So ultimately it is said that, Sañjaya said, yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (BG 18.78). Yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ/ tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir, bhuva, dhruvā nītir matir mama. This is the conclusion of Bhagavad-gītā. Sañjaya uvāca. And at last Sañjaya said to his master, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, "My dear master, you are expecting victory between the fight, fight between your sons and..., but don't expect it. It is," matir mama, "in my opinion, yatra kṛṣṇaḥ yogeśvara, the party where Kṛṣṇa the Yogeśvara...," Yogeśvara. Yoga, yoga there are powerful mystic power. Yoga means mystic power. Not this yoga, this playing some gymnastics. That is not yoga. Yoga means when one becomes perfect in yoga, he gets many siddhis. They are called aṣṭa-siddhi, eight kinds of siddhi. Aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti-siddhi, like that, so many. Īśitva, vaśitva. So a yogi, aṇimā, he can become the smaller than the smallest. We are already smaller than the smallest, because our real dimension, spiritual dimension, is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. This is our dimension. This is only outward covering, this body. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). So a yogi can give up this body and come to his original, spiritual body, and it is so small that you cannot keep yogi in prison. Anywhere. Because there is some hole, he'll get out. This is yogi. This is mystic power. What do they know about mystic power? Simply press the nose, that's all. This kind of yoga..., of course these are preliminary processes, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, prāṇāyāma. This prāṇāyāma requires to get the breathing from the opposite side... We have got experience. The two holes of the nostrils, one is blocked, one is open. So prāṇāyāma means to try to open the blocked side. That is called. So there are so many. But ultimate yoga means to get this power. That is yoga. So all these powers, they are simply fragmental. The yogis, they can attain. Although they can become, they are already smaller than the smallest. So Kṛṣṇa is the supreme master of all mystic power. Therefore He is called Yogeśvara.
Outward (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
They are also material. Just like our body is covered by shirt and coat, similarly, the soul is encaged in two kinds of bodies. When this gross body is finished, the subtle body, mind, intelligence and ego, they are there. The soul is covered. The gross body is finished. That is called death. But people do not know that there is no death for the soul. The outward cover is finished, the inward cover is there, and the inward cover will carry the soul to another gross body. That is called transmigration. The mind is creating, as we are making our consciousness in this life, so we are making our next life also. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25).
He made arrangement for providing the sixteen thousand wives in different palaces. Each palace, there is described, they were made of first-class marble stone and furniture made of ivory and the sitting place made of very nice, soft cotton. In this way there is description. And the outward compound, there are many flower trees. Not only that, He also expanded Himself into sixteen thousand expansion, personal expansion. And He was living in that way with each and every wife. So it is not very difficult task for God. (devotees offer obeisances) God is said to be situated everywhere. So within our vision, if He is situated in sixteen thousand homes, what is the difficulty for Him?
I accept somebody as my brother because he has got the body from the same father from whom I have got this body. But the body is by-product of the father's body. So this bodily relationship is material. Material means outward, external. It is not real relationship. The father is a soul, I am soul, my brother is a soul, so we are related on the spiritual platform in relationship with God because soul is not matter. Our material father is... Material father means we see the material body. We do not see the soul of the father, neither the father sees the soul of the son. Everyone under illusion we are simply seeing the body and accepting as kinsman. So this illusion was to be removed by Kṛṣṇa, and therefore He said, aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). "You are lamenting over the body. Oh, it is very regrettable. You are lamenting." Aśocyān anvaśocaḥ. What is this body?
And the "I," or the spirit soul, that is changing the body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). How changing? Just like a baby. A baby grows to become a child, a child grows to become a youth. Boy, a boy grows to become youth, a youth grows to become old man. So this change is not of that "I." It is a change of the outward body, which is known as shirt and coat. Just like you have coat and you have shirt also. But when the coat is not useful, you cannot use anymore, you throw away the coat, you keep your shirt, then again you find out another coat. Similarly, the living entity, the living force within this coat, body and mind, there is the soul. The soul is changing one coat to another. Similarly, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Dehāntara means accepting another body. The soul is changing dresses. Sometimes this human form of body, sometimes the cat's form of body, dog's form of body, tree's form of body, beast form of body, demigod form of body, in this way. The same soul.
Actually, who is jñānī, who is paṇḍita, he will not see: "Here is an Indian. Here is an American. Here is an Hindu. Here is a Muslim," or "Here is a cat. Here is a dog." No Because he will see not the outward bodily identification. Just like while I am talking with you, because your dress is white, and because my dress is saffron colored, it does not mean that we are different. Simply on the ground of dress, if we think we are different, then that is ajñāna. Nobody does so. When a gentleman talks with another gentleman, none of them consider that "I am this dress." Similarly, if I consider about, about my identification on the ground of this dress, then am I not ajñānī? Yes, I am ajñānī. I do not know my identification.
This body is not the person. The person is within. Asmin dehe. Within this body, there is the proprietor of the body, soul. Asmin dehe. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Now kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. The changes that are taking place, it is not of the owner of the body, but it is of the outward, external body. Just like if you live in a house. The house becoming older, it does not become, does not mean you are becoming older. The owner of the house does not become deteriorated. It is a crude example. Similarly, the changes, difference, the different types of body, the soul is migrating, transmigrating through different types of body.
Still they are finding difficulty. Dividing, dividing, dividing. Because they cannot find out that there is God, there is Kṛṣṇa.
So without Kṛṣṇa's, I mean to say, presence, nothing can exist. Therefore, one who is advanced Kṛṣṇa conscious, he sees only Kṛṣṇa. Not the outward covering. Because without Kṛṣṇa nothing can exist. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is said: sthāvara-jaṅgama. There are two kinds of entities: moving and not moving. Moving means sthāvara and... Moving means jaṅgama. Sthāvara-jaṅgama. And sthāvara means not moving. So there are two kinds of entities. So you can see these two kinds of entities, some of them are moving, some of them are not moving. But a mahā-bhāgavata sees both the entities, moving and not moving, but he does not see the moving or not moving. He sees Kṛṣṇa. Because he knows that the moving means living force. So living force, that is also Kṛṣṇa's energy.
