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RV 3 Knowledge of Krsna's Energies

2022-02-18T01:51:12Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Raja-Vidya The King of Knowledge]]
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It may be noted at this point that the Ninth Chapter of ''Bhagavad-gītā'' is especially meant for those who have already accepted Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, it is meant for His devotees. If one does not accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme, this Ninth Chapter will appear as something different from what it actually is. As stated in the beginning, the subject matter of the Ninth Chapter is the most confidential material in the entire ''Bhagavad-gītā''. If one doesn't accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme, he will think the chapter to be a mere exaggeration. This is especially the case with the verses dealing with Kṛṣṇa's relationship with His creation ([[BG 9.4|BG 9.4]]):

:''mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ''
:''jagad avyakta-mūrtinā''
:''mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni''
:''na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ''

"By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them."

The world which we see is also Kṛṣṇa's energy, His ''māyā''. Here, ''mayā'' means "by Me," as if one says, "This work has been done by me." This "by Me" does not mean that He has done His work and has finished or retired. If I start a large factory and I say, "This factory was started by me," in no case should it be concluded that I am lost or in any way not present. Although a manufacturer may refer to his products as being "manufactured by me," it does not mean that he personally created or constructed his product, but that the product was produced by his energy. Similarly, if Kṛṣṇa says, "Whatever you see in the world was created by Me," we are not to suppose that He is no longer existing.

It is not very difficult to see God everywhere in the creation, for He is everywhere present. Just as in the Ford factory the workers see Mr. Ford in every corner, those who are conversant with the science of Kṛṣṇa can see Him in every atom of the creation. Everything is resting on Kṛṣṇa (''mat-sthāni sarva bhūtāni'' ([[BG 9.4|BG 9.4]])), but Kṛṣṇa is not there (''na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ''). Kṛṣṇa and His energy are non-different, yet the energy is not Kṛṣṇa. The sun and the sunshine are not different, but the sunshine is not the sun. The sunshine may come through our window and enter our room, but this is not to say that the sun is in our room. The ''Viṣṇu Purāṇa'' states: ''parasya brāhmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ'': ''parasya'' means supreme, ''brāhmaṇaḥ'' means Absolute Truth, and ''śaktiḥ'' means energy. The energy of the Supreme Absolute is everything, but in that energy Kṛṣṇa is not to be found.

There are two kinds of energy - material and spiritual. ''Jīvas'', or individual souls, belong to the superior energy of Kṛṣṇa, but because they are prone to be attracted to the material energy, they are called marginal energy. But actually there are only two energies. All of the planetary systems and universes are resting on the energies of Kṛṣṇa. Just as all the planets in the solar system are resting in the sunshine, everything within the creation is resting on Kṛṣṇa-shine. All of these potencies of the Lord give pleasure to a devotee, but one who is envious of Kṛṣṇa rejects them. When one is a nondevotee, the statements of Kṛṣṇa seem to be so much bluff, but when one is a devotee, he thinks, "Oh, my Lord is so powerful," and he becomes filled with love and adoration. Nondevotees think that because Kṛṣṇa says, "I am God," they and everyone else can say the same. But if asked to show their universal form, they cannot do it. That is the difference between a pseudo god and the real God. Kṛṣṇa's pastimes cannot be imitated. Kṛṣṇa married over 16,000 wives and kept them nicely in 16,000 palaces, but an ordinary man cannot even keep one wife nicely. It is not that Kṛṣṇa just spoke so many wonderful things; He also acted wonderfully. We should not believe one thing that Kṛṣṇa says or does and reject another; if belief is there, it must be full belief.

In this regard, there is a story of Nārada Muni, who was once asked by a ''brāhmaṇa'': "Oh, you are going to meet the Lord? Will you please ask Him when I'm going to get my salvation?"

"All right," Nārada agreed. "I shall ask Him."

As Nārada proceeded, he met a cobbler who was sitting under a tree mending shoes, and the cobbler similarly asked Nārada, "Oh, you are going to see God? Will you please inquire of Him when my salvation will come?"

When Nārada Muni went to the Vaikuṇṭha planets, he fulfilled their request and asked Nārāyaṇa (God) about the salvation of the ''brāhmaṇa'' and the cobbler, and Nārāyaṇa replied, "After leaving this body, the cobbler shall come here to me."

"What about the ''brāhmaṇa''?" Nārada asked.

"He will have to remain there for a number of births. I do not know when he is coming."

Nārada Muni was astonished, and he finally said, "I can't understand the mystery of this."

"That you will see," Nārāyaṇa said. "When they ask you what I am doing in My abode, tell them that I am threading the eye of a needle with an elephant."

When Nārada returned to earth and approached the ''brāhmaṇa'', the ''brāhmaṇa'' said, "Oh, you have seen the Lord? What was He doing?"

"He was threading an elephant through the eye of a needle," Nārada answered.

"I don't believe such nonsense," the ''brāhmaṇa'' replied. Nārada could immediately understand that the man had no faith and that he was simply a reader of books.

Nārada then left and went on to the cobbler, who asked him, "Oh, you have seen the Lord? Tell me, what was He doing?"

"He was threading an elephant through the eye of a needle," Nārada replied.

The cobbler began to weep, "Oh, my Lord is so wonderful, He can do anything."

"Do you really believe that the Lord can push an elephant through the hole of a needle?" Nārada asked.

"Why not?" the cobbler said, "Of course I believe it."

"How is that?"

"You can see that I am sitting under this banyan tree," the cobbler answered, "and you can see that so many fruits are falling daily, and in each seed there is a banyan tree like this one. If, within a small seed there can be a big tree like this, is it difficult to accept that the Lord is pushing an elephant through the eye of a needle?"

So this is called faith. It is not a question of blindly believing. There is reason behind the belief. If Kṛṣṇa can put a large tree within so many little seeds, is it so astounding that He is keeping all the planetary systems floating in space through His energy?

Although scientists may think that the planets are being held in space simply by nature alone, behind nature there is the Supreme Lord. Nature is acting under His guidance. As Śrī Kṛṣṇa states ([[BG 9.10|BG 9.10]]):

:''mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ''
:''sūyate sa-carācaram''
:''hetunānena kaunteya''
:''jagad viparivartate''

"This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is being created and annihilated again and again."

''Mayādhyakṣena'' means "under My supervision." Material nature cannot act so wonderfully unless the Lord's hand is behind it. We cannot give any example of material things automatically working. Matter is inert, and without the spiritual touch there is no possibility of its acting. Matter cannot act independently or automatically. Machines may be very wonderfully constructed, but unless a man touches that machine, it cannot work. And what is that man? He is a spiritual spark. Without spiritual touch, nothing can move; therefore everything is resting on Kṛṣṇa's impersonal energy. Kṛṣṇa's energy is impersonal, but He is a person. We often hear of persons performing wonderful actions, yet despite their energetic accomplishments, they still remain persons. If this is possible for human beings, why isn't it possible for the Supreme Lord? We are all persons, but we are all dependent upon Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person.

We have often seen pictures of Atlas, a stout man bearing a large planet on his shoulders and struggling very hard to hold it up. We may think that because Kṛṣṇa is maintaining the universe, He is struggling under its burden like Atlas. But this is not the case ([[BG 9.5|BG 9.5]]):

:''na ca mat-sthāni bhūtāni''
:''paśya me yogam aiśvaram''
:''bhūta-bhṛn na ca bhūta-stho''
:''mamātmā bhūta-bhāvanaḥ''

"And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence. Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, still My Self is the very source of creation."

Although all beings in the universe are resting in Kṛṣṇa's energy, still they are not in Him. Kṛṣṇa is maintaining all living entities, and His energy is all-pervading, yet He is elsewhere. This is Kṛṣṇa's inconceivable mystic power. He is everywhere, yet He is aloof from everything. We can perceive his energy, but we cannot see Him because He cannot be seen with material eyes. However, when we develop our spiritual qualities, we sanctify our senses so that even within this energy we can see Him. Electricity, for instance, is everywhere, and an electrician is capable of utilizing it. Similarly, the energy of the Supreme Lord is everywhere, and when we become transcendentally situated, we can see God eye to eye everywhere. That spiritualization of the senses is possible through devotional service and love of God. The Lord is all-pervading all over the universe and is within the soul, the heart, water, air - everywhere. Thus if we make an image of God in anything - clay, stone, wood or whatever - it should not be considered to be just a doll. That also is God. If we have sufficient devotion, the image will also speak to us. God is everywhere impersonally (''mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam'' ([[BG 9.4|BG 9.4]])), but if we make His personal form from anything, or if we create an image of God within ourselves, He will be present personally for us. In the ''śāstras'', there are eight kinds of images recommended, and any kind of image can be worshiped because God is everywhere. One may protest and ask, "Why should God be worshiped in images and not in His original spiritual form?" The answer is that we cannot see God immediately in His spiritual form. With our material eyes we can only see stone, earth, wood - something tangible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes as ''arcā-vigraha'', a form conveniently presented by the Supreme Lord in order for us to see Him. The result is that if we concentrate upon the image and make offerings with love and devotion, Kṛṣṇa will respond through the image.

There are many instances of this happening. In India, there is one temple called Sākṣi-Gopāla (Kṛṣṇa is often called Gopāla). The Gopāla ''mūrti'' or statue was at one time located in a temple in Vṛndāvana. Once two ''brāhmaṇas'', one old and one young, went to visit Vṛndāvana on a pilgrimage. It was a long trip, and in those days there were no railways, so travelers underwent many hardships. The old man was much obliged to the youth for helping him on the journey, and upon arriving in Vṛndāvana, he said to him: "My dear boy, you have rendered me so much service, and I am much obliged to you. I would like very much to return that service and give you some reward."

"My dear sir,"the youth said, "you are an old man just like my father. It is my duty to serve you. I don't require any reward."

"No, I'm obliged to you, and I must reward you," the old man insisted. He then promised to give the young man his young daughter in marriage.

The old man was a very rich man, and the youth, although a learned ''brāhmaṇa'', was very poor. Considering this, the youth said, "Don't promise this, for your family will never agree. I am such a poor man, and you are aristocratic, so this marriage will not take place. Don't promise this way before the Deity."

The conversation was taking place in the temple before the Deity of Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, and the young man was anxious not to offend the Deity. However, despite the youth's pleas, the old man insisted on the marriage. After staying in Vṛndāvana for some time, they finally returned home, and the old man informed his eldest son that his young sister was to be married to the poor ''brāhmaṇa'' youth. The eldest son became very angry. "Oh, how have you selected that pauper as husband for my sister? This cannot be."

The old man's wife also came to him and said, "If you marry our daughter to that boy, I shall commit suicide."

The old man was thus perplexed. After some time, the ''brāhmaṇa'' youth became very anxious. "He has promised to marry his daughter to me, and he made that promise before the Deity. Now he is not coming to fulfill it." He then went to see the old man to remind him of his promise.

"You promised before Lord Kṛṣṇa," the youth said, "and you are not fulfilling that promise. How is that?"

The old man was silent. He began praying to Kṛṣṇa, for he was perplexed. He didn't want to marry his daughter to the youth and cause such great trouble within his family. In the meantime the elder son came out and began to accuse the ''brāhmaṇa'' youth. "You have plundered my father in the place of pilgrimage. You gave him some intoxicant and took all his money, and now you are saying that he has promised to offer you my youngest sister. You rascal!"

In this way there was much noise, and people began to gather. The youth could understand that the old man was still agreeable but that the family was making it difficult for him. People began to gather about because of the noise which the elder son was raising, and the ''brāhmaṇa'' youth began to exclaim to them that the old man made this promise before the Deities but that he could not fulfill it because the family was objecting. The eldest son, who was an atheist, suddenly interrupted the youth and said, "You say that the Lord was witnessing. Well, if He comes and bears witness to this promise of my father's, you can have my sister in marriage."

The youth replied, "Yes, I shall ask Kṛṣṇa to come as a witness." He was confident that God would come. An agreement was then made before everyone that the girl would be given in marriage if Kṛṣṇa came from Vṛndāvana as a witness to the old man's promise.

The ''brāhmaṇa'' youth returned to Vṛndāvana and began to pray to Gopāla Kṛṣṇa. "Dear Lord, You must come with me." He was such a staunch devotee that he spoke to Kṛṣṇa just as one would speak to a friend. He was not thinking that the Gopāla was a mere statue or image, but he considered Him to be God Himself. Suddenly the Deity spoke to him:

"How do you think that I can go with you? I am a statue. I can't go anywhere."

"Well, if a statue can speak, he can also walk," the boy replied.

"All right then," the Deity said finally. "I shall go with you, but on one condition. In no case shall you look back to see Me. I will follow you, and you will know that I am following by the jingle of My leg bangles."

The youth agreed, and in this way they left Vṛndāvana to go to the other town. When the trip was nearly over, just as they were about to enter his home village, the youth could no longer hear the sound of the bangles, and he began to fear. "Oh, where is Kṛṣṇa?" Unable to contain himself any longer, he looked back. He saw the statue standing still. Because he looked back, it would go no further. He immediately ran into the town and told the people to come out and see Kṛṣṇa who had come as a witness. Everyone was astounded that such a large statue had come from such a distance, and they built a temple on the spot in honor of the Deity, and today people are still worshiping Sākṣi-Gopāla, the Lord as a witness.

We should therefore conclude that because God is everywhere, He is also in His statue, in the image made of Him. If Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, as even the impersonalists admit, then why isn't He in His image? Whether an image or statue speaks to us or not is dependent on the degree of our devotion. But if we choose to see the image merely as a piece of wood or stone, Kṛṣṇa will always remain wood or stone for us. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, but as we advance in spiritual consciousness we can begin to see Him as He is. If we put a letter into a mailbox, it will go to its destination because the mailbox is authorized. Similarly, if we worship an authorized image of God, our faith will have some effect. If we are prepared to follow the various rules and regulations - that is to say, if we become qualified - it is possible to see God anywhere and everywhere. When a devotee is present, Kṛṣṇa, by His omnipresent energies, will manifest Himself anywhere and everywhere, but when His devotee is not there, He will not do this. There are many instances of this. Prahlāda Mahārāja saw Kṛṣṇa in a pillar. There are many other examples. Kṛṣṇa is there; all that is required is our qualification to see Him.

Kṛṣṇa Himself gives an example of His omnipresence in this way ([[BG 9.6|BG 9.6]]):

:''yathākāśa sthito nityaṁ''
:''vāyuḥ sarvatra-go mahān''
:''tathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni''
:''mat-sthānīty upadhāraya''

"As the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, always rests in ethereal space, know that in the same manner all beings rest in Me."

Everyone knows that the wind blows within space, and on earth it is blowing everywhere. There is no place where there is no air or wind. If we wish to drive out air, we have to create a vacuum artificially by some machine. Just as the air is blowing everywhere in space, so everything is existing within Kṛṣṇa. If this is the case, when the material creation is dissolved, where does it go? ([[BG 9.7|BG 9.7]]):

:''sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya''
:''prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām''
:''kalpa-kṣaye punas tāni''
:''kalpādau visṛjāmy aham''

"O son of Kuntī, at the end of the millennium every material manifestation enters into My nature, and at the beginning of another millennium, by My potency I again create."

Kṛṣṇa sets His nature (''prakṛti'') into motion, as one may wind up a clock, and when nature unwinds, it is absorbed into the Lord. The spiritual creation, however, is not like this, for it is permanent. In the material creation everything is temporary. Just as our bodies are developing due to the spiritual spark that is within, the whole creation is coming into being, developing and passing out of being, due to the spirit of the Lord which is within it. Just as our spirit is present within the body, the Lord is present within the universe as Paramātmā. Due to the presence of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the material creation exists, just as due to our presence our bodies are existing. Sometimes Kṛṣṇa manifests the material creation, and sometimes He does not. In all cases, its existence is due to His presence.
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RV 2 Knowledge Beyond Samsara

2022-02-18T01:18:21Z

Srikanth:

RV 1 Raja-Vidya: The King of Knowledge

2022-02-17T01:50:52Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Raja-Vidya The King of Knowledge]]
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''Bhagavad-gītā'' [[BG 9.1|9.1]]

:''śrī bhagavān uvāca''
:''idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ''
:''pravakṣyāmy anasūyave''
:''jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitaṁ''
:''yaj jñātvā mokṣyase 'śubhāt''

"The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence."

The opening words of the Ninth Chapter of ''Bhagavad-gītā'' indicate that the Supreme Godhead is speaking. Here Śrī Kṛṣṇa is referred to as Bhagavān. ''Bhaga'' means opulences, and ''vān'' means one who possesses. We have some conception of God, but in the Vedic literature there are definite descriptions and definitions of what is meant by God, and what is meant is described in one word - Bhagavān. Bhagavān possesses all opulences, the totality of knowledge, wealth, power, beauty, fame and renunciation. When we find someone who possesses these opulences in full, we are to know that he is God. There are many rich, wise, famous, beautiful and powerful men, but no one man can claim to possess all of these opulences. Only Kṛṣṇa claims to possess them in totality ([[BG 5.29|BG 5.29]]):

:''bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ''
:''sarva-loka-maheśvaram''
:''suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ''
:''jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati''

"The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries."

Here Kṛṣṇa proclaims that He is the enjoyer of all activities and the proprietor of all planets (''sarva-loka-maheśvaram''). An individual may possess a large tract of land, and he may be proud of his ownership, but Kṛṣṇa claims to possess all planetary systems. Kṛṣṇa also claims to be the friend of all living entities (''suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām''). When a person understands that God is the proprietor of everything, the friend of everyone and the enjoyer of all, he becomes very peaceful. This is the actual peace formula. No one can have peace as long as he thinks, "I am the proprietor." Who is capable of claiming proprietorship? Only a few hundred years ago the red Indians were considered to be the proprietors of America. Today we in our turn are claiming that proprietorship, but in four hundred or a thousand years perhaps someone else will come to claim the same. The land is here, and we come here and falsely claim ourselves to be proprietors of it. This philosophy of false proprietorship is not in line with Vedic injunctions. ''Śrī Īśopaniṣad'' states that "everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord (''īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ'' ([[ISO 1|ISO 1]]))." The truth of this statement is factual, but under illusion we are thinking that we are the proprietors. In actuality God owns everything, and therefore He is called the richest.

Of course there are many men who claim to be God. In India, for instance, at any time, one has no difficulty in finding at least one dozen people claiming to be God. But if you ask them if they are the proprietor of everything, they find this difficult to answer. This is a criterion by which we can understand who God is. God is the proprietor of everything, and, being so, He must be more powerful than anyone or anything else. When Kṛṣṇa was personally present on this earth, no one could conquer Him. There is no record of His ever having lost a battle. He belonged to a ''kṣatriya'' (warrior) family, and the ''kṣatriyas'' are meant to give protection to the weak. As far as His opulence is concerned, He married 16,108 wives. Every wife had her own separate palace, and Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself 16,108 times in order to enjoy them all. This may seem difficult to believe, but it is stated in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', and the great sages of India recognize this as scripture and recognize Kṛṣṇa as God.

In the first verse of this Ninth Chapter, by the word ''guhyatamam'', Śrī Kṛṣṇa intimates that He is imparting the most confidential knowledge to Arjuna. Why is He proclaiming this to Arjuna? It is because Arjuna is ''anasūyu'' - non-envious. In the material world if someone is greater than us, we are envious. We are not only envious of one another, but of God. Also when Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the proprietor," we disbelieve it. But this is not the case with Arjuna, who listens to Kṛṣṇa without envy. Arjuna does not cavil with Kṛṣṇa but agrees with whatever He says. This is his special qualification, and this is the way of understanding ''Bhagavad-gītā''. It is not possible to understand what God is by our own mental speculations; we have to hear, and we have to accept.

Because Arjuna is not envious, Kṛṣṇa speaks this special knowledge to him. This is not only theoretical knowledge but practical knowledge (''vijñāna-sahitam''). Whatever knowledge we receive from ''Bhagavad-gītā'' should not be taken for sentimentality or fanaticism. The knowledge is both ''jñāna'' and ''vijñāna'', theoretical wisdom and scientific knowledge. If one becomes well-versed in this knowledge, liberation is certain. Life in this material world is by nature inauspicious and miserable. ''Mokṣa'' means liberation, and the promise is that by dint of understanding this knowledge one will attain liberation from all miseries. It is important then to understand what Kṛṣṇa says about this knowledge ([[BG 9.2|BG 9.2]]):

:''rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ''
:''pavitram idam uttamam''
:''pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ''
:''su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam''

"This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed."

According to ''Bhagavad-gītā'', the topmost knowledge (''rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyam'') is Kṛṣṇa consciousness because in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' we find that the symptom of one who is actually in knowledge is that he has surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa. As long as we go on speculating about God but do not surrender, it is understood that we have not attained the perfection of knowledge. The perfection of knowledge is ([[BG 7.19|BG 7.19]]):

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

"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare."

As long as we do not surrender, we cannot understand God. Surrender to God may take many births, but if we accept that God is great, it is possible to surrender unto Him immediately. But generally this is not our position in the material world. We are characteristically envious and consequently think, "Oh, why should I surrender unto God? I am independent. I shall work independently." Therefore in order to rectify this misgiving, we have to work for many births. In this regard, the name of Kṛṣṇa is especially significant. ''Kṛṣ'' means "repetition of birth," and ''ṇa'' means "one who checks." Our repetition of birth can be checked only by God. No one can check his repetition of birth and death without the causeless mercy of God.

The subject matter of the Ninth Chapter is ''rāja-vidyā''. ''Rāja'' means "king," and ''vidyā'' means "knowledge." In ordinary life we find one person king in one subject and another in another subject. This knowledge, however, is sovereign over all others, and all other knowledge is subject or relative to it. The word ''rāja-guhyam'' indicates that this sovereign knowledge is very confidential, and the word ''pavitram'' means that it is very pure. This knowledge is also ''uttamam''; ''ud'' means "transcend," and ''tama'' means "darkness," and that knowledge which surpasses this world and the knowledge of this world is called ''uttamam''. It is the knowledge of light, and darkness has been separated from it. If one follows this path of knowledge, he will personally understand how far he has progressed down the path of perfection (''pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam)''. ''Su-sukhaṁ kartum'' indicates that this knowledge is very happy and joyful to execute. And ''avyayam'' indicates that this knowledge is permanent. We may work in this material world for education or riches, but these things are not ''avyayam'', for as soon as this body is finished, everything else is also finished. With death, our education, advanced degrees, bank balances, family - everything - are all finished. Whatever we're doing in this material world is not eternal. However, this knowledge is not like that ([[BG 2.40|BG 2.40]]):

:''nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti''
:''pratyavāyo na vidyate''
:''svalpam apy asya dharmasya''
:''trāyate mahato bhayāt''

"In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear."

Knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so perfect that if one performs work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and yet does not attain perfection, in his next life he takes up from wherever he left off. In other words, actions performed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are durable. On the other hand, material achievements, because they pertain to the body, are vanquished at death. Knowledge that pertains to designations does not endure. I am thinking that I am a man or a woman, an American or Indian, a Christian or Hindu - these are all designations pertaining to the body, and when the body is finished, they will also be finished. We are actually spirit, and therefore our spiritual activities will go with us wherever we go.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa indicates that this king of knowledge is also happily performed. We can easily see that activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are joyfully done. There is chanting and dancing, eating ''prasādam'' (food that has been offered to Kṛṣṇa) and discussing ''Bhagavad-gītā''. These are the main processes. There are no stringent rules and regulations that we have to sit so straight for so long or do so many gymnastics, or control our breath. No, the process is very easily and happily done. Everyone wants to dance, to sing, to eat and to hear the truth. This process is truly ''susukham'' - very happy.

In the material world there are so many gradations of education. Some people never finish grammar school or high school, whereas others go on and receive a university education, a BA, MA, PhD, and so on. But what is this ''rāja-vidyā'', the king of education, the ''summum bonum'' of knowledge? It is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Real knowledge is understanding "what I am." Unless we come to the point of understanding what we are, we cannot attain real knowledge. When Sanātana Gosvāmī left his government post and came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the first time, he asked the Lord, "What is education?" Although Sanātana Gosvāmī knew a number of languages, including Sanskrit, he still inquired about real education. "The general populace calls me highly educated," Sanātana Gosvāmī told the Lord, "and I am such a fool that I actually believe them."

The Lord replied, "Why should you not think you're well educated? You're a great scholar in Sanskrit and Persian."

"That may be," Sanātana Gosvāmī said, "but I do not know what I am." He then went on to tell the Lord: "I do not wish to suffer, but these material miseries are forced upon me. I neither know where I've come from nor where I'm going, but people are calling me educated. When they call me a great scholar, I am satisfied, but in truth I am such a great fool that I know not what I am." Sanātana Gosvāmī was actually speaking for all of us, for this is our present situation. We may be proud of our academic education, but if asked what we are, we are not able to say. Everyone is under the conception that this body is the self, but we learn from Vedic sources that this is not so. Only after realizing that we are not these bodies can we enter into real knowledge and understand what we actually are. This then, is the beginning of knowledge.

''Rāja-vidyā'' may be further defined as not only knowing what one is, but acting accordingly. If we do not know who we are, how can our activities be proper? If we are mistaken about our identity, we will also be mistaken about our activities. Simply knowing that we are not these material bodies is not sufficient; we must act according to the conviction that we are spiritual. Action based on this knowledge - spiritual activity - is work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This kind of knowledge may not seem to be so easily attainable, but it is made very easy by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu who made this knowledge easily available through the process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu divided the living entities into two major categories: those that are moving and those that are not moving. Trees, grass, plants, stones, etc., do not move because they do not have sufficiently developed consciousness. Their consciousness is there, but is covered. If a living being does not understand his position, he is stonelike, although dwelling in a human body. The living entities - birds, reptiles, animals, insects, human beings, demigods, etc. - number over 8,000,000 species, and of these a very small number are human beings. Lord Caitanya further points out that out of 400,000 species of human beings, some are civilized; and out of many civilized persons, there are only a few who are devoted to the scriptures.

In the present day most people claim to be devoted to some religion - Christian, Hindu, Moslem, Buddhist, etc. - but in fact they do not really believe in the scriptures. Those who do believe in the scriptures are, by and large, attached to pious philanthropic activities. They believe that religion means ''yajña'' (sacrifice), ''dāna'' (charity) and ''tapas'' (penance). One who engages in ''tapasya'' undertakes voluntarily very rigid regulations, such as ''brahmacārī'' students (celibates) or ''sannyāsīs'' (renounced order) undertake. Charity means voluntarily giving away one's material possessions. In the present age there is no sacrifice, but from historical literatures like the ''Mahābhārata'' we get information that kings performed sacrifices by distributing rubies, gold and silver. ''Yajña'' was primarily for kings, and charity, on a much smaller scale, was meant for householders. Those who actually believed in scriptures usually adopted some of these principles. But generally in this age people simply say that they belong to a religion but in actuality do nothing. Out of millions of such people, a very small number actually perform charity, sacrifice and penance. Caitanya Mahāprabhu further points out that out of millions who perform such religious principles all over the universe, only a few attain perfect knowledge and understand what they are.

Just knowing "I am not this body but am spirit soul" is not sufficient. We have to escape this entanglement of material nature. This is called ''mukti'', liberation. Out of many thousands of persons who are in self-knowledge as to what and who they are, only one or two may be actually liberated. And out of many thousands who are liberated, only one or two may understand what and who Kṛṣṇa is. So understanding Kṛṣṇa is not such an easy job. Thus in this age of Kali, an age characterized by ignorance and chaos, liberation is out of the reach of practically everyone. One has to go through the whole ordeal of becoming civilized, then religious, and then one has to perform charities and sacrifices and come to the platform of knowledge, then to the stage of liberation, and finally, after liberation, to the understanding of what Kṛṣṇa is. This process is also indicated in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 18.54|18.54]]):

:''brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā''
:''na śocati na kāṅkṣati''
:''samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu''
:''mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām''

"One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments or desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me."

These are the signs of liberation. The first symptom of one who is liberated is that he is very happy. It is not possible to find him morose. Nor does he have any anxiety. He never frets, "This thing I don't have. Oh, I must secure this thing. Oh, this bill I have to pay. I have to go here, there." One who is liberated has no anxieties at all. He may be the poorest man in the world, but he neither laments nor thinks that he is poor. Why should he think that he is poor? When we think that we are these material bodies and that we have possessions to go with them, then we think that we are poor or rich, but one who is liberated from the material conception of life has nothing to do with possessions or lack of possessions. "I have nothing to lose and nothing to gain," he thinks. "I am completely separate from all this." Nor does he see anyone else as rich or poor, educated or uneducated, beautiful or ugly, etc. He does not see any material dualities, for his vision is completely on the spiritual platform, and he sees that every living entity is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Thus seeing all entities in their true identity, he tries to take them back to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. His viewpoint is that everyone - whether he be ''brāhmaṇa'' or ''śūdra'', black or white, Hindu, Christian, or whatever - should come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is situated in this way, then: ''mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām'' ([[BG 18.54|BG 18.54]]) - he becomes eligible for becoming a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa's.

Practically speaking, this process is not very easy in this age of Kali. In ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' a description is given of the people of this age. Their duration of life is said to be very short, they tend to be phlegmatic and slow and to sleep a great deal, and when they're not sleeping, they are busy earning money. At the most they only have two hours a day for spiritual activities, so what is the hope for spiritual understanding? It is also stated that even if one is anxious to make spiritual progress, there are many pseudo-spiritual societies to take advantage of him. People are also characterized in this age as being unfortunate. They have a great deal of difficulty meeting the primary demands of life - eating, defending, mating, and sleeping - necessities which are met even by the animals. Even if people are meeting these necessities in this age, they are always anxious about war, either defending themselves from aggressors or having to go to war themselves. In addition to this, there are always disturbing diseases and economic problems in Kali-yuga. Therefore Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa considered that in this age it is impossible for people to come to the perfectional stage of liberation by following the prescribed rules and regulations.

Thus out of His causeless mercy, Śrī Kṛṣṇa came as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and distributed the means to the highest perfection of life and spiritual ecstasy by the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This process of chanting is most practical, and it does not depend on whether one is liberated or not, or whether one's condition is conducive to spiritual life or not - whoever takes to this process becomes immediately purified. Therefore it is called ''pavitram'' (pure). Furthermore, for one who takes to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness process, the seeds of latent reactions to his sinful actions are all nullified. just as a fire turns whatever we put into it to ashes, this process turns to ashes all the sinful reactions of our past lives.

We must understand that our suffering is due to our sinful activity, and sinful activity is due to our ignorance. Sins, or transgressions, are committed by those who do not know what is what. A child, for instance, will naively put his hand in a fire because of ignorance. He is thus burned immediately, for the fire is impartial and does not allow any special consideration for the innocent child. It will simply act as fire. Similarly, we do not know how this material world is functioning, who its controller is, nor how it is controlled, and due to our ignorance we act in foolish ways, but nature is so stringent that she does not allow us to escape the reactions to our actions. Whether we commit an act knowingly or unknowingly, the reactions and consequent sufferings are there. However, through knowledge we can understand what the actual situation is, who God is, and what our relationship with Him is.

This knowledge by which we can gain release from suffering is possible in the human form of life, not in the animal form. To give us knowledge, to give us proper direction, there are scriptures written in various languages in all parts of the world. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu pointed out that people are forgetful from time immemorial about their relationship with the Supreme Lord; therefore Kṛṣṇa has sent so many representatives to impart the scriptures to man. We should take advantage of these, especially of ''Bhagavad-gītā'', which is the prime scripture for the modern world.
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<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Raja-Vidya The King of Knowledge]] '''[[Raja-Vidya The King of Knowledge|Rāja-Vidyā: The King of Knowledge]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">'''[[RV 2 Knowledge Beyond Samsara|2. Knowledge Beyond Saṁsāra]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=RV 2 Knowledge Beyond Samsara]]</div>

JSD Introduction

2022-02-17T01:01:23Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Journey of Self-Discovery|1]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=The Journey of Self-Discovery|Journey of Self-Discovery]] '''[[The Journey of Self-Discovery|Journey of Self-Discovery]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">'''[[JSD 1 The Journey of Self-Discovery|1. The Journey of Self-Discovery]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=JSD 1 The Journey of Self-Discovery|1. The Journey of Self-Discovery]]</div>
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====Introduction====

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Are you in any way dissatisfied with your life as it now stands? Has the pursuit, or even the achievement, of the goals you have set for yourself become somewhat frustrating? If so, read on.

For one acquainted with the spiritual wisdom of India, the ideal life is not a fast-paced competitive run through a self-serve consumer paradise. There is a higher measure of success and happiness than the number of high-gloss gadgets, baubles, and thrills one can zoom through the check-out counter with - before Time runs out.

An awakened person will try to learn something worthwhile along the way, to gradually accumulate assets of permanent value. In the final analysis, the supreme accomplishment is to improve significantly the one possession that is really ours to keep - our consciousness, our sense of identity, our inner self. All else eventually slips away.

Seen in this way, life becomes a journey of self-discovery, and that is the theme of this book. ''The Journey of Self-Discovery'' is your guide to a new way of looking at life, a way proven to lead you to higher levels of awareness and satisfaction.

Thousands of people like yourself are already experiencing these results. All it takes is some expert guidance, the kind available from a person who has already completed the journey, who knows the ways and means by which you can arrive safely at your destination.

In ''The Journey of Self-Discovery'' you will become intimately acquainted with a spiritual master about whom Harvey Cox, of Harvard's School of Divinity, said, "Śrīla Prabhupāda is, of course, only one of thousands of teachers. But in another sense, he is one in a thousand, maybe one in a million." According to Dr. Cox, one of America's leading Christian theologians, Śrīla Prabhupāda's life was "pointed proof that one can be a transmitter of truth and still be a vital and singular person."

Śrīla Prabhupāda, the founding spiritual master of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, translated over forty volumes of the most essential works of Vedic literature. Complete sets of these books, with original Sanskrit and Bengali texts, have been purchased by thousands of university libraries around the world, and dozens of scholars have praised them.

But that is not what you will find in ''The Journey of Self-Discovery''. In these pages you will see Śrīla Prabhupāda taking the essential truths of the timeless Vedic wisdom of India and communicating them live, to persons like yourself - in talks, conversations, and interviews. With gravity and wit, roses and thunderbolts, Śrīla Prabhupāda delivers transcendental knowledge with maximum impact and precision.

All the selections printed in ''The Journey of Self-Discovery'' originally appeared in ''Back to Godhead'', the magazine Śrīla Prabhupāda founded in India in 1944. When he came to America and started the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in 1966, he requested his new followers to take up the task of publishing the magazine. Ever since, Back to Godhead has served the vital function of bringing the Vedic knowledge to the contemporary world, addressing the spiritual needs of people confronting the frustrations of modern life.

