So at the present moment, because these purificatory processes are not accepted, even in India... Accepted, they're unable. Everything has topsy-turvied. Therefore the śāstra says that: "Accept everyone as śūdra." Kalau śūdraḥ sambhava. There is no more brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya. All śūdras. We have to accept. Because no Vedic culture, no Garbhādhāna saṁskāra. They are born like cats and dogs. So where is this division? There cannot be. Therefore, accept them as śūdra. Varṇa-saṅkara is less than śūdra. So at least, śūdra they should be. So there is no Vaidic dīkṣā. For śūdra, there is no dīkṣā, there is no initiation. Initiation is meant for the persons who are born in brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family, or vaiśya family. The śūdra has no initiation. So in India there are professional gurus. They initiate śūdras, but do not eat foodstuff touched by the disciple. So there are so many things, that if he's initiated, how he can remain śūdra? But they keep him śūdra; at the same time, they become guru. Sanātana Gosvāmī gives direction in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa that: tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām. If properly initiated, he becomes immediately brāhmaṇa. Dvijatvam. Dvija means second birth. Yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ. There is a chemical process that kāṁsya, bell metal, can be turned into gold by mixing with proportionately mercury. Now here is a hint of chemistry. If anyone can prepare gold... But it is very difficult to mix mercury. As soon as there is little heat, immediately the mercury's finished. So there is a process. Everything has process. Many yogis know how to make gold from copper. Actually, chemically, copper, tin and mercury, if you mix proportionately, it will be gold. So Sanātana Gosvāmī gives this example. As the copper and tin, these two metals, mixed with mercury, there can be production of gold, similarly, by proper initiation, by the proper spiritual master, one śūdra, even though he's a śūdra, less than śūdra, varṇa-saṅkara, or caṇḍāla, he can become dvija, brāhmaṇa. So our process is to make dvija. Pāñcarātrikī vidhi. Pāñcarātrikī vidhi.
Proportion (Lectures)
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Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So there are so many things, that if he's initiated, how he can remain śūdra? But they keep him śūdra; at the same time, they become guru. Sanātana Gosvāmī gives direction in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa that: tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām. If properly initiated, he becomes immediately brāhmaṇa. Dvijatvam. Dvija means second birth. Yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ. There is a chemical process that kāṁsya, bell metal, can be turned into gold by mixing with proportionately mercury. Now here is a hint of chemistry. If anyone can prepare gold... But it is very difficult to mix mercury. As soon as there is little heat, immediately the mercury's finished. So there is a process. Everything has process. Many yogis know how to make gold from copper. Actually, chemically, copper, tin and mercury, if you mix proportionately, it will be gold. So Sanātana Gosvāmī gives this example. As the copper and tin, these two metals, mixed with mercury, there can be production of gold, similarly, by proper initiation, by the proper spiritual master, one śūdra, even though he's a śūdra, less than śūdra, varṇa-saṅkara, or caṇḍāla, he can become dvija, brāhmaṇa.
So in this verse Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna, "My dear Arjuna, these Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities, even if you achieve one percent result... What is that result? Bhakti. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). This Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or bhakti, devotional service, means to develop attachment for Kṛṣṇa and in the same proportion develop detachment for material sense gratification. Two things cannot go on. Just like here is a glass containing water. If you want to put milk in this glass, then you have to throw away the water. If you think that "I shall keep half water, half milk," that can be done, but both of them becomes diluted or polluted. If you want to keep milk, then you have to throw out the water, and if you want to keep water, then you cannot keep milk. Similarly, bhakti pareśānubhavaḥ. This is the test. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, if you are improving in spiritual life, proportionately you'll be detached from materialistic way of life. That is the test. Simply thinking that "I am meditating so much, I am making very good advance," is not. You have to test.
Now, we cannot even imagine, but supposing that point, if that point has got so much energy that it is playing wonderful things, everything is being manufactured by the brain of that small particle, now you can just make a proportion: then the full one, how much wonderful things He can do. If a small particle of... A spark of fire, if it is dropped here, it will at once burn it. Now, you can just imagine the big fire, how much capacity has got.
So the thing is that we, we are, because we are part and parcel of that sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), eternity, blissful and knowledge, therefore our hankering is always to live eternally. Our hankering is always to get full knowledge, and our hankering is always to remain happy. That is our natural hankering. But that is being hampered due to this body. That we do not understand. We are hankering after full knowledge, we are hankering after full bliss, we are hankering after eternity, but we do not know how to obtain that. Here is the information.
If you take votes, then the number of human beings will be very small all over the world. It is four to eighty. If living, I mean to say, human beings, including all civilized, uncivilized, any, any number of whatever, Indian, American, and European, anything, take altogether, they will be four, four parts, and all other living creatures, they'll be eighty parts. The proportion is so big. But in the human society you'll find that we have got some occupation for our livelihood. Either one is doing business or one is working or one is engineer, one is a lawyer, or one is a daily worker, some way or other, we are doing all these things for having our livelihood. But, but we are these only four. But in the creation of the Lord there are other eighty—they have no such engagement. Neither they are lawyer, neither they are engineer, neither they have any business, neither they have occupation, neither they make any agriculture, nothing of the sort. But they are happy. They are having their foodstuff. This is a practical thing. Not only that, even particular, a particular animal, what he likes, that particular foodstuff is supplied to him.
"Yes, I shall drink it." So he drunk it, and he, his body, of course, stopped functioning because poison will act. But he was not afraid of drinking poison because he, he was completely situated in that platform. So there is no fear. So long bodily conception of life is there, oh, fearfulness will be always there in proportionately. As much I get rid of this bodily conception of life, then my fearfulness also decreases. And so long I am absorbed in bodily conception of life, my fearfulness is greater.
So vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ (BG 2.56). Because the function of the body... So far we have body, our body's concerned, there are four things, demands of the body... Āhāra, āhāra, nidrā, bhaya, maithuna. Āhāra means eating, and nidrā means sleeping, and bhaya means fearing, and maithuna means mating. So these are the demands of the body. So one who is free from the conception of body, his demands, his āhāra, his nidrā, or his eating, his sleeping, his fear, and his sex desire, will automatically decrease.
And if there is actually association of spiritually self-realized persons, then he will give you some process of spiritual activities. That is called bhajana-kriyā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ atha bhajana-kriyā tataḥ anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. And as you are more and more engaged in spiritual activities, so, proportionately, your material activities and affection for material activities will diminish. Counteraction. When you engage in the spiritual activities, your material activities diminishes. But just mind that. Material activities and spiritual activities, difference is that... Suppose you are engaged as a medical man. You don't think that "If I become spiritually engaged, then I have to give up my profession." No, no. That is not. You have to spiritualize your profession. Just like Arjuna, he was a military man. He became a spiritualist. That means he spiritualized his military activity.
So these are the techniques. So ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ atha bhajana-kriyā tataḥ anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Anartha means... Anartha means that creates my miseries. Material activities will continue to increase my misery.
