Now, this material world is described in the Fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā as a tree which has got its root upwards, ūrdhva-mūlam. Have you experience of any tree which has its root upwards? We have got this experience of a tree, root upwards by reflection. If we stand on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, we can see that the tree on the bank of the reservoir of water is reflected in the water as trunk downwards and the root upwards. So this material world is practically a reflection of the spiritual world. Just like the reflection of the tree on the bank of a reservoir of water is seen downwards, similarly, this material world, it is called shadow. Shadow. As in the shadow there cannot be any reality, but at the same time, from the shadow we can understand that there is reality. The example of shadow in the, shadow of water in the desert, suggests that in the desert there is no water, but there is water. Similarly, in the reflection of the spiritual world, or in this material world, there is undoubtedly, there is no happiness, there is no water. But the real water, or the actual happiness, is in the spiritual world.
River (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"river"
|"river's"
|"riverbank"
|"riverbanks"
|"riverbed"
|"riverbeds"
|"rivers"
|"riverside"
|"riversides"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Everyone prayed, "My dear mother, please give me Kṛṣṇa as my husband." So this is, but (indistinct) significance is the, that the day they prayed the next day there was... Perhaps you know that Kṛṣṇa's vastraṇaṁ-līlā. Vastraṇaṁ-līlā means... In India still there are places in Punjab when girls and women take bath they keep their clothings in the river, I mean to say, not in the bathroom. In the rivers, they keep their clothings on the shore, on the bank, and they dip into the water completely naked. So that place is completely separate for the women. No man can go there. That is the system still somewhere. They will take bath fully and they will come and again dress. And woman, woman, they are all naked, there was no shame. They, no man and no boy can go there. This vastraṇaṁ-līlā was that Kṛṣṇa stealthily went there and tookup all their clothes, and got up on a tree, (laughter) (laughs) with the clothings. And they cannot come out of the water. "Kṛṣṇa, You are very naughty. Give us our clothes. Give us our clothes." That was vastraṇaṁ-līlā.(laughter)
So long you will have a pinch of attraction with this material world, there is no possibility of being transferred to the spiritual world. This is the position. Therefore by training, by education, we have to become detached. Detached, this society, friendship and love. We have to understand the falsity of this so-called society, friendship and love. It is just like... because we are being carried away by the waves of māyā. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, māyār bośe, jāccho bhese, Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Just like we see sometimes in rainy season, so many plants and creepers and vegetables and so many other things are floating in the river, going. Similarly, we also, all floating in the waves of māyā. Māyār bośe, jāccho bhese, khāccho hābuḍubu. Sometimes drowned, sometimes on the surface, sometimes on the other shore, sometimes on this shore. This is going on. So long we are in this material world, we are being tossed by different currents, and sometimes I am here as the master of some kingdom, and sometimes I am dog of somebody else. This is my position. The same thing. Very good example, that we are being carried away by the waves of māyā. Sometimes we are gathering together. So many straws and vegetables, they gather together. And sometimes the same vegetables and straws are thrown asunder. One is there, one is here. So here also, we assemble here as society, friendship and love exactly like that. In the waves of māyā. Then nobody is your father, nobody is your mother, nobody is your sister, nobody. It is simply māyic, illusory combination. Illusory combination, temporary combination. And we are so much attached to this combination that we are refusing to go back to home, back to Godhead. This is our position.
Now, in Christian world also, that the water of the Jordan River is sacred is considered. Similarly, Hindus also, when they go to some pilgrimage, they take bath on the sacred river. But one should know that going to the sacred place does not mean simply to take bath in that water. Real meaning of going to a sacred place—to find out some intelligent scholar in spiritual knowledge. They are living there. To make association with them, to take knowledge from them—that is the purpose of going to pilgrimage. Because in pilgrimage, holy places... Just like I, my residence is at Vṛndāvana. So at Vṛndāvana there are many great scholars and saintly persons living. So one should go to such holy places not simply to take bath in the water, but he must be intelligent enough to find out some spiritually advanced man living there and take instruction from him and (be) benefited by that. But he does not go. He takes simply bath and purchases some goods and advertises, "Oh, I have been to such and such pilgrimage." Well... yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13) and yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu: "He has the attachment for pilgrimage, for taking bath only, but he has no attraction for the learned people there." You see?
So that oneness, merging into the existence of..., that is not a general rule. That is a specific instance only, that if anyone wants to merge into the existence of God, he can do that. God has no objection. But if others... That does (not) mean that everyone gener..., as a rule merges, merge into the existence of God. There are others. Just like another example. You take it. Generally, this example is given, that the, the rivers, the rivers all flow into the sea, and they become one. Or the drop of the ocean water, when put into the ocean, the drop of the ocean water loses his existence. It become one with the... That's all right. Now, if you have seen the ocean, there are always millions and millions of drops coming out by the dashing of the waves. You see? That is going on continually. And some of them again falling into the water. They lose their... They lose the drop existence. But that does not mean that that creation of drop is stopped. Even from that example. You see? And because the river waters comes and, I mean to say, merges into the sea water, that does not mean the river, all rivers are stopped. The rivers are there. Another example: now, there are many aquatic animals within the water. They are also... Now, as the drop of the water emerges from the sea water and again merges into the sea water, so that is a nice example, but these fishes, these aquatic animals, they are also born in that water.
There are earth, water, fire, air. So none of these material things can act on the soul. It is not that because air dries up everything, anything... Big, big ocean is dried up by evaporation. Big, big river, big, big lakes are evaporated, but soul cannot be evaporated. Nainaṁ śoṣayati mārutaḥ. This is the distinction. The air can evaporate a big ocean. Gradually, it is being done. As the days will go on, the sea water will be evaporated, and at the end there will be no water. These are the statements. Towards destruction, there will be no water. Just like now it is already begun. There is scarcity of water, no rainfall. So we see that the lakes and rivers and other water reservoirs, they are becoming dried up. Śyāmasundara, you were telling that river? What is that lake?
So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to stop people spoiling his life. māyā. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says: māyār bośe, jāccho bhese'. Just like a straw is carried away by the waves of the river, similarly you are being carried by the waves of this māyā, illusory energy. Māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Sometimes you are being drowned. Sometimes you are coming out on the surface. Jīva, jīva kṛṣṇa dās, e biśwās korle to' ār duḥkho nāi. If you simply believe, take it for acceptance, that "Kṛṣṇa is our eternal master, I am eternal..." then there is no more carried away by the māyā's waves. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. This is wanted. Except Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever we are doing, simply we are wasting our valuable life. This is the conclusion.
Soul can go anywhere. That is, it has got the freedom. Those who are spiritually advanced by yogic mystic power, they can also move anywhere he likes. Aṇimā, laghimā siddhi. There are still yogis in India who early in the morning takes bath in four dhāmas: Hardwar, Jagannātha Purī, Rāmeśvaram, and Dvārakā. There are still yogis. Within one hour, they'll take bath in four places. Sarva-gataḥ, the speed. They'll sit down in one place and by yogic process within few minutes will get up and dip in here, in this water. Suppose in London you dip, take your dip in the Thames River, and when you get up you see in Calcutta Ganges. There is yogic process like that. Sarva-gataḥ. So the spirit soul has got so much freedom, sarva-gataḥ, anywhere he likes he can go. But this impediment is this body which is checking our freedom. So if you get rid of this material body and be situated in spiritual body... Just like Nārada Muni, he can move anywhere, he's moving, his business is moving. Sometimes he's going to Vaikuṇṭhaloka or sometimes coming to this material loka. He has got spiritual body, he's free to move anywhere, spaceman. They are trying to travel in the space by machine. There is no necessity of machine. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). The machine is made of māyā. But you have got your own power. That is very speedy. So it is being checked. Therefore one should be very much careful how to get the soul out of this encagement of this material body. That should be our first concern. But those who are simply concerned with this body, they are no better than the animals, cows and asses.
So very big city, they were only two or three. Mostly people used to live in villages. Still ninety percent population of India is in the village. So in the village, the system is they have different kinds of wells. One well is meant for taking bath, one well is meant for washing clothes, one well is meant for taking drinking water, one well is meant for washing dishes. So in this way, in the villages there shall be half a dozen wells. So here the example is given, just like one can take service from a particular type of well for a particular purpose, but if he goes to the river, ever-flowing river, then he can take his bath there, he can wash clothes, he can wash dishes, he can everything. All water purposes will be served in one river. Because the water is flowing there. There is no contamination. Any water which is always flowing, there cannot be any contamination. A stagnant water which is not flowing, there may be contamination. Therefore the restriction is that you should take bath in this well, you wash your clothings in this well. So small wells, they are restricted for a certain purpose, but in the river, there is no restriction. Everything can be done there.
So if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you take all kinds of... All the well, all the purpose of different type of well is served in the river of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That example is said. It includes everything. Just like Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are... Take practical example. We are Kṛṣṇa conscious. Now take any religion and take their highest conclusion—it is there in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Take for example Buddhism. They say nonviolence. Oh, we are nonviolent. Christianism, love of God. Oh, we are simply meant for loving God. Mohammedan, servant of God, to render service to the Lord. Oh, we are twenty-four hours engaged in the service of the Lord. Yogis—samādhi, always in samādhi, absorbed in the thought of the Supreme. We are always absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa. So take any religion, any process, any well. This river, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will overflood everyone. There cannot be any comparison. What is there? How much water is there in the well? In the river, unlimited. Thousands of wells can be merged into the river. This example is given. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you know Kṛṣṇa, you know everything. You know science, you know mathematics, you know philosophy, you know geography, everything. There is no dirth of knowledge. Don't think that a Kṛṣṇa conscious person actually, he can be a foolish man.
Now in India there is a system of worshiping the Ganges water. Ganges water. Ganges water. There are five sacred rivers which the Hindus, they worship. They are Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Kāverī, Godāvarī, Narmadā. Just like you have got your Hudson River here, similarly there are many rivers, and one of them... These five rivers, they are accepted as the sacred river and people take their bath and offer their respect. Now, what is the process of respect? The process of respect is just like worshiping the Ganges water. Now, after taking your bath, you stand on the water and take little water from the river, just like this. The river is flowing. You take little water like this, and chant your mantra and offer it. Now, this offering, offering of water, wherefrom the water is come? Oh, you have taken the water from the Ganges. You have not brought even the water from your house. You are taking the water from the Ganges, and you are again offering the same to the Ganges with some mantra. So similarly, the Ganges has got immense water. If you take one palmful of water out of it, the Ganges is not in loss.
There is another very good example. Of course, that is not in your experience, but it is in our India we have got experience that on the riverside the boatman drags the boat with a rope. Have you got any experience like that here, in America? I don't think you have got. The boat is in the middle, middle of the river, and there is a big log in the middle of the boat, and that log is tied with a rope, and that rope is, I mean to say, snatched by the boatman, and the boat goes in the middle of the river. Now, while passing on the bank of the river, there are so many things which pains his, I mean to say, sole. So he is thinking that "When I shall be very rich man, then I shall cover this bank of the river with, I mean to say, soft pillows so that when I shall go by the pillows, dragging this boat, I shall have no pain." Now, our position is like that, that the foolish boatman, thinking that "When I shall be very rich man, still I shall be pulling on this business." He does not know that "If I at all become rich man, then where is the necessity of my pulling this boat in this way?" So similarly, we want to be happy in the same way, that "When I shall be able to cover the whole world with cushions and soft pillows to travel over it, then I shall have no pain of working like this." You see? This is our plan.
And if you let loose your senses, unrestricted, then you cannot fix up your intelligence. Just like a boat on the river and there is wind, I mean to..., high wind. At the same time, the boat... That is not possible to keep it restful. It is always tottering. Similarly, if we don't control our senses, dovetailing them in the service of the Lord, then always they'll be disturbed, just like a boat on the river, and persuaded by, I mean to say, heavy wind. Vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi.
- tasmād yasya mahā-bāho
- nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ
- indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas
- tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
- (BG 2.68)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "He goes on with his self-realization activity undisturbed by material reactions." 70: "A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still, can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires."
Prabhupāda: Now, here is the... A materialistic person, he has his desires. Suppose he is doing some business, he is getting money. So he fulfills his desire in materialistic way. But a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, suppose he is doing in the same way, he is also planning or doing something after (for?) Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So these two different spheres of activities are not on the same level.
Just like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He was, as the other day we were narrating the story of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he was passing on naked, sixteen-years-old boy, young boy, and very nice feature of the body, peaceful. And he was passing naked, and the girls who were taking bath, naked on the river, they saw that innocent person, so they did not cover their body. But when the father was passing, such a learned sage, old man, Vyāsadeva, who is the author of all Vedic literatures—he is not an ordinary man. But because he was a worldly man, a householder, the girls, after seeing him, covered their body. That story the other day we have narrated before you. So the stage of Śukadeva Gosvāmī is ātma-rati, self-satisfied, doesn't care for anything of the world. He is aloof from the world. We should not imitate Śukadeva Gosvāmī and become naked.
So you can pick up one of them. So your cloth problem is there solved. Cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ naivāṅghripāḥ. Aṅghripāḥ means these trees. They have got fruits. So you can ask a tree, apple tree, to give you some apple to eat. So your clothing and eating problem is solved. All right, then your shelter... Ruddhā guhāḥ kim. Oh, you find out some cave. There is nice place. So the house problem is solved. Then water? There are many rivers. There is no water problem. So he has recommended like that.
And actually, in India, still there are persons who do not care for anything of the world. They are ātma-rati, ātma-rati. They are self-satisfied, doesn't care, doesn't care for anything. So for such person there is no need of doing any yajña or purifying their activities or so many things as recommended in the rituals. The Lord says that "They have nothing to do."
That may be understood later on. First of all, because it has come to Kṛṣṇa, there is something good. The tree which has produced this flower, he is benefited because he is offering his energy. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means offering one's energy to Kṛṣṇa. The energy is derived from Kṛṣṇa; it should be offered to Kṛṣṇa. Just like what is this water? Water is taken from the ocean, derived from the ocean. It goes to the sky, again turns into water, falls down, and in river goes down again to the ocean. Similarly, we have derived our energy from Kṛṣṇa. Now again if we glide down towards Kṛṣṇa, that is perfection. We haven't got separate energy. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to apply the whole energy towards Kṛṣṇa. That's all. That energy may be utilized in different ways—but to Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Of course, in your country there is no holy land of pilgrimage. In India there are many holy lands of pilgrimage just like Prayāga, Vṛndāvana, Gayā. You have got, also got. In the water of Jordan the Christian people, they go and they take their bath. Similarly, in India, the River Ganges and the Yamunā, Godāvarī, Kāverī. There are many rivers. So yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. Now, somebody goes to holy land and takes bath only and comes back. Yat-tīrtha, salile. Salile means water. One who has accepted the holy land of pilgrimage—the water only. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu: "But they have no interest with persons who are actually experienced in spiritual consciousness of life." In the holy land, especially in India, you'll find there are many sages and saints, they are living there and culturing spiritual knowledge. And one should go there. If they are at all interested to go to holy land, they should find out such men, where they are sitting, what they are doing, and take advantage of it. But people do not do that. They go there, take bath in the water, purchase some playthings for their children and clothing and come back, and they think that "We have done a great thing, traveled in the holy land."
Actually this material world is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as the perverted reflection of the actual spiritual world. You will find in the Fifteenth Chapter that this material world is described as the obverted tree whose root is upwards and the branches are downwards. Have you have experience of this obverted tree whose root is upward and the branches and the leaves are downwards? Have you seen any tree like that? You have seen it, but you have forgotten. You have seen... When you see a tree on the bank of a river or bank of a reservoir of water, you find the reflection of the tree, just the opposite number. So similarly, this world, in the Fifteenth Chapter it is described there, the obverted tree. That means the real tree is there. The real tree is there.
Just like the example is given... I have several times..., that the impersonalists, they describe this world as false, as false. But simply describing this world as false is not sufficient. What is the reality we must know. The... Generally the example is cited that in the darkness when you see a curling rope, you misunderstand it that it is a snake. But actually it is not the snake. Now, this conception of a snake comes wherefrom? Unless there is a real snake, how you can see that it is a snake? That rope is false. That's all right. That rope is not snake, but there is real snake. Otherwise, how you get the conception of the snake? Just try to follow it. Without having the real snake, you cannot get this conception of snake.
The people known as Hindus in the world, the Hindu is a term given by the Mohammedans, from "Indus." Indus River is there. Now it is in Pakistan. So people beyond the Indus River, the Mohammedans in Arabia and other countries, they pronounce "s" as "h". Instead of "Sindhu," they used to pronounce it as "Hindu." So people living, crossing the river Indus or Hindus, they were called "Hindus." Otherwise, this "Hindu" term is not seen in any Vedic literature.
The real meaning is the people who observe the varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. Four varṇa means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And below the śūdras, they are called caṇḍālas, pañcama, fifth grade, less than the śūdras. That natural division is there everywhere.
So what you have learned, please let us know." So he said that "I am finished the laghimā-siddhi perfection. That means I have learned how to become the lightest." And what is the result? He said, "Oh, I can walk over the river." So everyone was very anxious because people are very inquisitive and curious. So all of them requested him, "All right, let us have some demonstration. Please show that you'll walk over the river." So there were, all the villagers came and requested him. "All right, I shall show tomorrow morning."
So there was an old man. He said, "My dear such-and-such, oh, after working for ten years, you have learned something who is two cents worth." Oh, that man was very angry. "Oh, it is two cent worth, do you think?" "Yes, I think it is two cent worth." "Why?" "Now because you'll walk over the river. All right. But I shall pay to the boatman two cents. I shall walk over the river." (laughter)
Similarly, as spirit soul, we are pure. As Kṛṣṇa is pure... Kṛṣṇa has explained in the Tenth Chapter, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān, puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam (BG 10.12). So pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. Kṛṣṇa is paraṁ pavitram, complete pure. And we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa; we are also pure. That is our real identity. We are pure, but we have been contaminated by the touch of this material world. The same example: The rainfall, it is pure distilled water, but when it touches the surface of the earth, it becomes dirty. Therefore we see the rivers are full of dirty water. That is not the water is dirty, but because it is mixed up with the dirty dirts of the surface of the globe...
So we fall down when we deny to accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme or we try to imitate Kṛṣṇa, "Why Kṛṣṇa shall be enjoyer? We shall also enjoy. Why Kṛṣṇa shall have rāsa dance? We shall also (have) rāsa dance. Why Kṛṣṇa will marry sixteen thousand wives? We shall at least sixteen wives." When this competition spirit comes, then we fall down. Fall down means Kṛṣṇa gives the chance. "All right, you also go. You also dance in the hotel, ball dance, and he complicated(?)." Because he does not know what is rāsa dance, he imitates ball dance. So everything, what is going on in this material world, it is imitation of Kṛṣṇa's activities. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Vedānta-sūtra says. Everything that is going on, it is simply generated from that original. So... But it is contaminated.
So he, when he got this point, that one can worship Kṛṣṇa within the mind, so after taking bath in the Godāvarī River, he was sitting underneath a tree and within his mind he was constructing very gorgeous siṁhāsana, throne, bedecked with jewels and keeping the Deity on the throne, he was bathing the Deity with water of Ganges, Yamunā, Godāvarī, Narmadā, Kāverī. Then he was dressing the Deity very nicely, then offering worship with flower, garland.
Then he was cooking very nicely, and he was cooking paramānna, sweet rice. So he wanted to taste it, whether it was very hot. Because paramānna is taken cold. Paramānna is no taken very hot. So he put his finger on the paramānna and his finger burned down. Then his meditation broken, because there was nothing. Simply within his mind he was doing everything. So... But he saw that his finger is burned. So he was astonished.
The yogi has to fix up his sitting place. What is that? Śucau deśe. He should select a place which is very, very pure. Now, that means a place like Hardwar. Our young friend, Mr. Howard, he has been to Hardwar. He has seen how nicely that place is. River Ganges is flowing and very nice, calm, quiet. You'll find three miles after, four miles after, one yogi is sitting nicely there and meditating. That is yoga system. You see? So śucau deśe, in a place where..., the sanctified place. So these places are especially selected, just like Hardwar, Kanchi and Prayāga. They are, from time immemorial, in Vedic age, those places are sanctified. Just like this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Dharma-kṣetre, the land of religiosity. Even war was performed. Because this war was not ordinary war. That was religious war. Religious war. This Kurukṣetra battle, that was religious war. Don't you find in the warfield where Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is present, do you think it is ordinary war? No. It is not ordinary war. And it was performed in a place which is called dharma-kṣetra. So sometimes war is also performed in terms of religiosity. That is prescribed. That is required.
