"Always think of Me." So this practice should go on. Never mind I am so-called distressed or happy. Here... In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, 'dvaite' bhadrābhadra-jñāna saba 'manodharma', 'ei bhāla ei manda' ei saba 'bhrama'. Dvaite, in this dual, the world of duality, here, in this material world, the, "This thing is very good, this thing is very bad," it is simply mental concoction. Everything here is bad. Nothing good. So this is our mental creation only. "This is good, this is bad." We are doing that. Just like in political field. "This party is nice. This party's bad." But any party goes in the power, your condition is the same. The commodities price are increasing. It has no decreasing, either you change this party or that party. So these are all concoctions. If you want really happy, happiness, if you want real goodness, then you try to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That will make you real happy.
World of... (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So the modern theory that ten thousand years ago there was no human civilization, how we can adjust things? The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought five thousand years ago. Before that, hundreds of thousands year ago there was another battle which is called fight between Rāma and Rāvaṇa. And there are so many instances in the Vedic literature. We can offer history of the world, of the universe, from millions and millions of years ago. But these people with petty knowledge for three thousand years or four thousand years, they are thinking they have advanced.
So this theory was current in those days also; otherwise why Kṛṣṇa is making reference to this theory? So all kinds of theories are existent since the beginning of this creation. But sometimes some theory is very prominent, sometimes some theory is not prominent. That's all.
This is duality. Everything you'll find in dual. Unless there is happiness, you cannot understand what is distress. And unless there is distress, you cannot understand happiness. You cannot understand light unless there is darkness. So this is the world of darkness and light, so-called light. You have to transcend. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). So we have to make arrangement. That facility is there to every human being, how he can get out of this world of duality and come to the transcendental platform which is called avyabhicāriṇī-bhakti-yoga.
Defeat. Because it is the world of duality. There must be something dual, black-white, darkness-light, sukha, happiness-distress, father-son. There must be. This is called relative world. One thing, if you understand one thing, you must know the other thing, opposite. Otherwise, it has no meaning. In the absolute world, there is no such thing, opposite elements. So here, Kṛṣṇa is suggesting about the absolute duty, lābhālābhau. When there is loss or gain, you are the same. Generally, when there is gain, we are very jubilant. And when there is loss, we become morose. But here, Kṛṣṇa is teaching that "You remain in one position, either it is loss or gain. Either it is victory or defeat. Either it is happiness or distress." This is brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). A devotee is always prasannātmā, because his happiness is to serve Kṛṣṇa. His only business is to see Kṛṣṇa happy, that's all. This is devotion. There may be loss or gain, there may be victory or defeat, there may be distress or happiness, it doesn't matter. He's not affected with this duality. That is being taught now.
So initiation means the beginning. The very word initiation means if you are engaged in some work, just in the beginning, that is called initiation. Initiation is not the end. Initiation means you agree to enter into the world of enlightenment. And if you make progress, then more you make progress, more you become enlightened. Initiation means the beginning. This is the dictionary word meaning, initiation. What is that meaning, Hayagrīva? Is that...?
A devotee who is always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for him there is nothing unknown. He knows everything. Just like we can give information of the whole creation. Not only of this material world, of the spiritual world. Clear conception. Where is where, what is what, everything. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The more you make progress, then you fully, I mean to say, conversant with all departmental knowledge. Everything is completed.
So when there is no these material impediments, naturally the life is eternal, the knowledge is eternal, the bliss is eternal. As soon as we are free from this material body, then these questions of past, present, future, pleasure, not pleasure, knowledge, no knowledge, these dualities, this world of duality will finish. The impersonalists, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they think that because the past, present, and future, and this duality is finished, therefore there is no variegatedness. They cannot understand. They cannot accommodate in their tiny brain that this is possible.
Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, now it is established that He hasn't got this material body. It will be confirmed in the Tenth Chapter also: avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Rascals... Mūḍha means rascals. Most ignorant, he is called mūḍha, or an ass. So this word is used there, mūḍha.
He comes and He sends His own, I mean to say, confidential sons or servants to give us information of the spiritual world of God, or everything, both material and spiritual. This knowledge is perfect knowledge. We have to receive from the authority.
In the material world also. Now some students, they come here to learn scientific knowledge because it is understood Western countries, they're advanced in scientific knowledge. So why they come? Because they think that Western scientists are authorities. The process is there, to receive knowledge from authority. Similarly, some serious students, they go to India, they try to search out some saintly persons to receive knowledge about the spiritual world.
Actually, it is a fact that if you want to know about spiritual knowledge then you have to know it from India. That is recommended by one Chinese gentleman, I forget his name.
He had no business to learn it. Because svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. His knowledge is natural.
So these things are to be understand. Then one who understands the science of Kṛṣṇa in truth, then the benefit is, the result is that he, he no more comes back to this world of darkness. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Neither he has to undergo the repeated birth and death. We are just now undergoing the term of repeated birth and death under different species of life. So that thing will be stopped.
So human, human mission, human life should be utilized for this purpose. This is the dharma. This is real, our engagement. We have diverted our engagement for satisfying our material needs. Oh, that is not the mission of human being. That is the mission of lower animals.
Bhagavad-gītā is not different from Kṛṣṇa. That is the, I mean to say, sense of absolute knowledge. In the absolute world there is no difference between the person and the words.
Just like this tape recorder. It is being recorded. My words or my songs are being recorded. But they are different from me. This is dual, the world of duality. But the absolute world, there is no such difference. Just like we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare. This name Kṛṣṇa and the personality Kṛṣṇa is the same. Is the same. Hare Kṛṣṇa means when I hear the sound, the transcendental sound vibration Kṛṣṇa, that means Kṛṣṇa is on my tongue, on my ear. Therefore, if we chant this vibration of transcendental sound with devotion and with attention, that is the highest type of meditation and yoga. And very easy. The process is that you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and exactly the same sound you hear. So your mind is concentrated on this Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is not different.
Therefore it is stated here that "My appearance, disappearance and activity and glories, they are divyam." Divyam means transcendental. They do not belong to this world of duality. This world is of duality. But transcendental means that it is above, above this dualism. It is the absolute world. So anyone who understands this fact, that Kṛṣṇa is not different from this sound Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is not different from this Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa is not different from anything which is connected with Kṛṣṇa... These things are to be understood.