Automatically they will be detestful for material engagement. Spiritual advancement means that.
Just like a hungry man, if you give him to eat, as soon as he begins to eat, immediately he'll feel satisfaction, and when he is fully fed, he'll say, "No, I don't want any more." So similarly, spiritual advancement means proportionately one should be detestful to material engagement. That is the test.
So if anyone is advancing by meditation or bhakti-yoga or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has to give evidence that he is now being proportionately detached from this material engagement. That is the test. This is not for only the meditators. It is for you also. How far you are advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness you test yourself—how far you have become detached from material consciousness. That's all. The proportionately you have advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the proportionately you'll not like material engagement. If you have advanced cent percent, then cent percent you become detached. That is the way.
So we are also Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. Therefore in minute quantity we have got the same propensities, how to enjoy life. This is... Because we are Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. The same... Just like the drop of sea water has the same chemical composition. Analyze. The same percentage of salt, proportionately. Just like two upon fifty, proportion, what is called, ratio. The ratio is the same, only in small quantity. Otherwise the percentage is the same. Only in small quantity.
So we are ānandamaya. Our nature is to remain always jubilant in pleasure. But because we are in this material contact, we are not jubilant. This is our problem. That Kṛṣṇa is suggesting here, how to solve your problem. He says, vīta-rāga. "Give up this attachment, sense attachment." Rāga. Rāga means attachment. Vīta-rāga-bhaya.
And here we have got one quality, that fear, always fearing. Just like we are having these railings, why? We are afraid, we may not be attacked.
Now, here Kṛṣṇa says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. He is looking after always: "When the living entity shall turn his face towards Me?" And as we turn our face towards Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Lord, He also responds in proportionately. He also responds proportionately. It is not difficult.
Somebody says, "Can we see God?" Yes, you can see God. But how much prapatti? How much you have surrendered to God? Surrender to God... How much qualification you have acquired for seeing God? Seeing God is not very difficult, but at the same time it is very difficult.
Just like if I want to see President Johnson, if I am unknown to him, oh, I will have to take so many formalities. I will have to write to his secretary, and the secretary will give me some time or may not give me some time, so many things. But if you are personally known to President Johnson, you are intimately thick and thin with him, and as soon as you call him, "Mr. Johnson, I want to see you," "Yes, you can come."
The Lord does not require our cooperation. He is full in Himself. He does not require my service, but still, if you love Him, then He reciprocates. So our reciprocation with the Lord depends on the proportion of our love, love of Godhead. This love of Godhead can be attained by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. A proportionately, as I surrender unto the Supreme Lord... We must always know that our background of relationship is that we are subordinate, and He is great. God is great. We cannot be equal with Him. We have to follow. He is the supreme leader. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa says that "You give up everything." He is trying to give you leadership. He is prepared to give you all leadership provided you are prepared to follow His leadership. That's all. Reciprocation. And in proportionately, proportionately, as you accept His leadership, He also responds reciprocally. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante.
That is not possible. The other day we have already discussed that Bhagavad-gītā can be understood by a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, nobody else. Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam (BG 4.3). So here is a chance.
Now, Kṛṣṇa says that ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. Now the proportionately, if you agree to follow the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, proportionately as you follow, so you become perfect. If you follow one percent, then you become one percent perfect. If you follow twenty-five percent, then you become twenty-five percent perfect. And if you follow cent-percent, then you become centpercent. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa does not interfere with your individual independence. Every living entity has got an independence, minute, because he is also spiritual atom. We are all spiritual atoms. That atomic, spiritual atomic force... Just like a material atomic force is so strong, so you can just imagine how strong is spiritual atom.
Now, we are trying to be posted or to be situated in that position of real happiness by practice of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we shall gradually develop our intelligence, real intelligence. Then we shall naturally like to enjoy that spiritual happiness. And as we make progress and get taste of spiritual happiness, so proportionately we give up the taste of this material happiness. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Bhakti, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is gradually developed in realizing, understanding the Supreme Absolute Truth, pareśānubhavaḥ. Pareśānubhavaḥ. As pareśānubhavaḥ, as we make progress to understand the Absolute Truth, naturally we become detached from this false happiness we are trying to enjoy. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt.
Now, here it is stated, yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. If somebody, somehow or other, achieves or is promoted to that stage, then what is the result? Result is yaṁ labdhvā, "By achieving such stage of transcendental stage," cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nā..., "other achievements, they become insignificant."
This is life. Human life is meant for this purpose. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. We require something to eat because we have got this body. So minimizing the bodily enjoyments... Bodily enjoyment means... Or necessities. When you use bodily necessities in excessive proportion, that is called kāma. Otherwise, to satisfy the bodily necessities, that is not kāma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha. Dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu. Dharma aviruddha. The religion, religion means regulation. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Everything has got regulation. Just like in our ordinary life, we get license. Even a man is keeping a wine shop—that is not good thing—but he must take license, regulation. The whole śāstra means regulation. Śāstra. The word śāstra has come from śās-dhātu. Śās-dhātu means ruling, controlling. So from śās-dhātu, the śāsana has come, government ruling. And śāstra has come. And śastra has come. Śastra means weapon. Just like sword. It is called śastra. Or guns. And śāstra also. Śāstra is the regulative principles, the book of law.
So here it is mentioned, trai-vidyā soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpāḥ. They, after preparing themselves to be transferred in other planets, they become free from all sinful reaction. The higher planet, as you go, you have to become free from sinful action. The lower grade life and higher grade life in this material world means those who are proportionately less sinful, they are promoted in higher planets. You cannot be free from sinful reaction in this material world. There will be some portion, some percentage. So the higher grade life and lower grade life means those who are proportionately greater sinful, they have got lower grade life, and those who have got greater pious life, they get higher grade life in higher planets, in Brahmaloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka. Tapoloka means those who have performed here severe penances, and they are transferred there in Tapoloka. In Tapoloka, when there is destruction, annihilation of this material world, in the Tapoloka there is no destruction. They get information, "Now annihilation has begun." There is a great fire, and they still feel that heat, and at that time they transfer themselves to the spiritual sky. That mention we have got.
First of all we are very minute part and parcel of Bhagavān. Mamaivāṁśaḥ. So, according to our position, we have got our knowledge, we have got our understanding, proportionately. Just like fire, big fire and a small spot fire. Both of them are fire, but you cannot compare the small fragment of fire with the big fire. That is not possible. The big ocean and a small drop of water from the ocean. Because the taste of the small drop of ocean is the same, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they conclude that "I am the same." But they have no common sense that the small drop of water, although the quality is the same, it is very small. So our knowledge is therefore imperfect. Although we are qualitatively one with God, still, being very small quantity, our power, our knowledge, our understanding—everything is proportionately small. You must first of all understand that, that we are simultaneously one and different.