The animals, they can swim over the river. So there was a big, overflowing river. So at that time there was no such carrying boats and ships, so everyone had to cross river either by small boats or by swimming. So generally the animals were allowed to swim over, to cross over the other part, other bank, and men, they took small boats and they would... Now, there was very good current, so many horses, they swept away by the current. And one lean and thin horse came. He is asking, "Let me know how much water this is?" You see? So similarly, if what was impossible for Arjuna, such a stalwart, such an advanced and, I mean to say, in every respect, and directly a friend of Kṛṣṇa, he is admitting that "Kṛṣṇa, this process is not possible for me. Oh, I am a military man. I have to look after the administrative affairs. So how can I concentrate my mind in that way which you have prescribed? So it is not possible for me." He flatly denied. He flatly denied.
Take the aggregate existence of this earth. It is complete. There is sufficient water stock in the sea and oceans. The sunlight is acting, evaporating the water and it is turned into ocean. Then it is overcast all over the land and there is production. And there is river flowing down. You stock your water tank high, and there are mountain heads, there is stock of water and all year the river is flowing, supply water. Don't you see how nice brain it is? Can you pour water? If you want to evaporate hundred gallons of water you have got to make so many necessary arrangements. And here, millions of tons water is taken away immediately from the ocean and sea and turned into cloud, light cloud so that it may not fall down immediately. You see? Not like a tank. And it is reserved on the head of the mountain and it is sprayed all over the land so everything is there. You require water to produce grains, vegetables. So everything is there.
So these Bhagavāns... There are expansion of Bhagavān. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Bhagavān has got unlimited number of expansions. It is stated, "Just like you cannot count in the river how many waves are flowing, similarly, you cannot count even how many expansions are there of Bhagavān."
So one of the expansions of Bhagavān is Mahā-Viṣṇu. Yasya kalā-viśeṣo viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣaḥ. Kalā-viśeṣaḥ means... Kalā means part of the expansion, not direct expansion, but part of the expansion. That is called kalā. Aṁśa-kalā. Aṁśa means direct expansion, and kalā means expansion of the aṁśa. So the Mahā-Viṣṇu is described as kalā-viśeṣaḥ, an expansion of the aṁśa, secondary. And what is that Mahā-Viṣṇu? Now, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Jagad-aṇḍa means this universe. There are millions and millions of universes. This is only one universe. This universe, what you are seeing, this is only one. There are millions.
Phalgu means false. False. The phalgu, from River Phalgu is... Here, in India, there is a River Phalgu. You'll see that there is no water on the surface of the river. But if you push your hand within the sand, you'll get water. So phalgu-vairāgya means that I am giving up, renouncing everything, superficially, but within me there is a desire how to become God. I am giving up, but I cannot give up this desire. There is big, big philosophy on this point. The... They are trying to become one with God. But a devotee does not try to become one with God or separated from God. They are satisfied. In whatever condition God keeps him, he's satisfied.
There are many. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Kṛṣṇa is existing, expanding Himself in various forms like Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, and so many others. There are different kinds of incarnations, avatāras—śaktyāveśāvatāra, guṇāvatāra, manvantarāvatāra, yugāvatāra. Many incarnations. And in the Bhāgavata it is concluded that the Lord's incarnations are so numerous that you cannot count. Just like if you sit down on the bank of a river, you cannot keep an account of the waves, how many waves are passing, similarly, there is no account how many incarnations are coming out from Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is above all. Here Kṛṣṇa personally says, and it is confirmed by all the sages, authorities, formerly by great sages like Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva, Asita, Devala, and in the modern age by all the ācāryas: Śaṅkarācārya, Madhvācārya Rāmānujācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī—so many other ācāryas—Lord Caitanya. Everyone accepts that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can you deny? We have to be guided by the ācāryas. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. One who follows the principles of ācāryas, he knows the things as they are. That is the verdict.
So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the royal scholar in Mahārāja Pratāparudra's assembly house. Royal scholar. So in the beginning this Rāmānanda Raya and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had some talks on bhakti. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, being great logician, he could not understand the bhakti philosophy, but when he became a student of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he could understand how much elevated was Rāmānanda Raya. At that time before, "I could not realize," but when he become himself a devotee, he could understand. Therefore when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was going to the South Indian tour he recommended, "Sir, if You can meet Rāmānanda Raya, You'll be very much pleased. He's a great, advanced student in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu met him on the bank of Godāvarī River. And the talk was going on, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu took the position of the student, and he was offered, Rāmānanda Raya was offered the position of the teacher, although he was gṛhastha, governor, and according to our social custom, karaṇa, śūdra. So he was hesitant.
These ślokas, these description, are not of the material world. Just like this word, cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu. In the spiritual world, in the..., the houses are made of cintāmaṇi stone. Cintāmaṇi stone you cannot have here. Maybe, but we have no experience. But cintāmaṇi stone means touchstone. If you take that stone and touch in iron, it becomes gold. That is cintāmaṇi. So cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu. The vaikuṇṭha-loka, goloka vṛndāvana, is made of houses, there are. Nirviśeṣavādī, śūnyavādī, they cannot understand that in the spiritual world there are also houses, there are also gardens, there are also rivers, there are also cows. They cannot understand, because they are in the tamaḥ, in this darkness of material world. They are disgusted with this material world. They want to make it zero, nirvāṇa. They want to make it zero. No. Why zero? The Bhāgavata said, nirasta-kuhakam. Nirasta-ku... Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi, janmādy asya. Actually, this material world is born out of the reflection of the spiritual world.
Now unless one is shot dead, he would not leave family life. (laughter) Even Mahatma Gandhi, he got independence and everything; still he would not leave. So he was shot dead. This is our position. All politicians, all big big men, they are not going to retire, stuck up. This is not civilization. When one is young, he can remain with family, wife, children, twenty-five to fifty years. That's all. No more. Give up. Then take vānaprastha. Train up yourself for becoming sannyāsī. Then take sannyāsa simply for understanding God. That is sannyāsa. You can take sannyāsa from the very beginning, but if it is not possible, at least at the fag end of your life everyone should take sannyāsa and completely devote in understanding the science of God. That is called sannyāsa.
This is Vedic system, varṇāśrama-dharma. Now it is foolishly going as Hindu dharma. What is the Hindu dharma? Hindu is not found even in the scriptures. This is a name given by the Mohammedans. Sindu. There is a river, Sindu. From Sindu it has come, "Hindu." Actually the Vedic culture is varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. That is real Vedic culture, how to create brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa—eight. This is called varṇāśrama-dharma.
These are the process of peace. But we do not take care of this, what is peace. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Just we have discussed previously. We should simply acknowledge. There is a process of worship of the Ganges. You have perhaps heard the name of the Ganges River. The Ganges river is the sacred river, Ganges and the Yamunā. The most two sacred rivers in India. Millions of people take bath early in the morning in the two rivers, all parts of the country. It is very wide and very long river, from Himalaya to the Bay of Bengal. So it is very long river, and all the tracts of land, they are considered to be sacred place, and in each and every part, thousands and thousands of people, they are taking their bath early in the morning. Either in the winter season or in the summer season, it doesn't matter. So there is a process of worshiping the river Ganges. And what is that? After you take your bath, you stand up to your waist filled up with water and take little water from the Ganges water, and you offer. "Mother Ganges, I am offering this respect." This is the process. Now, suppose you take a handful of water from the Ganges. What is the loss of Ganges water? And if you offer some handful of water in the Ganges, where is the gain? So this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, a bit of flower, a bit of fruit and a bit of leaf, if you offer to the Supreme, do you mean to say He gains something? Or if you take it out of nature's—you are taking so many things—is He in loss? So He has no gain or loss. It is for your interest. When God accepts, He says, "Yes, I..." Aśnāmi: "I eat."
Just like the trees, plants, grass. They cannot move. They have no leg. They have got leg, but they cannot move. They are eating through the legs. Therefore they are called pada-pa, means "collecting waters through the leg." Just these trees. They are drinking water from within the earth with their legs. Therefore they push their roots very deep to find out where is water. And if you put little water on the root of the tree, they live. They drink water. They are standing on the river side drinking water and becoming very flourished. But although they are drinking the same water, still, they are differently constituted with different fruits, different flowers. This is God's creation, we have to understand that.
Phalgu means less valuable, less important. Or there is Phalgu river. Phalgu river, you know, in Gayā there is a Phalgu river. On the bed of the river you'll find all sand, dry, but if you push your hand little below the sand, you will find water. This is practi... Therefore it is called phalgu-vairāgya. Actually, outside, as vairāgī, no cloth, even does not touch even cloth, but inside, every monkey has one dozen wife at least. So this kind of phalgu-vairāgī or markaṭa-vairāgī is not required. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī says,
- prāpañcikatayā buddhyā
- hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ
- mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo
- vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate
Vairāgya. Actually, we cannot make actually vairāgya. Vairāgya means to refrain from material enjoyment or sense enjoyment. That is vairāgya.
Just like if you have to keep yourself, the legs are up and the head down, somebody keeps you like this, how long you will feel comfortable? If you, somebody takes your legs and catches you and your head down, then it is not very comfortable. So this whole material world is like that, ūrdhva-mūlam. The mūlam should have been down, but it is up. Therefore it is discomfortable. And another explanation is the, it is perverted reflection. We have got experience of the ūrdhva-mūlam. I think I have explained that, that a tree... On the bank of a river or the bank of a pond, tree is standing, but the reflection, we find that the same tree has become ūrdhva-mūlam and adhah-śākham. So by this statement, Kṛṣṇa says that this is not real. That reflection in the water, of the tree, is not real. Real tree is up. Similarly, real enjoyment, real varieties—everything is in the spiritual world. It is simply reflection. It is not fact. Therefore our enjoyment here is called māyā, or illusion. So in later ślokas Kṛṣṇa has described how to get out of this mayic reflection and go to the real tree. That has been described later on.
They were simply feeling separation. In Vṛndāvana they lived, but they never said, "Last night I saw Kṛṣṇa was dancing." Never said. They said that "Kṛṣṇa and gopīs, Rādhārāṇī, where you are all?" He rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ: "Where you are?" Kālindī-vane kutaḥ govardhana-kalpa-pādapa-tale: "Either on the..., near the Govardhana Hill or on the bank of the river Yamunā, where you are?" This is called bhajana, devotion in separation, feeling separation. So in this way we shall increase our aspiration more and more. That is required. That āśā, that hope, that expectation, will lead us to the topmost platform of devotion.
Of course, now we are engaged in so many different types of duties, but the Vedic civilization, there are four divisions of society and four division of spiritual enlightenment. It is called varṇa and āśrama. Four varṇas means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. This is social arrangement. And spiritual arrangement-brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. So we are known, advertised, as Hindu. Actually there is no such word in the whole Vedic literature, Hindu. It is a name given by the Mohammedans on account of the river Sindu. They pronounced sa as ha. So the Sindu was mispronounced as Hindu and the side, or this side of Indus River, who resided, they are called by the Mohammedans as Hindus. The Hindu name is given by the Mohammedans. Actually, our dharma is varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. That is the real name, varṇāśrama-dharma. The whole Vedic culture is dependent on varṇāśrama. It is meant for everyone, not that it is meant for Indians only, no. Four varṇas and four āśramas.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
This will be explained in the Third Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto. When describing different incarnations, so in that list of different incarnations, Kṛṣṇa's name is also there. So Vyāsadeva has purposefully explained in that verse that there are so many incarnations. It has been described there that Kṛṣṇa, or God, has got so many incarnations, just like so many waves of the river. If you have got some experience of the flowing river you'll find so many waves are coming, one after another, one after another. He has got so many incarnations that you cannot count even. Just like if you sit down on the bank of a river and go on counting the waves, so whole day and night, whole year, whole life, still, it will not be done.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa's another name is Ananta. Ananta means "who has no end." Ananta. Anta means end. Everything of us, there is end. But Kṛṣṇa has no end. Similarly, His incarnation has no end. So in spite of so many incarnations, He is full. If we take, try to understand Kṛṣṇa materially that... Just like if you take from some stock one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, like that, then the stock will be finished at a certain point. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Pūrṇam. The Veda says Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇam, complete. What kind of pūrṇam? We understand also complete. But if you want to take something from the complete, gradually it will reduce, and ultimately it becomes zero. So Kṛṣṇa is not like that. The Vedas say that pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). He's complete. So many incarnations are coming from Him, just like the waves of the river; still, he's complete. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam. From original Kṛṣṇa so many incarnations are coming. But still, He's there.
Not like this country that during summer the nights begin at half past ten and in the winter the morning begins at half past ten. Here. But in India regularly the sun rises in the morning round about five, regularly. Either in the winter season or in the summer season. Round about five. Maybe half an hour, one hour difference. Not one hour, half an hour. So the Indian public still, even they are not very educated, because the culture is there in, especially, in the villages, they rise early in the morning and take bath. They go to the field for easing themselves, and after doing that, they take bath either in the river or in the well. In the villages there is no tap water. And by nature, in the morning either the river or the well water is very warm. The... With the advance of day it becomes cooler. But early in the morning... So those who are accustomed to take bath early in the morning, and because India is tropical country it is not so cold, so that is a system. And after taking bath, in the temple there will be maṅgala-ārati and other ceremonies. One of the ceremonies is this prātar huta-hutāgnayaḥ, holding the fire ceremony.
We go, we take bath in the river, like the Christians, they take bath in the Jordan River, or Hindus, they go to Hardwar, take bath in the Ganges, or Vṛndāvana, they take bath. But they think by taking bath in that water, his job is finished. No. Actually the job is to go to such pilgrimages, holy places, to find out experience spiritual advancement. Because many spiritually advanced men, they live there. Therefore one should go such places and find out the experienced transcendentalist, and take lessons from him. That is really going to pilgrimage. Not that simply going and take bath and business finished.
They are trying to go to the moon planet by artificial, material weapons, material means, but those who are yogis, they can catch up the beam of the moon and go. This is called... Mahimā. You can become very big, heavy. Mahimā. Just like Hanumān, he jumped over this ocean. That he, means, he assumed a big body so, so that one leg here, one leg there. He can jump. That is called mahimā-siddhi. Prāpti: you can get anything you like at any time. Prāpti-siddhi. So many things. Sometimes they do not like the devotees because the devotees, they cannot show this magic. They do not like that within four years, five years, the whole world should be chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That is not magic. But if he can jump over a river, that is the magic. That is magic. The other side of the magic they have no eyes to see.
So is it not our duty to offer Him first, "Sir, You have supplied so many nice things. You take first, then we shall..."? This is bhakti. It is just like worshiping mother Ganges with Ganges water. You have all seen that those who are devotees of mother Ganges, they go in the Ganges water, and after taking bath, takes little water from the Ganges River and again pour it with some mantra. Now from the river Ganges if you take, say, one pound of water, and if you pour it again, one pound, then what is the loss and gain? But you become, by using the Ganges water in that way, you become a devotee of the mother. Similarly, what we can offer to Kṛṣṇa? Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, and if in the store of Kṛṣṇa there are millions and millions of tons of fruits and flower, if you take one or two of them and offer to Kṛṣṇa, so what is Kṛṣṇa's loss? And if you offer one fruit to Kṛṣṇa, what is His gain? Kṛṣṇa is not concerned with your offering and not offering, but if you offer, it is for your interest. It is for your interest, so Kṛṣṇa will recognize, "Here is a devotee."
Sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is preservative. So the water is preserved, mixing with sodium chloride. Just see how perfect arrangement. And the water is evaporated on the sky by distillation, making sodium chloride separated from the water. Distillation means to take the pure water, distilled water. Now, the distilled water is taken on the sky, and as rain it drops on the ground, and it is stored on the mountain-hill. Gradually, the whole year, the water is coming down in this shape of river, and supply is there. First of all, the whole land is moistened with water by rainfall. Then portion, and some of the water is preserved in Iceland, in the shape of ice.
You can execute your religious principles, you can execute dharma-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ. Charity. Dharma, dāna. You can execute severe austerities, penances. But if you do not approach Vāsudeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then the śāstra says, śrama eva hi kevalam. In another place it is said, ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra). If you can approach Vāsudeva, Hari... Vāsudeva, Hari, Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu—the same. Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Vāsudeva has got ananta-rūpam. Ananta-rūpam means... This is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Just like if you sit down by the side of a river and the, the waves are flowing, you cannot count how many waves are going on in your front, similarly, how many forms are there of Vāsudeva, that is very difficult to count.
Now, here it is said: līlāvatārānurato deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu (SB 1.2.34). God is always anxious to get us back, back to home, back to Godhead. So apart from His incarnations amongst the deva, demigods... Just like Upendra, Lord Vāmanadeva, He appeared amongst the demigods. There are so many other incarnations, demigods. Tiryaṅ-narādi, tiryak. God appeared as incarnation of boar, incarnation of horse, incarnation of tortoise. Keśava dhṛta-kūrma-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. Kūrma śarīra. Keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. There are so many incarnations. Keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare. Keśava dhṛta-vāmana-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare. So He has got innumerable incarnations. As I have told you several times, just like the waves of the river, one cannot count, similarly, nobody can count how many incarnations are coming always, incessantly, one after another. So līlāvatārānurato deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu. And amongst the human beings, we know Lord Rāmacandra came, Lord Kṛṣṇa came, Ṛṣabhadeva came and Lord Caitanya came.
This is called phala-śruti,(?) result. This chapter was describing different incarnations of God, and it is concluded that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). There were many incarnations, and incarnations are coming incessantly just like there are waves in the ocean or in the river. You cannot sit down and count how many waves are flowing. As it is not possible, similarly, you cannot also count how many incarnations are there, how they are coming out. But the most important of them are described. And the conclusion is made that Kṛṣṇa is the origin, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ. "I am the origin of everything, even the incarnations." Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). Everyone, all incarnations, all demigods, all living entities, all energies. The Vedānta-sūtra also confirms, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Absolute Truth is that which is the original source of everything.
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was also very sorry, that "I insulted a brāhmaṇa, which I should not have done," and he welcomed the cursing, that "It is good for me that I have been cursed, so that in future I shall not dare to act like that." He was such a nice king. Anyway, he was young man. He was not old man. He was within thirties. So immediately he entrusted the whole kingdom to his young boy, and he left home, left home and went to the Ganges side. The kingdom of Mahārāja Parīkṣit was supposed to be situated somewhere in New Delhi, and there is a river called Yamunā. So Yamunā, Ganges, practically it is coming out from the same source. And that is according to Jīva Gosvāmī. But Yamunā is supposed to be more sacred than the Ganges, because in the Yamunā Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed. So in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that Mahārāja Parīkṣit went to the bank of the Ganges. But near New Delhi side there is no Ganges; there is Yamunā. So it is to be taken that he went to the side of the Yamunā. Anyway, the news spread all over the world that "The great king has been cursed, and he is going to die within seven days."
So therefore it is said, manasaiva viśvaṁ sṛjati. That is God. Simply by willing, "Let there be creation." Simply that word is sufficient. Immediately perfect. Pūrṇam idam. Pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Everything full. Just like see, every planet is complete. Complete. Whatever is needed, there is complete arrangement. Take, for example, in our planet. We require water. The sufficient water is stocked, and the water is evaporated by the sun, and it is stocked again on the hill, reservoir, and from there supply, whole year is being supplied by river, and again it is going to the reservoir. How complete it is. Everything you will find complete. Pūrṇam idam,
- pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ
- pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
- pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya
- pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate
- (Īśo Invocation)
There is no necessity for economic development. This is māyā. Simply at the end he will eat some grains or some this or that, little. And by whole day... Therefore they are called mūḍha. According to Bhagavad-gītā, they are rascals, mūḍha, ass. Just like ass, the beast of burden. He takes washerman's load, three tons, four tons. Whole day working, but eating a morsel of grass, that's all. He has no knowledge that "I take a morsel of grass only, I live. And why whole day I bear these so much tons of clothing of the washerman?" You have no experience of the ass, ass's business. In India the washerman loads the ass three tons and he goes to the waterside and the washerman washes all these clothings in some bank of river or reservoir of water. Again evening, the ass brings back the clothing.
Perhaps you all remember that a bridegroom party was to go to the bride's home. In India the marriage party, bridegroom party, the bride, his father, his relatives, go with the bride, bridegroom, to the bride's home, and the marriage ceremony takes place there in the presence of all kinds of relatives. That is the system. So the marriage was to take place in a different village some miles away, and in Bengal the land is full of rivers. The rivers are considered to be high roads. So it was settled that the bridegroom's party will start in the evening before the marriage day and reach there in the morning and rest whole day, and in the evening the marriage will take place.
So they got up in a boat, and the boat was started and the, all the members of the bridegroom's party, the, they fell asleep. It was on the river. The breeze was very pleasing. And next morning when they arose, they saw they were standing on the same place. Then they were surprised, "How is that?" The boatman was asked, "How is that, we are in the same place? We have not proceeded even a few yards. How is that?" The boatman said that "We were plying the whole night. We do not know how it happened." Then one boatman found out that the anchor was not taken out. The anchor was fixed up, and the whole night they were plying meant the boat was round about the anchor only, moving, and it was... It did not go a step forward.
