This mahat-tattva, this material world, just like a child, a child is born, the father gives the seed and mother develops the body. The child's body is developed... Actually all, all of us, we have got this body from mother. Therefore we have got very natural affinity with mother. The child can forget his father, but he cannot forget his mother. Mother's relationship is so intimate. Similarly, this material body we have got from the material energy; therefore we are so much materialist. We are thinking of this country, that community, this family, how materialistic, because this body is material. But so far spirit soul I am concerned, I am the son or the part and parcel of the Supreme. So material nature is the mother and God is the father. And we are exhibited in so many forms, 8,400,000's of forms. So one who has understood this truth, that God is father, he no more looks, "Ah, this is cat," "This is dog," "This is cow," "This is black," "This is white," "This is Chinese," "This is American." No. That is uiversal brotherhood: "Oh, they are my brothers." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. No more enmity. "They are all my brothers." Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. With everyone he sees on the equal level, for "They are spiritual part, part and parcel of my father." This vision makes one advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is fact. This is realization. This is universal brotherhood. Everything this is, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Materialistic (Lectures, BG)
Expressions researched:
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Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So we have to divert the activities for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna, he, in the beginning, he denied to fight. That, our subject matter. He was crying. "No, no, I cannot fight." So apparently Arjuna was very nice gentleman that he is forgetting his claim over the kingdom, he's nonviolent, he's not willing to fight with his brothers, and he was crying so compassionate. So from materialistic point of view, he was very nice. But immediately, as we'll begin tomorrow, Kṛṣṇa says that "Why you are thinking like anārya?" Anārya. Anārya-juṣṭam. "This kind of thinking is not for āryas, Āryans. It is for the non-Āryans." He did not... And the whole Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to Arjuna to make him ārya. And at the end, Kṛṣṇa inquired from Arjuna that "What is your decision?" Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63) But Arjuna replied, kariṣye tad-vacanam. Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava. (BG 18.73) "Now I shall fight." And Kṛṣṇa gave him certificate: bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3). "You are very dear friend, and My great devotee." Now, fighting is not very good business, killing. But sometimes, by killing, one can become a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
So the first beginning is... Here, as it is said by Kṛṣṇa, antavanta ime dehāḥ: don't be attached with this body. The body is material, but even this body is material, it can be spiritualized by the same process, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Spiritualized means when this body will forget the materialistic activities. This body, you can utilize for sense gratification. Just generally people are doing. Eating, sleeping, mating and drinking and so on. So you can utilize this body... That is material. But if you engage this body for the service of the Lord, it becomes spiritualized. As I have already explained, the iron rod, constantly in touch with fire, it becomes, at end, it becomes red hot. That is fire. At that time, it acts like fire. You touch that red-hot iron rod anywhere, it will burn. Similarly, this body can be spiritualized, although it is material body. How? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234).
Just like you are working whole day and night for Kṛṣṇa, they are thinking, "What fools they are. We are very intelligent. We are working for our own sense gratification whole day and night, and why they are working for Kṛṣṇa?" This is the difference between materialist and spiritualist. The spiritualist's endeavor is to work whole day and night strenuously without any hurt(?) simply for Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual life. And the materialist means the same endeavor, always trying to satisfy their personal senses. That is the difference, materialistic and spiritual. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we have to train our senses to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That's all. So long in other, previous, many, many thousands and millions of lives, we have simply tried to satisfy our senses, personal senses. Let this life be dedicated for satisfying Kṛṣṇa's senses. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One life. We have, several lives, we have tried to satisfy our personal senses. Let this life, at least one life, let me try, what happens. So we are not loser. Even we feel inconveniences by not satisfying our senses, but we are not loser. Try simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses; then it will be all right.
So Kṛṣṇa is putting forward the modern scientific view. The modern scientific view is that there is no soul. Life is generated from matter. By combination of material elements at a... Just like chemical combination. You mix acid and soda, alkaline and acid. There will be some reaction, effervescence, movement. Similarly, the Buddhist philosophy mostly, they do not believe in the existence of the soul. The Buddhist philosopher thinks that the combination of matter makes a living symptom. Their ultimate goal is nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means stop this combination. Due to this combination, we feel pains and pleasure. Therefore, if we disintegrate the combination, there will be no more pains and pleasure. Materialistic. Their solution, pains and pleasure, any philosophy or any religious system, ultimately aims at ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. Duḥkha means pain, and nivṛtti, nivṛtti means stop.