Authoritative and informative, ''The Journey of Self-Discovery'' is also easy to read. The anthology format allows you to approach the book in a variety of ways. You can read The Journey of Self-Discovery from start to finish, proceeding through the systematically arranged selections. Or you can glance over the table of contents and find a selection of particular interest. Because each selection is short and complete in itself, you can easily explore topics that attract your attention without having to go through the entire book.

The principal lesson of The Journey of Self-Discovery is that our conscious selfhood is not an accidental cosmic side-effect, a fleeting electromagnetic discharge generated by a temporary configuration of subatomic particles at some point in space and time. Rather each center of consciousness is itself an absolute, irreducible unit of reality. As Śrīla Prabhupāda tells physicist Gregory Benford, "We don't say that scientific knowledge is useless. Mechanics, electronics - this is also knowledge.... But the central point is ''ātma-jñāna'' - self-knowledge, knowledge of the soul."

And after we understand the soul, the quest for knowledge continues. Śrīla Prabhupāda tells a press conference in Los Angeles: "In the background of this body you can find the soul, whose presence is perceivable by consciousness. Similarly, in the universal body of the cosmic manifestation, one can perceive the presence of the Supreme Lord, or the Absolute Truth, by virtue of the presence of... Superconsciousness."

Just as we are individual and personal, the Superconsciousness is also individual and personal. In the Vedic scriptures, the identity of the Superconscious Self is revealed to be Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes Kṛṣṇa as "the greatest artist," the source of all beauty and attraction.

The real key to happiness and satisfaction, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, is discovering the eternal personal link between ourselves and the Superconsciousness. This state is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and in ''The Journey of Self-Discovery'' you will learn how to achieve this, the highest and most pleasurable consciousness, in your own life.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is loving consciousness. In the selection "Absolute Love," Śrīla Prabhupāda says to his audience, "Everyone is frustrated - husbands, wives, boys, girls. Everywhere there is frustration, because our loving propensity is not being utilized properly." Śrīla Prabhupāda then goes on to explain how love is most fully experienced when directed toward the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, who can perfectly and completely reciprocate with everyone.

This is the secret of lasting happiness. In "Kṛṣṇa, Enchanter of the Soul," Śrīla Prabhupāda advises, "A man is attracted by a woman, a woman is attracted by a man, and when they are united in sex, their attachment for this material world increases more and more.... But our business is not to be attracted by the glimmer of this material world; our business is to be attracted by Kṛṣṇa. And when we become attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, we will lose our attraction for the false beauty of this material world."

Here Śrīla Prabhupāda stands in contrast to the many so-called spiritual teachers who promise their followers they can have it all - unrestricted material enjoyment as well as spiritual profit. In "Showbottle Spiritualists Exposed," Śrīla Prabhupāda gives an unsparing critique of deceptive ''gurus'' and spiritualists who mislead their followers.

Śrīla Prabhupāda did not manufacture his own spiritual process, with a view to personal profit. Rather he freely taught the specific meditation technique recommended in the ''Vedas'' for this age. In "Meditation Through Transcendental Sound," Śrīla Prabhupāda tells students at Boston's Northeastern University, "If you take up this simple process - chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare - you are immediately elevated to the transcendental platform."

Those who progress on the journey of self-discovery are better able to understand and solve the world's problems. In "Material Problems, Spiritual Solutions," we learn from Śrīla Prabhupāda how we can practically apply Kṛṣṇa consciousness to relieve the widespread suffering brought on by violence and food shortages.

In the early 1970's, Śrīla Prabhupāda gave a remarkably foresighted analysis of the failure of the communist system of government to provide happiness for its people. You will find this striking conversation in section VI, "Perspectives on Science and Philosophy."

In "Evolution in Fact and Fantasy" Śrīla Prabhupāda says, "We accept evolution, but not that the forms of the species are changing. The bodies are already there, but the soul is evolving by changing bodies and by transmigrating from one body to another.... The defect of the evolutionists is that they have no information of the soul."

Ultimately, the journey of self-discovery leads from this material world to the spiritual world. In "Entering the Spiritual World," Śrīla Prabhupāda tells his listeners, "Everything in the spiritual world is substantial and original. This material world is only an imitation.... It is just like a cinematographic picture, in which we see only the shadow of the real thing."

So for those who suspect that the real thing is something more than a soft drink, ''The Journey of Self-Discovery'' will illuminate the path that leads to life's ultimate, most perfect destination.

And for those who may not regard themselves as seekers but are nevertheless curious about the philosophy of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, ''The Journey of Self-Discovery'' provides a thorough yet compact introduction.
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- The Publishers
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JSD 4 The Spiritual Master

2022-02-16T01:14:55Z

Srikanth:

JSD 3 The Pleasure Principle

2022-02-16T00:00:17Z

Srikanth:

JSD 2 Superconsciousness

2022-02-11T01:32:49Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Journey of Self-Discovery]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=The Journey of Self-Discovery|Journey of Self-Discovery]] '''[[The Journey of Self-Discovery|Journey of Self-Discovery]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=JSD 1 The Journey of Self-Discovery|1. The Journey of Self-Discovery]] '''[[JSD 1 The Journey of Self-Discovery|1. The Journey of Self-Discovery]] - [[JSD 3 The Pleasure Principle|3. The Pleasure Principle]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=JSD 3 The Pleasure Principle|3. The Pleasure Principle]]</div>
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=== 2. Superconsciousness ===
==== Everyone Can See God ====

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''The Vedic literature is unique among all the world's scriptures because it details a practical process by which anyone can purify his or her consciousness and see God face to face. In this lecture, delivered in Los Angeles on August 15, 1972, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, "One must actually be very eager to see God.... One must be very serious and think, 'Yes, I have been informed about God. So if there is a God, I must see Him.'"''

:''tac chraddadhānā munayo''
:''jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā''
:''paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁ''
:''bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā''

"The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realizes the Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the Vedic literature, ''Vedānta-śruti''." ([[SB 1.2.12|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' 1.2.12]])

People sometimes ask, "Have you seen God?" or "Can you show me God?" Sometimes we meet these questions. So the answer is "Yes, I am seeing God. You can also see God; everyone can see God. But you must have the qualification." Suppose something is wrong with a motorcar; it is not running. Everyone is seeing it, but a mechanic sees it differently. He's qualified to see it with greater understanding. So he replaces some missing part, and immediately the car runs. But although for seeing a machine we require so much qualification, we want to see God without any qualification. Just see the folly! People are such rascals, they are such fools, that they want to see God with their imagined qualifications.

Kṛṣṇa says in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', ''nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ'': ([[BG 7.25|BG 7.25]]) "I am not exposed to everyone. My energy, ''yogamāyā'', is covering Me from their vision." So how can you see God? But this rascaldom is going on - this "Can you show me God?" "Have you seen God?" God has become just like a plaything, so that cheaters advertise some ordinary man by saying, "Here is God. Here is an incarnation of God."

''Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ'' ([[BG 7.15|BG 7.15]]). Sinful rascals, fools, the lowest of mankind - they inquire like that: "Can you show me God?" What qualification have you acquired by which you can see God? Here is the qualification: ''tac chraddadhānā munayaḥ''. One must first of all be faithful (''śraddadhāna''). One must actually be very much eager to see God. Not that one takes it as a frivolous thing - "Can you show me God?" - or as some magic. They think God is magic. No. One must be very serious and think, "Yes, I have been informed about God. So if there is a God, I must see Him."

There is a story in this connection. It is very instructive, so try to hear. One professional reciter was publicly reciting the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', and he was describing that Kṛṣṇa is very highly decorated with all kinds of jewels when He goes to tend the cows in the forest. So, there was a thief in that meeting, and he thought, "Why not go to Vṛndāvana and plunder this boy? He's in the forest with so many valuable jewels. I can go there and catch the child and take all the jewels." This was his intention. So he was serious. "I must find that boy," he thought. "Then in one night I shall become a millionaire."

The thief's qualification was his feeling: "I ''must'' see Kṛṣṇa! I ''must'' see Kṛṣṇa!" That anxiety, that eagerness, made it possible for him to actually see Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. He saw Kṛṣṇa in just the same way as the ''Bhāgavatam'' reader had described. Then the thief said, "Oh, You are such a nice boy, Kṛṣṇa." He began to flatter Him; he thought that by flattering Him he would easily take all the jewels. Then he proposed his real business: "May I take some of these ornaments? You are so rich."

"No, no, no," said Kṛṣṇa. "My mother will be angry! I cannot give them away." Kṛṣṇa was playing just like a child.

So the thief became more and more eager for Kṛṣṇa to give Him the jewels, but by Kṛṣṇa's association he was becoming purified. Then at last Kṛṣṇa said, "All right, you can take them." Then the thief became a devotee immediately, because by Kṛṣṇa's association he had been completely purified. So somehow or other you should come in contact with Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be purified.

The ''gopīs'' are another example of great eagerness to see Kṛṣṇa. The ''gopīs'' came to Kṛṣṇa, being captivated by His beautiful features. They were young girls, and Kṛṣṇa was ''so'' beautiful. Actually they were lusty when they came to Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa is so pure that they became first-class devotees. There is no comparison to the ''gopīs''' devotion, because they loved Kṛṣṇa with heart and soul. That is the qualification. They loved Kṛṣṇa so much that they didn't care for family or reputation when they went out in the dead of night. Kṛṣṇa's flute was sounding, and they were all fleeing their homes. Their fathers, their brothers, their husbands all said, "Where are you going? Where are you going in this dead of night?" But the ''gopīs'' didn't care. They neglected their children, their family, everything. Their only thought was, "We must go to Kṛṣṇa."

This eagerness is required. We must be very, very eager to see Kṛṣṇa. Many ''gopīs'' who were forcibly stopped from going to Kṛṣṇa lost their lives because of their great feelings of separation. So this eagerness is wanted; then you can see God. Whether you are lusty or a thief or a murderer or whatever it may be - somehow or other you must develop this eagerness, this desire: "I ''must'' see Kṛṣṇa." Then Kṛṣṇa will be seen.

The first thing Kṛṣṇa is looking for is how eager you are to see Him. Kṛṣṇa will respond. If you are actually eager to see Kṛṣṇa - whether you are lusty, or you want to steal His ornaments, or some way or other you have become attracted to Kṛṣṇa - then it is sure your efforts will be successful.

But you must desire Kṛṣṇa ''only''. In this connection, Rūpa Gosvāmī has written a verse:

:''smerāṁ bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭiṁ''
:''vaṁśī-nyastādhara-kiśalayām ujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa''
:''govindākhyāṁ hari-tanum itaḥ keśi-tīrthopakaṇṭhe''
:''mā prekṣiṣṭhās tava yadi sakhe bandhu-saṅge 'sti raṅgaḥ''

The idea is that one ''gopī'' is advising another ''gopī'', "My dear friend, there is one boy - His name is Govinda. He is standing on the bank of the Yamunā near the Keśi-ghāṭa, and He is playing on His flute. He is so beautiful, especially during this full-moon night. If you have any intentions to enjoy in this material world with your children, husband, or other family members, then please do not go there." ''Bhaṅgī-traya'': Kṛṣṇa always stands in a three-curved way with His flute. That is Kṛṣṇa's ''tri-bhaṅga'' form, bending in three places. So the one ''gopī'' says to the other, "If you think that you'll enjoy your life more in this material world, then do not go to see Kṛṣṇa. Do not go there." The idea is that if you once see Kṛṣṇa, then you'll forget all this nonsensical materialistic enjoyment. That is seeing Kṛṣṇa.

When Dhruva Mahārāja saw Kṛṣṇa, he said, ''svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce'': ([[CC Madhya 22.42|CC Madhya 22.42]]) "My dear Lord, I don't want anything else." Dhruva Mahārāja went to see Kṛṣṇa to get the kingdom of his father, and when he saw Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa offered, "Now, whatever benediction you want, you take." Dhruva said, "My dear Lord, I no longer have any desire." That is seeing Kṛṣṇa.

So, if you're eager to see Kṛṣṇa, regardless of whatever motive you have, somehow or other, due to your eagerness, you'll see Kṛṣṇa. That is the only qualification.

In another verse, Rūpa Gosvāmī says, ''kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate''. (I have translated the words ''Kṛṣṇa consciousness'' from ''kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā''.) So here Rūpa Gosvāmī advises, "If Kṛṣṇa consciousness is available, please purchase it immediately. Don't delay. It is a very nice thing."

Yes, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is available. You can purchase it from this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. But what is the price? It is such a nice thing, but you have to pay the price. What is that? ''Tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalam'': Simply your eagerness. That is the price. You have to pay this price. Then you get Kṛṣṇa, immediately. Kṛṣṇa is not poor, and the Kṛṣṇa-seller - the Kṛṣṇa devotee - he's also not poor. He can distribute Kṛṣṇa free. And he's doing that. You simply have to purchase Him by your eagerness.

Someone may say, "Oh, eagerness? I have eagerness." Ah-h-h... but it is not so easy. ''Janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate'': This eagerness cannot be achieved even by executing pious activities for millions of births. If you simply go on performing pious activities, still this eagerness is not available.

So, this eagerness is a very important thing, but it can be awakened only by the association of devotees. Therefore we are giving everyone a chance to invoke that eagerness; then you'll see God, face to face.

This life is meant for seeing Kṛṣṇa. It is not meant for becoming dogs and hogs. Unfortunately, the whole modern civilization is training people to become dogs and hogs. It is only this institution - this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement - that is teaching people how to see Kṛṣṇa. It is so important.

''Tac chraddadhānā munayo jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā'' ([[SB 1.2.12|SB 1.2.12]]). By eagerness, you'll automatically be enriched with knowledge and detachment. Knowledge does not mean "Now we have discovered this atomic bomb." That is not knowledge. What knowledge is that? People are already dying, and you have discovered something that will accelerate death. But we are giving knowledge to ''stop'' death. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness; that is knowledge. ''Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā''. And as soon as you get this knowledge, automatically you become detached from all this nonsensical materialistic happiness.

Thank you very much.

==== Beyond Religion ====

''In June 1976 Śrīla Prabhupāda fields questions sent to him from the editors of Bhavan's Journal, one of Bombay's leading cultural and religious periodicals.''

'''Devotee''': Here is the first question: "It is said that the greatest strength of Hinduism is its catholicity, or breadth of outlook, but that this is also its greatest weakness in that there are very few religious observances that are obligatory for all, as in other religions. Is it necessary and possible to outline certain basic minimum observances for all Hindus?"

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': As far as Vedic religion is concerned, it is not for the Hindus; it is for all living entities. That is the first thing to be understood. Vedic religion is called ''sanātana-dharma'', "the eternal occupation of the living entity." The living entity is ''sanātana'' (eternal), God is ''sanātana'', and there is ''sanātana-dharma''. ''Sanātana-dharma'' is meant for all living entities, not just the so-called Hindus. Hinduism, this "ism," that "ism" - these are all misconception. Historically, ''sanātana-dharma'' was followed regularly in India, and Indians were called "Hindus" by the Muslims. The Muslims saw that the Indians lived on the other side of the River Sind, and the Muslims pronounced ''Sind'' as ''Hind''. Therefore they called India "Hindustan" and the people who lived there "Hindus." But the word ''Hindu'' has no reference in the Vedic literature, nor does so-called Hindu ''dharma''. Now that ''sanātana-dharma'', or Vedic ''dharma'', is being distorted, not being obeyed, not being carried out properly, it has come to be known as Hinduism. But that is a freak understanding; that is not a real understanding. We have to study ''sanātana-dharma'' as it is described in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' and other Vedic literatures; then we'll understand what Vedic religion is. (''To a devotee:'') Read from the Eleventh Chapter of ''Bhagavad-gītā'', eighteenth verse.

Devotee (''reads''):

:''tvam akṣaraṁ paramaṁ veditavyaṁ''
:''tvam asya viśvasya paraṁ nidhānam''
:''tvam avyayaḥ śāśvata-dharma-goptā''
:''sanātanas tvaṁ puruṣo mato me''

"O Lord Kṛṣṇa, You are the supreme primal objective. You are the ultimate resting place of all this universe. You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest. You are the maintainer of the eternal religion, the Personality of Godhead. This is my opinion."

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': This understanding is wanted. Kṛṣṇa is eternal, we are eternal, and the place where we can live and exchange our feelings with Kṛṣṇa - that is eternal. And the system that teaches this eternal process of reciprocation - that is ''sanātana-dharma'', which is meant for everyone.

'''Devotee''': So what would be the daily prescribed religious observances followed by one who is aspiring for this ''sanātana-dharma''? What would he do? The complaint is that within Hinduism - or, let's say, ''sanātana-dharma'' - there is such a breadth, there is so much variegatedness in different types -

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': Why do you go to variegatedness? Why don't you take the real purpose of religion from Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says ([[BG 18.66|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 18.66]]), ''sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja:'' "Give up all other so-called ''dharmas'' and just surrender to Me." Why don't you take that? Why are you taking up variegated practices under the name of so-called Hinduism? Why don't you take the advice of the ''sanātana'', Kṛṣṇa? You refuse to accept ''sanātana-dharma'' - what the ''sanātana'', God, says - but you say, "How can we avoid so many varieties and come to the right point?" Why accept varieties? Take to this one consciousness: ''sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja''. Why don't you do that?

'''Devotee''': How can people do this practically, on a daily basis?

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': How are ''we'' doing it? Is what we are doing not practical? People will manufacture their own impractical way of religion, but they won't take our practical system. What is that? ''Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru'': ([[BG 18.65|BG 18.65]]) Simply think of Kṛṣṇa, become His devotee, worship Him, and offer obeisances to Him. Where is the difficulty? Where is the impracticality? Kṛṣṇa says, "This is your duty. If you do this you will come to Me without any doubt." Why don't you do that? Why remain Hindu? Why remain Muslim? Why remain Christian? Give up all this nonsense. Just surrender to Kṛṣṇa and understand, "I am a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, a servant of Kṛṣṇa." Then everything will immediately be resolved.

'''Devotee''': But the Hindus would say, "There are so many other aspects to Hindu ''dharma''."

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': Real ''dharma'' is defined in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'': ''dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam'' ([[SB 6.3.19|SB 6.3.19]]). "What God says - that is ''dharma''." Now, God says, "Give up all other ''dharmas'' and just surrender unto Me." So take ''that dharma''. Why do you want to remain a Hindu? And besides, what Hindu does not accept the authority of Kṛṣṇa? Even today, if any Hindu says, "I don't care for Kṛṣṇa and ''Bhagavad-gītā''," he will immediately be rejected as a madman. Why don't you take Kṛṣṇa's instruction? Why go elsewhere? Your trouble is that you do not know what religion is, and you do not know what ''sanātana-dharma'' is. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society there are many who were formerly so-called Hindus, so-called Muslims, and so-called Christians, but now they don't care for "Hindu" or "Muslim" or "Christian." They care only for Kṛṣṇa. That's all. If you follow a false religious system, you suffer; but if you follow a real religious system, you'll be happy.

Unfortunately, the Indian people gave up the real religious system - ''sanātana-dharma'', or ''varṇāśrama-dharma'' - and accepted a hodgepodge thing called "Hinduism." Therefore there is trouble. Vedic religion means ''varṇāśrama-dharma'', the division of society into four social classes and four spiritual orders of life. The four social classes are the ''brāhmaṇas'' (priests and intellectuals), the ''kṣatriyas'' (political leaders and military men), the ''vaiśyas'' (merchants and farmers), and the ''śūdras'' (manual laborers). The four spiritual orders are the ''brahmacārīs'' (celibate students), the ''gṛhasthas'' (householders), the ''vānaprasthas'' (retired persons), and the ''sannyāsīs'' (renunciants). When all these classes and orders work harmoniously to satisfy the Lord, that is real religion, or ''dharma''.

'''Devotee''': The next question is this: "In the Kali-yuga, the present age of quarrel, ''bhakti'' (devotional service to God) has been described as the most suitable path for God realization. Yet how is it that Vedāntic teachings, which stress ''jñāna'' (knowledge, or intellectual speculation), are emphasized by noted savants?"

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': The so-called Vedāntists are cheaters; they do not know what ''vedānta'' is. But people want to be cheated, and the cheaters are taking advantage of them. The word ''veda'' means "knowledge," and ''anta'' means "end." So the meaning of ''vedānta'' is "the ultimate knowledge," and the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' teaches this. (A ''sūtra'' is an aphorism: in a few words, a big philosophy is given.) The first aphorism in the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' is ''athāto brahma jijñāsā:'' "Now, in the human form of life, one should inquire about Brahman, the Absolute Truth." So the study of the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' begins when one is inquisitive about the Absolute Truth. And what is that Absolute Truth? That is answered in a nutshell in the second aphorism. ''Janmādy asya yataḥ'': ([[SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]) "Brahman is the origin of everything." So Brahman is God, the origin of everything. And all ''veda'', or knowledge, culminates in Him. This is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 15.15|15.15]]): ''vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ''. "The purpose of all the ''Vedas'', all books of knowledge, is to search out Me."

So the whole ''Vedānta-sūtra'' is a description of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But because in this Kali-yuga people will not be able to study ''Vedānta-sūtra'' nicely on account of a lack of education, Śrīla Vyāsadeva personally wrote a commentary on the ''Vedānta-sūtra''. That commentary is ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' (''bhāṣyāṁ brahma-sūtrāṇām''). ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' is the real commentary on the ''Vedānta-sūtra'', written by the same author, Vyāsadeva, under the instruction of Nārada, his spiritual master. ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' begins with the same aphorism as the ''Vedānta-sūtra'', ''janmādy asya yataḥ'' ([[SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]), and then continues, ''anvayad itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ''.

So, actually, in the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' is explained by the author of the ''Vedānta-sūtra''. But some rascals, without understanding the ''Vedānta-sūtra'', without reading the natural commentary on the ''Vedānta-sūtra'', are posing themselves as Vedāntists and misguiding people. And because people are not educated, they're accepting these rascals as Vedāntists. Actually, the so-called Vedāntists are bluffers; they are not Vedāntists. They do not know anything of the ''vedānta''. The ''Vedānta-sūtra'' is explained in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', and if we take ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' as the real explanation of the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' we can understand what ''vedānta'' is. But if we take shelter of the bluffers, then we will not learn ''vedānta''. People do not know anything, so they can be bluffed and cheated by anyone. But now they should learn from the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement what ''vedānta'' is and what the explanation of ''vedānta'' is. Then they will be benefited.

'''Devotee''': Generally, those who follow the impersonalistic commentary on the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' are concerned with liberation from the miseries of the material world. Does ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' also describe liberation?

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': Yes. Since ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' is the real commentary on the ''Vedānta-sūtra'', we find this verse describing liberation in this age:

:''kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann''
:''asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ''
:''kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya''
:''mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet''
:([[SB 12.3.51|SB 12.3.51]])

In this Kali-yuga, which is an ocean full of faults, there is one benediction. What is that? One can become liberated simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa ''mantra''. This is real ''vedānta'', and actually it is happening.

'''Devotee''': Are you saying that the conclusion of the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' and the conclusion of ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' are one and the same-''bhakti''?

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': Yes.

'''Devotee''': But how does ''bhakti'' tie in to the conclusion of Vedāntic knowledge or wisdom? Here it says that ''bhakti'' is the most suitable and easiest path of God realization, but it also says that the Vedāntic teachings stress ''jñāna'', or knowledge. Is that a fact?

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': What is ''jñāna''? That is explained by Lord Kṛṣṇa in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 7.19|7.19]]): ''bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate''. "After many, many births, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me." So unless one surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, there is no ''jñāna''. This impersonalistic "''jñāna''" is all nonsense. The impersonalists are passing themselves off as ''jñānīs'', but they have no knowledge at all. ''Vedānta'' means "the ultimate knowledge." So the subject matter of ultimate knowledge is Kṛṣṇa, God. If one does not know who God is, who Kṛṣṇa is, then where is one's knowledge? But if a rascal claims, "I am a man of knowledge," then what can be done?

In the same verse we just mentioned, Kṛṣṇa concludes, ''vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ'': ([[BG 7.19|BG 7.19]]) "When one understands that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything, one is in knowledge." Before that, there is no knowledge. It is simply misunderstanding. ''Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate'' ([[SB 1.2.11|SB 1.2.11]]). One may begin by searching out impersonal Brahman by the speculative method, and then one may progress to realization of Paramātmā, the localized aspect of the Supreme. That is the secondary stage of realization. But the final stage is understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. So if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, where is your knowledge? Halfway knowledge is no knowledge. We want complete knowledge, and that complete knowledge is possible by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, through ''Bhagavad-gītā''.

'''Devotee''': Can I ask the next question, Śrīla Prabhupāda? "Is a ''guru'' essential for one to enter the spiritual path and attain the goal? And how does one recognize one's ''guru''?"

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': Yes, a ''guru'' is necessary. That is explained in the ''Bhagavad-gītā''. When Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna were talking as friends, there was no conclusion. Therefore Arjuna decided to accept Kṛṣṇa as his ''guru''. (''To a devotee:'') find out this verse: ''kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ''...

Devotee (''reads''):

:''kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ''
:''pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ''
:''yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me''
:''śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam''

"Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me." ([[BG 2.7|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 2.7]])

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': Not only Arjuna but everyone is perplexed about his duty. Nobody can decide for himself. When a physician is seriously sick, he does not prescribe his own treatment. He knows his brain is not in order, so he calls for another physician. Similarly, when we are perplexed, bewildered, when we cannot reach any solution - at that time the right person to search out is the ''guru''. It is essential; you cannot avoid it.

So, in our present state of existence we are all perplexed. And under the circumstances, a ''guru'' is required to give us real direction. Arjuna represents the perplexed materialistic person who surrenders to a ''guru''. And to set the example Arjuna decided on Kṛṣṇa as his ''guru''. He did not go to anyone else. So the real ''guru'' is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is ''guru'' not only for Arjuna but for everyone. If we take instruction from Kṛṣṇa and abide by that instruction, our life is successful. The mission of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to get everyone to accept Kṛṣṇa as ''guru''. That is our mission. We don't say, "I am Kṛṣṇa." We never say that. We simply ask people, "Please abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa."

'''Devotee''': Some of these so-called ''gurus'' will say some things that Kṛṣṇa says, but they'll give other instructions also. What is the position of such persons?

'''Śrīla Prabhupāda''': They are most dangerous. Most dangerous. They are opportunists. According to the customer, they give some teachings so he will be pleased. Such a person is not a ''guru''; he's a servant. He wants to serve his so-called disciples so that they may be satisfied and pay him something. A real ''guru'' is not a servant of his disciples; he is their master. If one becomes a servant, if he wants to please the disciples by flattering them to get their money, then he is not a ''guru''. A ''guru'' should also be a servant, yes - but a servant of the Supreme. The literal meaning of the word ''guru'' is "heavy" - heavy with knowledge and authority, because his knowledge and authority come from Kṛṣṇa. You cannot utilize the ''guru'' for satisfying your whims.

Kṛṣṇa says, ''sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja:'' ([[BG 18.66|BG 18.66]]) "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." And we say the same thing: "Surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Give up all other ideas of so-called ''dharma'', or religiosity." We don't say, "I am the authority." No. We say, "Kṛṣṇa is the authority, and you should try to understand Kṛṣṇa." This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

==== The Unseen Controller ====

''"Even the most complicated computers need trained men to handle them. Similarly, we should know that this great machine, which is known as the cosmic manifestation, is manipulated by a supreme spirit. That is Kṛṣṇa." In an excerpt from his book Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: The Matchless Gift, - Śrīla Prabhupāda offers intriguing insights into how God creates and controls the universe.''

The purpose of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is to bring man back to his original consciousness, which is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, clear consciousness. When water falls from the clouds, it is un-contaminated, like distilled water, but as soon as it touches the ground it becomes muddy and discolored. Similarly, we are originally pure spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore our original, constitutional position is as pure as God's. In ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 15.7|15.7]]) Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:

:''mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke''
:''jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ''
:''manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi''
:''prakṛti-sthāni karṣati''

"The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind."

Thus all living entities are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. It should always be remembered that when we speak of Kṛṣṇa we are speaking of God, because the name ''Kṛṣṇa'' denotes the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. As a fragment of gold is qualitatively the same as a gold reservoir, so the minute particles of Kṛṣṇa's body are therefore qualitatively as good as Kṛṣṇa. The chemical composition of God's body and the eternal spiritual body of the living entity is the same - spiritual. Thus originally, in our uncontaminated condition, we possessed a form as good as God's, but just as rain falls to the ground, so we come in contact with this material world, which is manipulated by the external energy, or material nature.

When we speak of external energy or material nature, the questions may be raised, "Whose energy? Whose nature?" Material energy or nature is not active independently. Such a concept is foolish. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' it is clearly stated that material nature does not work independently. When a foolish man sees a machine he may think that it is working automatically, but actually it is not - there is a driver, someone in control, although we sometimes cannot see the controller behind the machine due to our defective vision. There are many electronic mechanisms which work very wonderfully, but behind these intricate systems is a scientist who pushes the button. This is very simple to understand: since a machine is matter, it cannot work on its own accord but must work under spiritual direction. A tape recorder works, but it works according to the plans and under the direction of a living entity, a human being. The machine is complete, but unless it is manipulated by a spirit soul, it cannot work. Similarly, we should understand that this cosmic manifestation which we call nature is a great machine, and that behind this machine there is God, Kṛṣṇa. This is also affirmed in ''Bhagavad-gītā'', where Kṛṣṇa says,

:''mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ''
:''sūyate sa-carācaram''
:''hetunānena kaunteya''
:''jagad viparivartate''

"This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, producing all the moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again." ([[BG 9.10|BG 9.10]])

So Kṛṣṇa says that material nature is acting under His direction. Thus behind everything there is a supreme controller. Modern civilization does not understand this due to lack of knowledge. It is the purpose of this Society for Krishna Consciousness, therefore, to enlighten all people who have been maddened by the influence of the three modes of material nature. In other words, our aim is to awaken mankind to its normal condition.

There are many universities, especially in the United States, and many departments of knowledge, but they are not discussing these points. Where is the department for this knowledge that we find given by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the ''Bhagavad-gītā''? When I spoke before some students and faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the first question I raised was: "Where is the technological department which is investigating the difference between a dead man and a living man?" When a man dies, something is lost. Where is the technology to replace it? Why don't scientists try to solve this problem? Because this is a very difficult subject matter, they set it aside and busily engage in the technology of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. However, the Vedic literatures inform us that this is animal technology. Animals are also trying their best to eat well, to have an enjoyable sex life, to sleep peacefully, and to defend themselves. What, then, is the difference between man's knowledge and the animals' knowledge? The fact is that man's knowledge should be developed to explore that difference between a living body and a dead body.

That spiritual knowledge was imparted by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna in the beginning of the ''Bhagavad-gītā''. Being a friend of Kṛṣṇa's, Arjuna was a very intelligent man, but his knowledge, as all men's, was limited. Kṛṣṇa spoke, however, of subject matters which were beyond Arjuna's finite knowledge. These subjects are called ''adhokṣaja'' because our direct perception, by which we acquire material knowledge, fails to approach them. For example, we have many powerful microscopes to see what we cannot see with our limited vision, but there is no microscope that can show us the soul within the body. Nevertheless, the soul is there.

The ''Bhagavad-gītā'' informs us that in this body there is a proprietor - the spirit soul. I am the proprietor of my body, and other souls are the proprietors of their bodies. I say "my hand," but not "I hand." Since it is "my hand," I am different from the hand, being its owner. Similarly, we speak of "my eye," "my leg," "my" this, "my" that. In the midst of all these objects which belong to me, where am I? The search for the answer to this question is the process of meditation. In real meditation, we ask, "Where am I? What am I?" We cannot find the answers to these questions by any material effort, and because of this all the universities are setting these questions aside. They say, "It is too difficult a subject." Or they brush it aside: "It is irrelevant."

Thus engineers direct their attention to creating and attempting to perfect the horseless carriage and the wingless bird. Formerly, horses were drawing carriages, and there was no air pollution, but now there are cars and airplanes, and the scientists are very proud. "We have invented horseless carriages and wingless birds," they boast. Although they invent imitation wings for the airplane, they cannot invent a soulless body. When they are able to do this, they will deserve credit. But such an attempt would necessarily be frustrated, for we know that there is no machine that can work without a spirit soul behind it. Even the most complicated computers need trained men to handle them. Similarly, we should know that this great machine known as the cosmic manifestation is manipulated by a supreme spirit. That is Kṛṣṇa.

Scientists are searching for the ultimate cause or the ultimate controller of this material universe and are postulating different theories and proposals, but the real means for knowledge is very easy and perfect: we need only hear from the perfect person, Kṛṣṇa. By accepting the knowledge imparted in ''Bhagavad-gītā'', anyone can immediately know that this great cosmic machine, of which the earth is a part, is working so wonderfully because there is a driver behind it - Kṛṣṇa.

Our process of knowledge is very easy. Kṛṣṇa's instruction, ''Bhagavad-gītā'', is the principal book of knowledge given by the ''ādi-puruṣa'' Himself, the Supreme Primeval Person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is indeed the perfect person. It may be argued that although we have accepted Him as a perfect person, there are many others who do not. But one should not think that this acceptance is whimsical: He is accepted as the perfect person on the evidence of many authorities. We do not accept Kṛṣṇa as perfect simply on the basis of our whims or sentiments. No - Kṛṣṇa is accepted as God by many Vedic authorities like Vyāsadeva, the author of all Vedic literatures. The treasure house of knowledge is contained in the ''Vedas'', and their author, Vyāsadeva, accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Vyāsadeva's spiritual master, Nārada, also accepts Kṛṣṇa as such. Nārada's spiritual master, Brahmā, accepts Kṛṣṇa not only as the Supreme Person but the supreme controller as well - ''īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ'': "The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa."

There is no one in the creation who can claim that he is not controlled. Everyone, regardless of how important or powerful, has a controller over his head. Kṛṣṇa, however, has no controller; therefore He is God. He is the controller of everyone, but there is no one superior to Him, no one to control Him; nor is there anyone equal to Him, no one to share His platform of absolute control. This may sound very strange, for there are many so-called Gods nowadays. Indeed, Gods have become very cheap, being especially imported from India. People in other countries are fortunate that Gods are not manufactured there, but in India Gods are manufactured practically every day. We often hear that God is coming to Los Angeles or New York and that people are gathering to receive Him, etc. But Kṛṣṇa is not the type of God who is created in a mystic factory. No. He was not ''made'' God: He is God.