The incidence is that he was performing the śrāddha ceremony of his father, but he had a girlfriend, prostitute. So he wanted to go there very quickly. So somehow or other he finished. And he wanted to go there. But on the road he found that it was very heavily raining and he had to cross the river. So he did everything. And he... The prostitute was... She thought that "Bilvamaṅgala is not coming today. It is very..., so much raining." So when she saw that Bilvamaṅgala is at the door, she was astonished. She said, "Bilvamaṅgala, how did you come here in this rainy, torrents of rainy...?" So he disclosed everything that how he catched one dead body in the river, then he crossed the river, then he jumped over the wall. So she was astonished, and she simply said, "Oh, this much affection if you would have with Kṛṣṇa, how you would have been... Your life would have been nice." Immediately it was... "Oh, Kṛṣṇa...?" Immediately, he left everything. Immediately he left everything and went to Vṛndāvana. He is... So Kṛṣṇa is so nice. Just at the right point He will remind. Yatate ca tataḥ. Here, in the Bhagavad-gītā, yatate ca tato bhūyaḥ saṁsiddhau kuru-nandana, pūrvābhyāsena. He was accustomed, so immediately reminded, immediately.
There is a place, Śamyāprāsa, above Haridvāra, there Vyāsadeva's āśrama was situated on the river Brahmanadī, Sarasvatī, on the western side, paścime taṭe. Ṛṣīṇāṁ satra-vardhanaḥ, there all the great sages and saintly persons used to perform sacrifice. Tasmin āśrame, tasmin sva āśrame vyāso badarī-ṣaṇḍa-maṇḍite (SB 1.7.3), the āśrama was surrounded by berry trees, badarī-ṣaṇḍa. Ṣaṇḍa means trees. Āsīno 'pa upaspṛśya praṇidadhyau manaḥ svayam. So in that āśrama... Formerly, big, big saintly persons, they used to live in forest āśrama. Now they have to come far away from āśrama to South Africa because people have forgotten. Formerly, big, big persons, they used to visit the āśrama, but nowadays people are not interested. Anartha. They are captivated by the material, external energy. It is said that... Not only now, formerly also, but formerly the number of people who were not interested were very, very small. At the present moment, the number of interested people are very, very small. That is the difference. Kali-yuga. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He inaugurated this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that people in this age are no more interested in their value of life. They are in darkness. Therefore Vaiṣṇava, under the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, should go door to door, country to country, town to town, and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness for their benefit.
So meditation means concentrating the mind to find out God, where He is within my heart. That is real perfection of yoga. So people do not know this science. Here it is nicely explained that antar bahir avasthitam. The virāḍ-rūpa... Just like Arjuna wanted to see the gigantic form of God. He showed him. So we can see the gigantic form in this universe. That is described in the Bhāgavatam. You have read that the big, big mountains, hills, they are the bones of the gigantic form. So they are described. The highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, is the head, or what it is called? Skull? What is this portion? Skull. So the rivers are the veins. The seas are holes like here we have got. In this way it is all described, the gigantic form. So... And gigantic form, at the same time, He is within your heart, very small form.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, you understand, there are two kinds of nature: parā and aparā. So this material nature is aparā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Apareyam. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). The land, water, fire, air, sky, these five elements, they are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā: "They are separated energy, inferior quality energy. But beyond this inferior quality energy, I have got another superior quality of energy." What is that? Jīva-bhūta. You can understand that jīva-bhūta, the living entities. Yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). Because jīva-bhūta, we living entities, we are superior than the matter because we are controlling the matter. Just like we have been in the riverside, so many things, material things, we saw. But who has made it? The living entities. The matter has not come into so many forms without the touch of the living entity. Everyone can understand. The big, big ship, how it has come into existence? Because a living entity planned, engineered how to do it, and he brought material things, and he manufactured it. Therefore this inferior energy, the material things, they are subordinate to the spiritual energy.
So in this way, if people become irreligious or not spiritual, the burden of the world becomes heavier, unbearable. That you can understand. I have already explained. This body, this body, you weigh it. Say, it is one man, fifty seras or something like... But as soon as it will be dead, the burden will... The weight will increase. Is it not? What do you think? The weight will increase. Not the same weight. So, so long people are materialistic, the burden will increase. And so long people are spiritualistic, there will be no burden. So bhārāvatāraṇāya anye bhuvo nāva ivodadhau. Just like if there is a boat, then you can cross over the sea or the river with the help, so when you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you can cross over the sea of nescience very easily. Bhuvo nāva iva udadhau, sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṇa (SB 1.8.34). Bhūri-bhāreṇa, very heavily burdened. So she was lamenting, "My Lord, save me." So the conclusion is that if people become simply atheistic or materialistic... Materialistic means atheistic. And then the weight of the earth, or any planet, will increase and the situation will degrade, and everyone will be unhappy and there will be restlessness. And at that time, Kṛṣṇa comes. He says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7).
So there is everything arranged. There is no scarcity. We have created scarcity, avidyā, due to ignorance. Otherwise, there is no scarcity. Pūrṇam idam. Therefore Īśopaniṣad says pūrṇam, everything is complete. Just like we want water, we want water very much. Just see how God has created these oceans. You can take the, whatever water we are using, that is from the ocean. The stock is there. It is simply distributed from that stock. By nature's arrangement, God, God's arrangement, it is evaporated by sunshine. It is evaporated, and it becomes gases, cloud. The water is there. By other arrangement this water is distributed all over the surface, and it is thrown on the top of the hill to supply you constantly. The river is coming down. The whole, throughout the whole year the water supply is there. In this way, if you study the whole situation, creation of the Lord, you will find everything is complete, perfect. That is philosophy. Everything is complete. There is no necessity.
Just like there is very, mean, forcible currents in the river, and if some animal is thrown in that, he'll be washed away. So we are being washed away by the currents one after another, of this material nature. Just like you have seen the big, big waves in the Pacific Ocean. Similarly, because we are under the grips of the material nature, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni gunaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27), so we become under the influence of the three modes of material nature, and the, by the current of such material nature, we are being washed away, washed away.
Devotee:
- ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ
- supakvauṣadhi-vīrudhaḥ
- vanādri-nady-udanvanto
- hy edhante tava vīkṣitaiḥ
- (SB 1.8.40)
"All these cities and villages are flourishing in all respects because the herbs and grains are in abundance, the trees are full of fruits, the rivers are flowing, the hills are full of minerals and the oceans full of wealth. And this is all due to Your glancing over them."
Prabhupāda: This is Vedic civilization. There is mention of so many things, that "The grains are in abundance and the trees are full of fruits. The rivers are flowing nicely. The hills are full of minerals and the ocean full of wealth." So where is the scarcity? There is no mention that slaughterhouse is flourishing, industry is flourishing. No such mention. There are all nonsense things they have created. Therefore problems are there. If you depend on God's creation, then there is no scarcity, simply ānanda. If the trees are full of fruits, if you have got sufficient grains and... Because there is sufficient grains, there is sufficient grass also. The animals, the cows, they will eat the grass. You'll eat the grains, the fruits. And the animal will help you, the bulls will help you to produce grains. And he will partake little, what you throw away. The animal will be satisfied. You take the fruits, inside of the fruits; you throw away the skin, the animal will be satisfied. You take the grains and throw away the grass. The animals will be satisfied. From the trees, you take the fruits. They are satisfied with the vegetables.
Just like our Svarūpa Dāmodara inquired, that "If I give you the ingredients to produce life, will you be able to produce life?" He questioned one scientist. He said, "That I do not know." Imperfect knowledge. If you do not know, then your knowledge is imperfect. Why you have become teacher? That is cheating. When you have got imperfect knowledge, why you take the position of the teacher? That should, you should not have done that. Therefore our position, to become perfect, is to take lesson from the perfect. Kṛṣṇa is the perfect. Kṛṣṇa says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So we take the knowledge from the perfect. Therefore this understanding, that soul is eternal, that is perfect.
So ultimately Kṛṣṇa, without Kṛṣṇa... Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained when He was explaining dhātu... Dhātu, the forms of verb, "activity." So He used to explain ultimately Kṛṣṇa is the dhātu. So Kuntīdevī says, ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ supakvauṣadhi-vīrudhaḥ. Everything is sufficient. Now whatever mentioned here, that "The grains are in abundance, the trees are in full of fruits, the rivers are flowing, the hills are full of minerals, and the ocean full of wealth..." What do you want more?
Prabhupāda: Oyster. Oyster. The oyster produces pearls, very valuable. If you can collect the oysters you'll get valuable pearls. One pearl, ten thousand dollars. The wealth is there. So formerly people used these pearls, the valuable stones, silk, gold, silver, and decorated the body with nice manufactured ornaments. The beautiful for body.(?) But where are those things gone? Those things are now gone. Now plastic bangles. Advancement of civilization. All these beautiful girls without any ornament of gold, pearls and nice jewels, they have got plastic bangles. Just see the fun!
So what is the use of this industry, slaughterhouse? You get these, all these things. Have enough food grains, enough milk, enough fruits, enough vegetables, clear, nice river water. There is, there is no need of constructing water works. Why? I have traveled in Europe. Each and every river has become nasty. In Russia I saw the river, in Germany I saw the river, in France, also, I saw the river-nasty. And also in your country I have seen that... What is that river in New York?
Devotees: East Side, Hudson.
Prabhupāda: Hudson and another?
Devotees: East Side.
Prabhupāda: They have created nasty. By nature's way such... Just like you see in the ocean, how the water is clear and crystal. By nature's way, it is kept very nice clear and crystal, and from the ocean the water is diverted by the process to come into the river, the same water, but it is crystalized without any salt. By nature's way. By nature's way means Kṛṣṇa's way. So you take nice water from the river. What is the use of constructing huge waterworks supplying water? Nature has already given you. You take fruits, nice fruits. You take grains. You take milk products. You take silk. You take pearls. You take jewels. Everything is... You want richness, you collect the pearls—you become rich. There is no question of to become rich by starting some huge factory, producing these motor bodies. You see.
Pradyumna: Translation: "All these cities and villages are flourishing in all respects because the herbs and grains are in abundance, the trees are full of fruits, the rivers are flowing, the hills are full of minerals and the oceans full of wealth. And this is all due to Your glancing over them."
Prabhupāda:
- ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ
- supakvauṣadhi-vīrudhaḥ
- vanādri-nady-udanvanto
- hy edhante tava vīkṣitaiḥ
- (SB 1.8.40)
So here is very nice description how we can materially become happy. These are all description of material happiness, svṛddhāḥ, very flourished cities and towns. So how it is flourished? Now, supakvauṣadhi-vīrudhaḥ. The herbs and plants and trees and creepers, they are all luxuriously grown and sufficiently supply the needs of the human being. Every plant and creeper is useful for human being. We do not know how to use them. Experienced men, they collect so many auṣadhi. Vanauṣadhi, latā loke jāyate paramaṁ hitam. We are neglecting these herbs and vegetables, but because we do not know how to use them, we have to meet so much bill of the doctors. But there are everything complete.
So anyway, we should be eager to become happy even in the cities and towns with the help of these things: auṣadhi-vīrudhaḥ, then forests, adri, nadī. Nadī means not dirty nadī. Very clear water and waves are flowing. By the modern civilization I have seen so many rivers in Europe, in Paris, in Moscow and in Germany. All rivers are very, very dirty. Very, very dirty. You cannot take bath, what to speak of drinking water. So dirty due to this rascal industry. Even in our New York, the bays and the seas they're also polluted. All dirty things are there. How long the water will be clear? No. The rivers, at least the rivers, in the city, they should be kept very clean. But they cannot keep clean because they have got so many dirty activities, enterprises, mills and factories. So in Calcutta also, the... There are so many jute mills and factories on the riverside. All the night soil, they are thrown into the Ganges. So still the Ganges is so powerful that it keeps clear. Hundreds and thousands people, still they take bath in the Ganges, and they keep very good health, those who are taking bath regularly in the Ganges. And cities and towns, there must be a river. In India, you'll find, all the important cities in India, they are on the bank of the Ganges, on the bank of the Yamunā, on the bank of the Narmadā, Kṛṣṇā, Kāverī, like that, all the important cities. And Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that "Don't go to a town and city where there is no river and where there is no friend and there is no temple. Don't go to that city. If there is no river, no friend and no temple, then that is... A great city is a great forest." So that is forbidden.
You can get valuable jewels, gems, pearls, from these natural sources. So India's wealth, formerly, it was depending on these things: gold, silver, jewels, pearls, silk—not industry. And from the forest, from the herbs, from food grains—all natural products. So from the river... The saintly persons, they depended mostly on the riverside. Anywhere they will put a cottage on the river... Still that is going on. A saintly person, if he wants to remain in a secluded place, so they select any place on the riverside, have a small cottage. Still you'll find in many places, especially on the bank of the Ganges, Narmadā, Godāvarī, Kāverī. There are many saintly persons, especially on the bank of Yamunā and Ganges. If you go to Allahabad, you'll find they are living very peacefully, a small cottage on the bank of the Ganges.
When Nārada Muni made the hunter a disciple, so he dragged him to the riverside, Ganges, and gave him a tulasī plant, that: "You sit down here and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. And the tulasī plant is here. You offer obeisances." Then he was very much anxious because he was hunter. He has been stopped, his main business, killing business. So he was thinking that "My Guru Mahārāja may not cheat me.
You can take water from the river and drink." Cirāṇi kiṁ san..., pathi na santi. And old cloth, thrown away... Formerly, gṛhasthas, in different ceremonies, after taking bath, they would throw away their garments, their..., so that poor people, they can take it and use it. And new. Every religious function... In our childhood also we have seen. As soon as there was a new function or pūjā, there was new cloth. Even household pūjā... That takes place practically every month. Lakṣmī-pūjā, Kārttika-pūjā... Bara mase tara upara bhan.(?) The... Actually there are twelve months, but the festivals are thirteen. It was very difficult to adjust where the another festival, in which month it should be observed. So we have got experience—in Lakṣmī-pūjā, all new cloth. The children, at least, at least the children and the housewife will have new cloth for every function. And what was the price of cloth? Very cheap. One rupee, four annas; one rupee, six annas, per pair. So we have seen it.
So festival. So there was no scarcity. Why? People were religiously inclined. Even for a beggar, there was sufficient. The temple, sufficient, everything. That is called ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ. Svṛddha, svṛddha means opulent. All the cities and towns were opulent; villages, opulent, no want. And they depended on the trees, plants, this river, the mountain, the sea.
So Kuntī is praying. The prayer is very peculiar. What is that peculiar prayer? The prayer is sneha-pāśam imam. Pāśam means "rope." We are bound up by the ropes of affection to the family. This family or that family, everyone is bound up. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam (SB 5.5.8). This family combination is māyā because we all, living entities, we are being washed away by the waves of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). So just like the waves of the river carry so many straws scattered here and there, and sometimes by whirlwind, all the straws meet together in the water, so our meeting—"I am the father. You are the son. She is the wife. He is the grandson," or "He is father," or "She is..."—in this way, our mixing up in a group of family is exactly like the assembly of some straws in the waves of the river. It has no meaning. Just like the straws, they gather together by the movement of the waves, and again, by the movements of waves, the straws are scattered here and there, here and there, here and... Nowadays it is very practical. Just like I am an Indian. I have my family. You are European, you are American. You have got family. But now where we are from, the family, we scattered. This is practical. We have no more any connection with our father, mother or children. No. We are now gathered in another group, Kṛṣṇa conscious society.
Madhu-pate. "O Lord of Madhu." So madhu-pate ratim, ratim udvahatād addhā. The example is given very nicely. Just like river. Especially... The Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not ordinary river, but it is just like Ganges. Ganges is very pure, directly connected with Kṛṣṇa. So "As the river flows down towards the seas, similarly my attraction will go down incessantly to touch Your lotus feet like the Ganges." This is the prayer of our Kuntīdevī. So incessantly, without any deviation, ananya-bhakti... This is called ananya-bhakti. Ananya, in the ananya-bhakti... In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated ananya-bhāva, "without any deviation." Even such person is found to be little misbehaved, still he's to be considered as sādhu. That is stated by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad...
- api cet su-durācāro
- bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
- sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
- samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
- (BG 9.30)
Now, first of all, consideration is: this body is given by the father and mother. So actually the body belongs to the father and mother. Or just like the slaves—they sell their body to the master. So somebody, if maintains your body, then it becomes... The body belongs to him. Suppose you are working somewhere and he is giving you money for maintaining your body; then actually the body is maintained for the person who gives me payment. You see. So many people are going to the other side of the river, running very quickly to go there because the body is sold to that master who is paying for eating. Otherwise why he's taking the body there? So actually the body belongs to others. And spiritually the body belongs to Kṛṣṇa. But when we forget our relationship with Kṛṣṇa—the body belongs to somebody else; that's a fact—then we think that "The body belongs to my father and mother" or this and that... Sometimes we do not think that. So why, from material point of view, if the body does not belong to me, why shall I commit so many sinful activities for others?
Practically, I'll say, in our childhood age, my sisters were married between nine to twelve years. My eldest sister was married when she was nine years old, before my birth. She is the eldest. And my second sister was married at the age of twelve, twelve years. And my third sister was married at the age of 11 years. So by the (indistinct) 12 years, the marriage must be finished. That was the duty of the father. I remember, because my second sister was going twelve years, my mother said to my father that "I shall go to the river and commit suicide. The daughter is not married." (laughter) You see. The father was very sorry, "Yes, I am trying. What can I do?" (laughter) And then next generation, when my... I was also married man, you know. I was married when my wife was only eleven years old. And at the age of fourteen years she gave birth to first child. And next generation, when my eldest daughter was married at the age of sixteen years—it is little increased—but I was also very much upset that the daughter is sixteen years old.
That was children's sport, to go to the forest, take the calves and cows and carry some tiffin. Eat there, dance there, play there, and again come in the evening. Then they will take bath and change their dress and take their meals and immediately go to sleep. This was the boy's, children's, engagement. So how they would grow healthy because they go outside and play and work and very happily, they enjoy the company. So there is no question of becoming contaminated. Yāmuna-tīra-vana-cārī. Yāmuna-tīra, on the bank of the Yamunā... Just like we go to the seaside, the beach, similarly, there is bank of Yamunā, very nice river, and there are trees. So these boys, Kṛṣṇa and His friends, with their cows they will go and loiter on the bank of the Yamunā and sport and frivolities, everything, so nicely. So there was no question of education at that time. After the child is grown up, healthy, nice, then he goes to school. Otherwise first of all eat sumptuously milk, butter and yogurt, and play sufficiently in open air with friends, take care of the cows. This is labor. But it is sporting, very nice. So these things were taught by Kṛṣṇa Himself, although He was the son of king. Then when He was also grown-up, His real father took Him charge, Vasudeva. Then He was... As kṣatriya... He belonged to the kṣatriya family. All other education was given, how to fight, how to rule, everything.
Devotee: (leads chanting, etc.
- nadyaḥ samudrā girayaḥ
- savanaspati-vīrudhaḥ
- phalanty oṣadhayaḥ sarvāḥ
- kāmam anvṛtu tasya vai
- (SB 1.10.5)
"The rivers, oceans, hills, mountains, forests, creepers and active drugs, in every season, paid their tax quota to the King in profusion."
Prabhupāda: So everything in nature has to give something. That is the order. Everything that we see, nadyaḥ, the river... Why God has created the river? It has got a function. Similarly samudrāḥ, the oceans, similarly the hills, mountains, girayaḥ, savanaspati, vegetables. All these vegetables which are growing, each and every vegetable, creeper, has some service, we do not know. Because we do not know the use of these vegetables, creepers, we go to the doctor, physician. Otherwise, if somebody is ill, the medicine is there.
Similarly the river, the river has its function to supply water all the year. During rainy season the water is collected on the top of the hill. It is stocked there by God's arrangement, and they come down. Just like we, by power pump, we get water down to the top of the roof and stock there. Similarly, on high level of hills and mountains water is stocked. Sometimes they are stocked in ice form, not in liquid form. So according to the seasonal changes the ice becomes melted and the water is supplied. It comes through the river. The same thing is there, but because we have now turned to become demons, the river sometimes overfloods, killing so many men and animals, at the loss. Actually everything is meant for kāmam, for supplying our necessities. And as soon as you are disobedient to God, demons, nature will give you punishment. Instead of supplying you water, water is there, it will overflood. You will be in trouble.
