So for thinking in the spiritual energy the Vedic literatures are there. Just like thinking in the material energies, there are so many literatures—newspapers, magazines, novels, fictions, and so many things. Full of literatures. So our thinkings are absorbed in these literatures. Similarly, if we want to transfer our thinking in the spiritual atmosphere, then we have to transfer our reading capacity to the Vedic literature. The learned sages therefore made so many Vedic literatures, the Purāṇas. The Purāṇas are not stories. They are historical records. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta there is a verse which reads as follows. anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa kailā (CC Madhya 20.117). That these forgetful living entities, conditioned souls, they have forgotten the relationship with the Supreme Lord, and they are engrossed in thinking of the material activities. And just to transfer their thinking power to the spiritual capacity, the Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa, he has made so many Vedic literatures.
Forgetfulness (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
When a living entity forgets Kṛṣṇa, forgets Kṛṣṇa's position... Kṛṣṇa's position... Kṛṣṇa says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the proprietor, I am the enjoyer." This is the Kṛṣṇa's position. He never falls down that position. Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer. He keeps always that position. He never falls down. He never comes to the position of being enjoyed. That is not possible. If you want to bring Kṛṣṇa on the position of being enjoyed, then you are defeated. Being enjoyed means keeping Kṛṣṇa in front, I want to get some profit of sense gratification. That is our unnatural position. Kṛṣṇa will never agree. Kṛṣṇa will never agree. Kṛṣṇa cannot be enjoyed. He is always enjoyer. He is always the proprietor. So kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva means when we forget this position of Kṛṣṇa, that He is the Supreme Enjoyer, He is the supreme proprietor... This is called forgetfulness. As soon as I think that "I am enjoyer, I am proprietor," this is my fallen stage. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare. Then jāpaṭiyā dhare, māyā, immediately māyā captures.
So unless a human being is conscious and awakened to the fact that we are always in suffering but we do not want all these sufferings... This question... Such a person is required to approach a spiritual master, when he is conscious. You see? So long he is animal-like, that he does not know that he's always in suffering... He does not know, he does not care, or he does not want to make a solution. And here Arjuna is suffering, and he wants to make a solution, and therefore he accepts a spiritual master. So when we are conscious of our sufferings, we are awakened to the suffering situation... Suffering is there. Forgetfulness or ignorance of suffering is no meaning. Suffering is there. But when one is very serious to make a solution of his suffering, then a spiritual master required. Just like Arjuna requires now a spiritual master. Is it clear? Yes. So that suffering is there. It does not require any education, simply thinking that, a slight thinking, that "I do not want all these sufferings, but I am suffering.
So here you see that He is the perfect being who is eternal... And eternal. Eternal means that... Eternal means everything. Eternal in consciousness. Now, Kṛṣṇa says that "You and Myself and all these beings were like this" because He has got eternal consciousness. He has actually experienced what I was. But because my consciousness is not eternal, I have forgotten what I was in my previous birth. Neither I can say what I shall be in my next birth. These are the distinctions. If we falsely claim that "I am God, I am that supreme consciousness," it is our lunacy. It is our lunacy. We should not indulge in that way, and anyone teaching in that way, that is a cheating. It is not possible. Here is an authoritative book. He is the perfect being who is eternal and all-pervading, omnipotent, omniscient. All individual selves are more or less subject to the affliction of ignorance. We are, all living entities except God, everyone, everyone, they are subjected to ignorance, forgetfulness. That's a fact. Ignorance, egoism. Egoism means that without having the qualification, one declares that "I am God." This is egoism. Without having the qualification of God, if one declares that "I am God," a foolish man, that is called egoism. Egoism, desire, aversion and dread of death. They have to do various kinds of work, good, bad, and indifferent, and reap the consequences thereof. That means they are subjected to the acts of your, I mean to say, reaction of their acts. If you do some good thing, then you reap the good result. If you do some bad thing, then you reap the bad result. And because we are defective, therefore we do something good, sometimes bad.
The example is given, dehāntara. Just like I was boy. Then I became young man. So the body changed. And now I have become old man. The body changed. But I am existing, dehi, the proprietor of the body. So where is the difficulty to understand? Dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means "of the proprietor." The body is changing. I can understand that my body has changed. So next life the body may change. "May" not. It will change. But I may not remember. That is another thing. Just like in my last life, what was my body, I do not remember. So forgetfulness is our nature. Because I forget something, that does not mean that things did not take place. No. In my childhood I did so many things. I do not remember. But my father (and) mother, who have seen my childhood, they remember. So forgetting does not mean that things did not take place. Similarly, death means I have forgotten what was I was in the past life. That is called death. Otherwise I, as spirit soul, I have no death. Suppose I change my dress. In my boyhood I was in a different dress. In my youthhood I was in a different dress. In my old age, or as a sannyāsī. I am in a different dress. So dress may change. That does not mean the owner of the dress is dead or gone. No.
Viṣṇujana: "Forgetfulness of this relationship by the atomic soul is the cause of one changing his position from one tree to another or from one body to another."
Prabhupāda: Now here... He's giving trouble to the friend. I am giving to my sincere friend Kṛṣṇa simply trouble. Just like a bird is flying from one tree to another. The friend bird is also there. He has no business, he has no interest to be there because he is not eating anything from the tree. He has nothing to do. But because his friend is there, he goes. So we are changing our body as the bird, the changing from one tree to another. But Kṛṣṇa, the supreme bird, is also going with me. Go on.
Viṣṇujana: "The jīva, the soul, is struggling very hard in the tree of the material body. But as soon as he agrees to accept the other bird..."
Prabhupāda: That's all.
Therefore, this body, although this is material, coming from the same source, still it is inferior. So when the dehī, or the spirit soul, although by nature it is superior than the material nature, but still, because he's encaged within the material nature, he's forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. But, as it is stated here, that dehe sarvasya, sarvasya dehe, the same spirit is there. Therefore, those who are not rascals, those who are intelligent and in complete knowledge, they do not find any distinction between a human being or an animal. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. Because he's paṇḍita, he's learned, he knows that the spirit soul is there. Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe (BG 5.18). Within the first-class learned brāhmaṇa, there is the soul, the same quality soul.
So still, Kaṁsa got liberation because he was constantly thinking of Kṛṣṇa. But ac... That is not bhakti. Bhakti is the same thinking of Kṛṣṇa—favorably. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). That is bhakti. To think of Kṛṣṇa as enemy, that is not required. One may think, but a devotee, how can he think of Kṛṣṇa as enemy? He thinks of Kṛṣṇa as friend, as son, as master, as lover. A devotee thinks like that, whereas a demon or an enemy of Kṛṣṇa, he's always thinking of... This is the difference between demon and devotee. Demon is thinking how to wipe out, how to banish Kṛṣṇa, how to kill Kṛṣṇa. They don't want Kṛṣṇa. That is demonic. So therefore they do not know that a demonic person is always suffering. That is due to his forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. But because he is demon, he is continuing the business. Therefore they do not know... Na te viduḥ... They... That is also... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca na vidur āsura-janāḥ (BG 16.7). Āsura-jana, those who are asuras, they do not know what to do and what not to do. Therefore one has to learn how to live, what to know, what to forget. Every... Every educational or progressive method has got do's and do not's. So the asuras, they do not know what they should do and what they should not do. That is asura. And a devotee, he knows what to do and what not to do. There is no illicit sex.
Everything illusion. Everything illusion. And we are compact in that illusion. We are thinking that we are very much learned and very much advanced and so many things we are imagining. But as soon as death comes, the actual fact, the beginning of death, then we forget everything. We can forget our country. We forget our relatives. We forget our wife, children, father, mother—everything gone. You see? If it is a fact that I am soul, eternal, then it is a fact also that in my previous life I had my country. I had my children. I had my home. I had my father. I had my everything. But can you remember any of these things, what you were in your previous life? Either human, human-born life or either animal life, you cannot... Death means forgetful. We have forgotten everything. Actually, there is no death for the soul. Just like you are... At night, you go to sleep. So that is a sort of death. And again you get up in the morning. So death is something like that. Death is sleeping for seven months. That's all. Without any consciousness. For three, three months without any consciousness. Or, say, seven months. Death means forgetfulness. Just like at sleep, we forget everything, what I am, where I am sleeping, who I am, what is my identity, identification, everything forgotten. Then again, as soon as I rise up in the morning, I remember, "Oh, I am such and such officer. I am such and such father, such and such husband, and I have got to do such and such things."
Sudāmā: "All living entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are to help us understand this eternal relationship. The Lord says that the purport of the Vedas is to understand Him."
Prabhupāda: Yes. That you will find in the Fifteenth Chapter, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15).
What is the purpose of so many scriptures and Vedic literature? Just to give you information that there is Kṛṣṇa and you are eternally related with Kṛṣṇa. You have forgotten. Just revive that relationship and perfect your life. That is the sum and substance of all Vedic literature. Go on.
Sudāmā: "In the Vedic hymns it is said patim..."
Prabhupāda: Patiṁ viśvasyātmeśvaram. Yes. Go on.
Sudāmā: "The Lord of the living entities is the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Prabhupāda: Yes, Lord of the living entities. Just like here we have got a leader, a society leader or a party leader or a club leader, there are leaders. Some are led by somebody, some are led by somebody. We don't wish to discuss. But there is a leader. Without leader, nobody goes to hell, neither to heaven. There must be one leader. The supreme leader is Kṛṣṇa. Leader of the leader, leader of the leader. There are various types of leaders. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). These are the wordings in the Vedas. So He is the supreme leader. We are following some leader. Some leader is following Stalin, somebody Hitler, some leader is following Gandhi, somebody's following somebody, somebody. There must be some leader. But why not the supreme leader, who will never misguide you? He will give you actual path of happiness. Then you will become happy.
This verse we were discussing last meeting, that we should eat after offering sacrifice. Lord Kṛṣṇa says that things which are eatable, we receive by the grace of the Lord. We should acknowledge it. We should not be forgetful, that our eatables, which come to us, they can be manufactured by our sweet will. No. The arrangement is so nice in the administration of nature that we shall get all our necessities of life by the grace of God, and our duty is to advance ourself in the right knowledge of our spiritual existence without unnecessarily engaging ourself for sense gratification. That is the difference between human civilization and animal life.
The beginning of our Bhagavad-gītā lesson is based on that we are spirit consciousness. We are not this body. And the whole function of the human society is to be enlightened in that spiritual consciousness of life instead of wasting time in sense gratification like the animals who are concerned with eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating. That is the background of our, this discussion, that we are different from the ordinary animals.
So the common factor of animal life and human life is these four principles of bodily demands, namely that we require to eat, and we require to sleep, we require some defensive measures for protecting ourself from the enemies, and we require some extent of sense gratification. That is the needs of my body. They are not the needs of my self as I am, spirit soul.
That is the stage of our present existence—forgetfulness. We do not know how our taste should be created, how our taste should be converted from material to spiritual. That we do not know. Therefore Lord is so kind, Kṛṣṇa, that He creates a battlefield for you so that you may be anxious to know, "Who is fighting with whom? Who is fighting with whom." Because we are always very much anxious to learn stories, so all these Purāṇas...
Just this morning we were discussing that all these... Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). Vyāsadeva is so kind that he could understand that the next generation before, I mean to say, five thousands years before, when he was thinking... We should always know that great thinkers, great, I mean to say, sages, ṛṣis, they are sitting in the secluded place, in a forest, not idly. They are always thinking how people should be benefited, how people should be benefited. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. Just like we sing daily about the Gosvāmīs.
Now, because there should be some doubt of the ordinary man, that "How Kṛṣṇa could say to the sun-god?" that is explained in the next verse. Because Arjuna was taking instruction from Kṛṣṇa, he knew Kṛṣṇa, what He is. Otherwise he would not have accepted him as a spiritual master. But because others would doubt, "This is fictitious that Kṛṣṇa said to the sun-god. How it is possible?" so you will find Arjuna said, "The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?" Kṛṣṇa is taking our position, er, Arjuna. Persons who are thinking of Kṛṣṇa as ordinary person, so Arjuna is trying to clear that point, that Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary person. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore he has put this question, that "The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to you."
Sun-god, Vivasvān, the sun planet, father of Manu... Manu's age we cannot calculate. About forty millions of years ago Manu was born, and his father, we do not know what is his age. So how it is possible, if Kṛṣṇa is ordinary man, He spoke to him? That is being cleared. So what He answered? "The Blessed Lord said, 'Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot." That is the difference between God and man. That is the difference between God and man. We cannot remember. Even we cannot remember what I did at this time yesterday. That is our forgetfulness, is our nature.
So we cannot know. And we can understand that your mentality, my mentality, is different. You act in different way; I act in different way. That is the way, every one of us. Therefore we are forced to accept a certain type of body according to our karma. But Kṛṣṇa does not. We change our body. Just try to understand.
This forgetfulness means change of body. Just like we had some certain type of body in our previous life, but we do not know. Forgotten. Because I have changed the body, therefore I have forgotten. What to speak of my last birth? Even in your childhood, when you were, say, three or four years old, you did so many things. But do you remember them? No. Because you have changed the body. That body is gone. Therefore we have forgotten. Forgetfulness means change of body. We are changing body every second, every minute. Therefore we are forgetting. And Kṛṣṇa does not forget. That means he does not change body. This is pure understanding of Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa said that "Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them." Many, many. Thousands and thousands of times Kṛṣṇa appeared on this world, but He remembers everything. And I cannot remember about my childhood. So how can I become one with Kṛṣṇa? These Māyāvādī philosophers, they are declaring that "I am God." How you can? What is your qualification that you become God? God is not so cheap thing. People have taken it that "Everyone can become God. Every one of us God." This is another illusion, another māyā, because we do not know what is God. Here is God. He says that "Many, many millions of years ago I spoke to sun-god. I remember it." This is God. Simple truth. This is the proof that He is God. Read the explanation, purport. "In the Brahma-saṁhitā...
Yes. Here is... Nowadays there are many gods. Especially anyone comes from India in the name of so many saintly persons, and they claim that they are gods. Everyone says, "I am God." Or somebody says that "Everyone is God." But here is the difference between God and ordinary living entity. What is that? God does not forget and we forget.
If I ask you just exactly at this time what you were doing last evening, you will have to remember. You have forgotten. And what to speak of one week ago or one year ago? That is our nature, forgetfulness.
So here Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, although they are on the level of friendship, one is God and another is ordinary living entity. God does not forget; living entity forgets. That is the distinction. How you can say that you are God? You are so forgetful that you cannot say what you were doing a few hours before, and you claiming that you are God? They have made God as very cheap thing. Everyone is claiming, "I am God." They do not know what is God.
Now, here try to understand what is the difference between God and dog. A dog forgets. A dog comes to your place to eat something. You give it a slap. He goes away, again comes. He forgets that slapping. You see? That is the dog's nature. And God's nature is different.
Prabhupāda: There are six opulences, transcendental qualification of God. One is that He is full of knowledge. So if God is full of knowledge, how He can be in forgetfulness? That is impossible. Go on.
Madhudviṣa: "Kṛṣṇa remembered acts which were performed by Him millions of years before, but Arjuna could not, despite the fact that both Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are eternal in nature. We may note herein that a living entity forgets everything due to his change of body."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Another thing to be noted here, that why we forget? We living entities, why we forget? It is a fact that from my past life I have transmigrated to this body. Now I cannot say in my my past life what was my body. This is my nature because I change my body. Just like you can remember some years, say, twenty years, twenty-five years. Or suppose I am now seventy-three years old. I can remember some accident when I was only three years old, that, because it is in this life. But I cannot remember what I was in my past life.
Sac-cid-ānanda body. Sat means eternal. Cit means full of knowledge. Sat, cit, ānanda. Ānanda means blissful. That is His body. Our body is just the opposite. It is not sat; it is not eternal. It is temporary. And it is not full of knowledge. We are full of ignorance. We do not know what is there beyond this wall. Therefore it is full of ignorance. We are proud of our eyes. If the electricity is immediately gone, we cannot see. So we see, we act, under some conditions offered by the material nature. So we are not fully aware of everything; neither our body is eternal; neither we are blissful. This body is the source of so many diseases. The body is subjected to birth, death. The body is forgetful. The body is suffering old age. So this is not blissful body. But Kṛṣṇa's body—just opposite. His body is blissful, full of knowledge, and eternal. So how can you compare with Kṛṣṇa? It is not possible. Go on.
Our, our position as living entity... We are also eternal. Just like God is eternal, similarly, we are also eternal. But the difficulty is that we change our body. We change our body. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our dress, similarly, we change our body. And as soon as we change our body, now, we forget everything. Death means forgetfulness. That's all. Just like at night, when you sleep, you forget yourself. You forget yourself that "I am the father of such and such children, I am the husband of such and such..." You dream that you are in a different place. Sometimes you are on the sea, sometimes on the sky, sometimes on something. You forget yourself. You forget yourself. Again, when you wake up, oh, you remember, "Oh, I am such and such person. I have to do such and such and such and such..." So this is going on. So death means forgetfulness. That's all.
Forgetfulness. There is some incidences that sometimes Brahmā, he was cursed to become a, a hog. He became a hog. Then after... Not Brahmā, Indra, the king of heaven. The king of heaven, he made some offense under, on the feet of his spiritual master, Bṛhaspati, and he cursed him that "You are just like a hog. You take the birth of a hog." So he became a hog. Now, when the throne of the heavenly kingdom was vacant due to the absence of Indra—he has become a hog in this earth—so Brahmā came. Brahmā came that, "Mr. Such-and-such, you have now become hog for your offensive activities. Now I have come to deliver you. Please come with me." Now, the hog said, "Oh, I cannot go with you. I cannot go with you. Oh, I have got so many responsibilities. I have got my children. I have got my wife. I have got my country. I have got my society." The hog, he's... So even you offer the hog to take him to the heaven, he will refuse. "Oh, I have got so much responsibility." This is called forgetfulness. This is called forgetfulness.
Now, the Lord Kṛṣṇa comes that "What you are nonsense doing this material world?" Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You come to Me. I give you all protection." "Oh, I don't believe You, Sir. I have got more important business here. I don't believe You." This is our position. This is our position, forgetfulness. A conditioned soul is forgetful, forgetful. Prakṣepātmikā, vikṣepātmikā. There are... Two forces of nature is acting upon us by which we decide something that "We now, this life, I shall make spiritual advancement. Now it is decided." And next moment the illusory māyā, or illusory energy, says, "What nonsense spiritual life you are going to do? Just enjoy this here. You have got so many enjoyments. Why you are thinking like that?" So prakṣepātmikā, vikṣepātmikā. This is going on. So forgetfulness. So that is the difference between God and man.
Here, in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is clearly said that "My dear Arjuna, you also had many, many births. You were, you are also, because you are constant companion of Me, so whenever I take incarnation in the, any planet, so you also, you are also with Me. So when I took incarnation in the sun planet and I spoke this Bhagavad-gītā to sun-god, you were also present with Me, but unfortunately, you have forgotten. Because you are a living being and I am the Supreme Lord." That is the difference between the Supreme Lord... I cannot remember. Forgetfulness is my nature.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that "I also take My birth, and you also take your birth, but the difference is..." Tāny ahaṁ veda. "I know how many times I took birth, but you... You also took, many times, but you have forgotten." That is the difference. Tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṁ vettha parantapa. You cannot remember. Actually, we do not remember. What I was in my last birth, I do not know. Death means forgetfulness. Death means to forget everything.
Just like daytime and nighttime. Nighttime also, when we sleep, we forget all our business in daytime. We have got everyday experience. We are different person at night. We are dreaming something, dreamland, somewhere I have gone, and forget that I have got a body which is lying on the bed, I am the father of such and such sons, I am the husband of such and such... No, you forget everything. And again, in the daytime, you forget everything, what you dreamed. This is our practical experience.
Now you can select your own religion. Either you be a Hindu or Muslim or Mohammedan or Buddhist, whatever you like, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata does not stop you, but it gives you hint what is the purpose of religion. The purpose of religion is to develop your love of Godhead. That is real religion. So here Kṛṣṇa says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). As soon as there is decadence of people's love of Godhead... That means when people become forgetful, almost forgetful. Because at least some people remember that there is God. But generally, in this age, they are forgetful. That is dharmasya glāniḥ. And by forgetting God the people cannot be happy. That is also another cause. People are thinking that "God is dead. We have no obligation to God. There is no God." This sort of thinking will never make the people happy. And actually, it is happening. They have become atheistic. The modern civilization is Godless, but people are not happy. Therefore God or His representative comes when people forget his relationship with God.
So real religion is to understand what is our relationship with God. And then the relationship is, as it is found in the Bhagavad-gītā and confirmed by great ācāryas like Lord Caitanya.
Kṛṣṇa descends means sometimes He personally descends, sometimes He descends by His incarnation, sometimes He descends as a sound vibration, sometimes He descends as devotee. There are many different categories of His descendance. And at the present moment this Kṛṣṇa has descended in His holy name. You should understand that. Kṛṣṇa kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra. This is the statement of Lord Caitanya, that in this age of Kali, Kṛṣṇa has descended in the sound vibration form. Sound is also one of the form. Just like oṁkāra is the form of Kṛṣṇa. Akṣarāṇām oṁkāro 'smi. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, now, at the present moment, has descended in the form of His holy name. His name and He, there is no difference. So why? Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). People are now forgetting his relationship with God. Now this incarnation of Kṛṣṇa in the form of His holy name, this chanting of Kṛṣṇa will deliver all people of the world from this forgetfulness.
This is contributed by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He says that kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra, ihā haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomāra. If you chant or if you associate with the chanting of holy name of Kṛṣṇa, then you will get the highest perfectional stage of life, and we should accept that Kṛṣṇa has descended at the present moment in the form of His holy name. Thank you very much. Any question?
Similarly, religion can be performed by a person who has full conception of God. Without God, religion is a farce. That is not religion. Religion means you must have obligation to God, you must have clear conception of God. That is called... That is... And that relationship is based on love. Just like father and child. What is the relationship between the child? There are hundreds of thousands of children in the street. Why you are interested with your own children? Because there is love. Similarly, religion means love of God. And irreligion means forgetfulness of God. That's all.
Religion does not mean to follow some ritualistic process. That helps us to approach. But they are not, I mean to say, primal necessities. That ritualistic process may be different. Hindus may be following a different kind of ritualistic process. The Christian may be following a different kinds of ritualistic process. That does not matter.
The difference between the appearance of God and appearance of myself is that I appear in different bodies as it is offered by the material nature according to my karma; God appears in His own original body. That is the difference. And because God appears in His own original body, therefore He is not forgetful of the past, present and future. And so far we are concerned, because we appear in different material bodies, therefore we forget our past, present and future. This is the difference. And in this verse it is specifically mentioned here that janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Divyam means divine, spiritual, transcendental. Our appearance and disappearance is different from the Lord's appearance and disappearance.
One has to learn the subject matter. And how it can be learned? Simply by service attitude. Sevonmukhe. We cannot learn this transcendental subject matter by challenge. If we are submissive, if we are engaged in His service, then, by His divine grace, He reveals Himself. Everything understanding of Lord, that is revelation. By our experimental knowledge, we cannot understand what is God. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our senses are now materially contaminated; therefore we cannot understand what is God, what is His appearance, what is His disappearance. This is not possible. The whole thing is to accept the purificatory process of the senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170).
We should learn how to do good to the people in general. They have forgotten their relationship with God. You should be sympathetic for them. That they're suffering on account of their forgetfulness of God, let us do some service to them. (indistinct) Awaken them. Awaken their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is the best welfare activities to the human society. Because he has got, he has forgotten Kṛṣṇa, he's suffering and if you awaken his Kṛṣṇa consciousness then he will be happy.
So Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Kṛṣṇa, His body is not material body. Those who are thinking Kṛṣṇa's body as material, they are called Māyāvādīs. But actually, Kṛṣṇa's body is not material. The evidence is that Kṛṣṇa knows past, present and future. In the material body that is not possible. Just like I had my previous body in my previous birth, but I don't remember. If somebody asks me, "What you were in your previous life?" it is very difficult. Because death means forgetfulness.
We are not dying. So far we are, living entities are concerned, we are not dying. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We do not die. This is a disease, that we accept a foreign body, material body. And the foreign body is a machine. Just like you have got a car. You can ride on, drive on the car so long the machine is working. But as soon as the machine does not work, you have to change your car. It is like that.
And there is another prakṛti, parā-prakṛti. That is also mentioned here: mad-bhāvam. Mad-bhāvam means the nature in which Kṛṣṇa is there. In this material nature, although Kṛṣṇa is there, but we do not understand. We cannot see Kṛṣṇa. That is material, forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. But when you remember Kṛṣṇa even in this material world, then it becomes spiritual.
Just like this temple. This temple is the opportunity of remembering Kṛṣṇa. Here is Kṛṣṇa worship. Here you can remember Kṛṣṇa. Here is the inmates of this temple. They are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma... So that is called mām upāśritāḥ. Mām upāśritāḥ. They have taken the shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. And man-mayā, and always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. And vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). Rāga, we have got some attachment, this material attachment. But as soon as you become attached to Kṛṣṇa, you'll be detached to this material world. That is... Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). That is the test of bhakti.
Just like a madman, he forgets his relationship with the family. He loiters in the street. He eats anywhere and everywhere and all rubbish things. Although he may have a very rich father, well-to-do family, but forgetting.... Madness means forgetfulness of his real life. So we are now forgetful of our real life. This has been also exemplified by a Vaiṣṇava poet,
- piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya
- māyā-grasta jīvera haya se bhāva udaya
Piśācī. When a man is haunted by ghosts, as he speaks all nonsense, he cannot recognize his father, mother or relative.... Sometimes he calls them by ill names. On account of being ghostly haunted. Piśācī pāile.
