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TEACHINGS OF
LORD KAPILA

WHEREAS philosophy in the West germinates, most often, in the soil of intellectual curiosity and is highly theoretical, being concerned with "knowledge for its own sake," philosophy in the ancient Vedic tradition of India is very pointedly directed toward the avowedly practical goal of human liberation. The conviction that human life is specifically meant for discovering and applying the proper means for the liberation of the self from matter is .the sine qua non of India's traditional spiritual thought and culture.

This book is based on a unique series of lectures on the teachings of Kapila Muni (Kapiladeva), presented in Bombay, India, in the spring of 1974, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Kapila Muni, a renowned sage of antiquity, is the author of the Sāṅkhya philosophical system. Sāṅkhya, which forms an important part of India's ancient philosophical heritage, is both a system of metaphysics and a system of spiritual knowledge culminating in liberation. Kapila, however, is not an ordinary philosopher or sage. According to Vedic tradition, He is an avatāra (incarnation) of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Lord Kapila descended as the son of Kardama Muni and his wife, Devahūti, both of whom were great yogis and saints. After Kardama Muni renounced the world and went to the forest to attain spiritual perfection, Devahūti, aware of the divinity of her son, approached Kapila and implored Him to endow her with spiritual enlightenment. Pleased by His mother's sincere desire for transcendental knowledge, Kapila spoke Sāṅkhya philosophy, the philosophy which leads one to discriminate between matter and spirit and which culminates in the ultimate liberation called bhakti, divine love.

In this book, the author gives a brilliant exposition on the basic teachings of Kapila and thus illuminates a major element in traditional Indian spirituality. Topics discussed include the significance of the guru, the psychology of consciousness, the characteristics of a self realized person, the science of meditation, the nature of transcendental knowledge, and the process of ultimate liberation.

Through his voluminous writings, which constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture, Śrīla Prabhupāda has distinguished himself as the greatest contemporary teacher of Vedic philosophy and religion. This volume represents another valuable contribution by Śrīla Prabhupāda to our increasing understanding of the profound and universal principles of Vedic wisdom.

TEACHINGS OF
LORD KAPILA

The Son of Devahūti

His Divine Grace
AC. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

FOUNDER-ĀCĀRYA OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS

TEACHINGS OF
LORD KAPILA

The Son of Devahūti

Readers interested in the subject matter of this book
are invited by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
to correspond with its Secretary.

International Society for Krishna Consciousness
3764 Watseka Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90034

First Printing, 1977: 50,000 copies

© 1977 Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Puranas. Bhagavatapurana. English. Selections.
Teachings of Lord Kapiladeva.

Bibliography: p.
    Includes index.
    I. Bhaktivedanta Swami, A. C., 1986-
II. Title.
BLll35.P7A22 1977   294.5'925    77-11077
ISBN 0-89213-008-3

Foreword

Foreword

Kapila Muni, a renowned sage of antiquity, is the author of the

philosophical system known as Sāṅkhya, which forms an important part

of India’s ancient philosophical heritage. Sāṅkhya is both a system

of metaphysics, dealing with the elemental principles of the physical

universe, and a system of spiritual knowledge, with its own

methodology, culminating in full consciousness of the Supreme

Absolute. Kapila, however, is not an ordinary philosopher or sage.

According to Vedic tradition, the tradition of India’s ancient

scriptural literature, He Himself is an avatāra (incarnation)

of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

Kapila’s teachings are originally inscribed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or Bhāgavata Purāṇa, one of the most important

scriptural documents of Vedic theism. Within the Bhāgavatam, Kapila’s teachings comprise chapters Twenty-Five through Thirty-three

of the Third Canto. This book, Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son

of Devahūti, is based on a unique series of lectures presented in

Bombay, India, in the spring of 1974, by His Divine Grace A. C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. In this series, Śrīla Prabhupāda

spoke from the Twenty-Fifth Chapter, which contains the beginning of

Lord Kapila’s teachings. Śrīla Prabhupāda is the author of a

celebrated multivolume translation and commentary on the entire text

of the Bhāgavatam, and at the time of the Kapila lectures he

had already completed his written commentary on the section of the Bhāgavatam dealing with Kapiladeva’s teachings. In these

special lectures, however, Śrīla Prabhupāda went into significantly

greater detail in elucidating the verses and shed an even broader

light upon these fascinating teachings.

The text begins with the words of Śaunaka, the foremost of the

sages of Naimiṣāraṇya, the vastly learned sages to whom Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was originally spoken some thousands of years ago. The

sages have already heard about Lord Kapiladeva from Sūta Gosvāmī, an

exalted spiritual master, and it is clear from Śaunaka’s words that

they accept Kapila Muni as being an incarnation of the Lord Himself

and as therefore being the highest authority on yoga and

transcendental knowledge. In recounting the history of Lord Kapila,

Sūta Gosvāmī, in accordance with Vedic principles for presenting

spiritual knowledge, refers to discourse by great spiritual masters

who have previously discussed this same subject. In this case, Sūta

Gosvāmī refers to a discussion between Vidura and the great sage

Maitreya, who was a friend of Vyāsadeva, the original compiler of the

Vedic literature.

As Sūta Gosvāmī has already described, Lord Kapila appeared in

this world as the son of Kardama Muni, a master of mystic yoga, and his wife, Devahūti. Both Kardama Muni and Devahūti

were aware of the divinity of their son. Indeed, even before Kapila’s

birth, Lord Brahmā himself, the chief created person in this

universe, had appeared before Devahūti and revealed to her that her

son was to be an incarnation of the Supreme Lord and that this

incarnation would enlighten her with spiritual knowledge.

According to the Vedic social system, a man with a grown son may

accept the order of sannyāsa, thus renouncing all connections

with his family and worldly life, and entrust his wife to the care of

his son. Kardama Muni, of course, knew that his son was an

incarnation of the Supreme Lord, yet to honor this Vedic system and

emphasize its importance, he too eventually accepted sannyāsa, entrusting his wife, Devahūti, to the care of his divine son,

Kapiladeva. Therefore, as Sūta Gosvāmī begins to answer Śaunaka’s

request to hear further about Lord Kapiladeva, the sages have already

been informed of how Kardama Muni departed for the forest, leaving

Kapiladeva behind with Devahūti.

After Kardama Muni’s departure, Devahūti, remembering the

prophetic words of Lord Brahmā, approaches her divine son and humbly

expresses her desire for spiritual enlightenment: “My Lord, I have

fallen into the abyss of ignorance. Your Lordship is my only means of

getting out of this darkest region of ignorance because You are my

transcendental eye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after

many, many births. . . . Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great

delusion . . . You are the ax which can cut the tree of material

existence. I therefore offer my obeisances to You, who are the

greatest of all transcendentalists, and I inquire from You as to the

relationship between man and woman and between spirit and matter.”

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.7–11) Pleased by His mother’s pure

desire for spiritual enlightenment, and feeling great compassion for

her, Kapila begins to speak on the Sāṅkhya philosophy.

Now, what is Sāṅkhya? Insofar as Sāṅkhya deals with the elemental

categories or principles of the physical universe, Sāṅkhya is what

Western scholars generally refer to as “metaphysics.” The term sāṅkhya literally means “to count.” This name is used because

Sāṅkhya philosophy enumerates principles of cosmic evolution by

rational analysis. The etymological meaning of the word sāṅkhya is “that which explains very lucidly by analysis of

material elements.” Philosophically, this term is used because the

Sāṅkhya system expounds analytical knowledge that enables one to

distinguish between matter and spirit. This understanding culminates

in bhakti, devotion for and service to the Supreme. It may be

said, therefore, that Sāṅkhya and bhakti form two aspects of

the same process, bhakti being the ultimate goal or ultimate

aspect of Sāṅkhya.

It is interesting to note, at this point, that long after Lord

Kapila’s descent, an imitation Kapila appeared on the Indian

subcontinent and propounded a nontheistic Sāṅkhya. That which is

generally studied as Sāṅkhya in the contemporary academic context is

actually this later, nontheistic, materialistic Sāṅkhya. The Sāṅkhya

philosophy, propounded by the original Kapila, is practically unknown

in the West. Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahūti (along with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s complete commentary on Kapila’s

Sāṅkhya in his edition of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam) is probably the

first major exposition in the English language on the original,

theistic Sāṅkhya. It should therefore be of considerable interest to

scholars in this field.

Because the basic principle and the ultimate goal of Lord

Kapiladeva’s Sāṅkhya philosophy is bhakti, this is the subject

with which Lord Kapiladeva begins His instructions to Devahūti.

Consequently, because this volume, Teachings of Lord Kapila, the

Son of Devahūti, is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s commentary on the

beginning of Lord Kapila’s teachings, it is chiefly concerned with the

science of bhakti-yoga–the process of linking with God

(yoga means “linking”) through bhakti (devotion).

As the actual history begins, Devahūti approaches her son, Kapila,

and with deep humility expresses her sincere desire for spiritual

enlightenment. In response, Lord Kapila delineates “the path of the

transcendentalists, who are interested in self-realization.”

Concisely summarizing the actual process of self-realization, Kapila

defines consciousness in both the conditioned and liberated states. He

describes the psychology of pure consciousness, delineates the

symptoms and characteristics of a sādhu, holy person, and

stresses the importance of sādhu-saṅga, association with those

who are saintly. Kapiladeva then explains that liberation is merely a

stage preliminary to the attainment of bhakti and that one who

attains bhakti automatically achieves liberation. One who

engages in bhakti, devotional yoga, automatically

transcends material desires and ultimately crosses beyond birth and

death.

According to later descriptions in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Devahūti ultimately attains full enlightenment in transcendental

knowledge by hearing and understanding the sublime philosophical

teachings of her great son.

-The Publishers

Contents

Contents

1 / The Purpose of Lord Kapila’s Advent

2 / The Transcendental Master and Supreme Yogī

3 / How to Understand the Lord’s Activities

4 / Approaching a Bona Fide Guru

5 / Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother, Devahūti

6 / Devahūti Desires Transcendental Knowledge

7 / Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-Realization

8 / Bhakti-Yoga: The Supreme Yoga System

9 / Purifying the Mind for Self-Realization

10 / Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment

11 / The Symptoms of a Sādhu

12 / Associating with the Supreme Lord Through Hearing

13 / Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender

14 / Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation

15 / Meditation on the Lord’s Transcendental Form

16 / The Pure Devotees’ Spiritual Opulences

17 / Taking Shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Controller

18 / Devotional Service: The Final Perfection

Plates

PLATE ONE

Some hundreds of thousands of years ago Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Kapiladeva, the son of Devahūti and Kardama Muni. After Kapiladeva grew up, His father, according to the Vedic system, retired and left home to cultivate spiritual life. At that time Devahūti approached Lord Kapiladeva and said, "My dear Kapila, I am very sick of the disturbance of my material senses, for because of this sense disturbance, my Lord, I have fallen into the abyss of ignorance. You have come as my son, but You are my guru because You can inform me how I can cross the ocean of nescience, which is the material world. Your Lordship is my only means of getting out of this darkest region of ignorance because You are my transcendental eye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, many births. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin and Supreme Lord of all living entities. You have arisen to dis seminate the rays of the sun in order to dissipate the darkness of ignorance of the universe." After hearing of His mother's uncontaminated desire for transcendental realization, the Lord thanked her within Him self for her questions, and thus, His face smiling, He explained the path of sāṅkhya-yoga for the transcendentalists, who are interested in self realization. Throughout the ages, Kapiladeva's Sāṅkhya philosophy has stood the test of time, and today anyone can learn the facts about material nature, the soul, and the Supersoul by studying His teachings. (p. 58,p. 77)

PLATE TWO

Lord Kṛṣṇa resides in His own abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, in the spiritual world. But it is not that Kṛṣṇa is simply in Goloka Vṛndāvana and nowhere else. Actually, He is everywhere; He is even within the atom as the Paramātmā, or Supersoul. The Supersoul has four hands, carrying a lotus, a wheel of a chariot, a conchshell and a club respectively. His mouth expresses His happiness, His eyes are spread like lotus petals, and His garments, bedecked with valuable jewels, are yellowish like the saffron of the kadamba flower. His ornaments are all made of gold, set with jewels, and He wears a glowing headdress and earrings. On His chest He wears the Kaustubha jewel engraved with a beautiful calf, on His shoulders He wears other jewels, and around His neck He wears a garland of fresh flowers. About His waist He wears an ornamental wreath; on His fingers, rings studded with valuable jewels. His leglets, His bangles, His oiled hair curled with bluish tint, and His beautiful smiling face are all very pleasing. (p. 34)

PLATE THREE

Lord Kṛṣṇa is never alone in Goloka Vṛndāvana, His personal, spiritual abode. Like a king with his retinue, He is always enjoying happiness in the company of His associates—especially His cowherd boyfriends and girl friends (gopīs), His mother and His father. When Kṛṣṇa enters the forest with His elder brother, Balarāma, one gopī will say to another, "My dear friend, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are certainly fortunate. As these two sons of King Nanda enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends and driving the cows before Them, They glance lovingly upon the residents of Vṛndāvana . For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision." (p. 84, p. 168)

PLATE FOUR

In the supreme spiritual abode of Goloka Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa plays on His flute and is accompanied by His personified pleasure potency, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Kṛṣṇa is very fond of Rādhārāṇī because She renders Him the best service. Once Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī revealed Her mind to one of Her gopī friends: "My dear friend, Kṛṣṇa is My life and soul. Kṛṣṇa is the treasure of My life. Indeed, Kṛṣṇa is the very life of My life. I therefore keep Him always in My heart and try to please Him by rendering service. That is My constant meditation." (pp. 53-54, pp. 218-19)

PLATE FIVE

Because our eyes and other senses are imperfect, we cannot see Lord Kṛṣṇa present everywhere in His original, spiritual form. But since Kṛṣṇa is omnipotent, out of His mercy He agrees to appear before us in a stone form called the arcā-vigraha, the Deity. Atheists think that the Deity is merely an idol, but devotees know that the Deity is Kṛṣṇa Himself. As seen here, Deity worship in Vedic times was very opulent. The highly elevated brāhmaṇas, as would perform the bathing ceremony for the Deities of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with all paraphernalia, and then they would dress the Deities with fine clothing, ornaments, fragrant flower garlands and other paraphernalia for worship. Finally, with attention and devotion, a brāhmaṇas, a would formally worship the Deities as the assembled devotees sang songs glorifying the Lord and played musical instruments such as shenais, kettledrums and vīṇās. (p. 163)

PLATE SIX

In the beginning of creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead ex pands Himself in the form of the puruṣa incarnation Mahā-Viṣṇu. Lying in the Causal Ocean, Mahā-Viṣṇu impregnates the living entities into material nature by glancing over His unmanifest material energy (shown here as the goddess Durgā). The word durgā means "prison," and it is goddess Durgā's function to see that all sinful souls are kept within the prison of this material world. For this purpose, Lord Kṛṣṇa has given Durgā so much power that she can create, maintain and annihilate the cosmos. However, she cannot act independently of Kṛṣṇa, for she is like His shadow. (p. 154)

PLATE SEVEN

Long ago, in the age of truth (Satya-yuga), Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Kapiladeva to teach the eightfold mystic yoga process for self-realization. But this process is much too difficult for the fallen souls of this age of quarrel (Kali-yuga). So, just to give relief to the rotting, conditioned souls of this Kali-yuga, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared five hundred years ago in His most merciful incarnation of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Lord Caitanya taught the yoga process just suitable for this age of Kali—the process of saṇkīrtana, the congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Here we see Lord Caitanya instructing His intimate disciples about the glories of saṇkīrtana: "Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. The chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education and expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables everyone to taste full nectar at every step." (p. 97)

PLATE NINE

For material creation, Lord Kṛṣṇa's plenary expansion assumes the form of Mahā-Viṣṇu, who lies down in the Causal Ocean. While Mahā-Viṣṇu sleeps in that ocean, millions of universes are generated as He ex hales and annihilated when He inhales. To create diversities in each of these universes, Mahā-Viṣṇu expands Himself as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu lies on the bed of the thousand-headed serpent Ananta Śeṣa-nāga and is always served by the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmi. From the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu grows a lotus flower, which is the birthplace of Brahmā, who is the supreme creature and manager of each universe. (p. 224)

PLATE TEN

In the conditioned state the living entities are just like puppets in the hands of the three modes of material nature (goodness, passion and ignorance), which are in turn controlled by Lord Kṛṣṇa But the conditioned souls have forgotten their helplessness, as Lord Kṛṣṇa explains in the Bhagavad-gītā (3.27): "The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by nature." The goal of the yoga system taught by Kapiladeva to His mother is to transcend the influence of the modes of nature and to come to that state by which one is directly influenced by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. As Kapiladeva explains, "The stage in which the consciousness of the living entity is attracted by the three modes of material nature is called conditional life. But when that same consciousness is attached to the Supreme Personality of God head, one is situated in the consciousness of liberation." (p. 89)

PLATE ELEVEN

Arjuna was a Vaiṣṇava—a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa—and because a Vaiṣṇava's natural instinct is not to do harm to anyone, in the beginning Arjuna was unwilling to fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. However, when a Vaiṣṇava knows that Kṛṣṇa wants a particular thing done, he does not care for his own considerations. So after Kṛṣṇa had spoken the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna went forth into battle. The military strength of the Kauravas was invincible like an insurmountable ocean, but because of Kṛṣṇa's friendship, Arjuna, seated on the chariot, was able to cross over it. Great generals like Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Jayadratha and Bāhlika all directed their invincible weapons against Arjuna, but by Lord Kṛṣṇa's grace they could not touch even a hair of his head. (p. 151)

1/ The Purpose of Lord Kapila’s Advent

CHAPTER ONE

The Purpose of Lord Kapila’s Advent

TEXT 1

śaunaka uvāca
kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā

bhagavān ātma-māyayā

jātaḥ svayam ajaḥ sākṣād

ātma-prajñaptaye nṛṇām

TRANSLATION

Śrī Śaunaka said: Although He is unborn, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead took birth as Kapila Muni by His internal

potency. He descended to disseminate transcendental knowledge for the

benefit of the whole human race.

PURPORT

The word ātma-prajñaptaye indicates that the Lord

descends for the benefit of the human race to give transcendental

knowledge. Material necessities are quite sufficiently provided for in

the knowledge given in the Vedic literatures, which offer a program

for good living and gradual elevation to the platform of sattva-guṇa, the mode of goodness. Once one is situated in sattva-guṇa, one’s knowledge expands. On the platform of passion there

is no knowledge, for passion is an impetus to enjoy material benefits.

On the platform of ignorance there is neither knowledge nor enjoyment

but simply animalistic living.

The Vedas are intended to elevate one from the mode of

ignorance to the platform of goodness. When one is situated in the

mode of goodness, he is able to understand knowledge of the self, or

transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge cannot be appreciated by any

ordinary man; therefore a disciplic succession is required. This

knowledge is expounded either by the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Himself or by His bona fide devotee. Śaunaka Muni also states here

that Kapila, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

took birth or appeared simply to disseminate transcendental

knowledge. To understand that one is not matter but spirit soul

(ahaṁ brahmāsmi: “I am by nature Brahman”) is not sufficient

for understanding the self and his activities. One must be situated

in the activities of Brahman. Knowledge of those activities is

explained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Such

transcendental knowledge can be appreciated in human society but not

in animal society, as clearly indicated here by the word nṛṇām,“for the human beings.” Human beings are meant to lead

a regulated life. By nature, there is regulation in animal life also,

but that is not like the regulative life described in the scriptures

or by the Vedic authorities. Only when one’s life is regulated

according to the Vedas can one understand transcendental

knowledge.

For the propagation of this transcendental knowledge, Kapiladeva,

the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gave

instructions in Sāṅkhya philosophy to His mother, Devahūti. Later,

another Kapiladeva appeared who expounded atheistic Sāṅkhya

philosophy, which dealt with the twenty-four elements but gave no

information about God. The original Kapila is called the Devahūti-putra Kapila, and the other is called the atheist Kapila. Concerning

Kapiladeva, Śaunaka Ṛṣi says, kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā. Kapila is the Supreme Person; therefore He can explain the Absolute

Truth. Actually only Bhagavān can know the true position of the

ultimate truth. No one else can know it. Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa or His

incarnation, occasionally visits the earth to give humanity

information about the aim of life. Thus the Supreme Lord descended as

Kapiladeva, tattva-saṅkhyātā. The word saṅkhyātā means “expounder,” and tattva means “the

Absolute Truth.” The Absolute Truth is Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. We

cannot understand the Absolute Truth or the Supreme Person by mental

speculation, especially when we are under the influence of the three

modes of material nature (sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa). Only those who are situated in sattva-guṇa (the mode of goodness) are fit to understand the Absolute

Truth. According to Bhagavad-gītā (18.42), those possessing

brahminical qualifications are situated in sattva-guṇa.

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ

kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca

jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ

brahma-karma svabhāvajam

“Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance,

honesty, knowledge, wisdom, knowledge and righteousness–these are

the qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.”

According to the Vedic conception, there must be men in society

who are factually brāhmaṇas, capable of expounding the real

truth. If everyone becomes a śūdra, the Absolute Truth

cannot be understood. It is said that at the present moment in Kali-yuga everyone is a śūdra (kalau śūdra-sambhavāḥ),

and it is very difficult in this age to find qualified brāhmaṇas, for they are very rare. There is practically not

a single qualified brāhmaṇa in this age.

prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya

kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ

mandāḥ sumanda-matayo

manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ

“O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives.

They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always

disturbed.” (Bhāg. 1.1.10) The people in this

age are very short-lived and slow in understanding spiritual life.

Actually human life is meant for understanding spiritual values, but

because everyone in this age is a śūdra, no one is

interested. People have forgotten life’s real purpose. The word manda means both slow and bad, and everyone in this age is

either bad or slow or a combination of both. People are unfortunate

and disturbed by so many things. According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there will eventually be no rain and consequently a

scarcity of food. The governments will also levy very heavy taxes.

The characteristics of this age predicted by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are already being experienced to some degree. Since

Kali-yuga is a very miserable age, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Śrī

Kṛṣṇa Himself, advises everyone simply to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

harer nāma harer nāma

harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva

nāsty eva gatir anyathā

“In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no

alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress than the

holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.” (Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa) This process is not Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s

invention, but is advised by the śāstras, the Purāṇas. The process for this Kali-yuga is very simple. One

need only chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Since everyone in

this age is an unintelligent, unfortunate and disturbed śūdra, how can anyone understand the Absolute Truth or the

aim of life? As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (4.7):

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O

descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion–at that

time I descend Myself.”

Some hundreds and thousands of years ago Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as

Devahūti-putra Kapiladeva. His father’s name was Kardama Muni. After

Kapiladeva grew up, His father, according to the Vedic system,

retired, took sannyāsa and left home to cultivate spiritual

life. It is not that one should rot in this material world throughout

one’s whole life. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. According to

the Vedic injunctions, there are four āśramas and four varṇas,and these used to be followed very strictly. After

his son grew up, Kardama Muni, being a strict follower of

theVedas, left home and put his wife in the charge of his

grown son, Kapiladeva.

It is said of Kapiladeva: kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā

bhagavān. Lord Kapila is Bhagavān. Nowadays Bhagavān is taken

very cheaply because the word is misused, but actually Bhagavān is

not an ordinary man. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ:because Bhagavān

Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared as a human being, fools and rascals

(mūḍhas) consider Kṛṣṇa an ordinary human. As Kṛṣṇa Himself

states in Bhagavad-gītā (7.13):

tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair
ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat
mohitaṁ nābhijānāti
mām ebhyaḥ param avyayaṁ

“Deluded by the three modes (goodness, passion and ignorance), the

whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and

inexhaustible.”

Yet there are mahātmās, great souls, who can understand

Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna could understand that although Kṛṣṇa was playing the part

of his friend, He was nonetheless the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Arjuna was in perfect knowledge, yet Kṛṣṇa instructed him for our

benefit. Arjuna requested Kṛṣṇa’s instructions, which are set forth for

all human society. After hearing Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna

addressed Kṛṣṇa as paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma, “the Supreme

Brahman and supreme abode.”

Every person is actually Brahman, spirit soul. We are not actually

the body. Awareness of ahaṁ brahmāsmi (“I am Brahman”) is

actual self-realization. According to Vedic culture, one must

understand that he is Brahman, not the body. We should not remain in

ignorance like cats and dogs, thinking, “I am this body, I am

American, I am Indian, I am brāhmaṇa, I am kṣatriya, I am Hindu, I am Muslim,” and so on. These are

all bodily designations. When one comes to spiritual understanding,

he understands ahaṁ brahmāsmi, “I am Brahman.” This is

called Brahman realization. It is not that we become Brahman by some

practice. Gold is gold, even if it is covered with some dirt, which

can certainly be removed. Similarly, we are all Brahman, spirit soul,

but somehow or other we have come in contact with these material

elements (bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ), and we have acquired

bodily coverings. Consequently we think, “I am this body.” This is

ignorance, and unless one is enlightened by spiritual knowledge, he

remains animalistic.

Understanding one’s spiritual identity is called dharma. The ultimate goal of dharma is enunciated by Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66). Sarva-dharmān

parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: “Abandon all varieties of

religion and just surrender unto Me.” On this earth we have created

so many dharmas–Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma. These are all

manufactured dharmas, but real dharma is attained

when we come to the conclusion that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is everything. Again, in

the words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (7.19):

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge

surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all

that is. Such a great soul is very rare.”

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for the propagation of

this message. We are not preaching a particular sectarian religious

system but a real religion, dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: no one actually knows what dharma is, and no

one can manufacture dharma. Dharma is the order of the

Supreme Being. No one can manufacture state laws; they are given by

the government. The simplest definition of dharma is

that dharma is the order of the Supreme Being. Since the

Supreme Being, God, is one, His order must be one. How, then, can

there be different dharmas? It is not possible. Different dharmas are created due to ignorance, which causes people to

think in terms of Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma, this dharma or that dharma.No. Gold is gold. If a Christian possesses some gold,

does it become Christian gold? Gold is gold whether possessed by a

Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian. According to the order of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead,dharma means surrendering unto that

Supreme Being. This is bhāgavata-dharma, and everyone should

be taught how to surrender unto God. God is one; there cannot be two

Gods. When there is competition, there is no God. Presently there is

a different God on every street, but Kṛṣṇa is not that kind of God. He

is the Supreme God. As Kṛṣṇa Himself states in Bhagavad-gītā (7.7):

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

“O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to Me.

Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.”

The purpose of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to inform

everyone that no one is superior to Kṛṣṇa, God. Because many young

Americans and Europeans are fortunate and know nothing of any

hodgepodge god, they have taken this bona fide Kṛṣṇa consciousness

movement seriously. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: Bhagavān, God,

means Śrī Kṛṣṇa. We have simply presented this information, saying,

“Here is God. Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Because they have taken this seriously, many

young Americans and Europeans are advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Consequently many people are surprised to see how Americans and

Europeans have become such great devotees and are dancing in ecstasy.

How is it they are so advanced? They have taken the information

seriously: kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.Whether one touches fire

blindly or knowingly, fire will burn. It is not that because the fire

is touched by a child, fire will not burn. These young Westerners have

touched fire, and consequently it is acting as fire.

Ācāryopāsanam: this information (kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān

svayam) is not concocted, but is accepted by the ācāryas in the disciplic succession. Although an

impersonalist, Śaṅkarācārya has accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. So have Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇusvāmī, Nimbārka and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers. They

all accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme, just as Arjuna himself did. This is

the simplest method. There is no need to speculate, “What is God?

Where is God?” Why foolishly go on searching? Here is God–Kṛṣṇa. We

may think that Kṛṣṇa cannot be seen, but Kṛṣṇa can appear in the form

of His energy. Of course, a stone is not God, but a stone is another

one of God’s energies. Heat and light are not fire, but without fire

there cannot be heat or light. In that sense, heat and light are

nondifferent from fire. This material world is like the heat and light

of the supreme fire.

ekadeśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
tathedam akhilaṁ jagat

“Just as a fire is situated in one place, but spreads illumination

all around, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, spreads

His energies throughout this universe.” (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.22.53)

The sun is situated in one place, and its light and heat expand

throughout the entire solar system. As soon as we perceive light and

heat, we can understand that the sun is there. Since light and heat

can be perceived by everyone, Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.8), prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ: “I am the light of the sun

and the moon.” People are saying, “Can you show me God?” while not

realizing that they are seeing God daily at every moment. Because

people are foolish in this age, they cannot understand that when we

perceive the energy of the Lord, we can feel the presence of the

Lord.

The young devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are

presently worshiping Kṛṣṇa. What are the signs of a devotee? The

actual sign of a devotee is that he is no longer interested in

material enjoyment: bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra

ca (Bhāg. 11.2.42). The disciples of this

Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement do not go to cinemas, restaurants or

clubs, and they do not smoke or drink. In European and American

countries all these things are available and are very cheap, but

these young people are not interested in them. They are simply

interested in sitting on the floor and learning about Kṛṣṇa

consciousness. Why is this? They have actually rejected the material

world. When one comes to detest material enjoyment, one can

understand that he has advanced spiritually. Spiritual life does not

mean taking sannyāsa and then smoking or drinking tea. One

must actually come to detest material life. One comes to lose

interest in material activities and becomes interested only in the

understanding of God, the Supreme Being, and His service. As enjoined

in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.1):

nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke
kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye

“Of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in

this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work

hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available

even for the dogs and hogs that eat stool.” The word vid-bhujām means “stooleaters.” Hogs work hard day and night simply

eating stool, and because stool contains chemicals, hydrophosphates,

the hog gets strength, becomes very fat and enjoys sex. In any case,

human life is meant not for imitating the life of a hog but for tapasya, austerity:

tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ
śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam

“Rather, my dear boys, one should engage in penance and austerity

to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such

activity, one’s heart is purified, and when one attains this position,

he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to

material happiness and which continues forever.” (Bhāg. 5.5.1)

This is the meaning of Vedic civilization. The society of varṇāśrama-dharma–composed of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas,

vaiśyas, śūdras, gṛhasthas, vānaprasthas, brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs–is meant to elevate people gradually to the

perfect stage of understanding God. The whole aim of the different varṇas and āśramas is the worship of the Supreme

Lord. One can attain this understanding through this social system,

which admits of gradations. When one goes to school, he begins with

the first grade, then progresses to the second, third and so forth. In

this way one makes progress.

When human society accepts varṇāśrama-dharma, it can

gradually come to the understanding of Brahman. By birth, everyone is

a śūdra; therefore everyone has to be educated. The word dvija means “twiceborn.” One is first born through the womb

of a mother, and one’s next birth is given by the spiritual master

and Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is the mother, and the spiritual

master is the father. When one is twice-born (dvija), he

receives a sacred thread from the spiritual master and begins to

learn about spiritual life. He is then allowed to read the Vedic

literatures. In this way one becomes a son of Vedic literature. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the

essence of Vedic culture. It is a wish-fulfilling tree, and we can

take whatever we want from it. Vedic knowledge is perfect, and if we

want to come to know it, we must take shelter of a bona fide guru (tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet).

Unfortunately, in this age everything is mismanaged. People forget

the aim of life, and at such a time the Supreme Lord Himself comes.

The Supreme Lord descends out of compassion because He is more

anxious to have us return home, back to Godhead, than we are to go.

Because we are in ignorance, we do not know anything about the

kingdom of God. We know nothing about how to get there or how to

become happy. We have forgotten all this. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes at

intervals or sends His representative, the pure devotee. Sometimes He

comes personally, and sometimes He sends His incarnation.

Kapiladeva is an incarnation of the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore it is stated: kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā bhagavān ātma-māyayā. The word māyā means not only “illusion,” but

also “affection” and “energy.” When Kṛṣṇa comes, all His energies also

come. It is not that He is forced to come. We have to accept a

certain type of body because we are forced to do so, but this is not

the case with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Presently I may have a human form, but in the

future I cannot demand a human form. We receive bodies in the next

life according to karma, not will. One cannot demand to be a

high-court judge unless one has been educated for the job. First of

all, one must become qualified. If one qualifies himself, one may

become a devatā, a demigod like Indra or Candra, or one can

become a dog or a cat. That depends on one’s karma, or

activities (karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa). When Kṛṣṇa or His

incarnation come, they do not depend on karma for their

bodies. The Supreme Lord is above karma and is fully

independent. It is therefore said, ātma-māyayā. The Supreme

Lord comes by His own energy, not by the external energy or by force.

When the governor visits the prison, he is not forced to do so. He is

not to be considered a condemned person; rather, he goes by his own

good will just to see how things are going on. However, it is

understood that when an ordinary person is placed in jail, he is sent

there by force because he has been proven a criminal. A criminal may

think that he and the governor are one, just as rascals and fools

think that Kṛṣṇa is one of them. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum

āśritam. A knowledgeable person knows that when Kṛṣṇa or His

incarnation descends upon the material world, the Supreme Lord

maintains His transcendental position. He is not an ordinary man, nor

is He forced into the material world due to karma. The

Supreme Lord comes by His own good will. Paraṁ bhāvam

ajānantaḥ. Rascals cannot understand what Kṛṣṇa is; therefore

they think that Kṛṣṇa is a human being. As Kṛṣṇa Himself states in Bhagavad-gītā (7.3):

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection,

and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in

truth.”

Understanding Kṛṣṇa is therefore not so easy. As stated by Kṛṣṇa,

out of many thousands one person may become a siddha, a

self-realized being. And out of many siddhas, one may be

able to understand Kṛṣṇa. It is our great fortune that Śrī Caitanya

Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa Himself, has appeared and given us a very easy

process by which we can understand Kṛṣṇa. What is that process? We

need only hear about Kṛṣṇa. That’s all. We have therefore opened all

these centers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā

[Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful

devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the

devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in

themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (Bhāg. 1.2.17)

If we hear about Kṛṣṇa, we become purified. Hearing about Kṛṣṇa means

associating with Kṛṣṇa. In this way we may perfect our lives.

2/ The Transcendental Master and Supreme Yogī

CHAPTER TWO

The Transcendental Master and Supreme Yogī

TEXT 2

na hy asya varṣmaṇaḥ puṁsāṁ
varimṇaḥ sarva-yoginām
viśrutau śruta-devasya
bhūri tṛpyanti me ’savaḥ

TRANSLATION

Śaunaka continued: There is no one who knows more than

the Lord Himself. No one is more worshipable or more mature a yogī

than He. He is therefore the master of the Vedas, and to hear about

Him always is the actual pleasure of the senses.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that no one can be equal to

or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed

in the Vedas also: eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. He is the supreme living entity and is supplying the necessities of

all other living entities. Thus all other living entities, both viṣṇu-tattva and jīva-tattva, are subordinate to

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. The same concept is

confirmed here. Na hy asya varṣmaṇaḥ puṁsāṁ: among living

entities, no one can surpass the Supreme Person because no one is

richer, more famous, stronger, more beautiful, wiser or more

renounced than He. These qualifications make Him the Supreme Godhead,

the cause of all causes. Yogīs are very proud of performing

wonderful feats, but no one can compare to the Supreme Personality of

Godhead.

Anyone who is associated with the Supreme Lord is accepted as a

first-class yogī. Devotees may not be as powerful as the

Supreme Lord, but by constant association with the Lord they become

as good as the Lord Himself. Sometimes the devotees act more

powerfully than the Lord. Of course, that is the Lord’s

concession.

Also used here is the word varimṇaḥ, meaning the most

worshipful of all yogīs. To hear from Kṛṣṇa is the real

pleasure of the senses; therefore He is known as Govinda, for by His

words, by His teachings, by His instruction–by everything connected

with Him–He enlivens the senses. Whatever He instructs is from the

transcendental platform, and His instructions, being absolute, are

nondifferent from Him. Hearing from Kṛṣṇa or His expansion or plenary

expansion like Kapila is very pleasing to the senses. Bhagavad-gītā can be read or heard many times, but because it gives great

pleasure, the more one reads Bhagavad-gītā the more he wants

to read and understand it, and each time he gets new enlightenment.

That is the nature of the transcendental message. Similarly, we find

that transcendental happiness in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The

more we hear and chant the glories of the Lord, the more we become

happy.

In the previous verse, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality

of Godhead as Devahūti-putra Kapiladeva has been explained as bhagavān ātma-māyayā. The word bhaga means

“opulence,” and vān means “one who possesses.” All the

opulences of the creation are present in Bhagavān. As stated in the Vedas (Kaṭha Upaniṣad2.2.13):

nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām
eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān

Nitya, Bhagavān, is the singular, and nityānāṁ are the plural jīvas, or living beings. Nityo

nityānāṁ: we are many, but God is one. There is no limit to the jīvas; no one can count them. The word ananta means

that they are without limit. All these jīvas, living

entities, are being maintained by the Supreme One. We cannot conceive

how many living entities are being maintained by the Supreme Lord.

All the great elephants, all the small ants, all the 8,400,000

species of life are maintained by Bhagavān. Why do we worry that He

will not maintain us? Those who are devotees of the Lord and have

taken shelter at His lotus feet, leaving everything aside simply to

render service unto Him, will certainly be cared for. In our Kṛṣṇa

consciousness movement, we have over a hundred centers, and Kṛṣṇa is

maintaining them all. None of our devotees are employed for

independent incomes, yet they are all being maintained. In Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa never says, “Do this or that, and I will

then maintain you.” Rather, He states that not only will He maintain

us, but He will also protect us from the results of sin, from sinful karma (Bg. 18.66). All of this assurance

is there.

Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. The word kovidaḥ means “intelligent.” An intelligent person should

try to attain shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Human life is

actually meant for getting in touch with the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That

should be our only business. The word upari indicates the

higher planetary systems. There are seven higher planetary systems,

and we are in the middle system, in Bhūrloka. Within this one

universe, there are fourteen planetary systems, and the living

entities are wandering in different bodily forms on different

planets. According to karma, the living entity sometimes goes

up and sometimes goes down. He wanders in this way, thinking how he

can become materially happy and satisfy his senses. The śāstras say that we should not do this, that we should

endeavor to understand Kṛṣṇa. We should not worry about eating and

sleeping, for the needs of the body are already arranged. We do not

have to work independently to maintain the body.

tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ
kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā

Our actual endeavor should be to attain happiness; that is our

real struggle for existence. According to the śāstras: tal

labhyate duḥkhavad. The word duḥkhavad indicates that

although we do not want misery, misery comes anyway. We don’t have to

endeavor separately for misery. No one says, “Let there be a fire in

my house” or “Let my child die.” No one aspires after these things,

yet they happen. Everyone is thinking, “May my child live happily” or

“May I get so much money.” We do not ask or pray for catastrophes,

yet they come without invitation. Similarly, whatever happiness is

there for our enjoyment will also come without our asking for it. The

conclusion is that we should not endeavor for so-called happiness or

distress, but should try to attain that position whereby we can

understand Kṛṣṇa and get shelter at His lotus feet. This should be the

real human endeavor.

It was Caitanya Mahāprabhu who said to Rūpa Gosvāmī:

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

“The living entity is wandering up and down, from one planet to

another, and he is very fortunate if by the mercy of the spiritual

master and Kṛṣṇa Himself he can get the seed of devotional service to

Kṛṣṇa.” (Cc. Madhya 19.151) The Kṛṣṇa

consciousness movement is an attempt to make people fortunate. In

this age, everyone is unfortunate (manda-bhāgyāḥ), but now

we are trying to reverse the situation.

Throughout the world there are problems everywhere. One country

has one type of problem, and another country has another. There is

strife within governments themselves, and even presidents are fraught

with problems. Sometimes we may think we are very fortunate, just as

President Nixon was thinking, “I am very fortunate. I have become the

president of the United States.” Then he soon realized that he was

most unfortunate. Actually this is the situation for everyone. We

should not think that the only apprehended culprit is President Nixon

and that we are safe. There is a Bengali proverb: Dry cow dung is

used for fuel, and it is said that when the dry cow dung is being

burned, the soft cow dung is laughing, saying, “Oh, you are being

burned, but I am safe.” It does not know that when it dries out, it

will be thrown into the fire too. We may laugh because President Nixon

is in trouble, and we may think ourselves very safe because we have a

big bank balance, but actually no one is safe. Eventually everyone

will dry up and be thrown in the fire. That is a fact. We may survive

for a few years, but we cannot avoid death. In fact, it is said, “As

sure as death.” And what is the result of death? One loses everything–all honor, money, position and material life itself. Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (10.34), mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: “I

am all-devouring death.” Kṛṣṇa comes as death and plunders everything–bank balance, skyscrapers, wife, children and whatever. One cannot

say, “My dear death, please give me some time to adjust.” There is no

adjustment; one must immediately get out.

Foolish people are unaware of the miserable conditions of material

life. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā(13.9),janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.Real knowledge means knowing that however great one may be, the four principles of material life are present: birth, old age, disease and death. These exist in the highest planetary system (Brahmaloka) and in the lowest (Pātālaloka).

tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ
tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ
kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā

“Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined

should endeavor only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable

even by wandering from the topmost planet down to the lowest planet.

As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can

be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of

time we obtain miseries even though we do not desire them.”

(Bhāg. 1.5.18)

When Dharmarāja asked Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira what the most wonderful

thing in the world was, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira replied: ahany ahani

bhūtāni gacchantīha yamālayam. “Every moment people are dying,

but those who are living are thinking, ‘My friend has died, but I

shall live forever.’ ” (Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.116)

Soft cow dung thinks the same way. This is typical of conditioned

beings.

Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord, is not in this position. It is

therefore said: bhagavān ātma-māyayā. We come onto this

planet to enjoy or suffer life for a few days–fifty or a hundred

years–but Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not

come for that purpose (na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti). It is

further stated, na hy asya varṣmaṇaḥ:“No one is greater than

Him.” No one is greater than Bhagavān or equal to Him. Everyone is

inferior. According to Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 5.142), ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya. There is only

one master–Kṛṣṇa. All others are subservient, beginning with Lord

Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Indra, Candra and all the demigods (there

are thirty-three million demigods) and the middle and lower species.

Everyone is bhṛtya, or servant. When Kṛṣṇa orders, “My dear

Mr. So-and-So, now please give up your place and leave,” one must go.

Therefore everyone is a servant. This is the position of Lord Brahmā

and the ant as well. Yas tv indragopam athavendram aho sva-karma.From Lord Indra to indragopa, an insignificant

insect, everyone is reaping the consequences of his karma. We are creating our own karma, our next body, in this life.

In this life we enjoy or suffer the results of our past karma, and in the same way we are creating further karma for our next body. Actually we should work in such a

way that we will not get another material body. How can this be done?

We simply have to try to understand Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and

activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in

this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

This sounds very simple, but actually understanding Kṛṣṇa is very

difficult. If we become devotees of Kṛṣṇa, understanding Kṛṣṇa is easy.

However, if we try to understand Him by jñāna, karma or yoga, we will be frustrated. There are many types of yogīs, but he who is devoted to Kṛṣṇa is the topmost yogī. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is far above all yogic processes. In India

there are many yogīs who can display some magical feats.

They can walk on water, make themselves very light or very heavy and

so forth. But what is this compared to Kṛṣṇa’s yogic mystic powers? By

His potencies, great planets are floating in space. Who can manage to

float even a small stone in the air? Sometimes a yogī may

show a little mystic power by manufacturing some gold, and we are so

foolish that we accept him as God. However, we forget that the real yogī, the Supreme Lord Himself, has created millions of gold

mines and is floating them in space. Those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious are

not befooled by yogīs who claim to be Bhagavān. A Kṛṣṇa

conscious person wants only to serve the foremost yogī, Yogeśvara (varimṇaḥ sarva-yoginām). Because we are trying to

become His devotees, we accept the Supreme Lord, Yogeśvara, as the

Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa Himself states in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55):

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad anantaram

“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by

devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the

Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of

God.”

This process is actually very simple. One must first of all realize

that the first problem is the conquest of death. Presently we consider

death compulsory, but actually it is not. One may be put into prison,

but actually prison is not compulsory. It is due to one’s work that

one becomes a criminal and is therefore put in jail. It is not

compulsory for everyone to go to jail. As living entities, we have

our proper place in Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyo
’vyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ
yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu
naśyatsu na vinaśyati

avyakto ’kṣara ity uktas
tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim
yaṁ prāpya na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

“There is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental

to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is

never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part

remains as it is. That supreme abode is called unmanifested and

infallible, and it is the supreme destination. When one goes there,

he never comes back. That is My supreme abode.” (Bg. 8.20–21)

Everything is present in Vaikuṇṭhaloka. There we can have an

eternal, blissful life full of knowledge (sac-cid-ānanda).

It is not compulsory for us to rot in this material world. The

easiest way to go to the Vaikuṇṭhalokas is:janma karma ca me

divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ. Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa.

Why does He come? What are His activities? Where does He come from?

Why does He come in the form of a human being? We only have to try to

understand this and study Kṛṣṇa as He explains Himself in Bhagavad-gītā. What is the difficulty? God personally

explains Himself as He is, and if we accept Bhagavad-gītā as

it is, we shall no longer have to transmigrate. Tyaktvā dehaṁ

punar janma naiti. We shall no longer have to endure birth and

death, for we can attain our spiritual bodies (sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha) and live happily in Kṛṣṇa’s family. Kṛṣṇa is providing

for us here, and He will also provide for us there. So we should know

that our happiness is in returning home, back to Godhead, where we

can eat, drink and be merry in Kṛṣṇa’s company.

3/ How to Understand the Lord’s Activities

CHAPTER THREE

How to Understand
the Lord’s Activities

TEXT 3

yad yad vidhatte bhagavān
svacchandātmātma-māyayā
tāni me śraddadhānasya
kīrtanyāny anukīrtaya

TRANSLATION

Therefore please precisely describe all the activities

and pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is full of self-desire and who assumes all these activities by His internal

potency.

PURPORT

The word anukīrtaya is very significant. Anukīrtaya means “to follow the description”–not to create

a concocted mental description, but to follow. Śaunaka Ṛṣi requested

Sūta Gosvāmī to describe what he had actually heard from his

spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, about the transcendental pastimes

that the Lord manifested by His internal energy. Bhagavān, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no material body, but He can

assume any kind of body by His supreme will. That is made possible by

His internal energy.

We can understand the pastimes of the Lord by following one or

some of the authorized devotional processes.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

“Hearing, chanting and remembering the holy name, form, pastimes,

qualities and entourage of the Lord, offering service according to

the time, place and performer, worshiping the Deity, offering

prayers, always considering oneself the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa,

making friends with Him and dedicating everything unto Him–these

are the nine processes of devotional service.” (Bhāg. 7.5.23)

There are nine basic processes of devotional service–hearing and

chanting about the Supreme Lord, remembering Him, serving His lotus

feet, worshiping Him, offering prayers to the Lord, acting as His

servant, becoming His friend, and surrendering everything to Him. The

beginning is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting. One

must be very eager to hear and chant. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.14):

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination,

bowing down before Me, the great souls perpetually worship Me with

devotion.”

We have to speak or chant about the holy activities of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, but first we have to hear about them. This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was recited by Śukadeva Gosvāmī and heard

by Parīkṣit Mahārāja, and we in turn have to hear about Kṛṣṇa and then

chant about Him (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ). When we speak of

Viṣṇu, we mean Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of the viṣṇu-tattva–that is, Viṣṇu is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa. When we speak of Viṣṇu,

we understand that the origin of Viṣṇu is Kṛṣṇa. As Śrī Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.2), aham ādir hi devānām: “I am

the source of the demigods.”

The most important demigods (devas) are Brahmā, Śiva and

Viṣṇu. In the beginning of the creation there is Lord Viṣṇu, and from

Lord Viṣṇu, Brahmā is born. From Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva is born, and

these three gods take charge of the three modes of material nature.

Viṣṇu takes charge of sattva-guṇa (the mode of goodness),

Lord Brahmā takes charge of rajo-guṇa (the mode of passion),

and Lord Śiva takes charge of tamo-guṇa (the mode of

ignorance). However, before the creation there was no Brahmā or Śiva.

There was only Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa therefore says, aham ādir hi

devānām. He is the creator of all demigods and all other living

entities. After the cosmic manifestation is created, the living

entities are placed in it. Therefore in the Vedas it is

stated that in the beginning there was neither Brahmā nor Śiva, but

only Nārāyaṇa (eko nārāyaṇa āsīt). Nārāyaṇa is also another

plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa.

We have to learn from the scriptures that Kṛṣṇa is the origin of

all. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: all the viṣṇu-tattvas and incarnations are but plenary expansions or

expansions of the plenary expansions of Kṛṣṇa. There are millions and

millions of incarnations. They are as plentiful as waves in the

ocean. There are śaktyāveśa-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras and svayam-avatāras, and these are all described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. All these avatāras, or incarnations, are svacchandātmā, free from care and anxiety. If we organize a

business, we have many anxieties. The managing director or proprietor

of the business particularly has many anxieties. Although he sits in

his office without disturbance, he is not very happy because he is

always thinking about how to do this or that, how to manage this

affair or that. This is material nature, and therefore it is said

that there is always anxiety in the material world. When

Hiraṇyakaśipu, the father of Prahlāda Mahārāja, asked his son, “My

dear boy, what is the best thing you have learned from your

teachers?” Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately replied, tat sādhu manye

’sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (Bhāg. 7.5.5). “I have learned that materialists

have accepted the asad-guṇa.” Asat means “that

which is not.” We should not remain on this platform, but should go

to the platform of sat (oṁ tat sat). This is the

Vedic injunction. The material world is asad-vastu; it

cannot possibly remain. In the material world, everything will

ultimately be vanquished. Whatever exists in the material world

exists only for some time. It is temporary. The Māyāvādī philosophers

say, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: “The Supreme Truth is real,

whereas the world is false”–but Vaiṣṇavas do not use the word mithyā (false), because God, the Supreme Brahman, is truth,

and nothing false can emanate from the truth. If we prepare an

earring from gold, the earring is also gold. We cannot say that the

earring is false. Yato imāni bhūtāni jāyante: the Supreme

Absolute Truth is He from whom everything is emanating. If everything

is emanating from the Absolute Truth, nothing can actually be false.

The Vaiṣṇava philosophers accept the world as temporary, but not

false, as the Māyāvādī philosophers do.

The world (jagat) has emanated from the Supreme;

therefore it is not mithyā, but it is temporary. That is

also explained in Bhagavad-gītā (8.19): bhūtvā bhūtvā

pralīyate. The material world comes into existence, remains for

some time, and is then annihilated. It is not false, for it can be

utilized to realize the Supreme Truth. This is Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

The world is temporary, but we must use it for spiritual purposes. If

something is used for the ultimate truth, the Absolute Truth, it

becomes integral with the Absolute Truth. As stated by Śrīla Rūpa

Gosvāmī:

anāsaktasya viṣayān
yathārham upayuñjataḥ
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate

prāpañcikatayā buddhyā
hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ
mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo
vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate

(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255–56)

The word mumukṣubhiḥ refers to those who aspire for mukti, liberation. When one becomes disgusted with material

engagement, one wants to destroy everything that has anything to do

with the material world. However, the Vaiṣṇava says, prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. Everything

has some relationship with the Supreme Person, the Absolute Truth.

For instance, a microphone is made of metal, but what is metal? It is

another form of earth. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.4) Śrī Kṛṣṇa

says:

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego–

all together these comprise My separated material energies.” All of

these are Kṛṣṇa’s energies, and if Kṛṣṇa is the source of them, how can

they be untrue? They are not. A Vaiṣṇava will never say that metal

has no connection with Kṛṣṇa. It is a product of one of His energies,

just as this material world is a product of the sun. We cannot say

that the sunshine is false and that the sun is true. If the sun is

true, the sunshine is also true. Similarly, we do not say that the

material universe is false. It may be temporary, but it is not false.

Therefore the Gosvāmīs and Kṛṣṇa Himself tell us that since everything

belongs to Kṛṣṇa, everything should be utilized for His purpose.

This creation emanates from Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord, who is

without anxiety. Kṛṣṇa very pleasantly associates with His consort

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and enjoys playing His flute. If God is anxious,

what kind of God is He? Even Lord Brahmā and other demigods are

anxious. Lord Brahmā is engaged in meditation, Lord Śiva dances to

annihilate the universe, the goddess Kālī is engaged in killing with

her sword, and so forth. The demigods have many activities, but Kṛṣṇa

is always peaceful. The Kṛṣṇa who engages in killing demons is

Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, not the original Kṛṣṇa. The original Kṛṣṇa does not go

anywhere; He never takes a step away from Vṛndāvana. The other

activities performed by Kṛṣṇa are performed in the Vāsudeva,

Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha or Pradyumna forms. Kṛṣṇa expands as Saṅkarṣaṇa,

Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu, Mahā-viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī

Viṣṇu. God can expand Himself in many, many forms.

advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca

(Brahma-saṁhitā 5.33)

He is the ādi-puruṣa, the original soul of all. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi: Lord Brahmā says that

he is not ādi-puruṣa but that Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, is the ādi-puruṣa. This Kṛṣṇa has many expansions (advaitam

acyutam anādim). He has no beginning, but He is the beginning of

everything. He has expanded Himself in many forms. The viṣṇu-tattva consists of bhagavat-tattva-svāṁśa, the personal

expansions. We are also Kṛṣṇa’s forms, but we are vibhinnāṁśa, separated expansions. We are the expansions of

the energies. According to Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (7.5):

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

“Besides the inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a

superior energy of Mine, which consists of the living entities who

are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the

universe.”

Thus there are the jīva-prakṛti, the parā prakṛti expansions, who belong to Kṛṣṇa’s superior energy. In any case, Kṛṣṇa

is always svacchandātmā–without anxiety. Even if He is

killing a demon, He experiences no anxiety. That is also confirmed in

the Vedas:

na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate
na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate
parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate
svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca

“The Supreme Lord has nothing to do, for everything is done

automatically by His various potencies. No one is seen to be equal

to, or greater than, Him.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do personally. It is His energy that acts.