So, everything—the rivers, the seas, oceans, the mountains, the hills, the forest, the creepers, the vegetables—sarvāḥ kāmam anvṛtu, according to seasonal changes everything has got meaning. So if we are honest, if we are, because the, just like in prison house, jail, although the prisoners are criminals, condemned, still there is arrangement for your comfort also, by the government. There is arrangement of supplying food and all other necessities of life. Recently in Ahmedabad when I was visiting, the prison authorities also invited us for kīrtana. So I saw the criminals, prisoners. Savarmati. Savarmati jail, yes, where Gandhi was also imprisoned during the political movement. So Gandhi's room, where Gandhi was staying they showed me, and I sat down there. So, there is very good arrangement for the comforts of the prisoners, if they abide by the laws. Similarly, although this material world is just like prison house, prison house, we living entities, we have come here as punishment.
Similarly, within this material world, all the living entities, they are all conditioned, very limited number. The unlimited number are there in the spiritual world. But still Kṛṣṇa has made arrangement. Kṛṣṇa is giving us chance, this human form of life, that "I give you all facilities, all the supplies, necessities of your life. The river will serve you, the hills will serve, the mountains will serve you, the ocean will serve you, the forest will serve you, the vegetables will serve, the animals will serve you, everyone will serve you. Now you have got human form of life. You take service from them, live peacefully, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." This is the arrangement. But these rascals, they'll not chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. They want to predominate over these hills, mountains, rivers, animals. In the Bible, it is said the animals are given under the control of human beings, man. Is it not? They have taken it. And because the animals are given under the control of man, therefore man should open slaughterhouse and eat them? Suppose if somebody gives his son, "Sir, will you take my son? Keep him under your control." Does it mean I shall eat him? These rascals interpret in that way.
Pradyumna: (leads synonyms, etc.) Translation: "The rivers, oceans, hills, mountains, forest, creepers and active drugs in every season paid their tax quota to the king in profusion." (SB 1.10.5)
Prabhupāda: Yesterday we discussed, sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. Sarva-dughā mahī. Sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. This land, mahī, can give you everything. Actually it is giving. We cannot manufacture anything. The land is there. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). These are the gifts of Kṛṣṇa. These are the ingredients. In this material world, whatever you see, they are preparation of these five gross ingredients. Nothing more. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ kham. Land, water, bhūmir āpaḥ anala, fire, vāyuḥ, air, and kham means the sky, ether. This is the ingredients of all material civilization, grossly. And subtle: mano buddhir ahaṅkāra, mind, intelligence, and egotism. These are the eight gross and subtle elements. Now, by the mixture of these things, we find so many things.
Now, how the bhūmi or the land, gives us sufficient supply? Therefore there is arrangement of the river, nadī, nadyaḥ. And the stock of water is there in the ocean. It is practical. Just like you keep some stock of water according to your measurement. The stock of water is the ocean, because we require so much water. In India it is said that "You are spending like water." India is tropical country. They use profusely water. There are many rivers also. They take bath in the river, especially Ganges River. There are five very sacred rivers: the Ganges, Yamunā, Narmadā, Godāvarī, Kṛṣṇā. Big, big rivers there are. So tropical country there is sufficient supply of water, and you use it for cleanliness. Natural antiseptic water. Any septic, you simply wash with water, it will be antiseptic, natural. In India even the poorest man who has no sufficient cloth, but he will daily wash the cloth twice. And it is tropical country, there is no difficulty. You wash and within five minutes it is dry. So antiseptic. So arrangement is so nicely made. Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Kṛṣṇa's arrangement is very nice.
So yesterday we discussed about the profuse supply of milk. That is required. Luxury... Actually, luxury means nature's supply. You can have profuse supply of milk, grains. For dressing you can have profuse supply of silk, cotton. And for eating, profuse supply of grains, fruits, flowers. And for this profuse supply these are the means. The first thing is nadyaḥ, rivers. The stock of water is the ocean, and by evaporation, cloud is formed. Just like you pump water to the topmost floor. So Kṛṣṇa's pumping process is this cloud. Pumping process. He is, I mean to say, evaporating water throughout the whole summer season. And they are on the head, on the sky, and then the water is distributed all over the land. Parjanyaḥ. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Because water is required. Just see how nice arrangement. And the water, whatever for the time being in the rainy season, is distributed. And for future supply it is stocked on the head of the hills and mountains. And from that hills and mountains the rivers—they are supposed to be water supply source—throughout the year will supply water. It is stocked on the head. The same principle. We simply imitate. We also keep a very big tank on the head of the house, and through pipe we get water supply. So here nature's pipe water supply is the big, big rivers, and the water is being supplied from the stock on the head. There are big, big lakes and it is supplied. The same process.
So whose properties are this, the rivers, mountains, oceans, and the forest? Whose property it is? It is Kṛṣṇa's property. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the proprietor." Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. Not only this planet, but sarva-loka, all the planets, all the universes, He is the proprietor. And we are maybe that... Maintained. Actually, we are maintained. And the supply method is there. Nadī, the river is there, the mountain is there. Mountain, it does not stock water only, but from mountain you get so many minerals, huge quantity of minerals, jewels, gems. And from the samudra, or the ocean, and the seas you get large quantity of pearls and... What is called? Muktā. Pearls is muktā. Yes. And corals. Huge quantity. Simply because this material world, the supply is immediate. Just like in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness you can get one example. Just like in 7 Bury Place we were congested. So we were feeling. Kṛṣṇa immediately supplied you this, Bhaktivedanta Manor, "Take it." Huh? You cannot construct this house even in your own life. That is not possible. So we have to depend fully on Kṛṣṇa. That is called full surrender. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). And serve him. All supplies are there. There is no botheration. It will come automatically. It will come automatically. Because after all, the supplier is Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān.
So here you have to understand that the rivers, the ocean, the mountains, and the trees, and the creepers, they will all serve you very, I mean to say, regularly, provided you are obedient to Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Phalanty oṣadhayaḥ. Nowadays we do not know. As soon as we become sick we go to the doctor or to the drug shop. But in the forest all the medicines are there. All the medicines are there. Simply you have to know which plant is the medicine for what kind of disease. Phalanty oṣadhayaḥ sarvāḥ, and kāmam anvṛtu tasya vai. And according to seasonal changes you'll get fruits, flowers and drugs and everything. During Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time all these things were being supplied by nature because Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was Kṛṣṇa conscious, and he maintained his kingdom, all the citizens, Kṛṣṇa conscious. Even at the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, so he condemned Kali. He was going to kill Kali because he was trying to kill a cow in the kingdom of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. So he surrendered, "Sir, I am also your subject. This is my business, to act sinfully.
There must be some control. And the controller is Kṛṣṇa. That is stated in the Bhagavad... Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "The prakṛti, material nature, is working under My direction." So nature is working... (aside:) Again the (coughing) same trouble. So do not think that nature is working, producing things, blindly. No. There is no such thing as blind. There is, arrangement. Just like we see the aeroplane is flying in the sky. It is not that the aeroplane is automatically flying. No. There is a pilot. This is intelligence. Similarly, the whole material nature is working, and these are the venues of nature's work, rivers, ocean, and the mountains, and the vegetables or the plants and creepers, and trees, drugs. Everything will give you sufficient supply if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, if you act according to Kṛṣṇa's direction.
Pradyumna: "Since Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was under the protection of the ajita, the infallible Lord, as above mentioned, the property of the Lord, namely the rivers, oceans, hills, forests, etc., were all pleased, and they used to supply their respective quota of taxation to the king."
Prabhupāda: Yes. So Kṛṣṇa's another name is Ajita. Ajita means "one who cannot be conquered." His name is Ajita. Everyone can be conquered, everyone can be vanquished, but not Kṛṣṇa. Therefore His another name is Ajita. This Ajita, who is never conquered, He can be conquered by the devotee. That is Kṛṣṇa's name. Another name of Kṛṣṇa is Ajita. Ajita means nobody can conquer.
Pradyumna: "Actually, the state belongs to the Supreme Lord. The rivers, the oceans, the forests, the hills, drugs, etc., are not creations of man. They are all creations of the Supreme Lord, and a living being is allowed to make use of the property of the Lord for the service of the Lord."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. You must use... Just like we are using this hall, this hall, very nice hall. What purpose? For satisfying Kṛṣṇa. We are dancing, we are chanting, we are eating nicely, you are understanding philosophy. What is the purpose? To satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Then you can use. The whole world you can use very nicely, provided you know how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. But if you do not know, then this thing will be fire. In spite of having nice house, nice arrangement, you'll think that you are in the fire.
So in the previous verse it has been described that nature was favorable. The river, the hills, the mountains, forests, vegetables, creepers, these are our natural surroundings. Animals... Everyone was complete. It is a cooperation. So many living entities, according to karma, we have got different bodies. Some has got the human form of body, some has got the body of an animal, some has got the body of a tree, creeper. Sometimes hills, mountains, also. Everyone. Their business is cooperation. We can study from our own body. There are different parts of the body, but it is a business of cooperation. Hand, legs, eyes, ears, nose, they are all cooperating for the upkeep of the body. Similarly, all living entities—may be in different types of bodies—they are meant for cooperating in the matter of serving the Supreme Lord, central point.
This is our ignorance. Just like this example is given in the śāstra that the river waves are flowing, water is flowing, and by the combination of the waves many straws come together at one time, and, after some time, again they are distributed, thrown here and there. We have got everyone experience. Similarly, in this material world everyone of us we have gathered together like the straws. Actually we are under the waves of the material nature. So, when we gather together, we make a community that "We are Americans," that "We are Indians," that "We are this," "We are that," "We are family..." That is exactly like that. By chance we meet together; again, by the waves of the nature, we are separated. No more son, no more country, no more... Everything's finished. This is going on. But so long we've gathered together, we take it very seriously. We forget that at any moment we'll be kicked out of this gathering. That is ignorance. They do not try to understand what is our real position.
So now what do we mean by "everything"? Just like this planet. Everything with this planet—the trees, the rivers, the mountains, the cities, the cars—everything within this planet, that is an unit. So this is one planet. And there are millions and millions, trillions of planets. But how they are existing? Existing on the sunshine. So wherefrom the sunshine comes? The sunshine comes from God, or the sun comes from God. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Everything is born, everything is emanating form the Absolute. Therefore, indirectly, everything is depending on Kṛṣṇa's potency. Mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni: (BG 9.4) "Everything is resting on My potency." Na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ: "But I am not there." This is the acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, simultaneously one and different. This is our philosophy.
Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta-rūpam, ananta, unlimited, unlimited. It is described in the śāstras. How unlimited? Just like in a big river you sit down, or on the ocean, if you count the waves, is it possible? There is no possibility. But there are waves always, twenty-four hours going on, going on. But if you want to count them, it is not possible. That is described. Just like the waves of river or... Not satiated. You'll find in the Pacific Ocean in your front, the waves are constantly coming. It is never satiated. So Kṛṣṇa's incarnations are also like that, incessantly coming, one after another, one... Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). So ananta-rūpa, how many rūpa, how many forms we have seen Kṛṣṇa's? No. That is not possible.
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
- tayor evaṁ kathayatoḥ
- pṛthivī-dharmayos tadā
- parīkṣin nāma rājarṣiḥ
- prāptaḥ prācīṁ sarasvatīm
- (SB 1.16.36)
Translation: "While the earth and the personality of religion were thus engaged in conversation, the saintly king Mahārāja Parīkṣit reached the shore of the Sarasvatī River, which flowed towards the east."
Prabhupāda: So we are discussing the conversation between mother earth and Dharmarāja. The subject matter was that the earthly planet was very much morose on account of arrival of Kali-yuga. (baby fussing) (aside:) It will be disturbing.
Devotee (4): Disturbance? (mother and baby leave)
Prabhupāda: So we have discussed the symptoms of Kali-yuga, this age called Kali-yuga. As there are seasonal changes, similarly, in the duration of this material existence, there are seasonal changes. That everyone has got experience. There is summer, there is winter, there is fall, there is spring. So generally the seasonal changes are accepted as Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga and Kali-yuga. Just like in each year we have got different seasons, changes, similarly, each millennium there are so many changes of Kali-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Satya-yuga.
So parīkṣin nāma rājarṣiḥ prāptaḥ prācīṁ sarasvatīm. In India, all the rivers, they're coming from the Himalaya, western side, and flowing toward the eastern side, going to the Bay of Bengal. So prācīm, flowing to the eastern side, Sarasvatī... This is also one of the famous rivers. There are many rivers in India. Especially there is sacred rivers-Ganges, Yamunā, Sarasvatī, Godāvarī, Kāverī, Kṛṣṇā, Narmadā, like that. Each river is considered very sacred. So it is understood that Parīkṣit Mahārāja met the Dharmarāja and the earthly planet, talking together on the bank of the river Sarasvatī.
That's all right. Thank you very much.
Devotee: Jordan River.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So... No. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). If you have to cleanse your heart from all misgivings, then you have to do this: śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). You hear about Kṛṣṇa. Where? Kṛṣṇa is speaking about Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā. "I am this. I am that." You hear. Or you hear about Kṛṣṇa from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. So if you hear... Kṛṣṇa is within your heart. He can understand. If you are seriously hearing, then Kṛṣṇa can understand. Not that karma-kāṇḍīya-vicāra. "Let me hear on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for seven days, and I'll get... I have got now one lakh of rupees. I'll get three lakhs." That is karma-kāṇḍīya-vicāra. That is not wanted. The hearing of Bhāgavatam means to cleanse your heart, that you are not this body, you are spirit soul, eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is purification. When you come to this understanding, that "I am not this body, I am spirit... Ahaṁ brahmāsmi," then... Brahmāsmi, finished? The Māyāvādī says as soon as you come to this conclusion, brahma-bhūtaḥ, then your business is finished. No. Your business begins there. That is the verdict of Bhagavad-gītā.
Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "What is my duty now I am going to die?" He was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy to die within seven days. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was quite competent to counteract the curse of the brāhmaṇa boy, but he decided that "I shall die." Because he thought that "I offended the boy's father by encircling a dead snake on the neck of the ṛṣi. So his son became angry that 'You have insulted my father. You die with this snake.' " So he accepted. So this, on the death point, he immediately left his kingdom, family, and everything, and went down to the river, bank of the river Ganges, and many... Because he was king, so many big, big men, even demigods, great saintly persons, they came to see Mahārāja Parīkṣit at his last stage of life, seven days. And so he asked, "What is my duty?" So he was a devotee, Parīkṣit Mahārāja. From his childhood, he was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So he inquired, "What is my duty to know about Kṛṣṇa?" And that is being welcomed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that "Your, to inquire about Kṛṣṇa, this question is very much welcome." Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ (SB 2.1.1). Praśna means question. "You have asked a question about Kṛṣṇa. It is very, very good."
These nonsense things are going on. Even big, big men like Napoleon and others. And what to speak of others. So... But śāstra says, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ. A little advanced than, than these fools and rascals, they are religious. What is that religion? "Let us go to the holy place." The Christians are going to the Jordan, and the Hindus are going to the Ganges or Yamunā. They think, "If I take my bath in this river, Jordan, or in this Ganges or in this Yamunā, then I become immediately perfect religious." Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma... (SB 10.84.13), yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. Salila means water. So they go to take bath in the water. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. Tīrtha means place of sanctuary. So tīrtha-buddhiḥ, yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ. Real tīrtha is to find out a Kṛṣṇa conscious person. That is the business. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu. Janeṣu. Tīrtha means in the holy places many saintly persons live. So if one goes to the holy place, they must find out a holy man who is living there, and take lesson from him. And that is purification. Not that I go and take bath in the water, and I become purified.
So these classes of men, who are doing like this, that "I am this body, and this birthplace is my worshipable land, yat-tīrtha, and my, this wife and children, they are my protectors," in this way, everyone is thinking. "And whatever sinful activities I am doing, I shall take one bath in the Ganges or Yamunā or Jordan. Then I'll be purified." In this way, the people who are thinking, the śāstra says, "You are no better than the ass and the cow." This is the certificate. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). This class of thinking is simply for the animals.
Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam (SB 5.5.8). Moha means illusion. What is that illusion? "I am this body, and I belong to this material world. This is my society. This is my country. This is my wife. This my children." This is illusion. Why illusion? Because these are false things. Nobody is your wife, nobody is your children. They have simply assembled together by the waves of time. Just like we have seen in the waves of the river, so many straws assembled together. And again, on the waves, they are separated. One straw goes this way, another straw goes... Finished. You see? So this is position. We, by our karma-phala, by the action, reaction of our karma, we artificially assemble here in a family, in a society, in a country, in a community, in a nation, like that. And after few years, by the waves of time, everything is separated. You go somewhere, you go, you go somewhere, you go somewhere, this way... Therefore here it is said that dehāpatya-kalatra, those who are blind to understand the self, those who are not realized, self-realized, such person, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2), those who are... Because human being, human life is meant for understanding ātma-tattva. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is meant for understanding "What I am." But they have lost their all intelligence. They are thinking like cats and dogs: "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am śūdra." And they are busy with that business. Just like cats and dogs, they are busy: "I am dog," "I am cat," "I am tiger," "I am bull," "I am this," "I am that," so human society has also become like cats and dogs, the same conception, bodily conception of life. Because apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). They..., he has no knowledge of self.
An interesting story has been described by our Satsvarūpa Mahārāja in the Back to Godhead: The learned scholar and the boatman. The boatman... In Bengal there are many rivers, and so people generally transport by boat service. So a learned scholar from Calcutta, say, was going home in the village on a boat, and he was very happy. So he was asking the boatman, "My dear boatman, do you know what are these stars, this astronomy, how they are working?" "No, sir, I do not know." "Oh, your life is twenty-five percent lost. You do not know anything." Then after some time, "You know the geology, how this earth, water, they are working?" "No, sir, I am poor man. What can I know?" "Oh, your fifty percent of your life is lost." Then all of a sudden there was a cloud, black cloud on the sky, and there was storm. Then at that time the boatman asked, "Sir, do you know how to swim?" "No, I do not know." "Then one hundred percent you have lost.(laughter) You are going to be drowned." He jumped and he drowned.
So why you are thinking of your food problem? The food is there in the tree and the garment is on the street. Then where is my home, apartment? Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, ruddhā guhāḥ kim, "Whether the caves of the mountain are closed?" They are open for you. The caves of the mountain are open for you, the trees are there to supply you food, and people throw away old garments, that is your dress. And water? Water supply? Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "Whether the rivers are dried up?" There is water. In this way he gives a very nice list so that you can become very independent. There is no problem for your bodily demands. But one has to practice. Formerly the saints, mendicants, sages, they used to practice like that, that not dependent on any condition. And so far God, God is within you. So you haven't got to go anywhere to search out God. God is with you, and you can be independent in this way.
Nitāi: "Are there no torn clothes lying on the common road? Do the trees which exist for maintaining others no longer give alms in charity? Do the rivers, being dried up, no longer supply water to the thirsty? Are the caves of the mountains now closed? Or, above all, does the almighty Lord not protect the fully surrendered souls? Why then do the learned sages go to flatter those who are intoxicated by hard-earned wealth?"
Prabhupāda:
- cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ
- naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ sarito 'py aśuṣyan
- ruddhā guhāḥ kim ajito 'vati nopasannān
- kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān
- (SB 2.2.5)
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī was in renounced order of life from the very beginning of his life. As soon as he came out of the womb of his mother he immediately left home. He was within the womb of his mother for sixteen years. So he was in favor of renounced order of life, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. There was no question of him following the other āśramas. Generally, for ordinary man, there are four āśramas..., eight āśramas. For social upkeep there are four āśramas, namely brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is for spiritual.
So without such division... Therefore there is no such thing as Hindu dharma. No. There is no such word in the whole Vedic literature. You won't find in the Bhagavad-gītā or Bhāgavata as Hindu dharma. There is one word as bhāgavata-dharma, but there is no such word as Hindu dharma. This Hindu dharma or Hindu... This is creation by our neighbor, Indian neighbor, the Middle-east Muhammadans. They gave the name, Indian people, as "Hindu." "Hindu" means... There is one river, Sindhu. The Muhammadans, they pronounce sa as ha. So those who were on the other side of the Sindhu River, Hindu River, they were called Hindus. But actually Vedic religion is neither for Hindus nor for Christian nor for... It is meant for the human being. Vedic literature. So in the Vedic literature... This Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they are Vedic literature. So there is injunction for observing the rules and regulations of varṇa and āśrama, four classes and four āśrama. Āśrama means where spiritual cultivation is practiced. That is called āśrama. So brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Cātur-varṇa and cātur-āśrama, material and spiritual. So sannyāsī is supposed to be on the topmost of the human society. Cātur-varṇa, four classes then, among the varṇas, there are four classes: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Sannyāsa is the topmost order of human society.
