Relative condition

Expressions researched:
"condition, then it is relative" |"conditions, and any relative" |"relative condition" |"relative in our condition" |"relative or conditioned" |"relative, under condition" |"relative. Under certain condition" |"under conditions. Therefore this world is called conditioned world or relative world" |"when the conditions fail, the relative truth disappears"

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Lord Kṛṣṇa said, "All material bodies are subject to these six conditions, and any relative acquisitions accumulated by this body are definitely subject to final destruction. Therefore, no one should be attached to perishable things."

Krsna Book 73:

"Every one of you must understand that anything material has its starting point, growth, maintenance, expansion, deterioration and, finally, disappearance. All material bodies are subject to these six conditions, and any relative acquisitions accumulated by this body are definitely subject to final destruction. Therefore, no one should be attached to perishable things. As long as one is within this material body, he should be very cautious in worldly dealings. The most perfect way of life in this material world is simply to be devoted to My transcendental loving service and to execute honestly the prescribed duties of one's particular position."

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

This world is relative. According to your position the relative condition is there. My past and present and future is not the same past, present, future of an ant.

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Melbourne, April 21, 1976:

Four billion, three hundred years or something like. That is our... As our twelve hours, Brahmā's twelve hours is that. Then add twelve hours again, four hundred billion. That means altogether eight billions of years. That is one day, Brahmā's. Then calculate one month. Then calculate one year. Such hundred years he lives. So that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Sahasra-yuga-paryantam. One yuga means forty three lakhs of, hundred thousands of years. Sahasra means thousand times. That is... Everything is stated there. You can learn. You can understand. So that is called Brahmaloka. And it is also stated, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Even if you reach to the Brahmaloka... You can get long duration of life. There is no doubt. But again, punar āvartinaḥ, you have to die and you have to go to another body and another planet. But I am eternal. We are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). By destruction of this body, maybe after two hours or four minutes... There are many, many living entities, they live for some minutes, some second, some years. The human in this material world, in this planetary system, we live, say, utmost, hundred years. But in other planetary system they live for millions of years. It is a ques... This world is relative. According to your position the relative condition is there. My past and present and future is not the same past, present, future of an ant. The ant's past, future, may be three hours or four hours. Our past, present, means hundred hours, and Brahmā's past, present, millions of years. Everything is relative, according to the position.

Absolute Truth means the truth never diminishes or becomes relative or conditioned.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

That is stated in the Vedas, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Kṛṣṇa, expanding Himself into millions, still, He remains a Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa. It is not that material thing. If you take a material thing, anything, if you divide it into millions portion, then original form is finished. There is no more. You take a piece of paper and cut it into pieces and throw it all over. Then the original paper is lost. There is no more. That is material. But Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa, He is expanded. Eko bahu syāt. The Lord said, "I shall become many." Many... Still, He is there. Is not because He has become many, therefore His original person is finished. No. That is the injunction in the Vedas, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). He remains still pūrṇa. One minus thousand times one is still one. That is absolute. Absolute Truth means the truth never diminishes or becomes relative or conditioned. That is Absolute Truth.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Similarly, one ant, his one hundred years, he cannot imagine that so long period of man is one day. So everything is relative in our condition.

Lecture on SB 7.9.22 -- Mayapur, February 29, 1976:

