Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo. Pantha means road. If you walk over the path of Kṛṣṇa... Suppose Kṛṣṇa, there is Kṛṣṇaloka. Above this material universe, there is another spiritual sky, paravyoma. It is called paravyoma. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ 'vyakta 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another nature. As this is material nature, there is spiritual nature. And in that spiritual nature there are innumerable spiritual planets. They are called Vaikuṇṭha planets. And the highest Vaikuṇṭha planet is called Kṛṣṇaloka, or Goloka Vṛndāvana. This Vṛndāvana is replica of that original Vṛndāvana. When Kṛṣṇa comes on this planet or within this universe, He comes in this Vṛndāvana. This is called Bhauma-Vṛndāvana. Of course, there is no difference between Bhauma-Vṛndāvana and Paravyoma-Vṛndāvana. So if we want to see Kṛṣṇa, then we must be freed from designations. That is the process. Not only designations, but from all kinds of desires.
There is no difference between... (Lectures, Other)
Expressions researched:
"no difference between"
|"no essential difference between"
|"no factual difference between"
|"no fundamental difference between"
|"no material difference between"
|"no mundane difference between"
|"no potential difference between"
|"no practically difference between"
|"no qualitative difference between"
|"not much difference between"
|"not much difference between"
Lectures
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
A guru is always the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. He does not represent himself direct servant. How he can be direct servant? But if you are in the disciplic succession of the servitude, servant of the servant of the servant, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), then you become representative. And there is no difference between the original guru, Kṛṣṇa, and the latest guru, Kṛṣṇa. Because the aim is the same. Kṛṣṇa personally says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).
Kṛṣṇa is the paramaḥ pumān, although there is no difference between Rāma and Viṣṇu and Nārāyaṇa and Kṛṣṇa. They are the same, same potency. Just like the candle, first candle. And lit up another candle, it is second candle, but the second candle is not less in power of lighting, the same. But still this is first, this is second. Similarly, kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo (Bs. 5.39). Kṛṣṇa is the original, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Ete cāṁśa kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28).
Prakṛti means predominated, and puruṣa means predominator. Just like we see, ordinarily, husband and wife, the husband is predominator and the wife is predominated. Although there is no difference between husband and wife. They are one, divided into two. Similarly, prakṛti and puruṣa, they are one. They are not two.
It is explained by Svarūpa Dāmodara: rādhā-kṛṣṇa-prakr..., praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api purā deha-bhedo gatau tau. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, They are one. But, although They are one, They bifurcated Themselves as Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So there is no difference between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). We have to acquire this energy through the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is within as caitya-guru, and when we are serious He comes out as the spiritual master. Śikṣā-guru, dīkṣā-guru. So there is no difference between śikṣā-guru and dīkṣā-guru and Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself externally as śikṣā-guru and dīkṣā-guru.
"For example, in one yoga siddhi there is development of the power to become so light that one can float in the air or on water. That is also being performed by modern scientists. They are flying in air, they are floating on the surface of the water, and they are traveling under the water. After comparing all these mystic siddhis to materialistic perfections it is found that the materialistic scientists try for the same perfections. So actually there is no difference between mystic perfection and materialistic perfection. A German scholar once said that the so-called yoga perfections have already been achieved by the modern scientists and so he was not concerned with them. He intelligently went to India to learn how he could understand his eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord by means of bhakti-yoga, devotional service."
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Sādhus, devotees, they are always anxious to see Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Their associates. They are always very much aggrieved on account of separation. To give them rejuvenation of life, Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma play Their childhood days in Vṛndāvana. And out of Vṛndāvana, beginning from Mathurā up to Dvārakā and other places, the business was vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: killing. So They have got two businesses, one for pacifying the devotees, and the other is to kill the demons. Of course, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, They are Absolute Truth. There is no difference between killing and loving. They... Absolute. Those who were killed, you know, they were also delivered from this material bondage.
There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's preaching and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching. There is no difference. The difference is that Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is demanding that "You rascal, you surrender unto Me. You are suffering so much. You are rascal. I am your father. I want to see you happy; therefore I have come. Surrender unto Me.