The Bhāgavata says that ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, means ultimate solution of miserable condition, is in the fact that we realize God and we go back to home, back to Godhead. This is our philosophy. And persons who cannot understand what is God, what is kingdom of God, they want to adjust. The aim is the same, ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, ultimately solution of all miseries. In a different way. So Kṛṣṇa says, putting forward the Buddha philosophy which was formerly known as lokāyatikas and vaibhāṣikas... These two kinds of philosophers, they did not believe. Mostly the materialistic philosophers, they have no understanding of the soul. Therefore they have different kinds of theories which we do not accept. Kṛṣṇa says that if you are not sanātanist or followers of the Vedic principles, if you think that your principle and views are different, that by combination of matter this existence coming, atha cainaṁ nitya-jātam... Nityam means by combination of... Just like so many things are taking place by interaction of different material elements.
The whole world is moving by combination of matter and spirit. That's all. The whole material world. Just like my body is moving due to the presence of my self as soul, similarly—it is very easy to understand—the whole cosmic manifestation is working due to the presence of the Supreme Soul, whom we call God or the Supersoul or Paramātmā or Bhagavān. Whatever name you may call, that doesn't matter. But you must understand that as without presence of the soul, the body cannot move, similarly, the whole materialistic world, cosmic atmosphere, is moving due to the presence of the Supersoul. Now, in Bhagavad-gītā you will find that we individual souls are parts and parcels of the Supersoul. So we have got eternal relation with the Supreme Soul. We have got eternal relation with the Supreme Soul qualitatively, qualitatively, not quantitatively. We are one with the Supreme qualitatively. Just like a drop of ocean water qualitatively is equal to the mass water in the ocean. The mass water in the ocean is salty, and the drop of ocean water, if you taste it, you'll find it is also salty. So the chemical composition of the water, either in drop or in vast mass, is the same. But the drop of ocean water is never equal to the vast, I mean to, mass water in the ocean. That is our position. We are in quality... Just God is..., similarly, we are also in quality the same, chemically or constitutionally or qualitatively. But God's power and my power is different. Just like the mass water in the ocean, it can play a havoc. But a drop of water, that... It is not possible by the drop of the water.
Just like take the example of Arjuna. He was thinking that "Fighting of this nature is not good for me." That was his problem. And...because he was thinking on the bodily platform. The same Arjuna again took to fighting. Does it mean that by understanding Bhagavad-gītā he took to bad work? No. Just try to understand. He declined to fight. He thought that "Fighting for me with my relatives is not good." That was his conclusion. And actually, from material platform... Suppose two brothers, we are. We are going to fight for something, and if a third person comes, if he advises that "You are two brothers. Why you are fighting? Just have it and it can be settled," that is good actually. But the Arjuna, from practical point of view, or from the materialistic point of view, he was good that he was declining to fight. And Lord Kṛṣṇa was inducing him to fight. So does it mean that Lord Kṛṣṇa was inducing him to the bad course? No. He was inducing him to a course which is beyond good and bad, transcendental. In the... From the material platform, even if you do good work, that is also not good. That is also not good.
Therefore from the very beginning it is to be understood one who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. Those who are not devotees... There are different classes of men. Some of them are karmīs, some of them are jñānīs, some of them are yogis, and some of them are bhaktas. The enlightened, cultivated persons, they can be divided into four groups. Those who are ordinary men, they do not know anything except to keep this body comfortably. They're materialistic more or less. In this life or next life they simply want material comforts. They are called karmīs. And jñānīs... Jñānīs means they are disgusted with this karma. Because there is a time, a point, when they become disgusted. Just like the American young men, they are now disgusted with this material civilization. So they are searching after knowledge. But unfortunately, the state is also not very enthusiastic, and there are many who are exploiting.
Just like in the modern materialistic civilization, we have very good arrangement for eating, for sleeping, for defending, and for sense gratification. The modern material civilization is simply based on this mundane knowledge, but there is no arrangement or university for imparting transcendental knowledge. There is no section in the university, practically, that, what is called brahma-jijñāsā, the science of knowing the spirit soul. That is called transcendental knowledge.
