Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura" |"Visvanath Chakravarty" |"Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura" |"Visvanatha Cakravarti" |"Visvanatha Cakravarti" |"Visvanatha" |"visvanatha carkavarti thakura"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:

So Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, in connection with the verse, vyavasāyātmikā-buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana, niścayātmikā-buddhiḥ... (BG 2.41) So Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that "The instruction which I have received from my spiritual master, that is my life and soul." This is called niścayātmikā-buddhiḥ, means assurance: "Whatever I have received, the order from my spiritual master, that will give me salvation." Or even no salvation. It doesn't matter. A real devotee, a servant, does not expect anything, but kāryam: "It is my duty. It is my duty." If one takes in such spirit... Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yā (BG 6.1). Kāryam. Kāryam means "It is my duty. It must be done. That's my duty." Without any result. Anāśrita-karma-phalaṁ. Karma-phalaṁ. Every action, there is a result. Bad or good, it doesn't matter. There must be some result. So anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ. Don't take shelter of the result of your work. Generally we work; if the result is very good, then we like to work. If the result is not very good, then we don't like to work. But a devotee should not take...(Aside:) Why you are moving so fast?

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Pittsburgh, September 8, 1972:

If you want to learn factually things, then you should approach ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda, "One who has accepted ācārya, he knows things as they are." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. So we are receiving knowledge through the ācāryas. Kṛṣṇa spoke to Arjuna, Arjuna spoke to Vyāsadeva. Arjuna actually did not speak to Vyāsadeva, but Vyāsadeva heard it, Kṛṣṇa speaking, and he noted down in his book Mahābhārata. This Bhagavad-gītā is found in Mahābhārata. So we accept the authorities of Vyāsa. And from Vyāsa, Madhvācārya; from Madhvācārya, so many disciplic succession, up to Mādhavendra Purī. Then Mādhavendra Purī to Īśvara Purī; from Īśvara Purī to Lord Caitanyadeva; from Lord Caitanyadeva to six Gosvāmīs; from six Gosvāmīs to Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja; from him, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya; from him, Viśvanātha Cakravartī; from him, Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī; then Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī; Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura; my spiritual master. The same thing, we are preaching. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is nothing new. It is coming down from the original speaker, Kṛṣṇa, by disciplic succession. So we are reading this Bhagavad-gītā. Not that I have manufactured some book and I am preaching. No. I am preaching Bhagavad-gītā. The same Bhagavad-gītā as it was first spoken forty millions of years ago to the sun-god and again it was repeated five thousand years ago to Arjuna. The same thing is coming down by disciplic succession, and the same thing is presented before you. There is no change.

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972:

People are not interested. They have lost all brain. Su-medhasaḥ, and alpa-medhasaḥ. These two words, two words are used in the śāstras. Alpa-medhasaḥ. Medhā means brain substance. So those who are alpa-medhasaḥ, they, means less brain substance. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Alpa-medhasaḥ, less intelligent, less brain substance, they worship different demigods. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajante anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). The anya-devatās are there, but who are attracted to worship other demigods? Those who are lusty. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ. These are the statements in the Bhagavad-gītā. You know. Those who are lusty, and, being lusty, they have lost their senses. Hṛta-jñānāḥ. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, he says, hṛta-jñānāḥ naṣṭa-buddhayaḥ. No intelligence. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23).

So in this age, this is simply waste of time. If you actually interested in spiritual advancement of life, if you divert your attention in so-called worship of this demigod, that demigod, this demigod, then you'll simply waste your time. There will be no advancement. And even you become perfect in worshiping the demigods, then what will be your profit? The profit will be: yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). You can go to the planets where the demigods live. But the planets and this material world, everything will be annihilated. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām (BG 7.23). Suppose you are promoted to the Brahmaloka. That is also antavat. It will be finished, because by the end of Brahmā's duration of life, everything within this universe will be finished. Therefore antavat. That is not permanent. But if you manage to go back to home, back to Godhead, then yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Then that is perfect life.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:

The Bhagavad-gītā is a standard literature. Most of you know this Bhagavad-gītā. But generally the Bhagavad-gītā is read very superficially, not very critically. We do not understand Kṛṣṇa, the author of Bhagavad-gītā, neither we understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, although it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. We read Bhagavad-gītā superficially, not very critically, neither there is any edition so far... Of course, in Sanskrit there are many editions, annotation by Śrīdhara Svāmī, annotation by Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, annotation by Viśvanātha Cakravartī, annotation by Śrī Rāmānujācārya. There are many great scholars. But we have no information of those in the western countries. You have no information of those scholars. Ordinary persons with some academic career, they think they are very learned, they can comment on Bhagavad-gītā. Oh, that is not possible. That is not possible. The other day we have already discussed that Bhagavad-gītā can be understood by a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, nobody else. Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam (BG 4.3). So here is a chance.