When an important man wants to get something done, he simply tells

his secretary, who does everything. The important man is quite

confident that because he has told his secretary, his desires will be

carried out. The secretary is a person, energy (śakti). If

an ordinary man within this world has many energies in the form of

secretaries, then we can hardly imagine the energies possessed by Śrī

Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is jagad-īśvara, the controller of the entire

universe, and thus He is managing the entire universe. Foolish people

say that there is no brain behind the universe, but this is due to

ignorance. By taking information from the śāstras, the

scriptures, we can understand who that brain is. According to Śrī

Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā(9.10):

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate

“This material nature is working under My direction, O son of

Kuntī, and producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this

manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.” We see His

energies working in this material world all the time. There is

thunder and rain, and from rain comes the food we enjoy. This process

is outlined in Bhagavad-gītā (3.14):

annād bhavanti bhūtāni
parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ
yajñād bhavati parjanyo
yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ

“All living beings subsist on food grains, which are produced from

rains. Rains are produced by performance ofyajña [sacrifice],

and yajña is born of prescribed duties.” The origin of

everything is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Through yajña, sacrifice, we have to satisfy the Supreme Person, and yajñas can be executed when human society is regulated

according to the varṇāśrama-dharma, the system of four

social orders (varṇas) and four spiritual orders

(āśramas). There are four varṇas (brāhmaṇa,

kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra) and four āśramas (brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa).

These varṇas and āśramas have their respective

duties, and unless human society is divided according to these eight

scientific divisions and everyone acts according to his position,

there can be no peace in the world.

varṇāśramācāravatā
puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān
viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā
nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, is worshiped by

the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṇa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy

the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.8.9)

The ultimate goal of all activity is the satisfaction of the

Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (Bhāg. 7.5.31). Foolish people do not know that

their ultimate interest is the satisfaction of Viṣṇu. Therefore, when

there are dharmasya glāniḥ, discrepancies in dharma, Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation personally comes. It is

therefore said: yad yad vidhatte bhagavān. Although He

comes, He has no anxiety. He comes by His internal potency, and He

does not take help from anyone. He possesses a variety of energies,

all of which work correctly and perfectly (parāsya śaktir

vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca).

Impersonalists cannot understand how everything is being carried

out perfectly because they cannot understand the Supreme Personality

of Godhead: mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam. As

stated by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā(7.14):

daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of

material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have

surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” Being covered by the

three modes of material nature, one cannot understand the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. However, the Supreme Lord reveals Himself to

His devotees.

It is our business to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth; then our lives

will be successful. It is not that we can succeed by understanding

Kṛṣṇa superficially. It is therefore stated here: tāni me

śraddadhānasya kīrtanyāny anukīrtaya. The word anukīrtaya, as we have initially pointed out, means that we

should not manufacture anything. The word anumeans “to

follow.” Therefore the bhagavat-tattva, or Bhagavān, can be

understood only by the paramparā system, the system of

disciplic succession.

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
sa kāleneha mahatā
yogo naṣṭaḥ paran-tapa

“This supreme science was thus received through the chain of

disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that

way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore

the science as it is appears to be lost.” (Bg. 4.2)

Formerly the kings (rājās) were great saintly persons.

They were not ordinary people engaged in drinking and dancing. They

were all ṛṣis (sages), up to the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

They were trained in such a way that they were not ordinary men but

were called naradeva. Naradeva refers to Bhagavān in the

form of a human being. The king was worshiped because he was a rājarṣi, both a king and a sage. Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that if the

king knows the purpose of life, he can rule well. If he does not, he

thinks that eating, sleeping, sex and defense are all in all. In this

case, his subjects live like animals. Today no one knows the object

of human life; therefore although the foolish people of this age are

trying to be happy, their hopes will never be fulfilled. Na te

viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayāḥ. People are trying to be

happy in this material world by accepting material objects, but their

plans will never be fulfilled. Therefore in world history we see that

there have been many leaders who have died working hard. They could

not adjust things properly, despite all their hard efforts. There

were Napoleon, Hitler, Gandhi, Nehru and many others, but they could

not ultimately prevail. This is durāśaya. The ultimate goal

of life is to understand Viṣṇu, yet people are going on blindly

trying to satisfy their senses. If one blind man tries to lead

another, what is the result? If both the leaders and followers are

blind, they will all fall in a ditch, for they are all bound by their

nature.

Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting, are the

beginning of bhakti, devotional service. Therefore it is

said: tāni me śraddadhānasya kīrtanyāny anukīrtaya. The word anukīrtaya means to follow the paramparā system.

First of all we must receive the information from authorities; then

we can speak the truth. One first has to learn how to describe the

Absolute Truth, Bhagavān–His actions, His mercy and His compassion

upon all living beings. The Supreme Lord is more anxious to give us

education and enlightenment than we are to receive them. He gives us

His literature, His devotees and the paramparā system, but

it is up to us to take advantage of these. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness

movement is intended to give society the proper understanding of the

Absolute Truth. We are not presenting a manufactured, bogus

philosophy. Why should we unnecessarily waste our time concocting

some philosophy? There is so much to be learned that has already been

given by the supreme authority. All we have to do is take this Vedic

literature, try to learn it and distribute it. That is Caitanya

Mahāprabhu’s mission.

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra

(Cc. Ādi 9.41)

It is the duty of everyone, especially one born in the land of

Bhāratavarṣa, India, to make his life successful by taking advantage

of this Vedic literature. Unfortunately, we are simply trying to

learn technology, and that is our misfortune. Real education means

solving all life’s problems.

Transcendental education means learning how to gain relief from

the entanglement of material life. This is made possible by learning

about the Lord’s transcendental activities.

4/ Approaching a Bona Fide Guru

CHAPTER FOUR

Approaching a Bona Fide Guru

TEXT 4

sūta uvāca
dvaipāyana-sakhas tv evaṁ
maitreyo bhagavāṁs tathā
prāhedaṁ viduraṁ prīta
ānvīkṣikyāṁ pracoditaḥ

TRANSLATION

Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: The most powerful sage Maitreya

was a friend of Vyāsadeva’s. Being encouraged and pleased by Vidura’s

inquiry about transcendental knowledge, Maitreya spoke as

follows.

PURPORT

Questions and answers are very satisfactorily dealt with when the

inquirer is bona fide and the speaker is also authorized. Here

Maitreya is considered a powerful sage, and therefore he is also

described as bhagavān. This word can be used not only for

the Supreme Personality of Godhead but for anyone who is almost as

powerful as the Supreme Lord. Maitreya is addressed as bhagavān because he was spiritually far advanced. He was a

personal friend of Dvaipāyana Vyāsadeva, a literary incarnation of

the Lord. Maitreya was very pleased with the inquiries of Vidura

because they were the inquiries of a bona fide, advanced devotee. Thus

Maitreya was encouraged to answer. When there are discourses on

transcendental topics between devotees of equal mentality, the

questions and answers are very fruitful and encouraging.

This is the Vedic process for receiving knowledge. One must

approach the proper person, the guru, and submissively

listen to him expound transcendental knowledge. As Śrī Kṛṣṇa advises

in Bhagavad-gītā (4.34):

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master.

Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him.”

Transcendental knowledge is not very difficult, but the process

must be known. Sometimes a dictating machine or a typewriter may not

work, but if we go to a technician who knows the machine, he can

immediately repair it. The process must be known. If one goes to a

ditchdigger to repair a dictating machine, he cannot help. He may

know how to dig ditches, but not repair a machine. Therefore the śāstras enjoin that if one wants transcendental knowledge,

one must approach the proper person. The word tad-vijñāna refers to transcendental knowledge, not material knowledge. A medical

practitioner may have material knowledge of the body, but he has no

knowledge of the spirit soul within. He simply studies the mechanical

arrangement of the body, which is a machine (yantra) made by

nature. The body is actually stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61)

to be a machine:

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and

is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as

on a machine made of the material energy.”

For those who are attached to this bodily machine, the yoga system is recommended. One who is overly attached to

the bodily conception is taught to concentrate the mind by some

physical gymnastics. Thus in haṭha-yoga one undergoes

various physical disciplines, but the real purpose is to understand

Viṣṇu, the Supreme. The various yoga systems are given for

the machine of the body, but the process of bhakti is

transcendental to mechanical arrangements. It is therefore called tad-vijñāna, transcendental to material understanding. If

one actually wants to understand spiritual life and spiritual

knowledge, one has to approach a guru. The word guru means “heavy,” heavy with knowledge. And what is that

knowledge? Tad-vijñāna. That heaviness is brahma-niṣṭhā–attachment to Brahman and to Para-brahman, Bhagavān. That is

the guru’s qualification. Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. According to Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.2.12), tad-vijñānārthaṁ

sa gurum evābhigacchet: “In order to understand that

transcendental science, one must approach a bona fide spiritual

master.” Similarly, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21):

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

“Any person who seriously desires to achieve real happiness must

seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by

initiation.”

The Upaniṣads inform us that the guru is one who

has received knowledge by hearing the Vedas. Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. The Vedas are called śruti, and the

bona fide guru is in the line of hearing from the disciplic

succession. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (4.2), evaṁ

paramparā-prāptam. A bona fide guru does not impart some

self-styled, concocted knowledge; his knowledge is standard and

received from the paramparā system. He is also firmly fixed in

the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (brahma-niṣṭham). These are his two qualifications: he must have heard the

Vedic knowledge through the disciplic succession, and he must be

established in service to the Supreme Lord. He does not have to be a

very learned scholar, but he must have heard from the proper

authority. God gives us the ears to hear, and simply by hearing we

may become great preachers. We don’t need Ph.D.’s or academic

examinations. One may even remain in his position; no changes are

necessary.

For this purpose there is the varṇāśrama-dharma, composed

of four varṇas and four āśramas. Unless society is

divided into these eight categories, it is simply an animal

civilization. There must be some systematized, regulated arrangement.

For instance, there are different divisions for the body: the head,

the arms, the belly and the legs. Without the four corresponding

divisions, no society can be conducted very well. There will simply

be chaos. The words sthāne sthitāḥ mean “remaining in the varṇāśrama-dharma.” Even a śūdra can understand

what is Brahman, and in that case he becomes a brāhmaṇa automatically. It is necessary that one hear attentively. That is

all.

It is stated that Vidura heard from Maitreya Ṛṣi, and that

Maitreya Ṛṣi was very pleased. Unless one satisfies hisguru, one cannot receive proper knowledge. That is quite natural. If one

receives his guru properly and seats him comfortably, and if

the guru is pleased with one’s behavior, the guru can speak very frankly and freely, and this will be very beneficial to

the student. By going to a spiritual master and asking for his

instructions and then not following them, one simply wastes his time.

Nor should one approach the spiritual master with a challenging

spirit, but should go with the aim of rendering service. The word nipat means “to fall down,” and pra means “without

reservation.” Transcendental knowledge is based on praṇipāta. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says: sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. “Just surrender unto Me.” Just as we

surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, we have to surrender unto His representative,

the spiritual master. The guru is Kṛṣṇa’s external

representative, and the internal guru is Kṛṣṇa Himself

situated in everyone’s heart. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is simply in

Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana. He is everywhere; He is even within the

atom. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is the definition of Paramātmā, the

Supersoul. I am ātmā, a spiritual soul, and you are ātmā. We are all situated locally, you within your body and

I within mine, but the Paramātmā is situated everywhere. That is the

difference between ātmā and Paramātmā. Those who are mistaken

say that there is no difference between them, but there is a

difference. They are one in the sense that both are cognizant and

both are living entities (nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām),

but they are different quantitatively. Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (13.3):

kṣetrajñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata

“O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the

knower in all bodies.” Kṣetrajña is the proprietor of the kṣetra (the body). The individual soul is actually not the

proprietor but the occupant. In a house, there is a tenant and a

landlord. The tenant is the occupant, and the landlord is the

proprietor. Similarly, the ātmā is simply the occupant of

the body; the proprietor is Paramātmā. When the landlord tells the

tenant to leave the house, the tenant must do so. Similarly, when the

Paramātmā says that we have to leave the body, we have to do so.

To receive this Vedic knowledge, we must approach the proper guru. The guru’s qualification is given in

every śāstra. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21) it is

said:

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

One should not accept a guru unless one is inquisitive to

know the ultimate goal of life. An ordinary man interested in bodily

comforts does not need a guru. Unfortunately, at the present

moment, the word guru refers to someone who can give bodily

medicine. One approaches a Mahātmājī and says, “I am suffering from

this disease. Please help me.” And the Mahātmājī says, “Yes, I have a mantra that will heal you and give you success. Give me a

little money and take it.” This is not a real guru. One

should approach a guru to learn about tattva, the

Absolute Truth. One should not search out a guru to cure

some material disease; rather, one requires a doctor. Similarly,

people think that if a person can make him successful in business,

that person is a guru. The śāstras do not confirm

this either. A guru is one who knows the Vedas and

the Vedic conclusion. The Vedic conclusion is the understanding of

Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: “By all the Vedas, I am to be known.” (Bg. 15.15)

It is not that we have to understand Kṛṣṇa fully. That is not

possible. We have no capacity to understand the unlimited. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). With our limited knowledge we cannot understand

the unlimited; indeed, even Kṛṣṇa does not understand Himself. His

attraction is unlimited, and to understand why He is so attractive,

He became Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and took on the ecstatic emotions

of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī (rādhā-bhāva-dyuti). If Kṛṣṇa cannot

comprehend the limit of His own attraction and bliss, it is certainly

not possible for us with our limited knowledge. If we can simply

understand Kṛṣṇa in part, that is our perfection. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says: janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ. If we

misunderstand Kṛṣṇa and take Him to be a human being like us, we

become mūḍhas, fools. Kṛṣṇa’s body is not composed of

material elements like ours, and if we think this way, we are

mistaken. The material nature belongs to Kṛṣṇa, and He is its

controller. We are under the control of material nature, and that is

the difference.

One who has real knowledge knows that prakṛti, material

nature, is working under Kṛṣṇa’s direction. It is not possible to

understand how all this is going on, but we can understand it in

summary. Janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś ca: everything

emanates from the Supreme Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa. This much knowledge

is sufficient. We can then increase this knowledge to understand just

how material nature is working under Kṛṣṇa’s direction. Modern

scientists mistakenly think that material nature is working

independently and that things evolve by some chemical process only.

However, life does not merely come from life or some chemical

evolution. As Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (10.8):

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything

emanates from Me.” The same conclusion is also given in Vedānta-sūtra, wherein it is stated, janmādy asya yataḥ: “Brahman is He from whom everything emanates.” “Everything” includes

living entities and inert matter. Both matter and the living entities

come from Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, the whole world is a combination of matter

and spirit, prakṛti and the living entity.

Material energy is inferior, and spiritual energy is superior.

Why? Superior energy (jīva-bhūta), the living entity, is

controlling material nature. Actually he is not controlling, but is

trying to utilize it. For instance, human beings are advanced living

entities, and they have created modern civilization by utilizing

dull, inert matter. This is our superiority. However, we are also prakṛti as well as parā prakṛti. In this way, we

have to understand tattva-jñāna.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a commentary on Vedānta-sūtra.

Vedānta-sūtra explains that the Supreme is the source of

everything, and the nature of that source is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.1): janmādy asya yato ’nvayād

itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ. That source is abhijṣa, cognizant. Matter is not cognizant; therefore the

theory of modern science that life comes from matter is incorrect.

The identity from whom everything emanates isabhijṣa, cognizant, which means He can understand. The Bhāgavatam (1.1.1) also states, tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye: Kṛṣṇa

instructed Lord Brahmā in Vedic knowledge. Unless the ultimate source

is a living entity, how can He impart knowledge? Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was compiled by Vyāsadeva, who also compiled the Vedānta-sūtra.Generally the Māyāvādīs emphasize the

commentary made on the Vedānta-sūtra by Śaṅkarācārya, the Śārīraka-bhāṣya, but that is not the original commentary on Vedānta-sūtra. The original commentary is given by the

author himself, Vyāsadeva, in the form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. To understand the actual meaning of the Vedānta-sūtra,we

must refer to the commentary made by the author himself. As stated by

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself in Bhagavad-gītā(13.5):

ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaṁ
chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak
brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva
hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ

“The knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of

activities is described by various sages in various Vedic writings–

especially in the Vedānta-sūtra–and is presented with all

reasoning as to cause and effect.”

Transcendental knowledge is therefore very logical. According to

the Vedic system, the ācārya must understandVedānta-sūtra (also called Brahma-sūtra) before he can be

accepted as an ācārya. Both the Māyāvāda-sampradāya and the

Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya have explained the Vedānta-sūtra. Without understanding Vedānta-sūtra, one cannot understand

Brahman. It is said that Vidura understood transcendental knowledge

from Maitreya, and it is stated that Maitreya is a friend of

Vyāsadeva’s. This means that both Vidura and Maitreya know what

Vyāsadeva knows. We have to approach a spiritual master who is in the

disciplic succession from Vyāsadeva. Everyone may claim to be

following Vyāsadeva, but one must actually follow him.

Vyāsadeva accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and

Arjuna also accepted Kṛṣṇa as Parabrahman, the Supreme Person. One

may say that because Arjuna was a friend of Kṛṣṇa’s, he accepted Him

in this way, but this is not the case. Arjuna gave evidence that

Vyāsadeva also accepted Kṛṣṇa.

paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum

āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve
devarṣir nāradas tathā
asito devalo vyāsaḥ
svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me

“Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the

supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine

person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You

are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as

Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You

Yourself are declaring it to me.” (Bg. 10.12–13)

Vyāsadeva accepted Kṛṣṇa as paraṁ brahma, and Vyāsadeva

began his commentary on Vedānta-sūtra with the words oṁ

namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. If we are actually interested in

understanding, we must approach a representative of Vyāsadeva like

Maitreya. Maitreya is also addressed as bhagavān, although

of course the Supreme Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa Himself (kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān

svayam). But the word bhagavān also refers to other

powerful persons like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Vyāsadeva or Maitreya.

The actual Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but these great personalities

have attained as much knowledge of Kṛṣṇa as possible. It is not

possible to have cent per cent knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. Not even Nārāyaṇa

Himself is capable of that. Yet those who follow Kṛṣṇa’s instructions

fully are sometimes called Bhagavān. There are many artificial

Bhagavāns, but a real Bhagavān is one who knows what Kṛṣṇa has taught.

Vidura was very eager to receive transcendental knowledge, and

because of this, Maitreya was very pleased with him. One can please

the spiritual master simply by surrendering to him and rendering

service, saying, “Sir, I am your most obedient servant. Please accept

me and give me instructions.” Although Arjuna was a very intimate

friend of Kṛṣṇa’s, before receiving Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā he

surrendered himself, saying, śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ

prapannam: “Now I am Your disciple and a soul surrendered unto

You. Please instruct me.” (Bg. 2.7)

This is the proper way to ask for knowledge. One does not approach

the spiritual master with a challenging spirit. One should also be

inquisitive to understand the spiritual science. It is not that one

considers himself superior to theguru. One must first find a guru to whom one can surrender, and if this is not possible,

one shouldn’t waste his time. By surrendering to the proper person,

one can very quickly come to understand transcendental knowledge.

5/ Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother,

Devahūti

CHAPTER FIVE

Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother,

Devahūti

TEXT 5

maitreya uvāca
pitari prasthite ’raṇyaṁ
mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā
tasmin bindusare ’vātsīd
bhagavān kapilaḥ kila

TRANSLATION

Maitreya said: When Kardama left for the forest, Lord

Kapila stayed on the strand of the Bindu-sarovara to please His

mother, Devahūti.

PURPORT

In the absence of the father it is the duty of the grown son to

take charge of his mother and serve her to the best of his ability so

that she will not feel separation from her husband. It is also the

duty of the husband to leave home as soon as there is a grown son to

take charge of his wife and family affairs. That is the Vedic system

of household life. One should not remain continually implicated in

household affairs up to the time of death. He must leave. Family

affairs and the wife may be taken charge of by a grown son.

Being a great yogī, Kardama Muni was not very interested

in family life. Nonetheless, he decided to marry, and Svāyambhuva

Manu brought his daughter Devahūti to him to serve as a wife. Kardama

Muni was a yogī living in a cottage, and Devahūti was a

princess, a king’s daughter. Not being used to work, she became very

skinny, and Kardama Muni took compassion upon her, thinking, “This

girl has come to me, but now she is not in a very comfortable

position.” Therefore by his yogic powers, Kardama Muni created a

large palace with many servants, gardens and other opulences. Not

only that, but he also created a great spaceship as large as a small

city. Modern airlines have prepared a 747, and although these are

very big, Kardama Muni, by his yogic powers, was able to create a

spaceship wherein there were lakes, palaces and gardens. This

spaceship could also travel all over the universe. Modern scientists

labor very hard to make a small spaceship to go to the moon, but

Kardama Muni could create a great spaceship that could travel to all

planets. This is possible by yogic powers.

There are different siddhis, or yogic perfections–aṇimā, lagimā, prāpti, and so on–and whatever yogīs choose to do, they can do. That is the real yoga system. It is not that one becomes a yogi simply by pressing his nose and performing some gymnastics. One must

actually attain the yogic siddhis. By these siddhis, the yogī can become very small or very

large, very heavy or very light. Whatever he wants, he can

immediately produce in his hand, and he can travel wherever he

desires. Kardama Muni was such a perfected siddhi-yogī. By

his wife, Devahūti, he had nine daughters, who were distributed to

the Prajāpatis like Dakṣa Mahārāja and many others. The only son of

Kardama Muni was Kapiladeva, an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. This Kapiladeva

was one of the mahā janas. The wordmahājana means

“authority,” and according to the Vedic śāstras there are

twelve authorities. These are Svayambhū, Nārada, Śambhu, Kumāra,

Kapila, Manu, Prahlāda, Janaka, Bhīṣma, Bali, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and

Yamarāja. Svayambhū is Brahmā, and Śambhu is Lord Śiva. These

authorities should be followed if we want to approach the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and understand the purpose of religious life. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. These mahājanas follow the principles set forth by the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, in Bhagavad-gītā.

We cannot very easily understand the actual truth of religious

systems, but if we follow these mahājanas, we can

understand. Kapila Muni explained the glories of devotional service

to His mother, Devahūti. If we follow Him, we may learn the truth of

devotional service. According to the system of varṇāśrama-dharma, one who is over fifty years of age must leave home, go to

the forest and completely devote his life to spiritual realization.

This is the actual varṇāśrama-dharma system. It is not a

Hindu system, for the word “Hindu” is a name given by the Muslims and

does not occur in any Vedic literature. However, the varṇāśrama-dharma is mentioned. Civilized human beings should strictly

follow the varṇāśrama institution. If one is born a brāhmaṇa, he is trained nicely as abrahmacārī, and

then he becomes a gṛhastha, a householder. When he gives up

his home, he is called avānaprastha, and after that he may

take sannyāsa. Being a yogī, Kardama Muni strictly

followed these principles; therefore as soon as Kapiladeva was grown,

Devahūti was placed in His charge. Kardama Muni then left home. As

stated in this verse: pitari prasthite ’raṇyaṁ mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā.

According to the Manu-saṁhitā, a woman should never be

given freedom. When she is not under the protection of her husband,

she must be under the protection of her sons. Women cannot properly

utilize freedom, and it is better for them to remain dependent. A

woman cannot be happy if she is independent. That is a fact. In

Western countries we have seen many women very unhappy simply for the

sake of independence. That independence is not recommended by the

Vedic civilization or by the varṇāśrama-dharma. Consequently

Devahūti was given to her grown son, Kapiladeva, and Kapiladeva was

fully aware that He had to take care of His mother. It is the duty of

the father to protect his daughter until she attains puberty and is

married to a suitable young man. The husband then takes care of the

wife. Generally a man should marry at around twenty-five years of age,

and a girl should marry no later than sixteen. If this is the case,

when the man is fifty years old, his eldest son should be around

twenty-five, old enough to take charge of the mother. According to

this calculation, Kapiladeva was about twenty-five years old and was

quite able to take charge of His mother, Devahūti. He knew that

because His father left His mother in His charge, He should take care

of her and always please her. Mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā. Kapiladeva was not irresponsible, but was always ready to please His

mother. Kapiladeva was a brahmacārī, and His mother took

lessons from Him. That is the prerogative of the male. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.32):

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim

“O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of

lower birth–women, vaiśyas [merchants] as well as śūdras [workers]–can approach the supreme destination.”

Women are considered on the same platform with śūdras, and

although a woman may be married to a brāhmaṇa, she is not

given the sacred thread. It is also said that the Mahābhārata was compiled by Vyāsadeva because the direct

Vedic knowledge could not be understood by women, śūdras and dvija-bandhus, those who are born in brāhmaṇa families but are not qualified brāhmaṇas. Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (Bhāg. 1.4.25). Consequently Mahābhārata is called the fifth Veda. The four preceding Vedas are the Sāma,

Yajur, Ṛg and Atharva. The essence of Vedic

knowledge, Bhagavad-gītā, is given within the Mahābhārata. Women are inferior to men, and Vedic

civilization is so perfect that men are given full charge of the

women. It is therefore said: mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā. The son

is always ready to see that the mother is not unhappy. Kapiladeva was

anxious that His mother not feel the absence of His father, and He

was ready to take the best care of her and give her knowledge.

Because women are supposed to be less intelligent, they should be

given knowledge, and they should also follow this knowledge. They

should follow their father’s instructions, their husband’s

instructions and the instructions of their grown, scholarly sons like

Kapiladeva. In this way, their lives can be perfect. In all cases,

women should always remain dependent.

Tasmin bindusare ’vātsīd bhagavān kapilaḥ kila. It is

noteworthy that in this verse Kapiladeva is referred to as Bhagavān,

which indicates that He possesses all wealth, fame, knowledge,

beauty, strength and renunciation. These six opulences are fully

represented in Kṛṣṇa; therefore Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme

Personality of Godhead (kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam), and

others are accepted as His expansions, or incarnations (viṣṇu-tattva). In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī has

analyzed the characteristics of Bhagavān. The first Bhagavān is Śrī

Kṛṣṇa Himself, but some of His opulences are also bestowed upon Lord

Brahmā. Lord Brahmā is a jīva-tattva, a living being like

us. If we become spiritually powerful, we can also have the post of

Lord Brahmā. Superior to Lord Brahmā is Lord Śiva, and superior to

Lord Śiva is Viṣṇu, or Lord Nārāyaṇa, and superior to all is Kṛṣṇa.

That is the analysis of the Vedic śāstras and Brahma-saṁhitā. Even Śaṅkarācārya, the Māyāvādī impersonalist

philosopher, accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead

(sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ). All the ācāryas–Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇusvāmī, Nimbārka and Śrī

Caitanya Mahāprabhu–also accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord.

Kapiladeva is an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, and He gave instructions to

His mother, Devahūti. We must distinguish between the two Kapilas.

One Kapila is this Bhagavān Kapila, and the other Kapila is the

atheist Kapila. Bhagavān Kapila is also known as Devahūti-putra

Kapila. Both Kapilas expounded Sāṅkhya philosophy, but the atheist

Kapila expounded it without understanding, perception or realization

of God. On the bank of the Bindu-sarovara Lake, Kapiladeva personally

expounded Sāṅkhya philosophy to His mother, Devahūti, just as Kṛṣṇa

personally expounded the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā to His

friend Arjuna. Like Arjuna, Devahūti was aware that she was before

her spiritual master, as indicated in the following verse. Indeed,

Lord Brahmā had informed her that her son was a powerful

incarnation.

TEXT 6

tam āsīnam akarmāṇaṁ
tattva-mārgāgra-darśanam
sva-sutaṁ devahūty āha
dhātuḥ saṁsmaratī vacaḥ

TRANSLATION

When Kapila, who could show her the ultimate goal of the

Absolute Truth, was sitting leisurely before her, Devahūti remembered

the words Brahmā had spoken to her, and she therefore began to

question Kapila as follows.

PURPORT

The ultimate goal of the Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṇa consciousness,

devotional service. The liberated stage is not final. If we simply

understand that we are not the body, that we are spirit soul, our

knowledge is insufficient. We must also act as Brahman; then our

position will be fixed.

brahmā-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the

Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments nor

desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living

entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.”

(Bg. 18.54) Bhakti is obtainable for a

liberated person; it is not for the conditioned soul. How is this

possible? In Bhagavad-gītā (14.26) Kṛṣṇa says:

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall

down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material

nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.”

We must engage in the nine processes of devotional service, the

first of which is hearing (śravaṇa). Then, under the

direction of the spiritual master and the śāstras, one can

immediately become a liberated person. One doesn’t have to endeavor

separately to become liberated if he immediately engages in

devotional service. One must have a firm conviction that he is engaged

in Kṛṣṇa’s service and is free from all material contamination. This

is imperative. The words tattva-mārga-darśanam are

elucidated elsewhere in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate. The Absolute Truth is understood

differently according to the position of the student. Some understand

the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, some as localized

Paramātmā, and others as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or

Viṣṇu. Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, are not different. They are simply different aspects of the

complete Godhead. Looking at a mountain from a distance, we may see a

hazy cloud, and if we come nearer, we may see something green. If we

actually climb the mountain, we will find many houses, trees and

animals. Our vision is of the same mountain, but due to our different

positions we see haze, greenery or variegatedness. In the final stage,

there are varieties–trees, animals, men, houses, and so on. The

Absolute Truth is not without variety. Just as there is material

variety, there is spiritual variety. Because the Māyāvādī

philosophers are seeing the Absolute Truth from a distance, they

think that the Absolute Truth has no variety. They consider variety

to be material, but this is a misunderstanding. The Absolute Truth is

described as variegated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.29):

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is

tending the cows, fulfilling all desires, in abodes built with

spiritual gems and surrounded by millions of desire trees. He is

always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds and

thousands of goddesses of fortune.”

There are Vaikuṇṭha planets in the spiritual world, and there are

devotees who are all liberated. These devotees are akṣara, which means they do not fall down into the material world. They

remain in the spiritual world of the Vaikuṇṭhas. They are also persons

like us, but they are eternal persons, complete with full knowledge

and bliss. That is the difference between them and us. That is tattva-jñāna. Unless we understand the variegatedness of the

Absolute Truth, there is a chance that we will fall down. It is not

sufficient simply to stick to the indefinite, impersonal feature of the

Absolute Truth:

āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ

(Bhāg. 10.2.32)

Because the impersonalists are not allowed to enter the Vaikuṇṭha

planets, they simply remain in the Brahman effulgence. Thus they fall

down again into material variety. We have seen many impersonalist sannyāsīs who first of all give up the world as false

(brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā). They consider themselves

Brahman (ahaṁ brahmāsmi), consider the world false

(jagat is mithyā), and, having nothing more to do

with the material world, finally say, “I have become Nārāyaṇa.” Then

they come to the stage of daridra-nārāyaṇa (poor Nārāyaṇa).

They become Nārāyaṇa, but for want of anything better to do, for want

of variegatedness, they take up material humanitarian activities.

Although they consider their wives mithyā (false), they

return. “You have already left. Why do you come back again?” the

wives ask. This means that these so-called sannyāsīs have

nothing to do. They undergo severe penances and austerities to reach

the platform of impersonal Brahman, but because there is no pleasure

there, they again descend to enjoy material variety.

We may build a nice spaceship and send it off into space, and the

astronauts may go up there and fly in the impersonal sky, but

eventually they will become tired and pray to God, “Please let us

return to land.” We have read that the Russian astronauts were simply

missing Moscow while they were traveling in space. This impersonal

traveling is actually very agitating; similarly, impersonal

realization of the Absolute Truth cannot be permanent because one

wants variety. A falldown is inevitable. When one gentleman read my

book Easy Journey to Other Planets, he became very

enthusiastic about going to other planets. “Oh, yes,” I said, “we can

go with this book.” “Yes,” the gentleman said, “then I shall come

back.” “Why return? You should remain there.” “No, no,” he said. “I

don’t want to remain. I just want to go and come back.” This is the

“enjoying” mentality. Without variety, we cannot enjoy. Variety is

the mother of enjoyment, and Brahman realization or Paramātmā

realization does not give us steady ānanda, bliss. We want ānanda. Ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt. The living entities are

Brahman; Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying perpetual ānanda, and, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we also want ānanda. Ānandacannot be impersonal or void; ānanda entails variety. No one is simply interested in drinking milk and

eating sugar, but with milk and sugar we can make a variety of foods–perā, barfī, kṣīra, rabrī, dahī, and so on. There are

hundreds of preparations. In any case, variety is required for

enjoyment.

The last word of tattva-jñāna is to understand Kṛṣṇa, who

is full of variety. Kapiladeva is tattva-mārgāgra-darśanam. He is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He

will explain to His mother what tattva is, how one can

approach the tattva-jñāna, and how one can actually enjoy tattva-jñāna. This is not simply dry speculation. This Kṛṣṇa

consciousness philosophy includes spiritual variety. People sometimes

misunderstand this variety to be material, and they hanker for nirviśeṣa, nirākāra, void. However, our philosophy is not

void; it is full of variety and transcendental bliss. This will later

be specifically enunciated by Lord Kapiladeva.

6/ Devahūti Desires Transcendental Knowledge

CHAPTER SIX

Devahūti Desires
Transcendental Knowledge

TEXT 7

devahūtir uvāca
nirviṇṇā nitarāṁ bhūmann
asad-indriya-tarṣaṇāt
yena sambhāvyamānena
prapannāndhaṁ tamaḥ prabho

TRANSLATION

Devahūti said: I am very sick of the disturbance caused

by my material senses, for because of this sense disturbance, my

Lord, I have fallen into the abyss of ignorance.

PURPORT

Here, at the beginning of Devahūti’s questionings, the word asad-indriya-tarṣaṇāt is significant. Asat means

“impermanent,” “temporary,” indriya means “senses,” and tarṣaṇāt refers to agitation. Thus asad-indriya-tarṣaṇātmeans “from being agitated by the temporarily manifest

senses of the material body.” We are evolving through different

species of material bodily existence–sometimes in a human body,

sometimes in an animal body–and therefore the engagements of our

material senses are also changing. Anything which changes is called

temporary, or asat. We should know that beyond these

temporary senses are our permanent senses, which are now covered by

the material body. The permanent senses, being contaminated by

matter, are not acting properly. Devotional service, therefore,

involves freeing the senses from this contamination. When the

contamination is completely removed and the senses act in the purity

of unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we have then attained sad-indriya, or eternal sense activities. Eternal sensory activities

are called devotional service, whereas temporary sensory activities

are called sense gratification. Unless one becomes tired of material

sense gratification, there is no opportunity to hear transcendental

messages from a person like Kapila. Devahūti expressed that she was

tired. Now that her husband had left home, she wanted to get relief

by hearing the instructions of Lord Kapila.

The Vedic literatures describe this material world as darkness.

Actually it is dark, and therefore we require sunlight, moonlight and

electricity. If it were not by nature dark, why would we require so

many arrangements for artificial light? The Vedas enjoin that

we should not remain in darkness: tamasi mā jyotir gama. We are instructed to go to the light, and that light is the spiritual

world, which is directly lighted by the effulgence, or bodily rays,

of Kṛṣṇa. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40):

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
kotiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam
tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great

power. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the

impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited and

which displays the varieties of countless planets, with their

different opulences, in millions and millions of universes.”

Animals have no ability to know that they are in darkness, but

human beings can know. Like Devahūti, an intelligent person should

become disgusted with the darkness of ignorance. Na hanyate

hanyamāne śarīre. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.20),

there is neither birth nor death for the soul. The soul is not

destroyed when the body is annihilated. The soul puts bodies on and

takes them off like clothes. This simple knowledge is instructed in

the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, yet there are many big

scholars and leaders who still cannot understand that the body is

different from the person. This is because they do not study Bhagavad-gītā in the proper way. Consequently no one is

fully aware or convinced that the real person is not the body. This

is called darkness, and when one is disgusted with this darkness,

human life begins.

One who has become disgusted with material existence needs the

instructions of a guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya

uttamam. Being the wife of a great yogī, Devahūti

understood her constitutional position; therefore she is placing her

problem before her son, Kapiladeva, an incarnation of God. Although

Kapiladeva is her son, Devahūti does not hesitate to take

instructions from Him. She does not say, “Oh, He is my son. What can

He tell me? I am His mother, and I shall instruct Him.” Instruction

has to be taken from one who is in knowledge. It doesn’t matter what

his position is, whether he is a son, a boy, a śūdra, brāhmaṇa,

sannyāsī or gṛhastha. One should simply learn from one

who knows. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instruction. Although

Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself was a brāhmaṇa and a sannyāsī, He took instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya, who was

aśūdra and gṛhastha but nonetheless, very exalted

spiritually. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw that Rāmānanda Rāya was

hesitant to give instructions, the Lord said, “Why are you

hesitating? Although you are a gṛhastha and are born in a śūdra family, I am prepared to take lessons from you.”

kibā viprā, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya

(Cc. Madhya 8.128)

This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teaching. Whoever is qualified in

Kṛṣṇa consciousness can become a guru. His family or material

identity does not matter. He simply must know the science. When we

consult an engineer, a doctor or a lawyer, we do not ask whether he

is a brāhmaṇa or a śūdra. If he is qualified, he can

help with a particular subject. Similarly, if one knows the science

of Kṛṣṇa, he can be a guru. Devahūti was taking lessons from

her son because He knew the science of Kṛṣṇa. Even if gold is in a

filthy place, we should take it. It is also stated in the Vedas that if a girl is highly qualified or beautiful, she

can be accepted in marriage even though born in a lower family. Thus

it is not birth that is important, but qualification. Caitanya

Mahāprabhu wanted everyone in India to know the science of Kṛṣṇa and

preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is very simple. We need only repeat

what Kṛṣṇa has said or what has been said about Kṛṣṇa in the Vedic

literatures.

Human society cannot be happy without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa is

the supreme enjoyer, and we are His servants. The master is enjoying,

and the servants are helping the master enjoy. We living entities are

eternal servants of God, and our duty is to help our master enjoy.

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the topmost servant of Kṛṣṇa, and Her business is

always to keep Kṛṣṇa pleased. Kṛṣṇa is very fond of Rādhārāṇī because

She renders the best service. Her sixty-four qualifications are

mentioned in the Vedic literatures. Unfortunately, in the material

world we are busy trying to enjoy our material senses. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.42):

indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur
indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ
manasas tu parā buddhir
yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ

“The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher

than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he

(the soul) is even higher than the intelligence.” The soul is on the

spiritual platform. On the material platform, we are interested in

gratifying our senses. In this way we become implicated in the laws

of nature. As stated in the śāstras:

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
na sādhu manye yata ātmano ’yam
asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ

“When a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he

certainly becomes mad after materialistic living and engages in all

kinds of sinful activity. He does not know that due to his past

misdeeds he has already received a body which, although temporary, is

the cause of his misery. Actually the living entity should not have

taken on a material body, but he has been awarded the material body

for sense gratification. Therefore I think it not befitting an

intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense

gratification by which he perpetually gets material bodies one after

another.” (Bhāg. 5.5.4)

Living entities in this material world are very busy trying to

gratify their senses. In the street we see many dogs assembled for

sex. This may seem very crude, but human beings are engaged in the

same business, perhaps in a more elaborate way. We should know that

sense gratification is meant for animals, and that sense control is

for human beings. By tapasya, penance, we can purify

ourselves and regain our eternal life.

Actually our material senses are not our real senses. They are

covered, just as the body is covered by clothes. Our real body is

within the material body. Dehino ’smin yathā dehe. The

spiritual body is within the material body. The material body is

changing, going through childhood, youth, then old age, and then it

vanishes. Although this is not our real body, we are engaged in sense

gratification with it. However, for our own ultimate happiness, we

should try to purify our senses. There is no question of destroying

the senses or becoming desireless. Desire is a material activity, and

becoming desireless is not possible. The senses must be purified in

order for us to act through them transcendentally. Bhakti-yoga does not require us to destroy our senses, but to purify

them. When the senses are purified, we can serve Kṛṣṇa:

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

“Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our

senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders

service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed

from all material designations, and, simply by being employed in the

service of the Lord, one’s senses are purified.” (Nārada

Pañcarātra)

We can serve Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses, through the

senses. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, just as the hand is part and

parcel of the body. Similarly, our senses are also part and parcel of

the spiritual body of Kṛṣṇa. When we purify our senses, we can act in

our original constitutional position and serve Kṛṣṇa. When we forget

our position and try to satisfy ourselves, we become conditioned

materially. When we forget that our duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa, we fall

into the material world and become implicated in personal sense

gratification. As long as we continue trying to satisfy our own

senses, we have to accept another body. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that if we

want to become tigers, He will give us a tiger body. If we want to

become devotees, He will give us the body of a devotee. This life is

a preparation for the next, and if we want to enjoy our

transcendental senses, we have to purify ourselves to return home,

back to Godhead. For this purpose, Devahūti is submitting to her son

just as a disciple submits to his master.

TEXT 8

tasya tvaṁ tamaso ’ndhasya
duṣpārasyādya pāragam
sac-cakṣur janmanām ante
labdhaṁ me tvad-anugrahāt

TRANSLATION

Your Lordship is my only means of getting out of this

darkest region of ignorance because You are my transcendental eye,

which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, many

births.

PURPORT

This verse is very instructive, since it indicates the

relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple. The

disciple or conditioned soul is put into this darkest region of

ignorance and therefore is entangled in the material existence of

sense gratification. It is very difficult to get out of this

entanglement and attain freedom, but if one is fortunate enough to

get the association of a spiritual master like Kapila Muni or His

representative, then by his grace one can be delivered from the mire

of ignorance. The spiritual master is therefore worshiped as one who

delivers the disciple from the mire of ignorance with the light of

the torch of knowledge. The word pāragam is very

significant. Pāragam refers to one who can take the disciple

to the other side. This side is conditioned life; the other side is

the life of freedom. The spiritual master takes the disciple to the

other side by opening his eyes with knowledge. We are suffering

simply because of ignorance. By the instruction of the spiritual

master, the darkness of ignorance is removed, and thus the disciple

is enabled to go to the side of freedom. It is stated

inBhagavad-gītā that after many, many births one surrenders

to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, if, after many,

many births, one is able to find a bona fide spiritual master and

surrender to such a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, he can be taken

to the side of light.

The bona fide spiritual master is a true Vedāntist, for he actually

knows Vedānta and the Vedas and understands the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. The word veda means

“knowledge,” and anta means “last phase.” There are

different types of knowledge. We are interested in ordinary knowledge

for economic benefit, but that is not actual knowledge. That is the

art of livelihood. One may study to be an electrician and earn his

livelihood by repairing electric lines. This kind of knowledge is

called śilpa-jñāna. Real knowledge, however, is Vedic

knowledge, knowing oneself, what one is and what God is and

understanding one’s relationship with God, and one’s duty.

One who is searching after knowledge is called jñānavān. Knowledge begins with the inquiry athāto brahma-jijñāsā: “What is Brahman?” Knowledge also begins by understanding the

threefold miseries of the material world–ādhyātmika,

ādhibhautika and ādhidaivika. We are suffering from

miseries caused by other living entities and acts of nature as well

as from miseries arising from the body and mind themselves. The soul

is aloof from the body and mind, but he suffers due to material

contamination. We have no control over these threefold miseries. They

are controlled by Kṛṣṇa’s maidservant, goddess Durgā, who is material

nature. She is not independent of Kṛṣṇa. However, she is so powerful

that she can create and maintain. Prakṛti, nature, can be

very unkind. Mother Durgā is often portrayed as chastising demons by

piercing them with a trident.

Those who are learned and intelligent look to the mercy of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead for relief from the threefold miseries

of material existence. Although this material world is nothing but

darkness, people are very proud of their eyes. They are always

saying, “Can you show me God?” The answer to that is: “Have you the

eyes to see God?” Why is the emphasis placed on seeing? Certainly,

God can be seen, as stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38), premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: “Govinda [Kṛṣṇa] is

always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed by the pulp of

love.”

If we are devotees, lovers of God, the ointment of love will clear

our eyes. In order to see God, we have to cleanse our eyes by wiping

away the cataracts of material contamination. Although we may be

eager to see God, we cannot see Him with these material eyes. Not

only can we not see Him, but we cannot understand Him, although His

name is there. Understanding God means first of all understanding His

name. Therefore from the beginning we should chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. God is not different from His name. Kṛṣṇa’s name

and Kṛṣṇa’s person are the same. “Absolute” means that Kṛṣṇa’s name,

form, place, dress, pastimes and everything are nondifferent from

Him. Kṛṣṇa is present in His name, but because we have no love for

Him, we cannot see Him.

Sanātana Gosvāmī was a great learned scholar, and he was called a paṇḍita, which indicates that he was a

learnedbrāhmaṇa. When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Śrī

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he said, “The people in my neighborhood are

calling me a paṇḍita, and I am very unhappy because of

this.” Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Why are you dissatisfied?” Sanātana

Gosvāmī replied, “I am such a poor paṇḍita that I do not

even know the goal of life. I do not even know what is beneficial for

me. I am simply being carried away by sense gratification.” In this

way, Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He did not

approach Him to get some gold or some medicine. He went to find out

his real self-interest. This is the real purpose for approaching a guru.

Devahūti approached Lord Kapiladeva in the same way. She said, “My

dear Kapila, You have come as my son, but You are my guru because You can inform me how I can cross the ocean of nescience,

which is the material world.” Thus one who feels the need to cross

the dark ocean of nescience, which is material existence, requires a guru. It is not the guru’s task to supply gold and

medicine. Now it has become a fashion to keep a guru as if

he were a dog or a cat. This is of no use. We must inquire about that

portion of God’s creation which is beyond this darkness.

TheUpaniṣads and Bhagavad-gītā describe another

world, beyond this material nature. According to Kṛṣṇa

in Bhagavad-gītā (15.6):

na tad bhāsayate sūryo
na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

“That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by

electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material

world.”

It is not possible for us to go to that para-vyoma by

material means. It is impossible to penetrate the material universe

unless one understands Kṛṣṇa. One can be enlightened by the mercy of

God because Kṛṣṇa Himself comes to give us information. If He does not

come personally, He sends His devotee, or He leaves behind Him Bhagavad-gītā. However, we are so foolish that we do not

take advantage of them. We do not take advantage of His devotee, who

hankers to give this knowledge, sacrificing everything. Therefore Śrī

Caitanya Mahāprabhu said:

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

“The fallen, conditioned living entity, trapped by the external

energy, loiters in the material world, but if by good fortune he

meets a bona fide representative of the Lord, and if he takes

advantage of such a guru, he receives the seed of devotional

service.” (Cc. Madhya 19.151)

The seed of devotional service is received by a most fortunate

person. Those who are cultivating bhakti in the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness are the most

fortunate people in the world. By Kṛṣṇa’s mercy one can receive the bhakti-latā-bīja, the seed of devotional service. Unless one

is free from the reactions of sin, one cannot understand bhakti or Bhagavān. Therefore we must act piously by giving

up illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. If we lead a

pious life, we can understand God. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement

is engaged in training people to this end so that their lives will be

successful.

TEXT 9

ya ādyo bhagavān puṁsām
īśvaro vai bhavān kila
lokasya tamasāndhasya
cakṣuḥ sūrya ivoditaḥ

TRANSLATION

You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin

and Supreme Lord of all living entities. You have arisen to

disseminate the rays of the sun in order to dissipate the darkness of

the ignorance of the universe.

PURPORT

Kapila Muni is accepted as an incarnation of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Here the word ādyameans “the

origin of all living entities,” and puṁsām īśvaraḥ means

“the Lord (īśvara) of the living entities” (īśvaraḥ

paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ). Kapila Muni is the direct expansion of Kṛṣṇa, who

is the sun of spiritual knowledge. The sun dissipates the darkness of

the universe, and when the light of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead comes down, it at once similarly dissipates the darkness of māyā. We have our eyes, but without the light of the sun,

our eyes are of no value. Similarly, without the light of the Supreme

Lord, or without the divine grace of the spiritual master, one cannot

see things as they are.

In this verse, Devahūti also addresses her son as Bhagavān.

Bhagavān is the Supreme Person. If we could just use a little common

sense we could understand that an organization requires a leader.

Without a leader, we cannot organize anything. Foolish philosophers

say that the universe automatically came into being by nature. They

say that in the beginning there was a chunk, and this cosmic

manifestation came out of that chunk of matter. But where did this

chunk come from? The fact is that there must be a brain, a leader,

behind anything organized. We have information of this leader from

the Vedas: nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. The Supreme

Lord is eternal, and we are also eternal. But the Supreme Lord is

one, and we are many. The Supreme Lord is very great, and we are very

small. He is all-pervading and infinite, and we are finite and

infinitesimal. Even if we analyze the creation, we will find that not

everyone is on the same level. One person is more intelligent or

opulent than another. If we analyze things in this way, we will come

to the demigods, and among them we will find that the most important

demigod is Lord Brahmā. He is the original creature within this

universe, yet he is not the most intelligent being. It is said that

in the beginning, Brahmā received knowledge from the Supreme

Personality of Godhead.

Recently newspapers are reporting that faith in a personal God is

diminishing. This means that people are becoming more and more

foolish. This is natural in Kali-yuga, for as the age of Kali

progresses, bodily strength, memory and mercy diminish. We actually

see that the present generation is not as strong as the previous.

People also have short memories. We also understand that sometimes

people are killed while other people pass by, not caring. Thus mercy

is also diminishing. Because everything is diminishing, God

consciousness is diminishing also; therefore it is natural to receive

news that faith in a personal God is diminishing. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.15), one who does not accept a personal God is described

as a mūḍha, a fool.

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

“Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind,

whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the

atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.”

Actually, people today do not even know the meaning of God, so

there is no question of surrender. There are also those who are

scholarly and well educated, but their knowledge is taken away by māyā, illusion. Although they may superficially hold degrees,

they have no real knowledge. They are also asuras, demons

who simply defy God, saying, “I am God, you are God. Why are you

searching for God? There are many Gods loitering in the street. Take

care of them.” Therefore it is not surprising that newspapers report

that faith in a personal God is decreasing. Nonetheless, God is a

person. Ya ādyo bhagavān. Lord Brahmā also worships Kṛṣṇa by

saying, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. He says, “I

worship that original person, Govinda.” Ādi-puruṣam, Kṛṣṇa,

has no one preceding Him; therefore He is called original. It is said

that Kṛṣṇa was born of Vasudeva, but this simply means that Kṛṣṇa

accepted Vasudeva as His father. Śrī Kṛṣṇa deals with His devotees in

different relationships, or rasas–śānta, dāsya, sakhya,

vātsalya and mādhurya.

We all have some relationship with Kṛṣṇa, but presently that is

covered. Therefore we have to revive it. Simple appreciation of the

Supreme is called śānta-rasa. When one appreciates the

Supreme fully, he wishes to render some service, and that is called dāsya. When one becomes more intimate, he becomes a friend

of Kṛṣṇa’s, and that is called sakhya. When one is more

advanced, he wants to render service to Kṛṣṇa as a father or a mother,

and this is vātsalya. Being a father or a mother means

serving the son. The Christian conception of God as the Supreme

Father is not very perfect because if we conceive of God as a father,

our position will be to take things from Him. Everyone wants to take

something from the father. One is always saying, “Father, give me

this. Father, give me that.” However, accepting the Supreme Lord as

one’s son means rendering service. Yaśodā-mayī got Kṛṣṇa as her son,

and she was always anxious that He not be in danger. Thus she was

always protecting Him. Actually Kṛṣṇa protects the entire universe,

but Yaśodā was giving protection to Kṛṣṇa. This is Vaiṣṇava

philosophy. Yaśodā became mad when she saw Kṛṣṇa taken away by the

Tṛṇāvarta demon. However, Kṛṣṇa became so heavy that the demon could

not fly in the sky, and thus the demon fell to the earth and died.

Yaśodā immediately said, “God has saved my Kṛṣṇa!” She then began to

thank some other God, some devatā. She did not know that

Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If she had thought of

Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the relationship between

mother and son would have been destroyed. Therefore Kṛṣṇa was playing

just like an ordinary child, and mother Yaśodā was treating Him as

her son. Kṛṣṇa’s friends, the cowherd boys, did not consider Him the

Supreme Lord either. The gopīs even used to chastise Kṛṣṇa.

If a devotee can have such a relationship with Kṛṣṇa, why should he

want to become one with God? It is better to be God’s father, God’s

controller. This is bhakti-mārga, the path of devotional

service. A devotee does not want to be equal to God or one with God.

He simply wants to render service.

In order to understand the Absolute Truth, we have to understand

the meaning of Bhagavān. Devahūti was not an ordinary woman. She was

the wife of Kardama Muni, a great yogī. She had obviously

learned something from her husband, for had she not been very

exalted, how could Bhagavān Kapiladeva have become her son? Everyone

should know what is Bhagavān and take lessons from Bhagavān. Lord

Kapila is Bhagavān, and He personally instructed His mother in

Sāṅkhya philosophy. By this knowledge we can develop or awaken our

dormant love for God. Then we can see God when our eyes are anointed

with love for Him. Indeed, we can see God everywhere and at all

times. We will see God and nothing but God. We will see God not only

within our hearts. If we go to the ocean, we will see God. If one is

a little thoughtful, he will see that the great ocean stays in its

place. The ocean has received its orders not to go beyond such and

such a limit. Any intelligent man can see God while walking down the

beach. However, this requires a little intelligence. People who are

asses, mūḍhas, duṣkṛtīs, cannot see God, but those who are

intelligent can see God everywhere because God is omnipresent. He is

within the universe and within our heart, and He is even within the

atom. Why are we saying that we cannot see Him? God says, “Try to see

Me in this way, but if you are too dull, then try to see Me another

way.”