Some wants to love Him in śānta-rasa, some wants to love Him in dāsya-rasa, someone in friendly, then paternal love, then conjugal love. So there is no difference between these different phases of loving affair, but great devotees and learned scholars, they have given their decision that the loving affairs of Kṛṣṇa in the conjugal platform between husband and wife, or above that, between lover and beloved... That is very much prominent in the Western countries, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend. In the spiritual world that platform of remaining as friend without marriage, that is considered as the highest.
There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's instruction and Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction, because He is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī said, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te, kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Here is also said, vadānyatā. Prema-bhakti-vadānyatā, vadānyatā.
The supreme energetic, the Personality of Godhead, manifesting in five kinds of pastimes, appears as the Pañca-tattva. Actually there is no difference between them because they are situated on the absolute platform, but they manifest different spiritual varieties as a challenge to impersonalists to taste different kinds of spiritual humors, rāsas..." Because they do not accept the different tastes. The Māyāvāda philosophy and Vaiṣṇava philosophy, the only difference is... Although the aim is one, Absolute Truth, but the difference is that they do not accept varieties, varieties of taste.
God is always father. Therefore Bible is all right-conception of father, not mother. Not that "I worship Kali, goddess mother, and become God." These are all nonsense. He's always father, puruṣa. Everywhere we find puruṣa. Never we find that God is a female. No. God cannot be female. Female is energy. Just like Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā is Kṛṣṇa, but the energy of Kṛṣṇa, pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and still, Kṛṣṇa is male and Rādhā is female. So God, conception of God, always...
Just like Dr. Radhakrishnan says that... When the verse, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru, mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.65), so Dr. Radhakrishnan says that this man-manā means, it is meaning the inner soul of Kṛṣṇa. You see? He does not know that there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and His soul. His soul and body, the same.
Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya. He was uncle of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who started at Vṛndāvana the Rādhā-ramaṇa temple. Perhaps you know. So this Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī was a gṛhastha, a householder. Later on, after meeting Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he accepted sannyāsa. Then he wrote a book, Caitanya-candrodaya, very nice book. In that, this verse appears. He is canvassing on behalf of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. That is the verdict of the Gosvāmīs.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but He's teaching how to approach Kṛṣṇa. And His disciples, they are also teaching the same philosophy. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's philosophy and Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy. It is not that we can manufacture some philosophy. That is nonsense. Philosophy is one; religion is one. Everyone has to follow. There is no second alternative.
Somebody says that "Sunshine is sun." That is accepted. And somebody says, "Sunshine is not sun." That is also accepted because there is no difference between sun and the sunshine. Similarly... But by comparative study, one who is studying the sun as it is, he is studying everything or he knows everything. Similarly, one who knows Kṛṣṇa, he knows everything.
Kṛṣṇa, His name, His fame, His pastimes, His quality, His association, associates—everything is one. One plus one equal to one, always remember. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name. That is Absolute. We have got here experience that the thing and the name of the thing, they are different, dual. Suppose here is a glass of water. I am thirsty. I want glass of water. But if I say "water, water, water, water," that will not quench my thirst. I must have the thing, water, and then it will be acting. But Kṛṣṇa is advaya-jñāna. So when we hear Kṛṣṇa's name, then we should understand that "Kṛṣṇa is before me in His sound vibration.
So so far features are concerned, there is no difference between God and man. But the difference is only that God has no material body; we have got this material body subjected to the influence of time. When Kṛṣṇa comes, He does not become old. He remains just like a boy even when He is great grandfather because on His body there is no influence of time. Because His body is spiritual, therefore there is no influence of time.
They..., there is not much difference between the activities of material life and spiritual life. Only the consciousness has to be changed. When my consciousness is to lord it over the material nature, that is material life, and when my consciousness is to serve Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, here, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is spiritual life. So as there are rules and regulations for accelerating your material possession, material life, similarly, there are rules and regulation for spiritual life also.
The God has His representation in three letters, a, u, m, which is sounded vibrated om. There is no difference between oṁkāra and Kṛṣṇa. It is admitted in the Bhagavad-gītā that oṁkāra 'smi. Akṣaram oṁkāro 'smi: "Of all the letters I am the oṁkāra." So Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare and oṁkāra, there is no difference, so far the transcendental sound vibration is concerned. But the objective is different.