We should know, then, on the basis of authority, that behind this gigantic material nature, the cosmic manifestation, there is God - Kṛṣṇa - and that He is accepted by all Vedic authorities. Acceptance of authority is not new for us; everyone accepts authority - in some form or another. For education we go to a teacher or to a school or simply learn from our father and mother. They are all authorities, and our nature is to learn from them. In our childhood we asked, "Father, what is this?" and Father would say, "This is a pen," "These are spectacles," or "This is a table." In this way, from the very beginning of life a child learns from his father and mother. A good father and mother never cheat when their son inquires from them; they give exact and correct information. Similarly, if we get spiritual information from an authority, and if the authority is not a cheater, then our knowledge is perfect. However, if we attempt to reach conclusions by dint of our own speculative powers, we are subject to fall into error. The process of induction, by which one reasons from particular facts or individual cases and arrives at a general conclusion, is never a perfect process. Because we are limited and our experience is limited, the inductive process of acquiring knowledge will always remain imperfect.

But if we receive information from the perfect source, Kṛṣṇa, and if we repeat that information, then what we are speaking can also be accepted as perfect and authoritative. This process of ''paramparā'', or disciplic succession, means hearing from Kṛṣṇa, or from authorities who have accepted Kṛṣṇa, and repeating exactly what they have said. In ''Bhagavad-gītā'' Kṛṣṇa recommends this process of knowledge: ''evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ''. "This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way." ([[BG 4.2|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 4.2]])

Formerly, knowledge was passed down by great saintly kings, who were the authorities. In previous ages, however, these kings were ''ṛṣis'' - great learned scholars and devotees - and because they were not ordinary men, the government which they headed worked very nicely. There are many instances in Vedic civilization of kings who attained perfection as devotees of God. For example, Dhruva Mahārāja went to the forest to search out God, and by practice of severe penance and austerity he found God within six months.

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is also based on austerity, but it is not very difficult. There are restrictions governing eating and sex life (only ''prasādam'', food first offered to Kṛṣṇa, is taken, and sex is restricted to married life), and there are other regulations which facilitate and foster spiritual realization. It is not possible in these days to imitate Dhruva Mahārāja, but by following certain basic Vedic principles, we can make advancement in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As we advance, we become perfect in knowledge. What is the use of becoming a scientist or a philosopher if we cannot say what our next life will be? A realized student of Kṛṣṇa consciousness can very easily say what his next life is, what God is, what the living entity is, and what his relationship with God is. His knowledge is perfect because it is coming from perfect books of knowledge, such as the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' and the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam''.

This, then, is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is very easy, and anyone can adopt it and make his life perfect. If someone says, "I'm not educated at all, and I cannot read books," he is still not disqualified. He can still perfect his life by simply chanting the ''mahā-mantra'': Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Kṛṣṇa has given us a tongue and two ears, and we may be surprised to know that Kṛṣṇa is realized through the ears and tongue, not through the eyes. By hearing His message, we learn to control the tongue, and after the tongue is controlled, the other senses follow. Of all the senses, the tongue is the most voracious and difficult to control, but it can be controlled simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and tasting ''kṛṣṇa-prasādam'', food offered to Kṛṣṇa.

We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by sensual perception or by speculation. It is not possible, for Kṛṣṇa is so great that He is beyond our sensual range. But He can be understood by surrender. Kṛṣṇa therefore recommends this process:

:''sarva-dharmān parityajya''
:''mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja''
:''ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo''
:''mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ''

"Give up all varieties of religiousness and just surrender unto Me; and in return I shall protect you from all sinful reactions. Therefore you have nothing to fear." ([[BG 18.66|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 18.66]])

Unfortunately, our disease is that we are rebellious - we automatically resist authority. Yet although we say that we don't want authority, nature is so strong that it forces authority upon us. We are forced to accept the authority of nature. What can be more pathetic than a man who claims to answer to no authority but who follows his senses blindly wherever they lead him? Our false claim to independence is simply foolishness. We are all under authority, yet we say that we don't want authority. This is called ''māyā'', illusion. We do, however, have a certain independence - we can choose to be under the authority of our senses or the authority of Kṛṣṇa. The best and ultimate authority is Kṛṣṇa, for He is our eternal well-wisher, and He always speaks for our benefit. Since we have to accept some authority, why not accept His? Simply by hearing of His glories from the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' and the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' and by chanting His names - Hare Kṛṣṇa - we can swiftly perfect our lives.

==== Who Is Kṛṣṇa? ====

''August 1973, at Bhaktivedanta Manor, in the countryside near London. Several thousand guests (including the Indian High Commissioner) listen to Śrīla Prabhupāda speak about the confidential identity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is revealed in India's timeless Vedic scriptures to be not an old man with a long white beard but a sublimely attractive and eternal youth.''

Your Excellency the High Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here and participating in this ceremony - Janmāṣṭamī, the advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 4.9|4.9]]) Kṛṣṇa says,

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

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna."

It is a fact that we can stop our repeated births and deaths and achieve the state of immortality. But the modern civilization - our great philosophers, great politicians, and great scientists - they have no idea that it is possible to attain the stage of ''amṛtatvam'', immortality. We are all ''amṛta'', deathless, immortal. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 2.20|2.20]]) it is said, ''na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit'': We living entities - we never die and never take birth. ''Ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre''. Every one of us - we are primeval and eternal, without beginning and without end. And after the annihilation of this body, we do not die. But when the body is finished, we will have to accept another body:

:''dehino 'smin yathā dehe''
:''kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā''
:''tathā dehāntara-prāptir''
:''dhīras tatra na muhyati''

"As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." ([[BG 2.13|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 2.13]])

At the present moment, all over the world people are lacking knowledge of this simple thing: that all of us living entities are part and parcel of Lord Kṛṣṇa - that like Kṛṣṇa, we are eternal, we are blissful, and we are cognizant. Kṛṣṇa is described in the Vedic literatures:

:''īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ''
:''sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ''
:''anādir ādir govindaḥ''
:''sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam''

"Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all, but He has no origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes." (''Brahma-saṁhitā'' 5.1)

When I say ''Kṛṣṇa'', that means "God." It is sometimes said, "God has no name." That's a fact. But God's name is given by His activities. For instance, Kṛṣṇa accepted sonship to Mahārāja Nanda and Yaśodāmāyī and also to Vasudeva and Devakī. Of course, no one is actually the father or mother of Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is the original father of everyone. But when Kṛṣṇa comes here, when He makes His advent, He accepts certain exalted devotees as His father, as His mother.

Still, Kṛṣṇa is ''ādi-puruṣam'', the original person. Then must Kṛṣṇa be very old? No. ''Nava-yauvanaṁ ca'': Always a fresh youth. That is Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa was on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, He was just like a boy of twenty years or, at most, twenty-four years. But at that time He had great-grandchildren. So Kṛṣṇa is always a youth. These are the statements of the Vedic literatures.

But if we simply read the Vedic literatures as a formality, it will be very difficult to understand what Kṛṣṇa is - although all the ''Vedas'' are meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 15.15|15.15]]) Kṛṣṇa says, ''vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ'': "By all the ''Vedas'' it is I who am to be known." What is the use of studying the ''Vedas'' if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa? The ultimate goal of education is to understand the Supreme Lord, the supreme father, the supreme cause. As it is said in the ''Vedānta-sūtra'', ''athāto brahma jijñāsā'': "Now - in the human form of life - is the time to discuss the Supreme Absolute Truth, Brahman."

And what is this Brahman? ''Janmādy asya yataḥ'' ([[SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]). Brahman is the one from whom everything emanates. So science and philosophy mean finding out the ultimate cause of everything. And this we are getting from the Vedic literature - that Kṛṣṇa is ''sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam'' (Bs. 5.1), the cause of all causes.

Just try to understand. For instance, I am caused by my father; my father is caused by his father; ''he'' is caused by his father, who is caused by ''his'' father... In this way, if you go on searching, then you'll ultimately come to someone who is the cause that has no cause. ''Anādir ādir govindaḥ'': (Bs. 5.1) The cause that has no cause is Govinda-Kṛṣṇa. I may be the cause of my son, but at the same time I am the result of another cause (my father). But the Vedic literatures say that Kṛṣṇa is the original person; He has no cause. That is Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "Just try to learn about the transcendental nature of My advent and activities." The advent of Kṛṣṇa - it is a very important thing. We should try to understand Kṛṣṇa, why He makes His advent, why He comes down to this material world, what His business is, what His activities are. If we simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, then what will be the result? The result will be ''tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so 'rjuna'': ([[BG 4.9|BG 4.9]]) we will get immortality.

The aim of life is ''amṛtatvāya kalpate'', to achieve immortality. So today, on the advent of Kṛṣṇa, we shall try to understand the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa.

His Excellency was speaking of peace. The peace formula is there in the ''Bhagavad-gītā''-spoken by Kṛṣṇa. What is that?

:''bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ''
:''sarva-loka-maheśvaram''
:''suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ''
:''jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati''

"A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries." ([[BG 5.29|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 5.29]]) The politicians and diplomats are trying to establish peace in the world. We have the United Nations and many other organizations. They are working to establish real peace and tranquillity, to eliminate misunderstanding between man and man and nation and nation. But that is not happening. The defect is that the root is wrong. Everyone is thinking, "It is my country," "It is my family," "It is my society," "It is my property." This "my" is illusion. In the Vedic literatures it is said, ''janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti'': ([[SB 5.5.8|SB 5.5.8]]) This "I-and-my" philosophy is ''māyā''-illusion.

So if you want to get out of this ''māyā'', this illusion, then you have to accept Kṛṣṇa's formula. ''Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te'': ([[BG 7.14|BG 7.14]]) Whoever surrenders to Kṛṣṇa can easily cross beyond all illusion. Everything is there in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', for our guidance. If we accept the philosophy of the ''Bhagavad-gītā''-as it is - everything is there. Peace is there, prosperity is there.

Unfortunately, we do not accept it, or we misinterpret it. This is our misfortune. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 9.34|9.34]]) Kṛṣṇa says, ''man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru'': "Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer obeisances unto Me." Is it a very difficult task? Here is Kṛṣṇa's Deity. If you think of this Deity, is it very difficult? You come into the temple, and just as a devotee would do, you offer your respect to the Deity. As far as possible, try to worship the Deity.

Kṛṣṇa does not want your property. Kṛṣṇa is open to the poorest man for being worshiped. What is He asking? He says, ''patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati'': "With devotion, if a person offers Me a little leaf, a little fruit, a little water, I accept it." ([[BG 9.26|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 9.26]]) Kṛṣṇa is not hungry, but Kṛṣṇa wants to make you a devotee. That is the main point. ''Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati'': "Offer something to Me - with devotion." That is the main principle. Offer Kṛṣṇa some little thing. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry; Kṛṣṇa is providing food for everyone. But Kṛṣṇa wants your love, your devotion. Therefore He is begging a little water or fruit or a flower. In this way, ''man-manā bhava mad-bhakta'': you can think of Kṛṣṇa and become His devotee.

There is no difficulty in understanding Kṛṣṇa and accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But we'll not do it - that is our disease. Otherwise, it is not difficult at all. And as soon as we become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, we understand the whole universal situation. Our ''bhāgavata'' philosophy, our God conscious philosophy, is also a kind of spiritual communism, because we regard Kṛṣṇa as the supreme father and all living entities as sons of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says, ''sarva-loka-maheśvaram'': ([[BG 5.29|BG 5.29]]) He is the proprietor of all planets. Therefore whatever there is, either in the sky or in the water or on the land, it is all Kṛṣṇa's property. And because we are all sons of Kṛṣṇa, every one of us has the right to use our father's property. But we should not encroach upon others. This is the formula for peace. ''Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam... mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam'': "Everything belongs to God, and since you are sons of God, you have the right to use your father's property. But do not take more than you need. This is punishable." ([[ISO 1|''Īśopaniṣad'' 1]]) If anyone takes more than he needs, then he's a thief. ''Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ'' ([[BG 3.9|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 3.9]]): Whatever we do, we should do it for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. We should act for Kṛṣṇa; we should do everything for Kṛṣṇa.

That is what we are teaching here. In this temple we are all residing happily - Americans, Indians, Englishmen, Canadians, Africans - people from all different parts of the world. You know that. It is like that not only in this temple, but wherever people are Kṛṣṇa conscious, throughout the world. Kṛṣṇa makes His advent to teach this lesson.

When we forget this philosophy - that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme father, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme proprietor, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer, and Kṛṣṇa is the supreme friend of everyone - when we forget this, then we come into this material world and struggle for existence, fight with one another. This is material life.

Nor can we get any relief through our politicians, diplomats, philosophers. They have tried so much, but actually nothing they have tried has become fruitful. Take the United Nations. It was organized after the second great war, and they wanted, "We shall now settle everything peacefully." But there is no such thing. The fighting is going on, between Pakistan and India or between Vietnam and America or this and that. Mundane politics and diplomacy and philosophy - this is not the process. The process is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone has to understand this point, that we are not proprietors. The actual proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. That's a fact. Take America, for example. Say two hundred years ago, the European immigrants were not the proprietors. Somebody else was the proprietor, and before that somebody else was the proprietor, or it was vacant land. But the actual proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. Artificially we are claiming, "It is my property." This is called ''māyā'', illusion. So Kṛṣṇa makes His advent to give us this lesson. Kṛṣṇa says, ''yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata'': "My dear Arjuna, I come when there are discrepancies in the process of religious life." ([[BG 4.7|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 4.7]])

And what is real dharma, real religious life? The simple definition of dharma is ''dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam'': "Real religious life is that which is enunciated directly by the Supreme Personality of Godhead." ([[SB 6.3.19|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' 6.3.19]]) For instance, what do you mean by "civil law"? Civil law means the word given by the state. You cannot make civil law at home. That is not possible. Whatever the government gives you - "You should act like this" - that is law. Similarly ''dharma'', religious life, means the direction given by God. That is ''dharma''. Simple definition. If you create some ''dharma'' or I create some ''dharma'' or another man creates another ''dharma'', these are not ''dharma''.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa ends the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' by saying, ''sarva-dharmān parityajya mam ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja'': "Just give up all your concocted ideas about dharma and surrender to Me." ([[BG 18.66|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 18.66]]) This is ''dharma'' - surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Any other ''"dharma"'' is not ''dharma''. Otherwise why does Kṛṣṇa ask, ''sarva-dharmān parityajya'' - "Give it all up"? He has already said, "In every age I make My advent to establish the principles of religion." And at last He says that we should give up all the so-called religious principles that we have manufactured. All these man-made principles are not actually religious principles. Real ''dharma'', real religious life, means what is given by God. But we have no understanding of what God is and what His word is. That is modern civilization's defect.

But the order is there, God is there - it is simply that we won't accept. So where is the possibility of peace? Everything is there, ready-made. But we won't accept. So what is the remedy for our disease? We are searching after peace, but we won't accept the very thing that will actually give us peace. This is our disease. Therefore, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to awaken the dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness in everyone's heart. Just consider: four or five years ago, these Europeans and Americans had never even heard of Kṛṣṇa - so how are they now taking Kṛṣṇa consciousness so seriously? Kṛṣṇa consciousness is already there in everyone's heart. It simply has to be awakened. And this awakening process is described in the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' ([[CC Madhya 22.107|CC ''Madhya'' 22.107]]):

:''nitya siddha kṛṣṇa-prema 'sādhya' kabhu naya''
:''śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya''

Love for Kṛṣṇa, devotion for Kṛṣṇa, is within everyone's heart, but we have forgotten. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply meant for awakening that dormant love, by giving everyone the chance to hear about Kṛṣṇa. This is the process.

For instance, when you are sleeping, I have to call you loudly, "Mr. Such-and-such! Such-and-such! Get up! You have to tend to this business." No other senses will act when you are sleeping. But the ear will act. Therefore in this age, when people are so fallen that they will not listen to anything, if we chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa ''mahā-mantra'' they'll be awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is practical. So if we are actually anxious for peace and tranquillity in society, then we must be very serious about understanding Kṛṣṇa. That is my request. Don't take the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement lightly.

This movement can solve all the problems of life, all the problems in the world. Social, political, philosophical, religious, economic - everything can be solved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, we request those who are leaders - like His Excellency, who is present here - to try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is very scientific and authorized. It is not a mental concoction or a sentimental movement. It is a most scientific movement. So we are inviting all leaders from all countries to try to understand. If you are sober, if you are actually reasonable, you'll understand that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the most sublime movement for the welfare of the whole human society.

Anyone may come - we are prepared to discuss this subject matter. The ultimate goal of human life is to achieve immortality. ''Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti'' ([[BG 4.9|BG 4.9]]). This is our mission, but we have forgotten this. We are simply leading the life of cats and dogs, without any knowledge that we can achieve that perfection of life where there will be no more birth, no more death. We do not even understand that there is the possibility of ''amṛtatvam'', immortality. But it is totally possible. Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants to become an old man. Nobody wants to become diseased. This is our natural inclination. Why? Because originally, in our spiritual form, there is no birth, no death, no old age, no disease. So after moving through the evolutionary process, up through the aquatics, plants, trees, birds, when at last we come to this human form of body - then we should know what the goal of life is. The goal of life is ''amṛtatvam'', to become immortal.

Immortal you ''can'' become, simply by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Kṛṣṇa says it. It is a fact. We simply have to understand. ''Janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ'' ([[BG 4.9|BG 4.9]]). If you try to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, then ''tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti'': After giving up this body, you won't have to accept any more material bodies. And as soon as you don't accept any more material bodies, that means you have become immortal. The thing is, by nature we ''are'' immortal. And Kṛṣṇa comes here to teach us this lesson:

:''mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke''
:''jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ''
:''manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi''
:''prakṛti-sthāni karṣati''

"You are immortal by nature. As spirit soul, you are part and parcel of Me. I am immortal, and so you are also immortal. Unnecessarily, you are trying to be happy in this material world." ([[BG 15.7|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 15.7]])

You have already tried and tried to find happiness in sensuous life, through so many bodies - as cats, as dogs, as demigods, as trees, as plants, as insects. So now that you have a human body, with its higher intelligence, don't be captivated by sensuous life. Just try to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is the verdict of the Vedic literatures. ''Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye'' ([[SB 5.5.1|SB 5.5.1]]): To work very hard like dogs and hogs for sense gratification is not the proper ambition of human life; human life is meant for a little austerity. ''Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet'': We have to purify our existence; that is the mission of human life. Why should we purify our existence? ''Brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam'': Because then we will get spiritual realization, the unlimited, endless pleasure and happiness. That is real pleasure, real happiness:

:''ramante yogino 'nante''
:''satyānanda-cid-ātmani''
:''iti rāma-padenāsau''
:''paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate''
:([[CC Madhya 9.29|CC Madhya 9.29]])

"The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Rāma." (''Padma Purāṇa'')

All the great saintly persons of India have cultivated this spiritual knowledge so nicely and fully. Formerly, people used to go to India to find out about spiritual life. Even Jesus Christ went there. And yet we are not taking advantage of it. It is not that these literatures and directions are meant only for the Indians or for the Hindus or for the ''brāhmaṇas''. No. They are meant for everyone, because Kṛṣṇa claims, ''ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā'': ([[BG 14.4|BG 14.4]]) "I am everyone's father." Therefore, He is very anxious to make us peaceful and happy. Just as an ordinary father wants to see that his son is well situated and happy, similarly Kṛṣṇa wants to see every one of us well situated and happy. Therefore He comes sometimes. This is the purpose of Kṛṣṇa's advent. Thank you very much.

==== The Supreme Artist ====

''In February 1973, Śrīla Prabhupāda was invited to speak at an art gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. There he invited his listeners to contemplate the works of the supreme artist - Lord Kṛṣṇa. "The rose is created out of the energies of the Supreme Lord, but these energies are so subtle and so artistic that a nice flower can bloom overnight. So, Kṛṣṇa is the greatest artist."''

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for coming here and giving us a chance to speak about the supreme artist. The ''Vedas'' describe how great an artist Kṛṣṇa is: ''na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate''. Nobody can be found who is greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead or equal to Him, and although He is the greatest artist, He doesn't have to do anything personally.

In this world everyone of us knows somebody lesser than us, somebody equal to us, and somebody greater than us. That is our experience. However great you may be, you will find somebody equal to you and somebody greater than you. But as far as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is concerned, great sages have concluded by research and experiment that nobody is equal to Him or greater than Him.

God is so great that He has nothing to do, no duties He must perform (''na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate''). Why? ''Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate'': ([[CC Madhya 13.65|CC ''Madhya'' 13.65, purport]]) His energies are multifarious, and they are working automatically, according to His desire (''svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca''). Suppose you are an artist. To paint a picture of a very nice rose, you have to take your brush, mix your colors on the palate, and tax your brain to make the picture beautiful. But in a garden you can see not only one rose but many thousands of roses blooming. They have been very artistically "painted" by nature.

But we should go deeper into the matter. What is nature? Nature is a working instrument, that's all - an energy. Without some energy working, how could the rose bloom so beautifully from the bud? There must be some energy working, and that energy is Kṛṣṇa's energy. But it acts so subtly and swiftly that we cannot understand how it is working.

The material energies seem to be working automatically, but actually there is a brain behind them. When you paint a picture, everyone can see that you are working. Similarly, the "painting" of the actual rose is also worked out by several energies. Don't think that the rose has been created automatically. No. Nothing is created automatically. The rose is created out of the energies of the Supreme Lord, but these energies are so subtle and so artistic that a nice flower can bloom overnight.

So, Kṛṣṇa is the greatest artist. Nowadays, in the electronic age, a scientist just pushes a button and his machine works so perfectly. Or an airplane pilot simply pushes a button and a huge machine just like a small city flies in the sky. So if it is possible for ordinary men of this world to work so wonderfully simply by pushing some buttons, how much greater must be God's ability to work. How much more fertile His brain must be than ordinary artists' or scientists' brains. Simply by His desire - "Let there be creation!" - everything is immediately manifest. So Kṛṣṇa is the greatest artist.

There is no limit to Kṛṣṇa's artistic ability, because Kṛṣṇa is the seed of all creation (''bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānām'' ([[BG 7.10|BG 7.10]])). You have all seen a banyan tree. It grows from a small seed. This small seed has so much potency that if you sow it in a fertile place and water it, one day it will become a big banyan tree. Now, what are the potencies, what are the artistic and scientific arrangements, within that small seed that allow it to grow into a big banyan tree? Also, on that banyan tree there are many thousands of fruits, and within each fruit there are thousands of seeds, and each seed contains the potency of another tree. So where is the scientist who can create in that way? Where is the artist within this material world who can create a work of art as pleasing as a banyan tree? These inquiries should be made.

The first aphorism of the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' is ''athāto brahma jijñāsā'': "In the human form of life one should inquire about the Absolute Truth." So one should carefully study these questions. You cannot manufacture a machine that automatically grows into a big banyan tree. So don't you think there must be a big artistic brain, a great scientific brain, behind nature? If you simply say, "Nature is working," that is not a sufficient explanation.

The second aphorism of the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' is ''janmādy asya yataḥ'': ([[SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]) "The Absolute Truth is He from whom everything is generated." We have to expand our vision from the small things to the great things. Now we become amazed when we see a small sputnik flying in the sky. It is flying toward the moon, and we are giving all credit to the scientists, and the scientists are challenging, "What is God? Science is everything."

But if you are intelligent you will compare the sputnik to the millions and trillions of planets and stars. Just on this tiny earth planet there are so many oceans, so many mountains, so many skyscrapers. But if you go above this planet a few million miles, it will look just like a small spot. You will see it as just a spot in the sky. And there are millions of planets floating in the sky like swabs of cotton. So if we give so much credit to the scientists who have manufactured a sputnik, how much more credit we should give to the person who has manufactured this universal arrangement. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness - appreciating the greatest artist, the greatest scientist.

We may appreciate so many artists, but unless we appreciate the greatest artist, Kṛṣṇa, our life is wasted. We find that appreciation in the ''Brahma-saṁhitā'', the prayers of Lord Brahmā, the creator of this universe. In appreciation of Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, he sings,

:''yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-''
:''koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam''
:''tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ''
:''govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham bhajāmi''
:(Bs. 5.40)

Now we are trying to understand the planetary system by our scientific method. But we have not been able to finish studying even the nearest planet, the moon, what to speak of the millions and billions of other planets. But from the ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' we get this knowledge: ''yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣu''. By the glaring effulgence emanating from Kṛṣṇa's body, innumerable universes are created. We cannot study even one universe, but from the ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' we get information that there are innumerable universes and that in each and every universe there are innumerable planets (''jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣu''). (''Jagad-aṇḍa'' means "universes," and ''koṭi-koṭiṣu'' means "in innumerable.") So there are innumerable universes with innumerable suns, innumerable moons, and innumerable planets.

All of this is made possible by Kṛṣṇa's bodily effulgence, which is called the ''brahma-jyotir''. The ''jñānīs'', those who are trying to approach the Absolute Truth by mental speculation, by dint of their tiny brain power, can at most approach this ''brahma-jyotir''. But that ''brahma-jyotir'' is only the illumination of Kṛṣṇa's body. The best analogy is the sunshine. The sunshine is coming from the sun globe. The sun is localized, and the effulgence of the sun, the sunshine, is distributed all over the universe. Just as the moon reflects the sunshine, the sun also reflects the ''brahma-jyotir''. And the ''brahma-jyotir'' is the bodily effulgence of Kṛṣṇa.

So the greatest art is to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is the greatest art. If we actually want to be an artist, we should try to understand, or try to be intimately associated with, the greatest artist, Kṛṣṇa. For this purpose we have established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The members of this society are trained to see in everything the display of Kṛṣṇa's artistic sense. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness - to see the artistic hand of Kṛṣṇa everywhere.

In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 10.8|10.8]]) Kṛṣṇa says, ''ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate'': "Whatever you see is an emanation from Me. Everything is created out of My energy." One should understand this fact - that Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything. Lord Brahmā confirms this in his ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' (5.1): ''īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ''. "Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller." Here in this material world we have experience of many controllers. Every one of us is a controller. You are a controller; I am a controller. But above you there is another controller, and above him there is another controller, and so on. You may go on searching out controller after controller, and when you come to the supreme controller - He who is not controlled by anyone but who controls everyone else - that is Kṛṣṇa. This is our definition of God: the supreme controller.

Nowadays it has become a cheap business to see many "Gods." But you can test someone to see if he is God. If he is controlled by somebody else, he is not God. Only if he is the supreme controller should you accept him as God. That is the simple test for God.

Now, another quality of God is that He is full of pleasure (''ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt'' (''Vedānta-sūtra'' 1.1.12)). By nature the Supreme Absolute Person is ''ānandamaya'', full of pleasure. Suppose you are an artist. You engage in artistic work just to get some pleasure. By painting a picture you enjoy some rasa, some pleasurable mellow. Otherwise, why would you work so hard? There must be some pleasure in painting.

So, Kṛṣṇa is ''raso vai saḥ'', the reservoir of all pleasurable mellows. He is ''sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ'' (Bs. 5.1), full of eternity, knowledge, and pleasure. (''Ānanda'' means "pleasure.") His pleasure potency is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. You have seen pictures of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So, Rādhārāṇī is the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency. As I have already explained, Kṛṣṇa has innumerable energies, and one of these is His pleasure potency, Rādhārāṇī.

So those who have developed love of God are enjoying transcendental pleasure at every moment by seeing the artistic work of Kṛṣṇa everywhere. That is the position of a devotee. Therefore we request everyone to become a devotee, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, so that you will see the artistic work of Kṛṣṇa everywhere.

Seeing Kṛṣṇa everywhere is not difficult. For example, suppose you are thirsty and you drink some water. When you drink you feel so much pleasure. And Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure (''raso vai saḥ''). So, that pleasure you feel by drinking water - that is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa states this in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 7.8|7.8]]): ''raso 'ham apsu kaunteya''. "I am the taste of water." For an ordinary person, who cannot fully appreciate Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is giving the instruction that He is the taste of the water that quenches your thirst. If you simply try to understand that this taste is Kṛṣṇa, or God, you become God conscious.

So it is not very difficult to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. You simply require a little training. And if you read ''Bhagavad-gītā As It Is'' - understanding it the way it is stated by Kṛṣṇa Himself, without any rascaldom or false interpretation - you will become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, your life is successful. You will return to Kṛṣṇa (''tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti'' ([[BG 4.9|BG 4.9]])).

There is no loss in becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, but the gain is very great. Therefore we request all of you to try to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Read ''Bhagavad-gītā As It Is''; you will find all the information you need to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Or, if you don't want to read ''Bhagavad-gītā'', please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. You will still become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Thank you very much.

==== Absolute Love ====

"''Everyone is frustrated - husbands, wives, boys, girls. Everywhere there is frustration, because our loving propensity is not being utilized properly." In this lecture given in Seattle, Washington, in October of 1968, Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals how we can achieve complete satisfaction by directing our love toward the Supreme Person.''

:''oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya''
:''jñānāñjana-śalākayā''
:''cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena''
:''tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ''

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge."

Everyone in this material world is born into ignorance, or darkness. Actually, the nature of this material world is that it is dark. It may be lighted with sunlight, moonlight, fire, or electricity, but its nature is dark. That is a scientific fact. So everyone born in this material world - from Brahmā, the chief personality in the topmost planet of this universe, down to the ant - is born into the darkness of ignorance.

Now, the Vedic injunction is, ''tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ'': "Don't remain in darkness; come to the light." And for this, a spiritual master is needed. It is the duty of the spiritual master to open the eyes of the person in darkness with the torch of knowledge, and one should offer one's respectful obeisances unto such a spiritual master.

People should not be kept in darkness; they should be brought into the light. Therefore, in every human society there is a religious institution of some sort. What is the purpose of Hinduism, Mohammedanism, Christianity, or Buddhism? The purpose is to bring people to the light. That is the purpose of religion.

And what is that light? That light is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' states, ''dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam'': ([[SB 6.3.19|SB 6.3.19]]) "The codes of religion are directly given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead." In the state there are laws that you must follow. The head of the state gives some laws, and if you are a good citizen you obey those laws, and live peacefully. These laws may be different according to time, circumstances, or people - the state laws of India may not agree cent percent with the laws of the United States - but in every state there are laws that you must obey. One has to abide by the law. Otherwise one is considered the lowest in society, a criminal, and is subject to punishment. That is the general principle.

Similarly, religion means to obey the laws of God. That's all. And if a human being does not obey the laws of God, he is no better than an animal. All scriptures, all religious principles, are meant to elevate man from the animal platform to the human platform. Therefore, a person without religious principles, without God consciousness, is no better than an animal. That is the verdict of the Vedic literature:

:''āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca''
:''sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām''
:''dharmo hi teṣām adhiko viśeṣo''
:''dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ''

Eating, sleeping, sex, and defense - these four principles are common to both human beings and animals. The distinction between human life and animal life is that a man can search after God but an animal cannot. That is the difference. Therefore a man without that urge for searching after God is no better than an animal.

Unfortunately, at the present moment in every state and every society people are trying to forget God. Some people publicly say there is no God; others say that if there is a God, He is dead; and so on. They have built such a so-called advanced civilization, with so many skyscraper buildings, but they are forgetting that all of their advancement is dependent on God, on Kṛṣṇa. This is a very precarious condition for the human society.

There is a very nice story that describes what happens to a society that forgets the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Once a rat was being troubled by a cat. So the rat went to a saintly person who had mystic powers and said, "My dear sir, I am very much troubled."

"What is the difficulty?"

The rat said, "A cat always chases me, so I have no peace of mind."

"Then what do you want?"

"Please make me into a cat."

"All right, become a cat."

After a few days, the cat came to the saintly person and said, "My dear sir, again I am in trouble."

"What is that trouble?"

"The dogs are chasing me."

"Then what do you want?"

"Make me a dog."

"All right, become a dog."

Then after a few days the dog came and said, "Sir, again I am in trouble."

"What is the trouble?"

"The foxes are chasing me."

"Then what do you want?"

"To become a fox."

"All right, become a fox."

Then the fox came and said, "Oh, tigers are chasing me."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want to become a tiger."

"All right, become a tiger."

Now the tiger began to stare at the saintly person. "I shall eat you," the tiger said.

"Oh, you shall eat me? I have made you a tiger, and you want to eat me!"

"Yes, I am a tiger, and now I shall eat you."

Then the saintly person cursed him: "Again become a rat!"

And the tiger became a rat.

So, our human civilization is like this. The other day I was reading the ''World Almanac''. It said that within the next hundred years people will be living underground - like rats. Scientific advancement has created the atomic bomb to kill men, and when it will be used people will have to go underground and become like rats. From tiger to rat. That is going to happen; it is nature's law.

If you defy the laws of your state, you will be put into difficulty. Similarly, if you continue to defy the authority of the Supreme Lord, you will suffer. Again you will become rats. As soon as the atomic bombs explode, all civilization on the surface of the globe will be finished. You may not like to think about these things - you may regard them as very unpalatable - but these are the facts.

''Satyaṁ gṛhyāt priyaṁ gṛhyān mā priyāḥ satyam apriyam''. It is a social convention that if you want to speak the truth you should speak it very palatably. But we are not meant for social convention. We are preachers, servants of God, and we must speak the real truth, whether you like it or not.

A godless civilization cannot be happy. That is a fact. So we have started the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to awaken this godless civilization. Just try to love God; this is our simple request. You have love within you - you want to love somebody. A young boy tries to love a young girl; a young girl tries to love a young boy. This is natural, because the loving propensity is within everybody. But we have created circumstances in which our love is being frustrated. Everyone is frustrated - husbands, wives, boys, girls. Everywhere there is frustration, because our loving propensity is not being utilized properly. Why? Because we have forgotten to love the Supreme Person. That is our disease.

So the purpose of religion is to train people how to love God. That is the purpose of all religion. Whether your religion is Christianity or Hinduism or Mohammedanism, the purpose of your religion is to train you how to love God, because that is your constitutional position.

In the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 1.2.6|1.2.6]]) it is said, ''sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje''. Now, in English dictionaries this word ''dharma'' is generally translated as "religion," a kind of faith, but the actual meaning of ''dharma'' is "essential characteristic." For example, sugar's ''dharma'', or essential characteristic, is sweetness. If you are given some white powder and you find that it is not sweet, you will at once say, "Oh, this is not sugar; it is something else." So sweetness is the ''dharma'' of sugar. Similarly, a salty taste is the ''dharma'' of salt, and pungency is the ''dharma'' of chili.

Now, what is your essential characteristic? You are a living entity, and you have to understand your essential characteristic. That characteristic is your ''dharma'', or religion - not the Christian religion, the Hindu religion, this religion, that religion. Your eternal, essential characteristic - that is your religion.

