to make it clear, divided into four and entrusted his various disciples to take charge of one school of Veda. Then again he made Mahābhārata, Purāṇas, just to make the Vedic knowledge understandable by the common man in different ways. But the principle is the same.
So Lord Caitanya says the purpose of Veda is... Veda-śāstra kahe-'sambandha'. Sambandha. What is our relation? Our relation is, as Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So the relation with God is that we are... Everything is born out of the energy of God. So we are also born... Therefore we say God, "Father."
That is denied here. Na sādhayati māṁ yogaḥ na sāṅkhya. Sāṅkhya means just discriminate what is spirit and what is matter. That is called sāṅkhya. Samyak khyāpayate.
So by philosophical speculation this process is... Now, what is that philosophical speculation? What is this material world? They are divided into twenty-four parts, this material world. What are those? Now, the first thing is that what we see, the five material elements, the earth, water, fire, air, ether. These are material elements. These are studied. Then finer than the ether is the mind, then finer than the mind is the intelligence, and finer than the intelligence... Mana, buddhi, ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra means ego, ego, false conception, that "I am this matter." These are eight elements. Then your senses, five working senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses... Just like our eyes, ears, tongue, hand—all these five senses, they are acquiring knowledge.
Therefore the living entities are called marginal potency. So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Although the energies of the Supreme Lord are innumerable—nobody can count or measure—but they are divided into three.
- vaikuṇṭha, brahmāṇḍa-gaṇa-śakti-kārya haya
- svarūpa-śakti śakti-kāryera-kṛṣṇa samāśraya
Now, Lord Caitanya says, Vaikuṇṭha. Just like this universe is a jagad-aṇḍa, is a big round ball, aṇḍa. Aṇḍa means egglike, just like egg is round. Therefore it is called brahmāṇḍa. It is a round ball. Every planet is round, and the universe is also round, and the Vaikuṇṭhas are also round, all round. Vaikuṇṭha, brahmāṇḍa-gaṇa-śakti-kārya haya. So all these universes, the universe which we experience... There are innumerable universes that we cannot see. We can see only one universe, and in one universe there are innumerable planets. Similarly, there are innumerable universes, and in each universe there are innumerable planets. This information we get from Brahma-saṁhitā.
That tad-ekātma, almost the same, that is also divided into two: svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa.
- prābhava-vaibhava-bhede vilāsa-dvidhākāra
- vilāsera vilāsa-bheda-ananta prakāra
prābhava-vilāsa-vāsudeva, saṅkarṣaṇa
pradyumna, aniruddha—mukhya cāri-jana
Now, the prābhava manifestation, four, They are called Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna. These four names are there.
vraje gope-bhāva rāmera, pure kṣatriya-bhāvana
varṇa-veśa-bheda, tāte 'vilāsa' tāṅra nāma
- vaibhava-prakāśe āra prābhava-vilāse
- eka-i mūrtye baladeva bhāva-bhede bhāse
These are all technical terms. You just go on hearing. But if you want to have them minutely studied, then you have to take a note from this book. And of course, it is necessary, but gradually, when you are conversant with the features of Lord, these things will come automatically. Just let us hear how many forms are there, prābhava-vilāsa, and their technical names.
Now these prābhava-vilāsa forms, four-handed, They are also divided into different names according to the different months. Just like your calendar month is called January, February, March, April, May, June, and in India the calendar months are named as Vaiśākha, Jyaiṣṭha, Āṣāḍha, Śrāvaṇa, Bhādra, Āśvina, similarly, according to the Vaiṣṇava smṛti, there are the spiritual... These names, calendar months, they are according to the situation of the sun. Similarly, in the spiritual world the twelve months are named according to the different features of the Lord. And they are described here:
Vāsudeva, according to the symbolic representation of the hands, They are differently named. Vāsudeva is divided into three: Keśava, Nārāyaṇa, Mādhava. Similarly, Saṅkarṣaṇa is divided into three: Govinda, Viṣṇu, Śrī Madhusūdana. Similarly, Pradyumna is divided into three: Trivikrama, Vāmana, Śrīdhara. Similarly, Aniruddha is divided into three: Hṛṣīkeśa, Padmanābha, Dāmodara. So all these, three into four, twelve, They are named in different months. Mārga-śīrṣe keśava. Mārga-śīrṣe means October. In the month of October He is known as Keśava. Then November, not exactly November, October, November. November, Keśava; and December, Nārāyaṇa. And then January, Mādhava. Then Govinda. Just take twelve names. Govinda, then Viṣṇu, then Madhusūdana, then Trivikrama, then Vāmana, then Śrīdhara, then Hṛṣīkeśa, then Padmanābha, then Dāmodara. Similarly, we have got dvādaśa tilaka. The same names are there. Lalāṭe keśavaṁ dhyāyet. When dvādaśa tilakas are made, these twelve names are remembered. Lalāṭe keśavaṁ nārāyaṇam athodare: Nārāyaṇa on the belly.
Of course, these are very technical. It may be not very interesting, but there are similar names of Kṛṣṇa-Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa—and how they are divided, it is an artistic... The Vāsudeva name, the four hands... How you can distinguish? The four hands you will find everywhere, and the symbolic representation in the hand, that lotus flower, club, and the wheel, and the conchshell. Now, according to the different position of these four symbolic representation, the name are different. Just like Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva, He takes the club in the first right hand and then the conchshell in the second right hand and then left, the upper left hand, wheel, and the lower left hand, lotus flower. Similarly, Saṅkarṣaṇa, there is change. So different change... Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Keśava, Nārāyaṇa, Śrī Mādhava, Govinda, Viṣṇu-mūrti, Madhusūdana, Trivikrama, Śrī Vāmana, Śrīdhara, Hṛṣīkeśa, Padmanābha, Dāmodara, Puruṣottama, Śrī Acyuta. Śrī Acyuta, (aside:) Acyutānanda. Śrī Acyuta, Śrī Nṛsiṁha, Śrī Janārdana, Śrī Hari, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Adhokṣaja, Upendra, Hayaśīrṣa. In this way there are different names. How many names we can remember? He is unlimited. His names are unlimited. His expansions are unlimited.
Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu there is expansion of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu the Paramātmā, or the expansion of Supersoul in every living entity, that is expanded. Then His incarnation. The incarnation, that is also innumerable. Principally the incarnations are avatāra haya kṛṣṇa ṣaḍ-vidha prakāra.
Generally the incarnations are divided into six divisions. What are they? Puruṣāvatāra eka, first puruṣāvatāra; second, līlāvatāra; third, guṇāvatāra; and fourth, manvantarāvatāra; and fifth, yugāvatāra; and sixth, śaktyāveśāvatāra. This is very important. This is very important. There are incarnations, six kinds of incarnations. This may be noted. First, puruṣāvatāra. Purusāvatāra, these Viṣṇus, three Viṣṇu-Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu—They are called puruṣāvatāras. God sometimes manifests Himself as incarnation of fish, incarnation of hog, incarnation of lion, incarnation of Rāma. Rāma is also puruṣāvatāra, I mean to say, līlāvatāra, Rāma. So līlāvatāra, then guṇāvatāra.
Now, the first avatāra, first incarnation, is the puruṣāvatāra. He divides Himself into three. This is stated in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
- viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi
- puruṣākhyāny atho viduḥ
- ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ
- dvitīyaṁ tv aṇḍa-saṁsthitam
- tṛtīyaṁ sarva-bhūta-sthaṁ
- tāni jñātvā vimucyate
Tāni jñātvā vimucyate. Now, in the Bhagavad-gītā you have read that,
- janma karma me divyaṁ
- yo jānāti tattvataḥ
- tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
- naiti mām eti kaunteya
- (BG 4.9)
Anyone who understands about the appearance and disappearance of God or His incarnation, simply by understanding this, one is liberated. And that person who understands, after quitting this material body, no more he comes here, but he goes back to Godhead to become one of His associates.
Now, Kṛṣṇa has immense potencies, which are divided into three. What is that? Icchā-śakti, kriyā-śakti, jñāna-śakti. Icchā-śakti means His potency, whatever He wishes, that can be done, icchā. Kriyā-śakti: then activity, kriyā-śakti. And jñāna-śakti, knowledge, knowledge. In the Vedic literature it is said, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Just like one potency is working, producing flowers, producing flowers. We are seeing that a flower is being produced automatically, so nicely scented, so nicely colored. But because we are fools, therefore we think it is being produced automatically. No. It is produced by the kriyā-śakti, by the active potency of God, kriyā-śakti. Jñāna-śakti: and there is such perfect knowledge that nobody can see any defect. You see a butterfly, how it is nicely painted. You just see duplicate in both the wings. Just like an artist paint nicely, it is painted. So we think it is coming out of nothing. This is our foolishness. Here is, that it is coming out of the jñāna-śakti. But His jñāna is so wide that simply by His desire, simply by His will, it can be executed.
