The Soul's Fall... The Final Word

[Guest guest]

Dear Respected Vaisnavas and Godbrothers. I have not read any of the posts

concerning this topic on COM, though I have noticed the headings. I do

understand it has created some controversy over the years, but I have not been

part of either side in the division. But I would at this time like to post

this very informative lecture by Srila Prabhupada that may help those on both

sides of the debate. Understand the truth from the lips of Krsna's

confidential spokesman, all polarity is dissolved. Hear it submissively,

coming through disciplic succession, giving up all preconcieved ideas formed

with the intellect and allow Krsna from within the heart to reveal the truth

regarding this confusing topic. Respectfully, Mahananda dasa

 

Lecture by Srila Prabhupada(Tokyo Apr 20 , 72) (reprinted by permission

from BTG magazine)

 

THE SOUL'S FALL

 

Sri-suka uvacha

atma-mayam rite rajam

parasyanubhavatmanah

na ghatetartha-sambandhah

svapna-drastur ivanjasa

 

Sri Sukedeva Goswami said: O kings, unless one is influenced by the energy

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no meaning to the

relationship of the pure soul in pure consciousness with the material body.

The relationship is just like a dreamer's seeing his own body working,

---Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.1

Many people inquire, "How did the living entity, who was with Krsna, fall

into the material world?" That question is answered here (in this verse) .

The living entities condition is simply the influence of the material energy;

actually he has not fallen. An example is given: The moon appears to be

moving when clouds pass in front of it. Actually the moon is not moving.

Similarly, the living entity, because he is a spiritual spark of the Supreme,

has not fallen. But he is thinking, "I am fallen. I am material. I am this

body."

The body has no connection to the soul. We can experience this. The body

is changing, dying, but I am the same. The idea that we have a connection

with the body is due to the handling of the illusory energy of Krsna. That

illusory energy develops when we forget Krsna.

In other words, our illusory identification with the body is simply due to

our forgetfulness. We wanted to forget: we wanted to give up Krsna and enjoy

the materiasl world. Therefore Krsna is giving us the chance. For example,

when you play a part in a drama, if you feel, "I am king," then you can talk

very nicely. And if you feel, "I am Kasrandhar," ( referring to a disciple

sitting in the audience) then you cannot play the part of a king so nicely.

The feelings must be there. If you are playing the part of a king,you must

believe you are the king and have his courage. You have to forget that you

are Karandhar. Then you can play the part very nicely, and the audience will

appreciate. But if you think simultaneously," I am Karandar, and I am playing

the part of a king," then you cannot play.

So because we wanted to play the part of Krsna ,the enjoyer, Krsna is

giving us the chance---"You feel like me!" The feeling that "I am master, I

am king, I am Krsna, I am God" is created by Krsna: "Alright, you want to

play the part of King. I shall train you in such a way."

The director of a play tries to create the feelings within you for the part

that you are playing. In my younger age I played in a drama about Lord

Chaitanya. Our director, Amrital Bose, repeatedly said, especially to me,

"Feel like that." So when we performed under his direction, all the people in

the audience were crying. The play was artificial, but the effect on the

audience was so nice.

Similarly, we have nothing to do with the material world, but we have been

trained by the illusory energy in such a way that we think ,"I am Indian,I

am American,I am brahman,I am sudra,I am this,I am that,""I have

to do this,I have to do so many duties." These are all illusions. We have

nothing to do with all this nonsense, but still we are taking it very

seriously:" I have to do like this. I am this. I am that."

That is explained here in this verse. Atmamayam rite rajan

parasyanubhavat-manah: "Unless one is influenced by the energy of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, there is no meaning to the relationship of the pure

soul in pure consciousness with the material body"

The example is given of a man dreaming, "Oh, there is a tiger, a tiger! Save

me!" He is crying. An awake man observing may say, "Where is the tiger? Why

are you crying?" But the dreaming man is actually feeling, "The tiger is

attacking me."

Therefore this example is given: na ghatetartha--sambandhah. there cannot

be any meaning of the relationship of the soul and the body except that it is

like a dreaming man creating a situation. He is dreaming there is a tiger,

and he is creating a fearful situation. Actually there is no cause of fear.

There is no tiger. The situation is created by a dream.

Similarly, we have created the material world and material activities.

People are running around--"Oh , I am the manager. I am the factory owner. I

am this. I am that. We know his politics, we have to defeat our

competitors."All these things are created just like a man creates a situation

in a dream-- svapna--drastur ivanjasa .