That is already explained very nicely in so many ways. So actually sva-dharma means the occupation of the soul. Because in the material condition we do not understand what I am—whether I am this body or I am soul. Mostly people they do not know that one is soul, not this body. Body is the dress or outward covering, external covering. Subtle covering and gross covering. But so long one is in the bodily concept of life, so one has got different occupational duty according to the conception of the body. So the nature is being conducted by three modes of nature. Therefore, according to one's nature there is occupational duty. That is scientific division. At the present moment there is no such division. Therefore gradually people are degrading to the lowest quality—ignorance, śūdra. They are taking to the śūdra principles. Yesterday I was presented with a paper, Indian government scheme to help people starting small-scale industries, and government is ready to help. (aside:)
At this time, there is no attraction. But this plaster of paris when it will be nicely painted, it will be so attractive. Similarly, this body is combination of blood and muscles and veins. If you cut the upper portion of your body, as soon as you see inside, it is all obnoxious horrible things. But outwardly so painted by the illusory color of māyā, oh, it looks very attractive. And that is attracting our senses. This is the cause of our bondage. We are being bound up by some false illusory beauty of this world. Mirage. The exact example is the mirage. What is mirage? Reflection of the sunlight on the desert appears like water. Where is water there? There is no water. The animal, thirsty animal, is after the mirage. "Oh, here is water. I'll be satisfied." Similarly we are hankering after, running after the mirage. There is no peace, there is no happiness. Therefore we have to divert our attention back to Godhead. Don't run after this mirage.
I think there is a line in Shakespeare's literature, "The lunatic, mad, and the poet" or something like that, "all compact in thought." (The actual reference is A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V, Scene I: "The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact."). So a madman and a ātma-rati person, self-satisfied man, outwardly, you will find there is no difference, but inwardly, oh, there is vast difference.
There is a story of Jaḍa Bharata. Jaḍa Bharata, a brāhmaṇa boy whose name was Jaḍa Bharata. He was formerly the emperor of this world. His name was Mahārāja Bharata. And by his name now India is called Bhāratavarṣa. Formerly this whole planet was named as Bhāratavarṣa. Before that, this planet was named as Ilāvṛtavarṣa, long, long years, millions of years before. But Jaḍa Bharata, he also lived ātma-rati, self-satisfied. In the beginning of his spiritual life he left this world, a very young age.
So we are simply serving senses, but we are thinking, "I am master." This is called illusion.
So jñāna-dīpite, when you actually come to the sense of your knowledge, then you come to this conclusion that "What I am? What is my mastership? I am simply serving the senses, different senses." Even in the outward... (break) ...what is the taste of that knowledge. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. What is that? Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births, spoiling the life and spoiling the time by satisfying the senses..." Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. So long you will go on satisfying these senses, either your senses—that is centralized senses—or expanded senses, the senses of your family, senses of your society, senses of your country, nationality, these are all sense gratification process, simply extending. It begins centralized, my senses, then my son's senses, then my grandson's senses, then my country's senses, then...
Prabhupāda: Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that this impersonal philosophy is another phase of the void philosophy. Veda... Covered void philosophy. Impersonalism is covered void philosophy. They are all the same. Śaṅkara's philosophy of impersonalism and Lord Buddha's philosophy void is almost the same. Real life, real spiritual life is this Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Vaiṣṇava philosophy, to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. Just like we are sitting here face to face. We are talking, you are hearing. You can have this perfection. That is personal conception of spiritual perfection. Go on.
Devotee: Verses 27 and 28. "Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils—thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, the transcendentalist becomes free from desire, fear and anger. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated (Bg. 5.27-28)."
Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). He says that he is finished because he'll never be able to advance in devotional service, and that is the ultimate goal of life. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). After realization of Brahman, when he is actually on the Brahman platform, then the symptom is na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he has no more lamentation and no more aspiration. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Then he can see everyone one equal level. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Because he does not see the outward body, he does not see that "Here is a Hindu, here is a Muslim, here is a Christian, here is an Indian, here is American, here is black and here is white." No. He sees within, within, introspection.
One, if he becomes the devotee of the Lord, all good qualities automatically will develop because he is good. By nature a living entity is the perfect good, but due to the contamination of the lust, he has become vicious. He has become vicious. By nature he's not vicious; he's perfect. Because he's part and parcel of the gold, he's gold. By outward covering he has become something nonsense.
So this is the process. We are trying to, I mean, to introduce in the modern society Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will make us all-perfect, happy, and after leaving this body we shall enter into the kingdom of God, where there is eternal life, bliss and full knowledge.
So where is the difficulty to understand? Plain thing. Plain thing. But we are stubborn. We do not wish to understand. This is not a sectarian; this is a science. If a child becomes a boy, is that sectarian? The Hindu child becomes a boy, Hindu boy, and the Christian child becomes a Christian. That is outward, Hindu, Muslim, Christian. But within this body... I am Hindu or Christian because I have got this body from the Christian father-mother, Hindu father-mother. But that is body. I am not this body. Therefore we have to understand first that "I am not this body. Therefore I am not Hindu, not Muslim, not Christian, not black, not white. I am pure spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi.
Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). One has to see, asmin dehe, in this body, there is the dehinaḥ, the proprietor. Dehinaḥ means one possesses the body. That is spiritual vision. The spiritual vision is... One who is advanced in spiritual knowledge, he does not see the outward dress, but he sees within the dress, who is living there. Asmin dehe dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ. Dehī means the possessor of this body. I am not this body, you are not this body, but you possess this body.
Just like you possess your shirt and coat, similarly, you possess this body also. The gross body made of material elements is your coat, and the subtle body made of finer material elements—mind, intelligence, ego—that is your shirt. And within that coat and shirt, the real living entity is there.
So one who has such vision, one who is learned in spiritual understanding, he is called paṇḍita.
Just like in ordinary life we see a man is supposed to be enjoyer and the woman is supposed to be enjoyed, similarly, prakṛti is feminine gender and puruṣa is masculine gender. Anyone who is trying to enjoy, he is puruṣa. It doesn't matter, outwardly he's dressed as man or women; if he has got the desire to enjoy, that is called puruṣa. And his object that is enjoyed, that is called prakṛti.
So Arjuna is asking this question, prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva: "Kindly give me instruction about this prakṛti and puruṣa." Kṣetram. Kṣetram means the field of activity, and kṣetrajñam. Kṣetrajñam means one who knows, "This is my field." Just like the cultivator, he cultivates the land. From government there is demarcation of the land. The cultivator knows, "This is my portion of land."
