TEACHINGS OF LORD KAPILA-SRILA PRABHUPADA

[Guest guest]

“Teachings of Lord Kapila” by His Divine Grace A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada.

Foreword

Kapila Muni, a renowned sage of antiquity, is the

author of the philosophical system known as Sankhya,

which forms an important part of lndia's ancient

philosophical heritage. Sankhya 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 lndia's

ancient scriptural literature, He Himself is an

avatara (incarnation) of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

Kapila's teachings are originally inscribed in the

Srimad-Bhagavatam, or Bhagavata purana, one of the

most important scriptural documents of Vedic theism.

Within the Bhagavatam, Kapila's teachings

comprise Chapters Twenty-five through Thirty-three of

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

the Son of Devahuti, is based on a unique series of

lectures presented in Bombay, India, in the spring of

this series, Srila Prabhupada spoke from the

Twenty-fifth Chapter, which contains the beginning of

Lord Kapila's teachings. Srila Prabhupada is the

author of a celebrated multivolume translation and

commentary on the

entire text of the Bhagavatam, and at the time of the

Kapila lectures he had already completed his written

commentary on the section of the Bhagavatam dealing

with Kapiladeva's teachings. In these special

lectures, however, Srila Prabhupada 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 Saunaka,

the foremost of the

sages of Naimisaranya, the vastly learned sages to

whom Srimad-Bhagavatam was originally spoken some

thousands of years ago. The sages have already heard

about Lord Kapiladeva from Suta Gosvami, an exalted

spiritual master, and it is clear from Saunaka'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, Suta Gosvami,

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, Suta Gosvami refers to a

discussion between Vidura and the great sage Maitreya,

who was a friend of Vyasadeva, the original compiler

of the Vedic literature.

As Suta Gosvami has already described, Lord Kapila

appeared in this world as the son of Kardama Muni, a

master of mystic yoga, and his wife, Devahuti. Both

Kardama Muni and Devahuti were aware of the divinity

of

their son. Indeed, even before Kapila's birth, Lord

Brahma himself, the chief created person in this

universe, had appeared before Devahuti 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 sannyasa, 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 sannyasa, entrusting his

wife, Devahuti, to the care of his divine son,

Kapiladeva. Therefore, as Suta

Gosvami begins to answer Saunaka'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 Devahiti.

After Kardama Muni's departure, Devahuti, remembering

the prophetic words of Lord Brahma, 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. "

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 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

Sankhya philosophy. Now, what is Sankhya? Insofar as

Sankhya deals with the elemental categories or

principles of the physical universe, Sankhya is what

Western scholars generally refer to as " metaphysics. "

The term sankhya literally means " to count. " This name

is used because Sankhya philosophy enumerates

principles of cosmic evolution by rational analysis.

The

etymological meaning of the word sankhya is " that

which explains very lucidly by analysis of material

elements. " Philosophically, this term is used because

the Sankhya 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 Sankhya and bhakti form two aspects of the same

process, bhakti being the ultimate goal or ultimate

aspect of Sankhya.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 Sankhya. That which

isgenerally studied as Sankhya in the contemporary

academic context is actually this later, nontheistic,

materialistic Sankhya. The Sankhya philosophy,

propounded by the original Kapila, is practically

unknown in the West. Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son

of Devahuti (along with Srila Prabhupada's complete

commentary on Kapila's Sankhya in his edition of

Srimad-Bhagavatam) is probably the first major

exposition in

the English language on the original, theistic

Sankhya. It should therefore be of considerable

interest to scholars in this field. Because the basic

principle and the ultimate goal of Lord Kapiladeva's

Sankhya philosophy is bhakti, this is the subject with

which Lord Kapiladeva begins His instructions to

Devahuti. Consequently, because this volume, Teachings

of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti, is Srila

Prabhupada'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, Devahuti 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 sadhu, holy person, and stresses

the importance of sadhu-sanga, 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam, Devahuti ultimately

attains full enlightenment in transcendental knowledge

by hearing and understanding the sublime philosophical

teachings of her great son.—

The Publishers

Chapter One

The Purpose of Lord Kapila's Advent

TEXT 1

saunaka uvaca

kapilas tattva-sankhyata

bhagavan atma-mayaya

jatah svayam ajah saksad

atma-prajnaptaye nrnam

TRANSLATION

Sri Saunaka 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

wholehuman race.

PURPORT

The word atma-prajnaptaye indicates that the Lord

descends for the benefit of the human race to give

anscendental 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-guna, the mode of goodness.

Once one is situated in sattva-guna, one's knowledge

expands. On the platform of passion there is no

knowledge, for passion is an impetus toenjoy 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. Saunaka 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 (aham brahmasmi: " 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 nrnam,

" 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 Sankhya philosophy to His mother, Devahuti. Later,

another Kapiladeva appeared who expounded atheistic

Sankhya philosophy, which dealt with the twenty-four

elements but gave no information about God. The

original

Kapila is called the Devahuti-putra Kapila, and the

other is called the atheist Kapila. Concerning

Kapiladeva, Saunaka Rsi says, kapilas tattvasankhyata.

Kapila is the Supreme Person; therefore He can explain

the

Absolute Truth. Actually only Bhagavan can know the

true position of the ultimate truth. No one else can

know it. Bhagavan, Krsna or His incarnation,

occasionally visits the earth to give humanity

information about the aim of life. Thus the Supreme

Lord descended as Kapiladeva, tattva-sankhyata. The

word sankhyata means " expounder, " and tattva means

" the Absolute Truth. " The Absolute Truth is Bhagavan

Sri Krsna Himself. We cannot understand the Absolute

Truth or the Supreme Person by mentalspeculation,

especially when we are under the influence of the

three modes of material nature (sattva-guna, rajo-guna

and tamo-guna). Only those who are situated in

sattva-guna (the mode of goodness) are fit to

understand the Absolute Truth. According to

Bhagavad-gita (18.42), those

possessing brahminical qualifications are situated in

sattva-guna.

samo damas tapah saucam

ksantir arjavam eva ca

jnanam vijnanam astikyam

brahma-karma svabhavajam

" Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity,

tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge and

righteousness--these are the qualities by which the

brahmanas work. " According to the Vedic conception,

there must be men in society who

are factually brahmanas, capable of expounding the

real truth. If everyone becomes a sudra, the Absolute

Truth cannot be understood. It is said that at the

present moment in Kali-yuga everyone is a sudra (kalau

sudra-sambhavah), and it is very difficult in this age

to find qualified brahmanas, for they are very rare.

There is practically not a single qualified brahmana

in this age.

prayenalpayusah sabhya

kalav asmin yuge janah

mandah sumanda-matayo

manda-bhagya hy upadrutah

" 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. " (SB.

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

sudra, 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

Srimad-Bhagavatam 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam are already

being experienced to some degree. Since Kali-yuga is a

very miserable age, Caitanya Mahaprabhu,

who is Sri Krsna Himself, advises everyone simply to

chant Hare Krsna.

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

" 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. " (Brhan-naradiya Purana) This

process is not Caitanya Mahaprabhu's invention, but is

advised by the sastras, the puranas. The process for

this Kali-yuga is very simple. One need only chant the

Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Since everyone in this age is

an unintelligent, unfortunate and disturbed sudra, how

can anyone understand the Absolute Truth or the aim of

life? As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita

(4.7):

yada yada hi dharmasya

glanir bhavati bharata

abhyutthanam adharmasya

tadatmanam srjamy 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 Krsna

appeared as

Devahuti-putra Kapiladeva. His father's name was

Kardama Muni. After Kapiladeva grew up, His father,

according to the Vedic system, retired, took sannyasa

and left home to cultivate spiritual life. It is not

that one should rot in this material world throughout

one's whole life. pancasordhvam vanam vrajet.

According to the Vedic injunctions, there

are four asramas and four varnas, and these used to be

followed very strictly. After his son grew up, Kardama

Muni, being a strict follower of the Vedas, left home

and put his wife in the charge of his grown son,

Kapiladeva.

It is said of Kapiladeva: kapilas tattva-sankhyata

bhagavan. Lord Kapila is Bhagavan. Nowadays Bhagavan

is taken very cheaply because the word is misused, but

actually Bhagavan is not an ordinary man. Avajananti

mam mudhah: because Bhagavan Sri Krsna appeared as a

human being, fools and rascals (mudhas) consider Krsna

an ordinary human. As Krsna Himself states in

Bhagavad-gita (7.13):

tribhir gunamayair bhavair

ebhih sarvam idam jagat

mohitam nabhijanati

mam ebhyah param avyayam

" 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

mahatmas, great souls, who can understand Krsna.

Arjuna could understand that although Krsna was

playing the part of his friend, He was nonetheless the

Supreme Personality of Godhead. Arjuna was in perfect

knowledge, yet Krsna instructed him for our benefit.

Arjuna requested Krsna's instructions, which are set

forth for all human society. After hearing

Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna addressed Krsna as param brahma

param dhama, " the Supreme Brahman and supreme abode. "

Every person is actually Brahman, spirit soul. We are

not actually the body. Awareness of aham brahmasmi ( " I

am Brahman " ) is actual selfrealization. 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

brahmana, I am ksatriya, I am Hindu, I am Muslim, " and

so on. These are all bodily designations. When one

comes to spiritual understanding, he understands aham

brahmasmi, " 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

(bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh), 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 Sri Krsna Himself in Bhagavadgita

(18.66). Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam

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 Sri Krsna is

everything. Again, in the words of Sri Krsna in

Bhagavad-gita (7.19):

bahunam janmanam ante

jnanavan mam prapadyate

vasudevah sarvam iti

sa mahatma sudurlabhah

" 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 Krsna consciousness movement is

meant for the propagation of this message. We are not

preaching a particular sectarian religious system but

a real religion, dharma. Dharmam tu saksad

bhagavat-pranitam: 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? lt 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 bhagavata-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 Krsna is not that kind of God. He is

the Supreme God. As Krsna Himself states in

Bhagavad-gita (7.7):

mattah parataram nanyat

kincid asti dhananjaya

mayi sarvam idam protam

sutre mani-gana 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 Krsna

consciousness movement is to inform everyone that no

one is superior to Krsna, God. Because many young

Americans and Europeans are fortunate and know nothing

of any hodgepodge

god, they have taken this bona fide Krsna

consciousness movement seriously. Krsnas tu bhagavan

svayam: Bhagavan, God, means Sri Krsna. We have simply

presented this information, saying, " Here is God. Sri

Krsna. " Because they have taken this seriously, many

young Americans and Europeans are advancing in Krsna

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: krsnas tu bhagavan 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. Acaryopasanam:

this information (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam) is not

concocted, but is accepted by the acaryas in the

disciplic succession. Although an impersonalist,

Sankaracarya has accepted Krsna as the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. So have Ramanujacarya,

Madhvacarya, Visnusvami, Nimbarka and Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu and His followers. They all accept Krsna as

the Supreme, just as Arjuna himself did. This is the

simplest method. There is no need to speculate, " What

is God? Where isGod? " Why foolishly go on searching?

Here is God--Krsna. We may think that Krsna cannot be

seen, but Krsna 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.

ekadesa-sthitasyagner

jyotsna vistarini yatha

parasya brahmanah saktis

tathedam akhilam 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. " (Visnu purana 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, Krsna

says in Bhagavad-gita (7.8), prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh:

" 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 Krsna consciousness movement are presently

worshiping Krsna. What are the signs of a devotee? The

actual sign of a devotee is that he is no longer

interested in material

enjoyment: bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca

(SB. 11.2.42). The disciples of this Krsna

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 Krsna

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 sannyasa 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

Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.1):

nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke

kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam 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-bhujam

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 divyam putraka yena

sattvam suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam 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. " (SB. 5.5.1) This is the

meaning of Vedic civilization. The society of

varnasrama-dharma--composed of brahmanas, ksatriyas,

vaisyas, sudras, grhasthas, vanaprasthas, brahmacaris

and sannyasis--is meant to elevate people gradually to

the perfect stage of understanding God. The whole

aim of the different varnas and asramas 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 varnasrama-dharma, it can

gradually come to the understanding of Brahman. By

birth, everyone is a sudra;

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 twiceborn (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 galitam

phalam: Srimad-Bhagavatam 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-vijnanartham sa

gurum evabhigacchet).

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 Krsna 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, Krsna.

Therefore it is stated: kapilas tattva-sankhyata

bhagavan atma-mayaya. The word maya means not only

" illusion, " but also " affection " and " energy. " When

Krsna 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 Sri Krsna.

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

qualiked. If one qualifies himself, one may become a

devata, a demigod like Indra or Candra, or one can

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

activities (karmana daiva-netrena). When Krsna 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, atma-mayaya.

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 Krsna is one of them. Avajananti mam mudha

manusim tanum asritam. A knowledgeable person knows

that when Krsna 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. Param bhavam ajanantah.

Rascals cannot understand what Krsna is; therefore

they think that Krsna is a human being. As Krsna

Himself states in Bhagavad-gita (7.3):

manusyanam sahasresu

kascid yatati siddhaye

yatatam api siddhanam

kascin mam vetti tattvatah

" 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 Krsna is

therefore not so easy. As stated by Krsna, 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 Krsna. It is our great fortune

that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krsna Himself, has

appeared and given us a very easy process by which we

can understand Krsna. What is that process? We need

only hear about Krsna. That's all. We have therefore

opened all these centers of Krsna consciousness

throughout the world.

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah

punya-sravana-kirtanah

hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani

vidhunoti suhrt satam

" Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the

Paramatma [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. " (SB. 1.2.17) If we hear about Krsna, we

become purified. Hearing about Krsna means associating

with Krsna. In this way we may perfect our lives.

Chapter Two

The Transcendental Matter and Supreme Yogi

TEXT 2

na hy asya varsmanah pumsam

varimnah sarva-yoginam

visrutau sruta-devasya

bhuri trpyanti me 'savah

TRANSLATION

Saunaka continued: There is no one who knows more than

the Lord Himself. No one is more worshipable or more

mature a yogi than Me. He is therefore the master of

the Vedas, and to hear about Him always is the actual

pleasure of the senses.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita 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 bahunam yo

vidadhati kaman. He is the supreme living entity and

is supplying the necessities of all other living

entities. Thus all other living entities, both

visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva, are

subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Krsna. The same concept is confirmed here. Na hy asya

varsmanah pumsam: 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.

Yogis 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 yogi. 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

varimnah, meaning the most worshipful of all yogis. To

hear from Krsna 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 Krsna or His expansion or

plenary expansion like Kapila is very pleasing to the

senses. Bhagavad-gita can be read or heard many times,

but because it gives great pleasure, the more one

reads Bhagavad-gita 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 Srimad- Bhagavatam.

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

Devahuti-putra Kapiladeva has been explained as

bhagavan atma-mayaya. The word bhaga means " opulence, "

and van means " one who possesses. " All the opulences

of the creation are present in Bhagavan. As stated in

the Vedas (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13):

nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam

eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman

Nitya, bhagavan, is the singular, and nityanam are the

plural jivas, or living beings. Nityo nityanam: we are

many, but God is one. There is no limit to the jivas;

no one can count them. The word ananta means that they

are without limit. All these jivas, 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 Bhagavan.

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 Krsna consciousness movement, we have over a

hundred centers, and Krsna is maintaining them all.

None of our devotees are employed for independent

incomes, yet they are all being

maintained. In Bhagavad-gita, Krsna 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 hetoh prayateta kovidah. The word

kovidah means " intelligent. " An intelligent person

should try to attain shelter at the lotus feet of

Krsna. Human life is actually meant for getting in

touch

with the lotus feet of Krsna. 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 Bhurloka.

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 sastras say that we should not do this,

that we should endeavor to understand Krsna. We should

not worry about eating and sleeping, for the needs of

the body are aiready arranged. We do not have to work

independently to maintain the body. tal labhyate

duhkhavad anyatah sukham kalena sarvatra

gabhira-ramhasa Our actual endeavor should be to

attain happiness; that is our real struggle for

existence. According to the sastras: tal labhyate

duhkhavat. The word duhkhavat 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 socalled happiness or distress, but

should try to attain that position whereby we can

understand Krsna and get shelter at His lotus feet.

This should be the real human endeavor. It was

Caitanya Mahaprabhu who said to Rupa Gosvami:

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

" 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 Krsna Himself he can

get the seed of devotional service to Krsna. " (Cc.

Madhya 19.151) The Krsna consciousness movement is an

attempt to make people fortunate. In this age,

everyone is unfortunate

(manda-bhagyah), but now we are trying to reverse the

situation. Throughout the world there are problems

verywhere. 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 resultof death? One loses

everything--all honor, money, position and material

life itself. Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita (10.34),

mrtyuh sarva-haras caham: " I am all-devouring death. "

Krsna 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.

Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (13.9), janma-mrtyu

jara-vyadhiduhkha-

dosanudarsanam. 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 (Patalaloka).

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah

tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham

kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa

" 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. " (SB. 1.5.18) When Dharmaraja asked Maharaja

Yudhisthira what the most wonderful thing in the world

was, Maharaja Yudhisthira replied: ahany ahani

bhutani gacchantiha yamalayam. " Every moment people

are dying, but those who are living are thinking, `My

friend has died, but I shall live forever.' "

(Mahabharata, Vana-parva 313.116) Soft cow dung thinks

the same way. This is typical of conditioned beings.

Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord, is not in this position.

It is therefore said: bhagavan atma-mayaya. We come

onto this planet to enjoy or suffer life for a few

days--fifty or a hundred years--but Bhagavan, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not come for that

purpose (na mam karmani limpanti). It is further

stated, na hy asya varsmanah: " No one is greater than

Him. " No one is greater than Bhagavan or equal to

Him. Everyone is inferior. According to

Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 5.142), ekale isvara krsna,

ara saba bhrtya. There is only one master--Krsna. All

others are subservient, beginning with Lord Brahma,

Visnu, Mahesvara, Indra, Candra and all the demigods

(there are thirty-three million demigods) and the

middle and lower species. Everyone is bhrtya, or

servant. When Krsna orders, " My dear Mr. Soand-So, now

please give up your place and leave,', one must go.

Therefore everyone is a servant. This is the position

of Lord Brahma 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

Krsna. As Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam

evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janma

naiti mam 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 Krsna is very

difficult. If we become devotees of Krsna,

understanding Krsna is easy. However, if we try to

understand Him by jnana, karma or yoga, we will be

frustrated. There are many types of yogis, but he who

is devoted to Krsna is the topmost yogi. Sri Krsna is

far above all yogic processes. In lndia there are many

yogis 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

Krsna'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 yogi 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 yogi, the Supreme

Lord Himself, has created millions of gold mines and

is floating them in space. Those who are Krsna

conscious are not befooled by yogis who claim to be

Bhagavan. A Krsna conscious person wants only to serve

the

foremost yogi, Yogesvara (varimnah sarva-yoginam).

Because we are trying to become His devotees, we

accept the Supreme Lord, Yogesvara, as the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Krsna Himself states in

Bhagavad-gita (18.55):

bhaktya mam abhijanati

yavan yas casmi tattvatah

tato mam tattvato jnatva

visate 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

Vaikunthaloka.

paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo

'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah

yah sa sarvesu bhutesu

nasyatsu na vinasyati

avyakto 'ksara ity uktas

tam ahuh paramam gatim

yam prapya na nivartante

tad dhama paramam 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

Vaikunthaloka. There we can have an eternal, blissful

life full of knowledge (sac-cid-ananda). It is not

compulsory for us to rot in this material world. The

easiest way to go to the Vaikunthalokas is: janma

karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah. Simply try

to understand Krsna. 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 Krsna as He explains Himself

in Bhagavad-gita. What is the difficulty? God

personally explains Himself as He is, and if we accept

Bhagavad-gita as

it is, we shall no longer have to transmigrate.

Tyaktva deham punarjanma naiti. We shall no longer

have to endure birth and death, for we can attain our

spiritual bodies (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha) and live

happily in Krsna's family. Krsna 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 Krsna's company.

Chapter Three

How to Understand the Lord's Activities

TEXT 3

yad yad vidhatte bhagavan

svacchandatmatma-mayaya

tani me sraddadhanasya

kirtanyany anukirtaya

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 anukirtaya is very significant. Anukirtaya

means " to follow the description " --not to create a

concocted mental description, but to follow. Saunaka

Rsi requested Suta Gosvami to describe what he had

actually heard from his spiritual master, Sukadeva

Gosvami, about the transcendental pastimes that the

Lord manifested by His internal

energy. Bhagavan, 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.

sravanam kirtanam visnoh

smaranam pada-sevanam

arcanam vandanam dasyam

sakhyam atma-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

Krsna, making friends with Him and dedicating

everything unto Him--these are the nine processes of

devotional service. " (SB. 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

sravanam kirtanam, hearing and chanting. One must be

very eager to hear and chant. As stated in

Bhagavad-gita (9.14):

satatam kirtayanto mam

yatantas ca drdha-vratah

namasyantas ca mam bhaktya

nitya-yukta upasate

" 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam was recited by

Sukadeva Gosvami and heard by Pariksit Maharaja, and

we in turn have to hear about Krsna and then chant

about Him (sravanam kirtanam visnoh). When we speak of

Visnu, we mean Krsna. Krsna is the origin of the

visnu-tattva--that is, Visnu is an expansion of Krsna.

When we speak of Visnu, we understand that the origin

of Visnu is Krsna. As Sri Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita

(10.2), aham adir hi devanam: " I am the source of the

demigods. " The most important demigods (devas) are

Brahma, Siva and Visnu. In the beginning of the

creation there is Lord Visnu, and from Lord Visnu,

Brahma is born. From Lord Brahma, Lord Siva is born,

and these three gods take charge of the three modes of

material nature. Visnu takes charge of sattva-guna

(the mode of goodness), Lord Brahma takes charge of

rajo-guna (the mode of passion), and Lord Siva takes

charge of tamoguna (the mode of ignorance). However,

before the creation there was no Brahma or Siva. There

was only Krsna. Krsna therefore says, aham adir hi

devanam. 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 Brahma nor

Siva, but only Narayana (eko narayana asit). Narayana

is also another plenary expansion of Krsna. We have to

learn from the scriptures that Krsna is the origin of

all. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: all the visnu-tattvas

and incarnations are but plenary expansions or

expansions of the plenary expansions of Krsna. There

are millions and millions of incarnations. They are as

plentiful as waves in the ocean. There are

saktyavesa-avataras, gunaavataras and svayam-avataras,

and these are all described in Srimad-Bhagavatam. All

these avataras, or incarnations, are svacchandatma,

freefrom 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 Hiranyakasipu, the father of

prahlada Maharaja, asked his son, " My dear boy, what

is the best thing you have

learned from your teachers? " Prahlada Maharaja

immediately replied,

tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam sada

samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat (SB. 7.5.5). " I have

learned that materialists have accepted the asad

guna. " Asat means " that which is not. " We should not

remain on this platform,

but should go to the platform of sat (om 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 Mayavadi philosophers

say, brahma satyam jagan mithya: " The Supreme Truth is

real, whereas the world is false " --but Vaisnavas do

not use the word mithya (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 imani bhutani

jayante: 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 Vaisnava philosophers accept the world as

temporary, but not false, as the

Mayavadi philosophers do. The world (jagat) has

emanated from the Supreme; therefore it is not mithya,

but it is temporary. That is also explained in

Bhagavad-gita (8.19): bhutva bhutva praliyate. 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 Vaisnava

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 Srila

Rupa Gosvami (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.255-256):

anasaktasya visayan

yatharham upayunjatah

nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe

yuktam vairagyam ucyate

prapancikataya buddhya

hari-sambandhi-vastunah

mumuksubhih parityago

vairagyam phalgu kathyate

The word mumuksubhih 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 Vaisnava says, prapancikataya buddhya

harisambandhi-vastunah. 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-gita (7.4) Sri Krsna says:

bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh

kham mano buddhir eva ca

ahankara itiyam me

bhinna prakrtir astadha

" Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence

and false ego--all together these comprise My

separated material energies. " All of these are Krsna's

energies, and if Krsna is the source of them, how can

they be untrue? They are not. A Vaisnava will never

say that metal has no connection with Krsna. 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 Gosvamis and Krsna Himself tell

us that since everything belongs to

Krsna, everything should be utilized for His

purpose.This creation emanates from Bhagavan, the

Supreme Lord, who is without anxiety. Krsna very

pleasantly associates with His consort Srimati

Radharani and enjoys playing His flute. If God is

anxious, what kind of God is He? Even Lord Brahma and

other demigods are anxious. Lord

Brahma is engaged in meditation, Lord Siva dances to

annihilate the universe, the goddess Kali is engaged

in killing with her sword, and so forth. The demigods

have many activities, but Krsna is always peaceful.

The Krsna who engages in killing demons is Vasudeva

Krsna, not the original Krsna. The original Krsna does

not go anywhere; He never takes a step away from

Vrndavana. The other activities performed by Krsna are

performed in the Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Aniruddha or

Pradyumna forms. Krsna expands as Sankarsana,

Narayana, Visnu, Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and

Ksirodakasayi Visnu. God can expand Himself in many,

many forms.

advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam

adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca

(Brahma-samhita 5.33)

He is the adi-purusa, the original soul of all.

Govindam adipurusam tam aham bhajami: Lord Brahma says

that he is not adi-purusa but that Govinda, Krsna, is

the adi-purusa. This Krsna has many expansions

(advaitam acyutam anadim). He has no beginning, but He

is the beginning of everything. He has expanded

Himself in many forms. The visnu-tattva consists of

bhagavat-tattva-svamsa, the personal expansions. We

are also Krsna's forms, but we are vibhinnamsa,

separated expansions. We are the expansions of the

energies. According to Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (7.5):

apareyam itas tv anyam

prakrtim viddhi me param

jiva-bhutam maha-baho

yayedam dharyate 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 jiva-prakrti, the para prakrti expansions, who

belong to Krsna's superior energy. In any case, Krsna

is always svacchandatma--

without anxiety. Even if He is killing a demon, He

experiences no anxiety. That is also confirmed in the

Vedas:

na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate

na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate

parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate

svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya 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. "

(Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8) Sri Krsna 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 (sakti). If an

ordinary man within this world has many energies in

the form of secretaries, then we can hardly imagine

the energies possessed by Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna is

jagadisvara,

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 sastras,

the scriptures, we can understand who that brain

is.According to Sri Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (9.10):

mayadhyaksena prakrtih

suyate sa-caracaram

hetunanena kaunteya

jagad viparivartate

" This material nature is working under My direction, O

son of Kunti, 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-gita (3.14):

annad bhavanti bhutani

parjanyad anna-sambhavah

yajnad bhavati parjanyo

yajnah karma-samudbhavah

" All living beings subsist on food grains, which are

produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance

of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born of prescribed

duties. " The origin of everything is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Through yajna, sacrifice, we

have to satisfy the Supreme Person, and yajnas can be

executed when human society is regulated according to

the varnasrama-dharma, the system of four social

orders (varnas) and four spiritual orders (asramas).