All right, I can collect it, pick up some cloth. That's all right. Then where is my food?" Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ, bhikṣāṁ na diśanti. The trees... Formerly trees mean fruit trees. They used to go to jungle means there are enough fruits. Still there are so many jungles. In Hawaii there are so many jungles, enough food. Mango, and many others—banana, pineapple, guava, so many fruits. So going to the jungle means to be free from food problem, enough food. And then water... Water is river. Therefore it is said, sarito 'py aśuṣyan. Do you think all the rivers are dried up? Enough water. Then you may say that I must require some pot to take the water. No. You take water like this. Then where shall I live? Ruddhā guhāḥ kim. Do you think all the caves of the mountains they are now closed? There are many caves. If you want at all shelter, there are already there are natural rooms, apartment. (everyone laughs) You can live there. Ruddhā guhāḥ kim. "And above all," Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, kim ajito 'vati nopasannān, na avati upasannān, upasannān means those who have surrendered. Ajita.
So there are many statements in the Bhagavad-gītā that... In Indian villages still, there are different wells. One well is meant for washing dishes. Another well is meant for taking bath. Another well is meant for washing cloth. Another well is meant for drinking water. So Kṛṣṇa says, "There are different wells for different purposes, but when you go to the river, all the purposes will be served." You can wash your dishes, you can wash your cloth, you can take bath, and then you take drinking water. Similarly, all these desires... Of course, a devotee has no material desire. Unless one is free from all these material desires... These are all material desires. Somebody wants to be powerful, somebody wants wealth, somebody wants to have beautiful wife, somebody wants to possess grains and worldly kingdom... There is no limit of our desires. And there are different departments also. You can fulfill your desires. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25).
They don't want to know anything except Kṛṣṇa. The advantage is that if you can know Kṛṣṇa, then you know everything. And if you get Kṛṣṇa, you get everything. Therefore this conclusion cannot be perceived by less intelligent class of men. Exactly like that. If one is intelligent, he goes to the river from the village, and he takes there bath. River water is never contaminated because constantly the wave is flowing. Suppose you contaminate a certain portion, but it does not stand, it flows down immediately.
Immediately, moment after moment, you are getting pure water. Especially in India. In India there are so many nice rivers, Ganges, Yamunā, Godāvarī, Kāverī, Kṛṣṇā, Sindh. There are many rivers, all very nice water. In the Western countries I have seen only one river very nice, in Montreal. What is that river? St. Lawrence, yes. All other rivers I have seen, they are very unclean, especially in Moscow, Hamburg. Oh, it is so dirty. So in India the rivers are very clean, and people take pleasure in taking bath in rivers. If there is river, nobody will take bath at home. They will go all to the river. And it is very refreshing. That you know. So this example is very nice, that if you go to the river, then your all purposes are served. But in the village, they are restricted that "This well is for this purpose, this well is this purpose." It may be crowded. You have to wait for the opportunity. But the river is open. You can go there and have your business done very nicely.
There is no second, I mean to say, counterpart. But He expands. Advaitam acyutam. Acyuta. Acyuta means which does not fall down. Acyuta. Cyuta means "fall down." So God's another name is Acyuta, never falls down. Just like we living entities, we fall down. From spiritual world, we fall down. Because we have fallen down, therefore we have got this material body. But Kṛṣṇa, or God, never falls down. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta, endless. You cannot count how many forms are there of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They have been compared with the incessant waves of the river. Just like, in the river you stand, on a flowing river, you will find the waves are day and night flowing, flowing, flowing, flowing.
Similarly, God, Kṛṣṇa, from Him, ananta-koṭi, innumerable incarnations are coming out, coming out. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Then next question may be that "If all the forms are coming from Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa also must have come from some other form." Because we see ... Suppose I have got hundred children, so I was also born by some father. No. Kṛṣṇa is not like that.
Here, this is also Kṛṣṇa's exhibition of māyā, but it is temporary. In the another, spiritual world, that is also exhibition of Kṛṣṇa's māyā, but it is permanent. Here is a perverted reflection, we say. Just like shadow, shadow, the shadow of the tree in the water—everything is perverted, opposite. So that shadow is not the substance. The substance is there. On the bank of the river, that is really. Similarly the spiritual world is There also, everything is there. There are trees, there are fruits, there are flowers, there are men—everything is there, birds, beasts, everything. But they are all real. Here, bahu-rūpa. Bahu-rūpa means, which it is not reality. That, this bahu-rūpa is also reflection, but it is not real. That is the difference. Ivābhāti. Therefore it is called ivābhāti: "It appears like that." Actually it is not. Just like in some shop you see so many ladies and gentlemen are standing with nice dress.
So we have to learn from the śāstra that Kṛṣṇa is the origin, Bhagavān. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). All the viṣṇu-tattvas, all the incarnations, they are plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa, and... Or expansion of the expansion. Thousands and thousands. Millions. Just like there are waves in the ocean and the river, similarly there are incarnations, many thousands. Śaktyāveśa-avatāra, guṇa-avatāra, svayam avatāra... Many avatāras. They are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So all these avatāras are svacchandātmā. There is no cares and anxiety. Just like if we organize a business or some management, we have got so many anxieties. Even he's a managing director or proprietor or the supreme person in some establishment, he has got so many anxieties. He's not very happy. Although he's sitting in his room without any disturbance, but because he has to manage, the brain is working, "How to do this? How to do that? How to manage that affair?" He's always full of anxiety. This is material nature. In the material world you cannot be without any anxiety. That is not possible. Asad-grahāt.
Here Kṛṣṇa's incarnation, Kapiladeva... Kapiladeva is also Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's incarnation and Kṛṣṇa, they are all the same. Svāṁśa, vibhinnāṁśa. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Kṛṣṇa has got ananta, unlimited forms, unlimited incarnations. It is said in the Bhāgavatam the incarnations are expanding or going on exactly like the waves in the sea or in the river. You cannot count. So many incarnations, and all of them are Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Just like Kṛṣṇa as arcā-vigraha, Deity worship in the temple... Now, in India there are many thousands of temples. Now outside of India we are increasing not many thousands, but many hundreds. So Kṛṣṇa is expanding. All these Kṛṣṇas, They are not different; They are one. Advaita. Kṛṣṇa in the Vaikuṇṭha and Kṛṣṇa in this temple, They are not different. Advaita. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta. Although ananta, They are not different. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37).
There is an instance during Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time. Devotees from Bengal were going to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and on the way a dog also began to follow them. So the leader of the party, Śivānanda Sena, he was also giving food, prasādam, to the dog, and they had to cross one river, and the boatman would not take the dog. Śivānanda Sena paid him some more money, that "You take the dog." This is Vaiṣṇava, that "This dog has taken our company. He is going with us. How I can leave him behind?" So he paid more money: "Please take this dog." This is called suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām (SB 3.25.21). And the dog was emancipated. He went to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he was sitting as dog, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was eating something and throwing it to the dog. In this way, the dog got Vaikuṇṭha. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that this consciousness, this sympathy for everyone, can dispatch even a dog to Vaikuṇṭha. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām.
So where is the trouble? Therefore it is ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice there is no trouble only. And another thing is that that is great hope. Everything you are doing under the spell of māyā we do not know where you are going, what is the ultimate aim. We do not know. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. We are under the spell of māyā given by the guṇas. You must accept. If you don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and give it ourselves on the waves of māyā, then we do not know where we are going. The Caitanya Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Just like a straw in the waves of the ocean or the river. It is fully under the control of the waves. Sometimes diving, sometimes coming out, sometimes going this way, going that. Our position is like that. We do not know that, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Under the material nature we are being carried by the waves of material nature, and you do not know where you are going because you have no control.
This is the experience of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. He was a South Indian brāhmaṇa, very rich brāhmaṇa. But by bad association or something like that, he became a very staunch prostitute hunter. So he engaged all his income, money, everything, after one prostitute. Her name was Cintāmaṇi. So it is a very nice story. I am briefly describing. So one night... Every night he was to go to that prostitute, and one night it was very terribly raining. So the prostitute thought, "Now this night Bilvamaṅgala is not coming. It is terribly raining." But Bilvamaṅgala went there, crossing the river, and the door was closed. He jumped over the door catching a snake. In this way, very dangerously, he reached the prostitute's house. And the prostitute was astonished, that "How is this condition you could come here? Oh, you are so much attracted by this skin. If this much attraction you would have to Kṛṣṇa, how it would have been nice for you." So immediately he left the prostitute's house and went to Vṛndāvana.
Here we have got experience: the tree has got its roots underneath, down. But this material world, which is compared with the aśvattha tree, the root is upside and the branches downside. That means it is shadow. We can experience of this tree, ūrdhva-mūlam. The root upside and the branches downside, we have got experience. Where it is? In the shadow. If you stand on the bank of a river or reservoir of water and if there is any tree by the side of that reservoir of water, you will find the shadow, ūrdhva-mūlam. The root upside and the branches downside. Exactly the same tree, but it is shadow. It has no fact; it is simply shadow. Many places it has been compared with the mirage, mirage in the desert. Just like in bright sunshine in the desert you will find that there is water. So the thirsty animal, they think there is water. They jump over it, and the animal runs after the water, and the water also goes away, goes away, goes away. Sometimes we have got also experience. In bright sunshine on the street we find exactly a shadow of water, but there is no water. Tejo-vāri-mṛt, amṛṣā. In the Bhāgavata it is stated: tejo-vāri-mṛt, amṛsā. Sometimes in the water we see land, and on land we can see water. This is called marīcikā, or mirage.
Therefore this description is of the spiritual world in the Brahma-saṁhitā, Vedic literature, cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). This is the trees, plants, and animals. Then lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. He is not only in this surrounding of cintāmaṇi bricks, houses, and desire trees, many, many cowherd, not only the cows, surabhī, and the river, but also many thousands of Lakṣmī, Goddess of fortune. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is the essence.
So one has to realize this. That is jñānam. Jñānam does not mean that because I am disgusted with this material world, to make this material world, not make, the material cannot be also made into zero, but we can imagine also something where there is no more these trees, and houses, and animals, and woman, and this and that, everything is finished. Nirākāra. Nirākāra, all kinds of ākāra, or forms, nirviśeṣa. Visesa means with varieties, and nirviśeṣa means without varieties. This is Māyāvāda philosophy. Finish this viśeṣa, the varieties. Simply realize "I am," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, so 'ham, like that. But that is not jñānam. That is not jñānam. That will be explained, one after another. Because nirviśeṣa, there is no possibility of nirviśeṣa. That I explained to you. As soon as you say Kṛṣṇa, immediately you have to think of Kṛṣṇa's paraphernalia. Not Kṛṣṇa alone. So everywhere Kṛṣṇa is there.
So far candle-power is concerned, they are equally the same. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's incarnation, Kṛṣṇa is the origin, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28), the origin, person, ādi-puruṣa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. Still, the expansion of Kṛṣṇa... Just like the first expansion is Balarāma. Then Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Then Nārāyaṇa. Then again Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Then Mahā-Viṣṇu. Then, from Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu there are innumerable expansions, Paramātmā expansion. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So in this way there is... The Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says, "Expansion of Kṛṣṇa are so many, just like incessant waves in the river or in the ocean."
So, so far in this material conception of life there are two puruṣas, one, the living entity, and the other is the Supersoul. So above this... Living entity is the adhama-puruṣa, and the Supersoul is the madhyama-puruṣa, and Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is uttama-puruṣa, the Supreme. And in this material world the adhama-puruṣa is called also nitya-baddha. Similarly, there are other living entities in the spiritual world, they are called nitya-mukta or nitya-siddha. They never come in this material world. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī. In his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, he describes some comparison, that the sea fishes, they never come to the river. The river fishes sometimes go to the sea, but the sea fishes, they never come to the river. Similarly, there are living entities in the spiritual world. They never come in this material world. Their number is greater, at least three times greater than all the living entities within this material world. And the Supersoul, He is also living entity, but superior, Supersoul. Soul and Supersoul.
There are description in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. It is not possible to describe all the incarnation, how they are being manifest. But they are recorded in Vedic literature and especially in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. We have published our Caitanya-caritāmṛta. You have have reference, Ananta. There are so many different types of incarnation. Manvavatāra, manu-avatāra, there are five lakhs, 400,000..., four hundred. Five lakhs and four hundred manu-avatāra. So in the Bhāgavatam it is stated that the avatāras are constantly coming just like the waves of the ocean or waves of the river. You cannot count them. Only the most important avatāras are counted, and we offer our prayers. Just like Matsya avatāra, Kūrma avatāra, Varāha avatāra, Nṛsiṁha avatāra, Vāmana avatāra, then Paraśurāma avatāra, Lord Rāmacandra avatāra, Balarāma avatāra, Buddha avatāra. Buddha is also one of the incarnation. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. Śrīla Jayadeva Gosvāmī has offered his prayer to the ten avatāra, principal avatāra. Keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare.
So origin of all these avatāra is the Saṅkarṣaṇa, this Saṅkarṣaṇa. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanam (Bs. 5.33). Kṛṣṇa is the ādyam. Purāṇa-puruṣam, the origin. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ. All the avatāras... Kṛṣṇa is avatāri, the source of all avatāras. There are ananta, unlimited number of incarnation constantly coming like the waves of the river or the sea, but the original person is Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa says, confirms it that ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8): "All avatāra, everything, is all emanations from Me." So iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. So if we simply worship Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa also demands that, mām ekam—then all the avatāras, all the demigods, everything, is worshiped.
So that is confirmed in the Vedic literature, Upaniṣad. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). His energy is working—the same earth, the same seed, ingredient of the seed. There is variety of the seed also. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām: (Bg 7.10) "I am the seed, seedling." The same process: there is a seed of rose tree, you put into the earth and pour water—a rose tree will come out. And similarly, looking another, chili seed, but it will come chili. The earth is the same; water is the same. Just like on the riverside there are many trees. Their eatable is the same water, standing in the same earth, but different trees are coming out. Different taste fruit, different flower, different, all different. So therefore, the difference is there in the seed. So you cannot understand. You cannot chemically analyze the seed, small seed, but the potency is so strong, so you cannot study by your so-called physical or chemical science.
Others, they are all my enemies." So this crippled thought Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhātuke svā-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu (SB 10.84.13). Because they have no knowledge that "Nobody is my father. Nobody is my mother. I am nobody's son. We are simply assembled together under certain condition, just like some straws gathered together by the waves of the river, and again, by the same river, it is tossed here and there and then the straw remains one." So we can study our history of life, that someone was born in India; someone was born in America; someone was born in Africa, Canada. So we have come together. There was no idea that we shall have to give up our family relationship and come into this society of Kṛṣṇa conscious. So similarly, we mix together, intermingle, by chance. Not by chance—by the arrangement of the Supreme, by providence. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). So we play the part of the son, the father, the wife, the children, but it is exactly the same—a straw gathering by the waves of the river. So just like sometimes in a foreign country we make some relationship, brother, father, but that is not actually the fact. The real father is Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayoyaḥ (BG 14.4).
There is no necessity of anything. Simply if you wash your body with water sufficiently. Of course, in your country it is cold country. In India, common people they go to the river and take bath very nicely because it is a tropical climate. There is no trouble. So you can cleanse your body. There are many saintly persons residing on the bank of the river Ganges. Early in the morning they cleanse the body. They go to evacuate on the field. After evacuating they come to the river, cleanse the body very nicely, and smear the body with the clay received from the river, and they sit down at a place and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa—whole day. They don't care for whether they have got to eat or not to eat. By God's grace somebody is coming, somebody is giving something, somebody is giving something. Just like in your country also you are offering, somebody is offering food, somebody is offering something. So there is arrangement by God's law, everyone shall eat. It is not that... You have never seen any animal or any bird has died for starvation. No. There is no starvation in the law of God. Everyone has food. Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. By the laws of nature, by God's order, everyone has, I mean to say, provision for four things. What is that? Eating, shelter, and sense gratification, and defense.
That one who is inquisitive to understand about the ultimate goal of life, for him there is need of guru, not a fashion. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsur śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Then what is that guru? That is also explained: śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. Śābde means Vedic literature. Vedic He has drowned himself, he has bathed himself in the ocean of Vedas. Śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. Just like if you take bathing in a river, deep down you'll become refreshed. Similarly, one has to take śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. And what is the symptom? How I shall know that he has taken bathing fully in the ocean of Veda? Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam, he has finished all desires for material happiness or distress. He is brāhmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. He has taken shelter of Brahman—the same thing, Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), one who has taken fully shelter under the lotus feet of Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa, you have to take shelter of such a guru. Otherwise you'll not be able to get out of these clutches of māyā. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21), every śāstra you go.
So this universe is fully described in the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You will see it, where, which planet, where it is situated, what is the dimension, what kind of people live there. Everything is there. Similarly, there are description of the hellish planet, downwards. So that description of those planets when Parīkṣit Mahārāja heard it, that "These sinful men, they are suffering there; some of them being fried in boiling oil," this description is there. Some of them put into the river which is full of germs and mosquitoes, and some of them are forced to embrace a iron, hot iron man, a hot iron woman. In this way there are many description. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī concluded, "Mahārāja, I have described a few of them. There are many thousands and thousand kinds of suffering." So Parīkṣit Mahārāja is a Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava means devotee. So he did not appreciate the suffering of the human being in such a way. That is a Vaiṣṇava's nature. Vaiṣṇava himself is very happy because he is in direct connection with Kṛṣṇa. He personally has no complaint, because a Vaiṣṇava is satisfied simply by serving Kṛṣṇa. That's all. He doesn't want anything.
They do not fall down, but they go even to the hell to deliver. So Prahlāda, this is Prahlāda Mahārāja's admission. He says that na udvije: "I'm not very much anxious or perturbed because I am living in this material world." Naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyāḥ. Vaitaraṇyāḥ means this hellish condition of life, how to cross the river of hellish condition of life. So "I have no anxiety for that." Why you are not anxious? Now, he says, tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ: (SB 7.9.43) "Because some way or other, I have been trained to be always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore I have no anxiety." There is a confidence. One who is purely in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's confident that next life he's going to Kṛṣṇa. So if we simply carefully execute our Kṛṣṇa conscious regulative principles, it is sure, actually. In the Bhagavad-gītā that is stated.
Prāyaścittāni, the process of atonement or the process of austerity, penance, they are not safe. Kiṁ na nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham. They are not safe in this sense: because they are nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham. Parāṅmukham, devoid of devotional service. They are thinking by this practice of self-realization process, austerities, they'll be safe. But there is no sense of devotional service, such persons are not safe. Prāyaścittāni cīrṇāni nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham, na niṣpunanti. Therefore they are not completely freed from the contamination. The example is given, na niṣpunanti rājendra surā-kumbham ivāpagāḥ. Just like the pot which contains wine, they are even washed by the river they are not accepted, they are not purified. In India the process is, which is still, that big earthen pot which contains wine, they are thrown into the river, but nobody touches, although it is washed very nicely. Nowadays the situation is different. Formerly anything which contained wine, it is never purified. It is never to be touched. Surā-kumbham ivāpagāḥ.
Nitāi: "Those persons who are performing many processes of atonement cannot become purified by such atonement due to their being nondevotees, just as a pot containing liquor cannot be purified even if it is washed by all the rivers combined together."
Prabhupāda:
- prāyaścittāni cīrṇāni
- nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham
- na niṣpunanti rājendra
- surā-kumbham ivāpagāḥ
- (SB 6.1.18)
Ivāpagāḥ. So here is one significant word, surā-kumbham. Everything is washed very nicely. If you go to the river, you can wash very nicely. But just see how much infectious is liquor that the any pot or any bottle which was filled up with liquor, they cannot be purified. This is Vedic civilization. How much condemned is liquor! Because a pot was filled up with liquor, you cannot use it for any other purpose. It is lost. Even if you wash it very nicely, no, it will not be accepted. Finished. Similarly, there are many processes of purification; they cannot be as useful as bhagavad-bhakti. Bhagavad-bhakti is so nice that Kṛṣṇa says that "You surrender to Me," sarva-dharmān parityajya, "and immediately you become immune from all reaction of sinful activity, immediately."
Therefore this machine is sulabham. Sulabham means very fortunately we have got this machine. And sukalpam, "very nicely made." Those who are medical man, they see how nicely made it is, how the nerves are working, the nails are working, the intestines and the heart and everything—a grand machine. Therefore it is called sukalpam, "very well planned." And what for? Just like a nice boat, well planned. If you have got a nice boat, you get on it and cross over the river or the ocean. Similarly, we are in this material ocean. Life after life we are struggling. So now we have got a nice boat, this human body. Sulabhaṁ sudurlabham. And it is specially advantageous because the breeze is very favorable. When you ply your boat, if the breeze is favorable, pushing on, that is another advantage, good boat and good breeze. And guru-karṇadhāram: "And the captain, steering man, is guru." He is giving instruction, "Row like this. Turn this way, that way." He is turning everything. So we have got this opportunity. If the boat is very nice, the captain is very nice, the breeze is very favorable, and even accepting or getting this nice boat, favorable, if we do not cross over the sea of ignorance, of material existence, then we are committing suicide. Sa ātma-hā. You get all the opportunities, and still you remain in this material world, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease? Is that very good intelligence? No. That is not good.