Therefore, all living entities are Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. It is foolishness to say that other living entities, other than the human being, they have no soul. It is foolishness. They have got soul. Every... Even the ant has got soul, even the microbe has got soul, even the germ has got soul, everyone has got soul. But they have got different types of body only, outward. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yac ca yadrk ca. How they have got different types of bodies? So these, subject matters are very subtle things.
But there is no facility for studying this subject matter in the university or any educational institution. Therefore they are called mūḍhas. They do not understand what is God. Who was telling me? Some Bengali professor came here, and he said, "I am agnostic." Who told me just now, in the car? So mostly the so-called educated circle, they are agnostics.
Then we can come to the platform of sura, or devatā. Then we can make advance in spiritual life. If you keep yourself in the asuric platform there is no possibility of making advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is warning here. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. Asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8). Because we are rascals, not cleansed, inward, outward... Externally one has to be cleansed.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi (BG 5.18), a cow, hasti, an elephant, śuni, the dog, śva-pāka, caṇḍāla, dog-eater. There are different varieties of living entities, but one who is paṇḍita, learned, he sees everyone on the same level. Why? He does not see the outward tabernacle; he sees the soul within everyone. Brahma-darśanam. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). So that brahma-darśanam is possible when actually one is contact with Brahman, the Supreme. Therefore the central point is missing. And everyone is manufacturing his own way of spiritual knowledge. Therefore the whole world is in a turmoil, confusion. So in this point all the sages assembled in Naimiṣāraṇya for discussing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and this took place after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet five thousand years ago, and after His departure, the Bhāgavata discussion was going on at Naimiṣāraṇya.
Because by nature we are happy. By nature we are happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. So as spirit soul we are naturally happy, blissful. But because we have been covered by the eight material elements—earth, water, fire, air, ether. These are gross elements. And within the gross elements—mind, intelligence and ego. So somebody is satisfied with the comfort of the outward gross elements, this body. They are called materialists. Simply sense gratification. Indriyāni parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ (BG 3.42). First of all our conception is happiness means happiness of my body. The whole world is going on. Material world means everyone is working hard only for the happiness of the body. And some of them, they are trying to be happy by the happiness of the mind. Just like arts, poetry, philosophy, speculating on. But both of these kinds of happiness will not give us real happiness. Because real happiness belongs to the soul. Basic principle of happiness missing.
"How we shall get...?" he asked them to get the tree life in Vṛndāvana. And because they were put in Vṛndāvana, after some time, they were delivered.
So similarly, those who are executing devotional service, but at the same time cheating... Cheating means outwardly very devotional, inwardly doing all sinful activities. Such living entity is given the chance to become a hog and dog in Vṛndāvana so that the reaction of the sinful activities, they get this body; at the same time, due to their touch with the dust of Vṛndāvana, they become eliminated of all sinful activities and liberated. So these hogs and dogs, they're also very important. They are not ordinary thing. But this is the explanation. The tortoise, the... They have, they have got... Therefore a devotee, when he's punished in that way for the short time, they'll be liberated. Undoubtedly.
Na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then you will be able to see everyone on the spiritual platform. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Then you are learned. You are seeing the cats and dogs and a human being, a learned man, because you don't see the dress, outward covering, tabernacle, but you see, "Here is a spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa." That is universal brotherhood. Not by passing resolution with the United Nations and fighting. That is not possible. You have to come to the stage of spiritual platform; then there is question of love, brotherhood, equality, fraternity, otherwise, all bogus propaganda. It's not possible. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). Then real, pure devotional service begins. Then we become completely fit to serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa accepts your service at that time.
Pradyumna: "The harmful, foolish and passionate cannot be devotees of the Lord, however they may advertise themselves as devotees by outward dress. A devotee is always qualified with all the good qualities of God. Quantitatively, such qualifications may be different, but qualitatively, both of them are one and the same."
Prabhupāda: Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
The śāstra therefore says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. In human form of life one should try to achieve that perfection which was not obtained in previous lives after wandering heaven and hell and all species of life. Bhramatām upary adhaḥ. Upari adhaḥ means upwards and downwards. And we are wandering: sometimes downwards, sometimes outwards, sometimes poor, sometimes rich, sometimes man, sometimes dog, sometimes tree, sometimes demigod. In this way, we are wandering. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). We are wandering in this way in different species of life, in different planets, but somehow or other, if one is fortunate, he comes in contact with a devotee by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151).
Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They do not know what is the purpose of knowledge. They're taking interest, taking care of this bahir-artha, external things. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). This is knowledge, svārtha-gatim, to approach Vāsudeva, Viṣṇu. But without that knowledge, they are simply taking outward. Just like Darwin's theory. He has no knowledge. He's simply studying this body. That's all.
So one who is interested to study this body, he has been described in the Śāstra as ass and cow.
So the idea is that the man's body can be transformed into woman's body, and a woman's body can be transformed into man's body. Because we are not this body, dress. Suppose I have got this dress. This man's dress I can transform into woman's dress with a sari; but that does not mean I am woman. So every one of us living entities, we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. The outward dress, man and woman, that is dress. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). We are changing this dress. So in this material world, because our mentality is to enjoy, therefore he is called puruṣa. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān (BG 13.22). Puruṣa, here puruṣa, the living entities... It is said puruṣa. Puruṣa means both men and women because everyone has got the spirit, "I shall enjoy." Therefore he is described as puruṣa. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi. In this material world, bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu.
The Māyāvāda philosophy is that prakṛti wants to become puruṣa. And that is not possible. Suppose a woman, if she dresses like a man, does it mean that she has become a man? No. Or a man dresses like a woman, does it mean that he has become woman? Simply by outward dress? No. Puruṣa, the only puruṣa is Kṛṣṇa. That is very nicely explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta: ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Only Kṛṣṇa is puruṣa. He's the enjoyer. All others, they are servants. This is the position. Never try to become the puruṣa or the master. That is very dangerous. Always remain prakṛti. Prakṛti means to be controlled or controlled, and puruṣa means the controller. So here is the supreme controller: tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣāt. Not that "You were made by some means." Sākṣāt, directly. Sākṣāt. And īśvara. Sākṣād īśvaraḥ. Not artificial īśvara. Sākṣād īśvaraḥ.
Then they will be happy.