There are four varnas (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and

sudra) and four asramas

(brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa).

These varnas and asramas 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.

varnasramacaravata

purusena parah puman

visnur aradhyate pantha

nanyat tat-tosa-karanam

" The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, is

worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties

in the system of varna and Asrama. There is no other

way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. "

(Visnu Purana 3.8.9) The ultimate goal of all activity

is the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, Visnu. Na te

viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum (SB. 7.5.31).Foolish

people do not know that their ultimate interest is the

satisfaction of Visnu. Therefore, when there are

dharmasya glanih, discrepancies in dharma, Krsna or

His incarnation personally comes. It is therefore

said: yad yad vidhatte bhagavan. 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 (parasya saktir vividhaiva

sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca).

Impersonalists cannot understand how everything is

being carried out perfectly because they cannot

understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead: mohitam

nabhijanati mam ebhyah param avyayam. As stated by

Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (7.14):

daivi hy esa gunamayi

mama maya duratyaya

mam eva ye prapadyante

mayam etam 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 Krsna in

truth; then our lives will be successful. It is not

that we can succeed by understanding Krsna

superficially. It is therefore stated here: tani me

sraddadhanasya

kirtanyany anukirtaya. The word anukirtaya, as we have

initially pointed out, means that we should not

manufacture anything. The word anu means " to follow. "

Therefore the bhagavat-tattva, or Bhagavan, can be

understood only by the parampara system, the system of

disciplic succession.

evam parampara-praptam

imam rajarsayo viduh

sa kalaneha mahata

yogo nastah parantapa

" 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

(rajas) were great saintly persons. They were not

ordinary people engaged in drinking and dancing. They

were all rsis (sages), up to the time of Maharaja

Pariksit. They were trained in such a way that they

were not ordinary men but were called naradeva.

Naradeva refers to Bhagavan in the form of a human

being. The king was worshiped because he was a

rajarsi, both a king and a sage. Sri Krsna 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 viduh svarthagatim hi visnum

durasayah. 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 durasaya. The ultimate goal of life is to

understand Visnu, 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.

Sravanam kirtanam, hearing and chanting, are the

beginning of bhakti, devotional service. Therefore it

is said: tani me sraddadhanasya kirtanyany anukirtaya.

The word anukirtaya means to follow the parampara

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, Bhagavan--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

parampara system, but it is up to us to take advantage

of these. The Krsna 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 Mahaprabhu's mission.

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara

janma sarthaka kari 'kara para-upakara

(Cc. Adi 9.41)

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

land of Bharatavarsa, lndia, 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.

Chapter Four

Approaching a Bona Fide Guru

TEXT 4

suta uvaca

dvaipayana-sakhas tv evam

maitreyo bhagavams tatha

prahedam viduram prita

anviksikyam pracoditah

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: The most powerful sage Maitreya

was a friend of Vyasadeva'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

bhagavan. 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 bhagavan because he was spiritually far

advanced. He was a personal friend of Dvaipayana

Vyasadeva, 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 Sri

Krsna advises in Bhagavad-gita (4.34):

tad viddhi pranipatena

pariprasnena sevaya

" 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 knowhow to

dig ditches, but not repair a machine. Therefore the

sastras enjoin that if one wants transcendental

knowledge, one must approach the proper person. The

word tad-vijnana 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-gita (18.61) to be a machine:

isvarah sarva- bhutanam

hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati

bhramayan sarva-bhutani

yantrarudhani mayayan

" 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 hatha-yoga one undergoes various

physical disciplines, but the real

purpose is to understand Visnu, 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

tadvijnana, 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-vijnana. That heaviness is brahma-nistha--

attachment to Brahman and to Parabrahman, Bhagavan.

That is the guru's

qualification. Brahmany upasamasrayam. According to

Mundaka Upanisad (1.2.12), tad-vijnanartham sa gurum

evabhigacchet: " In order to understand that

transcendental science, one must approach a bona fide

spiritual master. " Similarly, as stated in

Srimad-Bhagavatam (1 1.3.21):

tasmad gurum prapadyeta

jijnasuh sreya 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 Upanisads

inform us that the guru is one who has received

knowledge by hearing the Vedas. Srotriyam

brahma-nistham. The Vedas are called sruti, and the

bona fide guru is in the line of hearing from the

disciplic succession. As stated in Bhagavad-gita

(4.2), evam paramparapraptam. A bona fide guru does

not impart some self-styled, concocted knowledge; his

knowledge is standard and received from the parampara

system. He is also firmly fixed in the service of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead (brahma-nistham). 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

varnasrama-dharma, composed of four varnas and four

asramas. 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 sthane sthitah mean " remaining in the

varnasrama-dharma. " Even a sudra can understand what

is Brahman, and in that case he becomes a brahmana

automatically. It is necessary that one hear

attentively. That is all. It is stated that Vidura

heard from Maitreya Rsi, and that Maitreya Rsi was

very pleased. Unless one satisfies his guru, 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 pranipata.

Therefore Krsna says: sarva-dharman parityajya mam

ekam saranam vraja. " Just surrender unto Me. " Just as

we surrender unto Krsna, we have to surrender unto His

representative, the spiritual master. The guru is

Krsna's external representative, and the internal guru

is Krsna Himself situated in everyone's heart. It is

not that Krsna is simply in Vaikuntha or

GolokaVrndavana. He is everywhere; He is even within

the atom. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah (Bs.

5.37). That is the definition of

Paramatma, the Supersoul. I am atma, a spiritual soul,

and you are atma. We are all situated locally, you

within your body and I within mine, but the Paramatma

is situated everywhere. That is the difference between

atma and Paramatma. 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

nityanam cetanas cetananam), but they are different

quantitatively. Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita (13.3):

ksetrajnam capi mam viddhisarva-ksetresu bharata " O

scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also

the

knower in all bodies. " Ksetrajna is the proprietor of

the ksetra (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 atma is simply the occupant of the

body; the proprietor is Paramatma. When the landlord

tells the tenant to leave the house, the tenant must

do so. Similarly, when the Paramatma 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 sastra. In

Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21) it is said:

tasmad gurum prapadyeta

jijnasuh sreya 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 Mahatmaji and says, " I am suffering from

this disease. Please help me. " And the Mahatmaji 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 sastras do not confirm this

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

Vedic conclusion. The Vedic conclusion is the

understanding of

Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: " By all the

Vedas, I am to be known. " (Bg. 15.15) It is not that

we have to understand Krsna fully. That is not

possible. We have no capacity to understand the

unlimited. Advaitam

acyutam anadim ananta-rupam (Bs. 5.33). With our

limited knowledge we cannot understand the unlimited;

indeed, even Krsna does not understand Himself. His

attraction is unlimited, and to understand why He is

so

attractive, He became Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and

took on the ecstatic emotions of Srimati Radharani

(radha-bhava-dyuti). If Krsna 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 Krsna in part, that is our

perfection. Therefore Krsna says:

janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah. If

we misunderstand Krsna and take Him to be a human

being like us, we become mudhas, fools. Krsna's body

is not composed of material elements like ours, and if

we

think this way, we are mistaken. The material nature

belongs to Krsna, 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

prakrti, material nature, is working under Krsna's

direction. It is not possible to understand how all

this is going on, but we can understand it in summary.

Janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas ca: everything

emanates from the Supreme Absolute

Truth, Krsna. This much knowledge is sufficient. We

can then increase this knowledge to understand just

how material nature is working under Krsna'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 Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita (10.8):

aham sarvasya prabhavo

mattah sarvam pravartate

" I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds.

Everything emanates from Me. " The same conclusion is

also given in Vedanta-sutra, wherein it is stated,

janmady asya yatah: " Brahman is He from whom

everything emanates. " " Everything " includes living

entities and inert matter. Both matter and the living

entities come from Krsna. Indeed, the whole world is a

combination of matter and spirit, prakrti and the

living entity. Material energy is inferior, and

spiritual energy is superior. Why? Superior energy

(jiva-bhuta), 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 prakrti

as well as para prakrti. In this way, we have to

understand tattva jnana. Srimad-Bhagavatam is a

commentary on Vedanta-sutra. Vedanta-sutra explains

that the Supreme is the source of everything, and the

nature of that source is explained in

Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.1): janmady asya yato 'nvayad

itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat. That source is

abhijna, cognizant. Matter is not cognizant; therefore

the theory of modern science that life comes from

matter is incorrect. The identity from whom everything

emanates is abhijna, cognizant, which means He can

understand. The Bhagavatam (1.1.1) also states, tene

brahma hrda ya adikavaye: Krsna instructed Lord Brahma

in Vedic knowledge. Unless the ultimate source is a

living entity, how can He impart knowledge? Srimad-

Bhagavatam was compiled by Vyasadeva, who also

compiled the Vedantasutra. Generally the Mayavadis

emphasize the commentary made on the Vedanta-sutra by

Sankaracarya, the Sariraka-bhasya, but that is not the

original commentary on Vedanta-sutra. The original

commentary is given by the author himself, Vyasadeva,

in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam. To understand the

actual meaning of the Vedanta-sutra, we must refer to

the

commentary made by the author himself. As stated by

Sri Krsna Himself in Bhagavad-gita (13.5):

rsibhir bahudha gitam

chandobhir vividhaih prthak

brahma-sutra-padais caiva

hetumadbhir viniscitaih

" 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

Vedanta-sutra--and is presented with all reasoning as

to cause and effect. "

Transcendental knowledge is therefore very logical.

According to the Vedic system, the acarya must

understand Vedanta-sutra (also called Brahma-sutra)

before he can be accepted as an acarya. Both the

Mayavadasampradaya

and the Vaisnava-sampradaya have explained the

Vedanta-sutra. Without understanding Vedanta-sutra,

one cannot understand Brahman. It is said that Vidura

understood transcendental knowledge from Maitreya,

and it is stated that Maitreya is a friend of

Vyasadeva's. This means that both Vidura and Maitreya

know what Vyasadeva knows. We have to approach a

spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession

from

Vyasadeva. Everyone may claim to be following

Vyasadeva, but one must actually follow him. Vyasadeva

accepted Krsna as the Supreme personality of Godhead,

and Arjuna also accepted Krsna as Parabrahman, the

Supreme

Person. One may say that because Arjuna was a friend

of Krsna's, he accepted Him in this way, but this is

not the case. Arjuna gave evidence that Vyasadeva also

accepted Krsna.

param brahma param dhama

pavitram paramam bhavan

purusam sasvatam divyam

adi-devam ajam vibhum

ahus tvam rsayah sarve

devarsir naradas tatha

asito devalo vyasah

svayam caiva bravisi 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 Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa proclaim

this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to

me. " (Bg. 10.12-13) Vyasadeva accepted Krsna as param

brahma, and Vyasadeva began his commentary on

Vedanta-sutra with the words om namo bhagavate

vasudevaya. If we are actually interested in

understanding, we must approach a representative of

Vyasadeva like Maitreya. Maitreya is also addressed as

bhagavan, although of course the Supreme Bhagavan is

Krsna Himself (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam). But the

word bhagavan also refers to other powerful persons

like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Vyasadeva or Maitreya.

The actual Bhagavan is Krsna Himself, but these great

personalities have attained as much knowledge of Krsna

as possible. It is not possible to have cent per cent

knowledge of Krsna. Not even Narayana Himself is

capable of that. Yet those who follow Krsna's

instructions fully are sometimes called Bhagavan.

There are many artificial Bhagavan's, but a real

Bhagavan is one who knows what Krsna 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 Krsna's, before receiving Srimad

Bhagavad-gita he surrendered himself, saying, sisyas

te 'ham sadhi mam

tvam 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 the guru. 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.

Chapter Five

Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother, Devahuti

TEXT 5

maitreya uvaca

pitari prasthite 'ranyam

matuh priya-cikirsaya

tasmin bindusare 'vatsid

bhagavan kapilah kila

TRANSLATION

Maitreya said: When Kardama left for the forest, Lord

Kapila stayed on the strand of the Bindu-sarovara to

please His mother, Devahuti.

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 yogi, Kardama Muni was not very

interested in family life. Nonetheless, he decided to

marry, and Svayambhuva Manu brought his daughter

Devahuti to him to serve as a wife. Kardama Muni was a

yogi living in a cottage, and Devahuti 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--anima, Jagima,

prapti, and so on--and whatever yogis 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 yogi

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-yogi. By his wife, Devahuti, he had nine

daughters, who were distributed to the prajapatis like

Daksa Maharaja and many others. The only son of

Kardama Muni was Kapiladeva, an incarnation of Krsna.

This Kapiladeva was one of the mahajanas. The word

mahajana means " authority, " and according to the Vedic

sastras

there are twelve authorities. These are Svayambhu,

Narada, Sambhu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu, prahlada,

Janaka, Bhisma, Bali, Sukadeva Gosvami and Yamaraja.

Svayambhu is Brahma, and Sambhu is Lord Siva. These

authorities should be followed if we want to approach

the Supreme Personality of Godhead and understand the

purpose of religious life. Mahajano yena gatah sa

panthah. These mahajanas follow the principles set

forth by the Supreme personality of Godhead, Krsna, in

Bhagavadgita. We cannot very easily understand the

actual truth of religious systems, but if we follow

these mahajanas, we can understand. Kapila Muni

explained the glories of devotional service to His

mother, Devahuti. If we follow Him, we may learn the

truth of devotional service. According to the system

of varnasrama-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 varnasramadharma 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 varnasrama-dharma is mentioned. Civilized

human beings should strictly follow the varnasrama

institution. If one is born a brahmana, he is trained

nicely as a brahmacari, and then he becomes a

grhastha, a householder. When he gives up his home, he

is called a vanaprastha, and after that he may take

sannyasa. Being a yogi, Kardama Muni strictly followed

these principles; therefore as soon as Kapiladeva was

grown, Devahuti was placed in His charge. Kardama Muni

then left home. As stated in this verse: pitari

prasthite 'ranyam matuh priyacikirsaya. According to

the Manu-samhita, 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 varnasrama-dharma. Consequently

Devahuti 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, Devahuti. He

knew that because His father left His mother in His

charge, He should take care of her and always please

her. Matuh priya-cikirsaya. Kapiladeva was not

irresponsible, but was always ready to please His

mother. Kapiladeva was a brahmacari, and His mother

took lessons from Him. That is the prerogative of the

male. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.32):

mam hi partha vyapasritya

ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah

striyo vaisyas tatha sudras

te 'pi yanti param gatim

" O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though

they be of lower birth--women, vaisyas [merchants] as

well as sudras [workers]—can approach the supreme

destination. " Women are considered on the same

platform with sudras, and although a woman may be

married to a brahmana, she is not given the sacred

thread. It is also said that the Mahabharata was

compiled by Vyasadeva because the direct Vedic

knowledge could not be understood by women, sudras and

dvija-bandhus, those who are born in brahmana families

but are not qualified brahmanas.

Stri-sudradvijabandhunam trayi na sruti-gocara (SB.

1.4.25). Consequently Mahabharata is called the fifth

Veda. The four preceding Vedas are theSama, Yajur, Rg

and Atharva. The essence of Vedic knowledge,

Bhagavadgita, is given within the Mahabharata. Women

are inferior to men, andVedic civilization is so

perfect that men are given full charge of the women.

It is therefore said: matuh priya-cikirsaya. 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 'vatsid bhagavan kapilah kila. It is

noteworthy that in this verse Kapiladeva is referred

to as Bhagavan, which indicates that He possesses all

wealth, fame, knowledge, beauty, strength and

renunciation. These six opulences are fully

represented in Krsna; therefore Krsna is accepted as

the Supreme Personality of Godhead (krsnas tu bhagavan

svayam), and others are accepted as His expansions, or

incarnations (visnu-tattva). In

Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Rupa Gosvami has analyzed the

characteristics of Bhagavan. The first Bhagavan is Sri

Krsna Himself, but some of His opulences are also

bestowed upon Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma is a

jiva-tattva, a living being like us. If we become

spiritually powerful, we can also have the post of

Lord Brahma. Superior to Lord Brahma is Lord Siva, and

superior to Lord Siva is

Visnu, or Lord Narayana, and superior to all is Krsna.

That is the analysis of the Vedic sastras and

Brahma-samhita. Even Sankaracarya, the Mayavadi

impersonalist philosopher, accepts Krsna as the

Supreme Personality of Godhead (sa bhagavan svayam

krsnah). All the acaryas-- Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya,

Visnusvami, Nimbarka and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu--also

accept Krsna as the Supreme Lord. Kapiladeva is an

incarnation of Krsna, and He gave instructions to His

mother, Devahuti. We must distinguish between the two

Kapilas. One Kapila is this Bhagavan Kapila, and the

other Kapila is the atheist Kapila. Bhagavan Kapila is

also known as Devahuti-putra Kapila. Both Kapilas

expounded Sankhya 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 Sankhya

philosophy to His mother, Devahuti, just as Krsna

personally expounded the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita to

His friend Arjuna. Like Arjuna, Devahuti was aware

that she was before her spiritual master, as indicated

in the following verse. Indeed, Lord Brahma had

informed her that her son was a powerful incarnation.

TEXT 6

tam asinam akarmanam

tattva-margagra-darsanam

sva-sutam devahuty aha

dhatuh samsmarati vacah

TRANSLATION

When Kapila, who could show her the ultimate goal of

the Absolute Truth, was sitting leisurely before her,

Devahuti remembered the words Brahma had spoken to

her, and she therefore began to question Kapila as

follows.

PURPORT

The ultimate goal of the Absolute Truth is Krsna

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.

bra hma bh utah prasannatma

na socati na kanksati

samah sarvesu bhutesu

mad-bhaktim labhate param

" 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 isobtainable for a liberated person;

it is not for the conditioned soul.

How is this possible? In Bhagavad-gita (14.26) Krsna

says:

mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa gunan samatityaitan

brahma-bhuyaya 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 (sravana). Then, under the direction of the

spiritual master and the sastras, 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 Krsna's

service and is free from all material contamination.

This is imperative. The words tattva-margadarsanam

are elucidated elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam:

brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. The

Absolute Truth is understood differently according to

the position of the student. Some understand the

Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, some as

localized paramatma, and others as the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or Visnu. Brahman,

Paramatma and Bhagavan, 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 Mayavadi 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-samhita (5.29):

cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksalaksavrtesu

surabhir abhipalayantam

laksmi-sa hasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

" I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first

progenitor, who is tending the cows, fulklling 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

Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual world, and there

are devotees who are all liberated. These devotees are

aksara, which means they do not fall down into the

material world. They remain in the spiritual world of

the Vaikunthas. 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 jnana. 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:

aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah

patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah

(SB. 10.2.32)

Because the impersonalists are not allowed to enter

the Vaikuntha planets, they simply remain in the

Brahman effulgence. Thus they fall down again into

material variety. We have seen many impersonalist

sannyasis who first of all give up the world as false

(brahma satyam jagan mithya). They consider themselves

Brahman (aham brahmasmi), consider the world false

(jagat is mithya), and, having nothing more to do with

the material world, finally say, " I have become

Narayana. " Then they come to the stage of

daridra-narayana (poor Narayana). They become

Narayana, but for want of anything better to do, for

want of variegatedness, they take up material

humanitarian activities. Although they consider their

wives mithya (false), they return. " You have already

left. Why do you come back again? " the wives ask. This

means that these so-called sannyasis have nothing to

do. They undergo serious 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 Paramatma realization does not

give us steady ananda, bliss. We want ananda.

Anandamayo 'bhyasat. The living entities are Brahman;

Krsna is Parabrahman. Krsna is enjoying perpetual

ananda, and, being part and parcel of Krsna, we also

want ananda. Ananda cannot be impersonal or void;

ananda 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--pera, barfi, ksira, rabari, dahi, and so on.

There are hundreds of preparations. In any case,

variety is required for enjoyment. The last word of

tattva jnana is to understand Krsna, who is full of

variety. Kapiladeva is tattva-margagra-darsanam. 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 jnana, and how one can

actually enjoy tattva jnana. This is not simply dry

speculation. This Krsna consciousness philosophy

includes spiritual variety. People

sometimes misunderstand this variety to be material,

and they hanker for nirvisesa, nirakara, void.

However, our philosophy is not void; it is full of

variety and transcendental bliss. This will later be

specifically enunciated by Lord Kapiladeva.

Chapter Six

Devahuti Desires Transcendental Knowledge

TEXT 7

devahutir uvaca

nirvinna nitaram bhumann

asad-indriya-tarsanat

yena sambhavyamanena

prapannandham tamah prabho

TRANSLATION

Devahuti 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 Devahuti's questionings, the

word asadindriya- tarsanat is significant. Asat means

" impermanent, " " temporary, " indriya means " senses, "

and tarsanat refers to agitation. Thus asadindriya-

tarsanat means " 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

Krsna 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.

Devahuti 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 ma

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 Krsna. As stated in Brahma-samhita (5.40):

yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-kotikotisv

asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam

tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

" 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

Devahuti, an intelligent person should

become disgusted with the darkness of ignorance. Na

hanyate hanyamane sarire. As stated in Bhagavad-gita

(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-gita, 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-gita 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. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta

jijnasuh sreya uttamam. Being the wife of a great

yogi, Devahuti understood her constitutional position;

therefore she is placing her problem before her son,

Kapiladeva, an incarnation of God. Although Kapiladeva

is her son, Devahuti 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 sudra, brahmana, sannyasi or grhastha. One

should simply learn from one who knows. That is

Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction. Although Caitanya

Mahaprabhu Himself was a brahmana and a sannyasi, He

took instructions from Ramananda Raya, who was a sudra

and grhastha but nonetheless, very exalted

spiritually. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw that

Ramananda Raya was hesitant to give instructions, the

Lord said, " Why are you hesitating? Although you are a

grhastha and are born in a sudra family, I am prepared

to take lessons from you. " kiba vipra, kiba nyasi,

sudra kene naya yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei `guru'

haya (Cc. Madhya 8.128) This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's

teaching. Whoever is qualified in Krsna 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 brahmana or a sudra. If he is

qualified, he can help with a particular subject.

Similarly, if one knows the science of Krsna, he can

be a guru. Devahuti was taking lessons from her son

because He knew the science of Krsna.

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 Mahaprabhu wanted everyone in India to know

the science of Krsna and preach Krsna

consciousness. This is very simple. We need only

repeat what Krsna has said or what has been said about

Krsna in the Vedic literatures. Human society cannot

be happy without Krsna consciousness. Krsna 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. Srimati

Radharani is the topmost servant of Krsna, and Her

business is always to keep Krsna pleased. Krsna is

very fond of Radharani 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 Bhagavadgita (3.42):

indriyani parany ahur

indriyebhyah param manah

manasas tu para buddhir

yo buddheh paratas tu sah

" 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. this way we become implicated in the laws of

nature. As stated in the sastras:

nunam pramattah kurute vikarma

yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti

na sadhu manye yata atmano 'yam

asann api klesada asa dehah

" 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. "

(SB. 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 yatha 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 Krsna:

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam

tat-paratvena nirmalam

hrsikena hrsikesasevanam

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. " (Narada-pancaratra)We can

serve Hrsikesa, the master of the senses, through the

senses. We are part and parcel of Krsna, just as the

hand is part andparcel of the body. Similarly, our

senses are also part and parcel ofthe spiritual body

of Krsna. When we purify our senses, we can act in our

original constitutional position and serve Krsna. When

we forget our position and try to satisfy ourselves,

we become conditioned materially. When we forget that

our duty is to serve Krsna, 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. Krsna 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, Devahuti is submitting to her son just

as a disciple submits to his master.

TEXT 8

tasya tvam tamaso 'ndhasya

dusparasyadya paragam

sac-caksur janmanam ante

labdham me tvad-anugrahat

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 paragam is

very significant. paragam 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 in

Bhagavad-gita 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 Krsna, he can be

taken to the side of light. The bona fide spiritual

master is a true Vedantist, for he actually knows

Vedanta and the Vedas and understands the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Krsna. 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 silpa

jnana. 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

jnanavan. Knowledge

begins with the inquiry athato brahma jijnasa: " what

is Brahman? " Knowledge also begins by understanding

the threefold miseries of the material

world--adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. 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 Krsna's maidservant, goddess Durga, who

is material nature. She is not independent of Krsna.

However, she is so powerful that she can create and

maintain. prakrti, nature, can be very unkind. Mother

Durga 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-samhita (5.38),

premanjana-cchurita-bhaktivilocanena: " Govinda [Krsna]

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 Krsna maha-mantra.

God is

not different from His name. Krsna's name and Krsna's

person are the same. " Absolute " means that Krsna's

name, form, place, dress, pastimes and everything are

nondifferent from Him. Krsna is present in His name,

but because we have no love for Him, we cannot see

Him. Sanatana Gosvami was a great learned scholar, and

he was called a

pandita, which indicates that he was a learned

brahmana. When Sanatana Gosvami approached Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he said, " The people in my

neighborhood are calling me a pandita, and I am very

unhappy because of

this. " Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked, " Why are you

dissatisfied? " Sanatana Gosvami replied, " I am such a

poor pandita 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, Sanatana Gosvami approached Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu. He did not approach Him to get some gold

or some medicine. He went to find out his real

selfinterest. This is the real purpose for approaching

a guru. Devahuti 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. The

Upanisads and Bhagavad-gita describe another world,

beyond

this material nature. According to Krsna in

Bhagavad-gita (15.6):

na tad bhasayate suryo

na sasanko na pavakah

yad gatva na nivartante

tad dhama paramam 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 paravyoma by material means. It

is impossible to penetrate the material universe

unless one understands Krsna. One can be enlightened

by the mercy of God because Krsna Himself comes to

give us information. If He does not come personally,

He sends His devotee, or He leaves behind Him

Bhagavad-gita. 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 Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu said:

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

" 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 Krsna's

mercy one can receive the bhakti-lata-bija, the seed

of devotional service. Unless one is free from the

reactions of sin, one cannot understand bhakti or

Bhagavan. 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

Krsna consciousness movement is engaged in training

people to this end so that their lives will be

successful.