We should be very serious about the problems of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That is spiritual advancement. Unless you come to the serious point, unless you have become very intelligent, that "I do not want to die. Why death is there...?" This is intelligence. You may solve your temporary problems, but you cannot, by your so-called materialistic activities, solve the problem of death. Nobody wants to die. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. Death will come. But the people have become so much unintelligent, they do not take up seriously the real problems. Just like animals. The animal is being taken to the slaughterhouse. And one animal enters to the slaughterhouse store, livestock store, and all the animals enter. He does not know that "This, I have to stay here for being killed." He does not know. This is animal. Similarly, if you do not take these problems seriously, you are no better than animal. However you may be advanced for these bodily comforts, you are animal. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Kuṇape tri-dhātuke, this bag of three elements, kapha-pitta-vāyu.
Lord Caitanya immediately enunciates the constitutional position of the living entity. Sanātana Gosvāmī inquired from Him that, "Who am I? Why I am always in miserable condition, three kinds of miserable condition?" So in answer to this question, "Who am I?" or "Who are all these living entities?" Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately answered that jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). The real identity of the living entity is that he is eternally servant of God. We should not understand this word servant in the meaning of materialistic servant. To become servant of God is a great position. That is not ordinary position. Just like people try to get some government servitorship. Government service. That is also servant, to become servant. Why? Or people try to get some service in some established firm, well-reputed business firm. Why? That service is comfortable, there is great profit in such kind of service. So if people are satisfied by getting a government service or service in some good establishment, then just think over if you become servant of God then what is your position? Because God is the government of all government. So to become servant of God... We are servant of God constitutionally. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109).
This is transcendental sound vibration. This is transcendental sound vibration, and this will help us to cleanse the dust on the mirror of our mind. On the mind we have accumulated material dust. Just like on the Second Avenue, due to the constant traffic of motor car, there is always a creation of dusting over everything, similarly, by our manipulation of materialistic activities, there are some material dusts which are accumulated on the mind, and therefore we are unable to see things in true perspective. So this process, this vibration of transcendental sound, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare, will cleanse the dust. And, as soon as the dust is cleared, then, as you can see on the mirror the nice face of yours, similarly we can see our real, I mean to say, constitutional position, "what I am." And as soon as I understand that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, and my symptom is consciousness," and that consciousness, as it is purified by this process, the whole material miseries will be over.
So one has to learn this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very carefully. It is very nice and very scientific. And if we simply try to understand my position, try to understand God and what is my relation with God, janma karma me divyam, simply by understanding this, I become qualified to enter into the spiritual kingdom. And as soon as I enter into the spiritual kingdom, then, as it is stated in this verse, that tyaktvā deham, after giving up this body, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma... (BG 4.9). Punar janma means again taking birth in this material world. Na eti, na, no more. This continued repetition of accepting different kinds of body is finished simply by understanding what is God, how He appears, how He disappears, what are His activities. Simply this understanding. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9), or so 'rjuna. He comes to Me. And in another place it is stated, the same thing, mām upetya tu kaunteya, "One who comes to Me," mām upetya tu kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), nāpnuvanti. "One who comes back to Me, goes back to home, goes back to Godhead, he never comes back again to this miserable conditional life of materialistic status."
Just like in the modern materialistic world they are trying to improve material comforts but they do not know when does it end. One after another, one after another, one after another. Therefore they are called sarva-kāma, unlimitedly desiring. There is no end of desiring. Such persons, akāma. And akāma means one who has no desire. Just like those who are devotees, Kṛṣṇa conscious, they have no desire. They don't like any material comforts, any material improvements. They want simply Kṛṣṇa. Akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā and mokṣa-kāma (SB 2.3.10). Mokṣa-kāma means one who is disgusted with these material desires and aspires after something void, impersonal, or freedom from all these desires, mokṣa-kāma.
So this is Vedic civilization. Don't be carried away. Take lesson from Bhagavad-gītā and make your life successful. That is the propaganda of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't become cats and dogs and advertise yourself as paṇḍita. These are the definition of paṇḍita. Either take you from Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's materialistic point of view, moral lessons, or spiritual lessons from Bhagavad-gītā, the definition of paṇḍita is different from the so-called paṇḍitas, having... That is... They are called māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Although they have got degrees of the universities, but actually, knowledge is taken away by māyā.