Sa tvaṁ hi nitya-vijitātma-guṇaḥ sva-dhāmnā kālo vaśī-kṛta. Kāla, the time factor. We are under the kāla, we conditioned souls, past, present future. Kāla. Kāla, time. Time has got three factors: past, present, future. So what is past, present, future for me, that may not be past, present, future for Brahmā, or that may not be past, present, future for the ant. Every... This world is relative world. My past, present future is relative to me. My limited span of life, say a hundred years. So before hundred years, it is past. And after hundred years, it is future. And the present hundred years is present. But so far Brahmā is concerned, his past, present, future is different. Our forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand—his present day. That is his present day. Just like we have got this present day, beginning from six-thirty to five-thirty, that. So Brahmā hasn't got such day. This six-thirty to five-thirty, say eleven hours, and Brahma, this eleven hours means our forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). So in this way, relatively... Similarly, one ant, his one hundred years, he cannot imagine that so long period of man is one day. So everything is relative in our condition. But for Kṛṣṇa, He's eternal. There is no such thing as past, present and future. Nityaḥ śāśvataḥ. We are also of the same quality, nityaḥ śāśvataḥ, but under the condition of material nature we are controlled, and this is going on by the time factor.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Our mastership is relative. Under certain condition we become master, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is master without any condition.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.2 -- Mayapur, March 2, 1974:

Just like Arjuna was fighting, kṣatriya. His business was to fight. Why he was fighting the battle of Kurukṣetra? To become master of the kingdom. But he remained eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is success. Don't be satisfied simply I become master of your material position. At the same time, you try to become the servant of the supreme; then you are successful. Relative. Our mastership is relative. Under certain condition we become master, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is master without any condition. Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa prema pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Because He's master He can distribute kṛṣṇa prema very easily.

Philosophy Discussions

Everything is under conditions. Therefore this world is called conditioned world or relative world. Nothing is absolute.

Philosophy Discussion on Ludwig Wittgenstein:

Śyāmasundara: So, for instance, the ring may be gold under one set of conditions...

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is gold under certain conditions, but the original cause is Kṛṣṇa. Everything. Under certain conditions something is wood, something is gold, something is metal, something is this, something is... These are different conditions. I am also conditioned. Under certain conditions I am talking that "I am human being." Otherwise animal, he is under certain conditions, he is an animal. So everyone is under conditions. Who is not under conditions? Everything is under conditions. Therefore this world is called conditioned world or relative world. Nothing is absolute.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

The scientific discoveries act under relative condition. That is not absolute, final. If such and such conditions are there, then the so-called scientific laws will act. Otherwise it will not act.

Morning Walk -- December 17, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So anyway, there are so many laws. If the laws are fulfilled, then your so-called gravitation works. So who made the laws? That is the point. Under certain law, condition, it will not act, and under certain condition it will act. So who made the condition? That is the question. You cannot make finalize the laws of gravitation. It is also under condition. Who makes this condition? That is the point. (break) ...Lord Rāmacandra constructed the bridge with stone on the ocean, it began to float. So He is the condition-maker. He made the condition. He changed the condition, "Now these stones will float." That's all. Therefore God is supreme. (break) Law of gravitation did not work when Kṛṣṇa lifted the Govardhana Hill. (break) So that is nice. The scientific discoveries act under relative condition. That is not absolute, final. If such and such conditions are there, then the so-called scientific laws will act. Otherwise it will not act. (break) ...see. But you cannot see even so many things. Now you cannot see there, what is there. So what is that seeing power?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It's limited.

Prabhupāda: Therefore everything is limited. Under condition you can see. So what is your seeing? Imperfect seeing. If the sun rises, then you can see. That also not correctly. So what is the value of your seeing. You say, "We want to see God." And what is the value of your seeing?

One has to see light inside and outside. That is real light. If the light is checked by some material condition, that is not absolute light. That is electric light. As soon as you come to the condition, then it is relative. It is not absolute.

Morning Walk -- December 19, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prajāpati: He says he only sees light when he closes his eyes.

Prabhupāda: Close?

Prajāpati: Like this.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, close or open...

Devotee: Inner light.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Inner light, not outward light. Then he is not absolute. He is relative. He is relative. He is not absolute. So God is absolute. But you are relative. Therefore you are not God.