And what is that characteristic? Your essential characteristic is that you want to love somebody, and therefore you want to serve him. That is your essential characteristic. You love your family, you love your society, you love your community, you love your country. And because you love them, you want to serve them. That tendency to engage in loving service is your essential characteristic, your ''dharma''. Whether you are a Christian, a Mohammedan, or a Hindu, this characteristic will remain. Suppose today you are a Christian. Tomorrow you may become a Hindu, but your serving mood, that loving spirit, will stay with you. Therefore, the tendency to love and serve others is your ''dharma'', or your religion. This is the universal form of religion.

Now, you have to apply your loving service in such a way that you will be completely satisfied. Because your loving spirit is now misplaced, you are not happy. You are frustrated and confused. The ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' tells us how to apply our spirit of loving devotion perfectly:

:''sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo''
:''yato bhaktir adhokṣaje''
:''ahaituky apratihatā''
:''yayātmā suprasīdati''
:([[SB 1.2.6|SB 1.2.6]])

That religion is first class which trains you to love God. And by this religion you will become completely satisfied.

If you develop your love of God to the fullest extent, you will become a perfect person. You will feel perfection within yourself. You are hankering after satisfaction, full satisfaction, but that full satisfaction can be obtained only when you love God. Loving God is the natural function of every living entity. It doesn't matter whether you are a Christian or a Hindu or a Muhammadan. Just try to develop your love of God. Then your religion is very nice. Otherwise it is simply a waste of time (''śrama eva hi kevalam'' ([[SB 1.2.8|SB 1.2.8]])). If after executing rituals in a particular type of religion throughout your whole life you have no love for God, then you have simply wasted your time.

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the postgraduate movement of all kinds of religion. We are inviting all Christians, Muslims, and Hindus - everyone - to please come associate with us and try to love God. And the method is very simple: Just chant His holy names - Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

All my students are Americans, and they have come from either Christian or Jewish families. None of them have come from Hindu families. So the process I have given them - the process of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra - is universal. It is not Hindu or Indian.

The Sanskrit word ''mantra'' is a combination of two syllables, ''man'' and ''tra''. ''Man'' means "mind," and ''tra'' means "deliverance." Therefore a ''mantra'' is that which delivers you from mental concoction, from hovering on the mental plane. So if you chant this ''mantra'' - Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare - very soon you'll find that you are coming from the darkness to the light.

I do not wish to take much of your time, but I simply want to impress upon you the importance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Try an experiment: Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa for one week, and see how much spiritual progress you make. We don't charge anything, so there is no loss. But there is great profit; that is guaranteed. Therefore please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Thank you very much.

==== Entering the Spiritual World ====

"''Everything in the spiritual world is substantial and original. This material world is only an imitation.... It is just like a cinematographic picture, in which we see only the shadow of the real thing." In this lecture, delivered in October 1966 in New York City, Śrīla Prabhupāda gives an amazing glimpse into the nature of the spiritual world and some positive instructions on how to arrive there at the end of life's perilous journey.''

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

"Yet there is another unmanifest 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." ([[BG 8.20|''Bhagavad-gītā'' 8.20]])

We cannot calculate the length and breadth of even this universe, yet there are millions and millions of universes like this one within the material sky. And above this material sky there is another sky, which is called the spiritual sky. In that sky all the planets are eternal, and life is eternal, also. We cannot know these things by our material calculations, so we must take this information from the ''Bhagavad-gītā''.

This material manifestation is only one fourth of the whole manifestation, both spiritual and material. In other words, three fourths of the total manifestation is beyond the covered, material sky. The material covering is millions and millions of miles thick, and only after penetrating it can one enter the open, spiritual sky. Here Kṛṣṇa uses the words ''bhāvaḥ anyaḥ'', which mean "another nature." In other words, there is another, spiritual nature besides the material one we ordinarily experience.

But even now we are experiencing the spiritual as well as the material nature. How is that? Because we ourselves are a combination of matter and spirit. We are spirit, and only as long as we are within the material body does it move. As soon as we are out of the body, it is as good as stone. So, since we can all personally perceive that there is spirit as well as matter, we should also know that there is a spiritual world as well.

In the Seventh Chapter of ''Bhagavad-gītā'' Kṛṣṇa discusses the spiritual and material natures. The spiritual nature is superior, and the material nature is inferior. In this material world the material and spiritual natures are mixed, but if we go beyond this material nature altogether - if we go to the spiritual world - we will find only the superior, spiritual nature. This is the information we get in the Eighth Chapter.

It is not possible to understand these things by experimental knowledge. The scientists can see millions and millions of stars through their telescopes, but they cannot approach them. Their means are insufficient. What to speak of other planets, they cannot approach even the moon planet, which is the nearest. Therefore, we should try to realize how incapable we are of understanding God and God's kingdom by experimental knowledge. And since getting understanding this way is not possible, it is foolishness to try. Rather, we have to understand God by hearing ''Bhagavad-gītā''. There is no other way. No one can understand who his father is by experimental knowledge. One has to simply believe his mother when she says, "Here is your father." Similarly, one has to believe ''Bhagavad-gītā''; then one can get all the information.

Nonetheless, while there is no possibility of experimental knowledge about God, if one becomes advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness he will realize God directly. For example, through realization I am firmly convinced of whatever I am saying here about Kṛṣṇa. I am not speaking blindly. Similarly, anyone can realize God. ''Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ'': Direct knowledge of God will be revealed to anyone who sticks to the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Such a person will actually understand, "Yes, there is a spiritual kingdom, where God resides, and I have to go there. I must prepare to go there." Before going to another country, one may hear so much about it, but when he actually goes there he understands everything directly. Similarly, if one takes up the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one day he'll understand God and the kingdom of God directly, and the whole problem of his life will be solved.

Here Kṛṣṇa uses the word ''sanātanaḥ'' to describe that spiritual kingdom. The material nature has a beginning and an end, but the spiritual nature has no beginning and no end. How is that? We can understand by a simple example: Sometimes, when there is a snowfall, we see that the whole sky is covered by a cloud. But actually that cloud is covering only an insignificant part of the whole sky. Because we are very minute, however, when a cloud covers a few hundred miles of the sky, to us the sky looks completely covered. Similarly, this entire material manifestation (called the ''mahat-tattva'') is like a cloud covering an insignificant portion of the spiritual sky. And just as when the cloud clears we can see the bright, sunlit sky, so when we get clear of this covering of matter we can see the original, spiritual sky.

Furthermore, just as a cloud has a beginning and an end, the material nature also has a beginning and an end, and our material body also has a beginning and an end. Our body simply exists for some time. It takes birth, grows, stays for some time, gives off some by-products, dwindles, and then vanishes. These are the six transformations of the body. Similarly, every material manifestation undergoes these six transformations. Thus at the end this whole material world will be vanquished.

But Kṛṣṇa assures us, ''paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ'': ([[BG 8.20|BG 8.20]]) "Beyond this destructible, cloudlike material nature, there is another, superior nature, which is eternal. It has no beginning and no end." Then He says, ''yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati'': "When this material manifestation is annihilated, that superior nature will remain." When a cloud in the sky is annihilated, the sky remains. Similarly, when the cloudlike material manifestation is annihilated, the spiritual sky remains. This is called ''avyakto 'vyaktāt''.

There are many volumes of Vedic literature containing information about the material sky and the spiritual sky. In the Second Canto of ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' we find a description of the spiritual sky: what its nature is, what kind of people live there, what their features are - everything. We even get information that in the spiritual sky there are spiritual airplanes. The living entities there are all liberated, and when they fly in their airplanes they look as beautiful as lightning.

So, everything in the spiritual world is substantial and original. This material world is only an imitation. Whatever we see in this material world is all imitation, shadow. It is just like a cinematographic picture, in which we see only the shadow of the real thing.

In ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 1.1.1|1.1.1]]) it is said, ''yatra tri-sargo 'mṛṣā'': "This material world is illusory." We have all seen a pretty mannequin of a girl in a shopkeeper's showcase. Every sane man knows that it is an imitation. But the so-called beautiful things in this material world are just like the beautiful "girl" in the shopkeeper's window. Indeed, whatever beautiful thing we see here in this material world is simply an imitation of the real beauty in the spiritual world. As Śrīdhara Svāmī says, ''yat satyatayā mithyā sargo 'pi satyavat pratīyate'': "The spiritual world is real, and the unreal, material manifestation only appears real." Something is real only if it will exist eternally. Reality cannot be vanquished. Similarly, real pleasure must be eternal. Since material pleasure is temporary, it is not actual, and those who seek real pleasure don't take part in this shadow pleasure. They strive for the real, eternal pleasure of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Here Kṛṣṇa says, ''yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati'': "When everything in the material world is annihilated, that spiritual nature will remain eternally." The aim of human life is to reach that spiritual sky. But people do not know the reality of the spiritual sky. The ''Bhāgavatam'' says, ''na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum'': ([[SB 7.5.31|SB 7.5.31]]) "People do not know their self-interest. They do not know that human life is meant for understanding spiritual reality and preparing ourselves for being transferred to that reality. It is not meant for remaining here in the material world." The whole of Vedic literature instructs us like this. ''Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ'': "Don't remain in the darkness; go to the light." This material world is darkness. We are artificially illuminating it with electric lights and fires and so many other things, but its nature is dark. The spiritual world, however, is not dark; it is full of light. Just as on the sun planet there is no possibility of darkness, so there is no possibility of darkness in the spiritual nature, because every planet there is self-illuminated.

It is clearly stated in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' that the supreme destination, from which there is no return, is the abode of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person. The ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' describes this supreme abode as ''ānanda-cinmaya-rasa'', a place where everything is full of spiritual bliss. Whatever variegatedness is manifest there is all of the quality of spiritual bliss - nothing there is material. That spiritual variegatedness is the spiritual expansion of the Supreme Godhead Himself, for the manifestation there is totally of the spiritual energy.

Although the Lord is always in His supreme abode, He is nonetheless all-pervading by His material energy. So by His spiritual and material energies, He is present everywhere - in both the material and the spiritual universes. In ''Bhagavad-gītā'', the words ''yasyāntaḥ-sthāni bhūtāni'' indicate that everything is sustained by Him, whether it be spiritual or material energy.

It is clearly stated in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' that only by ''bhakti'', or devotional service, can one enter into the Vaikuṇṭha (spiritual) planetary system. In all the Vaikuṇṭhas there is only one Supreme Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who has expanded Himself into millions and millions of plenary portions. These plenary expansions are four-armed, and They preside over innumerable spiritual planets. They are known by a variety of names: Puruṣottama, Trivikrama, Keśava, Mādhava, Aniruddha, Hṛṣīkeśa, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Śrīdhara, Vāsudeva, Dāmodara, Janārdana, Nārāyaṇa, Vāmana, Padmanābha, and so on. These plenary expansions are like the leaves of a tree, the main trunk of the tree being like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, dwelling in Goloka Vṛndāvana, His supreme abode, systematically and flawlessly conducts all affairs of both universes (material and spiritual) by the power of His all-pervasiveness.

Now, if we are at all interested in reaching Kṛṣṇa's supreme abode, then we must practice ''bhakti-yoga''. The word ''bhakti'' means "devotional service," or, in other words, submission to the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa clearly says, ''puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyas tv ananyayā''. The words ''tv ananyayā'' here mean "without any other engagement." So, to reach the spiritual abode of the Lord, we must engage in pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

One definition of ''bhakti'' is given in the authoritative book ''Nārada Pañcarātra'':

:''sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ''
:''tat-paratvena nirmalam''
:''hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-''
:''sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate''
:([[CC Madhya 19.170|CC ''Madhya'' 19.170]])

"''Bhakti'', or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. First, he is freed from all material designations, and second, his senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord."

Now we are encumbered by so many bodily designations. "Indian," "American," "African," "European" - these are all bodily designations. Our bodies are not we ourselves, yet we identify with these designations. Suppose one has received a university degree and identifies himself as an M.A. or a B.A. or a Ph.D. He is not that degree, but he has identified with that designation. So, ''bhakti'' means to free oneself from these designations (''sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam'' ([[CC Madhya 19.170|CC Madhya 19.170]])). ''Upādhi'' means "designation." If someone gets the title "Sir," he becomes very happy: "Oh, I have this 'Sir' title." He forgets that this title is only his designation - that it will exist only as long as he has his body. But the body is sure to be vanquished, along with all its designations. When one gets another body, he gets other designations. Suppose in the present lifetime one is an American. The next body he gets may be Chinese. Therefore, since we are always changing our bodily designations, we should stop identifying them as our self. When one is determined to free himself of all these nonsensical designations, then he can attain ''bhakti''.

In the above verse from the ''Nārada Pañcarātra'', the word ''nirmalam'' means "completely pure." What is that purity? One should be convinced, "I am spirit (''ahaṁ brahmāsmi''). I am not this material body, which is simply my covering. I am an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa; that is my real identity." One who is freed from false designations and fixed in his real constitutional position always renders service to Kṛṣṇa with his senses (''hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate'' ([[CC Madhya 19.170|CC ''Madhya'' 19.170]])). The word ''hṛṣīka'' means "the senses." Now our senses are designated, but when our senses are free from designations, and when with that freedom and in that purity we serve Kṛṣṇa - that is devotional service.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains pure devotional service in this verse from ''Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu'' (1.1.11):

:''anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ''
:''jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam''
:''ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-''
:''śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā''
:([[CC Madhya 19.167|CC Madhya 19.167]])

"When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, of knowledge tainted by monistic philosophy, and of fruitive action. A pure devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, as Kṛṣṇa desires." We have to serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, not unfavorably. Also, we should be free from material desires (''anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam'' (''Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu'' 1.1.11)). Usually one wants to serve God for some material purpose. Of course, that is also good. If someone goes to God for some material gain, he's far greater than the person who never goes to God. That is admitted in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 7.16|7.16]]):

:''catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ''
:''janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna''
:''ārto jijñāsur arthārthī''
:''jñānī ca bharatarṣabha''

"O best among the Bhāratas (Arjuna), four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me - the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute." But it is best that we not go to God with some desire for material benefit. We should be free of this impurity (''anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam'' (''Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu'' 1.1.11)).

The next words Rūpa Gosvāmī uses to describe pure bhakti are ''jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam'' ([[CC Madhya 19.167|CC ''Madhya'' 19.167]]). The word ''jñāna'' refers to the effort to understand Kṛṣṇa by mental speculation. Of course, we should try to understand Kṛṣṇa, but we ''should'' always remember that He is unlimited and that we can never fully understand Him. It is not possible for us to do this. Therefore, we have to accept whatever is presented to us in the revealed scriptures. The ''Bhagavad-gītā'', for example, is presented by Kṛṣṇa for our understanding. We should try to understand Him simply by hearing from books like ''Bhagavad-gītā'' and ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam''. The word ''karma'' means "work with some fruitive result." If we want to practice pure ''bhakti'', we should work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness selflessly - not just to get some profit out of it.

Next Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that pure ''bhakti'' must be ''ānukūlyena'', or favorable. We must culture Kṛṣṇa consciousness favorably. We should find out what will please Kṛṣṇa, and we should do that. How can we know what will please Kṛṣṇa? By hearing ''Bhagavad-gītā'' and taking the right interpretation from the right person. Then we'll know what Kṛṣṇa wants, and we can act accordingly. At that time we will be elevated to first-class devotional service.

So, ''bhakti-yoga'' is a great science, and there is immense literature to help us understand it. We should utilize our time to understand this science and thus prepare ourselves to receive the supreme benefit at the time of our death - to attain to the spiritual planets, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides.

There are millions of planets and stars within this universe, yet this entire universe is only a small particle within the total creation. There are many universes like ours, and, as mentioned before, the spiritual sky is three times as large as the total material creation. In other words, three fourths of the total manifestation is in the spiritual sky.

We get information from ''Bhagavad-gītā'' that on every spiritual planet in the spiritual sky there is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa. They are all ''puruṣa'', or persons; they are not impersonal. In ''Bhagavad-gītā'' Kṛṣṇa says, ''puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyas tv ananyayā'': One can approach the Supreme Person only by devotional service - not by challenge, not by philosophical speculation, and not by exercising in this ''yoga'' or that ''yoga''. No. It is clearly stated that one can approach Kṛṣṇa only by surrender and devotional service. It is not stated that one can reach Him by philosophical speculation or mental concoction or some physical exercise. One can reach Kṛṣṇa only by practicing devotion, without deviating to fruitive activities, philosophical speculation, or physical exercise. Only by unalloyed devotional service, without any admixture, can we reach the spiritual world.

Now, ''Bhagavad-gītā'' further says, ''yasyāntaḥ-sthāni bhūtāni yena sarvam idaṁ tatam''. Kṛṣṇa is such a great person that although situated in His own abode, He is still all-pervading, and everything is within Him. How can this be? The sun is located in one place, but the sun rays are distributed all over the universe. Similarly, although God is situated in His own abode in the spiritual sky, His energy is distributed everywhere. Also, He's not different from His energy, just as the sun and the sunshine are not different, in the sense that they are composed of the same illuminating substance. So, Kṛṣṇa distributes Himself everywhere by His energies, and when we become advanced in devotional service we can see Him everywhere, just as one can light a lamp anywhere by plugging it into the electric circuit.

In his ''Brahma-saṁhitā'', Lord Brahmā describes the qualifications we require to see God: ''premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti'' (Bs. 5.38). Those who have developed love of God can constantly see God before them, twenty-four hours a day. The word ''sadaiva'' means "constantly, twenty-four hours a day." If one is actually God-realized, he doesn't say, "Oh, I saw God yesterday night, but now He's not visible." No, He's ''always'' visible, because He's everywhere.

Therefore, the conclusion is that we can see Kṛṣṇa everywhere, but we have to develop the eyes to see Him. We can do that by the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When we see Kṛṣṇa, and when we approach Him in His spiritual abode, our life will be successful, our aims will be fulfilled, and we'll be happy and prosperous eternally.
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<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=The Journey of Self-Discovery|Journey of Self-Discovery]] '''[[The Journey of Self-Discovery|Journey of Self-Discovery]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=JSD 1 The Journey of Self-Discovery|1. The Journey of Self-Discovery]] '''[[JSD 1 The Journey of Self-Discovery|1. The Journey of Self-Discovery]] - [[JSD 3 The Pleasure Principle|3. The Pleasure Principle]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=JSD 3 The Pleasure Principle|3. The Pleasure Principle]]</div>
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JSD 1 The Journey of Self-Discovery

2022-02-05T01:17:17Z

Srikanth:

SSR3a The Immortal Nectar of the Bhagavad-gita

2022-01-30T00:15:54Z

Srikanth:

SSR2c With all the Humility at my Command

2022-01-29T23:06:10Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:The Science of Self-Realization]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=The Science of Self-Realization]] '''[[The Science of Self-Realization|INDEX]] - [[SSR2 Choosing a Spiritual Master|2. Choosing a Spiritual Master]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=SSR2b Separating the Saints from the Swindlers]] '''[[SSR2b Separating the Saints from the Swindlers|2b. Separating the Saints from the Swindlers]] - [[SSR3 Looking at the Cultural Background|3. Looking at the Cultural Background]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=SSR3 Looking at the Cultural Background]]</div>
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(reproduced from the article "The Universal Teacher" published in the [[1975 Back to Godhead Number 10-08|1975 Back to Godhead magazine number 10-08]])

==== With all the Humility at my Command ====

''In February 1936, in Bombay, India, the members of a reputed religious society, the Gauḍīya Maṭha, were astonished by the powerful and eloquent words of a young member who spoke in honor of his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. Three decades later, the young speaker would become the world-renowned founder and spiritual master of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Śrīla Prabhupāda's presentation is a memorable statement on the importance of the guru in spiritual life.''

:''sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair''
:''uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ''
:''kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya''
:''vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam''
"In the revealed scriptures it is declared that the spiritual master should be worshiped like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this injunction is obeyed by pure devotees of the Lord. The spiritual master is the most confidential servant of the Lord. Thus let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of our spiritual master."

Gentlemen, on behalf of the members of the Bombay branch of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, let me welcome you all because you have so kindly joined us tonight in our congregational offerings of homage to the lotus feet of the world teacher, Ācāryadeva, who is the founder of this Gauḍīya Mission and is the president—''ācārya'' of Śrī Śrī Viśva-vaiṣṇava Rāja-sabhā—I mean my eternal divine master, Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja.

Sixty-two years ago, on this auspicious day, the Ācāryadeva made his appearance by the call of Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda at Śrī-kṣetra Jagannātha-dhāma at Purī.

Gentlemen, the offering of such an homage as has been arranged this evening to the Ācāryadeva is not a sectarian concern, for when we speak of the fundamental principle of ''gurudeva'', or ''ācāryadeva'', we speak of something that is of universal application. There does not arise any question of discriminating my guru from yours or anyone else's. There is only one guru, who appears in an infinity of forms to teach you, me, and all others.

The guru, or ''ācāryadeva'', as we learn from the bona fide scriptures, delivers the message of the absolute world, the transcendental abode of the Absolute Personality, where everything nondifferentially serves the Absolute Truth. We have heard so many times: ''mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ'' ([[CC Madhya 17.186|CC Madhya 17.186]]) ("Traverse the trail which your previous ''ācārya'' has passed"), but we have hardly tried to understand the real purport of this ''śloka''. If we scrutinizingly study this proposition, we understand that the ''mahājana'' is one and the royal road to the transcendental world is also one. In the ''Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad'' (1.2.12) it is said:

:''tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet''
:''samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham''

"In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth."

Thus it has been enjoined herewith that in order to receive that transcendental knowledge, one must approach the guru. Therefore, if the Absolute Truth is one, about which we think there is no difference of opinion, the guru also cannot be two. The Ācāryadeva for whom we have assembled tonight to offer our humble homage is not the guru of a sectarian institution or one out of many differing exponents of the truth. On the contrary, he is the ''Jagad-guru'', or the guru of all of us; the only difference is that some obey him wholeheartedly, while others do not obey him directly.

In the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 11.17.27|11.17.27]]) it is said:

:''ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān''
:''nāvamanyeta karhicit''
:''na martya-buddhyāsūyeta''
:''sarva-devamayo guruḥ''
"One should understand the spiritual master to be as good as I am," said the Blessed Lord. "Nobody should be jealous of the spiritual master or think of him as an ordinary man, because the spiritual master is the sum total of all demigods." That is, the ''ācārya'' has been identified with God Himself. He has nothing to do with the affairs of this mundane world. He does not descend here to meddle with the affairs of temporary necessities, but to deliver the fallen, conditioned souls—the souls, or entities, who have come here to the material world with a motive of enjoyment by the mind and the five organs of sense perception. He appears before us to reveal the light of the ''Vedas'' and to bestow upon us the blessings of full-fledged freedom, after which we should hanker at every step of our life's journey.

The transcendental knowledge of the ''Vedas'' was first uttered by God to Brahmā, the creator of this particular universe. From Brahmā the knowledge descended to Nārada, from Nārada to Vyāsadeva, from Vyāsadeva to Madhva, and in this process of disciplic succession the transcendental knowledge was transmitted by one disciple to another till it reached Lord Gaurāṅga, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who posed as the disciple and successor of Śrī Īśvara Purī. The present Ācāryadeva is the tenth disciplic representative from Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, the original representative of Lord Caitanya who preached this transcendental tradition in its fullness. The knowledge that we receive from our Gurudeva is not different from that imparted by God Himself and the succession of the ''ācāryas'' in the preceptorial line of Brahmā. We adore this auspicious day as Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā-tithi, because the ''Ācārya'' is the living representative of Vyāsadeva, the divine compiler of the ''Vedas'', the ''Purāṇas'', the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', the ''Mahābhārata'', and the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam''.

One who interprets the divine sound, or ''śabda-brahma'', by his imperfect sense perception cannot be a real spiritual guru, because, in the absence of proper disciplinary training under the bona fide ''ācārya'', the interpreter is sure to differ from Vyāsadeva (as the Māyāvādīs do). Śrīla Vyāsadeva is the prime authority of Vedic revelation, and therefore such an irrelevant interpreter cannot be accepted as the guru, or ''ācārya'', howsoever equipped he may be with all the acquirements of material knowledge. As it is said in the ''Padma Purāṇa'':

:''sampradāya-vihīnā ye''
:''mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ''
"Unless you are initiated by a bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession, the mantra that you might have received is without any effect."

On the other hand, one who has received the transcendental knowledge by aural reception from the bona fide preceptor in the disciplic chain, and who has sincere regard for the real ''ācārya'', must needs be enlightened with the revealed knowledge of the ''Vedas''. But this knowledge is permanently sealed to the cognitive approach of the empiricists. As it is said in the ''Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad'' (6.23):

:''yasya deve parā bhaktir''
:''yathā deve tathā gurau''
:''tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ''
:''prakāśante mahātmanaḥ''
:(ŚU 6.23)
"Only unto those great souls who simultaneously have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed."

Gentlemen, our knowledge is so poor, our senses are so imperfect, and our sources are so limited that it is not possible for us to have even the slightest knowledge of the absolute region without surrendering ourselves at the lotus feet of Śrī Vyāsadeva or his bona fide representative. Every moment we are being deceived by the knowledge of our direct perception. It is all the creation or concoction of the mind, which is always deceiving, changing, and flickering. We cannot know anything of the transcendental region by our limited, perverted method of observation and experiment. But all of us can lend our eager ears for the aural reception of the transcendental sound transmitted from that region to this through the unadulterated medium of Śrī Gurudeva or Śrī Vyāsadeva. Therefore, gentlemen, we should surrender ourselves today at the feet of the representative of Śrī Vyāsadeva for the elimination of all our differences bred by our unsubmissive attitude. It is accordingly said in ''Śrī Gītā'' ([[BG 4.34|4.34]]):

:''tad viddhi praṇipātena''
:''paripraśnena sevayā''
:''upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ''
:''jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ''
"Just approach the wise and bona fide spiritual master. Surrender unto him first and try to understand him by inquiries and service. Such a wise spiritual master will enlighten you with transcendental knowledge, for he has already known the Absolute Truth."

To receive the transcendental knowledge we must completely surrender ourselves to the real ''ācārya'' in a spirit of ardent inquiry and service. Actual performance of service to the Absolute under the guidance of the ''ācārya'' is the only vehicle by which we can assimilate the transcendental knowledge. Today's meeting for offering our humble services and homage to the feet of the Ācāryadeva will enable us to be favored with the capacity for assimilating the transcendental knowledge so kindly transmitted by him to all persons, without distinction.

Gentlemen, we are all more or less proud of our past Indian civilization, but we actually do not know the real nature of that civilization. We cannot be proud of our past material civilization, which is now a thousand times greater than in days gone by. It is said that we are passing through the age of darkness, the Kali-yuga. What is this darkness? The darkness cannot be due to backwardness in material knowledge, because we now have more of it than formerly. If not we ourselves, our neighbors, at any rate, have plenty of it. Therefore, we must conclude that the darkness of the present age is not due to a lack of material advancement, but that we have lost the clue to our spiritual advancement, which is the prime necessity of human life and the criterion of the highest type of human civilization. Throwing of bombs from airplanes is no advancement of civilization from the primitive, uncivilized practice of dropping big stones on the heads of enemies from the tops of hills. Improvement of the art of killing our neighbors by means of machine guns and poisonous gases is certainly no advancement from primitive barbarism, which prided itself on its art of killing by bows and arrows. Nor does the development of a sense of pampered selfishness prove anything more than intellectual animalism. True human civilization is very different from all these states, and therefore in the ''Kaṭha Upaniṣad'' (1.3.14) there is the emphatic call:

:''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata''
:''prāpya varān nibodhata''
:''kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā''
:''durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti''
"Please wake up and try to understand the boon that you now have in this human form of life. The path of spiritual realization is very difficult; it is sharp like a razor's edge. That is the opinion of learned transcendental scholars."

Thus, while others were yet in the womb of historical oblivion, the sages of India had developed a different kind of civilization, which enabled them to know themselves. They had discovered that we are not at all material entities, but that we are all spiritual, permanent, and indestructible servants of the Absolute. But because we have, against our better judgment, chosen to completely identify ourselves with this present material existence, our sufferings have multiplied according to the inexorable law of birth and death, with its consequent diseases and anxieties. These sufferings cannot be really mitigated by any provision of material happiness, because matter and spirit are completely different elements. It is just as if you took an aquatic animal out of water and put it on the land, supplying all manner of happiness possible on land. The deadly sufferings of the animal are not capable of being relieved at all until it is taken out of its foreign environment. Spirit and matter are completely contradictory things. All of us are spiritual entities. We cannot have perfect happiness, which is our birthright, however much we may meddle with the affairs of mundane things. Perfect happiness can be ours only when we are restored to our natural state of spiritual existence. This is the distinctive message of our ancient Indian civilization, this is the message of the ''Gītā'', this is the message of the ''Vedas'' and the ''Purāṇas'', and this is the message of all the real ''ācāryas'', including our present Ācāryadeva, in the line of Lord Caitanya.

Gentlemen, although it is imperfectly that we have been enabled by his grace to understand the sublime messages of our Ācāryadeva, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, we must admit that we have realized definitely that the divine message from his holy lips is the congenial thing for suffering humanity. All of us should hear him patiently. If we listen to the transcendental sound without unnecessary opposition, he will surely have mercy upon us. The Ācārya's Message is to take us back to our original home, back to God. Let me repeat, therefore, that we should hear him patiently, follow him in the measure of our conviction, and bow down at his lotus feet for releasing us from our present causeless unwillingness for serving the Absolute and all souls.

From the ''Gītā'' we learn that even after the destruction of the body, the ''ātmā'', or the soul, is not destroyed; he is always the same, always new and fresh. Fire cannot burn him, water cannot dissolve him, the air cannot dry him up, and the sword cannot kill him. He is everlasting and eternal, and this is also confirmed in the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 10.84.13|10.84.13]]):

:''yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke''
:''sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ''
:''yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij''
:''janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ''
"Anyone who accepts this bodily bag of three elements (bile, mucus, and air) as his self, who has an affinity for an intimate relationship with his wife and children, who considers his land worshipable, who takes bath in the waters of the holy places of pilgrimage but never takes advantage of those persons who are in actual knowledge—he is no better than an ass or a cow."

Unfortunately, in these days we have all been turned foolish by neglecting our real comfort and identifying the material cage with ourselves. We have concentrated all our energies for the meaningless upkeep of the material cage for its own sake, completely neglecting the captive soul within. The cage is meant for the undoing of the bird; the bird is not meant for the welfare of the cage. Let us, therefore, deeply ponder this. All our activities are now turned toward the upkeep of the cage, and the most we do is try to give some food to the mind by art and literature. But we do not know that this mind is also material in a more subtle form. This is stated in the ''Gītā'' ([[BG 7.4|7.4]]):

:''bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ''
:''khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca''
:''ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me''
:''bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā''
"Earth, fire, water, air, sky, intelligence, mind, and ego are all My separated energies."

We have scarcely tried to give any food to the soul, which is distinct from the body and mind; therefore we are all committing suicide in the proper sense of the term. The message of the Ācāryadeva is to give us a warning to halt such wrong activities. Let us therefore bow down at his lotus feet for the unalloyed mercy and kindness he has bestowed upon us.

Gentlemen, do not for a moment think that my Gurudeva wants to put a complete brake on the modern civilization—an impossible feat. But let us learn from him the art of making the best use of a bad bargain, and let us understand the importance of this human life, which is fit for the highest development of true consciousness. The best use of this rare human life should not be neglected. As it is said in the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 11.9.29|11.9.29]]):

:''labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte''
:''mānuṣyam arthadam anityam apīha dhīraḥ''
:''tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anu mṛtyu yāvan''
:''niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt''
"This human form of life is obtained after many, many births, and although it is not permanent, it can offer the highest benefits. Therefore a sober and intelligent man should immediately try to fulfill his mission and attain the highest profit in life before another death occurs. He should avoid sense gratification, which is available in all circumstances."

Let us not misuse this human life in the vain pursuit of material enjoyment, or, in other words, for the sake of only eating, sleeping, fearing, and sensuous activities. The Ācāryadeva's message is conveyed by the words of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī (''Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu'' 1.2.255-256):

:''anāsaktasya viṣayān''
:''yathārham upayuñjataḥ''
:''nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe''
:''yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate''

:''prāpañcikatayā buddhyā''
:''hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ''
:''mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo''
:''vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate''
"One is said to be situated in the fully renounced order of life if he lives in accordance with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He should be without attachment for sense gratification and should accept only what is necessary for the upkeep of the body. On the other hand, one who renounces things that could be used in the service of Kṛṣṇa, under the pretext that such things are material, does not practice complete renunciation.

The purport of these ''ślokas'' can only be realized by fully developing the rational portion of our life, not the animal portion. Sitting at the feet of the Ācāryadeva, let us try to understand from this transcendental source of knowledge what we are, what is this universe, what is God, and what is our relationship with Him. The message of Lord Caitanya is the message for the living entities and the message of the living world. Lord Caitanya did not bother Himself for the upliftment of this dead world, which is suitably named Martyaloka, the world where everything is destined to die. He appeared before us four hundred fifty years ago to tell us something of the transcendental universe, where everything is permanent and everything is for the service of the Absolute. But recently Lord Caitanya has been misrepresented by some unscrupulous persons, and the highest philosophy of the Lord has been misinterpreted to be the cult of the lowest type of society. We are glad to announce tonight that our Ācāryadeva, with his usual kindness, saved us from this horrible type of degradation, and therefore we bow down at his lotus feet with all humility.

Gentlemen, it has been a mania of the cultured (or uncultured) society of the present day to accredit the Personality of Godhead with merely impersonal features and to stultify Him by claiming that He has no senses, no form, no activity, no head, no legs, and no enjoyment. This has also been the pleasure of the modern scholars due to their sheer lack of proper guidance and true introspection in the spiritual realm. All these empiricists think alike: all the enjoyable things should be monopolized by the human society, or by a particular class only, and the impersonal God should be a mere order-supplier for their whimsical feats. We are happy that we have been relieved of this horrible type of malady by the mercy of His Divine Grace Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja. He is our eye-opener, our eternal father, our eternal preceptor, and our eternal guide. Let us therefore bow down at his lotus feet on this auspicious day.