It is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Prahlāda Mahārāja... That is a statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja before his father. His father was very much materialistic, so he was explaining to his father, "My dear father," na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum, "general people..." Because he was in the materialistic family, his father was a great materialistic, so he is explaining... He was a great devotee. The son was a great devotee, and the father was a great materialist, and there was a quarrel between father and son. So father questioned, "Where you have got all this nonsense knowledge or spiritual knowledge?" So he was explaining, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ: (SB 7.5.31)
Brahman and Supersoul, we have been discussing this morning... Perhaps just we began the verse and you have forgot. Just like myself, I am soul, the spiritual soul. My place is within this heart. Now, in the medical science, they have found it that the heart is the center of all vitality of this body. Modern materialistic science they have found that whatever we are eating, it is going to the stomach and it is being transformed into various types of secretions, and the important secretion is coming to the heart and it is becoming red by coming to the heart. Then again from the heart there are many veins; it is being distributed to different parts of the body. So... But they could not found that where is the point wherefrom this vitality is coming. Wherefrom this vitality is coming? They could not find it. They have localized that here is the source of all energy.
Negation... Just like there is no fever. In diseased condition one is trying to get out of the feverish condition. So by medicinal treatment one gets out of fever. But that is not healthy condition. That is not final. There is negation of fever. That's admitted. That's all right. But that is convulsion (convalescent) stage. You may relapse again. When you actually come to the healthy state, that is your life. So negation of fever is not as good as your healthy life. So negation of this materialistic idea, impersonalism, is not complete knowledge. Because I am spirit soul, I am active even in this material diseased condition. How much active I must be in my healthy condition. That is real knowledge. Healthy condition does not mean that I am dead. This is no treatment.
Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaje. God's another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means that conquers all materialistic attempt to see God. Adhokṣaja. Akṣaja means experimental knowledge. You cannot understand God by experimental knowledge, no. You have to learn in a different way. That means by submissive auraloral (aural) reception and rendering transcendental loving service. Then you can understand God. So any religious principle which teaches and helps you to develop your love of Godhead. Without any cause. "I love God because He supplies me very nice things for my sense gratification." That is not love. Ahaituki. Without any... God is great. God is my father. It is my duty to love Him. That's all. No exchange. "Oh, God gives me daily bread, therefore I love God." No. Daily bread God gives even to the animals, cats, and dogs. God is father of everyone. He supplies food to everyone. So that is not love. Love is without reason. Even God does not supply me daily bread, I'll love God. That is love. That is love.
Just like Lord Jesus Christ, when he was being crucified, he was requesting God: "My Lord, please excuse them. They do not know what they are doing." This is the position of the devotee. Yes. Because they are mad after materialistic way of thinking, so they cannot be hated. Anyone. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that there is no question of hating. Everyone is welcome. Please come here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Take Kṛṣṇa prasāda and hear some nice philosophy from Bhagavad-gītā and try to rectify your material conditional life. This is the program—Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Caitanya introduced this movement. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). "Whoever you meet, wherever you meet, simply try to teach him this Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Kṛṣṇa-kathā. Words from Lord Kṛṣṇa. You'll be happy and they will be happy.
Nirvāṇa means, the actual word nirvāṇa in Sanskrit, nirvāṇa means finished. Finished. That is called nirvāṇa. That means materialistic activities finished. No more. That is called nirvāṇa. And unless you finish this nonsense activities, there is no question of peace. So long you'll be engaged in materialistic activities, there is no question of peace. Prahlāda Mahārāja said to his father, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. "My dear father, this is the best thing." For whom? Best thing for whom? He said, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5).