These European, American boys, they are coming from rich family. They have, even nationally, they have got big, big skyscraper buildings, motor car, and why they have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Because they were not happy. It is a fact. They were not happy. So a Vaiṣṇava can understand this, that outwardly, externally, they may have nice dress or nice building or nice motor car, but internally they are so unhappy that they rise up to the top of the skyscraper building and fall down to commit suicide. This is his position. The Vaiṣṇava can understand that bharam udvahato vimūḍhān. They are making skyscraper building, but there is no happiness. It is simply a, what is called? A Gorgeous arrangement only. Otherwise, there is not a drop of happiness. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ.
Paramahaṁsa. Spiritual part means one who knows that whatever is working in this material... Just like this body—your body, my body. Anyone who knows that this movement, the activities of this body is due to the soul which is within this body... That is the real fact. This is only outward covering. Similarly, one who knows that Kṛṣṇa is the center of these all activities, he's paramahaṁsa. He knows the fact.
So bhakti-yoga is for the paramahaṁsa, one who knows that Kṛṣṇa is the central fact. Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). Mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. So one who knows that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes, not only theoretically, but practically, convinced, he is paramahaṁsa. So Kuntīdevī says that "You are meant for the paramahaṁsas, not for the rascals and fools. You are meant for the paramahaṁsa." Tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām (SB 1.8.20).
He's not the skin-observer. He is observed the within. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). Within this body the spirit soul is there. This is the education of spiritual education in the beginning—just see inside, introspective, not outward seeing. Those who are seeing outwardly, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātu..., they are asses.
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.
We are fighting one another without any knowledge. Why the Americans were fighting with Arabians and the Arabians are fighting? The fighting is going on. The United Nations means fighting settlement arena. That's all. But the fighting is going on. So unless we are self-realized, unless we know that "We are all sons of God; this outward dress is māyā. I am not American, I am not Indian." Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir na yatir vā. He said like that, that... He is taking the varṇāśrama-dharma: brāhmaṇa kṣatriya vaiśya śūdra brahmacārī gṛhastha vānaprastha... So Caitanya Mahāprabhu denied all these: "No, I am a not brāhmaṇa, nor I am a śūdra, nor am I gṛhastha, nor I am kṣatriya." "Then what You are?" Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ: (CC Madhya 13.80) "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa, who provides the gopīs." This is our real identities.
Tama means darkness. They do not know what they are. Ask any scientist, any philosopher, "What you are?" He will say, "I am this body. I am Indian. I am American. I am white. I am black. I am this. I am that. I am Christian. I am Hindu." He will say. But all these designation is outward, external. Eho bāhya, āge kaha āra. But everyone is going on, big, big man, identifying himself with this body. So they are all fools, tama, in darkness.
That is impossible. But because you have got your hands, your coat has assumed the hands. So this material dress... These hands and legs are there because originally we are spirit soul, we have got hands and legs. This is the proof that we are not formless. With form. Because this body has been described as dress, outward dress, different dress. Just like we are, somebody white, somebody yellow, somebody black, somebody... This is dress. But actually, we spirit soul, we are one. It is by dress we are fighting. "You are Englishman," "I am German," "I am this," "I am Indian," "I am that," "I am man," "I am woman." So many fighting on account of this dress. So when you become dressless, that is the spiritual platform. When you become dressless. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we are free from all this designation dress. We are now covered by this designation dress. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Englishman," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am..."
Real medicine does not require a showbottle. A small... If one can chant purified offenseless, once kṛṣṇa-nāma, he is free from all material bondage. Once only. Eka kṛṣṇa nāme yata pāpa haya, pāpī haya tata pāpa kari baro nāhi(?).
So śaucam. śaucam means inward cleanliness and outward cleanliness. śaucam. Inside, we should be pure, purely thinking, no contamination. We should not think anyone as my enemy. "Everyone is friend. I am... I am not pure; therefore I am thinking somebody as my enemy." There are so many symptoms. So śaucam: one should be clean, inside and outside. Satyaṁ śaucaṁ dayā. That dayā I already explained. Dayā means to become compassionate to the fallen, one who has fallen, one who is in distress. So actually, the whole population at the present moment, they're fallen.
"They, all of them, are My part and parcel living entities, but they are now covered by different dress only. But they are living entities." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness vision.
Therefore one who is actual Kṛṣṇa conscious, paṇḍita, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ... (BG 5.18). Paṇḍitāḥ, he does not see the outward dress; he sees the living entity encased in this particular type of body. So he has no concern with the body. Therefore a sādhu always thinks of everyone's benefit. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī. Of the Gosvāmīs it is said, lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau. Because they were benefactor for all kinds of living entity, therefore they were honored tri-bhuvane, in three worlds. Tri-bhuvane. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. A sādhu's business is for the benefit of all living entities. A sādhu does not like to cut even a tree, because he knows, "Here is a living entity.
What is that purification? Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). First of all, you have to purified with the sense that you are neither American nor a Frenchman nor Englishman nor Indian nor brāhmaṇa nor kṣatriya—nothing of the sort. You have to... These are all designations, outward dress. You have to become free from it. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). You'll have to forget. Actually, that is happening in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Those who have joined, they never think that "I am American," "I am Frenchman," "I am Englishman." They are always thinking that they are servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is called purification. As soon as you learn that you are neither American, nor Indian, nor this or not that... You are eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is purification. The more you are fixed up on this knowledge, the more you are purified. That's all.
Kṛṣṇa says, that "I am the seed-giving father of all living entities." "Of all" means sarva-yoniṣu, in different forms, in different species of life.
This outward dress is different. Somebody has become ant and somebody has become elephant or bigger than that, whole fish. Another fish there is timiṅgila. That perhaps we have not seen. Whale fish, some of them have seen. It is just like as big as a big house. And still, whale fish, just like you swallow up some small nut, they are called timiṅgila. So there are so many varieties of life. We do not know. But we know from the śāstras. In the śāstra we can know. Therefore we should consult Vedic literature to have full knowledge. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi: "In the water there are 900,000 species of life." Now, who can deny it? If you deny, then I shall tell you that "Go and count." (laughs)
False dress. Similarly, here, in this material world, we are falsely dressed with this material body and imitating Kṛṣṇa, enjoyer. Exactly like the woman dressed in male's dress wants to enjoy. That is not possible. Similarly, here, the living entity, either dressed in male dress or female dress... This outward body is dress. Somebody is dressed like a female, somebody is dressed like a male, but none of them are male. Both of them are originally female, prakṛti. Prakṛti means feminine gender. Prakṛti. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, aparā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām: "This material energy, earth, water, fire, air, these are...they are also My energy," Kṛṣṇa says. "But they are inferior energy. But there is another energy, jīva-bhūtaḥ, the living entities, and that is superior energy."