You can see Kṛṣṇa and you can hear Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa is absolute, there is no difference between seeing and hearing. That is the absolute sense. People give more stress on the eye: "Oh, can you show me Kṛṣṇa?" Oh, can't you hear Kṛṣṇa? Why do you give...? This is also one sense, that is also another sense. Do you think by seeing you'll understand everything? You are seeing so many things daily. Do you understand? So this is all foolishness, that "Can you show me?" Now we have got so many senses. So perception through any sense, because He is absolute, the same effect. Either you see Him personally or you hear Him. Rather, hearing is better because by seeing you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa.
Even if you are in the consciousness of impersonal Brahman, there is far advanced stage. What is that? Or Paramātmā, the Supersoul understanding. And when you are in the Supersoul understanding you have to go further, because the Supersoul is a reflection, reflection. Of course, there is no difference between the reflection and the substance in the spiritual world. Still, it is reflection. Just like the sun. Sun is on your head, but his reflection can be perceived by everyone standing within this, I mean to say, under the sun. Suppose you are here. The sun is above your head, and you ask other persons who are five thousand miles or five hundred miles away from you, "Where is sun?" he will say that "Sun is on my head." So everyone will say, "Sun is on my head." Similarly, although sun is one, he is perceived that he is in everyone's heart, er, everyone's head.
Now, this reflection, although there is no difference between this reflection of the Supreme Lord, Supersoul, and the Supreme Lord, still, He is not Supreme Lord. You have to still go further. You have to search out the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Brahmā said, "Now I am seeing Your personality. So there is nothing beyond this." Nātaḥ paraṁ parama yad bhavataḥ svarūpam. "Now, here it is Your real form or real identity." Bhavataḥ svarūpam. And what is that svarūpam? What is that identity? Ānanda-mātram. It is simply reservoir of pleasure.
Not only in your country—in other countries also—that has become a fashion, to defy authorities. So this godlessness is also like that, to defy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no practically difference between Buddha philosophy and Śaṅkara's philosophy. Buddha philosophy says that the matter is everything. Beyond matter there is nothing, everything void, and the combination of matter is the source of our miseries. So you make a dismantlement of the matter, nirvāṇa—there will be no more miseries.
. And this Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, he also admitted. Bhagavattā mānile advaita nā yāya sthāpana. Now, they wanted to establish the theory of monism, no difference between living entity and God, one; there is no separate God. Then, if admit, if it is admitted that God is the source of everything, then you have to accept duality. Because the source of everything and the everything emanated—duality.
Sri Isopanisad Lectures
This body is different from me; therefore when I leave this body, this body becomes "Dust thou art, dust thou..." That thou means this body. I am not dust. I am spirit soul. So Kṛṣṇa is not embodied. He has no difference between His body and His soul. His soul and body, the same. He does not change His body, because He hasn't got material body. And because He does not change body, He remembers everything. We change body; therefore we do not remember what had happened in our last birth.
In India still there are gotras. Gotras means coming from that great sage. Just like our family belongs to the Gautama gotra. Gautama Ṛṣi, from him the familywise gotra, and similarly disciplic succession is also gotra. There is no difference between putra and chatra. Putra means son, and chatra means disciple. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, putrāṁś ca śiṣyāṁś ca; they are equally treated. Both of them equally eligible for hereditary rites from the person, either he is son or disciple.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
The information, the description of God is also Brahman. Brahman is absolute. There is no difference between Brahman and the literature which is describing Brahman. The same thing: just like Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference. Bhagavad-gītā is also Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise why this book is worshiped since so, for so long time, since five thousand years, unless the Bhagavad-gītā is Kṛṣṇa? There are so many literatures, books, are published nowadays. After one year, two years, three years—finished. Nobody cares for it. Nobody cares for it. Nobody reads for... Any literature you take in the history of the world, no literature can exist for five thousand years, repeatedly being read by many, many scholars, religionists and philosophers, all. Why? Because it is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa... There is no difference between Bhagavad-gītā and Bhagavān. Śabda-brahman. So Bhagavad-gītā should not be taken as ordinary literature, that one can comment on it by so-called ABCD knowledge. No. That is not possible.