There are different kinds of—parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Supreme Lord has various energies. Out of those various energies, three divisions are primary. Material energy, spiritual energy and marginal energy. We living entities we are marginal energy. The whole material world is material energy. And there is spiritual energy. The spiritual world. And we are marginal. So we are sitting either in the material energy, marginal means this way or that way. You can become spiritual or you become material. No third alternative. Either you become materialistic or become spiritualistic. So, so long we are in the material world, you are sitting on the material energy, therefore you are sitting in Kṛṣṇa. Because energy is not separated from Kṛṣṇa. Just like this light, this flame, there is heat and there is illumination. The two energies. The heat is not separated from the fire and the illumination is not separated from the fire. Therefore in one sense the heat is also fire, the illumination is also fire. Similarly this material energy is also Kṛṣṇa. So we are thinking that we are sitting on this floor but actually we are sitting in Kṛṣṇa. This is philosophy.
Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura laments... He was a great, responsible government officer, magistrate, but a great devotee of the Lord, and he's one of the ācāryas, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. So he writes about his own experience that jaḍa-bidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā. The more we make advancement in the temporary materialistic comforts, the more we become implicated in unnecessary things and they are all impediments for making progress in spiritual life. That is his opinion. And that's a fact. We have seen in Western countries, they are still more materially advanced, but spiritually, they are dull, block-headed, spiritually. Very difficult to convince them spiritually. So sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83), by association of sādhus one can achieve advancement in spiritual life. And in all śāstras it is recommended that associate.
So these energies, the external energy, Kṛṣṇa says, they are separated. Separated means you cannot perceive Kṛṣṇa directly from this energy. All materialistic scientists, they cannot understand that earth is also Kṛṣṇa's energy, water is also Kṛṣṇa's energy, fire is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. But they are energy, that they can understand. They are accepting... The scientists, they are accepting that these are different energies, but whose energy, that they do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is explaining herewith that "It is My energy, separated energy." If we analytically study how water can be energy of Kṛṣṇa... We should study Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's energies very intelligently. Wherefrom this vast water of ocean came into existence? But we can understand from Bhagavad-gītā that this vast water has come from Kṛṣṇa's energy. Now, try to understand how Kṛṣṇa's energy can produce so large amount of water.
People are thinking, "We shall make it śubha." Śubha means auspicious by material adjustment. By having nice car, nice road, skyscraper building and so many machine and bodily comforts which is known as material advancement. But the śāstra says it is all inauspicious, all inauspicious. If you want to become free from this inauspicious kind of life, then you should learn the science which Kṛṣṇa is teaching, jñānaṁ vijñāna, not this vijñāna, the so-called materialistic science. You should learn the real science, sa-vijñāna. That is how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, how to become not envious to Kṛṣṇa. This is a great science. We have to learn. And that is spoken in this chapter, Ninth Chapter, the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you become expert in that science, then you become free from this inauspicious science, this material science.
So there is spiritual world. There is spiritual world. And there is spiritual body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). So all this to be learned through bhakti-yoga. We cannot learn by speculation. That is not possible. That is jaḍa-vidyā, jaḍa-vidyā. It is rāja-vidyā. Jaḍa-vidyā will not help you to understand Kṛṣṇa. That will not help. No. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, jaḍa vidyā sab māyāra vaibhava. By advance of material science you are simply increasing the paraphernalia of this māyā, illusory energy. Jada-vidyā, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā. The more one become materialistic scientist, he, he defies God: "That is not. We, we believe in science, believe in science." But what is your science perfection? That is a different subject matter. But the difficulty is, at the present moment especially, the more one becomes advanced in this material knowledge, he becomes atheist. He becomes disbeliever. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, jaḍa-vidyā yata māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā. It is simply hindrances. anitya saṁsāre moha janamiyā jīva ke karaye gadha. Every word has got meaning. Jīva ke karaye gadha. This gāḍha, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said... It is not Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wordings; it is the Vedic scripture.
The Lord says that "All the universal planets, they are resting on My energy." The weightlessness energy, according to the modern materialistic science, how it is possible? That weightlessness we cannot manufacture. It is by nature's law, or, of course, modern scientists, they take nature as the Supreme, but Bhagavad-gītā, or the persons who are theistic, they do not take nature as the Supreme. Supreme is the Lord. Behind the nature there is Lord. We'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
- sūyate sa-carācaram
- hetunānena kaunteya
- jagad viparivartate
- (BG 9.10)
The Lord says, mayādhyakṣeṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa means "under My superintendence. Under My superintendence." So material nature cannot play such wonderful things unless there is hand behind it, the Lord's hand. That is to be accepted. You cannot see. You cannot give an example where material things are automatically working. You have no such example in your experience. Matter is inert. Without spiritual touch, there is no possibility of acting. Matter cannot act automatically.