Gentlemen, although we are like ignorant children in the knowledge of the Transcendence, still His Divine Grace, my Gurudeva, has kindled a small fire within us to dissipate the invincible darkness of empirical knowledge. We are now so much on the safe side that no amount of philosophical argument by the empiric schools of thought can deviate us an inch from the position of our eternal dependence on the lotus feet of His Divine Grace. Furthermore, we are prepared to challenge the most erudite scholars of the Māyāvāda school and prove that the Personality of Godhead and His transcendental sports in Goloka alone constitute the sublime information of the ''Vedas''. There are explicit indications of this in the ''Chāndogya Upaniṣad'' (8.13.1):

:''śyāmāc chavalaṁ prapadye''
:''śavalāc chyāmaṁ prapadye''
"For receiving the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, I surrender unto His energy (Rādhā), and for receiving the mercy of His energy, I surrender unto Kṛṣṇa." Also in the ''Ṛg Veda'' (1.22.20):

:''tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā''
:''paśyanti sūrayaḥ divīva cakṣur ātatam''
:''viṣṇor yat paramaṁ padam''
"The lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu are the supreme objective of all the demigods. These lotus feet of the Lord are as enlightening as the sun in the sky."

The plain truth so vividly explained in the ''Gītā'', which is the central lesson of the ''Vedas'', is not understood or even suspected by the most powerful scholars of the empiric schools. Herein lies the secret of Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā. When we meditate on the transcendental pastimes of the Absolute Godhead, we are proud to feel that we are His eternal servitors, and we become jubilant and dance with joy. All glory to my divine master, for it is he who has out of his unceasing flow of mercy stirred up within us such a movement of eternal existence. Let us bow down at his lotus feet.

Gentlemen, had he not appeared before us to deliver us from the thralldom of this gross worldly delusion, surely we should have remained for lives and ages in the darkness of helpless captivity. Had he not appeared before us, we would not have been able to understand the eternal truth of the sublime teaching of Lord Caitanya. Had he not appeared before us, we could not have been able to know the significance of the first ''śloka'' of the ''Brahma-saṁhitā'':

:''īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ''
:''sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ''
:''anādir ādir govindaḥ''
:''sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam''
:(Bs. 5.1)
"Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, and He is the prime cause of all causes."

Personally, I have no hope for any direct service for the coming crores of births of the sojourn of my life, but I am confident that some day or other I shall be delivered from this mire of delusion in which I am at present so deeply sunk. Therefore let me with all my earnestness pray at the lotus feet of my divine master to allow me to suffer the lot for which I am destined due to my past misdoings, but to let me have this power of recollection: that I am nothing but a tiny servant of the Almighty Absolute Godhead, realized through the unflinching mercy of my divine master. Let me therefore bow down at his lotus feet with all the humility at my command.

<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=The Science of Self-Realization]] '''[[The Science of Self-Realization|INDEX]] - [[SSR2 Choosing a Spiritual Master|2. Choosing a Spiritual Master]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=SSR2b Separating the Saints from the Swindlers]] '''[[SSR2b Separating the Saints from the Swindlers|2b. Separating the Saints from the Swindlers]] - [[SSR3 Looking at the Cultural Background|3. Looking at the Cultural Background]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=SSR3 Looking at the Cultural Background]]</div>

SSR2b Separating the Saints from the Swindlers

2022-01-26T18:28:29Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:The Science of Self-Realization]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=The Science of Self-Realization]] '''[[The Science of Self-Realization|INDEX]] - [[SSR2 Choosing a Spiritual Master|2. Choosing a Spiritual Master]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=SSR2a What Is a Guru?]] '''[[SSR2a What Is a Guru?|2a. What Is a Guru?]] - [[SSR2c With all the Humility at my Command|2c. With all the Humility at my Command]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=SSR2c With all the Humility at my Command]]</div>
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(reproduced from the article "Separating the Saints from the Swindlers" published in the [[1976 Back to Godhead Number 11-08|1976 Back to Godhead magazine number 11-08]])

==== Separating the Saints from the Swindlers ====

''Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks out in an interview with the London Times: "If you want to be cheated, you will find many cheating gurus. But if you are sincere, you will find a sincere guru. . . . The genuine guru is God's representative, and he speaks about God and nothing else. . . . A genuine guru is not a businessman. He is a representative of God. Whatever God says, the guru repeats. He does not speak otherwise."
''
Reporter: Your Grace, it seems that more people than ever are seeking some kind of spiritual life. I wonder if you could tell me why this is so.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: The desire for spiritual life is an absolutely natural hankering. Because we are spirit souls, we cannot be happy in the material atmosphere. If you take a fish out of the water, it cannot be happy on land. Similarly, if we are without spiritual consciousness, we can never be happy. Today, so many people are after scientific advancement and economic development, but they are not happy because these are not the actual goals of life. Many young people are realizing this, and they are rejecting materialistic life and are trying to search for spiritual life. Actually, this is the proper search. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the proper goal of life. Unless you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you cannot be happy. That is a fact. Therefore, we invite everyone to study and understand this great movement.

Reporter: What frankly worries me is that since the arrival in Britain some time ago of an Indian yogī, who was the first "guru" that most people had ever heard of, a lot of "gurus" have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Sometimes I get the feeling that not all of them are as genuine as they ought to be. Would it be right to warn people who are thinking of taking up spiritual life that they should make sure that they have a genuine guru to teach them?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Of course, to search out a guru is very nice, but if you want a cheap guru, or if you want to be cheated, then you will find many cheating gurus. But if you are sincere, you will find a sincere guru. Because people want everything very cheaply, they are cheated. We ask our students to refrain from illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication. People think that this is all very difficult - a botheration. But if someone else says, "You may do whatever nonsense you like, simply take my mantra," then people will like him. The point is that people want to be cheated, and therefore cheaters come. No one wants to undergo any austerity. Human life is meant for austerity, but no one is prepared to undergo austerity. Consequently, cheaters come and say, "No austerity. Whatever you like, you do. Simply pay me, and I'll give you some mantra, and you'll become God in six months." All this is going on. If you want to be cheated like this, the cheaters will come.

Reporter: What about the person who seriously wants to find spiritual life but who happens to finish up with the wrong guru?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: If you simply want an ordinary education, you have to devote so much time, labor, and understanding to it. Similarly, if you are going to take to spiritual life, you must become serious. How is it that simply by some wonderful mantras, someone can become God in six months? Why do people want something like that? This means that they want to be cheated.

Reporter: How can a person tell he has a genuine guru?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Can any of my students answer this question?

Disciple: Once I remember John Lennon asked you, "How will I know who is the genuine guru?" And you answered, "Just find out the one who is most addicted to Kṛṣṇa. He is genuine."

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. The genuine guru is God's representative, and he speaks about God and nothing else. The genuine guru is he who has no interest in materialistic life. He is after God, and God only. That is one of the tests of a genuine guru: ''brahma-niṣṭham''. He is absorbed in the Absolute Truth. In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad it is stated, ''śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham'': (MU 1.2.12) "The genuine guru is well versed in the scriptures and Vedic knowledge, and he is completely dependent on Brahman." He should know what Brahman (spirit) is and how to become situated in Brahman. These signs are given in the Vedic literature. As I said before, the real guru is God's representative. He represents the Supreme Lord, just as a viceroy represents a king. The real guru will not manufacture anything. Everything he says is in accordance with the scriptures and the previous ''ācāryas''. He will not give you a mantra and tell you that you will become God in six months. This is not a guru's business. A guru's business is to canvass everyone to become a devotee of God. That is the sum and substance of a real guru's business. Indeed, he has no other business. He tells whomever he sees, "Please become God conscious." If he canvasses somehow or other on behalf of God and tries to get everyone to become a devotee of God, he is a genuine guru.

Reporter: What about a Christian priest?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Christian, Muhammadan, Hindu - it doesn't matter. If he is simply speaking on behalf of God, he is a guru. Lord Jesus Christ, for instance. He canvassed people, saying, "Just try to love God." Anyone - it doesn't matter who - be he Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, is a guru if he convinces people to love God. That is the test. The guru never says, "I am God," or "I will make you God." The real guru says, "I am a servant of God, and I will make you a servant of God also." It doesn't matter how the guru is dressed. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Whoever can impart knowledge about Kṛṣṇa is a spiritual master." A genuine spiritual master simply tries to get people to become devotees of Kṛṣṇa, or God. He has no other business.

Reporter: But the bad gurus...

Śrīla Prabhupāda: And what is a "bad" guru?

Reporter: A bad guru just wants some money or some fame.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Well, if he is bad, how can he become a guru? (''Laughter''.) How can iron become gold? Actually, a guru cannot be bad, for if someone is bad, he cannot be a guru. You cannot say "bad guru." That is a contradiction. What you have to do is simply try to understand what a genuine guru is. The definition of a genuine guru is that he is simply talking about God - that's all. If he's talking about some other nonsense, then he is not a guru. A guru cannot be bad. There is no question of a bad guru, any more than a red guru or a white guru. Guru means "genuine guru." All we have to know is that the genuine guru is simply talking about God and trying to get people to become God's devotees. If he does this, he is genuine.

Reporter: If I wanted to be initiated into your society, what would I have to do?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: First of all, you'd have to give up illicit sex life.

Reporter: Does that include all sex life? What is illicit sex life?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Illicit sex is sex outside of marriage. Animals have sex with no restrictions, but in human society there are restrictions. In every country and in every religion, there is some system of restricting sex life. You would also have to give up all intoxicants, including tea, cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana - anything that intoxicates.

Reporter: Anything else?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: You'd also have to give up eating meat, eggs, and fish. And you'd have to give up gambling as well. Unless you gave up these four sinful activities, you could not be initiated.

Reporter: How many followers do you have throughout the world?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: For anything genuine, the followers may be very few. For something rubbish, the followers may be many. Still, we have about five thousand initiated disciples.

Reporter: Is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement growing all the time?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, it is growing - but slowly. This is because we have so many restrictions. People do not like restrictions.

Reporter: Where is your following the greatest?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: In the United States, Europe, South America, and Australia. And, of course, in India there are millions who practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Reporter: Could you tell me what the goal of your movement is?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: The purpose of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to awaken man's original consciousness. At the present moment our consciousness is designated. Someone is thinking, "I am an Englishman," and another is thinking, "I am an American." Actually, we do not belong to any of these designations. We are all part and parcel of God; that is our real identity. If everyone simply comes to that consciousness, all the problems of the world will be solved. Then we shall come to know that we are one - the same quality of spirit soul. The same quality of spirit soul is within everyone, although it may be in a different dress. This is the explanation given in the ''Bhagavad-gītā''.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is actually a purificatory process (''sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam'' ([[CC Madhya 19.170|CC Madhya 19.170]])). Its purpose is to make people free from all designations (''tat-paratvena nirmalam''). When our consciousness becomes purified of all designations, the activities we carry out with our purified senses make us perfect. Eventually, we reach the ideal perfection of human life. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is also a very simple process. It is not necessary to become a great philosopher, scientist, or whatever. We need only chant the holy name of the Lord, understanding that His personality, His name, and His qualities are all absolute.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a great science. Unfortunately, in the universities there is no department for this science. Therefore we invite all serious men who are interested in the welfare of human society to understand this great movement and, if possible, take part in it and cooperate with us. The problems of the world will be solved. This is also the verdict of the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', the most important and authoritative book of spiritual knowledge. Many of you have heard of the ''Bhagavad-gītā''. Our movement is based on it. Our movement is approved by all great ''ācāryas'' in India - Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Lord Caitanya, and so many others. You are all representatives of newspapers, so I ask you to try to understand this movement as far as possible for the good of all human society.

Reporter: Do you think your movement is the only way to know God?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes.

Reporter: How are you assured of that?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: From the authorities and from God, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says:

:''sarva-dharmān parityajya''
:''mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja''
:''ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo''
:''mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ''

:([[BG 18.66|BG 18.66]])
"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."

Reporter: Does "surrender" mean that someone would have to leave his family?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No.

Reporter: But suppose I were to become an initiate. Wouldn't I have to come and live in the temple?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Not necessarily.

Reporter: I can stay at home?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Reporter: What about work? Would I have to give up my job?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, you'd simply have to give up your bad habits and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra on these beads-that's all.

Reporter: Would I have to give any financial support?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, that is your voluntary wish. If you give, that's all right. And if you don't, we don't mind. We do not depend on anyone's financial contribution. We depend on Kṛṣṇa.

Reporter: I wouldn't have to give any money at all?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No.

Reporter: Is this one of the main things that distinguishes the genuine guru from the fake guru?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, a genuine guru is not a businessman. He is a representative of God. Whatever God says, the guru repeats. He does not speak otherwise.

Reporter: But would you expect to find a real guru, say, traveling in a Rolls Royce and staying in a penthouse suite in a classy hotel?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Sometimes people provide us with a room in a first-class hotel, but we generally stay in our own temples. We have some one hundred temples around the world, so we don't require to go to any hotels.

Reporter: I wasn't trying to make any accusations. I was merely trying to illustrate that I think your warning is a valid one. There are so many people interested in finding a spiritual life, and at the same time there are a lot of people interested in cashing in on the "guru business."

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Are you under the impression that spiritual life means voluntarily accepting poverty?

Reporter: Well, I don't know.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: A poverty-stricken man may be materialistic, and a wealthy man may be very spiritual. Spiritual life does not depend on either poverty or wealth. Spiritual life is transcendental. Consider Arjuna, for instance. Arjuna was a member of a royal family, yet he was a pure devotee of God. And in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 4.2|4.2]]) Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, ''evaṁ paramparā-prāptaṁ imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ'': "This supreme science was received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way." In the past, all kings who were saintly understood spiritual science. Therefore, spiritual life does not depend on one's material condition. Whatever a person's material condition may be - he may be a king or a pauper - he can still understand spiritual life. Generally people do not know what spiritual life is, and therefore, they unnecessarily criticize us. If I asked you what spiritual life is, how would you answer?

Reporter: Well, I'm not sure.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Although you do not know what spiritual life is, you still say, "It is this," or "It is that." But first you should know what spiritual life is. Spiritual life begins when you understand that you are not your body. This is the real beginning of spiritual life. By seeing the difference between your self and your body, you come to understand that you are a spirit soul (''ahaṁ brahmāsmi'').

Reporter: Do you think this knowledge should be a part of everyone's education?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. People should first be taught what they are. Are they their bodies, or something else? That is the beginning of education. Now everyone is educated to think he is his body. Because someone accidentally gets an American body, he thinks, "I am an American." This is just like thinking "I am a red shirt" just because you are wearing a red shirt. You are not a red shirt; you are a human being. Similarly, this body is like a shirt or coat over the real person - the spirit soul. If we recognize ourselves simply by our bodily "shirt" or "coat," then we have no spiritual education.

Reporter: Do you think that such education should be given in schools?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes - in schools, colleges, and universities. There is an immense literature on this subject - an immense fund of knowledge. What is actually required is that the leaders of society come forward to understand this movement.

Reporter: Have you ever had people come to you who had previously been involved with a fake guru?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, there are many.

Reporter: Were their spiritual lives in any way spoiled by the fake gurus?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, they were genuinely seeking something spiritual, and that was their qualification. God is within everyone's heart, and as soon as someone genuinely seeks Him, He helps that person find a genuine guru.

Reporter: Have the real gurus like yourself ever tried to put a stop to the false gurus - that is, put pressure on them to put them out of business, so to speak?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, that is not my purpose. I started my movement simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. I chanted in New York in a place called Tompkins Square Park, and soon people began to come to me. In this way, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement gradually developed. Many accepted, and many did not accept. Those who are fortunate have accepted.

Reporter: Don't you feel that people are suspicious because of their experience with fake gurus? If you went to a quack dentist and he broke your tooth, you might be suspicious about going to another dentist.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Naturally, if you are cheated, you become suspicious. But this does not mean that if you are cheated once, you will always be cheated. You should find someone genuine. But to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you must be either very fortunate or well aware of this science. From the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' we understand that the genuine seekers are very few: ''manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye'' ([[BG 7.3|BG 7.3]]). Out of many millions of people, there may be only one who is interested in spiritual life. Generally, people are interested in eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. So how can we expect to find many followers? It is not difficult to notice that people have lost their spiritual interest. And almost all those who are actually interested are being cheated by so-called spiritualists. You cannot judge a movement simply by the number of its followers. If one man is genuine, then the movement is successful. It is not a question of quantity, but quality.

Reporter: I wonder how many people you think might have been taken in by fake gurus.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Practically everyone. (''Laughter''.) There is no question of counting. Everyone.

Reporter: This would mean thousands of people, wouldn't it?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Millions. Millions have been cheated, because they want to be cheated. God is omniscient. He can understand your desires. He is within your heart, and if you want to be cheated, God sends you a cheater.

Reporter: ls it possible for everyone to attain the perfectional stage you spoke of previously?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Within a second. Anyone can attain perfection within a second - providing he is willing. The difficulty is that no one is willing. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 18.66|18.66]]) Kṛṣṇa says, ''sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja'': "Simply surrender unto Me." But who is going to surrender to God? Everyone says, "Oh, why should I surrender to God? I will be independent." If you simply surrender, it is a second's business. That's all. But no one is willing, and that is the difficulty.

Reporter: When you say that lots of people want to be cheated, do you mean that lots of people want to carry on with their worldly pleasures and at the same time, by chanting a mantra or by holding a flower, achieve spiritual life as well? Is this what you mean by wanting to be cheated?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, this is like a patient thinking, "I shall continue with my disease, and at the same time I shall become healthy." It is contradictory. The first requirement is that one become educated in spiritual life. Spiritual life is not something one can understand by a few minutes' talk. There are many philosophy and theology books, but people are not interested in them. That is the difficulty. For instance, the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' is a very long work, and if you try to read this book, it may take many days just to understand one line of it. The ''Bhāgavatam'' describes God, the Absolute Truth, but people are not interested. And if, by chance, someone becomes a little interested in spiritual life, he wants something immediate and cheap. Therefore, he is cheated. Actually, human life is meant for austerity and penance. That is the way of Vedic civilization. In Vedic times they would train boys as ''brahmacārīs''; no sex life was allowed at all up to the age of twenty-five. Where is that education now? A ''brahmacārī'' is a student who lives a life of complete celibacy and obeys the commands of his guru at the ''gurukula'' (school of the spiritual master). Now schools and colleges are teaching sex from the very beginning, and twelve or thirteen-year-old boys and girls are having sex. How can they have a spiritual life? Spiritual life means voluntarily accepting some austerities for the sake of God realization. That is why we insist on no illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, or intoxication for our initiated students. Without these restrictions, any "yoga meditation" or so-called spiritual discipline cannot be genuine. It is simply a business deal between the cheaters and the cheated.

Reporter: Thank you very much.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=The Science of Self-Realization]] '''[[The Science of Self-Realization|INDEX]] - [[SSR2 Choosing a Spiritual Master|2. Choosing a Spiritual Master]]'''</div>
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TQK 18 Liberation from Ignorance and Suffering

2022-01-20T18:14:33Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
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{{RandomImage}}

<div class="verse">
:bhave 'smin kliśyamānānām
:a vidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ
:śravaṇa-smaraṇārhāṇi
:kariṣyann iti kecana
</div>

<div class="translation">
And yet others say that You appeared to rejuvenate the devotional service of hearing, remembering, worshiping, and so on, in order that the conditioned souls suffering from material pangs might take advantage and gain liberation.
</div>
- [[SB 1.8.35|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' 1.8.35]]

<div class="text">
In the ''Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā'' the Lord asserts that He appears in every millennium just to reestablish the way of religion. The way of religion is made by the Supreme Lord. No one can manufacture a new path of religion, as is the fashion for certain ambitious persons. The factual way of religion is to accept the Lord as the supreme authority and thus render service unto Him in spontaneous love. A living being cannot help but render service because he is constitutionally made for that purpose. The only function of the living being is to render service to the Lord. The Lord is great, and living beings are subordinate to Him. Therefore, the duty of the living being is just to serve Him only. Unfortunately the illusioned living beings, out of misunderstanding only, become servants of the senses by material desire. This desire is called ''avidyā'', or nescience. And out of such desire the living being makes different plans for material enjoyment centered about a perverted sex life. He therefore becomes entangled in the chain of birth and death by transmigrating into different bodies on different planets under the direction of the Supreme Lord. Unless, therefore, one is beyond the boundary of this nescience, one cannot get free from the threefold miseries of material life. That is the law of nature.

The Lord, however, out of His causeless mercy, because He is more merciful to the suffering living beings than they can expect, appears before them and renovates the principles of devotional service, comprised of hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping, praying, cooperating, and surrendering unto Him. Adoption of all the above mentioned items, or any one of them, can help a conditioned soul get out of the tangle of nescience and thus become liberated from all material sufferings created by the living being illusioned by the external energy. This particular type of mercy is bestowed upon the living being by the Lord in the form of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

In this very important verse the words ''bhave 'smin'' mean "in this material world." The word ''bhava'' also means "grow," and it refers to that which has taken birth. In the material world there are six kinds of changes. First there is birth, then growth, and then that which has been born and has grown stays for some time, produces some by-products, and then dwindles and finally vanishes. These six changes are called ''sad-vikāra''. The body, for example, takes birth at a certain date, and then it grows and stays for some time. From the body come so many byproducts in the form of sons and daughters, and then the body becomes old and weak, and finally when it is very old it dies.

But when the body is finished, I am not finished. When the gross body comes to an end, I am still present within the subtle body of mind, intelligence, and false ego, and this subtle body carries me to another gross body. Although everyone has to accept a subtle body, the scientists and medical men cannot see it. I have a mind, and you have a mind, but I cannot see your mind, and you cannot see mine. I have intelligence, and you have intelligence, but you cannot see my intelligence, nor can I see yours, because they are very subtle. Similarly, the spirit soul is still more subtle, so what will the materialistic scientists see of it? They cannot see the mind, intelligence, or false ego, what to speak of the soul. Therefore they say, "The body is everything, and there is nothing more." Actually, however, that is not a fact.

The fact is that the spirit soul is very, very small. ''Bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca'' (''Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad'' 5.9). The soul is one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair. Suppose we were to take a hair and divide it into a hundred parts. Could we do it? No. That is not possible. But if we could do it and then divide it again into another one hundred parts, each part would be the size of the spirit soul.

Of course, this is not possible to understand by experimental knowledge, so how can it be learned? One must learn of this from an authority. Our knowledge is so imperfect that it cannot deal with such subtle affairs, and because rascals cannot deal with such things, they think that matter is the cause of life. Nonetheless, they have not been able to demonstrate that life comes from matter. Let them take chemicals in their laboratory and produce even a small insect with hands, legs, and eyes. Every night we see many of such small insects with legs and eyes with which they approach the light. From such small insects up to Brahmā there are 8,400,000 different forms of life, among which we are traveling from body to body, leaving one body and entering another, as stated by Kṛṣṇa in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' (''tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ'' ([[BG 2.13|BG 2.13]])). Therefore, either we must reject Kṛṣṇa's word or reject all the so-called scientific theories that life comes from matter. But we are pledged to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore we cannot reject Kṛṣṇa's word. We accept Kṛṣṇa when He says that we have to travel from one body to another.

Every living entity within this material world is under the influence of ''avidyā'', ignorance. ''Avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate'' ([[CC Madhya 6.154|CC Madhya 6.154]]). God, Kṛṣṇa, has many millions of potencies (''parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate'' ([[CC Madhya 13.65|CC Madhya 13.65, purport]])), and they have been summarized into three categories - the external potency, the internal potency, and the marginal potency. The marginal potency and the internal potency are of the same spiritual quality, but the third potency, the external potency, is inferior ([[CC Madhya 6.154|CC Madhya 6.154]], ''Viṣṇu Purāṇa'' 6.7.61):

:''viṣṇu-śaktir parā proktā''
:''kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā''
:''avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā''
:''tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate''

In this material world, everyone is in ignorance (''avidyā''). Even Brahmā was ignorant until he was given knowledge by Kṛṣṇa. Therefore no one should be proud of his knowledge. Everyone in this material world is a rascal. A particular living entity desires, "If I can get the opportunity to obtain the post of Brahmā, then I can create a big universe." Thus he receives the body of Brahmā. And the small insect thinks, "If I can create a small hole within this room, then I can live very peacefully and eat." Thus Brahmā desires to create a universe, we desire to create a skyscraper, and an ant desires to create a hole in a room, but the quality of the work is the same. We are all fools, however, because we do not realize that because these things are material they will not last. Because of ignorance we think, "This will be very nice. That will be very nice." ''Kāma-karmabhiḥ''. We create some desire (''kāma''), and then we work accordingly. This results in so many difficulties (''kliśyanti''). To become Brahmā is not a very easy thing. Brahmā is such a big post, and it is given to a very qualified living entity who is highly advanced in austerities and penance. But he is also a living entity like us. In America there are many citizens, and President Ford is also a citizen, but by dint of his ardent labor and diplomacy he captured the post. Still, he is an ordinary citizen. President Nixon, for example, has now been dragged down and is no longer President. This is because he was an ordinary citizen. Similarly, if we like, we may also become Brahmā. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says:

:''kīṭa-janma hao yathā tuyā dāsa''
:''bahirmukha brahma janme nāhi āśā''

"Let me become an insect in a place where Your devotee is present, because if I fall down in the dust of the feet of a devotee my life will be successful." Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, ''bahirmukha brahma-janme nāhi āśā'': "I would not want to be a Brahmā and not be a devotee of Kṛṣṇa."

Because we are in ignorance, ''māyā'', at any time we may forget Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we must always engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that we shall not forget Him. That is indicated by Kuntīdevī by the words ''śravaṇa-smaraṇārhāṇi''. The word ''śravaṇa'' means "hearing," ''smaraṇa'' means "remembering," and ''arhaṇa'' means "worshiping the Deity of Kṛṣṇa." One should always engage oneself in hearing about, remembering, and worshiping Kṛṣṇa. All the centers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are opened only for this purpose - to facilitate chanting, dancing, and worshiping so that we shall not forget Kṛṣṇa. ''Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ'': ([[BG 8.6|BG 8.6]]) if we always think of Kṛṣṇa, there is a chance that we shall remember Kṛṣṇa at the end of life (''ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ'' ([[SB 2.1.6|SB 2.1.6]])).

Everything takes practice. For example, if one wants to dance on the stage, one has to perform many rehearsals to practice how to dance. Then if one becomes an expert dancer, when one dances on stage one will receive acclaim: "Ah, a very good dancer." But one cannot say, "I shall go immediately to the stage and become a good dancer." That is not possible. One may say, "No, no, no. I shall not attend the rehearsal. Just give me the stage, and I shall perform." But the director will not allow this, for one cannot become a good dancer without practice. The real purpose of life is to remember Kṛṣṇa when one's life comes to an end (''ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ'' ([[SB 2.1.6|SB 2.1.6]])). If at the time of death one can remember Kṛṣṇa, one's life is successful.

In this material world one must suffer from material miseries, but rascals do not care to understand this, for they are absorbed in ignorance. A smuggler may go on with his work, even though he knows that he will be arrested and punished. A thief may know that he will be arrested and punished for criminal acts, and he may even have been punished several times, but still he will commit the same crime again (''punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām'' ([[SB 7.5.30|SB 7.5.30]])). Why? Ignorance. He is so much absorbed in ignorance that he does not think, "I am repeatedly stealing and being repeatedly arrested and sent to jail to be punished. Why am I doing this? The result is not good." A person who is too much sexually inclined may suffer many times from venereal disease and have to undergo treatment, but still he will go to a prostitute again. This is ''avaidha strī-saṅga'', illegitimate sex. But even legitimate sex involves so many difficulties. After sex, a woman becomes pregnant and has to suffer for ten months, and at the time of delivery there is also sometimes very great danger. And the father, after the child is born, must take care of the child and work hard to provide for its education. Therefore the Vedic literature says, ''bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ'': ([[SB 7.9.45|SB 7.9.45]]) after sex, legitimate or illegitimate, there are so many troubles. ''Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇāḥ'': but one who is an ignorant rascal will not be satisfied. Instead, he will do the same things again and again (''punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām'' ([[SB 7.5.30|SB 7.5.30]])). This is called ''bhava-roga'', the disease of material existence.

:''yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham''
:''kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham''
:([[SB 7.9.45|SB 7.9.45]])

In the Vedic civilization, therefore, small boys are trained to remain ''brahmacārī'', celibate, and not involve themselves in the troubles of sex. But if one is unable to remain ''brahmacārī'', he is allowed to marry. After being trained in the beginning as a ''brahmacārī'', he will not stay for many years in family life, but will very soon become ''vānaprastha'' (retired) and then accept ''sannyāsa'', the renounced order of life.

In this material world everyone is suffering - the birds, the beasts, the trees, the animals, the plants, and even Brahmā and Indra. Indra is also not safe; he is always in anxiety about competitors who may come ([[SB 7.5.5|SB 7.5.5]]):

:''tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ''
:''sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt''

Why is everyone in this material world always in anxiety? ''Avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ'': because they are rascals. Therefore Kṛṣṇa stresses, "You rascal, give up all your nonsense and surrender unto Me." This is Kṛṣṇa's very good mercy. He is the supreme father. Therefore He directly says, ''sarva-guhyatamam'': "This is the most confidential knowledge." ''Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja'': ([[BG 18.66|BG 18.66]]) "You rascal, give up everything and simply surrender unto Me."

Therefore Kuntī says, "You have come to teach rascals like this and engage them in hearing, remembering, and worship." This is ''bhakti''. ''Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ'': ([[SB 7.5.23|SB 7.5.23]]) one should hear and chant about Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. But as soon as devotees begin to hear and chant about Viṣṇu, some rascal ''svāmī'' will say, "No, hearing or chanting any name will do. Why Viṣṇu? Why not Kālī?" In Bengal there is a group of people who have invented ''"kālī-kīrtana,"'' chanting the name of the demigoddess Kālī. What is this nonsense? In the Vedic literature there is no such thing as ''"kālī-kīrtana."'' Kīrtana means ''śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ'' ([[SB 7.5.23|SB 7.5.23]]) - hearing and chanting about Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. The Vedic literature recommends ''harer nāma'' ([[CC Adi 17.21|CC Adi 17.21]]), chanting of the holy name of Hari, Kṛṣṇa, and no one else.

This ''śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam'', hearing and chanting, was described very nicely by Śukadeva Gosvāmī in the Second Canto of ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 2.4.15|2.4.15]]). He said:

:''yat-kīrtanaṁ yad-smaraṇaṁ yad-īkṣaṇaṁ''
:''yad-vandanaṁ yat-śravaṇaṁ yad-arhaṇam''
:''lokasya sadyo vidhunoti kalmaṣaṁ''
:''tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ''

Before speaking ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', Śukadeva Gosvāmī offered his obeisances to Kṛṣṇa with this verse. He said, "I offer my obeisances unto Him, for simply hearing of Him is ''subhadra'', auspicious." The entire ''Bhāgavatam'' is glorification of Kṛṣṇa, and this is glorification by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He says that one can be perfectly purified if one either glorifies Kṛṣṇa, meditates upon Him, or simply sits before the Deity of Kṛṣṇa and sees Him, thinking, "How nicely dressed is Kṛṣṇa. How nicely dressed is Rādhārāṇī." If one has no ability to chant or if one's mind is so disturbed that one cannot fix it upon Kṛṣṇa, one is given this chance: "Here is the Deity. Simply see Him." If one is engaged in the service of the Deity, there is a good chance of always seeing Him, twenty-four hours a day. While cleansing the floor of the temple, while dressing the Deity, while bathing the Deity, or while offering Him food, one will always see Him. This is the process of devotional service, but people are such fallen rascals that they do not even go see the Deity. "Oh," they think, "what is this Deity worship? It is idol worship." They may worship the statue of Gandhi or someone else, but when asked to come see the worship of the Deity they will say, "No, this is idol worship."

I have seen that in Calcutta in Chaurangi Square there is a statue of Sir Asutosa Mukherji. Throughout the year the crows pass stool on his face, and the stool becomes caked on. So on one day a year the ordinary sweepers cleanse the statue with their brush in the morning, and in the evening some big men come and garland him with flowers. Then after that evening they go away, and again the next morning the crows come to pass stool on his face. So this kind of worship is accepted - sweeping the face of Sir Asutosa Mukherji with the municipal brush - but if we install the Deity of Kṛṣṇa and worship Him nicely, people will say that this is idol worship.

So people are embarrassed by being entangled in ''avidyā'', ignorance, and the method by which to educate them and rescue them from the clutches of this ignorance is devotional service. As explained by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, one may chant the name of Kṛṣṇa or meditate upon Kṛṣṇa, or if one cannot meditate one may simply sit down and see Kṛṣṇa. Even a child can see, "Here is Kṛṣṇa. Here is Rādhārāṇī." Even a small child or even an animal can do this and benefit, or if one is more intelligent one may offer prayers, and if one is expert and has been trained by a spiritual master one may perform appropriate worship.

Christians and Muslims are also Vaiṣṇavas, devotees, because they offer prayers to the Lord. "O God," they say, "give us our daily bread." Those who offer this prayer may not know very much and may be at a lower stage, but this is a beginning, because they have approached God. Going to a church or mosque is also pious (''catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna'' ([[BG 7.16|BG 7.16]])). Therefore those who begin in this way will one day become pure Vaiṣṇavas. But the atheistic propaganda that one should not go to a church, temple, or mosque is very dangerous to human society.

One may not be very advanced, but one should try at least to do something to understand God. A child is sent to school, and although he may simply learn ABCD, if he is interested he may one day become a very good scholar. Similarly, one day a pious man may become a pure devotee. Why should one give up religion altogether, become completely secular, and simply open a factory in which to manufacture nuts and bolts and work very hard and drink, and eat meat? What kind of civilization is this? It is because of this so-called civilization that people are suffering.

It is by ignorance that people think that by opening factories they will be happy. Why should they open factories? There is no need. There is so much land, and one can produce one's own food grains and eat sumptuously without any factory. Milk is also available without a factory. The factory cannot produce milk or grains. The present scarcity of food in the world is largely due to such factories. When everyone is working in the city to produce nuts and bolts, who will produce food grains? Simple living and high thinking is the solution to economic problems. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in engaging devotees in producing their own food and living self-sufficiently so that rascals may see how one can live very peacefully, eat the food grains one has grown oneself, drink milk, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

The process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be very vigorously propagated all over the world. Simply by seeing the Deity or simply by joining in chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa ''mantra'', people will derive tremendous benefit. If one performs ''kīrtana'', chanting, one will be able to think of Kṛṣṇa. One may think, "I danced for two hours and chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. What is the meaning of this?" This is ''smaraṇa'', thinking of Kṛṣṇa. One may even think, "I foolishly chanted 'Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa' for two hours." But that also is ''smaraṇa''. Because the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading, people are purchasing our books about Kṛṣṇa. Because they are curious they say, "What is this Kṛṣṇa? Let us see the book." Then they immediately see a picture of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and if they open the book they will see more. In the book there are many prayers glorifying Kṛṣṇa. So some will hear about Kṛṣṇa, and others will read, and if they are fortunate enough they will become Kṛṣṇa conscious and engage in the worship of the Deity. These methods of devotional service - hearing, chanting, remembering Kṛṣṇa, and so on - are so perfect that as soon as one takes to them (either all of them, some of them, or even one of them) one becomes purified. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī prays, "I offer my worship to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for simply by remembering Him, simply by glorifying Him, or simply by seeing Him, so many benefits follow."