TEXT 9

ya adyo bhagavan pumsam

isvaro vai bhavan kila

lokasya tamasandhasya

caksuh surya ivoditah

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, Krsna. Here the word

adya means " the origin of all living entities, " and

pumsam isvarah means " the Lord (isvara) of the living

entities " (isvarah paramah krsnah). Kapila Muni is the

direct expansion of Krsna, 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

maya. 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,

Devahuti also addresses her son as Bhagavan. Bhagavan

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 nityanam cetanas

cetananam. 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 Brahma. He is

the original creature within this universe, yet he is

not the most intelligent being. It is said that in the

beginning, Brahma 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-gita (7.15), one who

does not accept a personal God is described as a

mudha, a fool.

na mam duskrtino mudhah

prapadyante naradhamah

mayayapahrta jnana

asuram bhavam asritah

" 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 maya, 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 adyo bhagavan. Lord Brahma also worships

Krsna by saying, govindam adi-purusam tam aham

bhajami. He

says, " I worship that original person, Govinda. "

Adi-purusam, Krsna, has no one preceding Him;

therefore He is called original. It is said that Krsna

was born of Vasudeva, but this simply means that Krsna

accepted

Vasudeva as His father. Sri Krsna deals with His

devotees in different relationships, or rasas--santa,

dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. We all have some

relationship with Krsna, but presently that iscovered.

Therefore we have to revive it. Simple appreciation of

the Supreme is called santa-rasa. When one appreciates

the Supreme fully, he

wishes to render some service, and that is called

dasya. When one becomes more intimate, he becomes a

friend of Krsna's, and that is called sakhya. When one

is more advanced, he wants to render service to Krsna

as a father or a mother, and this is vatsalya. 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.

Yasodamayi got Krsna as her son, and she was always

anxious that He not be in danger. Thus she was always

protecting Him. Actually Krsna protects the entire

universe, but Yasoda was giving protection to Krsna.

This is Vaisnava philosophy. Yasoda became mad when

she saw Krsna taken away by the Trnavarta demon.

However, Krsna became so heavy that the demon could

not fly in the sky, and thus the demon fell to the

earth and died. Yasoda immediately said, " God has

saved my Krsna! " She then began to thank some other

God, some

devata. She did not know that Krsna is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. If she had thought of Krsna as

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the relationship

between mother and son would have been destroyed.

Therefore Krsna was playing just like an ordinary

child, and mother Yasoda was treating Him as her son.

Krsna's friends, the cowherd boys, did not consider

Him the Supreme Lord either. The gopis even used to

chastise Krsna. If a devotee can have such a

relationship with Krsna, why should he want to become

one with God? It is better to be God's

father, God's controller. This is bhakti-marga, 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. ln order to understand the Absolute

Truth, we have to understand the meaning of Bhagavan.

Devahuti was not an ordinary woman. She was thewife of

Kardama Muni, a great yogi. She had obviously learned

something from her husband, for had she not been very

exalted, how could Bhagavan Kapiladeva have become her

son? Everyone should know what is Bhagavan and take

lessons from Bhagavan. Lord Kapila is Bhagavan, and He

personally instructed His mother in Sankhya

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,

mudhas, duskrtis, 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? Krsna says

in Bhagavad-gita, " 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.Bhagavan pumsam isvarah.

Bhagavan is isvara, the controller. We arenot

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 Krsna or Kapiladeva and

says, " Here I am. See My features. I am a person. I

play the flute and enjoy Myself in Vrndavana. Why

can't you see Me? " Thus God comes, explains Himself

and leaves behind His instruction,

Bhagavad-gita. Still, people are so foolish that they

claim not to understand God. If we try to see God

through the instructions given to Devahuti by Lord

Kapila, our lives will be successful.

TEXT 10

atha me deva sammoham

apakrastum tvam arhasi

yo 'vagraho 'ham mametity

etasmin yojitas tvaya

TRANSLATION

Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion.

Due to my feeling of false ego, I have been engaged by

Your maya and have identified myself with the body and

consequent bodily relations.

PURPORT

Maya is the false ego of identifying one's body with

one's self and of claiming things possessed in

relationship with the body. In Bhagavadgita, Fifteenth

Chapter, the Lord says, " I am sitting in everyone's

heart, and from Me comes everyone's remembrance and

forgetfulness. " Devahuti 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 maya. 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 maya, and since

maya 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. Devahuti 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. Krsna says, therefore, in Bhagavad-gita,

" 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. " Devahuti

requested Lord Kapila to free her from that

entanglement of false identification and

false possession. In asking this, Devahuti 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.

pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam

(SB. 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 Krsna 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 Brahma--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 Krsna, and Krsna is

sac-cid-ananda-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

Devahuti 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 Krsna,

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

Vaikunthaloka. Krsna 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. Krsna

says:

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yaji mam namaskuru

" Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer

obeisances and worship Me. " (Bg. 9.34) In this way,

Krsna opens the door, but we unfortunately do not

accept Him. Krsna 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 Krsna'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 Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu's advice: jivera `svarupa' haya--krsnera

`nitya-dasa.' We must come to understand, " I am the

eternal servant of Krsna. " After all, our senses are

employed for the satisfaction of somebody--either for

ourselves or for someone else. That is kama, krodha,

lobha and matsara-- illusion. If we are not serving

our own lusty desires (kama), 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

Krsna. That is the perfection of life. If we are

situated in the transcendental position (bhakti), we

can understand Krsna, Krsna cannot be understood by

mental speculation; otherwise He would have said that

He could be understood by jnana, karma or yoga.

However, He clearly says, bhaktya mam abhijanati:

" Only by devotional service can I be understood. " If

we want to know Krsna as He is, we have to accept the

process of bhakti. It is this bhakti process that

Kapiladeva will reveal to Devahuti.

TEXT 11

tam tva gataham saranam saranyam

sva-bhrtya-samsara-taroh kutharam

jijna-sayaham prakrteh purusasya

namami sad-dharma-vidam varistham

TRANSLATION

Devahuti 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

Sankhya philosophy, as is well known, deals with

prakrti and purusa. Purusa is the Supreme Personality

of Godhead or anyone who imitates the Supreme

Personality of Godhead as an enjoyer, and prakrti is

nature. In this material world, material nature is

being exploited by the purusas, or the living

entities. The intricacies in the material

world of the relationship of the prakrti and purusa,

or the enjoyed and the enjoyer, give rise to samsara,

or material entanglement. Devahuti 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-gita as an asvattha 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 prakrti and

purusa. 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 purusa.

Devahuti 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 purusa because

purusa means " enjoyer, " and prakrti means " enjoyed. "

In this material world both socalled men and women are

imitating the real purusa; the Supreme Personality of

Godhead is actually the enjoyer in the transcendental

sense, whereas all others are prakrti. In

Bhagavad-gita, matter is analyzed as apara, or

inferior nature, whereas beyond this inferior nature

there is another, superior nature-- the living

entities. Living entities are also prakrti, or

enjoyed, but under the spell of maya, the living

entities are falsely trying to take

the position of enjoyers. That is the cause of

samsara-bandha, or conditional life. Devahuti wanted

to get out of conditional life and place herself in

full surrender. The Lord is saranya, 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-vidam varistham. 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 Sankhya 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, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality

of Godhead, is everyone's real shelter (saranam

saranyam). 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

Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Being

Krsna's incarnation, Kapiladeva is also a shelter.

Krsna has unlimited forms and unlimited incarnations.

It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam that His incarnations

are

expanding continuously, like waves in the ocean.

Indeed, we cannot even count them. In Brahma-samhita

it is said: Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam. In

India there are many thousands of temples, and within

these temples there are arca-vigrahas, Deities. All

these Krsnas are nondifferent; they are one. Krsna

resides in Vaikuntha and also in the temple. The

Krsnas are not different, although they are ananta,

unlimited. Krsna 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 Krsna

Himself within the heart. How, then, can we avoid Him?

Without Krsna's permission, we cannot do anything. Why

does Krsna 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 Krsna may sanction it, but we go ahead

and do it at our own risk. Krsna is not responsible.

However, we should know that without the sanction of

Krsna, we cannot do anything. That is a fact. Actually

we are constitutionally servants of Krsna. 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 Mahaprabhu says:

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram

patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

krpaya tava pada-pankaja

sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

" My dear Lord Krsna, son of Maharaja 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. " (Siksastaka 5) Because we are

under illusion, Devahuti says:

sva-bhrtya-samsara-taroh kutharam. In

Bhagavad-gita (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 (kutharam). By

taking shelter of Krsna's lotus feet, we can cut the

strong root of material existence. Because we have

given up Krsna'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,

Vivasvan. 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 maya'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 in Bhagavad-gita (16.19):

tan aham dvisatah kruran

samsaresu naradhaman

ksipamy ajasram asubhan

asurisv eva yonisu

" 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 Ravana and Hiranyakasipu are

personally punished by the Lord. Otherwise, ordinary

demons are punished by the laws of material nature.

Krsna does not need to come to punish the petty

demons, but when there are great demons like Ravana,

Hiranyakasipu and Kamsa, the Lord comes as Lord

Ramacandra, Lord Nrsimhadeva or Sri Krsna to punish

them. If we do not want to be punished, we have to

follow the rules and regulations (saddharma). Dharma

means " the laws given by God. " Dharmam tu saksad

bhagavat-pranitam. The laws are given by Bhagavan and

are written in books like Manu-samhita and other Vedic

literatures. According to the law, we have to obey the

government, and according to dharma, we have to obey

Krsna, God. We cannot manufacture our laws at home,

and we cannot manufacture dharma. If one tries, he is

simply cheating the public. Such false dharmas are

kicked out of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.2): dharmah

projjhita. The real dharma is set forth by Sri Krsna

when He says: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam

saranam vraja (Bg.18.66). All other

dharmas3 are simply forms of cheat- ing. We must

accept the principles of Bhagavad-gita, which

constitute the ABC'S of dharma. Actually, we only have

to accept the principle of surrender unto Krsna, 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 Krsna. At this time he understands perfectly that

Vasudeva, Krsna, is everything. This is the greatest

lesson of Bhagavadgita, Everything is Krsna'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, Krsna 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-gita describes two types of living entities,

ksara and aksara, 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 samsara, the banyan tree of material existence

described in Bhagavad-gita (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 Krsna 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 Krsna's sake

that we construct temples, but we must understand that

the temples are Krsna's property. Our mission is to

teach people that

everything belongs to Krsna. Only a thief will occupy

something belonging to another and claim it to be his.

The Krsna consciousness movement preaches that

everything belongs to Krsna and that everything should

be utilized for Krsna's benefit. He is the beneficiary

of everything, and it is to our benefit that we come

to this knowledge. Isavasyam idam sarvam. If one

realizes that everything belongs to Krsna, one becomes

the greatest mahatma. Being a mahatma 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 Krsna. 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 he collected by anyone

anywhere without having to pay money. As Sri Krsna

states in Bhagavad-gita (9.26):

patram puspam phalam toyam

yo me bhaktya prayacchati

tad aham bhakty-upahrtam

asnami prayatatmanah

" 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 Krsna with

devotion. It is not that Krsna is hungry and is asking

for food. No, He is feeding

everyone, supplying everyone with all the necessities:

eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman (Katha Upanisad

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 materialexistence, moving from one branch to

another, and because of this we aresuffering. Krsna

does not want us to suffer, jumping like monkeys

frombranch 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 Krsna, we are no longer debtors to

anyone. Na kinkaro nayam rni (SB. 11.5.41). Krsna

assures us, aham tvam sarvapapebhyo moksayisyami:

" I'll give you all relief. " (Bg. 18.66) This is what

we actually want. Therefore Devahuti 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.

Vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga is the

science of detachment. This verse was composed by

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya when he understood that Lord

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was a great logician,

and he composed a hundred verses to Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, wherein he tells the Lord:

vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yogasiksartham

ekah purusah puranah

sri-krsna-caitanya-sarira-dhari

krpambudhir yas tam aham prapadye

" Let me take shelter of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Sri Krsna, who has descended in the form of

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to teach us real knowledge,

His devotional service, and detachment from whatever

does not foster Krsna 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 Krsna

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 Vasudeva, 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. Bhaktih

paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca (SB. 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-gita (5.22):

ye hi samsparsaja bhoga

duhkha-yonaya eva te

ady-antavantah kaunteya

na tesu ramate budhah

" An intelligent person does not take part in the

sources of misery, which are due to contact with the

material senses. O son of Kunti, 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 Krsna, and He will help. Since our only business is

to take shelter of Krsna, Devahuti 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 Thakura says,

anadi karama-phale, padi 'bhavarnavajale, taribare na

dekhi upaya. 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

pada-pankaja-sthita-dhuli sadrsam vicintaya Siksastaka

5). If somehow or other we become one of the particles

of dust at Krsna'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

Krsna. 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 Gosvamis: nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau

saddharma- samsthapakau. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's

direct disciples, the Gosvamis, tried to establish

sad-dharma, and we are trying to follow in their

footsteps by establishing real dharma throughout the

world with

this Krsna consciousness movement. “Teachings of Lord

Kapila” by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada.

Chapter Seven

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization

TEXT 12

maitreya uvaca

iti sva-matur niravadyam ipsitam

nisamya pumsam apavarga-vardhanam

dhiyabhinandyatmavatam satam gatir

babhasa is- at-smita-sobhitananah

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

Devahuti 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. Satam

prasangat. 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-grahan, 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

Krsna consciousness, he becomes sat. Satam gatih, 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. Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu advised His disciples: gramyakatha na

sunibe. The word gramya refers to that pertaining to

one's village, society or neighborhood. People are

interested in talking about gramya-katha. Newspapers,

for instance, are filled with gramya-katha. 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 gramya-katha? They

are only interested in making a profit. There is,

however, another kind of katha--krsna-katha. 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 vacas citra-padam harer yaso

jagat-pavitram pragrnita karhicit

tad vayasam tirtham usanti manasa

na yatra hamsa niramanty usikksayah

" 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

allperfect persons are inhabitants of the

transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure

there. " (SB. 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 (hamsas), a most

advanced devotee is called paramahamsa. The

paramahamsas are not interested in subjects fit for

crows. A person who is interested in inquiring about

transcendental subjects, krsna-katha, makes a

paramahamsa 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

apakrastum tvam arhasi

yo 'vagraho 'ham mametity

etasmin yojitas tvaya

" Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion.

Due to my feeling of false ego, I have been engaged by

Your maya and have identified myself with the body and

consequent bodily relations. " (SB.3.25.10)

Caitanya Mahaprabhu 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 Krsna 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 Krsna 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam and

Bhagavad-gita. 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? lt 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

Devahuti, and the answers are given by Kapiladeva.

That is apavarga-vardhanam. As far as material

maintenance is concerned, the sastras 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. punah punas

carvita-carvananam (SB. 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 aiready

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. pita na sa syaj

janani na sasyat... na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum:

one should not become a father or a mother unless one

is able to save his children from the impending

clutches of death. (SB. 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 Krsna

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

xperienced 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.

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke

sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih

yat tirtha-buddhih salile na karhlicij

janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah

" 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. " (SB. 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

Srimad-Bhagavatam is the ripened mango of the desire

tree of Vedic nowledge: nigamakalpa- taror galitam

phaam. If the mango is tasted by the parrot, it

becomes doubly tasty. The word suka means parrot, and

Sukadeva Gosvami spoke Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is

therefore more relishable from his lips.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam

suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam

pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam

muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah

" O expert and thoughtful men, relish

Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree

of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Sri

Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even

more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was

already relishable for all, including liberated

souls. " (SB. 1.1.3) It is regrettable that in lndia,

where these literatures are available, people are not

interested. They are interested in Marxist literature

but not Srimad-Bhagavatam, 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 Mahaprabhu. Ceto-darpanamarjanam

bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam. All we have to do is

spare a little time and chant Hare Krsna, but we are

not even ready for this much tapasya. Krsna 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 nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam.

We need only chant Hare Krsna. To perfect this

chanting of Hare Krsna, 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 Krsna. 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. Krsna 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 Krsna, dresses Him in nice garments and

gives Him a flower, Krsna smiles. If you can get Krsna

to smile upon you just once, your life's goal is

fulfilled. Thus smiling, Kapiladeva began to enlighten

His mother.

TEXT 13

sri-bhagavan uvaca

yoga adhyatmikah pumsam

mato nihsreyasaya me

atyantoparatir yatra

duhkhasya 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-gita by Krsna, is bhakti-yoga. It is also

mentioned in the Gita 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): anima,

laghima, prapti, isitva, vasitva, mahima, prakamya and

kamavasayita. A real yogi 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 adhyatmikah. Yoga is the

happiness of the soul, and the individual soul can be

happy when it is with the Supersoul, the Supreme Soul.

Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. 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,

Krsna. 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. Krsna is not alone, but is always

with His friends, either the gopis or the cowherd

boys, or with His mother and father. We never find

Krsna alone. He may be with Radharani 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 atma 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 Krsna, the

Supreme Being, has a material covering is himself

covered by maya. Krsna does not say that He comes as

an ordinary living being. Rather, His advent is

totally transcendental. Janma karma ca me divyam evam

yo vetti tattvatah (Bg. 4.4). We therefore have to

learn how Krsna takes His birth, which is not

ordinary. If it were ordinary, why should we observe

the Janmastami ceremony? His birth is divyam, divine.

Everything about Krsna is divine, and if we think that

Krsna is like us, we immediately become mudhas,

fools. In the words of Bhagavad-gita (9.11):

avajananti mam mudha

manusim tanum asritam

param bhavam ajananto

mama bhuta-mahesvaram

" 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 Krsna is

the original Supreme Being, the original spirit soul.

We are simply minute parts and parcels of Krsna. If we

connect with Krsna, we are illuminated just as Krsna

is illuminated. If we fall down from Krsna, 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 Bhagavan, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Bhagavan makes no mistakes.

Narayanah paro 'vyaktat: even Sankaracarya says that

" Bhagavan, Narayana, does not belong to this

material world. " When we speak of Bhagavan, or when

the sastras refer to Bhagavan, we refer to Him who is

above material understanding. As stated here,

sri-bhagavan uvaca. It does not say vyasadeva uvaca or

kapiladeva

uvaca. Similarly, in Bhagavad-gita, Vyasadeva says,

sri-bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan refers to Him who is

above the defects of this material world. Bhagavan 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

Sri Bhagavan 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 Bhagavan; then they will be perfect. We

read Bhagavad-gita 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. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (7.26):

vedaham samatitani

vartamanani carjuna

bhavisyani ca bhutani

mam tu veda na kascana

" 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.

Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ,rjuna tisthati (Bg.

18.61). Isvara, God, Krsna, is situated in everyone's

heart. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah: " 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.

andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

(Brahma-samhita 5.35)

The Supreme Lord is within the atom as Paramatma, 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 Bhagavan says as perfect knowledge, we

receive perfect knowledge. For receiving this

knowledge, there is a disciplic succession

(parampara), which is described in Bhagavad-gita

(4.2):

evam parampara-praptam

imam rajarsayo viduh

" This supreme science was thus received through the

chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings

understood it in that way. " This Krsna consciousness

philosophy is very easy because we do not manufacture

ideas. We take the ideas and the words delivered by

the Supreme Person, Krsna, or His incarnation or

representative. His representative does not say

anything which Krsna Himself does not say. It is very

easy to be a representative, but one cannot be a

representative of Krsna if one tries to interpret

Krsna's words in a

whimsical way. There is no authority superior to Sri

Krsna, 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 Sri Krsna. Caitanya

Mahaprabhu has advised: amara ajnaya guru hana tara'

ei desa (Cc. Madhya 7.128). Caitanya Mahaprabhu

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

Mahaprabhu says that it is not very difficult. Yare

dekha, tare kaha `krsna'-upadesa: " Simply speak

whatever Krsna speaks. Then you become a guru. "

Whoever speaks what Krsna has not spoken is not a guru

but a rascal. A guru only speaks what Krsna has

spoken. This is the sastric injunction.

sat-karma-nipuno vipro

mantra-tantra-visaradah

avaisnavo gurur na syad

vaisnavah sva-paco guruh

" A scholarly brahmana expert in all subjects of Vedic

knowledge is unfit to become a spiritual master

without being a Vaisnava, but a person born in a

family of a lower class can become a spiritual master

if he is a Vaisnava. " (Padma Purana) 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 Krsna consciousness society

is to awaken people to their original consciousness.

Jiva jaga, jiva jaga, goracanda bale. The word

goracanda refers to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who tells the

living entity, " Get up! Get up! How long will you

continue to sleep? " Kata nidra yao maya-pisacira 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 Krsna

consciousness and connect oneself again with Krsna.

That is adhyatmika-yoga. Yoga does not mean

showing some mystic magic. The supreme yogi is

described by Sri Krsna Himself in Bhagavad-gita

(6.47):

yoginam api sarvesam

mad-gatenantaratmana

sraddhavan bhajate yo mam

sa me yuktatamo matah

" And of all yogis, 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 yogis and many

different types of yoga systems, and all of these are

discussed in Bhagavad-gita. There is hatha-yoga,

karmayoga, jnana-yoga and raja-yoga; however, the real

yoga system is meant for reviving our connection with

Krsna. Here it is said: yoga adhyatmikah pumsam.

Adhyatmikah: we are living entities, souls. It is not

that we are disconnected from Krsna, but we have

simply forgotten Him. It is not possible to be

disconnected, but it is possible to be covered. In the

words of Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (7.25):

naham prakasah sarvasya

yogamaya-samavrtah

mudho 'yam nabhijanati

loko mam ajam avyayam

" I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent.

For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency

[yogamaya]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who

am unborn and infallible. " There is yoga, and there is

yogamaya. Yogamaya 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-gita

(2.13) first of all teaches what the soul is:

dehino 'smin yatha dehe

kaumaram yauvanam jara

tatha dehantara-praptir

dhiras 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

dehi 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 maya, the material

energy.

prakrteh kriyamanani

gunaih karmani sarvasah

ahankara-vimudhatma

kartaham 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-gita (13.22):

karanam guna-sango '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, Krsna 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--anmals, trees and plants. This is

the proclamation of Sri Krsna in Bhagavad-gita

(14.18):

urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha

madhye tisthanti rajasah

jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha

adho gacchanti tamasah

" 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

(karanam guna-sango '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 Krsna through the supreme yoga, we can

get rid of material happiness and distress arising

from the body. Reconnecting with Krsna is called

bhakti-yoga, and Krsna 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 Krsna's instruction, and

Krsna's representative, the incarnation or the guru,

says the same thing. Although Kapiladeva is an

incarnation of Krsna, He acts as the representative of

Krsna, the guru. If we just accept the principle of

surrender unto Krsna, we will become actually

transcendental to socalled 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

Krsna. In this way our senses are spiritualized, and

this is called adhyatmika-yoga or bhakti-yoga. This is

the yoga that Lord Kapiladeva is herein expounding.

Chapter Eight

Bhakti-yoga:

TEXT 14

tam imam te pravaksyami

yam avocam puranaghe

rsinam srotu-kamanam

yogam sarvanga-naipunam

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, hatha-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 adhyatmika.

Adhyatmika means to awaken the soul to his proper

position. The soul is purusa, spirit, and his business

is to reconnect his lost relationship with Krsna.

Herein Kapiladeva says that He previously delivered

this yoga system to the great rsis, the great sages.

This is the process of sravana, hearing. One must be

very eager to hear, for spiritual life begins with

hearing.

atah sri-krsna-namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu 1.2.234)

It is thus stated in the sastras that it is not

possible to appreciate or understand Krsna with our

blunt material senses. Krsna's name, form, qualities,

pastimes, paraphernalia and abode are all part and

parcel of Krsna. However, understanding Krsna 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 Krsna's personal

instruction:

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yaji mam namaskuru

" Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer

obeisances and worship Me. " (Bg. 9.34) Bhagavan Sri

Krsna 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

Krsna consciousness one step at a time.

svalpam apy asya dharmasya

trayate mahato bhayat

" 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 Krsna 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-gita

(6.41):

sucinam srimatam gehe

yoga-bhrasto 'bhijayate

The unsuccessiul yogi 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:

suci haya muci haya yadi krsna tyaje

muci haya suci haya yadi krsna-bhaje

If one takes to Krsna consciousness, even if he is

born in a family of a cobbler (muci), he becomes

greater than a brahmana (suci). However, if one is

born in a brahmana family and gives up Krsna

consciousness, he becomes a muci, a cobbler. Thus the

door of devotion is open to everyone, whoever he may

be. Krsna Himself says that regardless of one's

position, if one takes shelter of Him, one can

approach the supreme destination.

mam hi partha vyapasritya

ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah

striyo vaisyas tatha sudras

te 'pi yanti param gatim

" O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though

they be of lower birth--women, vaisyas [merchants], as

well as sudras [workers]-- can approach the supreme

destination. " (Bg. 9.32) And Sukadeva Gosvami says:

kirata- hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa

abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah

ye 'nye ca papa yad-apasrayasrayah

sudhyanti tasmai prabhavisnave namah

" Kirata, Huna, Andhra, Pulinda, Pulkasa, Abhira,

Sumbha, 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. " (SB. 2.4.18) Krsna consciousness

is so complete that it is allembracing. Everyone has

an occupational duty as a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya

or sudra, but one does not have to give up his

occupational duty to take to Krsna consciousness. And

if one takes to Krsna 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 (svadharma) but is

not Krsna conscious, what does he gain? There is

actually no gain. Kapiladeva explains that once one

takes to the path of bhaktiyoga, 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 brahmana family.

If one executes his duties as a brahmana,

Visnu will be very pleased, and if one executes his

duties perfectly as a ksatriya or sudra, Visnu will

also be very pleased. One does not have to change

one's position. In Bhagavad-gita (18.46) Sri Krsna

says that every man can become perfect by following

his qualities of work:

yatah pravrttir bhutanam

yena sarvam idam tatam

sva-karmana- tam abhyarcya

siddhim vindati manavah

" By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all

beings and who is allpervading, man can, in the

performance of his own duty, attain perfection. " Thus

if one executes his duties as a perfect ksatriya,

vaisya, sudra or whatever, Visnu will be pleased. The

purpose of work is to please Visnu. Unfortunately,

people have forgotten this. Varnasramadharma, 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 Krsna. Unfortunately,

the varnasrama-dharma has been lost in

this age. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu, just to give

relief to the rotting, conditioned souls of this age

of Kali-yuga, has given us the maha-mantra.

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

" 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. " (Brhan-naradiya Purana)

Although we may try to revive the perfect varnasrama

system, it is not possible in this age. People are

fallen, disturbed and unfortunate:

prayenalpayusah sabhya

kalav asmin yuge janah

mandah sumanda-matayo

manda-bhagya hy upadrutah

" 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. " (SB.

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

Srimad-Bhagavatam. People will become so disgusted

that they will suddenly leave their wife and children

and go to the forest. How can the peaceful

varnasrama-dharma be revived when people are so

harassed in this age? It is virtually impossible.