This material energy is divided into two: pradhāna and upādāna. Pradhāna and upādāna. The whole, total material energy is called pradhāna, and the material elements are called ingredients, upādāna.
- sei puruṣa māyā-pāne kare avadhāna
- prakṛti kṣobhita kari' kare vīryera ādhāna
Now, in the Bhagavad-gītā you have read that mahad-yonir mahad-brahma tāsām... It is stated there that ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I implement the seeds of living entities into the matter." So in the matter the living, the seeds of living entities, as we are, they are impregnated. As the father impregnates the mother, similarly, this material nature is just like mother, and therefore material nature is worshiped as mother, goddess, mother goddess, Durgā, Kālī. Yes. And this worship of the country, nationalism, that is also the same matter—worship. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). So, so long we are not enlightened, we are worshiper of this matter, energy. And when we are advanced in knowledge, then we are worshiper of the Supreme. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means advanced stage of knowledge. It is not in the material platform.
Prabhupāda: Four billion...
Rūpānuga: ...three hundred million.
Prabhupāda: 4,300,000,000. That's all right. Within that 4,300,000,000's divide into fourteen. That is the duration of one Manu. Four billion, three hundred millions divide into fourteen. That will make... That one part is the duration of a Manu.
So anyway, fourteen Manus are taking place in one day of Brahmā.
- brahmāra eka-dine haya caudda manvantara
- ei caudda avatāra tāhāṅ karena īśvara
They are also incarnation of the Supreme Lord. Caudda eka dine, māse cāri-śata biśa. If in one day of Brahmā there are fourteen Manus, then in one month of Brahmā it comes to cāri-śata, 420. Thirty days a month. So 420 Manus in one month of Brahmā. Brahmāra vatsare pañca-sahasra calliśa. Similarly, in one year of Brahmā there is 5,040 Manus in one year, and he lives for hundred years. So 5,040 Manus in one year. Now hundred. So 5,040 plus two zeroes. So it comes to pañca-lakṣa cāri-sahasra manvantarāvatāra. Pañca-lakṣa means fifty millions. Not fifty millions. Ten millions a lakṣa. That means five millions and four thousands of Manus are there in one Brahmā's life.
Now, there are four yugas. Each yuga is divided into four: Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. This is the Kali, this age we are passing. Similarly, these four yugas, such thousand four yugas, when passed away, then one twelve hours of Brahmā is finished, when such thousand four yugas passes away. So satya-tretā-dvāpara-kali-yugera gaṇana. So each yuga is divided into four. Satya-yuga is about eighteen lakhs. Eighteen lakhs means 1,800,000's of years. That is Satya-yuga, 1,800,000's. And the next yuga, Tretā, is 1,200,000's of years; and the next yuga, Dvāpara, 800,000's of years; and this Kali-yuga is 400,000's of years, 432,000's of years. Out of that, five thousands of years we have already passed. Now, there is balance: 427,000 years, there is balance of this Kali-yuga. And the symptoms of Kali-yuga we have already seen, how it is.
Ākṛti, prakṛti. The form and the activities, all uncommon. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He married sixteen thousand wives and He divided Himself into sixteen thousand. Kṛṣṇa. This is called ākṛti. This is uncommon. God can expand Himself in any number of forms. We cannot do that. That is the..., symptom of God. Ākṛti, prakṛti. Prakṛti is His nature, supreme nature. As soon as He likes anything to do, He'll do it. There is no impediment. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyat... And He does in such nice way that we cannot conceive how it is being done, nature's way. Ākṛti prakṛti, these are taṭastha lakṣaṇa, uh, svarūpa lakṣaṇa, personal symptoms of God. And kārya-dvārā jñāna—ei taṭastha-lakṣaṇa. And the activities... Just like Kṛṣṇa, when comes as incarnation, His activities and activities of Rāma, or activities of Nṛsiṁha, activities of Vāmana, these activities may differ according to time, according to place, according to the mission. The activities may be different. But Their, Their ākṛti, Their feature, and Their power—extraordinary. We should understand very nicely that incarnation means Their feature and Their nature—uncommon.
Now Caitanya Mahāprabhu is submitting His knowledge in astronomy. Astronomy. And He's dividing the whole day and night into sixty daṇḍas. According to Vedic calculation of time, the whole day and night... Just like, according to Western system, the whole day and night is divided into twenty-four hours, they have divided into still further... Sixty daṇḍas. They are called daṇḍas. Tina-sahasra... Rātri-dine haya ṣaṣṭi-daṇḍa-parimāṇa. The whole day and night is divided into sixty parts. Tina-sahasra chaya-śata 'pala' tāra māna. And these daṇḍas are again subdivided into three hundred and sixty palas. They are called pala. Daṇḍa and pala. Sūryodaya haite ṣaṣṭi-pala-kramodaya. And the sun rises in every sixty pala. We can, we can see sun is rising, but not all of a sudden we can see. But gradually. That gradual, I mean to say, elevation of the sun planet is..., takes sixty pala times. Sei eka daṇḍa, aṣṭa daṇḍe 'prahara' haya. Prahara means three hours, and that is aṣṭa daṇḍa.
The whole day is divided into four praharas. So at the end of the day, of the four praharas, the Sūrya, this sun planet sets. Cāri prahara rātri gele... And similarly, four praharas, when passed at night, again the sun planet is seen.
- aiche kṛṣṇera līlā-maṇḍala caudda-manvantare
- brahmāṇḍa-maṇḍala vyāpi' krame krame phire
Caudda-manvantare. There are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā. So kṛṣṇera līlā-maṇḍala caudda manvantare. So in the fourteen maṇḍalas, the, the I mean to..., the orbit of kṛṣṇa-līlā is, I mean to say, circumambulating. So He is..., He is seen in the Manu's life, in the fourteen Manu's life. There are fourteen Manus. In each Manu's life, there are seventy-one catur-yugas, in each Manu's life. In the twenty-eighth catur-yuga, Kṛṣṇa, in the Dvāpara-yuga, appears. There is mathematical calculation. Soayāśata vatsara kṛṣṇera prakaṭa-prakāśa. And when He is in this universe, He remains here for 124 year, 125 years.
So within these 125 years, all the pastimes that Kṛṣṇa displayed during His presence, all those things are going on in each and every universe, just like the sun planet is moving from one place to another. This is the idea of Kṛṣṇa-līlā.
- alāta-cakra-prāya sei līlā-cakra phire
- saba līlā saba brahmāṇḍe krame udaya kare
So saba līlā. And all the activities, they are manifested in either of the so many brahmāṇḍas. So at every second you just divide that 125 years into seconds and all, less than second, what it is? Of course, I do not know... But if you divide in that way, then you can calculate how many universes are there. How many seconds are there in one hour?
Now Lord Caitanya says that the whole energy of Kṛṣṇa is divided into two. The inferior energy is manifested. That is one-fourth energy. And the superior energy manifested in the spiritual world, that is three-fourths. Now, just try to understand one-fourth first; then you will understand three-fourths. Lord Caitanya says that tripāda-vibhūti kṛṣṇera-vākya-agocara: "It is very difficult to describe the three-fourth energy. Let us try to understand one-fourth energy first of all." Eka-pāda vibhūtira śunaha vistāra. And what is that one-fourth energy?
Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. How one is understood that he knows spiritual science? That means who has a spiritual master. These things are there.
Śrutir mātā. Śrutir mātā. Smṛtir api tathā vakti bhaginī. Now, I have... We have divided the Vedic literature into two. The knowledge which is coming in disciplic succession, that knowledge is mother, and this knowledge, by memory, with reference to the context of Vedic literature, if you sometimes write, that literature is the sister. That is compared with sister. One is with the mother, and the other is the sister. Purāṇādyā ye vā sahaja nivahās te tad-anugā. So all these Purāṇas, they are called śruti. There are eighteen Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyaṇa, and there are so many, Vedānta-sūtra... They are called... Upaniṣad is Veda; it is śruti. That is the gist of Vedic knowledge. But Purāṇas, they are called smṛti. So this śruti smṛtir, according to Indian theistic scholarship, there are two kinds of literature: śruti smṛti.