Similarly, in the conditioned state, under the influence of māyā, we are also talking so many nonsense things, "I belong to this family, I belong to this nation, I belong to this community, my business is this," simply forgetting Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All other business, he will remember, but when he is requested to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, to understand Kṛṣṇa, he doesn't like it. Except Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will take all responsibility and work hard for that purpose. This is called māyā-grasta jīva.
Prabhupāda: Yes. If we can understand... Just like if you are affectionate to your father, then you naturally become affectionate to your brother. They are preaching universal brotherhood, but "Where is the father, sir?" "Oh, Father is missing." "Then where is the question of brotherhood?" If you don't find your father, then how do you select your brother? These are the imperfectness. If you actually want to do something for your brother in universal brotherhood, first of all establish your relationship with father which you have lost. Go on.
Revatīnandana: "The sufferings of humanity are due to forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa as the supreme enjoyer."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because we are forgotten of Kṛṣṇa or God, therefore in your country, you are throwing away so many tons of grains into the sea. Because we have no connection with Kṛṣṇa. But if one thinks, "Well, these grains are supplied by Kṛṣṇa, our father. Why it should be thrown into the sea? Let it be distributed to other countries where they are suffering for grains..." But because want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they cannot think like that. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be taken very seriously to solve all the questions of the world. But they want to remain in ignorance, in darkness. Let us do our duty. What can be done? Yes.
Revatīnandana: "The sufferings of humanity are due to forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa as the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor, and the supreme friend."
Prabhupāda: Bellevue. Simply building is increasing. Every year the building is increasing. What is that? The number of lunatic persons are increasing. You see? But they are under welfare activities. But do not see that "How much welfare I am doing? Why the patients are increasing?" You see? "Oh, we have increased the hospital." That means you increase the disease. They are very much proud of having a big hospital. (laughter) Just see the ignorance. They are not sorry that "Why so much big hospital? Why so much big prisonhouse?" The number of prisoners are increased. So rascals are, they are engaged in welfare activities. Just see. And they are in charge of welfare activities. I do not wish to criticize but there are so many things, simply rascaldom—without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply rascaldom. Yes. Go on.
Revatīnandana: "The real cause of his difficulties in the hard struggle for life may be found in his forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Lord."
Prabhupāda: Yes, just change the consciousness and everything will be clear. Just change the consciousness. Real treatment is to get him Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is real treatment. Yes.
So śāntiṁ nirvāṇa-paramām mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati. And after extinguishing this material life, then what is the next? Next is not void, is not impersonal void, as they say. Bhagavad-gītā does not say like that. Bhagavad-gītā says, mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati. "He enters into My establishment." Saṁsthām means establishment. Now, when you speak of establishment... Suppose a big man, he has got establishment. So that means it is not void. Establishment means there are varieties of engagement. Unless it cannot be saṁsthām. So here it is clearly said that mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati. One attains to the kingdom of God where spiritual varieties are there. They are not variety-less. Otherwise, the Lord would not have said that saṁsthām. There is a regular establishment. Just like you have got a regular establishment in your household affairs, similarly, the Lord has a regular household establishment in the spiritual world. Mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati. If... These processes are simply to qualify himself to enter into that establishment. That's all. We are all belong to that establishment, but being forgetful, we are now in this material world.
That is yoga system. To connect again with the Supreme. Because I am part and parcel. The same example. Somehow or other the finger is cut off and it is falling on the ground, it has no value. My finger, when it is cut off and it is lying on the ground, it has no value. My finger, when it is cut off and it is lying on the ground, it has no value. But as soon as the finger is joined with this body, it has got millions and trillions of dollars value. Invaluable. Similarly we are now disconnected with God or Kṛṣṇa, by this material condition. Forget, not disconnected. Connection is there. God is supplying our all necessities just like a state prisoner is disconnected from the civil department. He has come to the criminal department. Actually not disconnected. The government is still take care. But legally disconnected. Similarly we are not disconnected. We cannot be disconnected, because there is no existence of anything without Kṛṣṇa. So how can I be disconnected? Disconnection is that by forgetting Kṛṣṇa, instead of engaging myself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I am engaged in so many nonsense consciousness. That is disconnection. Instead of thinking myself that I am eternal servant of God or Kṛṣṇa, I am thinking I am servant of my society, I am servant of my country, I am servant of my husband, I am servant of my wife, I am servant of my dog or so many. This is forgetfulness.
So therefore there is no use of worshiping Kṛṣṇa separately. They take therefore to the humanitarian activities. They say this is better. Why Kṛṣṇa shall be worshiped. Kṛṣṇa says that one should see in every being Kṛṣṇa. So let us serve (?) but they do not know the techniques. That requires training under bona fide spiritual master. This, "A true yogi observes Me in all beings." A true yogi, devotee. Just like these devotees are going to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness outside. Why? They see Kṛṣṇa in all beings. How? Because they see that all beings are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. They are under forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. So let us awake them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A devotee sees others whose not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like sometimes some missionary activities are there to give education to the uneducated community. Why? Because they see they are human beings. They should be educated. They should know the value of life. That is their sympathy. Here also the same thing. That everyone should know that he's part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Forgetting this consciousness he suffers. That is to see Kṛṣṇa in everything. Not that everything has become Kṛṣṇa. Don't see like that, then you'll be mistaken. Every being is, just like if I see somebody, that this boy is the son of such and such gentleman. That means I see such and such gentleman in this boy. Is it clear? If I see every living being is son of God or Kṛṣṇa, then that means I see God in every beings. Is there any difficulty to understand?
No, this is a fact. (laughter) It is not an association or vision, this is a fact. When you see a cat, when you see a dog, you see Kṛṣṇa in him. Why? You know that here is cat, living being. He, by his deeds, past deed he has got this body cat, forgetfulness. So let me help this cat, give it some Kṛṣṇa prasāda so that in some day he will come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is to see in him Kṛṣṇa. Not that, "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa, let me embrace this cat." This is nonsense. Here is a tiger, "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa, come on Please eat me." This is rascaldom. You should take sympathy with every living being, that he is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca. Not that we shall embrace him, "Come on Kṛṣṇa." So "the true yogi observes Me in all beings." This is the seeing. Why we are welcoming these children? Because he is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. You are giving them chance to, as much as possible, to take part in the kīrtana, to taste the prasāda. That child who comes, imitates like this, oh, don't think that it is growing in vain. Something done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, knowing or not knowing it will have it's effect.
This is our position. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. When I speak "Kṛṣṇa," means God. You know, all. It is not very difficult for Indians. So because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be disconnection. Therefore it is a stage of forgetfulness. Instead of loving Kṛṣṇa, we have expanded our love for so many things. Somebody's loving his body. Somebody's loving his family. Somebody's loving his society, community, nation, or the human society. We are trying to... We must love. There is no escape. I must love somebody, because the propensity's there. So the original love is for Kṛṣṇa. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, therefore our love is distributed in so many ways. But we are frustrated. We, we are not happy. Neither the person whom we love or the country whom we love or the society which I love, they're also not happy. Because everything is misplaced. Everything is misplaced. Just like if you water on the top of the tree or every leaf, every branch, every twig, you cannot keep the tree very fresh. But if you water on the root of the tree, it keeps fresh, always.
The same thing, as I begun, because our relationship is father and son, how it can be disconnected? One might have forgotten, but as soon as the forgetfulness is removed, immediately understands: "Oh, I am Kṛṣṇa's." That this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to invoke the dormant Kṛṣṇa's love in every human being. And this is the duty of the Indians. Caitanya Mahāprabhu prescribed this duty:
- bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
Caitanya Mahāprabhu, within these five hundred years, He inaugurated the saṅkīrtana movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, from Bengal. You know. So His order is... It is not that because Caitanya Mahāprabhu advented Himself in Bengal, He requested the Bengalis. No. He said, especially to the Indians: bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra (CC Adi 9.41). Anyone who has taken birth on the land of Bhāratavarṣa as human being, he should make his life perfect and distribute the knowledge to the others who are in ignorance. Because transcendental knowledge, spiritual knowledge, that is only in India. That is a fact. That is nowhere else. Even one Chinese educationist, he has admitted that "If we want to know what is religion, then we have to approach India." There is no other source.
Then cit. Cit means knowledge, and our body is full of ignorance. We cannot understand knowledge. We have no knowledge immediately what is beyond this wall. If you ask me what is beyond this wall, then I will have to ask some of my disciples, "What is there beyond this wall?" Therefore it is not cit, not full of knowledge. But Kṛṣṇa knows, He says in the Bha..., vedāhaṁ samatītāni: (BG 7.26) "I know everything past, present, and future." When Arjuna enquired... Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, he is also playing just like Kṛṣṇa's friend. So he enquired for dissipation of the ignorance that "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are saying that You spoke this philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā, formerly to the sun-god." Without asking Him, "How did You go? How did You return?" he simply asked that "Kṛṣṇa, I know that You are my contemporary. We are of the same age. And how can I believe that millions and trillions of years ago You spoke to sun-god?" So the answer was that "My dear Arjuna, at that time because you are My friend, you were also there, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten." Therefore He is full of knowledge. We cannot say what we did in our childhood. We have forgotten. This is one of our qualification, forgetfulness. But Kṛṣṇa says that "You have forgotten. Because you are living being, your nature is to forget. But because I am the Supreme Lord, I have not forgotten." Therefore His knowledge is perfect.
Just like Arjuna did. He was conscious... In the beginning of the fight he was conscious of his relatives, of his family, means bodily. But when he understood Bhagavad-gītā from Kṛṣṇa, he said, "Yes," kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73). In the beginning he denied to fight, but when he understood Bhagavad-gītā, he agreed, "Yes, I shall fight." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava. "I am now full conscious." Naṣṭo mohaḥ: "This attachment, bodily attachment, is now finished. Kṛṣṇa, it is now finished." Naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā. Because we forgot, I have already said that we are forgetful. This is our another nature. "Now my forgetfulness is gone," tvat-prasādāt, "by Your mercy. You have taught me Bhagavad-gītā, so by Your mercy my two things—that bodily attachment and misconception of life—is now gone. Now I know that I am Your servant. I am Your eternal servant, and it is my duty to carry out Your order. Therefore I agree." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73). "I shall now execute. You want me to fight, no consideration of my relatives or family. I shall fight with them." This is the conclusion of Arjuna.
Now, how to make perfect, perfection of life, siddhi? That is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gelā, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa kailā (CC Madhya 20.117).(?) Because we have all forgotten Kṛṣṇa, that is our miserable condition of life. We are all forgotten about Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is teaching us personally. Five thousand years ago, He personally appeared and teaching us, we forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, the whole human society. Kṛṣṇa is teaching everyone. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa is teaching only in India and to the brāhmaṇas or the Hindus. Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is being accepted by everyone all over the world. It is our duty. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says it is the duty of all Indians to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement for para-upakāra, all over the world. That is our business. So manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). The siddhi means when one takes to the daiva-varṇāśrama principles.
Otherwise, by so-called mental speculation, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). If a person is very expert in exercising his senses, mental speculator, it is not that he will understand Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Nāmādi means His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Because name is the first. In our, this forgetful condition, our first business is to chant the holy name. Therefore nāmādi. To understand Kṛṣṇa we have to chant His holy name first, ādi. Then gradually, Kṛṣṇa's qualities, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, Kṛṣṇa's entourage and everything will be revealed.
- ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
- na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
- sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
- svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
- (CC Madhya 17.136)
If we take to this devotional service, then this chanting, this vibration of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, very simple method, if we accept this... Just like we have offered these boys this chanting process, and they have accepted it very humbly. And if they prosecute the routine work, gradually they will understand what is Kṛṣṇa. As you see the advanced students who are dancing in ecstasy, you can understand how much they have understood Kṛṣṇa. A simple method. And nobody is checked or barred: "You are not Hindu. You cannot chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." No. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). It doesn't matter whether he is a Hindu or Muslim or Christian or this or that. One has to learn the science of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā, as it is. Then he becomes a spiritual master.
This is our real miserable condition. We have to die. We have to take birth again, and again we have to become old, and there will be disease. Between birth and death... Birth is very miserable, To remain in the womb of the mother in a packed-up stage within a bag, and... That is miserable. Biting, the worms biting tender skin. We have forgotten, but these were the miseries for birth. In suffocated condition...But we have forgotten. So forgetfulness is not solution. Closing the eyes before the enemies is no solution. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). So long you are in material condition, you have to suffer all these miseries, either you become rich man or poor man. You may become American or Indian. The miseries of birth, death, old age and disease, they are all the same everywhere, not only within this planet, but also in other planets also. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. This is the intelligence. They are trying to go to the moon planet, or somebody, by karma-kāṇḍīya consideration, they are trying to go to the heavenly planet. But wherever you go, you must know that these four conditions of material life, they are present.
So separated energy, in this way you have to understand, that although this energy is separated from Kṛṣṇa, it can be used for Kṛṣṇa. And when it is used for Kṛṣṇa, then it is spiritual. It is no more material. Material means forgetfulness. Karmīs are constructing big, big houses, skyscraper houses. The purpose is to enjoy himself. The same thing, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ, mixing together, brick or stone or cement, if it is used for Kṛṣṇa, then it is yukta-vairāgya.
- anāsaktasya viṣayān
- yathārham upayuñjataḥ
- nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
- yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate
So our philosophy is that. Although this material world, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), they are separated from Kṛṣṇa, we can use it for Kṛṣṇa. Just like the same example: The tape recorder, it is material, but it can be used for Kṛṣṇa's purpose. We are writing books, recording in the tape recorder. That nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. There is no need of giving up this bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ, as the Māyāvādī philosopher says. You can utilize. After all, it is Kṛṣṇa's energy. This is the best philosophy, that one man's property should be used for the proprietor. That is the best use.
So many sounds we are hearing. If you simply remember this śloka of Bhāgavata, that śabda, any sound... Hare Kṛṣṇa sound is transcendental. That's all right. But if you don't like Hare Kṛṣṇa sound, you take any sound, any sound is also... That is coming from the original sound. Simply it is covered by māyā. What is the difference between spiritual and material? Everything is spiritual. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. But when it is covered by māyā, it is material. That's all. And what is māyā? Forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. The same water, the same water, it is spiritual. Because it is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Kṛṣṇa has already said, bhūmir āpaḥ. Āpaḥ. Here also, apsu. So āpaḥ, jala, or water, is Kṛṣṇa's energy. How it can be different from Kṛṣṇa? So we have to deal with water in so many ways. How we can forget Kṛṣṇa?
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the spreading the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā as it is. So how one can become Kṛṣṇa conscious very easily without any loss, but gain is very much—why don't you take this advantage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? What is the reason that you'll not take? Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious in this way, the profit is very, very great. Because the more you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, the more Kṛṣṇa becomes revealed to you. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Realization, revelation, that... With the blunt senses you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, you cannot realize Kṛṣṇa. But if you purify... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our present senses are blunt senses because it is covered by forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, or māyā. Therefore it has to be purified. Or the nature of forgetfulness has to be removed. That's all. This is the process. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). If you follow this process, that "Here is drinking water, the taste is Kṛṣṇa," that means some percentage of your forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa is removed. Similarly, when you see the sunshine, the moonshine, or you chant oṁkāra... There are other, so many ways prescribed in the later verses. So try to understand Kṛṣṇa in this way. It doesn't require any advancement of education or Vedic knowledge. A simple thing.
o association with Kṛṣṇa means just like association with daylight, sunshine, there is no question of contamination. If you get sunshine always, oh, you will never be..., ultra violet rays... That is scientific truth. If you are always in the sunshine, there will be no disease. This is a practical point. This is a practical fact, that modern medical science, they approve a disease incurable. They recommend, "Just lie down on the sunshine." Yes, it is a fact. And Vedic rules, one man who is diseased, he worships sun. That means he has to come into the sunshine, and naturally his disease will be cured. Similarly, as you associate with sunshine, you are cured of all diseases, similarly, if you associate with Kṛṣṇa always by consciousness, there is no trouble. There is no material trouble. Try it. Simply by sounding Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. Not only sounding, this is also going on at the same time, this consciousness: "This water is Kṛṣṇa. The taste of the water is Kṛṣṇa. The sound is Kṛṣṇa. This illumination is Kṛṣṇa." In this way you have to practice.
The only thing is that our present stage is forgetfulness. We have forgotten, that's all. So we have to revive. We have to revive our spiritual life, our spiritual consciousness. And the simple process is this śravaṇam. This act, which you are performing, is approved by Lord Caitanya. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. When Lord Caitanya was speaking with Rāmānanda Rāya... He is a great friend of Lord Caitanya and great devotee, just like Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. So Rāmānanda Rāya was explaining about gradual development of spiritual life. So he recommended so many things—varṇāśrama-dharma, sannyāsa, and renunciation of work. Lord Caitanya says, "No, it is not so good. It is not so good. It is not so good." In this way, when he was... Rāmānanda Rāya, he was proposing something, that "This is the system of promoting spiritual consciousness," and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was rejecting, "No, no. You say something more, better than." Then he was proposing another, another, another.
The whole world is captivated by these three qualities of material nature. The difference is that Kṛṣṇa comes also within this material world, and the ordinary living entities, they also come within this material world. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter, "Arjuna, both you and Me had many, many births, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten." This forgetfulness is under the influence of tamo-guṇa. So although Kṛṣṇa takes birth, many, many times He appears, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9), but such appearance and disappearance are divyam, transcendental. They are not ordinary. And if we accept Kṛṣṇa's birth or Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance like us, then we are mistaken. Then mohitam.
- tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair
- ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat
- mohitaṁ nābhijānāti
- mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam
- (BG 7.13)
Mohitam. Because we are influenced by the three qualities, therefore we are illusioned. We think, "Kṛṣṇa and myself, on the same level." But Kṛṣṇa here says, "No. I am not there. Although these energies are coming through Me or being emanated from Me, still, I am not influenced by them." That is Kṛṣṇa's position.
So our relationship is eternal, but we have forgotten. Just you understand, God is all-powerful, all-famous, He possesses all wealth, He possesses all beauty, He possesses all knowledge and He possesses all renunciation. So we are sons of such a great personality. We have forgotten. Just as a rich man's son forgets his father and becomes mad and lying on the street and begging—oḥ, that is due to his forgetfulness. If somebody gives him information that "Why you are suffering in this way? You have got your father's riches. You go home and enjoy your father's property. Your father is very much anxious to have you. Why you are rotting in this condition?" And if he comes to his senses that "Oh, I have suffered so much. Now I shall go back to my father and enjoy life..."
Student: I have never experienced...
Prabhupāda: You have experienced, forgotten. You have exper... Several times you have died, you have experienced, but you have forgotten. Forgetfulness... Forgetfulness is no excuse. Forgetfulness is no excuse. Suppose a child forgot some suffering. That does not mean that he did not suffer.
Student: No, I agree. I agree. But...
Prabhupāda: Yes. So suffering's there. You have to take version from realized souls, from, I mean to say, authorities that this... Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "This place is full of miseries." So one has to realize it. Unless we understand that this place is miserable, there is no question how to get out of it.
Student: So we have to...
Prabhupāda: Similarly, a person who does not develop this miserable condition of this world, he is not fully developed. Just like the animals. Animals, they do not understand what is misery. They do not understand. They are satisfied... (end)
The meaning of this stanza is that people are forgetful since time immemorial about his relationship with the Supreme Lord. Forgetful. Bhuli' gelā. Bhuli' gelā means he has forgotten. Ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila. Therefore Lord has sent so many representatives to give them these literatures, these scriptures.
So we should take advantage of these scriptures, especially the Bhagavad-gītā, which is accepted as the prime scripture in the modern world, and you'll find everything nicely. You can put your arguments, you can try to understand with your knowledge, with your intelligence. Everything will be clear. So we should take advantage of this Bhagavad-gītā and our power of intaking will be increased if we begin with this transcendental sound vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Thank you very much. Any questions? (end)
So whatever you see, that is simply expansion of the energy of God. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat. Akhilaṁ jagat, whole universe, whatever you are seeing, that is expansion of the energy. But the Māyāvāda philosophy, they cannot understand. They are less intelligent. Therefore they say, "If God had expanded everywhere, then where is God, personal?" No, that is not the fact. The fact is God is person. He is situated in one place but His energy... (child crying) His energy has expanded. Whatever you see in this material world or spiritual world... Material world... The difference between material world and spiritual world means in the material world we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Material means... When we forget God, that is material. And when we know God, existence of God, then that is spiritual. This is the difference between material and spiritual.
Just like this temple is spiritual because here there is no forgetfulness of God. Everyone is... Every moment, twenty-four hours, they are always remembering God. Therefore it is spiritual world, nirguṇa. If you live in the temple or if you live in God's business, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are in the spiritual world. You are not in the material world. Material world means where God is forgotten. That is material world. So God is expanded by His energies. Tathedam akhilaṁ jagat. Spiritual world means when His spiritual energy is expanded, that is spiritual world. And when His material energy is expanded. Both of them are God energies, but in one energy...
So how God is situated. He is explaining. Na ca mat-sthāni bhūtāni paśya me yogam aiśvaram. Aiśvaram. Aiśvaram means supremacy. How supreme He is. Everything is resting on Him; still, everything is without Him. That is very easy to understand, that we cannot exist without God's mercy. Without the potency on which... This potency is life. Try to understand what is this life. We have got this material body. Material body means... This gross body is made of earth, water, air, fire, ether. This is the gross body, and the subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego. We are situated in this body. Therefore what is this, these energies? It is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Therefore we are situated in the energy, material energy of the Supreme Lord. We are ourself also energy of the Supreme Lord, marginal energy. So although we are situated in God's energy, we are forgetful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni: (BG 9.4) "Everyone is existing on My energy; still, I am not there." "I am not there" means the living entity has forgotten or cannot understand God, that he is within the God's energy, God's material power or energy. Still, he cannot understand.
Gatir bhartā prabhuḥ. Prabhu means the master. And sākṣī. Sākṣī means witness. God is sitting within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, means Supreme Lord, is sitting in everyone's heart. So He is witness. Whatever you are doing, He is witness. He is giving you facility to do whatever you like, but at the same time you may forget. Suppose I wanted to do something in this life. This is not fulfilled. And next life, when I get another body, so God reminds me. "Well, you wanted to do this. Why not experiment?" That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am seated in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "From Me there is remembrance," smṛti, "there is knowledge and there is forgetfulness also." So what is that, God making one person forgetful and another person encouraging? Why? Because I wanted like that. Because I don't want to revive my relationship with the Supreme Lord. Whenever I speak of God, oh, some person becomes: "Oh, what is God? Swamiji, what you are speaking, God?" They don't want God; so God gives him that "Forget Me. Yes, you forget and suffer." And one who wants God... Just like some poor students are trying to reestablish his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Oh, Kṛṣṇa gives him too: "Yes." So therefore His business is to make you forgetful because you want to forget. And when you are advanced, if you want know... If you want to establish, reestablish your relation, He will encourage you.
So therefore two things are there witness. He gives you full independence. Whatever you like, you do, but He gives instruction at the same time that "These things will not satisfy you, My dear boy." Sarva-dharmān... "You give up all this nonsense. Come to Me. I shall give you all protection."
Material knowledge, any subject matter you can take, but that is temporary. Just like this body is temporary, similarly, any material knowledge you acquire, either you become a chemist or physicist or a medical man or an engineer, whatever you may acquire knowledge, all this knowledge will finish as soon as this body is finished. You forget. Death means forgetfulness.
Because the spirit does not die, eternal, so spiritual knowledge continues. If you develop spiritual knowledge... Suppose cent percent spiritual knowledge you acquire in this body. Then that will continue with you. Even after destruction of this body that spiritual knowledge will continue with you, and when you get next body, you begin... You finished your ten percent. You will begin again from eleven percent. That knowledge will not be lost. That is the law of nature. Spiritual knowledge... In the Bhagavad-gītā we have studied already, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. If you cultivate spiritual knowledge even one percent, two percent, that can render you greater service because it will continue. Once spiritual knowledge begun, it will not be stopped. The best thing is to finish it cent percent in this life because this human form of life is meant for cultivating spiritual knowledge.
And we are using everything without utilizing for Kṛṣṇa's purpose; therefore it is material. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, stena eva sa ucyate: (BG 3.12) "He is thief. He is thief." Yañārthāt karmano 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). As one man is criminal because he does not satisfy the state... What is the position of a criminal person? Because he disobeys the laws of the state, he is criminal. That is the distinction between a good citizen and a criminal citizen. One who does not obey the laws of the state, he is criminal. So everyone who does not obey the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is criminal. Stena eva sa ucyate. This is the verdict of the śāstra. Forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, or God, is materialism, and not to use things for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction is criminality.
That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṇḍāntara-stha... (Bs. 5.35). He is not only within this universe, but He is also within the atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara... Paramāṇu means atom. In this way Lord Viṣṇu is expanded, and He is jñeyam, He is to be understood. Jñāna, knowledge, simply material knowledge, is not perfection of knowledge. Real knowledge is to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth, Viṣṇu. That is real knowledge. That is explained here. Jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣyāmi: "I shall now explain to you what is the ultimate goal of knowledge." In other place, in the Fifteenth Chapter also, Kṛṣṇa said,
- sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
- mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
- vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ...
- (BG 15.15)
Kṛṣṇa is within everyone's heart, sarvasya ca ahaṁ hṛdi. This place, the particular place is also mentioned there. Hṛdi, in the heart, He's there. Sanniviṣṭaḥ. And from Him, mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. From Him, our remembrance, smṛtir jñānam, knowledge, and forgetfulness—everything is coming from Him. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. Therefore, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). One has to understand Kṛṣṇa by studying Vedic literature. If he's missing Kṛṣṇa, then śrama eva hi kevalam, he's missing Kṛṣṇa.