Within this material world, there is one Siddhaloka. Siddha, caraṇa. They are called siddha means all the yogic mystic powers they have got naturally. Here in this, on the earthly planet, if we want to get some mystic power, we have to practice it by yoga, mystic exercise. But in that planet, Siddhaloka, they are born perfect. Just like if you want to swim in the water, you have to learn it; you have to practice it. But within the sea or water even a small fish, he can very expertly swim, a born qualification. You cannot go against the current of the sea or the water of the river, but a small fish takes pleasure going against the current. Tulasī dāsa has said that to go against the current is very difficult. Even an elephant is washed away. But a small fish, because he has taken shelter of the ocean, he can go against the current. This is the... So if we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then even the current is against, we can go because... The same example: the fish has taken shelter of the ocean.
So Rabindranath Tagore, he was poet. He was thinking that "These Englishmen's country is so small, and they are running on so great speed they will fall in the ocean." He remarked like that. Why they are running so fast? So similarly, we are running so fast for going to hell. This is our position, because we do not know what is the destination. If I do not know what is the destination and try to drive my car in full speed, then what will be the result? The result will be disaster. We must know why we are running. Running means just like the river is running in great tide, flowing, but the destination is the sea. When the river comes to the sea, then its destination gone. So similarly, we must know what is the destination. The destination is Viṣṇu, God. We are part and parcel of God. We are... Somehow or other, we are fallen in this material world. Therefore our destination of life will be to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our destination. There is no other destination. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching that "You fix up your goal of life." And what is that goal of life? "Back to home, back to Godhead. You are going this side, opposite side, toward the side of hell. That is not your destination. You go this side, back to Godhead." That is our propaganda.
We do not understand that this deha, this body, is always kleśada. Kleśada means giving pains. For the time being, we may feel some pleasure, but actually it is a reservoir of pain, not pleasure. The example is given in this connection... Formerly, this was done by the government servants to criminal, to take a man in the middle of the river and drown him, and catching his hair, and when he's almost suffocating, then they again draw from the water and he takes little rest and again put him into the water. So that was the system of punishment. Similarly, whatever little pleasure we are feeling, that is exactly similarly the man, when he's taken from the water, that's all. Again he's to be drowned. This material world is like that.
Just like in this place, confluence of the river of Yamunā and Gaṅgā, one of the associates of Lord Caitanya committed suicide. You know, Choṭa Haridāsa. This Choṭa Haridāsa was associate of Lord Caitanya. He was daily singing kīrtana, and he was very nice singer. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu liked him. He was one of the associates in Purī. But somehow or other, he became inclined for sense gratification. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Paramātmā could understand, and He immediately asked His other associates, "Not to allow this man to come before Me any more." So even Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and other big, big, big guns of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's associates, Rāmānanda Rāya, they requested that "This man is Your eternal servant. Somehow or other, he has committed this sin. So You kindly excuse him." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so much stern in this respect that He immediately replied that "If you like Choṭa Haridāsa, better you remain with him. Let Me go away." So from that moment nobody ventured to request again Caitanya Mahāprabhu to excuse him. So when he was hopeless not to be excused by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he came here in this place, Prayāga, and in the confluence of river Yamunā and Gaṅgā he committed suicide. He drowned himself. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew also this incident. So after some time, when he died, say after some months, He simply inquired, "Where is Choṭa Haridāsa now?" So his other associates replied, "Sir, You did not accept him, so he has committed suicide." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Yes, this is very good. This is very good." So vajrād api kaṭhora. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sometimes harder than the stone, and sometimes He was softer than the flower.
So one day he came to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja on the dvādaśī day with sixty thousand disciples and ordered the Mahārāja, "Mahārāja, today we have come to take prasādam in your palace. Please arrange for this." So that was dvādaśī day. You know, on the dvādaśī there was... That is a regulative principle, that in the morning at about nine o'clock one has to take something, prasādam, to break the vows, break fast. So this Durvāsā Muni along with disciples, they went to the river Ganges to take bath, but they were willfully not coming back. So Ambarīṣa Mahārāja asked the priest that "Durvāsā Muni is my guest. I cannot take anything without offering him. So what shall I do? Now I have to observe the dvādaśī breakfast." So the brāhmaṇa priest ordered him that "Mahārāja, you can take little caraṇāmṛta," the water. So according to śāstra, drinking little water is not breaking fast, so it will be not taken very... So with the advice of the brāhmaṇa... Formerly the kings, they were guided by the instruction of the brāhmaṇas and great saintly persons. They were not doing anything whimsically. That is not the fact. So with the instruction of the brāhmaṇas, he took little caraṇāmṛta. And Durvāsā Muni was a great yogi. He could immediately understand. Then he came back and became very angry. His idea was to punish him some way or other. "Give the dog bad name and hang it." This was his policy. So he was to give some bad name. So he became angry that "I am your guest and you have already taken, broken your ekādaśī fasting. So I shall teach you."
Just like in Vṛndāvana many visitors come. They think that by simply taking a dip into the Yamunā water their tīrtha is finished, pilgrimage is finished. But śāstra says, yat tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. If one comes to Vṛndāvana and simply takes advantage of taking a bath in the river Yamunā, that is also very good, but that does not finish his business. He must seek out where in Vṛndāvana Kṛṣṇa consciousness is going on, janeṣu abhijñeṣu, "Where there is a person who can teach me about Kṛṣṇa conscious." That is humanity. Otherwise, if he thinks simply by going to Vṛndāvana and taking a dip in Yamunā or shaving the head and purchasing some utensils for sons and daughter, their tīrtha... They have been described as sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Go means cow, and kharaḥ means ass. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni. When you go some holy place, because in the holy place there are many persons who are very learned, who can give you very good instruction about spiritual life, so you must seek such person and associate with him. That is tīrtha. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni. Because it is said in the śāstra that ordinary men with sinful habits, they come to tīrtha, holy place, and actually they become purified. Actually they become purified. That is the glory of tīrtha-sthāna, dhāma. But when such sinful garbage is accumulated, who will clear? It will be cleared by the saintly person, by their puṇya work. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrtha... Again they make it tīrtha.
hat is (indistinct). Anubhava ananta svarupa, parameśvara. That is the (indistinct). You can feel His presence, that is being explained here. (reads Sanskrit commentary) It is very simple. Prahlāda Mahārāja is saying that as the expert gold miner, when he sees there are gold particles in the field, naturally he concludes.... Still, in India there is a river, in that river gold particles, in the water gold particles can be found. Gold particles. Many poor men they whole day work and strain the water in different way and get some little gold, still. So, by the symptoms, by the symptoms the expert gold miner finds out that here is gold, gold mine. Because within the soil, or with the soil you find some gold particles. That is the way, here it is said. Similarly, one can find out Kṛṣṇa by the symptoms, the characteristics, of this world. That is common sense. Just in everything there is a controller. There is a life. Just like in my body, I am controlling this body, and there is living force, living symptoms. Similarly, this whole world which is going on, there are so many things that is, that requires nice brain. This planetary system is moving nicely, exactly to the order. So, one should consider that there must be some brain behind this—how things are going so nicely. That is common sense. Just like the gold mine expert, as soon as he finds some gold particles either in the vicinity, water or land, they consider there is gold mine. Similarly, when you find that things are going on so nicely, there is a big brain behind this. That is the statement of Professor Einstein. He also says that as we make progress and we see wonderful things, we are bound to believe that there is a big brain. There is a big brain. (reads Sanskrit commentary) So, as the poor man goes to the river side and by straining the water by—they have a specific process, they find out some gold—similarly, a person kṣetreṣu deheṣu ātma adhyātma-vid brahma-gatiṁ labheta (?). This meditation means thinking very deeply what I am, what I am.
Just like if you place, if you pour some water on the ground, you will see where there is down level, it will at once go to that side. Without any arrangement, you simply pour the water, and it will go down where the level is down, just like the rivers are flowing to the sea level. Similarly, a highly developed Kṛṣṇa conscious person, at once he will hear about something of Kṛṣṇa, he will be in ecstasy. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There was a devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. His name was Murāri Gupta. He was physician to the then Nawab, Muslim Nawab. Now, they were sitting. The Nawab was going some hunting excursion or something like that, but he was Nawab's physician. He was to accompany him. So they were sitting on the back of the elephant. In the meantime that Murāri Gupta saw one peacock, and as soon as he saw the peacock, the feather, he at once remembered Kṛṣṇa and at once fainted and fall down. This is called ālambana. This is called ālambana. Ālambana means anything to the context, immediately he remembers his Lord and becomes ecstatic. This is the first-class stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So there are many instances. Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed this manifestation in His life. We shall discuss. We are discussing now in the morning class.
Everything is there. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). That is the definition of Brahman. Whatever we have got in experience and whatever we haven't got in experience... We haven't got everything in experience. Just like about Nṛsiṁha-deva it is said Lakṣmī also had no experience that the Lord can become half-lion, half-man. Even Lakṣmī, what to speak of others. Lakṣmī, she is constant companion of the Lord. So it is said, aṣruta. What is that? Adṛṣṭa. Adṛṣṭa aṣruta pūrvatvāt. She became afraid because she also never saw such gigantic form and half-lion, half-man. God has so many forms: advaita acyuta anādi ananta-rūpam. Ananta-rūpam; still, advaita. So in the Bhāgavata it is said that God's incarnations are exactly like the waves of the river or the sea. Nobody can count. You'll be tired if you want to count the number of waves. It is impossible. So God's incarnations are as many as there are waves. So you cannot count the waves; therefore you cannot understand how many incarnations He has got. Even Lakṣmī, even Anantadeva, they haven't got. So our experience—very limited. Why should we say that "God cannot have this, God cannot have..." like that? This is godlessness. They make section. They say... Even in our so-called Vedic Arya-samajhi, they assert that God cannot take incarnation. Why? If God is all-powerful, then why He shall not be able to accept incarnation?
So all the denizens of that particular planet, they are siddhas. Siddhas means they have got all the perfection of yoga practice. So they were also present, offering prayers; Brahmā was present, Lord Śiva was present, and great sages were present. All of them tried to pacify. And how they wanted to pacify? Sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ: They were very great learned men. Immediately they began to compose in Sanskrit verses so many nice prayers, and they were all full of goodness, modes of goodness. Sattvaikatāna-vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ. Pravāhaiḥ means they prayed in such a fluent way, just like the river flows down without any gheck. That is the learned man. Just like a learned man will speak fluently for hours together, similarly, they were so learned scholars that they composed prayers in Sanskrit so nicely and began to speak just like flow of water. So he says, sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāṁ nārādhituṁ: "Still, they could not satisfy the Lord." Nārādhituṁ. Puru-guṇair adhunāpi pipruḥ: "Still, the Lord is not pacified. Still." Kiṁ toṣṭum arhati: "Then what can I do?" Where... There is an English word, "Where angels fail, the fools rush in." So "I am so lower. I am born of an atheistic father, demon. How can I please the Lord?" So this is the position.
You know the story of that brāhmaṇa. He had no means to offer anything to Kṛṣṇa. He was so poor. But he wanted to offer something, but he thought that "I am so poor. I cannot offer anything." So one day he heard from the Bhāgavata speech that one can offer Him within mind also. So he took it seriously, and from that day he was offering Kṛṣṇa so many nice foodstuffs, collecting water from different rivers and keeping the water in golden jugs, and bathing Kṛṣṇa and offering... This was... He was always thinking. And one day he prepared sweet rice and offered Kṛṣṇa, and he wanted to see whether rice is..., because sweet rice, very hot, is not good. Sweet rice, the more it is cooler, then it is tasteful. But milk, if you take cool, that is not tasteful. Milk you have to take hot, but not the sweet rice. So he wanted to test whether it is too hot. So his finger burned, and then his meditation broke. He saw there is no rice but finger is burned. In this way the brāhmaṇa was immediately taken to Vaikuṇṭha.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Translation: "My dear Lord, You are transcendentally situated on the other side of the river of death. We are suffering on this side of the river of death on account of the resultant action of our own activities and have thus fallen in this river. We are suffering the pangs of repeated birth, death and awful arrangements. Not only me, but on behalf of all others in suffering conditions, kindly see upon them and out of Your causeless mercy and compassion deliver us and thus maintain us."
Prabhupāda:
- evaṁ sva-karma-patitaṁ bhava-vaitaraṇyām
- anyonya-janma-maraṇāśana-bhīta-bhītam
- paśyaṁ janaṁ sva-para-vigraha-vaira-maitraṁ
- hanteti pāracara pīpṛhi mūḍham adya
- (SB 7.9.41)
So this is our material condition of life. Prahlāda Mahārāja is describing one after another. So sometimes foolish person accuse God that "Why He has put us into this miserable condition, different status of life? Somebody is rich, somebody is poor, somebody is diseased, somebody is healthy, and so many varieties." Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said, keśava tuyā jagata vicitra. Vicitra means varieties.
That is the highest perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhi nā dekhe tāra mūrti, sarvatra sphūraya tāra iṣṭa deva mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). When one is fully advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he sees this world... The world is full of sthāvara-jaṅgama. Some things, some articles, are moving; some articles are not moving. Just like tree—it is not moving, but an animal is moving. This is sthāvara-jaṅgama. So he is seeing the tree or the animals or the hill or the water or the river or the ground. So because he is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he sees nothing but Kṛṣṇa everywhere. Sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhi nā dekhe tāra mūrti. He does not see anything else except Kṛṣṇa. And actually that is the fact. Simply we have to purify our eyes, then we can see in everything. He is in the atom even. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. But because we are not qualified, therefore we cannot see. One who is qualified, he can see. There is no question of seeing Kṛṣṇa in a particular place.
So the first training, how to create a brahmacārī... This is human civilization. Unless one comes to the platform of varṇāśrama-dharma... This Hindu dharma, this is not the proper word. Hindu, this word, is not found in the Vedic literature. It is a foreign word, from Sindu to Hindu. It is the word given by the Muslims. The other side of the Sindu, the Muslim countries begin. So the Muslim used to call this part, the other side of the river Sindu, "Hindu." So our real, this Bhāratavarṣa, real dharma, is varṇāśrama-dharma. Here it is not said, "Hindu dharma." Brahmacārī. Four āśramas-brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. So the beginning of life is brahmacārī, how to remain a celibate. It is very scientific. People have neglected this culture and they are suffering. It is so essen... Because they do not know what is the aim of life, so in the Bhagavad-gītā all these people have been described as mūḍha, rascals. They do not know what is the aim of life.
From Lord Caitanya, others. In this way the disciplic succession is coming directly from Kṛṣṇa. And it is called Brahma-sampradāya. Brahma-sampradāya. So that knowledge... Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, this knowledge is received by this disciplic succession. That is perfect knowledge. No adulteration. Just like if you see water directly from the sky, it is pure water. And as soon as you take water either from sea or river, it is adulterated. Similarly, we have to receive knowledge direct from Kṛṣṇa. So it is a great opportunity that Bhagavad-gītā is directly imparted by Kṛṣṇa. And if we take, accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is, we are full of knowledge. There is no question of research or bothering your brain. You take directly, immediately. We receive knowledge in that way, oh... Just mother gives the child education, "My dear child, here is your father.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
First of all, he offered five thousand, five thousand gold mudras (?). But when he was not very happy, then he offered ten thousand. In this way, it was settled and the superintendent of jail let him go. And he inquired from Sanātana Gosvāmī, "What I shall explain to the Nawab when he'll ask me explanation, call for explanation? You are going." So he gave him a trick that... Formerly, people used to evacuate on the field. So he was imprisoned. So he wanted to evacuate in the field. And the superintendent of jail was accompanying him. In this way, he fabricated story and he told that "When he was evacuating, immediately he jumped over the river and the river's waves were so strong, he was carried away. I could not find him." So in this way, Sanātana Gosvāmī escaped after bribing.
"Ocean of nectar." The Māyāvādī philosophers, generally they give this example that the, all the rivers, they flow down to the ocean. This example is generally given that when the river mixes with the ocean, it doesn't matter which course it is following. After all, it is coming to the ocean, merging into the ocean. So that is ultimate liberation. But this analogy... Analogy, if you give some analogy, you must consider all the similar points. That is the way of analogy. The more you have got similar points, then the analogy is perfect. So the rivers merging into the ocean. Then you must take further consideration that the superficial water mixing with the ocean is again evaporated. The water is evaporated by scorching heat of the sun. Just like now we see cloud in the sky. This is nothing but evaporated water from the sea. So the water which merged into the water and into the ocean of the, water of the ocean, now it is evaporated in the sky. And again it will fall down. And then again glide to the ocean. So this is called avagamana, coming and going, coming and going. But our Vaiṣṇava philosophy is not to merge into the water, but keep your identity and go deep into the water. So that you may not be evaporated. The fish and the aquatic animals within the water, they are not evaporated. They are not going to become cloud and again fall down. Therefore Sanātana, Rūpa Gosvāmī says, "He further prays that by residing in the ocean of nectar he may always feel transcendental pleasure..."
So merging does not mean, always, that losing one's individuality. The individuality's there. Therefore the theory of merging into the existence of impersonal Brahman is to stay there for some time, again fall down. Just like the same example that the water of the rivers, they merge into the ocean, but again it is evaporated, in the sky, and it falls. Again goes through the river, merges. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This is going on. One mani..., once manifested, and again merging. This is going on.
So our philosophy is that once going into the ocean, no more coming back. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). That is our philosophy. If we once go in the spiritual world, we do not like to come back. We stay with Kṛṣṇa and dance with Him, or play with Him, or serve with, serve Him as tree, as plant, as water, as cows, as land, as cowherd boys, as father, mother, or as gopīs. This is our philosophy. Once we go to Kṛṣṇa, we live forever with Him in either of these capacities. Let me live at Vṛndāvana in any capacity. It doesn't matter. But live there. Therefore he says that "He further prays that by residing in that ocean of nectar he may always feel eternally continually, without any cessation..." Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). To remain ānandamaya. That is the principle of Vaiṣṇava philosophy.
Pradyumna: "Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and ācāryas or holy teachers, who are compared with sharks in the great ocean of nectar and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation. Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be compared with liberation and the rivers with all the different paths of liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water, which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information, however, that within the ocean, as within the rivers, there are innumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the ocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it."
Prabhupāda: Yes. The shark, big fish, shark, big body, they have no place to come into the river, come back. There is no place. Big crocodile, big sharks, they do not come to the river. They constantly remain in the ocean. Go on. Yes.
Pradyumna: "The devotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and they do not care for the rivers. In other words, those who are pure devotees always remain in the ocean of transcendental loving service to the Lord and have no business with the other processes which are compared to the rivers that only gradually come to the ocean. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī prays to his spiritual master Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī for the protection of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, the ocean of the pure nectar of devotional service, from the argumentative logicians who unnecessarily meddle in the science of service to the Lord. He compares their arguments and logic to volcanic eruptions in the midst of the ocean."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet. Simply by arguments, logic, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. That is the Vedic injunction. Tarko apratiṣṭho. You cannot establish the truth by simple logic and arguments. You may be very great logician, but somebody may come who is greater logician than you, and he defeats you. That is going on. Tarko apratiṣṭha śrutayo vibhinnām. Now, if you read the Vedas, you'll find some contradiction. Not contradiction. But to the neophyte, it appears to be contradiction. Just like we have cited the example that animal stool is impure, but cow dung is pure.
So to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī's described, describing herewith that he wants to take shelter of the ocean, deep into the ocean, and he doesn't care for the rivers. And the, what is called? Bharavagni (?)? There is some whirling pool in the water. That is compared with the arguments. Sometimes these logicians, they create argumental calamity in the process of devotional service. But Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends that we should not be deviated by the arguments, karmīs, jñānīs and yogis. Let them do their own business. We do not care for them. We give them respect as far as possible, but we don't, don't accept the path of karma-jñāna-yoga. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). We should not be deviated by the process of karma-jñāna-yoga. That is pure devotional service, śuddha-bhakti. Śuddh
Pradyumna: "Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and ācāryas, or holy teachers, who are compared with sharks in the great ocean of nectar, and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers, they give this example that "As all the rivers come down to the ocean, and then business is finished." But our philosophy is not so scanty. We do not wish to mix with the ocean, we want to go deep into the ocean. They give this example, nirākāra. Because ocean is, it is not nirākāra but it is, still they say nirākāra. Ocean is ākāra, we see around place (indistinct). But anyway, their philosophy is that you come to the ocean by different paths, then it becomes mixed. But they do not know, even though you come to the ocean, immediately you'll be evaporated. The ocean water is evaporated. The sun is always evaporating. Now you will be perhaps surprised, the modern science, they believe that the ocean water is, turns into cloud, but actually that is not the fact. The fact is that the ocean water is taken by the sun. Now, now there is heat, ocean water is evaporated always, where is the cloud? Where is the cloud? For three years the ocean water is being taken away by the sunshine, but why there is no cloud and no rain? Why? What is the answer of the scientist? Actually the cloud, when the sun, sun god that he ejects the water again, that becomes cloud. The rain comes from the sun, and the sun is taking the water, reserving, and when you deserve, it gives it. There is some control.