This is the process. It is not a new thing. It is the old thing. Simply we have to distribute it properly, as we have heard from our predecessor ācārya. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is recommended: ācārya upāsanam: "One must approach ācārya." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Simply by speculating, by so-called scholarship, it is not possible. It is not possible. One must approach the ācārya. So the ācārya is coming by paramparā system, disciplic succession. Therefore Kṛṣṇa recommends, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā: (BG 4.34) "One should approach the ācārya and try to understand by praṇipāta, surrender." This whole thing is depending on surrender. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. The surrender process, the proportion of surrender, is the means of understanding Kṛṣṇa. If we are partially surrendered, then we understand Kṛṣṇa partially. So ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. It is the proportion of surrender. The one who has surrendered fully, he can understand this philosophy and he can preach also, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. What is that?
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So there cannot be any question of impersonalism. Because by studying the sample living entity, you can understand the chief living entity. Kṛṣṇa is the chief living entity, supreme living entity. So we are samples. Whatever propensities we have got, Kṛṣṇa has also got. But we have got in a limited proportion. Kṛṣṇa has got unlimited proportion. The... Take the same example. The loving propensity, yupat..., yupatidvan yatha yuna,(?) this is natural. But we may finish... Because it is perverted, we may finish these loving propensities within time and space. But Kṛṣṇa's loving propensity is not finished within time and space. It is eternal. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourself.
So if we actually study Kṛṣṇa,... The Bhagavad-gītā is the Kṛṣṇa-science, and it is further explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So the Bhāga..., Bhāgava..., Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining in tattva, in fact, in truth, what is Kṛṣṇa. So if we learn Kṛṣṇa, if we understand Kṛṣṇa, then our life is fulfilled. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is our only business.
So Vyāsadeva, he is giving us this knowledge. Vidvān lokasyājānataḥ. The whole population, the total number of the living entities—either he is Brahmā or a small—proportionately, they are all in ignorance. Otherwise why Brahmā required Vedic knowledge? It is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Ādi-kavaye, Brahmā, he is svayambhū. He's so great that he's directly born from Nārāyaṇa, svayambhū, not through any material mother. Just imagine how he is great. And Brahmā is great, everyone knows. So he had to take knowledge also. Otherwise, why it is said tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye? Even though he's the most learned, ādi-kavaye, he had to take knowledge. So you can say "He is the first creature, there was nobody there. How he took knowledge? Who gave him knowledge?" The answer is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that Vāsudeva gave him. "Where is Vāsudeva? There was nothing." No. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61).
Then it will reveal. The whole thing is revelation. It is not by experience, by scholarship. No: revelation. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. One who has surrendered proportionately, God reveals. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11).
So there is no difficulty to understand what is God. Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord-directly. I do not know why people are searching after God, why they do not know what is God. Just see. That means mūḍha. Although God is here, still, he'll not accept. That is mūḍha, narādhama. And why he's mūḍha? Because narādhama. He does not take the process. He wants to manufacture something. Don't do that. Here Arjuna is mahājana, he's Kṛṣṇa's friend, he's always with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa recognizes him. Not that because one is always with Kṛṣṇa, therefore he knows Kṛṣṇa. No. That is not possible. Just like I have given this example many times, that I am sitting here, and the bug is also sitting here. That does not mean we are very confidential. No. Bug is different visions (business?), and my business different. And bug's business is biting.
Such, such, big, big men, what to speak of these Churchill or Subhash Bose or... These big, big, they're kīṭāyate. Kīṭāyate means a devotee thinks this Brahmā and Indra exactly like these insect. That is the conception. So that is actually the fact. Everyone... It is the relative world. Relatively, it looks very gorgeous, but the actually... Just like proportionate. You put five upon ten, and five millions upon ten millions. The ratio is the same, half. Similarly, these big, big men, these big, big politicians, they are struggling exactly like the insect. The whole life, they struggle. And in the morning, at a certain time, they're heap, heaps of dead body. That's all. We have seen it in Calcutta. When there was Hindu-Muslim riot, they fought, and in Bhag Bazaar there were heaps of dead bodies. And when it is dead body, nobody could understand who is Hindu and who is Muslim. Simply it was to be cleared from the road. So our position is like that.
Prabhupāda: Read the purport. Read. Long purport.
Pradyumna: "With the progress of the age of Kali, four things particularly, namely the duration of life, mercy, the power of recollection, and moral or religious principles will gradually diminish. Since dharma, or the principles of religion, would be lost in the proportion of three out of four, the symbolic bull was standing on one leg only. When three-fourths of the population of the whole world become irreligious, the situation is converted into hell for the animals. In the age of Kali, godless civilizations will create so many so-called religious societies in which the Personality of Godhead will be directly or indirectly defied. And thus faithless societies of men will make the world uninhabitable for the saner section of people. There are gradations of human beings in terms of proportionate faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The first-class..."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Go on.
Yes. He also taught about God. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means God consciousness. So why Jesus? Anyone speaks... But one must know. There are degrees. Just like a person... Somebody knows to some extent, other knows to some extent, other knows to some extent, other knows to some extent. Or somebody understands to some extent. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means complete understanding of Kṛṣṇa. Just like there are steps; if you want to go to the 104th floor, there are so many steps. So everyone is going, aiming, to that 104th, but one has covered ten steps, one has covered twenty, another hundred, like that. The aim is the same, but you cannot say that one who has already covered one hundred steps, he is as good as one who has covered two steps. There is that difference. Here is a person who has covered only two steps; here is another person who has covered fifty steps; here is another person who has covered hundred steps. Suppose you have to fulfill five hundred steps. So proportionately, that is the position. But the steps are already there.
Such charity is recommended to be given to a brāhmaṇa. If the money is given in charity to a non-brāhmaṇa without brahminical qualification, the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated brāhmaṇa, even then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brāhmaṇa, the money is returned a hundred and thousand times, and if the money is given to a veda-pāraga, one who has actually realized the path of the Vedas, it is returned by unlimited multiplication.
The ultimate end of Vedic knowledge is to realize the Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). There is guarantee of money being returned if given in charity regardless of the proportion. Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life for returning home back, to Godhead. Mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. In other words, a devotee of the Lord is guaranteed eternal life. A devotee's old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life."
Prabhupāda:
- dravyākṛtitvaṁ guṇatā
- vyakti-saṁsthātvam eva ca
- tejastvaṁ tejasaḥ sādhvi
- rūpa-mātrasya vṛttayaḥ
- (SB 3.26.39)
So little explanation is there. This is the transformation of the elements, how from sky, the air; from air, the fire; fire, water. Everything in that proportion is explained by Sāṅkhya philosophy, how one after another, the form, taste, smell, touch are appreciated in different objects differently. Just like some eatable things—the form is appreciated by taste. The flower—the form is estimated by its smelling, aroma. So that is being explained. You can read the purport.
Nitāi: "Every form that we appreciate has its particular dimensions and characteristics. The quality of a particular object is appreciated by its utility. But the form of sound is independent. Forms which are invisible can be understood only by touch; that is the independent appreciation of invisible form."
Prabhupāda: Just like the air. We cannot see, but we can touch. The air passes. It touches our body. We can understand, "Now the air is passing." Then?