Simply plastic and paper. I see in Japan, all paper, simply papers. All big, big buildings packed up with papers. I was observing from the train all the big, big... What is the contents? Contents means paper. That's it. The house is made of paper. And Japan is considered to be very advanced, and industrialist. Simply outward dress. Actually nobody has got any wealth. The money is also paper. No pearl, no gold, no silver, nothing. But they are satisfied with papers. That's all. Paper house, paper money, paper book, paper everything. Plastic, paper.
Now intelligent person should be anxious that if Kṛṣṇa says, mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma: (BG 15.6) "If you go to this planet..." Why you are trying nonsensically to go to the moon planet? Suppose you have gone there? What is there? You see piles of dust.
Nitāi: "The aggregate elements, namely the five gross elements, the five subtle elements, the four internal senses, the five senses for gathering knowledge, and the five outward organs of action, are known as the pradhāna."
Prabhupāda:
- pañcabhiḥ pañcabhir brahma
- caturbhir daśabhis tathā
- etac catur-viṁśatikaṁ
- gaṇaṁ prādhānikaṁ viduḥ
- (SB 3.26.11)
Pradhāna. Prakṛti, puruṣa, pradhāna. So pradhāna is the total material energy, which is called mahat-tattva. We have discussed this subject matter last night, mahat-tattva. So mahat-tattva is the original total energy for material creation. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, is sometime described as mahat-padam. Mahat-padam. Mahat-padam means "under whose lotus feet this whole total material energy is resting." Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Samāśritāḥ. Therefore we have to take shelter of the Supreme, under whose lotus feet this mahat-tattva is also resting.
It is explained in different way in the Bhagavad-gītā. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). This material body is just like dress. The dress... I am putting on the shirt, you are putting on the shirt and coat. That is not very important thing. The important thing is the body within the shirt. Similarly, this material body is simply outward covering of the spiritual body by physical atmosphere, but real body is within. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). This external, physical body is called deha, and the owner of this deha is called dehī, "one who possesses this deha." That you have to und... This is the first instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā.
So one should be inquisitive to know "How this physical body has come into existence, covering myself, the spiritual body?" Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So to understand this science, Kapiladeva is explaining the physical Sāṅkhya philosophy, how things are developing. To understand that...
Next life I become a dog. That you cannot check. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). The God's law or nature's law, will not take account of your premiership, prime ministership. What you are actually—that is nature's law. Kṛṣṇa is there within your heart. Outwardly you become a very big man—minister, president and so on—and God is seeing within what you are. Within. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Within you are a dog, and outside if you are a president, that will not help you. That will not help you. Abodha-jātaḥ. Therefore whatever plan they are making, that's all defeat. Plan-making is already there. Kṛṣṇa has given plan gradually. The last plan is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is real plan. This is Kṛṣṇa has given so many plans: karma-yogi, dhyāna-yogi, this yogi, that. But everywhere He has concluded that the real plan is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is real plan.
"If the wife is not chaste and friend is cheater, or śaṭham..." Śaṭham means duplicity, not very sincere friend. Outwardly he's showing he's very good friend, but inwardly he has got some intention. Such friend, duplicity, and unchaste wife, duṣṭā bhāryā śaṭhaṁ mitraṁ and bhṛtyaś cottara-dāyakaḥ, and servant giving reply, and sa-sarpe ca grhe vasaḥ, and in your room if there is a snake... Of course in this big, big concrete building there is no question of snake, but in cottages, huts, made with mud, earth, there are sometimes snakes. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, "If you live with a duṣṭā bhāryā and a duplicity friend and an answer-giving servant and a snake, then you are sure to die sometime. You'll be cheated."
Therefore our process, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as it is said by Caitanya Mahāprabhu that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), one has to cleanse the dirty things from the heart. That is real atonement. If the dirty things are there as it is, simply... Just like one man is diseased. The dirty things are within his body, and he cleanses outwardly with soap and water very nicely, that does not mean that he is freed from the diseased condition. The cause of the disease must be removed. Then he'll be healthy. Simply by superfluous washing the body, one does not become free from diseased condition. So avidvad-adhikāritvāt. So long... Avidvad means ignorance. So ignorance, what is the ignorance? The ignorance we have explained many times, that "I am this body." And everyone is acting on this bodily concept of life. This is called avidyā. Avidyā means ignorance.
Everyone hides his secret before the enemy, but truthful means that he does not hide anything even to his enemy. That is brahminical qualification. Satya śama, controlling the senses, controlling the mind. Dama, controlling the senses, satya-sama-dama-śaucam, always clean, taking bath three times daily. Antar-bahiḥ. Outwardly, to wash with soap and other materials to clean, keep oneself clean, and inwardly, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa—that is cleanliness. So satya-sama-śaucam ārjavam, simplicity. Not to encourage artificial necessities of life. Simple life: plain living, high thinking—simplicity. And titikṣa, tolerance. Because this world is miserable. If we become disturbed with the miseries of this world, oh, you cannot live for a moment, because this life is, material life is full of miseries. So you have to become tolerant. When Kṛṣṇa was instructed about the eternity of the soul to Arjuna, Arjuna understood it.
All society, friendship, love, children, wife, everything, national—finished. This is going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhūtvā. Bhūtvā means taking shape in some particular type of body. The living soul is there within this body, but the outward dress... Just like we are sitting, so many persons—we have got different dresses—similarly, all these 8,400,000's different forms of life, they are coming into existence and again changing. This is called material world. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). But we are hearing from authorities like Lord Kṛṣṇa. He says, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit: "My dear Arjuna, a living entity does not take birth. There is no birth, death, old age, disease of the spirit soul." Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).
And we are, we jīvas, we are also maidservant. Here we are dressed as man, but our original position is maidservant of Kṛṣṇa, prakṛti. Here, of course, even woman, she is also thinking as man. Man means enjoyer, and prakṛti means enjoyed. So anyone who is thinking, "I am enjoyer," outwardly he may be in the female form or male form—he is puruṣa. Therefore this conditioned soul is puruṣa. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthe api.