Pradyumna: (reading) "Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the Supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be compared with liberation, and the rivers with all the different paths of liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water, which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information, however, that within the ocean, as within the river, there are innumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the ocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it. The devotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and they do not care for the rivers."
Prabhupāda: This comparison that the rivers, it does matter from which way it is coming down to the sea, when they mix together, they become one. But if this comparison is taken, that the rivers merging into the sea, and when it mixes there is no separate existence of the river, but they do not see analogy. Analogy, according to law of analogy, the points of similarities must be one. Analogy is perfect when the points of similarities are there. Just like we say, "Your face is as beautiful as moon." That means the face, beauty of the face is as attractive as the moon is attractive. The points of similarity is there. We cannot say an ugly face, your face is like moon. That cannot be. That is not analogy because there is no points of similarity. That is the law of analogy. So similarly, if you make analogy that as the different rivers are, the water is coming down and mixing with the sea, then it becomes one, but there are other points. This is superficial vision. There is other points. The same water again becomes evaporated, and again thrown on the ground, and they again glide down as rivers. That is, this is a fact. But if you go deep into the water, just like the shark fish—the comparison is given there—the shark fish is never evaporated. The shark fish is within the water of the sea, and there is no question of evaporation.
Everything is resting on me, but it is not that I am there. So this philosophy, so devotional service is not only mixing, but to remain steady, engaged. The same example. The rivers, that is superficial, you..., we are seeing the ocean superficially. There is no varieties, simply water, simply water, simply water. But if you go deep into the water, there are so many varieties, so many varieties. Similarly, simply entering, merging to the Brahman effulgence, brahma-jyotir, that is not secure position. The secure position is within the brahma-jyotir. That is explained in the Īśopaniṣad. Within the brahma-jyotir there are planets, Vaikuṇṭha planets. So you have to take shelter in one of the planets. Just like the fish, the comparison of the fish, the shark fish. He has taken shelter of the ocean. Therefore the, for him there is no evaporation. The water, although it is also sea water, that, that is subjected to be evaporated. So simply by entering into the Brahman effulgence is not safe. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho (SB 10.2.32).
Pradyumna: "The devotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and they do not care for the rivers."
Prabhupāda: Just like the shark fish, they do not come into the river. That means those who are nitya-mukta, eternally liberated, they do not come into this material world. They do not come. There are two kinds of living entities, nitya-mukta, nitya baddha. Nitya-baddha, we are. Those who are in this material world, we are eternally conditioned. Eternally conditioned in this way, because I am changing my body, one after another. As I am desiring, I am getting my next body. This body I am creating, my next body, again when I shall get next body, I shall create another body. So this is going on. And because it is going on, when it has begun and when it is going to end, that you do not know. Therefore it is called nitya, eternal. Actually it is not eternal, but we do not know when I have begun my material existence. At least we can think that since this material, this term of material creation was there, I began my life. But no, that is not actual fact. The actual fact is, when there was no creation, I was submerged into the body of Nārāyaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu. And when there is again creation, I come out. So when I was submerged into the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu, before that my activities began in this material world. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).
The material variety is the perverted reflection of the spiritual variety. As it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Fifteenth Chapter: ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākha. This tree, this material world (is) compared with a aśvattha vṛkṣa. The root is up, upstairs, upwards, and the branches and leaves are down, downwards. Why? Because it is reflection, chaya, or māyā. The real tree is in the Vaikuṇṭha planet or in the spiritual world. It is only simply reflection. Just like a tree standing on the bank of reservoir of water, on the bank of a lake or a river, you'll see the tree is reflected downwards. So this description in the Fifteenth Chapter of this material world, downwards... Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākha means this is only a perverted reflection of the spiritual world. The real tree is in the spiritual world. The other day, who was asking about this question? Some of our...? Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākha? Who was asking me? Eh? Oh. Gopāla. He's not here. All right.
That is everywhere. Even in, in our society, Kṛṣṇa conscious society, if there is no mutual cooperation, then it will fall down immediately. So as Rūpa Gosvāmī advises, the first thing is enthusiasm, utsāhān. Utsāhān dhairyāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt... (aside:) Why Śyāmasundara is not here? Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, sato vṛtteḥ sādhu-saṅga ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati. If you want actually to make progress in our devotional life, the utsāhān, enthusiasm, is the first thing. If you are lacking enthusiasm, then you should rest, instead of making too much agitation within the mind. The... If you cannot find out... Some, something has dropped in the water, in the river, you cannot see the things dropped within the water by agitating the water. Just stand still for sometimes. As soon as the water is settled up, you'll see the things as they are. So as soon as our enthusiasm is agitated, it is better to sit down in any temple suitable and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is no question of being disappointed. After all, we commit so many mistakes. That is human nature. To err is human. That is not fault. But try to rectify with cool head. That is required. So similarly, there are different classes of men in the society: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. They should cooperate for the common cause. They do not know the common cause. The common cause is Kṛṣṇa. For Kṛṣṇa's service, we should submit to the immediate officer or commander. Just like soldiers. Soldiers, there is no question of discrimination. Whatever is ordered by the commander, immediately done.
Phalgu vairāgya. Mumukṣubhiḥ, those who are after liberation, nirbheda brahmānusandhana, their giving up this world, becoming sannyāsī, Māyāvādī sannyāsī, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā... Rūpa Gosvāmī says, phalgu vairāgya. Why phalgu? Phalgu means insignificant, and phalgu means there is a river, Phalgu, in the Gayā. Those who have gone to Gayā... There is a river. The Gayā city is situated on the river Phalgu. This river is got Phalgu because on the bed you'll find only sand. But if you push your hand within the sand, you'll find water. Similarly phalgu vairāgya means the so-called sannyāsīs, they have taken the dress of renounced order, but within the heart they have got all desires to fulfill. Within the heart. If you push your hand within his heart, you'll find he has got all desires for material enjoyment. That is called phalgu vairāgya. On the surface there is no water; sand. But within, oh, there is flow of water, going on. So this phalgu vairāgya wallas, Māyāvādī sannyāsīs... Jagan mithyā. 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.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
It is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, ūrdhva-mūlam adho-śākha aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam. This material world has been described as having its root up, ūrdhva-mūlam adho-śākha, and the branches down. We have several times explained this ūrdhva-mūlam adho-śākha. In the material world this is a shadow. Unless it is shadow, how the mūlam, or the root, can be upwards? We have got experience: a tree on the bank of a river. The tree is reflected adho-śākha, on the root upward, shadow. So this is shadow. Real thing is in the spiritual world. Therefore it is called adho-śākha. Śākha. In the spiritual world the topmost part is this conjugal love, and here, the same thing, when pervertedly reflected, it is the lowest abominable thing. We should know this, that in the spiritual world, to remain as girlfriend and boyfriend, that is the topmost pleasure, and in the material world, the same thing is the most abominable thing. Therefore it is adho-śākha. We cannot imitate the loving affairs of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī unless we understand the real fact.
Make classless society, all worker. That is not possible. There must be īśvara. Īśvara means controller. That is the beginning, from the creation, īśvara. So īśvara, there are innumerable īśvara forms, as it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Many, many, many millions and trillions of īśvara forms... It is stated in the Bhāgavatam that many... How many, how you can calculate? That is compared—just like in the river or in the ocean there are waves, but you cannot count how many waves are there. That is not possible. Can you count the waves of the ocean, going on, day and night, waves? Similarly, in big, big rivers... So God's incarnation, they are coming out, innumerable, just like the waves, but we can understand by the action that He is incarnation of God.
So Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, and innumerable incarnation... These incarnation have been compared just like the flow of waves. If you sit down on the riverside or on the oceanside, if you want to count how many waves are there, it is impossible. They are coming regularly, day and night. That is not possible. Similarly, how many incarnations are there, it is impossible for us. Our knowledge is not so unlimited. Therefore we cannot understand. So in this way incarnations are coming.
Don't you see how this creation is perfect? We require water, so much, a large quantity. So God has created this earth in such a way that three-fourths of the earth is covered with water. And the water is salty. Why? The water is reserved. Unless it is salty, it will decompose. And how the water is distributed? Oh, there is sun. Sun evaporates the water, and that means salt is made minus and the pure water is evaporated on the sky, and that is distributed all over the world and it is kept on the highest summit of the mountain so that it can come down by gravitation throughout the whole year through the rivers, channel, and you can get water. Now see—nature study—how it is perfectly made. Can you do that? No. It is not possible. When there is scarcity of water, you have to see to the sky. You have no power. Your science cannot acquire when there is scarcity. There is no rain—you cannot create rain. You have to wait. So therefore everything made by the Lord, that is perfect. There is no question of imperfection.
And when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard it that Sanātana Gosvāmī, after renouncement, he's not going to accept any new clothing... So for a really renounced person is that whatever clothing is thrown in the street, he'll collect and he'll wear it. He would not purchase any new clothing. That is the order of strictly one who follows... Cīrāṇi. Sanātana... Svarūpa... Śukadeva Gosvāmī, in the Bhāgavata, he says that "Whether old clothings and torn clothings cannot be had on the street? Whether trees are not giving fruit? Whether the rivers are dried up? Whether the caves of the mountains, they are closed? Then why the renounced order of persons go to the viṣayi?" Viṣayi means those, those who are materialistic. Sometimes renounced order of life, sannyāsī, they go to the householders... Of course, that is their duty. But still... So Śukadeva Gosvāmī, a great personality in the renounced order of life, he would live naked. He would not go even to the human society. So those who are following strictly, they don't make themselves dependent on the householders or on the worldly people. So Sanātana Gosvāmī did not accept that new clothing, and when it was heard by Lord Caitanya, He was very glad.
I am born in America or I am born in India, so it is my country." How long you'll remain America? How long you'll remain India? They do not know. But they are mad after this conception of life, bodily conception of life. Bhauma ijya-dhīḥ yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicit. People in every community, religious community, there is tīrtha. People want (indistinct) holy place. So they go, they take bath. Just like in India they go to Hardwar or Vṛndāvana or Prayag, take bath in the Ganges or Yamunā. Similarly, Christians, they go to take bath in the river Jordan. So everyone has got. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na tad janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). This kind of life is go-kharaḥ. Go means cows, and kharaḥ means ass. Without understanding the value of life, na tad-janeṣv abhijñeṣu, without associating with abhijñaḥ, learned spiritual master, if he passes his life with this understanding, then he is no better than the cows and ass. This is the verdict.
So at the present moment we are in subtraction—God minus myself. I have no sense of God; therefore I am in minus condition. So yoga means God plus I. That is the real meaning of yoga. So long I was God-minus, now God-plus. But you must always remember. In the spiritual, absolute sense, God plus me is also God, and God minus me is also God. When I am minus, that does not mean God has lost some of His capacity. No. He is full. And when I am plus, it does not mean that God has increased in some capacity. No. The very good example is given, āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭha. Just like the ocean, Atlantic Ocean. In the... During summer season, rainy season, millions of tons water is evaporated by the sun to make, to create cloud, but if you see the Atlantic Ocean, it is the same. Similarly, after rainy season, millions of tons of water are poured into the ocean by overflow of rivers, but still, you see the ocean is the same. In the material world, if you can find out such things that an ordinary ocean... I say "ordinary" because there are millions of oceans floating in the air. Therefore we should not be very much astonished to see the Atlantic Ocean. Within this space, even within this material space, you have got millions and trillions of ocean like Atlantic. Just like a drop of water or less than that, an atomic portion of water, they are floating in the air. So that is the potency of God.
Please make haste. I have to go. I have to go." Means prostitute's house. So he was very rich man. Priestly, anyway, he finished that business. Then there was ceremony. He took very nice foodstuff in a bag, and he was going to that prostitute's house. But when he came out of his home, oh, it was raining torrently. You see? So he never cared for that raining. He went to the riverside. Oh, there was no boat, and it was, river was waving. The waves were very furious. And he thought that "How can I go to the other side?" He was daily going to the other side of the river. Then, anyway, he swimmed over, crossed over by swimming. Then the prostitute thought, "Oh, it is today raining, and he may not come." So he (she) blocked the door and went to sleep. And when he came to the house he saw, "Oh, the door is blocked," and it was raining still. "So how can I go?" So he crossed over the wall by catching one snake. Just see how much intensely he was attached. And he went to the prostitute, and she was astonished: "Well, Bilvamaṅgala"—his name was Bilvamaṅgala—"how do you dare to come here like this?" Oh, he described, "Yes. I did this, I did this, I did this, I did this." Oh, the prostitute was astonished. Her name was Cintāmaṇi. So the prostitute said, "My dear Bilvamaṅgala, if you have got so intense love for me, oh, had it been for God, for Kṛṣṇa, how would have been, your life, sublime." Oh, that struck him: "Yes." He at once left and went away: "Yes, you are right."
Now, He is concluding about the topics of incarnation, that "There are innumerable incarnations of Kṛṣṇa. Nobody can count." He is giving the example: just like nobody can count how many waves are flowing in the river or in the ocean, similarly, it is impossible to count how many incarnation are there.
- prathamei kare kṛṣṇa 'puruṣāvatāra'
- seita puruṣa haya trividha prakāra'
Now, the first avatāra, first incarnation, is the puruṣāvatāra. He divides Himself into three.
So Kṛṣṇa is both in the spiritual world and the material world. Because we represent Kṛṣṇa, we are in this brahmāṇḍa conditioned. But there are many living entities who are eternally liberated. They never come to this. How it is, that? Just like the ocean and the rivers. In river, in the river, you will find fishes, and in the ocean you will find fishes. But the... Sometimes it may be that the fishes of the river may go to the ocean, but the fishes of the ocean never comes to the river. Never comes to the river. There is no place for them. This is a crude example. Similarly... And as the ocean is far, far greater than the river-thousands of rivers cannot be compared with the, I mean to say, measurement of the ocean—similarly, thousands and millions of this material world cannot be compared with the spiritual world. The spiritual world is so great that millions of material world taken together, it can be dropped into the spiritual world. It is such great. Therefore material world is called one-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy. And the spiritual world is called three-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy.
Now, this energy manifested as the living entities, they are also two kinds. What are they? Eka-nitya-mukta. One class of living entities, they are eternally liberated. Just like the fishes in the ocean. Take the ocean as the place of liberation. Sometimes the example is given that as the rivers glide down to the ocean and the water is become one... That's all right. That oneness... This is impersonal conception. Everyone goes and mixes as every river goes down to the ocean, and there is no more distinction which is the river water and which is the ocean water. They become one. That is the monistic philosophy. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy goes farther, that "Why you are satisfied with the water? Why don't you see within the water?" Within the water you will find there are big, big fishes and aquatic animals. They keep their separate identity, and they enjoy in the ocean. The foolish persons, they are satisfied that "I am in the ocean now." That is the less intelligence. Go deep into the ocean and see what is going there. Similarly, those who are satisfied simply by merging into the spiritual existence, impersonalists, they are less intelligent. They have no intelligence to see that within the ocean there is individual expansion, individual life, and they are enjoying. Similarly, in the spiritual sky there is individuality. That individuality is there. And that individuality is reciprocated between Kṛṣṇa and the individual souls. They are called nitya-mukta, eternally liberated. And the other class, who are just like in the river fishes, they are called nitya-baddha. Their, I mean to say, limited sphere in the river or in the pond or in the well... The frog philosophy. They are expanding themselves, frogs: "How much great is Atlantic Ocean?" So they are called conditioned soul. Those who are in this material world, although they are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord energy, but because they are conditioned in this material contamination, they are called, I mean to say, conditioned, conditioned by the laws of nature.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, Eleventh Canto, these two verses are there. What is that? Mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha. Now, according to Vedic conception of social life, there are four divisions of social order and four divisions of spiritual order. The four divisions of social order is the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra; and spiritual order is the sannyāsī, vānaprastha, gṛhastha and brahmacārī. To become a brahmacārī means to make advance in spiritual life. And the social order is there, the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas. So it is called varṇāśrama-dharma. Actually, "Hindu," there is no such word as "Hindu" religion. We don't find in the Vedic scripture. Hindu religion... This "Hindu" word is given by the Muhammadans. They, they, they generally pronounce i as h. They... So there is river in the west, western side of India. There is river, Indus, Indus River. So Indus River the Muhammadans used to call "Hindus." From "Hindus" it has come to Hindustan, "the place of the Hindus." So Hindu, Hindu religion is a modern term given by the foreigners. Actually the Indians, bhāratīya, they, their religion is varṇāśrama-dharma, religion of four castes and four spiritual orders, four spiritual orders and four social orders. The persons who follow these four orders of social status and four orders of spiritual advancement, they are called varṇāśrama. So Hindu religion is a miscalculation. Really, they are called varṇāśrama-dharma. That is the Vedic term.
Festival Lectures
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly participating in this festival, Ratha-yātrā festival. This festival is coming down since five thousand years when Lord Kṛṣṇa, along with His elder brother Balarāma and His younger sister Subhadrā, all together in a chariot came from Dvārakā to Kurukṣetra. Kurukṣetra is still existing, and the Dvārakā, the city, is also still existing. So according to Vedic culture, when there is eclipse, lunar eclipse, people take bath in sacred rivers. So especially they go to Kurukṣetra, a pilgrimage. So Kṛṣṇa along with His family members, brother and sister, came to Kurukṣetra, and receiving this news, the gopīs and inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, where Lord Kṛṣṇa lived in His childhood, they came to see Him. So amongst the gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was the chief. And when she saw Kṛṣṇa in Kurukṣetra in all opulence, She said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are also here; I am also here. But We are missing Vṛndāvana. So I wish that You come along with Me again in Vṛndāvana and We enjoy in the forest of Vṛndāvana."
Then next incarnation is Lord Rāma. So He fought with Rāvaṇa who had ten heads. So ... And the next incarnation is Balarāma. Balarāma is the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa. He is incarnation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, next expansion of Kṛṣṇa. So He was very white in complexion, and He was wearing blue garments, and with His plow He was, sometimes He was angry with Yamunā River, and He tried to dry up the Yamunā River. That description is given here. And Yamunā, out of His fear, she agreed to the proposal of Balarāma. And the next incarnation is Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha, He decried the Vedic principles. Therefore He is calculated as atheist. Anyone who does not agree with the Vedic principles, he is considered as atheist. Just like one who does not believe in the Bible, they are called heathens, similarly, those who do not accept the Vedic principles, they are called atheists. So Lord Buddha although incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, He said that "I do not believe in Vedas." What was the reason? The reason was to save the poor animals. At that time people were sacrificing the poor animals under the plea of Vedic sacrifice.
Otherwise you are in darkness, mūḍha. Duṣkṛtina, mūḍha, narādhama. Life is lost. So Kṛṣṇa has so many līlās, activities. Kṛṣṇa is not different from His activities, He is absolute. So these are the occasions we can hear about His activities. We are benefited. Therefore He plays sometimes as mīna-śarīra, as varāha-śarīra, as kūrma-śarīra. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu-kalā niyamena. There are hundreds and thousands of incarnations. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Just like you cannot count the waves of the river, it is going on continually. Similarly, the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa is going on eternally, so many. If you take the opportunity of hearing-śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ visnoḥ (SB 7.5.23)—about Viṣṇu's līlā activities... And if you simply stick to the nirakāra Brahman, what we shall hear? Therefore they fall down, these Māyāvādīs who simply take seriously the impersonal feature of Kṛṣṇa, because there is no līlā. "Brahman brahman ahaṁ brahman brahman," then how long it will go on? It will be hackneyed. But when we take to Kṛṣṇa's personal activities, then are newer, newer, newer, and multi and many... Then we get the opportunity of hearing Kṛṣṇa.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Just like the gopīs. All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they were thinking, "We are all Kṛṣṇa's." Central point is Kṛṣṇa. That is the beauty of Vṛndāvana. All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, the elderly cowherd men, the boys, the girls, the trees, the river, the birds, the beasts—everyone—they are simply thinking, "I am Kṛṣṇa's." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And as soon as we think otherwise—"I am Indian," "I am American," "I am this," "I am that," that is material consciousness. Try to understand the simple fact that as soon as we identify with our designated body, which I am not... I am not this body, so why shall I identify myself with American or Indian? Accidentally I have got this body in America or India or Africa or in hell or heaven. That is accidental. Or by my karma. But actually, I am not this body. And if I am not this body... Generally everything we are accepting in this material world (is) on the bodily concept of life. Because I have got bodily relationship with some man or woman, I am thinking... There are thousands of men and women, but I am thinking, "This woman is mine," "This man is mine." This is a crude example. And similarly, children. Gṛha-kṣetra. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam (SB 5.5.8). This bodily concept of life increases our delusion and we become enwrapped, entangled in material world, and we get a different type of body.