What is the easy way? Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā, “I am

the taste of water.” Is there anyone who has not tasted water? He

also says, “I am the light of the sun.” Is there anyone who has not

seen sunshine? Then why are people saying, “I have not seen God”?

First of all we have to try to see God. It is as easy as

ABCD. When we see God everywhere, we will see the personal God. Then

we will understand.

Bhagavān puṁsām īśvaraḥ. Bhagavān is īśvara, the

controller. We are not independent. No one can actually say, “I am

independent.” We are bound tightly by the modes of material nature,

and yet we are thinking that we are independent. This is simply

foolishness. Therefore it is said that all the people in the material

world are blinded by the darkness of ignorance. When people are

blind, out of their ignorance they say, “There is no God. I cannot

see God.” Then God comes as Kṛṣṇa or Kapiladeva and says, “Here I am.

See My features. I am a person. I play the flute and enjoy Myself in

Vṛndāvana. Why can’t you see Me?” Thus God comes, explains Himself

and leaves behind His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā. Still,

people are so foolish that they claim not to understand God. If we

try to see God through the instructions given to Devahūti by Lord

Kapila, our lives will be successful.

TEXT 10

atha me deva sammoham
apākraṣṭuṁ tvam arhasi
yo ’vagraho ’haṁ mametīty
etasmin yojitas tvayā

TRANSLATION

Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion. Due

to my feeling of false ego, I have been engaged by Your māyā and have

identified myself with the body and consequent bodily

relations.

PURPORT

Māyā is the false ego of identifying one’s body with

one’s self and of claiming things possessed in relationship with the

body. In Bhagavad-gītā, fifteenth chapter, the Lord says, “I

am sitting in everyone’s heart, and from Me comes everyone’s

remembrance and forgetfulness.” Devahūti has stated that false

identification of the body with the self and attachment for bodily

possessions are also under the direction of the Lord. Does this mean

that the Lord discriminates by engaging one in His devotional service

and another in sense gratification? If that were true, it would be an

incongruity on the part of the Supreme Lord, but that is not the

actual fact. As soon as the living entity forgets his real

constitutional position of eternal servitorship to the Lord and wants

instead to enjoy himself by sense gratification, he is captured by māyā. This capture leads to the consciousness of false

identification with the body and attachment for the possessions of the

body. These are the activities of māyā, and since māyā is also an agent of the Lord, it is indirectly the

action of the Lord. The Lord is merciful; if anyone wants to forget

Him and enjoy this material world, He gives him full facility, not

directly but through the agency of His material potency. Therefore,

since the material potency is the Lord’s energy, indirectly it is the

Lord who gives the facility to forget Him. Devahūti therefore said,

“My engagement in sense gratification was also due to You. Now kindly

get me free from this entanglement.”

By the grace of the Lord one is allowed to enjoy this material

world, but when one is disgusted with material enjoyment and is

frustrated, and when one sincerely surrenders unto the lotus feet of

the Lord, then the Lord is so kind that He frees one from

entanglement. Kṛṣṇa says, therefore, in Bhagavad-gītā, “First

of all surrender, and then I will take charge of you and free you

from all reactions of sinful activities.” Sinful activities are those

activities performed in forgetfulness of our relationship with the

Lord. In this material world, activities for material enjoyment that

are considered pious are also sinful. For example, one sometimes

gives money in charity to a needy person with a view to get back the

money four times increased. Giving with the purpose of gaining

something is called charity in the mode of passion. Everything done

here is done in the modes of material nature, and therefore all

activities but service to the Lord are sinful. Because of sinful

activities we become attracted by the illusion of material

attachment, and we think, “I am this body.” I think of the body as

myself and of bodily possessions as “mine.” Devahūti requested Lord

Kapila to free her from that entanglement of false identification and

false possession.

In asking this, Devahūti is accepting her son, Kapila, as her guru. He consequently tells her how to solve all material

problems. Material life is nothing but sex attraction. Puṁsaḥ

striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.8).

Material life means that men are after women and women are after men.

We find this not only in human society but in bird, dog, cat and

demigod society. As soon as people join to satisfy their sex desire,

the attraction becomes greater and greater. An apartment is needed

for privacy, and then one has to earn a livelihood and acquire some

land. Without children, married life is frustrated, and of course the

children have to be educated. Thus one becomes entangled in material

life by creating so many situations, but at the time of death Kṛṣṇa

comes and takes away everything–house, land, wife, children,

friends, reputation and whatever. Then we have to begin another life.

It is not that we simply die and finish everything. We are living

eternally; the body is finished, but we have to accept another body

out of the 8,400,000 forms. In this way, our life is going on, but we

are thinking in terms of wife, children, and so forth. This is all

illusion.

In any case, we will not be allowed to stay here, and although we

are attached to all this, everything will be taken away at death.

Whatever post we are occupying–be it president or Lord Brahmā–we

are occupying temporarily. We may be here five years, ten years, one

hundred years or five million years. Whatever, our position is

limited. Our position in the material world is not eternal, but we are eternal. Why, then, should we be illusioned by the

noneternal? By nature we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. In order to transcend the darkness

of material life and go to the world of light, we need to approach a guru. It is for this reason that Devahūti is approaching

Lord Kapiladeva.

In the morning, when the sun arises, the darkness of night

immediately goes away. Similarly, when God or His incarnation comes,

the darkness of material life is dissipated. When Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, came, Arjuna’s illusion was dispelled. He was

thinking, “Why should I fight with my relatives?” Actually the whole

world is going on under this conception of “my” and “mine.” There are

fights between nations, societies, communities and families. People

are thinking, “Why are you interfering with my business?” Then there

is a fight. Because of illusion, we do not consider these situations

temporary. On a train, people may argue and fight over a seat, but one

who knows that he will only be on the train for two or three hours

thinks, “Why should I fight? I shall only be here for a short while.”

One person thinks in this way, and the other person is ready to fight,

thinking that his seat is permanent. No one will be allowed to stay

within this material world; everyone will have to change his body and

position, and as long as one remains here, he will have to fight and

struggle for existence. This is the way of material life. We may

temporarily make some compromises, but ultimately the material world

is full of misery.

We are very much attached to this material world, but according to

the Vedic system, renunciation is compulsory, for when one reaches

the age of fifty, he renounces his family life. Nature gives warning,

“You are now past fifty. That’s all right. You have fought in this

material world. Now stop this business.” Children play on the beach

and make houses out of sand, but after a while the father comes and

says, “Now, my dear children, time is up. Stop this business and come

home.” This is the business of the guru–to teach his

disciples detachment. The world is not our place; our place is

Vaikuṇṭha-loka. Kṛṣṇa also comes to remind us of this. The dharma, or order, of the Supreme Person is to become His

devotee and always think of Him. Kṛṣṇa says:

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and

worship Me.” (Bhagavad-gītā 9.34)

In this way, Kṛṣṇa opens the door, but we unfortunately do not

accept Him. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, “Because you are My friend, I am

revealing to you the most confidential dharma.” What is that?

“Simply surrender unto Me.” This is the dharma taught by the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Kṛṣṇa’s incarnation and His

devotee will teach the same dharma.

We are all after happiness, but we do not know how to enjoy

happiness. We want to enjoy our senses, but it is not possible with

these covered false senses. The senses must be opened, and that is

the process of purification. We are thinking of ourselves according to

so many false material identifications, but we should take Śrī

Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s advice: jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya—kṛṣṇera

‘nitya-dāsa.’We must come to understand, “I am the eternal

servant of Kṛṣṇa.” After all, our senses are employed for the

satisfaction of somebody–either for ourselves or for someone else.

That is kāma, krodha, lobha and matsarya–illusion.

If we are not serving our own lusty desires (kāma), we are

serving anger (krodha). If I am the master of anger, I can

control my anger, and if I am the master of my desires, I can control

my desires. In any case, I am a servant, and my service should be

transferred to Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection of life.

If we are situated in the transcendental position

(bhakti), we can understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood

by mental speculation; otherwise He would have said that He could be

understood by jñāna, karma or yoga. However, He

clearly says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: “Only by devotional

service can I be understood.” If we want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, we

have to accept the process of bhakti. It is this bhakti process that Kapiladeva will reveal to Devahūti.

TEXT 11

taṁ tvā gatāhaṁ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
sva-bhṛtya-saṁsāra-taroḥ kuṭhāram
jijṣāsayāhaṁ prakṛteḥ pūruṣasya
namāmi sad-dharma-vidāṁ variṣṭham

TRANSLATION

Devahūti continued: I have taken shelter of Your lotus

feet because You are the only person of whom to take shelter. You are

the ax which can cut the tree of material existence. I therefore

offer my obeisances unto You, who are the greatest of all

transcendentalists, and I inquire from You as to the relationship

between man and woman and between spirit and matter.

PURPORT

Sāṅkhya philosophy, as is well known, deals with prakṛti and puruṣa. Puruṣa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead or

anyone who imitates the Supreme Personality of Godhead as an enjoyer,

and prakṛti is nature. In this material world, material

nature is being exploited by the puruṣas, or the living

entities. The intricacies in the material world of the relationship

of the prakṛti and puruṣa, or the enjoyed and the

enjoyer, give rise to saṁsāra, or material entanglement.

Devahūti wanted to cut the tree of material entanglement, and she

found the suitable weapon in Kapila Muni. The tree of material

existence is explained in the fifteenth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā as anaśvattha tree whose root is upward and whose

branches are downward. It is recommended there that one has to cut

the root of this material existential tree with the ax of detachment.

What is the attachment? The attachment involves prakṛti and puruṣa. The living entities are trying to lord it over

material nature. Since the conditioned soul takes material nature to

be the object of his enjoyment, and he takes the position of the

enjoyer, he is therefore called puruṣa.

Devahūti questioned Kapila Muni, for she knew that only He could

cut her attachment to this material world. The living entities, in

the guises of men and women, are trying to enjoy the material energy;

therefore in one sense everyone is puruṣa because puruṣa means “enjoyer,” and prakṛti means “enjoyed.”

In this material world both so-called men and women are imitating the

real puruṣa; the Supreme Personality of Godhead is actually

the enjoyer in the transcendental sense, whereas all others are prakṛti.

In Bhagavad-gītā, matter is analyzed as aparā, or inferior nature, whereas beyond this inferior nature there is

another, superior nature–the living entities. Living entities are

also prakṛti, or enjoyed, but under the spell

ofmāyā, the living entities are falsely trying to take the

position of enjoyers. That is the cause of saṁsāra-bandha, or conditional life. Devahūti wanted to get out of conditional life

and place herself in full surrender. The Lord isśaraṇya, which means “the only worthy personality to whom one can fully

surrender,” because He is full of all opulences. If anyone actually

wants relief, the best course is to surrender unto the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. The Lord is also described here as sad-dharma-vidāṁ variṣṭham. This indicates that of all transcendental

occupations, the best is eternal loving service unto the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Dharma is sometimes translated as

“religion,” but that is not exactly the meaning. Dharma actually means “that which one cannot give up,” “that which is

inseparable from oneself.” The warmth of fire is inseparable from fire;

therefore warmth is called the dharma, or nature, of fire.

Similarly, sad-dharma means “eternal occupation.” That

eternal occupation is engagement in the transcendental loving service

of the Lord. The purpose of Kapiladeva’s Sāṅkhya philosophy is to

propagate pure, uncontaminated devotional service, and therefore He

is addressed here as the most important personality among those who

know the transcendental occupation of the living entity.

As pointed out before, Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, is everyone’s real shelter (śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyam).

Everyone is seeking shelter because we are all constitutionally

servants. Originally we are servants of God; therefore it is our

nature to take His shelter. Some seek an occupation or the service of

a great man; others seek the service of the government or whatever.

In any case, the ultimate shelter is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. Being Kṛṣṇa’s incarnation, Kapiladeva is also a shelter. Kṛṣṇa

has unlimited forms and unlimited incarnations. It is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that His incarnations are expanding

continuously, like waves in the ocean. Indeed, we cannot even count

them. In Brahma-saṁhitā it is said: Advaitam acyutam

anādim ananta-rūpam. In India there are many thousands of

temples, and within these temples there are arcā-vigrahas, Deities. All these Kṛṣṇas are nondifferent; they are one. Kṛṣṇa resides

in Vaikuṇṭha and also in the temple. The Kṛṣṇas are not different,

although they are ananta, unlimited. Kṛṣṇa is also the

witness within everyone’s heart, and He is seeing all of our

activities. We cannot hide anything from Him, and we receive the

results of our karma because the witness is Kṛṣṇa Himself

within the heart. How, then, can we avoid Him? Without Kṛṣṇa’s

permission, we cannot do anything. Why does Kṛṣṇa give us permission

to do something wrong? He does so because we persist. Actually He

does not tell us to do anything other than surrender unto Him. We

want to do something, and Kṛṣṇa may sanction it, but we go ahead and

do it at our own risk. Kṛṣṇa is not responsible. However, we should

know that without the sanction of Kṛṣṇa, we cannot do anything. That

is a fact. Actually we are constitutionally servants of Kṛṣṇa. Even

though we may declare ourselves independent, we are not. Rather, we

are servants falsely declaring that we are independent. Self-realization is understanding that we are dependent on the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu says:

ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya

“My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, son of Mahārāja Nanda, I am Your eternal

servant, but somehow or other I have fallen into this ocean of

nescience. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as

one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” (Śikṣāṣṭaka 5) Because

we are under illusion, Devahūti says: sva-bhṛtya-saṁsāra-taroḥ

kuṭhāram. In Bhagavad-gītā (15.1–4), material existence

is likened unto a banyan tree with its roots upward and its branches

below. The roots of this banyan tree are very strong, but they can be

cut with an ax (kuṭhāram). By taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus

feet, we can cut the strong root of material existence. Because we

have given up Kṛṣṇa’s service, we have become servants of so many

things. We are obliged to serve our parents, wife, children, country,

and so forth. We are indebted to many people and to the demigods who

give heat and light. Although we are not paying the bill, we are

taking advantage of the sunlight and the sun’s heat. If we take

advantage of electricity, we have to pay the bill, but we don’t pay

the sun bill. This means that we are actually indebted to the sun-god, Vivasvān. Similarly, the king of heaven, Indra, is supplying

water in the form of rain. Rascals say that all this comes about by

nature, but they do not know that nature is controlled. If we don’t

pay our debts by performing sacrifices, there will certainly be a

scarcity. All of these things are coming from the Supreme Father, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, but we are thinking that they are

coming from nature, and we are utilizing them without caring whether

we pay the bill or not. It is all right to use our father’s property,

but at the present moment we are not acting as our Father’s sons; we

are māyā’s sons. We do not care for our Father; however,

nature is nonetheless working under His direction. If we do not care

for Him, nature will reduce her supply, for nature will not allow

demons to flourish. As stated inBhagavad-gītā (16.19):

tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān
saṁsāreṣu narādhamān
kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān
āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu

“Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among

men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into

various demoniac species of life.”

Demons are always subject to be punished, and great demons like

Rāvaṇa and Hiraṇyakaśipu are personally punished by the Lord.

Otherwise, ordinary demons are punished by the laws of material

nature. Kṛṣṇa does not need to come to punish the petty demons, but

when there are great demons like Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu and Kaṁsa, the

Lord comes as Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva or Śrī Kṛṣṇa to

punish them. If we do not want to be punished, we have to follow the

rules and regulations (sad-dharma). Dharma means

“the laws given by God.”Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam. The laws are given by Bhagavān and are written in books like Manu-saṁhitā and other Vedic literatures. According to the

law, we have to obey the government, and according todharma, we have to obey Kṛṣṇa, God. We cannot manufacture our laws at home,

and we cannot manufacturedharma. If one tries, he is simply

cheating the public. Such false dharmas are kicked out of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam(1.1.2): dharmaḥ projjhita-. The

real dharma is set forth by Śrī Kṛṣṇa when He says: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (Bhagavad-gītā 18.66). All other dharmas are simply

forms of cheating. We must accept the principles of Bhagavad-gītā, which constitute the ABCs of dharma. Actually, we

only have to accept the principle of surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, but this

acceptance comes after many, many births. It is not very easy, for

only after many births of struggle does one come to his real

perfection and surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. At this time he understands

perfectly that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything. This is the greatest

lesson of Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is Kṛṣṇa’s energy, and

whatever we see is but an exhibition of two types of energy. Everyone

knows that the sun has two types of energy–heat and light.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa has an external energy and an internal energy, and He

also has a marginal energy, which is a mixture of the other two. The

external energy is this material world, the internal energy is the

spiritual world, and the marginal energy is the living entity. The

living entity is marginal because he can remain in the material world

or the spiritual world. Bhagavad-gītā describes two types of

living entities, kṣara and akṣara, those living in

the material world and those in the spiritual world. Those who have

fallen into the material world are attracted by the tree of saṁsāra, the banyan tree of material existence described

inBhagavad-gītā (fifteenth chapter).

It is essential that we disassociate ourselves from this tree by

detachment. Cutting down this tree is very difficult, but it is

possible with the weapon of detachment. There is a Bengali proverb

that states: “I’ll catch the fish, but I will not touch the water.”

That type of intelligence is required. In America we see many old men

on the beach who have retired from their business to waste their time

trying to catch fish. They are not very cautious, and they touch the

water. However, we have to live in this material world in such a way

that we do everything for Kṛṣṇa but do not touch the water of the

material world. In this way, we will have no attachment to things of

this material world. We may have many great temples, but we should

not be attached to them. It is for Kṛṣṇa’s sake that we construct

temples, but we must understand that the temples are Kṛṣṇa’s property.

Our mission is to teach people that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Only

a thief will occupy something belonging to another and claim it to be

his.

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement preaches that everything belongs

to Kṛṣṇa and that everything should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa’s benefit. He

is the beneficiary of everything, and it is to our benefit that we come

to this knowledge. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. If one realizes

that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, one becomes the

greatestmahātmā. Being a mahātmā does not mean that

one wears a big beard and a particular type of dress. No, this

awareness must be there. Whatever we have should be offered to Kṛṣṇa.

If we have first-class food, we should offer it to Him. If we have

nothing, we can offer Him a leaf, a flower, a little water or fruit.

This can be collected by anyone anywhere without having to pay money.

As Śrī Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (9.26):

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or

water, I will accept it.”

The point is that we should offer something to Kṛṣṇa with devotion.

It is not that Kṛṣṇa is hungry and is asking for food. No, He is

feeding everyone, supplying everyone with all the necessities: eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). What, then, is He requesting? He is asking for bhakti, devotion, because He wants us to love Him. We are

suffering in this material world, entangled in the tree of material

existence, moving from one branch to another, and because of this we

are suffering. Kṛṣṇa does not want us to suffer, jumping like monkeys

from branch to branch. We must come to Him and surrender to Him. When

we come to this knowledge, we become perfect in knowledge. When we

take shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, we are no longer debtors to

anyone.Na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.41). Kṛṣṇa assures us, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi:“I’ll give you all relief.” (Bhagavad-gītā 18.66) This is what we actually want. Therefore Devahūti herein takes

shelter of Kapiladeva and tells Him, “You are the ax capable of

making me detached.” When our attachment to the material world is

severed, we become free. Bhakti is the means by which we can

develop this detachment.Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga is the science of detachment. This verse was

composed by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya when he understood that Lord Śrī

Caitanya Mahāprabhu was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was a great logician, and he composed a

hundred verses to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, wherein he tells the Lord:

vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-
śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-śarīra-dhari
kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye

“Let me take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī

Kṛṣṇa, who has descended in the form of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to

teach us real knowledge, His devotional service, and detachment from

whatever does not foster Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He has descended because

He is an ocean of transcendental mercy. Let me surrender unto His

lotus feet.” (Cc. Madhya 6.254)

When a person advances in bhakti-yoga, he will

automatically become detached from material attractions. There are

many American and European boys and girls in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness

movement who have been born in countries where they can enjoy a good

deal of material affluence, but they consider this material happiness

and affluence like garbage in the street. Because they are devotees of

Vāsudeva, they are no longer attached to these material things. This

is the result of bhakti-yoga, which enables one to be

detached from material enjoyment. That detachment is the sign that

one is advancing in bhakti-yoga. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir

anyatra ca (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.42). That is the

test of advancing in bhakti. If we are advanced, we are no

longer attached to material enjoyment. It is not that we think

ourselves great devotees and then go ahead and enjoy material things.

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.22):

ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā
duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya
na teṣu ramate budhaḥ

“An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of

misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of

Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise

man does not delight in them.” When one sees something superior, he

immediately rejects that which is inferior. Actually we cannot bring

all this about by our own endeavor; therefore we have to take shelter

of Kṛṣṇa, and He will help. Since our only business is to take shelter

of Kṛṣṇa, Devahūti says, “I am taking shelter of You so that You can

cut my attachment to this material life. Why should You do this?

Because I am Your eternal servant.”

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, anādi karama-phale, paḍi’

bhavārṇava-jale, taribāre nā dekhi upāya. If we are thrown into

the ocean, there is a great struggle, even if we may be very great

swimmers. There is no peace in this material world, however expert we

may be in dealing with it. There is nothing but struggle. We cannot

live here peacefully. It is not possible. Even if we are nonviolent

and hurt no one, there will be trouble. However, if somehow or other

we manage to reach the shore, we will find peace. There is peace even

if we are an inch out of the water. Tava pāda-paṅkaja-sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya (Śikṣāṣṭaka 5). If somehow or

other we become one of the particles of dust at Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, we

will be liberated.

We may be a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian for fifty or sixty

years, or at the utmost one hundred, but again we have to take birth

and be something else. We are thinking in terms of these religious

designations, which are called asad-dharma, meaning that they

may change at any moment. But what is our real dharma? Real dharma is sad-dharma, that which will not change,

and this sad-dharma necessitates surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa.

This dharma will continue eternally. There are many

propounders of sad-dharma, but actually the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is the best propounder because He knows the

reality. It is therefore said of the Gosvāmīs: nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Śrī Caitanya

Mahāprabhu’s direct disciples, the Gosvāmīs, tried to

establishsad-dharma, and we are trying to follow in their

footsteps by establishing real dharma throughout the world

with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

7/ Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-Realization

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-Realization

TEXT 12

maitreya uvāca
iti sva-mātur niravadyam īpsitaṁ
niśamya puṁsām apavarga-vardhanam
dhiyābhinandyātmavatāṁ satāṁ gatir
babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śobhitānanaḥ

TRANSLATION

After hearing of His mother’s uncontaminated desire for

transcendental realization, the Lord thanked her within Himself for

her questions, and thus, His face smiling, He explained the path of

the transcendentalists, who are interested in self-realization.

PURPORT

Devahūti has surrendered her confession of material entanglement

and her desire to gain release. Her questions to Lord Kapila are very

interesting for persons who are actually trying to get liberation

from material entanglement and attain perfection. Unless one is

interested in understanding his spiritual life, or his constitutional

position, and unless he also feels inconvenience in material

existence, his human form of life is spoiled. Only a foolish man does

not care for the transcendental necessities of life and simply

engages like an animal in eating, sleeping, defending and mating.

Lord Kapila was very much satisfied by His mother’s questions because

the answers stimulate one’s desire for liberation from the

conditional life of material existence. Such questions are called apavarga-vardhanam.Those who are actually spiritually

interested are called sat, or devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt.

Sat means “that which eternally exists,” and asat means

“that which is not eternal.” Unless one is situated on the spiritual

platform, he is not sat; he is asat. The asat stands on a platform which will not exist, but anyone

who stands on the spiritual platform will exist eternally. As spirit

soul, everyone exists eternally, but the asat has accepted

the material world as his shelter, and therefore he is full of

anxiety. Asad-grāhān, the desire to enjoy matter, is the

cause of the soul’s being asat. Actually, the spirit soul is

not asat. As soon as one is conscious of this fact and takes

to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he becomes sat. Satāṁ gatiḥ, the path

of the eternal, is very interesting to persons who are after

liberation, and His Lordship Kapila began to speak about that

path.

Those who are sat are thus transcendentalists advanced in

spiritual life, and when they hear questions from those who want to

understand spiritual life, they become very happy. Transcendentalists

are not interested in worldly talks. Indeed, worldly talks are very

disgusting to them, and they avoid the company of those who talk

about nonsensical worldly affairs. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised

His disciples: grāmya-kathā nā śunibe. The

word grāmya refers to that pertaining to one’s village,

society or neighborhood. People are interested in talking

about grāmya-kathā. Newspapers, for instance, are filled with grāmya-kathā. There is no spiritual understanding in them.

In the United States there are many newspapers, and simply to publish

the New York Times many trees have to be killed. Now there

is a paper scarcity. Why are they uselessly killing trees just for grāmya-kathā? They are only interested in making a

profit.

There is, however, another kind of kathā–kṛṣṇa-kathā. There are literatures which may be nicely presented from the literary

point of view, but if there is no glorification of the Supreme Lord,

they are useless.

na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo
jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit
tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā
na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśik-kṣayāḥ

“Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who

alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are

considered by saintly persons to be like unto a pilgrimage for crows.

Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental

abode, they do not derive any pleasure there.” (Bhāg. 1.5.10)

Worldly literatures are like places where crows take pleasure. In

the bird society, there are crows and swans, and crows are interested

in places where filthy things are thrown. However, swans prefer nice

clear water with lotus flowers, and it is in such places that they

take their pleasure. Similarly, there are men who are like crows and

men like swans. That is a natural division. According to an old

English proverb, birds of a feather flock together. Crows mix with

crows, and swans mix with swans. Since devotees are like swans

(haṁsas), a most advanced devotee is called paramahaṁsa. The paramahaṁsas are not interested in

subjects fit for crows. A person who is interested in inquiring about

transcendental subjects, kṛṣṇa-kathā, makes a paramahaṁsa very glad. Therefore Kapiladeva was very glad to

hear that His mother was eager to receive information on how to be

delivered from material bondage:

atha me deva sammoham
apākraṣṭuṁ tvam arhasi
yo ’vagraho ’haṁ mametīty
etasmin yojitas tvayā

“Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion. Due to my

feeling of false ego, I have been engaged by Your māyā and

have identified myself with the body and consequent bodily relations.”

(Bhāg. 3.25.10)

Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised His disciples never to eat palatable

food, never to talk about village topics and never to read ordinary

novels, poems and newspapers. One may ask, “How is it that in the

modern age these Europeans and Americans of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness

movement do not take interest in newspapers?” Newspapers are very

popular in the West. Each day the papers are published in three or

four editions, and they are all selling. However, these American boys

and girls who have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness have stopped reading

newspapers. They do not know what is happening from day to day, and

it does not matter. All of this is a waste of time. It is better that

they read literatures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. Why waste one’s valuable time?

Kapiladeva was very glad that His mother was interested only in

spiritual advancement. This material world is called pavarga, and to nullify it is called apavarga. In

this material world, people are laboring very hard simply to earn

some money. This creates a hellish situation, and this is the way of

material life. People have become so dull that they do not understand

the meaning of liberation. They have become just like animals. If an

animal is informed that there is such a thing as liberation, how will

he understand it? It is not possible. Similarly, at the present

moment, human beings have become exactly like animals. They do not

know the meaning of apavarga, liberation. Yet there was a

time when people understood that human life was meant for apavarga. The questions are raised by Devahūti, and the

answers are given by Kapiladeva. That is apavarga-vardhanam. As far as material maintenance is concerned, the śāstras never stress it. Rather, they say that one’s maintenance will come

automatically. God gives food to animals, birds and aquatics. Why

should He not give it to one who is interested in apavarga?

Unfortunately people have no faith, and therefore good association is

required.

People should not waste their time associating with crows; they

should associate with swans. When garbage is thrown out, crows and

dogs come to see what is there, but no sane man will go. Those who

are interested in trying to get pleasure out of this material world

are actually chewing the chewed. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (Bhāg. 7.5.30). If one picks up a

piece of sugarcane which has already been chewed, he is a fool. We

must know that the juice has already been taken out of that

sugarcane. What will one get by chewing it? However, there are

animals who are simply interested in chewing the chewed. Material

life means chewing the chewed. A father educates his son to earn a

livelihood, get married and settle down, but he himself already knows

that by doing this he has not become satisfied. Why, then, is he

engaging his son in this same business? A real father is one who does

not allow his son to chew the chewed. Pitā na sa syāj jananī na

sā syāt . . . na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum: one should not

become a father or a mother unless one is able to save his children

from the impending clutches of death. (Bhāg. 5.5.18) That is the duty of the father and mother. How can this be

done? A father and mother should educate their son in Kṛṣṇa

consciousness. Then he can be saved. They should educate the son in

such a way that there is no pavarga. If we do not go forward

to liberation, we promote a civilization of cats and dogs. Eating,

sleeping, mating, defending, fearing and dying are all experienced by

cats and dogs, but human life is meant for another purpose. Of course

we have to maintain the body; it is not that we should neglect it.

But we should not unnecessarily engage in the maintenance of the

body.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijṣeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

“A human being who identifies this body made of three elements as

the self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his

kinsmen, who considers the land of his birth as worshipable, and who

goes to a place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than meet

men of transcendental knowledge there, is to be considered like a cow

or an ass.” (Bhāg. 10.84.13)

From the Vedas we can receive education of all kinds. On

a mango tree, there are ripened mangoes and green mangoes. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the ripened mango of the desire tree of

Vedic knowledge: nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam. If the

mango is tasted by the parrot, it becomes doubly tasty. The word śuka means parrot, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is therefore more relishable from his lips.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayaṁ
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

“O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated

from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has

become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already

relishable for all, including liberated souls.” (Bhāg. 1.1.3) It is regrettable that in India, where these

literatures are available, people are not interested. They are

interested in Marxist literature but not Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and this is India’s misfortune.

When a student hears spiritual subjects attentively, the spiritual

master becomes very happy. Kapiladeva was very happy to see His

mother eager to understand spiritual subject matters. He therefore

thanked His mother for her inquiry.

Generally people are interested in things that give immediate

pleasure. We want to taste something tasty to the tongue, regardless

of whether it is edible or not. Hogs very readily eat stool, and they

do so without discrimination. They have no idea of tapasya, penance. When one engages in spiritual realization, one has to

undergo tapasya.However, this has been made very easy by

Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. All we have to do is spare a little time and chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa, but we are not even ready for this much tapasya. Kṛṣṇa is more interested in leading us down the path of liberation

than we are in going. He has given us a very simple method: harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam. We

need only chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. To perfect this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa,

there is no hard and fast rule. Simply by chanting, we will attain

perfection. Being contaminated by Kali-yuga, however, we are

unfortunate and therefore we have no attraction to the holy names of

Kṛṣṇa. Thus when Kapiladeva or His representative sees someone a

little interested, he becomes very glad and thanks him. When

Kapiladeva saw His mother interested, He thanked her from within, not

openly.

Kapiladeva was very glad, and He began to speak. Kapiladeva was an

incarnation of God and was a young boy; therefore His face was very

beautiful. When He answered this question, He became even more

beautiful, and He smiled because He was pleased at His mother’s

question. Kṛṣṇa is also very beautiful, but when a devotee serves Him

and comes to Him, He becomes even more beautiful. When a devotee with

all his heart and soul serves Kṛṣṇa, dresses Him in nice garments and

gives Him a flower, Kṛṣṇa smiles. If you can get Kṛṣṇa to smile upon you

just once, your life’s goal is fulfilled.

Thus smiling, Kapiladeva began to enlighten His mother.

TEXT 13

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ
mato niḥśreyasāya me
atyantoparatir yatra
duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead answered: That yoga system

which relates to the Lord and the individual soul, which is meant for

the ultimate benefit of the living entity, and which causes detachment

from all happiness and distress in the material world, is the highest

yoga system.

PURPORT

In the material world, everyone is striving for some material

happiness, but as soon as we get some material happiness, there is

also material distress. In the material world one cannot have

unadulterated happiness. Any kind of happiness one has is

contaminated by distress also. For example, if we want to drink milk,

we have to bother to maintain a cow and keep her fit to supply milk.

Drinking milk is very nice; it is also pleasure. But for the sake of

drinking milk one has to accept so much trouble. The yoga system, as here stated by the Lord, is meant to end all material

happiness and material distress. The best yoga, as taught in Bhagavad-gītā by Kṛṣṇa, is bhakti-yoga. It is also

mentioned in the Gītā that one should try to be tolerant and

not be disturbed by material happiness or distress. Of course, one

may say that he is not disturbed by material happiness, but he does

not know that just after one enjoys so-called material happiness,

material distress will follow. This is the law of the material world.

Lord Kapila states that the yoga system is the science of

the spirit. One practices yoga in order to attain perfection

on the spiritual platform. There is no question of material happiness

or distress. It is transcendental. Lord Kapila will eventually

explain how it is transcendental, but the preliminary introduction is

given here.

The attempt in this material world to maximize happiness and

minimize distress is called the struggle for existence. Generally yoga is practiced to acquire some material profit. There are

eight kinds of yogic perfection (siddhis):aṇimā,

laghimā, prāpti, īśitva, vaśitva, mahimā, prākāmya and kāmāvasāyitā. A real yogī can become smaller than

the smallest, lighter than the lightest and bigger than the biggest.

Whatever he wants he can produce immediately in his hand. He can even

create a planet. These are some of the yoga-siddhis, but

here it is stated that the supreme yoga system does not aim

at material happiness or relief from distresses caused by material

inconvenience. Everyone is trying to get out of material distress and

gain some happiness. In any case, when something is material, there

is only so-called happiness and so-called distress. For instance,

there may be fireworks going on, and this may be happiness for someone

but distress for us. Some people are thinking that these fireworks are

very enjoyable, and we are thinking that they are very inconvenient.

That is the material world. On one side there is happiness, and on

the other side there is distress. Both happiness and distress are

actually illusions. In summer, water is happiness, but in winter it

is distress. The water is the same, but at one time it brings

happiness and at another time it brings distress. When a son is born,

he brings happiness, but when he dies, he brings distress. In either

case, the son is the same.

This material world is the world of duality, and we cannot

understand happiness without distress or distress without happiness.

This is therefore called the relative world. Spiritual happiness is

above these dualities, and that spiritual happiness is the perfection

of yoga. Yoga ādhyātmikaḥ. Yoga is the happiness of the

soul, and the individual soul can be happy when it is with the

Supersoul, the Supreme Soul. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś

cetanānām. There is the Supreme Soul, or the supreme living

being, and there are many individual souls, individual beings. We are

many, but the principal living being is one, Kṛṣṇa. He is the fire, and

we are the sparks from that fire. The sparks are illuminated when they

are with the original fire, but if the sparks no longer associate with

the original fire, they are extinguished. Similarly, our real

happiness is in enjoying with the Supreme Being. Happiness is being

in His company. Kṛṣṇa is not alone, but is always with His friends,

either the gopīs or the cowherd boys, or with His mother and

father. We never find Kṛṣṇa alone. He may be with Rādhārāṇī or with His

devotees. He is like a king or president. When one says that the king

or president is coming, it is understood that he is not coming alone.

He comes with his secretaries, ministers and many others.

The word yoga means “connection,” and ātmā means

“soul” and sometimes “mind” or “body.” The material body has nothing

to do with the Supreme Being because the Supreme Being is completely

spiritual. He has no material covering. One who thinks that Kṛṣṇa, the

Supreme Being, has a material covering is himself covered by māyā. Kṛṣṇa does not say that He comes as an ordinary living

being. Rather, His advent is totally transcendental. Janma karma

ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ. We therefore have to learn

how Kṛṣṇa takes His birth, which is not ordinary. If it were ordinary,

why should we observe the Janmāṣṭamī ceremony? His birth is divyam, divine. Everything about Kṛṣṇa is divine, and if we

think that Kṛṣṇa is like us, we immediately become mūḍhas, fools. In the words of Bhagavad-gītā (9.11):

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not

know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that

be.”

Actually Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Being, the original spirit

soul. We are simply minute parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa. If we connect

with Kṛṣṇa, we are illuminated just as Kṛṣṇa is illuminated. If we fall

down from Kṛṣṇa, our spiritual power and illumination are

extinguished. The word yoga means connecting or linking with

that original source. Yoga is the Sanskrit word meaning

“connection,” and viyoga means “disconnection.”

Kapiladeva is referred to as Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. Bhagavān makes no mistakes. Nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt: even Śaṅkarācārya says that “Bhagavān, Nārāyaṇa, does not belong to

this material world.” When we speak of Bhagavān, or when the śāstras refer to Bhagavān, we refer to Him who is above

material understanding. As stated here, śrī-bhagavān uvāca. It does not say vyāsadeva uvāca or kapiladeva

uvāca.Similarly, in Bhagavad-gītā, Vyāsadeva says, śrī-bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān refers to Him who is above the

defects of this material world. Bhagavān is not subject to the four

deficiencies of the living entities. Being imperfect, living entities

are illusioned and subject to commit mistakes. They also have the

tendency to cheat others. When one who has no knowledge tries to

become a teacher or preacher, he is actually cheating others. Since

we ourselves do not possess perfect knowledge, we simply try to teach

what Śrī Bhagavān says. We do not manufacture our own teachings. So-called scholars and learned men manufacture their own teachings and

give their opinions. In the West especially, we find much

philosophical speculation and mental gymnastics, but such philosophy

can never be perfect. We have to take our ideas from Bhagavān; then

they will be perfect. We readBhagavad-gītā because it is

perfect. There is no mistake in it; there is no illusion in it; there

is no cheating in it. Nor is it delivered by one whose senses are

imperfect. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.26):

vedāhaṁ samatītāni
vartamānāni cārjuna
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni
māṁ tu veda na kaścana

“O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know

everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in

the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all

living entities; but Me no one knows.”

God knows everything, but we do not know what is God. That is our

position. Our position is not knowing. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati (Bg. 18.61). Īśvara, God, Kṛṣṇa, is situated in everyone’s

heart.Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: “I have entered into

everyone’s heart.” (Bg. 15.15) The Supreme Lord

refers not only to the hearts of human beings but to those of animals

and everything else.

aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Brahma-saṁhitā 5.35)

The Supreme Lord is within the atom as Paramātmā, and therefore He

is also within the individual soul. Being within everything, He knows

everything. Since He knows everything, we have to take lessons from

Him. If we take what Bhagavān says as perfect knowledge, we receive

perfect knowledge. For receiving this knowledge, there is a disciplic

succession (paramparā), which is described in Bhagavad-gītā (4.2):

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ

“This supreme science was thus received through the chain of

disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that

way.” This Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy is very easy because we do

not manufacture ideas. We take the ideas and the words delivered by

the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, or His incarnation or representative. His

representative does not say anything which Kṛṣṇa Himself does not say.

It is very easy to be a representative, but one cannot be a

representative of Kṛṣṇa if one tries to interpret Kṛṣṇa’s words in a

whimsical way.

There is no authority superior to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and if we stick to

this principle, we can become gurus. We don’t need to change

our position to become a guru. All we have to do is follow

in the disciplic succession stemming from Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya

Mahāprabhu has advised: āmāra ājṣāya guru haṣā tāra’ ei deśa (Cc. Madhya 7.128). Caitanya Mahāprabhu

instructed people to learn from Him and then go teach people within

their own villages. One may think, “I am illiterate and have no

education. I was not born in a very high family. How can I become a guru?” Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that it is not very

difficult. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa:“Simply speak

whatever Kṛṣṇa speaks. Then you become a guru.” Whoever

speaks what Kṛṣṇa has not spoken is not a guru but a rascal.

A guru only speaks what Kṛṣṇa has spoken. This is the śāstric

injunction.

ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro
mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ
avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād
vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ

“A scholarly brāhmaṇa expert in all subjects of Vedic

knowledge is unfit to become a spiritual master without being a

Vaiṣṇava, but a person born in a family of a lower class can become a

spiritual master if he is a Vaiṣṇava.” (Padma Purāṇa)

People are in darkness, and they have to be enlightened. We have

finally come from the animal kingdom to the human form, and now this

human form gives us the opportunity to get out of the cycle of birth

and death. The mission of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society is to

awaken people to their original consciousness. Jīva jāga, jīva

jāga, gauracānda bale. The word gauracānda refers to

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who tells the living entity, “Get up! Get up!

How long will you continue to sleep?” Kota nidrā yāo māyā-piśācīra kole. The same is stated here. It is the prime business

of human beings to connect again with the Supreme Soul. The purpose

of yoga is to awaken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and connect

oneself again with Kṛṣṇa. That is ādhyātmika-yoga. Yoga does

not mean showing some mystic magic. The supreme yogī is

described by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (6.47):

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yukta-tamo mataḥ

“And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great

faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most

intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of

all.”

There are many yogīs and many different types of yoga systems, and all of these are discussed in Bhagavad-gītā.There is haṭha-yoga, karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga and rāja-yoga; however, the real yoga system is meant for reviving our connection with Kṛṣṇa. Here it is

said: yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsām. Ādhyātmikaḥ: we are living

entities, souls. It is not that we are disconnected from Kṛṣṇa, but we

have simply forgotten Him. It is not possible to be disconnected, but

it is possible to be covered. In the words of Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (7.25):

nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya
yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti
loko mām ajam avyayam

“I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I

am covered by My eternal creative potency [yogamāyā]; and so

the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.”

There is yoga, and there is yogamāyā. Yogamāyā means forgetfulness. First of all we have to understand what is the

soul. At the present moment, people are in such darkness that they do

not even understand the soul. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā first of

all teaches what the soul is:

dehino ’smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood

to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at

death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.”

The word dehī means “the proprietor of the body.” We are

thinking, “I am this body,” but actually this is not so. We are the

proprietors of the body, and that is the real understanding of the

self. We do not say, “I am this finger” or “I am this hand.” Rather,

we say, “This is my finger, this is my head, this is my leg, etc.”

Similarly, the same can be said about the entire body. “This is my body.” This means that I am the proprietor of this body.

The body has been given by māyā, the material energy.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes

of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities that

are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Bg. 3.27)

The living entity receives different types of bodies according to karma. One living entity may receive a cat body, another a

dog body, and so forth. Why are there so many different bodies? Why

not one kind of body? The answer to this is also given in Bhagavad-gītā (13.22):

kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya
sad-asad-yoni janmasu

“It is due to his association with the modes of material nature.

Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.”

Because the soul within the body associates with the three modes

of material nature (goodness, passion and ignorance), he receives

different types of bodies. One doesn’t have to aspire for his next

body; one need only rest assured that it will be a different body. On

the other hand, Kṛṣṇa does not say what kind of body one will be

awarded. That depends on qualification. If one associates with the

mode of goodness, he is elevated to the higher planetary systems. If

he associates with the mode of passion, he remains here. And if one

associates with the mode of ignorance and darkness, he goes down to

lower life forms–animals, trees and plants. This is the

proclamation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (14.18):

ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā
madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā
adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ

“Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the

higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly

planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish

worlds.”

There are 8,400,000 species of life, and all of these arise from

one’s association with the modes of nature (kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo

’sya). And, according to the body, one undergoes distress and

happiness. One cannot expect a dog to enjoy the same happiness that a

king or rich man enjoys. Whether one enjoys this or that happiness or

suffers this or that distress, both distress and happiness are due to

the material body. Yoga means transcending the distress or

happiness of the material body. If we connect ourselves with Kṛṣṇa

through the supreme yoga, we can get rid of material

happiness and distress arising from the body. Reconnecting with Kṛṣṇa

is called bhakti-yoga, and Kṛṣṇa comes to instruct us in this

supreme yoga. In essence, He says, “Just revive your

connection with Me, you rascal. Give up all these manufactured yogas and religions and just surrender unto Me.” That is

Kṛṣṇa’s instruction, and Kṛṣṇa’s representative, the incarnation or the guru, says the same thing. Although Kapiladeva is an

incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, He acts as the representative of Kṛṣṇa, the guru. If we just accept the principle of surrender unto

Kṛṣṇa, we will become actually transcendental to so-called material

happiness. We should not be captivated by material happiness or

aggrieved by material distress. These are causes for bondage.

Material happiness is not actual happiness. It is actually distress.

We try to be happy by obtaining money, but money is not very easily

obtained, and we have to undergo a great deal of distress to get it.

However, we accept this distress with the hope of getting some false

happiness. If we purify our senses, on the other hand, we can come to

the spiritual platform. Real happiness lies in engaging our senses to

satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa. In this way our senses are spiritualized,

and this is called ādhyātmika-yoga or bhakti-yoga. This is the yoga that Lord Kapiladeva is herein

expounding.

8/ Bhakti-Yoga: The Supreme Yoga System

CHAPTER EIGHT

Bhakti-Yoga: The Supreme Yoga System

TEXT 14

tam imaṁ te pravakṣyāmi
yam avocaṁ purānaghe
ṛṣīṇāṁ śrotu-kāmānāṁ
yogaṁ sarvāṅga-naipuṇam

TRANSLATION

O most pious mother, I shall now explain unto you the

ancient yoga system, which I explained formerly to the great sages.

It is serviceable and practical in every way.

PURPORT

The Lord does not manufacture a new system of yoga. Sometimes it is claimed that someone has become an incarnation of God

and is expounding a new theological aspect of the Absolute Truth. But

here we find that although Kapila Muni is the Lord Himself and is

capable of manufacturing a new doctrine for His mother, He

nevertheless says, “I shall just explain the ancient system that I

once explained to the great sages because they were also anxious to

hear about it.” When we have a superexcellent process already present

in Vedic scriptures, there is no need to concoct a new system, to

mislead the innocent public. At present it has become a fashion to

reject the standard system and present something bogus in the name of

a newly invented process of yoga.

The supreme ancient system of yoga pertains to the soul.

Presently, in America especially, haṭha-yoga is very

popular. It appeals to fat ladies who go to the classes to reduce and

keep their digestive systems regular. Many people are interested in

this kind of gymnastic yoga, but real yoga is ādhyātmika. Ādhyātmika means to awaken the soul to his

proper position. The soul is puruṣa, spirit, and his

business is to reconnect his lost relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

Herein Kapiladeva says that He previously delivered this yoga system to the great ṛṣis, the great sages. This

is the process of śravaṇa, hearing. One must be very eager

to hear, for spiritual life begins with hearing.

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindu 1.2.234)

It is thus stated in the śāstras that it is not possible

to appreciate or understand Kṛṣṇa with our blunt material senses.

Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, qualities, pastimes, paraphernalia and abode are

all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. However, understanding Kṛṣṇa begins with

hearing and chanting His name. Then there is His form. Generally, for

the neophyte, these items are essential–to hear His name and

qualities and see and worship His form. That is Kṛṣṇa’s personal

instruction:

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and

worship Me.” (Bg. 9.34)

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is present in the temple Deity, and even if a

child comes to offer his respects, he is counted as a devotee. A

small child may not know anything, but simply by seeing the Deity,

chanting and dancing, he is benefited. Temples are meant to give

everyone a chance to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one step at a

time.

svalpam apy asya dharmasya
trāyate mahato bhayāt

“A little advancement on this path can protect one from the most

dangerous type of fear.” (Bg. 2.40) Even if we do

a little on the path of bhakti, it goes to our account. For

instance, if we deposit only two dollars in a savings bank, it is

kept in our account, and it will increase with interest. Similarly,

if one performs even a little devotional service, it is not lost. One

may come and join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, render some

service and after a while fall down. However, whatever service has

been rendered is to one’s permanent credit. That will never be lost.

When one begins again, he begins at the point where he has left off.

This is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā (6.41):

śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe
yoga-bhraṣṭo ’bhijāyate

“The unsuccessful yogī is born into a family of righteous

people or into a family of rich aristocracy.” Thus if one fails to

perfect his bhakti-yoga, he is given another chance in the

next life. According to a Bengali poem:

śuci haya muci haya yadi kṛṣṇa tyāje
muci haya śuci haya yadi kṛṣṇa-bhaje

If one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if he is born in a family

of a cobbler (muci), he becomes greater than

abrāhmaṇa (śuci). However, if one is born in a brāhmaṇa family and gives up Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he becomes

amuci, a cobbler. Thus the door of devotion is open to

everyone, whoever he may be. Kṛṣṇa Himself says that regardless of

one’s position, if one takes shelter of Him, one can approach the

supreme destination.

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatiṁ

“O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of

lower birth–women, vaiśyas [merchants], as well as śūdras [workers]–can approach the supreme destination.”

(Bg. 9.32) And Śukadeva Gosvāmī says:

kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ

“Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana

and the Khasa races and even others who are addicted to sinful acts

can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to

His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances

unto Him.” (Bhāg 2.4.18) Kṛṣṇa consciousness is

so complete that it is all-embracing. Everyone has an occupational

duty as a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra, but

one does not have to give up his occupational duty to take to Kṛṣṇa

consciousness. And if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness but does not

succeed, what has he lost? Even if he falls down, there is no loss.

On the other hand, if a man perfectly performs his own duties

(sva-dharma) but is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, what does he gain?

There is actually no gain. Kapiladeva explains that once one takes to

the path of bhakti-yoga, one never actually falls down. Once

begun, bhakti-yoga continues, even if one temporarily falls

down. One is given another chance by taking birth in a good family,

either in a wealthy family, a learned family or a brāhmaṇa family. If one executes his duties as a brāhmaṇa, Viṣṇu will

be very pleased, and if one executes his duties perfectly as a kṣatriya or śūdra, Viṣṇu will also be very pleased.

One does not have to change one’s position. In Bhagavad-gītā (18.46) Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that every man can become perfect by following

his qualities of work:

yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya
siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ

“By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who

is all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain

perfection.” Thus if one executes his duties as a perfect kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra or whatever, Viṣṇu will be pleased.

The purpose of work is to please Viṣṇu. Unfortunately, people have

forgotten this.Varṇāśrama-dharma, the Vedic system of

society, is therefore very important in that it is meant to give

human beings a chance to perfect their lives by pleasing Kṛṣṇa.

Unfortunately, the varṇāśrama-dharma has been lost in this

age. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, just to give relief to the

rotting, conditioned souls of this age of Kali-yuga, has given us the mahā-mantra.

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of

deliverance is chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no

other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”

(Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa) Although we may try to revive the

perfect varṇāśrama system, it is not possible in this age.

People are fallen, disturbed and unfortunate:

prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya
kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ
mandāḥ sumanda-matayo
manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ

“O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives.

They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always

disturbed.” (Bhāg 1.1.10) In this age, there

will be insufficient rainfall and food, and the government will

plunder one’s income by heavy taxation. All of these characteristics

of Kali-yuga are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. People will

become so disgusted that they will suddenly leave their wife and

children and go to the forest. How can the peaceful varṇāśrama-dharma be revived when people are so harassed in this age? It is

virtually impossible. Therefore the system of bhakti-yoga, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, should be

adopted. The whole aim of bhakti-yoga is to satisfy Viṣṇu. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ: Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, came Himself as

Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach us the way of saṅkīrtana. Presently it has become fashionable to manufacture a new system of

religion, but Kapiladeva, like Kṛṣṇa, does not manufacture anything

new. This system is not new, but very old (purā). Kṛṣṇa also

says the same in Bhagavad-gītā (4.2), evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ: “This supreme science was thus

received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly

kings understood it in that way.” Thus Kṛṣṇa and Kapiladeva are not

teaching anything new. They are simply repeating the same message

because, in the course of time, the knowledge has been lost. Arjuna

asks, “Why are you telling me? Why not another?” Śrī Kṛṣṇa answers, bhakto ’si me sakhā ceti: “Because you are My devotee as

well as My friend.” (Bg. 4.3)

Thus without being a bhakta, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa’s, one

cannot actually understand the science of bhakti-yoga.Understanding Bhagavad-gītā means understanding

Kṛṣṇa. All this information is explained only in the bhakti-sampradāya, not in any other school. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says at the

conclusion of Bhagavad-gītā (18.55), bhaktyā mām

abhijānāti: if one actually wants to understand Kṛṣṇa and one’s

relationship with Him, one must take to this process of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga as explained by Lord Kapiladeva is sāṅkhya-yoga.

Lord Kapiladeva states here:

tam imaṁ te pravakṣyāmi
yam avocaṁ purānaghe

The word anaghe refers to one without sin. The word agha refers to past sins, and an means “without.”

Therefore one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless he is free

from sin. Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpam: one can stick to Kṛṣṇa

consciousness only when one is completely free from all sinful

reactions. One may say, “That will take some time. I cannot get free

from sinful reactions overnight.” However, Kṛṣṇa says, “No, no. This

can be done immediately. Simply surrender unto Me, and I will absolve

you from all sin.” Thus by simply surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa, our

spiritual life begins.

We have to understand that we receive different bodies due to our

sinful actions. Now we are given a chance to execute our duty in the

human form. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. We have received this

body through the evolutionary processes, and this human form is a

great opportunity. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings: hari hari

viphale janama goṅāinu: “My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I have simply wasted

my time.” Why?

manuṣya janama pāiyā,   rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā,
jāniyā śuniyā viṣa khāinu

“Because I have received the human form of life, which is meant

for understanding Kṛṣṇa, yet I have simply wasted my time by not

taking advantage of this opportunity. I have done everything but

worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Therefore I have taken poison knowingly.” When

one takes poison knowingly, he commits suicide, and not taking

advantage of the human form is something like that. If we do not

understand Kṛṣṇa in this life, we are knowingly taking poison. This

material life is just like a blazing forest fire. Eating, sleeping,

enjoying sex and defending are the main material activities. When we

are engaged simply in these things, our hearts are always burning as

if we had taken poison. How can we be cured?

golokera prema-dhana,    hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana,
rati nā janmila kene tāya

“My dear Lord, You have given us the medicine of hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. Unfortunately, I have no

attraction for Your holy names.” It is also stated:

vrajendra-nandana yei,    śacī-suta haila sei,
balarāma haila nitāi

“Kṛṣṇa has now come as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of mother

Śacī. And Balarāma has come as Lord Nityānanda.” What is Their

business? They are delivering all kinds of sinful men simply by

chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And what is the evidence of this? The evidence is

that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu delivered the

sinful Jagāi and Mādhāi. At the present moment everyone is like Jagāi

and Mādhāi, for everyone is intoxicated and mad after sex. Now, by

the grace of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, thousands of Jagāis and Mādhāis are

being delivered. It is this active medicine, this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, that is doing it. It is the perfect yoga system. This process is not manufactured, and we have

not concocted anything. Our business is simply to accept the words of

Kṛṣṇa as they are. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself characterizes His devotee in this

way:

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination,

bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with

devotion.” (Bg. 9.14)

We do not need to be very learned. Our only requirement is that we

receive the blessings of the Lord. The Lord’s blessings will enable

us to become learned and follow His instructions. We only need to

stick to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā. When we are a little further advanced, we can

read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself has

opened the way with this saṅkīrtana movement. The entire

world is in darkness without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and in this age

people are so dull that they do not even know the difference between mukti (liberation) and bandha (bondage). If a human

being does not know this difference, he is no better than an

animal.