The original, I mean to say, manipulator is Kṛṣṇa. Just like we have got experience, I have given just now experience, that oil is there. Suppose oil is acid, and soda is called alkali. The acid is there, alkali is there, but when a person comes, mix it proportionately, it becomes another product: soap. Similarly, everything is being manufactured like that, but how it is done? That is the expert handling of the Supreme Lord. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). He has got multi-energies, subtle laws, and He is working. But still, He has nothing to do Himself. That is God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Although He is handling... He is doing everything. Otherwise how it is possible? We have got experience. There is oil, and there is alkali, or soda, but they are not mixing together. For mixing together, you require another, living energy. Otherwise, automatically, there cannot be soap. The soap factory is there, but the manufacturer is also there.
Nitāi: "Odor, although one, becomes many—as mixed, offensive, fragrant, mild, strong, acidic and so on—according to the proportions of associated substances."
Prabhupāda:
- karambha-pūti-saurabhya-
- śāntogrāmlādibhiḥ pṛthak
- dravyāvayava-vai...
- (SB 3.26.45)
What is that? Vaiṣamyād gandha eko vibhidyate. In the previous verse the gandha, from gandha, from smell, fragrance or smell, ghrāṇas tu gandhagaḥ. So in the smelling power, nostril, they perceive different varieties. Variety is there. Although the thing is one, one Kṛṣṇa, but even in His material energy, He is perceived in varieties of things. That is the purpose of this Sāṅkhya philosophy, how one has become many. Ekaṁ bahu syām.
So intelligence is to know the one as well as the varieties. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). The Māyāvādī philosophers, they simply take one side, oneness. Ekaṁ brahma dvitīyaṁ nāsti. That is fact. Dvitī... There is no dvitīya. Dvitīyābhiniveśa means māyā.
So if we cannot imagine that "Because we have got earthly body, there cannot be fiery body." That is our lack of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge. In God's creation there are varieties. So just like we can see in the water there are living entities. Their body is made of different..., not different, but different proportion of the material elements so they can remain within the water. Similarly, different proportion in every planet... In the śāstra we see. It is not that, that all the planets are vacant only. This is not very good idea. Everywhere there are living entities. So all these living entities throughout the whole universe, they are possessing body of the material elements. But God has no such body. His body is different, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So that sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, spiritual body, can be expanded, reduced. Aṇor aṇīyāh mahato mahīyān. He can expand this body, spiritual body, bigger than the biggest, and He can reduce the body smaller than the smallest. That is God's body. You cannot do that. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-caya... God is within the atom.
That is not siddhi. Siddhi is different thing. One can become smaller than the smallest. That is called aṇimā. One can become bigger than the biggest, just like Hanumānji. He jumped over the sea. Jumped over sea... This is mahimā-siddhi. One can become as big as required. Just like there is water. A grown-up man can cross water by jumping, but a small child cannot do. So proportionately, if you increase your body by the mahimā-siddhi, you can jump over the sea. That is possible. So these are called siddhas. We have got description in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about the Siddhaloka. There the people can go from one planet to another in this body. That is called siddhi. Here we are trying to go to other planet with the machine, and still, we are failure. But in the Siddhaloka they can go very easily from one planet to another with this body. They are siddhas.
So these descriptions are there. There are Gandharvalokas, Kinnaralokas, and the topmost is Brahmaloka, where Lord Brahmā lives. And other persons, many, everywhere... Not that simply the chief man lives.
So the entanglement is made by the senses. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung that śarīra avidyā-jāl, joḍendriya tāhe kāl, jīve phele viṣaya-sāgore. This body is covering of ignorance, śarīra avidyā-jāl. Everyone has got a material body, and according to the different proportion of ignorance (aside:) This child is so crying. From three miles we can hear. Balanaṁ rodanaṁ balam. This is strength of the children, crying. They can disturb the whole world (laughter) simply by crying. So just see. This is the body, immediately. You cannot cry like that. Even if you are aggrieved, you cannot cry so loudly that up to four miles one can hear. That is not possible. Why it is not possible? Because he has got a different body and you have got a different. Everything is going on according to the body. This is mahā-vimoha. This is going on, 8,400,000's of different forms of body according to mano, vaca, dṛk, karaṇa, etc. This body is the entanglement, and the senses are the instruments, and we are acting with the senses and we creating another type of body. This is going on.
Just like you go to a physician, and according to the gravity of the disease, the physician prescribes a medicine which may be very costly or may not be costly. That depends on the gravity of the disease. If the disease is very dangerous, then sometimes you have to accept some medicine which is very costly. Similarly, our contamination with sinful activities will require proportionate atonement. That is the prescription of the scriptures. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that "Before your death, if you accept some atonement, then next life you'll not suffer. Otherwise you'll carry with you the resultant action of your sinful activities and you'll have to suffer next life." Just like in the state laws, if you kill some man, murder, then the state law says that you shall be also hanged. "Life for life."
So this is is not very new. The, in the Manu-saṁhitā... Manu-saṁhitā means Lord Manu, he's the giver of law to the mankind. From Manu, the word man has come. The exact Sanskrit word "manuṣya." Manuṣya means man. So there is some link with Manu, M-a-n-u, and "man." So this Latin word comes from the Sanskrit word, manu. So Manu is supposed to be the law-giver to the humankind.
Someway or other, if anybody fixes his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then, he says, na te yamaṁ pāśa-bhṛtaś ca tad-bhaṭān svapne 'pi paśyanti. It is, according to Vedic scripture, the sinful persons are taken to the superintendent of death, and there, according to his different volumes or proportion of sinful activities, a living entity is punished. The spirit soul is taken in that planet where the Yamarāja is there, and in the subtle form... Subtle form means the spirit covered in the subtle form of mind, intelligence and false ego, he is put into various trouble. Sometimes, just like we are also, even in this life, we are put into such troublesome position in dream. That is our experience. Suppose we are put into some narrow space and I am just going to be suffocated, or I am in the face of some dangerous animal, or deep into the ocean. Sometimes we dream like that. A similar punishment is given after death, and when the living being or the living entity becomes accustomed to such habit, then he is put into the womb of a certain type of animal or man where that suffering will continue. He is made into practice.
Therefore we create nationalism, Communism, this "ism," that "ism," because we want to stay here permanently. But unfortunately nobody will be allowed to stay even if you want to stay. That is the miserable condition of material life. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). So we have to leave this place. And when we leave, then, according to our proportion of sinful or pious activities, we get next body. So those who are very, very sinful, they go to the hellish condition of life, the planets. They are down this universe. There is the kingdom of Pluto, or Yamarāja. And he comes at the time of death, and the sinful man... Is very, very fierceful, odd looking, and they come to take. So here it is said that one who has once surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, for them there is no such fear. Even in dream they will not see the order-carriers of Yamarāja.
So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving this benefit to the human society. It is very easy, not difficult. Without any condition. You simply chant and remember Kṛṣṇa. It is not at all difficult.