So anyone who has come within this material world, everyone is thinking, "I am puruṣa. I am enjoyer." That is sinful. That is... Just like if a woman artificially dresses herself as a man, that is not very good business. That is not appreciated. So our position is that we are actually maidservant of Kṛṣṇa, but here, in the material world, we are trying to become puruṣa, or enjoyer. This is our disease. That is sinful. That is sinful. Suppose if a woman dresses like man...
Woman means enjoyed and man means enjoyer. So anyone who has got feeling of enjoyment, he is considered to be man. So here both sexes meant for... Everyone is planning, "How I shall enjoy?" Therefore he is puruṣa, artificially. Otherwise, originally, we are all prakṛti, jīva, either woman or man. This is outward dress.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said,
- apareyam itas tv (anyāṁ)
- viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām
- jīva-bhūtāḥ mahā-bāho
- yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
- (BG 7.5)
The prakṛti... We are prakṛti, nature, spiritual nature, parā prakṛti. The material nature is aparā prakṛti, and we living entities, we are trying to enjoy this prakṛti. Therefore sometimes the living entity, either man or woman, he is described as puruṣa. Puruṣa means the one who keeps the feeling of becoming enjoyer. That is puruṣa.
"Oh, what is this? No need. Throw it away." Tucchavat. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Being compassionate with the poor souls. Poor souls... Who are poor souls? Anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's a poor soul. He may be outwardly very rich, but he's a poor soul. Dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau, gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhuḥ. And how they were living? Always thinking of the pastimes of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. That was their life substance. How Kṛṣṇa gopī-jana-vallabha. They are thinking of Kṛṣṇa as gopī-jana-vallabha. That is Kṛṣṇa's business. Rādhā-mādhava gopī-jana-vallabha. So how gopī-jana-vallabha was dealing, they were always thinking. In that ecstasy they were keeping life.
Now, if you simply take care of the coat and shirt, and if you don't take care of your actual person, how long you can become happy? You will feel so much inconvenience even if you have got a very nice coat. Similarly, this body, this gross body, is just like our coat. I am actually spiritual spark. This body is gross outward covering, and there is inward covering: mind, intelligence and ego. That is my shirt. So shirt and coat. And within the shirt and coat, actually I am there.
Just like in a nice cage, in a golden cage, there is a bird. If you don't give any food to the bird and simply wash the cage very nicely, oh, there will be always, (imitates bird:) "Chi chi chi chi chi chi." Why? The real bird is neglected. Simply outward covering. So similarly, I am spirit soul. That I forgot. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." I am not this body, not this mind. So people are trying to burnish the body and the mind. First of all they try to burnish the body. This is material civilization. Very nice clothing, very nice food, very nice apartment, very nice car, or very nice sense enjoyment—everything is very nice. But that is to this body. And when one is frustrated to this very nice arrangement, then he goes to the mind: poetry, mental speculation, LSD, marijuana, drinking, and so many things. These are all mental. Actually, happiness is not there in the body, nor in the mind.
That is human life, tapasya. Human life is not meant for polished dogism and pigism. That is not human life. If a cat and dog becomes nicely dressed, that does not mean he becomes a human being. He is cat and dog. Similarly, if we keep our mentality like cats and dog and outwardly we dress very nicely, they have been described as dvi-pada-paśuḥ, "two-legged animal." Animal. He is animal because he is not cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The cats and dogs cannot do it, so he is no better than cats and dog. This is the conclusion. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). That is the verdict of Vedic literature.
Another example is milk. The milk, pure milk, there is butter, but you cannot see the butter in the milk. But if you could... (break)
...on the same platform by the paṇḍita, by the learned, because he does not see the outward coverings, he sees the inner soul, the characteristics of the soul as described. But the demons, they cannot see the inner soul. They cannot distinguish the characteristics of the soul. Simply they see superficially and, identifying with the body, there is always trouble. "I am this nation", "I am Englishman," "I am German," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am brāhmaṇa", "I am this," "I am that," designation. So, one has to become free from this designation before one can understand what is spiritual life. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Sarvopādhi... These are designations, superficial.
Who is devotee, to him, the Lord speaks from within. And from without, the spiritual master. So both ways we are getting opportunity for learning Vedic knowledge, from without, from within. And if still we don't take advantage of it, then it is our misfortune. The spiritual master is considered to be the outward expression of the Supersoul. God is so kind that He is within, giving you education, provided you are prepared to hear. And from without, He sends His representative. So both ways we are benefited. We have to take advantage of this opportunity. From without, we have got these books, the spiritual master, the saintly persons, so many. Friends, books. And from within, Kṛṣṇa, the Supersoul.
There are many persons, they prefer to eat different types of flesh. But one who eats the dog's flesh, he is considered to be very lower class. So śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). One who is paṇḍita, learned, he sees every one, them, on the same level. What is that same level? Spirit soul. He does not see the outward body. That is called brahma-darśin. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
He does not see anything else. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, sthāvara jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). A devotee, mahā-bhāgavata, highly advanced devotee, he sees trees, but he does not see the tree. He sees Kṛṣṇa. How? Has he gone mad? No. Actually he sees. But what is this tree? The tree, outwardly, is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Your body, my body, the trees's body, the dog's body, the cat's body. What are these bodies? The bodies are made of the external, material energy. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). The material elements, they are simply Kṛṣṇa's external energy. So as soon as a devotee sees anything material, he sees immediately the energy of Kṛṣṇa, and along with the energy of Kṛṣṇa, he sees immediately Kṛṣṇa. Reactory. He actually. With reference to the context.
So anything, sthāvara jaṅgama... Sthāvara means moving, and jaṅgama... Sthāvara means "not moving," and jaṅgama means "moving". There are two classes of living entities. Some of them are moving and some of them not moving. So a devotee either sees a living entity moving or a living entity's not moving, he does not see the outward covering, but he sees within, the spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and without, the body, the material body, he sees Kṛṣṇa's energy. And because everything is in reference with Kṛṣṇa, therefore he sees Kṛṣṇa only and nothing else. So this is the statement in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Sthāvara jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). He does not see the external form, but he sees the actual essence of the person and therefore he sees Kṛṣṇa.
He cries, "Oh, my father is gone, my father is gone." Where is your father gone? Your father is lying on the floor. Why do you say the father is gone? "No, he's gone. He's no more." That means this thing which has gone, he has never seen. He has seen simply this outward body, dress. This is called ignorance. I am not seeing you; still, I am speaking that I see you. So if I cannot see you, the part and parcel of God, how can I see God with these eyes?