The whole world is the representation of the energy—that you will learn in the Seventh Chapter—is the manifestation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. And it has been described. There are two kinds of energies: the lower energy and the higher energy. And the higher energy is the living entities. Just like we are.
We stock for black market. No. That is creating... Because I am thinking that "This is my property." If I think that "Every thing, every eatable things, they are sent by Kṛṣṇa or God for everyone, let me take whatever I want," then there is peace in the world. Of course, that is not possible because it is such a world (people yelling outside)... It is such a world that we are always anxious to stock, or you'll ask always to take more, then more, then more. Nobody is satisfied. Nobody is satisfied.
So yoga-yukto viśuddhātmā (BG 5.7). One who is viśuddhātmā, one who is situated in his pure consciousness, then vijitātmā jitendriyaḥ. (aside:) Sit down. Don't disturb. Sit down. Vijitātmā, and jitendriyaḥ. Jitendriyaḥ means that greedy, greediness. I want more. As soon as he becomes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his greediness goes away. "I don't want more. I don't want more."
When your activities—actually in higher sense there is no matter. There is no matter, everything is spiritual because Kṛṣṇa is spiritual. Kṛṣṇa is whole spirit, and the matter is one of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is also spirit. But because it is being misused, not for the purpose of Kṛṣṇa, therefore it is matter. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to spiritualize, respiritualize the whole thing. Whole social position, political position, anything. It is very nice movement. People should try to understand it. And if it will actually spiritualize the whole world—of course that is not possible, but the ideal is like that. But at least if individually one tries this respiritualization method, his life become perfect. Yes?
Śīta means winter season, and uṣṇa means summer season. Śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu. Similarly, happiness and distress. Happiness and distress. Tathā mānāpamānayoḥ. Similarly, honor and dishonor. Because in this world, the world of duality, dual world, everything is to be understood by duality. We cannot understand what is honor if there is no dishonor. If I am not insulted, I cannot understand what is honor. So mānāpamānayoḥ. Similarly, I cannot understand what is misery if I have not tasted happiness. Or I cannot understand what is happiness if I have not understood misery. So similarly... I cannot understand what is cold if I have not tasted hot. This world is, world is of duality. So one has to transcend. So long this body is there, this duality feeling will continue.
So, we have to, I mean to say, repose our mind to the form of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says mayi, "Unto Me, ṛṣṇa." We cannot see now Kṛṣṇa personally. Personally He is here, but we want to see anything physically. Physically He is also there. Here, Kṛṣṇa mūrti is physical, but, because you are differently educated, you do not know what is this world of physics. We think that this is different from Kṛṣṇa. That will be explained. Therefore it is said, tac chṛṇu. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu. "You just hear from Me, as you can understand Me in complete, without any doubt." So Kṛṣṇa is instructing Himself, about Himself. Why there should be any doubt? There cannot be any doubt. God is explaining Himself about Him, then why there should be doubt? This is the, this is called bhakti-yoga. Mad-āśrayaḥ. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha. So how you can engage your mind in the Supreme Personality of Godhead if you do not know the form? Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes in His original form.
Throughout the whole world... Of course, in the human society, advanced human society, Aryan society, there is search after God, the Absolute. And the human life is meant for that purpose. Human life is not meant for wasting like dogs and hogs. The dogs and hogs, they are busy whole day and night to find out, "Where is food? Where is food?" But the human life is not meant for that purpose. The dogs and hogs, they do not know that food is supplied by God, everyone's. That is the Vedic information. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. God is supplying food to everyone. Therefore in the Christian method it is prayed, "O God, give us our... O Father, give us our daily bread." That is very good idea. But even if you do not ask, the food is there. We should understand, because the animals lower than human being, they do not go to church or to temple to ask for daily bread, but they get their bread. The elephants, they eat at a time 40 kg in this African forest, but they are getting their daily food twice. And the ant, it is satisfied with one grain. It is also supplied food.
Even the sun, which is the supreme cause of this material world, of this universe... All the planets, they are rotating on account of heat of the sun. If the sun moves little this side or that side, everything will be blazing fire or frozen into ice. This is scientific truth.
So as the sun is the supreme cause of this material world, similarly the supreme cause of... There are many millions of universes and millions of suns. They are all caused by the supreme energy of Kṛṣṇa, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ and apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām (BG 7.4). Two prakṛtis, parā-prakṛti and aparā-prakṛti. So the Vedānta-sūtra, that janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), the original source of everything, Brahman, that is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). Brahman is not supreme. Then Kṛṣṇa would have said not... "Brahman is the Supreme." But He says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat. Brahman is the bodily effulgence of Kṛṣṇa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Brahman is not the supreme cause.
Don't interpret wrong way according to your whims. Take it as it is and be benefited. If you don't take it, aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣāḥ (BG 9.3). Those who have no interest to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, the result is mām aprāpya. Aprāpya mām. He never approaches God. He remains in this material world of repetition of birth and death. That is not a very good job.
So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to enlighten people so that they can accept these principles of Bhagavad-gītā. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is para-upakāra. And He advises everyone, especially Indians, to become guru. He said, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Every one of you, you become a guru, and try to deliver the persons where you are living. So how can I become guru? Yes, it is very easy. What is that? Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Then you become guru.
Therefore, in every way, if you make analytical study of Bhagavad-gītā, then you have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Bhagavad-gītā is being preached all over the world in so many languages. But I am sorry they are not in the right way. Therefore we are very serious to preach this mission of Bhagavad-gītā all over the world so that people may become happy and people may take advantage of it. That is our mission, and we invite everyone, every gentleman, every sane man, to come and cooperate with us. This is a nice mission. We shall be glad to cooperate for the good of all people of the world. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). The Lord says that if you transfer yourself to the kingdom of God, then you will have no more to come in this world of miseries, full of miseries. What is the time? Thank you very much. Any question? (end)
No, not for this inquiry. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. To inquire about the Absolute Truth, uttamam, beyond this material nature. Udgata tamam. This material nature is called tama. Tamaso mā jyotir gama. These are the Vedic injunctions.