Therefore the system of bhaktiyoga, the chanting of

the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, should be adopted. The

whole aim of bhakti-yoga is to satisfy Visnu. Yajnaih

sankirtanaprayaih: Visnu, Krsna, came Himself as

Caitanya Mahaprabhu to teach us the way of sankirtana.

Presently it has become fashionable to manufacture a

new system of religion, but Kapiladeva, like Krsna,

does not manufacture anything new. This system is not

new, but very old (pura). Krsna also says the same in

Bhagavad-gita (4.2), evam paramparapraptam imam

rajarsayo viduh: " This supreme science was thus

received through the chain of disciplic succession,

and the saintly kings

understood it in that way. " Thus Krsna 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? " Sri Krsna answers,

bhakto 'si me sakha ceti: " Because you are My devotee

as well as My friend. " (Bg. 4.3)Thus without being a

bhakta, a devotee of Krsna's, one cannot actually

understand the science of bhakti-yoga. Understanding

Bhagavadgita means understanding Krsna. All this

information is explained only in the

bhakti-sampradaya, not in any other school. Therefore

Krsna says at the conclusion of Bhagavad-gita (18.55),

bhaktya mam abhijanati: if one actually wants to

understand Krsna and one's relationship with Him,

one must take to this process of bhakti-yoga.

Bhakti-yoga as explained by Lord Kapiladeva is

sankhya-yoga.

Lord Kapiladeva states here:

tam imam te pravaksyami

yam avocam puranaghe

The word anaghe refers to one without sin. The word

agha refers to past sins, and an means " without. "

Therefore one cannot understand Krsna consciousness

unless he is free from sin. Yesam tv anta-gatam papam:

one

can stick to Krsna 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, Krsna 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 Krsna, 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.

Bahunam janmanam ante. We have received this body

through the evolutionary processes, and this human

form is a great opportunity. Narottama dasa Thakura

sings: hari hari viphale janama gonainu: " My dear Lord

Krsna, I have simply wasted my time. " Why? manusya

janama paiya, radha-krsna na bhajiya, janiya suniya

visa khainu " Because I have received the human form of

life, which is meant for understanding Krsna, yet I

have simply wasted my time by not taking advantage of

this opportunity. I have done everything but worship

Radha-Krsna. 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 Krsna 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-nama-sankirtana,

rati na janmila kene taya

" My dear Lord, You have given us the medicine of

hari-namasankirtana, the chanting of Hare Krsna.

Unfortunately, I have no attraction for Your holy

names. " It is also stated: vrajendra-nandana yei,

saci-suta haila sei, balarama haila nitai " Krsna has

now come as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the son of mother

Saci. And Balarama has come as Lord Nityananda. " What

is Their business? They are delivering all kinds of

sinful men simply by chanting Hare

Krsna. And what is the evidence of this? The evidence

is that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu

delivered the sinful Jagai and Madhai. At the present

moment everyone is like Jagai and Madhai, for everyone

is intoxicated and mad after sex. Now, by the grace of

Caitanya Mahaprabhu, thousands of Jagais and Madhais

are being delivered. It is this active medicine, this

Hare Krsna maha-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 Krsna as they are. Sri

Krsna Himself characterizes His devotee in this way:

satatam kirtayanto mam

yatantas ca drdha-vratah

namasyantas ca mam bhaktya

nitya-yukta upasate

" 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 Krsna consciousness movement on the

basis of Bhagavad-gita. When we

are a little further advanced, we can read

Srimad-Bhagavatam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself has

opened the way with this sankirtana movement. The

entire world is in darkness without Krsna

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 gunas, the modes of

material nature--sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna.

Out of these three gunas, sattva-guna, the mode of

goodness, is the best. A brahmana, 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

astikyam.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has explained the difference

between nastikyam and astikyam. According to Vedic

understanding, one who does not believe in the Vedas

is called nastika. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: veda na

maniya bauddha haya ta 'nastika (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 brahmana 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 sankirtana-yajna, the chanting of the Hare

Krsna maha-mantra. This is the yajna, or sacrifice,

especially intended for this age. We need only chant

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare

Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. By performing

this yajna, the results will be

ceto-darpana-marjanam--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 Krsna

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-gita Sri Krsna 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 Krsna. The purpose of

this Krsna consciousness movement is to keep our minds

constantly on Krsna.

Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is

a person. When He was realized by Arjuna, He was

addressed as purusam. God is purusa, male, not female.

purusa means " the enjoyer, " and prakrti means " the

enjoyed. " Everything is enjoyed by the supreme purusa.

It is also stated that we are actually prakrti, not

purusa. The human dress is simply maya, illusion. We

are thinking that we are purusa, the enjoyer, but

actually we are the enjoyed. A man, thinking of

enjoying himself, tries to imitate purusa, but

actually he is prakrti. 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 gunas, he receives different types of

bodies. One who is in the mode of goodness receives

the body of a learned brahmana. 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 Brahma also dies and takes birth. From

Vedic literatures we understand that Lord Brahma took

birth from the lotus flower generated from the navel

of Visnu. Thus he had his birth, and when Lord Brahma

dies, the entire material cosmic manifestation will be

finished. Just as Lord Brahma 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-gita,

the living entity never actually takes birth, and he

never actually dies. Na jayate mriyate va kadacit:

" 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 Brahma 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

Brahma 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 rsis and Bhagavan Kapiladeva, as well as by

Bhagavan Sri Krsna, in order to attain liberation from

the cycle of birth and death.

Receiving Krsna consciousness means receiving light.

People are exhausted with the materialistic way of

life, especially in the West. Now the Krsna

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 Krsna,

the Supreme Lord, how can there be a question of these

things? Krsna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, and being

part and parcel of Krsna, 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 adhyatmikah pumsam mato nihsreyasaya.

The soul is entrapped in the body, and the process of

perfect yoga is 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: ratam

va pumsi muktaye. If our consciousness is simply

attached to Krsna, we will be liberated. The great

souls are always chanting about Krsna. Hare Krsna,

Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare

Rama, Rama Rama, Hare

Hare. They are also endeavoring with great

determination in their devotional service. For

instance, in the Krsna consciousness temples the

devotees rise early in the morning, at 4:00 A.M., and

they immediately bathe. Then they go to mangala-arati

at 4:30, and after mangala-arati they study the Vedic

literatures. These are the processes by which we can

awaken our dormant love for Krsna. Because we are part

and parcel of Krsna--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! " Krsna thinks in this way. We

are all sons of Krsna, and Krsna is more anxious to

get us back home, back to Godhead, than we are to go.

Therefore Krsna 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. " Krsna comes

Himself and leaves behind His words. His words are

also Himself because His words are absolute. Presently

we do not see Krsna, but if we actually advance, we

will see Him. When we see the Deity in the temple, we

think, " Oh, this is anidol. It is not Krsna. " If we

think in this way, we have not seen Krsna.Krsna is

also present in His words, in Bhagavad-gita. That is

krsnavani, the message of Krsna. The stage of

awareness of Krsna can be attained when one is

advanced in Krsna consciousness. Then one can

understand that Krsna is present in the Deity, in

Bhagavad-gita, in the taste of water, in the sunshine,

in the moonshine and in all sound. Krsna is present

everywhere, but one has to acquire knowledge in order

to know how to see Krsna. That is mukti, liberation.

That is Krsna consciousness. That is also the process

of bhakti-yoga—sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam....

Deity worship is arcanam, chanting is vandanam, and

dasyam is working for Krsna and spreading this Krsna

consciousness movement. Generally we experience that

people are primarily interested in seeing Krsna, 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 Krsna, and then, after some

time, officially take initiation into the service of

the Lord. That is called bhajana-kriya. 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-kriya, all these anarthas (unwanted things)

will be finished. param drstva nivartate. When one

appreciates something better, he rejects all kinds of

nonsense.

Once one gets a taste of Krsna consciousness, he

cannot remain without it. A drunkard cannot remain

without a drink, but a devotee is drunk with Krsna

consciousness. The immunization against all material

diseases

is this Krsna consciousness. To be immuned to the

infection of the gunas, 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 Krsna for a moment. That is

called bhava, and that bhava may increase to

maha-bhava. This is not possible for ordinary human

beings, but it was possible for the gopis and

Radharani. Indeed, they could not live without Krsna.

This is the highest stage of liberation.

Chapter Nine

Purifying the Mind for Self-realization

TEXT 15

cetah khalv asya bandhaya

muktaye catmano matam

gunesu saktam bandhaya

ratam va pumsi 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 Krsna

consciousness and maya consciousness. Gunesu, or maya

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 cetah, or consciousness, is transferred

to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or when

one becomes Krsna conscious, he is on the path of

liberation.

TEXT 16

aham-mamabhimanotthaih

kama-lobhadibhir malaih

vitam yada manah suddham

aduhkham asukham 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

Kama 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 Narada-pancaratra, one's

mind and senses should be purified (tatparatvena

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 Krsna. The mind must be engaged. If

we engage our mind in Krsna, 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

contact 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-guna and rajo-guna, these dirty things are very

prominent. One has to raise himself to the mode of

sattva (goodness) by the process of sankirtana and

sravana. One has to hear krsna-katha. Krsna is within

everyone's heart. The individual soul is part and

parcel of Krsna, and Krsna 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 karmis. 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 karmis 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. Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu therefore enjoins, jivera `svarupa'

haya--krsnera `nitya-dasa': our actual position is

that of eternal servants of Krsna. We are mistakenly

thinking that we are servants of a family or nation,

but this is due to ignorance, tamo-guna. However, we

can attain the platform of sattva-guna by following

the instructions given in Bhagavad-gita. Hearing

krsna-katha, topics about Krsna, 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. ln 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 Krsna

consciousness movement is giving everyone a chance to

become pious. punya-sravana-kirtanah. It is not

necessary to give money or bathe in the Ganges. There

are many pious activities and many processes

recommended in the sastras 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 Krsna and

chanting His names. Krsna 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 Krsna, and they

suffer through material existenceone 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

sastras say that people are making mistakes in this

way. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarmah (SB. 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-gita (3.9):

yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra

loko 'yam karma-bandhanah

tad-artham karma kaunteya

mukta-sangah samacara

" Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be

performed, otherwise work binds one to this material

world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, 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-guna, 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 Krsna

consciousness movement is trying togive these rascals

a little sense. We are saying, " Don't remain animals

Become human beings. " In the words of Caitanya

Mahaprabhu:

krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha

ataeva maya tare deya samsara-duhkha

" Forgetting Krsna, the living entity has been

attracted by the external feature from time

immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy (maya) gives

him all kinds of misery in his material existence.

(Cc. Madhya 20.1 17) When one forgets his relationship

with Krsna, he acts in a very foolish way, and maya

gives him one misery after another. It is

also stated:

maya-mugdha jivera nahi svatah krsna jnana

jivere krpaya kaila krsna veda-purana

" The conditioned soul cannot revive his Krsna

consciousness by his own effort. But out of causeless

mercy, Lord Krsna compiled the Vedic literature and

its supplements, the Puranas. " (Cc. Madhya 20.122) The

Vedic literatures--the Vedanta, Upanisads, Ramayana,

Mahabharata and many others--should be utilized if we

wish to become

free from the contamination of tamo-guna and

rajo-guna. The whole world is revolving due to kama

and lobha. Kama 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 Krsna consciousness

society. Krsna is within the heart, and the

contaminations are also there, but Krsna will help us

cleanse them. Nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam

bhagavata-sevaya (SB. 1.2.18). We must regularly hear

Srimad-Bhagavatam and chant Hare Krsna; these are the

two processes recommended by Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Haridasa Thakura 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam. Our time is

very valuable, and we should not waste it. Canakya

Pandita has said: ayusah ksana eko 'pi na labhyah

svarnakotibhih. 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam,

but we should also serve the person bhagavata, one

whose life is nothing but Srimad-Bhagavatam. Nityam

bhagavata-sevaya. 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. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. We can

vanquish all these false conceptions when we come to

the platform of sattva-guna. Then we will not be

disturbed by tamo-guna or rajo-guna, nor by kama or

lobha (lust and greed). This is the vasudeva platform.

Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Lord Kapiladeva, in the

next verse, points out the results that

follow the successful completion of this purificatory

process.

TEXT 17

tada purusa atmanam

kevalam prakrteh param

nirantaram svayam-jyotir

animanam akhanditam

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 Krsna

consciousness, one can see himself as a minute

particle nondifferent from the Supreme Lord. As stated

in Bhagavad-gita, the jiva, 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. Mayavada philosophy

enunciates that the whole spirit exists, but a part of

it, which is called the jiva, is entrapped by

illusion. This philosophy, however, is unacceptable

because spirit cannot be divided like a fragment of

matter. That part, the jiva, 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 jiva 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 animanam. Animanam means " infinitesimal. " The

Supreme Spirit is all-pervading, but the very small

spirit is the individual soul. Akhanditam 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 jiva. 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-gita

(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-bhuta

stage. Aham brahmasmi. I am not this material body,

but spirit soul. And what are the characteristics of

the jiva, the soul? First of all, he is animanam,

very minute, infinitesimal. We are also jyoti,

effulgent, like God, but God is brahma-jyoti,

allpervading and infinite. According to the Mayavada

theory, we are the same as that brahmajyoti. Mayavadis

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-gita (2.24):

acchedyo 'yam adahyo 'yam

akledyo 'sosya eva ca

nityah sarva-gatah sthanur

acalo 'yam sanatanah

" 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 Sri Krsna. As Sri Krsna Himself

states in Bhagavad-gita (15.7):

mamaivamso jiva-loke

jiva-bhutah sanatanah

" The living entities in the conditioned world are My

eternal, fragmental parts. " The word sanatana means

" eternal, " and the word amsa means " particles. " God,

Krsna, 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-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya

jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah

visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

" The Brahmas and other lords of the mundane worlds

appear from the pores of the Maha-Visnu and remain

alive for the duration of His one exhalation. I adore

the primeval Lord, Govinda, for Maha-Visnu is a

portion of His plenary portion. " (Brahma-samhita 5.48)

Millions of universes emanate from the breathing of

the Maha-Visnu. In the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita,

Krsna gives Arjuna some indication of His infinite

glory, and He concludes His descriptions with the

following statement (Bg. 10.42):

athava bahunaitena

kim jnatena tavarjuna

vistabhyaham idam krtsnam

ekamsena 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

Krsna'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

puranas 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 nirakara,

formless. We cannot even calculate its dimension

(akara). 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 jivas identify themselves as American, Indian,

brahmana, ksatriya, 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

Krsna's eternal parts and parcels, that we are very

minute, infinitesimal, and that we have a perpetual

and eternal relationship with Krsna, just as a part

has its relationship to the whole. At no time can we

be as great as Krsna, 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-samhita (5.1) also

verifies this statement: isvarah paramah krsnah. The

word isvara 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 Brahma, we see that he

is controlling the entire universe, but he is not the

supreme controller. It is stated in the sastras that

Brahma, the greatest living being within this

universe, is also meditating in order to learn how to

control. Tene brahma hrdaya adi-kavaye (SB. 1.1.1).

First of all, Brahma learned to control the universe;

then he became qualified as Brahma. Although he was

born Brahma, he still had to be educated. If he was

the first living being in the universe, who educated

him? Krsna. Sri Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (10.2),

aham adir hi devanam: " I am the source of the

demigods. " The original demigods are Brahma, Visnu and

Siva. Lord Krsna is Visnu, but He is the instructor of

Brahma and Siva. Therefore it is said that Lord Krsna

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. the supreme controller. It is

very fashionable nowadays to claim to have become

Narayana, God. The Mayavadis address one another

as Narayana, and thus everyone supposedly becomes

Narayana. In this way we are overcrowded with

Narayanas here and there. But how can everyone become

Narayana? Narayana is one, and the sastras warn:

yas tu narayanam devam

brahma-rudradi-devataih

samatvenaiva vikseta

sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam

" Whoever thinks Lord Visnu 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 Narayana to the demigods, he simply reveals

his lack of intelligence. It is also fashionable to

speak of daridra-narayana, poor Narayana, claiming

that the poor man in

the street is Narayana. But what is this nonsense?

Narayana is the exalted Supreme Personality of

Godhead. Even Sankaracarya says: narayanah paro

'vyaktat. Narayana is beyond this universe. Avyaktad

anda-sambhavah: the entire universe is a product of

this avyakta. We should not compare Narayana to

anyone, what to speak of the poor man in the street

(daridra). This is all foolishness. Narayana is

Laksmipati, the husband and controller of the goddess

of fortune. How, then, can He be daridra? This is all

due to misunderstanding. Therefore the sastras

warn that if one thinks that the demigods are equal to

Narayana, one is a pasandi, an atheist. We should not

think that because we have become liberated, we have

attained the position of Narayana. By severe austerity

and penance one may elevate himself to the position of

Brahman, but this is not the position of parabrahman.

Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah (SB. 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 Krsna. One may

rise to the Brahma 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

paravyoma, the spiritual sky, there are many spiritual

planets, called Vaikunthalokas. 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 ananda.

Sac-cid-ananda: cit means " knowledge, " and that is

also partial. We must add ananda (bliss) in order to

have complete realization. If we simply fly in the

sky, we can't have ananda. We have to descend to an

airport at some time or another. If we simply rise to

the Brahman effulgence, we do not experience ananda.

Ananda is

experienced when we enter the spiritual planets, where

Narayana, Krsna, is present. paras tasmat tu bhavo

'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah (Bg. 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 Krsna.

Why does He come? What is His business? What is His

form? The purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement

is to teach people

how to understand Krsna. 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 kama and lobha, lust and greed, and the influence

of the lower gunas, tamo-guna and rajo-guna, ignorance

and passion. As soon as we engage in devotional

service, we immediately become freed from the

influence of the gunas. Because we are not expert in

approaching the Supreme Lord, we have to

follow the principles of bhakti-yoga enunciated by the

acaryas. 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 Krsna consciousness

movement, we have certain rules and regulations. We

must rise early in the morning for mangala-arati,

chant sixteen rounds of Hare Krsna daily, and execute

all the functions of bhakti-yoga. In this

way, we become attached to rendering service to Krsna,

and we become practiced in this science. When we

attain this stage, we immediately become

self-realized.

Chapter Ten

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment

TEXT 18

jnana-vairagya-yuktena

bhakti-yuktena catmana

paripasyaty udasinam

prakrtim 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

vairagya, 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,

jnana-vairagyayuktena: 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. paripasyati means that

he can see everything in its right perspective. Then

the influence of material nature becomes almost nil.

This is also confirmed in Bhagavadgita. Brahma-bhutah

prasannatma: 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-bhaktim labhate param, the real beginning of

devotional service. Similarly, it is confirmed in the

Narada-pancaratra 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 Krsna 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 Krsna. It is our

constitutional position to serve someone, but when we

do not serve Krsna, we serve maya. 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 Krsna. In

the material world we are serving our lusty desires,

not Krsna, 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 Krsna. Ekale isvara krsna,

ara saba bhrtya (Cc. Adi 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 Krsna and that one's duty is to

serve Him. Selfrealization is not thinking aham

brahmasmi, " I have become Brahman, Bhagavan. " How can

we become Bhagavan? If we are Bhagavan, 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 of maya? Does Bhagavan come under

the influence of maya? No. Krsna says specifically in

Bhagavad-gita that prakrti, maya, is working under His

directions. Maya is the maidservant of Krsna, and if

we are the servants of ma-ya-,

how can we be Krsna, Bhagavan? When we come to our

spiritual senses, we can understand that we are

erroneously engaged in maya's service and that our

duty is to engage in Krsna's service. That is

self-realization.

As stated here: jnana-vairagya-yuktena. Real

understanding is knowing oneself to be the servant of

Krsna, no one else. Because we are under illusion, we

are serving kama, lobha, moha, matsarya--lust and

greed-- without benefit and without pleasure.

Kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesa: " There is

no limit to the unwanted orders of lusty desires. "

(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 3.2.25) When we come to the

understanding that our pleasure lies in serving Krsna

only, we have attained jnanavairagya. Therefore in

Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.7) it is stated:

vasudeve bhagavati

bhakti-yogah p rayojitah

janayaty asu vairagyam

jnanam ca yad ahaitukam

" By rendering devotional service unto the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, one immediately

acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the

world. " If one engages in the service of Vasudeva,

Krsna, this knowledge comes, and one becomes a

mahatma. A mahatma is one who realizes that Krsna is

everything. He does not defy Krsna or try to become

Krsna. One who does so is not a mahatma but a duratma,

a rascal. What is the position and knowledge of a

mahatma? Krsna states: mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim

prakrtim asritah

bhajanty ananya-manaso jnatva bhutadim avyayam " O son

of Prtha, 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 mahatma

cannot be manufactured. He is under the daiviprakrti,

the divine nature. There are two kinds of

prakrti--para prakrti and apara

prakrti. Apara prakrti is the material world, and

daivi prakrti is the spiritual world. As soon as one

understands that he is uselessly serving maya in the

material world in the form of society, friends,

country and so forth, one reaches the stage called

jnana, knowledge. As soon as one attains this

knowledge, he reaches the brahma-bhuta stage, Brahman

realization, and he becomes prasannatma, happy. One

may ask, " Why should I serve Krsna? " We have already

explained that being a part means serving the whole.

The whole is Krsna, and the individuals are meant for

Krsna's satisfaction. Isavasyam idam sarvam. There are

many isvaras, controllers, but the supreme isvara is

Krsna. 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 ajnanis, unintelligent people, but this is not the

case. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna indicates that after many

births, the jnani, the man in knowledge, surrenders

unto Him. As long as we do not understand Krsna,

Vasudeva, we should understand that we are still

fools. We may advertise ourselves as very

great jnanis, learned personalities, but we are

actually fools. That is the sastric conclusion. If we

are actually jnanis, we should surrender unto Krsna.

There are many dharmas, or activities. Some are pious

and some impious, but Krsna tells us to give up both.

Arjuna was thinking that it was impious to fight with

his relatives, but Krsna was insisting that he fight.

How could Arjuna act impiously? He could not, because

Krsna's service is transcendental to pious and impious

activity. At midnight, when the gopis heard the sound

of Krsna's flute, they ran to the forest

to join Him. According to the sastras, 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 gopis did this for Krsna.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was so strict that no woman

could even come near Him to offer respects, actually

said: ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya

kalpita. " What could be more wonderful than that

worship conceived by the gopis? " Although it actually

appeared immoral for the gopis to dance with Krsna,

Caitanya Mahaprabhu states that their relation with

Krsna is

the highest form of worship. This is actually

transcendental knowledge. One becomes transcendental

to all pious and impious activities when one serves

Krsna. After all, piety and impiety are within the

material modes. Krsna's service is transcendental to

good and bad, pious and impious. Bhakti-yoga begins

when jnana and vairagya are complete. Jnana is

knowledge, and vairagya is detachment from matter and

engagement of the mind in spirit. Both of these are

automatically attained when we engage in devotional

service to Krsna.

TEXT 19

na yujyamanaya bhaktya

bhagavaty akhilatmani

sadrso 'sti sivah pantha

yoginam brahma-siddhaye

TRANSLATION

Perfection in self-realization cannot be attained by

any kind of yogi 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 yujyamanaya 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 aham brahmasmi.

Brahma-siddhi means that one should know that he is

not matter; he is pure soul. There are

different kinds of yogis, but every yogi is supposed

to have attained selfrealization, 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 brahmasiddhi. In the beginning of

the Second Chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated

that when one engages in the devotional service of

Vasudeva, 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, sivah pantha: this is the

only auspicious path for selfrealization. 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 that brahmajyoti there is the Supreme

personality of Godhead. In the Upanisads 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 Paramatma feature of the

Supreme Person perfect because Bhagavan, the Supreme

personality of Godhead, is akhilatma--He is the

Supersoul. One who realizes the Supreme Personality

realizes the other features, namely the Paramatma

feature and the Brahman feature, and that total

realization is brahmasiddhi. As stated before, the

word yoga means " to connect. " Brahma-siddhaye means

" self-realization, " and aham brahmasmi 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.

Mayavadi philosophers think that it is sufficient to

stop all material activity, and the Buddhist

philosophers advocate nirvana, 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 Mayavadis 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 nirvana.

Nirvana means the cessation of pleasure and pain. The

Mayavadis 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 Mayavadis claim that the material

world is false, mithya, 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 Bhagavan is

everywhere:

eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim

yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-caya yad-antah

andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

" 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-samhita 5.35) Sri Bhagavan

is not alone. He is not only localized, but is

everywhere. Although Krsna has a particular place, He

is everywhere. It is not that because Krsna is in one

place, He cannot be in others. Since

we are conditioned, when we sit in our office we

cannot be at home. Krsna is not like this. Goloka eva

nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah. Krsna is always in Goloka

Vrndavana, yet He is

andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantarastham.

He is within every atom of this universe. This

universe is existing due to the Garbhodakasayi Visnu.

There is not only one universe, but there are many

millions, and they are all working very nicely because

the Garbhodakasayi Visnu 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 jnana and

vairagya, 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 Durga, 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 Bhagavan. If one says that he

is Bhagavan, we should ask, " Are you

present in everyone's heart? Can you tell me what I am

thinking now? " If one is Bhagavan, he must be

akhilatma. If one is isvara, he must be present in

everyone's heart. Krsna is present in everyone's heart

(sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah). All this should be

scrutinizingly studied. It is not that one should

accept this rascal or that rascal as

Bhagavan. 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 Krsna, Krsna

consciousness, our lives will be successful. Actually

there is no alternative. As stated in

this verse, sadrso 'sti sivah pantha. Parabrahman is

Krsna, and brahmasiddhaye means understanding our

relationship with Krsna. It is all right for one to

understand oneself as Brahman (aham brahmasmi), but

what is our relationship with the Parabrahman? There

are always two: Brahman and Parabrahman, atma and

Paramatma, isvara and Paramesvara, the individual

living being and the supreme living being, nitya and

nityanam, cetanas and cetananam. 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 Krsna

consciousness is transcendental to this material

world. In Krsna consciousness, there is no darkness

but simply light. If we try to qnd things at night, it

becomes very difficult; however, in the daytime, there

is no difficulty. The sastras enjoin that we leave

this darkness and come to light. This light is given

by the guru.

om ajnana timirandhasya

jnananjana-salakaya

caksur unmilitam yena

tasmai sri-gurave namah

" 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.