The birth... Kṛṣṇa says, "Birth, death, old age and disease, these are your problems." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Does it mean that these sufferings of birth, death and old age and disease, there is none in America or in other, moon planet? No. There is also same. Neither in greater portion, proportion. So there is stringent laws of the material nature everywhere, and there is God behind him, behind the nature. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Everything is going on under the direction of the supreme controller, and these are officers, just like Yamarāja, strictly following the regulative principles, the order of sun-god.
So this Ajāmila... We have already described his life—cheating, roguism and prostitute-hunter and so many things, that is his life. So he's subjected to the punishment, to be punished by the Yamarāja. So his order carriers have come to take him away. But, in the meantime, the Viṣṇudūtas came and asked them, "No. Don't touch him. Don't touch him." So they were surprised: "What is this?"
Nitai: "In this life, any person to the proportionate degree of the varieties of work, either religious or irreligious, as they are performed in the next life also, the same person to the same degree, the same variety, the resultant action of his karma must enjoy or suffer."
Prabhupāda:
- yena yāvān yathādharmo
- dharmo veha samīhitaḥ
- sa eva tat-phalaṁ bhuṅkte
- tathā tāvad amutra vai
- (SB 6.1.45)
So in the previous verse we have discussed, dehavān na hy akarma-kṛt. Anyone who has got this material body, he has to work. Everyone has to work. In the spiritual body also you have to work. In the material body also you have to work. Because the working principle is the soul—soul is living force—so he is busy. Living body means there is movement. There is work. He cannot sit idly. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "Not even for a moment one can be idle." That is the symptom of living being. So this working is going on according to the particular body. The dog is also running, and a man is also running. But a man thinks he is very much civilized because he is running on motorcar. Both of them are running, but a man has got a particular type of body by which he can prepare a vehicle or cycle, and he can run on.
So the human being must know what is the actual law. That is dharma. Therefore in the human society there is some form of dharma. Either you are Christian or Hindu or Muslim or Buddhist, throughout the whole world, any civilized nation, they have got some dharma or religious system. Why? Through it, you should understand what is the goal of your life. If you do not know that, then proportionately, as you are ignorant, fool, you will be punished. You will be punished.
So nature's way, evolution... The punishment is beginning from the aquatics. Then gradually, gradually, by evolutionary process, nature gives the chance that from aquatics you become plants and trees; then from plants and trees you become insect, reptiles; then from that, you become bird; then from that, you become beast; and from that beast, you become human being. In this way, by evolutionary process, you come to the platform of becoming a human being. Now, developed consciousness, you have to decide, "Where... Whom I shall serve now? I have... So long I have served the laws of material nature, and it has brought me to this platform."
The Absolute Truth, advaya jñāna. There is no duality. He is absolute in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. So Brahman realization means sac-cid-ānanda, simply realization of the sat proportion, eternity. That is Brahman realization. And Paramātmā realization means eternity and knowledge. And Bhagavān realization means eternity, knowledge, and ānanda. Ānandamāyo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). There are three things, if you can reach. But foolish persons, although they are advanced in spiritual knowledge, they do not get the information that behind this Brahman effulgence, behind this Paramātmā realization there is the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. They cannot understand it on account of poor fund of knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuri-bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
Why an impersonalist, although very advanced in knowledge, in Vedic knowledge, still he does not know what is Kṛṣṇa? He inquires, "What is God?" Just see. God is canvassing, "Here I am," and he is inquiring, "What is God?"
So amareśāḥ, they are the bhṛgv-ādaya-ṛṣis, great ṛṣis, or Indra, Candra, and so many demigods. They are looking after the management of this universe. Bhṛgv-ādayaḥ. But they are also attacked, contaminated, by these qualities of ignorance and passion and goodness. Some of them are in goodness; some of them are in passion; some of them in ignorance. They are not free. The proportion may be... Because their duration of life is greater, far, far greater than ours, the proportion may be different, but they are not free. That is stated here. Nobody is free. Anye ca ye viśva-sṛjo 'mareśā bhṛgv-ādayo 'spṛṣṭa-rajas-tamaskāḥ. Spṛṣṭa, they are also contaminated. Nobody... Unless one is completely free from this contamination, nobody is allowed to enter in the spiritual kingdom. Śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means...Even one is situated in that sattva-guṇa, he is not completely pure. Sometimes the other two qualities, ignorance and passion, may attack.
Kṛṣṇa is supremely independent. abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ. Description of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ (SB 1.1.1). Sva-rāṭ means fully independent. Kṛṣṇa is fully independent. But because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are minutely possessing almost, not all, all the qualities of Kṛṣṇa in proportionately in minute quantity. Just like the particle of gold is also gold. That is nothing else but gold. But the value of that particle is different from the gold mine. Our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is like that. Kṛṣṇa is just like the gold mine, and I and you, just like gold earring. The gold earring or gold finger ring or any golden ornament, that is gold undoubtedly, but is not as big as the gold mine. That is the difference between God and ourself. That is the difference. Qualitatively, we are one, being part and parcel of the Supreme Absolute Truth, but quantitatively we are different. Therefore, simultaneously, we are one and different.
Just like from India we thought that "When I go to America and other western countries, I will see that every man is very rich man and every man has got a very nice apartment and is enjoying life." But actually, when I come here I see that there are many poor men, there are many miserable men here also. Only the proportion is different, but the actual fact is the same, either in India or in America or in Canada or in everywhere. The same thing. Proportion different. Therefore, if we want... Prahlāda Mahārāja says that
- kaumāra acaret prajno
- dharmān bhāgavatan iha
- durlābhaṁ manusam janma
- tad apy adhruvam arthadam
- (SB 7.6.1)
This Prahlāda Mahārāja learned this bhāgavata-dharma from Nārada Muni from the womb of his mother. When he was living within the womb of his mother like this... Perhaps you have seen the child in the womb. At least, you have seen in the photograph. So he was lying there within the womb of his mother. And Nārada Muni instructed his mother about this bhāgavata-dharma, and the child... This bhāgavata-dharma is, therefore, without any impediment. Just like one child, four years old, he is associating with us, so he is also getting the same benefit as his father. It is so nice thing. It is not that because he is child he is not getting any benefit. Simply by associating with the devotees, he is getting so much profit, incalculable. Incalculable.
People are very much attracted by humanitarian work, but there are so many institutions that improvement the world's, I mean to say, condition has not improved. Just like from India I was thinking that every American is rich man, but actually, when I come to America, there is economic problem. There is poverty problem here also, although not in comparison to India. But proportion is there, five thousand upon five and five hundred upon..., like that. Proportion is the same. So karma, the karma, the law of karma is there. Everyone is subjected to law of karma, and he has to enjoy or suffer according to law of karma. So we cannot interfere. We can simply teach everybody that sometimes you are becoming in the point of starvation, and sometimes you are becoming extravagant in opulence. But this is changing. Your life, this material existence, is always changing. Sometimes I am very rich man. Sometimes I am very poor man. Sometimes I am human being. Sometimes I am cats and dogs. We shall stop this business of changing. Bhagavad-gītā says, mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. If we try this life to go back to Godhead, go back to home, that is our success.
