अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 40)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 40

इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते |

एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम्  ४० 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 39)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 39

आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा |

कामरूपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च  ३९ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 38)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 38

धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथादर्शो मलेन च |

यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम्  ३८ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 37)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 37

श्री भगवानुवाच

काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः |

महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम्  ३७ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 36)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 36

अर्जुन उवाच

अथ केन प्रयुक्तोSयं पापं चरति पुरुषः |

अनिच्छन्नपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियोजितः  ३६ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 35)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 35

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् |

स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः  ३५ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 34)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 34

इन्द्रियस्येन्द्रियस्यार्थे रागद्वेषौ व्यवस्थितौ |

तयोर्न वशमागच्छेतौ ह्यस्य परिपन्थिनौ  ३४ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 33)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 33

सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि |

प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति  ३३ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 32)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 32

ये त्वेतदभ्यसूयन्तो नानुतिष्ठन्ति मे मतम् |

सर्वज्ञानविमुढ़ांस्तान्विद्धि नष्टानचेतसः  ३२ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 31)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 31

ये ते मतमिदं नित्यमनुतिष्ठन्ति मानवाः |

श्रद्धावन्तोSनसूयन्तो मुच्यन्ते तेSपि कर्मभिः  ३१ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 30)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 30

मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि सन्न्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा |

निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः  ३० 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 29)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 29

प्रकृतेर्गुणसम्मूढा: सज्जन्ते गुणकर्मसु |

तानकृत्स्नविदो मन्दान्कृत्स्नविन्न विचालयेत्  २९ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 28)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 28

तत्त्ववित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयो: |

गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्जते  २८ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

One who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth, O mighty-armed, does not engage himself in the senses and sense gratification, knowing well the differences between work in devotion and work for fruitive results.

भावार्थ

हे महाबाहो! भक्तिभावमय कर्म तथा सकाम कर्म के भेद को भलीभाँति जानते हुए जो परमसत्य को जानने वाला है, वह कभी भी अपने आपको इन्द्रियों में तथा इन्द्रियतृप्ति में नहीं लगाता |

 

तात्पर्य

दो व्यक्ति जिनमें से एक कृष्णभावनाभावित है और दूसरा भौतिक चेतना वाला है, समान स्तर पर कार्य करते हुए समान पद पर प्रतीत हो सकते हैं, किन्तु उनके पदों में आकाश-पाताल का अन्तर रहता है | भौतिक चेतना वाला व्यक्ति अहंकार के कारन आश्र्वस्त रहता है कि वही सभी वस्तुओं का कर्ता है | वह यह नहीं जानता कि शरीर की रचना प्रकृति द्वारा हुई है, जो परमेश्र्वर की अध्यक्षता में कार्य करती है | भौतिकतावादी व्यक्ति यह नहीं जानता कि अन्ततोगत्वा वह कृष्ण के अधीन है | अहंकारवश ऐसा व्यक्ति हर कार्य को स्वतन्त्र रूप से करने का श्रेय लेना चाहता है और यही है उसके अज्ञान का लक्षण | उसे यह ज्ञान नहीं कि उसके इस स्थूल तथा सूक्ष्म शरीर की रचना प्रकृति द्वारा भगवान् की अध्यक्षता में की गई है, अतः उसके सारे शारीरिक तथा मानसिक कार्य कृष्णभावनामृत में रहकर कृष्ण की सेवा में तत्पर होने चाहिए | अज्ञानी व्यक्ति यह भूल जाता है कि भगवान् हृषीकेश कहलाते हैं अर्थात् वे शरीर की इन्द्रियों के स्वामी हैं | इन्द्रियतृप्ति के लिए इन्द्रियों का निरन्तर उपयोग करते रहने से वह अहंकार के कारण वस्तुतः मोहग्रस्त रहता है, जिससे वह कृष्ण के साथ अपने शाश्र्वत सम्बन्ध को भूल जाता है |

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 27)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 27

प्रकृते: क्रियमाणानि गुणै: कर्माणि सर्वशः |

अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते  २७ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 26)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 26

न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेदज्ञानां कर्मसङ्गिनाम् |

जोषयेत्सर्वकर्माणि विद्वान्युक्तः समाचरन्  २६ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 25)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 25

सक्ताः कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत |

कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्र्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसङ्ग्रहम्  २५ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 24)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 24

उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम् |

सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमाः प्रजाः  २४ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 23)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 23

यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रितः |

मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः  २३ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 22)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 22

न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन |

नानवाप्तमवाप्तव्यं वर्त एव च कर्माणि  २२ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 21)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 21

यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः |

स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते  २१ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 20)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 20

कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादयः |

लोकसङ्ग्रहमेवापि सम्पश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि  २० 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 19)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 19

तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचार |

असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पुरुषः  १९ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 18)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 18

नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्र्चन |

न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्र्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः  १८ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 17)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 17

यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्र्च मानवः |

आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्य कार्यं न विद्यते  १७ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

Ramayana: Bharata Suspected

Audio for this chapter: https://media.prabhupadavani.org/audio/RAM_-_24_-_Bharata_Suspected.mp3

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Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.40-44 [partially recorded]

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.40-44 [partially recorded]

San Francisco, March 20, 1967

Audio for this lecture: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/670320sbsf/
Prabhupada Radio: https://prabhupadaradio.com

Prabhupāda: ...[indistinct] of life. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is recommending that either material prosperity within this planet or in other planet, they are all destructible. They're not permanent. Therefore nirmala, not free from the contamination of material nature. That is also recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā: ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16], that even if you go to the highest planet, that is also perishable.

[From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.]

So we are not interested in perishable things. Unfortunately, people have no knowledge that what is that unperishable. They are accustomed in the association of perishable things for many, many lives.

[aside:] Is not working? Yes.