Sri Isopanisad Lectures
Prabhupāda: There are four Vedas—Sāma Veda, Yajur Veda, Ṛg Veda, and Atharva Veda. Originally there was one Veda, but later on, Vyāsadeva divided them into four. So Yajur Veda is one of the Vedas, and the Īśopaniṣad is stated there. All the Upaniṣads are stated in the different kinds of Vedas. Therefore Upaniṣad is accepted as Vedic study. Go on.
Karandhara: "The Īśopaniṣad is a part of the Yajur Veda, and as such, it contains information as to the proprietorship of all things that exist within the universe."
Prabhupāda: Just like evidence. Evidence... (aside:) Now you can sit down. Evidence, whenever we want to give evidence... Just like in law court, the evidence, you have to cite the section or the preamble of the laws. Similarly, in our human civilization this evidence is Vedas. If you find something stated in the Vedas, that you have to accept. That's all. Axiomatic truth. And because the Vedas were particularly studied by the brāhmaṇas, high-class qualified brāhmaṇas, therefore they are also accepted as authority. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was at Purī, the king of that place, Mahārāja Pratāparudra, he inquired from Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya,
Festival Lectures
So that division is there all over the world. Either you name differently, but these four classes of men are there, either in India or in America or Hawaii or Japan or anywhere. If you divide all people, they will..., you will find one class of men: they are not interested with this opulence of material happiness. They are seeking-philosophers, learned scholars, scientists, religionists, reformers. Their business is different. So naturally, the brāhmaṇa class of men, they are not very rich. (baby starts crying) Oh. What happened? (break) ...are always, because they do not endeavor for material opulence, apparently they look very poor, but actually, they are rich in knowledge. But people do not care for knowledge, at the present moment at least. They care for material opulence. They think that this life is meant for highest grade of sense gratification.
The seed is the spirit soul, and by material contact it is covered by finer body, intelligence, mind, and ego. And according to the quality of that ego, we develop different kinds of this material gross body. Therefore somebody has developed the body in the modes of goodness, because material nature is divided into three qualities: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Somebody has developed body in the modes of passion. Somebody has developed body in the modes of ignorance. But the root is the spirit soul. And the finer cover is desire, ego, intelligence, mind. And the gross cover is this body.
So Buddha philosophy simply takes account of this gross body. They do not take account of the mind, because as soon as they go to the platform of mind, then immediately the question will be "Whose mind? Whose intelligence?"
Out of that human form of life, there are many uncivilized form of life, just above the monkeys. But those who are civilized... Civilized means those who are following the instruction of the Vedas, varṇāśrama-dharma. The human society (is) divided into four varṇas and four āśramas. The four varṇas are social division, namely the student life, the householder life, the retired life, and renounced life. These four divisions of social life and four divisions of spiritual life—brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha..., brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—in this way there are eight divisions. These eight divisions of human society are very scientifically adopted. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). This civilized division of human society is so perfect that one can gradually, from the aquatic life, can go back to home, back to Godhead.
And wherever there is Rādhā there is Kṛṣṇa. They are inseparable. But He is enjoying. So Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī has described this intricate philosophy of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in one verse, very nice verse. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau (CC Adi 1.5). So Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is the one Supreme, but in order to enjoy, They have divided into two. Again Lord Caitanya joined the two into one. Caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā. That one means Kṛṣṇa in the ecstasy of Rādhā. Sometimes Kṛṣṇa is in ecstasy of Rādhā. Sometimes Rādhā is in ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa. This is going on. But the whole thing is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa means the one, the Supreme.
So Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa philosophy is a very great philosophy. It is to be understood in the liberated stage. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa philosophy is not to be understood in the conditioned stage. But when we worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in our conditional stage, actually we worship Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa.
Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpa Gosvāmī is the direct disciple of Lord Caitanya. When he retired from his service—he was government minister—oḥ, he brought home golden coins, full, a boat full, full of gold. Now, just imagine how much the amount was. But he divided like this: fifty percent of his accumulated wealth, he spent for Kṛṣṇa. There are many expenditure for Kṛṣṇa. If you ask, "How we can spend for Kṛṣṇa?" this society for Kṛṣṇa conscious give you very nice program. If you have got millions of dollars to spend, we can give you program. Unfortunately, we are not getting. But our program is ready. For Kṛṣṇa consciousness we can spend any amount of money. So Rūpa Gosvāmī, he gave fifty percent to the persons who are working for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Twenty-five percent he gave to his relatives, because they expect something. If I am a family man, I have got my children, my wife. So they expect something.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So the necessity of this movement is that we are creating brain. At the present moment the human society is lacking brain. Exactly they are living like cats and dogs, not with human brain. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The human society must be divided into four classes of divisions, or divisions, catur-varṇya: the brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriya, the vaiśya, and the śūdra. Brāhmaṇa means the most intelligent class of men, and kṣatriya means administrators, and the vaiśya means mercantile people, and śūdra means ordinary workers. All of them are required proportionately. Just like to keep up your body you require your head, you require your arms, you require your belly, and you require your legs also. Comparatively studying, head is very important than the leg, but that does not mean leg is unimportant. Everything wanted for the upkeep of the body.
Asuri bhāvam, asura. Asura means they defy God, "I am God. Who is God?" Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu and his son, Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlada Mahārāja is devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Hiraṇyakaśipu would not accept. "Who is God? I am God." This is atheistic attitude. So the atheist are divided into four classes. Number one is duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina means they have got merit. Kṛti means meritorious. The modern men, they have got merit. Especially the Western people, they have got nice merit. Just like while passing through the city, we saw very nice buildings. So to construct such buildings, it requires merit, undoubtedly. But what for this building? Duṣkṛtina, only for committing sinful life. Therefore it is called du, duṣkalya. Meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling. Meritorious, they are undoubtedly for constructing this building, but what is the purpose? The purpose is sinful activities. These things are going on. Therefore, they are called duṣkṛtina.
So the living entities, they are called taṭasthā-śakta. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). God has many potencies. They have been divided into three primarily: external, internal, and marginal; bahiraṅgā-śakti, antaraṅga-śakti, and taṭasthā-śakti. So we jīvas, living entities, we are also another energy of Kṛṣṇa, in between the material and spiritual. So if we like we can remain in the spiritual world; if we like, we can remain in the material world. If we remain in the material world, then, temporary, we enjoy happiness or distress. There is no happiness. Sometimes we take distress as happiness. Actually there is no happiness, because however happy you may be, you have to change this body.
Initiation Lectures
Because from the age of twenty-five years old up to fifty years, one can beget nice children. Gṛhastha life, householder life, is meant for begetting nice children. If there are Kṛṣṇa conscious children in the society, there will be no disturbance. According to Vedic system, the population is divided into two divisions. Illegitimate sons are called varṇa-saṅkara. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that when the population becomes varṇa-saṅkara, the whole social situation becomes hellish. Actually that is the fact. So one should be very careful to beget nice children so that society, social order, political order will be calm, quiet, peaceful. That is the idea of gṛhastha life. And many devotees... There are twelve selected personalities who are considered to be the authority of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Out of twelve authorities, seven authorities were all gṛhasthas, householders. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's associates, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara, and Śrīvāsa, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, they were all householders. So it is not that simply sannyāsī or brahmacārī can realize Kṛṣṇa consciousness and not the householders.
Don't wait, that "Let me finish in this life a certain percentage of self-realization, and next life I shall do." And what is the test of realization, finishing full percentage? The test is how much you have learned to love God, Kṛṣṇa, that's all. You have got your love, you love somebody, but if you divide your love, that "I shall love this country and my society, my girlfriend and this and that, or boyfriend, and I shall try to love Kṛṣṇa also..." No. That is also nice, but if you give predominance, all predominance, simply to love Kṛṣṇa, you'll automatically love other things, and your life will be perfect. Other loving affairs will not be minus. Just like a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he loves not only his family and society; he loves even the animal, he loves even the ant, his love is so much expanded. It is so nice thing. How much you can love? Anything, as soon as there is some misunderstanding, the love is broken. But Kṛṣṇa love is so sound that you'll never break, and your love will be expanded universally. It is so nice thing.
"It is not to Kṛṣṇa but the unborn spirit which is within Kṛṣṇa." He does not know that Kṛṣṇa is not different from His body, Kṛṣṇa is not different from His name, Kṛṣṇa is not different from His fame. Anything pertaining to Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. They are monists, they are philosophizing that oneness, but as soon as they come to Kṛṣṇa, immediately they divide: "Kṛṣṇa is different from His body," or "Kṛṣṇa's body is different from Kṛṣṇa."
So ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. So Kṛṣṇa's name and Kṛṣṇa is not different. Therefore, as soon as my tongue touches the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, that means immediately it associates with Kṛṣṇa. So if you constantly keep yourself associated with Kṛṣṇa by chanting this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, then just imagine how you are being easily purified simply by this process, chanting, jihvādau, engaging the tongue in chanting. And your tongue wants very palatable dishes to taste. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind.
General Lectures
tena eva sa ucyate: he's a thief. So in this material world, one who has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one who is not using things in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Everyone is using Kṛṣṇa's... Nobody has got any property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is the version in Īśopaniṣad. Now, in this American land, now divided into Canada, North America, South America, but originally, to whom this land belongs? It belongs to Kṛṣṇa. You have come here and have divided Kṛṣṇa's property and you have named "This is Canada, this is North America, this is South America," and you are claiming proprietorship. But if you are asked, "Are you really proprietor?" No. You have come here, encroached upon others' property. So originally, you are thief. Actually this is the position, that anyone who is unlawfully claiming something, "It is mine," that is illusion. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This ahaṁ mameti, "It is mine, and it is I. This body, I.
So either you call perfect knowledge or you call happiness, anything, what you call, if you want to know the ultimate goal of your life perfectly, you have to follow a different method. A different method. That method is called avaroha-panthā. There are... All methods of acquiring knowledge can be divided into two groups. One group is called āroha-panthā, or research, inductive process. And another method is called deductive process, or avaroha-panthā. The knowledge coming from the supreme source, that is called avaroha-panthā, and the knowledge which is being sought after by using our imperfect senses, that is called āroha-panthā. Ascending process and descending process. So by ascending process, we can never come to the real knowledge. That is not possible, because our senses are imperfect. How we can ascend? Just like people are trying to ascend to the higher planetary system, but the instrument, sputnik itself, is imperfect. How you can go there?
So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is full representation of Kṛṣṇa in six aspects. That is... In the beginning of Caitanya-caritāmṛta it has been explained, vande 'haṁ gurūn īśam īśāvatārakān īśa-bhaktān (CC Adi 1.1), prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktīḥ, like that. So the Supreme Personality of Godhead is principally not divided, but He is understood under six primary features. The primary, first feature is guru, because guru gives the initiation to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That feature is represented by Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. He is the original guru feature, and He is first manifested expansion of Kṛṣṇa.
There is a prayer of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura in which it has been established that vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta haila sei, balarāma haila nitāi. Vrajendra-nandana means Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda. Mahārāja Nanda was very rich man. He had ninety hundred thousand of cows.
That's all. Your whole economic problem is solved. You see?
So therefore so much stress is given for cow protection. Amongst the division of society, the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas and the śūdras... Śūdras means non-Aryan. And Aryans, they are divided into three higher castes. Caste means according to profession and quality. That is caste. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). That is factual everywhere. If you have got the quality and if you are working... (end)
"Now you take to about the inquiry of Brahman." Athāto brahma jijñāsā.
This is applicable for everyone, civilized men. I don't speak of the Americans, in Europe, in Asia. Anywhere. Aryans means those who are advanced. Non-Aryans means those who are not ad... This is the Sanskrit meaning, ārya. And śūdras... Aryans are divided into four castes. The most intelligent class is called brāhmaṇa, and the less than the brāhmaṇas means those who are administrators, politicians, they are kṣatriyas. And next to them the mercantile class, traders, merchants, industrialists, less than the administrative class. And less than that, the śūdras. Śūdras means worker, laborer. So this system is not new. It is everywhere. Wherever there is human society, these four classes of men are there. Sometimes I am questioned why there is caste system in India. Well, this caste system is there. It is by nature. Bhagavad-gītā says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: (BG 4.13) "The four classes of men are there. That is My law." How they are four classes?
In New York that Empire State Building, 102 story. So everyone is going to the top, but somebody has passed ten steps, somebody has passed twelve steps, somebody has passed twenty. But there may be thousands of steps. So one who has gone to the top, he has passed all the steps. Similarly, there are different process of yogas—karma-yoga or jñāna-yoga... They are divided into three. All these three yogas are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga. But you'll find the yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. When yoga is described in the Sixth Chapter, you'll find the Lord says, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ: "Of all the yogic process," yoginām api sarveṣāṁ madgatenāntarātmanā (BG 6.47), "one who has taken Me within himself," śraddhāvān bhajate yo mām, "and with faith and love is engaged in My service, he is first-class yogi." So the first-class yogi are all these Kṛṣṇa conscious boys and girls. First-class yogi. Because they're always thinking of Kṛṣṇa within. And that is recommended by Kṛṣṇa, the author of all yogic principles.
So the Vedas instruct that there is a supreme leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This (is) very important mantra in Kaṭha Upaniṣad. You have heard the names of Upaniṣad. They are Vedic literatures. Originally, the Veda was one, Sāma Veda. Then it was divided into four, Sāma Veda, Atharva Veda, Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda. Then the Vedas verses were explained in Upaniṣads. There are 108 Upaniṣads. Then the whole conclusion was made shortened, cream. That is called Vedānta-sūtra. And again, this Vedic knowledge was, I mean to say, compiled in simple way for understanding of less intelligent class of men. That is called Mahābhārata. And in the Mahābhārata there is one chapter which is called Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is only a chapter of the great history of India, Mahābhārata. And then Vedānta-sūtra is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Actually, there is no two levels. There is only one level. Just like there is one sky, but when the sky is overcast with cloud, you divide the sky: "This is friendly sky, and this is nonfriendly sky." Just like the airlines, they advertise, "Fly in friendly sky." Wherefrom this "friendly sky" comes? The sky is one. But the part of the sky which is covered with cloud, that is unfriendly sky. Similarly, sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. There is... Without exception, everything is spirit. But the portion of spirit which is covered by ignorance, the cloud of ignorance, that is matter. Just like what is material civilization? All activities minus God. This is material. And as soon as all activities plus God, it is spiritual. So all activities minus God means trouble, and all activities plus God is wholesome, is pleasing. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means all activities plus God. That's all. We are also doing the same thing. The candle is burned here, you also have candles at your home. You have got your apartment; this is also apartment. What is the difference between this apartment, your apartment? Because here is relationship of Kṛṣṇa. So you make everything in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, it is spiritual.
So three into three equal to nine. Nine into nine equal to eighty-one. Therefore you will find manifestation of eighty-one kinds of qualitative living entities. And they are divided into 8,400,000 species of life. These are very scientific studies. Try to understand it. And this human form of life is the chance to get out of this entanglement. These eighty-one, again if you multiply eighty-one by eighty-one, then it becomes huge quantity. So in this way these qualities are mixed up, colors. Just like three colors, blue, red and yellow. You mix and you produce multi-colors. If you are expert in color mixing... All these picture, whatever you are seeing, there are only three colors—blue, red and yellow—and you mix, varieties of color. Those who are artists, they know it very well. Similarly, these three qualities, three colors. The yellow is sattva-guṇa and the blue is the tamo-guṇa and the red is rajo-guṇa.
Without becoming brāhmaṇa it is not possible.
Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There are four classes of men created by God: cātur-varṇyaṁ. How they are divided? How the classification is made? Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: by classification of quality and work. Not by birth. In India, of course, this classification of guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ was originally planned from the Vedic age. But later on, a class of men, without any qualification, without any practical work, they claimed that "I belong to such and such class." Therefore India's falldown was inevitable. So Bhagavad-gītā says, "Not like that." Bhagavad-gītā says that these classes of men, cātur-varṇyaṁ—the brahminical class, the kṣatriya class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class—is everywhere.
There are different classes of men. Generally, they are divided into four classes: the intelligent class of men, the administrator class of men, the business class of men, and the general worker, laborer class of men. So Bhāgavata says, "Whatever you may be, it doesn't matter. You just try to satisfy the Supreme Lord by your work. That's all." If you are intelligent man, oh, write nice books to propagate God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if you write books that "God is dead. There is no God. It is all nonsense," then simply misusing your intelligence. Yes?
The wife by the elderly members was asked that "Just take this foodstuff, tiffin, to your husband." So she comes, offers little foodstuff, pan. In this way they gradually develop their relationship, loving relationship. But actually, when that love is mature, there is no need of introduction. In the beginning it is required. So devotional service is divided into two portions. Vidhi. Vidhi-mārga, rāga-mārga. Vidhi means by according to the order of the spiritual master. Then, when it is fully developed, then no more vidhi. Automatically one will be anxious to serve Kṛṣṇa: "How I shall make nice dress. How I shall serve Kṛṣṇa. How I shall cleanse the temple." There is no question of ordering. Spontaneous love. By rendering service, he feels transcendental bliss. That is spontaneous.