Sruti, 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

puranas to the sisters. We should understand from the

Vedas what ultimate knowledge really is. The ultimate

knowable objective is Krsna, and simply by

understanding Krsna, we can understand everything. We

do not have to understand things separately. Krsna is

within our hearts. He is not far away; rather, He is

everywhere. If Krsna 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 Krsna

Himself says in Bhagavad-gita (10.11):

tesam evanukampartham

aham ajnanajam tamah

nasayamy atma- bhava-stho

jnana-dipena bhasvata

" Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their

hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the

darkness born of ignorance. " Jnana 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. Krsna 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,

Bhagavan. It is not that Bhagavan is difficult to

find. Bhagavan is within the heart. Isvarah sarva

bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati (Bg. 18.61). That is

the real Bhagavan, within the hearts of all. That

Bhagavan is always active. He instructed Brahma, the

lord of the universe, and Brahma, having received

Krsna's instructions, created the entire universe.

Krsna will

also give instructions to us if we simply take to

devotional service.

TEXT 20

prasangam ajaram pasam

atmanah kavayo viduh

sa eva sadhusu krto

moksa-dvaram apavrtam

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 Krsna or His devotee is called

Krsna consciousness. Consciousness, therefore, is the

platform of attachment. It is clearly stated here that

when we simply purify the consciousness from material

consciousness to Krsna 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 sadhus. And who is a sadhu? A sadhu is not just an

ordinary man with a saffron robe or long beard. A

sadhu is described in Bhagavad-gita 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 Krsna, the Supreme Person, he is understood

to be a sadhu. Sadhur eva sa mantavyah. A sadhu 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 sadhu, or devotee. Lord

Caitanya also confirmed this. Lava-matra sadhu-sange

sarva-siddhi haya: simply by a moment's association

with a sadhu, one can attain perfection. Mahatma is a

synonym of sadhu. It is said that service to a

mahatma-, or elevated devotee of the Lord, is dvaram

ahur vimukteh, the royal road of liberation.

Mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes tamo-dvaram yositam

sangi-sangam (SB. 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 sadhu, the sadhu will teach one

how to become a devotee, a worshiper and a sincere

servitor of the Lord. These are the gifts of a sadhu.

If we want to

associate with a sadhu, 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 sadhu. Kapila Muni first

of all instructs that the path of liberation begins

with such association. According to Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu:

`sadhu-sanga', `sadhu-sanga'--sarva-sastre kaya

lava-matra sadhu-sange 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

yosit-sanga. This material world is filled with

yosit-sanga

because everyone is interested in sense gratification.

As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.44):

bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam

tayapahrta-cetasam

vyavasayatmika buddhih

samadhau na vidhiyate

" 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. " Bhogaisvarya: 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 are manda,

very slow. They do not take this Krsna 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 sastras 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 brahmacari

system and learn how to deny the senses. A brahmacari

should be trained in tapasya, not in enjoyment.

Formerly, brahmacaris would have to go from door to

door to beg alms for the asrama, 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, Krsna in Bhagavad-gita 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-gita 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

Sanatana Gosvami approached Caitanya Mahaprabhu, 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. Moksa,

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 Krsna

consciousness process, everyone can be elevated.

Everyone can be delivered, regardless of hissituation

or culture. We have spread this Krsna consciousness

movement throughout the world, and people are becoming

happy because of it. According to Bhagavad-gita

(9.32), anyone can take shelter of Krsna. Krsna never

denies anyone, and similarly, Krsna's devotee never

denies anyone. That is this Krsna consciousness

movement. We tell everyone, " Yes, you are welcome.

Take this education and spiritual life and become a

devotee of Krsna. " Sometimes we are criticized because

of this, but Krsna specifically says in Bhagavad-gita

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 sadhus in order to improve. If everyone is

a sudra and debauchee, how can society be peaceful?

Therefore in order to organize society, Krsna

recommends the varnasrama-dharma. There must be ideal

brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras. However, no

one cares about this now. One may ask, " What is a

sadhu? " A sadhu is one who serves Krsna and engages in

Krsna consciousness without reservation. In

Bhagavad-gita (9.30), Sri Krsna says:

api cet suduracaro

bhajate mam ananya-bhak

sadhur eva sa mantavyah

samyag vyavasito hi sah

" 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 sadhu'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 Hiranyakasipu, the

father of Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada was only five

years old and was chanting Hare Krsna, but his father

was prepared to kill him because he was a devotee.

Hiranyakasipu was saying, " Why are you chanting Hare

Krsna? 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 Prahlada's father was insisting that he was

God, Prahlada Maharaja could not accept this. He

simply accepted his father as an asura, and

consequently there was a quarrel between them. When

Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada Maharaja, " What

is the best thing you have learned from your

teachers? " Prahladareplied, " 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

moksa, liberation. " Unfortunately, foolish people do

not understand this. Krsna

says, mrtyuh sarva-haras caham: " I am death, and I

will take away everything you possess. " (Bg. 10.34)

Hiranyakasipu was such a powerfuldemon that even the

demigods were afraid of him, but Krsna took everything

away in a second. Hiranyakasipu was looking for

security, and he was thinking, " I will not die in this

way, and I will not die in thatway. " But he did not

think that he would be killed by the Lord in the form

of Nrsimha. However intelligent we may be, and however

much we may try to cheat Krsna, Krsna is always more

intelligent. When mother Yasoda tried to bind Krsna

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 maya. Krsna actually takes

the knowledge away from atheistic, demoniac people

like Hiranyakasipu. Atheists do not know that Krsna'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 Sanatana Gosvami 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 Krsna consciousness movement is

giving information on how to become liberated. Those

who are mahatmas are always engaged in chanting Hare

Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama,

Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Bhajana is the

chanting of Hare Krsna. If we serve a mahatma like

Haridasa Thakura, who was always engaged in chanting

Hare Krsna, 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-dvaram yositam sangi-sangam. 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 Krsna consciousness movement is therefore

here to give enlightenment and liberation, and it is

offering not only the simplest process of chanting

Hare Krsna but also the most sublime philosophy.

Chapter Eleven

The Symptoms of a Sadhu

TEXT 21

titiksavah karunikah

suhrdah sarva-dehinam

ajata-satravah santah

sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah

TRANSLATION

The symptoms of a sadhu 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 sadhu, 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 Krsna conscious. Be a devotee of

Lord Krsna. Don't spoil your life

in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human

life is meant for selfrealization, or Krsna

consciousness. " These are the preachings of a sadhu.

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 karunika, great mercy to

the fallen souls. While engaged in preaching work, he

has to meet with so many opposing elements, and

therefore the sadhu 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 sadhu 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,

Haridasa Thakura was caned in twenty-two

marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya's principal assistant,

Nityananda, was violently attacked by Jagai and

Madhai. 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-dehinam 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. Sivananda 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 sadhu, because a sadhu engages in the highest

philanthropic activities for the benediction of all

living entities. Yet although a sadhu is not inimical

toward anyone, the world is so ungrateful that even a

sadhu has many enemies.

What is the difference between an enemy and a friend?

lt is a difference in behavior. A sadhu behaves with

all conditioned souls for their ultimate relief from

material entanglement. Therefore, no one can be more

friendly than a sadhu in relieving a conditioned soul.

A sadhu is calm, and he quietly and peacefully follows

the principles of scripture. A sadhu 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 sastras instruct us to obey the

orders of the Personality of Godhead. A sadhu,

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 purana,

and the atma is the same in all of them. The sadhu can

understand this, as Bhagavad-gita (5.18) indicates:

vidya-vinaya-sampanne

brahmane gavi hastini

suni caiva svapake ca

panditah sama-darsinah

" The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees

with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a

cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste]. "

It is not that a brahmana is the same as a dog, but

that the

brahmana 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.

Yamaraja offers the living entity a body according to

his karma. Karmana daiva-netrena. We have already

discussed the point that bodies are awarded according

to one's qualifications. If we acquire the qualities

of a brahmana and work as a brahmana, we become a

brahmana. 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 brahmana, one

is automatically a brahmana. There are characteristics

mentioned in Bhagavad-gita by which one can tell to

which caste one belongs. Sridhara Svami 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 indeknitely. 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 karmana daiva-netrena. We should therefore be

very careful in this human form that our aim is to

become devotees of Lord Krsna. That is the path of

liberation. Previously, great personalities in lndia

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 sastras 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

yajna, sacrifice for the satisfaction of

the Supreme Person. We may perfect our activities, but

our success lies in satisfying Krsna by our talents.

Presently we may be attached to material activity, but

we should transfer that attachment to a sadhu. Then

our lives will be successful. Presently we are

attached to money,women, nice houses, country,

society, friends, family and so forth. This attachment

is called arjanam pasu. The word pasu means " rope. "

When we are bound with a rope, we are helpless, and

now we are bound by the gunas, or the three modes of

material nature. The word guna 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.parasya saktir vividhaiva

sruyate... na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate: in the

Svetasvatara Upanisad (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 sadhusu krto moksa-dvaram

apavrtam (SB. 3.25.20). We have to turn our attachment

from material things to a sadhu. `Sadhu-sanga',

`sadhusanga'--

sarva-sastre kaya: this is the advice of Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu. All sastras advise us to associate with a

sadhu. Even Canakya Pandita, the great politician,

recommended: tyaja durjanasamsargam bhaja

sadhu-samagamam. One Vaisnava householder asked

Caitanya Mahaprabhu what the duty of a householder is,

and Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu immediately replied, asat-sanga-tyaga--ei

vaisnava-acara: " Don't associate with nondevotees, but

search out a sadhu. " (Cc. Madhya 22.87) At the present

moment it is very difficult to avoid the company of

asadhus, those who are not sadhus. It is very

difficult to find a sadhu for association. We have

therefore started this Krsna consciousness movement to

create an association of sadhus so that people may

take advantage and become liberated. There is no other

purpose for this society. Krsna states in

Bhagavad-gita (6.47) that the first-class sadhu is one

who is always thinking of Him. This process is not

very difficult. We should always think of Krsna, 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 Krsna. It is the sadhu's business to

teach this, and one can learn this in the association

of a sadhu. Actually a sadhu will not teach anything

else. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah

(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.4.15). This is the way to

make spiritual advancement. One has to associate with

a sadhu. Often the sadhu's task is a thankless one,

but he has to be tolerant. Despite all the trouble a

sadhu may encounter, he is very merciful upon fallen

conditioned souls. He sees that people are suffering

due to a lack of Krsna consciousness, and because he

is always thinking of the welfare of others, he is

suhrt. Other people are always envious, but the sadhu

is always thinking how to save others from the

clutches of maya. A sadhu 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 Krsna says that He is the father of

all living entities. Because a sadhu 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 sadhu. A sadhu

simply teaches, " My dear human being, my dear friend,

just surrender to Krsna. " Enemies arise due to man's

envious nature. Canakya Pandita says that there are

two envious animals--serpents and men. Although you

may be faultless, either may kill you. Of the two,

Canakya pandita says that the envious man is more

dangerous because a serpent can be subdued by chanting

a mantra 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 Krsna consciousness

movement, but we have to tolerate them. There is no

alternative. One must be peaceful and depend on Krsna

in all circumstances. These are the ornaments of a

sadhu. We should find a sadhu and associate with him.

Then our path of liberation will be open.

In the next verse, Lord Kapila further explains the

activities of a sadhu.

TEXT 22

mayy ananyena bhavena

bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham

mat-krte tyakta-karmanas

tyakta-svajana-bandhavah

TRANSLATION

Such a sadhu 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 sannyasi,

is also called a sadhu 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 sannyasi 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, bhaktim

kurvanti ye drdham. A person who seriously engages in

the service of the Lord and is in the renounced order

of life is a sadhu. A sadhu 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 punished for his renunciation.

But if for sense gratification a person renounces

these obligations, he is punished by the law of

nature. Krsna and all the sastras 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. Krsna's

final instruction in Bhagavadgita is to surrender

everything to Him. We can sacrifice our life, wealth

and intelligence, and this is called yajna. 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 Krsna's

senses. Then we become perfect. We have to learn this

purificatory process from a sadhu. Inasmuch as we try

to gratify our senses, we become attached to the

material world. We may render service to the sadhu or

to Krsna. The sadhu is the representative of Krsna. He

will never say, " Serve me, " but will say, " Serve

Krsna. " Therefore we have to approach Krsna through

the sadhu. This is confirmed by the Vaisnava acarya

Narottama dasa Thakura: chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara

payeche keba. We cannot directly approach Krsna;

we have to go through the transparent via media,

Krsna's representative. Those who are after material

concessions go to different demigods. They take

something from Siva, Durga, Kali, Ganesa, Surya and

whomever. However, it was the goddess Parvati who

asked Lord Siva, " What is the best type of worship? "

Lord Siva advised, aradhananam sarvesam visnor

aradhanam param (Padma Purana). " My dear Parvati, of

all kinds of worship, worship of Lord Visnu is the

best. " Then he added: tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam

samarcanam. " And even better than the worship of Lord

Visnu is the worship of a Vaisnava, a devotee. "

Spiritual life begins with the association of a

devotee, a sadhu. One cannot progress an inch without

the mercy of a sadhu. Prahlada Maharaja has also

indicated this:

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim

sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah

mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam

niskincananam na vrnita yavat

" Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the

lotus feet of a Vaisnava completely freed from

material contamination, persons very much inclined

toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the

lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His

uncommon activities. Only by becoming Krsna conscious

and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in

this way can one be freed from material

contamination. " (SB. 7.5.32) Hiranyakasipu asked

Prahlada Maharaja, " My dear son Prahlada, how have you

become so advanced in Krsna consciousness? " Although

Hiranyakasipu was a demon, he was nonetheless

inquisitive. Prahlada Maharaja replied, " My dear

father, O best of the asuras, one can receive Krsna

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 Visnu. " 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: adanta-gobhir

visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam (SB.

7.5.30). People are being baffled in so many ways

because they cannot control their senses. Their only

possibility of rescue is Krsna. Therefore in this

verse it is said: mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim

kurvanti ye drdham. Prahlada Maharaja simply thought

of Krsna. 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

Krsna, maya will try to keep us under her clutches.

However, if one gives up everything for Krsna's sake,

maya can have no effect. The most excellent example of

this is the gopis. They gave up everything--family,

prestige and honor--just to follow Krsna. That is the

highest perfection, but that is not possible for

ordinary living entities. We should, however, follow

the Gosvamis in their

determination to worship Krsna. Sanatana Gosvami was

an important minister in the government of Hussain

Shah, but he gave up everything to follow Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu. 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 Gosvamis

lived by dipping into the ocean of the transcendental

loving affairs between Krsna and the gopis. 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 Krsna. Yet

if we find Krsna's association, we can easily give up

our opulent positions--our family, business and

everything. However, that requires sadhu-sanga,

association

with a sadhu, 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

attached to material enjoyment, and Krsna 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 maya, 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 Krsna. That

realization requires knowledge, and that knowledge can

be acquired by association with a sadhu, a devotee.

Freedom from this struggle with material existence is

further explained by Lord Kapila in the next verse.

TEXT 23

mad-asrayah katha mrstah

srnvanti kathayanti ca

tapanti vividhas tapa

naitan mad-gata-cetasah

TRANSLATION

Engaged constantly in chanting and hearing about Me,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sadhus 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 sadhu is not

disturbed by such miserable conditions because his

mind is always filled with Krsna consciousness, and

thus he does not like to talk about

anything but the activities of the Lord. Maharaja

Ambarisa did not speak of anything but the pastimes of

the Lord. Vacamsi vaikunthagunanuvarnane. 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: adhyatmika, adhibhautika and

adhidaivika. Adhyatmika 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 adhyatmika. There are other

forms of suffering called adhibhautika, which are

sufferings imposed by other living entities. Apart

from this, there are sufferings called adhidaivika,

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 maya, 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

sadhu is tolerance. Everyone is tolerant to a degree,

but a sadhu's

tolerance and an ordinary man's tolerance are

different. This is because a sadhu knows that he is

not the body. According to a Bengali Vaisnava song:

deha-smrti nahi yara samsara-bandhana kahah tara.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 attached 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 Krsna's advice in Bhagavad-gita (2.14):

matra-sparsas tu kaunteya

sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah

agamapayino 'nityas

tams titiksasva bharata

" O son of Kunti, 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 Ayur-vedic system,

the body is composed of three material elements:

kapha-pitta-vayu. 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 Krsna

consciousness, he will not fight according to such

conceptions, A Krsna conscious person knows that he is

neither Hindu nor Muslim but the eternal servant of

Krsna. 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 Krsna conscious, who

are always thinking of Krsna within their minds and

within their hearts, are not suffering as much because

they know that whatever they might suffer is due to

Krsna's desire. Therefore they welcome suffering. For

instance, when Krsna was leaving, Queen Kunti said,

" My dear Krsna, 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 Dvaraka. 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 Krsna 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 Krsna'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.

Prahlada Maharaja, 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,

Haridasa Thakura, a Muhammadan by birth, was a very

great devotee and was always chanting Hare Krsna. 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 Krsna mantra. What is this? " Haridasa

Thakura

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 Haridasa Thakura 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 Krsna

consciousness. This is one of the primary features of

a devotee's life. People are always putting a sadhu

into difficulties, but he does not give up his job,

which is to spread Krsna consciousness so that others

may become happy. It was Prahlada Maharaja 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 sravanam kirtanam

visnoh smaranam. Now this sravanam kirtanam is taking

place all over the world through the Krsna

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 Krsna consciousness, in

thinking of Krsna. It is Krsna's injunction, " Always

think of Me. " The European and American youths in the

Krsna 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 Marquess told one of my

Godbrothers, " Please make me a brahmana. " My

Godbrother said, " Yes, it is not a very difficult

thing. Simply give up these bad habits--intoxication,

illicit sex, meateating and gambling. Then you can

become a brahmana. " The Marquess then said,

" lmpossible! 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 Krsna

consciousness. This process is open to everyone.

Everyone has heard of the Bhagavad-gita. We can attain

perfection simply by following the instructions given

in this book. It is not necessary to abandon our

responsibilities. Maharaja Ambarisa was a great

emperor administering to his kingdom, yet at the same

time he spoke only of Krsna. Caitanya Mahaprabhu

requested that His devotees only talk about Krsna. If

we simply talk about Krsna and hear about Him, the

stage will come when we

will no longer suffer. This is called anandamayo

'bhyasat in the Vedanta-sutra. The living entity and

Krsna are both anandamaya, 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 Krsna 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 sadhavah sadhvi

sarva-sanga-vivarjtah

sangas tesv atha te prarthyah

sanga-dosa-hara 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, Devahuti, that

if she wants to be free from material attachment, she

should increase her attachment for the sadhus, or

devotees who are completely freed from all material

attachment. In Bhagavad-gita (15.5) it is stated,

nirmana-moha jitasanga- dosah. 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-gita the same principle is

stated. It is advised, jita-sanga-dosah: one should be

freed from the contaminated association of the three

modes. Here also, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, this is

confirmed: a pure devotee, who ispreparing 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 established 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 Krsna

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 sadhus, 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 Krsna

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 Krsna 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

rajoguna

and tamo-guna, passion and ignorance, are especially

prominent. Practically everyone in this age is

contaminated by lusty desire, greed and ignorance. It

is said in the sastras that in this age of Kali,

sattva-guna, the mode of goodness, is practically

nonexistent. The Fourteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita

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 sadhu. " 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 sadhu.

Actually everyone is attached to something. No one can

say that he is free from attachment. The Mayavada and

Buddhist philosophies tell us to become detached, but

this in itself is not possible. A child is attached 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 kacauris,

rasagulla 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 Krsna

consciousness will automatically arise and awaken.

Krsna 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 attached to Krsna. The process

is sadhu-sanga, association with a sadhu. 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 Krsna's service. For instance, we may

be very attached to making money; therefore Krsna

says, " Yes, go ahead and conduct your business. There

is no harm. Simply give Me the results. " As stated in

Bhagavad-gita (9.27):

yat karosi yad asnasi

yaj juhosi dadasi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kurusva mad-arpanam

" O son of Kunti, 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 Krsna. 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 Krsna but by fighting in the

Battle of Kuruksetra. Krsna advised him to fight, but

because Arjuna was a Vaisnava, in the beginning he was

unwilling. A Vaisnava does not like to kill anything,

but if Krsna orders him, he must fight. He does not

fight out of his own will, because a Vaisnava's

natural instinct is not to do harm to anyone. However,

when a Vaisnava

knows that Krsna 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 Krsna, our life will be perfect. This is

also the instruction given in Srimad-Bhagavatam

(1.2.13):

atah pumbhir dvija-srestha

varnasrama-vibhagasah

svanusthitasya dharmasya

samsiddhir hari-tosanam

" 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 varnasrama-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

Krsna by the results of work. That is bhakti. It is

not the philosophy of this Krsna consciousness

movement to disengage people from their activities.

One should engage in his occupation, but one should

never forget Krsna. Krsna advises us to always become

Krsna conscious, and we should always think that we

are acting for Krsna. Of course, we should work by the

order of Krsna or His representative, not whimsically.

If we perform some nonsensical action and think, " I am

doing this for Krsna, " that

will not be accepted. The work must be verified by

Krsna's acceptance or by the acceptance of Krsna's

representative. Arjuna did not fight without Krsna's

order; therefore we must receive our orders also. We

may

say, " I cannot find Krsna. How can I follow His

order? " It is the role of the sadhu to impart Krsna's

orders. Since Krsna's representative is the sadhu,

Kapiladeva advises His mother to associate with

sadhus. We have described the symptoms of a sadhu, and

we have stated that a sadhu should be accepted by his

characteristics. It is not that we accept anyone who

comes along and says, " I am a sadhu. " The

characteristics of a sadhu 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 sastras.

Sadhusanga, association with a sadhu, is very

essential in Krsna

consciousness. People are suffering due to

contamination by tamo-guna and rajo-guna. The sadhu

teaches one how to remain purely in sattva-guna by

truthfulness, cleanliness, mind control, sense

control, simplicity, tolerance, and full faith and

knowledge. These are some of the characteristics of

sattva-guna. Instead of thinking, " Unless I have a

drink, I will go mad, " one should think, " Unless I

associate with a sadhu, I will go mad. " When we

can think in this way, we will become liberated.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has stated that He wants every

village in the entire world to be a center for Krsna

consciousness so that people can take advantage of

sadhus and in turn become sadhus. This is the mission

of this Krsna 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

titiksavah. At the same time, we have to be

karunikah--that is, we have to take compassion upon

fallen souls by going from town to town to enlighten

others in Krsna consciousness. This is a sadhu'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 Krsna's

sake, and they are certainly more compassionate. Those

sadhus who leave Vrndavana to go fight in the world,

to spread Krsna consciousness, are superior sadhus.

This is the opinion of Krsna in Bhagavad-gita

(18.68-69):

ya idam paramam guhyam

mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati

bhaktim mayi param krtva

mam evaisyaty asamsayah

kascin me priya-krttamah

bhavita na ca me tasmad

anyah 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 Krsna, we

should become preachers. This is also the message of

Sri caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is not that one should

remain in lndia; rather, one should travel all over

the world to preach Krsna consciousness. The sadhu is

suhrt; he is the wellwisher 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 prasada. Once, when

devotees from Bengal were going to see Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, a dog began to follow them, and the leader

of the party, Sivananda Sena, was giving prasada to

the dog. When they had to cross a river, the boatman

would not take the dog, but Sivananda Sena paid him

more money and said, " Please take this dog. He is a

Vaisnava, for he has joined our company. How can we

leave him behind? " Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself

actually threw some of His food to the dog, and in

this way the dog attained Vaikuntha. Not only is a

sadhu everyone's well-wisher, but he is not an enemy

of anyone. He is also santa, peaceful. These are the

preliminary characteristics of a sadhu. He is also

attached to no one but Krsna. Mayy ananyena bhavena.

These are the external and internal symptoms of a

devotee. A devotee also respects the demigods because

he knows their position in relation to Krsna. In

Brahma-samhita (5.44), the goddess Durga is worshiped

as the external energy, or potency, of Krsna.

srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka

chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga

icchanurupam api yasya ca cestate sa

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

" The external potency, maya, who is of the nature of

the shadow of the cit, spiritual, potency, is

worshiped by all people as Durga, the creating,

preserving and destroying agency of this mundane

world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, in

accordance with whose will Durga conducts herself. "

The goddess Durga is so powerful that she can create,

maintain and annihilate. However, she cannot act

independent of Krsna. She is like a shadow of Krsna. A

sadhu knows that prakrti, nature, is working under

Krsna'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 Durga. It

is not that she is all and all, for there are many

millions of Durgas, just as there are many millions of

Sivas 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 Krsna. Krsnas tu

bhagavan svayam. Actually a sadhu, a Vaisnava, offers

respects to everyone, and he is ready to give up

relatives and

everything else for Krsna's sake. A sadhu simply takes

pleasure in hearing about Krsna and talking about Him.

There are many pastimes enacted by Krsna. He fights

and kills demons, and He performs His pastimes with

the gopis. He plays as a cowherd boy in Vrndavana and

as King of Dvaraka. There are many books about Krsna,

krsna-katha, and this Krsna consciousness movement has

already published many of them. Apart from

Bhagavad-gita, which is spoken by Krsna, we can read

these other books. In this way, one can learn the art

of becoming a sadhu. Simply by hearing about Krsna and

speaking about Him, we will be immediately relieved

from the suffering

of this material condition. As stated in this verse:

ta ete sadhavah sadhvi

sarva-sanga-vivarjtah

These symptoms are visible when one no longer has

material attachment. A sadhu does not think himself

Hindu, Muslim, Christian, American, Indian or

whatever. A sadhu simply thinks, " I am the servant of

Krsna. " Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, " I am not a

brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacari or

whatever. I am simply the servant of the servant of

the servant of Krsna. " One need only learn this

process in order to render the best service to

humanity.

Chapter Twelve

Association with the Supreme Lord Through Hearing

TEXT 25-26

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido

bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah

taj josanad asv apavarga-vartmani

sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati

bhaktya puman jata-viraga aindriyad

drsta-srutan mad-racananucintaya

cittasya yatto grahane yoga-yukto

yatisyate rjubhir yoga-margaih

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 Krsna 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 Krsna consciousness and

devotional service is described here. The first point

is that one must seek the association of persons who

are Krsna 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

Krsna consciousness by reading the Srimad-Bhagavatam

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-gita,

Brahma-samhita and Srimad-

Bhagavatam. 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 socalled 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. Rjubhir yoga-margaih. A

very suitable word used here is rjubhih, or " very

easy. " There are different processes of yogamarga,

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 Krsna 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 ma sad gama: " Do not remain within

this material world. "

Those who are interested in materialistic life are

also called asat. When asked how a Vaisnava behaves,

Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, asatsanga- tyaga--ei

vaisnava-acara: " A devotee first of all avoids the

company of asat, those who are materially interested. "

(Cc. Madhya 22.87) We have established this Krsna

consciousness movement in order to avoid asat-sanga,

association with those who are interested in material

things. Because we are associating with Krsna, we do

not wish to talk about anything but Krsna. Everyone is

interested in this business or that, and we are

exclusively interested in our Krsna consciousness

business. Those who are asat are very much attached to

sense gratification, and the culmination of sense

gratification is sex. In addition, Sri Sanatana

Gosvami in his Hari-bhakti-vilasa recommends that one

should not hear Bhagavad-gita, the puranas, the

Srimad-Bhagavatam or any hari-katha from anyone who is

not a Vaisnava in his actions. That means that we

should not hear these Vedic literatures from the

Mayavadis, who actually do not accept Krsna as the

Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one not accept

Krsna as the Supreme Lord and yet dare to speak on

Bhagavad-gita? We will never derive any benefit from

listening to the commentaries of such people.

Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam should be heard

from the devotees. We can hear Bhagavad-gita from

Mayavadis for hundreds of years and yet never

understand Krsna. It is therefore forbidden for

Vaisnavas to hear talks given by Mayavadis.

Hari-katha, talks about Sri Hari, or Krsna, are amrta,

nectar. If one hears them from the right source, he

attains amrta (so 'mrtatvaya kalpate). Mrta means

" birth and death, " and amrta means " the cessation of

birth and death. " Spiritual life means putting an end

to birth, old age, disease and death. Getting amrta,

nectar, means getting relief from birth and death, and

that is the real aim of spiritual life. Lord Krsna

says in Bhagavad-gita (7.16) that spiritual life

begins when one is pious:

catur-vidha bhajante mam

janah sukrtino 'rjuna

arto jijnasur artharthi

jnani ca bharatarsabha

" O best among the Bharatas [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 sadhu. Then we can

acquire some taste for Krsna. When we discuss Krsna

with a sadhu, 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. Krsna has

instructed us to think of Him when drinking water.

This is not very difficult. Krsna 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 sadhu. Presently many people are interested in

receiving degrees from big universities, but education

without God consciousness is simply an expansion of

maya'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 Krsna.

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, Krsna. What is the goal of

vedanta-darsana? Veda means " knowledge, " and anta

means " ultimate. " What is that ultimate knowledge? In

Bhagavad-gita (15.15) Sri Krsna says:

vedais ca samair aham eva vedyo

vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham

" By all the Vedas, I am to be known; indeed, I am the

compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the

Vedas. "

If we listen to Krsna and understand what and who He

is, we can actually understand Vedanta. If we do not

understand Krsna but advertise ourselves as

Vedantists, we are just being illusioned. Without

understanding Krsna, one is actually a mudha, a fool.

People do not know it, but actually anyone in the

material world is more or less a mudha. We are all

mudhas, for unless we are mudhas, we do not come into

the material world. From Brahma down to the smallest

ant, we are all mudhas of different degrees. In order

to become really learned, we have to

associate with devotees. Then we can actually relish

krsna-katha. When discussed among devotees,

krsna-katha 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 acaryas have given a routine we can cultivate.

For instance, The Nectar of Devotion by Srila Rupa

Gosvami deals with the cultivation of devotional

service, and this book, which we have translated, has

been very well received in European and American

universities. Bhaktirasamrta- 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. lt 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

mangala-arati, study Vedic literature, take prasada

and preach Krsna consciousness. Maya is very strong,

and to begin devotional service is to declare war

against maya. Some of the devotees in this Krsna

consciousness movement may fall down, but whatever is

done sincerely is to their

permanent credit. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita.

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 Krsna conscious, he is assured of a good birth

in the next life. However, if

one completes his Krsna consciousness in this life, he

will not take birth again but will go to Krsna. This

is what is actually wanted. Why take the chance of

being born into a rich family or a brahmana 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 Krsna consciousness, and those

who are born in brahmana families generally become

puffed-up, thinking, " I am a brahmana. I am born in a

very high family. " Thinking this brings about their

falldown. It is said that pride precedes a fall. A

Vaisnava is by nature very humble. These are the

chances one takes when one becomes a human being.

Krsna is personally advising us to take up the

opportunities offered by the Krsna 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. Krsna's name, form, activities,

paraphernalia and attributes are identical with Krsna.

This is the meaning of absolute.

There is no difference between Krsna's form and Krsna.

Krsna's hands and Krsna'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 Krsna. This

is the meaning of absolute. As stated in

Brahma-samhita (5.32):

angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti

pasyanti panti kalayanti ciram jaganti

ananda-cinmaya-sad- ujjvala-vigrahasya

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

" 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

Krsna's body can serve any purpose. Krsna can eat

through His eyes, or Krsna 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. Krsna, 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 Krsna is beyond our vision, He has agreed to

be seen by us through the arca-vigraha, the Deity. We

should not think that the Deity is made of stone. Even

if it is stone, we should think that Krsna has made

Himself visible before us like a

stone because we cannot see beyond stone. That is

Krsna's mercy. Because our eyes and other senses are

imperfect, we cannot see Krsna present everywhere in

His original spiritual form. Because we are imperfect,

we

see the difference between things spiritual and

material, but Krsna, 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, Krsna 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 Krsna. That is the absolute nature of

Krsna. Even if we think that the Deity is a stone, or

a piece of metal or some wood, He is still Krsna. 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 Krsna is present in stone. Actually,

nothing is different from Krsna because everything is

Krsna's energy. The Mayavadi philosophers say that

since everything is God, the personality of Krsna is

finished. But actually Krsna is Krsna, 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 Krsna. As explained in

Caitanya-caritamra (Madhya 8.274):

sthavara jangama dekhe, na dekhe tara murti sarvatra

haya nija ista-deva-sphurti The advanced devotee does

not see living entities as moving and not moving. He

sees Krsna. This is also stated in the Brahma-samhita

(5.38):

premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena

santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti

Because his eyes are always smeared with the ointment

of devotion, the devotee always sees Krsna and nothing

else. He sees Krsna and Krsna'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 Krsna, nothing exists but

Krsna. When our love for Krsna is actually developed,

whatever we see, we will see Krsna. Unless one is

advanced in krsna-prema, love of Krsna, he cannot see

or understand. By the blunt material senses, we cannot

even understand the name of Krsna. People are always

asking, " Why are these people chanting Hare Krsna? "

They cannot understand, although Krsna realization

begins with the name. The name of Krsna and Krsna are

nondifferent, but we cannot realize this

intellectually. We have to practice chanting Hare

Krsna to realize it. When we actually advance in

devotional service and chant the Hare Krsna

maha-mantra offenselessly, we will realize that Krsna

and His name are nondifferent. Thus krsna-bhakti

begins with the tongue, for we can utilize the tongue

to chant, and to taste krsnaprasada. In this way we

can become a Krsna bhakta. When we see the Deity of

Krsna in the temple, we should think that the Deity is

Krsna. In this way Krsna has agreed to be seen by us

and even dressed by us. However, if we think of

Krsna's virat-rupa, His

universal form, what can we do? How can we dress the

virat-rupa? His many heads cover the sky, and we

cannot even conceive of Him. Krsna can become bigger

than the biggest and smaller than the smallest.

Therefore

this verse states: bhaktya puman jata-viraga

aindriyat. The more we serve Krsna, 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 Krsna nicely, we will forget our own

material dress. If we feed Krsna nice food, we will

forget to satisfy our own tongue by going to this or

that restaurant. Krsna was teaching Bhagavad-gita, and

Arjuna was seeing Him face to face, but seeing Krsna

and reading Bhagavad-gita are the same. Some people

say that Arjuna was fortunate to have seen Krsna face

to face and take instructions from Him, but Krsna can

be seen immediately, provided one has the eyes to see.

There is the example in Caitanya-caritamrta of a

brahmana in South lndia who was reading Bhagavad-gita,

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-gita? " One

day Caitanya Mahaprabhu happened to be in a temple

nearby, and He could understand that this man was a

devotee. He therefore approached him and asked, " My

dear brahmana, what are you reading? " The brahmana

replied, " I am reading Bhagavad-gita, or, rather, I am

trying to read Bhagavad-gita. I happen to be

illiterate, but my guru-maharaja has said that I must

read the eighteen chapters of Bhagavad-gita daily. I

am simply trying to carry out his order, and therefore

I am opening and closing the pages. " Caitanya

Mahaprabhu then said, " I see that you are crying

sometimes. Why is this? " The brahmana replied, " Yes, I

am crying because when I take up this book, I see a

picture of Krsna driving Arjuna's chariot. Sri Krsna

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 Mahaprabhu then immediately embraced the

brahmana and said, " You have actually read

Bhagavad-gita. "

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

Krsna. That is the spiritual world. In the spiritual

world, Vrndavana, everyone--mother Yasoda, Nanda

Maharaja, Srimati Radharani, the gopis, the cowherd

boys, Sridama, Sudama, the land, the water, the trees,

the birds--all are trying to satisfy Krsna. That is

the real meaning of Vrndavana. When Krsna left

Vrndavana for Mathura, everyone in Vrndavana fell dead

out of separation from Him. Similarly, we can always

live in Vrndavana, in Vaikuntha, if we are mad after

Krsna. This is the teaching

of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He illustrated this by His

very life. When He was in Jagannatha Puri, He was

always mad after Krsna 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

Krsna. We can see how Krsna 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. Isavasyam

idam sarvam. Actually, nothing comes about

automatically. Everything comes about through the

intelligence of Krsna, 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 Krsna

has come out perfectly. What rascal can say that there

is no

brain behind it? Krsna specifically says that we

should not think that prakrti, 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 Krsa. We first of

all must engage the tongue in chanting Hare Krsna and

in eating bhagavat-prasada. Nothing else is required.

Therefore the Krsna consciousness movement is

distributing prasada and engaging people in chanting

the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

TEXT 27

asevayayam prakrter gunanam

jnanena vairagya-vijrmbhitena

yogena mayy arpitaya ca bhaktya

mam pratyag-atmanam ihavarundhe

TRANSLATION

Thus by not engaging in the service of the modes of

material nature but by developing Krsna 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 (sravanam), chanting (kirtanam),

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 detached 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. Krsna 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

Vrndavana, the living entities are serving Krsna as

friends, cowherd boys, gopis, lovers, fathers, mothers

and so on. Even the trees, water, flowers, land,

calves and cows serve Krsna in Goloka Vrndavana. This

is also our business, but somehow or other we do not

like to serve Krsna; therefore we have been put into

the service of maya, 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 Krsna as His part and parcel, and

as soon as we refuse to render Him service, maya 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 nourished; otherwise everything is

spoiled. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Krsna,

and our business is to satisfy Krsna. From the Vedas

we understand that Cod, who is one, has become many.

We are the many parts and parcels of Krsna. Svamsas

are His personal expansions, and we are His

differential expansions, vibhinnamsas. In any case,

all expansions are meant to serve Krsna. This is

explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi5.142): ekale

isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya. " Lord Krsna alone is

the supreme controller, and all others are His

servants. " It is our natural propensity to enjoy

ourselves with Krsna. As stated before, Krsna is

ananda-maya, and, being part and parcel of Krsna, we

are also ananda-maya. Now we are seeking ananda

(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 Krsna. Now we have to learn how to

forget to serve this material nature, and that process

is bhakti-marga, the path of devotional service. When

we come to the understanding that we are actually no

one's servant but Krsna'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 vasudevah sarvam iti--Vasudeva

is all--he surrenders unto Krsna. This is real

knowledge-- jnana and vairagya, knowledge and

detachment from material things. Once one engages

fully in Krsna's service, he comes to the brahmabhuta

platform. Presently we are on the maya-bhuta platform,

identifying

ourselves with maya and working according to the modes

of material nature. However, when one comes to the

realization that he is spirit (aham brahmasmi), 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 Thakura has stated: mayara vase,

yaccha bhese " khaccha habudubu, bhai. 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 Yamaraja

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 Yamaraja will

not touch me. " However, this is simply foolishness. We

are under the control of maya, 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 Krsna. Krsna says that He will save us,

even though we are very

sinful. If we turn our attention to Krsna'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

Krsna;

then gradually we will forget the service of maya.

Bhakti-yoga is so strong that if we engage in it,

maya's service will automatically be negated. This is

called vairagya. Krsna is the original purusa, the

original spirit, the original

person. Everything has come from Krsna, and therefore

He is purana, the oldest. No one is older than Krsna,

but He is always young. That is Bhagavan. He is adi,

the original source, the cause of all causes. Yet we

never see Krsna as an old man. He is always fresh and

youthful. Although Krsna was a great-grandfather at

the Battle of Kuruksetra, He did not appear any older

than a young man of twenty. Krsna is always a young

boy, and those living entities in the spiritual

universe also have spiritual bodies the same as

Krsna's. In the Sixth Canto of Srimad-

Bhagavatam we read that when the Vaikuntha-dutas came

to take Ajamila, they were fourhanded 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 Krsna 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 Krsna, Narayana, has. We

should take this opportunity to become devotees of

Krsna by following the processes of

bhakti-yoga--sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam.

Padasevanam arcanam. We can take one or all of the

nine processes of devotional service and make our

lives successful. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has prescribed

the most important process--sravanam. We need only

hear,

and that will make our lives successful. “Teachings of

Lord Kapila” by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta

Swami

Prabhupada.

Chapter Thirteen

Perfect Knowledge Through Surender

TEXT 28

devahutir uvaca

kacit tvayy ucita bhaktih

kidrsi mama gocara

yaya padam te nirvanam

anjasanvasnava aham

TRANSLATION

On hearing this statement of the Lord, Devahuti

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-gita 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 diffierent 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 Krsna, he said,

" My dear Krsna, 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

cannotaccept sublime instructions. Arjuna teaches us

submission by giving up his friendly relationship with

Krsna, 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 sastras 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 brahmacari and works like

a menial servant. He may be the son of a great

brahmana 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 brahmacari. Even Krsna went to a

guru-kula to teach us. There was no need for Krsna,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to go to a

guru-kula, but He did this simply to set an example.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu also accepted a guru. Prakasananda

Sarasvati was a very learned scholar, and he knew that

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also a great scholar, yet he

criticized Caitanya Mahaprabhu for chanting and

dancing, for Prakasananda Sarasvati felt that a

sannyasi should devote his entire attention to the

reading of Vedanta. He therefore considered Caitanya

Mahaprabhu a sentimentalist, not a bona fide sannyasi.

Prakasananda Sarasvati inquired, " Why aren't you

reading Vedanta-sutra? Why are you chanting and

dancing? " Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied:

prabhu kahe--suna, sripada, ihara karana

guru more murkha dekhi 'karila sasana

" 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 Vedanta-sutra, for

Vedanta-sutra is not meant for an ordinary person. My

guru therefore advised me to chant this Hare Krsna

maha-mantra, and now I am doing this and getting the

results. " (Cc. Adi 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. Vedanta 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

Mahaprabhu, 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 Vedanta-sutra. People

are so badly infected by the influence of maya 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 lndia, the

brahmanas were interested in understanding Brahman.

Athato brahma jijnasa. However, at the present moment

everyone is a sudra, 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-gita. Arjuna is

personally teaching us

by accepting Krsna as his guru. He asks Krsna to

become his spiritual master and teach him. The lessons

given by Sri Krsna are not simply meant for Arjuna but

for everyone. Krsna tells us in Bhagavad-gita that we

should search out a guru. The first guru is Sri Krsna

Himself, and whoever represents Sri Krsna 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. Krsna's representative does not say,

" I have become Krsna. " Such a person is neither a

representative nor a guru. He is simply a cheater.

Krsna's representative is one who canvasses for Krsna.

Krsna says, " Give up everything and surrender unto

Me. " Krsna's representative says, " Give up everything

and simply surrender unto Krsna. " This is certainly

not very difficult to understand. Anyone can become

Krsna's representative.

Nonetheless, for the past two hundred years, many

yogis and svamis have gone to foreign countries, but

no one has spoken about Krsna. They have simply

presented a hodgepodge of Indian philosophy. No one

has actually

presented Vedic culture as it is. We should read

Bhagavad-gita as it is and understand the philosophy

as Arjuna understood it. Arjuna was a friend of

Krsna's. He was sitting with Krsna and speaking to Him

as a friend speaks to a friend. In the Eleventh

Chapter, after having seen the universal form, Arjuna

tells Krsna: " I have in the past addressed You as `O

Krsna,' `O Yadava,' `O my friend,' without knowing

Your glories. Please forgive whatever I may have done

in madness or in love. " Arjuna understood that

although Krsna was his friend, He was the

Supreme Personality of Godhead and therefore the

proper person to be his guru. He therefore told Krsna

at the beginning of Bhagavad-gita (2.7), sisyas te

'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam: " Now I am Your disciple

and a

soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me. " These

are the instructions we get from Bhagavad-gita, and

whoever reads Bhagavad-gita has to accept Krsna 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 Krsna; 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 Krsna became

Arjuna's guru, Krsna immediately chastised him. Sri

Krsna told him:

asocyan anvasocas tvam

prajna-vadams ca bhasase

gatasun agatasums ca

nanusocanti panditah

" 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 Krsna 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 Sri Krsna first

explained the distinction between the body and the

soul. This Krsna 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 Krsna 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

finished. In order to understand these

things, we have to approach a guru, just as Arjuna

approached Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna told Arjuna in very

gentlemanly language that he was not a learned man. In

essence, He said, " You are not a pandita. 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--Krsna. The guru is also there as Kapiladeva,

the incarnation of Krsna. Krsna 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 Krsna'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,

Krsna is there, God is there, and we have to come to

Krsna and take the lessons of Bhagavad-gita 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 Krsna's

instructions are there, and Krsna Himself is there.

Krsna 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. Maya is

also very strong, and as soon as we try to accept

Krsna as the Supreme Lord, maya will whisper in our

ear, " No, no. There are many gods. Why are you

accepting Krsna? " However, the sastras say,

krsnas tu bhagavan svayam... isvarah paramah krsnah.

" Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. " We

should take our lessons from the acaryas and the

sastras. At least in India there are many great

acaryas- -Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Visnusvami, and

even Sankaracarya and Guru Nanak. All of these have

accepted Krsna 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 Krsna in full

consciousness and be happy. This is made possible by

the help of the guru; therefore Devahuti is further

questioning her son, Kapiladeva.

TEXT 29

yo yogo bhagavad-bano

nirvanatmams tvayoditah

kidrsah kati cangani

yatas tattvavabodhanam

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

jnana-yoga system aims at the impersonal Brahman

effulgence, and the hatha-yoga system aims at the

localized personal aspect, the Paramatma 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 selfrealization. But here Devahuti

especially refers to the bhakti-yoga system, which has

aiready 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 nirvanatman 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 jnanis are concerned,

they are interested in jnana-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, jnanayoga does not actually end material

existence. Similarly, regarding the hatha-yoga system,

which aims at the localized aspect of the Lord,

Paramatma, it has been experienced that many yogis,

such as Visvamitra, fall down. But bhakti-yogis, once

approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead, never

come back to this material world, as confirmed in the

Bhagavad-gita. Yad gatva na nivartante: upon going,

one never comes back. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti:

after giving up this body, he never comes back again

to accept a material body. Nirvana does not finish the

existence of the soul. The soul is everexisting.

Therefore

nirvana 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 Vaikuntha 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-banah, is very significant. Banah 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

Paramatma realization. This banah, 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 Paramatma. We must

understand the Supreme Person, tattvatah, 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. Krsna 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,

aham brahmasmi: " I am not this body. " This is Brahman

realization, the brahma-bhuta 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

ananda, 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 Brahmasamhita (5.29-30):

cintamani prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa

laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam

laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam

barhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangam

kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-visesa-sobham

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

" 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 Krsna's form to be imagined by

some artist. He is described in the Vedas as venum

kvanantam aravinda-dalayatak-sam. 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-koti-kamaniya-visesa-sobham). These are

descriptions of Govinda found in the sastras.

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 anandambudhi-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 Krsna

movement chant the Hare Krsna 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 Krsna unless Hare Krsna 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 Krsna. We can experience ananda

perfectly in the association of Krsna. We can

associate with Krsna as a servant, a friend, a father,

a mother or a conjugal lover. There are five basic

rasas--santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. 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 Krsna 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. Krsna is very

fond of tending surabhi cows, but the Mayavadis cannot

understand this. They say, " What is this Krsna? " Even

Lord Brahma was bewildered. He said, " How is it that

this Krsna, this boy of Vrndavana, 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 Krsna in truth from Krsna Himself or His

bona fide representative. The activities of Krsna are

not ordinary but divine. If we can understand this, we

immediately become liberated. We need only understand

the pastimes of Krsna with the gopis. These pastimes

are not ordinary. In the material world, a young man

wants to dance with many young girls, but Krsna's

dancing with the gopis is different. Because people

cannot understand Krsna, when they hear about Krsna's

dancing with the gopis, 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 Krsna's

activities. We should not immediately try to

understand Krsna's dealings with the gopis, for they

are very confidential. These dealings are given in the

Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and this indicates

that we have to understand Krsna 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 Krsna's

activities are not ordinary but

divine, and we can immediately become liberated. We

may either hear about Krsna, chant His names, worship

Him or offer prayers. In any case, we should work

under the directions of our spiritual master or Sri

Krsna Himself. For instance, Hanuman simply carried

out Lord Ramacandra's orders. Hanuman apparently had

no education, and he was not capable of teaching

Vedanta, but he simply carried out the orders of Lord

Ramacandra and attained perfection. Arjuna, on the

other hand, took Krsna as his most intimate friend.

Arjuna was not a Vedantist but a fighter, a warrior.

He had no time to study Vedanta because he had to deal

with war and politics, but still he

was the greatest devotee. People may say, " Oh, Arjuna

was not a Vedantist, nor even a brahmana or a

sannyasi. How could Krsna accept him as a devotee? "

Nonetheless, in Bhagavad-gita (4.3), Krsna says that

Arjuna is His very dear friend and devotee: bhakto 'si

me sakha 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 Krsna, but even

if there is a motive, service rendered unto Krsna is

good. Even if one approaches Krsna with some ulterior

motive, one is considered pious. For instance, Dhruva

Maharaja initially worshiped Krsna with a motive, but

after attaining perfection in devotional service, his

ulterior motive vanished. When he actually saw Krsna,

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 Krsna, if we somehow or

other become attracted to Krsna consciousness, our

lives will be successful. Tasmat kenapy upayena manah

krsne nivesayet: " Somehow or other we have to attach

our minds to Krsna consciousness. " (SB. 7.1.32) Then

Krsna will help us and give us intelligence from

within, as He indicates in

Bhagavad-gita ( 10.10):

tesam satata-yuktanam

bhajatam priti-purvakam

dadami buddhi-yogam tam

yena mam upayanti 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 Krsna consciousness. In

this way, one can perfect his life by engaging in

devotional service under the directions of the sastras

and the spiritual master. Devahuti understands this

and is thus submitting to her son just as Arjuna

submitted to Sri Krsna on the battlefield.

TEXT 30

tad etan me vijanihi

yathaham manda-dhir hare

sukham buddhyeya durbodham

yosa bhavad-anugrahat

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.

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura therefore says, yasya

prasadad, by the mercy of the

spiritual master, the mercy of the Supreme Personality

of Godhead, bhagavat-prasadah, is revealed. Devahuti

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

Devahuti 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

Mahaprabhu's teaching:

trnad api sunicena

taror iva sahisnuna

amanina manadena

kirtaniyah sada harih

(Siksastaka 3)

If one is interested in advancing in chanting Hare

Krsna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu 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 Krsna offenselessly. Although Devahuti

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 spirtiual master by service, and the entire bhakti

process depends on the attitude of service. The

transcendental nature of Krsna is not possible to

understand with our blunt material

senses. Krsna'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, vaisyas

and sudras. After describing all the faults of

Kaliyuga, Srimad-Bhagavatam ( 12.3.51) states:

kaler dosa-nidhe rajann

asti hy eko mahan gunah

kirtanad eva krsnasya

mukta-sangah param 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 Krsna maha-mantra. " Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu said:

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

" Chant Hare Krsna, chant Hare Krsna. 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 Krsna sincerely is

purified. Ceto-darpanamarjanam

bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam (Siksastaka 1). This is

the easiest process by which the mirror of the mind

can be cleansed. If Krsna sees that someone is

sincerely chanting Hare Krsna, He will help. He is

within everyone, and He can understand whether one is

sincere or not. Krsna helps a sincere devotee

internally and externally. Internally He helps as

paramatma by giving intelligence from within. Dadami

buddhiyogam tam. Externally He helps as His

representative, the spiritual master. Therefore

Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: guru-krsna-prasade paya

bhakti-lata-bija. " By the grace of Krsna, one gets a

bona fide guru, and by the grace of the guru, one gets

Krsna. " (Cc. Madhya 19.151) Thus the sastras have

given us a very easy way to appreciate our

transcendental

life. That is the Krsna consciousness movement.

Devahuti has submissively accepted her son as her

guru. She wants to understand Krsna perfectly, by the

grace of Kapiladeva. It is very important to receive

the causeless mercy of Krsna and the spiritual master.

By Krsna's mercy, we receive a spiritual master, and

by the spiritual master's mercy, we receive Krsna.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura 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 Krsna. The guru never claims that he is Krsna,

although he is worshiped as Krsna: saksad dharitvena

samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih

(Gurvastaka 7).

Al1 the sastras describe the guru as being on an equal

basis with Krsna, for he is the representative of

Krsna. Therefore he is worshiped as Krsna. Being the

most confidential servant of Krsna, the guru is very

dear to Krsna; therefore if he recommends someone to

Krsna, Krsna accepts the person. The guru is the

confidential servant of Krsna because he canvasses

from door to door, saying, " Please become Krsna

conscious and surrender unto Krsna. " Krsna tells

Arjuna that such a person is very dear to Him. The

bona fide guru tells people to surrender not unto him

but unto Krsna. Thus one has to surrender unto Krsna

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 Krsna. If we cannot receive the mercy of

the guru, Krsna is very difficult to approach

directly. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that knowledge

of Krsna is received through the parampara, the

disciplic succession. Evam parampara-praptam. The guru

offers the same respects to his guru, and his guru

offers respects to his, and so it goes all the way to

Krsna. Thus the mercy of Krsna comes down through the

parampara system, and the respect offered to Krsna is

offered up through the parampara 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. Devahuti

is begging the mercy of Kapiladeva in order to

understand the way to approach Krsna. 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

Ramananda Raya and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. First,

Ramananda Raya explained the process in terms of

varnasrama-dharma. He said first of all that human

life is

meant for approaching Lord Visnu through the rules and

regulations governing varnasrama-dharma. Caitanya

Mahaprabhu replied that it is very difficult in this

age to execute the rules and regulations of

varnasrama-dharma. It is very difficult to be a

brahmana in this age, and it is practically impossible

to revive the old varnasrama-dharma

culture. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore said that this

method is not very practical. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has

been called by Srila Rupa Gosvami " the most munificent

avatara " because He distributes love of Krsna free of

charge. First of all, we cannot even understand Krsna;

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 Mahaprabhu is so kind

that He distributes krsna-prema, love of Krsna, to

whomever will take it. In His life, Caitanya

Mahaprabhu cried for Krsna and showed how one should

be mad after Him.

yugayitam nimesena

caksusa pravrsayitam

sunyayitam jagat sarvam

govinda-virahena 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. "

(Siksastaka 7)

Without Krsna, one should see everything as vacant.