Therefore they have no information what is the... If we say that "You work for nonperishable things," he'll be astonished, because he has no idea that there can be anything which is not..., which is not perishable.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that "Don't try for nonperishable things... Don't try for perishable things. Try for nonperishable things." And that is

bhaktyā uktayeṣaṁ bhajatātma-labdhaye

[SB 7.7.40].

[It is learned from Vedic literature that by performing great sacrifices one may elevate himself to the heavenly planets. However, although life on the heavenly planets is hundreds and thousands of times more comfortable than life on earth, the heavenly planets are not pure [nirmalam], or free from the taint of material existence. The heavenly planets are also temporary, and therefore they are not the goal of life. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, has never been seen or heard to possess inebriety. Consequently, for your own benefit and self-realization, you must worship the Lord with great devotion, as described in the revealed scriptures.]

As the devotees recommend to worship the Supreme Lord, and the Supreme Lord also confirms it: yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama [Bg. 15.6], that supreme abode, where going, nobody returns...

[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.]

Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that "My dear friends, you just worship that Supreme Personality of Godhead, where going, nobody comes back."

yad-artha iha karmāṇi
vidvan-māny asakṛn naraḥ
karoty ato viparyāsam
amoghaṁ vindate phalaṁ

[SB 7.7.41]

[A materialistic person, thinking himself very advanced in intelligence, continually acts for economic development. But again and again, as enunciated in the Vedas, he is frustrated by material activities, either in this life or in the next. Indeed, the results one obtains are inevitably the opposite of those one desires.]

In this material world we are making so many plans for permanent settlement, but unfortunately, we are meeting with just the opposite result. That is in our experience. There is very nice song sung by a Vaiṣṇava poet. He says, sukhere lagiya e baro bhaginu anale puria gelā: "I constructed this house for living happily. Unfortunately, it was set in fire, so everything is finished." That is going on. In the material world we are making so many plans for living very comfortably, peacefully, eternally—but that is not possible.

People do not understand it. They are seeing, experiencing, from śāstra; from scripture we are getting instruction that nothing is imperishable. Everything is perishable in the material world. And we are actually seeing also that perishable agents are always ready.

Just like the fire. In New York City, at least, within twenty-four hours, there are at least ten or fifteen places where fire is going on. And your fire brigade is running on just trying to protect you from fire. The house regulation is all for fire: "How we are protected from fire." Then it will be allowed, certificate of occupation, "You can live."

In other words, that fire is always ready to vanish everything, but artificially, somehow or other, we are trying to protect ourself from fire. But we do not take it for granted that this material nature is so made that it will set in fire everything, however we may be strong in protecting ourself. That is the nature.

So however we may make plans to live very happily, the nature's law is that it will destroy.

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

[Bg. 7.14]

[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.]

So this material nature is very powerful. You cannot protect from the onslaught of material nature. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advising us that you try to achieve the permanent. The permanent is the soul. God is permanent. And there is a world, a sky, which is also permanent. So why not transfer yourself to that permanent sky, permanent association, permanent life, permanent supreme knowledge? What we are seeking here in imperfectness?

But people have no information. Some of them, they do not believe in it. Some of them are callous. This is our unfortunate condition. But it is neither false nor it is fiction. It is actual fact, truth, real truth, Absolute Truth. Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi [SB 1.1.1].

[O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.]

Śrīmad-Bhāgavata presents the objective as the Supreme Truth, paraṁ satyam. Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi: "I offer my obeisances to the Absolute Truth, paraṁ satyam." And what is that paraṁ satyam? Nirasta-kuhakam. Nirasta-kuhakam means "which is devoid of all illusion." Here everything is full of illusion. I am thinking, planning something, and at any moment, oh, it is all vanished, all finished.

So we do not understand that this is illusion, and there is a permanent life. So,

sukhāya duḥkha-mokṣāya
saṅkalpa iha karmiṇaḥ
sadāpnotīhayā duḥkham
anīhāyāḥ sukhāvṛtaḥ

[SB 7.7.42]

[In this material world, every materialist desires to achieve happiness and diminish his distress, and therefore he acts accordingly. Actually, however, one is happy as long as one does not endeavor for happiness; as soon as one begins his activities for happiness, his conditions of distress begin.]

Now everything we are planning, sukhāya, for matter of happiness, and duḥkha-mokṣāya, and to get rid of all miseries. This is our plan. Sukhāya duḥkha-mokṣāya saṅkalpaḥ, our determination; iha, in this world; karmiṇaḥ, those who are working. That determination is to make life happy and avoid distress. That is the plan. Sadāpnotīhayā. But that is simply plan-making within our mind. Actually, it is never achieved. It is never achieved.

kāmān kāmayate kāmyair
yad-artham iha puruṣaḥ
sa vai dehas tu pārakyo
bhaṅguro yāty upaiti ca

[SB 7.7.43]

[A living entity desires comfort for his body and makes many plans for this purpose, but actually the body is the property of others. Indeed, the perishable body embraces the living entity and then leaves him aside.]

Now we are desiring so many things, kāmān kāmyair kāmayate. Kāmān means desirable, and kāmayate, we hanker after such desirables, kāmyaiḥ, being too much eager, greedy, for fulfilling those objects. Yad-artham iha puruṣaḥ sa vai dehas tu. And what is that kāma? What are those desirables?

The desirables are simply for making this body perfect. Not perfect—comfortable. Perfect it cannot be, but as far as possible... We are manufacturing nice cushions for sitting comfortably, nice bedroom, buy nice motorcars, and..., everything for this body. The ultimate aim is to make this body comfortable. That's all.

But Prahlāda Mahārāja says that the body itself, dehaḥ..., sa vai dehas tu pārakyo bhaṅguro. Either you make your position secure and comfortable in this life or next life. Next life means there are many religious rituals which assures in your next life very comfortable life, very, I mean to say, long duration of life in other planets.

