Expressions researched:
"when he is trained"
|"when one is trained"
|"when you are trained"
One word in this verse is very significant. The Lord is stated here to be pratyag-akṣaja. He is imperceptible to material senses, but still He can be seen. This appears to be contradictory. We have material senses, but how can we see the Supreme Lord? He is called adhokṣaja, which means that He cannot be seen by the material senses. Akṣaja means "knowledge perceived by material senses." Because the Lord is not an object that can be understood by speculation with our material senses, He is also called ajita; He will conquer, but no one can conquer Him. What does it mean, then, that still He can be seen? It is explained that no one can hear the transcendental name of Kṛṣṇa, no one can understand His transcendental form, and no one can assimilate His transcendental pastimes. It is not possible. Then how is it possible that He can be seen and understood? When one is trained in devotional service and renders service unto Him, gradually one's senses are purified of material contamination. When one's senses are thus purified, then one can see, one can understand, one can hear and so on. The purification of the material senses and perception of the transcendental form, name and quality of Kṛṣṇa are combined together in one word, pratyag-akṣaja, which is used here.
When one is trained to become conscious of his position, he understands that he is the servitor of the Lord. "Brahman" refers to a state of self-realization. Even the third-class devotee—who is not advanced in knowledge of the Absolute Truth but simply offers obeisances with great devotion, thinks of the Lord, sees the Lord in the temple and brings forth flowers and fruits to offer to the Deity—becomes imperceptibly liberated. Śraddhayānvitāḥ: with great devotion the devotees offer worshipful respects and paraphernalia to the Deity. The Deities of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī and Nārāyaṇa, and Rāma and Sītā are very attractive to devotees, so much so that when they see the statue decorated in the temple of the Lord they become fully absorbed in thought of the Lord. That is the state of liberation. In other words, it is confirmed herewith that even a third-class devotee is in the transcendental position, above those who are trying for liberation by speculation or by other methods. Even great impersonalists like Śukadeva Gosvāmī and the four Kumāras were attracted by the beauty of the Deities in the temple, by the decorations and by the aroma of tulasī offered to the Lord, and they became devotees. Even though they were in the liberated state, instead of remaining impersonalists they were attracted by the beauty of the Lord and became devotees.
The Lord is the Supersoul seated in everyone's heart, and He acts as the caitya-guru, the spiritual master within. However, He gives direct instructions only to the advanced, pure devotees. In the beginning, when a devotee is serious and sincere, the Lord gives him directions from within to approach a bona fide spiritual master. When one is trained by the spiritual master according to the regulative principles of devotional service and is situated on the platform of spontaneous attachment for the Lord (rāga-bhakti), the Lord also gives instructions from within. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). This distinct advantage is obtained by a liberated soul. Having attained this stage, King Malayadhvaja was directly in touch with the Supreme Lord and was receiving instructions from Him directly.
Hanumān: Prabhupāda, I would like to know, if there is no birth in the spiritual world, how do we re-enter the spiritual world?
Prabhupāda: Hm? Birth means, first of all you take your birth where Kṛṣṇa is now present. Kṛṣṇa is present in one of the universes. There are innumerable universes. So you take your birth in the next universe, or where Kṛṣṇa is now. Then you become trained up. And when you are trained up, then you personally go to Vaikuṇṭha. No birth.
So we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, we are suffering, but because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa comes to canvass that "Why you are suffering? You just surrender unto Me. I'll give you all protection." No, they'll not take. They'll not take. Therefore, when one is trained up to, how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, that is called devotional service, practice, practicing. And when, actually, one is very sincere to serve Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is within everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So He can understand whether you are sincerely serving or with some motive you are serving. Even with a motive you serve Kṛṣṇa, it will never go in vain. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Just like Pūtanā. Pūtanā wanted to serve Kṛṣṇa by feeding Kṛṣṇa with her breast, but the purpose was the breast was poison, so Kṛṣṇa would suck the milk and He would die. There is a different motive. But still, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He thought that "This rascal Pūtanā, she wanted to kill Me, but she does not know that I am not a person to be killed, but still, although the motive was to kill Me, but she has served Me to suck her breast. I have drunk her milk. So she is My mother. So she is My mother. Never mind she came with a motive."
Now here Kṛṣṇa says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). As soon as there is discrepancy in the discharge of that natural, I mean to say, sequence of the living entity... Abhyutthānam adharmasya. Abhyutthānam means uprising of unnatural activities or unnatural occupation, which is not for him. Abhyutthānam adharmasya tadā, at that time, ātmānam, self, sṛjāmy aham. Sṛjāmy aham means "I descend or appear." Now, this sequence of dharma is explained in the last paragraph, I mean to say, not last, in the last chapter, sixty-seventh verse of the Eighteenth Chapter. The Lord says that sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "You just give up all kinds of occupational duty or religiosity." We have created all kinds of religious formula. So Kṛṣṇa says that "You give up all kinds of religious formula." But what is to be done? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "You just surrender unto Me."