This is Radharani's frame of mind, but this is not

possible for an ordinary living being. It was possible

for Caitanya Mahaprabhu and a few devotees, His

immediate disciples like the six Gosvamis, who were

following in His footsteps. They worshiped Krsna in

separation and sought Krsna everywhere.

he radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah

sri-govardhana-kalpa-padapa-tale kalindi-vanye kutah

ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair maha-vihvalau

vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri jiva-gopalakau

" I offer my respectful obeisances to the six Gosvamis,

namely Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri

Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa

Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami and Sri Gopala Bhatta

Gosvami,

who were chanting very loudly everywhere in Vrndavana,

shouting, `Queen of Vrndavana, Radharani! O Lalita! O

son of Nanda Maharaja! Where are you all now? Are you

just on the hill of Govardhana, or are you under the

trees on the bank of the Yamuna? Where are you?' These

were their moods in executing Krsna consciousness. "

(Sad-gosvamy-astaka 8) The Gosvamis never said, " We

have seen Krsna. " This is the recommended

process--worship in separation. We should awaken our

lost Krsna consciousness in this way and become mad

after Krsna in our

separation from Him. This is called krsna-prema, and

this love was distributed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We

should not try to understand Krsna by our small

knowledge. Since we are imperfect, how can we

speculate on Krsna? There are many people like jnanis

and theosophists who try to understand the Absolute

Truth by speculation, but this is not possible.

athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya

prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi

janati tattvam bhagavan-mahimno

na canya eko pi ciram 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. " (SB.

10.14.29) Even if one speculates for many years, he

cannot understand Krsna. One has to receive the mercy

of Krsna through the spiritual master, and this is the

path recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sthane-sthitah sruti-gatah tanu-van-manobhih

(SB. 10.14.3). Another name for Krsna is Ajita. No one

can conquer Krsna, but Krsna can be conquered by His

devotee. One should be submissive and say, " Krsna, 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. Krsna

is very merciful,

and when He sees that someone has surrendered, He will

help from within.

Chapter Fourteen

Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation

TEXT 31

maitreya uvaca

viditvartham kapilo matur ittham

jata-sneho yatra tanvabhijatah

tattvamnayam yat pravadanti sankhyam

provaca vai bhakti-vitana-yogam

TRANSLATION

Sri 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 Sankhya

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 sankhya-yoga

explained by Lord Kapiladeva, the son of Devahuti, is

practically unknown in the West. The sankhya-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 parampara

process. By this method, knowledge descends from a

higher source. In Bhagavad-gita, many yoga systems are

explained, but the bhaktiyoga system is considered

highest of all. Ultimately, all yogas end in

bhakti-yoga. The ultimate conclusion of jnana-yoga and

hatha-yoga is bhakti-yoga. In the Sixth Chapter of

Bhagavad-gita, the hatha-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 hathayoga system was so difficult five thousand

years ago for a person so elevated that he was Krsna'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 hatha-yoga system is basically meant

for those who are overly attached to the body;

otherwise, the preferred yoga is sankhya-yoga or

bhakti-yoga. When Arjuna told Sri Krsna that the

hatha-yoga system was

too difficult to execute, the Lord pacified him by

saying that the firstclass yogi is one " who is always

thinking of Me. " (Bg. 6.47) Arjuna did not know

anything but Krsna, and Arjuna requested that Krsna be

present on his side in the battle. When Duryodhana

approached Krsna with Arjuna and requested Him to take

sides, Krsna 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 Krsna on his side,

that would be sufficient. He would not need ordinary

soldiers. Duryodhana, on the other hand, decided to

take Krsna's soldiers. Thus in order to pacify Arjuna,

Krsna told him not to worry, although he could not

execute the astanga-yoga system. " The first-class yogi

is he who always thinks of Me. " One should always

remember that Krsna is within his heart and think of

Him. This is the proper system of meditation. If we

always chant the Hare Krsna mahamantra, we will always

remember Krsna, and immediately the form of Krsna will

be awakened within our hearts. The process of always

thinking of

Krsna is the process of Krsna consciousness. The

first-class yogi is he who is always conscious of

Krsna. One can be conscious of Krsna by hearing about

Him submissively. We have to accept Krsna through the

disciplic succession. There are four sampradayas,

disciplic successions. One comes from Lord Brahma (the

Brahma-sampradaya), and another comes from Laksmi, the

goddess of fortune, (the Sri-sampradaya). There are

also the Kumara-sampradaya and the Rudra-sampradaya.

At the present moment, the Brahma sampradaya is

represented by the Madhva-sampradaya, and we belong to

the Madhvagaudiya- sampradaya. Our original sampradaya

stems from Madhvacarya. In that sampradaya there was

Madhavendra Puri, and Madhavendra Puri's

disciple was Sri Isvara Puri. Sri Isvara Puri's

disciple was Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus we are

coming in the disciplic succession from Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, and therefore our sampradaya is called the

Madhva-gaudiya-sampradaya. It is not that we have

manufactured a sampradaya; rather, our sampradaya

stems from Lord Brahma. There is also the

Ramanuja-sampradaya, which comes from the

Sri-sampradaya, and there is the

Visnusvami-sampradaya, which comes from the

Rudra-sampradaya. The Nimbaditya-sampradaya comes from

the Kumara-sampradaya. If we do not belong to any

sampradaya, our conclusion is fruitless. It is not

that one should think, " I am a big scholar, and I can

interpret Bhagavad-gita in my own way. Al1 these

sampradayas 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 Brahma, Narada, Madhvacarya, Madhavendra Puri

and Isvara Puri. These great acaryas 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 jnana-yoga and dhyana-yoga, but

the ultimate is bhakti-yoga. Everyone is trying to

reach the ultimate Absolute Truth, but the other yogas

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 mahajanas like Lord Brahma,

Lord Siva and Kapiladeva. Since the path of perfection

is very difficult to understand, the sastras recommend

that we follow the mahajanas, who are thus described

in Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.3.20):

svayambhur naradah sambhuh

kumarah kapilo manuh

prahlado janako bhismo

balir vaiyasakir vayam

Another name for Lord Brahma is Svayambhu because he

was born from a lotus flower emanating from the navel

of Lord Visnu. Since he was not born of a father and

mother, he is therefore called Svayambhu. Narada Muni

is also a mahajana, and Sambhu is Lord Siva. Kumara

refers to the four Kumaras--Sanaka, Sanandana,

Sanatana and Sanat-kumara. There are twelve

authorities following the Sankhya philosophy, or

bhakti-yoga, and these include Lord Brahma, Lord Siva,

Kapiladeva, Manu, Bhismadeva, Janaka Maharaja,

Sukadeva Gosvami and prahlada Maharaja. If we simply

accept one of these mahajanas, 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, Rg Veda, Sama Veda, Atharva Veda, the Upanisads,

the puranas, Brahma-sutra, Ramayana, Mahabharata 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 rsi, a

philosopher, unless one propounds a different system

of philosophy. Nasav rsir yasya matam 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 mahajanas in order

to be successful. Krsna is the original mahajana, and

He instructed Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma is also a

mahajana. Actually, Krsna instructed everyone in

Bhagavad-gita, and thus everyone has learned from

Krsna. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.1) it is also stated:

tene brahma hrda ya

adi-kavaye. Thus Krsna gives His personal instructions

just as Kapiladeva gave His personal instructions.

There is no contradiction between Krsna's philosophy

in Bhagavad-gita and Kapiladeva's philosophy. We need

only receive the transcendental knowledge through the

mahajanas, and the results will be beneficial.

Kapiladeva explained this Sankhya philosophy to His

mother, and although He had a natural affection for

His mother, we should not think that Devahuti 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

Sankhya philosophy.

TEXT 32

sri-bhagavan uvaca

devanam guna-linganam

anusravika karmanam

sattva evaika-manaso

vrttih svabhaviki tu ya

animitta bhagavati

bhaktih siddher gariyasi

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

digerent

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 Hrsikesa, 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 hrsika, and the Supreme Personality of

Godhead is called Hrsikesa. 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 animitta 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 Krsna 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, kama and moksa. In the beginning, there

is dharma (religion), then artha (economic

development), kama (sense gratification), then moksa

(merging into the Supreme One). However, bhakti is

above all these. Mukti is not

very important for a bhakta. In the words of

Bilvamangala Thakura: muktih svayam mukulitanjali

sevate 'smat. " Mukti herself is standing with folded

hands, waiting to serve the devotee. " (Krsna-karnamrta

107) This is the experience of Bilvamangala Thakura,

who was a very rich South Indian brahmana. Due to bad

association, Bilvamangala Thakura became a very

staunch prostitute hunter, and he spent all his money

on a prostitute named Cintamani. One night, during a

terrible rainstorm, Bilvamangala went to see

Cintamani, but the prostitute was thinking, " Surely

tonight Bilvamangala will not come. This is a terrible

storm. " Nonetheless, Bilvamangala came, despite all

difficulties. Somehow he managed to cross the raging

river, and when he saw the gates of Cintamani's house

closed, he somehow managed to jump over them. Despite

all the dangers, he reached Cintamani's house, and the

prostitute, being very astonished, said, " How is it

you have come tonight? Oh, you are so attracted to

this skin! If you just had this much attraction for

Krsna, it would certainly be to your benefit. "

Bilvamangala then immediately left the prostitute's

house and went to Vrndavana. The fact was that in his

previous life he had executed devotional service up to

bhava-bhakti. Thus the prostitute Cintamani actually

became his guru. While in

Vrndavana, Bilvamangala Thakura wrote a book named

Krsna-kamamrta, which has been recommended by Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In that book, Bilvamangala

Thakura writes: " If we have devotion fixed on You, My

Lord

Bhagavan, then we can easily see Your divine form as

kaisora-murti, a young boy. " Another name for Krsna is

Kaisora. The word kaisora refers to the age before

marriage--that is, it refers to a boy between the ages

of

eleven and sixteen. Sri Krsna is always kaisora-murti.

By devotional service, one can see the kaisora-murti

of Krsna very easily. When Bilvamangala Thakura was

going to Vrndavana, 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 Bilvamangala Thakura was attracted to her. She

asked her husband what to do, and the merchant simply

said, " Serve him. " Finally Bilvamangala Thakura came

to his senses, and he thought, " These eyes are my

enemies. " When the beautiful woman approached him,

Bilvamangala Thakura 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

Vrndavana he was supplied milk by Krsna Himself. Thus

he personally realized Krsna 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 animitta, without motive. Actually

Krsna can fulfill all of our wishes without difficulty

because He is almighty and full of all opulences. If

we want material happiness from Krsna, 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 Krsna except bhakti. Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura 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

Mahaprabhu teaches us that we should only beg God for

His service life after life. This is the actual

meaning of the Hare Krsna

maha-mantra. When we are chanting Hare Krsna, Hare

Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama,

Rama, Rama, Hare Hare, we are actually addressing God

and His energy, Hara. Hara is Krsna's internal

potency, Srimati Radharani or Laksmi. Jaya radhe! This

is daivi prakrti, and the devotees take shelter of the

daivi prakrti, Srimati Radharani. Thus the Vaisnavas

worship Radha-Krsna, Laksmi-Narayana and Sita-Rama. In

the beginning of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra we first

address the internal energy of Krsna, Hare. Thus we

say, " O Radharani! 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 Krsna, 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 Krsna. Lord Caitanya

Mahaprabhu teaches:

na dhanam na janam na sundarim

kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye

mama janmani janmanisvare

bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki 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. " (Siksastaka 4)

He requests Lord Krsna's service birth after birth. It

is not that He is seeking salvation; rather, He simply

wants to serve Krsna one life after another. The

devotees are not anxious to merge into the existence

of the Supreme. The Buddhist philosophy advocates

nirvana, the negation of all material desires. Buddha

does not offer more than this. Sankaracarya 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-nirvana. According

to the Vaisnava 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.

Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand this, but

Krsna says that this devotional service is on the

transcendental platform. The Sankhya philosophy of the

atheist Kapila, which is a material philosophy, is

simply the study of the twenty-four elements. However,

the real Sankhya philosophy, propounded by Kapiladeva,

is transcendental to the twenty-four elements and

material activity. Thus in this Sankhya 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 Krsna. It is noteworthy

that Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam never states

that krsna uvaca ( " Krsna says " ) or kapiladeva uvaca

( " Kapiladeva says " ). Rather, it states bhagavan uvaca

( " 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 bhagavan uvaca,

for Bhagavan is all-perfect. We should therefore take

knowledge from Bhagavan or from one who speaks

according to the version of Bhagavan.

The Krsna 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 Bhagavan, 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. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, the author of

Caitanya-caritamrta, has stated, purisera kita haite

muni se

laghistha: " I am lower than the worms in stool. "

(Adi5.205) This is the Vaisnava conception. A Vaisnava

is by nature very humble. He never says, " I am the

Supreme; I have become God. " Krsna says, " I am God.

Worship Me. " The Vaisnava says, " Krsna is God. Worship

Krsna. " It is not difficult to become a guru, provided

that we repeat what Krsna says. Whatever Krsna states

in Bhagavad-gita is dharma. Bharma 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

Srimad-Bhagavatam because it is all

cheating. Bhagavata-dharma is not cheating, for it is

related to the Supreme Lord. Bhakti can be applied

only to Bhagavan, and if there is no Bhagavan, there

is no bhakti. If Bhagavan is zero, where is bhakti?

Bhakti is the transaction between Bhagavan and the

bhakta. Bhagavan is there, and the bhaktas are there,

and the bhaktas address Bhagavan, feed Bhagavan, chant

Bhagavan's names, invoke people to hear about

Bhagavan, publish books about Bhagavan and worship

Bhagavan, and in this way they are constantly absorbed

in Bhagavan. This is the process of bhakti.

TEXT 33

jarayaty asu ya kosam

nigirnam analo yatha

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 Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare

Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, 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 gariyasi, 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: atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved

grahyam indriyaih.

" Material senses cannot appreciate Krsna'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 Bhagavan. The karmis, the gross fruitive

workers, do not understand the distinction between the

body and

the soul. Out of many millions of karmis, there may be

one jnani, one wise man who can understand. The jnani

knows that he is not the body, and out of many

millions of jnanis, one may be actually liberated. The

Mayavadis 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 Mayavadis think that they have become one with

Narayana, they address one another as Narayana. They

say, " You are Narayana, I am Narayana, everyone is

Narayana. " From this misconception, the idea of

daridra-narayana (poor Narayana) 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

Mayavadis worship Lord Visnu, but they do not actually

believe in the form of Lord Visnu. They consider His

image to be some imaginary form to utilize as a means

for self-realization. Mayavadis say that the Absolute

Truth has no rupa, no form, but it is stated: isvarah

paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. " Krsna, 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 Mayavadis do not

understand this. There are also many so-called

Vaisnavas who worship Lord Visnu 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-gita (2.12) Sri Krsna says:

na tv evaham jatu nasam

na tvam neme janadhipah

na caiva na bhavisyamah

sarve vayam atah 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. " Krsna 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 Krsna. 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 bhaktiyoga, 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 Laksmi. The husband of goddess Laksmi is

Narayana, God Himself. In this material world, we are

hankering after Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, but we

are frustrated in our attempts. We think, " Now let me

become the husband of Laksmi. " Actually, no one can

enjoy Laksmi but Narayana. Even exalted demigods like

Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are inferior to Lord

Narayana, but we are so foolish that we are thinking

of assuming Narayana's position, or making Narayana

into daridra-narayana, the poor man in the street. The

sastras never equalize Narayana with anyone, not even

Lord Brahma or Lord Siva, what to speak of foolish

rascals. One may ask why Narayana has created us, why

it is we are part and parcel of Narayana. Eko

bahu-syam. Why has Narayana become many? He has

created us for enjoyment. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. 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 ananda, bliss, but

because it takes place in the material world, the

ananda is converted into something distasteful.

However, we can enjoy this ananda when we are with our

Supreme Father, Krsna. We are all children of the

Supreme Father, and in Bhagavad-gita (14.4) Krsna

claims all species of life as His children:

sarva-yonisu kaunteya

murtayah sambhavanti yah

tasam brahma mahad yonir

aham bija-pradah pita

" It should be understood that all species of life, O

son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this

material nature, and that I am the seed-giving

father. " The Supreme Father, Sri Krsna, has created us

for His enjoyment,

not to create distress. Although we are Krsna'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,

Krsna. This will give us happiness. Krsna 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 Krsna. Nor can we say that to enjoy ourselves we

have to become one with Krsna. 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 Mayavadis want to become one with the

Supreme because they are suffering in the material

world. Krsna 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 maya's business to try to build up the

living entity, to puff him up, and maya's last snare

is to make the living entity think

that he can become one with God. Mayavadis 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 Krsna. 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 Krsna's company.

Therefore devotees never desire to become one with the

Supreme. It is Caitanya Mahaprabhu who says:

mama janmani janmanisvare

bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki 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. " (Siksastaka 4) This

is real ananda. Unless we are fully qualified

devotees, we cannot enter into the Vaikuntha planets.

We have to live outside in the brahmajyoti. If we

desire this, Krsna will give us the opportunity. After

all, Krsna is everything. He is brahmajyoti and

Paramatma also. If we want to become one with the

Supreme, we will be allowed to live outside the

Vaikuntha 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

Krsna, 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.

Chapter Fifteen

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Form

TEXT 34

naikatmatam me sprhayanti kecin

mat-pada-sevabhirata mad-ihah

ye 'nyonyato bhagavatah prasajya

sabhajayante mama paurusani

TRANSLATION

A pure devotee who is attached 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 ekatmatam. A devotee never accepts this kind

of liberation. The other four liberations are: to be

promoted to the same planet as God (Vaikuntha), 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 qve

liberations. He especially despises the attempt to

become one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati, a great devotee of Lord

Caitanya, said, kaivalyam narakayate: " The happiness

of becoming one with the Supreme Lord, which is the

aspiration of the Mayavadis, 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 Mayavada 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. Mayavadis 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 paurusani (My glorious

activities) are significant. Devotees are very much

attached to glorifying the activities of the Lord,

whereas Mayavadis 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam,

Bhagavad-gita 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

Mayavada philosophy are very dangerous to the public,

and therefore Lord Caitanya warned His disciples never

to hear from any Mayavadi about any scripture.

Mayavadis 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 pancama-purusartha. 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

Srimad-Bhagavatam, therefore, begins by stating that

all kinds of pretentious religiosity

is completely eradicated from the Bhagavatam.

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 Bhagavatam. The

Bhagavatam is especially meant for the pure devotees,

who always engage in Krsna consciousness, in the

activities of the Lord, and always glorify these

transcendental activities. Pure devotees worship the

transcendental activities of the Lord in Vrndavana,

Dvaraka and Mathura as they are narrated in the

Srimad-Bhagavatam and other puranas. The Mayavadi

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 Mayavadi and a pure devotee as

they view scripture. Actually Vedic scripture is

krsna-katha, topics about Krsna, and krsna-katha is

not a subject matter for a debate club. It is meant

for the devotees. Nondevotees simply waste their time

reading Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, and we

have often mentioned that so-called scholars,

politicians and philosophers simply give misleading

commentaries when they try to interpret Bhagavad-gita.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura 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:

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido

bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah

taj josanad asv apavarga-vartmani

sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati

" 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. " (SB. 3.25.25) God is eternal, and His

instructions and followers are also

eternal. In Bhagavad-gita (4.1) Krsna tells Arjuna

that millions of years ago He spoke Bhagavad-gita to

the sun-god. Bhagavad-gita was spoken to Arjuna five

thousand years ago, and if we read it today we will

still find that it is fresh. Bhagavad-gita and Krsna

are never old. Although Krsna 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. Krsna'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 Krsna, 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 Krsna maha-mantra can be chanted twentyfour

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-prema. Those who have developed love of

Godhead can hear it. Arjuna was neither a Vedantist

nor a sannyasi, nor was he particularly advanced in

spiritual understanding. However, he heard

Bhagavad-gita 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 svamis and yogis who tell

their disciples that they can do anything and still

advance spiritually, but this is not possible. One has

to become a pure brahmana, control the mind and senses

and discuss the Supreme Personality of Godhead among

sadhus. 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 Krsna.

When one approaches Krsna, one should say, " My dear

Krsna, 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 Prahlada was asked by the

Supreme Lord what benediction he desired, Prahlada

Maharaja

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.

Krsna descends to please His devotees and destroy the

demons. From the very beginning of Krsna's birth,

demons were present. Kamsa advised his constables, " As

soon as Krsna is born, tell me. I shall immediately

kill Him. " He was always thinking of Krsna in this

way, negatively. Similarly, we will find so many

so-called religionists whose only purpose is to kill

Krsna. Somehow or other they try to take Krsna out of

Bhagavad-gita. They will comment on Bhagavad-gita, but

in their commentaries there will never be mention of

Krsna. They will never say that Krsna 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 krsna-bhakti, and

their entire propaganda is aimed toward this.

TEXT 35

pasyanti te me rucirany amba santah

prasanna-vaktraruna-locanani

rupani divyani vara-pradani

sakam vacam sprhaniyam 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

Mayavadis 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 arca incarnation. Arca

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

arca-vigraha. This arca-vigraha, sometimes called the

arca 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

sastric injunctions which give instructions for

carving forms of the Lord. These forms are not

material. If God is allpervading, 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 Visnu, 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 Krsna will see Him. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu

entered the temple of Jagannatha, He immediately

fainted upon seeing the Deity. He said, " Oh, here is

My Lord! Here is My Lord! " ln order to see, one has to

become santah, and one becomes santah by culture. When

we develop love of Krsna, we will immediately see

Krsna and faint, saying, " Oh, here is my Lord! "

However, those with no faith, those who are always

trying to deny Krsna, will simply say, " Oh, this is an

idol. This is simply a piece of stone. " We must be

eager to see Krsna and talk with Him. He is actually

waiting to see whether we are interested in talking

with Him. In Bhagavad-gita (10.10) Sri Krsna says:

tesam satata-yuktanam

bhajatam priti-purvakam

dadimi buddhi-yogam tam

yena mam upayanti 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.

Krsna is ready to talk to us, and for this purpose He

has descended in the arca-murti, the Deity, in order

to be seen. We simply have to qualify ourselves to

talk with Him. The nondevotees, Mayavadis, who are

interested in denying Krsna, 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: sakam vacam sprhaniyam vadanti. By

saying that Krsna is blind, that He has no eyes, no

hands, no nothing, we are indirectly saying that Krsna

does not exist. This is certainly not a favorable way

to talk about Krsna. If we want to talk about Krsna,

we must consult the Vedic literatures. Then we can

understand how Krsna should be worshiped.

In Brahma-samhita (5.29) it is stated: " Sri Krsna 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 Mayavadis 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

Krsna was present on this earth, He exhibited His form

and activities. All of these are divine, not material.

Krsna's body is sac-cid-ananda-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, Hiranyakasipu tried to kill

his five-year-old boy Prahlada Maharaja because his

son was talking about Krsna. There were many demons

who tried to kill Krsna Himself, great demons like

Putana, Aghasura, Bakasura and Kamsa. Nonetheless,

Krsna 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 Krsna in a pleasing way; then we will be

benefited. Another name for Krsna is Uttamasloka,

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. Arcanam 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 Krsna, 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 Krsna 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 Vrndavana is many trillions and

trillions of miles away, but Krsna 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-ananda-vigraha. If we can understand Krsna's

activities, form, qualities and pastimes in this way,

we become fit to return home, back to Godhead.

TEXT 36

tair darsaniyavayavair udaravilasa-

haseksita-vama-suktaih

hrtatmano hrta-pranams ca bhaktir

anicchato me gatim anvim prayunkte

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 Krsna consciousness, engaging the

senses in the service of the Lord, one is

imperceptibly liberated. This is also confirmed in

Bhagavad-gita. Simply by discharging uncontaminated

devotional service as prescribed in the scriptures,

one becomes equal to Brahman. In Bhagavad-gita it is

said, brahma-bhuyaya 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 maya. His forgetfulness of his real

constitutional position is maya. 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. Sraddhayanvitah: with great

devotion the devotees offer worshipful respects and

paraphernalia to the Deity. The

Deities of Radha and Krsna, Laksmi and Narayana, and

Rama and Sita, 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 Sukadeva

Gosvami and the four Kumaras were attracted by the

beauty of the Deities in the temple, by the

decorations and by the aroma of tulasi 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 vilasa is

very important. Vilasa 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

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita or some similar

literature, which is regularly recited in the temple.

In Vrndavana, in every temple, there is recitation of

the sastras. Even third-class devotees who have no

literary knowledge or no time to read

Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita 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 Krsna

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

Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama,

Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, (2) to associate with

devotees and serve them as far as possible, (3) to

hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, (4) to see the decorated

temple and the Deity and, if possible, (5) to live in

a place like Vrndavana or Mathura. These five items

alone can help a devotee achieve the highest

perfectional stage. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita

and in this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam. That

third-class devotees can also imperceptibly achieve

liberation is accepted in all Vedic literatures. As

far as meditation on the arca-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 Krsna, 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 Krsna's form, and thus we

can associate with Krsna by meditating on His smiling

face, His flute, His hands, His dress, His consort

Srimati Radharani and the other gopis surrounding Him.

Thus we should practice observing the

Supreme Lord, and to this end He has appeared before

us as the arcavigraha. There are three kinds of

devotee: kanistha-adhikari, madhyamaadhikari and

uttama-adhikari. The uttama-adhikari is the most

advanced; the madhyama-adhikari is in the middle

stage; and the kanistha-adhikari 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 Krsna's smiling face. The neophyte

should also read and hear Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-

Bhagavatam. 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 Krsna.