So when someone asks, "When did we come into contact with the material

nature?" The answer is that we have not come into contact. By the influence

of the material energy we THINK that we are in contact. Actually we are not

fallen.We cannot be fallen. We have simply created a situation. Rather, we

have not created a situation; Krsna has given us a situation. Because we

wanted to imitate Krsna, Krsna has given an opportunity: "All right. You want

to imitate? You want to be an imitation king on the stage. So feel like this.

Play like this. Do like this. People will applaud--"Oh , a very nice king!"

Everyone in the material world is playing some part. "I want to be prime

minister I want to be very big business magnate.I want to be a leader."

":I want to be a philosopher.I want to be a scientist." They are trying to

play all these nonsense parts and Krsna is giving the opportunity--"All

right."

But these things are all nonsense. Simply dreaming. When you dream , the

next moment the dream is gone, and everything in the dream is finished. No

more tiger. No more jungle.. Similarly, as long as the body continues, I

think, "I am a responsible leader. I am this, I am that." but as soon as the

body is finished, these ideas are gone.

 

" Krsna says, mrityu sarva-haras ca-ham: 'I am death. I take everything

away.' Just think of our past life. Suppose I was a king or something like

that. From the Bhrighu-samhita it was ascertained that I was a big

physician in by last life, with a spotless character, no sins. I dont know.

It may be .But I have no rememberence that I was a physician. So what do we

know? I might have been a very big influencial physician, with a good

practice, but where is it all now? All gone!

So our contact with matter is just like a dream. We are not fallen.,

therefore at any moment we can revive our Krsna consciousness.We become

liberated as soon as we understand "I have nothing to do with matter. I am

simply Krsna's eternal servant." Sometimes when a fearful dream becomes

intolerable we break the dream. Similarly, we can break the material

connection at any moment as soon as we come to the point of Krsna

consciousness. "Oh, Krsna is my eternal master. I am His servant." That's all

.. That is the way.

Actually, we are not fallen. We cannot be fallen. The same example:

Actually there is no tiger; it is dreaming. We are not fallen. We can

simply give up that illusory condition at any moment.

So if you study all these verse very nicely, you will get all this

knowledge quickly. Now(Prabhupada says to his disciple), What is the

purport?

[A disciple reads:] "Maharaja Pariksit's question as to how a living entity

began his material life, although he is apart from the material body and

mind, is perfectly answered. The spirit soul is distinct from the material

conception of his life, but he is absorbed in such a material conception

because of being influenced by the external energy of the lord, called atma

--maya. This has already been explained in the First Canto in connection

with Vyasadeva's realization of the Supreme Lord and His external energy. The

external energy is controlled by the Lord and the living entities are

controlled by the external energy."

[Prabhupada continues] Krsna says mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti

te: "As soon as one surrenders unto Me, he has no more illusion." People are

conditioned, encaged. Mayavadis, or impersonalists, undergo austerities and

penances just to become liberated. Yogis also try to become "one" So many

endeavors are going on. But the simple process is that as soon as you

surrender you are not fallen. "It was illusion. I was dreaming. I am

Krsna's." By thinking in this way , one becomes liberated ... immediately,

within a second.

Liberation can be attained within a second, provided that we abide by the

order of the Supreme, or Krsna. Sarva--dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam

vraja. This is the position. We are not fallen. We are thinking that we are

fallen. So we have to give up this nonsense thinking. Then we are liberated.

Is there any difficulty in understanding this point? Just see how

important this verse is. (To his disciples) It is already there , but you

are not reading. read each verse; read every day carefully. Try to

assimilate, understand, and you will get more profit--every day, a hundred

yards forward. They are such important verses. How nicely composed by

Vyasadeva! In two lines the whole thing is explained. This is called

shastra.

Read the purport.

[The disciple reads:] "The external energy is controlled by the lord, and the

living entities are controlled by the external energy--by the will of the

Lord. Therefore, although the living entity is purely conscious in his pure

state, he is subordinate to the will of the Lord in being influenced by the

external energy of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.15) also the same thing

is confirmed; the Lord is present within the heart of every living entity,

and all the living entity's consciousness and forgetfullness are influenced

by the Lord."

Prabhupada: Now people may ask, "Why does Krsna within the heart give one

type of consciousness to one and a different type of consciousness to

another?" That is His kindness. I wanted to forget Krsna, so Krsna is giving

the appropriate consciousness: "All right , you can forget Me in this way."