You have to enter, you have to understand the world of light. This world is the world of darkness. It is simply... We require, therefore, sunlight, moonlight, electric light. Otherwise it is dark. It is called tamaḥ. But there is another world which is full of light. It is so full of light that you do not require the sunlight, moonlight or electric light there.
From there, the whole universe is expanded, with so many branches, representing the various planetary systems. The fruits represent the results of the living entities' activities, namely, religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.
Now, there is no ready experience in this world of a tree situated with its branches down and its roots upward, but there is such a thing. That tree can be found beside a reservoir of water. We can see that the trees on the bank reflect upon the water with their branches down and roots up. In other words, the tree of this material world is only a reflection of the real tree of the spiritual world. This reflection of the spiritual world is situated on desire, just as the tree's reflection is situated on water. Desire is the cause of things' being situated in this reflected material light. One who wants to get out of this material existence must know this tree thoroughly through analytical study.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
They have no engagement. They purchase some book, fictitious book, and read it. Not only they, even elderly men, they read it. But this book is different from those books. It is meant for persons, those who are desiring to get out of this world of ignorance. Tamo 'ndham.
Gṛha andha-kūpam. Andha. Andha means blind or darkness. So our materialistic way of life is described as gṛha andha-kūpam. The family life is just like a dark well. We are already in the darkness, and another darkness is to fall in the dark well. If one falls down in the dark well, it is very difficult to get out because he may cry very loudly and people may not hear. These dark well are sometimes there in the paddy field. I have seen one dark well. In your country when I was guest in John Lennon's house in 1969 we saw in the garden there was a dark well. Dark well means a very deep ditch, well, but it is covered with grass.
"Guruji, kindly tell me what will be the price next...?" Not that guru. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. One who is serious to understand about the transcendental knowledge. Uttamam. Udgata-tamam. Beyond this material world. This material world is tama, darkness. So if one is very serious to inquire about the world of light, for him there is need of guru, not for ordinary person. Guru, we should not make a guru as a fashion. Everyone makes a guru, "Let me have a guru also, any kind of..." No. That is not required. Guru is required by somebody who is serious to know about the transcendental world, the world of light. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. The world of jyoti. Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na candra (BG 15.6). That world, where there is no need of sun, moon, electricity.
State..., especially in Maharastra province. Maharastra province, they exactly will give you his own name his father's name, and his village name.
So here also, Vaivasvata Manu. Vaivasvata Manu means the son of the gentleman whose name is Vivasvān. He is the president of this solar world, of the sun, sun planet. There is also president. You have got your president here. Why not in the sun planet? Why...? How can you deny with teeny knowledge that there is no life, there is no city, there is no...? Simply you go on smoking gāñjā and telling anything, but the fact is different. The fact is different. From common sense we can understand that this is a planet made of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. So this whole material world is made of these five elements. Somewhere, some portion is very prominent. Here the earth is very prominent. Similarly, in the sun planet the fire is very prominent.
"This is heater" and "This is cooler." Heat and cool, opposite. But the, for the engineer, electrical engineer, he takes as much importance for the heater, as much for the cooler. So, for Him, there is no such distinction, material or spiritual. It is for us. Because we are now in the dual stage, the world of duality, relativity. This world is relativity. We cannot work so nicely with material consciousness. But Kṛṣṇa has no such thing. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. There is no distinction, material and spiritual.
So even we offer Kṛṣṇa prayer with broken languages, because Kṛṣṇa is Absolute, Kṛṣṇa will accept it. Bhāva-grāhī, bhāva-grāhī-janārdana. Janārdana, Kṛṣṇa, sees how much your heart is pure for serving Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa does not see the wording, the grammatical composition of your prayer. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said... When other demigods were afraid of approaching Nṛsiṁhadeva, so Brahmā requested Prahlāda that "You offer prayer."
That is the instruction. This world is full of struggle. That's a fact, everyone knows. But just like Arjuna was advised that yudhyasva, "You fight; at the same time, remember Me." Yudhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). Similarly, in different fields of activities you have to fight. This is a world of fighting. But do not forget Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Anything except this problem... There are problems always. This is a world of problems. So... Just like this summer season, that is also problem. The winter season, that is also problem. So many people come here in Hawaii because they cannot tolerate too much severe cold in the mainland. They come here. Again, when you come here, when it is too much hot, warm, then we require fan, we require refrigerator, we require so many. So problem is there. So Kṛṣṇa is saying, "My dear Arjuna, problems there will be." This is material world. You cannot avoid problems. But you should tackle with the main problem, not the insignificant or temporary problem. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā.
If you some way or other can reach Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, then you'll be saved. Otherwise, mām upetya kaunteya. Then you'll not have to come to this material world again simply to suffer.
This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy. This material world is called world of death. Every living being, beginning from the Brahmā... It is not that... Brahmā has got very long duration of life. We cannot even calculate Brahmā's one daytime. Forty-three lakhs of years, multiplied by one thousand, that is twelve hours of Brahmā. So he will also die. Beginning from Brahmā, whose duration of life is some thousands of millions of years, down to the microbial germs, who live for a few seconds only, he's struggling for existence. Therefore this life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all. This is struggle.
Just like Devahūti is doing. Uttamam, something beyond this darkness. Tama means darkness, and ut means above. Uttama. That is uttama. So one who is interested... Uttama life means the spiritual life. Tama life means this material life. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. If you can transcend this darkness, the world of darkness, and if you come to the world of light, that is required.
So Devahūti, in the previous verse, accepted her son, Kapiladeva: puṁsām īśvaro vai bhavān kila lokasya tamasāndhasya..., lokasya tamasāndhasya
cakṣuḥ sūrya ivoditaḥ. "You are just like the sun. Sun, when the morning the sun is arisen, then all darkness immediately gone. Similarly, You have arisen..." God, Kṛṣṇa, or His incarnation, when They come, the darkness of this material world, illusion, is dissipated. Just like Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, came, the darkness, illusion, Arjuna's illusion, was counteracted. He was also thinking ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). "Why shall I fight with my relatives, the other side?" So this was darkness, aham mameti (SB 5.5.8).
Jyotirmayī: ...to know, that to explain exactly what is materialistic life, and how is it possible to be in the world of matter and the same time not be entangled by it?
Yogeśvara: What is material life and how can we live in this material...
Prabhupāda: Material life means no knowledge of God, no service of God. That is material life.