That means that surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the real religion of the living entity. Not that I like a particular type of faith, that is my religion. Religion means when one is trained how to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called religion. And the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also gives enunciation of the word dharma, that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is the best system of religion, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). By which one is trained to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is best.
Dvija means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. And the brāhmaṇa is the śreṣṭha, the best of the dvija. Dvija means twice-born. One birth by the father and mother, and the next birth through the guru and Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is the mother and guru is the father. The next birth. That is called dvija, twice-born. Once born by father and mother, that is śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. First birth is śūdra. The next birth, when he is trained up by the guru in Vedic knowledge, that is real birth. Therefore all of them were first-class brāhmaṇas, dvija, with saṁskāra. Therefore they are addressed dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ.
So this Mahābhārata is also history, and as history is liked by common man, so Mahābhārata was written by Vyāsadeva for understanding of the most common men. Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnaṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). The Vyāsadeva has given explanation why he compiled Mahābhārata, the great history of this Bhārata. Now it is called India, but the planet was called Bhārata, Bhārata-varṣa. So he has given explanation that "The Vedic principle, Vedic instructions, they are not directly understandable by commen men and women." Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnaṁ. Who are common men? Women class, as a class, and śūdra, laborer class, working class, and Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnaṁ. And dvija means twice-born, the higher caste. The higher caste means they must be twice-born. How is that? One birth is father and mother, real father and mother, and the next birth is spiritual master and the Vedas. That means when one is trained up in the matter of real knowledge—Veda means real knowledge—by the guidance of the spiritual master, he is supposed to be twice-born. So dvija-bandhu. Twice-born means cultural society. Those who have Vedic cultured, those who have followed the Vedic principles rigidly, it doesn't matter whether he is a householder or a brahmacārī or a sannyāsī.
So by mental speculation, so-called big, big philosophers, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can be understood by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is visible. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. When you are trained up how to love God, Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself, and you will see Him. Premāñjana-cchurita. Not with these eyes, but another eyes. What is that eyes? Premāñjana, love, the ointment of love, when it is smeared in your eyes, then you can see. Just like there is medicine, eye ointment, or surma, in India it is called surma. Sometimes you apply, your vision becomes very cleansed, and you can see things very nicely. So we have to cleanse our eyes to see Kṛṣṇa, by the ointment of love of Kṛṣṇa. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilo..., santaḥ. Then, when you are saintly person, santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti, He... He is, actually He is already indicated in the śāstra that God is situated within your heart. So then when your eyes are clear, then you can see, hṛayeṣu, always existing. But so long you are mūḍha-dṛśa, you are mental speculator, the curtain is covered, the covering is there, you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. Māyā-javanikācchannam ajñādhokṣajam avyayam na lakṣyase, "You are not visible," mūḍha-dṛśa, "by persons who are rascal and simply believe in direct perception," mūḍha-dṛśa.
At the present moment, people retire by force or by some way or... But they do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. There are many retired men's house in your country, but they do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. Ultimate goal of life is to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because in your busy life, you have got very little time; therefore after gṛhastha life, fifty years, up to, not more than that, pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet, then you must retire. It doesn't matter whether you have finished your duty or not. It doesn't matter. You must retire. And then, after being trained for sometimes, being retired from the family life, living secluded life—not exactly secluded, but detached from family life—let the elderly sons, daughters, they can take care of the family, and the husband, wife, they travel in different places of pilgrimage. Again they come for some time, but without any attachment, as guest in the house of his son. In this way, when he is trained up, then he says to the wife, "Now you live with your sons. They will take care of you. I am taking sannyāsa."
Guest (1): Do they have a period of training or a program for the training of the swamis?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Certainly.
Guest (1): Can you tell me how long the program takes?
Prabhupāda: That depends on the student. Yes. If you can quickly can control... There are processes. Just like we are training here. They're American boys, but we are training them in that process. We don't allow our students to have illicit sex life. We don't allow our students to indulge in nonvegetarian diet. We don't allow our students for intoxication. And we don't allow our students for gambling. So these four principles they are practicing, they are chanting, and they are restraining. In this way, when one is trained as brahmacārī, then he can become a swami later on. Yes. The training is there.
One who does not know what is the position of a living being, they say that "Give up desires. Desireless." That is not possible. Desirelessness is not possible. Because I am a living being, I must desire. Therefore desires may be purified. That is wanted. You cannot make the desires zero. That is not possible. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Now our desires are there according to my designated position. "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim. Why shall I take Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Because I am designated, I have taken this designation, "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian." Therefore we cannot take Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Oh, this is... Kṛṣṇa is Hindu God. Kṛṣṇa is Indian. Why shall I take Kṛṣṇa?" No. "You have to be desireless" means you have to purify your this false understanding that "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Indian," "I am this." This has to be purified. One has to understand that "I am gopī-bhartur pada-kamalayor dāsa. I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa (CC Madhya 13.80)." That is purification. Then desire. Then you'll not desire anything except Kṛṣṇa's service. That is perfection. When you come to that platform, that you desire nothing but to serve Kṛṣṇa, always, twenty-four hours, then you are liberated. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Then you become nirmalam, without any material tinge. In that position only, hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Then... My senses will be there; not that I become senseless nonsense. No. My senses are there. They will act. They'll act for simply to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. So that can be possible when you are trained up by the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise it is not possible.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, such an exalted ācārya, he's teaching us, "Don't try to understand yugala-pīriti, the love affairs between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, concoctedly, by your own concoction." No. You should first of all try to serve the Six Gosvāmīs, rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti, how they are directing. Just like this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī is not teaching in the beginning the loving affairs of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. No. He's training, first of all, the reader, the devotee, how to become first of all pure devotee.