There is no difference between the name and the person. Here, in this material world, there is difference between the name and the thing. Just like if I want water, if I simply chant "Water, water, water..." Sometimes some rascals, these, give the example that if we chant "Coca-cola, Coca-cola, Coca-cola..." It is not like that. They do not know, and they, they, they dare to explain this nāma. Such a rascal they are. They do not know what is name. Here is a description of the name: nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vi... This is caitanya.
Festival Lectures
This Vṛndāvana is the replica of that original Vṛndāvana. Because when Kṛṣṇa comes on this planet He appears in this spot of land, Vṛndāvana. Just like when the governor goes somewhere, they have got a circuit house. It is something like that. And there is no difference between that original Vṛndāvana and this Vṛndāvana.
As Kṛṣṇa is eternal... It is confirmed in the Vedic literature, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). The description of the Supreme Lord is that He is also nitya, eternal, and the living entities are also eternal. But He is the chief eternal. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. So qualitatively, there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and the living entities. And quantitatively, there is difference. What is the difference between nitya, the singular number nitya, and the plural number nitya? The plural number nitya is subordinate, eternal servants of the singular number nitya.
So spiritually, appearance and disappearance, there is no difference. Just like in material point of view, if a person takes birth... Suppose you get a son born, you become very happy. The same son, when passes away, you become very unhappy. This is material. And spiritually, there is no such difference, appearance or disappearance. So although this is the disappearance day of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, so there is nothing to be lamented. Although we feel separation, that feeling is there, but spiritually, there is no difference between appearance and disappearance.
Now today this function of installing Deity, this is authorized. Just like several times I have given the example that when you put your mails in a box in the street, because it is written there U.S. Mail, you know that it is authorized box. And if you put your letters within this box, it will surely reach the destination. The post office will work. So there is no difference between the huge post office building and that small box because it is authorized. Similarly, the difference between idol worship and Deity worship is like that.
Initiation Lectures
We should not deprecate the value of scriptures. And the most obstinate sinful activity is to act sinfully on the strength of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Because it is said that as soon as you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa you become freed from all sinful activities. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa name. Absolute. So if somebody thinks that "I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, therefore I can continue committing all kinds of sinful activities," that is the greatest... Nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir. Anyone who commits sinful activities... I have already explained the four kinds of sinful activities you should avoid. But if you think that you are chanting, therefore there will be no reaction of sinful activities, that is the greatest sin.
One should not put the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Just like the Māyāvādī says, "The demigods and God, they are all the same." Because according to them, God has no form, so any form you accept, imagine, as the form of God, it is as good. But that is not the fact. There are demigods and the Supreme God also. So we should not place... Just like demigod, Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva, Indra, Candra, they are demigods. So we should not place... In one sense, there is nothing except God, because everything expansion of God. But that does not mean I am equal to God. I am also expansion of God, that's a fact. Just like father and the son. Son is the expansion of father; still, the son is not the father. Don't mistake that. There is no difference between father and son because the same body is expanded as son, but still, the son is not the father. Father is father, son is son.
Some of our advanced students, they're accepting the renounced order of life. First of all, one of our students, Kīrtanānanda Brahmacārī, he was offered when I was in India, Vṛṇdāvana, in Janmāṣṭamī day he was offered this sannyāsa order in the Rādhā-Dāmodara temple. Similarly, here we have got also Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. There is no difference between Rādhā-Dāmodara temple and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. So we postponed this to be held on the Janmāṣṭamī day at New Vrindaban, but by some reason we are now postponing to go there, and we have decided to perform this function here. And I am very glad that we are all present.
General Lectures
So our problems of life, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, is to solve these four things: no more birth... Because we are... Always remember that we are all eternal. Just like in this body, beginning from my mother's womb up to this old age, I am the same eternal soul, but my body is changing. So after changing this body also, I shall remain the same. Simply I shall have another body. This plain truth, there is no difficulty to understand. Now if I am eternal... If I am eternal means no death, no birth, no disease, no old age. That is eternal. So if I am eternal, whether it is possible to get an eternal body? Or eternal happiness? That is the problem of human society. If you can solve that problem, then you be proud of your civilization. Otherwise there is no difference between cats' and dogs' civilization and your civilization. Because you are simply trying to solve the problems of eating, sleeping, defending and mating. But these problems are already solved by nature's law.