That is possible. It is not impossible. But ordinarily it is very, very difficult. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja giving so many description, in detail, how we are becoming attached. But our real business is how to become detached. Unless we give up, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), unless we have got the taste for the better thing, the inferior things we cannot give up. By cultivation of bhakti-yoga, by this process, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23), we can get the taste of bhakti-yoga, then it is possible to give up this attachment for the material world. This is possible.
- adau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-
- saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā
- tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt
- tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
- athāsaktis tato bhāvas
- (tataḥ premābhyudañcati)
- sādhakānām ayaṁ premnaḥ
- prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
- (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15)
The real business is how to increase our love, proportional love for Kṛṣṇa. Then everything, proportionately, will come, and then our life will be successful.
Everything. Kṛṣṇa has expanded Himself. Eko bahu śyāma: "One. I am one." The Supreme Lord says, 'I am one. I shall expand." So He has expanded by His energy, by His part and parcel, and everywhere the same quality is there. But there are proportion. Just like when there is fire there is bursting out of sparks. Some of the spark are very big; some of the spark are small, some of them, very small. In this way there are proportion. Similarly, all living entities, all energy, they are all expansion of Kṛṣṇa. The material energy, the spiritual energy, the marginal energy, they are all expansion. Just like sunlight, expansion of the sun. And in the sunlight... It is very easy to understand. In the sunlight there are so many planets, and each and every planet have varieties of production, mountains, seas, ocean, trees, or trees. There are varieties of trees, animals, each and every planet. So nothing is void or impersonal. Everything is full of varieties, personalities. So you can understand. And what are these planets? These planets are called dvīpa. Dvīpa means island.
When the moon is rising daily in the bright fortnight, daily you see that the moon is increasing in shape. So this, that very example, is said here also. As soon as your heart is clean and you immediately you become freed from all material contaminations, then your real pleasure on the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness increases in the proportion. As the moon increases in the sky daily, and as one day it becomes the full moon, so this process is so nice that increasing daily by chanting, one day it will come that you will simply love Kṛṣṇa and forget everything. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam (CC Antya 20.12). And so far knowledge is concerned, you will get it automatically. You will get all knowledge. Our material conditional life is simply due to ignorance, and when you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the full moonlight of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all knowledge, will be at your feet. Everything you will know. Vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam. And ānandāmbudhi-vaṛdhanaṁ: then you increase the ocean of transcendental bliss.
Therefore this vairāgya, viraktata, detachment from matter, is the whole basic principle of spiritual realization. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is simultaneously detachment from matter and attachment for Kṛṣṇa. It is so nice system. It is so nice. Just like we have to increase our love for Kṛṣṇa. The proportionately we increase our love for Kṛṣṇa, we decrease our love for matter. So I have got a spirit to love. That I cannot stop. Similarly, there are many examples. Just like a boy or a girl. If he, she increases the love for another boy, another girl, he decreases the love for other boys and girls. This is natural. Similarly, if you increase your love for Kṛṣṇa, then you decrease your love for nonsense. So vairāgya, this detachment from matter, is automatically done. We have got the propensity to love something, at least a dog if not God. So if we turn our face to the loving attachment to Kṛṣṇa, then paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you are given better thing... Just like in children.
That is the statement of Vedic literature. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Daiva. Daiva means devatā or demigod. Asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. And those who are atheistic demons, they are just the opposite. They are never devotee. So there are two classes of men in this world. Sometimes the number, or the proportion, may be greater, this side or that... But in this material world there is never... The proportion of the demigods, or Vaiṣṇavas, is never greater. They are very few always. You cannot expect that the whole world, whole population of the world, will become Vaiṣṇava. That is not possible. Mostly they are demons, atheistic. So Prahlāda Mahārāja first of all appeals to the Lord that "My dear Lord, Nṛsiṁha-deva, Your appearance is for their protection. Now You have killed the demon, my father. Now Your business is finished. Now You become pacified, satisfied, because You have no other, no other cause for being angry." Because Nṛsiṁha-deva was groaning in anger, and the demigods were afraid to approach Him, so Prahlāda Mahārāja first appeals to Him, "My dear Lord, there is no need of any more groaning.
We go here and there for fulfilling our desire, but if we are fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, all our desires will be fulfilled sitting at home. We haven't got to go here and there. Therefore it is said, surataror iva te prasādaḥ. And how it is? Sevānurūpa. This is... This is the secret. If you are engaged cent percent in service, sevānu..., anurūpam. It is proportion to your service. You cannot order Kṛṣṇa, "Give me this." That is not possible. He is not your servant. Kṛṣṇa cannot become anyone's servant, "Kṛṣṇa, give me this, give me that." Kṛṣṇa's not your servant. He's not order-supplier. His order you should supply. Then you can take. You don't make Kṛṣṇa your order supplier. That is mistake. Therefore anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), pure devotion means first of all you learn not to order Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, give me this, give me that, give me that." Don't bother Kṛṣṇa. That is the beginning of spiritual life. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (CC Madhya 19.167). You prepare to carry out every order of Kṛṣṇa. Then it is spiritual life. Don't make Kṛṣṇa your order-supplier. You become order-supplier of Kṛṣṇa.
Here Brahmā saw He has got many sahasra... What is that? Sahasra-vadana, faces, aṅghri. As soon as there is face, as soon as there is one face, there must be two legs, two hands. So He appeared before Brahmā with thousands of faces. So similarly, number of hands and legs must increase proportionately. So Lord Brahmā saw Him in His virāṭa-rūpam, virāṭ-rūpam. Kṛṣṇa, Brahman, Brahman, Para-brahman. Para-brahman means the great, the great. And He is Para-brahman. Nobody is greater than Him. So if anyone wants to see Kṛṣṇa in His Para-brahman rūpa, then He exhibits His virāṭ-rūpa. Just like Arjuna saw virāṭ-rūpa, the same. But that is not His natural form. That is māyāmayam. Because one... Suppose one wants to see God and he is not very advanced. Even if he's advanced, sometimes we want to see the superior in His great opulence.