So what to speak of the spiritual world? The spiritual world is at least three times greater than this material world. That information we get from Bhagavad-gītā. Ekāṁśena sthito... Ekam means one part. Even you take... One part, maybe, one hundred. But even not going so far, one part means divide the whole thing into four parts. That will be one fourth. This material world is only one fourth of the whole creation, and the three-fourth part is spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is similarly innumerable planets, innumerable living entities. Just like, as I have already explained, that this material world is the just like prison house of the criminals. So our criminal department in the state, say, jail or prison house, that is not the countrywise, as big as the country. That is a fractional part only. Maybe a few hundred people or few thousand people living there, but the state is very big. Similarly, the Lord's state is so big, though the criminal living entities are living in a corner only. This material world is in a corner. So what information we can get about God? "God is great," we simply theoretically say, but we do not know how great it is, He is, and how His greatness is working. That we do not know.
He is greater than all your calculation, all your measurement. Avāṅ-mānasa-gocaraḥ. You cannot calculate how He's great. Simply you accept His greatness and surrender. That's your business. You just calculate yourself. Your infinitesimal identity is very small. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadha kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Just divide the tip of your hair (in) ten thousand parts, and that one part is your identification, spiritual measurement.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says that don't be falsely proud. Just become submissive. Namanta eva. Namanta. Namanta means submissive, meek. Lord Jesus Christ also advised, "Those who are meek, the kingdom of God is for them." Is it not? So that's very nice qualification, to become humble and meek. Don't try to imitate falsely, "I am God." That is simply rascaldom. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu also advised that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Giving up the false speculation of understanding God in your calculation, just become humble and meek.
Student: You said something about the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Er, is He the energy that divides the energy from everything, or is He all...? Everything comes down to just another form of energy, another form of complexity, so that everything is suited to one thing and yet it's different?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like by electric energy you have got heater, at the same time, cooler also. The energy is one, but in one place it is utilized for heating; in another place it is utilized as cooling. Similarly, this, er... Take the energy of sunlight. The sunlight is one, but by the sunlight some flowers are becoming red, some flowers are becoming blue, the leaves are becoming green. So everything is due to the same energy, sunlight, but the variety is there. Variety is there. So energy may be one. Just like in your country, by electric energy you are working in so many ways. So do not, I mean to say, make minus all these varieties, the energy in diverse varieties. Therefore the whole conception is, Brahman conception is, that unity in diversity. Everything is working by the energy of the Supreme Brahman, and in the energy we have got different diversities. So we cannot neglect the diversities, although the energy is one.
Here in this world, there is a reflection of ānanda, of brāhmaṇanda, but it is flickering, temporary. Therefore it is said in the śāstras, ramante yogino 'nante. Those who are yogis... Yogis means who are realizing transcendental position, they are called yogis. They may be divided into three categories: the jñānīs, the haṭha-yogīs, or the bhakta-yogī. They are all called yogis. So ramante yogino anante. Yogis' target of enjoyment is to touch the unlimited. Here there is no perception of unlimited pleasure. That is not. It is flickering. Rāmante yoginaḥ anante satyānande (CC Madhya 9.29). That is real pleasure. Here the pleasure is like this, that you, somebody is offering that "You take these rasagullās, and after eating rasagullā I shall beat you with shoes." Here the pleasure is like that: "You eat rasagullā and then be beaten by shoes." Perhaps we have got all experience of this.
That is the way of Vedic culture or Indian culture. Not that up to the last point of our death we shall stick to the worldly affairs. The Vedic culture divides the whole society into four social orders and four spiritual orders. The four social orders is division of intelligence. The most intelligent class of men are called the brāhmaṇas. And next than the brāhmaṇas are the kṣatriyas. It is all calculated on the basis of intelligence. There are different kinds of people all over the world on account of more or less intelligence. So brāhmaṇa means the most intelligent class of men. The scientists, the poets, the philosophers, like that. The religionists, they are called brāhmaṇas. And the administrator class is called the kṣatriyas, and the productive class are called the vaiśyas, and the laborer class, or the working class, is called the śūdra. That is natural division.
There are 8,400,000 species of life—aquatic, plants, trees, reptiles, insects, birds, beasts, then human beings, civilized human beings, noncivilized human beings. And altogether, there are 8,400,000 species of life, and they are divided into...(break)
...man's body. So... But I am the same. I can remember some of the incidences of my childhood, of my boyhood, of my youthhood. Therefore I am permanent. That is the real understanding of the living entity. These things have been explained very vividly. And in the Sixth Chapter Lord Kṛṣṇa recommended how to practice yoga. Yoga is the beginning of linking up our lost relationship with the Lord, yoga. Yoga means adding, addition or linking. Because we are now forgotten... The yoga system, any yoga system, means... Bhakti-yoga, karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga—there are different names of yogas—but actual fact is how to link up our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is called yoga. Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ. Indriya. Because we are being deviated from our eternal relationship with God, Kṛṣṇa, on account of our too much being engaged in sense gratification.
"You just become My devotee." Mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: "You just worship Me and offer your obeisances unto Me. In this way you will get Me. You will achieve Me." The commentator says... The so-called learned commentator says, "It is not to the Kṛṣṇa person but it is the Absolute Truth which is within Kṛṣṇa." That means he is dividing Kṛṣṇa from the Absolute Truth. He does not know what is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no other truth, great truth, than Myself." And he says, "Something greater than Kṛṣṇa within Śrī Kṛṣṇa." That means it is clear that he does not know what is Kṛṣṇa, and he has the courage to comment on Bhagavad-gītā. That is the pitiable condition. One who does not understand Kṛṣṇa, he is daring to write comments on the Bhagavad-gītā. That is misleading. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, duṣkṛtina. They will produce volumes of books. Na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśaḥ (SB 1.5.10).
The crows are different from the swans, although they are birds, but because they are being conducted under different qualities of nature, their propensities are also different. So one may take pleasure by howling and drinking, and one man takes pleasure by chanting and dancing in Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is a different quality only. So in the Bhagavad-gītā everything is divided into three divisions. There are religions of different qualities, and there are actions of different qualities. Exactly the same example: as there are differences between the crows and the swans, similarly there are different persons in the human society. One class of person, they take pleasure in one class of thing, and another person, they take in a different type. So that divisions will continue so long we are in this material world. But we are talking of original consciousness. These are contaminated consciousness. When we come to the original consciousness, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
"There is no God," "I have nothing to do with God. I am independent of God." We are thinking like that. But actually this is not a fact. The gross material nature is very strong. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā—those who have read Bhagavad-gītā—daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). God has got multi-energies, and they are divided grossly into three: the external energy, the internal energy and the marginal energy. The external energy is this material nature, and the internal energy, there is another, spiritual nature. As you see this universe, as far as you can see or imagine, it is covered. This is material energy. Beyond this covering there is another nature. That is spiritual nature. We get this information from the Vedic literatures. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). And we living entities, we are the marginal energies. That means if we like, we can live in this material nature; if we like, we can transfer ourselves to the spiritual nature.
I don't mean that brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdras by birth-right; by qualification. These are all explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society must be divided into four classes of orders. There must be intelligent class of men, who are called brāhmaṇas. They must give spiritual education to society. Not that everyone should remain laborer and work hard day and night like hogs and dogs for sense gratification. It is a very dangerous civilization. You cannot expect any peace and prosperity in this type of civilization. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very, very essential, very, very essential. I am very glad to inform you that this movement is being especially received in the Western countries by the younger generation. I am very much hopeful. I am old man of seventy-six years age. Now, I can pass away at any moment, but I am confident that my disciples, who are mostly Europeans and Americans, they will continue this movement, and I wish there will be considerable change on the face of the globe.
Now, it is a question of believe or not believe. That is a different thing. We believe. We take it. Because it is said by Kṛṣṇa, we take it, accept it. And we apply our reason also, not blindly take it, that if I see that in every planet, in our this planet there is a president... Formerly, in this planet also, there was only one king, and he was ruling over all the planets. Gradually, people have divided their interests and become different nations. From Vedic history we can see... I understand... Somebody was telling me that in Australia also there is some Śiva temple here. Who was telling me that? He was telling me. So the archaeological investigation has found so many relics, and in the Vedic literature we also find the mention of all the island, sapta-dvīpa, seven islands. Seven islands means Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. These are mentioned already in the Vedic literature. So it is not that the world was not known to Vedic culture.