We are now in forgotten state. This conditioned material life means we have forgotten our real constitutional position. I am thinking, "I am this body," but I am not this body. I am spirit soul; ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But we have forgotten it. We have forgotten our relationship with the Supreme Lord. This forgetfulness is also due to the influence of the Supersoul. Because we wanted to act... Just like a very first-class dramatic director, he instructs the player in such a way that sometimes he forgets. The more he forgets he plays very nicely. Similarly, we wanted to enjoy this material world, so unless we forget completely that "I am spirit soul, I am not this body, actually I can not enjoy...? So that forgetfulness is also due to the Supersoul. He is giving us full chance. But His advice that "Do not become entangled in these material activities." Therefore his instruction is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is His instruction.
But we do not want that. We want to forget and entangle ourselves in these material activities. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, by the agency of his māyā, illusory energy, helps us in forgetting. But if we want to revive our original consciousness, then also Kṛṣṇa helps you. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
So we are trying to make the situation improved because, after all, as soon as you get this material body, it is suffering. There is no question of happiness. But by the illusory energy, by illusion we are thinking we are enjoying. That is called illusion, māyā. Just like the same example, a hog is eating stool, but he is thinking he is enjoying. This is called prakṣepātmikā-śakti. Not only hog, even in human society, somebody eats the most abominable, most rotten fish; still, he's thinking he's enjoying. We have seen it. Unless he thinks like that, how... If he thinks that, "This is most rotten thing," then he cannot live. The māyā must make him forget that he is eating the most rotten thing. He'll think, "It is very nice." Māyayāpahṛta-jñāna. So this is the consequence of all forgetfulness.
Jayatīrtha:
- sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
- mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
- vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
- vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
- (BG 15.15)
(French and English synonyms read) "I am seated in everyone's heart and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas." (French translation read)
Prabhupāda: Now it is explained purport. (break) Knowledge given by Paramātmā from within the core of the heart is explained by the modern scientist as intuition. They do not know wherefrom the intuition is coming. And that is coming from God. Therefore it is stated mattaḥ, from Me. Smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. A small cub, dog, it has not opened the eyes, but still, immediately after birth, it is seeking the nipples of the mother. So wherefrom the knowledge comes? From his within. And that is from God. The other day I explained, Vedas means just like this dictaphone machine is manufactured along with one literature is also compiled. So customers, they are given the delivery of the machine as well as the literature how to use it. That is the Vedas. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that vedānta-kṛt, "I am the compiler of the Vedas." Because if He does not give the literature, then how he will use the machine.
And those who are unable to read all these books for any reason it may be, then it is a very simple method: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is so sublime. If you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then you understand clearly what you are, what is God, what is your relationship with Him, what is this world. Everything will be clear. That is the advantage of this fallen age. This age is very, very fallen. People have completely forgotten God. Not completely because few men are still interested. Otherwise why they are joining this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? We cannot say completely. But gradually, it will be completely forgetful of God, day by day.
Just like we can see. Formerly, our forefathers, they used to construct churches, temples, mosque, synagogue, but nowadays, nobody is preparing. In the modern history you won't find. They are constructing big, big skyscraper buildings. That we can see. But you don't see anywhere a magnificent church or temple or mosque is being constructed. That means people are going down in the matter of understanding God. They are thinking these buildings are waste of money, unproductive creation. "If we manufacture a skyscraper building, immediately there will be some income. But if I construct a gigantic temple, it will be simply waste of money." They are thinking like that. That means the standard of understanding God is finished. Not to speak of constructing new churches, but... We are practically purchasing many churches. They are vacant. I have seen in London. Hundreds of churches are vacant. Nobody goes there. Nobody goes there.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Besides that, God is existing in everyone's heart as Supersoul. So the Supersoul is giving direction to the individual soul. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. Hṛdi means in the heart. "I am situated in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Because God is situated within my heart, therefore He is giving me direction. So our remembrance and forgetfulness is due to God. Sometimes we forget something and try to remember. Immediately God helps us: "It is this." And we say, "Yes, yes, now I remember." "Now I remember" means we were forgetting. Kṛṣṇa immediately gives him, "It is this." Then I remember. In this way, God, by His plenary expansion, He is situated everywhere. Therefore His name is Vāsudeva. Now Vāsudeva is the origin of everything. So that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Anyone who has understood that everything, whatever we see, that is Vāsudeva... But we should always remember that Vāsudeva is everything; still, everything is not Vāsudeva. Just like in a big factory. In your country or in America that Ford, Mr. Ford, he has got very big factory. So in the factory, everywhere the Mr. Ford is there. But if you have to see Mr. Ford, you cannot see the car Ford and you become satisfied. The car is also written there, "Ford." So if I want to see Mr. Ford and if we see the car, and we say, "Now I have met with Mr. Ford," that is foolishness. (laughter) The car is Ford, but Ford is not the car.
So in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is clearly stated about Kṛṣṇa's place, original place. This is also Kṛṣṇa's place. That is also Kṛṣṇa's place. But here, because we are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are accepting this place as material. Just like king: he possesses all the places of the country. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-loka-maheśvaram.
- bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
- sarva-loka-maheśvaram
- suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
- (BG 5.29)
If anyone wants happiness, śānti, peace, then he must know these three things. What is that? That Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer of everything. Kṛṣṇa says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram. You can perform yajña, you can perform austerities, penances, but the result should be enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When you come to that consciousness that "I am working hard and earning so much money..." Everyone is thinking that "I must enjoy. Why others?" That is the materialistic way of thinking. But we are trying to change the consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that, that you earn as much as you like, but the enjoyer should be Kṛṣṇa, not you. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not very difficult thing to understand. The only... We have to change the account. That's all. Everyone... The karmīs, they are working so hard, day and night. The ultimate aim is that he will enjoy, he'll satisfy his senses. Therefore he's working so hard.
So Vedic culture is very old. It is not a concocted thing or a new pattern. It is eternal. Therefore it is called sanātana. Sanātana means eternal. It has no beginning, no end. Sanātana. So Vedic culture means sanātana, eternal. Kṛṣṇa is eternal. We living entities, we are eternal. And our relationship and exchange of loving service with Kṛṣṇa is also eternal. Kṛṣṇa is eternal, we are eternal, and our dealings with Kṛṣṇa is also eternal. But sometimes it becomes interrupted by the māyā, which is called svapna. Svapna means dreamlike. As dream has no fact, it is all hallucination, similarly our detachment from Kṛṣṇa is also a hallucination. Actually, there is no detachment. And when we are covered by this hallucination... Just like in dream we cry, "Oh, here is a tiger! Here is a tiger!" Tiger. Where is tiger? Similarly, this forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa is like that. So if we simply follow the rules and regulations given by the great ācāryas, then immediately we can revive our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It doesn't take even second. The method...(?) Just like you are dreaming, crying, "There is tiger, tiger." And if somebody pushes you, "Why you are doing that?" And if you immediately become awake "Oh! All tiger finished." (laughter) "All tiger finished." So one has to give the push that "There is no tiger." Then immediately the whole hallucination will go.
So everyone has passed this condition, but by the influence of māyā forgets. Bhajibo boliyā ese saṁsāra-bhitare. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "At that time again I promised: 'This time by coming out of my mother's womb, I shall become a devotee.' " But as soon as he comes out, he becomes forgetful. This is going on. This is going on. There is no science, so-called science, who know, the scientists, who know these are facts, how we are passing through repeatedly unpleasant condition. When, as soon as we get a little light with this body, we forget everything. That is called māyā. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said the pushing, the point pushing, enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi': "Now I have brought this."
Therefore, materialism means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is no other existence as material. Just like in dream. In dream, some way or other, we create an atmosphere. But actually, there is no different atmosphere. But by our brain, hallucination, we create something. So created in dream, we have got experience, everyone, "I am the worker. I am doing this. I am flying. I am going there. I am riding the path(?). I am working. I..." "I" is there. This "I" false ego is there. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). So forgetting Kṛṣṇa, when we concentrate only "I" and "mine," that is material world. That is material world. Material means separated. When I create, when we forget Kṛṣṇa, when I create "I" and "mine," that is material. Make it clear.(?) Otherwise, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1).
Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Kṛṣṇa is spiritual, so His energy is also spiritual. But in the spiritual energy there is the possibility of forgetting Kṛṣṇa. That is called material energy. So if we remember Kṛṣṇa, that is not material energy. A man, stone, wood, brick and constructs a big, high skyscraper building; that is material energy. But the same stone, same wood, same cement, you construct a very nice temple of Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual energy. Now, the question is how the woods and stones which is matter, becomes spiritual. Is not that the question? We say one man is constructing big skyscraper building with woods and stones, we say this is materialism. But they can also challenge you that "You are also interested in woods and stones and constructing a big church or temple. Why is your idea spiritualism?" Now, you can compare. This is spiritualism means in this stone and earth and woods you remember Kṛṣṇa, "I am constructing something for Kṛṣṇa." Therefore it is spiritualism.
So the conclusion is when we forget Kṛṣṇa, that is materialism. And when we constantly remember Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritualism. The materialists means they are thinking of sense gratification. All these big, big buildings were constructed in your country, Edinburgh. The idea was that "We shall show something opulent that we are very great nation. We have got nice buildings, nice churches, nice roads." Puffed up. Everyone wants to be puffed up before his friends and relatives. So this is materialism. But the same thing done for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that "We shall construct this temple for Kṛṣṇa's inhabitation. We shall construct this building for providing the devotees of Kṛṣṇa so that they may be able to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra without any disturbance..." It appears the same thing, karma and bhakti, but bhakti is always in relation with Kṛṣṇa and karma is always in relation with sense gratification. Therefore, the things, the ingredients is originally spiritual because it is Kṛṣṇa's energy. But ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), when we try to impose our proprietorship, that is materialism. Materialism means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is no materialism; everything is spiritual. Hm. Then?
Well, that... Just like a child when he's crawling, he touches a fire and he's burned. He forgets. But when he's grown-up, if he inquires from the parents, "Why this scar is in my hand?" The father reminds, "My dear child, you did like this." So because you have forgotten, that does not mean it did not take place. You have forgotten, you do not know, what you were doing at this time yesterday. You are so forgetful. So your remembering or forgetful doesn't matter. The law of nature must work severely. It doesn't matter whether you forget or you do not know the law. Forgetfulness of law is no excuse. You must suffer. Just like the child when he touches the fire, the fire does not consider, "Oh here is an innocent child, why should I burn him?" He must be burned. That is law of karma. When you touch fire it must act and you must suffer. Without any judgement the law is already there.
So this is our proposition. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). It does not matter, varṇāśrama-dharma, eight categories, four social and four spiritual or four material and four spiritual, but when the material activities are enacted for spiritual advancement, then it is no more material; it is spiritual. Actually there is nothing material. Material means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Otherwise there is nothing material. It is called buddhi-bheda, means those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious thoroughly, they have got distinction "This is spiritual; this is material." But when you are fully, ekatvam anupaśyataḥ (ISO 7). That is stated in the Īśopaniṣad. That means everything is related to Kṛṣṇa, that is ekatvam. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme, and everything is emanation from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's energy is variety. The example just like the sun. From sun, two energies are emanating-heat and light. And the whole material creation is based on heat and light. As soon as there is no light or as soon as there is not heat, immediately the trees become skeletons. Or a few days after, it will be vanished.
So anyone can understand, heat and light is the basic principle of this material creation. And wherefrom the heat and light is coming? From the sun. So if you take service of the heat and light, you cannot avoid the sun. Similarly, two energies of Kṛṣṇa, they are acting. Heat and light—the material energy and the spiritual energy. The material energy means the earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, ego, and spiritual energy is this living entity. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). That is spiritual energy. Just like you mix up two things, and there is chemical action. Similarly, the whole world is going on. Here there is material and spiritual distinction because here there is forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Here, ninety-nine and nine tenths percent have forgotten God; therefore it is material. And as soon as you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is no more material, everything is spiritual.
"A materialistic person, because he does not know what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa, he sees matter. But a spiritually advanced, Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he does not see matter." Just like an atheist will come, they will see this Deity, stone, a stone statue. But a spiritually advanced, he will see that Kṛṣṇa is here personally. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as soon as He saw Jagannātha, immediately fainted, "Here is My Kṛṣṇa."
So the material vision means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Otherwise there is no material, because everything is coming from Kṛṣṇa, either material energy or spiritual energy. They are coming from the same source, so in the higher spiritual understanding, the spiritual platform, there is nothing material. Everything is spiritual. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. So don't imitate, but there is possibility. So long we are on the material platform, on the platform of forgetfulness, our business should be how to satisfy the Supreme. How to satisfy,(?) you do whatever you like, not whatever you like, within the institution. Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ, it must be organized. If your aim is simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then your life is perfect.
Thank you very much. (end)
So the Paramātmā... Although the Paramātmā is within this body, antaḥ-praviṣṭa ābhāti, without Him... Both the Paramātmā and jīvātmā are within this body, and the intelligence is coming from the Paramātmā. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi-sanniviṣṭaḥ. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi-sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I have entered in everyone's heart." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi-sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. Remembrance, memory, knowledge—everything is coming from Him. Smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. And forgetfulness is also from Him. (loud kīrtana in background) (aside:) That's all right. Let them... Jñānam and apohanaṁ ca. Knowledge and forgetfulness, both are there. Both are coming from Kṛṣṇa. Knowledge...Suppose I wanted to enjoy something in my past life. So Kṛṣṇa has given me a type of body so that I can enjoy, and He gives me reminder also: "Now you wanted to enjoy like this. You have got this opportunity. You do it." This is the proof. You'll find even a, what is called, the cub, born of an animal, the dog, cats and dogs, they find out where is the mother's breast. The human child also, they also try to find out where is the mother's breast. Because they, they explain it as intuition. But we don't say it is intuition. Or even if you call "intuition," wherefrom it is coming? It is coming from Paramātmā. He's giving that "You find out. Here you'll find your mother's breast, and here is your food. Here is your food." Therefore even just after birth, the kitty, or a small child, finds out where is the food. This is the explanation of intuition.
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Hmm? Yes.
Pradyumna: "...or ahaṅkāra, which dictates them sense enjoyment, which they are unable to have constitutionally. The Lord is the only enjoyer, and all others are enjoyed. The living entities are predominated enjoyers, but the eternally conditioned souls, forgetful of this constitutional position, have strong aspirations to enjoy. This chance to enjoy matter is given to the conditioned souls in the material world, and side by side they are given the chance to understand their real constitutional position. Those fortunate living entities who catch the truth and surrender unto the lotus feet of Vāsudeva after many, many births in the material world join the eternally liberated souls and thus are allowed to enter into the kingdom of Godhead. After this, such fortunate living entities need not come again within the occasional material creation. But those who cannot catch the constitutional truth are again merged into the mahat-tattva..."
Prabhupāda: So we can very easily understand by the example of our own body. This body, as we, spirit soul, enter into this body, the existence of body continues. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So the body is not created first. The... Because the living entity enters into the body, therefore the body's created. Similarly, this gigantic body, universal body, cannot come into existence automatically. That is not a very good theory. How...? There is no such example. Unless the living entity is there, this body... We get this experience—it does not grow. If a child is born dead, that body does not grow. Therefore it is to be concluded there is something. Even if we do not accept the spirit soul, there must be something on account of the presence of that something, the body's growing. Similarly, take this gigantic body of the universe; unless there is something like that, as we are in this body, how this gigantic universe can go? This is common reasoning.
Upendra: "The nitya-baddha or the eternally conditioned souls have the sense of individuality or ahaṅkāra which dictates them for sense enjoyment which they are unable to have constitutionally. The Lord is the only enjoyer and all others are enjoyed. The living beings are predominated enjoyer. But the eternally conditioned souls forgetful of this constitutional position have strong aspiration for enjoying. This chance of enjoying the matter is given to the conditioned souls in the material world and side by side they are given the chance of understanding the real constitutional position. Those fortunate living entities who catch up the truth and surrender unto the Lotus feet of Vāsudeva after many many births in the material world, become one of the eternally liberated souls and thus are allowed to enter into the kingdom of Godhead. After..."
Prabhupāda: We can also become one of them, eternally liberated. But we are not admitted in the spiritual kingdom unless we have given up this false sense of lording it over the material nature. Here, the conditioned souls, everyone is trying to become the lord, imitating. Everyone is trying. But there is clash. You are trying to become lord, I am trying to become lord. Therefore there is clash. And in the spiritual world the Lord is one and there is no competition of lording it over. Therefore in the spiritual world everything is unconditioned, freedom. Yes, go on.
This is Kṛṣṇa's māyā. We are very intelligent to surpass the law of the Lord, but Kṛṣṇa is so much more intelligent that you cannot surpass. You can conceive in different ways, that "I shall get out of the laws in this way or that way." But you cannot do so; you will forget something. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.
- sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛti jñānam apohanaṁ ca... (BG 15.15).
"I am situated in everyone's heart. Memory, knowledge, forgetfulness, they are coming from Me." If you want to forget Kṛṣṇa, He will give you good intelligence how to forget. But if you want to serve Kṛṣṇa, He will give you good intelligence how to serve. It depends on your choice. Therefore our business is to surrender. "Kṛṣṇa, God, now I am surrendering. I have experimented with all my knowledge, all my intelligence, everything. They have all become failures." They are sure to become failures because our knowledge, our intelligence, our talent, strength, opulence, everything depending on God. Kṛṣṇa, He gives you a little knowledge; therefore, you can become very proud of your knowledge. He gives you a little intelligence; therefore, you can become proud of your intelligence. But as soon as He likes, He can withdraw immediately, and you become forgetful.
So now, according to this formula, idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān... Then forgetfulness of Bhagavān. Forgetfulness of relationship with Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, is materialism. The... Actually, everything is Bhagavān, but when we forget the relationship of this world and Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, that is materialism. Just like we are offering some foodstuff to Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is eating matter? No. Kṛṣṇa cannot eat matter. He is spirit. Then how we are offering the same rice and ḍāl to Kṛṣṇa which is also being cooked in the hotel? The thing is that here is the sense that "This rice or ḍāl is given by Kṛṣṇa." There is remembrance of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is spiritual. And there, in the hotel, they do not know Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is matter. That is the difference between matter and spirit. Actually, everything is emanation from Kṛṣṇa, so there cannot be anything matter. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān. But the forgetfulness... The material world is... What is this material world? The material world is everyone is forgetting Kṛṣṇa. Their only business is to forget Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is material. But if Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there, the mat..., no more material world.
That is also answered in the Bhagavad-gītā. You'll find, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "I am sitting in everyone's heart and from Me there is memorization and forgetfulness." (bell sound) Why you are disturbing? Sit down. Hear. Try to hear. So mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). One forgets and also one remembers. Remembrance and forgetfulness. So why one remembers Kṛṣṇa consciousness and why one forgets Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Actually, my constitutional position is, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, that jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Actually, the constitutional position of the living entities are that he is eternally servant of God. That is his position. He's meant for that purpose, but he forgets. So that forgetfulness is also janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), the Supreme. Why? Because he wanted to forget.
According to Sanskrit meaning, that is dharma. Just like this light is a substance. What is his dharma, religion? To give light, to illuminate. So without illumination, there is no meaning of light. Similarly, your dharma, what is your religion? Your religion is to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is your religion. Now you serve in a different way according to time, circumstances, country. That is a different thing. But your religion is to serve God. That is your religion. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately gives you the definition of religion, or your occupation, natural duty, natural function. Always mind that. Just like the light's natural function is to give illumination. Prakāśa. Similarly, your natural function is to serve Kṛṣṇa. That's all. You have no other business. That is dharma. No other business. When we understand this convincingly, then we are situated in our religion. Just like Kṛṣṇa said. In the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā He says, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. Just to reestablish religion. Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. People forget. Nature's, material nature's function is that, to put you into illusion always. So our forgetfulness is also another illusion. We forget our relationship with God, or Kṛṣṇa. Then adharma. That is... Instead of becoming servant of Kṛṣṇa, I become servant of so many things. I become servant of my family, servant of my country, society, humanity, cats, dogs, so many things. Servant I remain, but I become servant of so many things.
So that is our bondage. We are mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Why you are conditioned? The condition is because māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. Māyā-mohita. They are bewildered by māyā. Māyā means "what is not." Mā-yā. So because we are under the clutches of māyā, this material world, therefore we have been conditioned. And what is that māyā? That māyā is forgetfulness of our relationship with God. That is māyā. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. This jīva, when we forget Kṛṣṇa, our relationship with Kṛṣṇa... What is that relationship? Caitanya Mahāprabhu says jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That is our relationship. We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. When we forget this, and we want to be master of all I survey... "I am the monarch of all I survey." I think, "I shall become independent and I shall enjoy. I shall improve my economic condition, and I shall be very happy." This is called māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. He'll never be. Because he is conditioned. You cannot improve. That is not possible. That is called destiny. So the Western peoples, they say, "Why should we..." (break) ...any animal, take. You cannot improve the condition. Suppose the pig, he is conditioned to live in a very filthy place and eat stool, urine. You cannot improve that condition. By philanthropic mentality, if you want to improve his condition, not to live in filthy place, not to eat stool, if you try to give them halavā instead of stool, they cannot. That is not possible. This is called conditioned.
If it is lying somewhere, one does not know what is the screw, nobody cares for it. It is no worth. But if you want to complete the machine, if you want to go to purchase in a mechanical shop, that very screw which has no value, you have to purchase at ten rupees. Because it is to be fit up. In this way, we are parcel and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. When we are along with Kṛṣṇa we have got value; otherwise no value. There are so many examples. This finger, when it is attached to the body, if there is any trouble you can spend thousands of rupees to cure the trouble. But if the finger is cut off, amputate, and thrown on the street, it has no value. No value. Similarly, so long we are māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ, out of Kṛṣṇa's touch, we have no value. No value. Valueless. Useless. That is our position. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho... The position is that adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram (SB 7.5.30). When you forget Kṛṣṇa... What is that forgetfulness? When you are interested in sense gratification. That is called forgetfulness.
Everyone is, even an animal, a small insect, everyone is interested in sense enjoyment. This morning I was reading in the Bhāgavatam, one Saubhari Muni, he was a great yogi, and within the water he was executing the yoga, mystic, and he saw that the two fishes are enjoying sex. So he became sexually inclined-old man, yogi. So he went to Māndhātā king, that "You give me one daughter, your daughter." So he was within the water, old man, and old man's bodily feature is not very good. The king knew that "This is a useless person, but he is a yogi. He has come to ask me for a daughter." So he said, "Yes, you are welcome. I have got my fifty daughters.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said that this whole cosmic manifestation is combination of material energy and spiritual energy. So therefore in the Vedas... Veda means knowledge, vetti veda vido jñāne. In the Sanskrit verb vid, vid-dhātu. Vid-dhātu means knowledge, "to know." Vetti veda vido jñāne vinte vid vicaraṇa(?). Labhe vindati vindate. So vid-dhātu. From vid-dhātu the Veda has come. Veda means knowledge. So from the Vedas you can have all different types of knowledge, namely material knowledge and spiritual knowledge, both, perfectly. Because we have now forgotten our spiritual energy, we do not cultivate spiritual energy; therefore the Veda is there. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in simple Bengali language, it is said, anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila (CC Madhya 20.117). Because these rascals, anādi-bahirmukha, do not know. (bird chirping in background) Just like this bird chirping, but he does not know what he is, wherefrom he is coming, where to go—nothing. That is low-grade life. So we are now forgetful of our spiritual energy, and because we do not know spiritual energy. Therefore we have no knowledge of God. This is our position, and it is coming since very, very, very, very, long time. Time immemorial. Therefore the Vedas are there. Anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila(?)
So generally, in this material world, everyone is using the senses for sense gratification. That's all. That is their bondage. That is māyā, illusion. And when he comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, purified, when he understands that actually these senses are meant for satisfying Kṛṣṇa, then he's liberated person, mukta. Mukta-puruṣa. Liberated person. Īhā yasya harer dāsye karmaṇā manasā vācā. When one comes to this position, that "My senses are meant for serving the master of the senses, Hṛṣīkeśa..." The master of the senses are, is sitting within your heart. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am seated in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "From Me remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness is coming." So why that? Because Kṛṣṇa is so merciful, if I want to use my senses in a certain way, not my senses... It is Kṛṣṇa's, given. So Kṛṣṇa gives the chance: "All right, utilize it." Suppose I have got tongue. If I want, "Kṛṣṇa, I want to eat stool. I want to taste stool," "Yes," Kṛṣṇa will say. "Yes, you take this body of hog, and eat stool." The master is there, Kṛṣṇa.
So one should be advanced by hearing the authorities, that God is equal to him. I say why there should be Hindu religion and Muslim religion or Christian religion? There cannot be. Just like gold is gold. And nobody can say, "This is Indian gold, this is American gold, this is Christian gold, and this is Muhammadan gold." Gold is gold. So actually one who is God conscious, for him, there is no such distinction, because he knows, samaṁ carantaṁ sarvatra bhūtānām: (SB 1.8.28) "God is present everywhere." Simply he has forgotten. That forgetfulness is applicable to anyone, either Hindu, Muslim or Christian. It doesn't matter. The, our business is to rectify that forgetfulness. Rectify. To remove that forgetfulness. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
This is our ultimate goal of life. Human form of life is meant for that purpose, that in this life we have to understand our relationship with God, sambandha, and, according to that relationship, we have to chalk our plan of working. Because we must fulfill that relationship. This is called in Sanskrit sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. Sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. Just like in ordinary dealings, one businessman is going to do business with another man. So, first of all, the relationship is established by some agreement. Then the transaction takes place. One is supplier, one is purchaser. Then the result is profit. Three things are there. In husband and wife, the same thing. First of all sambandha, the relationship, who will I marry, which girl, which boy. First of all plan... In the beginning... Formerly it was settled up by the parents. Still in India it is settled up by the parents. That is called sambandha. Then the marriage takes place. Then husband and wife relationship, they live together. Then there is the profit, a child. Similarly the human life is meant for reestablishing our relationship with God. In this material world... Material world means forgetfulness, forgetting our relationship with God. That is called material world. No Kṛṣṇa consciousness—that is material world. As soon as there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness and acting on the basis of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is no more material world; it is spiritual world.