But the Vṛndāvana-vāsī, they are so affectionate, so attached to Kṛṣṇa, they do not want. They do not want to know what is God. They simply want Kṛṣṇa, to love.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So one thing is guaranteed. If you engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and suppose you do not become perfectly mature, some way or other, you fall down... We should not fall down. Because if we have got enthusiasm and patience, we shall not fall down. But suppose we fall down. Śāstra says, tasya abhadra abhūd amuṣya kim. There is nothing inauspicity because whatever you have done sincerely, that is recorded in the book. In the Kṛṣṇa's book. Kṛṣṇa has got accountant. He keeps nice account of the activities of His devotees. That's a fact. Just like the nondevotees' accounts are kept by Yamarāja for punishment. Similarly, devotees' accounts are kept by Kṛṣṇa, personally. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Unless he keeps account, how He says, "I respond to the devotee to the proportionate surrender"? Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. The real business is surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So one may say, "Unless there is no happiness, how they are struggling for this suta-mitra-ramaṇī-samāja?" So Vidyāpati says, "Yes, there is happiness." Certainly there is happiness. Otherwise why these vimūḍhān, foolish people, running after it? So he says that the value of their happiness is a proportion of a drop of water in the desert. Tātala saikate. Tātala means, very hot, and saikate means sand. Those who have seen desert, they have got experience how it is intolerable during sunshine, vast, I mean to say, tract of land with sand. So naturally they require water. So if somebody says, "Yes, I'll give you water," and a drop of water... What is called? Proportionate, token. It is called token. "Yes, you want water. Take this water, drop." "What this water will do? This is desert. I want ocean of water and you are giving me drop of water? What is the value?" So still, we are seeking water there. Therefore it is rightly said, tātala saikate, vari-bindu-sama. Vari-bindu. Suta-mitra-ramaṇī-samāje.
You have to please Him by your service attitude. Then He will reveal to you what He is. And that is bhakti. That is bhakti: taiche bhakti-phale kṛṣṇe prema upajaya. If you execute the devotional service, then you develop that love. And as soon as kṛṣṇa-prema āsvāda haile, bhava nāśa pāya... And as soon as you develop, the more the proportionate way of, you develop love of Kṛṣṇa, love of God, proportionately, you are free from this material contamination. When you are perfectly in Kṛṣṇa love, you are perfectly free from material contamination. This is the way of liberation.
- dāridrya-nāśa, bhava-kṣaya—premera 'phala' naya
- prema-sukha-bhoga-mukhya prayojana haya
So one should not think that "Now I am materially happy. My all distress, my all poverty, has gone by Kṛṣṇa, by devotional service of Kṛṣṇa," or "I have become liberated." No. These are by-products. To become liberated and to become materially happy by prosecution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a by-product.
Festival Lectures
So Nanda Mahārāja belonged to the vaiśya community. So he was well-to-do man, very rich man, and he had 900,000's of cows. 900,000 of cows he was protecting. Formerly, according to Vedic civilization, a man was considered to be rich man in proportion of his stock of grains and livestock, cows. That's all. Dhānyena dhanavān. A man was considered to be rich man if he has sufficient quantity of grains in his possession. Similarly, if one has sufficient number of cows in his possession, he was considered rich man. Not that bank balance. There was no such bank, neither this paper money. They actually possessing the foodstuff and milk. And actually this is economic solution. If you have got sufficient milk, then you can make so many nice nutritious, full of vitamin values preparation and grains. There is no question of economic starvation if you have got simply grains and cows. So that was the standard of economic solution in days yore.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
The human society must be divided into four classes of divisions, or divisions, catur-varṇya: the brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriya, the vaiśya, and the śūdra. Brāhmaṇa means the most intelligent class of men, and kṣatriya means administrators, and the vaiśya means mercantile people, and śūdra means ordinary workers. All of them are required proportionately. Just like to keep up your body you require your head, you require your arms, you require your belly, and you require your legs also. Comparatively studying, head is very important than the leg, but that does not mean leg is unimportant. Everything wanted for the upkeep of the body. Similarly, for upkeep of the society, human society, there must be intelligent class of men, there must be administrator class of men, there must be productive class of men and there must be worker class of men. At the present moment, the human society is giving stress on the mercantile class of men and worker class of men. Actually, there is no intelligent class of men or administrative class of men. So our movement is creating some intelligent class of men.
Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja gave me so much nice foodstuff, but I could take only according to my appetite. One purī, two samosas, that's all. (laughter) It is not that because Kīrtanananda Mahārāja has given so nice food, I shall eat the whole plate. No. That is not possible. I'll have to eat so much as I can eat. So by improving the so-called standard, I shall eat the same proportion as I am able to eat, not more nor less. And that is destined. That is destined. When I came to your country I had no shelter, I had no food, no arrangement. But I was eating. And now I have got so many nice sons and daughters, but I am eating the same. So when there was nobody to tell me, I was eating; and now you are so many to give me satisfaction, I am also eating. So eating is not stopped. Eating is not stopped, in any condition. That is arranged by God. Every living entity, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). That's God. God is providing food for the ant and for the elephant, simultaneously. So why should we waste our time for this purpose, eating, sleeping...? That is already settled up.
Initiation Lectures
These are the tests. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Bhakti, devotional life, spiritual life, the test is that viraktir anyatra. Anyatra means beyond, without Kṛṣṇa, everything becomes detestful. The example is given just like a hungry man, when he's eating, as he's eating so he's feeling satisfaction and no hunger, proportionately. And at one time it will come, he'll say, "No, I don't want any more. I am completely satisfied." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). Just like Dhruva Mahārāja. He said, "I am now completely satisfied. I have, I haven't got to ask anything, benediction." That is the progress and ultimate goal of bhakti. As soon as one is saturated with bhakti, he has no more demand, no more attraction for this material world. Not... Kṛṣṇa attraction means decreasing attraction for the material world. Go on. (chants japa) One can test his advancement for spiritual life, how he is being detached to the material life. That's all. It is not to be taken certificate from others. Just like when you eat, you haven't got to take certificate from others. You'll feel, "Yes, I'm satisfied." That's all.
General Lectures
Vāmana: It's coming. It's coming. I'm building a small one out of balsawood to show you...
Prabhupāda: All right.
Vāmana: ...and see if I got the proportions right.
Prabhupāda: Your picture? So you lost some money there?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Ah... Ah...
Prabhupāda: How is that?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Ah, yes. We didn't lose any, but we didn't make any money, Prabhupāda. He charged us for the half a month we had lived there. But I'm still going to tell him that if he doesn't give us more money, I'll call the housing authority. And we have a letter written to the housing authority, and we'll read it to him and tell him that if he doesn't gives us more money we are posting this letter immediately. He is a rascal.
Similarly, your consciousness, because you are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, is as clear as Kṛṣṇa, but due to this contamination with this material world, you have contacted the muddy things of three qualities: ignorance, passion, and goodness. So if you hear about Kṛṣṇa, these muddy things will be precipitated and they will be separated. Then, gradually, as the..., proportionately, as you clear these muddy qualities of the material nature, you come to pure consciousness.
First of all, you come to the goodness of consciousness. When you come to the goodness of consciousness, then you become a brāhmaṇa. What is the quality of brāhmaṇa? Satya śama dama titikṣa ārjava, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). You come to the brahminical position, or stage. Then you will be truthful. First thing is truthful, satyam. Śamam, self-controlled; damam, the senses are controlled, mind is controlled. We are practically driven by the uncontrolled mind and uncontrolled senses. So when you come to the brahminical position, then your senses become controlled, your mind becomes controlled.