Yogeśvara: He wants to know how can we live in this material world without becoming entangled.
Prabhupāda: That he cannot know, God, by living here. You are trying to know so many things, why don't you try to know God? Material life means one who does not know God, one who does not serve God. These are the two things. So if you know God and if you serve God, that is not material life. So if you try to know God, and if you serve God, that is not material life. (break)
Guest: ...to know the will of God.
So our request is that such a great science of, for the human society, for understanding the problems of life, how to solve it, how to achieve the greatest success in life... We have got this in the Bhagavad-gītā. Why should we neglect it? What is the reason? Other things may go on—this political fight or some fight. Fighting. This is a world of fighting. Āgamāpāyino 'nityaḥ tams titikṣasva bhārata. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). This is world of śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. You cannot avoid it. So tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. Just try to tolerate. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says the same thing:
As soon as we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, immediately māyā. As soon as we deny to obey the state laws, immediately we are criminals and subjected to the criminal acts, "Go to the prison." This is, we have got practical experience. You cannot defy the laws of the state or the laws of the worlds of the government. If we cannot... You cannot do it. If you do it, then you are punished. That is the statement in every śāstra. Daṇḍaniya. Daṇḍaniya, this daṇḍa is going on, one after another. Daṇḍa means punishment. But we are, because we are in illusion, we are thinking this daṇḍa is advancement of civilization.
Just like I am speaking, and this is recorded in the tape recorder, but when replayed, you will find that I am speaking. But I am not there. Bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. This is bhinnā, originally coming from Kṛṣṇa, but it is an energy where you cannot find Kṛṣṇa directly. But it is Kṛṣṇa's energy.
The mahā-bhāgavata knows that, that although this material world is a world of forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa... Material world means when you forget Kṛṣṇa. Here you will find cent percent people, they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. They do not care to know Kṛṣṇa, neither they have got any relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is material world. Here the nature is how to forget Kṛṣṇa. There is a verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: īśād apetasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. That is called māyā. Māyā means viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. Everything is in relationship with God, but he, the rascal atheist, he'll say, jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8), there is no īśvaram. This is materially This is material world, forgetfulness. Viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ.
There is no question of enjoyment. When there is birth, death, old age and disease, where is enjoyment? There is no enjoyment. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This is a world of suffering. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. You cannot There is no question of enjoyment. But because we are in māyā, suffering we are accepting as enjoyment. Suffering is accepted as enjoyment. This is called māyā.
So forgetfulness. That is forgetfulness. We are suffering. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva said—we have already studied that—na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśa-da āsa dehaḥ. The mode of life which we are leading, it is not good. It is foolishness that we simply wasting our life like the animals—āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca—and for maithuna and sense gratification we are doing everything like a madman. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya apṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). Only for sense gratification we are acting like madmen. So Ṛṣabhadeva said...
People think that I have taken some hardship. But for Kṛṣṇa's sake, even it is hardship... Actually, there is no hardship. But even it is hardship, we should take it. Para-upakāra. People are in ignorance, they are suffering, and it is especially India's business to release them from this material suffering and give them information about the Vaikuṇṭha world, the world of no anxiety. And try to train them in different ways. That is the real welfare activity in the human society.
That is Absolute Truth. There is no difference. In the material world the name and the thing is different. Suppose here is mango, so mango is the thing and mango is the name. So if I simply say "Mango, mango, mango," there is no mango. There must be the thing, mango. That is duality. This is the world of duality. Absolute means the name mango and the mango thing is the same. Otherwise what is the... If they're different, then what is the use of chanting Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa chanting means Kṛṣṇa, this word, and Kṛṣṇa the person, the same. Therefore by constant chanting means constantly associating with Kṛṣṇa. Then we are becoming purified. Purified. There is no difference.
That is the difference. Here we have made bad and good; it has no meaning. Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaja, Kavirāja Gosvāmī, he has explained the conception of bad and good in this material world. He says, 'dvaite bhadrābhadra-(jñāna,) sakale sama 'ei bhāla, ei manda', sab mano-dharma. In the world of duality... This is the world of duality. So the absolute... There is absolute world. That is spiritual world. But here there is duality, bad and good. You cannot understand bad without having some conception of good, and you cannot understand good without having some conception of bad. You require the opposite. So in the spiritual world, this duality conception is absent. Everything is absolute. We have to understand this theoretically at the present moment. But there, everything is cintāmaṇi. Everything is alive, spiritual.
It may be so-called pious activities in your calculation, but in this material world there is no such thing as pious activities or impious. Everything impious.
The Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaj has said, dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samana. In this material world... The material world means world of duality. And the absolute world means the world of one. Eka brahma dvitīya nāsti. That is absolute, spiritual world. There is one only, spirit. There is nothing, although there are varieties of spiritual manifestation. So, so long you are in this material world of duality, then you have to commit sinful activities. Therefore the whole Vedic literature is meant for taking you to the spiritual world. Tamasi mā jyotir gamā: "Don't remain in this material world of darkness. Come to the spiritual world." Tamasi mā jyotir gamā. This is instruction. And jyotir means that spiritual world.
Acyutānanda: Another question. (break—repeating question) This is a world of śakti or energy. There is a worldwide rise in prices of energy resources, like oil, coal, gas, and electricity. This means that there is a depletion of these energy resources. Naturally, there will be worldwide destruction of mankind and other living beings and materials in the near future. What are your views?
Prabhupāda: So yes, these material things, they are energies. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). The petrol is also another form of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Any energy. There are many millions of energies. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do because everything is being done by His energy. Although He is the ultimate source of everything, but He is doing everything by His energy. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svabhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. And it appears that it is being automatically done. Not. It is not automatically done. It is done by Kṛṣṇa's energy. So this material energy is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. It is not a different energy. Kṛṣṇa says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ. Now, this petrol is liquid thing, so āpa. It is a kind of liquid thing, āpa, so it is Kṛṣṇa's energies.
Because it is dark, material world, therefore we require the sun. By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, we have got the sun. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā. Savitā means sun. Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyam. This is Gāyatrī-mantra. So who requires a guru? Jijñāsuḥ śreyaḥ uttamam. One who wants to go beyond this world of darkness. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. This is Vedic injunction. Don't remain in this darkness. Jyotir gama. Go to the world where light is there.
- yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
- koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam
- tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtam
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.40)
Yasya prabhā, that spiritual world is full of effulgence. Just like we have got example: the sun planet, sun globe, there is no darkness. There is always light. On account of presence of the sun, we are getting so much light and heat; just imagine what is the position in the sun globe, sun planet. It is always light. This is the example. Similarly, in the spiritual world, it is only light. Not only this light, but the light of knowledge. Therefore śāstra says, tamasi mā: "Don't remain in the darkness." Jyotir gama: "Come into the light."
Similarly, in the spiritual world, it is only light. Not only this light, but the light of knowledge. Therefore śāstra says, tamasi mā: "Don't remain in the darkness." Jyotir gama: "Come into the light."
So one who requires to go to the world of light, he requires a guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ (SB 11.3.21). Jijñāsuḥ means inquisitive. Everyone is jijñāsuḥ. We go to the market to purchase something, we are also jijñāsuḥ there. "What is the price of this? What is the price of that?" That is also inquiry. But not, inquiry is not like that, as we go to the market and other material markets. That is also, inquiry is the life—but material inquiry. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Śreya, śreya means ultimate goal of life. In the material world, there is no question of śreya; it is all preya. There are two things, preya and śreya. Immediate benefit, that is called preya.
That is good for you. I shall save you from the reactions of your sinful activities." Material life means simply sinful activities. Simply. Even though there is some covering of pious activities, that is also sinful. You are in this world It is said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, dvaite bhadrābhadra jñāna. Dvaite means "in this world of duality," bhadra and abhadra. We have manufactured so many things. We say "This is very good" and "This is bad." Bhadra abhadra. Bhadra means good, and abhadra means bad. But Caitanya-caritāmṛta-kav, Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Goswami, he says that this good and bad-concocted. They are neither good nor bad. They are the same thing—material quality. Dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali saṅg... Then how things are going on, "This is good; this is bad"? Ei bhāla ei manda saba manodharma. This is mental concoction. In the material world there cannot be anything good. It is bad. If there is real goodness, that is spiritual world, śuddha-sattva. Sattva-guṇa. In the material world there are three guṇas.
Everything is good when it is used for Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference between material and spiritual. Spiritual, everything is good, and material, everything is bad. You cannot make any distinction. When a thing is used materially it is bad. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna. Dvaite—means in this world of duality—everything is bad. They have invented some artificial meaning, "This is good, this is bad," but actually everything is bad in the material world. There is nothing good. And just the opposite: in the spiritual world, everything is good.
The other day I was giving the example that Kṛṣṇa is thief also. Mākhanaḥ-cora. And there is still in Remuṇā, Kṣiraḥ-cora. Kṣiraḥ-cora. He's famous, "The thief who stolen condensed milk." So this chori means stealing is there in Kṛṣṇa. Does it mean that it is bad? No. It is good. Because it is connected with Kṛṣṇa, it is good. Otherwise how people are worshiping a thief?
Prabhupāda: "Taken over." There is some word. Praṇītaḥ. (break)
Dayānanda: "O my Lordship, You are so kind upon the fallen souls. O the most powerful, insurmountable by anyone else, on account of my resultant action of activities, I have been put into the association of asuras, and therefore I am very much afraid of my condition of life within this material world. Of course, if You become very pleased upon me, I am waiting for that moment when You will call me to take shelter under Your lotus feet, which is the ultimate goal of life for being liberated from this conditional life."
Dayānanda: Translation: "My dear Lord, the supreme great, You have created this material world of sixteen paraphernalia, but You are transcendental to such material qualities, or in other words, all these material qualities are under Your full control. You are never conquered by them. Therefore the time element is Your representation. O my Lord, the Supreme, nobody can conquer over You, but so far I am concerned, I am being crushed by the wheel of time, and therefore I am surrendering fully unto You. And now, therefore, kindly take me under the protection of Your lotus feet."
Prabhupāda:
- sa tvaṁ hi nitya-vijātma-guṇaḥ sva-dhāmnā
- kālo vaśī-kṛta-visṛjya-visarga-śaktiḥ
- cakre visṛṣṭam ajayeśvara ṣoḍaśāre
- niṣpīḍyamānam upakarṣa vibho prapannam
- (SB 7.9.22)
The same thing is repeatedly reminded. Māyā... We are niṣpīḍyamānam. We are being crushed by the wheel of time with sixteen spokes. We are being crushed. At the same time, we are thinking that we are very happy. This is called māyā. This is māyā's grace, that in any condition of life, the suffering is very, very acute, but the living entity who is suffering, he thinks, "I am enjoying." This is called māyā. You have seen that the pig eats stool. And when we see, we say, "Ah! What is that? Oh! He is eating stool." But he's thinking that he's enjoying. He is thinking he's enjoying.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Now we are in the material world. This is darkness, tama. Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ. This is the Vedic interest. "Don't remain in the darkness." That means in the material world. "Come to the world of light," jyoti, brahmajyoti. So take this example. Suppose you are in a dark room and I take you to the sunlight, come out. So this is also light. And the sun globe, that is also light. And the sun-god, that is also light. But this light, sunshine light, or sunshine temperature, is not as good as the temperature in the sun globe. Similarly, if you make progress...
So sāyujya-mukti is also liberation. Sāyujya-mukti, to become one, Brahman, brahmajyoti. Brahmajyoti means assembly of small spiritual sparks. Just like the sun, sunshine, a combination of shining molecular parts; similarly, brahmajyoti, sāyujya-mukti means you become... Because you are spiritual spark. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). So you are also spark, part and parcel of God; therefore you assemble with the other sparks, brahmajyoti. Those who have no information of the other spiritual planets, Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana, they think to become one with the spiritual sparks, that is ultimate. For them, this is the place, sāyujya-mukti. But this sāyujya-mukti, you cannot stay here.