Presently we are under the sway of the three guṇas, the

modes of material nature–sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Out of these three guṇas, sattva-guṇa, the mode of goodness, is the best. A brāhmaṇa, characterized by the mode of goodness, is truthful and self-controlled. He controls his mind and senses, and he is very tolerant

and simple. He has full knowledge, and he knows how to apply

knowledge in life. He has full faith in the authority of the Vedas, a quality called āstikyam. Caitanya

Mahāprabhu has explained the difference between nāstikyam and āstikyam. According to Vedic understanding, one who does

not believe in the Vedas is called nāstika. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta’

nāstika (Cc. Madhya 6.168). Lord

Buddha defied Vedic authority, but His mission was to stop animal

killing. In the Vedas there are recommendations for animal

sacrifice, and therefore to prevent the killing of animals, Lord

Buddha rejected the Vedas. Such sacrifice is not possible in

this age because there is no brāhmaṇa qualified to carry it

out. Those who are intelligent know that such a sacrifice cannot be

successful in this age because no one knows the proper mantras capable of giving an old animal the body of a new

animal. When an animal sacrifice is properly conducted, an old animal

is sacrificed, and it emerges from the fire in a new body. This is not

possible in this age, but what is possible is saṅkīrtana-yajña, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This is the yajña, or sacrifice, especially

intended for this age. We need only chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa

Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. By

performing this yajña, the results will be ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam–the mirror of the mind will be cleansed. When

the mirror of the mind is cleansed, one is automatically

liberated.

Consciousness is the main principle, either for conditional life

or for liberated life. We are therefore proposing Kṛṣṇa consciousness,

which means liberation from the repetition of birth and death.

Unfortunately, people are so dull in this age that they have no idea

how birth and death can be stopped. They think that birth and death

cannot be stopped; even famous scientists admit this. However, in Bhagavad-gītā Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that we should always keep in

mind the four miserable conditions. These are birth, old age, disease

and death. When we are able to put an end to these, we are liberated.

This simply requires that we clear our consciousness by thinking of

Kṛṣṇa. The purpose of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to keep our

minds constantly on Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

and He is a person. When He was realized by Arjuna, He was addressed

as puruṣam. God is puruṣa, male, not female. Puruṣa means “the enjoyer,” and prakṛti means “the

enjoyed.” Everything is enjoyed by the supreme puruṣa. It is

also stated that we are actually prakṛti, not puruṣa. The human dress is simply māyā, illusion.

We are thinking that we are puruṣa, the enjoyer, but

actually we are the enjoyed. A man, thinking of enjoying himself,

tries to imitate puruṣa, but actually he is prakṛti. As a consequence, he is cast into this material world. Because the

living entity wants to enjoy the material world and is attached to

the three guṇas, he receives different types of bodies. One

who is in the mode of goodness receives the body of a learned brāhmaṇa. This is somewhat elevated, for he can gradually

understand what is God. In the modes of passion and ignorance, no one

can understand God. Also, from the material point of view, if one is

situated in the mode of goodness, he can be elevated to higher

planetary systems. Nonetheless, even if one goes to Brahmaloka, the

highest planet in the material atmosphere, one is not actually

perfectly situated. There is really no benefit because even on

Brahmaloka the four miseries of material existence are found: birth,

old age, disease and death. Lord Brahmā also dies and takes birth.

From Vedic literatures we understand that Lord Brahmā took birth from

the lotus flower generated from the navel of Viṣṇu. Thus he had his

birth, and when Lord Brahmā dies, the entire material cosmic

manifestation will be finished. Just as Lord Brahmā undergoes birth,

old age, disease and death, so also a small ant or insect undergoes

the same process. The point is that the living entity has to be free

from this bondage because he is by nature eternal. According to Bhagavad-gītā, the living entity never actually takes birth,

and he never actually dies. Na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit: “For the soul there is never birth nor death.” (Bg. 2.20)

It is the body that is destined to die, whether the body be that

of Lord Brahmā or of a small ant. One should not think that one is

liberated because one can live millions and millions of years. The

life of Lord Brahmā covers millions of earth years, yet he is also

subjected to birth and death. That is the way of conditional life. We

should take advantage of the perfect knowledge given by Vedic

literatures, by the great ṛṣis and Bhagavān Kapiladeva, as

well as by Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in order to attain liberation from the

cycle of birth and death.

Receiving Kṛṣṇa consciousness means receiving light. People are

exhausted with the materialistic way of life, especially in the West.

Now the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving new life to Western

society. By nature, we living entities are liberated. There is

actually no question of birth, death, old age and disease. Since we

are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, how can there be a

question of these things? Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, and being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are also of the same nature. We

are equal in quality, although not in quantity. Why, then, should we

suffer the pangs of death? Therefore in the previous verse Kapiladeva

instructed:yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ mato niḥśreyasāya. The

soul is entrapped in the body, and the process of perfect yogais the process of saving the soul from bodily confinement

and the four miseries that plague the body. How can this perfect yoga be attained? That is explained by Lord Kapila in the

next verse: rataṁ vā puṁsi muktaye. If our consciousness is

simply attached to Kṛṣṇa, we will be liberated.

The great souls are always chanting about Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare

Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare

Hare. They are also endeavoring with great determination in their

devotional service. For instance, in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness temples

the devotees rise early in the morning, at 4:00 A.M., and they

immediately bathe. Then they go to maṅgala-ārati at 4:30,

and after maṅgala-ārati they study the Vedic literatures.

These are the processes by which we can awaken our dormant love for

Kṛṣṇa. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa–just as a son is part

and parcel of his father–there is a natural love between us.

However, somehow or other the son leaves home and forgets his father.

The father, of course, never forgets his son. He thinks, “Oh, my son

has left. If he would only come back!” Kṛṣṇa thinks in this way. We

are all sons of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is more anxious to get us back home,

back to Godhead, than we are to go. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes and says,

“You rascal! Give up all this nonsensical material engagement. You

have manufactured so many religions and dharmas. Just give

them all up and simply surrender unto Me.” Kṛṣṇa comes Himself and

leaves behind His words. His words are also Himself because His words

are absolute. Presently we do not see Kṛṣṇa, but if we actually

advance, we will see Him. When we see the Deity in the temple, we

think, “Oh, this is an idol. It is not Kṛṣṇa.” If we think in this

way, we have not seen Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is also present in His words, in Bhagavad-gītā. That is kṛṣṇa-vāṇī, the message of

Kṛṣṇa. The stage of awareness of Kṛṣṇa can be attained when one is

advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then one can understand that Kṛṣṇa is

present in the Deity, in Bhagavad-gītā, in the taste of

water, in the sunshine, in the moonshine and in all sound. Kṛṣṇa is

present everywhere, but one has to acquire knowledge in order to know

how to see Kṛṣṇa. That is mukti, liberation. That is Kṛṣṇa

consciousness. That is also the process of bhakti-yoga–śravaṇaṁ

kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam. Deity worship is arcanam, chanting is vandanam, anddāsyam is working for Kṛṣṇa

and spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Generally we experience that people are primarily interested in

seeing Kṛṣṇa, but why is the emphasis on seeing? Let us hear about

Him. We must come with a little faith, and as we hear, that faith

will increase. One should come to the temple, listen to talks about

Kṛṣṇa, and then, after some time, officially take initiation into the

service of the Lord. That is called bhajana-kriyā. At that

time one has to abandon illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and

gambling. If one is still attached to all these habits, he should

know that he is not making progress. When one is actually advanced in bhajana-kriyā, all these anarthas (unwanted things)

will be finished. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate.When one appreciates

something better, he rejects all kinds of nonsense. Once one gets a

taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he cannot remain without it. A drunkard

cannot remain without a drink, but a devotee is drunk with Kṛṣṇa

consciousness. The immunization against all material diseases is this

Kṛṣṇa consciousness. To be immuned to the infection of the guṇas, we have to engage in bhakti-yoga. Once we

attain the perfectional stage, we attain ecstatic love of Godhead. In

that state we cannot remain without Kṛṣṇa for a moment. That is called bhāva, and that bhāva may increase to mahā-bhāva. This is not possible for ordinary human beings, but it

was possible for thegopīs and Rādhārāṇī. Indeed, they could

not live without Kṛṣṇa. This is the highest stage of liberation.

9/ Purifying the Mind for Self-Realization

CHAPTER NINE

Purifying the Mind for Self-Realization

TEXT 15

cetaḥ khalv asya bandhāya
muktaye cātmano matam
guṇeṣu saktaṁ bandhāya
rataṁ vā puṁsi muktaye

TRANSLATION

The stage in which the consciousness of the living entity

is attracted by the three modes of material nature is called

conditional life. But when that same consciousness is attached to the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is situated in the consciousness

of liberation.

PURPORT

There is a distinction here between Kṛṣṇa consciousness and māyā consciousness. Guṇeṣu, or māyā consciousness, involves attachment to the three material modes of

nature, under which one works sometimes in goodness and knowledge,

sometimes in passion and sometimes in ignorance. These different

qualitative activities, with the central attachment for material

enjoyment, are the cause of one’s conditional life. When the same cetaḥ, or consciousness, is transferred to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or when one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he

is on the path of liberation.

TEXT 16

ahaṁ-mamābhimānotthaiḥ
kāma-lobhādibhir malaiḥ
vītaṁ yadā manaḥ śuddham
aduḥkham asukhaṁ samam

TRANSLATION

When one is completely cleansed of the impurities of lust

and greed produced from the false identification of the body as “I”

and bodily possessions as “mine,” one’s mind becomes purified. In that

pure state he transcends the stage of material happiness and

distress.

PURPORT

Kāma and lobha are the symptoms of material

existence. Everyone always desires to possess something. It is said

here that desire and greed are the products of false identification of

oneself with the body. When one becomes free from this contamination,

his mind and consciousness also become freed and attain their

original state. Mind, consciousness and the living entity exist.

Whenever we speak of the living entity, this includes the mind and

consciousness. The difference between conditional life and liberated

life occurs when we purify the mind and the consciousness. When they

are purified, one becomes transcendental to material happiness and

distress.

In the beginning Lord Kapila has said that perfect yoga enables one to transcend the platform of material distress and

happiness. How this can be done is explained here: one has to purify

his mind and consciousness. This can be done by the bhakti-yoga system. As explained in the Nārada-pañcarātra, one’s mind and senses should be purified (tat-paratvena

nirmalam). One’s senses must be engaged in devotional service of

the Lord. That is the process. The mind must have some engagement.

One cannot make the mind vacant. Of course there are some foolish

attempts to try to make the mind vacant or void, but that is not

possible. The only process that will purify the mind is to engage it

in Kṛṣṇa. The mind must be engaged. If we engage our mind in Kṛṣṇa,

naturally the consciousness becomes fully purified, and there is no

chance that material desire and greed will enter.

Our mind is our friend, and our mind is our enemy. If it is

cleansed, it is a friend, and if it is dirty, we contract material

diseases. If we keep ourselves clean, pure, we will not be

contaminated. According to Vedic civilization, one has to cleanse

himself externally three times daily–once in the morning, again at

noon, and again in the evening. Those who strictly follow the

brahminical rules and regulations follow this process. Cleanliness is

next to godliness. Conditional life means that the mind is covered

with dirty things, and this is our disease. When we are in the lower

modes of tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, these dirty

things are very prominent. One has to raise himself to the mode of sattva (goodness) by the process of saṅkīrtana and śravaṇa. One has to hear kṛṣṇa-kathā. Kṛṣṇa is within

everyone’s heart. The individual soul is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and

Kṛṣṇa wants the individual soul to turn to Him. Unfortunately the

conditioned soul is attached to material enjoyment, and this is the

cause of his bondage to birth, death, old age and disease. He is so

foolish that he does not take into consideration that these miseries

are repeated. He is like an ass that belongs to a washerman who loads

him down with heavy clothes. For a few morsels of grass, the ass has

to carry heavy loads all day, although not a single piece of clothing

belongs to him. This is the way of the karmīs. They may

become big multimillionaires, but they are just like asses, working

hard day and night. Regardless of how much money they may have, their

stomachs can only hold so much. And they require only six feet of

space to sleep. Nonetheless, these big karmīs are thinking

themselves very important. They think, “Without me, all the members

of my nation will die. Let me work day and night to the point of

death.” People are thinking, “I belong to this family, this nation,

this community. I have this duty or that duty,” and so on. People do

not know that these are all false designations.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore enjoins, jīvera ‘svarūpa’

haya—kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’: our actual position is that of

eternal servants of Kṛṣṇa. We are mistakenly thinking that we are

servants of a family or nation, but this is due to ignorance, tamo-guṇa. However, we can attain the platform of sattva-guṇa by following the instructions given in Bhagavad-gītā. Hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā, topics about

Kṛṣṇa, clears all the dirty things from the mind. Also, if we chant

and dance, these dirty things will be wiped away. The mind is the

cause of bondage, and the mind is the cause of liberation. When it is

dirty, it brings about bondage. In conditional life, we take birth,

remain for some time, and enjoy or suffer. But really there is no

question of enjoyment. There is only suffering. When we die, we have

to give up the body and then take on another body. We immediately

enter the womb of another mother, stay for nine months or so, and

then come out. Then a new chapter of life begins. This is conditioned

life, and it goes on again and again and again. In this way we

undergo the tribulations of birth, old age, disease and death. The

dogs and cats cannot understand this process, but we can understand

it in human life through the Vedic literatures. If we don’t take

advantage of these literatures, all our education is for nothing.

People actually waste their time talking politics, sociology,

anthropology, and so on. They read many literatures that do not

glorify the Supreme Lord Hari, and thus they waste their time. This

Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving everyone a chance to become

pious. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. It is not necessary to give

money or bathe in the Ganges. There are many pious activities and

many processes recommended in the śāstras for becoming

pious. However, in Kali-yuga people have lost all their stamina. They

are so sinful that there is no question of becoming pious through all

these prescribed methods. The only means is hearing about Kṛṣṇa and

chanting His names. Kṛṣṇa has given us ears to hear and a tongue to

speak. We can hear from a realized soul and thus perfect our lives.

In this way we are given a chance to purify ourselves. Unless we are

purified, we cannot become devotees. Human life is meant for

purification. Unfortunately in this age people are not interested in

Kṛṣṇa, and they suffer through material existence one life after

another after another. In one life they may be very opulent. Then

they don’t care about the next life. They think, “Let me eat, drink

and be merry.” This is going on all over the world, but the śāstras say that people are making mistakes in this way. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarmaḥ (Bhāg. 5.5.4): people have become mad with sense gratification, and therefore

they engage in all sorts of forbidden things. Karma means

regulated work, and vikarma means just the opposite–

unlawful, forbidden activities. The word akarma means that

one is not affected by the results of work. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.9):

yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra
loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya
mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara

“Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed, otherwise

work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī,

perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way

you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.”

When people are in the modes of passion and ignorance, they

perform vikarma. They do not care for their future lives,

and they are habituated to eating anything and everything, just like

hogs. They do not care for the sastric injunctions, and they are

totally irresponsible. They are just like street boys who have no

education and do not care for anything. Such urchins do whatever they

like, for their fathers and mothers do not care for them. Life in

ignorance, tamo-guṇa, is such a careless life. People simply

act unlawfully, not considering the results of their actions. They

act for sense gratification, and actually they take pleasure in

committing sins. In Calcutta I have seen people taking pleasure in

cutting the throats of chickens and laughing when the chicken jumps

and flaps about. Sometimes in Western countries students are taken to

slaughterhouses just to see how the cows are butchered. In this age,

people take pleasure in committing all kinds of sins. They have no

brains to see that this body is temporary and full of suffering. They

are completely in the mode of darkness, just like the animals they

slaughter. There may be many animals in a pasture, and if one takes

an animal aside and cuts its throat, the other animals will simply

stand, look, and continue eating grass. They do not realize that the

next time they may be slaughtered. The people in Kali-yuga are in the

same situation, but the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to give

these rascals a little sense. We are saying, “Don’t remain animals.

Become human beings.” In the words of Caitanya Mahāprabhu:

kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha

“Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the

external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy

(māyā) gives him all kinds of misery in his material

existence.” (Cc. Madhya20.117) When one

forgets his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he acts in a very foolish way,

and māyā gives him one misery after another. It is also

stated:

māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa jñāna
jīvere kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa

“The conditioned soul cannot revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness by his

own effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Kṛṣṇa compiled the Vedic

literature and its supplements, the Purāṇas.”

(Cc. Madhya 20.122)

The Vedic literatures–the Vedānta, Upaniṣads, Rāmāyaṇa,

Mahābhārata and many others–should be utilized if we wish to

become free from the contamination of tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. The whole world is revolving due to kāma and lobha. Kāma means “lusty desire,” and lobha means “greed.” People cannot have enough sex or money, and because of

this, their hearts are filled with contaminations, which have to be

cleansed by hearing, repeating and chanting. Human life is meant to

get rid of anarthas, unwanted things, but where is the

university or college where this science of purification is taught?

The only institution is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society. Kṛṣṇa is

within the heart, and the contaminations are also there, but Kṛṣṇa

will help us cleanse them. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ

bhāgavata-sevayā (Bhāg 1.2.18). We must

regularly hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa; these

are the two processes recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Haridāsa

Ṭhākura was chanting three hundred thousand holy names a day, but we

have fixed the number at sixteen rounds. Nonetheless, we are so

unfortunate and fallen that we cannot even perform them. We should

not waste our time reading and talking nonsense, but should engage in

the study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Our time is very valuable,

and we should not waste it. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has said: āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa

eko ’pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. We may live for a hundred

years, but not one moment of these hundred years can be returned, not

even if we are prepared to pay millions of dollars. We cannot add a

moment, nor can we get a moment back. If time is money, we should

just consider how much money we have lost. However, time is even more

precious because it cannot be regained. Therefore not a single moment

should be lost. Human life should be utilized only for chanting and

reading Vedic literatures. The International Society for Krishna

Consciousness is publishing many books so that people can utilize

their time properly by reading them and make their lives successful.

Not only should we read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but we should

also serve the person bhāgavata, one whose life is nothing

but Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. By this

process we can attain the stage of bhagavad-bhakti, but first

we must get rid of all these anarthas,unwanted things.

Presently we are wasting our time thinking, “This is my country. This

is my nation. This is my body and my family,” and so on. Nityaṁ

bhāgavata-sevayā. We can vanquish all these false conceptions

when we come to the platform of sattva-guṇa. Then we will

not be disturbed by tamo-guṇa or rajo-guṇa, nor by kāma orlobha (lust and greed). This is the vasudeva platform. Oṁ namo bhagavate

vāsudevāya.

Lord Kapiladeva, in the next verse, points out the results that

follow the successful completion of this purificatory process.

TEXT 17

tadā puruṣa ātmānaṁ
kevalaṁ prakṛteḥ param
nirantaraṁ svayaṁ-jyotir
aṇimānam akhaṇḍitam

TRANSLATION

At that time the soul can see himself to be

transcendental to material existence and always self-effulgent, never

fragmented, although very minute in size.

PURPORT

In the state of pure consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can

see himself as a minute particle nondifferent from the Supreme Lord.

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the jīva, or the

individual soul, is eternally part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.

Just as the sun’s rays are minute particles of the brilliant sun, so

a living entity is a minute particle of the Supreme Spirit. The

individual soul and the Supreme Lord are not separated as in material

differentiation. The individual soul is a particle from the very

beginning. One should not think that because the individual soul is a

particle, it is fragmented from the whole spirit. Māyāvāda philosophy

enunciates that the whole spirit exists, but a part of it, which is

called the jīva, is entrapped by illusion. This philosophy,

however, is unacceptable because spirit cannot be divided like a

fragment of matter. That part, the jīva, is eternally a

part. As long as the Supreme Spirit exists, His part and parcel also

exists. As long as the sun exists, the molecules of the sun’s rays

also exist.

The jīva particle is estimated in the Vedic literature to

be one ten-thousandth the size of the upper portion of a hair. He is

therefore infinitesimal. The Supreme Spirit is infinite, but the living

entity, or individual soul, is infinitesimal, although he is not

different in quality from the Supreme Spirit.

Two words in this verse are to be particularly noted. One is nirantaram, which means “nondifferent” or “of the same

quality.” The individual soul is also expressed here as aṇimānam.

Aṇimānam means “infinitesimal.” The Supreme Spirit is all-pervading, but the very small spirit is the individual soul. Akhaṇḍitam means not exactly “fragmented” but

“constitutionally always infinitesimal.” No one can separate the

molecular parts of the sunshine from the sun, but at the same time

the molecular part of the sunshine is not as expansive as the sun

itself. Similarly, the living entity, by his constitutional position,

is qualitatively the same as the Supreme Spirit, but he is

infinitesimal.

Self-realization means seeing one’s proper identity as the

infinitesimal jīva. At the present moment, we are seeing the

body, but this is not our proper identity. We have no vision of the

real person occupying the body. The first lesson we receive from Bhagavad-gītā (2.13) informs us that the body and the owner

of the body are different. When we can understand that we are not the

body, that is the beginning of self-realization, and that is called

the brahma-bhūta stage. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. I am not

this material body, but spirit soul. And what are the characteristics

of the jīva, the soul? First of all, he is aṇimānam, very minute, infinitesimal. We are also jyoti, effulgent, like God, but God is brahma-jyotir, all-pervading and infinite. According to the Māyāvāda

theory, we are the same as that brahmajyoti. Māyāvādīs give

the example of a pot and the sky. Outside the pot there is sky, and

within the pot there is sky. The separation is only due to the wall

of the pot. When the pot is broken, the inside and outside become

one. However, this example does not properly apply to the soul, as it

is described in Bhagavad-gītā (2.24):

acchedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam
akledyo ’śoṣya eva ca
nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur
acalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ

“This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be

neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, all-pervading,

unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.” The soul cannot be

cut in pieces or segmented. This means that the soul is eternally,

perpetually minute. We are the eternal parts and parcels of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

As Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself states in Bhagavad-gītā (15.7):

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ

“The living entities in the conditioned world are My eternal,

fragmental parts.” The word sanātana means “eternal,” and

the word aṁśa means “particles.” God, Kṛṣṇa, is very great.

No one is equal to Him or greater than Him. It is said that God is

great, but we do not actually realize how great God is. He is so

great that millions of universes are emanating from the pores of His

body.

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“The Brahmās and other lords of the mundane worlds appear from the

pores of the Mahā-viṣṇu and remain alive for the duration of His one

exhalation. I adore the primeval Lord, Govinda, for Mahā-viṣṇu is a

portion of His plenary portion.” (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.48)

Millions of universes emanate from the breathing of the Mahā-viṣṇu. In the tenth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa gives

Arjuna some indication of His infinite glory, and He concludes His

descriptions with the following statement (Bg 10.42):

athavā bahunaitena
kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
ekāṁśena sthito jagat

“But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge?

With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire

universe.”

This universe (jagat) is situated on the strength of one

part of Kṛṣṇa’s yogic powers. In this way we must understand the

greatness of God and our own identity as minute particles. It is

stated in the Purāṇas that the individual soul is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair. If we could somehow divide the

tip of a hair into ten thousand parts, we might begin to understand

how the soul is invisible. Self-realization means knowing our

identity as small particles. The small particle of spirit soul is

within every one of us, but it is not possible to see with material

eyes. There is no instrument existing in the material universe by

which one can actually see the soul. Because of our

inability to perceive the soul, we say it is nirākāra, formless. We cannot even calculate its dimension (ākāra).

Although we cannot calculate it, it is there nonetheless. The living

entity has full form. There are small microbes and insects we can

barely see, but they have an anatomy consisting of many working

parts. Within a small insect there is also the spirit soul, and that

spirit soul also exists within the elephant and other big

animals.

When we actually realize our identity as Brahman, our life becomes

successful. Presently we are identifying with the body, but as long

as we do so, we are no better than cats and dogs, although we may

have a considerable amount of scientific knowledge. Conditioned souls

consider the body to be the self, and because of this the jīvas identify themselves as American, Indian, brāhmaṇa,

kṣatriya, man, woman, elephant and so forth. Thinking in these

bodily terms, people consider their wives and children to be theirs

and the land of their birth to be worshipable. Thinking thus, people

are willing to fight and die for their country. Presently everyone is

laboring under this delusion, but in order to understand our

spiritual identity, we must find the proper guru.

Realizing our identity means realizing that we are Kṛṣṇa’s eternal

parts and parcels, that we are very minute, infinitesimal, and that we

have a perpetual and eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, just as a part

has its relationship to the whole. At no time can we be as great as

Kṛṣṇa, although we are the same qualitatively. No one is equal to God,

and no one is greater than Him. If someone claims to be God, he has

to prove that no one is equal to him and that no one is greater. If

he can do this, he is God. This is a very simple definition. Brahma-saṁhitā (5.1) also verifies this statement: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. The word īśvara means

“controller,” and the word parama means “supreme.” We small

living entities are controllers to a degree. We can control, at

times, our family members, wives, children and so forth. Or we can

control our office, factory, country or whatever. There are small

controllers and larger controllers. If we go to Brahmā, we see that

he is controlling the entire universe, but he is not the supreme

controller. It is stated in the śāstras that Brahmā, the

greatest living being within this universe, is also meditating in

order to learn how to control. Tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye (Bhāg 1.1.1).

First of all, Brahmā learned to control the universe; then he

became qualified as Brahmā. Although he was born Brahmā, he still had

to be educated. If he was the first living being in the universe, who

educated him? Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.2), aham ādir hi devānām: “I am the source of the demigods.”

The original demigods are Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Lord Kṛṣṇa is

Viṣṇu, but He is the instructor of Brahmā and Śiva. Therefore it is

said that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the source of all the demigods.

We should not foolishly claim that we are as great as the Supreme

God. We should understand that we are like sparks of the original

fire. The spark is also fire, but if it falls from the original flame,

it will go out. One should not think that because he is qualitatively

one with God, he is God. One may be an īśvara, a controller,

but one cannot be īśvaraḥ paramaḥ, the supreme controller.

It is very fashionable nowadays to claim to have become Nārāyaṇa,

God. The Māyāvādīs address one another as Nārāyaṇa, and thus everyone

supposedly becomes Nārāyaṇa. In this way we are overcrowded with

Nārāyaṇas here and there. But how can everyone become Nārāyaṇa?

Nārāyaṇa is one, and the śāstras warn:

yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ
brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ
samatvenaiva vīkṣeta
sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam

“Whoever thinks Lord Viṣṇu and the demigods are on the same level

is to be immediately considered a rogue as far as spiritual

understanding is concerned.” If one compares Nārāyaṇa to the

demigods, he simply reveals his lack of intelligence. It is also

fashionable to speak of daridra-nārāyaṇa, poor Nārāyaṇa,

claiming that the poor man in the street is Nārāyaṇa. But what is

this nonsense? Nārāyaṇa is the exalted Supreme Personality of

Godhead. Even Śaṅkarācārya says: nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt. Nārāyaṇa is beyond this universe. Avyaktād aṇḍa-sambhavaḥ: the entire universe is a product of this avyakta. We should

not compare Nārāyaṇa to anyone, what to speak of the poor man in the

street (daridra). This is all foolishness. Nārāyaṇa is

Lakṣmīpati, the husband and controller of the goddess of fortune.

How, then, can He be daridra? This is all due to

misunderstanding. Therefore the śāstras warn that if one

thinks that the demigods are equal to Nārāyaṇa, one is a pāṣaṇḍī, an atheist. We should not think that because we have

become liberated, we have attained the position of Nārāyaṇa. By

severe austerity and penance one may elevate himself to the position

of Brahman, but this is not the position of Para-brahman. Āruhya

kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (Bhāg 10.2.32).

Although one rises to the platform of Brahman, one again falls down

to the material position if he neglects to worship the lotus feet of

Kṛṣṇa. One may rise to the Brahman effulgence, but because there is no

shelter there one will return to the material atmosphere. One may go

to Brahmaloka, the highest planet in the material sky, but one’s

position there is temporary. However, in the para-vyoma, the

spiritual sky, there are many spiritual planets, called Vaikuṇṭha-lokas. There are millions of these gigantic planets, and unless we

take shelter of one of them, we will fall down again into the

material atmosphere.

It is not sufficient to rise to the platform of Brahman. Brahman is sat (being), and a partial realization of the Absolute

Truth. We are actually after ānanda. Sac-cid-ānanda: cit means “knowledge,” and that is also partial. We must add ānanda (bliss) in order to have complete realization. If we

simply fly in the sky, we can’t have ānanda.We have to

descend to an airport at some time or another. If we simply rise to

the Brahman effulgence, we do not experience ānanda. Ānanda is experienced when we enter the spiritual planets, where Nārāyaṇa,

Kṛṣṇa, is present.Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyo ’vyakto ’vyaktāt

sanātanaḥ (Bhagavad-gītā 8.20). We have to enter the

eternal planets and associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead

in order to be happy. If we do not attain this position, we will

return to the material world. And how can this position be attained?

We simply have to try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Why does He come? What is

His business? What is His form?

The purpose of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to teach people

how to understand Kṛṣṇa. If one is fortunate in understanding Him,

one’s life is successful. As long as we have lusty desires and greed,

we cannot come to this understanding. The bhakti-yoga process is the process of purification whereby we can become free from kāma andlobha, lust and greed, and the influence of

the lower guṇas, tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, ignorance

and passion. As soon as we engage in devotional service, we

immediately become freed from the influence of the guṇas. Because we are not expert in approaching the Supreme Lord, we have to

follow the principles of bhakti-yoga enunciated by the ācāryas. When a boy goes to school, he has to follow the

rules and regulations, but after a while he becomes accustomed to

them and does not have to be taught. In other words, he learns

automatically to come to school at a certain time, take his seat and

study nicely. Similarly, in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we have

certain rules and regulations. We must rise early in the morning for maṅgala-ārati, chant sixteen rounds of Hare Kṛṣṇa daily, and

execute all the functions of bhakti-yoga. In this way, we

become attached to rendering service to Kṛṣṇa, and we become practiced

in this science. When we attain this stage, we immediately become

self-realized.

10/ Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment

CHAPTER TEN

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment

TEXT 18

jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena
bhakti-yuktena cātmanā
paripaśyaty udāsīnaṁ
prakṛtiṁ ca hataujasam

TRANSLATION

In that position of self-realization, by practice of

knowledge and renunciation in devotional service, one sees everything

in the right perspective; he becomes indifferent to material

existence, and the material influence acts less powerfully upon

him.

PURPORT

As the contamination of the germs of a particular disease can

influence a weaker person, similarly the influence of material nature,

or illusory energy, can act on the weaker, or conditioned, soul but

not on the liberated soul. Self-realization is the position of the

liberated state. One understands his constitutional position by

knowledge and vairāgya, renunciation. Without knowledge, one

cannot have realization. The realization that one is the infinitesimal

part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit makes one unattached to

material, conditional life. That is the beginning of devotional

service. Unless one is liberated from material contamination, one

cannot engage in the devotional service of the Lord. In this verse,

therefore, it is stated, jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena: when one is

in full knowledge of one’s constitutional position and is in the

renounced order of life, detached from material attraction, then, by

pure devotional service, bhakti-yuktena, he can engage

himself as a loving servant of the Lord. Paripaśyati means

that he can see everything in its right perspective. Then the

influence of material nature becomes almost nil. This is also confirmed

in Bhagavad-gītā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: when one is

self-realized he becomes happy and free from the influence of material

nature, and at that time he is freed from lamentation and hankering.

The Lord states that position as mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām, the real beginning of devotional service. Similarly, it is confirmed

in the Nārada Pañcarātra that when the senses are purified,

they can then be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. One

who is attached to material contamination cannot be a devotee.

In the conditional state, we are influenced by material nature. We

have already discussed how we are conditioned by the three modes of

material nature–ignorance, passion and goodness. Goodness is

superior to ignorance and passion because from the platform of

goodness we can come to understand Kṛṣṇa and thereby transcend the

modes altogether. In this age, people are generally influenced by the

lower modes, the modes of ignorance and passion. In these modes, we

are not able to serve Kṛṣṇa. It is our constitutional position to

serve someone, but when we do not serve Kṛṣṇa, we serve māyā. In any case, we cannot become master. Who can say that he is a

master, that he is not serving anyone? We may serve our family,

society, country, business, automobile or whatever. If one cannot find

anything to serve, he goes and buys a cat or dog and serves it. Why

is this? It is because service is our nature. We are simply lacking

the knowledge of where to direct the service. Service is meant to be

rendered to Kṛṣṇa. In the material world we are serving our lusty

desires, not Kṛṣṇa, and we are deriving no pleasure from this. We are

also serving in an office or in some employment in order to get some

money. In this case, we are serving money, not the person. Thus in

the material world we serve the senses and money. In any case,

service is there. We must serve.

Actually the only master is Kṛṣṇa. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba

bhṛtya (Cc. Ādi 5.142). All the

demigods, human beings, animals, trees and everything else are

servants. Self-realization is realizing that one is the eternal

servant of Kṛṣṇa and that one’s duty is to serve Him. Self-realization

is not thinking ahaṁ brahmāsmi, “I have become Brahman,

Bhagavān.” How can we become Bhagavān? If we are Bhagavān, we are

actually the supreme powerful one. If this is the case, why are we in

a miserable condition? Why are we under the influence ofmāyā? Does Bhagavān come under the influence of māyā? No. Kṛṣṇa says

specifically in Bhagavad-gītā that prakṛti, māyā, is

working under His directions. Māyā is the maidservant of

Kṛṣṇa, and if we are the servants of māyā, how can we be Kṛṣṇa,

Bhagavān? When we come to our spiritual senses, we can understand

that we are erroneously engaged in māyā’s service and that

our duty is to engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service. That is self-realization. As

stated here: jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena. Real understanding is

knowing oneself to be the servant of Kṛṣṇa, no one else. Because we

are under illusion, we are serving kāma, lobha, moha, mātsarya–lust and greed–without benefit and without pleasure. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśā: “There is no

limit to the unwanted orders of lusty desires.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 3.2.25) When we come to the understanding that

our pleasure lies in serving Kṛṣṇa only, we have attained jñāna-vairāgya. Therefore in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.7) it is

stated:

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam

“By rendering devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and

detachment from the world.” If one engages in the service of

Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, this knowledge comes, and one becomes a mahātmā. A mahātmā is one who realizes that Kṛṣṇa is

everything. He does not defy Kṛṣṇa or try to become Kṛṣṇa. One who does

so is not a mahātmā but a durātmā, a rascal. What

is the position and knowledge of a mahātmā? Kṛṣṇa states:

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

“O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are

under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in

devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” (Bg. 9.13)

A mahātmā cannot be manufactured. He is under the daivī prakṛti, the divine nature. There are two kinds

of prakṛti–parā prakṛti and aparā prakṛti. Aparā

prakṛti is the material world, and daivī prakṛti is the

spiritual world. As soon as one understands that he is uselessly

serving māyā in the material world in the form of society,

friends, country and so forth, one reaches the stage called jñāna, knowledge. As soon as one attains this knowledge, he

reaches the brahma-bhūta stage, Brahman realization, and he

becomes prasannātmā, happy. One may ask, “Why should I serve

Kṛṣṇa?” We have already explained that being a part means serving the

whole. The whole is Kṛṣṇa, and the individuals are meant for Kṛṣṇa’s

satisfaction. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam.

There are many īśvaras, controllers, but the supreme īśvara is Kṛṣṇa. As soon as one attains this realization, he

has attained perfect knowledge, and he renders service in bhakti-yoga. Foolish people say that bhakti is

meant for ajñānīs, unintelligent people, but this is not the

case. In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa indicates that after many

births, the jñānī, the man in knowledge, surrenders unto

Him.

As long as we do not understand Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, we should

understand that we are still fools. We may advertise ourselves as

very great jñānīs, learned personalities, but we are

actually fools. That is the śāstric conclusion. If we are actually jñānīs, we should surrender unto Kṛṣṇa.

There are many dharmas, or activities. Some are pious and

some impious, but Kṛṣṇa tells us to give up both. Arjuna was thinking

that it was impious to fight with his relatives, but Kṛṣṇa was

insisting that he fight. How could Arjuna act impiously? He could not,

because Kṛṣṇa’s service is transcendental to pious and impious

activity. At midnight, when the gopīs heard the sound of

Kṛṣṇa’s flute, they ran to the forest to join Him. According to

the śāstras, it is immoral for young girls to go see a young

boy in a forest in the dead of night. But this was not an impious

activity because the gopīs did this for Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya

Mahāprabhu, who was so strict that no woman could even come near Him

to offer respects, actually said: ramyā kacid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā. “What could be more wonderful than that

worship conceived by the gopīs?” Although it actually

appeared immoral for the gopīs to dance with Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya

Mahāprabhu states that their relation with Kṛṣṇa is the highest form

of worship. This is actually transcendental knowledge. One becomes

transcendental to all pious and impious activities when one serves

Kṛṣṇa. After all, piety and impiety are within the material modes.

Kṛṣṇa’s service is transcendental to good and bad, pious and impious. Bhakti-yoga begins when jñāna and vairāgya are complete.Jñāna is knowledge, and vairāgya is

detachment from matter and engagement of the mind in spirit. Both of

these are automatically attained when we engage in devotional service

to Kṛṣṇa.

TEXT 19

na yujyamānayā bhaktyā
bhagavaty akhilātmani
sadṛśo ’sti śivaḥ panthā
yogināṁ brahma-siddhaye

TRANSLATION

Perfection in self-realization cannot be attained by any

kind of yogī unless he engages in devotional service to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, for that is the only auspicious

path.

PURPORT

That knowledge and renunciation are never perfect unless joined by

devotional service is explicitly explained here. Na

yujyamānayā means “without being dovetailed.” When there is

devotional service, the question arises where to offer that service.

Devotional service is to be offered to the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, who is the Supersoul of everything, for that is the only

reliable path of self-realization, or Brahman realization. The word brahma-siddhaye means to understand oneself to be different

from matter, to understand oneself to be Brahman. The Vedic words are ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahma-siddhi means that one should know

that he is not matter; he is pure soul. There are different kinds of yogīs, but every yogī is supposed to have attained

self-realization, or Brahman realization. It is clearly stated here

that unless one is fully engaged in the devotional service of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot easily approach the path

of brahma-siddhi.

In the beginning of the second chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that when one engages in the devotional

service of Vāsudeva, spiritual knowledge and renunciation of the

material world are automatically manifest. Thus a devotee does not

have to strive separately for renunciation or knowledge. Devotional

service itself is so powerful that by one’s service, everything is

revealed. It is stated here, śivaḥ panthā: this is the only

auspicious path for self-realization. The path of devotional service

is the most confidential means for attaining Brahman realization. That

perfection in Brahman realization is attained through the auspicious

path of devotional service indicates that the so-called Brahman

realization, or realization of the brahmajyoti effulgence,

is not brahma-siddhi. Beyond thatbrahmajyoti there is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Upaniṣads a devotee prays to the Lord to kindly put aside

the effulgence, brahmajyoti, so that the devotee may see

within the brahmajyoti the actual eternal form of the

Lord. Unless one attains realization of the transcendental form of

the Lord, there is no question of bhakti. Bhakti necessitates

the existence of the recipient of devotional service and the devotee

who renders devotional service. Brahma-siddhi through

devotional service is realization of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. The understanding of the effulgent rays of the body of the

Supreme Godhead is not the perfect stage of brahma-siddhi, or

Brahman realization. Nor is the realization of the Paramātmā feature

of the Supreme Person perfect because Bhagavān, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, is akhilātmā–He is the Supersoul.

One who realizes the Supreme Personality realizes the other features,

namely the Paramātmā feature and the Brahman feature, and that total

realization is brahma-siddhi.

As stated before, the word yoga means “to connect.” Brahma-siddhaye means “self-realization,” and ahaṁ

brahmāsmi means “I am spirit soul.” Actually, realizing oneself

to be spirit is not sufficient. One has to progress further. One’s

fever may be cured, but one must also regain his strength and

appetite in order to be totally cured. Then one can have a normal,

healthy life, free of disease. Similarly, simply realizing that one

is spirit soul is not sufficient. One has to engage in spiritual

activity, and that spiritual activity is bhakti. Māyāvādī

philosophers think that it is sufficient to stop all material

activity, and the Buddhist philosophers advocate nirvāṇa, cessation of material life. Neither give more information. Actually

we are suffering due to this material combination, and that is a

fact. This body is composed of earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind,

intelligence and ego. The Buddhists and Māyāvādīs advocate the

annihilation of the components. They say, “Let the earth go to earth,

let the water go to water, let the fire go to fire and become zero.” If

we dismantle the house of the material body and become zero, we

attain nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means the cessation of pleasure and

pain. The Māyāvādīs and Buddhists claim that if we fill an empty

pitcher, the water will make some sound as long as the pitcher is not

completely filled. When the pitcher is filled, there will no longer be

any sound. Thus they claim that all the Vedic mantras and

hymns stop when one is completely Brahman realized. In other words,

the Buddhists and Māyāvādīs claim that the material world is false, mithyā, and that we should somehow or other make it zero.

However, simply realizing Brahman, realizing one’s identity as spirit

soul, is insufficient. We must realize that Bhagavān is

everywhere:

eko ’py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ
yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ
aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who, by one of His

plenary portions, enters the existence of every universe and every

atomic particle and thus unlimitedly manifests His infinite energy all

over the material creation.” (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.35)

Śrī Bhagavān is not alone. He is not only localized, but is

everywhere. Although Kṛṣṇa has a particular place, He is everywhere.

It is not that because Kṛṣṇa is in one place He cannot be in others.

Since we are conditioned, when we sit in our office we cannot be at

home. Kṛṣṇa is not like this. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is always in Goloka Vṛndāvana, yet He is aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. He is within every

atom of this universe. This universe is existing due to the

Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. There is not only one universe, but there are

many millions, and they are all working very nicely because the

Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is present. We should not think that all these

planets are floating in space without any arrangement having been

made. There is definitely an arrangement.

In order to be completely free of the material modes, one has to

come not only to the platform of jñāna and vairāgya, but to bhakti also. When we mention bhakti, some

people say, “I render bhakti to my wife. I love her very

much and take care of her. If I do not see her, I become mad.” Thus

people have bhakti for their family, country, goddess Durgā,

other demigods and so on. However, that kind of bhakti will

not do. Therefore it is said, bhaktir bhagavati. Bhakti must

be rendered unto the Supreme. It is not that one should render bhakti unto an imitation Bhagavān. If one says that he is

Bhagavān, we should ask, “Are you present in everyone’s heart? Can

you tell me what I am thinking now?” If one is Bhagavān, he must be akhilātmā. If one is īśvara, he must be present in

everyone’s heart. Kṛṣṇa is present in everyone’s heart (sarvasya

cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ). All this should be scrutinizingly

studied. It is not that one should accept this rascal or that rascal

as Bhagavān. Nor should one render bhakti to this demigod or

that demigod, to one’s family, country, society, wife, cat, dog or

whatever. All this is not really bhakti but imitation bhakti. It is actually lustful desire. If we can develop bhakti for Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our lives will be

successful. Actually there is no alternative. As stated in this

verse, sadṛśo ’sti śivaḥ panthā. Parabrahman is Kṛṣṇa, and brahma-siddhaye means understanding our relationship with

Kṛṣṇa. It is all right for one to understand oneself as Brahman

(ahaṁ brahmāsmi), but what is our relationship with the

Parabrahman? There are always two: Brahman and Parabrahman, ātmā and Paramātmā, īśvara and Parameśvara, the

individual living being and the supreme living being, nitya and nityānām, cetanaś and cetanānām. There are

always two present, and two means a relationship. We should therefore

understand our relationship with the Supreme, with Parabrahman.

Understanding that relationship is brahma-siddhaye.

We are qualitatively one with Parabrahman, but Parabrahman is

very great whereas we are very small. Parabrahman is one

(kaivalya). There is no alternative and no duplicate. There

is no one equal to Him or greater than Him. That is the meaning of kaivalya. Human life is meant for inquiring about Parabrahman and one’s relationship with Him. Unfortunately, people are

not asking questions about Parabrahman. Everyone is asking about the

news and the morning paper, and everyone is concerned with going to

the market and purchasing so many goods for cheaper prices. All this

is going on in human society and in cat and dog society also.

This world is full of darkness and ignorance, but Kṛṣṇa

consciousness is transcendental to this material world. In Kṛṣṇa

consciousness, there is no darkness but simply light. If we try to

find things at night, it becomes very difficult; however, in the

daytime, there is no difficulty. The śāstras enjoin that we

leave this darkness and come to light. This light is given by the guru.

om ajñāna timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena
tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

“I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master

opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful

obeisances unto him.”

It is the guru’s business to give light by knowledge. The guru has completely assimilated the Vedic essence of

life. Śruti, knowledge, is received by hearing. It is not

experimental. We cannot understand that which is beyond our sense

perception by experiment. We cannot understand who our father is by

experimental knowledge. One cannot say, “Let me find out who my father

is by experiment.” Our father was existing before we were existing,

and it is not possible to understand by experimental knowledge that

this or that man is my father. The real authority is the mother;

therefore Vedic knowledge has been likened to the mother and the Purāṇas to the sisters. We should understand from the Vedas what ultimate knowledge really is. The ultimate

knowable objective is Kṛṣṇa, and simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, we can

understand everything. We do not have to understand things

separately. Kṛṣṇa is within our hearts. He is not far away; rather, He

is everywhere. If Kṛṣṇa sees that we are attached to Him, He becomes

our friend. He is a friend to everyone, but He is especially a friend

to His devotees. As Kṛṣṇa Himself says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.11):

teṣām evānukampārtham
aham ajñānajaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho
jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

“Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy

with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of

ignorance.”

Jñāna is there, it is simply covered with the curtain of

ignorance. Light is there, and darkness is there, but when we are in

darkness we cannot see things as they are. Kṛṣṇa says that as one

devotes himself to rendering service, He Himself dispels the darkness

of ignorance. If we actually want to become perfect in this life, we

only need to engage in devotional service to the Supreme Personality

of Godhead, Bhagavān. It is not that Bhagavān is difficult to find.

Bhagavān is within the heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe

’rjuna tiṣṭhati (Bg. 18.61). That is the real

Bhagavān, within the hearts of all. That Bhagavān is always active.

He instructed Brahmā, the lord of the universe, and Brahmā, having

received Kṛṣṇa’s instructions, created the entire universe. Kṛṣṇa will

also give instructions to us if we simply take to devotional

service.

TEXT 20

prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pāśam
ātmanaḥ kavayo viduḥ
sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto
mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam

TRANSLATION

Every learned man knows very well that attachment for the

material is the greatest entanglement of the spirit soul. But that

same attachment, when applied to self-realized devotees, opens the

door of liberation.

PURPORT

Here it is clearly stated that attachment for one thing is the

cause of bondage in conditioned life, and the same attachment, when

applied to something else, opens the door of liberation. Attachment

cannot be killed; it has simply to be transferred. Attachment for

material things is called material consciousness, and attachment for

Kṛṣṇa or His devotee is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Consciousness,

therefore, is the platform of attachment. It is clearly stated here

that when we simply purify the consciousness from material

consciousness to Kṛṣṇa consciousness we attain liberation. Despite the

statement that one should give up attachment, desirelessness is not

possible for a living entity. A living entity, by constitution, has

the propensity to be attached to something. We see that if someone

has no object of attachment, if he has no children, he transfers his

attachment to cats and dogs. This indicates that the propensity for

attachment cannot be stopped; rather, it must be utilized for the

best purpose. Our attachment for material things perpetuates our

conditional state, but the same attachment, when transferred to the

Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee, is the source of

liberation.

Here it is recommended that attachment should be transferred to

the self-realized devotees, the sādhus. And who is a sādhu? A sādhu is not just an ordinary man with a

saffron robe or long beard. A sādhu is described in Bhagavad-gītā as one who unflinchingly engages in devotional

service. Even though one is found not to be following the strict

rules and regulations of devotional service, if one simply has

unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, he is understood to be

a sādhu. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ. A sādhu is a

strict follower of devotional service. It is recommended here that if

one at all wants to realize Brahman, or spiritual perfection, his

attachment should be transferred to the sādhu, or devotee.

Lord Caitanya also confirmed this. Lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya: simply by a moment’s association with a sādhu, one can attain perfection.

Mahātmā is a synonym of sādhu. It is said that

service to a mahātmā, or elevated devotee of the Lord, is dvāram āhur vimukteḥ, the royal road of liberation. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam (Bhāg 5.5.2). Rendering service to

the materialists has the opposite effect. If anyone offers service to

a gross materialist, or a person engaged only in sense enjoyment,

then by association with such a person the door to hell is opened.

The same principle is confirmed here. Attachment to a devotee is

attachment to the service of the Lord because if one associates with

a sādhu, the sādhu will teach one how to become a

devotee, a worshiper and a sincere servitor of the Lord. These are

the gifts of a sādhu. If we want to associate with a sādhu, we cannot expect him to give us instructions on how to

improve our material condition, but he will instruct us how to cut

the knot of the contamination of material attraction and how to

elevate ourselves in devotional service. That is the result of

associating with a sādhu. Kapila Muni first of all instructs

that the path of liberation begins with such association.

According to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu:

‘sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’—sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s

association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.”

(Cc. Madhya 22.54)

It is said that man is a social animal, and, according to our

association, we can mold our character. Businessmen associate with

one another to develop their business capabilities. There are many

different types of association, and association brings about bondage

to a particular thing. If one associates with materialistic people,

one’s bondage to sense gratification tightens. Woman is the symbol of

sense gratification; therefore anything dealing with sense

gratification is called yoṣit-saṅga. This material world is

filled with yoṣit-saṅga because everyone is interested in

sense gratification. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.44):

bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
tayāpahṛta-cetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ
samādhau na vidhīyate

“In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and

material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the

resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does

not take place.” The word bhoga means “sense gratification.” Bhogaiśvarya: Those who are overly attached to opulence and

sense gratification cannot understand spiritual life, and they are

very slow to take to it. At the present moment people

aremanda, very slow. They do not take this Kṛṣṇa

consciousness movement very seriously because they have been taught

by modern civilization simply to enjoy life for sense gratification.

In the Western countries, especially, there are many implements for

sense gratification. There are even machines for shaving, although

formerly an ordinary razor would do. Now, thanks to the machine, one

does not even have to move his hand. So this is considered progress.

However, we learn from the śāstras that human life is not

meant for sense enjoyment but for tapasya.That is Vedic

civilization. First of all, one must be trained in the brahmacārī system and learn how to deny the senses. A brahmacārī should be trained in tapasya, not in

enjoyment. Formerly, brahmacārīs would have to go from door

to door to beg alms for the āśrama, and they were trained

from the very beginning to address every woman as mother.

Presently, people are in such a miserable condition that they are

saying, “Let us die. Let us die.” However, Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā says, “Why should you die?” People want to die in order to

put an end to the threefold miseries of material nature, but who is

making research on how to stop death? From Bhagavad-gītā we

learn that death is not really natural for us. It is artificially

imposed upon us, and we have to become deathless again. That is the

perfection of human life, but no one cares about it. We have become

so dull that we cannot avoid birth, old age, disease and death. We

are actually experiencing them because we are not alert. For this

reason, when Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he

said, “My dear Lord, somehow or other You have dragged me to Your

lotus feet. I am now asking You what my actual position is. Why am I

forced to suffer the threefold miseries of material life?” No one is

interested in inquiring about this matter. Mokṣa, liberation, means getting free from the threefold miseries of life as

well as birth, old age, disease and death. Sometimes, when people are

a little interested, they take to a path that is not even approved,

or they invent something. But nothing need be invented. By this Kṛṣṇa

consciousness process, everyone can be elevated. Everyone can be

delivered, regardless of his situation or culture. We have spread

this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement throughout the world, and people are

becoming happy because of it.

According to Bhagavad-gītā (9.32), anyone can take

shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa never denies anyone, and similarly, Kṛṣṇa’s

devotee never denies anyone. That is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness

movement. We tell everyone, “Yes, you are welcome. Take this

education and spiritual life and become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.” Sometimes

we are criticized because of this, but Kṛṣṇa specifically says in Bhagavad-gītā that even those who are lowborn can take

shelter of Him and become elevated for liberation. What, then, to

speak of pious people born in brahminical families? Unfortunately, in

this age people born in rich or brahminical families often don’t care

for spiritual realization. They misuse their chance and exhaust the

results of their pious activities. Society needs first-class sādhus in order to improve. If everyone is a śūdra and debauchee, how can society be peaceful? Therefore in order to

organize society, Kṛṣṇa recommends the varṇāśrama-dharma. There must be ideal brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. However, no one cares about this now.

One may ask, “What is a sādhu?” A sādhu is one

who serves Kṛṣṇa and engages in Kṛṣṇa consciousness without

reservation. In Bhagavad-gītā (9.30), Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:

api cet sudurācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ

“Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged

in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is

properly situated.”