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is one of twelve important spiritual authorities, and these are the authorities we must follow (''mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ'' ([[CC Madhya 17.186|CC Madhya 17.186]])). He affirms that by performing these methods of devotional service one will be cleansed of material contamination. When? ''Sadyaḥ'': immediately, without waiting. This is the great benefit of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
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<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 17 Lightening the Burden of the World]] '''[[TQK 17 Lightening the Burden of the World|17. Lightening the Burden of the World]] - [[TQK 19 Crossing Beyond Illusion's Currents|19. Crossing Beyond Illusion's Currents]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 19 Crossing Beyond Illusion's Currents]]</div>
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TQK 17 Lightening the Burden of the World

2022-01-19T18:15:55Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 16 Returning to Our Natural Consciousness]] '''[[TQK 16 Returning to Our Natural Consciousness|16. Returning to Our Natural Consciousness]] - [[TQK 18 Liberation from Ignorance and Suffering|18. Liberation from Ignorance and Suffering]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 18 Liberation from Ignorance and Suffering]]</div>
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<div class="verse">
:bhārāvatāraṇāyānye
:bhuvo nāva ivodadhau
:sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṇa
:jāto hy ātma-bhuvārthitaḥ
</div>

<div class="translation">
Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much aggrieved, and that Brahmā, who is Your son, prayed for You, and so You have appeared to diminish the trouble.
</div>
- [[SB 1.8.34|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' 1.8.34]]

<div class="text">
Brahmā is directly the son of the Supreme Lord, the supreme father, and was not put into the womb of a mother. Therefore he is known as ''ātma-bhū''. This Brahmā is in charge of further creations in the universe, secondarily reflected by the potency of the Omnipotent. Within the halo of the universe there is a transcendental planet known as Śvetadvīpa, which is the abode of the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Paramātmā feature of the Supreme Lord. Whenever there is trouble in the universe that cannot be solved by the administrative demigods, they approach Brahmājī for a solution, and if it is not to be solved even by Brahmājī, then Brahmājī consults with and prays to the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu for an incarnation and solution to the problems. Such a problem arose when Kaṁsa and others were ruling over the earth and the earth became too much overburdened by the misdeeds of the ''asuras''. Brahmājī, along with other demigods, prayed at the shore of the Kṣīrodaka Ocean, and they were advised of the descent of Kṛṣṇa as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī. So some people say that the Lord appeared because of the prayers of Brahmājī.

Kuntīdevī is describing the different statements of different persons about why Kṛṣṇa appears. Some say that He appeared at the request of Vasudeva and Devakī, and some say He appeared at the request of Brahmā. ''Bhārāvatāraṇāyānye bhuvo nāva ivodadhau'': "Some say that He appeared just to reduce the burden of the world, which was overburdened like a boat at sea." When the world is overburdened, there must be war, pestilence, famine, epidemics, and so on. This is nature's law.

The earth floats in space among many millions of other planets, all of them bearing huge mountains and oceans. It floats because Kṛṣṇa enters into it, as stated in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' (''gām āviśya'' ([[BG 15.13|BG 15.13]])), just as He enters the atom. The earth is certainly not weightless; rather, it is very heavy. But it floats because the Supreme Spirit is within it.

Everything is lightened by the presence of spirit. One's body will float in water as long as one is alive, but as soon as the spirit soul leaves, the body immediately sinks. As long as a child is alive we can take it along by one hand, but when the child is dead it is heavy. So now we are heavy, but when we are spiritually advanced we will be free from impediments. Now we cannot fly in the air, but the spirit soul is so light that when freed from the body it can go within a second to Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the spiritual world (''tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti'' ([[BG 4.9|BG 4.9]])).

Why then does the world become overloaded? It becomes overloaded due to the presence of demons, those who are against devotional service. When mother earth feels this load to be too heavy, Kṛṣṇa comes just to unburden the earth. If a ship is overloaded, its position is very dangerous, for it may sink at any moment. Therefore when mother earth felt too uncomfortable because of being overloaded with demons (''sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṇa'' ([[SB 1.8.34|SB 1.8.34]])), she approached Brahmā, the chief living being within this universe. When there is a need, the chief personalities in the universe approach Brahmā, who approaches Viṣṇu to ask that He reduce whatever the burden is. Then Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa appears as an incarnation, as stated in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 4.7|4.7]]):

:''yadā yadā hi dharmasya''
:''glānir bhavati bhārata''
:''abhyutthānam adharmasya''
:''tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham''

"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion - at that time I descend Myself."

When there is too much lawlessness and there are too many criminals, the state becomes overburdened and disturbed, and the state administrators are puzzled about what to do. Similarly, when the world is overrun by demons and atheists, they create a burden, and the demigods, the pious administrators of the universe, become perplexed. When the people of a state abide by the laws, administration is easy, but if people are criminals they overburden the state administrators. A similar situation sometimes upsets the balance of the cosmic affairs of this material world. Both the demons and the demigods always exist, but when the demoniac power increases, the world is overburdened. It is then that the demigods approach Lord Brahmā for assistance.

Lord Brahmā is one of the twelve authorities known as ''dvādaśa-mahājana'' (''svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kaumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ/ prahlādo janako bhīṣmo balir vaiyāsakir vayam'', [[SB 6.3.20]]). We have to follow the ''mahājanas'', the great authorities, if we want to receive transcendental knowledge. The Vedic injunction is, ''tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet'': (MU 1.2.12) if one wants to be in knowledge of everything, one must approach a ''guru'', a bona fide authority, a spiritual master. The original ''guru'' is Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa taught Arjuna, He also taught Brahmā, as stated in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' (''tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye'').

The ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' describes the original source of the creation, and this should be the actual subject matter of our research work. What is the original source of creation? ''Janmādy asya yataḥ:'' ([[SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]) the original source of everything is the source of ''janma'', ''sthiti'', and ''pralaya'' - creation, maintenance, and dissolution. Our body has taken birth at a certain date, it lasts for some years - ten years, twenty years, fifty years, or whatever, according to the body - and then it will be finished. Where did this body come from, and when it is destroyed where will it go? There are scientific laws concerning the conservation of energy. What is the source of that energy? There is a source (''yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante''), and that source is identified in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

That source is not blind. Rascals think that everything has come from nothing. But how can something come out of nothing? There is no proof that such a thing happens, but fools claim that it does, and therefore they are blind. What is the nature of the original source from whom everything has come, in whom everything exists, and within whom everything will enter? The Bhāgavatam ([[SB 1.1.1|1.1.1]]) says, ''janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ''. The word ''abhijñaḥ'' indicates that the source of everything is completely conscious.

The word ''jña'' means "knowledge," and ''abhi'' means "specific." We have inadequate knowledge of where we have come from and where we shall go after death, and therefore we are not ''abhijña'', supremely conscious. But the supreme source is ''abhijña''. He is not a stone or a void. How could He be? The creation itself is evidence of the consciousness of the Supreme. Everyone can appreciate the cosmic manifestation and how nicely it is working. The sun and moon rise exactly on time, without deviating even one ten-thousandth of a second, and the seasons change in the same way, bringing with them fruits and flowers. In this way the entire cosmic manifestation is going on in a very orderly, systematic way. So unless there is some ''abhijña'' - some very clever intelligence who knows everything - how could all this have been created? Some people say that all this has come from nothing. What is this nonsense? Can such a creation come from nothing? Does this idea show very good reasoning? The ''Bhāgavatam'' says no.

The ''Bhāgavatam'' tells us that everything comes from the person who is ''abhijña'', very intelligent and experienced, and that original intelligent person transmitted knowledge to ''ādi-kavi'', the original created being, Lord Brahmā (''tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye'' ([[SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]])). Brahmā, the original created being, has an original source, and he is in contact with that source. We understand that we get knowledge from another person with whom we are face to face. But when Brahmā was created he was alone. Therefore, how did he receive knowledge? That is explained in the ''Bhāgavatam'': ''tene brahma hṛdā''. The word ''hṛdā'' means "through the heart." The Supreme Person, Paramātmā, is within the heart of every living being, including Brahmā. Therefore although Brahmā was alone, he received knowledge dictated by the Supreme. The word ''brahma'' means "Vedic knowledge." Thus the Vedic knowledge was given first to Lord Brahmā.

The Vedic knowledge is given to everyone because Kṛṣṇa is within everyone's heart (''sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ'' ([[BG 15.15|BG 15.15]])), but one must be qualified to receive that knowledge. Kṛṣṇa helps us by giving us knowledge both from within as the Supersoul (''caitya-guru'') and from without as the spiritual master.

Brahmā receives knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and distributes that Vedic knowledge, and therefore he is an authority. There are four ''sampradāyas'', or chains of disciplic succession, through which Vedic knowledge is distributed - one from Brahmā, one from Lakṣmī, one from Lord Śiva, and one from the four Kumāras. We have to approach an authoritative representative of Kṛṣṇa appearing in one of these ''sampradāyas'', and then we can receive real knowledge. Thus the earth personified approached Brahmā, who prayed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, "The world is now overburdened with demons, and therefore I request You to appear." Some say, therefore, that the Lord appeared at the request of Brahmā that He lighten the burden of the world.

When Kṛṣṇa appears, He protects the devotees and kills the demons. Therefore Kṛṣṇa in His Nārāyaṇa form has four hands. In two hands He holds a disc and club with which to kill the demons, and in the other two hands He holds the conchshell and lotus with which to bless and protect the devotees. The Lord says, ''kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati'' ([[BG 9.31|BG 9.31]]). Thus Kṛṣṇa bugles with His conchshell, "My devotees will never be vanquished." And with the lotus flower He extends His blessings. The lotus flower, which sometimes also appears in the hand of Lakṣmī, is a symbol of blessings.

Now some may say that Kṛṣṇa appeared for this purpose or that purpose, but the real conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa appears for His own pleasure, not because He is bound by any other cause. We take our birth because we are bound by our ''karma'', but Kṛṣṇa, being fully independent, does not come because of someone else's request or because of ''karma''. Rather, He comes by His own free will (''ātma-māyayā''). We are compelled to take birth because of Kṛṣṇa's external, material energy, but Kṛṣṇa is not controlled by the ''māyā'', or energy, of anyone else, and therefore He does not take birth in such a condition. ''Māyā'', the illusory energy, is under the control of Kṛṣṇa, so how could ''māyā'' control Him? One who thinks that Kṛṣṇa, like us, is controlled by ''māyā'' is described in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' as ''mūḍha'', a fool (''avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam'' ([[BG 9.11|BG 9.11]])).

Kṛṣṇa is the original Nārāyaṇa, the original source of the entire cosmic manifestation. Brahmā, or the first living being born just after the creation, is the direct son of Nārāyaṇa, who as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu first entered the material universe. Without spiritual contact, matter cannot create. Those who are seeking the original cause of the material creation should know that the creation takes place when the spirit soul is present. Matter is activated by the spirit soul; it is not that the soul is created by matter.

According to the Buddhist theory, the living force - the living energy we all have - is created by material conditions. At the present moment, the entire world is influenced by this Buddhist theory. The actual fact, however, is that matter develops because of the presence of the living force. We can understand this very easily. After a child is born, he grows, and his body develops, but if the child is born dead - if the spirit soul is not present - the body will not develop. Therefore the spirit is the basis for the development of matter, and not vice versa. Why does a dead child not grow? Because the spirit is not present. A tree grows as long as there is life in it. If we sow the small seed of a banyan tree in good soil and favor it with water, it will grow because the spirit soul is present. But if we were to fry such a seed in fire and then sow it, it would fail to grow because the spirit soul would not be there.

Matter grows and develops because of the presence of the spirit soul, and this principle has been followed from the very beginning of the creation. At the beginning of creation the Supreme Spirit entered the universe, and the first living being, Brahmā, was born on a lotus flower grown from the transcendental abdomen of Viṣṇu. Accepting that the lotus on which Brahmā was born is matter, we should understand that it is also grown from spirit. Therefore spirit is the basis of creation.

Because the lotus flower on which Lord Brahmā is born is grown from the navel of Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu is known as Padmanābha. Brahmā is known as ''ātma-bhū'' because he was begotten directly from the father, Nārāyaṇa, or Viṣṇu, without the contact of mother Lakṣmījī. Lakṣmījī was present near Nārāyaṇa, engaged in the service of the Lord, but still, without contact with Lakṣmījī, Nārāyaṇa begot Brahmā. That is the omnipotency of the Lord. When we want to beget a child, we need the help of a wife because we cannot beget a child alone. But Kṛṣṇa, Lord Viṣṇu, produced Lord Brahmā without the help of His wife, Lakṣmī, although she was present, because He is not dependent on anything. One who foolishly considers Nārāyaṇa to be like other living beings should take a lesson from this.

The Vedic literature forbids one to think that other living beings are on an equal level with Nārāyaṇa ([[CC Madhya 18.116|CC Madhya 18.116]]):

:''yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ''
:''brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ''
:''samatvenaiva vīkṣeta''
:''sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam''

Someone has invented the word ''daridra-nārāyaṇa'', trying to show that Nārāyaṇa has become poor and that the beggar who comes to my door to beg is also Nārāyaṇa. This is not authorized in the Vedic literature. Nārāyaṇa is the master of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, and only fools think that He somehow becomes poverty-stricken. Rascals say that Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Śiva, all the demigods, you, I, and everyone else are all on the same level. This is foolishness. Nārāyaṇa is ''asamordhva''. This means that no one can be equal to or greater than Him. Therefore Kṛṣṇa Himself, the original Nārāyaṇa, says in ''Bhagavad-gītā'', ''mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat'': ([[BG 7.7|BG 7.7]]) "There is no one superior to Me." Nor is anyone equal to Him. The word ''asama'' means that no one is equal to Him, and ''anūrdhva'' means that no one is greater than Him. This is the position of the Lord.

Nārāyaṇa is not an ordinary living being. He is the Personality of Godhead Himself, and He has all the potencies of all the senses in all parts of His transcendental body. An ordinary living being begets a child by sexual intercourse and has no other means to beget a child than the one designed for him. But Nārāyaṇa is all-powerful, and therefore He can beget a child from His navel. Every part of His body has full potency, as explained in the ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' (5.32), ''aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti''. For example, I can see with my eyes, but Kṛṣṇa can also eat with His eyes. Foolish rascals will say, "You are offering food to Kṛṣṇa, but what has He eaten? It is still here. He has not eaten anything." Such people do not know that Kṛṣṇa can eat just by seeing, for He can do anything with any part of His transcendental body. When a washerman refused to supply cloth to Kṛṣṇa in Mathurā, Lord Kṛṣṇa displayed His transcendental potency by cutting off the man's head with His hand. How was this possible? It was possible by the Lord's omnipotence.

The Lord is complete and independent to do anything and everything by His various potencies. This is explained in the beginning of ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' by the words ''abhijñaḥ svarāṭ''. The word ''sva-rāṭ'' indicates that He is self-sufficient, not dependent on anyone. That is the qualification of God. Nowadays there are so many self-proclaimed incarnations of God, but as soon as they have some toothache they immediately say, "''Ooooooh'', doctor, help me. Save me." If you are God, save yourself. Why go to a doctor? Such people are rascals, and they make it very difficult to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The whole world is now overburdened by such rascals and demons, and therefore the atom bomb is waiting for them by the will of the Supreme.
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TQK 16 Returning to Our Natural Consciousness

2022-01-10T23:47:42Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
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<div class="verse">
:apare vasudevasya
:devakyāṁ yācito 'bhyagāt
:ajas tvam asya kṣemāya
:vadhāya ca sura-dviṣām
</div>

<div class="translation">
Others say that since both Vasudeva and Devakī prayed for You, You have taken Your birth as their son. Undoubtedly You are unborn, yet You take Your birth for their welfare and to kill those who are envious of the demigods.
</div>
- [[SB 1.8.33|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' 1.8.33]]

<div class="text">
It is also said that Vasudeva and Devakī, in their previous birth as Sutapā and Pṛśni, underwent a severe type of penance to get the Lord as their son, and as a result of such austerities the Lord appeared as their son. It is already declared in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' that the Lord appears for the welfare of all people in the world and to vanquish the ''asuras'', or the materialistic atheists.

The Lord says:

:''yadā yadā hi dharmasya''
:''glānir bhavati bhārata''
:''abhyutthānam adharmasya''
:''tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham''

"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion - at that time I descend Myself." ([[BG 4.7|BG 4.7]])

The words ''dharmasya glāniḥ'' mean "irregularities in religion." When there are irregularities, religion becomes polluted.

In human society there must be a proper balance between spirit and matter. We are actually spirit soul, but somehow or other we have been encaged within material bodies, and as long as we have these bodies we have to accept the bodily necessities of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, although the soul itself does not need these things. The soul does not need to eat anything; whatever we eat is for the upkeep of the body. But a civilization that simply looks after these bodily necessities and does not care for the necessities of the soul is a foolish, unbalanced civilization. Suppose one merely washes one's coat but does not take care of one's body. Or suppose one has a bird in a cage but merely takes care of the cage, not the bird within it. This is foolishness. The bird is crying, ''"Ka, ka''. Give me food, give me food." If one only takes care of the cage, how can the bird be happy?

So why are we unhappy? In the Western countries there is no scarcity of wealth, no scarcity of food, no scarcity of cars, and no scarcity of sex. Everything is available in full abundance. Then why is there still a section of people who are frustrated and confused, like the hippies? They are not satisfied. Why? Because there is no balance. We are taking care of the necessities of the body, but we have no information of the soul and its necessities. The soul is the real substance, and the body is only a covering. Therefore neglect of the soul is a form of ''dharmasya glāniḥ'', pollution of duty.

The word ''dharma'' means "duty." Although the word ''dharma'' is often translated as "religion" and religion is generally defined as a kind of faith, ''dharma'' is not in fact a kind of faith. ''Dharma'' means one's actual constitutional duty. It is one's duty to know the needs of the soul, but unfortunately we have no information of the soul and are simply busy supplying the necessities for bodily comfort.

Bodily comfort, however, is not enough. Suppose a man is very comfortably situated. Does it mean he will not die? Of course not. We speak of a struggle for existence and survival of the fittest, but bodily comforts alone cannot enable anyone to exist or survive permanently. Therefore, taking care of the body only is called ''dharmasya glāniḥ'', or pollution of one's duty.

One must know the necessities of the body and also the necessities of the soul. The real necessity in life is to supply the comforts of the soul, and the soul cannot be comforted by material adjustments. Because the soul is a different identity, the soul must be given spiritual food, and that spiritual food is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is diseased, he must be given the proper diet and the proper medicine. Both are required. If he is simply given medicine but not a proper diet, the treatment will not be very successful. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant to give both the proper medicine and the proper diet for the soul. The diet is ''kṛṣṇa-prasāda'', food that has first been offered to Kṛṣṇa, and the medicine is the Hare Kṛṣṇa ''mantra''.

:''nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād''
:''bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt''
:''ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt''
:''pumān virajyeta vinā paśu-ghnāt''
:([[SB 10.1.4|SB 10.1.4]])

Parīkṣit Mahārāja said to the great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "The discourses on ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' that you are giving me are not ordinary. These ''Bhāgavata'' discourses are relishable for persons who are ''nivṛtta-tṛṣṇa'', free from hankering." Everyone in this material world is hankering for enjoyment, but one who is free from this hankering can taste how relishable the ''Bhāgavatam'' is. The word ''bhāgavata'' refers to anything in relationship to Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord, and the Hare Kṛṣṇa ''mantra'' is also ''bhāgavata''. Thus Parīkṣit Mahārāja said that the taste of the ''Bhāgavata'' can be relished by one who is free from hankering to satisfy material desires. And why should this ''Bhāgavata'' be tasted? ''Bhavauṣadhi'': it is the medicine for our disease of birth and death.

At the present moment, we are in a diseased condition. Materialists do not know what is disease and what is health. They do not know anything, but still they are posing as great scientists and philosophers. They do not inquire, "I do not want to die. Why is death enforced upon me?" Nor do they have any solution to this problem. But still they call themselves scientists. What kind of scientists are they? Advancement in science should bring about knowledge by which misery can be minimized. Otherwise, what is the meaning of science? Scientists may promise that they can help us in the future, but we may ask them, "What are you giving us right now, sir?" A real scientist will not say, "Just go on suffering as you are suffering now, and in the future we shall find some chemicals to help you." No. ''Ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛttiḥ''. The word ''ātyantika'' means "ultimate," and ''duḥkha'' means "sufferings." The aim of human life should be to put an end to the ultimate sufferings, but people do not even know what these ultimate sufferings are. These sufferings are pointed out in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' as ''janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi'': ([[BG 13.8-12|BG 13.9]]) birth, death, old age, and disease. What have we done to nullify these sufferings? There is no remedy for them in the material world. The ultimate way to relinquish all kinds of suffering is stated in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 8.15|8.15]]), where the Lord says:

:''mām upetya punar janma''
:''duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam''
:''nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ''
:''saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ''

"After attaining Me, the great souls, who are ''yogīs'' in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection."

Thus the Lord says that one should approach Him and go back to Him, back home, back to Godhead. But unfortunately people have no knowledge of what God is, whether one can go back home to Him or not, and whether or not it is practical. Because they have no knowledge, they are simply like animals. They pray, "O God, give us our daily bread." But now suppose we ask them, "What is God?" Can they explain? No. Then whom are they asking? Are they merely praying into the air? If I submit some petition, there must be some person to whom the petition is submitted. But they do not know who that person is or where the petition is to be submitted. They say that God is in the sky. But there are also so many birds in the sky. Are they God? People have imperfect knowledge or no knowledge at all. Nonetheless, they pose as scientists, philosophers, writers, and great thinkers, although their ideas are all rubbish.

The only truly worthwhile books are those like ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' and ''Bhagavad-gītā''. In the ''Bhāgavatam'' :([[SB 1.5.10| 1.5.10-11]])it is said:

:''na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo''
:''jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit''
:''tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā''
:''na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśik-kṣayāḥ''

"Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there."

:''tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo''
:''yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api''
:''nāmāny anantasya yaśo 'ṅkitāni yat''
:''śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ''

"On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung, and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest."

Any literature that has no connection with God is just like a place where crows take enjoyment. Where do crows enjoy? In a filthy place. But white swans take pleasure in nice clear waters surrounded by gardens. So even among animals there are natural divisions. The crows will not go to the swans, and the swans will not go to the crows. Similarly, in human society there are men who are like crows and men who are like swans. The swanlike men will come to centers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, where everything is clear, where there is good philosophy, good transcendental food, good education, good intelligence - everything good - whereas crowlike men will go to clubs, parties, naked dance shows, and so many other such things.

So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for swanlike men, not for men who are like crows. But we can convert the crows into swans. That is our philosophy. Those who were crows are now swimming like swans. That is the benefit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The material world is the world where swans have become crows. In the material world the living entity is encaged in a material body, and he tries to gratify his senses in one body after another. But the reestablishment of ''dharma'' will gradually turn crows into swans. For example, a man may be illiterate and uncultured, but he can be converted into an educated, cultured man by training.

This training is possible in the human form of life. I cannot train a dog to become a devotee. That is difficult. Of course, that also can be done, although I may not be powerful enough to do it. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was traveling through the jungles of Jhārikhaṇḍa the tigers, the snakes, the deer, and all the other animals became devotees. This was possible for Caitanya Mahāprabhu because He is God Himself and can therefore do anything. But although we cannot do that, we can work in human society. Regardless of how fallen a man is, if he follows the instructions of Kṛṣṇa consciousness he can return to his original position. Of course, there are degrees of understanding, but one's original position is that one is part and parcel of God. Understanding of this position is called Brahman realization, spiritual realization, and it is this realization that Kṛṣṇa Himself comes to this world to reestablish.

Lord Kṛṣṇa came to this world at the request of His devotees Vasudeva and Devakī (''vasudevasya devakyāṁ yācito 'bhyagāt'' ([[SB 1.8.33|SB 1.8.33]])). Although in their former lives Vasudeva and Devakī were married, they did not have any children. They engaged themselves in severe austerities, and when Kṛṣṇa came before them and asked them what they wanted, they said, "We want a son like You. That is our desire." But how is it possible for there to be another God? Kṛṣṇa is God, and God is one; He cannot be two. So how could there be another God to become the son of Vasudeva and Devakī? Kṛṣṇa therefore said, "It is not possible to find another God, so I Myself shall become your son." So some people say that it is because Vasudeva and Devakī wanted Kṛṣṇa as their son that He appeared.

Although Kṛṣṇa actually comes to satisfy His devotees like Vasudeva and Devakī, when He comes He performs other activities also. ''Vadhāya ca sura-dviṣām''. The word ''vadhāya'' means "killing," and ''sura-dviṣām'' refers to the demons, who are always envious of the devotees. Kṛṣṇa comes to kill these demons.

An example of a demon is Hiraṇyakaśipu. Because Prahlāda Mahārāja was a devotee, his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, was so envious that he was prepared to kill his own son, although the little boy's only fault was that he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the nature of demons. Jesus Christ also was killed by the ''sura-dviṣām'', those who were envious of him. What was his fault? His only fault was that he was preaching about God. Yet he had so many enemies, who cruelly crucified him. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes to kill such ''sura-dviṣām''.

This killing of the envious, of course, can be done without the presence of Kṛṣṇa. By setting to work the natural forces of war, pestilence, famine, and so on, Kṛṣṇa can kill millions of people. He does not need to come here to kill these rascals, for they can be killed simply by His direction, or nature's law. ''Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā'' (Bs. 5.44). Nature has so much power that it can create, maintain, and annihilate everything. ''Sṛṣṭi'' means "creation," ''sthiti'' means "maintenance," and ''pralaya'' means "destruction." Nature can create, maintain, and also destroy. This material cosmic manifestation is being maintained by the mercy of nature, by which we are getting sunlight, air, and rain by which to grow our food so that we can eat and grow nicely. But nature is so powerful that at any time it can destroy everything simply by one strong wind. Nature is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa (''mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram'' ([[BG 9.10|BG 9.10]])). Therefore, if Kṛṣṇa wants demons killed, He can kill millions of them with merely one strong blast of nature's wind.

So to kill the demons Kṛṣṇa does not need to come. When He comes, He does so because He is requested by His devotees like Vasudeva and Devakī, as Kuntīdevī indicates by using the word ''yācitaḥ'', meaning "being prayed for." Therefore the real cause of His coming is at the request of His devotees, but when He comes He simultaneously shows that He is prepared to kill anyone who is envious of His devotees. Of course, His killing and maintaining are the same because He is absolute. Those who are killed by Kṛṣṇa immediately attain salvation, which generally takes millions of years to get.

So people may say that Kṛṣṇa has come for this purpose or that purpose, but actually Kṛṣṇa comes for the benefit of His devotees. He always looks after the welfare of the devotees, and so from this instruction of Kuntī we should understand that we should always be concerned with how to become devotees. Then all good qualities will come upon us.

:''yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā''
:''sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ''
:([[SB 5.18.12|SB 5.18.12]])

If one simply develops one's dormant, natural devotion for Kṛṣṇa, one will develop all good qualities.

Our devotion for Kṛṣṇa is natural. Just as a son has natural devotion to his father and mother, we have natural devotion to Kṛṣṇa. When there is danger, even materialistic scientists pray to God. Of course, when they are not in danger they defy God, and therefore danger is required in order to teach these rascals that there is God. ''Jīvera svarūpa haya-kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa''' ([[CC Madhya 20.108|CC Madhya 20.108]]). Our natural position is to be dependent on God. Artificially we are trying to banish God, saying, "God is dead," "There is no God," or "I am God." But when we give up this rascaldom, Kṛṣṇa will give us all protection.
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<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 15 Beyond Birth and Death]] '''[[TQK 15 Beyond Birth and Death|15. Beyond Birth and Death]] - [[TQK 17 Lightening the Burden of the World|17. Lightening the Burden of the World]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 17 Lightening the Burden of the World]]</div>
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TQK 15 Beyond Birth and Death

2022-01-09T23:10:19Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities]] '''[[TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities|14. Lord Kṛṣṇa's Wonderful Activities]] - [[TQK 16 Returning to Our Natural Consciousness|16. Returning to Our Natural Consciousness]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 16 Returning to Our Natural Consciousness]]</div>
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<div class="verse">
:kecid āhur ajaṁ jātaṁ
:puṇya-ślokasya kīrtaye
:yadoḥ priyasyānvavāye
:malayasyeva candanam
</div>

<div class="translation">
Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya Hills.
</div>
- [[SB 1.8.32|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' 1.8.32]]

<div class="text">
Because the Lord's appearance in this material world is bewildering there are different opinions about the birth of the Unborn. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' the Lord says that He takes His birth in the material world, although He is the Lord of all creations and He is unborn. So there cannot be any denial of the birth of the Unborn, because He Himself establishes the truth. But still there are different opinions as to why He takes His birth. That is also declared in the ''Bhagavad-gītā''. He appears by His own internal potency to reestablish the principles of religion and to protect the pious and annihilate the impious. That is the mission of the appearance of the Unborn. Still, it is said that the Lord is there to glorify the pious King Yudhiṣṭhira. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa certainly wanted to establish the kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas for the good of all in the world. When there is a pious king ruling over the world, the people are happy. When the ruler is impious, the people are unhappy. In the age of Kali in most cases the rulers are impious, and therefore the citizens are also continuously unhappy. But in the case of democracy, the impious citizens themselves elect their representative to rule over them, and therefore they cannot blame anyone for their unhappiness. Mahārāja Nala was also celebrated as a great pious king, but he had no connection with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is meant here to be glorified by Lord Kṛṣṇa, who had also glorified King Yadu by taking birth in his family. He is known as Yādava, Yaduvīra, Yadunandana, etc., although the Lord is always independent of such obligations. He is just like the sandalwood that grows in the Malaya Hills. Trees can grow anywhere and everywhere, yet because the sandalwood trees grow mostly in the area of the Malaya Hills, the name sandalwood and the Malaya Hills are interrelated. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is ever unborn like the sun, and yet He appears as the sun rises on the eastern horizon. As the sun is never the sun of the eastern horizon, so the Lord is no one's son, but is the father of everything that be.

In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 4.6|4.6]]) the Lord says:

:''ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā''
:''bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san''
:''prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya''
:''sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā''

"Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original, transcendental form."

Kṛṣṇa is unborn, and we are also unborn, but the difference is that unlike the Lord we have been entangled in a material body. Therefore we cannot keep our position as unborn, but have to take birth and transmigrate from one body to another, with no guarantee of what kind of body we shall receive next. Even in this life, we are obliged to accept one body after another. A child gives up his childhood body and accepts the body of a boy, and the boy gives up his boyhood body to accept a youthful body, which he then gives up for an old body. Therefore it is natural to conclude that when one gives up one's old body, one will have to accept another body; again one will accept the body of a child.

This is a natural cycle of this material world. It is similar to changes of season. After spring comes summer, and after summer comes fall and then winter, and then spring again. Similarly, after day comes night, and after night comes day. And just as these cyclic changes take place one after another, we change from one body to another, and it is natural to conclude that after leaving the present body we shall receive another body (''bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate'') ([[BG 8.19|BG 8.19]]).

This conclusion is very logical, it is supported by the ''śāstra'', the Vedic literature, and it is also affirmed by the greatest authority, Kṛṣṇa Himself. Therefore why should we not accept it? If one does not accept this - if one thinks that there is no life after death - one is foolish.

There is life after death, and there is also the chance to free oneself from the cycle of repeated birth and death and attain a life of immortality. But because we have been accustomed to accepting one body after another since time immemorial, it is difficult for us to think of a life that is eternal. And the life of material existence is so troublesome that one may think that if there is an eternal life, that life must be troublesome also. For example, a diseased man who is taking very bitter medicine and who is lying down in bed, eating there and passing stool and urine there, unable to move, may find his life so intolerable that he thinks, "Let me commit suicide." Similarly, materialistic life is so miserable that in desperation one sometimes takes to a philosophy of voidism or impersonalism to try to negate his very existence and make everything zero. Actually, however, becoming zero is not possible, nor is it necessary. We are in trouble in our material condition, but when we get out of our material condition we can find real life, eternal life.

Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, who is ''aja'', beyond birth and death, we are also ''aja''. How could we be otherwise? If my father is happy and I am the son of my father, why should I be unhappy? I can naturally conclude that I shall enjoy my father's property just as my father is enjoying it. Similarly, God, Kṛṣṇa, is all-powerful, all-beautiful, all-knowledgeable, and complete in everything, and although I may not be complete, I am part and parcel of God, and therefore I have all the qualities of God to a partial extent.

God does not die, so I also shall not die. That is my position. That is explained in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 2.20|2.20]]): ''na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit''. Describing the soul, Kṛṣṇa says that the soul is never born (''na jāyate''), and if one is not born how can he die? There is no question of death (''mriyate vā''). Death is for one who has taken birth, and if one has no birth he can also have no death.

Unfortunately, however, we do not know this. We are conducting scientific research, but we do not know that every living entity is a spiritual soul, with no birth and no death. This is our ignorance. The soul is eternal, everlasting, and primeval (''nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo''). The soul does not die with the annihilation of the body (''na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre'' ([[BG 2.20|BG 2.20]])). But although the soul does not die, it accepts another body, and this is called ''bhava-roga'', the material disease.

Since Kṛṣṇa is the supreme living entity (''nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām'' (''Kaṭha Upaniṣad'' 2.2.13)), we are exactly like Kṛṣṇa, the difference being that Kṛṣṇa is ''vibhu'', unlimited, whereas we are ''aṇu'', limited. Qualitatively, we are as good as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore whatever propensities Kṛṣṇa has, we have also. For example, Kṛṣṇa has the propensity to love someone of the opposite sex, and therefore we have this same propensity. The beginning of love is present in the eternal love between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. We are also seeking eternal love, but because we are conditioned by the material laws, our love is interrupted. But if we can transcend this interruption, we can take part in loving affairs similar to those of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Our aim should therefore be to go back home, back to Kṛṣṇa, because since Kṛṣṇa is eternal, we shall there receive an eternal body.

Kuntī says, ''kecid āhur ajaṁ jātam'': the supreme eternal, the supreme unborn, has now taken His birth. But although Kṛṣṇa takes birth, His birth is not like ours. That we should know. The Lord says in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 4.9|4.9]]):

:''janma karma ca me divyam''
:''evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ''
:''tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma''
:''naiti mām eti so 'rjuna''

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna."

