Revatīnandana: "One should, therefore, follow the path of the Bhagavad-gītā as it is expressed in the Gītā itself and beware of self-interested people seeking personal aggrandizement who deviate others from the actual path. The Lord is definitely the Supreme Person, and His activities are transcendental. One who understands this is a liberated person from the very beginning of his study of the Gītā."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Simply if you understand that, "I have got also the, what is called, intuition to control, and God is the supreme controller," simply if you understand this, then immediately you become liberated, simply if you understand He is the supreme controller, He is the Supreme Person. Simply this understanding. That is stated in the beginning of this, "Transcendental Knowledge": janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9).
God also working. He is also creating, I am also creating. I am creating a sputnik, a toy planet, and God is creating innumerable, unlimited planets. That is the difference. I can also create something, but that is not as good creative power as God. But I have got some creative power. I have got the tendency for enjoyment. Similarly, God has got the tendency for enjoyment.
So there is nothing different from you, God. Only the difference is that He is unlimited, I am limited. I am very small; He is very great. He is infinite; I am infinitesimal. Vibhu, aṇu. The Sanskrit word is vibhu. Vibhu means the great. God is great. Asamordhva. Nobody can be equal to God; nobody can be greater than God. That means everyone is subordinate to God.
Simple these understandings will make you liberated. Janma karma (ca) me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā deham (BG 4.9). This liberation means after quitting this body, you are no more going to accept any material body. You are immediately transferred to the spiritual world, and you get your spiritual body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya. These things are already explained.
So try to understand what is God and what you are, what is this material nature, what is your relationship with material nature, with God, with others, what is this time factor, what is work. Then you are in full knowledge and you become liberated.
All right.
Revatīnandana: "Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to the Fourth Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā in the matter of Transcendental Knowledge."
Prabhupāda: So we shall stop here? Hare Kṛṣṇa. (devotees offer obeisances)
Any question?
Devotee (1): When it listed . . . when in the Gītā it listed the different kinds of sacrifices, it said that sacrifices to the demigods can bring us to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. How is this?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Because sometimes people are inclined to make some sacrifices to appease the demigods, so these prescriptions are there. Just like somebody is recommended that, "If you want to be cured of your disease, then you worship the sun-god. If you want to get a very nice, beautiful wife, then you worship Umā, the wife of Lord Śiva."
In this way . . . "If you want to be very learned, then you worship the goddess of learning." So these prescriptions are there in the Vedic literature, so people . . . just like in the modern days they want to have all these things by material activities, so they are recommended in a different way. But the aim is the same.
But when one can understand . . . that is also injunction in the Vedas, that akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ (SB 2.3.10):
"Either you are desiring some material prosperity or you are desiring devotional service or you are desiring liberation . . ." There are three kinds of liberation, er, desires. One desire is that a person wants some material opulence. And then one desires . . . one becomes frustrated; he wants liberation. Or another, those who are transcendentally advanced, they want to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There are three kinds of desires.
So Bhāgavata says either you become akāma . . . to desire to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is no material desire. There it is called akāma. That is not material desire. And two other things, to desire for liberation and to desire for material opulence, that is material.
So Bhāgavata says, akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ (SB 2.3.10): "If you are actually advanced with knowledge, either you desire material prosperity or you desire liberation from material bondage or you desire to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you simply try to be engaged in devotional service of the Supreme Lord." If you want any material prosperity, that can also be achieved by devotional service.
That is also explained. I think you will get it in the Fifth Chapter, that catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtinaḥ arjuna (BG 7.16).
No, we have already discussed. There are four kinds of people who approach in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So what are they? Arto arthārthī jijñāsu: those who are distressed, those who are in need of money, those who are inquisitive, and those who are, I mean to say, searching after or advancing in knowledge, or wise men. So out of these four, the wise man is accepted very nicely by Kṛṣṇa.
So just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja wanted some material prosperity, so he worshiped Kṛṣṇa. But at the end, when he saw Kṛṣṇa, then he said: "I do not want any more this material prosperity." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42):
"My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I don't want any material prosperity."
So the thing is that one may be impelled by any desire, but if he approaches directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then his desires will be satisfied—at the same time, ultimately, he will come to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If he rightly performs the sacrifices . . . they are not needed, but even they are attached to such things, if they do it nicely, then ultimately they will come.
Hmm. Yes, go on.
Devotee (2): Was there a Vaiṣṇava calendar which originated in Vedic culture which is different from our calendar that we use today?
Prabhupāda: Is there any calendar study just now, we? Why do you ask about calendar now? We are not discussing about calendar. When we discuss about calendar, you put that question. It is not very important question now. That means you are not attentively hearing. You are thinking of calendar. You should be very attentive, "What discussions are going on?" Calendar is not very important discussion in this meeting.
Yes?
Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda, in the purport . . .
Prabhupāda: Our question, inviting question, means we have discussed something—if there is any difficulty, to clear that, not to bring some other question which can be put later on. Otherwise, anyone can put any question. Oh, this is not an assembly of answering questions. This is assembly to understand what we are studying. Yes. Go on.
Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda, in verse number forty-two, the purport of verse number forty-two, it divides spiritual activities into two, namely understanding of one's own self or one's constitutional position, and the truth regarding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Is this first division Paramātmā realization and the second division is realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Prabhupāda: Yes. That I have already explained, that our relationship with God is that I am infinitesimal, and He is infinite. This is knowledge. I am very small, and He is very great. "God is great." That is definition of every theistic man. So I cannot be equal with God. This is transcendental knowledge.
But unfortunately, we are declaring, "I am God." This is insanity. How you can be God? Do you know what is God? Because you do not know what is God, therefore you are claiming that, "I am God." What you have done? What is your testimonial that you are God?
Simply by declaring "I am God," you become God? This is no knowledge: less intelligent, no knowledge about God. This is knowledge: that God is great, God is infinite, I am finite, I am infinitesimal. That is knowledge.
Yes?
Madhudviṣa: Then realization of the impersonal feature of the Absolute wouldn't be classified as a spiritual activity?
Prabhupāda: Well, impersonalists, they have no spiritual activities practically. They have got some ritualistic performances to come to the platform of negativing this material condition. Just like to find out . . . just like you take milk. So you have to find out where is the butter is there. So if you know the process, then you can find out the butter. But if you do not know the process, you can say, "Oh, this is simply milk. Where is butter?" You must know the process.
Similarly, the impersonalists, they think that, "I am Brahman, but I am not this matter." That is a fact. I am spirit. I am not this matter. But that understanding is not sufficient. What is my position as spirit? Then, when we come to the supreme spirit, the all-spirit, that is perfection of knowledge. So impersonal conception is simply a negation of these material varieties. But above that, there is spiritual variety. And that is real knowledge. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.