That is not possible. You can defend in your own way, and the dog can also defend in his own way. So a gorgeous method of defending, a gorgeous method of eating, a gorgeous method of sleeping, and a gorgeous method of sex life does not make a nation or a person advanced. That is not advancement. That is the same thing. Proportionately, five upon two thousand, or five, five hundred upon two thousand and five upon twenty, the same ratio. Therefore, the animal qualities in a polished way, in a scientific way, does not mean that the human society's advanced. That may be called polished animalism. That's all.
Real advancement means to know God. That is advancement. If you are lacking that knowledge, what is God... And because you cannot understand... There are so many rascals, they are denying the existence of God. That is very nice. If there is no God, then they can go on with their sinful activities unrestricted: "There is no God. Very nice." But simply by your denying, God will not die. God is there.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because every living entity is part and parcel of God, although very minute portion, similarly proportionately, he has minute proportion of freedom of will. Not absolute. That is natural. Every man has got a little freedom of will, but it is not absolute. A man cannot will as he likes. That is not possible. Therefore it is said, "Man proposes; God disposes." Although the freedom of will is there, it is subordinate to the freedom of will of God. You cannot fulfill your desire unless it is sanctioned and approved by God.
Śyāmasundara: He says that the fact that there is more good than evil in this world justifies its creation.
Prabhupāda: Well, good and evil is according to his angle of vision. A devotee sees in this material world everything is good. Viśva pūrṇaṁ sukhaya. People are complaining they are in distressed condition, but a devotee sees that there is no distressed condition, that it is all happy condition, because he lives with Kṛṣṇa, he dovetails everything with Kṛṣṇa, he dovetails himself also with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore for him there is no misery.
Prabhupāda: How is that? That you have to learn. (laughter) You practice yoga and you learn. Just like Hanumān, he jumped over the sea. So it is a question of becoming bigger. Just like you can jump over this space, but if you have got bigger body, then you can jump bigger space. That is called mahimā-siddhi. So if you increase you body proportionately, then you can cross the sea from here to here. Your legs become bigger and your jumping becomes more bigger. This is the process. It is called mahimā-siddhi. Again he carried the hill. Rāmacandra asked him, "You bring Me that medicine from there." He could not find it so he got up the whole hill. So those are yogic siddhis.
Śyāmasundara: What are the others?
Prabhupāda: Aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, mahimā, prākāmya, īśitā, vaśitā. You can control anyone. Whatever you say, he will carry out. Any big man, you can put some influence. Vaśitā. Just like these this rascal Maharishi, he has got little yogic power. So he controls, gives you some mantra you'll become God and all this nonsense, but he is controlling. Whatever he'll ask, you will pay. That is control. Actually he is controlling his mind, that whatever he asks, you will do. These are bogus things.
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.
Prabhupāda: That is his imagination. What does he mean by this harmony? Just like I am increasing, your body is increasing, your child's body is increasing. So everybody's body is increasing, so where is the, what does he mean by harmony? It is increasing and it will dwindle and it will finish. That is material nature. If you say this process of increasing and dwindling is going on, that is harmony, then there is no harm, but the, individually everything is going under this process of increasing and decreasing and at the end finished.
Prabhupāda: That is our proposal. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Bhakti means one who advances in bhakti, he becomes..., he has no more any taste for material enjoyment. The more one increases in bhakti cult, he decreases his tendency for material enjoyment. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra. Unless one becomes detestful for material things, it is to be understood that he is not making progress. This is practical. The example is given just like a hungry man: when he eats, he feels, as he goes on eating, proportionately he feels satisfaction and strength of (indistinct). Similarly, one who is advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will feel spiritually strong and no taste for material enjoyment. This is practical.
Śyāmasundara: His idea is that truth is created in the same manner as health and wealth are created.
Prabhupāda: Truth is not created. Health can be created, but truth is existing always. It is not created.
Prabhupāda: Yes. A devotee is always confident that "I am sincerely serving Kṛṣṇa, so in case of danger Kṛṣṇa will save me." The, just like Prahlāda Mahārāja life we see. He was helpless child, and his father, great demon, always chastising him, but he was confident that Kṛṣṇa would save him. So when the things became too much intolerable, so Lord appeared as Nṛsiṁha-deva and killed Hiraṇyakaśipu. So therefore a devotee's protection by God is always guaranteed, and one who is pure devotee, he is not disturbed by any material condition. He keeps his firm faith in God. That is called surrender. It is called avaśya rakśibe kṛṣṇa viśvāsa pālanam, to continue the faith that "Kṛṣṇa will give me protection." This full suvrender means to accept things which is favorable to God consciousness, to reject things which is unfavorable to God consciousness, to have firm faith of security under the protection of God, to enter into the family of God. These are the different processes of surrender.
Hayagrīva: He concludes, "In opening ourselves to God's influence, our deepest destiny is fulfilled. The universe takes a turn generally for the worse or for the better in proportion as each one of us fulfills or evades God's demands."
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is concept. God demands that "You fully surrender unto Me." So when one fully surrenders unto God, that is perfection of life.
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.
Hayagrīva: He speaks of sleep. He said, "The need for sleep is directly proportionate to the intensity of the brain life, thus the clearness of the consciousness. Those animals whose brain life is weak and dull sleep little and lightly, for example reptiles and fishes. Animals of considerable intelligence sleep deeply and long. Men also require more sleep the more developed both as regards quantity and quality, and the more active their brain is. The more completely awake a man is, the clearer and more lively his consciousness, the greater for him is the necessity of sleep, thus the deeper and longer he sleeps."
Prabhupāda: Those who are ignorant and materially covered, they sleep more. Those who are spiritually enlightened, they sleep less. Sleep is the necessity of the body, not of the soul. So those who are advanced in the platform of spiritual identity, they do not require sleeping, as we find from the life of Rūpa Gosvāmī. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **: they conquered over sleeping, eating, mating. That is spiritual life. To sleep is waste of time, so those who are actually interested in spiritual life, they adjust life in such a way that almost they sleep nil.
Purports to Songs
That is the mission of incarnation. Every incarnation you'll find two things. Lord Kṛṣṇa, He's so beautiful, so kind, but He is very dangerous to the demons. The demons were seeing Him as thunderbolt and the gopīs were seeing Him as the most beautiful cupid. So in the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). The God is realized in proportion to one's freedom from the demoniac propensities.
So in this age... Of course, the last incarnation, Kalki, will simply kill. Long, long after, He will come. But here Lord Caitanya, His mission is no killing, simply favoring. That is the specific characteristic of Lord Caitanya. Because in this age, of course, there is very much prominence of irreligiosity. But if Lord Caitanya wanted to kill them, then there was no question of their salvation. They would be... Of course, anyone who is killed by incarnation he also gets salvation. But not to the spiritual planets, but they merge into the Brahman effulgence as the impersonalists desire.
| Page Title: | Proportion (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Marc, RupaManjari, Mayapur |
| Created: | 16 of Sep, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=65, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 65 |