It is described in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' that when Kṛṣṇa first appeared, He did not take birth from the womb of Devakī; rather, He first appeared in the majestic four-armed form of Viṣṇu, and then He became a small child on Devakī's lap. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's birth is transcendental, whereas our birth takes place by force, by the laws of nature. Kṛṣṇa is not under the laws of nature; the laws of nature work under Him (''mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram'' ([[BG 9.10|BG 9.10]])). ''Prakṛti'', nature, works under the order of Kṛṣṇa, and we work under the order of nature. Kṛṣṇa is the master of nature, and we are servants of nature. Therefore Kuntīdevī says, ''kecid āhuḥ'': "Someone may ''say'' that the unborn has taken birth." It may appear that He has taken birth just like us, but in fact He has not. Kuntīdevī distinctly says, ''kecid āhuḥ'': "some foolish persons may say that He has taken birth." Kṛṣṇa Himself also says in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 9.11|9.11]]), ''avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam'': "Because I have appeared just like a human being, those who are rascals think that I am also just like an ordinary human." ''Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ'': "They do not know the mystery behind God's taking birth like a human being."

Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. The Lord is situated in everyone's heart (''īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati'' ([[BG 18.61|BG 18.61]])). And since He is within us and is all-powerful, why should it be difficult for Him to appear before us? When the great devotee Dhruva Mahārāja was engaged in meditation on the four-handed form of Viṣṇu, all of a sudden his meditation broke, and he immediately saw before him the same form upon which he had been meditating. Was it very difficult for Kṛṣṇa to appear in this way? Of course not. Similarly it was not difficult for Him to appear before Devakī in the same four-handed form. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ''janma karma ca me divyam'': ([[BG 4.9|BG 4.9]]) "One must understand My transcendental birth and activities." Kuntīdevī has this understanding. She knows that although to some fools Kṛṣṇa appears to take birth, in fact He is unborn.

But why should Kṛṣṇa perform the pastime of taking birth? Kuntīdevī replies, ''puṇya-ślokasya kīrtaye'': ([[SB 1.8.32|SB 1.8.32]]) to glorify those who are very pious and very much advanced in spiritual understanding. Kṛṣṇa comes as the son of Devakī to glorify His devotee Devakī. Kṛṣṇa becomes the son of Yaśodā to glorify Yaśodā. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa appears in the dynasty of Mahārāja Yadu, His great devotee, just to glorify Mahārāja Yadu. Thus Kṛṣṇa is still known as Yādava, the descendant of Mahārāja Yadu. Kṛṣṇa has no obligation to take His birth in a particular family or country, but He takes birth to glorify a certain person or a certain family because of their devotion. Therefore His birth is called ''divyam'', transcendental.

The Lord is not obliged to take birth, but we are obliged to do so. That is the distinction between our birth and the birth of Kṛṣṇa. If by our ''karma'', or activities, we are fit to take birth in a good family in human society or demigod society, we shall do so, but if our activities are low like those of animals, we shall have to take birth in a family of animals. That is the force of ''karma''. ''Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantor dehopapattaye'' ([[SB 3.31.1|SB 3.31.1]]). We develop a certain type of body according to our karma.

The human form of life is meant for understanding the Supreme, the Absolute Truth (''athāto brahma jijñāsā''). But if we do not endeavor for this, if we misuse this opportunity and simply remain like animals, we shall return to an animal form of life. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to save people from going down to animal life.

The appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa is compared to the growth of sandalwood trees in the Malaya Hills (''malayasyeva candanam'' ([[SB 1.8.32|SB 1.8.32]])). There are two Malayas - the Malaya Hills and the part of the world now known as Malaysia. The ''candana'' tree, or sandalwood tree, can grow anywhere - there is no rule that it has to grow in Malaysia or the Malaya Hills - but because this sandalwood grows in large quantities in those parts of the world, it is known as ''malaya-candana''. In the Western countries there is scented water known as eau de cologne. It can be manufactured anywhere, but because it was originally manufactured in the city of Cologne, it is known as eau de cologne. Similarly, sandalwood can grow anywhere, but because it was originally very prominent in Malaysia and the Malaya Hills, it is known as Malayan sandalwood. Kuntī offered this prayer five thousand years ago, and this indicates that sandalwood was growing five thousand years ago in Malaysia. Malaysia is not a new name; it was known thousands and thousands of years ago to the followers of the Vedic culture. Nowadays, of course, Malaysia is growing rubber trees because there is a good demand for rubber, but formerly Malaysia grew sandalwood on a large scale because there was a great demand for sandalwood, especially in India.

Because India is a tropical country and sandalwood is very cooling people in India use sandalwood pulp as a cosmetic. Even now, during the very warm days of the summer season, those who can afford to do so apply sandalwood pulp to their bodies and feel cool all day. In India it was the system that after bathing and sanctifying the body by applying marks of ''tilaka'', one would offer obeisances to the Deity, take some ''candana-prasāda'' from the room of the Deity, and apply it as a cosmetic to the body. This was called ''prasādhanam''. But it is said that in Kali-yuga, the present age, ''snānam eva prasādhanam'' ([[SB 12.2.5|SB 12.2.5]]): if one can even bathe nicely, that is ''prasādhana''. In India even the poorest man will take an early morning bath every day, but when I came to America I saw that even taking one's daily bath may be a difficult thing and is often not the practice. In India we are accustomed to see people bathe thrice in a day, but in New York I have seen that one may have to go to a friend's house to bathe because one may not have facilities to do so at home. These are symptoms of Kali-yuga. ''Snānam eva prasādhanam''. In the Kali-yuga it will be very difficult even to take a bath.

Another symptom of Kali-yuga is ''dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇam'' ([[SB 12.2.6|SB 12.2.6]]): one will be famous for his pious activities simply if he can maintain his family. The word ''dākṣyam'', meaning "famous for pious activities," comes from ''dakṣa'', which means "expert." In Kali-yuga one will be considered expert if he can maintain a family consisting of himself, his wife, and one or two children. In India, of course, the traditional family is the joint family, consisting of a man and his wife, their parents and children, their in-laws, and so on. But in Kali-yuga it will be difficult to maintain a simple family of oneself, one's wife, and a few children. When I was living in New York, among the people coming to our classes was an old lady who had a grown son. I asked her, "Why doesn't your son get married?" She replied, "Yes, he can marry when he can maintain a family." I did not know that maintaining a family was such a difficult job here. But this is described in the ''Bhāgavatam'': if one can maintain a family, he will be considered a very glorious man, and if a girl has a husband she will be considered very fortunate.

It is not our business to criticize, but the symptoms of Kali-yuga are very severe, and they will grow more severe. The duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000 years, and although only 5,000 years of it have passed, already we find so many difficulties, and the more we grow into this Kali-yuga, the more the times will be difficult. The best course, therefore, is to complete our Kṛṣṇa consciousness and return home, back to Godhead. That will save us. Otherwise, if we come back again for another life in Kali-yuga, we shall find difficult days ahead, and we shall have to suffer more and more.
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<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities]] '''[[TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities|14. Lord Kṛṣṇa's Wonderful Activities]] - [[TQK 16 Returning to Our Natural Consciousness|16. Returning to Our Natural Consciousness]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 16 Returning to Our Natural Consciousness]]</div>
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TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities

2022-01-09T07:26:25Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe]] '''[[TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe|13. The Vital Force of the Universe]] - [[TQK 15 Beyond Birth and Death|15. Beyond Birth and Death]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 15 Beyond Birth and Death]]</div>
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<div class="verse">
:''gopy ādade tvayi kṛtāgasi dāma tāvad''
:''yā te daśāśru-kalilāñjana-sambhramākṣam''
:''vaktraṁ ninīya bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya''
:''sā māṁ vimohayati bhīr api yad bibheti''
</div>

<div class="translation">
My dear Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodā took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is bewildering to me.
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- [[SB 1.8.31|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.31'']]

<div class="text">
Here is another explanation of the bewilderment created by the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the Supreme in all circumstances, as already explained. Here is a specific example of the Lord's being the Supreme and at the same time a plaything in the presence of His pure devotee. The Lord's pure devotee renders service unto the Lord out of unalloyed love only, and while discharging such devotional service the pure devotee forgets the position of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord also accepts the loving service of His devotees more relishably when the service is rendered spontaneously out of pure affection, without anything of reverential admiration. Generally the Lord is worshiped by the devotees in a reverential attitude, but the Lord is meticulously pleased when the devotee, out of pure affection and love, considers the Lord to be less important than himself. The Lord's pastimes in the original abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, are exchanged in that spirit. The friends of Kṛṣṇa consider Him one of them. They do not consider Him to be of reverential importance. The parents of the Lord (who are all pure devotees) consider Him a child only. The Lord accepts the chastisements of the parents more cheerfully than the prayers of the Vedic hymns. Similarly, He accepts the reproaches of His fiancees more palatably than the Vedic hymns. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was present in this material world to manifest His eternal pastimes of the transcendental realm Goloka Vṛndāvana as an attraction for the people in general, He displayed a unique picture of subordination before His foster mother, Yaśodā. The Lord, in His naturally childish playful activities, used to spoil the stocked butter of Mother Yaśodā by breaking the pots and distributing the contents to His friends and playmates, including the celebrated monkeys of Vṛndāvana, who took advantage of the Lord's munificence. Mother Yaśodā saw this, and out of her pure love she wanted to make a show of punishment for her transcendental child. She took a rope and threatened the Lord that she would tie Him up, as is generally done in the ordinary household. Seeing the rope in the hands of Mother Yaśodā, the Lord bowed down His head and began to weep just like a child, and tears rolled down His cheeks, washing off the black ointment smeared about His beautiful eyes. This picture of the Lord is adored by Kuntīdevī because she is conscious of the Lord's supreme position. He is feared often by fear personified, yet He is afraid of His mother, who wanted to punish Him just in an ordinary manner. Kuntī was conscious of the exalted position of Kṛṣṇa, whereas Yaśodā was not. Therefore Yaśodā's position was more exalted than Kuntī's. Mother Yaśodā got the Lord as her child, and the Lord made her forget altogether that her child was the Lord Himself. If Mother Yaśodā had been conscious of the exalted position of the Lord, she would certainly have hesitated to punish the Lord. But she was made to forget this situation because the Lord wanted to make a complete gesture of childishness before the affectionate Yaśodā. This exchange of love between the mother and the son was performed in a natural way, and Kuntī, remembering the scene, was bewildered, and she could do nothing but praise the transcendental filial love. Indirectly Mother Yaśodā is praised for her unique position of love, for she could control even the all-powerful Lord as her beloved child.

This pastime presents another opulence of Kṛṣṇa - His opulence of beauty. Kṛṣṇa has six opulences: all wealth, all strength, all influence, all knowledge, all renunciation, and all beauty. The nature of Kṛṣṇa is that He is greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest (''aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān''). We offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa with awe and veneration, but no one comes to Kṛṣṇa with a rope, saying, "Kṛṣṇa, You have committed an offense, and now I shall bind You." Yet that is the prerogative of the most perfect devotee, and Kṛṣṇa wants to be approached in that way.

Thinking of Kṛṣṇa's opulence, Kuntīdevī did not dare take the part of Yaśodā, for although Kuntīdevī was Kṛṣṇa's aunt, she did not have the privilege to approach Kṛṣṇa the way He was approached by Yaśodāmayī, who was such an advanced devotee that she had the right to chastise the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That was Yaśodāmayī's special prerogative. Kuntīdevī was simply thinking of how fortunate was Yaśodāmayī that she could threaten the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is feared even by fear personified (''bhīr api yad bibheti'' ([[SB 1.8.31|SB 1.8.31]])). Who is not afraid of Kṛṣṇa? No one. But Kṛṣṇa is afraid of Yaśodāmayī. This is the superexcellence of Kṛṣṇa.

To give another example of such opulence, Kṛṣṇa is known as Madana-mohana. ''Madana'' means Cupid. Cupid enchants everyone, but Kṛṣṇa is known as Madana-mohana because He is so beautiful that He enchants even Cupid. Nonetheless, Kṛṣṇa Himself is enchanted by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and therefore Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is known as Madana-mohana-mohinī, "the enchanter of the enchanter of Cupid." Kṛṣṇa is the enchanter of Cupid, and Rādhārāṇī is the enchanter of that enchanter.

These are very exalted spiritual understandings in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are not fictional, imaginary, or concocted. They are facts, and every devotee can have the privilege to understand and indeed take part in Kṛṣṇa's pastimes if he is actually advanced. We should not think that the privilege given to Mother Yaśodā is not available to us. Everyone can have a similar privilege. If one loves Kṛṣṇa as one's child, then one will have such a privilege, because the mother has the most love for the child. Even in this material world, there is no comparison to a mother's love, for a mother loves her child without any expectation of return. Of course, although that is generally true, this material world is so polluted that a mother sometimes thinks, "My child will grow up and become a man, and when he earns money, I shall get it." Thus there is still some desire to get something in exchange. But while loving Kṛṣṇa there are no selfish feelings, for that love is unalloyed, free from all material gain (''anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam'' (Brs. 1.1.11)).

We should not love Kṛṣṇa for some material gain. It is not that we should say, "Kṛṣṇa, give us our daily bread, and then I shall love You. Kṛṣṇa, give me this or that, and then I shall love You." There should be no such mercantile exchanges, for Kṛṣṇa wants unalloyed love.

When Kṛṣṇa saw Mother Yaśodā coming with a rope to bind Him, He immediately became very much afraid, thinking, "Oh, Mother is going to bind Me." He began to cry, and the tears washed the mascara from His eyes. Looking at His mother with great respect, He appealed to her with feeling, "Yes, Mother, I have offended you. Kindly excuse Me." Then He immediately bowed His head. Kuntīdevī appreciated this scene, for this was another of Kṛṣṇa's perfections. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He puts Himself under the control of Mother Yaśodā. In Bhagavad-gītā ([[BG 7.7|7.7]]) the Lord says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: "My dear Arjuna, there is no one superior to Me." Yet that Supreme Personality of Godhead, to whom no one is superior, bows down to Mother Yaśodā, accepting, "My dear Mother, yes, I am an offender."

When Mother Yaśodā saw that Kṛṣṇa had become too much afraid of her, she also became disturbed. She did not actually want Kṛṣṇa to suffer by her punishment. That was not her purpose. But it is a system, still current in India, that when a child creates too much of a disturbance, his mother may bind him up in one place. That is a very common system, so Mother Yaśodā adopted it.

This scene is very much appreciated by pure devotees, for it shows how much greatness there is in the Supreme Person, who plays exactly like a perfect child. When Kṛṣṇa plays like a child, He plays perfectly, when He plays as the husband of sixteen thousand wives He plays perfectly, when He plays as the lover of the ''gopīs'' He plays perfectly, and as the friend of the cowherd boys He also plays perfectly.

The cowherd boys all depend on Kṛṣṇa. Once they wanted to take fruit from a forest of palm trees, but there was a demon named Gardabhāsura who would not allow anyone to enter that forest. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's cowherd boyfriends said to Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, we want to taste that fruit, if You can arrange for it." Kṛṣṇa immediately said yes, and He and Balarāma went to the forest where that demon was living with other demons, who had all taken the shape of asses. When the ass demons came to kick Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma with their hind legs, Balarāma caught one of them and threw him into the top of a tree, and the demon died. Then Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma killed the other demons the same way. Thus Their cowherd friends were very much obliged to Them.

On another occasion, the cowherd boys were surrounded by fire. Not knowing anyone else but Kṛṣṇa, they immediately called for Him, and Kṛṣṇa was ready: "Yes." Thus Kṛṣṇa immediately swallowed the whole fire. There were many demons that attacked the boys, and every day the boys would return to their mothers and say, "Mother, Kṛṣṇa is so wonderful," and they would explain what had happened that day. And the mothers would say, "Yes, our Kṛṣṇa is wonderful." They did not know that Kṛṣṇa is God, the Supreme Person. They only knew that Kṛṣṇa is wonderful, that's all. And the more they perceived Kṛṣṇa's wonderful activities, the more their love increased. "Perhaps He may be a demigod," they thought. When Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa's father, talked among his friends, the friends would talk about Kṛṣṇa and say, "Oh, Nanda Mahārāja, your child Kṛṣṇa is wonderful." And Nanda Mahārāja would respond, "Yes, I see that. Maybe He is some demigod." And even that was not certain - "maybe."

Thus the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana do not care who is God, and who is not. They love Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Those who think of first analyzing Kṛṣṇa to determine whether He is God are not first-class devotees. The first-class devotees are those who have spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa. How can we analyze Kṛṣṇa? He is unlimited, and therefore it is impossible. We have limited perception, and our senses have limited potency, so how can we study Kṛṣṇa? It is not possible at all. Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself to a certain extent, and that much is sufficient.

We should not be like the Māyāvādī philosophers, who try to find God by speculative deduction. ''"Neti neti,"'' they say. "God is not this, and God is not that." But what God is they do not know. Materialistic scientists also try to find the ultimate cause, but their process is the same: "Not this, not that." As much as they advance, they will always find "Not this, not that." But what the ultimate cause is, they will never find. That is not possible.

What to speak of finding Kṛṣṇa, materialistic scientists cannot properly understand even material objects. They are trying to go to the moon, but actually they do not know what it is. If they understand what the moon is, why do they come back here? If they knew perfectly what the moon is, they would have resided there by now. They have been trying for the last twenty years to go there and stay, but they are simply seeing, "Not this, not that. There are no living entities, and there is no possibility of our living here." Thus they can report on what is ''not'' on the moon, but do they know what is there? No, they do not know. And this is only one planet or one star.

According to the Vedic literature, the moon is regarded as a star. The scientists say that the stars are all suns, but according to ''Bhagavad-gītā'' the stars are of the same nature as the moon. In ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 10.21|10.2]]1) Lord Kṛṣṇa says, ''nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī:'' "Of stars I am the moon." Thus the moon is just like the many stars. What is the nature of the moon? It is bright because it reflects light from the sun. Therefore although the scientists say that the stars are many suns, we do not agree. According to the Vedic calculation, there are innumerable suns, but in every universe there is only one.

What we see in this universe we are seeing imperfectly, and our knowledge is not perfect. We cannot count how many stars or planets there are. We cannot fully understand the material things existing all around us, and therefore how can we understand the Supreme Lord who created this universe? That is not possible. Therefore in the ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' (5.34) it is said:

:''panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo''
:''vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām''
:''so 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve''
:''govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi''

Space is unlimited, and the ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' suggests: Suppose one travels by spacecraft for millions of years at the velocity of the wind or even the speed of mind. Everyone knows that the mind is so swift that in even one ten-thousandth of a second it can take us millions of miles. If we have seen something millions of miles away, the mind can go there immediately. But even if we can travel at that speed on a spacecraft manufactured by ''muni-puṅgavānām'', the greatest scientists and most thoughtful men, will that be perfection? No. The ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' says, ''so 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve:'' still this creation will remain inconceivable to our understanding. And Kṛṣṇa has created all these things, so how can we study Kṛṣṇa? If we cannot understand the things Kṛṣṇa has created, how can we understand Kṛṣṇa? It is not possible at all.

Therefore the mentality of Vṛndāvana is the perfect status of mind for devotees. The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana have no concern with understanding Kṛṣṇa. Rather, they want to love Kṛṣṇa unconditionally. It is not that they think, "Kṛṣṇa is God, and therefore I love Him." In Vṛndāvana Kṛṣṇa does not play as God; He plays there as an ordinary cowherd boy, and although at times He proves that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotees there do not care to know it.

Kuntīdevī, however, was not an inhabitant of Vṛndāvana. She was an inhabitant of Hastināpura, which is outside Vṛndāvana. The devotees outside Vṛndāvana study how great the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana are, but the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana don't care to know how great Kṛṣṇa is. That is the difference between them. So our concern should be simply to love Kṛṣṇa. The more we love Kṛṣṇa, the more we shall become perfect. It is not necessary to understand Kṛṣṇa and how He creates. Kṛṣṇa explains Himself in ''Bhagavad-gītā'', and we should not try to understand much more. We should not bother very much to know Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. We should simply increase our unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection of life.
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<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe]] '''[[TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe|13. The Vital Force of the Universe]] - [[TQK 15 Beyond Birth and Death|15. Beyond Birth and Death]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 15 Beyond Birth and Death]]</div>
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TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe

2022-01-09T06:58:44Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 12 Bewildering Pastimes]] '''[[TQK 12 Bewildering Pastimes|12. Bewildering Pastimes]] - [[TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities|14. Lord Kṛṣṇa's Wonderful Activities]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities]]</div>
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<div class="verse">
:janma karma ca viśvātmann
:ajasyākartur ātmanaḥ
:tiryaṅ-nṟṣiṣu yādaḥsu
:tad atyanta-viḍambanam
</div>

<div class="translation">
Of course it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You work, though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn. You Yourself descend among animals, men, sages, and aquatics. Verily, this is bewildering.
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- [[SB 1.8.30|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.30'']]

<div class="text">
The transcendental pastimes of the Lord are not only bewildering but also apparently contradictory. In other words, they are all inconceivable to the limited thinking power of the human being. The Lord is the all-prevailing Supersoul of all existence, and yet He appears in the form of a boar among the animals, in the form of a human being as Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, etc., in the form of a ''ṛṣi'' like Nārāyaṇa, and in the form of an aquatic like a fish. Yet it is said that He is unborn, and He has nothing to do. In the ''śruti-mantra'' it is said that the Supreme Brahman has nothing to do. No one is equal to or greater than Him. He has manifold energies, and everything is performed by Him perfectly by automatic knowledge, strength, and activity. All these statements prove without any question that the Lord's activities, forms, and deeds are all inconceivable to our limited thinking power, and because He is inconceivably powerful, everything is possible in Him. Therefore no one can calculate Him exactly; every action of the Lord is bewildering to the common man. He cannot be understood by the Vedic knowledge, but He can be easily understood by the pure devotees because they are intimately related with Him. The devotees therefore know that although He appears among the animals, He is not an animal or a man or a ''ṛṣi'' or a fish. He is eternally the Supreme Lord, in all circumstances.

Kuntī addresses Kṛṣṇa as ''viśvātman'', the vital force of the universe. In everyone's body there is a vital force. That vital force is the ''ātmā'' - the living being, the living entity, the soul. It is because of the presence of that vital force, the soul, that the whole body works. Similarly, there is a supreme vital force. That supreme vital force is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, where is the question of His taking birth? In ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 4.9|4.9]]) the Lord says:

:''janma karma ca me divyam''
:''evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ''
:''tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma''
:''naiti mām eti so 'rjuna''

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna."

In this verse the word ''divyam'' especially indicates that the Lord's appearance and activities are spiritual. And elsewhere in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' it is said, ''ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā''. The word ''aja'' means "unborn," and ''avyayātmā'' means "not subject to destruction." This is the nature of Kṛṣṇa, whose transcendental nature is further described by Kuntīdevī in her prayers to the Lord.

In the beginning of her prayers, Kuntīdevī said to the Lord, "You are within, and You are without, but still You are invisible." Kṛṣṇa is within everyone's heart (''īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati'' ([[BG 18.61|BG 18.61]]), ''sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ'' ([[BG 15.15|BG 15.15]])). Indeed, He is within everything, even within the atom (''aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham'' (Bs. 5.35)). Kṛṣṇa is within and He is also without. Thus Kṛṣṇa showed Arjuna His external feature as the ''viśva-rūpa'', the gigantic cosmic manifestation.

This external body of Kṛṣṇa is described in the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam''. There the hills and mountains are described as the bones of the Lord. Similarly, the great oceans have been described as different holes in the Lord's universal body, and the planet known as Brahmaloka has been described as the upper portion of His skull. Those who cannot see God have thus been advised to see Him in many ways in terms of the material cosmic manifestation, according to the instructions given in the Vedic literature.

There are those who can simply think of God as being great but do not know how great He is. When they think of greatness, they think of very high mountains, the sky, and other planets. Therefore the Lord has been described in terms of such material manifestations so that while thinking of these different manifestations one can think of the Lord. That is also Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If one thinks, "This mountain is the bone of Kṛṣṇa," or if one thinks of the vast Pacific Ocean as Kṛṣṇa's navel, one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Similarly, one may think of the trees and plants as the hairs on Kṛṣṇa's body, one may think of Brahmaloka as the top of Kṛṣṇa's skull, and one may think of the Pātālaloka planetary system as the soles of Kṛṣṇa's feet. Thus one may think of Kṛṣṇa as greater than the greatest (''mahato mahīyān'').

Similarly, one may think of Kṛṣṇa as smaller than the smallest. That is also a kind of greatness. Kṛṣṇa can manufacture this gigantic cosmic manifestation, and He can also manufacture a small insect. In a book one may sometimes find a small running insect smaller than a period. This is Kṛṣṇa's craftsmanship. ''Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān'' (''Kaṭha Upaniṣad'' 1.2.20): He can create something greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest. Now human beings have manufactured the 747 airplane, which according to their conception is very big. But can they produce an airplane as small as a flying insect? That is not possible. Actual greatness, however, is not one-sided. One who is actually great can become greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest.

But even the great things men can manufacture in the modern age are still not the greatest things man has created. We have information from the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' that Kardama Muni, the father of the great sage Kapiladeva, manufactured a huge plane that resembled a great city. It included lakes, gardens, streets, and houses, and the whole city was able to fly all over the universe. In that plane, Kardama Muni traveled with his wife and showed her all the planets. He was a great ''yogī'', and his wife, Devahūti, was the daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu, a great king. Kardama Muni had desired to marry, and Devahūti told her father, "My dear father, I want to marry that sage." Thus Svāyambhuva Manu brought his daughter to Kardama Muni and said, "Sir, here is my daughter. Please accept her as your wife." She was a king's daughter and was very opulent, but when she joined her austere husband, she had to serve so much that she became lean and thin. In fact, even with insufficient food she was working day and night. Thus Kardama Muni became compassionate. "This woman who has come to me is a king's daughter," he thought, "but under my protection she is not receiving any comfort. So I shall give her some comfort." Thus he asked his wife, "What will make you comfortable?" A woman's nature, of course, is that she wants a good house, good food, fine garments, good children, and a good husband. These are a woman's ambitions. Thus Kardama Muni proved to her that she had received the best husband. By yogic powers he created for her this great airplane and gave her a big house with maidservants and all opulences. Kardama Muni was merely a human being, but he could perform such wonderful things by yogic powers.

Kṛṣṇa, however, is Yogeśvara, the master of all yogic powers. If we get a little mystic power we become important, but Kṛṣṇa is the master of all mystic powers. In ''Bhagavad-gītā'' it is said that wherever there is Yogeśvara, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all mystic powers, and wherever there is Arjuna, who is also known as Pārtha or Dhanur-dhara, everything is present.

We should always remember that if we can keep ourselves always in company with Kṛṣṇa, we shall attain all perfection. And especially in this age, Kṛṣṇa has incarnated as the holy name (''kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra'', [[CC Adi 17.22|CC Ādi 17.22]]). Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says:

:''nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis''
:''tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ''

"My dear Lord, You are so kind that You are giving me Your association in the form of Your holy name, and this holy name can be chanted in any situation."

There are no hard and fast rules for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. One can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa anywhere. Children, for example, also chant and dance. It is not at all difficult. While walking, our students take their beads with them and chant. Where is the loss? But the gain is very great, for by chanting we associate with Kṛṣṇa personally. Suppose we were to associate personally with the President. How proud we would feel. "Oh, I am with the President." So should we not feel very much proud if we were to associate with the supreme president, who is able to create many millions of presidents like those of this world? This chanting is our opportunity to do so. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ''etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi'': "My dear Lord, You are so kind to me that You are always prepared to give me Your association." ''Durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ'': "But I am so unfortunate that I do not take advantage of this opportunity."

Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply requesting people, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." There was a cartoon in some newspaper that depicted an old lady and her husband sitting face to face. The lady is requesting her husband, "Chant, chant, chant." And the husband is answering, "Can't, can't, can't." So in this same way, we are requesting everyone, "Please chant, chant, chant." But they are replying, "Can't, can't, can't." This is their misfortune.

Still, it is our duty to make all such unfortunate creatures fortunate. That is our mission. Therefore we go into the street and chant. Although they say "Can't," we go on chanting. That is our duty. And if somehow or other we place some literature in someone's hand, he becomes fortunate. He would have squandered his hard-earned money in so many nasty, sinful ways, but if he purchases even one book, regardless of the price, his money is properly utilized. This is the beginning of his Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because he gives some of his hard-earned money for the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, he gets some spiritual profit. He is not losing; rather, he is gaining some spiritual profit. Therefore our business is somehow or other to bring everyone to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement so that everyone may spiritually profit.

When Kṛṣṇa appeared on earth, not everyone knew that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although when there was need He proved Himself the Supreme Godhead, He generally appeared to be just like an ordinary human being. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī, while describing how Kṛṣṇa played as one of the cowherd boys, points out Kṛṣṇa's identity. Who is this cowherd boy? Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, ''itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā'' ([[SB 10.12.11|SB 10.12.11]]). The impersonalists meditate upon the impersonal Brahman and thus feel some transcendental bliss, but Śukadeva Gosvāmī points out that the source of that transcendental bliss is here - Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa is the source of everything (''ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ'' ([[BG 10.8|BG 10.8]])), and therefore the transcendental bliss that the impersonalists try to experience by meditating on the impersonal Brahman in fact comes from Kṛṣṇa. Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "Here is the person who is the source of ''brahma-sukha'', the transcendental bliss that comes from realization of Brahman."

A devotee is always prepared to render service to the Lord (''dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena''), but for those who are under the spell of illusory energy, He is an ordinary boy (''māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa''). ''Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham:'' ([[BG 4.11|BG 4.11]]) Kṛṣṇa deals with different living entities according to their conceptions. For those who regard Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary human being, Kṛṣṇa will deal like an ordinary human being, whereas devotees who accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead will enjoy the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Of course, the object of the impersonalist is the ''brahma-jyoti'', the impersonal effulgence of the Supreme, but Kṛṣṇa is the source of that effulgence. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is everything (''brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate'' ([[SB 1.2.11|SB 1.2.11]])).

Yet the cowherd boys are able to play with that same Kṛṣṇa, the exalted Personality of Godhead. How have they become so fortunate that they are able to play with Him? ([[SB 10.12.11|SB 10.12.11]]):

:''itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā''
:''dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena''
:''māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa''
:''sākam vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ''

The cowherd boys playing with Kṛṣṇa are also not ordinary, for they have attained the highest perfection of being able to play with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How did they achieve this position? ''Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ'': by many, many lives of pious activities. For many, many lives these boys underwent austerities and penances to achieve the highest perfection of life, and now they have the opportunity to play with Kṛṣṇa personally on an equal level. They do not know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that is the nature of ''vṛndāvana-līlā'', Kṛṣṇa's pastimes in the village of Vṛndāvana.

Not knowing Kṛṣṇa's identity, the cowherd boys simply love Kṛṣṇa, and their love is unending. This is true of everyone in Vṛndāvana. For example, Yaśodāmātā and Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa's mother and father, love Kṛṣṇa with parental affection. Similarly Kṛṣṇa's friends love Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's girlfriends love Kṛṣṇa, the trees love Kṛṣṇa, the water loves Kṛṣṇa, the flowers, the cows, the calves - everyone loves Kṛṣṇa. That is the nature of Vṛndāvana. So if we simply learn how to love Kṛṣṇa, we can immediately transform this world into Vṛndāvana.

This is the only central point - how to love Kṛṣṇa (''premā pum-artho mahān''). People are generally pursuing ''dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa'' ([[SB 4.8.41]], [[CC Adi 1.90|CC Ādi 1.90]]) - religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu disregarded these four things. "These are not what is to be achieved in life," He said. The real goal of life is love of Kṛṣṇa.

Of course, human life does not actually begin until there is some conception of religion (''dharma''). But in the present age, Kali-yuga, ''dharma'' is practically nil - there is no religion or morality, and there are no pious activities - and therefore according to Vedic calculations the present human civilization does not even consist of human beings. Formerly people would care about morality and immorality, religion and irreligion, but with the progress of Kali-yuga this is all being vanquished, and people can do anything, without caring what it is. ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' says, and we can actually see, that in Kali-yuga about eighty percent of the people are sinful. Illicit sex life, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling are the four pillars of sinful life, and therefore we request that one first break these four pillars, so that the roof of sinful life will collapse. Then by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa one can remain established in a transcendental position. It is a very simple method. One cannot realize God if one's life is sinful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says:

:''yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ''
:''janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām''
:''te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā''
:''bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ''

"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated, and who are freed from the duality of delusion engage themselves in My service with determination." ([[BG 7.28|BG 7.28]])

The word ''anta-gatam'' means "finished." One can engage in devotional service if one has finished with his sinful life. Who can finish with sinful life? Those who engage in pious activities. One must have activities, and if one engages in pious activities one's sinful activities will naturally vanish. On one side, one should voluntarily try to break the pillars of sinful life, and on another side one must engage himself in pious life.

If one has no pious engagement, it is not that one can become free from sinful activities simply by theoretical understanding. For example, the American government is spending millions of dollars to stop the use of LSD and other such intoxicants, but the government has failed. How is it that simply by passing laws or giving lectures one can make people give up these things? It is not possible. One must give people good engagements, and then they will automatically give up the bad ones. For example, we instruct our students, "No intoxication," and they immediately give it up, even though the government has failed to stop them. This is practical.

''Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate'' ([[BG 2.59|BG 2.59]]). If someone isn't given good engagement, his bad engagements cannot be stopped. That is not possible. Therefore we have two sides - prohibition of sinful activities, and engagement in good activities. We don't simply say, "No illicit sex," "No intoxication," and so on. Mere negativity has no meaning; there must be something positive, because everyone wants engagement. That is because we are living entities, not dead stones. By meditation the impersonalist philosophers try to become dead stones: "Let me think of something void or impersonal." But how can one artificially make oneself void? The heart and mind are full of activities, so these artificial methods will not help human society.

Methods of so-called ''yoga'' and meditation are all rascaldom because they provide one no engagement. But in Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is adequate engagement for everyone. Everyone rises early in the morning to offer worship to the Deities. The devotees prepare nice food for Kṛṣṇa, they decorate the temple, make garlands, go out chanting, and sell books. They are fully engaged twenty-four hours a day, and therefore they are able to give up sinful life. If a child has in his hands something that he is eating but we give him something better, he will throw away the inferior thing and take the better thing. So in Kṛṣṇa consciousness we offer better engagement, better life, better philosophy, better consciousness - everything better. Therefore those who engage in devotional service can give up sinful activities and promote themselves to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Activities intended to promote all living entities to Kṛṣṇa consciousness are going on not only in human society but even in animal society also. Because all living entities here are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa but are rotting in this material world, Kṛṣṇa has a plan, a big plan to deliver them. Sometimes He comes to this world personally, and sometimes He sends His very confidential devotees. Sometimes He leaves instructions like those of ''Bhagavad-gītā''. Kṛṣṇa's incarnation appears everywhere, and He appears among animals, men, sages, and even aquatics (''tiryaṅ-narādiṣu yādaḥsu'' ([[SB 1.2.34|SB 1.2.34]])). For example, Kṛṣṇa even appeared as a fish incarnation.