The forest fire can be extinguished when there is rainfall from the sky. Similarly, this misunderstanding of the world—although we are one, but we have divided ourselves in so many groups—this will create forest fire, and this forest fire can be extinguished. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just like falling of rain from the cloud. Yes. The cloud means a process which collects water from the sea and distributes all over the surface. And the same water again glides down through the river unto the sea. Similarly, this movement means taking mercy from the ocean of mercy of Kṛṣṇa and distribute it all over the world, so that again the merciful water goes down to the sea. So those who actually want peace or mercy of God, they should kindly try to understand the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And even though you have no time to understand this philosophy through books of knowledge, you can simply join with us for chanting and dancing this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
That is called mukti. Mukti means stopping the repetition of birth and death. So those who are hankering after... The jñānīs, the jñānī-sampradāya, they want to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord. But that merging is possible in the brahmajyoti. Brahmajyoti. The Absolute Truth is divided into three. Actually He is not divided. Because He is absolute, He cannot be divided. But according to the, I mean to say, realizer, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as localized Paramātmā, and somebody is realizing Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, most beautiful, lovable object. So the Bhāgavata Purāṇa says, vadanti tat tattva vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). There is no difference between Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. It is only the different features of realization. If you want to realize the Absolute Truth by your imperfect senses...
"Don't do all this nonsense anymore." Dvijāḥ kvacit. Iti nyavārayad dharmam: "In this way he stopped all religious activities." Bherī-ghoṣeṇa sarvaśaḥ.
So formerly, the king was controlled by saintly persons, by priestly order. They would give the king advice. The Vedic society is divided into four classes of men. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). According to quality and work, there are four divisions of men: The brāhmaṇa, the intelligent class of men; the kṣatriyas, the administrative class of men, the martial class of men; and the vaiśyas, the productive class of men; and the śūdras, the worker class of men. That is still existing in a different name, but the difficulty is, the classification is not made according to quality and work. That was the actual position of classification. Nowadays, a śūdra is on the government.
Things have been topsy-turvied. So it is the duty of the government to find out the first-class man and employ him for first-class business, first-class activities. And what is that first-class activity? The first-class activity is athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is first-class activity. Otherwise, it is fourth-class activity. If the human society is not divided into right order, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). And it is the duty of the government to see that the first-class man is employed in first-class activities, the second-class man is engaged in second-class activities. Then the government will be nice. Now here, the Vena Mahārāja, he's on the head of the administration, royal king. Now he is advising, "Reject religion. No more charity, no more sacrifice, no more worship. Stop all this nonsense." Then what is the condition of the society? So that is being done.
It is bodily designations, "I am Hindu, you are Christian." This is bodily... Just like dress. You have got some black coat. Another has got some white coat. That does not meant we are different because we are in different coat or shirt. As human being, we are all sons of God. We are one. That is the conception. So at the present moment, we have divided the world on account of this shirt and coat. That is not. That is not good. Actually, the whole world or the whole universe belongs to God. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
- sarva-loka-maheśvaram
- suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
- (BG 5.29)
We have divided God's land: "This is America. This is India. This is Germany. This is England." But after all, this is our given name. This planet especially... Not only this planet, all other planets, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-loka-maheśvaram: He's the proprietor. Formerly, five thousand years ago, this planet was being governed by Kṛṣṇa's representative, Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
Only in America, we have got fifty branches. And other countries they have got fifty-two branches—in America, in Canada, in England, in France, in Germany, in Switzerland, in Japan, in Australia, in New Zealand. All over the world. So now we want some of the young men to come forward to become really brāhmaṇas, Vaiṣṇavas. Our Vedic culture is divided into four varṇas: brāhmaṇa kṣatriya vaiśya śūdra. Unfortunately we are simply manufacturing śūdras, not brāhmaṇas. That is the defect of modern education. Śūdra, śūdra means paricaryātmakam kāryaṁ śūdra karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). After education, every (indistinct) is hankering after a service. That is śūdra karma svabhāva-jam. This is not perfect education. There must be brāhmaṇas who are independent. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, whose name is still, still celebrated, he was prime minister of Mahārāja Candragupta, but he was not accepting a single paisa as salary.
Brāhmaṇa, brahmaṇya means He's the original brahminical culture or He's worshiped by the brāhmaṇas. Viṣṇu, or Lord Viṣṇu is worshiped by the topmost class of men. So in the human society the topmost class of men are considered the brāhmaṇas. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The human society must be divided into four classes of men. That is perfect human society. First-class men, second-class men, third-class men, and the fourth-class men. And after these fourth-class men, they're all fifth class, pañcama. So the first-class men are the brāhmaṇas, qualified brāhmaṇas, śamo damaḥ titikṣava, ārjava. And the second-class men are the kṣatriyas. The third-class men are the vaiśyas. And the fourth-class men, they are called śūdras. And the fifth-class, below the fifth-class, they are called pañcama or caṇḍāla. This is Vedic division of human society.
So this is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā, and we should try to understand this verse very nicely. Kṛṣṇa says, "I existed." That means Kṛṣṇa existed as the Supreme Lord, not like us. Similarly, we existed also in the past as His servants. That is the explanation of this verse. Because we are eternal servant of God, and that service attitude, being misplaced, we have divided our service spirit in so many ways. Everyone is trying to render service. Big, big leaders, they also want to give some service. So this is our service attitude. It is our eternal attitude. It cannot be changed. Just like faith. Today I am Muslim and tomorrow I may become Hindu. Today I am Christian and tomorrow I may become Muslim. Faith can be changed, but my character is still that I am servant. That cannot be changed. It does not mean... Suppose you are working in office. Now today you are Hindu or tomorrow you become Muslim. Does it mean in the office you be, become master? No.
So Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa was requested by both the parties to join either of them, but Kṛṣṇa decided not to take part in the fighting because both of them were equally related to Him. So after all, Kṛṣṇa divided His soldiers one side and Himself another side with the condition that if He joins, then He would not fight. So Arjuna preferred to take Kṛṣṇa on his side, and the other party, Duryodhana, he decided to take Kṛṣṇa's soldiers. So while just the fighting was to begin, Arjuna declined to fight because the other party were all his relatives, friends, brothers, brother's son, nephew, teacher and grandfather. So Arjuna took compassion, that "I don't want victory. Better not to fight." So that is the cause of describing the science of Bhagavad-gītā before Arjuna, just to induce him to act as a dutiful soldier. This is the background of Bhagavad-gītā.
The Vedic civilization is varṇāśrama-dharma. If the varṇāśrama-dharma is not properly protected, then there will be population who are called varṇa-saṅkara, mixed population. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—that is the natural division. The society must be divided... Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). (aside:) There is no need. The natural division... Just like you have got natural division in your body: the head, the arms, the belly and the legs, similarly, social divisions, there is. Some of them are very intelligent men, class of men, and some of them are martial-spirited persons, and some of them are interested in trades and industry, and some of them are interested only for filling up the belly. So this is natural division. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam. If this cātur-varṇyaṁ, this division... The most intelligent class of men, they should be trained up as brāhmaṇa. Śamo damo titikṣa ārjava jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). The social division must be there.
Prabhupāda: (aside:) You can come in. Thing is that it is the government's duty to see that nobody's unemployed. That is good government. That is the Vedic system. The society was divided into four divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And it was the duty of the government or the king to see the brāhmaṇa is doing brāhmaṇa's duty, and the kṣatriya's duty, uh, kṣatriya... His duty is the kṣatriya's duty. Similarly, vaiśya... So it is the government's duty to see that why people are unemployed. Then the question will be solved.
Guest (2): But they are the people who are also in the government.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Guest (2): They are also... The entrenched(?) people, the monied people, landowners, they also have a strong voice in the government.
Prabhupāda: No. That, that means bad government.
Kṛṣṇa was his friend and Kṛṣṇa was familywise related both with the Kurus and Pāṇḍavas. Kṛṣṇa's father and the Pāṇḍavas' mother, they were real brother and sister. In this way there were family relationship, and Kṛṣṇa therefore denied to take part in the actual fighting. The whole world was divided. Some of them joined this party; some of them joined that party. Just like it actually happens when there is big war. Even nowadays, all the nations, they make a group. Some of them forming were forming one group; another some of them, they formed another group. Exactly the same thing was done. Now Kṛṣṇa was the charioteer, but when the chariot was brought in front of the two soldiers' party, Arjuna became little bit disturbed that "I have to fight. On the other side they are my brothers, they are my nephews, they are my gurus, Dronācārya, and they are my grandfather, Bhīṣmadeva. So what kind of fight this is that I have to fight with my friends and relatives and family members?" So he hesitated, that "Kṛṣṇa, what kind of fight this is? They are not my enemies; they are all family members. So I am not interested in this fight."