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

pancaratriki-vidhi. There must also be

bhagavata-vidhi, reading Srimad Bhagavad-gita and

Srimad-Bhagavatam. pancaratriki-vidhi and

bhagavata-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-adhikari, 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 kanistha-adhikari, the neophyte, simply

concentrates on the Deity, and that is required in the

beginning:

arcayam eva haraye

pujam yah sraddhayehate

na tad-bhaktesu canyesu

sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah

" 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 prakrta-bhakta, or

kanistha-adhikari. " (SB. 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-adhikari stage,

his vision is described thus:

isvare tad-adhinesu

balisesu dvisatsu ca

prema-maitri-krpopeksa

yah karoti sa madhyamah

" The madhyama-adhikari 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. " (SB. 11.2.46) The

madhyama-adhikari 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-adhikari knows

that Krsna is God: krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. He wants

to develop his love for Krsna. He also wants to see

that not a moment is wasted without engagement in

Krsna consciousness. He is always careful not to spoil

life's valuable time. That is the first qualification

of a madhyama-adhikari. 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 Krsna

consciousness.

The madhyama-adhikari also has a special taste for

chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. He is also very

anxious to live in places like Vrndavana, Dvaraka and

Mathura, places where Krsna lived. Of course it is a

fact that Krsna, being God, has His residence

everywhere. He even resides within every atom.

Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. Nonetheless,

He has special places of residence like Vrndavana,

Dvaraka and Mathura; 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

Krsna consciousness. That faith is created after

reading Bhagavad-gita carefully and actually

understanding it as it is. Unless one reads

Bhagavad-gita, there is no question of faith in Krsna.

One must have faith in the words of Krsna,

particularly when Krsna says, " Abandon all dharmas and

surrender to Me. I will give you all protection. " If

we study Bhagavad-gita as a literary treatise and then

throw it away, that is not faith. Faith is explained

by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami thus:

`sraddha'-sabde--visvasa kahe sudrdha niscaya

krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

" By rendering transcendental loving service to Krsna,

one automatically performs all subsidiary activities.

This confident, firm faith, favorable to the discharge

of devotional service, is called sraddha. " (Cc. Madhya

22.62)

In Bhagavad-gita Krsna 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-gita, but they do not

accept Krsna as a person. In the Twelfth Chapter of

Bhagavad-gita, Krsna 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 Krsna

states:

kleso 'dhikataras tesam

avyaktasakta-cetasam

avyakta hi gatir duhkham

dehavadbhir avapyate

" For those whose minds are attached 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 (Paramatma) and the sun-god residing within

the sun is a person (Bhagavan). 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, Paramatma and Bhagavan. Impersonalists

maintain that the sun is simply a fiery globe and

nothing else, but in Bhagavad-gita Krsna specifically

states that He spoke Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god

Vivasvan. 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.

Krsna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, being, knowledge and

bliss, with form. Impersonal understanding is

understanding of the sat feature. Understanding Krsna

in full is understanding all of His features. The

ananda feature is realized in Bhagavan. Krsna plays on

His flute and is accompanied by His pleasure potency,

hladini sakti, Srimati Radharani. Of Krsna's many

potencies, the hladini sakti is His pleasure-giving

potency. That is ananda. Although Krsna is full in

Himself, He expands Himself when He wants to enjoy.

That expansion is His pleasure potency, Radharani. The

gopis are the expansions of Radharani, and the various

forms of Krsna are manifest just to taste the mellow

of transcendental bliss. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. Thus

Brahman realization is realization of the sat portion,

Paramatma realization is realization of the cit

portion, and Bhagavan realization is the realization

of the ananda portion. In the Vedanta-sutra it is said

that the Absolute Truth is anandamayo 'bhyasat.

Krsna's lila is always full of transcendental

bliss--especially in Vrndavana, His original

residence. It is in Vrndavana that Krsna plays with

His cowherd boy friends and dances with the gopis. It

is also in Vrndavana that Krsna steals mother Yasoda'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 Krsna is smiling, playing on His

flute and enjoying the company of Srimati Radharani.

Then we also have to hear about Krsna. These two

processes will increase in such a way that we will

automatically become great devotees. Anicchato me

gatim anvim prayunkte. 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 sastras for developing God

consciousness. It is an actual science.

sri-bhagavan uvaca

jnanam parama-guhyam me

yad vijnana-samanvitam

sa-rahasyam tad-angam ca

grhana gaditam maya

" 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. " (SB. 2.9.31) In Bhagavad-gita Krsna

tells Arjuna that He has revealed this most

confidential knowledge to him because Arjuna is His

very dear friend. That confidential knowledge is,

sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: " Just

surrender unto Me. " (Bg. 18.66) Brahman realization is

certainly confidential, and Paramatma realization is

still more confidential, but understanding Krsna as He

is, is the most confidential knowledge of all. If

one's mind and senses are completely absorbed in Krsna

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 Krsna. 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 Krsna's transcendental form. This is the

meaning of perfection.

Chapter Sixteen

The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences

TEXT 37

atho vibhutim mama mayavinas tam

aisvaryam astangam anupravrttam

sriyam bhagavatim vasprhayanti bhadram

prasya me te 'snuvate 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 vibhuti, or opulences, offered by maya 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 Brahma 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-gita that

Brahma's twelve hours are inconceivable even to our

mathematicians. These are all descriptions of the

external energy of the Lord, or maya. Besides these,

there are other opulences which the yogis 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

Mahaprabhu 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 Krsna

consciousness, liberation is already guaranteed.

Devotees enjoy all the benefits of the higher planets

and the Vaikuntha planets also. It is especially

mentioned here, bhagavatim bhadram. In the Vaikuntha

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

Mahaprabhu, Rupa Gosvami in his Bhaktirasamrta-

sindhu, Narada Muni in the Narada-pancaratra and

Bhagavan Sri Krsna in Bhagavad-gita, 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, kama and moksa,

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 (kama), and when they are frustrated in

their attempt to gratify their senses, they want

liberation (moksa). In this way, dharma, artha, kama

and moksa 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

Krsna just like a very precious jewel. When you hold

something precious in your hand, you are very careful,

and similarly, Krsna 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. " Krsna, the Supreme Lord, is the

proprietor of all opulence. There is no one more

opulent than Krsna; therefore if Krsna 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 Krsna 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 Krsna,

whereas Duryodhana took Krsna's soldiers. It is not

possible to conquer Krsna, but the devotee can capture

Krsna with bhakti, love. It is impossible for people

to understand the great opulence of Sri Krsna.

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu tells us to abandon

speculating about God. There is a story of a frog in a

well being approached 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-marga 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 Krsna

sincerely, " Krsna, 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 approached

Krsna in the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. 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 Krsna is supporting all these millions

of universes with a single fragment of Himself. This

is also confirmed in many other

Vedic literatures:

yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya

jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah

visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

" Brahma and other lords of the mundane worlds,

appearing from the pores of hair of Maha-Visnu, remain

alive as long as the duration of His one exhalation. I

adore the primeval Lord Govinda, of whose subjective

personality Maha-Visnu is the portion of a portion. "

(Brahma-samhita 5.48) This is the information given in

Brahma-samhita, the prayers offered by Lord Brahma.

This Brahma-samhita was accepted by Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, 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 brahmanas

were able to keep them. They were worshiped in the

temple as the sastra 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-gita or Srimad- Bhagavatam 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 Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned from South India

with a copy of Brahma-samhita, He gave it to His

disciples and told them that it was a summary of the

Vedanta and the Srimad-Bhagavatam. We therefore accept

Brahma-samhita as authorized scripture, for it was

authorized by the Supreme Person, Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Just as Sri Krsna explains in Bhagavad-gita in so many

ways that the entire material creation is resting on

one of His portions, Brahma-samhita explains the same

subject. It is stated that from the skin pores of the

Maha-Visnu, all the universes are emanating. In each

universe there is a Brahma, a supervisor, who is the

supreme creature and manager. These managers live only

as long as the Maha-Visnu 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 Brahmas are

coming and going. The durations of these breaths,

which constitute a life of a Brahma, are described in

Bhagavad-gita 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-gita. Generally people are interested in

going to the higher planetary systems in order to

become more opulent. This is the process of

karmakandiya, and people perform yajnas 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 Krsna. In

Bhagavad-gita (8.16) Sri Krsna says, abrahma-bhuvanal

lokah punar avartino '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 Brahma

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,

Sri Krsna. The Supreme Lord is the supreme leader of

the nityas, the eternal living entities. We are all

nityas, eternal, and Krsna guides and plays with us.

In the spiritual world, Krsna 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. Brahma 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 Brahma or a cat, we ultimately have to die.

Krsna presents Himself to atheists as death. He

appeared in this way before Hiranyakasipu, who said,

" I am God. All the demigods are

afraid of me. I am very powerful. " Krsna 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 Vaikuntha and a temple, for a

devotee. In either case, his business is the same.

Why, then, should he aspire to go to Vaikuntha?

In the Vaikuntha planets one attains opulence like

Krsna or Narayana. There are five kinds of mukti,

liberation, and one is sarsti. This kind of liberation

brings one opulence equal to the Lord. In the

Vaikuntha planets, everyone is four-handed like

Narayana, and everyone is equally opulent. In Goloka

Vrndavana, Krsna and the cowherd boys are equally

opulent. In Vrndavana, the cowherd boys do not know

that Krsna is God. They look on Krsna 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 Vaikuntha by

worshiping Krsna in the temple. The temple is nirguna,

transcendental to the gunas. In the sastras it is said

that the forest is characterized by sattva-guna,

goodness, and the city is characterized by rajo-guna,

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 vanaprastha stage. The word vana

means " forest. " Before taking sannyasa, a man would

leave his

family and go to the forest to begin practicing

austerities. Vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta.

Actually, superior to living in the forest is living

in the temple because the temple is nirguna, above all

the gunas, even sattva-guna. The inhabitants of the

temple are actually in Vaikuntha. Lord Kapiladeva next

explains the nature of the special opulences of the

devotees.

TEXT 38

na karhicin mat-parah santa-rupe

nanksyanti no me 'nimiso ledhi hetih

yesam aham priya atma sutas ca

sakha guruh suhrdo daivam istam

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-gita 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 finished, 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 Vaikuntha, even on this

planet--are never destroyed. In this verse Kapiladeva

addresses His mother as santa-rupa, indicating that

the opulences of devotees are fixed because devotees

are eternally fixed in the Vaikuntha atmosphere, which

is called santa-rupa 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 Krsna consciousness, in the Vaikuntha atmosphere,

there is no influence of time. In the material world

the influence of time destroys everything, but in the

Vaikuntha atmosphere there is no influence of time or

of the demigods because there are no demigods in the

Vaikuntha 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 Vaikuntha 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

nanksyanti 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-gita is spoken directly by the

Supreme Lord, and Arjuna accepted Krsna as his guru,

or spiritual master. Similarly, we should accept only

Krsna as the supreme spiritual master. When we speak

of Krsna, we include His confidential devotees; Krsna

is not alone. Krsna 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 Krsna 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-gita, directly from the

speeches of the Supreme Lord Krsna, can never change.

There is no use interpreting Bhagavad-gita; it is

eternal. Krsna, 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 Krsna 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

Krsna actually never will die. Therefore those who

accept Krsna, 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 sraddha

ceremony for the father. The relationship is never

destroyed. People are accustomed to worship different

forms of demigods, but in Bhagavad-gita 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 Laksmi-Narayana, Sita-Rama and

Radha-Krsna. 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 Vaikuntha

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 Krsna is permanent.

Krsna's material energy is not permanent. Mayavadis

think that in the spiritual world there are no

relationships. However, in the sastras 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-gita 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 Krsna. Krsna 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

Mayavadi philosophers say that if Krsna has become

everything, there is no question of Krsna 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,

Krsna isnot like that. advaitam acyutam anadim

ananta-rupamadyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca " I

worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda

[Krsna], 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. "

(Brahmasamhita 5.33) Krsna 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 Krsna has no

individual existence if He has entered into so many

millions of hearts. Even though Krsna has distributed

Himself in many millions of parts, He is still present

in the same strength. Krsna is sarvaisvarya-purna. He

is never diminished. 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 brahmanas

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

classcontribute? " The mother replied, " My dear son, we

are so poor that we cannot give anything. However,

Krsna is the friend of the poor. If He gives you

something, you can promise it to your teacher. " " Oh,

where is Krsna? " 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 Krsna. He then began to cry, and finally Krsna

came. When a devotee is very eager to see Krsna, Krsna

is so kind that He comes. " So, what are you asking? "

Krsna 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? " Krsna then

told him, " You can tell him that you will supply him

some yogurt, some dahi. " 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 Krsna. Krsna 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 Krsna.

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 jnana. There is no duality in the

spiritual world. One plus one equals one, and one

minus one equals one. If we love Krsna, 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 Krsna 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. Mayavadi 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 Krsna, we

will never be cheated or disappointed. Our enthusiasm

will increase more and more. Therefore Krsna

encourages us to accept Him as our son, as our friend

and as our master. Then we will be happy.

TEXT 39-40

imam lokam tathaivamum

atmanam ubhayayinam

atmanam anu ye ceha

ye rayah pasavo grhah

visrjya sarvan anyams ca

mam evam visvato-mukham

bhajanty ananyaya bhaktya

tan mrtyor atiparaye

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 Krsna

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-gita,

" 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 attached 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 (yathartham upayunjatah).

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 Krsna consciousness. It is

stated in Bhagavadgita that without the knowledge of

the devotee, the Lord arranges for His devotee to be

inimediately 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 Vaikunthaloka. 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 Krsna, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, as the most dear to us. If we

want to love Krsna as a son, Krsna is prepared to be

our son. Arjuna accepted Krsna as his friend, and

Krsna was his best friend. Everyone can accept Krsna

in so many ways. We can love Krsna as Arjuna did, or

as mother Yasoda did. Similarly, Pariksit Maharaja

simply heard about Krsna and developed love. The

first-class yogi takes Krsna as everything-- priya,

suta, sakha, guru, everything. This is real bhakti. If

we want a

son, Krsna 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 Krsna. We all have some loving propensity,

and Krsna is prepared to fulfill this propensity.

Krsna is not a person like ourselves. We occupy one

body, but Krsna is the owner of all bodies. The body

is a machine given by Krsna. In the material world, a

father may give his son a car. Similarly, Krsna 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 smashed. 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 up all this and take shelter of Krsna,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and worship Him.

Nor can we worship Him whimsically, but as He desires.

If Krsna 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 Mayavadis say that Brahman has no

rupa, no form, and they suggest that we imagine some

form. This is not the case with Krsna. Krsna 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

Brahma'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

Krsna's, we can get that also. That is our real body

of sac-cid-ananda. 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 Krsna conscious

activities, we go to Vaikunthaloka. We are part and

parcel of Krsna, but somehow or other we have

forgotten this. In Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 20:1

17) it is said: krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha

ataeva maya tare deya samsara-duhkha " Forgetting

Krsna, the living entity has been attracted by the

external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the

illusory energy [maya] gives him all kinds of misery

in his material existence. " Because

we have forgotten Krsna, Krsna has given us all these

Vedas and puranas. Krsna also comes into this material

world in order to remind us of Himself. In this

Kali-yuga, people are forgetting Krsna more and more.

They are not even interested in Him, but Krsna 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, Krsna'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 Krsna

comes to rescue him.

Chapter Seventeen

Taking Shelter of Krsna, the Supreme Controller

TEXT 41

nanyatra mad-bhagavatah

pradhana-purusesvarat

atmanah sarva-bhutanam

bhayam tivram 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, harim vina naiva

srtim 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 Srimad-

Bhagavatam (10.2.32): ye 'nye 'ravindaksa

vimukta-maninah. Lord Brahma

and other demigods prayed to the Lord when Krsna was

in the womb of Devaki: " 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-gita, therefore, confirms

that purified intelligence arises in a very wise man.

Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. After

many, many births, one who is actually advanced in

intelligence surrenders unto the Supreme Lord. Without

surrendering, one cannot achieve liberation. The

Bhagavatam 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 Bhagavatam 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 " (nanyatra mad-bhagavatah). The Lord

is stated here to be Bhagavan, 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 pradhana because He is the Supreme. He is

equal to everyone, but to one who surrenders to Him He

is especially favorable. It is also conkrmed in

Bhagavad-gita 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 tivram. The word tivram 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 maya 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 Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita that our real

trouble is janmamrtyu-- 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 Krsna, 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 Yamaraja. 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. Yudhisthira Maharaja 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 Brhaspati to become a hog. He was going

about on earth enjoying his hog body when finally Lord

Brahma 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 Brahma

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 Krsna'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 Krsna consciousness. The

entire human civilization is falling

into the illusory fire of maya. 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 Krsna and His devotees are

so kind and compassionate that they are unhappy to see

all the misery of this material world. Krsna is the

father of all living entities, and He is very unhappy

to see His sons suffer. Krsna 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 Krsna comes. Actually He has no other

business to carry out here because His agent prakrti

does everything. Nonetheless, out of compassion Krsna

comes in His original form or in an incarnation like

Kapiladeva. Krsna also sends His representative, who

says, " You rascal! Simply take shelter of Krsna and be

happy. " Krsna comes once in a day of Brahma, and His

incarnations also

come, to educate foolish people who think that they

are living happily on this earth. Kapiladeva comes to

propound this Sankhya 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 maya, 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 Krsna. 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 Mahaprabhu has defined our original svarupa,

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

Bhagavan. 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 Krsna, but he is accepted as Krsna.

saksad dharitvena samasta-sastrair

uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih

kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya

vande guroh sri-caranaravindam

" 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 Sri Hari

[Krsna]. " (Gurv-astaka 7) This is the verdict of all

sastras. The guru never says, " I am Krsna, I am God, I

am Bhagavan. " 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 isthe servant one hundred times removed.

Gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasadasanudasa. 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 Krsna, and if

we become his servant, we become an actual bona fide

servant. That is our real position. Therefore Caitanya

Mahaprabhu prays:

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram

patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

" O son of Nanda Maharaja, I am Your eternal servant,

but somehow or other I have fallen into this ocean of

birth and death. " (Siksastaka 5) Caitanya Mahaprabhu

addresses the Supreme Lord Krsna as the son of Nanda

Maharaja. Krsna is very pleased if one addresses Him

as the son of Vasudeva, Yasoda or Maharaja Nanda.

Krsna likes to be named in relation to His pure

devotees. Therefore He is called Yasoda-nandana,

Nandanandana,

Vasudeva-nandana, Radhika-ramana and so on. Thus

Caitanya Mahaprabhu addresses Krsna in this way. He

says that although He is Krsna'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

sastras, and Krsna comes for this purpose and sends

His devotees, who work day and night to propagate this

Krsna consciousness movement.

TEXT 42

mad-bhayad vati vato 'yam

suryas tapati mad-bhayat

varsatindro dahaty agnir

mrtyus carati mad-bhayat

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, Krsna, says in

Bhagavad-gita 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 Vayu. But above all these

demigods is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the

chief living entity. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam.

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, Varuna and Vayu, are called

adhikari-devata. 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-gita (9. 10), mayadhyaksena

prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram. 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

Bhagavatam 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,

bhisasmad vatah pavate/ bhisodeti suryah: " Out of fear

of the Supreme Lord, the wind-god and the sun-god are

acting. " Bhisasmad agnis cendras ca/ mrtyur dhavati

pancamah: " Agni, Indra and Mrtyu 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 aregreat 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 sastras 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

Krsna, 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 Krsna's external

energy. Nothing is independent of Krsna or His energy.

In Brahma-samhita (5.44) it is said that material

nature is so powerful that it can create, maintain and

destroy in itself: Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir

eka. 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 sastras, 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 punished by their master, Krsna. When Krsna was

present on this earth, He saw that Lord Indra, the

lord of the heavens and of rain, was somewhat puffed

up. Krsna therefore advised His father Nanda Maharaja

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 Maharaja was

not willing to do this, but out of affection for

Krsna, he finally agreed. When Indra saw that Nanda

Maharaja was worshiping Govardhana Hill, he became

very angry and sent vicious clouds to inundate all of

Vrndavana with a flood. Krsna then showed Indra that

his power was not even competent to deal with the

little finger of His left hand. Therefore Krsna lifted

Govardhana Hill with the small finger of His left hand

and used it as an umbrella to save all the people of

Vrndavana from Indra's torrents. All of this is

related in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Thus everyone is a

servant. No one can actually claim to be master. If we

simply take shelter of Krsna, 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 Krsna, 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 sankirtana-yajna, the

chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is

recommended. Anyone can chant Hare Krsna. There is no

need for instruments, although Caitanya Mahaprabhu

introduced the mrdanga (drum) and karatalas (cymbals).

Otherwise, clapping in itself is sufficient. Anyone

can sit down with his family, clap hands and chant

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare

Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This sankirtana

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 finished 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. Krsna 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

Krsna, 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 Krsna.

Chapter Eighteen

Devotional Service: The Final Perfection

TEXT 43

jnana-vairagya-yuktena

bhakti-yogena yoginah

ksemaya pada-mulam me

pravisanty akuto-bhayam

TRANSLATION

The yogis, 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 yogi. The words explicitly used

here are yuktena bhakti-yogena. Those yogis, or

mystics, who engage in devotional service are

first-class yogis. They are described in Bhagavad-gita

as constantly thinking of the

Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. These

yogis are not without knowledge and renunciation. To

become a bhakti-yogi means to automatically attain

knowledge and renunciation. That is the consequent

result of bhakti-yoga. In the Bhagavatam, First Canto,

Second Chapter, it is also confirmed that one who

engages in devotional service of Vasudeva, Krsna, has

complete transcendental knowledge and renunciation,

and there is no further explanation for these

attainments. Ahaituki-- 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 yogis 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

Vaikuntha 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 finished. 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 Krsna. We have forgotten

that we are Krsna'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 iather 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 Krsna. Krsna 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 maya, illusion.

Knowledge, jnana, means understanding our relationship

with Krsna. A wise man asks, " What is my duty to

Krsna? " Once we understand our

relationship with Krsna and our duty to Him, we

naturally become reluctant to engage in material

activities. This is called vairagya, detachment from

material activities. Jnana and vairagya can be

awakened by bhakti-yoga. Bhakti means surrender unto

Krsna. Without surrendering to Krsna, we cannot

understand our situation. Krsna reserves the right of

not being exposed to fools and rascals. He is simply

meant for the devotees. We cannot understand Krsna

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 Krsna, 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 sastras, there is sreyas and preyas.

Sreyas 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 sreyas, the ultimate

goal. No one is interested in this. The sastras

instruct us to aim for sreyas and not be captivated by

preyas. The supreme sreyas 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. Krsna in all

seriousness wants to see

whether one has finished all his material desires.

When Krsna sees this, He is very pleased. We are

actually busy with dharma, artha, kama and moksa, 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

etavan eva loke 'smin

pumsam nihsreyasodayah

tivrena bhakti-yogena

mano mayy arpitam 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 Krsna or His

incarnation. To be fixed steadily in that freedom is

the way of liberation. Ambarisa Maharaja 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 tulasi 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, cancalam hi manah krsna: " The mind is always

agitated. " The best course is to fix the mind on the

lotus feet of the Lord. Mano mayy arpitam sthiram. If

one seriously engages in Krsna consciousness, that is

the highest perfectional stage. All Krsna 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

jnana-vairagya, knowledge and renunciation.

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya has explained bhakti-yoga as

vairagya-vidya-nija-bhaktiyoga. Bhakti-yoga begins

when we accept Krsna's instructions:

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam 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 Krsna. 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 duhkhalayam

asasvatam, 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-bhuta, we can enter

the kingdom of God, the spiritual world. By karma-yoga

we attempt to get out of the gross body, and by

jnana-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-bhuta. Aham brahmasmi ( " 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.

Prahlada Maharaja rendered the best service to his

father, Hiranyakasipu, by having him killed by Lord

Nrsimhadeva. Superficially it appeared that Prahlada

Maharaja did not help his father, but this was not the

case. In the sastras it is said that if a person, even

though a demon, is killed by God, he is immediately

liberated. prahlada Maharaja

was thinking, " My father is so sinful and so much

opposed to God consciousness that he might not be

liberated. " After Lord Nrsimha killed Hiranyakasipu,

Prahlada Maharaja 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 Hiranyakasipu 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 does a Vaisnava's

father, but everyone for twenty-one generations before

a Vaisnava 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 Vaisnava. The yogi's real business is

to focus his mind on Krsna. That is the real yoga

system. There are many gymnastics performed by yogis,

but all this is recommended for those who are overly

concerned with the body. Rendering service to Krsna

twenty-four hours daily is called bhaktiyoga, and that

is real samadhi. 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 Krsna.

There is a great difference between a bhakti-yogi and

an ordinary karmi. Ordinary karmis cannot understand

that the bhaktas are on the transcendental platform.

As we have stated before, there are innumerable forms

of God--Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, Krsna, Kapiladeva,

Balarama and so on. Sometimes foolish people ask, " You

are worshiping Krsna. Why don't you worship Rama? "

Actually there is no difference between Krsna and

Rama, but everyone has his preference. For instance,

Hanuman was particularly devoted to Lord Ramacandra.

The gopis are exclusively devoted to Lord Krsna. This

does not make any real difference. The Lord appears in

different forms, but in all cases He is the Lord. Once

Krsna left the gopis and changed into His four-handed

Visnu form. The gopis went out searching for Krsna,

and when they saw the four-handed Visnu form, they did

not offer much respect. They simply wanted to see

Krsna. Actually there is no difference between Krsna

and Visnu, but every devotee has a particular

inclination. In the Vaisnava-sampradaya, some devotees

worship Radha-Krsna, and others worship Sita-Rama and

Laksmi-Narayana. Some also worship Rukmini-Krsna. All

of these are the same, and all of

the devotees are Vaisnavas. Whether one chants Hare

Krsna or Hare Rama, it is not very important. Worship

of the demigods, however, is not recommended. In any

case, bhakti-yoga begins with hearing—sravanam

kirtanam. After one has heard from the right source

and is convinced, one will automatically perform

kirtana. Kirtana means glorification. Kirtana is

preaching, glorifying and speaking about tlie Lord.

Pariksit Maharaja attained perfection simply by

listening to Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is sravanam

kirtanam. Pariksit Maharaja was listening, and

Sukadeva Gosvami was performing kirtana by describing

the glories of the Lord. Prthu Maharaja simply

worshiped the Lord, and Laksmidevi massaged Visnu's

lotus feet. Arjuna made friends with the Lord, and

Hanuman carried out the orders of Lord Ramacandra.

Bali Maharaja offered everything he had to the Lord in

the form of Vamanadeva, 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 Krsna, that is sufficient. God has given us

ears, and we need only go to a realized

soul and hear about Krsna from him. This is the

process recommended for this age because people are

very fallen and are uneducated. Caitanya Mahaprabhu

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 Krsna. The Krsna consciousness movement is meant

to give everybody an opportunity to hear about Krsna.

Krsna 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 Krsna says. This

is the whole process of harisankirtana. One doesn't

even have to understand what this Hare Krsna 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 thepeople 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 Krsna consciousness

movement. There may be many obstacles, but they can

all be transcended by Krsna'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.

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