Then as soon as he is grown up, he is given responsibility for learning ABCD, or going to school. He doesn't like. No child likes. At least I did not like to go to school. So this is also another struggle. Then, when he is grown up, he is given more and more responsibility, examination, and then married life, then family maintenance. In this way, struggling, struggling, struggling—again death. Again enter into the womb of mother. Again the same struggle. So where is happiness? Therefore when Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "This whole material world is a place for suffering only," that is a fact. But mūḍho 'yam, being enamored by māyā, he does not know. He forgets. This life is of forgetfulness, ignorance.
So struggle is going on. So therefore this word is used, that you are struggling in this material world so much, even beginning from your life. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Asat. The spiritual world is called sat. Oṁ tat sat. So we should transfer ourself to the spiritual world. Asato mā gama, sad gama. Asato mā sad gama. This is the Vedic injunction. "Don't keep yourself in this asat." Asat means bad. Asat means which will not exist. That is called asat. Asad-grahāt. So because we have accepted this asat, grahāt, with very great eagerness, that "We shall become very happy; we shall live here very happily," therefore there is all... Actually there is no happiness. Suppose if you get some money all of a sudden, actually this is also asat, because when you did not get money, you were anxious to get it, and as soon as you get it, how to preserve it? "Shall I keep it in the bank? Because it is black market. Then there will be income tax. Then what I shall I do?" Another anxiety. Another anxiety.
Therefore, from this verse, you should know evaṁ kṛṣṇa-sakhaḥ kṛṣṇo bhrātrā rājñā vikalpitaḥ, nānā-śaṅkā... These rascals, our Say our elder brother, advance, they're suggesting, "This the cause of," "this is the cause of," "this is the cause of," "this is the cause of." But the only cause is Kṛṣṇa, forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, that they do not know. The only cause.
kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare,
- pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā (dhare)
This is the cause. So try to preach this cult. But not that everyone will accept, but even a few percent, one percent of the whole population accept. Just like in the sky, there is one moon only and there are millions of stars. They're useless. What is the value of the millions of stars? But one moon, oh, dissipate the whole darkness of night. Similarly, at least those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you become, each of you become a moon and enlighten the world. These so-called glow-worms, they'll not be able to do anything. That's a fact. Don't remain a glow-worm. Just become a sun and moon. Then you will..., people will be happy, you will be happy.
So by intoxication... We are already... We have to get out of this intoxicated condition of life, which is called māyā. Instead of getting out of this intoxicated life, if we more increase our intoxication, big, big signboard, "Beefeaters" and this, "Whiskey," then how much we are degrading the whole population, we have to imagine. You see? People are already in forgetfulness. And the government, the society, they are still giving impetus: "You forget more, you forget more..." And he doesn't know. Viśatāṁ tamisram. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram (SB 7.5.30). And they do not know that "I will have to take next birth, and according to my mentality, because I am infecting a certain type of material qualities, in that way I am creating my next body." That he does not know. This is due to intoxication. He is thinking that "My enjoyment life, in this way forever..." But he does not know that he is creating the mentality, and according to the mentality, hog's mentality, he will become next life a pig, and he will eat... He has to by force. Not by force; he will relish it. Māyā... This is called āvaraṇātmika-śakti, covering influence. The pig is eating stool, but he is very much satisfied: "Such a nice food." He is having intercourse with his daughter or sister or mother, he is enjoying.
So our real occupational duty is to serve the Supreme. That is our real occupational duty. We are meant for serving. But when we forget serving Kṛṣṇa and we try to serve so many other things... That means... "So many other things" means our lust, our greediness, our illusion, our so many problems we serve. We have to serve. That is our position. Nobody can be free from service. That is not possible. But we do not know where to give our service. That is forgetfulness. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā na pālitā durnideśāḥ. Here, the human being in ignorance, they are serving the kāma, lust, greediness, moha, anger—so many things they are serving. They are serving. A man is killing another body by lust, lusty desires. Or by illusion. So many other reasons. So we are serving. There is no doubt about it. We are serving. But we are serving our kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya. Lust, desire, avarice, like that.
But therefore they do not believe next birth or soul. They try to forget it. This kind of forgetfulness means... I have already given several times. The rabbit, when they find some hunter, they close their eyes, yes, as if the hunter has gone away. But that is not the fact. That is his foolishness. Simply by closing the eyes, he's thinking, "Now I am safe." So these materialistic persons, denying the next birth, denying sinful activities, denying God, they're closing their eyes, that "There is no danger. Let us go on doing all this nonsense." But that will not save. That will not save. (break) He's seeing everything. He's seeing everything, not as a policeman but as a friend, that He is recording that "You want to do it? All right, I'll give you this facility. I'll give you facility." Because within the mind you are creating so many ideas for enjoyment, Kṛṣṇa is noting, "Yes, you'll have it. You'll have it. Just wait. Next life, next life, next life." In this way we are going. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). We are placing our program... Because His name is anumantā. Without His sanction, you cannot have anything. Just like I am moving this hand. It is by His sanction.
Prakṛtiṁ vidhi me parām. So, puruṣāṁ śāśvatam, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person enjoyer, puruṣa. Puruṣa has got different features: personal expansion, personal feature, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Expansion feature also two kinds: svāṁśa, vibhinnāṁśa, His personal expansion and separated expansion. We are all separated expansion, vibhinnāṁśa, a small particle. Just like the sun, we are. The sunshine means combination of, what is called, sparking, sparking molecules, very small. The sunshine means they are not homogenous; they are small particles of shining, part and parcel of the sun. Similarly, we living entities, we are like that—a small particle, part and parcel of God. So we are also brightening, shining. We are not dull. But on account of our combination with the material nature, we have been covered. Therefore our shining quality is now stopped. Shining quality is now stopped. That is our forgetfulness about our relationship with the Supreme puruṣa, puruṣottama, uttama puruṣa. Uttama, madhyama, and adhyama. There are three grades of puruṣa. We are the lowest grade, adhyama. So, because we are adhyama puruṣa, therefore there is chance of our brightness being sometimes covered. But we can again revive our brightness and shine with the Supreme Person. As the sun and the sunshine, they are together shining, there is light, similarly, when we are again posted in our own constitutional position, and Kṛṣṇa is like the sun and we are shining particles, then our life is successful. That is wanted.
This is not intelligence, that, bodily concept of life, "I spoil my whole life for bodily comforts, and then after giving up this body, I become a cat and dog." Then what is that intelligence? Is that very good intelligence? Actually it has happened. I do not wish to discuss. Our Godbrother, Śrīdhara Mahārāja, says... He was speaking from a paper that one of our great politician, very, in India, he has now become a dog in Sweden. It is published. There were enquiries about some prominent men in India, and he has answered, and one of the answer is, "Such-and-such politician, he is now one of the two dogs of a gentleman in Sweden." You see. So this time, in this life I may become very big man, or big politician, big diplomat, big businessman, but next life, after your death, it is your big, your greatness of this material will not help you. That will depend on your work, and nature will offer you a certain type of body, you'll have to accept. Of course you will forget. That is the concession given by nature. Just like we do not remember what we had been in our past life. If I remember that suppose I was a king in my past life, now I have become a dog, then how much suffering it will be. Therefore by nature's law one forgets. And death means this forgetfulness. Death means this forgetfulness.
Actually the moon is not moving. It is a māyā, illusion. It appears that the moon is moving. But similarly, the living entity, because he is spiritual spark of the Supreme, it has not fallen. It has not fallen. But he is thinking, "I am fallen. I am material." That is the reason. He is thinking, "I am this body." Actually the body has no connection with me. That is experienced, that the body has no connection with the soul. The body is changing, dying. But I am the same. The same example, the moon: The cloud is passing over in different way. The moon is far away from the cloud, and it has nothing to do with the cloud, but it appears the moon is moving. (break) Try to understand. Have questions and answer. It is very important thing. Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan. Except ātma-māyā, the illusory energy... It is the maneuver or handling of the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa. This illusory energy develops when we forget Kṛṣṇa. That's all. It is... In other words, this illusory identification of me with the body is simply due to my forgetfulness. We wanted to forget, we wanted to give up Kṛṣṇa and wanted to enjoy this material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is giving us...
Karandhara: "The external energy is controlled by the Lord and the living entities are controlled by the external energy by the will of the Lord. Therefore, although the living entity is purely conscious in his pure state, he is subordinate to the will of the Lord, being influenced by the external energy of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same thing is confirmed, that the Lord is present within the heart of every living entity and all consciousness and forgetfulness of the living entity are influenced by the Lord."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because... Now, people may say that, "Why Kṛṣṇa within the heart gives one type of consciousness to one, and another type of consciousness...?" Because I wanted. I wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa is giving consciousness: "All right, you can forget Me in this way." That is His kindness. Just like the Māyāvādīs, the so-called yogis and karmīs, they wanted to forget. Kṛṣṇa is giving him intelligence. "All right. You forget Me like this." That's all. Go on. And if you want to again revive your relationship, Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te: "I shall give intelligence." So Kṛṣṇa is... Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). As you want, Kṛṣṇa gives you facility. Go on.
Karandhara: "Now the next question will automatically be made as to why the Lord influences the living entity to such consciousness and forgetfulness. The answer is that the Lord clearly wishes that every living entity be engaged in his pure consciousness as the part and parcel of the Lord, and thus be engaged in loving service of the Lord as he is constitutionally made. But because the living entity is partially independent also, he may not be willing to serve the Lord, but may try to become independent as the Lord is. The whole nondevotee class of living entities are all desirous of becoming equally as powerful as the Lord, although they are not fit to become so. The living entities are..."
Prabhupāda: They will never be God, but we see so many persons. By the influence of the illusory energy they think, "I am God. I am God. I shall become God by pressing my nose like this, doing this." So this is going on. They will never be able. That is not possible. Otherwise, there is no meaning of God. If everyone can become God, then there is no meaning of God. But by influence of... Just like karmīs are saying "I shall become millionaire. I shall become trillionaire. I shall become head of the state. I shall become prime minister." This struggle, this is another struggle: "I shall become God." This is another struggle. But it is illusion. It is illusion. So Kṛṣṇa gives them opportunity, some yogic success. Just like in India there is a rascal. He makes like that, and there is immediately some gold. And people become after him: "Oh, he is God. He is God." By producing a little gold, he becomes God.
Oh. Change bodies... Just like you have changed your body from the body of the womb, and at the present moment... But you don't remember all the incidences that have happened. So sometimes we remember; sometimes we do not remember, like that. But generally, if we... We remember during lifetime, but we forget also. Even if we forget, that does not mean I am dead. Forgetfulness is explained, māyā. We forget Kṛṣṇa. We forget that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa" by forgetfulness. That is explained. What is that? Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan. Ātma-māyā. It is a illusion. That forgetful... Actually there is no forgetfulness. I should not forget, but because I am illusioned, therefore I forget. Because... I forget means I am illusioned. Ātma-māyā. Influenced by the modes of material... The one who is most influenced by the modes of material nature, they forget. Just like you are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. But others, they are not worshiping. They are to be awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It does not mean they are actually separate from Kṛṣṇa. But they have to be awakened. They say man is not dead, he is sleeping. But he has to be awakened. As soon as he is awakened, he remembers immediately. This is called svapna-citta-nyāya. I am sleeping, forgetting everything. I am in a different place. But as soon as I am awakened I remember, "Oh, I have to do this, I have to go there." So this forgetfulness is a temporary illusion, that's all. Actually we don't forget. It is temporary. Ātma-māyām ṛte. It is only it is action of God's external energy. Because I wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa, therefore Kṛṣṇa has helped me in forgetting Him by His own illusory energy. Have saṅkīrtana. (end)
The first-class yogi is he... Who? Yoginām api sarve... There are many yogis. There are many different types of yoga system, and all the yoga systems are discussed in the Bhagavad-gītā, haṭha-yoga, karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, rāja-yoga, so many yoga systems. But the real yoga system, the first-class yoga system, is to revive your connection with Kṛṣṇa. That is first class. Here it is also said, yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsām. Ādhyātmika. We are living entities, soul. We are now... We are disconnected, but we have forgotten. Disconnection cannot be. That is not possible. But it is covered. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). There is yoga and there is a yogamāyā. Yogamāyā means forgetfulness. So Kapiladeva... Kapiladeva is Bhagavān. He is advising, Bhagavān, that "This is first-class yoga." Ādhyātmikaḥ. Ādhyātmikaḥ, about the soul.
So if you concentrate your devotion, your mind, your activities by this bhakti-yoga, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam... Bhakti-yoga means first of all to hear. Without hearing, how you can become bhakta? You must know about Kṛṣṇa. If you want to make friendship with somebody or make some transaction, we have got already our relationship, eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. But some way or other, we have forgotten it now. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, anādi-bahirmukha jīva, kṛṣṇa bhuli' gelā. Some way or other, from long, long time, we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa bhuli' gelā. Ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa kailā: "Therefore Kṛṣṇa has made all these Vedas and Purāṇas and śāstra, everything, Mahābhārata." Kṛṣṇa comes there. This is... Because when we forget. Now this age is going on, Kali-yuga, forgetfulness. People are forgetting more and more Kṛṣṇa. They are not interested anymore. But Kṛṣṇa is interested. Kṛṣṇa, because we are sons of Kṛṣṇa... Just like a mad son, he is no more interested in home, or father, mother, but still, the father and mother is interested, that "This boy has gone out of home and is simply suffering." Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). "He has accepted one type of body and again giving it up, again accepting another body. In this way he is traveling," ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ, "all the planets, all the species of life. So let Me try to rescue him." Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7).
So by giving up Kṛṣṇa... We have now given up Kṛṣṇa. We are canvassing. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are canvassing everyone, every door, "Please come to Kṛṣṇa." This is our business. But they will not come. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa or they have rejected Kṛṣṇa. This is the position. Therefore they are always in fearfulness position, always fearful. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt. This is certain(?). When there is fear? When one understands there is something else than Kṛṣṇa, then he is fearful. Then he is fearful. Dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ. Dvitīya means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. "I am Kṛṣṇa's eternal servant. I am Kṛṣṇa's eternal part and parcel, son, or most intimate relationship." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, Kṛṣṇa says. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4), Kṛṣṇa says. There are so many forms of life, 8,400,000. But Kṛṣṇa claims ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, "I am the seed-giving father of everyone." So where is Kṛṣṇa Hindu or Indian? Where it is stated? Why people take like that? That is not fact. Therefore they are in the fearful condition of life, always afraid, "What will happen next?" Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Asad-grahāt. People have taken something which is asat. The Vedic instruction is asato mā sad gama: "Don't remain in the asat, in the untruth. Come to the Truth." So at the material world we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, and we are situated in the asat, which is not truth. Therefore there is bhaya, fearfulness. Just like a child, if he is forlorn by the father and mother, then he is always in fearful condition, crying on the street, "Where is my father? Where is my mother?" This is our position.
What is that material world? Material world means forgetting Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is covered. Kṛṣṇa is there, Kṛṣṇa is aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu, but they have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Whole world, you analyze, there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no (indistinct). Rather they are declining, "There is no God." "God is dead." "I am God." "You are..." Because they have no information, no information of, that is material world. That is the difference between material world and spiritual world. Spiritual world means there is full consciousness of the existence of God, and material world means to full forgetfulness of God. This is the difference between material world and the spiritual world. So if you bring, in the material world also, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is spiritual world. How it is possible? Yes, it is possible. Just like you put one iron rod in the fire. It will become gradually warm, warmer, warmer, then the iron rod will be red hot and if that redness you will touch anywhere, it will burn you. It is no more iron rod, it is fire. So you keep yourself always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then even if you possess this material body, you will be in the spiritual world. This is called jñānam. Jñānam ātma-darśanam, jñānaṁ niḥśreyasāya.
Prabhupāda: (corrects pronunciation) Kartṛtvam, kartṛtvam.
Nitāi: (leads chanting, etc.) "Due to his forgetfulness, the transcendental living entity accepts the influence of material energy as his field of activities, and thus actuated, he wrongly applies the activities to himself."
Prabhupāda: (aside:) He'll fall down.
- evaṁ parābhidhyānena
- kartṛtvaṁ prakṛteḥ pumān
- karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu
- guṇair ātmani manyate
- (SB 3.26.6)
Being influenced by... (aside:) It is not working? Being influenced by the modes of material nature, he is, the living entity, is identifying himself with the particular type of material nature, particular modes of material nature. We are getting different types of bodies according to the modes of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said. Whatever we are doing, we are doing under the spell of material nature. Just like a madman.
So this creation... Not only this creation... We are in this material world, maybe. "Maybe" not; it is a fact that we have been in many other creations. Therefore our this forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa is called anādi. Anādi means before creation. This creation is going on. Before that, there was another creation. The same thing was going on. Now, this is called saṁsṛtiḥ, saṁsāra, saṁsāra-bandhana, bound up by saṁsṛtiḥ. Anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, "On account of my fruitive result before the beginning of the creation, I am now in this material ocean." Anādi karma-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale taribāre nā dekhi upāy: "I do not find any means how to get out of it." This is knowledge. When one becomes very anxious, very serious to get out of this saṁsṛtiḥ, continually going on, birth and death, birth and death, birth... People have no knowledge. So tad asya saṁsṛtir bandhaḥ. This is bondage.
Kṛṣṇa is very much anxious because we are suffering and we are sons of Kṛṣṇa. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. He is unhappy to see that you are suffering. That is natural. If the son is suffering from ailment, the father also suffers: "How the son will be cured?" The son may not know it, but the father is suffering without having that ailment. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the..., He is the father of all living entities. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. Kṛṣṇa says. It is not my word, but Kṛṣṇa says. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya: (BG 14.4) "All different forms of life." Sambhavanti, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. So Kṛṣṇa is the father of everyone, and He is very much anxious for us, to get us back. Therefore He is ordering, "You rascal, why you have created so many isms? Just surrender to Me. I will give you protection. Just surrender." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). For this purpose He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). Dharma-glāni, discrepancies in the matter of religious principle, glāni... What is that glāni? The glāni is forgetfulness of God: "No God. I am God. You are God." This is glāni. But this is going on as dharma. This is Kali-yuga. What is not dharma, that is going on as dharma. Dharma means to understand God. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). What is dharma? Dharma means the laws and instruction given by God. But at the present moment, what is God? "There is no God." Then where is dharma? Where is dharma?
This is durāśā. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Andha, and the leaders, they are also leading in that way. "Give up this Vedic culture. Throw away." The leaders say openly that "Throw away your śāstras in the water. No more śāstra. Now you take to industry, technology, if you want to become happy just like the Americans, like the Europeans." So the leaders, such leaders, have been described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, andha. Andha means blind. They do not know how to lead people, what is the aim of life. The aim of life is not to understand or learn some technical knowledge by which we can make some bodily comforts. That is not aim of life. The aim of life is different. We are part and parcel of God. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Now we are separated. Not separated; just like a criminal is not separated from the state. He is in the state, but in a different condition. Similarly, we cannot be separated from God. That is not possible. We are part and parcel of God, but we can be separated by diseased condition. Just like my finger cannot be separated, or can be separated, but in the diseased condition it cannot work. It cannot work in its original, constitutional position. Similarly, due to our this material disease, we cannot properly serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, our, the whole. We are part, and He is the whole. The complete. We are not... Some way or other we are detached. So we cannot be separated. But under certain conditions it appears that we are separated. This is forgetfulness, more or less.
So we have to revive this old consti... That is the whole subject matter of the Sāṅkhya philosophy, Kapiladeva, how we are becoming degraded from the original state of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So actually nothing belongs to us. We also do not belong independently. We are not independent. Kṛṣṇa says jīva-bhūtaḥ, or mamaivāṁśo (BG 15.7). We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body, so the finger has no separate existence. If this finger is cut off from my hand and it has a separate existence, it will fall down on the street, and it has no value. Others are trampling down; still nobody cares for it, although it is the same finger but cut off from this body. But so long this small finger is attached to this body it has value. If there is some disease or pain, I can spend thousands of dollars for curing it. And when it is cut off from my body it has no value. Similarly, we being part and parcel of God, when we are forgetful or cut off It cannot be cut off, but still, when we forget God, then we have no value. The same example: When I ask my finger to come here and give me some itching sensation, then the finger is in normal condition. And if the finger cannot give me any service, that is useless. Similarly, we being part and parcel of God, our business is to give service to God. That is our normal condition. And if we do not give service to the Lord, if we keep separately, then we have no value.
Pradyumna: "Even though one may be very learned and wise, he is mad if he does not understand that the endeavor for sense gratification is a useless waste of time. Being forgetful of his own interest, he tries to be happy in the material world, centering his interests around his home, which is based on sexual intercourse and which brings him all kinds of material miseries. In this way one is no better than a foolish animal."
Prabhupāda:
- yadā na paśyaty ayathā guṇehāṁ
- svārthe pramattaḥ sahasā vipaścit
- gata-smṛtir vindati tatra tāpān
- āsādya maithunyam agāram ajñaḥ
- (SB 5.5.7)
So, one has to be vipaścit, learned, to understand the interest of life, self-interest. Everyone is working, especially the karmīs, the jñānīs, the yogis, and mixed devotees, they are working for self-interest. The devotees also, so long there is self, there is self-interest also. So there is little difference, that the devotees, they work for Super-self-interest. There is self, but it is Super-self-interest. And the karmīs, jñānīs, yogis they work for individual self-interest. Self-interest there must be.
Yadā na paśyaty ayathā guṇehāṁ svārthe. Everyone should be interested, but svārthe. This is svārthe, that if you get a nice food stuff, if you put to the stomach, then real svārthe. Not only the fingers which have picked up the foodstuff, not only his interested, tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭaḥ. Yathā taror mūla, prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇām. If you put the foodstuff through this one way, not foolish way, that we have to put the foodstuff within the body. So there are nine holes in the body, this mouth, the eyes, the ears, the genital, the rectum the navel. There are nine holes. If some rascal says that any hole will do, you put the foodstuff through any hole. Sometimes it is done. When one cannot eat, the foodstuff is forced through the body, through the rectum, through the nose. That is very troublesome. But the real process is, one process, you put the foodstuff through the mouth. It must go to the stomach and then the energy will be distributed, everyone will be happy. Similarly, if we serve Kṛṣṇa, if we abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa, and satisfy Him, as He says, Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), that is the perfection of life. If we work otherwise, forgetting Kṛṣṇa... Here it is said, gata-smṛtir vindati tatra tāpān. If we forget Kṛṣṇa, if we make our own plan to satisfy myself, community, society, nation, this is forgetfulness and the result will be, gata-smṛtir vindati tatra tāpān. You get simply trouble. That is being done, actually. The whole world is forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, or God. Kṛṣṇa, forgetfulness, and they are making so many plans to become happy but the result is vindati tāpān, simply suffering, simply suffering. It will never be successful.
What is our position? Our position is as described by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Our real position is that I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. So gata-smṛtiḥ, I have forgotten that. And therefore, bhuliyā tomāre saṁsāre āsiyā peye nānā-vidha byathā. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's song, "My Lord, forgetting You I came in this material world. I am simply suffering." Peye nānā-vidha byathā. These... The same thing is there in the Vedic literature, the same thing is instructed by the advanced, enlightened, liberated devotee. The same thing. This forgetfulness. We have forgotten what is our position. Temporarily, because I have got this body in India, I am thinking, "I am Indian, so my interest is Indian." And somebody is thinking, "My interest is American," "My interest is brāhmaṇa," "My interest is śūdra," "My interest is this, that." We have created so many interests. That has to be rectified.
Actually that is the fact. What is this microphone? This is also Kṛṣṇa because what is this? This is made of this material gross matter. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva (BG 7.4). Bhūmi... From earth the iron comes, the aluminium comes, the wood comes. So this is combination of bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ, Kṛṣṇa's energy. Therefore it is Kṛṣṇa. Śakti śaktimatayor abheda. There is no difference between śakti and śaktimat. Śaktimat is Kṛṣṇa, and śakti, the manifestation of His energy, of, I mean to say, gross energy Prakṛtir me bhinnā aṣṭadhā. Bhinnā... Just like I am speaking, and this is recorded in the tape recorder, but when replayed, you will find that I am speaking. But I am not there. Bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. This is bhinnā, originally coming from Kṛṣṇa, but it is an energy where you cannot find Kṛṣṇa directly. But it is Kṛṣṇa's energy.
The mahā-bhāgavata knows that, that although this material world is a world of forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa... Material world means when you forget Kṛṣṇa. Here you will find cent percent people, they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. They do not care to know Kṛṣṇa, neither they have got any relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is material world. Here the nature is how to forget Kṛṣṇa. There is a verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: īśād apetasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. That is called māyā. Māyā means viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. Everything is in relationship with God, but he, the rascal atheist, he'll say, jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8), there is no īśvaram. This is materially This is material world, forgetfulness. Viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ.
There is no escape. But He can do that. Just like if you are condemned by the law court to be hanged, nobody can change it. Even the judge who has given you the punishment, even if you appeal to him, "Sir, excuse me," no, he cannot excuse you by law. But if you file petition to the president or the king—that is called king's mercy—he can change. Similarly, whatever we are doing, we must enjoy or suffer. There is no question of enjoyment. When there is birth, death, old age and disease, where is enjoyment? There is no enjoyment. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This is a world of suffering. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. You cannot There is no question of enjoyment. But because we are in māyā, suffering we are accepting as enjoyment. Suffering is accepted as enjoyment. This is called māyā.