Generally we understand by performing impious activities, we suffer, and by performing pious activities, we enjoy. But actually, in the material world there is no enjoyment. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī explains that dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna. In the material world, in the world of dualities, either we think "This is pious" or either we think "This is impious," they are practically on the same platform. We take it as pleasure. Just like several times I have explained, people here in this material world, they are working very hard all day and night. And, when they gain some material profit, after working so hard, they think that "This is profit. This is happiness." Actually, where is the happiness? If one is working very hard, where is the happiness? So this is called illusion. In the śāstra it is said, "Generally, people in this material world, they are in..., in the rajo-guṇa." Therefore hard-working activities, they take it as pleasure.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
This is civilization, varṇāśrama. One must observe (in) the material world. In the spiritual world, of course, there is no such thing as varṇāśrama. That is pure identity of the soul. So there is no... So long we are in this material world there must be a scientific division of progress of life. That is Vedic system. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is called varṇāśrama-dharma. I have repeatedly said that people call us Hindu in India. Actually, "Hindu" word is not visible in any Vedic literature. This is the name given by the Arabians to the, this part of the world, on the bank of the Sindhu. From the Sindhu the word "Hindu" has come. So actually, our culture is varṇāśrama-dharma. Therefore śāstra says, varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān (CC Madhya 8.58). In the varṇāśrama-dharma, the ultimate goal is to worship Lord Viṣṇu, whose name is Yajña. Out of many names of Lord Viṣṇu, one name is Yajña, Yajña-puruṣa. So anything performed to satisfy the Supreme Lord, that is called yajña.
The ignorance, the symptom of ignorance we have already described in the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā. Ignorance means laziness. Laziness. That is ignorance. And passion means active. And goodness means sober. So we cannot find all men in this world of the same quality. Some of them are in goodness; some of them are in passion; some of them are in ignorance. But in this age seventy-five percent or more than that, they are in ignorance. And maybe ten or fifteen percent in passion, and hardly five percent, they are in goodness.
Therefore majority population of this age, they cannot perform meditation or great sacrifices or temple worship. They cannot. Therefore Lord Caitanya has, by His causeless mercy... Of course, it is according to the Vedic injunction. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52).
Sri Isopanisad Lectures
Prabhupāda: "The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance." (Prabhupāda leads devotees in śloka) Now repeat again. Thank you. Again from the beginning. (devotees chant Invocation and verses 1-3) Thank you. (break) Again.
Devotees:
- anejad ekaṁ manaso javīyo
- nainad devā āpnuvan pūrvam arṣat
- tad dhāvato 'nyān atyeti tiṣṭhat
- tasminn apo mātariśvā dadhāti
Prabhupāda: "The Personality of Godhead, although fixed in His abode, is more swift than the mind and can overcome all others running. The powerful demigods cannot approach Him. Although in one place, He has control over those who supply the air, rain. He surpasses all in excellence." This is also confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā: goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Kṛṣṇa, although He is always in Goloka Vṛndāvana, He has nothing to do. He is simply enjoying in the company of His associates, the gopīs and the cowherds boy, His mother, His father. Free, completely free.
Festival Lectures
Those who are fortunate, they have come to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Their life is successful. No doubt about it. So this philosophy, that Kṛṣṇa... Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir. The love affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, what is this? Is this a play like the young girl and young boy? Of course. It is just like that. It appears, and actually it is so. But it is not this play of this material world of a young boy and a young girl. No. It is the pastime of the Supreme Lord with His āhlādinī potency. Āhlādinī. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir āhlādinī-śaktir. Just like in this material world there are three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Similarly, in the spiritual world there are three, I mean to say, potencies. These qualities are also potencies. Samvit, sandinī, and what is the other? Samvit, sandini...ahlādinī. Samvit, sandinī, āhlādinī. So the āhlādinī potency is Kṛṣṇa. This has been very much scholarly discussed by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Jīva Gosvāmī presents these love affairs of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā very philosophically.
So our only business is to transfer ourself from this sky to that sky, that illuminating sky. That is the Vedic injunction. Tamasi mā jyotir gamaya: "Don't remain in this darkness, in this world of darkness. Come to the world of light." So this movement is very important movement. We are trying to educate people how to transfer one from this world of darkness to the world of light, which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. So I am very much thankful to you that you have given me your time. So we have got our books; our devotees are preaching. Take advantage of this opportunity and make your life successful.
Initiation Lectures
Just like in an infected place you cannot be happy. The medical officer will ask you to leave that place, that "This quarter has been infected by the disease. Better you leave, you go somewhere else." That is the treatment. Infected place must be left immediately. So similarly, this world, this material world of three modes of different qualities, you have to keep yourself always antiseptic, pure, by remembering Kṛṣṇa. That is the process. As soon as you forget Kṛṣṇa, immediately the infection, māyā, immediately affects you. Kṛṣṇa bhūliya jīva bhoga-vāñchā kare.
What is that māyā? Māyā means to plan how to become materially happy. This is māyā. All the people of the world, they are simply making plan how they will be happy within this material world. That's all. This is māyā. The history of the whole world studied, it is experience that the Roman Empire planned, the British Empire planned, the... So many empires, they flourish sometimes. All fail.
General Lectures
It is not at all difficult. Lord Caitanya said that there are innumerable names of God according to different languages, different countries, different societies. And each and every one of them has the potency of God Himself. If there is any God, so God is Absolute; therefore there is no difference between His name and He Himself. Just like in the material world, in the world of duality there is difference between the name "water" and the substance water. The name water is different from the substance water. If you are thirsty, if you simply chant, "Water, water, water, water," your thirstiness will not be quenched. You require the substance water. That is material, but spiritually, the name Kṛṣṇa or the name Allah or the name Jehovah is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Similarly, if every one of us, we become reinstated in the transcendental platform of loving Kṛṣṇa, then our aspiration of mastership will be fulfilled. That is not known at present, but if we agree to serve Kṛṣṇa, then gradually we'll see that Kṛṣṇa is serving you. That is a question of realization. But if we want to get out of this service of this material world, of the senses, then we must transfer our service attitude to Kṛṣṇa. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
- kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās
- teṣāṁ mayi na karuṇā jātā na trapā nopaśāntiḥ
- (utsṛjyaitān atha yadu-pate) sāmpratam aham labdha-buddhis
- tvām āyātaḥ (śaraṇam abhayaṁ) niyuṅkṣvātma-dāsye
One devotee is praying to Kṛṣṇa that "So long, in my life, I have served my senses," kāmādīnām. Kāma means senses, lust. "So even what I should not have done, still, by the dictation of my lust I have done it." One has to do. When one is a slave or servant, then he's forced to act something which he does not like to act. He's forced. So here, a devotee's admitting that "I have done, dictated by my lust, something which I should not have done, but I have done it." All right, you have done, you are serving your senses.