They give up this world, so many sannyāsīs. But at heart there is the desire: "I shall become God. I shall become God." Just see. We are trying... The karmīs are trying to become minister, and he's trying to become God. So how much great desire he has got. And outwardly he appears to be renounced.
So brahma, nirbheda brahmānusandhana. But a devotee, his happiness is different. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). We do not want this. Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. A Vaiṣṇava does not desire even liberation, what to speak of dhanam, janam, rūpavatī bhāryā. That is real Vaiṣṇava. He wants simply Kṛṣṇa, to serve Him. That's... Anyābhilāṣitā... So that happiness is perfect happiness. That is real śānti. Real śānti.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Guest (2): What are the reasons why one should not hear from one who has got sufficient knowledge on Lord Kṛṣṇa if he is not outwardly a Vaiṣṇava? That means he's not having śikhā or kunti, like that.
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Hari-śauri: He says, "What's wrong with hearing from someone if he has some knowledge of Kṛṣṇa even if he doesn't have a śikhā and tilaka and what have you?"
Prabhupāda: That is the injunction of authority. Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-ka..., śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam. We have to abide by the orders of the superiors. "Why?"—there is no question. Authority says; you have to accept. You cannot say "Why?" Vedic injunction. Therefore Kṛṣṇa was accepted as guru by Arjuna. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Because as friend and friend the reply and argument will go on, to stop this argument Kṛṣṇa is accepted as guru, not as friend. Similarly, when you accept a guru, you must accept guru according to the Vedic principle. So here guru, Sanātana Gosvāmī, he is giving the injunction that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtaṁ śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam. Exceptional case is different, the paramahaṁsa stage.
Then he offered him one dhotī. Dhotī, in India, they use dhotī, about five yards, one dhotī. So he offered that dhotī, old clothing, and he divided into bahirvāsa and kaupīna, underwear and outward clothing.
- mahārāṣṭrīya dvije prabhu milāilā sanātane
- sei vipra tāṅre kaila mahā-nimantraṇe
Then again one Maharastrian brāhmaṇa also met him. He also invited him that "Next day, you please come to my place."
- 'sanātana, tumi yāvat kāśīte rahibā
- tāvat āmāra ghare bhikṣā ye karibā'
That Maharastriya brāhmaṇa, he invited him, Sanātana Gosvāmī, "So long you shall stay at Benares, kindly accept my invitation. You come to my place and take your prasādam."
The doctors are sitting, analyzing. But as soon as the soul passes, they cannot explain what happened, what happened to this meta..., I mean to say, anatomy and physiology. They stand fools. So this is going on. The essence of the thing, the essence of the manifestation, cosmic manifestation they have missed. They're simply analyzing the outward cover. That's all. That sort of analysis is compared here as simply beating the bush. That's all. (laughter) It has no value.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Why? Because the soul is there. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to understand this fact first of all, that body is superficial. Just like you are dressed with your shirt and coat. The shirt and coat is not important, but the person who is putting on the shirt and coat, he is important. Unfortunately, modern education is giving stress on the outward, external body or to the dress and not to... They do not understand who is the person who is dressed or who has got this body. This is the first lesson of spiritual understanding. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find, this is the first instruction:
Initiation Lectures
So the spirit soul can speak when he is Kṛṣṇa conscious; otherwise he is covered. His speaking power is stopped. Just like an unconscious man is without any consciousness, but he has got the life—the soul is there—similarly, in the other species of life, although the soul is there, it is not, the soul is not speaking. The outward, the influence of the soul... (aside:) What is this? That means the soul is not manifested there fully. Labdhvā sudurlabham (SB 11.9.29). That is being manifested from aquatic life to plant life, then in insect life, then bird's life, then beast's life, at last human life. Out of human life, there are civilized life, uncivilized life. And out of the civilized life, there are atheists and theists, and those who are actually developed conscious. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The consciousness is developing from the lowest status of living condition, aquatic, then plants, trees, then insects, flying insects, then birds, then four-legged beasts, so many, then two hands, two legs, gorilla.
General Lectures
It is meant for everyone because every living entity is sanātana, eternal. It is not that only Indians are eternal. Everyone is eternal. Even the animals, they are also eternal. They have got different body according to their karma. Therefore paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). The paṇḍita does not see the outward dress. If we talk with you, I do not see what kind of dress you have got. I talk with you as gentleman. Similarly, a paṇḍita sees the inner soul. He does not see the outward dress, that "Here is a human being," or "Here is an American," "Here is an Indian," "Here is a brāhmaṇa" or "Here is a elephant" or "dog" or "caṇḍāla," "tree." No. He sees only the spirit soul, the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as one sees the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, he immediately remembers Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, one who is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even though he sees a tree, immediately he sees Kṛṣṇa.
"I am American," "I am Englishman," "I am Indian." Because by accident I have got this Indian body, I may think, "I am Indian." You may have American body; you may think, "I am..." But we are neither American nor Indian. We are pure spirit soul. This is only an outward dress. Suppose you have got green dress. You don't say that "I am green dress." You say, "I am Mr. John." Similarly, if we say that "I am American," "I am Indian," that is not my real identification. Exactly like that, if somebody says that "I am Mr. green dress," "I am Mr. white dress," as that is not identification, similarly, if I say "I am American" or "I am Indian" or "Englishman," or so many, "Hindus" or "Muslims," that is not my pure identification. My pure identification is that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, or God." That's all. That is pure identification.
It is meant for everyone because every living entity is sanātana, eternal. It is not that only Indians are eternal. Everyone is eternal. Even the animals, they are also eternal. They have got different body according to their karma. Therefore paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). The paṇḍita does not see the outward dress. As if we talk with you, I do not see what kind of dress you have got, I talk with you as gentleman, similarly, a paṇḍita sees the inner soul. He does not see the outward dress, that "Here is a human being," or "Here is an American, here is an Indian, here is a brāhmaṇa," or "Here is an elephant" or "dog" or "caṇḍāla" or "tree." No. He sees only the spirit soul, the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as one sees the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, he immediately remembers Kṛṣṇa. So therefore one who is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even though he sees a tree, immediately he sees Kṛṣṇa.