So forgetfulness. That is forgetfulness. We are suffering. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva said—we have already studied that—na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśa-da āsa dehaḥ. The mode of life which we are leading, it is not good. It is foolishness that we simply wasting our life like the animals—āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca—and for maithuna and sense gratification we are doing everything like a madman. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya apṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). Only for sense gratification we are acting like madmen. So Ṛṣabhadeva said... We have already... Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam: "This is not good behavior."
But that is not possible. Here there is another opposing element, which is called māyā, or Satan, who is acting against this principle. So we cannot expect that cent percent people will be God conscious or Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is not possible because here in this material world... This material world means it is a place where māyā is predominant. Māyā is predominant means the forgetfulness of God is predominant. Māyā means nothing. Māyā is not a ghost. Māyā is a condition of consciousness. That's all. When you forget God, or Kṛṣṇa, that is called māyā. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is very nicely explained in the Seventh Chapter that daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā: (BG 7.14) "The influence of māyā is so strong that it is very difficult to surmount." Yes. Māyā is energy of God also. So as your energy can produce so much wonderful thing, why not Kṛṣṇa's energy, or God's energy, is very strong? Yes. It is very strong. Just like you are also energy, but why you are not strong? Just like when you are criminal, when you are in the custody of police energy of the government, you are weaker. You are all the, one of the energies of this government. The whole population is the energy of the government, producing. This is an example. But one energy is civil population, another energy is criminal population, and another energy, the government. So the criminal population means against the principles of government. And civil population means law-abiding principle of government. And the law order energy means to punish the criminals.
But Prahlāda Mahārāja says, naitān vihāya kṛpaṇān vimumukṣa ekaḥ: "My Lord, I do not require salvation alone. Unless I take all these fools with me, I'll not go." (laughter) He refuses to go the kingdom of God without taking all these fallen souls. Just see. This is Vaiṣṇava. He says, naitān vihāya kṛpaṇān vimumukṣa ekaḥ: "Then what is your process? You are very ambitious. That's all right. You want to take all of them with you to the kingdom of God, but what process?" People may ask, "How you are going to do that?" He says, nānyam tvad asya-śaraṇaṁ bhramato 'nupaśye: "I simply want to teach them how to surrender unto You. That's all. That is my process." Because he knows, as soon as he surrenders, his path is clear. Because Kṛṣṇa assures,
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- mokṣayiṣyāmi...
- (BG 18.66)
So simply, somehow or other, let them bow down before Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Very simple method. As soon as you bow down before Kṛṣṇa with faith: "My Lord, Kṛṣṇa, I was forgetful of Yourself so long, so many lives. Now I have come to consciousness. Please accept me." That's all. If people simply learn this technique and sincerely surrenders himself to the Lord, his path is immediately open.
So one has to suffer. People, they do not believe next life because they want to avoid this botheration. But there... You cannot avoid this botheration. If you do not go according to law... As there is punishment even in this state of our life—if I commit some sins, criminal activities, the state will punish me—similarly, if we do something which is punishable, I may avoid the state law, but I cannot avoid God's law. That is not possible. I can hide myself, cheating others, or committing theft, and that, thereby I save myself from the punishment of the state laws, but I cannot save myself from the superior law, the law of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It is very difficult. There are so many witnesses. The daylight is witness. The moonlight is witness. These are described. You cannot say that "I am committing these things. Nobody is seeing me. There is no witness. So how I can be...?" And the supreme witness is Kṛṣṇa. He is sitting within your heart. He is noting down what you are thinking, what you are doing. He is giving facility also. If you wanted to do something to satisfy your senses, so Kṛṣṇa is giving facility. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo: (BG 15.15) "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. "From Me, there is remembrance, knowledge," smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca, "and forgetfulness."
This is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So if we want to be cured from this disease, then we have to follow rules and regulation, just like a patient, if he wants to be cured from the disease, he has to follow the rules and regulation prescribed by the physician. Therefore law, religion, Vedic scripture, they are all meant for human being, not for the cats and dogs. Even ordinary law, they are meant for human being. Just like on the street it is "Keep to the right." So this is for the human being. If the cats and dogs goes from right to the left or wrong, they are not prosecuted. The law is meant for the human being. If the human being does not follow rules and regulative principle, law, then he's animal. So civilized means to raise oneself from the animal status of life to the human status life. That means rules and regulations. Nāśnataḥ pathyam evānnaṁ vyādhayo abhibhavanti hi, evaṁ niyamakṛd rājan (SB 6.1.12). Niyama. Niyama means regulation. We have to follow the rules and regulation. That is compulsory. That is human. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta you'll find this verse, anādi bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karilā. The purport is that our disease is that we have forgotten God. The more we are forgetful about God, the more we are animals. And the more we become advanced in understanding God, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we are human being. And if we are more advanced, then you are devatā, demigods. And when you more make advance, then you become fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. This is the process.
So api cet su-durācāro. If somebody says, "These devotee, these American and European devotees, we accept as sādhu, but they have got some bad habits." Suppose one sees, according to the European-American custom after eating they do not wash hands. That is, they are not practiced to that way. So similarly, if I see that "Here is an American devotee or European devotee, he ate but did not wash his hands, so he is not yet perfect," "No," Kṛṣṇa says. "No." Api cet suḍurācāro. This is a small fault that he has not washed his hands. But we should not neglect to wash our hands. If by mistake, if by forgetfulness I do that, that is excused. But not that because it is excused we shall follow..., we shall neglect the rules and regulations. But Kṛṣṇa says that even he is suḍurācāro, his behavior is not up to the standards, still he is sādhu. Still sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). He should be taken, accepted as sādhu. Because why? Because he has taken Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without any deviation he is engaged in his service. That qualification makes him sādhu. It is not that by mistake, he commits some mistake in his behavior.
Because here everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious. They haven't forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are in Vaikuṇṭha. Others may see that "Oh, you are in London. How you are in Vaikuṇṭha?" Just like Kṛṣṇa, in the Bhagavad-gītā is said, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati: (BG 18.61) God is situated in everyone's heart. So everyone's heart means He is in the heart of the hog also. But if the hog is within the stool, that does not mean Kṛṣṇa is also within the stool. Similarly, the devotees, although they are in London or New York, they're in Vaikuṇṭha. That is to be realized when one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yatra tiṣṭhanti mad-bhaktā tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada. Kṛṣṇa says, "I live there where My devotees are there." So Kṛṣṇa can be everywhere where there is devotee. So this material world, spiritual world means when you forget Kṛṣṇa, that is material. When you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, that is spiritual. That's all. You may remain in the same place. Because everything is Kṛṣṇa's—īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1)—so how you can distinguish what is material, what is spiritual? If every, every part of the creation belongs to Kṛṣṇa, you cannot practically distinguish, "This portion is spiritual, this portion is material." That distinction is due to our forgetfulness. So as soon as you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness you will find everything spiritual.
Die means in this body we are creating some situation for the next life, and in order to accept... Just like one person—especially this Ajāmila upākhyāna—his ways of life was not ordinary; most abominable. So abominable, good, or bad, in this life we are creating some situation so that we will get next life another body. Therefore there is death. That is material world. And as soon as there is death, there is birth. Death means we enter into the womb of a mother for, say, ten months. That ten months is considered as death. Not ten months, because the child within the womb of the mother returns his consciousness when the child is seven months old. This is human body. At that time he feels inconvenience within the womb of mother. Before that, he is unconscious, sleeping. Now, when the body grows within the mother womb and it is seven months, then he returns consciousness. He feels inconvenient. And he is very eager to come out. Those who are advanced, they pray to God, "My Lord, somehow or other get me release from this condition. This life I shall devote for rendering You service so that I may be free from this condition." So similarly, at ten months, ten days, he comes out and..., but forgets. Svajanera kole. Many relatives, mother, father, takes care, and he forgets that "I promised I shall become Kṛṣṇa conscious this time." But on account of illusory energy, he thought that "I am very comfortably situated. My father is taking care. My mother is taking care. My relatives are taking care. So very happy life." This is called forgetfulness.
So you should keep at least what is there. So this is the position at the time of death. Sometimes you will find the dying man is crying, ākulendriyaḥ, tearful eyes. He cannot express. He is not practiced. But he was given the chance. Kṛṣṇa gave him the conscience when the child was born to keep his name Nārāyaṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy, that "This rascal was My devotee, and now he is so fallen. All right, he is attracted to his children." So He gave the conscience, "Now keep your son's name Nārāyaṇa." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Kṛṣṇa says, "From Me everything, remembrance and forgetfulness, come." Those who want to forget Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa helps him to forget: "All right, you forget." He does not give. He does not dictate from the within. And one who is foolishly in bad association, unfortunately forgets Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa gives him chance. Offenders are very nuisance. Kṛṣṇa... Too much offender, purposefully, guru—Vaiṣṇava, his position is very difficult. But by chance if one forgets Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa does not forget him.
So the summary is there. Kṛṣṇa is sitting, sarvasya ca aham, hṛdi, within the heart, sanniviṣṭaḥ, "I am seated there." Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61). And He is giving intelligence and forgetfulness. Why one is forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, and why one is conscious of Kṛṣṇa? That is also due to Kṛṣṇa. One who has tried to forget Kṛṣṇa—then Kṛṣṇa is giving him opportunity to forget Kṛṣṇa. One who is trying to know Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa is giving intelligence to know Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Kṛṣṇa is there. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence how to know Him. If you want to forget Kṛṣṇa, then He will give you, mislead you in such a way that you will forever forget Kṛṣṇa. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15).
That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram andha-yoniṣu (BG 16.19). Those who are asuras, demons, trying to defy the existence of God, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is putting him in such circumstances, in such family, in such society, in such community, in such country, that he will have no opportunity to know Kṛṣṇa. Tān ahaṁ dviṣa... Because he is envious of Kṛṣṇa, wants to forget Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa is putting him in such circumstances. And one who is little eager to know Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa is giving the intelligence.
So we have got this opportunity, this human form of life. As I was saying yesterday, kṛṣṇa-bhuliya jīva... Anādi bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila. We do not know when, but since a very, very long time, anādi... Ādi means it is beginning of this creation. And before that, anādi. Anādi bahir-mukha jīva. We are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa since a very, very long time, and going within the cycle of birth and death, transmigration. So we get the opportunity, this human form of life. So we must revive our consciousness by going through, by understanding, by hearing these literatures. Veda-Purāṇa. Veda-Purāṇa. Anādi bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela. Our position is: we have forgotten God. But this forgetfulness can be subdued, and we can revive our original consciousness. Just like a man sleeping, but if you call him again and again, "Mr. such and such, get up. Get up. Now your time is to go to office and do this, to do that," similarly, although we are sleeping on the lap of māyā, kota nidrā yao māyā piśācīra kole, so we can be awakened by simply this chanting process, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
So this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra will cleanse our heart. We are loaded with so many dirty things, so this can be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam (CC Antya 20.12).
Naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis. We are changing the circumstances, naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis. As soon as one form of body is finished... Death means forgetfulness. Death means forgetfulness. Everyone is continuing life, but when one forgets the activities of this life and accepts another body, that is called death. Otherwise, a spirit soul has no death. So therefore we should be careful that I have already got this body which is meant for suffering. More or less, it doesn't matter. There is suffering. A cat or dog is suffering more than a human being, but it does not mean that the human being is without suffering. That is not possible. Everyone is suffering. So in the human form of life we can inquire, "Why I am suffering." That is human being. So śāstra says that you are already suffering, in any form of body. Either you are President Nixon or a man in the street, you are already suffering. That's a fact. Now you are suffering on account of this body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And still you are doing something which will cause to accept another material body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. And you are suffering because you indulged in your past life sense gratification, and you have got this body according to karma, and again, if you are engaged in sense gratification, do not try to elevate yourself from this platform of sense gratification, then you'll again suffer.
Yes. Actually, there is nothing as materialism. Materialism means forgetfulness of God, that's all. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, aparā, prakṛtir me bhinnā aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). Materialism means that you are dealing with earth, water, fire, air, or the ether, or mind, intelligence, so far. These are the subject matters of studying materialism. But God says: "They are My separated energies." These matters, you have not produced this earth, water, air, fire. That's a fact. That is produced by the energy of God. So while dealing with material things, if you remember that this material thing is produced by God then you are perfect. And if you theorize that it has dropped from the sky, then you are materialistic. That is the difference between materialist and spiritualist. A spiritualist knows that wherefrom this earth has come, wherefrom the water has come, wherefrom this fire has come. Then he is spiritualist, God conscious. And one does not know, he's ignorant. Actually, that is the fact. But one who is ignorant of the fact, he's materialist. And one who knows the source of this material elements, he is spiritualist. That is the difference. Therefore the conclusion is one who does not know God, he is materialist and one knows God, he is spiritualist.
He is the supreme father, and as the father and the sons are related eternally, you cannot be separated. There may be misunderstanding between the father and the son, but the son is always the son, and the father is always the father. That cannot be separated. So our present material condition of life means that we are forgotten of our relationship with God. This is our position. Therefore people are... Some of them are agnostics. Some of them are atheist. Some of them are this, that, so many. They want to forget God. They have already forgotten, and on account of their forgetfulness they are conditioned by nature. The father wants the sons may come back, and the sons have forgotten the father. Therefore the father comes as incarnation. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Why Kṛṣṇa comes? Not only He comes, He sends His so many incarnation. Some of them are svāṁśa. Some of them are vibhinnāṁśa. Everyone is coming here to canvass, to get back the sons back to home, back to Godhead. In different countries, in different atmosphere the business is going on to reestablish the lost or forgotten relationship with God. This is going on.
Yes. You were aware, but you were a little deep, deep sleep. Just like I remember my chloroform case. So I remember very slightly, but there is remembrance. The consciousness is still there, but for some time it is curbed down. So if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious once, even if at that time you are so-called unconscious, still, Kṛṣṇa is with you. He is not forgetful. He is not forgetful. Therefore He will give you the proper result. Don't think that at the, at the time of your death, because you are so completely out of consciousness, therefore there is frustration. No. There is no frustration. There is no frustration. Because your activities are already recorded by the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is situated within your heart, so therefore there is no question of frustration. You just practice. While you are in good health, while you are in good body, while you are in good consciousness, just practice this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and the result is guaranteed.
Prabhupāda: Yes?
Guest (2): What's the purpose of deep sleep as one of the bases of our life?
Prabhupāda: Deep sleep is forgetfulness. That's all.
Guest (2): Forgetfulness when I sleep, but...
Prabhupāda: Yes, when you become tired, you, or by intoxication, you sleep deep. This is material existence. Either this material activity or material dreaming or material deep sleep, they're all material. In spiritual life, oh, there is no sleep. There is no deep sleep or slight sleep or dream. That is everything actual. (pause) Any other questions?
Guest (1): When you're actually Kṛṣṇa conscious, what... My question before, I meant, when you're actually Kṛṣṇa conscious, do you just exist and know all and enjoy all, or do you have any activities at that time?
Prabhupāda: Well, unless you have got enjoyment, how can you continue your activities? Do you think that in any activity which you, in which you do not feel happy or enjoy, can you continue that activity? No. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness means the more you become active in Kṛṣṇa conscious, the more you become joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That means your real life becomes revealed, joyful life. And as you become joyful, so you are more energetic to work for Kṛṣṇa. That will give you impetus. It is not a dead, stereotyped thing. It is dynamic force. The more you work for Kṛṣṇa, the more you feel energetic, the more you feel light. It is practical. Ask so many students. They are feeling, yes, joyful.
So in last day meeting we have discussed that we have to crush the seed of this material existence. Bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ. Bīja. So long the seed is there, we may practice something for spiritual realization, meditation, or the gymnastic yoga—or there are so many other things—but the seed is there. We may be forgetful of our existence, nirvāṇa, void, or hallucination. But because the bīja, the seed, is there, as soon as the effect of such imperfect method is finished, again you come to that Again. This is the bīja. The same example, just like weeds in the field. They appeared completely dried up. There is no more. But as soon as there are drops of rain, oh, again it becomes green. Because the seed is there. So if you want to wipe out the seed of this material existence, then Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that tatropāya-sahasrāṇām. There are maybe..., there may be many hundreds and thousands of process for wipe out, not wipe out, just to bring you to some transcendental position, forgetfulness of your material existence. There may be. But Prahlāda Mahārāja says that sahasrāṇām ayaṁ bhagavatoditaḥ. The method of Kṛṣṇa consciousness described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yad īśvare bhagavati yathā yair añjasā ratiḥ, this can give you the wiping-out method. If you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the seed of material existence will be completely stopped. Because there will be no... It is very practical.
Bhagavat, bhagavad-rati liṅgāny āhuḥ. Now, a person, how he is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his symptoms are now being described. Bhagavad-rati-liṅgāni āhur niśamyeti guṇāni bhakta-vatsalādi. Now, he says, niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyān vīryāṇi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni. This incarnation of... In the Bhagavad-gītā, you have learned that the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Whenever there is discrepancy in the discharge of religious principles, then there is incarnation of God. Whenever there is... Because this is... Everything, God is the supreme proprietor. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Now, the kingdom of God is everywhere, but this material world is also kingdom of God, but here the people are 99.9 %, they are forgetful. They have forgotten God. Therefore in this material world, there are religious principles. In every civilized society, there is some form of religion, without any exception. Either you be Christian or be Muhammadan or Buddhist or Hindu, that doesn't matter, because the whole idea is this is the process. Human civilization, to make progress means self-realization. So as soon as there is discrepancy in the matter of self-realization—they become too much materialistic—then the incarnation of Godhead comes and He instructs. Just like Lord Kṛṣṇa came in five thousand years before, and He has left His instruction. So why? Because we shall get the opportunity of hearing His activities. By hearing His activities means we shall be associating Him because His activities, because He is Absolute, there is no difference between He and His activities. There is no difference.
We can understand what is sun. Similarly, if you study the energy of the Supreme Lord, then you are in conscious, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if you engage yourself in the energy of Kṛṣṇa, then you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And as soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you become nonseparated. You become nonseparated from Him. Just like qualitatively the sunshine and the sun is hot, warm, similarly, you are also the same spiritual energy, or this whole world is spiritual energy, nothing but... There is nothing but spiritual... Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Everything is Brahman. But how to realize it? If everything is Brahman, then why we are separating, "This is material, this is spiritual"? This is māyā. This is called māyā. Māyā means illusion or forgetfulness. How it happens? It happens just like the sunshine is covered by cloud. Sunshine is covered by cloud—not all the sunshine. An insignificant part of the sunshine is sometimes covered by the cloud. And when it is covered by the cloud, there are so many inconveniences. Just like you say in New York when you find a sunshine in the sky, you say, "Oh, today is very nice." Why nice? Because the pure sky is open. Therefore it is very nice. And so long it is over, covered by cloud, you don't find so happy. Similarly, if you can, I mean to say, drive away the cloud of ignorance, then you actually becoming Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Cloud of ignorance. And what is that cloud of ignorance? The cloud of ignorance is that "I am the enjoyer." The first beginning of cloud of ignorance... (end)
So Prahlāda Mahārāja suggests the remedy, how to become free from anxieties. He says hitvātma-ghātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ. Ātma ghāṭam. Ātma means the soul, and ghāṭam means killing. Hitvātmā-ghāṭam gṛham andha-kūpaṁ. Andha-kūpa means blind well. Blind well... I do not know whether you have got experience. In India there are several old wells on the paddy fields and they are covered with grass. Nobody can understand that there is a well underneath this, underneath this grass. And if by mistake one comes there, he falls down, say hundred feet down. And it is covered with grass. Even if he cries, "Please save me, save me," who is going to save him? Sometimes cow and animals and men fall down in that way. If he's fortunate enough, somebody comes and rescues. Otherwise, generally, there is no rescue. Who is going to know that there is a man or there is an animal? So hitvātmā-ghāṭam andha-kūpaṁ. This material world is just like that blind well. If somebody falls down in it, it is very difficult to get out of it. Therefore it is ātmā-ghāṭam. Ātma-ghāṭam means killing the soul. How we are killing the soul? We forget that "I am spirit soul." Therefore almost every one of us is forgetful that "I am spirit soul. I am identifying with this body." And Prahlāda Mahārāja says, because we have identified with this body, therefore we are always anxious, full of anxieties. And that is the fact.
Actually, śāstra is not for the loafer class. For highly learned brāhmaṇas and highly elevated kṣatriyas. And the vaiśyas and the śūdras, they are not expected to become very learned in śāstra, but, being directed by proper brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya, they are also perfect. The first perfect class, munayo, as it is said, sattvaikatāna gatayo munayo, "Great sages..." Generally, "great sages" means brāhmaṇas, Vaiṣṇavas. They are situated on the sattva-guṇa by devotional service. Rajas, tamo-guṇa cannot touch them. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). The bhadra and abhadra, good and bad... So the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa is bad, and sattva-guṇa is good. If we are situated, as it is said, sattvaikatāna-gatayo... If you are always situated on the sattva-guṇa, then everything is clear to be done. Sattva-guṇa means prakāṣa. Everything is clear, full knowledge. And rajo-guṇa is not clear. The example is given: just like the wood. There is fire, but the first symptom of fire, wood, you'll find smoke. When you set fire in the wood, first of all smoke comes. So smoke... First of all wood, then smoke, then fire. And from fire, when you engage the fire for fire sacrifice, that is the ultimate. Everything coming from the same source, from earth... The wood is coming from wood, the smoke is coming from smoke, the fire is coming... And fire, when engaged in fire sacrifice—svāhā—then it is proper use of fire. If one stays in the wood platform, that is completely forgetfulness. When one stays in the smoke platform, there is little light. When one is staying in fire platform, then full light. And when the light is engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, that is perfect. We have to understand like that.
In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that "Kṛṣṇa consciousness is eternally existing in every human being, every living entity." Not only human being. You have seen the one picture that a calf, how he is loving Kṛṣṇa by licking His body. You have seen it. So even in the calf, even in the animal, even in the bird, even in the beast. We have described all these things in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya, that when Kṛṣṇa was present in Vṛndāvana, how the cranes, how the cuckoos, how the peacocks, how the walks(?), how the flowers, how the creepers were loving Him. How they were loving Kṛṣṇa. So it is not a thing that we have to teach. Simply by good association, by reference, it comes out. It is called suptotthita-nyāya. Just like a man sleeping at night, he forgets everything, where he is lying on and what he is doing and which family does he belong to, which country does he belong to, what is his occupation. Everything he forgets. Sleeping means forgetfulness. But as soon as he is awakened, he remembers everything. Everything. "Oh, I have to go to office. I have to do this thing. I have to meet such and such person." Everything. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sleeping in everyone's heart. He is hankering. He is hankering after how to love Kṛṣṇa, but he is being checked up. The māyā is checking him: "Don't try to love Kṛṣṇa. If you love Kṛṣṇa, then you will forget all these material activities." Māyā is speaking.
What is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and your body? That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā also. When Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, You say that You spoke this yoga system of Bhagavad-gītā to sun-god, but I know that You are born just like me. Your age and my age is similar. You are my friend. How can I believe that You spoke this philosophy to sun-god, which means some millions of years ago?" So what was the reply of Kṛṣṇa? The reply was that "Your birth and My birth, there are many, many times. But I remember them all and you forget. That is the difference." Why we forget? Because we get a different body. Just like you remember you had been a child. Just like here is a small baby, he has got a small body. But when she'll be grown up girl she'll forget, because the body has changed. Forget. So because we change our body, therefore we forget. This is a fact. Just like when you, at night you are in dream. You forget your body. You are dreaming that you have got a body of a bird. You are flying in the sky and you have forgotten completely that you are Mr. and Mrs. such and such, lying in a room. You have forgotten. So in daily experience we can understand that due to change of body we forget. Death means change of body and forgetfulness. That is death. So Kṛṣṇa said that "You forget, you have forgotten, but I have not forgotten." That means indirectly Kṛṣṇa says that "I do not change My body, but you change your body." So we are all changing our body.
In the Fifteenth Chapter, fifteenth verse, you'll see, Kṛṣṇa says that "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Sarvasya: not only human beings, all living entities. Not only living entities, even in atom, within the atom, He is present there. Sarvasya. Sarvasya means everything, the Supersoul. Sarvasya ca aham, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, "I," hṛdi, "in the heart." When it is called hṛdi, that means living entity. Without living entity, there cannot be any heart. Without this body, no, there cannot be any heart. In the stone there cannot be any heart. Dead body. The heart is dead. So sarvasya ca ahaṁ hṛdi. Hṛdi means "in the heart." Sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am situated. I am sitting there." And mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Because He is sitting there, therefore all kinds of remembrance, smṛti, knowledge and forgetfulness. These things are functions of the mind. You remember something, you gather some knowledge, and sometimes you forget. "Let me think. Oh, yes, I forgot, yes." That's a function of the mind. So that forgetfulness is also due to Kṛṣṇa because He's sitting there. He's guiding. If you want to forget Kṛṣṇa, He'll give you opportunity of māyā that you can..., you'll never remember Kṛṣṇa. You'll forget for good. And that is His kindness. "You want to forget Me? All right. I give you so much facility that you'll never be able to remember Me." Therefore the staunch atheist, however you argue with him, however you defeat him... Matir na kṛṣṇe parato svato vā. They cannot. They will not. Because Kṛṣṇa is arranging within: "Forget. Don't accept it. Don't accept it."