Now, Kṛṣṇa says that ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. Now the proportionately, if you agree to follow the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, proportionately as you follow, so you become perfect. If you follow one percent, then you become one percent perfect. If you follow twenty-five percent, then you become twenty-five percent perfect. And if you follow cent-percent, then you become centpercent. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa does not interfere with your individual independence. Every living entity has got an independence, minute, because he is also spiritual atom. We are all spiritual atoms. That atomic, spiritual atomic force... Just like a material atomic force is so strong, so you can just imagine how strong is spiritual atom.

Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:

The śravaṇa-kīrtana is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa conscious life. One who is very fortunate, he's in meeting, he meets somebody who is a pure devotee and accepts him as his spiritual master. Therefore here it is stated, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. One has to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master... A spiritual master is always bona fide. And if he cultivates this Kṛṣṇa consciousness under the direction of a spiritual master, āśraye lañā bhaje, kṛṣṇa tāre nāhi tyaje.(?) Kṛṣṇa does not reject him. Kṛṣṇa accepts him. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi **. That, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, that "If you can please your spiritual master, then Kṛṣṇa is automatically pleased. And if you cannot please your spiritual master, then there is no way to understand Kṛṣṇa."

So therefore Kṛṣṇa says particularly here, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan... We have to execute the Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga system under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. Mad-āśrayaḥ. Then asaṁśaya, without any doubt. Samagram, in fullness. In fullness means brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti (SB 1.2.11). Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). Brahman is sad-aṁśa, the part which is eternal, and Paramātmā is cid-aṁśa, and Bhagavān is ānanda-aṁśa. And Bhagavān is full, sac-cid-ānanda. And we are all seeking after ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta says that a living entity, or Kṛṣṇa... Any living entity...

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, February 22, 1974:

Sir Alistair Hardy. He came. He admitted. He's making research. So these things are going on. Why research? Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is explained and commented by so many, many great, stalwart, I mean to say, commentator, especially Śrīdhara Svāmī, Rāmānujācārya, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣana. So many great scholars, they have commented upon Bhagavad-gītā. So try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. That is the real necessity of life. That we have explained several times.

This human form of life. The... Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that, hari hari bifale janama goṅāinu. "My dear Lord, Hari, I have simply spoiled my life." Bifale jan..., hari hari bifale janama goṅāinu. "I have wasted my time." Why? Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. "I got this nice human form of body especially for worshiping Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, but I have not done that. Therefore willingly I have drunk poison." Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. The saṅkīrtana movement is not manufactured in this material world. It is released from Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual world. Golokera prema-dhana... Otherwise why we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa...? It is not material sound. Any material sound, you chant thrice, you'll be tired. But you go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra twenty-four hours, you'll never be tired. Therefore it is not a sound of this material world; it is a sound of the spiritual world.

Lecture on BG 7.9 -- Vrndavana, August 15, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa tene, imparted, injected brahma, Vedic, Vedic śabda, śabda-brahma, Vedas, tene brahma hṛdā, through the heart. Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart. So Brahmā had no other spiritual master, but Kṛṣṇa is there within the heart. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Caitya-guru. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. The caitya-guru, the guru... Kṛṣṇa is so kind. He is guru within, and when we are serious, He manifests Himself as a spiritual master. This is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

So guru is helping from inside and from outside. Antar-bahiḥ. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Therefore Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself as spiritual master. Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, sākṣād-dhari, sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. Manifestation of empowered. One who is pure devotee, he's empowered by Kṛṣṇa to act as spiritual master. Therefore spiritual master should be accepted: sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ **. It is described there. Tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ. Those who are learned scholars, actual devotees, they accept. But that does not mean guru is Kṛṣṇa. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. Now, that, if you accept, you... Accept means you honor spiritual master as good as Kṛṣṇa, because he's representative. But not that Māyāvāda philosophy that guru and Kṛṣṇa is the same. This is simultaneously one and different. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. He is as good as Kṛṣṇa because he is very, very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Why dear? Because he's preaching on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. What Kṛṣṇa wants, he's doing that. Therefore he's very dear.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya..., yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo **. Guru.