Departure Talks
So we have started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to educate people in perfect knowledge. So we have got so many branches, and we have to travel and encourage them. So now I am going to the eastern hemisphere—from the western hemisphere to the eastern hemisphere. So I am going now in San Francisco. From there, I shall go to Hawaii, and then cross the international line, dividing East and West. Then we go to Manila, and therefrom we shall go to India. In Vṛndāvana we shall have Ūrja-vrata for one month. You also could observe ūrja-vrata here from the next Ekādaśī, one month. I have already instructed Karandhara to have a sky lamp and put candle in the evening to the Deity for one month. Each one, a small candle should... And then, after Ūrja-vrata, we have a big engagement in Hyderabad. And then in Bombay, then in Delhi. In this way. So in the meantime you go on with your work, hold the morning class, Bhāgavatam. Each verse try to understand scrutinizingly and worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Dress very gorgeously.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: What are the symptoms of truth? That he has not explained.
Śyāmasundara: Yes. He divides it into two classes. One is there are logically necessary principles, the truths of reason as innate knowledge, just like the three sides of a triangle equal 180 degrees. That is innate knowledge, or logically necessary truth. This is also called a priori knowledge, or knowledge that exists independently. Then he says that there is knowledge acquired by experience, or a posteriori, accidental knowledge—just like snow is white, but it could be red; it's possible that it could be red—this type of truth which comes from our experience but it's accidental and it is not necessary.
Prabhupāda: So real truth is that God has got a plan, and one who knows it, that is real truth. One who hasn't got to be taught by another man but by nature, he knows it; that by nature he knows it, that is a symptom of his life, true life. And one who does not know it, that is not. That is explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, nitya siddha kṛṣṇa bhakta. That truth is there already, but he has forgotten it. Therefore by this propaganda of devotional service, chanting and hearing, he simply revives the truth. The truth is there, that I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: That I have already said. Just like Kṛṣṇa, first of all He created the whole total cosmic energy, and then, by His plan, by His devices, He divides into so many things, changes, parts and parts and parts. It can be taken in that way. The material changes are going on according to the will of God, or Kṛṣṇa. Is that clear?
Śyāmasundara: Yes. He says that each monad is like all of the others. They are identical, so that to know one is to know all, to know the whole world.
Prabhupāda: This individual monads can be taken as soul?
Śyāmasundara: Yes. And he sees soul even in matter.
Prabhupāda: Yes. If Kṛṣṇa is there, there is Supersoul.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We can construct such city immediately if the League of Nation—they are trying to be united—they come to their right sense, that this planet does not belong to any particular nation; it belongs to God. This simple fact, if they accept and cultivate on this point, then immediately the whole world will be the city of God. But they will not do this. They have gone to the United Nation to settle up all problems of the world, but they keep themselves in the dog's mentality: "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian." But he is not. But if they give up this designation, that "I am American," "Indian" or "Hindu" or "Muslim," "Christian..." We are all part and parcel of God, and the whole planet belongs to God. We are His sons, and we can live peacefully as the sons of father. Father is supplying everything, so we can utilize. Now they, in some country, just like in Australia or New Zealand we find enough cows to supply milk, and in India practically there is no milk. So if the United Nations gives this, accepts this version, that everything belongs to God, so where is the scarcity? It may be in one place one thing is in scarcity, but other place it is enough. So where it is enough, that can be distributed where there is need. Then immediately it becomes city of God. If anyone abides by the order of God and everything produced is divided among the sons of God, then where is the question of scarcity?
Śyāmasundara: We'll discuss that in a minute or two. But he divided human understanding into two classes. The first class is the relationship among ideas, just as mathematical compositions, they are true and certain, whether or not the things they refer to exist in nature. Just like two plus two equals four. This is a relationship among ideas. And the second-relationship among facts. He says that these cannot be proved by reasoning. They are merely assumed on the basis of sense experience. For example, that sun will rise tomorrow. This is a relationship among facts. But it is merely an assumption based upon our sense experience, but it's possible to imagine that the world will end or the sun may not rise. So it's only an assumption that the sun will rise. So this world of facts that we see, we can only assume that they will act in certain ways. There is probability, but there is no certainty.
Prabhupāda: That is already discussed: why it is so, probability, who takes it, who makes it not possible, how it happens. Sun is rising, and sun may not rise, stop. How it is? Accidentally or by somebody's will?
Prabhupāda: Therefore, as soon as you say duty, duty should be prescribed by some higher authority. In that sense, this system is very scientific: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. It is very scientific. For brāhmaṇa, these are the duties; a kṣatriya, these are the duties. Every duty may appear different, but because it is a command of the Supreme, by discharging these duties on different platform, he is serving the Supreme. If Kṛṣṇa says, "All right, I see you are a brāhmaṇa. Your duties are like this," "I see you are a kṣatriya. Your duties are like this," "I see you are a vaiśya. Your duties are like this..." But Kṛṣṇa says cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). I have divided, so Kṛṣṇa gives duty, that "Your duty is this, your duty is this, and your duty is this." And if he faithfully serves the duty, that means he is serving Kṛṣṇa. The duties may appear different, but because he is serving Kṛṣṇa, he is going to perfection. Just like in our institution, I am the head man, so I may say, "You paint. You preach. You type. You do this." So the duties may be different, but by discharging duty, you are serving me; therefore you are perfect. Similarly, duties are given by the Supreme. Because I see that you are a śūdra, you cannot discharge the duties of a brāhmaṇa. That is not possible.
Prabhupāda: Because they do not know, that is vairasana(?). Nirākāra, nirākāra, the Sanskrit word... When one cannot actually specify what is the nature of God, what is the form of God, and by thinking, speculative speculating, they cannot come to the right conclusion, so out of frustration they say, "No, there is no God."
Śyāmasundara: Just like to analyze an object they would divide it up into smaller and smaller parts until they came to nothing.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: That was their process.
Prabhupāda: (indistinct). The absolute cannot be divided into parts. Nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi, in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the material thing, if you want to cut into pieces, that is (indistinct), but a spiritual being, avyaya, inexhaustible, there is no possibility of dividing the spirit into pieces. The Māyāvāda theory is that the absolute is all-pervading. Then when the question of His form, that is their poor fund of knowledge. The absolute, keeping His form as He is, He can expand Himself. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad-avyakta mūrtinā (BG 9.4), "I am spread all over the creation, avyakta, My impersonal form."
Prabhupāda: Logic, dialectic, this and that, this and that. What is the meaning of dialectic?
Śyāmasundara: Well, just like he divides it into three parts, the triad...
Prabhupāda: Well, let him do that, but dialectic, what does it mean?
Śyāmasundara: It means the synthesis of two opposing elements, like if you have...
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, I understand.
Śyāmasundara: ...the thesis, the antithesis and the synthesis.
Prabhupāda: Mm. That is means argument. You say something, I say something, and then you come to conclusion.
Prabhupāda: Less intelligent or more intelligent does not make any species, because suppose you have got five children, one is less intelligent, more intelligent.
Śyāmasundara: He was just saying levels of consciousness determine the species.
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is levels of consciousness, that just like we divide the human society: some men are brāhmaṇas, some men are kṣatriyas, some men are vaiśyas, that can be found at any time.
Śyāmasundara: Those are species?
Prabhupāda: They are not species, according to their...
Śyāmasundara: They are types of men.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We said varieties.
Prabhupāda: No. These are different subject matter. It... Politics or economic development can help, provided it is guided properly. Otherwise, if the politics, economic development is aimed at understanding God and our relationship with God, then politics is all right. Otherwise it does not help at all. But this, so far Vedic civilization is concerned, the society is divided into eight division, varṇa and āśrama. So the sannyāsī, the brāhmaṇa, they are meant for educating the others to develop dormant God consciousness. And the kṣatriyas, they are to support these teachings of God consciousness because that is the objective of human life. But unfortunately, they have forgotten everything. They think simply taking care of the body and live comfortably and enjoy sense gratification. That is animal civilization; that is not human civilization.