It is the sādhu’s business to be very tolerant. When one

becomes a devotee, many people become one’s enemy, because in this

age people are asuric, demoniac. Even one’s father may turn into an

enemy like Hiraṇyakaśipu, the father of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda

was only five years old and was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, but his father was

prepared to kill him because he was a devotee. Hiraṇyakaśipu was

saying, “Why are you chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? Why are you speaking of a

separate God? I am God.” That is the meaning of asuric, demoniac.

Rascals who claim to be God themselves are simply demons. Although

Prahlāda’s father was insisting that he was God, Prahlāda Mahārāja

could not accept this. He simply accepted his father as an asura, and consequently there was a quarrel between them.

When Hiraṇyakaśipu asked Prahlāda Mahārāja, “What is the best thing

you have learned from your teachers?” Prahlāda replied, “O best of

the asuras, as far as I can understand, because we have

accepted this material body, we have to accept death. But this is not

the object of human life. Human life is meant for mokṣa, liberation.” Unfortunately, foolish people do not

understand this. Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: “I am

death, and I will take away everything you possess.” (Bg. 10.34) Hiraṇyakaśipu was such a powerful demon that even

the demigods were afraid of him, but Kṛṣṇa took everything away in a

second. Hiraṇyakaśipu was looking for security, and he was thinking,

“I will not die in this way, and I will not die in that way.” But he

did not think that he would be killed by the Lord in the form of

Nṛsiṁha. However intelligent we may be, and however much we may try

to cheat Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is always more intelligent. When mother Yaśodā

tried to bind Kṛṣṇa with a rope, she found that the rope was always

two inches too short. Our intelligence is like that. We want to cheat

God and surpass Him, but this is not possible. People think

themselves very advanced in knowledge, but actually, due to their

pride, their knowledge is taken away by māyā. Kṛṣṇa actually

takes the knowledge away from atheistic, demoniac people like

Hiraṇyakaśipu. Atheists do not know that Kṛṣṇa’s intelligence is

always at least two inches greater than anyone else’s.

In material life, we simply struggle for existence. We want to

exist, and we do not want to die. Nor do we want to undergo the pains

of birth, catch diseases or grow old. There are so many miseries in

material life that we do not want, but they are forced upon us.

Unfortunately, we are not intelligent enough to make a solution to

all these problems. We should be inquiring like Sanātana Gosvāmī

about how to put an end to them all. Instead, we are working in such

a way that we have to accept another material body. We are

experiencing the difficulties arising from this material body, but we

are not working in a way to become free. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness

movement is giving information on how to become liberated.

Those who are mahātmās are always engaged in chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma,

Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Bhajana is the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa.

If we serve a mahātmā like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who was always

engaged in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, our path of liberation is opened.

However, if we associate with materialistic people, who are simply

mad for sense gratification, we take the way of darkness.Tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. The Vedas enjoin that we

not remain in darkness but that we go to the light. We have accepted

a body, but we will not be allowed to remain in that body

permanently. We will have to give it up and accept another, and then

another and another. What is this business? The material world is in

such darkness, and people are taking on one body after another. The

Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is therefore here to give enlightenment

and liberation, and it is offering not only the simplest process of

chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa but also the most sublime philosophy.

11/ The Symptoms of a Sādhu

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Symptoms of a Sādhu

TEXT 21

titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ
suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām
ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ
sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ

TRANSLATION

The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful

and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is

peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics

are sublime.

PURPORT

A sādhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord.

His concern, therefore, is to enlighten people in devotional service;

that is his mercy. He knows that without devotional service, human

life is spoiled. A devotee travels all over the country, from door to

door, preaching, “Be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Be a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Don’t

spoil your life in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human

life is meant for self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” These are

the preachings of a sādhu. He is not satisfied with his own

liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most

compassionate personality toward all fallen souls. One of his

qualifications, therefore, is kāruṇika, great mercy to the

fallen souls. While engaged in preaching work, he has to meet with so

many opposing elements, and therefore the sādhu has to be

very tolerant. Someone may ill-treat him because the conditioned

souls are not prepared to receive the transcendental knowledge of

devotional service. They don’t like it; that is their disease.

The sādhu has the thankless task of impressing upon them the

importance of devotional service. Sometimes devotees are personally

attacked with violence. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridāsa

Ṭhākura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya’s

principal assistant, Nityānanda, was violently attacked by Jagāi and

Mādhāi. But still they were tolerant because their mission was to

deliver fallen souls. A sadhu is merciful because he is the

well-wisher of all living entities. He is not only a well-wisher of

human society, but a well-wisher of animal society as well. The word sarva-dehinām refers to all living entities who have

accepted material bodies. Not only does the human being have a

material body, but other living entities as well. The

devotee of the Lord is merciful to everyone–cats, dogs, trees, etc.

He treats all living entities in such a way that they can ultimately

get salvation from this material entanglement. Śivānanda Sena, one of

the disciples of Lord Caitanya, gave liberation to a dog by treating

the dog transcendentally. There are many instances where a dog got

salvation by association with a sādhu, because a sādhu engages in the highest philanthropic activities for

the benediction of all living entities. Yet although a sādhu is not inimical toward anyone, the world is so ungrateful that even a sādhu has many enemies.

What is the difference between an enemy and a friend? It is a

difference in behavior. A sādhu behaves with all conditioned

souls for their ultimate relief from material entanglement.

Therefore, no one can be more friendly than a sādhu in

relieving a conditioned soul. A sādhu is calm, and he

quietly and peacefully follows the principles of scripture. A sādhu is also one who follows the principles of scripture

and at the same time is a devotee of the Lord. One who actually

follows the principles of scripture must be a devotee of God because

all the śāstras instruct us to obey the orders of the

Personality of Godhead. A sādhu, therefore, is a follower of

the scriptural injunctions and a devotee of the Lord. All good

characteristics are prominent in a devotee, and he develops all the

good qualities of the demigods, whereas a nondevotee, even though

academically qualified, has no good qualifications or good

characteristics according to the standard of transcendental

realization.

There are 8,400,000 life forms according to the Padma

Purāṇa, and the ātmā is the same in all of them. The sādhucan understand this, as Bhagavad-gītā (5.18)

indicates:

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śvapāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal

vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a

dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].”

It is not that a brāhmaṇa is the same as a dog, but that

the brāhmaṇa is a spirit soul, and the dog is also a spirit

soul. We are conditioned according to our different bodies, which are

given by superior forces. Yamarāja offers the living entity a body

according to his karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. We have

already discussed the point that bodies are awarded according to

one’s qualifications. If we acquire the qualities of a brāhmaṇa and work as a brāhmaṇa, we become a brāhmaṇa. If we act as a dog and do the work of a dog, we

become a dog. Nor should one think that simply because one is born as

a brāhmaṇa, one is automatically a brāhmaṇa. There

are characteristics mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā by which one

can tell to which caste one belongs. Śrīdhara Svāmī has also noted

that birth is not everything. One has to acquire the qualities.

Whatever body we may have, our position is temporary. We cannot

remain in any position indefinitely. We may think that at present we

are Americans and are very happy, and that’s all right. We may chalk

out our plans for continued happiness, but nature will not allow us

to stay indefinitely. As soon as nature calls, we die and give up our

post. Then we have to take the post of a dog, a cat, a demigod, a

human being or whatever. We are now given a most exalted life form,

that of a human being, but if we do not act accordingly, we have to

take a lower body. This is karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa.

We should therefore be very careful in this human form that our

aim is to become devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is the path of

liberation. Previously, great personalities in India used to go to

the forest in order to meditate to stop the repetition of birth and

death. That is the highest occupation for man, and actually every man

is meant for that. Unless we conquer repeated birth and death, we

simply waste our lives like animals–eating, sleeping, defending and

mating. People in this age especially cannot distinguish between

animal life and human life. They think the difference is that animals

sleep in the street and human beings sleep in nice apartments.

However, the śāstras do not define civilization in this way.

Whether one sleeps in the street or in an apartment, the activity is

the same. A dog may eat out of a garbage can, and a human being may

eat on a golden plate, but this does not mean that they are engaged

in different activities. In either case, both the dog and the man are

taking food into their bodies. A dog may have sex in the street, and

a human being may have sex in a very nice bed in a secluded place,

but that does not change the activity. People are thinking that

advancement of civilization means improving eating, sleeping, mating

and defending, but actually these activities have nothing to do with

civilization. They simply tighten our bondage to material life.

Human life is meant for yajña, sacrifice for the

satisfaction of the Supreme Person. We may perfect our activities,

but our success lies in satisfying Kṛṣṇa by our talents. Presently we

may be attachead to material activity, but we should transfer that

attachment to a sādhu. Then our lives will be successful.

Presently we are attachead to money, women, nice houses, country,

society, friends, family and so forth. This attachment is called arjaraṁ pāśu. The word pāśu means “rope.” When we

are bound with a rope, we are helpless, and now we are bound by the guṇas, or the three modes of material nature. The word guṇa also means “rope.” We cannot free ourselves, for we are

conditioned. We cannot move freely without the sanction of the

supreme authority. It is generally said that not a blade of grass

moves without God’s sanction. Similarly, we cannot do anything

without the supervision of a superior authority.

It is not that God has to take personal supervision of this. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate . . . na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ

ca vidyate: in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.8), it is

thus stated that the Supreme Lord does not have to act personally. He

has many agents to perform everything for Him. We are so controlled

that we are not even free to blink our eyes. We may be moving our

hands very freely, but at any moment they can be immediately

paralyzed. Presently I am claiming, “This is my hand.” But what is

this? The hand could be paralyzed immediately. This is conditioned

life, and how can we improve it? Our business is to become liberated

from all this conditioning. How is this possible? Sa eva sādhuṣu

kṛto mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam (Bhāg 3.25.20).

We have to turn our attachment from material things to a sādhu.

‘Sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’—sarva-śāstre kaya: this is the

advice of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. All śāstras advise us to

associate with a sādhu. Even Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, the great

politician, recommended: tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. One Vaiṣṇava householder asked Caitanya Mahāprabhu

what the duty of a householder is, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

immediately replied, asat-saṅga-tyāga—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra: “Don’t associate with nondevotees, but search out a sādhu.”

(Cc. Madhya 22.87)

At the present moment it is very difficult to avoid the company of asādhus, those who are not sādhus. It is very

difficult to find a sādhu for association. We have therefore

started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to create an association of sādhus so that people may take advantage and become

liberated. There is no other purpose for this society.

Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (6.47) that the first-class sādhu is one who is always thinking of Him. This process is

not very difficult. We should always think of Kṛṣṇa, but how is this

possible? We think of our business, our dog, our family, our lovable

object and so many other things. We have to think of something;

without thinking, we cannot remain. We simply have to divert our

thoughts to Kṛṣṇa. It is the sādhu’s business to teach this,

and one can learn this in the association of a sādhu. Actually a sādhu will not teach anything else. Ādau

śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15). This is the way to make spiritual advancement. One has to

associate with a sādhu. Often the sādhu’s task is a

thankless one, but he has to be tolerant. Despite all the trouble a sādhu may encounter, he is very merciful upon fallen

conditioned souls. He sees that people are suffering due to a lack of

Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and because he is always thinking of the welfare

of others, he is suhṛt. Other people are always envious, but

the sādhu is always thinking how to save others from the

clutches of māyā. A sādhu is kind not only to human

beings but to cats, dogs, trees, plants and insects; he will hesitate

even to kill one mosquito. He does not simply think, “I shall just

take care of my brother.” He looks on all living beings as his

brothers because Kṛṣṇa says that He is the father of all living

entities.

Because a sādhu lives in this way, he does not create

enemies. If there are enemies, they become enemies out of their own

character, not out of any provocation on the part of a sādhu. A sādhu simply teaches, “My dear human

being, my dear friend, just surrender to Kṛṣṇa.” Enemies arise due to

man’s envious nature. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that there are two envious

animals–serpents and men. Although you may be faultless, either may

kill you. Of the two, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that the envious man is

more dangerous because a serpent can be subdued by chanting

amantra or by some herbs, but an envious man cannot be so

subdued. In Kali-yuga, practically everyone is envious, but we have

to tolerate this.

Envious people create many impediments to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness

movement, but we have to tolerate them. There is no alternative. One

must be peaceful and depend on Kṛṣṇa in all circumstances. These are

the ornaments of a sādhu. We should find a sādhu and

associate with him. Then our path of liberation will be open.

In the next verse, Lord Kapila further explains the activities of

a sādhu.

TEXT 22

mayy ananyena bhāvena
bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām
mat-kṛte tyakta-karmāṇas
tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ

TRANSLATION

Such a sādhu engages in staunch devotional service to the

Lord without deviation. For the sake of the Lord he renounces all

other connections, such as family relationships and friendly

acquaintances within the world.

PURPORT

A person in the renounced order of life, a sannyāsī, is

also called a sādhu because he renounces everything–his

home, his comfort, his friends, his relatives and his duties to

friends and to family. He renounces everything for the sake of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead. A sannyāsī is generally in

the renounced order of life, but his renunciation will be successful

only when his energy is employed in the service of the Lord with

great austerity. It is said here, therefore, bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye

dṛḍhām. A person who seriously engages in the service of the

Lord and is in the renounced order of life is a sādhu. A sādhu is one who has given up all responsibility to society,

family and worldly humanitarianism, simply for the service of the

Lord. As soon as he takes his birth in the world, a person has many

responsibilities and obligations—to the public, demigods, great

sages, general living beings, parents, forefathers and many others.

When he gives up all these obligations for the service of the Supreme

Lord, he is not punishead for his renunciation. But if for sense

gratification a person renounces these obligations, he is punishead by

the law of nature.

Kṛṣṇa and all the śāstras say that our only obligation is

to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we take to His service, we

are no longer obliged to anyone. We are free. How is this possible?

By almighty God’s power. A man may be condemned to death, but if a

president or a king excuses him, he is saved. Kṛṣṇa’s final instruction

in Bhagavad-gītā is to surrender everything to Him. We can

sacrifice our life, wealth and intelligence, and this is called yajña. Everyone has some intelligence, and everyone uses his

intelligence in one way or another. Generally people use their

intelligence in trying to gratify their senses, but even an ant can

do this. We should try to gratify not our senses but Kṛṣṇa’s senses.

Then we become perfect.

We have to learn this purificatory process from a sādhu. Inasmuch as we try to gratify our senses, we become attachead to the

material world. We may render service to the sādhu or to

Kṛṣṇa. The sādhu is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. He will never

say, “Serve me,” but will say, “Serve Kṛṣṇa.” Therefore we have to

approach Kṛṣṇa through the sādhu. This is confirmed by the

Vaiṣṇava ācārya Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: chāḍiyā

vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra peyeche kebā. We cannot directly approach

Kṛṣṇa; we have to go through the transparent via media, Kṛṣṇa’s

representative.

Those who are after material concessions go to different demigods.

They take something from Śiva, Durgā, Kālī, Gaṇeśa, Sūrya and

whomever. However, it was the goddess Pārvatī who asked Lord Śiva,

“What is the best type of worship?” Lord Śiva advised, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param (Padma

Purāṇa). “My dear Pārvatī, of all kinds of worship, worship of

Lord Viṣṇu is the best.” Then he added: tasmāt parataraṁ devi

tadīyānāṁ samarcanam. “And even better than the worship of Lord

Viṣṇu is the worship of a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee.”

Spiritual life begins with the association of a devotee, a sādhu. One cannot progress an inch without the mercy of

a sādhu. Prahlāda Mahārāja has also indicated this:

naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ
spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ
mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat

“Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of

a Vaiṣṇava completely freed from material contamination, persons very

much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attachead to the

lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities.

Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet

of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material

contamination.” (Bhāg. 7.5.32) Hiraṇyakaśipu

asked Prahlāda Mahārāja, “My dear son Prahlāda, how have you become

so advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?” Although Hiraṇyakaśipu was a

demon, he was nonetheless inquisitive. Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, “My

dear father, O best of the asuras, one can receive Kṛṣṇa

consciousness only from the instructions of a guru. One

cannot attain it simply by speculating. Ordinary men do not know that

their ultimate destination is to return to Viṣṇu.” In the material

world, people are always hoping for something. They hope against

hope, yet their hopes will never be fulfilled. People are trying to

become happy by adjusting the external energy, but they do not know

that happiness cannot be achieved without approaching God. People are

thinking, “I must first of all see to my own interest.” That’s all

right, but what is that interest? That they do not know. People are

thinking that by adjusting the material energy they will be happy,

and everyone is trying this individually, collectively or nationally.

In any case, it is not possible. People will ultimately be

frustrated. Why attempt a process that will ultimately meet with

frustration? It is therefore said: adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ

punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (Bhāg. 7.5.30). People are being baffled in so many ways because they cannot

control their senses. Their only possibility of rescue is Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore in this verse it is said: mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ

kurvanti ye dṛḍhām.

Prahlāda Mahārāja simply thought of Kṛṣṇa. Because of this, he had

to undergo a great deal of trouble given by his father. Material

nature will not give us freedom very easily. If we become strong

enough to try to capture the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, māyā will

try to keep us under her clutches. However, if one gives up

everything for Kṛṣṇa’s sake,māyā can have no effect. The most

excellent example of this is the gopīs. They gave up

everything–family, prestige and honor–just to follow Kṛṣṇa. That

is the highest perfection, but that is not possible for ordinary

living entities. We should, however, follow the Gosvāmīs in their

determination to worship Kṛṣṇa.

Sanātana Gosvāmī was an important minister in the government of

Hussain Shah, but he gave up everything to follow Śrī Caitanya

Mahāprabhu. He adopted the life of a mendicant and lived under a

different tree every night. One may ask, “After giving up material

enjoyment, how can one live?” The Gosvāmīs lived by dipping into the

ocean of the transcendental loving affairs between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. Since that was their asset, they could live very

peacefully. We cannot simply give up everything. We will become mad

if we try to give up everything without having staunch faith in Kṛṣṇa.

Yet if we find Kṛṣṇa’s association, we can easily give up our opulent

positions–our family, business and everything. However, that

requires sādhu-saṅga, association with a sādhu, a

devotee. When we associate with a devotee, the day will eventually

come when we can give up everything and become liberated persons, fit

to return home, back to Godhead.

Presently we are attachead to material enjoyment, and Kṛṣṇa even

gives us a chance to gratify our senses. He lets us enjoy ourselves

to the fullest extent because we have come to this material world to

enjoy sense gratification. However, this is called māyā, illusion. It is not really enjoyment, but simply struggle. When one

realizes that he is simply struggling life after life, that there is

actually no real enjoyment in the material world, one becomes a

devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That realization requires knowledge, and that

knowledge can be acquired by association with a sādhu, a

devotee.

Freedom from this struggle with material existence is further

explained by Lord Kapila in the next verse.

TEXT 23

mad-āśrayāḥ kathā mṛṣṭāḥ
śṛṇvanti kathayanti ca
tapanti vividhās tāpā
naitān mad-gata-cetasaḥ

TRANSLATION

Engaged constantly in chanting and hearing about Me, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sādhus do not suffer from

material miseries because they are always filled with thoughts of My

pastimes and activities.

PURPORT

There are multifarious miseries in material existence–those

pertaining to the body and the mind, those imposed by other living

entities and those imposed by natural disturbances. But a sādhu is not disturbed by such miserable conditions because

his mind is always filled with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and thus he does

not like to talk about anything but the activities of the Lord.

Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did not speak of anything but the pastimes of the

Lord.Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. He engaged his words

only in glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ordinary

conditioned souls, being forgetful of the activities of the Lord, are

always full of anxieties and material tribulations. On the other

hand, since the devotees always engage in the topics of the Lord,

they are forgetful of the miseries of material existence. Thus they

differ from other living entities, who are simply suffering.

There is no one in the world materially engaged who can boldly

say, “I am not suffering.” I challenge anyone to say this. Everyone

in the material world is suffering in some way or another. If not,

why are so many drugs being advertised? On the television they are

always advertising tranquilizers and pain killers, and in America and

in other Western countries they are so advanced that there are dozens

of tablets for various pains. Therefore there must be some suffering.

Actually, anyone who has a material body has to accept suffering.

There are three types of suffering in the material world: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika and ādhidaivika.

Ādhyatmika refers to the body and mind. Today I have a headache

or some pain in my back, or my mind is not very quiet. These are

sufferings called adhyātmika. There are other forms of

suffering called ādhibhautika, which are sufferings imposed

by other living entities. Apart from this, there are sufferings

called ādhidaivika, over which we have no control

whatsoever. These are caused by the demigods or acts of nature, and

include famine, pestilence, flood, excessive heat or excessive cold,

earthquakes, fire and so on. Nonetheless, we are thinking that we are

very happy within this material world, although in addition to these

threefold miseries there is also birth, old age, disease and death.

So where is our happiness? Because we are under the spell of māyā, we are thinking that our position is very secure. We

are thinking, “Let us enjoy life,” but what kind of enjoyment is

this?

Obviously we have to tolerate suffering. One of the

characteristics of a sādhu is tolerance. Everyone is

tolerant to a degree, but a sādhu’s tolerance and an

ordinary man’s tolerance are different. This is because a sādhu knows that he is not the body. According to a Bengali

Vaiṣṇava song: deha-smṛti nāhi yāra saṁsāra-bandhana kāhāḥ

tāra.

If we properly understand that we are not the body, although we

may suffer, we will not feel the suffering as acutely. For instance,

if one thinks, “This is my car,” and is very attachead to it, he

suffers more when it is wrecked than a person who thinks, “It can be

repaired, or I can leave it.” It is a question of mental absorption.

Because he is more like an animal, a materialist suffers more. The

devotee, on the other hand, takes Kṛṣṇa’s advice in Bhagavad-gītā (2.14):

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ’nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

“O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and

distress and their disappearance in due course are like the

appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise

from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to

tolerate them without being disturbed.”

In summer we suffer, and in winter we suffer. In the summer, fire

brings suffering, and in the winter the same fire is pleasing.

Similarly, in the winter, water is suffering, but in the summer it is

pleasing. The water and the fire are the same, but sometimes they are

pleasing, sometimes they are not. This is due to the touch of the

skin. We all have some “skin disease,” which is the body, and

therefore we are suffering. Because we have become such rascals, we

are thinking, “I am this body.” According to the Āyur-vedic system,

the body is composed of three material elements: kapha-pitta-vāyu. The more we are in the bodily conception, the more we

suffer.

Presently so many “ism’s” are being developed according to the

bodily conception–nationalism, communism, socialism, communalism

and so on. In Calcutta during the 1947 Hindu-Muslim riots, there was

more suffering because everyone was thinking, “I am a Hindu” or “I am

a Muslim.” But, if one is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will not

fight according to such conceptions. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person knows

that he is neither Hindu nor Muslim but the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Because people are being educated to become more body conscious,

their sufferings are increasing. If we reduce the bodily conception,

suffering will also be reduced. Those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, who are

always thinking of Kṛṣṇa within their minds and within their hearts,

are not suffering as much because they know that whatever they might

suffer is due to Kṛṣṇa’s desire. Therefore they welcome suffering. For

instance, when Kṛṣṇa was leaving, Queen Kuntī said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa,

when we were in a dangerous situation, You were always present as our

friend and adviser. Now we are well situated with our kingdom, and

now You are leaving for Dvārakā. This is not good. It is better that

we again suffer so that we can always remember You.” Thus the devotee

sometimes welcomes suffering as an opportunity to remember Kṛṣṇa

constantly. When a devotee suffers, he thinks, “This is due to my

past misdeeds. Actually I should be suffering a great deal, but due

to Kṛṣṇa’s grace I am suffering just a little. After all, suffering

and enjoyment are in the mind.” In this way, a devotee is not greatly

affected by suffering, and this is the difference between a devotee

and a nondevotee.

Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five-year-old boy, had to undergo a great deal

of suffering at the hands of his father, who was torturing him for

being a devotee. The boy was trampled by elephants, thrown from a

mountain, placed in burning oil and thrown into a snake pit, yet he

was silent during this whole ordeal. Similarly, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, a

Muhammadan by birth, was a very great devotee and was always chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa. That was his only fault. However, the Muslim Kazi called

him forth and said, “You are a Muhammadan, born in a great Muhammadan

family, yet you are chanting this Hindu Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. What is this?” Haridāsa Ṭhākura mildly replied, “My dear sir, there

are many Hindus who have become Muhammadans. Suppose I have become a

Hindu? What is wrong with this?” The Kazi became very angry and

ordered Haridāsa Ṭhākura to be whipped in twenty-two bazaars. This

essentially meant that he was to be beaten to death, but because he

was such a great devotee he did not actually feel the pain. Although

a devotee may sometimes have to suffer, he tolerates the suffering.

At the same time, he is very kind to conditioned souls and tries to

elevate them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is one of the primary

features of a devotee’s life. People are always putting a sādhu into difficulties, but he does not give up his job,

which is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that others may become

happy. It was Prahlāda Mahārāja who said: “My Lord, I am not

suffering, for I know the art of being happy.” How is this? “Simply

by hearing about You and chanting about You I am happy.” This is the

business of a devotee–hearing and chanting about the Lord. This

is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam. Now this śravaṇaṁ

kīrtanam is taking place all over the world through the Kṛṣṇa

consciousness movement.

Even in ordinary life it is possible for the mind to be absorbed

in such a way that even a surgical operation may not disturb a man.

Years ago, when Stalin had to undergo a surgical operation, he

refused the use of chloroform. If this is possible even in an

ordinary materialistic life, what to speak of spiritual life?

One’s mind should always be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in

thinking of Kṛṣṇa. It is Kṛṣṇa’s injunction, “Always think of Me.” The

European and American youths in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement have

been accustomed to many bad habits since birth, but now they have

given these up. Many people think that it is impossible to live

without illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. One

famous Marquees told one of my Godbrothers, “Please make me

abrāhmaṇa.” My Godbrother said, “Yes, it is not a very

difficult thing. Simply give up these bad habits–intoxication,

illicit sex, meat-eating and gambling. Then you can become a brāhmaṇa.” The Marquees then said, “Impossible! This is our

life.” Actually we have seen that in Western countries older men

cannot give up these habits, and because of this they are suffering,

yet many young boys and girls have given them up, and there is no

suffering. This is due to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

This process is open to everyone. Everyone has heard of the Bhagavad-gītā. We can attain perfection simply by following

the instructions given in this book. It is not necessary to abandon

our responsibilities. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was a great emperor

administering to his kingdom, yet at the same time he spoke only of

Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested that His devotees only talk about

Kṛṣṇa. If we simply talk about Kṛṣṇa and hear about Him, the stage will

come when we will no longer suffer. This is called ānandamayo

’bhyāsāt in the Vedānta-sūtra. The living entity and

Kṛṣṇa are both ānandamaya, transcendentally blissful. On

that platform, there is no possibility of material suffering. It is

not a question of displaying some magical feats. The greatest magic

is freedom from suffering, and this is the freedom of a devotee. When

we feel pleasure from hearing about Kṛṣṇa and talking about Him, we

should know that we are making progress on the path of perfection. At

that time, material suffering will not be felt at all. This is the

practical effect of rendering devotional service, which Lord Kapila

is pointing out to His mother.

TEXT 24

ta ete sādhavaḥ sādhvi
sarva-saṅga-vivarjitāḥ
saṅgas teṣv atha te prārthyaḥ
saṅga-doṣa-harā hi te

TRANSLATION

O My mother, O virtuous lady, these are the qualities of

great devotees who are free from all attachment. You must seek

attachment to such holy men, for this counteracts the pernicious

effects of material attachment.

PURPORT

Kapila Muni herein advises His mother, Devahūti, that if she wants

to be free from material attachment, she should increase her

attachment for the sādhus, or devotees who are completely

freed from all material attachment. In Bhagavad-gītā (15.5)

it is stated, nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣāḥ. This refers to

one who is completely freed from the puffed up condition of material

possessiveness. A person may be materially very rich or respectable,

but if he at all wants to transfer himself to the spiritual kingdom,

back home, back to Godhead, he has to be freed from material

possessiveness because that is a false position.

The word moha used here means the false understanding

that one is rich or poor. In this material world, the conception that

one is very rich or very poor–or any such consciousness in

connection with material existence–is false, because this body

itself is temporary. A pure soul who is prepared to be freed from

this material entanglement must first be free from the association of

the three modes of nature. Our consciousness at the present moment is

polluted because of association with the three modes of nature;

therefore in Bhagavad-gītā the same principle is stated. It

is advised, jita-saṅga-doṣāḥ: one should be freed from the

contaminated association of the three modes. Here also, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, this is confirmed: a pure devotee, who is

preparing to transfer himself to the spiritual kingdom, is also freed

from the association of the three modes. We have to seek the

association of such devotees. For this reason we have begun the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness. There are many

mercantile and scientific associations in human society establishead to

develop a particular type of education or consciousness, but there is

no association which helps one to get free from all material

association. If anyone wishes to become free from this material

contamination, he has to seek the association of devotees, wherein

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is exclusively cultured.

Because a devotee is freed from all contaminated material

association, he is not affected by the miseries of material

existence, even though he appears to be in the material world. How is

it possible? A cat carries her kittens in her mouth, and when she

kills a rat, she also carries the booty in her mouth. Thus both are

carried in the mouth of the cat, but they are in different

conditions. The kitten feels comfort in the mouth of the mother,

whereas when the rat is carried in the mouth of the cat, the rat

feels the blows of death. Similarly, those who are sādhus, or devotees engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, do not

feel the contamination of material miseries, whereas those who are

not devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness actually feel the miseries of

material existence. One should therefore give up the association of

materialistic persons and seek the association of those engaged in

Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By such association one will be benefited by

spiritual advancement. By their words and instructions, one will be

able to cut off his attachment to material existence.

In this Kali-yuga, the present age, the dangerous modes of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, passion and ignorance, are

especially prominent. Practically everyone in this age is

contaminated by lusty desire, greed and ignorance. It is said in the śāstras that in this age of Kali, sattva-guṇa, the

mode of goodness, is practically nonexistent.

The Fourteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā nicely explains

how one can free oneself of contamination by the material modes. Now

Kapiladeva advises, “Mother, if you want to get rid of the

contamination of material nature, you should associate with a sādhu.” Attachment to the material modes brings about our

bondage. If we want to be free from this bondage, we have to transfer

our attachment to a sādhu.

Actually everyone is attachead to something. No one can say that he

is free from attachment. The Māyāvāda and Buddhist philosophies tell

us to become detachead, but this in itself is not possible. A child is

attachead to playing in so many ways, but gradually his attachments

should be transferred to reading and going to school to acquire an

education. It is a question not of stopping attachment but of

transferring it. If one simply tries to put an end to attachment, he

will become mad. Something must be given in the place of attachment.

For instance, we tell our disciples to stop eating meat, but how is

this meat-eating stopped? In the place of meat, we are supplying kacaurīs, rasagullā and many other palatable things. In this

way, detachment is possible. First of all, nullify the inferior

attachment, and then supply a better attachment. There is no question

of forcing a living entity. This must be done gradually. A child may

have some attachment, but by the system of replacing attachment, his

attachment is overturned. Similarly, our consciousness has somehow or

other become contaminated. Now it has to be purified. Then Kṛṣṇa

consciousness will automatically arise and awaken.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is our original consciousness, but somehow or

other it has become covered by material attachment. The question is

how to give up material attachment and become attachead to Kṛṣṇa. The

process is sādhu-saṅga, association with a sādhu. We

have many attachments in this material world, but we cannot make

these attachments void. We simply have to purify them. Some say that

if the eye is diseased, it should be plucked out, but that is not

treatment. Treatment is removing the disease. Somehow or other there

is a cataract, and if the cataract is removed, one’s eyesight will be

revived. We have many desires, but we have to divert these desires to

Kṛṣṇa’s service. For instance, we may be very attachead to making

money; therefore Kṛṣṇa says, “Yes, go ahead and conduct your business.

There is no harm. Simply give Me the results.” As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.27):

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you

offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform,

should be done as an offering unto Me.”

This is the beginning of bhakti-yoga. If we conduct

business and earn money, we should spend it for Kṛṣṇa. This is a form

of bhakti. Another vivid example is Arjuna, who was a

fighter. By fighting, he became a devotee. He did not become a devotee

by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa but by fighting in the Battle of Kurukṣetra.

Kṛṣṇa advised him to fight, but because Arjuna was a Vaiṣṇava, in the

beginning he was unwilling. A Vaiṣṇava does not like to kill

anything, but if Kṛṣṇa orders him, he must fight. He does not fight out

of his own will, because a Vaiṣṇava’s natural instinct is not to do

harm to anyone. However, when a Vaiṣṇava knows that Kṛṣṇa wants a

particular thing done, he does not care for his own considerations.

In any case, everyone has some particular type of duty, an

occupation. If we perform our occupation in the worship of Kṛṣṇa, our

life will be perfect. This is also the instruction given

in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.13):

ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā
varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam

“O best of the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the

highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties

prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and

orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.”

Formerly, the varṇāśrama-dharma was prominent, and

everyone had a particular duty according to his position in society.

Now the occupational duties have expanded, but it doesn’t matter

whether one is an engineer, a doctor or whatever. Simply try to serve

Kṛṣṇa by the results of work. That is bhakti. It is not the

philosophy of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to disengage people

from their activities. One should engage in his occupation, but one

should never forget Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa advises us to always become Kṛṣṇa

conscious, and we should always think that we are acting for Kṛṣṇa. Of

course, we should work by the order of Kṛṣṇa or His representative,

not whimsically. If we perform some nonsensical action and think, “I

am doing this for Kṛṣṇa,” that will not be accepted. The work must be

verified by Kṛṣṇa’s acceptance or by the acceptance of Kṛṣṇa’s

representative. Arjuna did not fight without Kṛṣṇa’s order; therefore

we must receive our orders also. We may say, “I cannot find Kṛṣṇa. How

can I follow His order?” It is the role of the sādhu to

impart Kṛṣṇa’s orders. Since Kṛṣṇa’s representative is the sādhu, Kapiladeva advises His mother to associate with sādhus.

We have described the symptoms of a sādhu, and we have

stated that a sādhu should be accepted by his

characteristics. It is not that we accept anyone who comes along and

says, “I am a sādhu.” The characteristics of a sādhu have to be present. Similarly, it is not that anyone is accepted who

comes along and says, “I am an incarnation of God.” There are

characteristics of God given in the śāstras. Sādhu-saṅga, association with a sādhu, is very essential in Kṛṣṇa

consciousness. People are suffering due to contamination by tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. The sādhu teaches

one how to remain purely in sattva-guṇa by truthfulness,

cleanliness, mind control, sense control, simplicity, tolerance, and

full faith and knowledge. These are some of the characteristics of sattva-guṇa.

Instead of thinking, “Unless I have a drink, I will go mad,” one

should think, “Unless I associate with a sādhu, I will go

mad.” When we can think in this way, we will become liberated.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has stated that He wants every village in the

entire world to be a center for Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that people can

take advantage of sādhus and in turn become sādhus. This is the mission of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We simply

have to voluntarily undergo some penance in the beginning. It may be

a little painful in the beginning to refrain from illicit sex,

intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, but one has to be tolerant.

To be cured of a disease, we may have to agree to undergo some

surgical operation. Although the operation may be very painful, we

have to tolerate it. This is called titikṣavaḥ. At the same

time, we have to be kāruṇikāḥ–that is, we have to take

compassion upon fallen souls by going from town to town to enlighten

others in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is a sādhu’s duty. Those

who are preachers are superior to those who go to the Himalayas to

meditate. It is good to go to the Himalayas to meditate for one’s

personal benefit, but those who undergo many difficulties in order to

preach are superior. They are actually fighting for Kṛṣṇa’s sake, and

they are certainly more compassionate. Those sādhus who

leave Vṛndāvana to go fight in the world, to spread Kṛṣṇa

consciousness, are superior sādhus. This is the opinion of

Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (18.68–69):

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati
bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā
mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ
bhavitā na ca me tasmād
anyaḥ priyataro bhuvi

“For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees,

devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to

Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor

will there ever be one more dear.”

If we want to be quickly recognized by Kṛṣṇa, we should become

preachers. This is also the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is

not that one should remain in India; rather, one should travel all

over the world to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The sādhu is suhṛt; he is the well-wisher of everyone. This does not mean

that he is a well-wisher for an Indian nationalist or whatever. No,

he is a well-wisher even of cats and dogs. A devotee even wishes to

benefit cats and dogs by giving them prasāda. Once, when

devotees from Bengal were going to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu, a dog

began to follow them, and the leader of the party, Śivānanda Sena,

was giving prasāda to the dog. When they had to cross a

river, the boatman would not take the dog, but Śivānanda Sena paid

him more money and said, “Please take this dog. He is a Vaiṣṇava, for

he has joined our company. How can we leave him behind?” Caitanya

Mahāprabhu Himself actually threw some of His food to the dog, and in

this way the dog attained Vaikuṇṭha.

Not only is a sādhu everyone’s well-wisher, but he is not

an enemy of anyone. He is also śānta, peaceful. These are

the preliminary characteristics of a sādhu. He is also

attachead to no one but Kṛṣṇa. Mayy ananyena bhāvena. These

are the external and internal symptoms of a devotee. A devotee also

respects the demigods because he knows their position in relation to

Kṛṣṇa. In Brahma-saṁhitā (5.44), the goddess Durgā is

worshiped as the external energy, or potency, of Kṛṣṇa.

sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā
chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibhārti durgā
icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“The external potency, māyā, who is of the nature of the

shadow of the cit, spiritual, potency, is worshiped by all

people as Durgā, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of

this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, in accordance

with whose will Durgā conducts herself.”

The goddess Durgā is so powerful that she can create, maintain and

annihilate. However, she cannot act independent of Kṛṣṇa. She is like

a shadow of Kṛṣṇa. A sādhu knows that prakṛti, nature, is working under Kṛṣṇa’s direction. Similarly, a policeman

knows that he is not working independently but under government

orders. This knowledge is required in order that the policeman, who

has some power, will not think that he has become God. No, God is not

so cheap. God has multienergies, and one of these energies is Durgā.

It is not that she is all and all, for there are many millions of

Durgās, just as there are many millions of Śivas and millions of

universes. Although there are millions of demigods, God is one. It is

not that there are a million Gods. Of course, God can expand in

millions of forms, but that is different. A devotee offers respects

to the demigods as the assistants of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, not as the supreme power. One who does not know God as He is

considers the demigods to be supreme. Such people are less

intelligent. A devotee offers respects to the demigods, but he knows

that the Supreme Lord is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Actually a sādhu, a Vaiṣṇava, offers respects to everyone,

and he is ready to give up relatives and everything else for Kṛṣṇa’s

sake. A sādhu simply takes pleasure in hearing about Kṛṣṇa

and talking about Him.

There are many pastimes enacted by Kṛṣṇa. He fights and kills

demons, and He performs His pastimes with the gopīs. He plays

as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana and as King of Dvārakā. There are many

books about Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-kathā, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness

movement has already publishead many of them. Apart from Bhagavad-gītā, which is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, we can read these

other books. In this way, one can learn the art of becoming

a sādhu. Simply by hearing about Kṛṣṇa and speaking about Him,

we will be immediately relieved from the suffering of this material

condition.

As stated in this verse:

ta ete sādhavaḥ sādhvi
sarva-saṅga-vivarjitāḥ

These symptoms are visible when one no longer has material

attachment. A sādhu does not think himself Hindu, Muslim,

Christian, American, Indian or whatever. A sādhu simply

thinks, “I am the servant of Kṛṣṇa.” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said,

“I am not a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī or

whatever. I am simply the servant of the servant of the servant of

Kṛṣṇa.” One need only learn this process in order to render the best

service to humanity.

12/ Association with the Supreme Lord Through

Hearing

CHAPTER TWELVE

Association with the Supreme Lord Through

Hearing

TEXTS 25–26

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido
bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ
taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani
śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati

bhaktyā pumāñ jāta-virāga aindriyād
dṛṣṭa-śrutān mad-racanānucintayā
cittasya yatto grahaṇe yoga-yukto
yatiṣyate ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ

TRANSLATION

In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the

pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very

pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such

knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation,

and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then

real devotion and devotional service begin.

Thus consciously engaged in devotional service in the

association of devotees, a person gains distaste for sense

gratification, both in this world and in the next, by constantly

thinking about the activities of the Lord. This process of Kṛṣṇa

consciousness is the easiest process of mystic power; when one is

actually situated on that path of devotional service, he is able to

control the mind.

PURPORT

The process of advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional

service is described here. The first point is that one must seek the

association of persons who are Kṛṣṇa conscious and who engage in

devotional service. Without such association one cannot advance.

Simply by theoretical knowledge or study one cannot make any

appreciable advancement. One must give up the association of

materialistic persons and seek the association of devotees because

without such association one cannot understand the activities of the

Lord. Generally, people are convinced of the impersonal feature of

the Absolute Truth. Because they do not associate with devotees, they

cannot understand that the Absolute Truth can be a person and have

personal activities. This is a very difficult subject matter, and

unless one has personal understanding of the Absolute Truth, there is

no meaning to devotion. Service or devotion cannot be offered to

anything impersonal. Service must be offered to a person. Nondevotees

cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa consciousness by reading the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or any other Vedic literature wherein the activities

of the Lord are described; they think that these activities are

fictional, because spiritual life is not explained to them in the

proper mood. To understand the personal activities of the Lord, one

has to seek the association of devotees, and by such association,

when one contemplates and tries to understand the transcendental

activities of the Lord, the path to liberation is open, and he is

freed. One who has firm faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead

becomes fixed, and his attraction for association with the Lord and

the devotees increases. Association with devotees means association

with the Lord. The devotee who makes this association develops the

consciousness for rendering service to the Lord, and then, being

situated in the transcendental position of devotional service, he

gradually becomes perfect.

In all scriptures people are encouraged to act in a pious way so

that they can enjoy sense gratification not only in this life but also

in the next. For example, one is promised promotion to the heavenly

kingdom of higher planets by pious fruitive activities. But a devotee

in the association of devotees prefers to contemplate the activities

of the Lord–how He has created this universe, how He is maintaining

it, how the creation dissolves, and how in the spiritual kingdom the

Lord’s pastimes are enacted. There are full literatures describing

these activities, especially Bhagavad-gītā, Brahma-saṁhitā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The sincere devotee who associates

with devotees gets the opportunity to hear and contemplate these

subjects, and the result is that he feels distaste for so-called

happiness in this or that world, in heaven or on other planets. The

devotees are simply interested in being transferred to the personal

association of the Lord; they are no longer attracted to temporary

so-called happiness. That is the position of one who is yoga-yukta. One who is fixed in mystic power is not disturbed by the

allurement of this world or that world; he is interested in spiritual

understanding. This is very easily attained by the easiest process, bhakti-yoga. Ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ. A very suitable word used

here is ṛjubhiḥ, or “very easy.” There are different

processes of yoga-mārga, attaining yoga perfection,

but this process, devotional service to the Lord, is the easiest. Not

only is it the easiest process, but the result is sublime. Everyone,

therefore, should try this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and reach

the highest perfection.

Sat means “existence,” and asat means “that

which does not exist,” that which is temporary. The material world

is asat; therefore the Vedas enjoin, asato mā

sad gama: “Do not remain within this material world.” Those

who are interested in materialistic life are also called asat. When asked how a Vaiṣṇava behaves, Caitanya Mahāprabhu

replied, asat-saṅga-tyāga—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra: “A devotee

first of all avoids the company of asat, those who are

materially interested.” (Cc. Madhya 22.87)

We have establishead this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in order to

avoid asat-saṅga, association with those who are interested

in material things. Because we are associating with Kṛṣṇa, we do not

wish to talk about anything but Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is interested in this

business or that, and we are exclusively interested in our Kṛṣṇa

consciousness business. Those who are asat are very much

attachead to sense gratification, and the culmination of sense

gratification is sex.

In addition, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī in his Hari-bhakti-vilāsa recommends that one should not hear Bhagavad-gītā, the Purāṇas, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or any hari-kathā from anyone who is not a Vaiṣṇava in his actions.

That means that we should not hear these Vedic literatures from the

Māyāvādīs, who actually do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality

of Godhead. How can one not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord and yet

dare to speak on Bhagavad-gītā? We will never derive any

benefit from listening to the commentaries of such people. Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be heard

from the devotees. We can hear Bhagavad-gītā from Māyāvādīs

for hundreds of years and yet never understand Kṛṣṇa. It is therefore

forbidden for Vaiṣṇavas to hear talks given by Māyāvādīs.

Hari-kathā, talks about Śrī Hari, or Kṛṣṇa, are amṛta, nectar. If one hears them from the right source, he

attains amṛta (so ’mṛtatvāya kalpate).Mṛta means

“birth and death,” and amṛta means “the cessation of birth

and death.” Spiritual life means putting an end to birth, old age,

disease and death. Getting amṛta, nectar, means getting

relief from birth and death, and that is the real aim of spiritual

life. Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.16) that spiritual

life begins when one is pious:

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

“O best among the Bhāratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men

render devotional service unto Me–the distressed, the desirer of

wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the

Absolute.”

If we actually want to become pious and develop our devotional

life, we have to associate unflinchingly with a sādhu. Then we

can acquire some taste for Kṛṣṇa. When we discuss Kṛṣṇa with a sādhu, the discussion becomes very pleasing, and we develop

some taste, which is called rasa, or mellow. Rasa is the enjoyment we derive from drinking something very nice when we

are thirsty. Kṛṣṇa has instructed us to think of Him when drinking

water. This is not very difficult. Kṛṣṇa also tells us to think of Him

when we see sunlight in the morning. Why do we say, “Can you show me

God?” God is showing us Himself. Why do we close our eyes to try to

see Him? He says, “I am this, and I am that.” It is not that suddenly

we can expect to see God, but we can become qualified to see God

through the association of a sādhu. Presently many people

are interested in receiving degrees from big universities, but

education without God consciousness is simply an expansion of māyā’s influence. Because knowledge is taken away by

illusion, the universities are simply presenting impediments on the

path of God consciousness. The living entity is already illusioned

when he comes into the material world, and so-called advanced

education simply increases his illusion. Trying to become happy in

this temporary, material life, the living entity has forgotten that

he is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Even if one becomes happy in this

temporary life, his happiness is an illusion because no one is

allowed to stay and enjoy his happiness. These points have to be

understood in the association of devotees. A devotee knows everything

because he has seen the Supreme Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa.

What is the goal of vedānta-darśana? Veda means

“knowledge,” and anta means “ultimate.” What is that

ultimate knowledge? In Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) Śrī Kṛṣṇa

says:

vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

“By all the Vedas, I am to be known; indeed, I am the

compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”

If we listen to Kṛṣṇa and understand what and who He is, we can

actually understand Vedānta. If we do not understand Kṛṣṇa

but advertise ourselves as Vedāntists, we are just being illusioned.

Without understanding Kṛṣṇa, one is actually a mūḍha, a fool.

People do not know it, but actually anyone in the material world is

more or less a mūḍha. We are all mūḍhas, for unless

we are mūḍhas, we do not come into the material world. From

Brahmā down to the smallest ant, we are all mūḍhas of

different degrees. In order to become really learned, we have to

associate with devotees. Then we can actually relish kṛṣṇa-kathā. When discussed among devotees, kṛṣṇa-kathā is

pleasing to the heart and ear. This requires a little training, and

this training is given by the devotees. We should follow the devotees

in their practical daily life, in their routine work and behavior.

Cultivation means practice, and the great ācāryas have given

a routine we can cultivate. For instance, The Nectar of

Devotion by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī deals with the cultivation of

devotional service, and this book, which we have translated, has been

very well received in European and American universities. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, The Nectar of Devotion, is the

actual science of bhakti. Bhakti is not sentiment; it is a

great science, and we have to learn it scientifically. It is not that

we have to wait for another life to cultivate devotional service. We

can read The Nectar of Devotion, live with devotees, rise

early in the morning to attend maṅgala-ārati, study Vedic

literature, take prasāda and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Māyā is very strong, and to begin devotional service is

to declare war against māyā. Some of the devotees in this

Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement may fall down, but whatever is done

sincerely is to their permanent credit. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā. If one renders a little devotional service,

he does not fall down into the lower species but again attains a

human form. There are 8,400,000 species, but the fallen devotee is

guaranteed a human life. If one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is assured

of a good birth in the next life. However, if one completes his Kṛṣṇa

consciousness in this life, he will not take birth again but will go

to Kṛṣṇa. This is what is actually wanted. Why take the chance of

being born into a rich family or a brāhmaṇa family?

Actually, such a birth is quite risky because there is really no

guarantee. Generally, those who are rich don’t care at all for Kṛṣṇa

consciousness, and those who are born in brāhmaṇa families

generally become puffed-up, thinking, “I am a brāhmaṇa. I am

born in a very high family.” Thinking this brings about their

falldown. It is said that pride precedes a fall. A Vaiṣṇava is by

nature very humble.

These are the chances one takes when one becomes a human being.

Kṛṣṇa is personally advising us to take up the opportunities offered

by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We should take them and not run

the risk of committing spiritual suicide.

This is the process for understanding the Absolute Truth, the

Supreme Person, the Supreme Being. In the Absolute, there are no

contradictions. Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, activities, paraphernalia and

attributes are identical with Kṛṣṇa. This is the meaning of absolute.

There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa’s form and Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa’s hands and

Kṛṣṇa’s legs are nondifferent. In the material world, there is a

difference between our left hand and our right hand, between the nose

and the ear, but these dualities do not exist in Kṛṣṇa. This is the

meaning of absolute. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.32):

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti
paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form

is full of bliss, truth and substantiality, and is thus full of the

most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental

figure possesses, in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the

organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite

universes, both spiritual and mundane.” The different parts of our

bodies serve different purposes, but any limb of Kṛṣṇa’s body can

serve any purpose. Kṛṣṇa can eat through His eyes, or Kṛṣṇa can go

somewhere simply by thinking. The Absolute is advaita. There

is no duality in the Absolute. Everything is one.

Our material disease lies in wanting to satisfy our senses. We

have stated before that advancement of civilization means advancement

of sense gratification, but bhakti means just the opposite.

As long as we are interested in sense gratification, there is no

question of bhakti. We have to reduce our tendency for sense

gratification and increase our devotional activities. We have also

stated that material bondage means accepting one body and creating

another. Kṛṣṇa, through nature, will give us full facility to enjoy

our senses. Presently in the Western countries it has become

fashionable to run around naked. Therefore nature will give these

people an opportunity to stand naked like trees for many years. Why

are we receiving different bodies? Because we have different

tendencies for sense gratification. We actually have to come to detest

sense gratification before our spiritual life begins. This is made

possible through bhakti. Although Kṛṣṇa is beyond our vision,

He has agreed to be seen by us through the arcā-vigraha, the

Deity. We should not think that the Deity is made of stone. Even if

it is stone, we should think that Kṛṣṇa has made Himself visible

before us like a stone because we cannot see beyond stone. That is

Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Because our eyes and other senses are imperfect, we

cannot see Kṛṣṇa present everywhere in His original spiritual form.

Because we are imperfect, we see the difference between things

spiritual and material, but Kṛṣṇa, being absolute, knows no such

distinctions. He can become spiritual or material, however He likes,

and it does not make any difference to Him. Being almighty and

omnipotent, Kṛṣṇa can change matter into spirit and spirit into

matter. Therefore we should not think, as the atheists do, that we

are worshiping idols. Even if it is an idol, it is still Kṛṣṇa. That

is the absolute nature of Kṛṣṇa. Even if we think that the Deity is a

stone, or a piece of metal or some wood, He is still Kṛṣṇa. The

understanding of this requires bhakti on our part. If we are

a little thoughtful and philosophical, and if we are at all inclined

toward bhakti, we can understand that Kṛṣṇa is present in

stone.

Actually, nothing is different from Kṛṣṇa because everything is

Kṛṣṇa’s energy. The Māyāvādī philosophers say that since everything is

God, the personality of Kṛṣṇa is finishead. But actually Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa,

and at the same time He is everything. We can understand this by bhakti, but not by any other process. When a bhakta sees a tree, he sees Kṛṣṇa. As explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 8.274):

sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe, nā dekhe tāra mūrti
sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti

The advanced devotee does not see living entities as moving and

not moving. He sees Kṛṣṇa. This is also stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38):

premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti

Because his eyes are always smeared with the ointment of devotion,

the devotee always sees Kṛṣṇa and nothing else. He sees Kṛṣṇa and

Kṛṣṇa’s energy everywhere. For instance, if you love your child, when

you see your child’s shoe, you immediately see your child. Or if you

see your child’s toy, you immediately see your child and hear his

voice. Similarly, if we have actually developed love of Kṛṣṇa, nothing

exists but Kṛṣṇa. When our love for Kṛṣṇa is actually developed,

whatever we see, we will see Kṛṣṇa.

Unless one is advanced in kṛṣṇa-premā, love of Kṛṣṇa, he

cannot see or understand. By the blunt material senses, we cannot

even understand the name of Kṛṣṇa. People are always asking, “Why are

these people chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa?” They cannot understand, although

Kṛṣṇa realization begins with the name. The name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa are

nondifferent, but we cannot realize this intellectually. We have to

practice chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa to realize it. When we actually advance

in devotional service and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra offenselessly, we will realize that Kṛṣṇa and His name are

nondifferent. Thus kṛṣṇa-bhakti begins with the tongue, for

we can utilize the tongue to chant, and to taste kṛṣṇa-prasāda. In this way we can become a Kṛṣṇa bhakta.

When we see the Deity of Kṛṣṇa in the temple, we should think that

the Deity is Kṛṣṇa. In this way Kṛṣṇa has agreed to be seen by us and

even dressed by us. However, if we think of Kṛṣṇa’s virāṭ-rūpa, His universal form, what can we do? How can we dress the virāṭ-rūpa? His many heads cover the sky, and we cannot even

conceive of Him. Kṛṣṇa can become bigger than the biggest and smaller

than the smallest. Therefore this verse states: bhaktyā pumāñ

jāta-virāga aindriyāt. The more we serve Kṛṣṇa, give Him things

to eat and dress Him nicely, the less we become interested in our own

bodies. In the material world everyone is very busy dressing himself

very nicely in order to be sexually attractive, but if we try to

dress Kṛṣṇa nicely, we will forget our own material dress. If we feed

Kṛṣṇa nice food, we will forget to satisfy our own tongue by going to

this or that restaurant.