Try to come out to the light." That is spiritual world. That is spiritual world. Jyotir gamaḥ tamasi mā. Don't remain in this darkness.
So the whole process is how to get out of this darkness. How to get out of this darkness. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). The world of light is the kingdom of God, or Kṛṣṇaloka. Everything. Because just like you find day. What is this day? Day means a planet which is called sun globe appears. That is day. That means when your, this planet, world planet, turns and comes in front of the sun, it is day. Actually, it is darkness, but when we come in front of light, it is day. So there, in the spiritual planet, all planets are illuminating. This is an example, a sample, the sun. Sun is the only planet within this universe which is illuminating. All other planets are reflection of the sun. The moon, the stars, they are simply glittering, reflected by the sun. They are dark, just like this planet is dark.
The eternal activities can be practiced even when we are materially encaged. It requires simply direction. But it is possible, under the prescribed rules and regulations, to act spiritually. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement teaches these spiritual activities, and if one is trained up in such spiritual activities, one is transferred to the spiritual world, of which we get ample evidence from Vedic literatures and also from the Bhagavad-gītā. And the spiritually trained person can be transferred to the spiritual world easily by change of consciousness. The consciousness is always there because it is the symptom of the living spirit soul. But at the present moment the consciousness is materially contaminated. Just like pouring water, water pouring, down from the cloud is pure, distilled water, but as soon as the water comes in touch with the earth it becomes muddy immediately. Again, by filtering the same water, the original clearness can be regained.
I request you, try to understand what is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and take it very seriously. You will be happy, and because people of other countries, they are following your progress, so if you take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement seriously and rightly, the whole face of the world will be changed. It will be turned into spiritual world. Of course, we do not expect that everyone will accept this philosophy, but even one percent population of the whole world accepts this... Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭha lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). The Bhagavad-gītā explains that if some principal man accepts some theory and some philosophy, others follow. So we have got our center here. I request you all student to try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and purify yourself. And the purificatory process is very simple. We are simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
That is God's nature. Simply we have to agree that "Now I shall realize..." (break) ...without any difficulty, very easily. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, yayātmā suprasīdati (SB 1.2.6). And without spiritual realization you cannot have peace of mind. That is impossible. If you want to make... If you want to have peace of this world, of your mind, of your society, of your family, simply by amassing money, by material advance, it will never be possible. But if you improve a little in spiritual life, you become immediately happy.
So your business is how to become happy, because by nature you are happy. Diseased condition, that happiness being checked. So this is our diseased condition, this material, conditional life, this body.
That is the law of this material nature. Here there is no oneness. Duality. This world is meant for duality. So it is called dvaita. Dvaita means duality. So Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, he says, dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna, ei bhāla ei manda saba manodharma. In the world of dualities, bhadrābhadra, "This is good, this is bad, this is nice, this is not nice," they are simply mental speculation because in this world nothing is nice. Everything is bad because it is not eternal. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya said, jagan mithyā, brahma satya. That's a fact. These, anything, the varieties of this world: temporary. That is the right word. It is not mithyā; it is temporary fact. The Vaiṣṇava philosopher says that this world is not false, but temporary, anitya. Anitya saṁsāra moha janmāile (?).
Similarly, we, being part and parcel of God, sons of God, we have got little independence. If we misuse that independence, then we become subjected to all these tribulations. But if we do not misuse... As Kṛṣṇa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. So it is up to you. If you want to remain in this world of duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), you can do so. But if you want to get out of it, you can do so. That is up to you. It is not Kṛṣṇa's fault. Kṛṣṇa has given you liberty, little independence, whatever. Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). He's given you chance. You want to do this—"All right, do it." You want to do this? "Do this." He's giving you chance. There is a verse, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). He's situated in everyone's heart. He's understanding what you want, and He's giving you all chance: "All right, have it. Enjoy it." But His instruction is that "This will not make you happy."
So this is the only process. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. If you engage yourself in devotional service, bhakti, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo... (SB 1.2.6). And that is the topmost system of religion. There are different religious systems, different parts of the world, of the universe. But the real purpose of religion is yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, how to become engaged in the service of the Lord, that is religion. And this service of the Lord cannot be checked. Ahaituky apratihatā. It is not that for certain reason one has to engage himself in devotional service. It is spontaneous. And apratihatā, without any check. Just like we are sitting down here, there is no check. Anywhere we can sit down. Of course, sometimes the climatic condition different, but there are different climates also. In India we have got almost all the year climate like this, except in the rainy season—that is also not constantly.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: We'll discuss that in a minute or two. But he divided human understanding into two classes. The first class is the relationship among ideas, just as mathematical compositions, they are true and certain, whether or not the things they refer to exist in nature. Just like two plus two equals four. This is a relationship among ideas. And the second-relationship among facts. He says that these cannot be proved by reasoning. They are merely assumed on the basis of sense experience. For example, that sun will rise tomorrow. This is a relationship among facts. But it is merely an assumption based upon our sense experience, but it's possible to imagine that the world will end or the sun may not rise. So it's only an assumption that the sun will rise. So this world of facts that we see, we can only assume that they will act in certain ways. There is probability, but there is no certainty.
Prabhupāda: That is already discussed: why it is so, probability, who takes it, who makes it not possible, how it happens. Sun is rising, and sun may not rise, stop. How it is? Accidentally or by somebody's will?
Śyāmasundara: Through the world. The state is an organism. The state is real and its reality consists of the interests of the whole being realized in particular ends. The state is the world which the spirit has made for itself. One often speaks of the wisdom of God in nature, but one must not believe that the physical world of nature is higher than the world of spirit. Just as spirit is superior to nature, so the state is superior to the physical life. We must therefore worship the state as the manifestation of the divine on earth.