First of all, he's trying to bring the devotee to the standard devotional service. Vidhi-mārga. Then gradually, when he becomes accustomed, then rāga-mārga will be revealed. Rāga-mārga is not artificial. It becomes, svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau... (Brs. 1.2.234). Everything, devotional relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you cannot establish artificially. Everyone has got a particular relationship with Kṛṣṇa in his original constitutional position. That will be revealed gradually as you advance in devotional service in the prescribed rules and regulations as they are directed in the śāstras and by spiritual master. When you are trained up properly, you come to the platform of rāga-mārga, then your devotional si... That is called svarūpa-siddhi. Svarūpa-siddhi. So svarūpa-siddhi is attained at a certain stage. Just like svarūpa-siddhi... The desire for sex life is there in every human being, but when the boy and the girl come to the mature stage, it become manifest. It is, is not learned artificially. Similarly, the rāga-mārga, svarūpa-siddhi, becomes revealed or manifest. Śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya. Udaya. This very word, udaya, is used. Just like sun. Sun becomes visible when the sun rises automatically. You cannot force the sun to rise at dead of night. That is not possible. Sun will rise. You just wait. When the time will be right, morning, six o'clock, you'll find the sun.
Generally, we want loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityasta jantu. Jantu, when one is not on the platform of spiritual understanding, they are called jantu. Jantu means anyone who has got life. The cats and dogs, they have also got life. So loke, in this material world, vyavāya āmiṣa madya sevā. Vyavāya means sex indulgence, sex life. And āmiṣa means meat, fish, egg-eating. Āmiṣa. Therefore vegetarian diet is called nirāmiṣa, not āmiṣa. So it is general tendency of the living being to become āmiṣa, to eat meat. That is the general laws of nature. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. One living entity is the life for another living entity. Ahastāni sahastānām. There are animals, two-legged animals, and there are four-legged animals. The four-legged animals is the food for the two-legged animals. So long we remain as animals, then there is the necessity of eating meat. Ahastāni sahastānām. Hasta means hands. So those who are living like animals, only two legs. The other animals, four legs, and here is an animal of two legs, dvipad-paśu. For them, the animal is eatable, āmiṣa-madya sevā. And drinking wine, or intoxication, and vyavāya, sex life. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya sevayā nityastu jantu. So long he is jantu, these things are required. Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. That is general tendency. But when one gives up voluntarily for higher status of life, that is called nivṛtti-mārga. Pravṛtti-mārga and nivṛtti-mārga. Pravṛtti-mārga means to fulfill these desires, āmiṣa vyavāya madya sevā. But when one is trained up to give up these habits, that is called nirvrtti-mārga. So we have got so many pravṛttis, inclinations. But when you voluntarily give up all these nonsense habits, that is called nivṛtti-mārga and tapasya.
Prabhupāda: First of all, you remain here for some time. Be trained up. Because every one of us, we have followed the silly jackals. Now we have to follow Kṛṣṇa. Janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra (CC Adi 9.41). That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's advice. First of all, let your personal life be successful, then try to do good to others. The, all over the world, they have simply followed the silly jackals. Now we have to follow Kṛṣṇa. When you are trained up to follow Kṛṣṇa, then our life is successful. Then you can do something. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We have to follow Kṛṣṇa alone. Not all these rascals, silly jackals. Then our life is successful. Kṛṣṇa can give you all guidance. In all respective necessities of life, there is everything complete. We haven't got to follow the silly jackals. So here is a nice place, you stay here and forget the silly jackals and take to Kṛṣṇa alone or His devotees. Then you can start very nicely a center anywhere. That is the duty of everyone. We should open hundreds and thousands of centers all over the world. But one who is going to open, he must be first of all trained up.
If one has appreciation for the spiritual master then he must follow the instructions of the spiritual master, and that means he is supposed to worship the deity in a certain way, like that. It is not possible to love the spiritual master without loving God. Your next question was about the free will, whether we have it or not? If one is not intelligent enough for making for making decisions, then all decisions shall be sanctioned by the spiritual master. Neophyte means no independent decisions, no free will, that means surrender. But when he is trained up then automatically he gets his freedom. Just like a small child can only eat such things which are sanctioned by his parents, not by his own discretion. Free will is that when the controller says do this, you can use your free will to do it or not to do it. You have got the power to not do:
| Page Title: | When one is trained |
| Compiler: | Serene, Jayaram |
| Created: | 12 of Dec, 2008 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=11, Con=1, Let=1 |
| No. of Quotes: | 16 |