Kṛṣṇa was teaching Bhagavad-gītā, and Arjuna was seeing

Him face to face, but seeing Kṛṣṇa and reading Bhagavad-gītā are the same. Some people say that Arjuna was fortunate to have seen

Kṛṣṇa face to face and take instructions from Him, but Kṛṣṇa can be

seen immediately, provided one has the eyes to see. There is the

example in Caitanya-caritāmrta of a brāhmaṇa in

South India who was reading Bhagavad-gītā although he was

illiterate. The people in the neighborhood knew that he was

illiterate, and they made jokes, asking him, “Well, how is it you are

reading Bhagavad-gītā ?” One day Caitanya Mahāprabhu happened

to be in a temple nearby, and He could understand that this man was a

devotee. He therefore approachead him and asked, “My dear brāhmaṇa, what are you reading?” The brāhmaṇa replied, “I am reading Bhagavad-gītā, or, rather, I am

trying to read Bhagavad-gītā. I happen to be illiterate, but

my guru-mahārāja has said that I must read the eighteen

chapters of Bhagavad-gītā daily. I am simply trying to carry

out his order, and therefore I am opening and closing the pages.”

Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “I see that you are crying sometimes.

Why is this?” The brāhmaṇa replied, “Yes, I am crying

because when I take up this book, I see a picture of Kṛṣṇa driving

Arjuna’s chariot. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has accepted the

position of a servant to His devotee. Therefore when I see this

picture, I weep.” Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu then immediately embraced

the brāhmaṇa and said, “You have actually read Bhagavad-gītā.”

It is not that a wealth of education is required. One does not

even have to understand the language. The only ingredient needed is bhakti, love. If one becomes a pure bhakta, he will

forget all material sense enjoyment. Being a bhakta doesn’t

simply mean wearing tilaka and robes. One is not a bhakta if he has a taste for material sense enjoyment. A

true bhakta wants to satisfy not his senses but the senses

of Kṛṣṇa. That is the spiritual world. In the spiritual world,

Vṛndāvana, everyone–mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja, Śrīmatī

Rādhārāṇī, the gopīs, the cowherd boys, Śrīdāmā, Sudāmā, the

land, the water, the trees, the birds–all are trying to satisfy

Kṛṣṇa. That is the real meaning of Vṛndāvana. When Kṛṣṇa left Vṛndāvana

for Mathurā, everyone in Vṛndāvana fell dead out of separation from

Him. Similarly, we can always live in Vṛndāvana, in Vaikuṇṭha, if we

are mad after Kṛṣṇa. This is the teaching of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and

He illustrated this by His very life. When He was in Jagannātha Purī,

He was always mad after Kṛṣṇa day and night. The last twelve years of

His life were passed in madness. Sometimes He threw Himself into the

ocean, and He wandered about like a madman. Of course, this is not

possible for ordinary living entities. However, if we become bhaktas, we will find intelligence behind everything in the

creation. If we take a flower and see its constitution, how it is made

and how its colors are displayed and how it comes into existence, we

can see Kṛṣṇa. We can see how Kṛṣṇa has created such a beautiful thing

so intelligently. We should not consider like rascals that such a

thing has come into being automatically. Fools cannot see, but those

who are intelligent can see that the hand of the Supreme Lord is in

everything within the creation. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam.

Actually, nothing comes about automatically. Everything comes

about through the intelligence of Kṛṣṇa, through His fine and accurate

powers. If we paint a picture of a flower, we have to arrange many

facets, and still the picture will not be absolutely perfect. Yet the

flower created by Kṛṣṇa has come out perfectly. What rascal can say

that there is no brain behind it? Kṛṣṇa specifically says that we

should not think that prakṛti, nature, is working

automatically. He says, “Nature is working under My direction.” One

simply has to develop the eyes to see how these things are going on.

This is possible if we engage the senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa. We

first of all must engage the tongue in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and in

eating bhagavat-prasāda. Nothing else is required. Therefore

the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is distributing prasāda and

engaging people in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

TEXT 27

asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānāṁ
jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena
yogena mayy arpitayā ca bhaktyā
māṁ pratyag-ātmānam ihāvarundhe

TRANSLATION

Thus by not engaging in the service of the modes of material

nature but by developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, knowledge in

renunciation, and by practicing yoga, in which the mind is always

fixed in devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

one achieves My association in this very life, for I am the Supreme

Personality, the Absolute Truth.

PURPORT

When one engages in the nine different processes of bhakti-yoga enunciated in authoritative scriptures, such as hearing

(śravaṇam), chanting (kīrtanam), remembering,

worshiping, praying and offering personal service–either in one of

them or two or three or all of them–he naturally has no opportunity

to engage in the service of the three modes of material nature.

Unless one has good engagements in spiritual service, it is not

possible to become detachead from material service. Those who are not

devotees, therefore, are interested in so-called humanitarian or

philanthropic work, such as opening a hospital or charitable

institution. These are undoubtedly good works in the sense that they

are pious activities, and the performer may get some opportunities

for sense gratification, either in this life or in the next.

Devotional service, however, is beyond the boundary of sense

gratification. It is a completely spiritual activity. When one engages

in the spiritual activities of devotional service, he does not engage

in sense gratificatory activities. Kṛṣṇa conscious activities are

performed not blindly but with the perfect understanding of knowledge

and renunciation. This kind of yoga practice, in which the

mind is always fixed upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead in

devotion, results in liberation in this very life. The person who

performs such acts gets in touch with the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. Lord Caitanya, therefore, approved the process of hearing

from realized devotees about the pastimes of the Lord. It does not

matter to what mundane category the audience belongs. If one meekly

and submissively hears about the activities of the Lord from a

realized soul, he will be able to conquer the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, who is unconquerable by any other process. Hearing and

associating with devotees are the most important functions for self-realization.

In Goloka Vṛndāvana, the living entities are serving Kṛṣṇa as

friends, cowherd boys, gopīs, lovers, fathers, mothers and

so on. Even the trees, water, flowers, land, calves and cows serve

Kṛṣṇa in Goloka Vṛndāvana. This is also our business, but somehow or

other we do not like to serve Kṛṣṇa; therefore we have been put into

the service of māyā, in the three modes of material nature.

When a criminal does not like to obey the laws of the state, he is

placed into prison and forced to abide by the laws. Our

constitutional position is to render service to Kṛṣṇa as His part and

parcel, and as soon as we refuse to render Him service, māyā is immediately there to capture us and say, “Serve me.” It is not our

nature to become master. Even if we become master, we will not be

happy, because that is artificial. For instance, if the hand thinks,

“Oh, now I have some nice sweets. Now I can eat,” the hand will

ultimately be frustrated. It is the duty and nature of the hand to

place the food in the mouth. In this way the hand is nourishead;

otherwise everything is spoiled. Similarly, we are part and parcel of

Kṛṣṇa, and our business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. From the Vedas we

understand that God, who is one, has become many. We are the many

parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa. Svāṁśas are His personal

expansions, and we are His differential expansions, vibhinnāṁśas. In any case, all expansions are meant to serve

Kṛṣṇa. This is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 5.142): ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya. “Lord Kṛṣṇa alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His

servants.”

It is our natural propensity to enjoy ourselves with Kṛṣṇa. As

stated before, Kṛṣṇa is ānanda-maya, and, being part and

parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are also ānanda-maya. Now we are seeking ānanda (bliss) in different atmospheres. Because we have a

little independence, we have decided to go to the prison house of

material nature and try to serve our senses instead of Kṛṣṇa. Now we

have to learn how to forget to serve this material nature, and that

process is bhakti-mārga, the path of devotional service.

When we come to the understanding that we are actually no one’s

servant but Kṛṣṇa’s, we attain self-realization. We must come to this

understanding not by sentiment but by real knowledge. After many

births and deaths, when one realizes that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti–Vāsudeva is all–he surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa. This is real

knowledge–jñāna and vairāgya, knowledge and

detachment from material things.

Once one engages fully in Kṛṣṇa’s service, he comes to the brahma-bhūta platform. Presently we are on the māyā-bhūta platform, identifying ourselves with māyā and

working according to the modes of material nature. However, when one

comes to the realization that he is spirit (ahaṁ brahmāsmi),

he will immediately become happy.

Under the modes of material nature, we are being carried away by

the waves of material nature, and we have no control over where we

are going. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has stated: māyāra vaśe, yāccha

bhese’, khāccha hābuḍubu, bhāi. We are like straws on the waves

of the ocean, and we are fully under the control of the waves.

Atheists shudder when they think that there is a next life, because

their lives are sinful and they fear punishment in the next. There is

a Bengali proverb about a person who thought, “I have committed so

many sinful acts that Yamarāja will come and punish me. How can I

avoid him?” Thinking about this some time, he decided, “Let me smear

my body with stool. Then Yamarāja will not touch me.” However, this

is simply foolishness. We are under the control of māyā, material nature, and it is not possible to avoid it. We have become

infected by the disease of material nature, and no artificial means

will save us. There is no way out other than surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa

says that He will save us, even though we are very sinful.

If we turn our attention to Kṛṣṇa’s service, to bhakti-yoga, we can force ourselves to give up all anarthas, unwanted things. We should get up early in the

morning and engage ourselves in the service of Kṛṣṇa; then gradually

we will forget the service of māyā. Bhakti-yoga is so strong

that if we engage in it, māyā’s service will automatically

be negated. This is called vairāgya.

Kṛṣṇa is the original puruṣa, the original spirit, the

original person. Everything has come from Kṛṣṇa, and therefore He is purāṇa, the oldest. No one is older than Kṛṣṇa, but He is

always young. That is Bhagavān. He is ādi, the original

source, the cause of all causes. Yet we never see Kṛṣṇa as an old man.

He is always fresh and youthful. Although Kṛṣṇa was a great-grandfather at the Battle of Kurukṣetra, He did not appear any older

than a young man of twenty. Kṛṣṇa is always a young boy, and those

living entities in the spiritual universe also have spiritual bodies

the same as Kṛṣṇa’s. In the Sixth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we read that when the Vaikuṇṭha-dūtas came to take Ajāmila, they were

four-handed and very beautiful. In the spiritual world, there are

four-handed living entities, and they are all nitya-mukta, eternally liberated.

Unfortunately, we are now prisoners in this material world, and we

presently have material bodies. These bodies are changing. Sometimes

they are young and sometimes old. However, if we become Kṛṣṇa

conscious, we will not get another material body after leaving this

body. We will go home, back to Godhead, and attain our original,

spiritual body, which is the same kind of beautiful body that Kṛṣṇa,

Nārāyaṇa, has. We should take this opportunity to become devotees of

Kṛṣṇa by following the processes of bhakti-yoga—śravaṇaṁ

kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam pāda-sevanam arcanam. We can

take one or all of the nine processes of devotional service and make

our lives successful. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has prescribed the most

important process–śravaṇam. We need only hear, and that

will make our lives successful.

13/ Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender

TEXT 28

devahūtir uvāca
kācit tvayy ucitā bhaktiḥ
kīdṛśī mama gocarā
yayā padaṁ te nirvāṇam
añjasānvāśnavā aham

TRANSLATION

On hearing this statement of the Lord, Devahūti inquired:

What kind of devotional service is worth developing and practicing to

help me easily and immediately attain the service of Your lotus

feet?

PURPORT

It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that no one is barred from

rendering service to the Lord. Whether one is a woman or a laborer or

a merchant, if he engages himself in the devotional service of the

Lord, he is promoted to the highest perfectional state and goes back

home, back to Godhead. The devotional service most suitable for

different types of devotees is determined and fixed by the mercy of

the spiritual master. Therefore in order to become free from the

miseries of material nature, one should approach a bona fide spiritual

master inquisitively and submissively. When Arjuna submitted to Kṛṣṇa,

he said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, now I no longer care to talk to You as a

friend because friendly talks will not benefit me now.” Generally we

talk to a friend just to spend time, but when we approach a spiritual

master, we should be submissive. Friends approach one another on an

equal basis, but this is not the way to approach a spiritual master.

Unless one is submissive, one cannot accept sublime instructions.

Arjuna teaches us submission by giving up his friendly relationship

with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He says, “I have now

become Your disciple. Please instruct me.”

We can speculate for many births, for many years, and yet not be

able to understand the ultimate goal of life. Therefore the śāstras all advise that we search out a guru. The

word guru means “heavy” or “weighty.” One who has much

knowledge is heavy with knowledge. One should consider the bona fide guru in this way, and one should not think, “I know

everything. Who can teach me?” No one can say such a thing, for

everyone needs instruction.

According to the Vedic system, a child is sent to a guru-kula to learn spiritual knowledge from the very beginning. When

a child goes to a guru-kula, he becomes a brahmacārī and works like a menial servant. He may be the

son of a great brāhmaṇa or a great king; it doesn’t matter.

When one goes to a guru-kula, he immediately becomes the

menial servant of the guru. If the guru orders him

to perform some lowly service, he is prepared to do it. This is the

business of a brahmacārī. Even Kṛṣṇa went to a guru-kula to teach us. There was no need for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, to go to a guru-kula, but He did

this simply to set an example. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also accepted a guru.

Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī was a very learned scholar, and he knew

that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also a great scholar, yet he criticized

Caitanya Mahāprabhu for chanting and dancing, for Prakāśānanda

Sarasvatī felt that a sannyāsī should devote his entire

attention to the reading of Vedānta. He therefore considered

Caitanya Mahāprabhu a sentimentalist, not a bona fide sannyāsī. Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī inquired, “Why aren’t you

reading Vedānta-sūtra? Why are you chanting and dancing?”

Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied:

prabhu kahe—śuna, śrīpāda, ihāra kāraṇa
guru more mūrkha dekhi’ karila śāsana

“Actually, I am not very learned, and my guru has stated

that I am fool number one. He said that because of this I cannot

possibly read Vedānta-sūtra, for Vedānta-sūtra is

not meant for an ordinary person. My guru therefore advised

me to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and now I am doing

this and getting the results.” (Cc. Ādi 7.71)

At the present moment in Kali-yuga, people are not well educated.

They are simply engaged in earning money to fill the belly. Vedānta

philosophy is not meant for an ordinary person, nor even for an

ordinary learned person. It requires great knowledge of Sanskrit and

philosophy. Of course Caitanya Mahāprabhu, being the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, knew all things, but at that moment He had

assumed the role of an ordinary person in order to instruct an

illiterate, ignorant society. In this age people are not even

interested in reading Vedānta-sūtra.People are so badly

infected by the influence of māyā that they do not even care

to understand that there is life after death or that there are

8,400,000 life forms. Sometimes if people hear that by acting in such

a way they will become a tree, a dog, a cat, an insect or even a

human being, they say that they do not even care to know this.

Sometimes they say, “Never mind if I become a dog. What’s wrong with

that? I will simply forget everything.” Many university students in

the Western countries speak this way. They have become so ignorant

that they are described as manda. Previously, in India, the brāhmaṇas were interested in understanding Brahman. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā. However, at the present moment

everyone is a śūdra, and no one is interested in

understanding Brahman. People are simply interested in getting more

money and going to the cinemas.

Human life is meant for understanding our situation, and we should

take instructions from Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna is personally

teaching us by accepting Kṛṣṇa as his guru. He asks Kṛṣṇa to

become his spiritual master and teach him. The lessons given by Śrī

Kṛṣṇa are not simply meant for Arjuna but for everyone. Kṛṣṇa tells us

in Bhagavad-gītā that we should search out a guru. The first guru is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, and whoever represents

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is also a guru. If I am a businessman, and someone

goes to canvass for my business and take orders for me, he is my

representative. If he simply says that he is my representative and

yet takes some orders but uses the money for something else, he is

not really my representative.

Kṛṣṇa’s representative does not say, “I have become Kṛṣṇa.” Such a

person is neither a representative nor a guru. He is simply a

cheater. Kṛṣṇa’s representative is one who canvasses for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa

says, “Give up everything and surrender unto Me.” Kṛṣṇa’s

representative says, “Give up everything and simply surrender unto

Kṛṣṇa.” This is certainly not very difficult to understand. Anyone can

become Kṛṣṇa’s representative. Nonetheless, for the past two hundred

years, many yogīs and svāmīs have gone to foreign

countries, but no one has spoken about Kṛṣṇa. They have simply

presented a hodgepodge of Indian philosophy. No one has actually

presented Vedic culture as it is.

We should read Bhagavad-gītā as it is and understand the

philosophy as Arjuna understood it. Arjuna was a friend of Kṛṣṇa’s. He

was sitting with Kṛṣṇa and speaking to Him as a friend speaks to a

friend. In the Eleventh Chapter, after having seen the universal

form, Arjuna tells Kṛṣṇa: “I have in the past addressed You as ‘O

Kṛṣṇa,’ ‘O Yādava,’ ‘O my friend,’ without knowing Your glories.

Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love.”

Arjuna understood that although Kṛṣṇa was his friend, He was the

Supreme Personality of Godhead and therefore the proper person to be

his guru. He therefore told Kṛṣṇa at the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā (2.7), śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ

prapannam: “Now I am Your disciple and a soul surrendered unto

You. Please instruct me.”

These are the instructions we get from Bhagavad-gītā, and

whoever reads Bhagavad-gītā has to accept Kṛṣṇa as

the guru. We have to render service to a guru and

surrender ourselves. It is not that one should accept just any person

as a guru. The guru must be the representative of

Kṛṣṇa; then one can surrender oneself. Surrender means that one will

accept whatever the guru says. It is not that one thinks, “I

do not care for my guru’s order. Still I am a disciple.”

That is not actually accepting a guru. Of course, it has

become a fashion to accept a guru in this way, but this will

not help anyone. As soon as Kṛṣṇa became Arjuna’s guru, Kṛṣṇa

immediately chastised him. Śrī Kṛṣṇa told him:

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

“While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not

worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor

the dead.” (Bg. 2.11)

In this way Kṛṣṇa essentially told Arjuna that he was fool number

one for lamenting for those things for which one should not lament.

Arjuna was lamenting for the body, thinking that it was horrible that

his relatives would be killed in war. This was not the proper subject

matter for him to be contemplating. The real subject matter for a

wise man to contemplate is the salvation of the soul. Therefore Śrī

Kṛṣṇa first explained the distinction between the body and the

soul.

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is also concerned with the soul,

and therefore we have used the word “consciousness” because

consciousness belongs to the soul. Consciousness is the symptom of

the soul’s presence. Because the soul is in the body, the body feels

pleasure and pain. When the soul leaves the body, the body can be

hacked to pieces, and yet it will not protest. This is because the

consciousness is gone. We feel pleasure and pain because

consciousness is present, and Kṛṣṇa advises us that it is this

consciousness that is eternal, not the body. We have to purify our

consciousness in order to understand that consciousness is eternal.

If we can do this, our lives will be successful. At the time of

death, our consciousness carries us into another body. There are the

mind, the intelligence and the ego, which constitute the subtle body,

and there is also the spirit soul, which is even more subtle. We know

that we possess a mind, although we cannot see it. Nor can we see the

intelligence, the ego or the soul. We can only see the gross material

body, and when this gross material body ends, we say that everything

is finishead. In order to understand these things, we have to approach

a guru, just as Arjuna approachead Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna in very gentlemanly language that he was not

a learned man. In essence, He said, “You are not a paṇḍita. Just try to understand that the real life is the life of the soul.”

Vedic education means taking care of the soul. Presently the soul is

encaged, embodied, entangled in material affairs. The soul is

suffering, and it is to our benefit to rescue him from these material

clutches. This is real education. To receive this education, one has

to approach a proper guru. The guru is there–Kṛṣṇa. The guru is also there as Kapiladeva, the incarnation

of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa informs us that He is the owner of the body, and He has

explained this in many different ways. He has stated that the soul

can never be cut to pieces, burned by fire, moistened by water nor

withered by the wind. Matter interacts with matter, but the soul does

not belong to the material world. This means that the soul is above

material action and reaction. In the material world even iron and

stone can be melted, but the laws of material nature do not apply to

the spirit soul.

To understand these subjects, we should be careful to approach

Kṛṣṇa’s representative. We should not approach a bogus guru, who is like a blind man trying to lead other blind men. We must go to

one who has open eyes, to one who has seen the Absolute Truth. The

Absolute Truth is there, just as the sun is there for everyone to

see. The sun does not hide, but a person can try to hide from the sun

by closing his door. One must open the door in order to see the sun.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is there, God is there, and we have to come to Kṛṣṇa

and take the lessons of Bhagavad-gītā to learn who and what

God is. Rascals will not do this, but will simply manufacture some

philosophy or other. There is actually no difficulty because Kṛṣṇa’s

instructions are there, and Kṛṣṇa Himself is there. Kṛṣṇa is so kind

that He says, “All right, if you cannot understand Me in this way,

just see Me in water. Come on, if you do not understand Me in that

way, just see Me in the sunshine.” Is this very difficult? There is

nothing difficult about it, but we are very obstinate. Māyā is also very strong, and as soon as we try to accept Kṛṣṇa as the

Supreme Lord, māyā will whisper in our ear, “No, no. There

are many gods. Why are you accepting Kṛṣṇa?” However, the śāstras say, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.. . Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ

kṛṣṇaḥ. “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” We should

take our lessons from the ācāryas and the śāstras. At least in India there are many great ācāryas–Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, and even Śaṅkarācārya

and Guru Nanak. All of these have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Why, then, should we reject Him? Why should

we accept a competitor? We should not simply engage in mental

speculation but should accept Kṛṣṇa in full consciousness and be

happy. This is made possible by the help of the guru; therefore Devahūti is further questioning her son, Kapiladeva.

TEXT 29

yo yogo bhagavad-bāṇo
nirvāṇātmaṁs tvayoditaḥ
kīdṛśaḥ kati cāṅgāni
yatas tattvāvabodhanam

TRANSLATION

The mystic yoga system, as you have explained, aims at

the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is meant for completely ending

material existence. Please let me know the nature of that yoga

system. How many ways are there by which one can understand in truth

that sublime yoga?

PURPORT

There are different kinds of mystic yoga systems aiming

for different phases of the Absolute Truth. The jñāna-yoga system aims at the impersonal Brahman effulgence, and the haṭha-yoga system aims at the localized personal aspect, the

Paramātmā feature of the Absolute Truth, whereas bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, which is executed in nine different

ways, headed by hearing and chanting, aims at complete realization of

the Supreme Lord. There are different methods of self-realization.

But here Devahūti especially refers to the bhakti-yoga system, which has already been primarily explained by the Lord. The

different processes of the bhakti-yoga system are hearing,

chanting, remembering, offering prayers, worshiping the Lord in the

temple, accepting service to Him, carrying out His orders, making

friends with Him and ultimately surrendering everything for His

service.

The word nirvāṇātman is very significant in this verse.

Unless one accepts the process of devotional service, one cannot end

the continuation of material existence. As far as jñānīs are

concerned, they are interested in jñāna-yoga, but even if one

elevates oneself, after a great performance of austerity, to the

Brahman effulgence, there is a chance of falling down again to the

material world. Therefore, jñāna-yoga does not actually end

material existence. Similarly, regarding the haṭha-yoga system, which aims at the localized aspect of the Lord, Paramātmā, it

has been experienced that many yogīs, such as Viśvāmitra,

fall down. But bhakti-yogīs, once approaching the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, never come back to this material world, as

confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yad gatvā na nivartante: upon

going, one never comes back. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti: after giving up this body, he never comes back again to

accept a material body. Nirvāṇa does not finish the existence

of the soul. The soul is everexisting. Therefore nirvāṇa means to end one’s material existence, and to end material existence

means to go back home, back to Godhead.

Sometimes it is asked how the living entity falls down from the

spiritual world to the material world. Here is the answer. Unless one

is elevated to the Vaikuṇṭha planets and is directly in touch with the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is prone to fall down, either from

the impersonal Brahman realization or from an ecstatic trance of

meditation. Another word in this verse, bhagavad-bāṇaḥ, is

very significant. Bāṇaḥ means “arrow.” The bhakti-yoga system is just like an arrow aiming up to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. The bhakti-yoga system never urges

one toward the impersonal Brahman effulgence or to the point of

Paramātmā realization. This bāṇaḥ, or arrow, is so sharp and

swift that it goes directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

penetrating the regions of impersonal Brahman and localized

Paramātmā.

We must understand the Supreme Person, tattvataḥ, in

truth. Generally people are not interested in knowing about God or

their relationship with Him. However, the entire Vedic instruction is

for this purpose. First of all we have to know God, then we have to

know our relationship with God. The next step is acting on the basis

of that relationship. Kṛṣṇa states that out of many millions of

people, one may be interested in knowing the purpose of life. Human

life is meant for this end, and if one does not come to this

understanding, he is no better than an animal. We not only have to

understand God and our relationship with Him but also how to act in

that relationship. In this way we can perfect our lives. When one is

a siddha, one understands himself–that is, one

understands, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: “I am not this body.” This is

Brahman realization, the brahma-bhūta platform. When one

attains this stage, he becomes very happy. However, we must progress

beyond this and come to the platform of bhakti-yoga. On that

platform, there is variety and ānanda, bliss. As stated

previously, we are seeking spiritual variety, and if we do not enter

the spiritual world, we will again fall down into the material

atmosphere.

The varieties of the spiritual world are mentioned in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.29–30):

cintāmaṇi prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ
barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam
kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is

tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with

spiritual gems and surrounded by millions of purpose trees. He is

always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds and

thousands of goddesses of fortune.

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on

His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals, with head decked with

peacock’s feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of

blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of

Cupids.”

We should not consider Kṛṣṇa’s form to be imagined by some artist.

He is described in the Vedas as veṇuṁ kvaṇantam

aravinda-dalāyatākṣam. He plays a flute, and His eyes are like

the petals of a lotus flower. He wears a peacock feather, and His

complexion is very beautiful, like a dark cloud. He is so beautiful

that He attracts many hundreds of thousands of Cupids (kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobham). These are descriptions of Govinda

found in the śāstras.

In the material world we are simply chewing the chewed, throwing

it away, picking it up and then chewing it again. Spiritual variety

is not like this. Spiritual variety is ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam: it is constantly increasing. It is even greater than

the ocean, because the ocean does not increase. The shores of the

ocean are set; they have certain limits. However, the ocean of bliss

is constantly increasing. The more we enter into that spiritual

bliss, the more we become joyful.

The young people in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra all the time. If this mantra were material,

how long would they chant it? It is not possible to chant a material

name for very long because the chanting would become hackneyed and

very tiresome. No one could be satisfied simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa

unless Hare Kṛṣṇa itself were spiritual. We may chant, “Mr. John, Mr.

John, Mr. John,” but after an hour we will be fed up. However, the

more we become spiritually advanced, the more bliss we will derive

from chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

We can experience ānanda perfectly in the association of

Kṛṣṇa. We can associate with Kṛṣṇa as a servant, a friend, a father, a

mother or a conjugal lover. There are five basic rasas–śānta,

dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. In this material

world, we experience the same rasas, or relationships. We

are related to someone as a father, a son, a lover, a beloved, a

master, a servant or whatever. These are perverted reflections of the

relationship with Kṛṣṇa found in the spiritual world. Today in the

material world I may be relishing my love for my son, but tomorrow my

son may be my greatest enemy. There is no eternity in this kind of

love. Or, if my son does not become my enemy, he may die. Today I may

love some man or woman, but tomorrow we may break up. All of this is

due to the defects of the material world. However, in the spiritual

world these relationships never break up. They simply increase and

increase, and this is called perfection.

Kṛṣṇa is very fond of tending surabhi cows, but the

Māyāvādīs cannot understand this. They say, “What is this Kṛṣṇa?” Even

Lord Brahmā was bewildered. He said, “How is it that this Kṛṣṇa, this

boy of Vṛndāvana, is being worshiped? He is called the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. How is that?” Lord Indra was also bewildered.

Therefore if we do not wish to be bewildered we have to understand

Kṛṣṇa in truth from Kṛṣṇa Himself or His bona fide representative.

The activities of Kṛṣṇa are not ordinary but divine. If we can

understand this, we immediately become liberated. We need only

understand the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs. These

pastimes are not ordinary. In the material world, a young man wants

to dance with many young girls, but Kṛṣṇa’s dancing with the gopīs is different. Because people cannot understand Kṛṣṇa,

when they hear about Kṛṣṇa’s dancing with the gopīs, they

take this as some kind of concession, and say, “Now let us dance with

young girls.” In this way they go to hell. Therefore we have to learn

from the proper person about Kṛṣṇa’s activities. We should not

immediately try to understand Kṛṣṇa’s dealings with the gopīs, for they are very confidential. These dealings are

given in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and this

indicates that we have to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is by first reading

the preceding nine cantos. When we have understood these nine cantos,

we can go on to the tenth. In this way we can understand that Kṛṣṇa’s

activities are not ordinary but divine, and we can immediately become

liberated.

We may either hear about Kṛṣṇa, chant His names, worship Him or

offer prayers. In any case, we should work under the directions of

our spiritual master or Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. For instance, Hanumān

simply carried out Lord Rāmacandra’s orders. Hanumān apparently had

no education, and he was not capable of teaching Vedānta, but he

simply carried out the orders of Lord Rāmacandra and attained

perfection. Arjuna, on the other hand, took Kṛṣṇa as his most intimate

friend. Arjuna was not a Vedāntist but a fighter, a warrior. He had no

time to study Vedānta because he had to deal with war and politics,

but still he was the greatest devotee. People may say, “Oh, Arjuna

was not a Vedāntist, nor even a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī. How could Kṛṣṇa accept him as a devotee?”

Nonetheless, in Bhagavad-gītā (4.3), Kṛṣṇa says that Arjuna

is His very dear friend and devotee: bhakto ’si me sakhā

ceti. If one becomes a devotee, there is no material

impediment.

Actually bhakti should be automatic and spontaneous.

There should be no motive in serving Kṛṣṇa, but even if there is a

motive, service rendered unto Kṛṣṇa is good. Even if one approaches

Kṛṣṇa with some ulterior motive, one is considered pious. For

instance, Dhruva Mahārāja initially worshiped Kṛṣṇa with a motive, but

after attaining perfection in devotional service, his ulterior motive

vanishead. When he actually saw Kṛṣṇa, he said, “I do not want anything

from You. I don’t want any benediction other than Your service.”

After hearing about the many transcendental qualities of Kṛṣṇa, if we

somehow or other become attracted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our lives

will be successful. Tasmāt kenāpy upāyena manaḥ kṛṣṇe

niveśayet: “Somehow or other we have to attach our minds to Kṛṣṇa

consciousness.” (Bhāg 7.1.32) Then Kṛṣṇa will

help us and give us intelligence from within, as He indicates in Bhagavad-gītā (10.10):

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I

give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” This is actual buddhi-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means buddhi-yoga, because

one who is highly intelligent decides to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

In this way, one can perfect his life by engaging in devotional

service under the directions of the śāstras and the

spiritual master. Devahūti understands this and is thus submitting to

her son just as Arjuna submitted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa on the battlefield.

TEXT 30

tad etan me vijānīhi
yathāhaṁ manda-dhīr hare
sukhaṁ buddhyeya durbodhaṁ
yoṣā bhavad-anugrahāt

TRANSLATION

My dear son, Kapila, after all, I am a woman. It is very

difficult for me to understand the Absolute Truth because my

intelligence is not very great. But if You will kindly explain it to

me, even though I am not very intelligent, I can understand it and

thereby feel transcendental happiness.

PURPORT

Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is not very easily understood by

ordinary, less intelligent men; but if the spiritual master is kind

enough to the disciple, however unintelligent he may be, then by the

divine grace of the spiritual master everything is revealed.

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura therefore says, yasya

prasādād, by the mercy of the spiritual master, the mercy of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, bhagavat-prasādaḥ, is

revealed. Devahūti requested her great son to be merciful toward her

because she was a less intelligent woman and also His mother. By the

grace of Kapiladeva it was quite possible for her to understand the

Absolute Truth, even though the subject matter is very difficult for

ordinary persons, especially women.

In this verse Devahūti shows us the process for understanding

transcendental subject matters. It is not by challenge but by

submission. The entire bhakti process is a process of

submission. That is also Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teaching:

tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror iva sahiṣṇunā
amāninā māna-dena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

(Śikṣāṣṭaka 3)

If one is interested in advancing in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya

Mahāprabhu advises that one be humbler than the grass and more

tolerant than the trees. One should not be very proud of his

intelligence but should give all respect to others. In this way, one

can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa offenselessly. Although Devahūti was the mother

of Kapiladeva, she presented herself as a humble woman. It was not

that she considered herself superior because she was His mother.

We have to please the spiritual master by service, and the entire bhakti process depends on the attitude of service. The

transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa is not possible to understand with our

blunt material senses. Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, qualities and pastimes are

all divya, divine. Our present material senses have to be

purified by engagement in the Lord’s service, and our first engagement

begins with the tongue. It is with the tongue that we can chant the

transcendental names of the Lord. This is not very difficult, and this

path is open to everyone–even women, vaiśyas and śūdras. After describing all the faults of Kali-yuga, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.51) states:

kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann
asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet

“There is one special advantage about this age of Kali-yuga, and

that is that people can attain liberation and return home, back to

Godhead, simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.” Śrī

Caitanya Mahāprabhu said:

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

“Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is no other way, no other

way at all in Kali-yuga.”

We should try to avoid the ten offenses in chanting the holy name,

but anyone who chants Hare Kṛṣṇa sincerely is purified. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (Śikṣāṣṭaka 1). This is the easiest process by which the

mirror of the mind can be cleansed. If Kṛṣṇa sees that someone is

sincerely chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, He will help. He is within everyone,

and He can understand whether one is sincere or not. Kṛṣṇa helps a

sincere devotee internally and externally. Internally He helps as

Paramātmā by giving intelligence from within. Dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ

tam. Externally He helps as His representative, the spiritual

master. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya

bhakti-latā-bīja.“By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, one gets a bona fide guru, and by the grace of the guru, one gets Kṛṣṇa.”

(Cc. Madhya 19.151) Thus the śāstras have given us a very easy way to appreciate our

transcendental life. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Devahūti has submissively accepted her son as her guru. She wants to understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly, by the grace of Kapiladeva.

It is very important to receive the causeless mercy of Kṛṣṇa and the

spiritual master. By Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, we receive a spiritual master, and

by the spiritual master’s mercy, we receive Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has greatly stressed the mercy

of the guru, and it is an actual fact that if we satisfy the guru by our service, he will give us his blessings. This is

a very great opportunity, for the guru is the confidential

servant of Kṛṣṇa. The guru never claims that he is Kṛṣṇa,

although he is worshiped as Kṛṣṇa: sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ (Gurv-aṣṭaka 7).

All the śāstras describe the guru as being on an

equal basis with Kṛṣṇa, for he is the representative of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore he is worshiped as Kṛṣṇa. Being the most confidential servant

of Kṛṣṇa, the guru is very dear to Kṛṣṇa; therefore if he

recommends someone to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa accepts the person. The guru is the confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa because he canvasses

from door to door, saying, “Please become Kṛṣṇa conscious and

surrender unto Kṛṣṇa.” Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that such a person is very

dear to Him. The bona fide guru tells people to surrender not

unto him but unto Kṛṣṇa. Thus one has to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa through

the via media of the guru, not directly. This is the

process. The guru does not accept respect from his disciple

for his personal self but conveys this respect to Kṛṣṇa. If we cannot

receive the mercy of the guru, Kṛṣṇa is very difficult to

approach directly.

It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that knowledge of Kṛṣṇa is

received through the paramparā, the disciplic

succession. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam. The guru offers

the same respects to his guru, and his guru offers

respects to his, and so it goes all the way to Kṛṣṇa. Thus the mercy

of Kṛṣṇa comes down through the paramparā system, and the

respect offered to Kṛṣṇa is offered up through the paramparā system. One has to learn to approach the Supreme Personality of

Godhead in this way. Thus if we want to approach God, we have to take

shelter of the guru in the beginning. Devahūti is begging

the mercy of Kapiladeva in order to understand the way to approach

Kṛṣṇa. She approaches Him very humbly saying, “My dear Kapila, You are

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but I am a woman, and my

intelligence is not very sharp. Nonetheless, I want to understand

these sublime transcendental subjects from You. It is possible by

Your mercy.”

The process of approaching and understanding the Supreme

Personality of Godhead was also discussed between Rāmānanda Rāya and

Caitanya Mahāprabhu. First, Rāmānanda Rāya explained the process in

terms of varṇāśrama-dharma. He said first of all that human

life is meant for approaching Lord Viṣṇu through the rules and

regulations governing varṇāśrama-dharma. Caitanya Mahāprabhu

replied that it is very difficult in this age to execute the rules and

regulations of varṇāśrama-dharma. It is very difficult to be

a brāhmaṇa in this age, and it is practically impossible to

revive the old varṇāśrama-dharma culture. Caitanya

Mahāprabhu therefore said that this method is not very practical.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has been called by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī “the most

munificent avatāra” because He distributes love of Kṛṣṇa free

of charge. First of all, we cannot even understand Kṛṣṇa; therefore

there is no question of loving Him. If we do not understand someone,

how can we love him? The love is very far away, but Caitanya

Mahāprabhu is so kind that He distributes kṛṣṇa-premā, love

of Kṛṣṇa, to whomever will take it. In His life, Caitanya Mahāprabhu

cried for Kṛṣṇa and showed how one should be mad after Him.

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa
cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ
govinda-viraheṇa me

“O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to

be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like

torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your

absence.” (Śikṣāṣṭaka 7)

Without Kṛṣṇa, one should see everything as vacant. This is

Rādhārāṇī’s frame of mind, but this is not possible for an ordinary

living being. It was possible for Caitanya Mahāprabhu and a few

devotees, His immediate disciples like the six Gosvāmīs, who were

following in His footsteps. They worshiped Kṛṣṇa in separation and

sought Kṛṣṇa everywhere.

he rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ
śrī-govardhana-kalpa-pādapa-tale kālindī-vanye kutaḥ
ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure kheadair mahā-vihvalau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

“I offer my respectful obeisances to the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī

Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī

Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa

Gosvāmī, who were chanting very loudly everywhere in Vṛndāvana,

shouting, ‘Queen of Vṛndāvana, Rādhārāṇī! O Lalitā! O son of Nanda

Mahārāja! Where are you all now? Are you just on the hill of

Govardhana, or are you under the trees on the bank of the Yamunā?

Where are you?’ These were their moods in executing Kṛṣṇa

consciousness.” (Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 8)

The Gosvāmīs never said, “We have seen Kṛṣṇa.” This is the

recommended process–worship in separation. We should awaken our

lost Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this way and become mad after Kṛṣṇa in our

separation from Him. This is called kṛṣṇa-premā, and this

love was distributed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We should not try to

understand Kṛṣṇa by our small knowledge. Since we are imperfect, how

can we speculate on Kṛṣṇa? There are many people like jñānīs and theosophists who try to understand the Absolute Truth by

speculation, but this is not possible.

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan

“My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of

Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality.

But those who speculate in order to understand the Supreme

Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they

continue to study the Vedas for many years.” (Bhāg.10.14.29) Even if one speculates for many years, he

cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. One has to receive the mercy of Kṛṣṇa through

the spiritual master, and this is the path recommended by Śrī

Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sthāne-sṭhitāḥ śruti-gatāḥ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (Bhāg. 10.14.3). Another name for

Kṛṣṇa is Ajita. No one can conquer Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa can be conquered by

His devotee. One should be submissive and say, “Kṛṣṇa, I am very poor.

I have no means to understand You. Please be merciful upon me. Please

allow me to understand You and surrender.” This is wanted. Kṛṣṇa is

very merciful, and when He sees that someone has surrendered, He will

help from within.

14/ Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation

TEXT 31

maitreya uvāca
viditvārthaṁ kapilo mātur itthaṁ
jāta-sneho yatra tanvābhijātaḥ
tattvāmnāyaṁ yat pravadanti sāṅkhyaṁ
provāca vai bhakti-vitāna-yogam

TRANSLATION

Śrī Maitreya said: After hearing His mother’s statement,

Kapila could understand her purpose, and He became compassionate

toward her because of having been born from her body. He then

described the Sāṅkhya system of philosophy, which is a combination of

devotional service and mystic realization, as received by disciplic

succession.

PURPORT

The philosophy propounded by the atheist Kapila is an analysis of

the material elements and is very much appreciated by Western

philosophers. The sāṅkhya-yoga explained by Lord Kapiladeva,

the son of Devahūti, is practically unknown in the West. The sāṅkhya-yoga propounded herein is actually bhakti. It is stated here that the proper way to receive this knowledge is by

disciplic succession, not by philosophical speculation. Speculation

is an improper way to understand the Absolute Truth. Generally

Western philosophers try to understand the Absolute Truth by the

ascending process of mental speculation. This is the process of

inductive logic. The other process is the descending process, and

this is the paramparā process. By this method, knowledge

descends from a higher source.

In Bhagavad-gītā, many yoga systems are

explained, but the bhakti-yoga system is considered highest

of all. Ultimately, all yogas end in bhakti-yoga. The ultimate conclusion of jñāna-yoga and haṭha-yoga is bhakti-yoga. In the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, the haṭha-yoga system of meditation is explained,

and Arjuna, who was highly elevated, said that he could not

concentrate his mind in this way. If the haṭha-yoga system

was so difficult five thousand years ago for a person so elevated that

he was Kṛṣṇa’s friend, how is it possible today? Arjuna frankly said

that this system of yoga was impossible to execute because

the mind is as difficult to control as the wind.

The haṭha-yoga system is basically meant for those who

are overly attachead to the body; otherwise, the

preferred yoga is sāṅkhya-yoga or bhakti-yoga. When Arjuna told Śrī Kṛṣṇa that the haṭha-yoga system was too difficult to execute, the Lord pacified him by saying

that the first-class yogī is one “who is always thinking of

Me.” (Bg. 6.47) Arjuna did not know anything but

Kṛṣṇa, and Arjuna requested that Kṛṣṇa be present on his side in the

battle. When Duryodhana approachead Kṛṣṇa with Arjuna and requested Him

to take sides, Kṛṣṇa said, “I have eighteen military divisions. These

divisions will take one side, and I personally will take another.

However, I will not fight in this battle.” At first Arjuna thought it

wise to take the eighteen divisions with their many thousands of

elephants and horses, but then he considered that if he simply had

Kṛṣṇa on his side, that would be sufficient. He would not need ordinary

soldiers. Duryodhana, on the other hand, decided to take Kṛṣṇa’s

soldiers. Thus in order to pacify Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa told him not to worry,

although he could not execute the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system.

“The first-class yogī is he who always thinks of Me.” One

should always remember that Kṛṣṇa is within his heart and think of

Him. This is the proper system of meditation. If we always chant the

Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, we will always remember Kṛṣṇa, and

immediately the form of Kṛṣṇa will be awakened within our hearts. The

process of always thinking of Kṛṣṇa is the process of Kṛṣṇa

consciousness. The first-class yogī is he who is always

conscious of Kṛṣṇa. One can be conscious of Kṛṣṇa by hearing about Him

submissively.

We have to accept Kṛṣṇa through the disciplic succession. There are

four sampradāyas, disciplic successions. One comes from Lord

Brahmā (the Brahma-sampradāya), and another comes from Lakṣmī, the

goddess of fortune, (the Śrī-sampradāya). There are also the Kumāra-sampradāya and the Rudra-sampradāya. At the present moment, the

Brahma-sampradāya is represented by the Madhva-sampradāya, and we

belong to the Madhva-gauḍīya-samprādaya. Our original sampradāya stems from Madhvācārya. In that sampradāya there was Mādhavendra Purī, and Mādhavendra

Purī’s disciple was Śrī Īśvara Purī. Śrī Īśvara Purī’s disciple was

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus we are coming in the disciplic

succession from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and therefore our sampradāya is called the Madhva-gauḍīya-sampradāya. It is

not that we have manufactured a sampradāya; rather,

our sampradāya stems from Lord Brahmā. There is also the

Rāmānuja-sampradāya, which comes from the Śrī-sampradāya, and there

is the Viṣṇusvāmī-sampradāya, which comes from the Rudra-sampradāya.

The Nimbāditya-sampradāya comes from the Kumāra-sampradāya. If we do

not belong to any sampradāya, our conclusion is fruitless.

It is not that one should think, “I am a big scholar, and I can

interpret Bhagavad-gītā in my own way. All these sampradāyas are useless.” We cannot manufacture our own

comments. There are many commentaries made in this way, and they are

all useless. They have no effect. We have to accept the philosophy as

it was contemplated by Lord Brahmā, Nārada, Madhvācārya, Mādhavendra

Purī and Īśvara Purī. These great ācāryas are beyond the

imperfections of so-called scholars. Mundane scientists and

philosophers use the words “perhaps” and “maybe” because they cannot

arrive at a proper conclusion. They are simply speculating, and

mental speculation cannot be perfect.

Bhakti-yoga is at the top of the stairs of all the yogas. The first step is karma-yoga, and then jñāna-yoga and dhyāna-yoga, but the ultimate is bhakti-yoga. Everyone is trying to reach the ultimate

Absolute Truth, but the otheryogas end in partial

understanding. The understanding derived from bhakti-yoga is

complete, and even if partially executed, it has potency. It is also

recommended by the great mahājanas like Lord Brahmā, Lord

Śiva and Kapiladeva. Since the path of perfection is very difficult to

understand, the śāstras recommend that we follow

the mahājanas, who are thus described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.20):

svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ
kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
balir vaiyāsakir vayam

Another name for Lord Brahmā is Svayambhū because he was born from

a lotus flower emanating from the navel of Lord Viṣṇu. Since he was

not born of a father and mother, he is therefore called Svayambhū.

Nārada Muni is also a mahājana, and Śambhu is Lord Śiva.

Kumāra refers to the four Kumāras–Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and

Sanat-kumāra. There are twelve authorities following the Sāṅkhya

philosophy, or bhakti-yoga, and these include Lord Brahmā,

Lord Śiva, Kapiladeva, Manu, Bhīṣmadeva, Janaka Mahārāja, Śukadeva

Gosvāmī and Prahlāda Mahārāja. If we simply accept one of these mahājanas, we will be successful in understanding the

Absolute Truth, but if we try to understand the Absolute Truth by

logic and argument, we will ultimately be frustrated. One philosopher

may be a better logician than another, and one philosophical argument

may counteract another, but this process goes on and on. It is simply

a useless waste of time. Even if we approach Vedic scriptures, there

are difficulties. There are so many scriptures–Yajur Veda, Ṛg

Veda, Sāma Veda, Atharva Veda, the Upaniṣads, the Purāṇas, Brahma-sūtra, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata and so

forth. Different people read them and arrive at different

conclusions. There are also the Bible and the Koran. According to so

many different men, there are so many interpretations. One

philosopher defeats another philosopher on the basis of scripture. It

is even stated that one cannot become a ṛṣi, a philosopher,

unless one propounds a different system of philosophy. Nāsāv ṛṣir

yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. Thus the truth of spiritual life is very

complicated and difficult to understand. The conclusion is that one

should follow one of these twelve mahājanas in order to be

successful. Kṛṣṇa is the original mahājana, and He instructed

Lord Brahmā. Lord Brahmā is also a mahājana. Actually, Kṛṣṇa

instructed everyone in Bhagavad-gītā, and thus everyone has

learned from Kṛṣṇa.

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.1) it is also stated: tene

brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye. Thus Kṛṣṇa gives His personal

instructions just as Kapiladeva gave His personal instructions. There

is no contradiction between Kṛṣṇa’s philosophy in Bhagavad-gītā and Kapiladeva’s philosophy. We need only receive the

transcendental knowledge through the mahājanas, and the

results will be beneficial. Kapiladeva explained this Sāṅkhya

philosophy to His mother, and although He had a natural affection for

His mother, we should not think that Devahūti was an ordinary woman.

She was very submissive, and when Kapiladeva saw this, He became very

compassionate. He saw that she was eager to know about the Absolute

Truth, and He considered that, after all, He had received His body

from her. Therefore He concluded that He should try to give her the

ultimate conclusion of philosophical knowledge, which is this Sāṅkhya

philosophy.

TEXT 32

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
devānāṁ guṇa-liṅgānām
ānuśravika-karmaṇām
sattva evaika-manaso
vṛttiḥ svābhāvikī tu yā
animittā bhāgavatī
bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī

TRANSLATION

Lord Kapila said: The senses are symbolic representations

of the demigods, and their natural inclination is to work under the

direction of the Vedic injunctions. As the senses are representatives

of the demigods, so the mind is the representative of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. The mind’s natural duty is to serve. When

that spirit of service is engaged in devotion to the Personality of

Godhead, without any motive, that is far better than

salvation.

PURPORT

The senses of the living entity are always engaged in some

occupation, either in activities prescribed in the Vedic injunctions

or in material activities. The natural inclination of the senses is

to work for something, and the mind is the center of the senses. The

mind is actually the leader of the senses; therefore it is called sattva. Similarly, the leader of all the demigods who are

engaged in the activities of this material world–in managing the

sun, moon, etc.–is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

It is stated in the Vedic literature that the demigods are

different limbs of the universal body of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. Our senses are also controlled by different demigods; our

senses are representations of various demigods, and the mind is the

representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The senses, led

by the mind, act under the influence of the demigods. When the service

is ultimately aimed at the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the senses

are in their natural position. The Lord is called Hṛṣīkeśa, for He is

actually the proprietor and ultimate master of the senses. The senses

and the mind are naturally inclined to work, but when they are

materially contaminated, they work for some material benefit or for

the service of the demigods, although actually they are meant to

serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The senses are called hṛṣīka, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called

Hṛṣīkeśa. Indirectly, all the senses are naturally inclined to serve

the Supreme Lord. That is called bhakti.

Kapiladeva said that in devotional service the senses, without

desire for material profit or other selfish motives, are engaged in the

service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That spirit of service

is far better than siddhi, salvation. Bhakti, the

inclination to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is in a

transcendental position far superior to mukti, or

liberation. Thus bhakti is the stage after liberation.

Unless one is liberated, one cannot engage the senses in the service

of the Lord. When the senses are engaged either in material

activities of sense gratification or in the activities of the Vedic

injunctions, there is some motive, but when the same senses are

engaged in the service of the Lord without ulterior motive, that is

called animittā and is the natural inclination of the mind.

The conclusion is that when the mind, undeviated either by Vedic

injunctions or by material activities, is fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa

consciousness, or devotional service to the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, one is situated far above mere liberation from material

entanglement.

Bhakti, devotional service, is transcendental even to mukti, liberation. Generally people are concerned

with dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. In the

beginning, there is dharma (religion), then artha (economic development), kāma (sense gratification), then mokṣa (merging into the Supreme One). However, bhakti is above all these. Mukti is not very

important for a bhakta. In the words of Bilvamaṅgala

Ṭhākura: muktiḥ svayaṁ mukulitāñjali sevate ’smāt. “Mukti herself is standing with folded hands, waiting to serve the devotee.”

(Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 107) This is the experience of Bilvamaṅgala

Ṭhākura, who was a very rich South Indian brāhmaṇa. Due to

bad association, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura became a very staunch

prostitute hunter, and he spent all his money on a prostitute named

Cintāmaṇi. One night, during a terrible rainstorm, Bilvamaṅgala went

to see Cintāmaṇi, but the prostitute was thinking, “Surely tonight

Bilvamaṅgala will not come. This is a terrible storm.” Nonetheless,

Bilvamaṅgala came, despite all difficulties. Somehow he managed to

cross the raging river, and when he saw the gates of Cintāmaṇi’s

house closed, he somehow managed to jump over them. Despite all the

dangers, he reachead Cintāmaṇi’s house, and the prostitute, being very

astonishead, said, “How is it you have come tonight? Oh, you are so

attracted to this skin! If you just had this much attraction for

Kṛṣṇa, it would certainly be to your benefit.” Bilvamaṅgala then

immediately left the prostitute’s house and went to Vṛndāvana. The

fact was that in his previous life he had executed devotional service

up to bhāva-bhakti. Thus the prostitute Cintāmaṇi actually

became his guru. While in Vṛndāvana, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura

wrote a book named Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, which has been recommended

by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In that book, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura

writes: “If we have devotion fixed on You, My Lord Bhagavān, then we

can easily see Your divine form as kaiśora-mūrti, a young

boy.”

Another name for Kṛṣṇa is Kaiśora. The word kaiśora refers

to the age before marriage–that is, it refers to a boy between the

ages of eleven and sixteen. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is always kaiśora-mūrti. By devotional service, one can see the kaiśora-mūrti of Kṛṣṇa very easily.

When Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura was going to Vṛndāvana, he was still

attracted to women. One night he stayed at the house of a very rich

merchant, and the merchant’s wife told her husband that Bilvamaṅgala

Ṭhākura was attracted to her. She asked her husband what to do, and

the merchant simply said, “Serve him.” Finally Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura

came to his senses, and he thought, “These eyes are my enemies.” When

the beautiful woman approachead him, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura said,

“Mother, please give me the pins out of your hair. I am very mad

after the beauty of women. So let me pluck out my eyes.” In this way,

he blinded himself. Although he could not see, in Vṛndāvana he was

supplied milk by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Thus he personally realized Kṛṣṇa

through bhakti and wrote of his personal experience. He

wrote, “Mukti is not a very important thing. She is always

at my service with folded hands, saying, ‘My dear sir, what can I do

for you?’ ” Thus a devotee is not very anxious for mukti because he is already liberated. If a man has a million dollars, why

should he hanker after ten rupees?

Bhakti should be animittā, without motive.