The ordinary materialists (karmis), the mayavadis, the so-called yogis

wanted to forget Krsna. So Krsna is giving them intelligence: "All right. You

forget Me like this." And if you want to revive your relationship with Krsna,

He will give you intelligence. Dadmi buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te "I

shall give you intelligence to come to me" Ye yatha mam prapadyante. As

youwant, Krsna gives you facility..

(to disciple) Go on reading

 

[Disciple reads] "Now the next question automatically made wiil be why the

Lord influences the living entity to such consciousness and forgetfulness.

The answer is that the Lord clearly wishes that every living entity be in his

pure consciousness as the part and parcel of the Lord as he is

constitutionally made; but because the living entity is partially independent

also, he may not be willing to serve the Lord, but may try to become as

independent as the Lord is. All the nondevotee living entities are desirous

of becoming equally as powerful as the Lord, although they are not fit to

become so."

Prabhupada: The living entity will never be God, but we see by the

influence of the illusory energy many people think, "I am God," or "I shall

become God by pressing my nose like this" This is going on. But they will

never be able to become God. That is not possible. If everyone can become

God, then there is no meaning of God.

Karmis(fruitive workers) say, "I shall become a millionaire I shall become

head of state I shall become prime minister" They struggle to attain

these

things.

And for yogis to think, "I shall become God" is simply another struggle.

It is illusion. Krsna may give them some yoga success. In India there is a

yogi

who makes gold appear. And people are after him--"Oh , he is God, he is

God"

By producing a little gold, he becomes God.

Another yogi makes two rasagullas[sweets] appear. So by producing two

rasagullas, four cents worth, he becomes God. You see? This is illusion. I

can purchase two rasagullas from the market for four cents, so he has become

God for four cents. People think, "Oh he is God. He can produce rasagullas."

They have no sense. I can produce rasagullas in our kitchen. But they think,

"Oh , this yogi is wonderful."

So Krsna gives a person some power of yogic siddhi, or perfection, and the

person thinks, "I have become God." And some others think "Oh , you are God."

Such yogis are in the same dream as the karmis. And as soon as death comes,

everything is finished--your Godhood and everything, finished. Now comes

doghood. And another dream, "I am dog." First of all "I am God," then "I

am

dog." this is going on.

Therefore, Bhaktivenode Thakura has said, (miche) mayar bose, jaccho

bhese': "Why are you being washed away by the waves of maya? Just stand up."

(Jiv) krsna-das,ei biswas. korle to ar duhkho nai. "Simply stay fixed on

this

point: ' I am the eternal servant of Krsna' Then there is no more dream."

And if you allow yourself to be washed away, Krsna gives you facility: "All

right, come on , be washed away."

Then?

[Disciple reads] "The living entities are illusioned by the will of the

Lord because they wanted to become Him. Like a person who thinks of becoming

a king without possessing the necessary qualifications, similarly, when the

living entity desires to become the Lord Himself, he is put is a condition of

dreaming that he is king. Therefore the first sinful will of the living

entity is to become the Lord, and the consequent will of the Lord is that the

living entity forget his actual life and thus dream of the land of utopia

where he may become one like the Lord. The child cries to have the moon from

the mother, and the mother gives the child a mirror to satisfy the crying

and disturbing child with the reflection of the moon. Similarly the crying

child of the Lord is given over to the reflection, the material world, to

lord it over as a karmi and to give this up in frustration to become one with

the Lord .Both these stages are dreaming illusions only. There is no

necessity

of tracing out the history of when the living entity desired this. But the

fact is that as soon as he desired it , he was put under the control of

atma--maya by the direction of the Lord.

Therefore the living entity in his material condition is dreaming falsely

that this is "mine" and this is "I." The dream is that the conditioned soul

thinks of the material body as ' I ' or falsely thinks that he is the Lord

and

that everything in connection with that material body is ' mine' Thus only

in dream does the misconception of ' I and mine ' persist life after life.

This continues life after life, as long as the living entity is not purely

conscious of his identity as the subordinate part and parcel of the Lord.

"In his pure consciousnss, however, ther is no such misconceived dream,

and in that pure conscious state the living entity does not forget that he is

never the Lord, but he is eternally the servitor of the Lord in

transcendental love."

Prabhupada: Thank you very much.