Just like your mūrti or my mūrti—mūrti means form—may be little different, but we are made of the same ingredients. If your body surgically operated, the same blood, stone, or bone, or flesh, everything is there the same because same ingredients. Similarly, our outward covering is covered by these material elements, but inside, within this, there is the spirit soul. Therefore one who is advanced, he does not see that "This is cat, this is dog, this is man, this is elephant, and this is brāhmaṇa, this is this..." No. He sees the soul, that "Here is the soul, part and parcel of God." That is his vision. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). So that is God realization. God is spirit, Supreme Spirit, and he is part and parcel, the living entities. That is real vision. Paṇḍitāḥ. Paṇḍitāḥ means learned.
Dead means gone. So factually I never saw my father who has gone. I saw the body of my father, and that is lying on the bed. Why I am crying, "My father is gone"? Therefore this is called ignorance. We do not see the real father within the body, or we do not see the real son within the body. We see the outward dress only. This is ignorance.
So we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on the platform of the spirit soul, which we do not see with these material eyes. This is great ignorance. After death we cry that "My father is gone," "My son is gone." But where he has gone? He is lying on the bed. Now, even still, we do not come to the understanding what is the difference between the living body and the dead body. There are so many theories, but as I have already told you that we receive knowledge from the perfect person, Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Sambhavāmi. That is not birth. Sambhavāmi means appearance. Appearance. Appearance.
Guest (2): But is it like sunrise?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Gone outward... Just like when He appears you can see Him.
Guest (2): What about that Janmāṣṭamī? We observe all those things. What is the significance?
Prabhupāda: That sambhavāmi is taken as janma, just like when the sun appears we take it as the sunrise and we perform so many things, similarly. You please take some prasādam. Yes. Sit down. Please sit down. Take some prasādam. Here is... Sit down.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: No, no. He is giving stress that nature has made man. That is our objection, that nature cannot do anything. Nature has given a body that..., just like a tailor can give me a set of dress, but the dress, when I put on, the dress looks like a man, with hands and legs. But dress is nothing; it is simply outward covering of a man, a living entity. Similarly, nature gives us this material body, outward coating. The inside is living entity, that..., not the creation of this material nature. That is creation of part and parcel of God. This (indistinct) knowledge is imperfect, that nature has created man. That is imperfect knowledge.
Prabhupāda: No, new worlds added and old worlds subtracted. That is going on, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).
Hayagrīva: The present-day material scientists, astronomers, state..., one of the theories is that the universe is expanding, that the systems are going outward into space and are moving proportionately further and further from one another, just like raisins rising in dough. When raisin bread is in the oven, the raisins, they go further and further and further apart as the dough expands. So is this...?
Prabhupāda: That expansion goes to a certain extent. Then the expansion stops, then it becomes dwindling and then finished.
Hayagrīva: Well then Bergson is actually incorrect in saying that the universe is evolving toward some grand harmony.
Hayagrīva: He believed that if man could not, by the exercise of his own energies, improve both himself and his outward circumstances, that is if man could not improve the world to do more good for his, to do good for himself and other creatures, vastly more than God had in the first instance done, the being who called him into existence would deserve something very different from thanks at his hands. In other words that if man couldn't improve the world, then...
Prabhupāda: How it can be improved? One man may be good, religious, abiding by the orders of God, and 99.9 percent, they are Godless. So how it can be improved? This material world, as it is, it can be improved only by the increase of percentage of God conscious men, otherwise there is no possibility of improvement. Every man is differently conscious. So you cannot bring them together. For example, just these modern civilized nations, they are struggling in the United Nation Organization, but they could not do for the last thirty, forty years. That is not possible. That is futile attempt. Unless people become God conscious, there is no improvement of the world.
Hayagrīva: The... He speaks of the sannyāsī, who lives without a dwelling and entirely without property, who is advised not to lay down often under the same tree least he should acquire a preference or inclination for it above other trees. The Christian mystic and the teacher of the Vedānta philosophy agree in this respect also, that they both regard all outward works and religious exercises as superfluous for him who has attained to perfection. Isn't this the viewpoint of the Māyāvādī, and doesn't Kṛṣṇa recommend the lighting of the sacrificial fire even after one has attained perfection?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa says, yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyā na tyājam. Because if he gives up this ritualistic ceremony, then there is chance of falling down. So even though he is liberated, to keep his position secure he should continue these three things: sacrifice, charity, and austerity.
Revatīnandana: The introspective.
Devotee (3): There's a difference between an introspective person and an introvert. An introvert, somebody who is concerned with his false ego, turns in on himself, that he doesn't express himself outwardly to others, while an extrovert does. "Vert" means "to turn." So he's turned in upon himself, on his own personality.
Prabhupāda: Self-centered.
Devotees: Self-centered, yes.
Devotee (5): An extrovert is also self-centered, he keeps himself in the center of a large social structure. He only considers his own personality without interacting with others.
Devotee (3): One has more or less one or the other...
Prabhupāda: But how do you say that man is a social animal? How can you avoid society?
Prabhupāda: When one becomes fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he understands that this material body is the external coating; he is different from this material body. That condition, that uncontaminated understanding, is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. The spirit soul is Brahman. He was under the illusion of bodily concept of life—that is called jīva-bhūtaḥ—and when he understands that he is not this body, he is the spirit soul within the body, that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. So when one comes to this understanding of his spiritual identity, he becomes joyful, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54), he has no more any hankering or lamentation. In that position he sees all other living entities as spirit soul. He does not see the outward covering. Even in a dog he sees the spirit soul covered by the body of a dog, and similarly a learned brāhmaṇa, he also sees the spirit soul covered by the material body designated as learned brāhmaṇa. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā this conception is summarized,
Prabhupāda: Yes. As in the material world any form-man or beast or anyone—in the outward, external covering is matter, but within the matter there is the soul. The soul has form and God has form. That is real form. And the material form is simply shirting and coating over the spiritual body.
Hayagrīva: Aquinas gives five arguments for God's existence. The first is that there must be a first cause, a first cause of everything. The second is similar in saying the material world cannot create itself but requires something external or spiritual to bring it into existence. And the third argument claims that because the world exists, there must be a creator capable of bringing it into existence. The fourth states that since there is relative perfection in the world, there must be absolute perfection underlying this relative perfection. And the fifth is the argument from design: because the creation has design and purpose there must be a designer and planner. So at this time they were very concerned with arguments for the existence of God, and Aquinas gave these five.
| Page Title: | Outward (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 25 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=79, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 79 |