Prabhupāda: That is my concern. I am keeping my things in the closet, locked. Why? (So that) my things may not be taken by somebody. This is real concern. I am keeping gun, (so) one may not hurt me, or may not attack me. That is called self-preservation. That is the concern. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. So that is in the animal kingdom. Everyone is (indistinct). Defence, what you call defence, that we are defying, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Our concern are divided into four parts. My first concern is where shall I eat, how shall I eat. And the next concern is where shall I sleep. And next the concern is how shall I enjoy my senses, who will be my partner. And next concern is how shall I live, how shall I defend. These are the concerns. And these concerns are there in the animals. So how human beings becomes better than animals? If the human being has got the same concern as the animals, then how the human being is better than the animals? What is that concern?
Prabhupāda: We have to convince them as I am convincing you. That is your business.
Śyāmasundara: Later on, Freud began to accept that certain nonsexual factors might produce these unconscious conflicts, also, and he divided the personality into three separate systems, called the ego, the super-ego and the id. The id is the unconscious instinctive drive to enjoy-sex desire, everything animalistic. The ego is that part of the mind concerned with adjusting efficiently to external reality. In other words, it's a moral segment of the personality which tries to adjust or protect.
Prabhupāda: We are trying to create (indistinct) these falsity. Everyone has got some false egoism. That is our (indistinct). Just like Freud is thinking that he is American or (indistinct). This is false ego. We are giving everyone the intelligence that this identification with this material body, that is (indistinct). Due to ignorance I am thinking that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am (indistinct)." This is false ego-ahaṅkāra, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. This is inferior quality of egoism. The superior quality of egoism is Brahman: "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." So if he is taught to the superior engagement, then automatically this false egoism becomes stopped.
Prabhupāda: But if the beginning is irresponsibility, then where is the question of responsibility? This is nonsense philosophy. If the beginning is irresponsibility... Just like there is a story, some thieves stolen some gold, and there were many, four, five thieves, so they were dividing the stolen property, and one them said, "Now let us divide it honestly." (laughter) The whole thing is stolen property, and they are speaking of honesty. Just like you Americans, you came from Europe and other countries, and you have stolen the property. Now you make immigration, "You cannot come, you cannot come." It is like this philosophy. The whole thing is stolen property, and they are talking of honesty; they are citing scripture. So where is the responsibility, if the beginning is irresponsibility, chance?
Śyāmasundara: Well, he seeks to reduce philosophy to the smallest particle, where each individual fact is to be examined.
Prabhupāda: That is not possible. Here is a scientist. He says that atom is divided into protons, (indistinct). That bigger, they do not know how (indistinct) and where it is ended.
Dr. Rao: Not only that, but they have developed their idea of anti-matter, that there is anti-matter, you know, something against matter. So for every particle there is something relative. So his idea is very complicated.
Śyāmasundara: So for each fact there is..., it's also composed of several other facts...
Prabhupāda: Actually, as we say, that anti-matter are fixed up in (indistinct). I say anti-matter is spirit. That spirit soul is very small, keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya: (CC Madhya 19.140) the tip of the hair divided into ten thousand parts. So it is unimaginable by the modern scientist. Therefore the ultimate smallest part is the spirit soul, spark, part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit. Therefore we have to take the knowledge from Vedas. That is the perfect (indistinct).
Śyāmasundara: He says there are two types of logical atoms—the sense data and universals. And this problem, he saw, of the difference between the crude data of the senses and the things as understood by physical sciences. So he divided these into two types of knowledge. The knowledge of sense data is the immediate knowledge by acquaintance with something, and the knowledge of physical science is that knowledge derived from things, or inferred, by description from things. And he says the example of the first type of knowledge...
Prabhupāda: This knowledge, what is that?
Devotee: Inference.
Prabhupāda: Inference. What is that, inference knowledge?
Śyāmasundara: Just like the proposition "All men are mortal," this is inferred after examination, scientific examination, of a number of men.
Prabhupāda: How it is? How many number of men one can examine?
Prabhupāda: There is not the question of antagonism. If we actually know who is God and what He desires... I give always this example: if we know the government and the government laws, then there is no antagonism. The government says that "Keep to the right," so there is no question of antagonism; anyone must keep to the right. So there is no question of antagonism. But the antagonism is there when the so-called religious system does not know what is God and what is actually the desire of God. Then there cannot be any antagonism. That perfectness of understanding God and God's regulation or order is clearly described in the Bhagavad-gītā. We are therefore advocating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that "Here is God and here is God's instructions." So if we deliver it, and the proposal in the Bhagavad-gītā, they are all practical. Just like God says that you divide the society in four division—not only worker, but also the good brain, good administrator, and good producer of food. That is the actually the divisions of the society.
Prabhupāda: A system is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā in three principles. God says that He is the proprietor of everything, sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). So we see this planet, and there is different proprietors-individual proprietor of the land or the state proprietor, the king. So there is a proprietor of this earth, either you divide it nationally or you take it wholly. So similarly there are many, many millions of others, so they are called sarva-loka. So there must be a proprietor. So if we know who is that proprietor and how He is working... That is also stated, that the supreme proprietor is the supreme friend of everyone. So if we find out the supreme proprietor, supreme friend, and if we understand the proprietor is the enjoyer of everything, that is real religion. Then peace will prevail. But if we do not know who is the proprietor, what is His function, what is our relationship with Him, that we create antagonism. Somebody will say, "My religion is better," somebody will say, "My religion is better." But we most of all first, first of all know what is religion. Religion, we say, that the order given by the supreme proprietor and to live according to, according to that order, that is religion. If you do not know what is religion, what is the use of criticizing religion or creating antagonism?
Prabhupāda: So what is that, I am asking, what is your duty? We have got definite duty. We divide the whole human society into division. That is called varṇāśrama-dharma. Socially, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and spiritually, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Now the..., it is so that whatever you are doing, you must do it in one of these eight principles. So there are eight principles; there are duties. So if you act accordingly to the position, say gṛhastha, you have got a position, or a sannyāsa, you have got a position So sannyāsī means this; gṛhastha means this. So if you follow that principle, then you are doing duty. But if you have no standing, then what is your duty? That is very common sense. If you go to work in a big office, so the master of the office gives you duty, "You do this. You are dispatcher." Or "You are clerk, you are this, you are...," then it is duty. And the, if you engage, go to the office, now "Simply let me do my duty," so "What is my duty? Shall I sit down on the clerk's bench or on the superintendent bench, or on the What is my duty?" Duty must be given, that "This is your duty." Where is that indication?
Prabhupāda: So up to the animal bodily concept of life, one is unable to understand his spiritual identity. But in the civilized form of life, when the society is divided into eight divisions, varṇa and āśrama-four varṇas and four āśramas-brahman, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, four varṇas, brahmacārī, and gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsī... So a brāhmaṇa from the social status, when he becomes elevated to the position of a sannyāsī, that is the highest perfectional stage in this material world, and at that stage only he can realize his original constitutional position and he acts accordingly, and thus he becomes delivered, which is called mukti. Mukti means to understand his own constitutional position and act accordingly, and conditional life means to identify with the body and act accordingly. So in the mukti state the activities are different from the conditional state. Therefore the devotional service is the activity of the liberated stage. So anyone who is engaged in devotional service, he maintains his spiritual identity, and therefore he is called liberated even though in this conditional material body.
Purports to Songs
So Kṛṣṇa, hear from Kṛṣṇa. That is He is perfect. And sthāne sthitāḥ. To hear about Kṛṣṇa, you do not require to change your position. Sthāne sthitāḥ. You are medical man? That's all right. Remain medical man. You are scientist? That's all right. You are lawyer? That's all right. You are fool? That's all right. (laughter) Because everyone is fool, but they are divided by mental concoction that "Here is a fool; here is a learned." Because the learned is also a fool. But by mental concoction, he is recognized as intelligent. Same mental concoction. Dvaite' bhadrābhadra sakali samana. Caitanya-caritāmṛta kar said that "In the material world, this is good; and this is bad—this is all mental speculation." Dvaite' bhadrābhadra sakali samana, ei bhāla, ei manda', saba manodharma: "That division, 'This is good; this is bad,' it is mental speculation." It has no value. It has no value. So this mental speculation will not help us. And therefore sthāne sthitāḥ. You remain in your position. It doesn't matter, good or bad. The mental speculator's verdict that "This is good; this is bad. This is intelligent; this is fool," they are all mental speculation. That will not help.
| Page Title: | Divide (Lectures, Other) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 08 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=111, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 111 |