So when incarnation of the Supreme Lord comes... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Kṛṣṇa has given us. We are fallen down from the spiritual kingdom to this material world on account of desiring to fulfill our material senses. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has given us the Vedic literatures. Anādi bahir mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela. This is the statement in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Ataeva kṛṣṇa veda purāṇa karilā. Because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa anadi... Anadi means before the beginning of this creation. The beginning of this creation is called ādi, beginning, but our forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa is anādi. Anādi. Anādi bahir mukha. We are working in this life, in this material world, struggling for existence to get happiness. That is the aim of life. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, we do not know the source of happiness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The ānandamaya-vigraha, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Still, we are searching after ānanda, blissfulness. This is our struggle for existence. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). We are in this prakṛti, in this material nature, prakṛti-sthāni, and, being dictated by the mind, making plans to become happy, but that is not possible. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni. This is... Due to our forgetfulness, we are struggling for existence to get happiness, but because we do not know what is the source of happiness, it is called struggle for existence. This is going on.
So this is our position. Prahlāda Mahārāja is analyzing very nicely. We are servant eternally, but kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare, pāsate māyā tare jāpaṭiyā dhare. As soon as we forget this principle, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa..." This material life means this forgetfulness. I am serving, it is a fact. And because I am serving my senses, that... Big, big leaders... Just like in your Western countries, there was Napoleon, there was Hitler, there was Mussolini, here also, big, big leaders, but what they are? Big, big servants of the senses, that's all. Big, big servants of the senses. Therefore Bhāgavata has said, sva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). Puruṣaḥ paśuḥ: "These big, big leaders are big, big animals, that's all." Saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. So there are many instructive verses in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be your life and soul to remain constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, yes, the unique gift of Śrī Vyāsadeva. Kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eva purāṇārkaḥ adhunā uditaḥ.
Why one has become nicely situated? Why one is situated, one man is, one living entity is eating very nicely very nice foodstuff, and another animal is eating stool? This is not accidental. This is not accidental. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Because one has acted in such a way that he has to eat stool, he must eat. But the māyā, the illusory energy, is so clever that while the animal is eating stool, he's thinking, "I am enjoying heaven." This is called māyā. So even by eating stool he's thinking that he is enjoying heavenly pleasure. Unless he's covered by that ignorance, he... If he remembers that "I was... In my previous life I was human being, and I was eating so nice foodstuff. Now I am obliged to eat stool," then he cannot prolong. That is called prakṣepātmika-śakti-māyā. We forget. Forgetfulness.
So this forgetfulness is going on. Evaṁ sva-karma-patitaṁ bhava-vaitaraṇyām anyonya-janma maraṇa. Here is again, anyonya-janma: "Not only this birth, but another birth, another birth, another birth." You cannot say that "This is the final" or "This is the beginning." No. That is not. Anyonya-janma-maraṇa. In another body also there is birth and death. As in this body we have got birth and death, similarly, in another body also, either I take my birth as Lord Brahmā or a small, insignificant ant... It doesn't matter. Any material body you take, there is birth and there is death. You may live... Just like we are human being. We may live for many years, hundred years, in comparison to the ant's life, and similarly, we may live hundred years, and Brahmā is living for millions of years. So it does not mean there is no death. Death must be there. One who has taken birth, he must die. The janma-maraṇa. And as soon as you take birth, all the material conditions, tri-tāpa-yātana, adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, you have to accept. There is no rescue. As soon as you take birth, janma-maraṇa, jarā... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). As soon as you take birth, then you have to take jarā, old age, and vyādhi, and disease, and last, maraṇa.
Therefore sometimes we forget Kṛṣṇa. And therefore Kṛṣṇa comes to remind that "Why you are forgetting Me? We are eternally related. So forgetting Me, you are suffering here. Give up all this nonsense." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). That is wanted. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to educate people to cure his disease of forgetfulness. He has forgotten simply. Just like a madman forgets who is his father, who is his mother, he talks nonsense, sometimes he calls ill names. Mad. So similarly, we in this material world, without any Kṛṣṇa consciousness we are all mad, forgetful. This disease has to be cured. The best medicine is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nature's way, we have got this human form of life, but because on account of lack of proper education, we remain in forgetful condition from the animal life. But there is chance. That is said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Anādi bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karilā. These rascals, from time immemorial they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. And just to remind him, these Vedas, the Purāṇas, they are there.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Prabhupāda: That attractiveness is called rasa, mellow, taste. Go on.
Pradyumna: "...or a kind of mellow, or relationship whose taste is very sweet. Bhakti-rasa is a mellow different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers. Mundane workers labor very hard, day and night, in order to relish a certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gratification. The relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure, and therefore mundane workers are always apt to change their position of enjoyment. A business man is not satisfied by working the whole week; therefore wanting a change for the weekend, he goes to a place where he tries to forget his business activities. Then, after the weekend is spent in forgetfulness, he again changes his position and resumes his actual business activities. Material engagement means accepting a particular status for some time and then changing it. This position of changing back and forth is technically known as bhoga-tyāga, which means..."
Prabhupāda: Bhoga-tyāga. Bhoga and tyāga. Go on.
Pradyumna: "That force which derives... That force which drives the philanthropist, the householder and the nationalist is called rasa, or a kind of mellow, or relationship, whose taste is very sweet. Bhakti-rasa is a mellow different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers. Mundane workers labor very hard day and night in order to relish a certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gratification. The relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure and therefore mundane workers are always apt to change their position of enjoyment. A businessman is not satisfied by working the whole week. Therefore, wanting a change for the weekend, he goes to a place where he tries to forget his business activities. Then, after the weekend is spent in forgetfulness, he again changes his position and resumes his actual business activities. Material engagement means accepting a particular status for some time and then changing it. This position of changing back and forth is technically known as bhoga-tyāga, which means a position of alternating sense enjoyment and renunciation."
Prabhupāda: The material world, because everything is temporary, so sometimes when we are fed up with material activities, we stop to do it and become a renouncer. Bhoga-tyāga. "Grapes are sour." You know the story. A jackal entered into a vine orchard, and it was very high. It began to jump to get the grapes, but when he failed, he said, "Oh, these grapes are sour. It is nonsense." (laughter) The karmīs are like that, that they work very hard, but they cannot relish any permanent happiness. That is not possible. Therefore they give up. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. They give up these worldly activities as false. Jagan mithyā. But they do not relish anything. Actually they do not relish what is Brahma-sukha. Therefore again they fall down. Many... The jñānī sannyāsīs, they give up this world as jagat mithyā, "This world is false." They take sannyāsa. Then, after working for some time, they again take to political activities, philanthropic activities.
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is our natural... There is. But, at the present moment, on account of our association with māyā, the material energy, we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa bhūliya jīva bhoga-vāñchā kare. That forgetfulness is manifested by our desire to enjoy this material world. Bhoga-vāñchā. Everyone is trying to enjoy this material world to his best capacity. That is called material world. Only the Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, they are not trying to enjoy this material world, but they are trying to dovetail everything in the service of the Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. Just like we eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Everyone is eating. We are also eating. But we don't eat directly. Whatever we prepare, whatever we collect, first of all we offer to Kṛṣṇa. Because we think, we think—and it is a fact—the thing is of Kṛṣṇa's. Kṛṣṇa has given. You cannot manufacture rice, dhal or wheat in your factory, neither fruit, nor milk. It is given by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He's giving. One has to acknowledge, "Yes, it is given by Kṛṣṇa. It is Kṛṣṇa's. So let me offer it first of all to Kṛṣṇa, then take the prasādam." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
That is your nature: you forget. So you do not remember even the incidences of this life. How you can remember the incidents of your past life? Because you are forgetful. You are so imperfect that you forget after two hours everything. That is your nature. That does not mean that you had, you did not do anything. And, besides that, the... You remember or not remember. Suppose your guardian remembers, "My dear child, when you were a small baby, you did it." But you remember no... Similarly Kṛṣṇa is there. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Anumantā upadraṣṭā. He knows everything. You may forget. But Kṛṣṇa knows. "You wanted this thing. All right. Take it. You worked for this. Now I give you the opportunity. You take this. You wanted to eat everything and anything, without any discrimination. All right. Now you become a hog." That is Kṛṣṇa's favor. "And if you wanted Me..."
Actually in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is nothing material. I have several times explained. Material activities means activities without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is material activity. Just like we are speaking through this microphone. We do not reject it as material. We take it as spiritual. Because it is being used in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. Yathā arhati, as it deserves. Because this microphone is made of material elements, earth, water, fire, air... But this, if we remember that these material energies, earth, water, air, fire, sky, even mind, intelligence, ego... Prakṛti me, prakṛti me bhinnā aṣṭadhā. They're also energies of Kṛṣṇa. They're not separate from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore if Kṛṣṇa is spirit, then these so-called material elements, they are also spirit. But it is used as material because we do not remember the relationship of these material elements with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the conclusion is when we are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, then it is material. Otherwise, there is nothing as material. Everything is spiritual. Because brāhmaṇaḥ śakti.
It is explained by Svarūpa Dāmodara: rādhā-kṛṣṇa-prakr..., praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api purā deha-bhedo gatau tau. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, They are one. But, although They are one, They bifurcated Themselves as Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So there is no difference between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā is the superior energy, or spiritual energy. And Kṛṣṇa is the energetic. Similarly, this material world is external energy. Similarly, the living entities, they're marginal energy, between the external and internal energy. The living entities are called marginal energy because the living energy has to act under another energy, that either material energy or spiritual energy. So when the living entity is under spiritual energy, that is his normal condition, and when he's under the material energy, that is his abnormal condition. We should always remember. Material energy means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Just like in this material world, everything is there, but it is lacking in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You travel all over the world, you'll see there is profuse arrangement of sense gratification, but there is no arrangement for understanding Kṛṣṇa. This is called material energy. But if you bring in Kṛṣṇa in the so-called material energy, it becomes spiritual energy.
So our purpose is not to construct big, big buildings. That is required for propaganda work, for giving shelter to people. But our main business is how to turn the face of the bewildered conditioned souls towards Kṛṣṇa. That is our method. That is our main purpose. Therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and other Vaiṣṇavas, they did not advise to give much attention for constructing big, big temples and maṭhas. Because if our attention is diverted towards these material things... Material things means, as I have repeatedly explained, forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise there is no, nothing material. It is illusion. Illusion means actually there is nothing material. How it can be material? If the Supreme Lord is Supreme Spirit, everything is coming from Him, so what we call the material energy, that is also coming from the Supreme.
But the difficulty is that in this inferior energy... Inferior energy means where there is possibility of forgetting Kṛṣṇa. Actually, that is the fact. People are engaged in so many activities. We can see it very nicely in the Western countries. They are inventing so many modern facilities. But the result is they're forgetting Kṛṣṇa. That is material. Material means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is nothing except Kṛṣṇa. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja, yes, Nārada Mahārāja said that "This world is Kṛṣṇa." Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. "But it appears like that it is different from Bhagavān." Actually, there is... For a mahā-bhāgavata, he has no such conception, material conception, because he sees everywhere Kṛṣṇa. Sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). He's seeing one tree, but he is, he's forgetful of the tree. He's seeing energy of Kṛṣṇa. As soon as he sees the energy of Kṛṣṇa, he sees Kṛṣṇa. Therefore instead of seeing the tree, he sees Kṛṣṇa.
The scientists are calculating the actual temperature of the sun. So similarly, although Kṛṣṇa is far, far away from us... Goloka eva nivasati. He's residing in His abode, Goloka, Vṛndāvana. This is the replica of that Vṛndāvana. So akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. How He's akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37)? How He's all-pervading? By His energy. By His energy. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagat avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4). That energy is avyakta, impersonal. But Kṛṣṇa is not impersonal. Kṛṣṇa is person. Just like the sun-god, he's a person, but his energy, sunshine and heat, that is impersonal. To reach impersonal feature of the sun or the sunshine is not approaching the sun. It is approaching and not approaching. It is approaching in the sense that directly in touch with his energy, but still, the sun globe and the sun-god is far away. Similarly, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). To approach the impersonal feature of Brahman is not sufficient. We have to approach Kṛṣṇa. So the Rādhārāṇī, the personal,... His energy's also personal. So mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). If we take shelter of His external energy, where forgetfulness, Kṛṣṇa, is very prominent, then we become far and far away from Kṛṣṇa. But if we take shelter of the internal energy of Kṛṣṇa, Rādhārāṇī, because She's directly serving Kṛṣṇa... Just like in Vṛndāvana, they always speak of Rādhārāṇī because they have taken shelter of Rādhārāṇī to approach Kṛṣṇa very easily. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. The facility of Vṛndāvana is that you take shelter of Rādhārāṇī directly and She will help you to approach Kṛṣṇa very soon. This is the idea of coming to Vṛndāvana. Go on.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He's preaching about Himself, because without knowing, without understanding the tattva, vetti māṁ tattvataḥ, without understanding the Absolute Truth as He is, there is no question of getting out of the clutches of māyā. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). "One who surrenders unto Me," Kṛṣṇa says, "he can get out of the clutches of māyā." Māyā means this material life. We have forgotten ourself, that we are intimately related with Kṛṣṇa, we have got a special function on His behalf. Just like part and parcel of my body: the finger has got a special function the leg has got a special function, the head has got a special function; similarly, we all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we have got a special function in relationship with the Lord. When we are forgetful of this special relationship with Kṛṣṇa, that is called conditional life or material life. Material life means we do not serve Kṛṣṇa but we serve our senses—kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya, like that. That is material life. We are serving, there is no doubt about it, but every one of us we are serving our senses. Kāmādīnāṁ katidhā na katidhā pālitā durnideśa.
You cannot forget. You simply purify it. In diseased condition, your identification of "I" is different. Sometimes you are in convulsion. You forget... Rather, that is forgetfulness. Sometimes if we are, I mean to say, deranged in brain, we forget everything of our relationship. But when you are cured, you remember, "Oh, I was forgetful in my that delusion. Yes." So your "I" is always there. This "I," this "I," remembering, is purified. So ego has to be purified. Ego has not to be killed. And that cannot be killed, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), because it is eternal. How can you kill ego? It is not possible. So you have to purify your ego. The difference between is between false ego and real ego. Just like ahaṁ brahmāsmi, aham... "I am Brahman." Oh, this is also ego. This is, this Vedic version that "I am Brahman. I am not this matter," so this ego is purified ego, that "I am this." So that "I" is always there. Either in illusion or delusion or dream or in healthy stage, the "I" is always there.
Now, the next question will be, "Whose ignorance?" As soon as we say "ignorance," there must be somebody who is ignorant. So whose ignorance? Now, we find the supreme living entity is Kṛṣṇa, and we, the subordinate living entities. So who is ignorant? Ignorant is the living entities, not all living entities, but there is, I mean to say, tendency of becoming ignorant. Ignorant or forgetfulness. Ignorant, we are not, but sometimes we forget, just like under some diseased condition we forget. Or forgetfulness is the diseased condition. Just like a madman. He forgets his identity. He forgets the identity of his family. Either you take this forgetfulness is madness or due to madness, he's forgetful, whatever you say. Similarly, the, this forgetfulness is also energy, another energy. Then whose energy? Avidya. This is living entity's energy. The Māyāvāda philosophers, they cannot answer. They claim that "We are God," but when they are asked, "Why you have become dog?" they say, "We do not know." But here is the answer. They hide the reason. They know, and because they have to establish the Māyāvāda philosophy that "There is no God. We are all God," therefore they pretend that "We do not know."
So this avidyā, this ignorance, this forgetfulness, is another energy, another energy. So just like a cloud... This is also another energy of the sunshine. It is not different. When the sunshine warms the sea water, it evaporates and becomes cloud. So therefore cloud is also another energy. So similarly, this material energy is also energy of God, but it cannot cover God. That is the difference. God is never covered by ignorance. This is nonsense. Those fools and rascals say that "God... We are God. We are now covered." It is the most rascaldom. How? If we are God, how we can be covered by ignorance? Then what is your value of your becoming God? You are not God. You are... This is very nicely explained here. Try to understand. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "Living entities, they are energy of God. They are never God." The Śaṅkarācārya's theory is nullified by evidences from Vedic scripture, just like Bhagavad-gītā, Viṣṇu Purāṇa. So never claim that "We are God." That is most darkest part of your ignorance, when you say that "I am God." There is neither voidness; neither you are God. You are eternal, perpetual blissful, but your blissful is now covered by this māyā. You get out of it, be one with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your life is successful. This is this theory.
The living entity is also spiritual energy. He has got His two energies, which is also spiritual actually, but it is called marginal because individual. And this individual spiritual energy can select either to live under the material energy or the spiritual energy. Therefore it is called marginal energy. Just like sparks of the fire, it can fall down on the ground and it can remain with the fire. Similarly, we living entities, we are parts and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or we are sparks of the fire. So we can fall down within the material energy and we can remain in the spiritual energy, as we like. So when you keep yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you live in spiritual energy, and when you are without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you live in material energy. When you live in the material energy, then your the illuminating quality, because you are fire, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, that is extinguished almost. Therefore, we are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. Our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is practically extinguished. And again, the fire, spark, if he falls down on a dry grass, then gradually, the grass becomes blazing. So even if we are... Because in this material world there are three modes of material nature. If we are associated with the goodness quality, then our spiritual energy again becomes blazing fire. From the modes of goodness, purity, knowledge, the brahminical quality... Satya śama dama titikṣa (BG 18.42). When you are put into that..., the dry grass... Although this satya śama dama, truthfulness or controlling the senses, or controlling the mind, knowledge, toleration, these qualities, they are all material qualities. They are not spiritual qualities.
There is another śakti. One śakti... Every śakti... Kṛṣṇa śakti... Just like Kṛṣṇa... Just like the sun is light, effulgence, and the sunshine is the energy of sun; it is also light. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). His energy is also cit-ānanda, sat-cid-ānanda. Therefore says, viṣṇu-śaktir parā. Parā means superior or spiritual. Kṛṣṇa is spiritual, and His śakti, it is called material. Actually, in the higher sense, there is no material energy. It is covered only. Just like sunshine, when it is covered by the cloud, there is light, but the light is not so strong, so in the material world we cannot feel the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are forgetful. Therefore so many people, those who are covered by this material energy, they say, "There is no God" or "God is dead," "You are God; I am God," "God is loitering in the street," so many theories of God. That is due to our covering of the knowledge how to appreciate God. The difficulty is that we do not follow the direction of the śāstras; therefore we are misguided. As I was speaking the other day, because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa for time immemorial, therefore these books are there.
So when we accept Kṛṣṇa as our master, then we are in the Vaikuṇṭha planet. And when we do not accept... That propensity we have got, sometimes by forgetfulness or sometimes by willingly. By forgetfulness if we think that "I am master," that is also mistake. And willingly, if we reply, "Why shall I serve Kṛṣṇa? Let me become Kṛṣṇa," this Māyāvāda philosophy, "Let me become God..." So all these things are māyā. Real position to become... Not become. We are. But to become sane. Now, in madness, we are talking all this nonsense that "I am one with God. I am God." We have to be treated. This treatment is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By hearing, by chanting—ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12)—all the mistakes within our the core of our heart is dispel... Then we come to the understanding. Then,
sūryāṁśa-kiraṇa, yaiche agni-jvālā-caya
- svābhāvika kṛṣṇera tina-prakāra śakti haya
Originally the God's potency, Kṛṣṇa's potency—cit-śakti, sat-cit-ānanda. God is sat, eternal; cit, full of knowledge; and ānandamaya. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). You'll never see Kṛṣṇa nirānandamaya. Even if He is killing a demon, He is smiling. That is also ānanda. So the potencies of God, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu-viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā—they are not these ordinary potencies, material potency. Spiritual potency. Viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetrajñaḥ (CC Madhya 6.154). Ksetrajña means jīva. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṣetra-kṣetrajñaḥ. The living soul is kṣetrajña, and this body is kṣetra. Kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānam, yad jñānaṁ tad jñānaṁ mataṁ mama. If anyone understands what is this kṣetra and kṣetrajña and what is their relationship—kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānam—that is jñāna, not this material jñāna. That is spiritual jñāna. So kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā. As God's potency is parā... Parā and aparā. Originally everything is parā. And aparā means forgetfulness. This material world we forget Kṛṣṇa; therefore it is called aparā. But there is another parā. That is spiritual potency. There there is no forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious. So if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then immediately you become parā. Kṣetrajñam ākhyā tathā parā. Immediately you become parā. Otherwise you remain in the aparā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), this material contamination. Kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā.
Therefore Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, is giving direction, bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt. When we are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, when we think that "There is no God. This matter is everything. This material manifestation which we see, that is everything all in all, and there is no Lord, no, I mean to say, supreme controller," when we think like that, that begins, that is the point of our anxiety, beginning of anxiety. Bhayam, fearfulness. We are all fearful because, as we have got these bodily necessities, we want to eat something, we want to sleep, similarly, we have fear, and we have demand for mating. These four principles are animal life. We are always fearful. And why we are fearful? Because we have taken it that there is no God. There is no God; therefore we are fearful. Just like a forlorn child, when he thinks that "My... I am... My father and my mother, lost." You might have experienced. A child lost, he cries. He thinks himself, "I am helpless. Where is my mother? Where is my...?" Similarly, when we are helpless, we are fearful. And those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are not helpless. They know, "Above me, there is Kṛṣṇa."
But we have no faith. We are thinking, "Oh, it is written in the Bhagavad-gītā. That's all right, but I must have my protection in a different way." So dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ. Because he thinks there is anything superior than Kṛṣṇa, therefore he is fearful. Why a conditioned soul is fearful, that is explained in the Bhāgavata. Bhayam dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt. So this māyā, the illusion, when we take shelter of this illusion, then we are afraid. And when we understand that "Illusion, this energy, is under the control of Kṛṣṇa, because illusion, this material energy, is also Kṛṣṇa's energy, inferior energy. So even if I, I am within this material energy, when I am forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, this material energy is fearful for me, and when I am in Kṛṣṇa consciousness fully, there is no question of fearfulness from material nature." Therefore tan-māyayā ābhajet tam. Ābhajet tam. And therefore it is our duty to regain our lost consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the duty of this human form of life. Ābhajet tam bhaktyaika īśam. Simply by devotional... If you want to worship the Supreme Lord, then you have to worship Him simply by service. There is no other process.
herefore it is advised that our fearfulness, "How I shall live? What I shall eat? Where I shall live? Where I'll, I'll have my shelter...?" We are always perplexed with all these fearfulness. Why? Because we have forgotten that there is one who is giving me all protection. We are, we have become so foolish that..., that the lower animals than the human being, they have no economic problem. They are freely living. In the morning they do not care where they shall eat. But there is eating. No animal, no bird, is dying of starvation. Have you seen any animal or any bird has died out of starvation? And who is providing him? So they have no economic problem. The only this foolish, advanced, civilized man, under the name of so-called misusing the intelligence, which was given to him for realization of God, misusing for sense gratification, and therefore they are troubled. That is the whole problem. The world's problem is due to this forgetfulness. Īśād apetasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. They have forgotten the protection of Kṛṣṇa, God. They think that "By this adjustment, we shall be able to protect." Nonsense. It is not possible. Can you protect yourself from death? No. Then what is your protection? So this is the formula: bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt. Dvitīya means that a, a secondary existence beyond God which is, in Bible, it is said, Satan and God. So this satanic mentality has made them under the control of material nature. Satanic mentality. What is that satanic mentality? That "I want to be God." Always thinking falsely, "I am God," or "Independent," "I can do anything, everything," "Whatever I survey, I am the lord of whatever I survey." These foolish things are going on.
Just like the lady was angry(?). At once forgets. One moment she says that "Oh, it was terrible heat," and next moment says, "Oh, I don't feel any unhappiness." That is forgetfulness. So memory will be so short that people will forget. Just like the animals. They forget. There is no memory. In some of the animals there is no mind. That is also analyzed in the Bhagavad-gītā, er, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So memory shortened, shortened. So just to give us remembrance again, the books are... Vyāsadeva, he wrote those Vedic traditions into books. Vyāsadeva is the first man who wrote this Vedic knowledge into writing. Before that, there was no writing. Only by hearing, by memory, the students will grasp the whole thing and coming down, tradition, tradition. Yes. Śruti, by hearing.
- So jīvere kṛpāya kaila kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa.
- 'sādhu-guru-ātma'-rūpe āpanāre jānāna
'kṛṣṇa mora prabhu, trātā'-jīvera haya jñāna
So what is the utility of this Vedic knowledge? Now, by understanding, by hearing from authorized sources, or by reading from authorized sources, the forgetful living entities will come to his senses. That is the purpose. He will come to his sense: "Oh, my position is this, and I am suffering in this way." So śāstra-guru-ātma-rūpe āpanāre jānāna. So Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, is always anxious to revive the memory of these forgotten souls, conditioned souls. Now, how He revives? He revives in śāstra.
"Then what do You want?" Īśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī: "My dear Lord, I may be put in any condition of My life, but please bestow this benediction, that I may not forget You. That's all. I may not forget You. Because due to My forgetfulness I am suffering so much. So if I can remember You, I don't mind in whatever condition I am." He has to give the factual fact. Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābham. In the Bhagavad-gītā in the Sixth Chapter we find in the yoga system, yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ: "When one achieves that perfection of yoga," yaṁ labdhvā, "by gaining that perfection," yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābham, "then he has no other desire to achieve." Just like we achieve something in this material world, but that does not stop our desire to achieve something more. I may achieve millions of dollars, but that does not make me satisfied. I want further ten millions of dollars. And when I get further ten millions of dollars, then I desire for further hundred millions of dollars. There is no cessation. So here is a thing, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So here also we should not be aspiring after improving our material condition or liberation or anything. These are all desire, desires. They say that "desireless," but desire cannot be completely absent because I am living entity. So my desire should be not to forget Kṛṣṇa. That's all, that one desire. That is real desire. And all other desires, they are foolish. So we cannot be desireless, but we should desire only bona fide. Just like I am part and parcel of the Supreme. So if I desire to work in cooperation with the Supreme, that is my natural position. That is desirelessness. If you... Suppose in this material condition, if you desire to eat, oh, that is natural. So long you have got this body, you have to eat. If somebody says, "Oh, you are desiring eating...?" Nobody says like that. Similarly, what is natural desire, that is permitted. And what is not natural, that is called "become desireless." Don't desire like this, unnatural. So desirelessness means not to desire unnatural thing. But to desire Kṛṣṇa's remembrance, that is natural. Because I am part and parcel, how can I forget? This forgetfulness is the cause of my so many desires. And as soon as I desire Kṛṣṇa, there will be no other desire. That is desirelessness.