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo

yasya aprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi

dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya (yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ)

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **

So this is rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyam. This is the secret, guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya (CC Madhya 19.151). We should take advantage of this rāja-vidyā, devotional service, and take the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa and make our life successful. And it is very easy. It is very easy. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). Su-sukham, very easy and, I mean, very pleasing also, to execute devotional service. Very pleasing. Simply we are doing... What are we doing? We are dressing, śravanaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23), simply chanting about Viṣṇu, Lord Kṛṣṇa. We are hearing about Kṛṣṇa, we are decorating Kṛṣṇa, we are feeding Kṛṣṇa, offering nice foodstuff, and the benefit is coming to us. When you see Kṛṣṇa so nicely dressed, how it become..., how pleased we become. Kṛṣṇa has got many dress, but if you dress and see Kṛṣṇa, you become pleased. You become pleased. Kṛṣṇa does not require your dress or coat. If you offer nicest food to Kṛṣṇa, it comes to you. Anyone can do. What we are doing in this temple, everyone can do at home.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

So Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that "I got this opportunity of human life, but instead of worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, I have worshiped so many things." Somebody is worshiping his body, somebody is worshiping his mind, somebody is worshiping his country, somebody is worshiping his something else, something else, or somebody is worshiping some other demigods also. But that is not recommended in the śāstra, at least in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajanty anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). There are worshipers of other demigods, but they have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as hṛta-jñānāḥ. Hṛta-jñānāḥ. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments, naṣṭa buddhayaḥ, "one who has lost his intelligence." These are the verdict of the śāstra. Therefore one who has taken only to Kṛṣṇa worship sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66), only Kṛṣṇa, he is intelligent. And one who is not intelligent, mūḍha, he does not take to Kṛṣṇa. This is straight meaning of Bhagavad-gītā. You can make your own meaning, but if you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, this is the meaning. You cannot accept the worship even of big, big demigods. What to speak of minor demigods, even big demigods just like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva... You can worship. Vaiṣṇava is ready to give respect even to the ant. And why not Lord Śiva? And why not Lord Brahmā or any other demigods? They offer. But they offer in which way? As servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Paris, August 10, 1973:

So six things he's questioning. First of all, prakṛti, one, puruṣa, two, kṣetra, three, kṣetra-jña, four, knowledge, five, and the knowable object of knowledge, six. These are the subject matter, Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is asking from Kṛṣṇa. Because he has accepted Kṛṣṇa guru. So for bona fide inquiries, transcendental inquiries, one must approach a guru. That is the Vedic injunction. That Arjuna has already done. When he was he was to fight or not to fight, But he could not make solution. So to make a solution we must approach Kṛṣṇa as guru, or Kṛṣṇa's representative. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's representative... In, they are the same.

Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says: yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. By pleasing guru, you can please Kṛṣṇa. Even Kṛṣṇa is not pleased, if the guru is pleased, Kṛṣṇa has to be pleased. Because he's representative.

Suppose you have given somebody power of attorney to do some business. So after finishing the business, if you see the paper, not very favorable, it has not been done very nicely, still you have to accept. Because your representative has signed it. Yes. Therefore yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Kṛṣṇa not satisfied, but if your guru is satisfied, then Kṛṣṇa must be satisfied. This is Kṛṣṇa's obligation. Because He has sent representative. Kṛṣṇa has... ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān (SB 11.17.27). Kṛṣṇa says: "ācārya, that is I am." Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit. "Never try to neglect ācārya. Nāvamanyeta. Neither think of ācārya as ordinary person. Vedic injunction is one must approach understand all this subject matter.

Jñāna, knowledge and the... Books, volumes of books on any subject matter. As there are different types of magazines for differents of books. Big, big philosophers. Just like written philosophy on the sex impulse. To understand. This is rascaldom. Nobody is how to laugh, how to cry, how to eat, and how to enjoy sex life. No school, college is required to understand these things. These are everyone knows. Volumes of books are required to understand this real knowledge here.