So either you make arrangement in this life or in the next life, in the material world. If you make your next life in the spiritual world, then that is a different question. But so far we are materially concerned, either we make comfortable life in this life or in the next. But the body itself is kṣaṇa-bhaṅguraḥ, it is perishable. It is perishable. Sa vai dehas tu pārakyo bhaṅguro yāty upaiti.

kim u vyavahitāpatya-
dārāgāra-dhanādayaḥ
rājya-kośa-gajāmātya-
bhṛtyāptā mamatāspadāḥ

[SB 7.7.44]

[Since the body itself is ultimately meant to become stool or earth, what is the meaning of the paraphernalia related to the body, such as wives, residences, wealth, children, relatives, servants, friends, kingdoms, treasuries, animals and ministers? They are also temporary. What more can be said about this?]

They were all sons of big chieftains and ministers, and he was himself the son of the king, Hiraṇyakaśipu. Therefore he was speaking from his own standard. He says that kim u vyavahitāpatya-dārāgāra-dhanādayaḥ. Apatya means we are expanding. We are single; now we are expanding, expanding by our children, apatya.

And dāra means wife. The Sanskrit word strī... Strī means woman, and the root meaning of strī means "which expands." As soon as you have got wife, you expand yourself. You are one, and as soon as you get your wife, you become three, four, five. So strī means that helps me expanding. That is the root meaning.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that what is the use by expanding your attachment to this material world by children? Apatya-dāra. Dārāgāra. Dāra means wife, and āgāra means house. Dārāgāra-dhanadayaḥ. Dhanādayaḥ means riches. These are our expanding processes.

And rājya, kingdom. Rājya. Kośa. Kośa means treasury. These are concerned with government. Government wants to expand. Rājya, kośa, and gaja. Gaja means elephant. The royal orders, they keep elephants. Especially in India, those who are princely order, they must keep at least dozens of elephants, and many thousands of horses.

That is royal opulence. So rājya-kośa-gajāmātya [SB 7.7.44]. Amātya means minister, and bhṛtya, bhṛtya means servants, and āptā mean friend. That means, in other words, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that there is no necessity of expanding these material opulences. [end]

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अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 16)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 16

एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः |

आघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति  १६ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

Ramayana: The Intrigue Fails

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Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.32-35 [Partial Recording]

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.32-35 [Partial Recording]

San Francisco, March 17, 1967

Audio for this lecture: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/670317sbsf/
Prabhupada Radio: https://prabhupadaradio.com

Prabhupāda: [chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers]

[śrī-caitanya-mano]-'bhīṣṭaṁ
sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ
dadāti sva-padāntikam

[When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?]

vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca
śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam
sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ
śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇavas and unto the Six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā.]

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho
dīna-bandho jagat-pate
gopeśa gopikā-kānta
rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

[O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.]

tapta-kāṣcana-gaurāṅgi
rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari
vṛṣabhānu-sute devi
praṇamāmi hari-priye

[I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.]

vāṣchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.]

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya
prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara
śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

[I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.]

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

[My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.]

So we have been discussing instruction of Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five-years-old boy, instructing his class fellows. So self-analysis. And he says, "When self-analysis is complete, then the result will be that the person who is in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness after studying self-analysis, his vision will be universal." That is the stage of universal understanding.

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

[Bg. 5.18]

[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]]

In the Bhagavad-gītā you have read that a learned person, who is actually learned, he sees everyone on the equal level, sama-darśinaḥ. How? Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne. A person who is very highly learned, very gentle, civilized, vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe, and a brāhmaṇa, still higher, intellectual personality; gavi, a cow; hasti, means an elephant; śuni, the dog; śva-pāke ca, and the dog-eaters; śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama, all these—there are different varieties of living condition—but still, one who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he sees everyone on the same level.

How it is, that? Has he become a madman, that a highly intellectual person and the dog, he sees on the equal level? Yes. Because he is not seeing on the material platform; he is seeing on the spiritual platform. In the spiritual platform there is no distinction. The all distinction is due to our material conception of life. Varieties, the bodies, there are 8,400,000 varieties of bodies, and because we are under the concept of this bodily, I mean to say, identification, therefore we see so many varieties.

So a person who is actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that if he prosecutes the devotional service under the guidance of bona fide spiritual master... That is the beginning of this verse: guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā [SB 7.7.30], beginning with serving the bona fide spiritual master.

[One must accept the bona fide spiritual master and render service unto him with great devotion and faith. Whatever one has in one's possession should be offered to the spiritual master, and in the association of saintly persons and devotees one should worship the Lord, hear the glories of the Lord with faith, glorify the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord, always meditate on the Lord's lotus feet, and worship the Deity of the Lord strictly according to the injunctions of the śāstra and guru.]

hariḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
bhagavān asta īśvaraḥ...
bhagavān asta īśvaraḥ
iti bhūtāni manasā
kāmais taiḥ sādhu mānayet

[SB 7.7.32]

[One should always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His localized representation as the Paramātmā, who is situated in the core of every living entity's heart. Thus one should offer respect to every living entity according to that living entity's position or manifestation.]

So as soon as one is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not see anyone bad. Everyone he sees, he is sādhu. Sādhu means saintly. So that, his vision, completely changes. He does not see any enemy.

There are three stages of development in spiritual life, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The first stage is when he's under the training. That is called neophyte stage. That, in that stage, he offers his respect to the Deity.

arcāyāṁ eva haraye
śraddhayā yaḥ iṣṭān pūjān kriyate
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
sa bhaktaḥ prakṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

[SB 11.2.47]

[A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a prākṛta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position.]

In the beginning stage, he offers respect to the Deity in the church or in the temple or in the mosque, according to different religious conception, but he has no idea who is actually devotee, and what is his duty towards other. He does not know. This is the first stage. But he has got good faith in religion and in God. That is the beginning.

The second stage is that,

īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ

[SB 11.2.46]

[An intermediate or second-class devotee, called madhyama-adhikārī, offers his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent and disregards those who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]

The intermediate stage is that he sees four things: īśvara, the Lord, the Supreme Lord, and then His devotee, tad-adhīne. Tad-adhīna means one who has accepted subordination of the Supreme Lord. He is called devotee, or one who has surrendered. So he sees God, God's devotee, and bāliśa.