So unless one becomes very much pessimistic of this material world... Actually, they are, but they want to forget. Somebody is trying to forget it by liquor. Somebody is trying to forget by LSD, and somebody is marijuana, or gañja. But that forgetfulness will not save you. You have to actually forget it, that "This is a condemned place," and you cannot forget this unless you have got ideal place before you. Therefore this śruti-pramāṇa, the Vedic knowledge, will give you: "Here is your ideal place, Kṛṣṇa. Come back to Kṛṣṇa. Try for it. Try your best for this." That is the life. That is human life. And unless one is not conscious to this platform, he is defeated. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. We are born ignorant. And if we are educated more, more, more into the platform of ignorance, then our life is all defeat, parābhava. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. So long one is not awakened to spiritual consciousness... "What I am? Why I am suffering? Is there any remedy? How I can save me?"—these questions should arise. This is called brahma-jijñāsa. The Vedānta-sūtra explains this brahma-jijñāsa. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Athāto: "Now. Now it is the time for you to inquire about your Brahman realization, of your Brahman life." That Brahman life begins when we understand that "I am not this material body. I am spirit soul." That is brahma-jñāna. And one who has got this knowledge, he is brāhmaṇa. He is brāhmaṇa. One who has actually attained this knowledge, that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," that is brahma-jñāna.
As far as possible he has given description about Kṛṣṇa. Now, about Kṛṣṇa's abode... Kṛṣṇa means not only Kṛṣṇa. Nāma dhāma guṇa līlā parikara vaisiṣṭha. Kṛṣṇa means Kṛṣṇa Himself, His name, His place, nāma dhāma, His quality, then His entourage, then His pastime. All these things Kṛṣṇa means. Because we are not impersonalists, simply understanding Brahman we are satisfied... The impersonalists are satisfied simply understanding that He is Brahman. But the Vaiṣṇava, they are not satisfied simply by knowing Brahman. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brahma-bhūtaḥ means he's already Brahman, but he forgot himself. He thought himself that "I am matter." That is illusion. So every living entity, by constitutional position he is Brahman, but his forgetfulness—he thinks that "I am something of this matter." So brahma-bhūtaḥ, when one becomes spiritually realized that he is not anything of this material world, he is spirit soul, brahma-bhūtaḥ, this is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. So long he does not understand that he is spiritual entity, he is jīva-bhūtaḥ. That is called jīva-bhūtaḥ. And when he understands that he is nothing of this material world, he belongs to the spiritual world and his position is spiritual identity, that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ stage.
If we are not doing that... That means if the hand is cut off from this body, there is no obligation. The hand which is cut off from this body, that hand will not come to cure my itching. That means it is fallen. His business is finished. Similarly, if we do not... Just like if the hand does not work the obligation which it has—to serve this body—then it is to be understood the paralyzed or diseased, infected. And doctor sometimes advise, "Cut it off. If you want to save your other parts of the body, then cut it off." Similarly, these conditioned souls, they are now conditioned, or in one way they are cut off from the original, I mean to say, relationship, forgetful. So if we want... If this hand wants to remain in healthy state, it is the duty of the hand to fulfill the obligation of the hand's duty, and then it remains very healthy condition.
So our duty is to serve God. There is no other duty. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching, that "You have no other duty, anything. That is all false illusion. If you have selected any other duty than to serve Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are foolish. You are doing something wrong, which is not for your interest." This is the teaching of Lord Caitanya and the Bhāgavata also. So if somebody may argue, "Oh, if I completely engage myself in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then what to do? How I shall live in this material world? Who will take care of my maintenance?" that is our foolishness.
That is all false illusion. If you have selected any other duty than to serve Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are foolish. You are doing something wrong, which is not for your interest." This is the teaching of Lord Caitanya and the Bhāgavata also. So if somebody may argue, "Oh, if I completely engage myself in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then what to do? How I shall live in this material world? Who will take care of my maintenance?" that is our foolishness. If you serve an ordinary person here, you get your maintenance; you get your wages, dollars. You are so foolish that you are going to serve Kṛṣṇa and He is not going to maintain you? Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I personally take charge of his maintenance." Why don't you believe it? Practically you can see. That means faithlessness. There is no reason. Suppose I am serving some master here, so-called master, and he is at once paying me wages—"Take your wages"—twenty-five dollars, ten dollars or whatever it may be, at once paying. And I am going to serve the Supreme, and there is no maintenance for me? Oh, what a foolishness. This is called forgetful. This is called spell of māyā. Māyā will dictate, "Oh, you are going to serve Kṛṣṇa? How you'll maintain yourself, you foolish. Don't go there. Don't go to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society. It is cheating." No, it is not cheating. It is actual fact. Yes. It is not cheating. But if you want to gratify your senses, oh, there is no scope. Then go to hell. Then go to hell.
So generally people are so much ignorant that they cannot understand their miserable condition. This is called saṁsāra. Saṁsāra means entanglement in these miserable conditions of material existence. And bhuñje narakādi duḥkha. By miserable condition we want to compensate this miserable condition. But due to our ignorance we become more and more miserable and, narakādi-duḥkha, the hellish life. Nānā yoni brahman kare, kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare, tāra janma adho pāte yāya. We are circumambulating various types of species of life and eating all sorts of nasty things, and this is the condition of material existence. Narakādi duḥkha. Narakādi duḥkha means hellish condition. But we do not understand. This is our ignorance. Hellish condition.
- sei doṣe māyā-piśāci daṇḍa kare tāre
- ādhyātmikādi tāpa-traya tāre jāri' māre
So on account of this ignorance we are under the control of this material nature. Actually, due to our forgetfulness, due to our averseness to Kṛṣṇa, we are under the condition of this material nature. This is the sum and substance: due to our averseness. We don't like. Sei doṣe māyā-piśāci daṇḍa kare tāre. Daṇḍa kare tāre means "give him punishment." You have not seen... Perhaps... You had been in India. You have seen the Devī picture, picture of Goddess Durgā. She has got a..., what is called? Trisura, like this. Trident? Yes. This trident, she has got in her hand a trident.
Unless he is an animal, everyone heart there is. Artificially, we try to drive away this obedience. But there are other Even in the civilized society, there are persons, they are put into such a circumstances that they will never be able to understand what is God consciousness or what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are so misfortunate. And as soon as one becomes godless or forgetful (of) his eternal relationship with God, then his life is immediately condemned.
- sūtrera pariṇāma-vāda tāhā nā māniyā
- vivarta-vāda sthāpe vyāsa bhrānta baliyā
- ei ta' kalpita arthamane nāhi bhāya
- śāstra chāḍi kukalpanā pāṣaṇḍe bujhāya
So that disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī admitted that godlessness in Vedānta-sūtra is not the purpose. Actually, by misinterpreting the Vedānta-sūtra they want to establish that "There is no God; we are God." So after explanation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, at least there was one convert amongst all the sannyāsīs, and he was glorifying Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Eta sei kare kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana. And while he was glorifying Lord Caitanya, automatically he began to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Śuni' prakāśānanda kichu kahena vacana. When his disciple was glorifying Lord Caitanya and His process of teaching, his spiritual master, Prakāśānanda, said like this: ācāryera āgraha-advaita-vāda sthāpite. He admitted... Ācārya means Śaṅkarācārya. He means here Śaṅkarācārya. Śaṅkarācārya wanted that there is only one Brahman and we are also Brahman, but he wanted his philosophy of monism. Dualism, God and living entity separate, they do not admit. They admit that God and living entity the same. It is simply for the time being covered, which is called māyā. Māyāvāda philosophy. So the Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī also admitted that because Śaṅkarācārya wanted to establish his philosophy of monism, therefore he had to cover the real meaning of Vedānta-sūtra.
Festival Lectures
So we should take lessons from this story that even in dangerous position, we should not be forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will save us. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
- manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
- yasmin sthite guruṇāpi
- duḥkhena na vicālyate
- (Bg. 6.20-23)
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that if one gets Kṛṣṇa consciousness, yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ, aparaṁ lābhaṁ, any other benefit or gain is never considered. This is so nice. We are hankering after getting this, that, this, that, this, that, so many things. Dehi, dehi, dehi, dehi. But as soon as you get Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will be satisfied. As Dhruva Mahārāja said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was offered all benediction: "My dear Prahlāda, whatever you like, you can ask." He never asked anything. But he was so kind. That is the example of a Vaiṣṇava son in the family. Despite so much troubles given by his father, still, he begged from Narasiṁhadeva, "My Lord, my father has committed so many offenses. Kindly give him liberation." He did not ask anything for himself.
So if we don't accept the dharma, then we'll be punished. That is stated in the Bhāgavata. Dharmasya asya. Aśraddadhānāḥ. "If I have no faith in the words of God..." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Kṛṣṇa is saying, "If you do not become devotee, if you do not think of Kṛṣṇa, then you will not get Kṛṣṇa." Remain continuously, birth after birth, forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, that is very dangerous. What is that danger? Nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani: again you'll be in the cycle of birth and death, birth and death, birth and death. Not that today you are Indian; you shall get the birth again as Indian. No. Today you may be Indian, prime minister; tomorrow you may be a dog in some other country. They do not know these laws.
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
You are not independent. Nobody is independent. Today you maybe something; tomorrow you may be something. But you must search out your real life. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. That intelligence is given by the Vaiṣṇava. Therefore Vaiṣṇava has got a very great responsibility.
Initiation Lectures
In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). There shall be combined mercy of Kṛṣṇa and guru. Then our mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be successful. This is the secret. Kṛṣṇa is always within you. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Therefore Kṛṣṇa knows everything of your purpose, and He gives you opportunity to work as you have decided. If you decide to enjoy this material world, Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence how to become very nice businessman, nice politician, very nice cunning man so that you can earn money and enjoy senses. Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. So many people are becoming very great in the estimation of material life. From very poor man, they are becoming millionaires. How? They have got intelligence, certainly. Without intelligence they cannot improve. But that intelligence is also given by Kṛṣṇa. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo: (BG 15.15) "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: "By Me, there is memory and by Me, there is forgetfulness." So how Kṛṣṇa is giving forgetfulness, also memory? That means according to my desire. If I want to forget Kṛṣṇa and I want to enjoy this material world, He will give me necessary intelligence so that I can forget Kṛṣṇa for good and I can enjoy this material world very nicely.
I am enjoying life." This is ignorance. Nobody is enjoying life in this material world; everyone is suffering. Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka: ** this world is just like blazing forest fire; so everyone is suffering, contaminated. This is the sign, symptoms of contamination, that suffering, threefold miseries-ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika. But as the animals, they suffer, but they do not understand, this is animal life. The animal is being taken to the slaughterhouse, but still he's happy. This is animal life. So when one cannot understand his sufferings of this material contamination, his life is animal life. He knows that he's suffering, but he's trying to cover the suffering by some nonsense means: by forgetfulness, by drinking, by intoxication, by this, by that. He's aware of his suffering, but he wants to cover his suffering in a nonsense way. Just like the rabbit. The rabbit, when he's in face to face of some ferocious animal, the rabbit closes the eyes. He thinks he is safe. Similarly, simply by trying to cover our sufferings by artificial means, that is not solution. That is ignorance. The suffering can be solved by enlightenment of spiritual life, spiritual bliss. That is the way. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. Ānanda means bliss, transcendental bliss. And there is ocean of transcendental bliss. If you want to dip into this ocean, there is chance for you. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Vedānta-sūtra says that we spirit soul, we are by nature full of bliss. That is our nature, ānandamaya. But we have been contaminated by this material affection. So one has to come out of it. That is the process of self-realization, liberation, whatever you call. The process is to come out of this contamination.
"Those who are twenty-four hours, constantly engaged in My service." Satata. Satata means twenty-four hours. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām: engaged. Those who are engaged twenty-four hours, bhajatām. How engaged? Bhajatām: in devotional service. How devotional service can be done? Prīti-pūrvakam, in love. They must enjoy. Here is an opportunity of serving Kṛṣṇa. The more they engage in service, the more they become pleased. That is spiritual service. There is no retirement. Material service, you'll get tired, fatigued: "Oh, I have worked so much now." In the spiritual service you'll get more energy: "Let me serve more, serve more." To such devotees, the Lord, sitting in the heart, gives instruction: "Do like this," so that he'll very soon come to Him. "Do like this." And to the others? Yes, others also He gives instruction. What instruction? "You wanted to do this. Do it now. Here is opportunity. You wanted to steal. All right. Here is the opportunity. Steal." Because everyone's heart, Kṛṣṇa is there. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo (BG 15.15). In the Fifteenth Chapter: "I am situated in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: "From Me, there is remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." Forgetfulness is also coming from Him.
Sixteen, at least, yes. So Śyāmānanda. Śyāma means Kṛṣṇa. Śyāmasundaram. So one who takes pleasure in serving Kṛṣṇa, his name is Śyāmānanda. Ānanda means pleasure. We take pleasure in serving so many nonsense things. Sometimes we take pleasure in serving a dog, but the same service attitude, when transferred to Kṛṣṇa, then our life is successful. Our... Everyone is giving service. Somebody is giving service to a country, to his society, to his wife, the children. And if he has nothing to serve, then he keeps a pet dog and gives it service. So service we must give. That is our constitutional position. But that service is meant for rendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So long we remain forgetful where our service should be given, that is called material life. When we come to that consciousness, that "I have to serve Kṛṣṇa," that is spiritual life. That is difference between material life and spiritual life. We are serving. There is no doubt. We cannot be master. Any one of you who are present in this meeting, none of you can say that "I am the master." Every one of you, servant to somebody. That is our position. But that service is being rendered to mistaken places; therefore we are not happy, neither the person whom we are serving, they are happy. This is the position. But as soon as you serve Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara, then you become happy, the whole world becomes happy. This is a great science. Try to understand. Go on. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
So, but this foolish civilization, they do not know it. It is our duty on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wants it. Lord Caitanya wants it. Therefore, success or no success, that doesn't matter, Kṛṣṇa will help us, but it is our duty to enlighten the whole human society with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. They do not know what is God, therefore they say that God is dead, there is no God, God is impersonal. So many theories they have got. Actually, they have no idea what is God. On the other hand, against this propaganda of godlessness, we are giving directly God. Here is God, Kṛṣṇa. We give His name, His father's name, His address, His activities (laughter), everything. So these rascals may be informed at least. This is our duty. Try your best, and be blessed by Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya.
Thank you very much. (end)
General Lectures
The English translation is that "When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called māyā, or illusion." So at the present moment, especially in this age, the forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with God is very strong. And by chanting this transcendental sound, Hare Kṛṣṇa, the first installment is that our heart or the mind becomes cleansed of all dirty things. This is not a theoretical proposition, but it is a fact. If you go on chanting this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is not difficult. Although it is pronounced in Sanskrit language, everyone can chant it just like in this meeting we began to chant, and you also joined with us. Here, all my students, they are all Americans. None of them are Indian, but still, they have learned it very nicely, and it is not difficult. And there is no expenditure.
The purport of this verse is that "I am situated in everyone's heart." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna... (BG 18.61). Everyone's heart, Kṛṣṇa is there, or the Paramātmā is there. And mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). And all the speculation or real understanding or forgetfulness or real knowledge, they are coming, being initiated from Him. Mattaḥ: "from Me." Smṛtir means memory; jñāna means knowledge. Apohanaṁ ca: "forgetfulness." Everything is... Forgetfulness is also from Him. Knowledge is also from Him. Memory is also from Him. And vedais, vedais means all books of knowledge. Vedaiś ca sarvair. Sarvair means all varieties. It is not that simply the four Vedas, as we accept in India, Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg, Atharva. No. Any authorized scripture, that is Vedas. Any authorized scripture. Vedaiś ca sarvair. "All kinds of Vedas, they are searching after Me." The knowledge... Actually, the destination of knowledge, as Śrīman Janārdana... What we are searching after? He has summarized that we are searching after happiness. That's a fact. But we do not know where the happiness is there. That is our... Searching, I am... Subject matter of searching is happiness. Everyone in this material world is after happiness. But unfortunately, one has no information where is the happiness. That remembrance can be... Where is the happiness? That can be had from the Supersoul, who is sitting with you within your heart. Within your heart. Because Kṛṣṇa says that "I am sitting in everyone's heart as Supersoul, and from Me, intelligence, memory, knowledge, forgetfulness—everything—is being happened."
Now the question is why one is in forgetfulness and why one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Is it a fact that Kṛṣṇa is dealing with different persons differently, that one is being fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and another is in different consciousness, or forgetting Kṛṣṇa? Apohanam. That is also due to Kṛṣṇa. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa is very merciful. The why answer can be given that Kṛṣṇa is very merciful. How merciful? One is given forgetfulness. How Kṛṣṇa is merciful? Yes, He's merciful. How is it? Because he wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa. He wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa will give him such sources of forgetfulness that he'll never be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. "You enjoy. You want to forget Kṛṣṇa, or God? All right. I'll give you intelligence so that you will never be able to understand what is God." Not exactly memory... Because living entity, sometimes by good association will come... So this is not Kṛṣṇa's partiality. He has given everyone a little quantity of independence. Just like these boys who have come here, that is out of independence. They are playing, but out of independence they have come. And they may sit down for some time and out of independence may go away. So this independence is there even in the ant, even in the worm and everywhere, because we are part and parcel of God and God is fully independent.
Our awareness is there. You love somebody. But you are meant to love Kṛṣṇa, that you have forgotten. So forgetfulness is also our nature. Sometimes we forget. And especially because we are very small, minute, therefore even I cannot remember exactly what I was doing last night at this time. So forgetfulness is not unnatural for us. And again, if somebody revives our memory, to accept that, that is also not unnatural. So our loving object is Kṛṣṇa. Somehow or other, we have forgotten Him. We don't trace the history when we forgot. That is useless labor. But we have forgotten, that is a fact. Now revive it. Here is reminder. So take opportunity. Don't try to history why you have forgotten and what was the date of my forgetfulness. Even if you know, what is the use? You have forgotten. Take it. Just like if you go to a physician, he'll never ask you how you got this disease, what is the history of this disease, at what date, at what time you were infected.
No. Death means forgetfulness. Death... Just like when you sleep you forget your day's activities. So sleep is partial death. In sleep also, you sometimes think that you have got a different body, you are floating on the air, or you have gone somewhere which you never seen. So that means the mind is forgetful of the day's activities. It has taken a different activity. Similarly, as soon as the body's changed, the mind is also changed. Mind function is thinking, feeling, and willing. So we feel, think, and will according to circumstances. Just like now you have got an American body, you are thinking like American. I have got an Indian body, I am thinking like Indian. Similarly, a dog has got a dog body, he's thinking like a dog. So mind changes also according to the position of the body.
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is such a thing. It is leading you to a standard where going you will forget all this nonsense. That is real life. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as you come that state, then your symptom will be that you are jolly. You are feeling everywhere. There is a... There are many instances. So when you accept this material world in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you'll taste that love of Godhead, even in this material world. Actually, material world means completely in forgetfulness of God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is material world. Otherwise, if you are in full consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, you'll find only spiritual world, even in this material world. Consciousness—it is all consciousness. The same example. Just like the king and the bug is sitting on the same throne, but the bug knows that "My business is simply to get some blood." That's all. The king knows that "I have to rule. I am the ruler of this country." So sitting on the same place, but the consciousness is different. Similarly, if you change your consciousness to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, wherever you are, you are in Vaikuṇṭha. Wherever, it doesn't matter. Yes?
So long our consciousness is not clean, consciousness is polluted, there is no possibility of rendering service to the Lord. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. Hṛṣīka, hṛṣīka means senses purified by being freed from designation. When it is purified in connection with activities of Kṛṣṇa, or God, then he can render service to the Lord, Hṛṣīkeṇa. That is called bhakti. This is bhakti. Bhakti is nothing artificial. It is the activity of healthy stage. Just like a man, when he is diseased, his activities are differing from the man who is cured and healthy. To become healthy does not mean to kill the patient. To kill..., not to kill him, but to cure him from the disease, that is real treatment. The whole treatment of the human society should be like that: to cure him from the disease of forgetfulness his relationship with God. Then when he is cured, when he is in healthy state, then there will be no more trouble in the world. Peace and prosperity can be established when people are no more in the designated stage, when he is free. So it is not expected, however, that cent percent population of the world will be such free from all contamination. But even a certain percentage only, even most insignificant, one percent or less than that, millions in one, then the face of the world will change.
Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays, hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-sutā-yuta: "My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, now You are standing before me with Rādhārāṇī, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu." Hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-suta, karuṇā karoho ei-bāro: "Many lives I have wasted in this material encagement. Life after life, I was frustrated and baffled. Now, this life I am dedicated unto You." Hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu, karuṇā karoho ei: "Now You become merciful. You are already merciful, but due to my forgetfulness, rebellious condition of life, I did not surrender unto You. Now I have come to my senses." Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). "After many, many births, so I surrender unto You. Please give me Your protection." This much. That's all. There is no necessity. Of course, not in the beginning, but actually, one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa fully, without any reservation, his life is perfect. That's all.
So keep this attitude of surrendering and then everything will come, perfection. And this remembrance also will be kept by chanting the mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Yes. Prabhati, Prabhati(?) should... Morning tune. Yes. (kīrtana) (end)
So Kṛṣṇa is the ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. Just like the father gives the bīja. Yoni, the mother is the yoni, and the father is the bīja. Yathā bījaṁ yathā yoni. We get our body by the bīja and yoni. Similarly, this material world is the yoni, mother, and the Kṛṣṇa is the bīja. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. So in this way, different forms of life has come in—8,400,000 species of life. So they're all sanātana. All these living entities are sanātana, but on account of their forgetfulness being diverted, misled by the illusory energy... Māyayā apahṛta jñānāḥ. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ duṣkṛtino narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā (BG 7.15). Their jñāna, their knowledge, has been taken away by māyā; therefore they do not understand Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ. Because they're foolish, rascal, therefore Māyā has taken their knowledge. And therefore, na māṁ prapadyante, "They do not surrender unto Me." Therefore Kṛṣṇa's last instruction is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).
The cloud has covered my eyes. The cloud cannot cover the sun. The sun is fourteen hundred times..., fourteen hundred thousands of times bigger than this earth. Now, how a cloud spreading over, say, one hundred miles or two hundred miles can cover the sun? It is not possible. It covers the eyes of us who are within one hundred and two hundred miles. So as the cloudy sky is not different from the original sky, it is simply covered, similarly, this material world is not different from the spiritual world, but it is simply covered. In ignorance we forget Kṛṣṇa. That's all. The forgetfulness is compared with the cloud. That is stated in simple Bengali poetry:
- kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
- pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
As soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa... Because we are eternally part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be any separation. There cannot be any separation between us and Kṛṣṇa because we are eternally related. But a cloudy thing, which is called forgetfulness, that comes between us and we cannot see, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. That is diffi... Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I am not visible to everyone. Because yogamāyā, there is a curtain between Me and the material world, which is called yogamāyā." So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, or devotional movement, is a process by which we can move that curtain and we can see Kṛṣṇa face to face. This is the process.
(chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers) Ladies and gentlemen, we are very much thankful to you for your kindly participating in this great movement, Hare Kṛṣṇa. This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is especially meant for this age because for self-realization, although there are many methods recommended in Vedic scriptures, in this age the greatest common factor for self-realization is simply chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Actually, our miserable condition of life is due to our forgetfulness. As I said yesterday, day before yesterday, this material existence is a condemned position of the living entities, exactly like a criminal is placed in the prisonhouse. Now, the whole Vedic literature is meant for getting us liberated from this condition of life. So far Bhagavad-gītā is concerned, the same aim is there because at the ultimate instruction, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is the ultimate goal. We have to come to that point, to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It may take hundreds of years or hundreds of births, but unless we come to that point, our life is simply frustration. Śrama eva hi kevalam.
The answer is, Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, millions and millions of times I also appeared, and you also appeared. The difference is that you do not remember, I remember." That is the difference between God and ordinary living being. Otherwise, qualitatively, God and the living entity the same. So only difference is that He is great, infinite. Therefore, we can not calculate His infinite qualities. But I, being infinitesimal, my qualities, my capacities, my energy, they are very infinitesimal. Therefore, I forget. And because I forget, therefore I cannot remember what was my body in my last birth. Because I cannot remember. Death means forget. Just like at night you forget everything, sleeping. Similarly, when this body is finished, we forget about this body. We are interested in the next body. So this forgetfulnss is the opposite number of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa conscious, we are trying to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness means we are trying to get out of this conditional life of forgetfulness. That is our perfection of life. We are trying to achieve that perfectional state of life. That is called struggle for existence, and somehow or other defeated.