Actually Kṛṣṇa can fulfill all of our wishes without difficulty because

He is almighty and full of all opulences. If we want material

happiness from Kṛṣṇa, it is certainly not difficult for Him to grant

it. He can also give us mukti, liberation, but it is

foolishness to ask anything from Kṛṣṇa except bhakti. Śrīla

Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura used to say that asking God for mukti or anything else other than bhakti is like

going to a rich man and asking for ashes. There is another story,

about an old woman who was carrying a bundle of dry wood through the

forest. Somehow or other the bundle, which was very heavy, fell to

the ground. The old woman became very disturbed, and thought, “Who

will help put this bundle back on my head?” She then began to call on

God, saying, “God help me.” Suddenly God appeared and said, “What do

you want?” She said, “Please help me put this bundle back on my

head.” So this is our foolishness. When God comes to give us some

benediction, we simply ask Him to load us down again with all these

material bundles. We ask Him for more material things, for a happy

family, for a large amount of money, for a new car or whatever.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us that we should only beg God for His

service life after life. This is the actual meaning of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. When we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa

Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma, Rāma, Hare Hare, we are

actually addressing God and His energy, Harā. Harā is Kṛṣṇa’s internal

potency, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or Lakṣmī. Jaya rādhe! This is daivī prakṛti, and the devotees take shelter of the daivī prakṛti, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Thus the Vaiṣṇavas worship

Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa and Sītā-Rāma. In the beginning of the

Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra we first address the internal energy of

Kṛṣṇa, Hare. Thus we say, “O Rādhārāṇī! O Hare! O energy of the Lord!”

When we address someone in this way, he usually says, “Yes, what do

you want?” The answer is, “Please engage me in Your service.” This

should be our prayer. We should not say, “O energy of the Lord, O

Kṛṣṇa, please give me money. Please give me a beautiful wife. Please

give me many followers. Please give me some prestigious position.

Please give me the presidency.” These are all material hankerings,

which should be avoided. Lord Buddha advocated that we give up all

material desires. It is not possible to become desireless, but it is

possible to give up material desires. It is the nature of the living

entity to desire; it is not possible to be desireless. If one is

desireless, he is dead. Desirelessness means purifying one’s desire,

and desire is purified when we only desire the service of Kṛṣṇa.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches:

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

“O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I

desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only

want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.”

(Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) He requests Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service birth after

birth. It is not that He is seeking salvation; rather, He simply

wants to serve Kṛṣṇa one life after another. The devotees are not

anxious to merge into the existence of the Supreme. The Buddhist

philosophy advocates nirvāṇa, the negation of all material

desires. Buddha does not offer more than this. Śaṅkarācārya gives a

little more, saying that we should become desireless in this material

world and then enter into the Brahman effulgence. This is called brahma-nirvāṇa. According to the Vaiṣṇava philosophy,

however, we should negate material desires and be situated on the

Brahman platform, but in addition we should engage in the devotional

service of the Lord. This is called bhakti. Māyāvādī

philosophers cannot understand this, but Kṛṣṇa says that this

devotional service is on the transcendental platform.

The Sāṅkhya philosophy of the atheist Kapila, which is a material

philosophy, is simply the study of the twenty-four elements. However,

the real Sāṅkhya philosophy, propounded by Kapiladeva, is

transcendental to the twenty-four elements and material activity.

Thus in this Sāṅkhya philosophy, which is actually bhakti-yoga, there is no desire for material benefits. On the material

platform, a person works for his own personal sense gratification or

for some expanded sense gratification. One may work for himself,

family, wife, children, society, community, nation or humanity at

large. This is simply expanded sense gratification. Whether one steals

for himself, family, community or whatever, the fact remains that he

is a thief. It is said that when Alexander the Great arrested a

common thief, the thief told Alexander, “What is the difference

between us? I am a small plunderer, and you are a great plunderer.”

Being very sensible, Alexander released him, saying, “Yes, there is

no difference.” Regardless whether the sense gratification is for

oneself, one’s family, one’s nation or whatever, it is, after all,

sense gratification. The quality changes only when we work for the

sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa.

It is noteworthy that Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam never states that kṛṣṇa uvāca (“Kṛṣṇa says”)

or kapiladeva uvāca (“Kapiladeva says”). Rather, it states bhagavān uvāca (“the Supreme Personality of Godhead says”).

This means that the version is perfect. If we receive knowledge from

an ordinary man, there will be many defects. An ordinary person is

subject to illusion, and he also has the tendency to cheat. Although

an ordinary person may be a very advanced scholar, he does not

possess perfect knowledge. Perfection is something totally different

from what we find in the material world. Perfection means that there

is no mistake, no illusion, no cheating, no imperfection. Therefore

it is stated bhagavān uvāca, for Bhagavān is all-perfect. We

should therefore take knowledge from Bhagavān or from one who speaks

according to the version of Bhagavān.

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on this principle. We are

not presenting anything that we ourselves could manufacture. Whatever

we manufacture is sure to be defective or deficient. What is the value

of my philosophy? What is the value of my thought? Generally, people

say, “In my opinion,” thinking that “my opinion” really means

something. People do not think, “I am simply a rascal.” People value

their opinion, thinking it something very big. Everyone in this

material world has imperfect senses; therefore whatever knowledge has

been gathered through the senses is necessarily imperfect. As we have

stressed over and over, we have to receive knowledge from the

disciplic succession. Knowledge has to be received from Bhagavān, the

perfect one. If we simply follow this system, we can become a guru for the whole world.

The devotee never thinks that he is a great bhakta. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, has stated, purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se

laghiṣṭha: “I am lower than the worms in stool.” (Ādi 5.205) This is the Vaiṣṇava conception. A Vaiṣṇava is by nature very

humble. He never says, “I am the Supreme; I have become God.” Kṛṣṇa

says, “I am God. Worship Me.” The Vaiṣṇava says, “Kṛṣṇa is God.

Worship Kṛṣṇa.” It is not difficult to become a guru, provided

that we repeat what Kṛṣṇa says. Whatever Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā is dharma. Dharma is one. It cannot be different. Dharma means abiding by the orders of God. However, if we do

not know God or His orders, we can only set about manufacturing some

rubbish and fighting among ourselves. This is not dharma but

philosophical speculation. All of this speculation and manufactured dharma has been kicked out of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because it is all cheating. Bhāgavata-dharma is not

cheating, for it is related to the Supreme Lord. Bhakti can

be applied only to Bhagavān, and if there is no Bhagavān, there is no bhakti. If Bhagavān is zero, where is bhakti? Bhakti is the transaction between Bhagavān and the bhakta. Bhagavān is there, and the bhaktas are

there, and the bhaktas address Bhagavān, feed Bhagavān,

chant Bhagavān’s names, invoke people to hear about Bhagavān, publish

books about Bhagavān and worship Bhagavān, and in this way they are

constantly absorbed in Bhagavān. This is the process of bhakti.

TEXT 33

jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ
nigīrṇam analo yathā

TRANSLATION

Bhakti, devotional service, dissolves the subtle body of

the living entity without separate effort, just as fire in the stomach

digests all that we eat.

PURPORT

Bhakti is in a far higher position than mukti because a person’s endeavor for liberation from the material

encagement is automatically realized in devotional service. If the

digestive power is sufficient, then whatever we eat will be digested

by the fire in the stomach. Similarly, a devotee doesn’t have to try

separately to attain liberation. That very service to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is the process of liberation because to engage

in the service of the Lord is to liberate oneself from material

entanglement.

For a devotee, liberation is no problem at all. Liberation takes

place without separate endeavor. Bhakti, therefore, is far

better than mukti or the impersonalist position. The

impersonalists undergo severe penances and austerities to attain mukti, but the bhakta, simply by engaging in the bhakti process, especially in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa,

Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare,

immediately develops control over the tongue by chanting and

accepting the remnants of foodstuff offered to the Personality of

Godhead. As soon as the tongue is controlled, all other senses are

controlled automatically. Sense control is the perfection of

the yoga principle, and one’s liberation begins immediately

as soon as he engages in the service of the Lord. It is confirmed by

Kapiladeva that bhakti, or devotional service, is garīyasi, more glorious than siddhi, liberation.

It is stated in this verse that bhakti dissolves the

subtle body. The spirit soul has two coverings–subtle and gross.

The gross body is composed of earth, water, fire, air and ether. The

subtle body is composed of mind, intelligence and ego. Of the eight

material elements, five are gross and three are subtle. We cannot see

the subtle, and the soul is even more subtle. Anyone with eyes can

see the body, but not everyone can perceive the soul, the actual

person. When we understand that the soul, or the person, has left the

body, we cry, “Oh, my friend has left.” We can perceive that the body

is there, but something is obviously missing. Thus one’s friend is

actually different from the body. At the present moment when we say,

“This is my friend,” we refer to the body, but that is simply the

vision of an animal. Animals think, “This is my dog friend, and this

is my mother dog.” They cannot see beyond the gross body. Similarly,

we cannot see the soul, and if we cannot see the minute soul, how can

we hope to see God with these blunt eyes? We cannot actually see one

another. How, then, can we hope to see God? It is stated: ataḥ

śri-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. “Material senses

cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities and

pastimes.”

Our present senses are incapable of seeing God. Generally, at

death we can understand that something has gone. We understand that

what we were seeing was not actually our friend but a lump of matter.

This is knowledge. However, one who understands before death that the

body is simply a lump of matter is called a wise man. He sees the

soul through the eyes of knowledge. Those who are on the gross

platform, who are like animals, can see neither the soul nor

Bhagavān. The karmīs, the gross fruitive workers, do not

understand the distinction between the body and the soul. Out of many

millions of karmīs, there may be one jñānī, one

wise man who can understand. The jñānī knows that he is not

the body, and out of many millions of jñānīs, one may be

actually liberated. The Māyāvādīs think that because they are spirit

soul, they are one with the Supreme. Being equal in quality does not

mean that one is the Supreme Soul. Because the Māyāvādīs think that

they have become one with Nārāyaṇa, they address one another as

Nārāyaṇa. They say, “You are Nārāyaṇa, I am Nārāyaṇa, everyone is

Nārāyaṇa.” From this misconception, the idea of daridra-nārāyaṇa (poor Nārāyaṇa) arises. The devotees fully engaged in

the service of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord do not think in

this way. They think, “If I am one with the Supreme, how is it I have

fallen into this condition?” They know that a drop of seawater is one

in quality with the vast ocean, but they also know that a drop of

water is never equal to the ocean itself.

Sometimes the Māyāvādīs worship Lord Viṣṇu, but they do not

actually believe in the form of Lord Viṣṇu. They consider His image

to be some imaginary form to utilize as a means for self-realization.

Māyāvādīs say that the Absolute Truth has no rūpa, no form,

but it is stated: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. “Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the supreme

controller. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body.”

The word vigraha refers to the supreme form, but the

Māyāvādīs do not understand this. There are also many so-called

Vaiṣṇavas who worship Lord Viṣṇu with an aim of becoming one with the

Supreme. They sometimes give the example of a drop of water merging

into the great ocean itself. This is simply nonsense. The ocean is a

combination of countless molecules of water, and it is impossible for

one molecule to merge into the totality. The sunshine is a

combination of countless trillions of small shining particles, and

each particle has its individual identity as an atom. Because we do

not have the eyes to see the small atomic divisions, we think that

they are one, but actually they are not homogeneous. Similarly,

although we are very small particles of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, we all have different identities. In Bhagavad-gītā (2.12) Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:

na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ
na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ
sarve vayam ataḥ param

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all

these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.”

Kṛṣṇa never says that He, Arjuna, and all the soldiers shall

eventually become one. Rather, He says that everyone will retain his

own individuality.

Those who have complete knowledge never think that in the future

they will become one with the Supreme. They simply want to remain in

their constitutional position as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Although we

are now covered by the material body, the material body can be easily

dissolved by the process of bhakti-yoga. If we are strong

in bhakti-yoga, we actually no longer have a material body

but a spiritual one. We are free.

When we are baffled, we want to become the husband of goddess

Lakṣmī. The husband of goddess Lakṣmī is Nārāyaṇa, God Himself. In

this material world, we are hankering after Lakṣmī, the goddess of

fortune, but we are frustrated in our attempts. We think, “Now let me

become the husband of Lakṣmī.” Actually, no one can enjoy Lakṣmī but

Nārāyaṇa. Even exalted demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are

inferior to Lord Nārāyaṇa, but we are so foolish that we are thinking

of assuming Nārāyaṇa’s position, or making Nārāyaṇa into daridra-nārāyaṇa, the poor man in the street. The śāstras never equalize Nārāyaṇa with anyone, not even Lord

Brahmā or Lord Śiva, what to speak of foolish rascals.

One may ask why Nārāyaṇa has created us, why it is we are part and

parcel of Nārāyaṇa. Eko bahu-syām. Why has Nārāyaṇa become

many? He has created us for enjoyment. Ānandamayo ’bhyāsāt. He has created us in the same way a gentleman accepts a wife. If one

takes on a wife, he will beget children. A man takes on the

responsibility of maintaining a wife and children because he thinks

that through them he will enjoy life. In the material world we see

that during the evening a man tries to enjoy life with his wife,

children and friends. Therefore he takes on so many responsibilities.

This is supposed to be ānanda, bliss, but because it takes

place in the material world, the ānanda is converted into

something distasteful. However, we can enjoy this ānanda when we are with our Supreme Father, Kṛṣṇa. We are all children of the

Supreme Father, and in Bhagavad-gītā (14.4) Kṛṣṇa claims all

species of life as His children:

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī,

are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the

seed-giving father.”

The Supreme Father, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, has created us for His enjoyment,

not to create distress. Although we are Kṛṣṇa’s children, we have

given up our Supreme Father because we wish to enjoy ourselves

independently. Consequently we are suffering. If a rich man’s son

gives up his home to try to enjoy life independently, he simply

suffers. It is to our benefit to return home, back to Godhead, to

enjoy ourselves with our original father, Kṛṣṇa. This will give us

happiness. Kṛṣṇa is full of all opulence. He possesses in totality

wealth, strength, beauty, fame, knowledge and renunciation. He

possesses everything in unlimited quantity. If we return to our

original father, we can enjoy ourselves with Him unlimitedly. It is

not that we can enjoy ourselves independent of Kṛṣṇa. Nor can we say

that to enjoy ourselves we have to become one with Kṛṣṇa. In the

material world, our father gives us our birth, and we are an entity

separate from him. If we are suffering, do we say, “My dear father, I

am suffering. Will you please once again make me one with you?” Is

this a very good proposal? A father says, “I have begotten you

separately to enjoy yourself. You remain separate, and I remain

separate, and in this way we will enjoy. Now you are asking to become

one with me. What is this nonsense?”

The Māyāvādīs want to become one with the Supreme because they are

suffering in the material world. Kṛṣṇa has created us to enjoy

ourselves in His company, but due to our desire for independent

enjoyment, we are not doing that. Consequently we are suffering in

this material world, and because we are suffering we are thinking of

becoming one with our father. It is māyā’s business to try

to build up the living entity, to puff him up, and māyā’s last snare is to make the living entity think that he

can become one with God. Māyāvādīs think that becoming one with the

Supreme is the highest perfection, but this is not perfection because

our original constitutional position is to enjoy the company of Kṛṣṇa.

Friends sit together in a room and enjoy one another’s company. What

enjoyment can one have by himself? Variety is the mother of

enjoyment, and real enjoyment is being in Kṛṣṇa’s company. Therefore

devotees never desire to become one with the Supreme. It is Caitanya

Mahāprabhu who says:

mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

“My dear Lord, I do not want to put an end to the process of birth

and death. I am not anxious for mukti. Let me go ahead and

take one birth after another. It doesn’t matter. Simply let me engage

in Your service birth after birth.” (Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) This is

real ānanda. Unless we are fully qualified devotees, we

cannot enter into the Vaikuṇṭha planets. We have to live outside in

the brahmajyoti. If we desire this, Kṛṣṇa will give us the

opportunity. After all, Kṛṣṇa is everything. He is brahmajyoti and Paramātmā also. If we want to become one with the

Supreme, we will be allowed to live outside the Vaikuṇṭha planets, in

the brahmajyoti. However, that position is not eternal. As

we have explained before, we cannot live eternally in the brahmajyoti because we want variety. Without variety,

there is no enjoyment.

In all conditions, the pure devotee is liberated. He may engage in

some occupation or business, but he is always thinking of how to

serve Kṛṣṇa, and in this way he is automatically liberated. It is not

that he thinks of becoming one with the Supreme and attaining

liberation. Rather, his liberation lies in his personal relationship

with the Supreme Lord Himself.

15/ Meditation on the Lord’s Transcendental Form

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Meditation on the Lord’s Transcendental Form

TEXT 34

naikātmatāṁ me spṛhayanti kecin
mat-pāda-sevābhiratā mad-īhāḥ
ye ’nyonyato bhāgavatāḥ prasajya
sabhājayante mama pauruṣāṇi

TRANSLATION

A pure devotee who is attachead to the activities of

devotional service and who always engages in the service of My lotus

feet never desires to become one with Me. Such a devotee, who is

unflinchingly engaged, always glorifies My pastimes and

activities.

PURPORT

There are five kinds of liberation stated in the scriptures. One is

to become one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or to forsake

one’s individuality and merge into the Supreme Spirit. This is called ekātmatām. A devotee never accepts this kind of liberation.

The other four liberations are: to be promoted to the same planet as

God (Vaikuṇṭha), to associate personally with the Supreme Lord, to

achieve the same opulence as the Lord and to attain His same bodily

features. A pure devotee, as Kapila Muni will explain, does not

aspire for any of the five liberations. He especially despises the attempt

to become one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrī

Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, said, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate: “The happiness of becoming one with

the Supreme Lord, which is the aspiration of the Māyāvādīs, is

considered hellish.” That oneness is not for pure devotees.

There are many so-called devotees who think that in the

conditioned state we may worship the Personality of Godhead but that

ultimately there is no personality; they say that since the Absolute

Truth is impersonal, one can imagine a personal form of the

impersonal Absolute Truth for the time being, but as soon as one

becomes liberated, the worship stops. That is the theory put forward

by Māyāvāda philosophy. Actually the impersonalists do not merge into

the existence of the Supreme Person but into His personal bodily

luster, which is called brahmajyoti.Although that brahmajyoti is not different from His personal body, that

sort of oneness (merging into the bodily luster of the Personality of

Godhead) is not accepted by a pure devotee because the devotees

engage in greater pleasure than merging into His existence. The

greatest pleasure is to serve the Lord. Devotees are always thinking

about how to serve Him; they are always designing ways and means to

serve the Supreme Lord, even in the midst of the greatest material

obstacles.

Māyāvādīs accept the description of the pastimes of the Lord as

myths, but actually they are not; they are historical facts. Pure

devotees accept the narrations of the pastimes of the Lord as

Absolute Truth. The words mama pauruṣāṇi (My glorious

activities) are significant. Devotees are very much attachead to

glorifying the activities of the Lord, whereas Māyāvādīs cannot even

think of these activities. According to them, the Absolute Truth is

impersonal, but without personal existence, how can there be

activity? Because impersonalists take the activities mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic literatures

as fictitious stories, they interpret them most mischievously. They

have no idea of the Personality of Godhead. They unnecessarily poke

their noses into the scripture and interpret it in a deceptive way in

order to mislead the innocent public. The activities of Māyāvāda

philosophy are very dangerous to the public, and therefore Lord

Caitanya warned His disciples never to hear from any Māyāvādī about

any scripture. Māyāvādīs will spoil the entire process, and the

person hearing them will never be able to come to the path of

devotional service to attain the highest perfection. He only may be

able to do so after a very long time.

It is clearly stated by Kapila Muni that bhakti activities are transcendental to mukti. This is called pañcama-puruṣārtha. Generally, people engage in the

activities of religion, economic development and sense gratification,

and ultimately they work with an idea that they are going to become

one with the Supreme Lord (mukti). But bhakti is

transcendental to all these activities. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, therefore, begins by stating that all kinds of

pretentious religiosity is completely eradicated from the Bhāgavatam. Ritualistic activities for economic development

and sense gratification and, after frustration in sense gratification,

the desire to become one with the Supreme Lord, are all completely

rejected in the Bhāgavatam. The Bhāgavatam is

especially meant for the pure devotees, who always engage in Kṛṣṇa

consciousness, in the activities of the Lord, and always glorify

these transcendental activities. Pure devotees worship the

transcendental activities of the Lord in Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā and

Mathurā as they are narrated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and

other Purāṇas. The Māyāvādī philosophers completely reject

them as myths, but actually they are great and worshipable subjects

and thus are relishable only for devotees. That is the difference

between a Māyāvādī and a pure devotee as they view scripture.

Actually Vedic scripture is kṛṣṇa-kathā, topics about

Kṛṣṇa, and kṛṣṇa-kathā is not a subject matter for a debate

club. It is meant for the devotees. Nondevotees simply waste their

time reading Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and we have often mentioned that so-called scholars, politicians and

philosophers simply give misleading commentaries when they try to

interpret Bhagavad-gītā. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī

Ṭhākura used to say that they are like people trying to lick at a

bottle of honey that is sealed closed. If one does not know how to

taste honey, one begins licking at the bottle, but for one to

actually taste the honey, the bottle must be opened, and the key to

its opening is the devotee. Therefore it is said:

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido
bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ
taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani
śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati

“In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes

and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing

and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such

knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation,

and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then

real devotion and devotional service begin.” (Bhāg. 3.25.25)

God is eternal, and His instructions and followers are also

eternal. In Bhagavad-gītā (4.1) Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that

millions of years ago He spoke Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god. Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to Arjuna five thousand years ago,

and if we read it today we will still find that it is fresh. Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa are never old. Although Kṛṣṇa is the

most ancient one, the oldest of all, He always remains like a young

boy in His teens. He never appears older than twenty. Kṛṣṇa’s words

are absolute, as well as His form, qualities and activities. They are

always fresh and new. If they were not, how could the devotees

glorify them day after day with greater enthusiasm? The more one

glorifies Kṛṣṇa, the more enthusiastic one becomes in glorifying,

glorifying, glorifying. This is the meaning of spiritual. In the

material world, if we repeat something once, twice, thrice or four

times, it finally becomes hackneyed and disgusting. However, this Hare

Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra can be chanted twenty-four hours daily, and

one will still feel fresh and enthusiastic. It is not a material

sound like the sounds we hear on the radio. It is a spiritual sound

that comes from the spiritual world. Even in the material world we

can release a sound from one place, and it can be heard thousands of

miles away. A spiritual sound can be released from many trillions of

miles away, and it can be heard, provided that one has the machine to

capture it. That machine is bhagavat-premā. Those who have

developed love of Godhead can hear it.

Arjuna was neither a Vedāntist nor a sannyāsī, nor was he

particularly advanced in spiritual understanding. However, he heard Bhagavad-gītā because he was a bhakta. Atheistic

scholars and politicians cannot understand the transcendental

vibration. They can only lick at the honey bottle. Fools and rascals

eat and drink everything without restriction, thinking that they are

doing so in the name of religion. There are many so-called svāmīs and yogīs who tell their disciples that they

can do anything and still advance spiritually, but this is not

possible. One has to become a pure brāhmaṇa, control the

mind and senses and discuss the Supreme Personality of Godhead

among sādhus. This may sound very difficult, but one can

become a sat, a saintly person, within a second. If one is

eager, one can immediately surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

When one approaches Kṛṣṇa, one should say, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, I have

forgotten You. Now I am fully surrendered unto You. You may kill me

as You like or, if You like, You can give me protection.” When

Prahlāda was asked by the Supreme Lord what benediction he desired,

Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, “My dear Lord, why should I ask for some

benediction simply because I have suffered for You? You are supremely

powerful, and whatever I get, I get from You. I was born into a

family of demons and was inclined toward material enjoyment. I have

seen my powerful father, who was feared even by the demigods,

annihilated within a second. Why should I ask for anything? Please

engage me in the service of Your servant. This is all I want. I do

not want anything else.” In this way a devotee never asks for

anything material from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The

devotees are simply satisfied in glorifying the Lord. This is the way

of bhakti-yoga.

Kṛṣṇa descends to please His devotees and destroy the demons. From

the very beginning of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, demons were present. Kaṁsa

advised his constables, “As soon as Kṛṣṇa is born, tell me. I shall

immediately kill Him.” He was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa in this way,

negatively. Similarly, we will find so many so-called religionists

whose only purpose is to kill Kṛṣṇa. Somehow or other they try to take

Kṛṣṇa out of Bhagavad-gītā. They will comment on Bhagavad-gītā, but in their commentaries there will never be

mention of Kṛṣṇa. They will never say that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and that He should be worshiped. This means

that they are asuras, demons, although they may present

themselves as big scholars. Somehow or other they try to evade kṛṣṇa-bhakti, and their entire propaganda is aimed toward

this.

TEXT 35

paśyanti te me rucirāṇy amba santaḥ
prasanna-vaktrāruṇa-locanāni
rūpāṇi divyāni vara-pradāni
sākaṁ vācaṁ spṛhaṇīyāṁ vadanti

TRANSLATION

O My mother, My devotees always see the smiling face of

My form, with eyes like the rising morning sun. They like to see My

various transcendental forms, which are all benevolent, and they also

talk favorably with Me.

PURPORT

Māyāvādīs and atheists accept the forms of the Deities in the

temple of the Lord as idols, but devotees do not worship idols. They

directly worship the Personality of Godhead in His arcā incarnation. Arcā refers to the form we can worship in our

present condition. Actually in our present state it is not possible

to see God in His spiritual form because our material eyes and senses

cannot conceive of a spiritual form. We cannot even see the spiritual

form of the individual soul. When a man dies we cannot see how the

spiritual form leaves the body. That is the defect of our material

senses. In order to be seen by our material senses, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead accepts a favorable form which is called arcā-vigraha. This arcā-vigraha, sometimes called

the arcā incarnation, is not different from Him. Just as the

Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts various incarnations, He takes

on forms made out of matter–clay, wood, metal, jewels, etc.

There are many śāstric injunctions which give instructions for

carving forms of the Lord. These forms are not material. If God is

all-pervading, He is also in the material elements. There is no doubt

about it. But the atheists think otherwise. Although they preach that

everything is God, when they go to the temple and see the form of the

Lord, they deny that He is God. According to their own theory,

everything is God. Then why is the Deity not God? Actually, they have

no conception of God. The devotees’ vision, however, is different;

their vision is smeared with love of God. As soon as they see the

Lord in His different forms, the devotees become saturated with love,

for they do not find any difference between the Lord and His form in

the temple, as do the atheists. The smiling face of the Deity in the

temple is beheld by the devotees as transcendental and spiritual, and

the decorations on the body of the Lord are very much appreciated by

the devotees. It is the duty of the spiritual master to teach his

devotees how to decorate the Deity in the temple, how to cleanse the

temple and how to worship the Deity. There are different procedures,

rules and regulations followed in temples of Viṣṇu, and devotees go

there and see the Deity, the vigraha, and spiritually enjoy

the form, because all of the Deities are benevolent. The devotees

express their minds before the Deity, and in many instances the Deity

also gives answers. But one must be a very elevated devotee in order

to be able to speak with the Supreme Lord. Sometimes the Lord informs

the devotee through dreams. These exchanges between the Deity and the

devotee are not understandable by atheists, but actually the devotee

enjoys them.

Clearly, those who have the eyes to see Kṛṣṇa will see Him. When

Caitanya Mahāprabhu entered the temple of Jagannātha, He immediately

fainted upon seeing the Deity. He said, “Oh, here is My Lord! Here is

My Lord!” In order to see, one has to become santaḥ, and one

becomes santaḥ by culture. When we develop love of Kṛṣṇa, we

will immediately see Kṛṣṇa and faint, saying, “Oh, here is my Lord!”

However, those with no faith, those who are always trying to deny

Kṛṣṇa, will simply say, “Oh, this is an idol. This is simply a piece

of stone.”

We must be eager to see Kṛṣṇa and talk with Him. He is actually

waiting to see whether we are interested in talking with Him. In Bhagavad-gītā (10.10) Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I

give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

If we want to talk to some important man, we must have some

qualification. It is not that we can immediately talk to presidents or

even to senators just because we want to talk to them. Somehow or

other we must comply with certain rules and regulations. Kṛṣṇa is

ready to talk to us, and for this purpose He has descended in the arcā-mūrti, the Deity, in order to be seen. We simply have to

qualify ourselves to talk with Him. The nondevotees, Māyāvādīs, who

are interested in denying Kṛṣṇa, say that God has no eyes, no legs, no

hands, no ears and so on. This is indirectly saying that God is blind

and deaf and that He cannot do this or that. In this way, they are

indirectly insulting God. This is blasphemy. God does not want to

hear such nonsense. Therefore it is said in this verse:sākaṁ

vācaṁ spṛhaṇīyāṁ vadanti. By saying that Kṛṣṇa is blind, that He

has no eyes, no hands, no nothing, we are indirectly saying that Kṛṣṇa

does not exist. This is certainly not a favorable way to talk about

Kṛṣṇa. If we want to talk about Kṛṣṇa, we must consult the Vedic

literatures. Then we can understand how Kṛṣṇa should be worshiped.

In Brahma-saṁhitā (5.29) it is stated: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa is

playing on His flute, and His eyes are as beautiful as the petals of a

lotus flower. He wears a peacock feather in His hair, and His form is

very beautiful.” The Māyāvādīs say, “Just imagine some form of God.”

But God’s form cannot be imagined. God’s form is not imaginary but

factual. This factual information we receive from the Vedas. When Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth, He exhibited His form and

activities. All of these are divine, not material. Kṛṣṇa’s body is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. It has nothing to do with anything

material. He descends as a favor to His devotees, who are always

anxious to see Him. His first business is to give pleasure to His

devotees, and His second business is to kill the demons, who are

always giving the devotees trouble. It is the nature of demons to

give devotees trouble, just as in the West, Lord Jesus Christ was

crucified because he was preaching God consciousness. Similarly,

Hiraṇyakaśipu tried to kill his five-year-old boy Prahlāda Mahārāja

because his son was talking about Kṛṣṇa. There were many demons who

tried to kill Kṛṣṇa Himself, great demons like Pūtanā, Aghāsura,

Bakāsura and Kaṁsa. Nonetheless, Kṛṣṇa destroys them all by His

omnipotence.

Actually everyone in the material world is more or less an asura, an atheist. If one preaches, one has to learn to

tolerate the asuras and speak in such a way that they can

also become devotees. We should always speak of Kṛṣṇa in a pleasing

way; then we will be benefited. Another name for Kṛṣṇa is Uttamaśloka,

which indicates that He is worshiped by the best selected words. It

is not that we should use any words we choose. There are many prayers

in the Vedic scriptures and also in the Bible and Koran. Although the

Christians and Muhammadans do not worship the Deity, they offer

prayers to the Lord, and that is also bhakti. Arcanaṁ

vandanam.

There are nine different processes for worshiping the Lord, and

one may accept one or all of them. We should use very selected words

and surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, but we should not say things which do not

please Him. We should not claim that God is formless and that He has

no eyes, no head or whatever. Actually it is stated in the Vedas that Kṛṣṇa has no hand but that He can accept our

offering. This means that He has no material hand. If He actually has

no hand, how can He extend His hand millions of miles to accept an

offering? Goloka Vṛndāvana is many trillions and trillions of miles

away, but Kṛṣṇa can accept whatever we offer. When the Vedas say that God has no hands, it is meant that He has no material hands.

His hands are sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. If we can understand

Kṛṣṇa’s activities, form, qualities and pastimes in this way, we

become fit to return home, back to Godhead.

TEXT 36

tair darśanīyāvayavair udāra-
vilāsa-hāsekṣita-vāma-sūktaiḥ
hṛtātmano hṛta-prāṇāṁś ca bhaktir
anicchato me gatim aṇvīṁ prayuṅkte

TRANSLATION

Upon seeing the charming forms of the Lord, smiling and

attractive, and hearing His very pleasing words, the pure devotee

almost loses all other consciousness. His senses are freed from all

other engagements, and he becomes absorbed in devotional service.

Thus in spite of his unwillingness, he attains liberation without

separate endeavor.

PURPORT

There are three divisions of devotees–first-class, second-class

and third-class. Even the third-class devotees are liberated souls.

It is explained in this verse that although they do not have

knowledge, simply by seeing the beautiful decoration of the Deity in

the temple, they are absorbed in thought of Him and lose all other

consciousness. By fixing oneself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, engaging the

senses in the service of the Lord, one is imperceptibly liberated.

This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā. Simply by

discharging uncontaminated devotional service as prescribed in the

scriptures, one becomes equal to Brahman. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said, brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. This means that the

living entity in his original state is Brahman because he is part and

parcel of the Supreme Brahman. Because of his forgetfulness of his

real nature as an eternal servitor of the Lord, he is overwhelmed and

captured by māyā. His forgetfulness of his real

constitutional position is māyā. Otherwise he is eternally

Brahman.

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 who 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 Deity decorated in the temple, they become fully

absorbed in thinking of the Lord. That is liberation. In other words,

it is confirmed herein that even a third-class devotee is in the

transcendental position, above those who are striving for liberation

by speculation or 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.

Here the word vilāsa is very important. Vilāsa refers to the activities or pastimes of the Lord. It is a prescribed

duty in temple worship that not only should one visit the temple to

see the Deity nicely decorated, but at the same time he should hear

the recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā or some

similar literature, which is regularly recited in the temple. In

Vṛndāvana, in every temple, there is recitation of the śāstras. Even third-class devotees who have no literary

knowledge or no time to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā have the opportunity to hear about the

pastimes of the Lord. In this way their minds may remain always

absorbed in the thought of the Lord–His form, His activities and

His transcendental nature. This state of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a

liberated stage. Lord Caitanya, therefore, recommended five important

processes in the discharge of devotional service: (1) to chant the

holy name of the Lord, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, (2) to associate with

devotees and serve them as far as possible, (3) to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, (4) to see the decorated temple and the Deity and, if

possible, (5) to live in a place like Vṛndāvana or Mathurā. These five

items alone can help a devotee achieve the highest perfectional

stage. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā and in this verse

of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That third-class devotees can also

imperceptibly achieve liberation is accepted in all Vedic

literatures.

As far as meditation on the arcā-vigraha form of the Lord

is concerned, we have to look at the Deity beginning with His lotus

feet. It is not that we immediately look at His smiling face. We

should first try to see the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and when we are

practiced in this way, we can look at His thighs, His waist and His

chest. Then we can reach His smiling face. In this manner we should

meditate on Kṛṣṇa’s form, and thus we can associate with Kṛṣṇa by

meditating on His smiling face, His flute, His hands, His dress, His

consort Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the other gopīs surrounding

Him. Thus we should practice observing the Supreme Lord, and to this

end He has appeared before us as the arcā-vigraha.

There are three kinds of devotee: kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī and uttama-adhikārī. The uttama-adhikārī is the most advanced; the madhyama-adhikārī is

in the middle stage; and the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī is the

neophyte. It is recommended that the neophyte meditate on the Deity

daily. He should begin by meditating on the lotus feet, and then when

he is practiced, he should turn his gaze toward Kṛṣṇa’s smiling face.

The neophyte should also read and hear Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If we simply try to see and don’t listen,

the results will not be permanent. In some temples there are Deities

but no discussion about Kṛṣṇa. People attend for some time, but after

a while they lose interest. Thus there must be two activities. The

Deities must be worshiped, and this is called pāñcarātrikī-vidhi. There must also be bhāgavata-vidhi, reading Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Pāñcarātrikī-vidhi and bhāgavata-vidhi go hand in hand.

By participating in these two processes, the neophyte can gradually

attain the intermediate stage.

The spiritual master is supposed to be in the most advanced stage,

but for preaching purposes he descends to the intermediate stage. The uttama-adhikārī, the most advanced devotee, does not

discriminate between devotees and nondevotees. He sees everyone but

himself as a devotee. The truly advanced devotee sees that he is not

a devotee but that everyone else is a devotee. The kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, the neophyte, simply concentrates on the Deity, and

that is required in the beginning:

arcāyām eva haraye
pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

“A person who is very faithfully engaged in the worship of the

Deity in the temple, but who does not know how to behave toward

devotees or people in general is called a prākṛta-bhakta, or kaniṣṭha-adhikārī.” (Bhāg. 11.2.47)

According to the prescribed duties mentioned in the scriptures, one

must care for the Deity, but when one is a little further advanced,

he considers his functions with others. When one attains the madhyama-adhikārī stage, his vision is described thus:

īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ

“The madhyama-adhikārī is a devotee who worships the

Supreme Personality of Godhead as the highest object of love, makes

friends with the Lord’s devotees, is merciful to the ignorant and

avoids those who are envious by nature.” (Bhāg. 11.2.46)

The madhyama-adhikārī is not only interested in the

Deity, but he can also discern between devotees and nondevotees. He

can also understand that this man is innocent and that this man is

not. The innocent do not know what is to be done, and they do not

know anything about God. They are not actually offenders, but there

are others who are offenders. The offenders become immediately

envious as soon as they hear about God or His devotees.

The madhyama-adhikārī knows that Kṛṣṇa is God: kṛṣṇas

tu bhagavān svayam. He wants to develop his love for Kṛṣṇa. He

also wants to see that not a moment is wasted without engagement in

Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He is always careful not to spoil life’s valuable

time. That is the first qualification of a madhyama-adhikārī. We have a very short period to live, and we never know when we are

going to die. There is no certainty. Foolish people think that they

will go on living forever, but that is simply foolishness. Life is

transient; therefore the devotee wants to utilize every moment for

the advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The madhyama-adhikārī also has a special taste for

chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. He is also very anxious to

live in places like Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā and Mathurā, places where Kṛṣṇa

lived. Of course it is a fact that Kṛṣṇa, being God, has His residence

everywhere. He even resides within every atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. Nonetheless, He has special places of

residence like Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā and Mathurā; therefore a devotee is

anxious to live in those places.

Increasing one’s love for God is a gradual process, and the first

ingredient is faith. Without faith, there is no question of progress

in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That faith is created after reading Bhagavad-gītā carefully and actually understanding it as it

is. Unless one reads Bhagavad-gītā, there is no question of

faith in Kṛṣṇa. One must have faith in the words of Kṛṣṇa, particularly

when Kṛṣṇa says, “Abandon all dharmas and surrender to Me. I

will give you all protection.” If we study Bhagavad-gītā as

a literary treatise and then throw it away, that is not faith. Faith

is explained by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī thus:

‘śraddhā’-śabde—viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

“By rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa, one

automatically performs all subsidiary activities. This confident, firm

faith, favorable to the discharge of devotional service, is called śraddhā.” (Cc. Madhya 22.62)

In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says that He is not only a person

but the Supreme Personality of Godhead as well. He also says that

there is no one superior to Him. If one believes these words, then

one will have faith. Impersonalists read Bhagavad-gītā, but

they do not accept Kṛṣṇa as a person. In the Twelfth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that the impersonalist takes more

trouble to come to Him. He will come later, but it will take some

time. This is because impersonal understanding of the Supreme

Absolute Truth is partial understanding. As Kṛṣṇa states:

kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ
dehavadbhir avāpyate

“For those whose minds are attachead to the unmanifested,

impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome.

To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who

are embodied.” (Bg. 12.5)

We have often given the example of impersonal understanding being

like the understanding of the sunshine. One may see the sunshine

entering through a window into his room, but this does not mean that

one knows everything about the sun. Impersonal understanding of the

Absolute Truth is like that. The sunshine is impersonal (Brahman),

the sun itself is localized (Paramātmā) and the sun-god residing

within the sun is a person (Bhagavān). Just as one can understand the

three aspects of the sun–the sunshine, the sun itself and the sun-god–one can also understand the three aspects of the Supreme

Absolute Truth–Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān.

Impersonalists maintain that the sun is simply a fiery globe and

nothing else, but in Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa specifically states

that He spoke Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god Vivasvān. Of

course we can hardly imagine how the sun-god can be a person. The sun

is a great fiery globe, and we think that it is impossible for anyone

to live there, but this thinking is simply shortsighted. It does not

follow that no one can live in fire just because we cannot live there.

We cannot live in water, yet there are aquatics living there. We live

on this planet, which is basically composed of earth, and our bodies

are basically composed of earth in order to live here. Bodies are

made in such a way that they can live in their environment.

Similarly, the sun-god has a body capable of living in fire.

Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, being, knowledge and

bliss, with form. Impersonal understanding is understanding of the sat feature. Understanding Kṛṣṇa in full is understanding all

of His features. The ānanda feature is realized in Bhagavān.

Kṛṣṇa plays on His flute and is accompanied by His pleasure potency, hlādinī śakti, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Of Kṛṣṇa’s many potencies,

the hlādinī śakti is His pleasure-giving potency. That is ānanda. Although Kṛṣṇa is full in Himself, He expands Himself

when He wants to enjoy. That expansion is His pleasure potency,

Rādhārāṇī. The gopīs are the expansions of Rādhārāṇī, and

the various forms of Kṛṣṇa are manifest just to taste the mellow of

transcendental bliss. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. Thus Brahman

realization is realization of the sat portion, Paramātmā

realization is realization of the cit portion, and Bhagavān

realization is the realization of theānanda portion. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that the Absolute Truth is ānandamayo ’bhyāsāt. Kṛṣṇa’s līlā is always full of

transcendental bliss–especially in Vṛndāvana, His original

residence. It is in Vṛndāvana that Kṛṣṇa plays with His cowherd

boy friends and dances with the gopīs. It is also in

Vṛndāvana that Kṛṣṇa steals mother Yaśodā’s butter. All His activities

there are filled with transcendental bliss.

We can begin to experience this bliss by following the prescribed

methods of devotional service. When we see the Deity, we can

gradually realize how Kṛṣṇa is smiling, playing on His flute and

enjoying the company of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Then we also have to hear

about Kṛṣṇa. These two processes will increase in such a way that we

will automatically become great devotees. Anicchato me gatim

aṇvīṁ prayuṅkte. This is actually a scientific method. It is not

imagination. People think that this is idol worship and imagination,

but this method is prescribed in all the śāstras for

developing God consciousness. It is an actual science.

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
jñānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ me
yad vijñāna-samanvitam
sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca
gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā

“The Personality of Godhead said: Knowledge about Me as described

in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in

conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for

that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully.”

(Bhāg. 2.9.31)

In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that He has revealed

this most confidential knowledge to him because Arjuna is His very

dear friend. That confidential knowledge is, sarva-dharmān

parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: “Just surrender unto Me.”

(Bg. 18.66) Brahman realization is certainly

confidential, and Paramātmā realization is still more confidential, but

understanding Kṛṣṇa as He is, is the most confidential knowledge of

all.

If one’s mind and senses are completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa

consciousness, one is experiencing bhakti. Bhakti is not a

sentiment but a practical science. One may engage in many activities,

but in all cases, one’s mind must be fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. Although

a housewife is always busy working around the house, she always takes

care that her hair is nicely combed. Regardless of her engagements,

she never forgets to arrange her hair in an attractive way.

Similarly, a devotee engages in many activities, but he never forgets

Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental form. This is the meaning of perfection.

16/ The Pure Devotees’ Spiritual Opulences

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The Pure Devotees’ Spiritual Opulences

TEXT 37

atho vibhūtiṁ mama māyāvinas tām
aiśvaryam aṣṭāṅgam anupravṛttam
śriyaṁ bhāgavatīṁ vāspṛhayanti bhadrāṁ
prasya me te ’śnuvate tu loke

TRANSLATION

Thus because he is completely absorbed in meditation upon

Me, the devotee does not desire even the highest benediction

obtainable in the upper planetary systems, including Satyaloka. He

does not desire the eight material perfections obtained from mystic

yoga, nor does he desire to be elevated to the kingdom of God. Yet

even without desiring them, the devotee enjoys, even in this life,

all the offered benedictions.

PURPORT

The vibhūti, or opulences, offered by māyā are

of many varieties. We experience different varieties of material

enjoyment even on this planet, but if one is able to promote himself

to higher planets like Candraloka, the sun or, still higher,

Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka, or even ultimately the highest

planet, which is inhabited by Brahmā and is called Satyaloka, one

will find immense possibilities for material enjoyment. For example,

the duration of life on higher planets is far, far greater than on

this planet. It is said that on the moon the duration of life is such

that our six months are equal to one day. We cannot even imagine the

duration of life on the highest planet. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that Brahmā’s twelve hours are inconceivable

even to our mathematicians. These are all descriptions of the

external energy of the Lord, or māyā. Besides these, there

are other opulences which the yogīs can achieve by their

mystic power. They are also material. A devotee does not aspire for

all these material pleasures, although they are available to him

simply by wishing. By the grace of the Lord, a devotee can achieve

wonderful material success simply by willing, but a real devotee does

not do so. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught that one should not

desire material opulence or material reputation, nor should one try

to enjoy material beauty; he should only aspire to be absorbed in the

devotional service of the Lord, even if he does not get liberation

but has to continue the process of birth and death unlimitedly.

Actually, however, to one who engages in Kṛṣṇa consciousness,

liberation is already guaranteed. Devotees enjoy all the benefits of

the higher planets and the Vaikuṇṭha planets also. It is especially

mentioned here, bhāgavatīṁ bhadrām. In the Vaikuṇṭha planets

everything is eternally peaceful, yet a pure devotee does not even

aspire to be promoted there. But still he gets that advantage; he

enjoys all the facilities of the material and spiritual worlds, even

during the present life span.

According to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Nārada Muni in the Nārada-pañcarātra and Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā, a pure devotee never

wants anything from the Lord. He does not even want liberation, to

say nothing of material things. Generally, people want dharma,

artha, kāma and mokṣa, in that order. First of all,

people want to become religious (dharma) in order to attain

material opulence (artha). People want material opulence in

order to gratify their senses (kāma), and when they are

frustrated in their attempt to gratify their senses, they want

liberation (mokṣa). In this way, dharma, artha,

kāma and mokṣa are going on. However, a devotee is not

interested in any of these. In the Christian religion, people pray,

“Give us this day our daily bread,” but a pure bhakta does

not even ask for his daily bread. A pure devotee is kept in the hand

of Kṛṣṇa just like a very precious jewel. When you hold something

precious in your hand, you are very careful, and similarly, Kṛṣṇa

holds the devotee and takes care of him.

One can just imagine his position if a very rich man says, “Don’t

worry. I will take care of everything for you.” Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme

Lord, is the proprietor of all opulence. There is no one more opulent

than Kṛṣṇa; therefore if Kṛṣṇa says that He will take care of His

devotee, there is no question of poverty. Most people want material

opulence, but they do not know that Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of all

opulence. That is their misfortune. Although the proprietor of all

opulence says, “Just surrender unto Me, and I will take care of you,”

people do not do it. Instead, they say, “I will take care of my own

business. I will maintain myself. I will take care of myself, my

family, my friends and my country.” Arjuna was very intelligent

because he simply chose Kṛṣṇa, whereas Duryodhana took Kṛṣṇa’s

soldiers. It is not possible to conquer Kṛṣṇa, but the devotee can

capture Kṛṣṇa with bhakti, love.

It is impossible for people to understand the great opulence of

Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu tells us to abandon

speculating about God. There is a story of a frog in a well being

approachead by a friend who says, “My dear frog, I have just seen a

huge body of water.” “What is that water?” the frog asks. “The

Atlantic Ocean,” the friend replies. “Oh, the Atlantic Ocean! Is it

bigger than this well? Is it four feet? Ten feet?”

Our attempt to speculate about God is very much like this. If we

want to understand God, we have to try to understand from God

Himself. We may have a neighbor who is very wealthy, influential,

wise, strong and beautiful, and we may speculate about his opulence,

but if we make friends with him, we can understand his position by

listening to him speak about himself. God cannot be subjected to our

imagination. Our imagination is limited, and our senses are

imperfect. The process of bhakti-mārga is the process of

submission. There is no question of subjecting God to our

imagination. We simply have to become very humble and submissive and

pray to Kṛṣṇa sincerely, “Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me to know You.

Kindly explain how it is I can know You, and then it will be

possible.” This is the way Arjuna approachead Kṛṣṇa in the Eleventh

Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā.

We can hardly understand or comprehend the innumerable universes.

The word jagat refers to this universe, but there is more

than one universe. Although we are seeing only one universe, there

are millions of universes, and Kṛṣṇa is supporting all these millions

of universes with a single fragment of Himself. This is also confirmed

in many other Vedic literatures:

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vila-jā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the

pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṇu, remain alive as long as the duration of

His one exhalation. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, of whose

subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṇu is the portion of a portion.”

(Brahma-saṁhitā 5.48)

This is the information given in Brahma-saṁhitā, the

prayers offered by Lord Brahmā. This Brahma-saṁhitā was

accepted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who copied it when He toured

South India. Formerly there were no presses to print these

literatures, and these important Vedic writings were written by hand.

These literatures were not very cheap, and only highly qualified brāhmaṇas were able to keep them. They were worshiped in the

temple as the śāstra Deity. It is not that they were

available everywhere. Now, of course, the printing press has changed

all this, but nonetheless we should always understand that the granthas, the scriptures, should be worshiped as God because

they are the sound incarnation of God. One should not consider Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to be ordinary

books, and one should take care of them just as carefully as one

takes care of the Deity.

At any rate, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned from South

India with a copy of Brahma-saṁhitā, He gave it to His

disciples and told them that it was a summary of the Vedānta and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We therefore accept Brahma-saṁhitā as authorized scripture, for it was authorized by the

Supreme Person, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa explains in Bhagavad-gītā in so many ways that the entire material

creation is resting on one of His portions, Brahma-saṁhitā explains the same subject. It is stated that from the skin pores of

the Mahā-viṣṇu, all the universes are emanating. In each universe

there is a Brahmā, a supervisor, who is the supreme creature and

manager. These managers live only as long as the Mahā-Viṣṇu exhales.

When He exhales, all the universes are created, and when He inhales,

they all return into His body. In this way so many universes and

Brahmās are coming and going. The durations of these breaths, which

constitute a life of a Brahmā, are described in Bhagavad-gītā as many trillions of earth years. One may say that this is

all fictitious and imaginary, but unless one believes it, one has no

right to touch Bhagavad-gītā.

Generally people are interested in going to the higher planetary

systems in order to become more opulent. This is the process of karma-kāṇḍīya, and people perform yañṣas and pious

activities in order to be elevated to higher planets. The idea is

that one will be able to enjoy himself more, have a longer life span,

more opulence, more beautiful women, nice gardens and so on. Actually

this is the case, but a devotee is not at all interested in these

things because he accepts Kṛṣṇa. In Bhagavad-gītā (8.16) Śrī

Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino ’rjuna: “From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest,

all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take

place.”

Even if we are promoted to the highest planet, Brahmaloka, the

planet where Lord Brahmā lives, our situation there is still not

eternal. So why should a devotee be interested in such a place? A

devotee is simply interested in the supreme eternal, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The

Supreme Lord is the supreme leader of the nityas, the

eternal living entities. We are all nityas, eternal, and

Kṛṣṇa guides and plays with us. In the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa and His

devotees are friends, and they play together as cowherd boys. They

are not interested in Brahmaloka or Candraloka, for these planets

will ultimately be annihilated. There are some living entities that

live only a few seconds, or, at most, a night. By the morning, they

are all dead. Any life in the material world is comparable to that.

Brahmā may live millions of years, but he ultimately has to die.

Whether we go to the highest planet or the lowest planet, whether we

are in the body of a Brahmā or a cat, we ultimately have to die. Kṛṣṇa

presents Himself to atheists as death. He appeared in this way before

Hiraṇyakaśipu, who said, “I am God. All the demigods are afraid of

me. I am very powerful.” Kṛṣṇa comes before such atheists as death and

takes everything away–all power, opulence, money–everything. The

theists worship God while they are living, and their only business in

this life is serving God. After death, they render the same service;

thus there is no difference between Vaikuṇṭha and a temple for a

devotee. In either case, his business is the same. Why, then, should

he aspire to go to Vaikuṇṭha?

In the Vaikuṇṭha planets one attains opulence like Kṛṣṇa or

Nārāyaṇa. There are five kinds of mukti, liberation, and one

is sārṣṭi. This kind of liberation brings one opulence equal

to the Lord. In the Vaikuṇṭha planets, everyone is four-handed like

Nārāyaṇa, and everyone is equally opulent. In Goloka Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa

and the cowherd boys are equally opulent. In Vṛndāvana, the cowherd

boys do not know that Kṛṣṇa is God. They look on Kṛṣṇa as an equal.

This is the opulence of their devotional position.

Nonetheless, the devotees do not aspire for all this opulence.

Their only aspiration is to engage in the service of the Lord. In

this way, they get everything. Nor are the devotees interested in

attaining the mystic yoga siddhis. They do not need to be

able to create a planet, for they can create Vaikuṇṭha by worshiping

Kṛṣṇa in the temple. The temple is nirguṇa, transcendental to

the guṇas. In the śāstras it is said that the

forest is characterized by sattva-guṇa, goodness, and the

city is characterized by rajo-guṇa, passion, because in the

city there is a great deal of illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and

meat-eating. Formerly, when people were aspiring for spiritual

realization, they left the cities and went to the forests. That was

the vānaprastha stage. The word vana means

“forest.” Before taking sannyāsa, a man would leave his

family and go to the forest to begin practicing austerities. Vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta.

Actually, superior to living in the forest is living in the temple

because the temple is nirguṇa, above all the guṇas, even sattva-guṇa. The inhabitants of the

temple are actually in Vaikuṇṭha.

Lord Kapiladeva next explains the nature of the special opulences

of the devotees.

TEXT 38

na karhicin mat-parāḥ śānta-rūpe
naṅkṣyanti no me ’nimiṣo leḍhi hetiḥ
yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca
sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam

TRANSLATION

The Lord continued: My dear mother, devotees who receive

such transcendental opulences are never bereft of them; neither

weapons nor the change of time can destroy such opulences. Because

the devotees accept Me as their friend, relative, son, preceptor,

benefactor and Supreme Deity, they cannot be deprived of their

possessions at any time.