This young boy and young girl trying to unite for happiness is the natural inclination of the living entity. It is there in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Everything that we see in this material world is there in the spiritual world. Janmādy asya yataḥ. Wherefrom everything is coming? The original source, the original source of this love, is there in the Absolute. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtiḥ. It is the manifestation of the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So the thing as it is originally is perfect, but here, the same thing is only perverted reflection. Here, the boys and the girls meeting, because it is simply a reflection... Just like a reflection of the tree on the river, it is just topsy-turvied, similarly, that reflection, reality, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa love, is topsy-turvied here.
Prabhupāda: No. Caraṇe sarve varṇe kaye (?). A thief, if you speak to him, "My dear Mr. Thief, it is not very good work. You will be arrested. You will be punished. Why you are taking this risk?" so will he give up stealing? He knows himself, "Yes, I will be arrested and punished, but still I shall do." This is ignorance.
Kīrtanānanda: How was the Chicago festival?
Prabhupāda: Yes, Chicago is nice city. It is river?
Ravindra-svarūpa: This is called the Schuylkill River, Schuylkill.
Prabhupāda: It is a river?
Ravindra-svarūpa: Yes. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...nice, constructed very nice cities.
Initiation Lectures
Prabhupāda: Narmadā. Narmadā is a sacred river in India, like Ganges. What you have got here? Come on, next. Narmadā, Godāverī, Kāverī, Gaṅgā, Yamunā. All sacred river.
Devotee: (offering obeisances and praṇāma mantras)
Devotee: Vaijayantī.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Devotee: Vaijayantī.
Prabhupāda: Vaijayantī. Vaijayantī is one who becomes victorious everywhere.
Prabhupāda: Pompā dāsī. Pompā is the sacred river. Flow with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Aravinda: Madhupurī dāsī.
Prabhupāda: Madhupurī. Madhupurī is Mathurā, Kṛṣṇa's birthplace. So you have to serve Mathurā and be associated with Rādhārāṇī. Hare Kṛṣṇa. You know the rules and regulation? What are they?
Madhupurī: No meat-eating, no illicit sex, no intoxication...
Prabhupāda: No gambling. She is not married?
Aravinda: Vārāṇasī.
Prabhupāda: Vārāṇasī dāsī. Vārāṇasī, the sacred conjunction of two rivers, Vāruṇī and Asī. Vāruṇī is Ganges, and Asī. So combination of two sacred rivers flowing from the lotus toe of Kṛṣṇa.
This is very nice explanation. Simply by seeing, "Oh, here is a nice, beautiful girl," "Oh, here is a nice, beautiful boy," similarly, "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa, here is Kṛṣṇa's kathā, here is Kṛṣṇa's topics, oh, here is Kṛṣṇa's temple." Just like, another example is given. Just like the waves of the river. It goes down. We have seen that little river... What is that? Varta? Always going down. In Japan also, I have seen that little river, with sound, going down, going down. So similarly, as the river is going after the sea spontaneously, without any artificial attempt, so such spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa, or God, that is the perfection of yoga. This is yoga. Yoga means connection. So that connection... In the beginning we may make, revive that connection artificially, but when the connection will be spontaneous, without any check, just like the river water is going down incessantly... Nobody can check it. Ahaituky apratihatā. And why the river is going there? There is no cause. It is going there. Similarly, when our love for Kṛṣṇa will be gliding down like that, without any cause... Without any cause... Generally... The same example again, that spontaneous love does not depend on any cause without. Cause is there. Cause is there, love. There is no other cause.
General Lectures
There is a nice story. You'll appreciate it. In India, especially in Bengal, there are many rivers. The land is full of rivers. Because it is on the bank of the Bay of Bengal, all rivers are falling. Therefore Bengal, the land of, especially the east Bengal, is full of rivers. One student of technology was going home, and he was on the boat. So the student was asking the boatman, "Do you know what are the stars?" The boatman said, "Sir, we are ordinary boatman. What do we know about these stars?" "Oh. Then your fifty percent of life is wasted, useless." Then he was asking, "Do you know what are these trees? Do you know any science of botany?" He said, "Sir, we are ordinary laborer. What do we know about botany?" "Oh. Then seventy-five percent of your life is useless." In this way the student of technology was asking the boatman, "Do you know this? Do you know that?" And he said that "I am ordinary man. What do I know all these things?" Then all of a sudden there was a black cloud, and there was storm, and the river began to be inflated, and the boatman said, "My dear sir, do you know swimming?" "Oh," he said, "no." Then he said, "Then your cent percent knowledge is spoiled. Now you have to go down to the river. Your life is finished." In this way they dropped in the river, and the technological student, because he did not know how to swim, so the storm and the waves grabbed him.
So advaita philosophy, the example which you have given, they generally give this example, but any sane man can understand that by mixing superficially with the water there is no solution. There is chance of coming out again, being evaporated. If you take that example, you have to accept this also. How you can say that you are not coming back? It is a fact. So if you don't want to come back again, you go deep into the water and live as one of the living entities under the shelter of the water. They have no problem. They do not come back. The big animals, or big aquatics, they peacefully live within the water. They never come into the river because in the river there is no place to accommodate them. There are so big gigantic aquatics. So if you want to live perpetually in the water, then you have to keep your identity as one of the aquatics in the water. Then you'll be perfect.
If you offer a little service sincerely, He accepts. That is the beauty of Kṛṣṇa. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. And if Kṛṣṇa accepts a little service from you, then your life is glorious. So it is not possible to love Kṛṣṇa perfectly, to render service to Kṛṣṇa, because He is unlimited. There is a process, worshiping the Ganges in India. The Ganges River is considered sacred river. So they worship Ganges, the river Ganges, by taking water from the Ganges and offering it. Suppose in a small pot like this, either pot or your handful, you take some water from the Ganges and with your devotion and mantra you offer to the Ganges water. So you take a glass of water from the Ganges and offer it to the Ganges, what is there, gain and profit or loss or gain for the Ganges? If you take a glass of water from the Ganges and again offer it, so what is the gain and profit of Ganges? But your process, your faith, your love for mother Ganges, "Mother Ganges, I offer you this little water," that is accepted. Similarly, what we have got to offer Kṛṣṇa? Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa.
That will be revealed, how we are related with Kṛṣṇa. Every relationship is as good as the other. Just like in this material world, everyone's position, he thinks it is very nice. Similarly, in the spiritual, what to speak, they are all equal, but still, one is apprec..., one's aptitude is that "I want to love Kṛṣṇa in this way." Yes. So he's there in that way. There must be variety. If there is rasa-līlā, there must be nice trees, nice field, nice cows, nice Yamunā river. Otherwise how it is, simply if the gopīs and Kṛṣṇas are there, if the other things are not there? The background must be there. So everything is spiritual. Background is also spiritual. That is creation of Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahu-śyāma. Just like a painter paints a picture, he makes a nice background. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa wants to enjoy, so He has created us in different varieties to supply His pleasure potency. You see. Eko bahu-śyāma. This Vedic literature says that alone He has many. Why? Just to enjoy. Why? Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He's by nature joyful, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So ānanda does not mean that one.
We are not only establishing New Vrindaban, but there is New Navadvīpa, New Jagannātha Purī. Yes. We have already started New Jagannātha Purī in San Francisco. The Ratha-yātrā festival is going on. And this year there will be a great ceremony of Ratha-yātrā in London. There will be three cars: Jagannātha, Subhadrā and Balarāma. And it will be taken to the riverside, Thames. So this American land, they have imported "New England," "New York"; why not New Vrindaban? So you should all join. Those who are Indians, they should join this movement especially to establish this New Vrindaban. Because Lord Caitanya recommended, ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayam. The vrajeśa-tanaya, Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja in the Vṛndāvana dhāma, or Vrajabhūmi, He is the supreme worshipable Deity. Tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam. And His place, Vṛndāvana, is also worshipable.
Ante, at the time of death, as his mental position is there, he gets the, another body, similar. There are many historical references. As I told you the other day, that King Bhārata, he was very much elevated and very great soul. At twenty-four years of age he was emperor of the world, but at the very young time he gave up his wife, children and kingdom and went to the forest for spiritual enlightenment. And he was making progress. Unfortunately, one day he saw that a deer cub was in helpless condition. It's mother came to drink water from the river, and there was a roaring of lion, and she begot the calf and fled away—after all, she's animal. So Bhārata Mahārāja took compassion on the little, just-born calf: "Oh, it will die. Let me take care." So he was taking care. One evening that calf did not come back. So he was anxious where it was gone, and so he went to the forest, and while he was on the up, hill, he slipped from the hill and fell down and died. And at that time, his mind was absorbed in the thought of that calf. So next body, he got a deer. Yes.
So the archaeological investigation has found so many relics, and in the Vedic literature we also find the mention of all the island, sapta-dvīpa, seven islands. Seven islands means Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. These are mentioned already in the Vedic literature. So it is not that the world was not known to Vedic culture. It was fully known. And one king—he was that Mahārāja Pṛthu—he was the only one ruler all over the world, and he was ruling over these seven islands—that is mentioned-although his residential quarter was in the Brahmāvarta, the piece of land between the rivers Yamunā and Ganges. That tract of land is still considered a very sanctified land. Practically all the Vedic culture is there still. So the example is that as there is a chief man or king... He is also supposed to be God's representative. God gives power to somebody to look after the interest of the inhabitants of that particular planet. Similarly, there is a king in the sun planet. We may call him sun-god or something like, but there is a predominating personality. He has got his personal effulgence, body. Just like fire has got effulgence, heat and light, similarly, he is the fiery god or fiery person, and his effulgence is spread all over the universe.
Commentary or interpretation required when things are not very clear. Then you can suggest, "The meaning may be like this." But when the things are clear, why should you comment? There is no necessity of comment. Just like, for example—this is also from Sanskrit scholar's example—that gaṅgāyaṁ ghoṣapalli. Gaṅgāyam: "On the Ganges there is a neighborhood which is known as Ghoṣapalli." Now, this statement is in your front. So one may question that "The river Ganges is water. How there can be a neighborhood which is known as Ghoṣapalli? On the water how there can be a quarter or neighborhood of human habitation?" You can question that. Gaṅgāyaṁ ghoṣapalli. Then the interpretation should be, "No, not on the Ganges. 'On the Ganges' means 'on the bank of the Ganges.' " This interpretation is nice. When one cannot understand clearly, there is interpretation. But when the matter is clear... Just like sunlight. The sunlight, sunshine, does it require your lamp to show the sunlight? The sunlight is itself so illuminous that everyone can understand, "This is sunlight." If somebody brings some lamp, "I will show you the sun," sun is already visible. Why your lamp is required? So these unauthorized commentators, they bring some lamp to show the sunlight of Bhagavad-gītā. That is their business.
So this forest fire can be extinguished by a different process than the fire in the ordinary way extinguished. Just like in the city, if there is fire, you can take advantage of the fire brigade or you can take advantage of some volunteers carrying bucketful of water. But to extinguish the forest fire, neither you can take the help of the fire brigade nor the volunteer carrying bucketfuls of water. The forest fire can be extinguished when there is rainfall from the sky. Similarly, this misunderstanding of the world—although we are one, but we have divided ourselves in so many groups—this will create forest fire, and this forest fire can be extinguished. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just like falling of rain from the cloud. Yes. The cloud means a process which collects water from the sea and distributes all over the surface. And the same water again glides down through the river unto the sea. Similarly, this movement means taking mercy from the ocean of mercy of Kṛṣṇa and distribute it all over the world, so that again the merciful water goes down to the sea. So those who actually want peace or mercy of God, they should kindly try to understand the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And even though you have no time to understand this philosophy through books of knowledge, you can simply join with us for chanting and dancing this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
Still, there is one planet within this universe which is called Siddhaloka. That Siddhaloka, the inhabitants of Siddhaloka, they can fly from one planet to another without any airplane. Even yogis, yogis, haṭha-yogīs, those who have practiced, they can also go from anywhere to anyplace. The yogis, they sit down in one place and immediately transferred in another place. They take a dip in some river nearby here and they can get up in some river in India. They dip here and they rise there. These are yogic powers.
So we have got immense independence, but we are now conditioned by this body. Therefore in the human form of life it is an opportunity to get back our original independence. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Freedom.
So in the spiritual sky, the land is spiritual, the tree is spiritual, the fruit is spiritual, the flower is spiritual, the water is spiritual, the servant is spiritual, the friend is spiritual, the Lord is spiritual and His associates are spiritual. Everything. Therefore oneness, Absolute Truth, everything absolute. Although there are varieties, these varieties, the spiritual varieties, are simply reflection in this material world. Just like there is a tree on the bank of the river. That is reflected in the water. But reflected how? The top has gone down. The topmost thing has gone down. So this material world is the reflection of the spiritual world—but perverted reflection. In the spiritual world, there is love between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is always young. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). And Rādhārāṇī is also always young. Pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa. We worship: śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra **. Mādhava. Jaya jaya Rādhā-Mādhava. We worship not Kṛṣṇa alone—with His eternal consort, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
So this Vṛndāvana tīrtha, if somebody comes here with the bodily concept of life, he does not derive any benefit. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. Salila means water. Just like generally people come here, take their bathing in the Yamunā River, and they think, "Now my business is finished. I came to Vṛndāvana. Now I have taken my bath in the Yamunā River and purchased some things from here. Now let me go home. I have finished my tīrtha." But śāstra says, "No. That is not tīrtha." Janeṣv abhijñeṣu. If you want to purify yourself, then in the tīrtha you must find out abhijña. Abhijña means one who knows. One who knows. What that knowing? One who knows Kṛṣṇa. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). One who must know who is Kṛṣṇa. This morning I met one gentleman. So in his house I saw that "Prabhu." So I asked him, "Who is that prabhu?" So he says, "He has no name." Just see the fun. He's living in Vṛndāvana. He does not know the name of prabhu. Just see his position. Prabhu is Kṛṣṇa. Prabhu means īśvara. Īśvara means controller. A prabhu means proprietor.
Only the husband and wife go out of home and travels all over the holy places. Then, when one is little trained up, he sends back his wife to the care of his grown-up children, and he takes sannyāsa. This is varṇāśrama-dharma. The so-called Hindu dharma, that is a gift of the Muhammadans. We don't find the word "Hindu" in any Vedic scripture. This "Hindu" word has come from the Muhammadan countries. They used to say the people of this part of the world, means, across the river Indus, they call "Hindas" or "Hindus." So actually, Hindu not..., that is not Hindu dharma. Our... From the Vedic literature, we understand the varṇāśrama-dharma, varṇāśrama: four varṇas and four āśramas. Varnāśramacaravata. In the Viṣṇu-Purāṇa, you'll find this word. In the Bhagavad-gītā, you'll find. In the Bhāgavata you'll find. So really Indian civilization or Aryan civilization, Vedic civlization, means varṇāśrama-dharma.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So-called nationalism.
Guest (1): ...and on the other hand, there are river valleys overpopulated in certain parts of the world where people are living in misery. They are willing to work and they are willing to contribute their talent to the world in whatever way they can, and yet they have no opportunity.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest (1): Now, the problem is, eventually, of course, if we agree as you said, that everything belongs to God... And this idea is also, as you pointed out, in the, in the Bhagavad-gītā, but also in the Bible, they say, "The earth is the Lord's." And in the Koran also it is said that Al addha lila, which means the same thing.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
So they are accustomed to place their āsakti to cats and dogs. That means āsakti cannot be finished. That is not possible. So you haven't got to learn what is āsakti. Aśakti is there. Everyone has got experience. Simply that āsakti, that tendency of attachment, should be transferred to Kṛṣṇa. That is Vṛndāvana life. In Vṛndāvana the center of āsakti is Kṛṣṇa. There is Nanda Mahārāja, Yaśodā—they have āsakti to Kṛṣṇa. The young girls, they have got āsakti to Kṛṣṇa. The cowherd boys, they have got āsakti to Kṛṣṇa. The trees, they have got āsakti to Kṛṣṇa. The fruits, flowers, they have got āsakti to Kṛṣṇa. The water, Yamunā River, the āsakti to Kṛṣṇa. So if we make our central point of āsakti, then you can create Vṛndāvana everywhere. So this is the success of life. We have to change the āsakti to Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest form of mystic yoga. Kṛṣṇa has already explained in the previous verse,
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gata āntarātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo (mataḥ)
He will explain in Oriya. (break) ...that is Vedic culture. As yesterday we were talking of varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśrama—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—so the Vedic culture means to execute the varṇāśrama-dharma. Now we are known as Hindus. The Hindu word is not to be found... (break) A little disturbance will mar the situation. So, Vedic culture means this varṇāśrama-dharma. The Muhammadans from the other side of river Sindhu, they have called us Hindu. Actually, this word "Hindu" you'll not find any Vedic scripture. So to accept this position-brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa—is compulsory. It is not that one has to take sannyāsa as a fashion. No. Actually it is absolutely necessary for any person at the last stage of life to accept sannyāsa. This Rāmānanda Rāya also retired from the government service. He met Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised him that "Now you retire from your governorship and come to Jagannātha Purī, your home, and let us talk together about spiritual life." So in this way he retired. So all the associates of Caitanya Mahāprabhu-śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha-Six Gosvāmīs, the direct disciples of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they were all in renounced order of life. Then? Read. You read. You'll hear.
Departure Talks
For the Māyāvādī who wants to become one with the Supreme... You can become one. One means the same thing, a small portion of the water. But our philosophy is not to mix up with the water superficially but enter into the water and live there like fish, big, big fish. That is our philosophy. What is the use of becoming one with the water? Go within the water and live there like a whale fish, perpetually. That is our philosophy. So that is secure philosophy, because as soon as actually you become a big fish within the water, there is no question of evaporation. But if you live, remain superficially on the water, then you will be evaporated again and again thrown outside, then again come as river. So your coming and going, repetition of birth and death, will not stop. But one should become a big fish, there is no evaporation. These things are explained in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Rūpa Gosvāmī. So don't be misled by this Māyāvāda philosophy, that you fall into the water. Tohe janame punaḥ tohe visarata (?). They say that "Enter into the Supreme." You can enter, but what is the benefit? You will be again evaporated.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: They say an "image", everything is an image.
Prabhupāda: Yes, we say that, that the same example, just like mirage. Mirage, there is no water but we see a vast sea, or big river is flowing. It is like that. Actually there is no river. No. This is going. This material world is like that. Just Śrīdhara Swami (said that) due to the factual position of the spiritual world, this illusory world appears to be true. Because there is real table.
Śyāmasundara: Yes.
Prabhupāda: The table concept.
Śyāmasundara: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Because there is a real table, therefore I am considering this table. This is not table, this is wood. Somebody (may say), "This is not wood, but it was tree." All right, it is tree. Then what? It is not tree, it is seed. All right it is seed. No, it is not seed, it (indistinct) You see. Therefore it is perverted reflection. But there is a real table.
Śyāmasundara: He means more in the sense that because of this material body, this material position, that is where evil arises, by identifying with this material condition only. Their real nature is spiritual. Personality is spiritual.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is contaminated. The varieties are there in the spiritual world. The same varieties when they are presented here with material contamination, it is called perverted. Just like the example in the Fifteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham (BG 15.1), reflection on the bank of a river, reservoir of water, the tree is reflected, varieties are there. The trees or trunks, branches, twigs, flowers, everything is reflected, but they are all false. Real variety is there, on the bank of the river. Because it is reflection, it appears that everything is there in the perverted way, and then they are all false.
Śyāmasundara: This potential and actual, he also says that potential is matter and actual is form, so that God, being purely actual, is also pure form.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Without God being form, how the forms are coming? Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1).
Devotee: That faith is not to choose, but that is a choice, as Kṛṣṇa explains in the Bhagavad-gītā, that there is action and inaction, and one who can see action in so-called inaction, he is intelligent. He is in that category of unintelligent people. They take this form of inaction as being inaction. And so he is thinking this so-called drifting as no choice; it is simply a way to make a choice very easily. You are choosing to go down the river with the current. It's choosing to remain in animal life.
Śyāmasundara: To be controlled completely by external forces.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
| Page Title: | River (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Rishab, Mayapur |
| Created: | 22 of May, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=190, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 190 |