What kind of knowledge? Anvaya-vyatirekābhyām, directly and indirectly. That is full knowledge. Just like I say "my head" or "my hair," but if I ask you or you ask that "How many hairs are there?" oh, I am ignorant. I do not know. Similarly, we are so imperfect that we may have little knowledge even of our own body. We are eating, but how the eatables are being transformed into secretion, how they are becoming blood, how they are being passed through the heart, and it becomes red, and again diffuse all over the veins, and in this way the body is maintained, we know something, but how the work is going on, how this factory is going on, how the factory, machine, is working, we have very little knowledge. So indirectly we know that "This is my body." "Indirectly" means we have heard, but we have no direct knowledge. But Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, the original of everything, He knows everything. Anvaya-vyatirekābhyām, indirectly and directly. Kṛṣṇa knows. I do not know how my body is working, but Kṛṣṇa knows. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Kṣetra-jña... He is real, Supersoul. There is a Supersoul who is in knowledge of everything. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanam. Full knowledge. I have no full knowledge of my body, but He has got full knowledge. I forget. What I did in the morning, early in the morning at four o'clock, if you ask me, I'll have to remember, "Yes, what I was doing?" We are so forgetful. Similarly, how we can remember of our past life? We are so forgetful. But Kṛṣṇa... (end)
Prabhupāda: So when I was coming on the (indistinct), one gentleman remarked that "Your, this movement, will help forgetful Indians who are trying to forget God." Not only in India, throughout the whole world they are trying to forget God. And this forgetfulness of our relationship with God is material condition. Material life and spiritual life, the difference is that when we forget God, that is material. And when we are fully conscious of God, that is spiritual life. (aside:) Why they are allowed to sit here?
Devotee (1): All the children should leave. All the children should leave?
Prabhupāda: Not leave; just keep them quiet.
Devotee (1): Would all the children kindly be very quiet during tonight's lecture, please. All you parents that have your children here, will you kindly keep them quiet so that Śrīla Prabhupāda can be heard by everyone, please.
Prabhupāda: The real disease is, as it is stated by a Vaiṣṇava poet,
- kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare
- pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
When we forget Kṛṣṇa and want to lord it over the material nature, this is called māyā. Māyā means which has no factual existence. So this idea that I shall lord it over the material nature, this is māyā.
That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa, or God, and the ordinary living entity. We have forgotten. If I ask you what you were doing last evening at this time, you will have to remember, "Yes. I was doing that. I forget." But Kṛṣṇa will not forget. Therefore, this is described here, (Sanskrit). He knows everything. (break) "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭho mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). "From Me there is remembrance; jñāna, knowledge; and forgetfulness." Kṛṣṇa... (break) That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- ye yathā māṁ prapadyante
- tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
- mama vartmānuvartante
- manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ
- (BG 4.11)
So Kṛṣṇa is very kind, as I have already explained. Two spiritual identities, namely the ātmā and the Paramātmā, are there within your heart. The Paramātmā is giving you direction. Paramātmā is giving you direction. What kind of direction? Because I wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa, He sometimes gives me direction that "Yes, you forget like this." And anyone who wants to remember Kṛṣṇa, to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness, He helps you also. This is Kṛṣṇa.
It is the description of the sun planet. The sun planet is described as the eyes of all other planets. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. That's a fact. Unless there is sunrise, you cannot see. You may be very proud of your seeing, "Oh, I want to see," but we do not know that our seeing power is limited and conditioned. Unless there is sunrise these eyes are useless. Just like at the present moment, at night, we cannot see even four yards. So what is the value of these eyes? It is conditional. If there is sunrise, then we can see. That condition is made by God. Therefore in the Upaniṣad it is said, "When God sees, you can see. When God walks, you can walk." These are the description in the Upaniṣad. Practically, that is the fact. We are completely helpless, simply dependent upon God. The word that "Not a single blade of grass moves without the sanction of God," that's a fact. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am living in everyone's heart." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "From Me there is remembrance and forgetfulness." We sometimes forget and sometimes remember. That is by God's grace. We are practically under the... Not exactly directly, but through His agent, the material agent.
So I do not wish to take much of your time, but the thing is that the whole world is struggling hard. They are not in peace. One man is enemy of another man. One nation is enemy of another nation. This is going on. This is... All these things are going on simply due to our forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. The same formula:
- kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
- pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
As soon as you forget your relationship with Kṛṣṇa, immediately there is māyā, and she will capture you. And the counterprocess is: as soon as you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, the māyā is gone. Just like it is said, kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama māyā andhakāra (CC Madhya 22.31). "Māyā is considered as darkness, and Kṛṣṇa is the sunlight, or sun." So wherever there is sun, there is no darkness. Similarly, wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, wherever there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no more darkness of ignorance.
He's therefore called forefather, er, grandfather, pitāmaha. But he's also not independent. In the Vedānta-sūtra or Bhāgavata it is said that Brahmā... He's the first creature. There was no other any other living entity when he was created first. So if I say that he also got knowledge from others, then the argument may be, "Who is the next person to give him knowledge?" So therefore Bhāgavata says, "No. He received knowledge from Kṛṣṇa." How? "From the heart." Tene brahma hṛdā. Hṛdā. Because God, Kṛṣṇa, is sitting in everyone's heart—your heart, my heart, everyone. And He can give you instruction. His name is therefore Caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means who gives conscience and knowledge from within. In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo: (BG 15.15) "In everyone's heart I am sitting." Hṛdi, "within the heart"; sanniviṣṭo, "I am sitting there." Sarvasya. Not only you and me, even animals insects, birds, beasts, Brahma, everyone. Sarvasya. All living entities. So sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ: "from Me"; smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca, "remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." Forgetfulness also. If you want to forget God, God will give you intelligence that you can forget God forever. He's so kind. Whatever you want, He will give you intelligence, "Do like this."
He's becoming fat. This is called illusion. You are not happy. Nobody's happy in this material world. Therefore the inquiry should be... That is the Brahma-sūtra. That is the Vedānta-sūtra: athāto brahma jijñāsā. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā. This human life is for understanding Brahman. What is that Brahman, Absolute Truth? That is required. If you are simply engaged, animal-like, eating, sleeping, mating, then where is the distinction between animal and us? There is no such distinction. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very, very important movement. We are trying to educate people to understand his self, self-realization, God realization, the duty, the aim of life, what is the aim of life. This is not aim of life—simply we forget, we forget, forgetful of our self, and we are thinking..., big, big professors, they are thinking, "Oh, after finishing this body, everything is finished." No, that is not the fact. Therefore it is stated that sanātana. Sanātana means eternal, and God is also eternal. And there is a place also, which is eternal. This place is not eternal. Just like your body is temporary, similarly, the whole material creation which you have got experience... We haven't got full experience. Whatever little experience we have got, that is also temporary. That is not sanātana. This whole material world is not sanātana, eternal. It is temporary. This body is also temporary. So our knowledge about this body and this world—insufficient knowledge. Therefore because we are eternal, we must find out an eternal and we must serve the eternal Supreme. That is called sanātana-dharma. This is sanātana-dharma. So we are teaching that sanātana-dharma.
So Kṛṣṇa is the ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. Just like the father gives the bīja, yoni... The mother is the yoni, and the father is the bīja. Yathā bījaṁ yathā yoni. We get our body by the bīja and yoni. Similarly, this material world is the yoni, mother, and the Kṛṣṇa is the bīja. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. So in this way different forms of life are coming—8,400,000 species of life. So they are all sanātana. All these living entities are sanātana. But on account of their forgetfulness, being diverted, misled by the illusory energy, māyayā apahṛta-jñānam... That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhā duṣkṛtino narādhamāḥ, māyayā apahṛta-jñānam. Their jñāna, their knowledge, has been taken away by māyā; therefore they do not understand Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhā. "Because they are foolish rascal, therefore māyā has taken their knowledge, and therefore," na māṁ prapadyante, "they do not surrender unto Me." Therefore Kṛṣṇa's last instruction is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).
The material world is created for a specific purpose by the Supreme Lord. That purpose is to give a chance to the forgetful living beings who have tried to exercise independence from Kṛṣṇa to once again understand their position. They're put into various conditions of material existence in order to learn that they are not the enjoyers and controllers. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer. Param īśvara. He's the supreme controller. Everything is meant for His satisfaction. In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa is described, describes Himself, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8), that "All material and spiritual worlds are created by Me. Everything is emanating from Me." So created by Kṛṣṇa for His pleasure, just as a father or a man takes a wife and has children and gets a house and he expands himself in this way for enjoyment. He tries to enjoy by expanding his influence in the material world. So this is because he's part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and he has the same tendency as Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer, and He has expanded Himself in multi-energies to enjoy Himself, and the conditioned souls are also part of that multifarious energy.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to find out the supreme father. Supreme father. That is the sum and substance of this movement. If we do not know who is our father, that is not a very good position. At least, in India, it is a custom, if somebody cannot say his father's name, he is not very respectable. And it is the system in the court that you write your name, you must write your father's name. That is Indian, Vedic system, and the name, his own name, his father's name and his village name. These three combined together. I think this system may be prevalent in other countries, but India, this is the system. The first name his own name, the second name his father's name, and the third name is the village or the country where he is born. This is system. So father's..., we must know the father. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If we remain forgetful of our father, that is not a very good position. And what kind of father? Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12). The richest. Not the poor father who cannot feed his children. It is not that father. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That father is so rich that He alone is feeding millions and millions and trillions of living entities. In Africa there are hundreds and millions of elephants. He is feeding them. And within the room there is a hole, there may be millions of ants. He is also feeding them. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). These are the Vedic information.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Yes. That I already explained: transcendental. We are seeking eternity. I find myself as a soul; I am eternal; so I must seek an eternal world. This is not my place. I am eternal. The same example: just like fish taken from the water, he is not finding comfortable life. So when the fish is thrown in the water, then it is comfortable. Similarly, I am spirit soul. I am not feeling comfortable with this material body. Therefore the right conclusion is how to go to the spiritual world or attain a spiritual body. That information we are getting from Bhagavad-gītā, that one who understands Kṛṣṇa or develops his love for Kṛṣṇa, how to see Kṛṣṇa, then he gets a spiritual body to see Kṛṣṇa. Because if one is very much anxious, these thoughts will continue, and at the time of his death, ending this body, if he is filled up with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is immediately transferred. That is assured in the Bhagavad-gītā by Kṛṣṇa. So our business should be: Kṛṣṇa is eternal; Kṛṣṇa says, "I have spoken to sun-god, forty millions of years ago." Arjuna says, "How is that?" and He says that "That is the nature: I do not forget, you forget." So Kṛṣṇa's body is eternal, because forgetfulness is due to change of body. As I do not remember what happened in my last life, that means I have to change my body. And Kṛṣṇa remembers; therefore He does not change His body. Is it not? I forget. Why do I forget? Because I change my body. But Kṛṣṇa does not. That means He does not change His body. That is eternal body. And śāstra also confirms, sat-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ. So if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you get also a similar body like Kṛṣṇa. If you get a material body, why not a spiritual body? It requires simply a process, how to get a spiritual body. So these things they do not know.
Śyāmasundara: He's getting a hint, Kant.
Prabhupāda: Plan is... The whole plan is that living entities, they're part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Somehow or other they wanted to enjoy this material world so Kṛṣṇa has given them chance (indistinct). Just like children, some small children, they want to play with something but the father guides so that they may not meet(?), fall down, so many things. "No, no, don't do this. You can play like this." So Kṛṣṇa says, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭho, I am sitting in everyone's heart, mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15), I am giving him intelligence, forgetfulness, everything. So he wanted to play, "All right, give to him the chance to play." But the whole plan is that "Let him play, and again come back." That is Vedic knowledge, that he wants to play, "All right, you play." But when he's fatigued by this nonsense play, he says, "Give up this. Come to me," sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the plan.
Śyāmasundara: So the world is a school house or a school ground where we become educated...
Prabhupāda: Yes, a playground, it is called field. It is called field. Kṣetrajñā. Idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya kṣetram ity abhidhīyate (BG 13.2). Idaṁ śarīram, this body is field, a small field. You wanted to play, "Alright take this field and work." That is going on. You are exhausted with this field, Kṛṣṇa gives another field, "Alright, take this." He gives another field, in this way changing different fields, fields of action, that's all. This body is field of action.
Hayagrīva: Can one be forgetful of Kṛṣṇa eternally?
Prabhupāda: No.
Hayagrīva: No, but...
Prabhupāda: Eternally, it is not possible. Just like a father and son. It may be, circumstantially, the son is separated from the father, but it is not possible to forget eternally. Sometimes he remembers his father. Father is always remembering the son, and father is looking after the opportunity when the son becomes obedient to his order. So there is no question of perpetually.
Hayagrīva: That's good news (laughing).
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: We cannot recall. That is the defect in our life. Therefore the literatures are there to remind us. That opportunity is there in the human form of life to take advantage of this Vedic knowledge which is kept in the literature. Just like Bhagavad-gītā or any Vedic literature. Especially Bhagavad-gītā is the nutshell of all Vedic knowledge. So we have forgotten. But this forgotten, forgetfulness is not perpetual. He can be reminded and he can come to his real consciousness. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. These rascals, they have forgotten God, Kṛṣṇa, and they are thinking that "We are the master of everything." The so-called scientists, they are decrying God: "Now we shall do everything independently." This is demonic. So he has to be reminded. Therefore śāstras are there, sādhus are there—sādhu, śāstra, guru—guru is there, that you are not independent, you are foolishly thinking like that. You are under the clutches of māyā. So don't remain in this position, then your life will spoil. Take instruction from Bhagavad-gītā. Act accordingly. You will be happy.
Hayagrīva: Well he sees that we are what we are today due to all of our activities in the past.
Hayagrīva: James, after analyzing all of these religions, different religious experiences, he gives his own conclusions, and he concludes his book in this way. He gives five basic conclusions. The first-one—"That the visible world is part of a more spiritual universe from which it draws its chief significance." (break)
Prabhupāda: Yes. Material world means it is existing in the spiritual effulgence of the Lord. Just like all the planets they are resting, living within the sunshine, but by geographical position, when it is back side, the sun is not in the front but in the back, then it becomes dark. Similarly, everything is existing in the spiritual effulgence, rays of the Lord, and when you forget, this is called material world. So the material world is in that piece of spiritual world, but forgetfulness of God is material. So when we..., our revival of consciousness, God consciousness, then there is no more material world. For such person who is advanced in spiritual consciousness or God consciousness, there is nothing material; everything is spiritual.
Hayagrīva: Well that's his second conclusion. His second is that "Union or harmonious relation with that higher universe is our true end."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Spiritual realization.
Hayagrīva: Three...
Prabhupāda: There is no material realization. No more material realization means no more forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with God. Then it is spiritual.
Śyāmasundara: Is this the result of a lack of education?
Prabhupāda: Lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The so-called education is there. Lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The administrative class is forgetting that they are belonging to the arms of Kṛṣṇa. Mukha bāhu rūpa (?). So the administrative class is supposed to be the arms of Kṛṣṇa, but they are not thinking in terms of Kṛṣṇa, that "I am part and parcel of the body of Kṛṣṇa." That is forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are in trouble. They are separated from Kṛṣṇa. This hand is my arm, but if it is separated from my body, it will be called the arms or the hand, but it has no value.
Śyāmasundara: Dewey's greatest faith was in the educational system, that the educational system should reflect the real welfare of the community.
Prabhupāda: Yes. This educational system is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, tan manye adhītam uttamam. The best educational system is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So because people are being educated without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is becoming valueless. Therefore we are giving, I mean to say, purificatory method in every department.
Prabhupāda: That we are doing. We are asking everyone that "You become Kṛṣṇa conscious and do things intelligently, your life will be successful. You'll be happy." How else you'll be happy? That is our propaganda.
Śyāmasundara: Well, we also are influencing the managers, intelligent managers of society.
Prabhupāda: That I say. The managers, when they are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot manage. Cannot manage. That he has (indistinct) relationship. You are managing something, but you have to satisfy somebody. So that is given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣanam (SB 1.2.13). If you want perfection of your managerial work, then you should try to see whether Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. If not, you are simply wasting time. You cannot satisfy anyone. Yasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭo. If you satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then everyone will be satisfied.
Śyāmasundara: His idea was that no philosophy can be fixed or finished or absolute, but that all ideas must be continually revised.
Prabhupāda: Because they have got imperfect philosophy. Imperfect is not perfect; therefore he is thinking of advancing further to make it perfect. So without Kṛṣṇa consciousness he remains always incomplete; therefore imperfect.
Śyāmasundara: His idea is that certain memories or painful experiences or frustrations or desires are sometimes repressed by forgetfulness. We forget them. They lie deep in our unconscious, but we cannot even remember them because they cause pain by their memory. This mechanism is called defense mechanism, forgetfulness.
Prabhupāda: No. That is not possible. There is the system that is yogic process, mechanical system to control the senses. Yoga (indistinct). Yoga means to control the senses. Yoga indriya saṁyama. So by this mechanical process of yogic exercises, one can (indistinct). One may artificially check, suppress, these tendencies, but we have many instances that even the greatest yogis like (indistinct) also failed. Our process is as it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartante. You give him a better thing, he will forget it.
Śyāmasundara: Sometimes people forget experiences which cause them pain. For instance, a child may have had a very frightening experience which he does not like to recall, so that he forgets it. But the cause of his forgetting is that it causes an unhealthy state.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So therefore we do not recommend such artificial means.
Śyāmasundara: You say it's artificial to forget anything?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: Forgetfulness is artificial?
Prabhupāda: Artificial.
Śyāmasundara: So why don't we remember everything?
Prabhupāda: Because you are not trained. Forgetful I do not understand. What do you mean?
Śyāmasundara: Forgetfulness means loss of memory. I can't remember what happened when I was four or five years old.
Prabhupāda: You might explain in your past life you had so many fearful incidents even, but you are not afraid of now. Why should you try to forget? There is no use of forgetting. Even if I remember I am not afraid, rather I thank Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa, you are so kind that You have saved me from so many misgivings. Now (indistinct) I am pure (indistinct)." So one should not be frightened by these past incidents. He rather (indistinct) afraid of all these things... (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: So it may..., it can be taken figuratively, that when one forgets his position, that is a kind of death also. One forgets himself. But actually soul is eternal, and what Augustine says as spiritual death, that is his forgetfulness. Just like in unconsciousness one forgets his identity, but if he is dead then he cannot revive consciousness. Similarly, it is little difficult for the bodily concept of life persons, but there are many proofs and understanding that soul is eternal. He, of course, until he gets his freedom from this material existence, he is spiritually dead. Even though he is working in this material form, because he has forgotten his real identity, that is also a kind of death. Yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī. This śloka explains how one is dead and how one is alive. When one is forgetful of his spiritual consciousness, God consciousness, he is supposed to be dead, and when he, one is alive to the spiritual consciousness or God consciousness, he is alive. In this sense, it is a question of two stages, awakening stage and forgetful stage, but actually a soul is eternal. He never dies, even after the annihilation of this body.
Hayagrīva: But the forgetful stage is never everlasting or eternal, is it?
Prabhupāda: Yes, it is not. It can be, what is called, revived, his consciousness. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Just like a man is sleeping, almost unconscious, but if you call him again and again, and the sound enters through the ear into the heart, he becomes awakened. Similarly, by this chanting process he revives his spiritual consciousness, then he is alive in his spiritual life.
Prabhupāda: "Eternally abandon" means for very, very long years, millions of years, he remains forgetful. So...
Hayagrīva: Seemingly eternal.
Prabhupāda: Ah. But actually he can be revived at any moment in good association, sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83), by this method of hearing and chanting, śravaṇam. Therefore this devotional service, beginning with hearing, is very important. If he consciously hears from the self-realized soul, then he becomes awakened to his spiritual life, and keeping himself always in the devotional service, he remains spiritually alive.
Hayagrīva: (aside:) That's the end of that tape. Augustine speaks of two cities in his... He wrote a famous book called The City of God, and one city is divine. In one city, love of God unites all men, and the other city, men are united by love of the world. One society loves the flesh, and the other society loves the spirit.
Prabhupāda: So this figurative description is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The body is considered as like city, and the soul is described as the king of the city, and he goes out from different gates. The body has got nine gates. In this way a figurative description in the..., is in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But that city is figuratively taken as this body, and the king of the city is the soul.
Prabhupāda: So he is..., he does not believe..., there is no belief in God is there? There is no question of? No. But our point of view is different: that God is the ultimate decider of everything. That is called daiva-netreṇa. He may be acting through different agents, but ultimate decision is given by Him. And He is sitting in everyone's heart. He is observing the activities of the individual soul as witness, giving permission. Without God's permission, nobody can act. So He is giving intelligence also, and He is the cause of forgetting. Two things are there, remembering and forgetting. Both these things are coming from God. If He keeps him in forgetfulness, then he cannot remember, and if He gives him the power to remember, he can remember for long, long past activities. So ultimately God is the final director. That is our conception. Man cannot remain independent. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Everything is being done, impelled by the three material modes of nature, and the ultimate dictator is the Supersoul, or the Personality of Godhead in His localized aspect, situated everywhere in the heart of the living entity, or even within the atom He is there, and His is the supreme director.
Hayagrīva: He says, "The universe is to be studied not for its own sake but for the sake of man, or rather of humanity. To study in any other spirit would not only be immoral but also highly irrational." This is the old Greek Sophist position, that man is the measure of all things.
Prabhupāda: So the man should be inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Human intelligence is meant for that purpose, that he should find out what is the ultimate source of everything. That is intelligence. What is the other point he said?
Prabhupāda: How? How? So far we are concerned, that any living being is destined to a certain position of happiness and distress. By dint of his past activities he gets a particular type of body destined to suffer or enjoy. That cannot be changed. Either you call this fatalism or destiny—every man is destined—that cannot be changed. His intelligence can change only his position with reference to God. His present position is he is forgetful of God and his relationship with God. So this position, forgetfulness, can be changed, and human life is meant for that purpose. So far improvement of economic condition or other condition, that is already fixed up. One cannot change it. So that is confirmation in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: he is creating his own destiny. Just like it is said, "Man is the architect of his own fortune." Destiny cannot be changed. It is fixed up. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido (SB 1.5.18). Anyone who is very expert and intelligent, he should know that destiny cannot be changed, but he can change his position with reference to his relationship with God. At the present moment he is forgetful of his relationship, but by good association, by Vedic knowledge, by training, he can change his position, and in that way he can improve his destiny also, or he can change his destiny. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). A person, by engaging himself in devotional service, he can change his destiny. Otherwise destiny is very strong. It cannot be changed.
Hayagrīva: He draws a distinction between atheism and positivism. He says, "Atheism, even from the intellectual point of view, is a very imperfect form of emancipation, for its tendency is to prolong the metaphysical stage indefinitely by continuing to seek for new solutions of theological problems instead of setting aside all inaccessible researches on the grounds of their utter inutility. In a word, atheism is still concerned with studying the 'why' instead of the 'how,' and positivism, true positivism, is concerned with the 'how' instead of the 'why.' " In other words, he felt that religion quo religion, religion as religion, had best be set aside because religious questions are basically childish.
Purports to Songs
Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. Somebody may say, "Oh, why he is going to hell? He is so much educated, he has got academic qualification, he has got degrees." Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura replies, vidyā-kule ki koribe tār: "If he has no connection with Nityānanda and if he does not come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his vidyā or his so-called academic education, and kula, and birth in high family or great nation, will not protect him because nature's law will act. "Either you are born in a very big family or nation, or either you have got a very advanced academic education, at the time of death your work will be judged and you will get another body according to that work. So vidyā kule ki koribe tār. Why they are doing so, these animals, human animals? Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā: "They have become maddened by a false concept of the bodily life." Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā: "And for this reason they have completely forgotten their eternal relationship with Nityānanda." Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā, asatyere satya kari māni: "Such forgetful persons accept the illusory energy as fact." Asatyere. Asatya means which is not fact. In other words, it is called māyā. Māyā means which has no existence, a temporary illusion only. So such persons who have no contact with Nityānanda, they accept this illusion as fact, this illusory body as fact. Asatyere satya kori māni.
So actually, everyone of us, neglecting our spiritual emanicipation, we are engaged in material sense gratification, and therefore we are losing the opportunity of this human form of body to elevate myself on the spiritual platform. This human body is especially given to the conditioned soul to take a chance for spiritual emancipation. So anyone who does not care for spiritual emancipation, he is inviting spiritual death. Spiritual death means to forget oneself, that he's spirit. That is spiritual death. So in the animal life it is fully forgetfulness. They cannot be reminded at any circumstances that they are not this body, they are different from this body. It is only in this human form of body, human form of life, one can understand that he is not this body, he's spirit soul. So by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one can easily understand this fact, and by worshiping Lord Caitanya, following His principles and ways, one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and very easily come to the platform of spiritual understanding. But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says on our behalf that we are neglecting this. Therefore we are inviting spiritual death.
Then He says, "You have forgotten. But I have brought one medicine so that..." Just like when a man remains unconscious under some intoxication or snake bite, there are some herbs. If it is put before the nostril and if the patient smells, immediately he gets consciousness. Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "I have brought also one medicine." Enechi auśādhi māyā nasibaro lagi': "This medicine can dissipate your this forgetfulness under the spell of māyā." Enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro. What is that? Hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi: "This is this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. You please take it." The idea is that if one simply chants Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare, his unconscious stage, or sleeping stage under the spell of illusory māyā, will gradually vanish. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).
Suppose if there is some danger, immediately warning, just this roof is going to fall down, we shall immediately take care of our own body, not of our Godbrothers. Because we are very much attached to this body. This is the first business, how to save this body. Now, the next question is "Why you are so much anxious to save this body?" What will be the answer? Can anyone say? Why one is so much attached with this body? The answer is that because I, the real I, I am within this body, therefore I am anxious to save it. Then why you are anxious to save the soul, individual soul? The answer will be that because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So ultimately we want to love Kṛṣṇa, but because we are in a forgetful platform, then someone is trying to save his body, someone is trying to save his bodily relationship. Therefore in so many ways we are implicated with this material atmosphere.
| Page Title: | Forgetfulness (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Mayapur |
| Created: | 23 of Sep, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=208, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 208 |