Bāliśa means innocent person, one who has no sense what is God, neither he's against God; he's called bāliśa. And dviṣatsu. And there are atheists. Atheist class, they will, as soon as they hear of God, oh, they become fire. So dviṣatsu, they are envious of the Lord.

So these four classes are visioned in the second stage. And he deals with four classes differently: he loves God, he makes friendship with devotee of God, and he instructs sincerely, just like Cai..., er, Prahlāda Mahārāja is instructing to his friends, because they are innocent.

They are neither against nor in for. So he is instructing them. But those who are dviṣat... His father..., he was not instructing his father, because he knew that his father was atheist number one. So he was avoiding. So this is the second stage.

And the third stage, or the highest stage, he does not see any distinction that who is atheist or who is friendly or who is innocent. He sees that "Everyone is the servant of God. Everyone. Therefore he's good." He does not make...

That is very higher position. We should not imitate. We must begin from the beginner stage, then second stage. Generally, the devotees are on the second stage. The highest stage is very rare to be seen.

So,

hariḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
bhagavān āsta īśvaraḥ
iti bhūtāni manasā
kāmais taiḥ sādhu mānayet

[SB 7.7.32]

[One should always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His localized representation as the Paramātmā, who is situated in the core of every living entity's heart. Thus one should offer respect to every living entity according to that living entity's position or manifestation.]

So when one reaches the highest stage of perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he has no more any distinction, and he thinks everyone as sādhu, as devotee. He thinks himself that "I am the worst." He thinks anyone, "Oh, everyone is serving the Supreme Lord. They are engaged in the service of the Lord. Simply I am so fool that I cannot engage myself."

He simply laments himself. That is the highest stage. He sees, "Everyone is engaged in the loving service of God, but simply I am unable to serve God. So kindly...," he prays to God, "my dear Lord, please give me strength so that I can serve." This is the first-quality stage.

Evaṁ nirjita-ṣaḍ-vargaiḥ kriyate bhaktir īśvare. These are the process of devotional service, when the senses are completely under control. This highest stage means, even in the first stage, second stage, the senses are controlled.

evaṁ nirjita-ṣaḍ-vargaiḥ
kriyate bhaktir īśvare
vāsudeve bhagavati
yayā saṁlabhyate ratiḥ

[SB 7.7.33]

[By these activities [as mentioned above] one is able to cut down the influence of the enemies, namely lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness and jealousy, and when thus situated, one can render service to the Lord. In this way one surely attains the platform of loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]

"If anyone prosecutes his devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, then gradually he develops ratiḥ." Ratiḥ means affection, affinity, attachment for the Lord. Now we have got attachment for the matter. So as we make progress, we gradually become freed from material attachment and come to the platform, complete attachment for God.

So attachment, that is my natural instinct. I cannot be free from attachment. I shall be either attached to this matter or I shall be attached to spirit. If I am not attached to spirit, then I must be attached to matter. And if I am attached to spirit, then my material attachment is gone. This is the process.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "In this process, if a person advances in his spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then vāsudeve bhagavati..." The Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeve bhagavati: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Yayā saṁlabhyate ratiḥ: "He becomes automatically attached."

And so long we are not attached to Vāsudeva, then our attachment for this matter will oblige me to transfer or transmigrate from one body to another, and I'll have to circambulate [sic] in the 8,400,000 species of life, lower grade, higher grade. That will continue. Therefore this is the opportunity, this human life, to become a devotee of Vāsudeva, or to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Now, when one becomes fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or a devotee of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, his characters are described:

niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyān
vīryāṇi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni
yadātiharṣotpulakāśru-gadgadaṁ
protkaṇṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyati

[SB 7.7.34]

[One who is situated in devotional service is certainly the controller of his senses, and thus he is a liberated person. When such a liberated person, the pure devotee, hears of the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord's incarnations for the performance of various pastimes, his hair stands on end on his body, tears fall from his eyes, and in his spiritual realization his voice falters. Sometimes he very openly dances, sometimes he sings loudly, and sometimes he cries. Thus he expresses his transcendental jubilation.]

[pause] Bhagavat, bhagavad-rati liṅgāny āhuḥ. Now, a person, how he is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his symptoms are now being described. Bhagavad-rati-liṅgāni āhur niśamyeti guṇāni bhakta-vatsalādi. Now, he says, niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyān vīryāṇi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni. This incarnation of... In the Bhagavad-gītā, you have learned that the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham [Bg. 4.7].

[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.]

Whenever there is discrepancy in the discharge of religious principles, then there is incarnation of God. Whenever there is. Because this is... Everything, God is the supreme proprietor. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1].

[Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.]

Now, the kingdom of God is everywhere, but this material world is also kingdom of God, but here the people are, 99.9%, they are forgetful. They have forgotten God. Therefore in this material world there are religious principles. In every civilized society there is some form of religion, without any exception.

Either you be Christian or be Muhammadan or be Buddhist or Hindu, that doesn't matter, because the whole idea is this is the process. Human civilization, to make progress means self-realization. So as soon as there is discrepancy in the matter of self-realization—they become too much materialistic—then the incarnation of Godhead comes and He instructs.

Just like Lord Kṛṣṇa came in five thousand years before, and He has left His instruction. So why? Because we shall get the opportunity of hearing His activities. By hearing His activities means we shall be associating Him, because His activities, because He is Absolute, there is no difference between He and His activities. There is no difference.

So here, niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyāni. So just like you are kindly hearing the description given by Prahlāda Mahārāja. So this is the process. So when one becomes highly elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so as soon as he hears Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavata or Bible—anything description of Kṛṣṇa or God—then atiharṣotpula kāśru-gadgadaṁ protkaṇṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyati: as soon as he hears, he becomes so much ecstatic that immediately he begins to dance and sing and becomes very happy. As soon as he hears.