PURPORT

It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that one may elevate

himself to the higher planetary systems, even up to Brahmaloka, by

dint of pious activities, but when the effects of such pious

activities are finishead, one again comes back to this earth to begin a

new life of activities. Thus even though one is promoted to the

higher planetary system for enjoyment and a long duration of life,

still that is not a permanent settlement. But as far as the devotees

are concerned, their assets–the achievement of devotional service

and the consequent opulence of Vaikuṇṭha, even on this planet–are

never destroyed. In this verse Kapiladeva addresses His mother as śānta-rūpa, indicating that the opulences of devotees are

fixed because devotees are eternally fixed in the Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere,

which is called śānta-rūpa because it is in the mode of pure

goodness, undisturbed by the modes of passion and ignorance. Once one

is fixed in the devotional service of the Lord, his position of

transcendental service cannot be destroyed, and the pleasure and

service simply increase unlimitedly. For the devotees engaged in Kṛṣṇa

consciousness, in the Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere, there is no influence of

time. In the material world the influence of time destroys everything,

but in the Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere there is no influence of time or of the

demigods because there are no demigods in the Vaikuṇṭha planets. Here

our activities are controlled by different demigods; even if we move

our hand and leg, the action is controlled by the demigods. But in

the Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere there is no influence of the demigods or of

time; therefore there is no question of destruction. When the time

element is present, there is the certainty of destruction, but when

there is no time element–past, present or future–then everything

is eternal. Therefore this verse uses the words naṅkṣyanti

no, indicating that the transcendental opulences will never be

destroyed.

The reason for freedom from destruction is also described. The

devotees accept the Supreme Lord as the most dear personality and

reciprocate with Him in different relationships. They accept the

Supreme Personality of Godhead as a dearmost friend, relative, son,

preceptor, well-wisher or Deity. The Lord is eternal; therefore any

relationship in which we accept Him is also eternal. It is clearly

confirmed herein that the relationships cannot be destroyed, and

therefore the opulences of those relationships are never destroyed.

Every living entity has the propensity to love someone. We can see

that if someone has no object of love, he generally directs his love

to a pet animal like a cat or a dog. Thus the eternal propensity for

love in all living entities is always searching for a place to

reside. From this verse we can learn that we can love the Supreme

Personality of Godhead as our dearmost object–as a friend, as a

son, as a preceptor or as a well-wisher–and there will be no

cheating and no end to such love. We shall eternally enjoy the

relationship with the Supreme Lord in different aspects. A special

feature of this verse is the acceptance of the Supreme Lord as the

supreme preceptor. Bhagavad-gītā is spoken directly by the

Supreme Lord, and Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his guru, or

spiritual master. Similarly, we should accept only Kṛṣṇa as the

supreme spiritual master.

When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, we include His confidential devotees; Kṛṣṇa

is not alone. Kṛṣṇa includes His name, His form, His qualities, His

abode, His associates, etc. For example, a king is always associated

with his secretary, his commander, his servant and so much

paraphernalia. As soon as we accept Kṛṣṇa and His associates as our

preceptors, no ill effects can destroy our knowledge. In the material

world the knowledge we acquire may change because of the influence of

time, but nevertheless the conclusions received from Bhagavad-gītā, directly from the speeches of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, can

never change. There is no use interpreting Bhagavad-gītā; it

is eternal.

Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, should be accepted as one’s best friend.

He will never cheat. He will always give His friendly advice and

protection to the devotee. If Kṛṣṇa is accepted as a son, He will

never die. Here we may have a very loving son or child, but the

father and mother, or those who are affectionate toward him, always

hope, “May my son not die.” But Kṛṣṇa actually never will die.

Therefore those who accept Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, as their son

will never be bereft of their son. In many instances devotees have

accepted the Deity as a son. In Bengal there are many such instances,

and even after the death of the devotee, the Deity performs the śrāddha ceremony for the father. The relationship is never

destroyed. People are accustomed to worship different forms of

demigods, but in Bhagavad-gītā such a mentality is

condemned; therefore one should be intelligent enough to worship only

the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His different forms such as

Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, Sītā-Rāma and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Thus one will never be

cheated. By worshiping the demigods, one may elevate himself to the

higher planets, but during the dissolution of the material world, the

deity and his abode will be destroyed. But one who worships the

Supreme Personality of Godhead is promoted to the Vaikuṇṭha planet,

where there is no time, destruction or annihilation. The conclusion

is that time cannot act upon devotees who have accepted the Supreme

Personality of Godhead as everything.

Spiritual life is eternal; it cannot be destroyed. Whatever we

have here in the material world is subject to destruction. In this

material world we aspire for a nice house, good property, children,

friends and riches, but ultimately all of these will be destroyed,

including ourselves. Nothing here is permanent; therefore everything

is called illusory. Actually we do not understand this; we take all

this as permanent. The fact is, however, that only Kṛṣṇa is permanent.

Kṛṣṇa’s material energy is not permanent.

Māyāvādīs think that in the spiritual world there are no

relationships. However, in the śāstras it is stated that in

the spiritual world there is real life. Life in this material world

is simply a shadow of that life. In the Fifteenth Chapter

of Bhagavad-gītā this material world is likened to a banyan

tree with its roots above and branches below. This means that it is

like a shadow. When we stand beside a reservoir of water, we see the

tree reflected upside down. We also have the experience of a mirage in

the material world. We think that there is water, but actually there

is none. Sometimes sailors at sea think they see land, but actually

this is a mirage in the water. This material world is like that. In

our lives we think we are enjoying some rasa, some

relationship. Our children are calling us father, and we are enjoying

our relationship with our wife, but all of these relationships are

like shadows, although people have no information of this. The true

enjoyment derived from these relationships can be attained in the

spiritual world with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa therefore comes in person to teach us

that we can enjoy the same relationship with Him. We can enjoy Him as

our master, our friend, our son, our father or our lover.

The Māyāvādī philosophers say that if Kṛṣṇa has become everything,

there is no question of Kṛṣṇa as an entity or a person. This is a

materialistic idea. If we tear up a piece of paper into small pieces

and throw it away, the paper no longer has an existence. However,

Kṛṣṇa is not like that.

advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca

“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kṛṣṇa], who

is the original person–absolute, infallible, without beginning,

although expanded into unlimited forms, still the same original, the

oldest, and the person always appearing as a fresh youth.”

(Brahma-saṁhitā 5.33) Kṛṣṇa has many millions of expansions,

and He is also situated in everyone’s heart. He is not only within

human beings but within animals, trees, plants, aquatics and so

forth. It is materialistic to think that Kṛṣṇa has no individual

existence if He has entered into so many millions of hearts. Even

though Kṛṣṇa has distributed Himself in many millions of parts, He is

still present in the same strength. Kṛṣṇa is sarvaiśvarya-pūrṇa. He is never diminishead.

There is an interesting story of a poor boy who was a student in

school. During an annual Father’s Day ceremony, the teacher requested

the students to give some kind of a contribution. Formerly teachers

would not earn a salary but would receive whatever the students would

bring from their parents’ homes or by begging. Generally

the brāhmaṇas were teachers, and they could not charge

anything. Thus some students brought the teacher rice, and some

students brought other crops. This one student was so poor that he

could think of nothing to bring; therefore he told his teacher that

he would speak to his mother first. After school, the student told his

mother, “My dear mother, all my classmates have promised to

contribute something to the teacher. What shall I contribute?” The

mother replied, “My dear son, we are so poor that we cannot give

anything. However, Kṛṣṇa is the friend of the poor. If He gives you

something, you can promise it to your teacher.” “Oh, where is Kṛṣṇa?”

the little boy asked. “Well, I understand that He is in the forest,”

the mother said. Therefore the little boy went to the forest and

called for Kṛṣṇa. He then began to cry, and finally Kṛṣṇa came. When a

devotee is very eager to see Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He comes.

“So, what are you asking?” Kṛṣṇa said to the little boy. “You are the

friend of the poor,” the little boy said. “I am very poor, and what

can I promise my teacher?” Kṛṣṇa then told him, “You can tell him that

you will supply him some yogurt, some dahī.” The little boy

was very satisfied with this, and the next day he went to his teacher

and said, “I will supply you as much yogurt as you need.” The teacher

felt that this was very nice, and he was pleased with the boy. On the

day of the ceremony, the boy again went to the forest and called for

Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa appeared and gave him a quart of yogurt. The little boy

took this yogurt to his teacher and said, “This is my contribution,

sir.” The teacher looked at the quart and said, “What is this?

Hundreds of people will be coming, and you have only given this much

yogurt?” The teacher became so angry that he spilled the yogurt out

of the container. When he bent down to pick it up, he saw that the

container was again full. He dropped it again, and it was again full.

He could then understand that it was spiritual.

This is the nature of Kṛṣṇa. One can take everything, and yet the

same will remain. In the material world, one minus one equals zero,

but in the spiritual world, one minus one equals one. That is called advaya-jñāna. There is no duality in the spiritual world.

One plus one equals one, and one minus one equals one. If we love

Kṛṣṇa, that love will not be destroyed as love is in the material

world. In the material world, a servant serves the master as long as

the servant is pleased and as long as the master is pleased. The

servant is pleased as long as the master pays, and the master is

pleased as long as the servant renders good service. However, in the

spiritual world, if the servant cannot serve under certain

conditions, the master is still pleased. And if the master does not

pay, the servant is also pleased. That is called oneness, absolute. A guru may have hundreds of disciples, hundreds of servants,

but he doesn’t have to pay them. They are serving out of spiritual

love, and the guru is teaching without receiving a salary.

This is a spiritual relationship. There are no cheaters and cheated

in such a relationship. If we accept Kṛṣṇa as our son, friend or

lover, we will never be cheated. However, we have to give up the

false, illusory servant, son, father or lover, for they will surely

cheat us. We may love our son with our heart and soul, but that very

son may some day be our enemy. We may love our wife very much, but

some day that wife may be such an enemy that she will kill us for her

own interests. There are many instances of this in history. Māyāvādī

philosophers are afraid of having such relationships because they

have bitter experience with these relationships in the material

world. They therefore want to negate all relationships, and therefore

they say no more son, daughter, lover, master or whatever. Being

disgusted with these things, they try to make everything void. Yet if

we have the same relationship with Kṛṣṇa, we will never be cheated or

disappointed. Our enthusiasm will increase more and more. Therefore

Kṛṣṇa encourages us to accept Him as our son, as our friend and as our

master. Then we will be happy.

TEXTS 39–40

imaṁ lokaṁ tathaivāmum
ātmānam ubhayāyinam
ātmānam anu ye ceha
ye rāyaḥ paśavo gṛhāḥ

visṛjya sarvān anyāṁś ca
mām evaṁ viśvato-mukham
bhajanty ananyayā bhaktyā
tān mṛtyor atipāraye

TRANSLATION

Thus the devotee who worships Me, the all-pervading Lord

of the universe, with unflinching devotional service, gives up all

aspirations for promotion to heavenly planets or happiness in this

world with wealth, children, cows, home or anything in relationship

with the body. I take him to the other side of birth and

death.

PURPORT

Unflinching devotional service, as described in these two verses,

means engaging oneself in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or devotional

service, accepting the Supreme Lord as all in all. Since the Supreme

Lord is all-inclusive, if anyone worships Him with unflinching faith,

one has automatically achieved all other opulences and performed all

other duties. The Lord promises herein that He takes His devotee to

the other side of birth and death. Lord Caitanya, therefore,

recommended that one who aspires to go beyond birth and death should

have no material possessions. This means that one should not try to

be happy in this world or to be promoted to the heavenly world, nor

should he strive for material wealth, children, houses or cows.

How liberation is imperceptibly achieved by a pure devotee and

what the symptoms are have been explained. The situation with a

conditioned soul is different, however. If he is in the mode of

goodness, he may be preparing for promotion to the higher planets; if

he is in the mode of passion, he will remain here in a society where

activity is very prominent, and if he is in the mode of ignorance, he

may be degraded to animal life or a lower grade of human life. But

for a devotee there is no concern for this life or the next life

because in any life he does not desire material elevation. He prays

to the Lord, “My dear Lord, it does not matter where I am born, but

let me be born, even as an ant, in the house of a devotee.” A pure

devotee does not pray to the Lord for liberation from this material

bondage. Actually, the pure devotee never thinks that he is fit for

liberation. Considering his past life and his mischievous activities,

he thinks that he is fit to be sent to the lowest region of hell. If

in this life I am trying to become a devotee, this does not mean that

in my many past lives I was one hundred percent pious. That is not

possible. A devotee, therefore, is always conscious of his real

position. Only by his full surrender to the Lord, by the Lord’s

grace, are his sufferings mitigated. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, “Surrender unto Me, and I will give you protection from

all kinds of sinful reaction.” That is His mercy. But this does not

mean that one who has surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord has

committed no misdeeds in his past life. A devotee always prays, “For

my misdeeds, may I be born again and again, but my only prayer is

that I may not forget Your service.” The devotee has such mental

strength, and he prays to the Lord: “May I be born again and again,

but let me be born in the home of Your pure devotee so that I may

again get a chance to develop my spiritual life.”

A pure devotee is not anxious to elevate himself in his next

birth. He has already given up that sort of hope. In any life in

which one is born, as a householder, or even as an animal, he must

have some children, some resources or some possessions, but a devotee

is not anxious to possess anything. He is satisfied with whatever is

obtainable by God’s grace. He is not at all attachead to improving his

social status or the education of his children. He is not neglectful–he is dutiful–but he does not spend too much time on the

improvement of temporary household or social life. He fully engages

in the service of the Lord, and for other affairs he simply spares as

much time as absolutely necessary (yathārtham upayuñjataḥ).

Such a pure devotee does not care what is going to happen in the next

life or in this life; he does not care even for family, children or

society. He fully engages in the service of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa

consciousness. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that without

the knowledge of the devotee, the Lord arranges for His devotee to be

immediately transferred to His transcendental abode just after

leaving his body. After quitting his body he does not go into the

womb of another mother. The ordinary common living entity, after

death, is transferred to the womb of another mother, according to his karma, or activities, to take another type of body. But as

far as the devotee is concerned, he is at once transferred to the

spiritual world in the association of the Lord. That is the Lord’s

special mercy. Because He is all-powerful, the Lord can do anything

and everything. He can excuse all sinful reactions. He can

immediately transfer a person to Vaikuṇṭhaloka. That is the

inconceivable power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is

favorably disposed to the pure devotees.

In these verses, Kapiladeva is describing the devotee’s acceptance

of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the most dear to us.

If we want to love Kṛṣṇa as a son, Kṛṣṇa is prepared to be our son.

Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his friend, and Kṛṣṇa was his best friend.

Everyone can accept Kṛṣṇa in so many ways. We can love Kṛṣṇa as Arjuna

did, or as mother Yaśodā did. Similarly, Parīkṣit Mahārāja simply

heard about Kṛṣṇa and developed love. The first-class yogī takes Kṛṣṇa as everything–priya, suta, sakhā, guru, everything. This is real bhakti. If we want a son, Kṛṣṇa is

prepared to be our son. If we want a lover, He is prepared to be our

lover. If we want a friend, He is prepared to be our friend. Whatever

relationship we want in the material world, we can have with Kṛṣṇa. We

all have some loving propensity, and Kṛṣṇa is prepared to fulfill this

propensity. Kṛṣṇa is not a person like ourselves. We occupy one body,

but Kṛṣṇa is the owner of all bodies. The body is a machine given by

Kṛṣṇa. In the material world, a father may give his son a car.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa gives the living entities bodies, 8,400,000 different

types of bodies. The living entity gets into the body just as a

person gets into a car, and he goes this way and that. We can drive

this machine called the body for so many years; then it becomes old,

and we have to change it for another machine. This is the process of

birth and death. We drive one car for a while, and the car is finally

broken, or it is smashead. We may have an accident or not, but

eventually the car has to go to the junk yard. Then we have to get

another car.

Actually our position is that we never take birth and never die,

but why have we been put into this position of accepting these

machines? This is our real problem. What is the cause of this? We

want to enjoy this material world with its wealth and possessions. As

long as we are after material possessions, we cannot transcend the

cycle of birth and death. However, we have to give all this up and

take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and worship

Him. Nor can we worship Him whimsically, but as He desires. If Kṛṣṇa

says, “I want a glass of water,” we must bring Him water. We cannot

say, “Milk is better than water. I think I will bring Him milk.” This

is not favorable service. Some so-called bhaktas say, “I can

worship the Lord in my own way.” This is simply imagination. The

Māyāvādīs say that Brahman has no rūpa, no form, and they

suggest that we imagine some form. This is not the case with Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa is present in His original form, and He is described in Vedic

literatures. We have recounted these descriptions before. If we want

to attain a body like Brahmā’s, we can get it. If we want a body like

a worm in stool, we can get it. Or, if we want a body like Kṛṣṇa’s, we

can get that also. That is our real body of sac-cid-ānanda. We can also get a body like a demigod’s and go to the heavenly

planets. Or we can remain here in the middle planetary system. Our

destination is our own choice. We are given full freedom through our

activities. By pious activities, we go to the heavenly planets, and

by Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, we go to Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, but somehow or other we have

forgotten this. In Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 20:117) it is said:

kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha

“Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the

external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy

[māyā] gives him all kinds of misery in his material

existence.” Because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa has given us all

these Vedas and Purāṇas. Kṛṣṇa also comes into this

material world in order to remind us of Himself. In this Kali-yuga,

people are forgetting Kṛṣṇa more and more. They are not even

interested in Him, but Kṛṣṇa is interested because we are His sons. A

mad son may no longer be interested in his home, in his father or

mother, yet the father never loses interest in his son. He is anxious

because his boy has left home and is suffering. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa’s son

leaves the spiritual sky and takes up one material body after another

and in this way travels from one planet to another in different

species of life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes to rescue him.

17/ Taking Shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Controller

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Taking Shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Controller

TEXT 41

nānyatra mad-bhagavataḥ
pradhāna-puruṣeśvarāt
ātmanaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
bhayaṁ tīvraṁ nivartate

TRANSLATION

The terrible fear of birth and death can never be

forsaken by anyone who resorts to any shelter other than Myself, for

I am the almighty Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the

original source of all creation, and also the Supreme Soul of all

souls.

PURPORT

It is indicated herein that the cycle of birth and death cannot be

stopped unless one is a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord. It is said, hariṁ vinā naiva sṛtiṁ taranti. One cannot surpass the cycle

of birth and death unless one is favored by the Supreme Personality

of Godhead. The same concept is confirmed herewith: one may take to

the system of understanding the Absolute Truth by one’s own imperfect

sensory speculation, or one may try to realize the self by the mystic yoga process; but whatever one may do, unless he comes to

the point of surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no

process can give him liberation. One may ask if this means that those

who are undergoing so much penance and austerity by strictly

following the rules and regulations are endeavoring in vain. The

answer is given by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32): ye ’nye

’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Lord Brahmā and other demigods

prayed to the Lord when Kṛṣṇa was in the womb of Devakī: “My dear

lotus-eyed Lord, there are persons who are puffed up with the thought

that they have become liberated or one with God or have become God,

but they are unintelligent.” It is stated that their intelligence,

whether high or low, is not even purified. With purified intelligence,

a living entity cannot think otherwise than to surrender. Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, confirms that purified intelligence

arises in a very wise man. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ

prapadyate. After many, many births, one who is actually

advanced in intelligence surrenders unto the Supreme Lord.

Without surrendering, one cannot achieve liberation. The Bhāgavatam says, “Those who are simply puffed up, thinking

themselves liberated by some nondevotional process, are not

intelligent because they have not yet surrendered unto You. In spite

of executing all kinds of austerities and penances or even arriving

at the brink of Brahman realization, they think that they are in the

effulgence of Brahman. But actually, because they have no

transcendental activities, they fall down to material activities.”

One should not be satisfied simply with knowing that he is Brahman. He

must engage himself in the service of the Supreme Brahman; that is bhakti. The engagement of Brahman should be the service of

Parabrahman. It is said that unless one becomes Brahman, one cannot

serve Brahman. The Supreme Brahman is the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, and the living entity is also Brahman. Without realizing

that he is Brahman, spirit soul, an eternal servitor of the Lord, if

one simply thinks that he is Brahman, his realization is only

theoretical. He has to realize and at the same time engage himself in

the devotional service of the Lord; then he can exist in the Brahman

status. Otherwise he falls down.

The Bhāgavatam says that because nondevotees neglect the

transcendental loving service of the lotus feet of the Personality of

Godhead, their intelligence is not pure, and therefore they fall

down. The living entity must have some activity. If he does not

engage in the activity of transcendental service, he must fall down

to material activity. As soon as one falls down to material activity,

there is no rescue from the cycle of birth and death. It is stated

here by Lord Kapila, “Without My mercy” (nānyatra mad-bhagavataḥ). The Lord is stated here to be Bhagavān, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, indicating that He is full of all opulences

and is therefore perfectly competent to deliver one from the cycle of

birth and death. He is also called pradhāna because He is

the Supreme. He is equal to everyone, but to one who surrenders to

Him He is especially favorable. It is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā that the Lord is equal to everyone; no one is His enemy and

no one is His friend. But to one who surrenders unto Him, He is

especially inclined. By the grace of the Lord, simply by surrendering

unto Him one can get out of this cycle of birth and death. Otherwise,

he may go on in many, many lives and may many times attempt other

processes for liberation.

Presently we are so dull and foolish that we do not know what is bhayam and tīvram. The word tīvram means

“very terrible,” and bhayam means “very fearsome.” We are

entangled by a very terrible fear, but we have become so dull due to

the spell of māyā that we do not care. At the time of death

there are many troubles, and we become very fearful. Sometimes, when

a person is dying, he falls into a coma and lies unconscious. We do

not know what kind of fearful test this person is undergoing. He may

be dreaming so many things, or he may be crying. He cannot express

what is going on. Those who are very sinful especially die in that

way. After death, one has to enter into the womb of another mother.

That is also a very fearful stage. One becomes packed in a bag, and

this bag is filled with stool and urine, and one has to remain packed

in this airtight bag for nine months.

This is a horrible situation, but we have forgotten all about it.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā that our real trouble

is janma-mṛtyu–birth and death. When the living entity is

packed in the womb, unable to move, he prays to God, “Please relieve

me from this horrible condition. If You relieve me, I shall worship

You.” Finally, after nine months, the living entity emerges from the

womb, and then he also undergoes so many troubles trying to adjust to

the atmosphere of a new planet. As an infant, he cries and cries, and

he is totally dependent on his mother’s mercy. Sometimes a mother

cannot understand what the child wants. Sometimes an ant may be

biting the child, but the mother thinks that the child is hungry.

There are bugs, worms, mosquitoes, stool, urine and so many things

attacking the new body. These are the threefold miseries, yet we

think that we have made such progress. We are being attacked moment

after moment by one thing after another, yet people close their eyes

to birth, old age, disease and death. The atheists want to forget

these miseries, and therefore they like to think that there is no

life after death. They are like ostriches, who stick their head in

the ground when an enemy approaches.

Although the living entity in the womb promises to worship Kṛṣṇa,

when he is delivered from the womb he does not fulfill his promise. As

soon as he is born and grows up, he begins to acquire a good bank

balance, a wife and children and then begins to think that his

problems are solved and that he will live very happily. Actually his

problems are not solved. He may have some temporary facilities, but

the main problem is still there. Every minute, every second, people

are dying and going to Yamarāja. Those who are living are thinking

that they will not die. They see that their friends are dying, but

somehow or other they think that they are eternal. Yudhiṣṭhira

Mahārāja said that this was the most amazing thing in the world. No

one thinks that he is going to die, although everyone else is

dying.

The living entity thinks that he is very happy in whatever body he

gets. He may get the body of a dog or the body of a cat, but he is

happy in his body, and he does not want to lose it. This is called

illusion. When an ant sees danger, he will run like anything. This is

because he values his body and does not want to lose it. Once Lord

Indra, the king of the heavenly planets, was cursed by Bṛhaspati to

become a hog. He was going about on earth enjoying his hog body when

finally Lord Brahmā came and told him, “My dear Indra, you have

suffered enough. Now come with me and return to your heavenly

kingdom.” Indra in the form of a hog said, “Where shall I go?” “To

the heavens,” Lord Brahmā replied. It was then that Indra said, “No,

I have my family and children. How can I go? I am very happy. Let me

remain here.” In this way, everyone is thinking that he is very

happy, although he is in a horrible and fearsome condition. However,

one who is actually intelligent can understand that he is not

actually happy, that he is suffering. It is said that ignorance is

bliss, but this is the bliss of a hog. When one actually comes to the

understanding that he is not actually happy in the material world, he

can begin to relieve his suffering.

There is no possibility of being liberated from suffering without

taking shelter at Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. People are thinking that they

can relieve suffering through abortion, by killing the child within

the womb. In this way they are committing one sin after another and

becoming more and more entangled. Consequently the aborted living

entity will have to enter into the womb of another mother in order to

undergo the birth that he is destined to take. Then, when he enters

the womb of another mother, he may again be killed, and for many

years he may not be allowed to see the light of the sun. In this

Kali-yuga, people are becoming so sinful that there is no possibility

of rescue unless one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The entire human

civilization is falling into the illusory fire of māyā. People fly into the fire just like moths. When there is a beautiful

fire, moths come from a long distance, enter it and go pop, pop, pop.

In this way one dies, takes birth and suffers and dies again.

Yet Kṛṣṇa and His devotees are so kind and compassionate that they

are unhappy to see all the misery of this material world. Kṛṣṇa is the

father of all living entities, and He is very unhappy to see His sons

suffer. Kṛṣṇa therefore comes and canvasses: “Why are you captivated

by this false, so-called happiness? Give up all of this and surrender

to Me. Come to Me, and I will relieve you. You will then live

happily, eternally and blissfully. You will not have any want, nor

will you be troubled by anything.” For this reason Kṛṣṇa comes.

Actually He has no other business to carry out here because His agent prakṛti does everything. Nonetheless, out of compassion Kṛṣṇa

comes in His original form or in an incarnation like Kapiladeva. Kṛṣṇa

also sends His representative, who says, “You rascal! Simply take

shelter of Kṛṣṇa and be happy.”

Kṛṣṇa comes once in a day of Brahmā, and His incarnations also

come, to educate foolish people who think that they are living

happily on this earth. Kapiladeva comes to propound this Sāṅkhya

philosophy, which is unalloyed devotion to the Lord. Herein

Kapiladeva says that one is condemned to death unless he takes

shelter of the Lord. There is no other way to be saved. We are all in

a very fearful situation, but we do not understand this. Under the

spell of māyā, we are thinking we are very happy, but this

is not a fact. If we want relief from our dangerous situation, we

have to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and revive

our old connection with Him. What is that connection? We are all His

eternal servants. We should not foolishly think that we can become

one with God or equal to God. This is all the result of rascaldom.

The beginning of knowledge is to understand that we are the eternal

sons and servants of Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between a son and a

servant. The son serves the father, just as the servant serves the

master. There is affection between master and servant and son and

father. The father also serves the son in so many ways; therefore the

relationship is reciprocal. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has defined our

original svarūpa, our original identity, as that of eternal

servant. People are artificially thinking, “I am independent. I am no

one’s servant. I have become God. I have become Bhagavān. I am this,

or I am that.”

In the material world, it is not very pleasant to be a servant of

anyone. We think that being God’s servant is like this because we are

materially infected. We are thinking that being a servant of God is

like being a servant of some man, but in the spiritual world the

servant and the served are the same. For instance, the guru is the servant of Kṛṣṇa, but he is accepted as Kṛṣṇa.

sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

“The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord

because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is

acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all

authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the

lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is a bona fide

representative of Śrī Hari [Kṛṣṇa].” (Gurv-aṣṭaka 7) This is

the verdict of all śāstras. The guru never says, “I

am Kṛṣṇa, I am God, I am Bhagavān.” Rather, the guru says, “I

am the most humble servant of the servant of the servant of God.” He

does not even say that he is the direct servant. Rather, he is the

servant one hundred times removed. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor

dāsa-dāsānudāsa. We should not try to become direct servants,

for that is not possible. First of all we must become the servant of

the servant. The guru is the servant of Kṛṣṇa, and if we

become his servant, we become an actual bona fide servant. That is our

real position. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu prays:

ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau

“O son of Nanda Mahārāja, I am Your eternal servant, but somehow

or other I have fallen into this ocean of birth and death.”

(Śikṣāṣṭaka 5) Caitanya Mahāprabhu addresses the Supreme Lord

Kṛṣṇa as the son of Nanda Mahārāja. Kṛṣṇa is very pleased if one

addresses Him as the son of Vasudeva, Yaśodā or Mahārāja Nanda. Kṛṣṇa

likes to be named in relation to His pure devotees. Therefore He is

called Yaśodā-nandana, Nanda-nandana, Vasudeva-nandana, Rādhikā-ramaṇa and so on. Thus Caitanya Mahāprabhu addresses Kṛṣṇa in this

way. He says that although He is Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant, somehow He

has fallen into the ocean of birth and death, accepting one body

after another, dying and being born again, not only in this planet

but throughout the whole universe, in many species of life. This is

the situation with conditioned living entities, wandering from one

life to another and from one planet to another for millions upon

millions of years. We do not care about this because we say that we

are brave and not afraid. We are very proud in this way, but this is

a fool’s pride. It is said, Fools rush in where angels fear to

tread. In order to save ourselves from this fearful situation, we

must take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the

verdict of all the śāstras, and Kṛṣṇa comes for this purpose

and sends His devotees, who work day and night to propagate this Kṛṣṇa

consciousness movement.

TEXT 42

mad-bhayād vāti vāto ’yaṁ
sūryas tapati mad-bhayāt
varṣatīndro dahaty agnir
mṛtyuś carati mad-bhayāt

TRANSLATION

It is because of My supremacy that the wind blows, out of

fear of Me; the sun shines out of fear of Me, and the lord of the

clouds, Indra, sends forth showers out of fear of Me. Fire burns out

of fear of Me, and death goes about taking its toll out of fear of

Me.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, says in Bhagavad-gītā that the natural laws are perfect because of His

superintendence. No one should think that nature is working

automatically, without superintendence. The Vedic literature says

that the clouds are controlled by the demigod Indra, heat is

distributed by the sun-god, the soothing moonlight is distributed by

Candra and the air is blowing under the arrangement of the demigod

Vāyu. But above all these demigods is the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, the chief living entity. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś

cetanānām. The demigods are also ordinary living entities, but

due to their faithfulness–their devotional service–they have been

promoted to such posts. These different demigods, or directors, such

as Candra, Varuṇa and Vāyu, are called adhikāri-devatā. The

demigods are departmental heads. The government of the Supreme Lord

consists not only of one planet or two or three; there are millions

of planets and millions of universes. The Supreme Personality of

Godhead has a huge government, and He requires assistants. The

demigods are considered His bodily limbs. These are described in

Vedic literature. The sun-god, moon-god, fire-god and air-god are

working under the direction of the Supreme Lord. It is confirmed in

the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10), mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate

sa-carācaram. The natural laws are being conducted under His

superintendence. Because He is in the background, everything is being

performed punctually and regularly.

One who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is

completely protected from all other influences. He no longer serves or

is obliged to anyone else. Of course he is not disobedient to anyone,

but his full power of thought is absorbed in the service of the Lord.

The statements by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kapila, that

under His direction the air is blowing, the fire is burning, the sun

is giving heat, etc., are not sentimental. The impersonalist may say

that the Bhāgavatam devotees create and imagine someone as

the Supreme Personality of Godhead and assign qualifications to Him;

but actually it is neither imagination nor an imposition of artificial

power in the name of Godhead. In the Vedas it is said, bhīṣāsmād vātaḥ pavate/ bhīṣodeti sūryaḥ: “Out of fear of the

Supreme Lord, the wind-god and the sun-god are acting.” Bhīṣāsmād

agniś cendraś ca/ mṛtyur dhāvati pañcamaḥ: “Agni, Indra and Mṛtyu

are also acting under His direction.” These are the statements of the Vedas.

If the demigods are subject to fear, what of ordinary living

entities? Material life is not very happy because we are always

fearful of something. No one can say, “I am not afraid of anything.”

Everyone is afraid of something. There is not a bird, beast, human

being or living entity alive that is not afraid of something. This is

because we are absorbed in the bodily conception, thinking, “I am

this body.” Since everyone is thinking in this way, everyone fears

bodily destruction. When there was an earthquake in Los Angeles,

everyone ran out their houses screaming. Everyone was terrified,

thinking, “Now death is coming!” This is material nature. There are

many events in nature that cause fear. There are great cyclones and

tornadoes. There is excessive heat and excessive rain. There is flood

and famine and war. Yet people are thinking of being happy on this

planet.

Modern scientists say that there are no demigods and that there is

no God, that all events are being carried out by nature. It is true

that nature is working, but nature, after all, is nothing but matter.

Matter cannot work without being directed by a living being. We

cannot say that matter works independently. In the ocean we always

see that there are great waves moving. Water is dull matter, but the

air is pushing these great waves and dashing them onto the earth.

Scientists say that nature works in this way and that, but nature is

not independent. We receive information from authoritative śāstras that nature is moving under the direction of the

demigods. So we cannot say that these processes are automatically

taking place. Scientists admit that nature is working in a wonderful

way, but, after all, nature is not under their control. The

scientists may accept or defy Kṛṣṇa, but they cannot defy the

activities of nature. Everyone is subordinate to nature. Nature,

however, is working under the direction of God; therefore everyone is

subordinate to God.

The sun, oceans, land, space and everything else in material

creation are but manifestations of Kṛṣṇa’s external energy. Nothing is

independent of Kṛṣṇa or His energy. In Brahma-saṁhitā (5.44)

it is said that material nature is so powerful that it can create,

maintain and destroy in itself: Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā. However, material nature is working just like a

shadow. If we place our hand before a light, we can see its shadow

move on a wall. Similarly, material nature is working due to the

touch of spirit soul. It is not possible for an automobile to drive

itself. A person, a spirit soul, must be within to push certain

buttons. Due to the touch of the spirit soul, the machine is moving.

The entire universe is similarly moving due to the touch of God.

According to the śāstras, the wind is blowing, the water is

moving, the sun is shining and the earth is revolving under the

direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If the directors of

the different material elements do not work properly, they are

punishead by their master, Kṛṣṇa.

When Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth, He saw that Lord Indra, the

lord of the heavens and of rain, was somewhat puffed up. Kṛṣṇa

therefore advised His father Nanda Mahārāja not to bother worshiping

Indra. He told His father, “There is no need to offer sacrifices to

Indra. It is better to worship Govardhana Hill, which is the

representative of God. The cows receive their grass and grains from

Govardhana Hill; therefore it is better to worship it.” At first,

Nanda Mahārāja was not willing to do this, but out of affection for

Kṛṣṇa, he finally agreed. When Indra saw that Nanda Mahārāja was

worshiping Govardhana Hill, he became very angry and sent vicious

clouds to inundate all of Vṛndāvana with a flood. Kṛṣṇa then showed

Indra that his power was not even competent to deal with the little

finger of His left hand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill with

the small finger of His left hand and used it as an umbrella to save

all the people of Vṛndāvana from Indra’s torrents. All of this is

related in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Thus everyone is a servant. No one can actually claim to be

master. If we simply take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, we do not have to offer

sacrifices to various demigods. If we water the root of a tree, we do

not have to water the branches, twigs, flowers or fruits. If we supply

food to the stomach, we do not have to feed the eyes, hands and legs

separately. Similarly, if we worship Kṛṣṇa, the source of everything,

no other worship is necessary.

Large amounts of wealth are necessary to perform sacrifices. In

former ages, tons of food were offered in a fire as a sacrifice, but

this is not possible in this age. Therefore saṅkīrtana-yajña, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, is

recommended. Anyone can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is no need for

instruments, although Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced the mṛdaṅga (drum) and karatālas (cymbals). Otherwise,

clapping in itself is sufficient. Anyone can sit down with his family,

clap hands and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare

Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This saṅkīrtana is

very easy to perform. In the evening people go to restaurants and

cinemas and waste time and money at clubs and dances. They are not

aware of the fearful situation of birth, old age, disease and death.

People are carried away by the waves of material nature, and they

have submitted to its laws. We should not waste our time in this

valuable human form but should begin to solve our problems.

Eventually everything on this earth will be annihilated. At

present, three fourths of this earth is covered with water. In the

beginning, the entire earth was covered with water, but gradually the

water is drying up, and more land is emerging. Since the land has

emerged, we have calculated that this is the Asian continent, this is

North America, South America, Africa and so on. Eventually there will

be no water but only land, and this means that there will ultimately

be destruction. Since there will be no water, the heat will be

scorching, and eventually the earth will be burned to ashes. Then

again there will be rainfall, and everything will be mixed up again,

and again there will be destruction. In this way things come into

existence and are dissolved. Similarly, this body comes into

existence, takes a nice form, and then is finally finishead forever. We

will then have to get another body. The body is like a bubble. It is

present for one moment, then it bursts and is gone forever.

We simply take on one bubble after another, one body after

another, and we think that we will become happy in this way because

we are so foolish. Kṛṣṇa comes as a person like us, but we are such

rascals that we think He is simply a man, and this is our misfortune.

If we just surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, we will no longer be subjected to

the karma of different bodies. Even if we attempt to render

some devotional service to Him and fall down, we lose nothing and

gain everything. A human life is guaranteed in our next birth. It is

therefore to our benefit to accept Kṛṣṇa.

18/ Devotional Service: The Final Perfection

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Devotional Service: The Final Perfection

TEXT 43

jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena
bhakti-yogena yoginaḥ
kṣemāya pāda-mūlaṁ me
praviśanty akuto-bhayam

TRANSLATION

The yogīs, equipped with transcendental knowledge and

renunciation and engaged in devotional service for their eternal

benefit, take shelter at My lotus feet, and since I am the Lord, they

are thus eligible to enter into the kingdom of Godhead without

fear.

PURPORT

One who wants to be liberated from the entanglement of this

material world and go back home, back to Godhead, is actually a

mystic yogī. The words explicitly used here are yuktena

bhakti-yogena. Those yogīs, or mystics, who engage in

devotional service are first-class yogīs. They are described

in Bhagavad-gītā as constantly thinking of the Lord, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. These yogīs are not

without knowledge and renunciation. To become a bhakti-yogī means to automatically attain knowledge and renunciation. That is the

consequent result of bhakti-yoga. In the Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter, it is also confirmed that one who engages

in devotional service of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, has complete transcendental

knowledge and renunciation, and there is no further explanation for

these attainments. Ahaitukī–without reason, they come. Even

if a person is completely illiterate, the transcendental knowledge of

the scriptures is revealed unto him because of his devotion. To

anyone who has full faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and

the spiritual master, all the import of the Vedic literatures is

revealed. One doesn’t have to seek separately; the yogīs who

engage in devotional service are full in knowledge and renunciation.

If there is a lack of knowledge and renunciation, it is to be

understood that one is not engaged in full devotional service. The

conclusion is that one cannot be sure of entrance into the spiritual

realm–in either the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence of

the Lord or the Vaikuṇṭha planets within that Brahman effulgence–unless he is surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. The

surrendered souls are called akuto-bhaya. They are doubtless

and fearless, and their entrance into the spiritual kingdom is

guaranteed.

Devotional service is most important because there is danger in

every step in this material world. At any moment our life can be

finishead. We may be walking along very nicely, but at some moment we

may slip and break our neck; therefore this planet is called

Martyaloka, the planet of death, the place where death is a

certainty. Regardless of how strong or healthy one may be, one cannot

avoid death. One may exercise on the beach daily, but one may die at

any moment. There is no guarantee. Everyone wants health and

security, but actually there is no security. There is simply a

struggle for existence. People are struggling for security, but in

reality this is all foolishness. People are always fearful because

they have forgotten or rejected Kṛṣṇa. We have forgotten that we are

Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servants, His eternal parts and parcels, and that we

have a most intimate relationship with Him. In the material world we

are situated in asat, a nonpermanent situation. When a child

has lost his father and mother, he is always in a fearful condition.

He cries in the street, “Where is my father? Where is my mother?” If

we no longer want to be in such a fearful condition, we have to take

shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is begging us to come to Him

because we are all His sons. He says, “You are rotting here by

repeatedly committing sins. You are changing from one body to

another, and you are thinking that you are a human being, an

American, this or that. The next moment you may become a dog or an

insect.” People are always thinking that they are secure, and this is

called māyā, illusion.

Knowledge, jñāna, means understanding our relationship

with Kṛṣṇa. A wise man asks, “What is my duty to Kṛṣṇa?” Once we

understand our relationship with Kṛṣṇa and our duty to Him, we

naturally become reluctant to engage in material activities. This is

called vairāgya, detachment from material activities. jñāna and vairāgya can be awakened by bhakti-yoga. Bhakti means surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. Without surrendering to

Kṛṣṇa, we cannot understand our situation. Kṛṣṇa reserves the right of

not being exposed to fools and rascals. He is simply meant for the

devotees. We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa without becoming devotees.

Material life means sex. People work hard all day in order to have

a little sex at night. In the material world everyone is suffering

from the sharp arrow of Cupid. Madana, Cupid, shoots his arrow into

men and women to make them mad after one another; however, when one

actually sees Kṛṣṇa, he sees Madana-mohana, the charmer of Cupid. Then

one is no longer pierced by Cupid’s arrow. This means that one

actually becomes fearless. One can then enter into bhakti-yoga and renounce this material world. According to the śāstras, there is śreyas and preyas.

Śreyas is the ultimate goal. We should act in such a way that

ultimately we will become happy. However, if we want immediate

happiness and disregard the future, we want preyas. Preyas is for unintelligent people and children. A child enjoys playing all

day; he does not want to be sent to school to be educated. Education is śreyas, the ultimate goal. No one is interested in this.

The śāstras instruct us to aim for śreyas and not

be captivated by preyas. The supreme śreyas is bhakti-yoga.

In the material world we are struggling for existence with the

hope that someday in the future we will be happy. Yet we are

bewildered. An animal in the desert sees a mirage, a shadow of water,

and he runs after this shadow again and again. He runs further and

further, and in this way, as he crosses the hot sands, he becomes

more and more thirsty and he finally dies. Our struggle for existence

is like this. We are thinking, “Let me go a little further. There

will be water eventually. There will eventually be happiness.” Yet

there is no water in the desert. Those who are unintelligent, who are

like animals, seek happiness in the desert of the material world.

This false attachment has to be given up by the process of bhakti-yoga. This must be taken up very seriously, not

artificially. Kṛṣṇa in all seriousness wants to see whether one has

finishead all his material desires. When Kṛṣṇa sees this, He is very

pleased. We are actually busy with dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa, but when we transcend these, bhakti begins.

If we study the history of the world, we see that it is simply a

history of struggle. Mankind attempts to relieve its miserable

condition, but it simply brings about another miserable condition. As

we try to overcome one problem, another problem arises. Our

determination to renounce our association with this material world is

called mukti. Mukti means coming to the spiritual platform.

Since we belong to the spiritual atmosphere, it is impossible for us

to be happy in the material atmosphere. If a land animal is placed in

water, he will simply struggle for existence, despite being an expert

swimmer. We have come into this material world to gratify our senses,

but our attempts will never be successful. If we actually want to

attain a state beyond fear, we have to accept this bhakti-yoga process enunciated by Lord Kapiladeva.

TEXT 44

etāvān eva loke ’smin
puṁsāṁ niḥśreyasodayaḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
mano mayy arpitaṁ sthiram

TRANSLATION

Therefore persons whose minds are fixed on the Lord engage

in the intensive practice of devotional service. That is the only

means to attain the final perfection of life.

PURPORT

Here the words mano mayy arpitam, which mean “the mind

being fixed on Me,” are significant. One should fix his mind on the

lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation. To be fixed steadily in that

freedom is the way of liberation. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja is an example. He

fixed his mind on the lotus feet of the Lord, he spoke only on the

pastimes of the Lord, he smelled only the flowers and tulasī offered to the Lord, he walked only to the temple of the Lord, he

engaged his hands in cleansing the temple, he engaged his tongue in

tasting the foodstuff offered to the Lord, and he engaged his ears in

hearing the great pastimes of the Lord. In this way all his senses

were engaged. First of all, the mind should be engaged at the lotus

feet of the Lord, very steadily and naturally. Because the mind is

the master of the senses, when the mind is engaged, all the senses

are engaged. That is bhakti-yoga. Yoga means controlling the

senses. The senses cannot be controlled in the proper sense of the

term; they are always agitated. This is true also with a child–how

long can he be forced to sit down silently? It is not possible. Even

Arjuna said, cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa: “The mind is always

agitated.” The best course is to fix the mind on the lotus feet of the

Lord. Mano mayy arpitaṁ sthiram. If one seriously engages in

Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the highest perfectional stage. All Kṛṣṇa

conscious activities are on the highest perfectional level of human

life.

This verse marks the conclusion of bhakti-yoga, as

described by Lord Kapiladeva to His mother. Bhakti-yoga is

the business of one advanced in jñāna-vairāgya, knowledge

and renunciation. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has explained bhakti-yoga as vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga begins when we accept Kṛṣṇa’s instructions:

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.”

(Bg. 18.66)

We have to renounce all material engagements and accept the lotus

feet of Kṛṣṇa. We are making one plan after another to be happy in

this material world, but this place is certified by the Supreme

Personality of Godhead as duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, a place of

misery. This material world is actually meant for misery,

just as a prison house is meant for punishment. Once we attain our

constitutional position of brahma-bhūta, we can enter the

kingdom of God, the spiritual world. By karma-yoga we

attempt to get out of the gross body, and by jñāna-yoga we

attempt to get out of the subtle body, but by bhakti-yoga we

can directly transcend both the subtle body (mind, intelligence and

ego) and the gross material body. Then we can be situated on the

spiritual platform in our original, spiritual body. As long as we are

in the subtle and gross bodies, we are suffering under the three

modes of material nature. Once we enter into the devotional service

of the Lord, we are immediately situated on the platform of brahma-bhūta. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi (“I am Brahman”) is simply

theoretical knowledge, but when one actually renders devotional

service, one is situated in practical knowledge. Then one is no

longer on the material platform but on the Brahman platform.

Prahlāda Mahārāja rendered the best service to his father,

Hiraṇyakaśipu, by having him killed by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.

Superficially it appeared that Prahlāda Mahārāja did not help his

father, but this was not the case. In the śāstras it is said

that if a person, even though a demon, is killed by God, he is

immediately liberated. Prahlāda Mahārāja was thinking, “My father is

so sinful and so much opposed to God consciousness that he might not

be liberated.” After Lord Nṛsiṁha killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, Prahlāda

Mahārāja told the Lord, “My dear Lord, may I ask one thing from You?

My father was a great atheist, and he committed many offenses at Your

lotus feet. Now You have killed him. I request that he be excused and

be given liberation.” Actually Hiraṇyakaśipu was already liberated,

yet his affectionate son was anxious to know whether he was liberated

or not. It is confirmed by the Lord that not only a Vaiṣṇava’s father,

but everyone for twenty-one generations before a Vaiṣṇava receives

liberation. Thus by serving the Lord, one renders the best service to

his family, because twenty-one generations are liberated if one

becomes a pure Vaiṣṇava.

The yogī’s real business is to focus his mind on Kṛṣṇa.

That is the real yoga system. There are many gymnastics

performed by yogīs, but all this is recommended for those

who are overly concerned with the body. Rendering service to Kṛṣṇa

twenty-four hours daily is called bhakti-yoga, and that is

real samādhi. People are working hard day and night to enjoy

some results. A person in bhakti-yoga works hard day and

night but offers the results to Kṛṣṇa. There is a great difference

between a bhakti-yogī and an ordinary karmī. Ordinary karmīs cannot understand that the bhaktas are on the transcendental platform.

As we have stated before, there are innumerable forms of God–Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Kṛṣṇa, Kapiladeva, Balarāma and so on.

Sometimes foolish people ask, “You are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. Why don’t you

worship Rāma?” Actually there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Rāma,

but everyone has his preference. For instance, Hanumān was

particularly devoted to Lord Rāmacandra. The gopīs are

exclusively devoted to Lord Kṛṣṇa. This does not make any real

difference. The Lord appears in different forms, but in all cases He

is the Lord. Once Kṛṣṇa left the gopīs and changed into His

four-handed Viṣṇu form. The gopīs went out searching for

Kṛṣṇa, and when they saw the four-handed Viṣṇu form, they did not

offer much respect. They simply wanted to see Kṛṣṇa. Actually there is

no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, but every devotee has a

particular inclination. In the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya, some devotees

worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and others worship Sītā-Rāma and Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa.

Some also worship Rukmiṇī-Kṛṣṇa. All of these are the same, and all of

the devotees are Vaiṣṇavas. Whether one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa or Hare

Rāma, it is not very important. Worship of the demigods, however, is

not recommended. In any case, bhakti-yoga begins with

hearing–śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. After one has heard from the

right source and is convinced, one will automatically perform kīrtana. Kīrtana means glorification. Kīrtana is

preaching, glorifying and speaking about the Lord. Parīkṣit Mahārāja

attained perfection simply by listening to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.This is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Parīkṣit Mahārāja

was listening, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī was performing kīrtana by describing the glories of the Lord. Pṛthu Mahārāja simply

worshiped the Lord, and Lakṣmīdevī massaged Viṣṇu’s lotus feet. Arjuna

made friends with the Lord, and Hanumān carried out the orders of

Lord Rāmacandra. Bali Mahārāja offered everything he had to the Lord

in the form of Vāmanadeva, and after he had offered all his

possessions, he offered his body. There are many examples, but at the

present moment, if we simply hear about Kṛṣṇa, that is sufficient. God

has given us ears, and we need only go to a realized soul and hear

about Kṛṣṇa from him. This is the process recommended for this age

because people are very fallen and are uneducated.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends that we search out a devotee

regardless of our position. There is no need to change our position;

it is better to remain where we are and simply hear about Kṛṣṇa. The

Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant to give everybody an opportunity

to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is within everyone’s heart, and as soon as

He sees that one is interested in Him, He helps. This is the

beginning of bhakti.

Even if we do not understand this philosophy, we will be purified

if we hear what Kṛṣṇa says. This is the whole process of hari-saṅkīrtana. One doesn’t even have to understand what this Hare

Kṛṣṇa is. One only has to hear to be purified. Unless one is purified,

one cannot understand God. There are many contaminations within the

heart, and the people in this age are engaged in many sinful

activities–illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. The

whole world is revolving about these things, yet despite this we have

to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. There may be many

obstacles, but they can all be transcended by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. We only

have to be determined in our devotion. The rest will follow. This is

the essence of Lord Kapila’s instructions to His mother.

The Author

The Author

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda appeared in this world in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, a prominent religious scholar and the founder of sixty-four Gauḍīya Maṭhas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge. Śrīla Prabhupāda became his student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad he became his formally initiated disciple.

At their first meeting, in 1922, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura requested Śrīla Prabhupāda to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the years that followed, Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā, assisted the Gauḍīya Matha in its work and, in 1944, without assistance, started an English fortnightly magazine, edited it, typed the manuscripts and checked the galley proofs. He even distributed the individual copies freely and struggled to maintain the publication. Once begun, the magazine never stopped; it is now being continued by his disciples in the West and is published in twelve languages.

Recognizing Śrīla Prabhupāda's philosophical learning and devotion, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Society honored him in 1947 with the title "Bhaktivedanta." In 1950, at the age of fifty-four, Śrīla Prabhupāda retired from married life, adopting the vānaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing. Śrīla Prabhupāda traveled to the holy city of Vṛndāvana, where he lived in very humble circumstances in the historic medieval temple of Rādhā-Dāmodara. There he engaged for several years in deep study and writing. He accepted the renounced order of life (sannyāsa) in 1959. At Rādhā-Dāmodara, Śrīla Prabhupāda began work on his life's masterpiece: a multivolume translation of and commentary on the eighteen-thousand-verse Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purārṇa). He also wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets.

After publishing three volumes of Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Prabhupāda came to the United States, in 1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master. Since that time, His Divine Grace has written over sixty volumes of authoritative translations, commentaries and summary studies of the philosophical and religious classics of India.

In 1965, when he first arrived by freighter in New York City, Śrīla Prabhupāda was practically penniless. It was after almost a year of great difficulty that he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in July of 1966. Under his careful guidance, the Society has grown within a decade to a worldwide confederation of more than one hundred āśramas, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities.

In 1968, Śrīla Prabhupāda created New Vṛndāvana, an experimental Vedic community in the hills of West Virginia. Inspired by the success of New Vṛndāvana, now a thriving farm community of more than one thousand acres, his students have since founded several similar communities in the United States and abroad.

In 1972, His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary and secondary education in the West by founding the Gurukula school in Dallas, Texas. Since then, under his supervision, his disciples have established children's schools throughout the United States and the rest of the world. As of 1977, there are twenty gurukula schools worldwide, with the principal educational center now located in Vṛndāvana, India.

Śrīla Prabhupāda has also inspired the construction of several large international cultural centers in India. The center at Śrīdhāma Māyāpur in West Bengal is the site for a planned spiritual city, an ambitious project for which construction will extend over the next decade. In Vṛndāvana, India, is the magnificent Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Temple and Inter national Guesthouse. There are also major cultural and educational centers in Bombay and the holy city of Purī in Orissa. Other centers are planned in a dozen other important locations on the Subcontinent.

Śrīla most significant contribution, however, is his books. Highly respected by the academic community for their authoritativeness, depth and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into twenty three languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 exclusively to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become the world's largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy. Its principal project is the ongoing publication of Śrīla Prabhupāda's celebrated multivolume translation of and commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

In the past ten years, in spite of his advanced age, Śrīla Prabhupāda has circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have taken him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Śrīla Prabhupāda continues to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.

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