That we have already explained, that Kṛṣṇa is within yourself, within your heart, within my heart, within the atoms, everywhere. So if Christ thinks also like that, then there is no difference between Christ consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa is also, aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Nothing can move, nothing can act without spiritual touch. That is a fact. So this world, or anything, that is moving, jagat... The Sanskrit name of the world is jagat, "which is moving, making progress." That movement is not possible without the spiritual touch. Just like my body, your body is moving because there is spiritual spark within you, within me.
The Supreme is nondifferent. Supreme name—Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name, nondifferent. So when you hear Kṛṣṇa, the name, you immediately remember the Kṛṣṇa person, and there is no difference between His name and the person. So immediately you associate with Kṛṣṇa. Forcibly. Even you don't like, I'll chant "Kṛṣṇa," you'll be forced to associate. You will chant "Kṛṣṇa," I'll be forced to associate. This is going on. One devotee is forcing another devotee to remember Kṛṣṇa. And what he'll do by meditation? He'll think of his office or his home or his dog or his cat.
You decorate your body, decorate your room, decorate your dress—that's all right—but take information of your soul also. Lord Jesus Christ said that if after achieving everything one loses his self, then what does he gain? The same thing is also in the Bhāgavata. There is no difference between the instruction of Lord Jesus Christ and Bhāgavata, but Bhāgavata is very elaborately described. And Lord Jesus Christ gave you in nutshell. Just like he gave you the information of the kingdom of God. Now, what is that kingdom of God, how it is being conducted, what is the situation, that you will find here.
If you want water, simply by chanting, "water, water," your satisfaction will not be there. But in the spiritual world, everything being absolute, there is no difference between the name Kṛṣṇa and the person Kṛṣṇa. Therefore by... And it is the easiest process for you. You can chant this name "Kṛṣṇa." That means by sound contact, you contact the Supreme Person. That is a point of realization. You have to practice it, and you know it really.
You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and try to hear so that your mind is absorbed in the sound vibration. And this Kṛṣṇa sound vibration means Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa is absolute, God is absolute, there is no difference between God's name and God. Just like in the material world there is difference between water and the name "water," the "flower" and the thing, flower, in the spiritual world, in the absolute world, there is no such difference. Therefore, as soon you vibrate this transcendental sound, Kṛṣṇa, Hare, Rāma, immediately you associate with the Supreme Lord and His energy.
The process, as you have already known, the process is chanting the holy name of God: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Now this is recommended in the Vedas, that "In this age people are so much fallen that they cannot realize God by the prescribed method; therefore the best chance for them is to chant this holy name of God." That is recommended in the Vedas. You can chant... "If you know any other name of God, you can chant also, because there is no difference between the different names of God. And each name, holy name, is invested with all powers of God." Lord Caitanya says that each and every name, holy name of God, is nondifferent from the Supreme Lord. Therefore all the powers, all the energies that God has, it is also there in His holy name. In the absolute platform there is no such difference, as in this relative world there is difference between the name and the person whose name we are chanting. As such, there is no difference between the holy name of God and God. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu says there is no hard and fast rules and regulations for this chanting.
Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic literature. Kṛṣṇa says Himself, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7), "There is no more superior authority than Me." There is no difference between Lord Rāma, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Nrsiṁha, Varāha, They are all the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the explanation that a candle, the original candle, and you can lit up another candle, you can lit up another candle. Although the original candle you can say number one candle, but all the candles are equally powerful.
Just like in the Bible it is said, "God said, 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." Is it not? It is fact. It is fact. Now you find out who created this universe. If you deny this fact, "No. God does not create," then you explain how it was created. So there is no difference between Bible and Vedic literature. We accept also, "God created." But in the Vedic literature you will find how God created. That you'll find. So if you are actually serious to understand how God created, why don't you come to Vedic literature? That is the duty of every student. If you are after the knowledge, why should you stick to one particular place or...? If the knowledge is available in other places, you must have it.