Just like somebody hears that in some business he has earned ten millions of dollars. He becomes so much, I mean to say, enthusiastic: "Oh, I have got this," and dances and like that. This is, of course, material conception. Similarly, when one has actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in developed position, his symptom will be that as soon as he hears of Kṛṣṇa, or God, he becomes immediately ecstatic and begins to dance and cry and sing just like a madman.

So this stage... We have several times cited the example, that reading of Bhagavad-gītā... When Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India, He saw one brāhmaṇa, he was reading Bhagavad-gītā, but he was illiterate. But he was crying. So on inquiry from Caitanya Mahāprabhu what he is reading, he frankly admitted that "I am illiterate. I do not know even the letters. But my Guru Mahārāja asked me to read Bhagavad-gītā daily, so I am trying to read it. But I cannot read it."

Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "Then why you are crying?" He replied, "Yes, I get an ecstatic sentiment. As soon I touch this book, I see the picture, that Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot, and Arjuna is sitting, and He is instructing. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind, Kṛṣṇa is so faithful to His devotee that He has taken the menial execution of service to His devotee. This feelings, whenever I feel, I am crying."

This is the stage. This is the stage, when one becomes too much, I mean to say, glorifying about the wonderful acts. This is very wonderful act. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the greatest—God is great—but He has taken the service of a devotee as a menial driver. So this feeling gave him in ecstasy. This is a sign. It is not artificial. Tad guṇa-sūnavan, er, śruti-mātreṇa [SB 3.29.11].

[The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when one's mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone's heart. Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord.]

Just like if you place..., if you pour some water on the ground, you will see where there is down level, it will at once go to that side. Without any arrangement, you simply pour the water and it will go down where the level is down, just like the rivers are flowing to the sea level. Similarly, a highly developed Kṛṣṇa conscious person, at once he will hear about something of Kṛṣṇa, he will be in ecstasy.

Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There was a devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. His name was Murāri Gupta. He was physician to the then Nawab, Muslim Nawab. Now, they were sitting. The Nawab was going some hunting excursion or something like that, but he was Nawab's physician. He was to accompany him. So they were sitting on the back of the elephant. In the meantime, that Murāri Gupta saw one peacock, and as soon as he saw the peacock, the feather, he at once remembered Kṛṣṇa and at once fainted and fall down.

This is called ālambana. This is called ālambana. Ālambana means anything to the context, immediately he remembers his Lord and becomes ecstatic. This is the first-class stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So there are many instances. Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed this manifestation in His life. We shall discuss. We are discussing now in the morning class.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, yadā atiharṣotpulakāśru-gadgadam. He becomes so glad that he is faltering in speaking. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was dancing in Jagannātha Purī during car festival and was singing, He could not utter "Jagannātha." He was uttering, "Jaga-aga-aaa-aaa...," like that. He was faltering, faltering. These signs are that. They become at once transferred to the spiritual, I mean to say, atmosphere and platform. These are very higher stage.

yadā graha-grasta iva kvacid dhasaty
ākrandate dhyāyati vandate janam

[SB 7.7.35]

Just like one man is haunted by ghost. He shows different caricatures. Sometimes he laughs; sometimes he cries; sometimes he is fall down; sometimes he touches your feet. These are the symptoms.

yadā graha-grasta iva kvacid dhasaty
ākrandate dhyāyati vandate janam
muhuḥ śvasan vakti hare jagat-pate
nārāyaṇety ātma-matir gata-trapaḥ

[SB 7.7.35]

[When a devotee becomes like a person haunted by a ghost, he laughs and very loudly chants about the qualities of the Lord. Sometimes he sits to perform meditation, and he offers respects to every living entity, considering him a devotee of the Lord. Constantly breathing very heavily, he becomes careless of social etiquette and loudly chants like a madman, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa! O my Lord, O master of the universe!]

He forgets. Just like a madman forgets that "I am in office" or "I am in the society, in my friends' circle. If I show this caricature, they will..." [break] [end]

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अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 15)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 15

कर्म ब्रह्मोद्भवं विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षरसमुद्भवम् |

तस्मात्सर्वगतं ब्रह्म नित्यं यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम्  १५ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

Ramayana: Bharata Arrives Home

Audio for this chapter: https://media.prabhupadavani.org/audio/RAM_-_22_-_Bharata_Arrives_Home.mp3

Text for this chapter: unavailable

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अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग (श्लोक 3 . 14)

अध्याय 3 : कर्मयोग

श्लोक 3 . 14

अन्नाद्भवति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसम्भवः |

यज्ञाद्भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञः कर्मसमुद्भवः  १४ 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.30–31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.30–31

Mombasa, Sept. 12, 1971

Audio for this lecture: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/%C5%9Br%C4%ABmad-bh%C4%81gavatam-773031/
Prabhupada Radio: https://prabhupadaradio.com

Prabhupāda:

...saṅgena sādhu-bhaktānām
īśvarārādhanena ca

[SB 7.7.30]

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is recommending how to begin bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, the first beginning, ādau gurvāśrayam, as Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends. Ādau gurvāśrayam, the beginning, first beginning is to accept a bona fide spiritual master. Ādau gurvāśrayam. Sad-dharma-pṛcchat.

Sad-dharma-pṛcchat. So it is not that official accepting a spiritual master, but one should be very much inquisitive to understand about eternal duty, or eternal activity. Sad-dharma. Sat means eternal, and dharma means characteristics. Eternal characteristics.

What is that eternal characteristics? With this body, we change our characteristics. That is not eternal characteristics. Just like a human body. The standard of living of a human being and the standard of living of an animal, different. As the body changes, the standard of living also changes. Therefore they are not eternal. They are not eternal. Everyone is trying to live, struggle for existence, but these living conditions are different according to the body.