Try to understand: kṣetra-kṣetra-jña. This body and the living entity, soul, who is working with this body, or working on this body. We get, a certain type of body to fulfill our certain type of desire.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

That means this is the general way of acquiring real knowledge of the soul and the body.

But Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us a special gift, but, that in spite of our not understanding everything very analytically, as they are described in the Vedic scriptures, one can understand himself by the simple process by chanting the holy name of the Lord. That is special gift of Lord Caitanya. He says that if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then automatically everything will be revealed unto you. Because in this age it is very difficult to follow the process of knowledge. Just like amānitvam, to give up the pride of one's existential, material existential condition, amānitvam. Amānitvam means... Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī: sva-sat-kāraṇāpekṣatvam. Sva-sat-kāraṇa apekṣatvam, adambhitvam dharmikatvam. First thing is that to deny the material existence, that "I am not this matter." So this is not ordinary thing, that "I am not matter." But Lord Caitanya says that this realization that "I am not matter" will be very easily realized if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa sincerely. He says that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). If we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, the immediate, first installment of profit will be the understanding that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, September 30, 1973:

So the Gauḍīya Sampradāya did not make any commentary on the Brahma-sūtra because they took it, Caitanya Mahāprabhu took it as, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as a natural commentary, because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also made by Vyāsadeva and Vyāsadeva is the original author of Brahma-sūtra. So author made his own commentary; so there was no need of another commentary. This is the Gauḍīya-siddhānta, Gauḍīya-vaiṣṇava-siddhānta.

But sometimes back, in Jaipur, there was a challenge that "The Gauḍīya Sampradāya has no commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra." So at that time Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura was requested... Because he was grand scholar, grand old man scholar, at that time living in Vṛndāvana... So he was very old at that time; so he authorized Baladeva Vidyābhūṣana, that "You do it." There was no need, but people are demanding, "Where is your commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra?" So Baladeva Vidyābhūṣana, with the order of Govindaji at Jaipur, he wrote the commentary on Brahma-sūtra. That name is Govinda-bhāṣya. So the Gauḍīya-Brahmā Sampradāya, they have got also commentary on Brahma-sūtra. That is required.

So Kṛṣṇa has explicitly explained that brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir. Hetumadbhir viniścitaṁ. The Brahma-sūtra is called therefore nyāya-prasthāna, with logic and reason, hetumadbhir, cause and effect, Everything. Because people like to understand on the basis of philosophy and reasoning everything. Yes, that is required.

Any understanding without philosophy, that is sentiment. And philosophy without religious conception is mental speculation. These two things are going on, not combined. All over the world there are many so-called religious systems, but there is no philosophy. Therefore the so-called religious system does not appeal to the modern educated persons. They are giving up religion, either Christian, Muslim, Hindu. Simply formalities, rituals, they do not like. They want to know everything on the basis of philosophy. That is Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

This is scientific. So these things are required for the material body, not for the spiritual body. In spiritual body, asnāviram, there is no vein. Therefore one who misunderstands Kṛṣṇa as having a material body, he has been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍhā. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). He has no veins. There is no difference between His body and His soul. We have got difference with our body and soul; therefore this existence with this material body is not śuddha, is not pure. Therefore, sattva-saṁśuddhir, abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has described, this abhayam means fearlessness, because, unless I become fearless, I cannot give up my present position. Just like, according to our Vedic system... Not our; everyone. Vedic system is for everyone. It is not that for a particular class of men, Vedic system. That's wrong. When Kṛṣṇa says catur varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13), this Vedic system, it is for all, not for a particular country, a particular society. So the Vedic system is that one should accept the order, sannyāsa order, at the last stage of his life. Suppose one lives for a hundred years. He should become brahmacārī, student, for twenty five-years, then a married man for another twenty-five years, and after fifty years, pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet, he should accept the vana-vāsī. Vana-vāsī means vānaprastha. Vāna: from vana, vāna, "one who has gone to the forest," vānaprastha. So then, when he is prepared, he should take sannyāsa. The whole institution is meant for sattva, sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ. So one has to purify his existentional life; otherwise, if he does not purify his existence, then he has to transmigrate from one body to another, and that is material existence. That is material existence.