The Absolute Truth is divided into three. Actually He is not divided. Because He is absolute, He cannot be divided. But according to the, I mean to say, realizer, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as localized Paramātmā, and somebody is realizing Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, most beautiful, lovable object. So the Bhāgavata Purāṇa says, vadanti tat tattva vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). There is no difference between Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. It is only the different features of realization. If you want to realize the Absolute Truth by your imperfect senses... We should always know that our senses are always imperfect. Just like we are very much proud of seeing with my own eyes.
So we can, by the help of this human form of body, we can achieve some very great profit. That is required. That is the human mission. Not like that, we take our birth like cats and dogs. Everyone takes birth. The process of birth is the same: the male-female sexual intercourse, and there is some child. So there is no difference between the human process of birth and the animal process of birth. There is no difference of living condition of the animal and the human being. Because the animal eats; we also eat. The animal sleeps; we also sleep. The animals have facility for sex life; we have also got the facility of sex life. The animal also defends according to his own way; we can defend with atom bomb. That's all right. But it is defending, nothing more. Therefore, about these four things—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending—they are common. The special feature of this human form of body is that he has developed consciousness how to understand God.
Indian man: How is the initiative left to the human being? I, I...
Prabhupāda: That we are teaching. We are teaching, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is that you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, "You surrender unto Me." That is Kṛṣṇa's version. Our version is, "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Therefore there is no difference between the versions.
Tad-vijñāna means spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge; for acquiring spiritual knowledge. Tad-vijñānārtham. Sa—one; gurum eva—eva means must; gurum—to a guru. Must go to guru. Not "a" guru; "the" guru. Guru is one. Because as it is explained by our Revatīnandana Mahārāja, guru is coming from the disciplic succession. What five thousand years ago Vyāsadeva instructed or Kṛṣṇa instructed, the same thing we are also instructing. Therefore there is no difference between instruction. Therefore guru is one. Although hundreds and thousands of ācāryas have come and gone, but the message is one. Therefore guru cannot be two. Real guru will not talk differently.
Tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ: "I stay there where My devotees are chanting about Me, about My glories." This is the process. Immediately... Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is Kṛṣṇa's power, omnipotency, omnipotency. We pray God, "Omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent." So that is fact. God can be present anywhere simultaneously, omnipresent. Similarly, there is no difference between God and His place. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam. As Kṛṣṇa is worshipable, ārādhya, similarly His place is also ārādhya, worshipable.
Here it is said that "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God." So God being Absolute Truth, there is no difference between God, His form, His qualities, His words and everything relating to God. That is also God. Just like in the material world the name and the subject, or the substance, they are different. Just like when you are thirsty, you simply utter the word "water, water," it will not quench your thirst. But in the spiritual world, the name "God," or "Kṛṣṇa," and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, They are the same.
Question: Actually, there is no difference between, for example, chanting the word "tree, tree, tree" again and again or the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. It depends on the meaning which we put into the words. And if you chant a particular word like Hare Kṛṣṇa and you have a particular meaning, like for you it's a holy word, then it might be something like auto-suggestion to you.
Prabhupāda: I have already explained that God and His name, the one, Absolute. In the material world your name and you, person, they are two different things. That is difference between God and you. So therefore, by chanting God's name, you actually contact with God. But in the material world that is not possible. Suppose I am thirsty; I want water. If I chant "water, water," it will not act. But in the case of chanting the holy name of God, it is as good as to associate with God.
Because Kṛṣṇa's there, Kṛṣṇa's energy is there. Kṛṣṇa is not alone. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). So Kṛṣṇa's one energy is this material energy, mama māyā. This māyā is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. It is not different from Kṛṣṇa. Śakti śaktimatayor abheda. There is no difference between fire and the heat. Heat is also fire. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's energy, they're one. At the same time, different.