The body is made according to his destination of happiness and distress by superior authority. I cannot say that I will have such-and-such body in my next life. But in one sense, if I am intelligent, I can prepare my next body. I can prepare my body to live in certain planets, in certain societies. Even you can go to the higher planets. And if I like, I can prepare my body to go to the abode of Kṛṣṇa, Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is the function.

Human body is meant for that intelligence, that "What kind of body I shall have in my next life?" Just like a student educates himself with an ambition that "When I am grown up I shall have this standard of life"—"I shall become a high-court judge," "I shall become a military man," "I shall become a very good businessman." As there are different ambitions, similarly, for your next life also you can maintain different ambitions. That is in your hands.

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yānti deva-vratā devān. If you are ambitious to elevate yourself... Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet, that is an ambition. But they are trying to fulfill the ambition wrongly. That is not the way, that we manufacture some machine and by force we enter into the moon planet. That is not possible. You have to undergo certain rules and regulations so that after quitting this body you are allowed to get a particular type of body suitable for a particular type of planet.

yānti deva-vratā devān
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām

[Bg. 9.25]

Those who are desiring to enter into the higher planetary system where demigods live—Candraloka, Sūryaloka, Indraloka, Varuṇaloka, Vāyuloka, Brahmaloka, Dhruvaloka, Bhūr, Bhuvar, Svar—there are different millions of..., vibhūti-bhinnam. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40].

In the brahmajyotir of Kṛṣṇa, there are innumerable planets. The spiritual portion, there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭhas. Vaikuṇṭha means... Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Where there is no anxiety, simply pleasure, that is our life. Here also we want a very happy life without any anxiety. That is our tendency. We try to make a very nice, comfortable house, a very good bank balance, all secure, so that I can live there very comfortably.

That competition is going on. But that is not possible here. Here, saṁsāra-dāvānala. This saṁsāra, it is meant for suffering. Dāvānala, just like forest fire. Nobody sets in the forest fire, but it takes automatically. So however you may try to live here comfortably, happily, peacefully, eternally, it is not possible. That is the difference between this temporary, material manifestation and eternal..., eternal Vaikuṇṭhaloka, spiritual world.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to prepare a body, next life, by approaching Kṛṣṇaloka. Kṛṣṇaloka, Vaikuṇṭhaloka, innumerable there are. This material manifestation of universes... Here also there are innumerable universes. The one universe we are seeing or one solar system we are seeing, but there are innumerable solar systems. That is admitted by modern science also. So all these innumerable solar systems, or brahmāṇḍas, or universes, they form only one-third manifestation of God's creation. Only one third. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat [Bg. 10.42]. But the Vaikuṇṭhaloka is three-fourth part. That is stated in the śāstras.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says to his demonic friends that "Stop this life in this material world." Bīja-nirharaṇam. We are in this material world simply by different desires. We are creating different desires, or material ambitions. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Stop this." But stopping this... People think that "Stopping this, then where is our next life?" That they do not know. That is the difficulty. But we get information from śāstras, we get information from Bhagavad-gītā that "The place where you go and do not return back, that is My place." Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama [Bg. 15.6].

Again, Kṛṣṇa says that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti [Bg. 4.9]. There is a process. The process is simply to understand Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvataḥ. Not knowing superficially, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is a historical person. Some five thousand years ago, He took birth as the son of Devakī," like that. Everyone knows—at least every Indian knows—and they observe Kṛṣṇa's birthday. That is beginning. But Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, He is the origin of everything, He is the cause of all causes, that is not known. That one has to know.

The brahmajyoti, impersonal jyoti, is bodily effulgence. The brahmajyoti is resting on Kṛṣṇa. Brahmaṇo aham pratiṣṭha, Kṛṣṇa says. Just like the illumination in this room, prakāśa, is resting on this bulb. Although the illuminating light is spread all over this room, that is not original. The original is the bulb. Similarly, and from the śāstra we find,

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam
tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ...

[Bs. 5.40]

That brahma ananta aśeṣa-bhūtam: unlimited. Yasya prabhā. This brahmajyoti is only effulgence of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore, we have to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11], Bhāgavata says. The Absolute Truth is one—that is Kṛṣṇa, [indistinct]—but He is known in different features: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti. One who is trying to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth by dint of his sensual knowledge, by, I mean to say, exercising different knowledge, neti neti, they can approach up to the impersonal Brahman.

And those who are yogīs, those who are trying to find out the Absolute Truth within this body, they can realize up to Paramātmā. Brahmeti paramātmeti. And those who are on the highest planet, on the supreme platform of understanding, tattvataḥ, they realize that the Supreme Absolute Truth is the person, exactly a person like us.

Just like in the Bible it is said, "Man is made after the form of God." Not that God is made after the form of man. Somebody imagines that his formation of Kṛṣṇa is a painting of an artist who, by imagination, they have painted very nice form of Kṛṣṇa, very good-looking. No, that's not the fact. Kṛṣṇa is originally vibhus[?] Śyāmasundara. We get this information from Brahma-saṁhitā.

premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

[Bs. 5.38]

He is Śyāmasundara. But He can be seen not by exercising our brain, our senses, our mind. He can be seen only by developing our dormant love for Kṛṣṇa, premāñjana-cchurita, not by other ways.

Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg. 18.55]. By devotion, by love one can understand Him, not by sensual exercise or mental exercise. No. He does not say that "By jñāna, by cultivation of knowledge, I can be known." No. He never says that cultivation of yoga. Yoga, by cultivation of knowledge, by cultivation of yoga you can understand Kṛṣṇa partially, not fully.

Just like by cultivation of knowledge you realize Kṛṣṇa's bodily effulgence, brahma-jñāna. That is possible. Brahma-jñāna means Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda vigraha [Bs. 5.1], the original form of eternity, bliss and knowledge. So Brahman realization means eternity realization, and Paramātmā realization means cit, or knowledge. But God realization, Kṛṣṇa realization means sac-cid-ānanda.

Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12]. The Supreme Lord is by nature full of bliss. You will see, therefore, Kṛṣṇa always blissful. Kṛṣṇa has no anxiety. Kṛṣṇa is killing a very big, big demon, and He is taking pleasure and smiling. You have seen all these pictures in our Kṛṣṇa book, how He is killing the Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Dhenukāsura, Keśī and so many asuras, just like a child is playing with toys. And similarly, He is enjoying with His cowherd boys friends, with girlfriends, gopīs, with His mother. Everywhere Kṛṣṇa you will find ānandamayo. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].

Kṛṣṇa is never morose or full of anxiety. Why? Why God should be full of anxiety? Kṛṣṇa, you will never find that He is in meditation. Whom He will meditate? He is the Supreme Personality of God Himself. You will find Lord Śiva is in the pose of meditation, but you will never find Kṛṣṇa in meditation. Therefore He is the Supreme Lord.

And He says personally that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat asti kiñcid dhanañjaya [Bg. 7.7]: "Dhanañjaya, Arjuna, just take it from Me, there is no other superior authority than Me." And that's a fact. So when Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, He showed that nobody in the history of the world is superior than Kṛṣṇa. He showed as much as possible you can understand. Otherwise, still He has got immense power, unlimited power.

So the point is Prahlāda Mahārāja is trying to convince his demon... The demons cannot understand that the God can be a person. That is demoniac. They cannot... Because they cannot understand, the difficulty is a demon tries to understand God, comparing with himself. Dr. Frog, that the story of Dr. Frog. Dr. Frog is trying to understand Atlantic Ocean comparing with his three-feet well, that's all.

When he is informed that there is Atlantic Ocean, he's simply comparing with his limited space: "It may be four feet," or "It may be five feet," "It may be ten feet," because he is within the three feet. His friend informed, "Oh, I have seen a reservoir of water, vast water." So that vastness, he is just conjecturing, "How much the vastness may be? My well is three feet; it may be four feet, five feet," now he is going on.

But he may go on millions of millions of feet, it is still it is greater. That he does not know. Therefore, atheistic persons, demons, they think in their own way that "God, Kṛṣṇa, may be like this, Kṛṣṇa may be like this, Kṛṣṇa may be like this." Generally they think that "Kṛṣṇa are I." How they say? "Kṛṣṇa is not great."

They do not believe that God is great. He thinks that "God is as good as I am. I am also God." This is demonic. So this demonic principle..., Prahlāda Mahārāja is trying to demolish this demonic mentality of his friends, that "Don't try to be falsely puffed up to understand God. Take the process of bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ."

This material world means we have got a seed of ambition that I want to become greater than everyone. I want to be the greatest businessman, I want to be the greatest personality, I want to be the greatest leader—the greatest, greatest, greatest—and there is comp... Everybody is trying to be greater than his friend, so therefore there is competition. But in Vaiṣṇava philosophy...

Actually that is the philosophy, because we cannot be greater or greatest. Mattaḥ parataram. Nobody can be greater than God or equal to God. That is not possible, even if he is Brahmā, Lord Śiva, or any other. Therefore, śāstra says that anyone who thinks such demigods, paratena. Yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devam [Cc. Madhya 18.116]. There is a verse like that: anyone who thinks Nārāyaṇa equal to Brahmā or Lord Śiva, then he..., that type of thinking is called pāṣaṇḍī, sa pāsaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam [Cc. Madhya 18.116]. Pāṣaṇḍī means atheist.

Never... That is also one of the ten offenses in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. You know that. One of the offense is when you think that any name will be as good as harer nāma. No. Otherwise, why śāstra says harer nāma harer nāma, three times stressing? Nāma. Holy name means harer nāma, not any other name. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam [Cc. Ādi 17.21].

There are many foolish persons, they say, "No, any name. You chant Durgā's name, you chant Kālī's name, you chant Śiva's name, you chant Kṛṣṇa's name, they're all the same." But no, they're not all the same. That is pāṣaṇḍī. That is pāṣaṇḍī. Kṛṣṇa, or God, is supreme.

If I say... Suppose somebody is sitting here with his subordinate servant. And if I say, "For me, you are all the same." So the master who is sitting, he will be insulted. Similarly, anyone who thinks that the Supreme Lord and the demigods are on the equal footing, that is offense. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu warned that "Don't hear the interpretation of the Māyāvādīs.

Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva nāśa [Cc. Madhya 6.169]. Anyone who tries to understand Māyāvāda philosophy— misunderstands; not understands, misunderstands—his future is doomed. Doomed means he will never be able to enter into this bīja-nirharaṇam, nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ.

There are different kinds of yoga. This yoga is called bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ pravāhoparamo dhiyaḥ. Now he is recommending that how this bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ can be practiced. The first important thing is guru-śuśrūṣayā. Śuśrūṣayā means you have to satisfy the spiritual master, guru. Now suppose you are very big man and you have to serve a spiritual master. Therefore, you cannot serve any third-class man or anyone. You must be satisfied that "Here is a person I can render my service. I can accept as subordinate and I can..."

Therefore, what is that guru? Bhagavad-gītā also says, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg. 4.34]. Paripraśnena. Paripraśnena means inquiry. Ādau gurv-āśrayam, sad-dharma-pṛcchā. To accept a guru means to inquire from him about spiritual life, about transcendental situation. Not that fashion, "Oh, I have met a guru and he lives 300 miles away. I have no connection, no call[?] for him." No.

Why the... The student should be very much inquisitive to learn, because accepting a guru is necessary for a person who is very much inquisitive to learn about the spiritual world. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Those who are not inquisitive to learn about the spiritual world, to learn about God, they need not keep a guru as a fashion. There is no need.

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsu śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upasamāśrayam

[SB 11.3.21]

So the Vedas and all Vedic literature... Vedic literatures and Vedas, they are all the same; they are called śruti and smṛti. So they recommend it that if you..., tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU ¹1.2.12], if you are actually you are anxious to learn that transcendental science, then you should accept, you should approach a bona fide spiritual master. Prahlāda Mahārāja also says the same thing, guru-śuśrūṣayā. Guru means heavy, or superior.