Hṛdayānanda: Kṛṣṇa illuminated the house of the gopīs.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa, he does not accept Kṛṣṇa. That is rejected. Now we are talking about him. If he is light, why does he use electric light? If he says, "The inner light," then you are relative. You see only inner side, not outside. Therefore you are relative. Therefore you are not God. God is absolute. Antar-bahiḥ. One has to see light inside and outside. That is real light. If the light is checked by some material condition, that is not absolute light. That is electric light. As soon as you come to the condition, then it is relative. It is not absolute. (break) A man can be changed from barking to chanting, but dog cannot be. (break) ...is so powerful that as soon as there is sunrise, immediately darkness gone. Similarly, if the absolute light is there, if there is need of electricity, what kind of light it is? Even the relative light is so powerful that immediately darkness gone. So you are not as powerful as the relative light. So what kind of light you are? This should be the argument. You are cheating. You are not light. You are darkness. Our, that slogan is "Where there is God, there is no darkness." "Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and nescience is like darkness. Where there is Kṛṣṇa, there is no darkness." Don't waste time with these rascals. Go on with your own business. You sold Bhagavad-gītā. (laughs) That is our profit. That's all.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

But relative world means every living being is relatively existing with a condition. And he is thinking only his relative condition. That is their foolishness.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Yes, the timiṅgila, they are as big as this mountain.

Guru kṛpā: I wouldn't want to meet one of those.

Prabhupāda: You can go, and you will find in his belly. (break) You think simply small fishes are there? As the ocean is big, similarly, very, very big fishes are there. (break) ...up. Remain deep in the water. (break)

Guru kṛpā: A very dark condition.

Prabhupāda: Why dark condition? They are living very happily.

Guru kṛpā: It's dark in the bottom of the ocean.

Prabhupāda: No, not dark. They have got their light. Everywhere arrangement is there. Otherwise how they can live?

Guru kṛpā: It's also very cold in the bottom of the ocean.

Prabhupāda: Cold for you, (laughter) not for them (laughs). Everything, these rascal scientists consider in relation, relatively. But relative world means every living being is relatively existing with a condition. And he is thinking only his relative condition. That is their foolishness. You cannot fly in the sky; a small bird will fly. That is called relative world. For his condition, it is different from you.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Absolute independence, God. Even if you have got little independence it is relative, under condition.

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: You have got independence to misuse your independence. That independence you have got. You have been given intelligence. Now you have got, because you have got intelligence, little independence, you can misuse that. Just like you are all my secretaries. So I give you some independence. You can misuse it. So that misuse is wrong. Then you'll become unhappy. Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Says. He doesn't force you—you must do it. You do it. That means independence. Now it is your choice. You have got independence of misusing it. So independence is a quality inherent in living beings, because he's part and parcel of God. The quality of the father is inherited by the son, even physically. Similarly, you have..., God is fully independent, you have got little touch of independence. Now that independence is properly utilized when you carry out the order of God. That is proper. Ordinarily, every country is independent. Does it mean that he is cent percent independent? No. Then why there is police department? Similarly, we are part and parcel of God. We have got little independence. But if we misuse it, then we shall be punished. So there is no question of independence. Independence, little. That is interdependence, not independence. Why they declare independence? That is their foolishness.

Hari-śauri: It's always very relative.

Prabhupāda: Not absolute. Absolute independence, God. Even if you have got little independence it is relative, under condition.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Truth means Absolute Truth. Relative truth is conditional and when the conditions fail, the relative truth disappears.

Letter to Jawaharlal Nehru -- Allahabad 20 January, 1952:

Truth means Absolute Truth. Relative truth is conditional and when the conditions fail, the relative truth disappears. But Absolute Truth does not exist on conditions it is above all conditions. So when we speak of truth, we may take it for the Absolute Truth. And when we speak of approaching the Truth by new ways, we may take it for granted what we want to approach the Truth by the inductive way.

Absolute Truth is described in the Vedas as Satyam Param Dhimahi—the summum bonum. And from this Absolute Truth everything emanates. "Janmadyasya yatah". This Absolute Truth is described in the Vedic literatures as Sanatana or Eternal. And the philosophy or science which deals in such eternal subjects is described as Sanatana Dharma.