Yes, yes, yes, yes. There is no difference between devotee and God. You see? Sometimes a devotee is given a greater place than God Himself. Mad-bhaktaḥ pūjābhyādhikaḥ. Just like Kṛṣṇa is God or Arjuna is devotee. So Arjuna is given superior place, to sit on the chariot, and Kṛṣṇa is driver of the chariot. That does not mean Kṛṣṇa has degraded from His position. Kṛṣṇa, or God, in any position, He is God.
Philosophy Discussions
Kīrtanānanda: Then in function there is no difference between a tape recorder here used in the service of Kṛṣṇa and one existing in the spiritual sky.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Prachurja(?). Just like Kṛṣṇa says, māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate. Anyone who is engaged in devotional service, brahma-bhūyāya kalpate, he is Brahman. Kṛṣṇa says. Why? Because he is..., that material function has stopped. You are all..., brahma-bhūyāya kalpate because your material function, that illicit sex, meat-eating, drinking, gambling, these things are stopped now. It is working in a different way, therefore it is spiritual.
Śyāmasundara: But there is no difference between the oldest cavemen and the men today. We're still killing, still hunting, still fighting. Same things.
Prabhupāda: No. Suppose just like Jesus Christ instructed his disciples, "Thou shall not kill." Say two thousand years ago in the Western countries, the men were killers, that's all. But we'll see Bhagavad-gītā, five thousand years ago, Kṛṣṇa is arguing that "If our women become widows then they'll be polluted. There will be varṇa-saṅkara, unwanted children, the society will go to hell." How much elevated society. Five thousand years ago. It is a question of place. It is a question of place. If Darwin says... Here in the Bible it is said that "Thou shall not kill," so that means two thousand years ago they were simply killers. That does not mean five thousand years there were no highly elevated personalities.
Śyāmasundara: He says that God, He is pure actuality. There is no potentiality.
Prabhupāda: Absolute.
Śyāmasundara: He is Absolute. He is pure existence and essence together, but that the..., everything else that exists besides God has these two characteristics of potentiality and actuality.
Prabhupāda: That potentiality, actuality, it is material relativity. In the spiritual world there is same—potentiality, reality—they're one. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, the rascal scholars, they think that Kṛṣṇa's body and Kṛṣṇa's soul is different, as it is, what is called, expressed by Dr. Radhakrishnan. But that is not the fact. There is no such difference. Kṛṣṇa also says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā (BG 9.11). Because He comes in a human form, rascals think of Him as ordinary human being. But He is not that. He is absolute. He has nothing to do with the body and soul as we have got. He is body and soul together-potentiality and the actuality. Similarly, anyone who gets a spiritual body, he also gets the same position. There will be no difference between actuality and potentiality.
Prabhupāda: Alexander. Alexander and the robber. There is a story that a robber was arrested by Alexander and there was talk between Alexander and the robber: "You proved that you are big robber, that's all. Why you are going to punish me?" And he was released: "Yes. I'm a big robber. I have no difference between you and me."
Śyāmasundara: So he says that we can remedy the whole situation of bad faith and being an unsavory character and treating myself as an object instead of a person by choosing for myself the person I ought to become.
Hayagrīva: Aquinas believed that only God and the angels have form that is not material. There is no difference between God's form and His spiritual self.
Prabhupāda: Yes. As in the material world any form-man or beast or anyone—in the outward, external covering is matter, but within the matter there is the soul. The soul has form and God has form. That is real form. And the material form is simply shirting and coating over the spiritual body.
Purports to Songs
And then he says, gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, yebā jāni cintāmaṇi. A... The gaura-maṇḍala means the place in West Bengal wherein Lord Caitanya had His pastimes. In Navadvīpa, during Lord Caitanya's birth anniversary, the devotees go and circumambulate different places of Lord Caitanya's pastimes. It takes nine days. So that portion of Bengal is called gauḍa-maṇḍala. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, "One who understands that there is no difference between this part of the country with Vṛndāvana," tāra haya vraja-bhūmi vāsa, "it is as good as one lives in Vṛndāvana." Then he says, gaura-prema rasārṇarve. Lord Caitanya's activities is just like an ocean of loving affairs of Kṛṣṇa.
| Page Title: | There is no difference between... (Lectures, Other) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, ParthsarathyM |
| Created: | 08 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=61, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 61 |