So you can satisfy superior by your service, not by challenging. That is not possible. Guru-śuśrūṣayā. Guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā. And what kind of śuśrūṣayā? Bhaktyā. Just like a paid servant, he is also engaged in satisfying the master very nicely, very faithfully, but there is no bhakti. Why? Because he is after the money the master pays. He does not serve the master, but he serves the money. He is thinking always that "I am getting so much money from this person. If I don't satisfy him, then I may be dismissed. So I will have no money."

But here it is said bhaktyā. Bhaktyā means without any, I mean to say, material consideration. Bhakti is applicable in the spiritual world. Bhakti is transacted..., the business of bhakti is transacted in the spiritual world. Or where there is devotional service, there is spiritual world, there is no material world.

So guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā sarva-labdhārpaṇena ca. So it is very difficult to [indistinct]. Just like Bali Mahārāja gave everything. Everything. Sarva-labdhārpaṇena, labdha means profit. So one should be prepared to sacrifice all profit, all gain to the spiritual master. I had one Godbrother, Professor Sanyal, he showed example.

Of course, amongst our students there are many, they have dedicated their life, and what to speak of anything, everything. That is the process here, sarva-labdha arpaṇam. Arpaṇam means delivering: "Sir, I have got this. Here you are, you take this." Then śuśrūṣayā: to serve him with devotion, with faith, and giving him everything.

Guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā sarva-labdhārpaṇena ca, saṅgena sādhu-bhaktānām. And in association with sādhu. Sādhu means those who are engaged fully—fully in the Kṛṣṇa's devotional service. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ [Bg. 9.30]. Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. Ananya-bhāk: without any deviation. Those who are engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, he is sādhu. It is not simply by changing dress. Sādhu means sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇām. Sādhu means honest, sadācārī, good character.

But the ultimate aim[?] is, as Kṛṣṇa recommends, that api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya..., not that one has to adopt all these sadācāra. That is secondary. But if one is staunchly devoted to Kṛṣṇa, he is sādhu. Not exactly that he has to observe all the rules and regulations, because by practice...

Just like these European and American students, sometimes they cannot adopt to the principles of sadācāra, as it is recommended. But that doesn't matter. Because they have devoted, they have sacrificed their life for Kṛṣṇa, they are sādhu. One has to understand this[?]. They should be given the respect of a sādhu because they have no other business than Kṛṣṇa. That is recommended from Kṛṣṇa.

So this Kṛṣṇa conscious society is the society of sādhus. Saṅgena sādhu-bhaktānām, sādhu-bhaktānām īśvarārādhanena, and side by side there should be arcana, Deity worship, īśvarārādhanena, the rules and regulation, how to worship. So one has to accept the spiritual master, trying to satisfy him, giving everything to the spiritual master, and in the association of sādhu and bhakta and īśvarārādhanena. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is comprising all these items. Therefore, it is bona fide, authorized.

Thank you very much. [break]

Devotee (1): ...Kṛṣṇa knows everything we're thinking and He knows exactly when each of us will give up the material body, does that mean that everything is predestined?

Devotee (2): [explaining] Kṛṣṇa knows everything in the past and everything in the future, so can we say it is predestined?

Prabhupāda: Yes, so long within these material laws, it is predestined—but according to karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1]. You are doing work, you are acting, and that is being supervised by the superior authority. And you get a type of body that "This living entity has worked in this way, he should get this type of body."

Therefore, it is predestined. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. So prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ [Bg. 3.27]. That is being automatically done, because a materialistic person is associating with different types of the modes of material nature. So he is forming a certain type of body—sattvic, rajasic, tamasic. Therefore, it is predestined.

But karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs. 5.54], those who are engaged in devotional service, they are not under karma. Their destiny is being prepared by Kṛṣṇa. Even though they are supposed to be doing ordinary work, but because he has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, his destiny is being manufactured by Kṛṣṇa Himself, not by this material nature. He is not under these material laws. Therefore he is called mukta, liberated.

māṁ ca vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

[Bg. 14.26]

Anyone who is engaged fully, cent percent, unalloyed devotional service, he is already Brahman. He is not under the material condition. Sa guṇān samatītyaitan, these guṇas, the sattva-guṇa, raja-guṇa, tamo guṇa, he has already surpassed, he has already transcended. Sa guṇān samatītyaitan: he is already on the platform of Brahman. Brahma-bhuyāya kalpate. Kalpate, this word is used. Although you find that he is working within this material world, but actually he has become already Brahman. Brahma-bhuyāya kalpate.

So any pure devotee, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Brs.1.1.11], without any desire than to serve Kṛṣṇa, simply one who has dedicated his life for Kṛṣṇa, he is already on the Brahman stage. So he is not under this destiny-making material world. The destiny-making effect is in the material world everywhere working, so you are bobbing[?] your head.

Devotee (2): Suppose Kṛṣṇa knows in so many millions of births I'll have made a...

Prabhupāda: Not "suppose Kṛṣṇa knows."

Devotee (2): He knows.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (2): But then the individual, he cannot by his efforts or something...

Prabhupāda: But Kṛṣṇa point is that you... Your point is Kṛṣṇa knows your destiny, is that [indistinct]?

Devotee (2): That's correct.

Prabhupāda: But He can change your destiny. That is Kṛṣṇa's power. Nobody can change, but He can change. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg. 18.66]. Suppose your life is full of sin, sinful actions. So your destiny is already there. But Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi, "I shall give you protection."

So He can change, why you bother? You haven't got to undergo the result of your destiny. Brahma-saṁhitā also says, karmāṇi nirdahati ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs. 5.54]. Bhakti-bhājām, those who are engaged in devotion, they are karmāṇi nirdahati. [end]

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