Prabhupāda: That is very nice idea. We agree to that. Therefore we have to see what is the duty of the state. It is accepted that the state is the representative of God. Therefore the state's first business is to make citizens God-conscious. That is the state's first business. Any state who is neglecting this duty, he immediately becomes unqualified to hold the state office, either he may be president or the king. Because if it is admitted, the king... We say that the king's name is naradeva, God in human form, and king is offered that respect. There are... King is respected, why? Because he is to be considered God's representative. So therefore, as God's representative... Just like we are working as God's representative.
Hayagrīva: The will to live is the irrational urge that brings about all suffering. And his is a philosophy of extinction. Now in his first book, The World Is Idea, he ascribes to the philosophy of māyā, like a Māyāvādī. He writes, "The Vedas and Purāṇas have no better simile than a dream for the whole knowledge of the actual world, which they call the web of māyā, and they use none more frequently." From this Schopenhauer concludes that life is a long dream. "What is this world of perception besides being my idea? Is that of which I am conscious only as idea exactly like my own body, of which I am doubly conscious, in one aspect as idea, in another aspect as will?" So from this he concludes that life is a projection of the will.
Prabhupāda: This material life?
Śyāmasundara: But these philosophers, especially Husserl, because there is so much confusion and chaos in the world of philosophical thought, they wanted to start from the beginning, from zero knowledge, from wiping everything away and beginning over again. So first of all they started with the phenomenon, because that's what you can see first, just like if you were a newborn child. Then they began...
Prabhupāda: Newborn child, first business is to inquire from the mother, "Mother, what is this?" "Mother, father, what is this?" That is nature.
Śyāmasundara: That's what he's doing.
Hayagrīva: For Fichte the world has no objective reality outside of its being an instrument for the enactment of morality. He calls the world of the senses "the stuff of duty."
Prabhupāda: This is all vague. There is no definite direction.
Hayagrīva: He says our duty is revealed in the world of the senses. There's no definition of duty as such.
Prabhupāda: That means I can manufacture my own duty, you can manufacture your own duty. There is no standard. But our standard is, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śar... (BG 18.66), whatever you, rascal, whatever you have manufactured, give it up. The Bhāgavata says that dharmaḥ projjhita atra kaitavaḥ, that all cheating type of religious system is kicked out. Here is the religious system, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). What is that satyam? Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. Everything is clear. And where is that clear understanding? Simply speculating. That is the difference, the Vedic standard knowledge and this speculative philosophy.
Hayagrīva: Plato states that every object in the universe is made with some purpose, and its ideal goal is to move toward the ideal in which it's archetype or essence resides. So according to the Vedic version, Kṛṣṇa is the all-attractive object of the universe; therefore all things must be moving toward Him. How is it the jīva apparently turns from Kṛṣṇa to participate in the world of birth and death?
Prabhupāda: That is māyā. That is māyā, illusion. He should not have deviated, but out of the influence of māyā he is doing that and he is suffering. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). "You stop this plan-making. You simply surrender unto Me and do what I say, then you are happy." That is practical.
Hayagrīva: He says that perfection within the world of the senses can never be attained...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hayagrīva: ...and Kṛṣṇa says something like that, um...
Prabhupāda: Yes, that Kṛṣṇa says...
Hayagrīva: "Imperfections..., there will always be imperfections like smoke and fire," something like that.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that, uh, He says that everything has got some defect, material. Even the fire, so powerful, so fire has also some defect: the smoke. So apart from that imperfection, if we execute our prescribed duties exactly in the way as it is enjoined in the śāstra, that even there is some defect, still we can get perfection. Just like Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving chance, everyone, to become perfect by his own work. It doesn't matter brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or what means according to Vedic civilization, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. So brāhmaṇa is giving knowledge, kṣatriya is giving protection, vaiśya is giving food, and śūdra is general help to everyone.
Hayagrīva: All right, this is... Later in The Republic, in the allegory of the cave, we mentioned before, Socrates says, "In the world of knowledge, the last thing to be perceived, and only with great difficulty, is the essential form of goodness. Once it is perceived, the conclusion must follow that for all things, this is the cause of whatever is right and good. In the visible world it gives birth to light and to the Lord of light while it is itself sovereign in the intelligible world and the parent of the intelligible world and the parent of intelligence and truth. Without having had a vision of this Form," he uses capital "F," Form, "no one can act with wisdom either in his own life or in matters of state." And here, he, Socrates mentions form but he doesn't mention personality. He mentions the form of goodness, but through intellection, or jñāna, how is it possible to perceive the form of God or the form of goodness? What could he possibly mean by...
Prabhupāda: That is from Vedic same. As soon as there is instruction there is form. As Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction, He is always saying "I," "you," like that, it is personal. He says Arjuna, "You," and He says Himself, "I." So Arjuna is also form and Kṛṣṇa is also form, and Kṛṣṇa also says that "Both you, Me, and all these living entities, kings and soldiers who are assembled here, they existed in the past, they are existing now, and they will continue to exist."
Hayagrīva: Continuation of Aquinas. Aquinas felt that the monastic vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience gave one a direct path to God but that they are not meant for the masses of men. He conceived of life as a pilgrimage through the world of the senses, through the world of nature, and to the spiritual world of God's grace. These, when a..., when one enters a monastery he takes a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, these three vows.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is called tapasya. According to Vedic instruction one must take to the path of tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily self-denial, sense gratification denial. That is tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Tapasya, our austerity begins with brahmacarya, celibacy, no sex life. That is the beginning of tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena vā, controlling the senses, controlling the mind. Then tyāgena, renouncement or giving in charity, whatever you have got, for the service of the Lord, tyāgena; satya-śaucābhyām, by following the path of truthfulness and remaining cleansed; yamena niyamena vā, by practice of mystic yoga. In this way one makes advancement towards spiritual kingdom or spiritual world. But all these can be totally performed simply by engaging oneself in devotional service.
Hayagrīva: This is the conclusion of B. F. Skinner. He felt that the goal is to improve the world and then man. He believes that "Now, as never before, man can lift himself up by his own bootstraps, and achieving control of the world of which he is a part, he may learn at last to control himself."
Prabhupāda: That man attempted first of all to control the world?
Hayagrīva: First control the world...
Prabhupāda: Hm.
Hayagrīva: ...and then you can control yourself. That's his theory.
Prabhupāda: If he..., if one cannot control himself, how he will control the world? How it is possible?
| Page Title: | World of... (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 14 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=72, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 72 |