Now He says, pitāham asya jagataḥ: "I am the father of this material world." How He becomes father? What is the definition of father? The father is who gives the seed. He is father. And again He says, mātā: "I am mother also." What is the definition of mother? Mother receives the seed from the father, and the child is born. Similarly, this material energy is the mother, this... We have got this body from mother. So this matter, material covering is the mother. And I am, I am spiritual spark, the seed. I am the part of Supreme. So the material energy is also the energy of the father, and as I am a spiritual spark, I am also a part of the Supreme. So He is my father and mother. Therefore somebody worships the Supreme Lord as mother, goddess Kālī, or... That is materialism. Because in the present conception of our life this body given by the mother is matter. Therefore worship mother means worship the matter. That's all. There are so many worshipers of mother. You worship your country. That is the same, material worship. This is called śakty-upāsanā. Śakti. Śakti means you are worshiping the energy of the Lord, not the Lord directly. You are worshiping the energy. All this nationalism or so many isms we have discovered, they are... Even the scientists. Scientists also, they worshiping the mother. He's finding out the complexities of the matter. So he's also worshiping mother. So materialism. This is called materialistic. One who is worshiping the mother, material energy, he's called śakta.
The demigods have their different places in this material world. All the planets, heavenly planets... There are seven planetary systems up and seven planetary systems down. So this is called bhūrloka, earthly planet, and there are many planets on this system. So bhūrloka, bhuvarloka, janaloka, tapoloka, then brahmaloka, satyaloka, like that—so many planets there are. So there are different kinds of living entities and different kinds of comforts. They are highly intelligent, more intelligent than the human being. Therefore they are called demigods, almost God. So here Kṛṣṇa says, "Those who are trying to worship the demigods, they'll go to the planets of the demigods." Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). Pitṛ-vratāḥ. There is a form of worship of the forefathers. So there is a particular planet. The worshiper of the forefathers, they go there. Pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ. And bhūtejyā yānti. Bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā. And those who are materialistic, those who want to worship these earthly things in this material..., not material world, everywhere, but bhūtejyā, especially material worship, so bhūtejyā, those who are worshiper of material elements, they go to... They remain in the material platform. Yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām: (BG 9.25) "And those who are worshiping Me, Lord, they will come to Me."
These are very important instructions. Prahlāda Mahārāja says... He was instructing his class friends. He was a five years old boy. And he said, "My dear friends, that the material happiness..." Material happiness means sense gratification. This is material happiness. Everyone is materialistic, or materially advanced, means he has got better facility for satisfying the senses. That is material life. And spiritual life means he does not satisfy his own senses, but he satisfies the senses of God. That is spiritual life.
So that is Kṛṣṇa Consciousness perception. And He is living. Because He... The Māyāvādī philosophers, they are accepting that Kṛṣṇa, or Parabrahman, or God, because He is in everywhere, He has no personal feature. That is a poor fund of knowledge. That is not God. Because we are thinking materially. Just like if I take a piece of paper and tear it into small pieces and throw it then the original paper has no existence. This is called Māyāvāda, Māyāvāda, or imperfect knowledge. Because I am thinking that materially, if one thing is broken into pieces and thrown, the original form is lost, no more. It becomes impersonal. No. The Veda says that pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). You take the full God, full... Even God fully represented in every atom, still, He is pūrṇa. That is... One minus one equal to one. And one plus one equal to one. That is Absolute idea. But we calculate from materialistic point of view. As we with our tiny brain, we think like that.
So now, from materialistic point of view, you will see that Prahlāda Mahārāja, what kind of devotee he is? In his presence his father is being killed and he did not protest. So from the ordinary point of view, it is sinful. If your father is attacked by somebody, it is your duty. But Prahlāda Mahārāja didn't... Because Prahlāda Mahārāja knew... That is another chapter. In the later stage he made his father liberated. But from the superficial point of view, that he was present while his father was being killed... There are so many things, similar, other examples. Bali Mahārāja gave up his spiritual master for Kṛṣṇa's sake.
| Page Title: | Materialistic (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 30 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=35, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 35 |