Thus Kṛṣṇa's birth, appearance, and disappearance are all bewildering (''tad atyanta-viḍambanam'' ([[SB 1.8.30|SB 1.8.30]])). We conditioned living entities transmigrate from one body to another because we are forced to do so by the laws of nature, but Kṛṣṇa does not appear because He is forced. That is the difference. Those who are foolish rascals think, "I have taken my birth in this world, and Kṛṣṇa has taken birth here also. Therefore I am also God." They do not know that they will have to take birth again by the force of the laws of nature.

One may have been given the chance to have a very beautiful body in a country where one can live in opulence and receive a good education. But if one misuses all this, one will get another body according to one's mentality. For example, at the present moment, despite so many arrangements by the government for good schools and universities, the civilized countries of the world are producing hippies, young people who are so frustrated that they even worship hogs. But if one associates with the qualities of the hogs, one will actually become a hog in one's next birth. ''Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ'' ([[BG 3.27|BG 3.27]]). Nature will give one a full opportunity: "All right, sir, become a hog." Such are nature's arrangements. ''Prakṛti'', nature, has three modes, and if one associates with one type of mode, one will receive his next body accordingly.

Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance are meant to put an end to the living entities' transmigration from one body to another, and therefore one should understand the greatness of the plan behind Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance. It is not that Kṛṣṇa comes whimsically. He has a great plan, otherwise why should He come here? He is very much eager to take us back home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa's business. Therefore He says:

:''sarva-dharmān parityajya''
:''mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja''
:''ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo''
:''mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ''

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." ([[BG 18.66|BG 18.66]])

All of us are children of Kṛṣṇa, God, and since we are unhappy because of taking material bodies for repeated birth, death, old age, and disease, He is more unhappy than we are. Our situation in the material body is not at all comfortable, but we are such foolish rascals that we do not care to do anything about this. We are busy trying to arrange for temporary comforts in this life, but we are neglecting the real discomforts of birth, death, old age, and disease. This is our ignorance and our foolishness, and therefore Kṛṣṇa comes to wake us up from this ignorance and take us back home, back to Godhead.
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<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 12 Bewildering Pastimes]] '''[[TQK 12 Bewildering Pastimes|12. Bewildering Pastimes]] - [[TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities|14. Lord Kṛṣṇa's Wonderful Activities]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 14 Lord Krsna's Wonderful Activities]]</div>
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TQK 12 Bewildering Pastimes

2022-01-07T00:51:16Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Queen Kunti]] '''[[Teachings of Queen Kunti|Teachings of Queen Kuntī]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 11 The Touch of Superior Energy]] '''[[TQK 11 The Touch of Superior Energy|11. The Touch of Superior Energy]] - [[TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe|13. The Vital Force of the Universe]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe]]</div>
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<div class="verse">
:''na veda kaścid bhagavaṁś cikīrṣitaṁ''
:''tavehamānasya nṛṇāṁ viḍambanam''
:''na yasya kaścid dayito 'sti karhicid''
:''dveṣyaś ca yasmin viṣamā matir nṛṇām''
</div>

<div class="translation">
O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and so are misleading. You have no specific object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial.
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- [[SB 1.8.29|''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' 1.8.29]]

<div class="text">
The Lord's mercy upon the fallen souls is equally distributed. He has no one as the specific object of hostility. The very conception of the Personality of Godhead as a human being is misleading. His pastimes ''appear'' to be exactly like a human being's, but actually they are transcendental and without any tinge of material contamination. He is undoubtedly known as partial to His pure devotees, but in fact He is never partial, as much as the sun is never partial to anyone. By utilizing the sunrays, sometimes even the stones become valuable, whereas a blind man cannot see the sun, although there are enough sunrays before him. Darkness and light are two opposite conceptions, but this does not mean that the sun is partial in distributing its rays. The sunrays are open to everyone, but the capacities of the receptacles differ. Foolish people think that devotional service is flattering the Lord to get special mercy. Factually the pure devotees who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord are not a mercantile community. A mercantile house renders service to someone in exchange for values. The pure devotee does not render service unto the Lord for such exchange, and therefore the full mercy of the Lord is open for him. Suffering and needy men, inquisitive persons, or philosophers make temporary connections with the Lord to serve a particular purpose. When the purpose is served, there is no more relation with the Lord. A suffering man, if he is pious at all, prays to the Lord for his recovery. But as soon as the recovery is over, in most cases the suffering man no longer cares to keep any connection with the Lord. The mercy of the Lord is open for him, but he is reluctant to receive it. That is the difference between a pure devotee and a mixed devotee. Those who are completely against the service of the Lord are considered to be in abject darkness, those who ask for the Lord's favor only at the time of necessity are partial recipients of the mercy of the Lord, and those who are cent-percent engaged in the service of the Lord are full recipients of the mercy of the Lord. Such partiality in receiving the Lord's mercy is relative to the recipient, and it is not due to the partiality of the all-merciful Lord.

When the Lord descends on this material world by His all-merciful energy, He plays like a human being, and therefore it appears that the Lord is partial to His devotees only, but that is not a fact. Despite such an apparent manifestation of partiality, His mercy is equally distributed. In the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra all persons who died in the fight before the presence of the Lord got salvation without the necessary qualifications, because death before the presence of the Lord purifies the passing soul from the effects of all sins, and therefore the dying man gets a place somewhere in the transcendental abode. Somehow or other if someone puts himself open in the sun rays, he is sure to get the requisite benefit both by heat and by ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is never partial. It is wrong for the people in general to think of Him as partial.

The Lord says in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 4.8|4.8]]):

:''paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ''
:''vināśāya ca duṣkṛtam''
:''dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya''
:''sambhavāmi yuge yuge''

"In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium."

When God incarnates, He has two missions - to vanquish the demons and deliver the ''sādhus'', the faithful devotees. The word ''sādhūnām'', which means "saintly persons," refers to devotees. It has nothing to do with worldly honesty or dishonesty, morality or immorality; it has nothing to do with material activities. Sometimes we may think that the word ''sādhu'' refers to a person who is materially good or moral, but actually the word ''sādhu'' refers to one who is on the transcendental platform. A ''sādhu'', therefore, is a devotee, because one who engages in devotional service is transcendental to material qualities (''sa guṇān samatītyaitān'' ([[BG 14.26|BG 14.26]])).

Now, the Lord comes to deliver the devotees (''paritrāṇāya sādhūnām'' ([[BG 4.8|BG 4.8]])), but it is clearly stated in ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 14.26|14.26]]) that a devotee transcends the material qualities (''sa guṇān samatītyaitān''). A devotee is in a transcendental position because he is no longer under the control of the three material modes of nature - goodness, passion, and ignorance. But if a ''sādhu'' is already delivered, being on the transcendental platform, then where is the necessity of delivering him? This question may arise. The Lord comes to deliver the devotee, but the devotee is already delivered. Therefore the word ''viḍambanam'', meaning "bewildering," is used in this verse because this appears contradictory.

The answer to this contradiction is that a ''sādhu'', a devotee, does not require deliverance, but because he is very much anxious to see the Supreme Lord face to face, Kṛṣṇa comes not to deliver him from the clutches of matter, from which he has already been delivered, but to satisfy his inner desire. Just as a devotee wants to satisfy the Lord in all respects, the Lord even more wants to satisfy the devotee. Such are the exchanges of loving affairs. Even in our ordinary dealings, if we love someone we want to satisfy him or her, and he or she also wants to reciprocate. So if the reciprocation of loving affairs exists in this material world, in what an elevated way must it exist in the spiritual world. There is a verse in which the Lord says, "The ''sādhu'' is My heart, and I am also the ''sādhu's'' heart." The ''sādhu'' is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is always thinking of the ''sādhu'', His devotee.

The appearance and disappearance of the Lord within this material world are called ''cikīrṣitam'', pastimes. It is Kṛṣṇa's pastime that He comes. Of course, when the Lord comes He has some work to perform - to protect the ''sādhu'' and kill those who are against the ''sādhu'' - but both of these activities are His pastimes.

The Lord is not envious. The killing of the demons is also a display of His affection. Sometimes we may punish our children by giving them a very strong slap because of love. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa kills a demon this killing is not on the platform of material jealousy or envy, but on the platform of affection. Therefore it is mentioned in the ''śāstras'', the Vedic literatures, that even the demons killed by the Lord attain immediate salvation. Pūtanā, for example, was a demoniac witch who wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa was performing pastimes as a small child, she coated the nipple of her breast with poison and approached Kṛṣṇa's home to offer the milk of her breast. "When Kṛṣṇa sucks my nipple," she thought, "the child will immediately die." But that was not possible. Who can kill Kṛṣṇa? Instead she herself was killed, for Kṛṣṇa sucked the nipple and also sucked out her life altogether. But what was the result? Kṛṣṇa took the bright side. "This demoniac woman came to kill Me," He thought, "but somehow or other I have sucked her breast milk, so she is My mother." Thus Pūtanā attained the position of Kṛṣṇa's mother in the spiritual world. This is explained in the ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', where Uddhava says to Vidura that Kṛṣṇa is so kind, God is so kind, that even the witch who wanted to kill Him with poison was accepted as His mother. "Since Kṛṣṇa is such a kind God," he said, "whom else shall I worship but Kṛṣṇa?"

Kuntīdevī says, ''na yasya kaścid dayitaḥ''. The word ''dayita'' means "favor." Kṛṣṇa favors no one. ''Dveṣyaś ca'': and no one is His enemy. We expect some benediction or profit from a friend and harmful activities from an enemy, but Kṛṣṇa is so perfect that no one can harm Him nor can anyone give Him anything. So who can be His friend or enemy? ''Na yasya kaścid dayito 'sti'': He doesn't need anyone's favor. He is complete. I may be a very poor man, and therefore I may expect some favor from a friend, but that is because I am imperfect. Because I am not full, because I am deficient in so many ways, I am always needy, and therefore I want to create some friend, and similarly I hate an enemy. But since Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme, no one can harm Kṛṣṇa, nor can anyone give Kṛṣṇa anything.

Why then are we worshiping Kṛṣṇa in the temple by offering Kṛṣṇa so many comforts, dressing Him, decorating Him, and giving Him nice food? We should try to understand that Kṛṣṇa does not need our offerings of nice garments, flowers, or food, but if we give such offerings to Kṛṣṇa, we shall benefit. Thus it is Kṛṣṇa's favor that He accepts such offerings. If one decorates oneself, one's reflection in a mirror will also appear decorated. Similarly, since we are reflections of Kṛṣṇa, if we decorate Kṛṣṇa we also shall be decorated. In the Bible it is said that man was made in the image of God, and this means that we are reflections of God's image. It is not that we invent or imagine some form of God according to our own form. Those who adhere to the Māyāvāda philosophy of anthropomorphism say, "The Absolute Truth is impersonal, but because we are persons we imagine that the Absolute Truth is also a person." This is a mistake, and in fact just the opposite is true. We have two hands, two legs, and a head because God Himself has these same features. We have personal forms because we are reflections of God. Furthermore, we should philosophically understand that if the original person benefits, the reflection also benefits. So if we decorate Kṛṣṇa, we also shall be decorated. If we satisfy Kṛṣṇa, we shall become satisfied. If we offer nice food to Kṛṣṇa, we shall also eat the same food. Those who live outside the temples of Kṛṣṇa consciousness may never have imagined such palatable food as the food we are offering to Kṛṣṇa, but because it is being offered to Kṛṣṇa, we also have the opportunity to eat it. So we should try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa in all respects, and then we shall be satisfied in all respects.

Kṛṣṇa does not need our service, but He kindly accepts it. When Kṛṣṇa asks us to surrender unto Him (''sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja'' ([[BG 18.66|BG 18.66]])), this does not mean that Kṛṣṇa is lacking servants and that if we surrender He will profit. Kṛṣṇa can create millions of servants by His mere desire. So that is not the point. But if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa, we shall be saved, for Kṛṣṇa says, ''ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi'': "I shall free you from all sinful reactions." We are suffering here in this material world without any shelter. We even see many people loitering in the street, with no aim in life. When we go walking by the beach in the early morning, we see many young people sleeping or loitering there, aimless, confused, and not knowing what to do. But if we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then we shall know, "Oh, now I have found shelter." Then there will be no more confusion, no more hopelessness. I receive so many letters daily from people expressing how they have found hope in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, it is not a fact that Kṛṣṇa descended here merely to collect some servants. Rather, He descended for our benefit.

Unfortunately, however, instead of becoming Kṛṣṇa's servants, we are becoming servants of so many other things. We are servants of our senses and the sensual activities of lust, anger, greed, and illusion. Actually the whole world is serving in this way. But if we engage our senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa, we shall no longer be servants of the senses, but masters of the senses. When we have the strength to refuse to allow our senses to be engaged other than in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then we shall be saved.

Here Kuntīdevī says, "Your appearance in this material world is misleading, bewildering." We think, "Kṛṣṇa has some mission, some purpose, and therefore He has appeared." No, it is for His pastimes that He appears. For example, sometimes a governor goes to inspect a prison. He gets reports from the prison superintendent, so he has no business going there, but still he sometimes goes, thinking, "Let me see how they are doing." This may be called a pastime because he is going by his free will. It is not that he has become subject to the laws of the prison. But still a foolish prisoner may think, "Oh, here the governor is also in prison. So we are equal. I am also governor." Rascals think like that. "Because Kṛṣṇa has descended as an ''avatāra''," they say, "I am also an ''avatāra''." So here it is said, ''na veda kaścid bhagavaṁś cikīrṣitam'': "No one knows the purpose of Your appearance and disappearance." ''Tavehamānasya nṛṇāṁ viḍambanam'': the Lord's pastimes are bewildering. No one can understand their real purpose.

The real purpose of the Lord's pastimes is His free will. He thinks, "Let Me go and see." He doesn't need to come to kill the demons. He has so many agents in the material nature that can kill them. For example, in a moment He can kill thousands of demons merely by a strong wind. Nor does He need to come to give protection to the devotees, for He can do everything simply by His will. But He descends to enjoy pleasure pastimes. "Let Me go and see."

Sometimes Kṛṣṇa even wants to enjoy the pleasure pastimes of fighting. The fighting spirit is also in Kṛṣṇa, otherwise wherefrom have we gotten it? Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, all the qualities of Kṛṣṇa are present in minute quantity within us. We are samples of Kṛṣṇa. Wherefrom do we get the fighting spirit? It is present in Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, just as a king sometimes engages a wrestler to fight with him, Kṛṣṇa also engages living entities to engage in fighting. The wrestler is paid to fight with the king. He is not the king's enemy; rather, he gives pleasure to the king by mock fighting. But when Kṛṣṇa wants to fight, who will fight with Him? Not anyone ordinary. If a king wants to practice mock fighting, he will engage some very qualified wrestler. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa does not fight with anyone ordinary, but rather with some of His great devotees. Because Kṛṣṇa wants to fight, some of His devotees come down to this material world to become His enemies and fight with Him. For example, the Lord descended to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa. Should we think that these were ordinary living entities? No, they were the great devotees Jaya and Vijaya, who came to this world because Kṛṣṇa wanted to fight. In the Vaikuṇṭha world, the spiritual world, there is no possibility of fighting, because everyone there engages in Kṛṣṇa's service. With whom will He fight? Therefore He sends some devotee in the garb of an enemy and comes here to this material world to fight with him. At the same time, the Lord teaches us that becoming His enemy is not very profitable and that it is better to become His friend. Kuntīdevī therefore says, ''na veda kaścid bhagavaṁś cikīrṣitam'': "No one knows the purpose of Your appearance and disappearance." ''Tavehamānasya nṛṇāṁ viḍambanam'': "You are in this world just like an ordinary human being, and this is bewildering."

Because Kṛṣṇa sometimes appears like an ordinary man, people sometimes cannot believe or understand His activities. They wonder, "How can God become an ordinary person like us?" But although Kṛṣṇa sometimes plays like an ordinary person, in fact He is not ordinary, and whenever necessary He displays the powers of God. When sixteen thousand girls were kidnapped by the demon Bhaumāsura, they prayed to Kṛṣṇa, and therefore Kṛṣṇa went to the demon's palace, killed the demon, and delivered all the girls. But according to the strict Vedic system, if an unmarried girl leaves her home even for one night, no one will marry her. Therefore when Kṛṣṇa told the girls, "Now you can safely return to your fathers' homes," they replied, "Sir, if we return to the homes of our fathers, what will be our fate? No one will marry us, because this man kidnapped us."

"Then what do you want?" Kṛṣṇa asked. The girls replied, "We want You to become our husband." And Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He immediately said yes and accepted them.

Now, when Kṛṣṇa brought the girls back home to His capital city, it is not that each of the sixteen thousand wives had to wait sixteen thousand nights to meet Kṛṣṇa. Rather, Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms, constructed sixteen thousand palaces, and lived in each palace with each wife.

Although this is described in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', rascals cannot understand this. Instead they criticize Kṛṣṇa. "He was very lusty," they say. "He married sixteen thousand wives." But even if He is lusty, He is ''unlimitedly'' lusty. God is unlimited. Why sixteen thousand? He could marry sixteen million and still not reach the limits of His perfection. That is Kṛṣṇa. We cannot accuse Kṛṣṇa of being lusty or sensuous. No. There are so many devotees of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa shows favor to all of them. Some ask Kṛṣṇa to become their husband, some ask Kṛṣṇa to become their friend, some ask Kṛṣṇa to become their son, and some ask Kṛṣṇa to become their playmate. In this way, there are millions and trillions of devotees all over the universe, and Kṛṣṇa has to satisfy them all. He does not need any help from these devotees, but because they want to serve Him in a particular way, the Lord reciprocates. These sixteen thousand devotees wanted Kṛṣṇa as their husband, and therefore Kṛṣṇa agreed.

Thus Kṛṣṇa may sometimes act like a common man, but as God He expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms. Once the great sage Nārada went to visit Kṛṣṇa and His wives. "Kṛṣṇa has married sixteen thousand wives," he thought. "Let me see how He is dealing with them." Then he found Kṛṣṇa living differently in each of the sixteen thousand palaces. In one palace He was talking with His wife, in another He was playing with His children, in another He was arranging for the marriage of His sons and daughters, and in this way He was engaged in varied pastimes in all of the sixteen thousand palaces. Similarly, in His childhood Kṛṣṇa played just like an ordinary child, but when His mother, Yaśodā, wanted Him to open His mouth so that she could see whether He had eaten dirt, within His mouth He showed her all the universes. This is Kṛṣṇa. Although He plays just like an ordinary human being, when there is need He shows His nature as God. To give another example, Kṛṣṇa acted as the chariot driver of Arjuna, but when Arjuna wanted to see Kṛṣṇa's universal form, Kṛṣṇa immediately showed him a cosmic form with thousands and millions of heads, legs, arms, and weapons. This is Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa is completely independent, and He has no friends or enemies, but He plays for the benefit of both His friends and enemies, and when He acts for the benefit of either, the result is the same. That is Kṛṣṇa's absolute nature.
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<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TQK 11 The Touch of Superior Energy]] '''[[TQK 11 The Touch of Superior Energy|11. The Touch of Superior Energy]] - [[TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe|13. The Vital Force of the Universe]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TQK 13 The Vital Force of the Universe]]</div>
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TQK 11 The Touch of Superior Energy

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Srikanth:

TLC Introduction

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Srikanth:

[[Category:Teachings of Lord Caitanya (2011)|1]]
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<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=TLC Lord Caitanya's Mission|Lord Caitanya's Mission]] '''[[TLC Lord Caitanya's Mission|Lord Caitanya's Mission]] - [[TLC 1]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=TLC 1]]</div>
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{{CompareVersionsForOverviews|TLC|Introduction|Introduction|TLC 1968|TLC 2011|Followup}}

(''Originally delivered as five morning lectures on'' the Caitanya-caritāmṛta—''the authoritative biography of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī before the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, New York City, April 10–14, 1967''.)

The word ''caitanya'' means “living force,” ''carita'' means “character,” and ''amṛta'' means “immortal.” As living entities we can move, but a table cannot because it does not possess living force. Movement and activity may be considered signs of the living force. Indeed, it may be said that there can be no activity without the living force. Although the living force is present in the material condition, this condition is not ''amṛta'', immortal. The words ''caitanya-caritāmṛta'', then, may be translated as “the character of the living force in immortality.”

But how is this living force displayed immortally? It is not displayed by man or any other creature in this material universe, for none of us are immortal in these bodies. We possess the living force, we perform activities, and we are immortal by our nature and constitution, but the material condition into which we have been put does not allow our immortality to be displayed. It is stated in the ''Kaṭha Upaniṣad'' that eternality and the living force are characteristics of both ourselves and God. Although this is true in that both God and ourselves are immortal living beings, there is a difference. As living entities, we perform many activities, but we have a tendency to fall down into material nature. God has no such tendency. Being all-powerful, He never comes under the control of material nature. Indeed, material nature is but one display of His inconceivable energies.

An analogy will help us understand the distinction between ourselves and God. From the ground we may see only clouds in the sky, but if we fly above the clouds we can see the sun shining. From the sky, skyscrapers and cities seem very tiny; similarly, from God’s position this entire material creation is insignificant. The living entity is also insignifcant, and his tendency is to come down from the heights, where everything can be seen in perspective. God, however, does not have this tendency. The Supreme Lord is not subject to falling down into illusion (''māyā''), any more than the sun is subject to falling beneath the clouds. Impersonalist philosophers (Māyāvādīs) maintain that because we fall under the control of ''māyā'' when we come into this material world, God must also fall under ''māyā’s'' control. This is the fallacy of their philosophy.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu should therefore not be considered one of us. He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the supreme living entity, and as such He never comes under the cloud of ''māyā''. Kṛṣṇa, His expansions and even His higher devotees never fall into the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya came to earth simply to preach ''kṛṣṇa-bhakti'', love of Kṛṣṇa. In other words, He is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself teaching the living entities the proper way to approach Kṛṣṇa. He is like a teacher who, seeing a student doing poorly, takes up a pencil and writes, saying, “Do it like this: A, B, C.” From this one should not foolishly think that the teacher is learning his ABC’s. Similarly, although Lord Caitanya appears in the guise of a devotee, we should not foolishly think He is an ordinary human being; we should always remember that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa (God) Himself teaching us how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and we must study Him in that light.

In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 18.66 (1972)|18.66]]) Lord Kṛṣṇa says, “Give up all your nonsense and surrender to Me. I will protect you.”

We say, “Oh, surrender? But I have so many responsibilities.”

And ''māyā'', illusion, says to us, “Don’t do it, or you’ll be out of my clutches. Just stay in my clutches, and I’ll kick you.”

It is a fact that we are constantly being kicked by ''māyā'', just as the male ass is kicked in the face by the she-ass when he comes for sex. Similarly, cats and dogs are always fighting and whining when they have sex. Even an elephant in the jungle is caught by the use of a trained she-elephant who leads him into a pit. We should learn by observing these tricks of nature.

''Māyā'' has many ways to entrap us, and her strongest shackle is the female. Of course, in actuality we are neither male nor female, for these designations refer only to the outer dress, the body. We are all actually Kṛṣṇa’s servants. But in conditioned life we are shackled by iron chains in the form of beautiful women. Thus every male is bound by sex, and therefore one who wishes to gain liberation from the material clutches must first learn to control the sex urge. Unrestricted sex puts one fully in the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu officially renounced this illusion at the age of twenty-four, although His wife was sixteen and His mother seventy and He was the only male in the family. Although He was a ''brāhmaṇa'' and was not rich, He took ''sannyāsa'', the renounced order of life, and thus extricated Himself from family entanglement.

If we wish to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, we have to give up the shackles of ''māyā''. Or, if we remain with ''māyā'', we should live in such a way that we will not be subject to illusion, as did the many householders among Lord Caitanya’s closest devotees. With His followers in the renounced order, however, Lord Caitanya was very strict. He even banished Junior Haridāsa, an important ''kīrtana'' leader, for glancing lustfully at a woman. The Lord told him, “You are living with Me in the renounced order, and yet you are looking at a woman with lust.” Other devotees of the Lord had appealed to Him to forgive Haridāsa, but He replied, “All of you can forgive him and live with him. I shall live alone.” On the other hand, when the Lord learned that the wife of one of His householder devotees was pregnant, He asked that the baby be given a certain auspicious name. So while the Lord approved of householders having regulated sex, He was like a thunderbolt with those in the renounced order who tried to cheat by the method known as “drinking water under water while bathing on a fast day.” In other words, He tolerated no hypocrisy among His followers.

From the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' we learn how Lord Caitanya taught people to break the shackles of ''māyā'' and become immortal. Thus, as mentioned above, the title may be properly translated as “the character of the living force in immortality.” The supreme living force is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is also the supreme entity. There are innumerable living entities, and all of them are individuals. This is very easy to understand: We are all individual in our thoughts and desires, and the Supreme Lord is also an individual person. He is different, though, in that He is the leader, the one whom no one can excel. Among the minute living entities, one being can excel another in one capacity or another. Like each of these living entities, the Lord is an individual, but He is different in that He is the supreme individual. God is also infallible, and thus in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' He is addressed as Acyuta, which means “He who never falls down.” This name is appropriate because in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' Arjuna falls into illusion but Kṛṣṇa does not. Kṛṣṇa Himself reveals His infallibility when he says to Arjuna, “When I appear in this world, I do so by My own internal potency.” ([[BG 4.6 (1972)|Bg. 4.6]])

Thus we should not think that Kṛṣṇa is overpowered by the material potency when He is in the material world. Neither Kṛṣṇa nor His incarnations ever come under the control of material nature. They are totally free. Indeed, in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' one who has a godly nature is actually defined as one who is not affected by the modes of material nature although in material nature. If even a devotee can attain this freedom, then what to speak of the Supreme Lord?

The real question is, How can we remain unpolluted by material contamination while in the material world? Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains that we can remain uncontaminated while in the world if we simply make it our ambition to serve Kṛṣṇa. One may then justifiably ask, “How can I serve?” It is not simply a matter of meditation, which is just an activity of the mind, but of performing practical work for Kṛṣṇa. In such work, we should leave no resource unused. Whatever is there, whatever we have, should be used for Kṛṣṇa. We can use everything—typewriters, automobiles, airplanes, missiles. If we simply speak to people about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are also rendering service. If our mind, senses, speech, money and energies are thus engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then we are no longer in material nature. By virtue of spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we transcend the platform of material nature. It is a fact that Kṛṣṇa, His expansions and His devotees—that is, those who work for Him—are not in material nature, although people with a poor fund of knowledge think that they are.

The ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' teaches that the spirit soul is immortal and that our activities in the spiritual world are also immortal. The Māyāvādīs, who hold the view that the Absolute is impersonal and formless, contend that a realized soul has no need to talk. But the Vaiṣṇavas, devotees of Kṛṣṇa, contend that when one reaches the stage of realization, he really begins to talk. “Previously we only talked of nonsense,” the Vaiṣṇava says. “Now let us begin our real talks, talks of Kṛṣṇa.” In support of their view that the self-realized remain silent, the Māyāvādīs are fond of using the example of the waterpot, maintaining that when a pot is not filled with water it makes a sound, but that when it is filled it makes no sound. But are we waterpots? How can we be compared to them? A good analogy utilizes as many similarities between two objects as possible. A waterpot is not an active living force, but we are. Ever-silent meditation may be adequate for a waterpot, but not for us. Indeed, when a devotee realizes how much he has to say about Kṛṣṇa, twenty-four hours in a day are not sufficient. It is the fool who is celebrated as long as he does not speak, for when he breaks his silence his lack of knowledge is exposed. The ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' shows that there are many wonderful things to discover by glorifying the Supreme.

In the beginning of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'', Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī writes, “I offer my respects to my spiritual masters.” He uses the plural here to indicate the disciplic succession. He offers obeisances not to his spiritual master alone but to the whole ''paramparā'', the chain of disciplic succession beginning with Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Thus the author addresses the guru in the plural to show the highest respect for all his predecessor spiritual masters. After offering obeisances to the disciplic succession, the author pays obeisances to all other devotees, to the Lord Himself, to His incarnations, to the expansions of Godhead and to the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s internal energy. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu (sometimes called Kṛṣṇa Caitanya) is the embodiment of all of these: He is God, guru, devotee, incarnation, internal energy and expansion of God. As His associate Nityānanda, He is the first expansion of God; as Advaita, He is an incarnation; as Gadādhara, He is the internal potency; and as Śrīvāsa, He is the marginal living entity in the role of a devotee. Thus Kṛṣṇa should not be thought of as being alone but should be considered as eternally existing with all His manifestations, as described by Rāmānujācārya. In the Viśiṣṭādvaita philosophy, God’s energies, expansions and incarnations are considered to be oneness in diversity. In other words, God is not separate from all of these: everything together is God.

Actually, the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' is not intended for the novice, for it is the postgraduate study of spiritual knowledge. Ideally, one begins with the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' and advances through ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' to the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta''. Although all these great scriptures are on the same absolute level, for the sake of comparative study the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' is considered to be on the highest platform. Every verse in it is perfectly composed.

In the second verse of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'', the author offers his obeisances to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda. He compares Them to the sun and the moon because They dissipate the darkness of the material world. In this instance the sun and the moon have risen together.

In the Western world, where the glories of Lord Caitanya are relatively unknown, one may inquire, “Who is Kṛṣṇa Caitanya?” The author of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'', Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, answers that question in the third verse of his book. Generally, in the ''Upaniṣads'' the Supreme Absolute Truth is described in an impersonal way, but the personal aspect of the Absolute Truth is mentioned in the ''Īśopaniṣad'', where we find the following verse:

''hiraṇmayena pātreṇa''   ''satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham''

''tat tvaṁ pūṣann apāvṛṇu''   ''satya-dharmāya dṛṣṭaye''

“O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.” ([[ISO 15|''Śrī Īśopaniṣad'' 15]]).

The impersonalists do not have the power to go beyond the effulgence of God and arrive at the Personality of Godhead, from whom this effulgence is emanating.

The ''Īśopaniṣad'' is a hymn to that Personality of Godhead. It is not that the impersonal Brahman is denied; it is also described, but that Brahman is revealed to be the glaring effulgence of the body of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And in the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' we learn that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself. In other words, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is the basis of the impersonal Brahman. The Paramātmā, or Supersoul, who is present within the heart of every living entity and within every atom of the universe, is but the partial representation of Lord Caitanya. Therefore Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, being the basis of both Brahman and the all-pervading Paramātmā as well, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As such, He is full in six opulences: wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. In short, we should know that He is Kṛṣṇa, God, and that nothing is equal to or greater than Him. There is nothing superior to be conceived. He is the Supreme Person.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, a confidential devotee taught for more than ten days continually by Lord Caitanya, wrote:

:''namo mahā-vadānyāya''   ''kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te''
:''kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-''   ''nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ''
:([[CC Madhya 19.53|Cc. Madhya 19.53]])

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is more magnanimous than any other ''avatāra'', even Kṛṣṇa Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given—pure love of Kṛṣṇa.”

Lord Caitanya’s teachings begin from the point of surrender to Kṛṣṇa. He does not pursue the paths of ''karma-yoga'' or ''jñāna-yoga'' or ''haṭha-yoga'' but begins at the end of material existence, at the point where one gives up all material attachment. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' Kṛṣṇa begins His teachings by distinguishing the soul from matter, and in the Eighteenth Chapter He concludes at the point where the soul surrenders to Him in devotion. The Māyāvādīs would have all talk cease there, but at that point the real discussion only begins. As the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' says at the very beginning, ''athāto brahma-jijñāsā:'' “Now let us begin to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth.” Rūpa Gosvāmī thus praises Lord Caitanya as the most munificent incarnation of all, for He gives the greatest gift by teaching the highest form of devotional service. In other words, He answers the most important inquiries that anyone can make.

There are different stages of devotional service and God realization. Strictly speaking, anyone who accepts the existence of God is situated in devotional service. To acknowledge that God is great is something, but not much. Lord Caitanya, preaching as an ''ācārya'', a great teacher, taught that we can enter into a relationship with God and actually become God’s friend, parent or lover. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' Kṛṣṇa showed Arjuna His universal form because Arjuna was His very dear friend. Upon seeing Kṛṣṇa as the Lord of the universes, however, Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa to forgive the familiarity of his friendship. Lord Caitanya goes beyond this point. Through Lord Caitanya we can become friends with Kṛṣṇa, and there will be no limit to this friendship. We can become friends of Kṛṣṇa not in awe or adoration but in complete freedom. We can even relate to God as His father or mother. This is the philosophy not only of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' but of ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' as well. There are no other scriptures in the world in which God is treated as the son of a devotee. Usually God is seen as the almighty father who supplies the demands of His sons. The great devotees, however, sometimes treat God as a son in their execution of devotional service. The son demands, and the father and mother supply, and in supplying Kṛṣṇa the devotee becomes like a father or mother. Instead of taking from God, we give to God. It was in this relationship that Kṛṣṇa’s mother, Yaśodā, told the Lord, “Here, eat this or You’ll die. Eat nicely.” In this way Kṛṣṇa, although the proprietor of everything, depends on the mercy of His devotee. This is a uniquely high level of friendship, in which the devotee actually believes himself to be the father or mother of Kṛṣṇa.

However, Lord Caitanya’s greatest gift was His teaching that Kṛṣṇa can be treated as one’s lover. In this relationship the Lord becomes so much attached to His devotee that He expresses His inability to reciprocate. Kṛṣṇa was so obliged to the ''gopīs'', the cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana, that He felt unable to return their love. “I cannot repay your love,” He told them. “I have no more assets to give.” Devotional service on this highest, most excellent platform of lover and beloved, which had never been given by any previous incarnation or ''ācārya'', was given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, quoting Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, writes in the fourth verse of his book, “Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa in a yellow complexion, and He is Śacīnandana, the son of mother Śacī. He is the most charitable personality because He came to deliver ''kṛṣṇa-prema'', unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa, to everyone. May you always keep Him in your hearts. It will be easy to understand Kṛṣṇa through Him.”

We have often heard the phrase “love of Godhead.” How far this love of Godhead can actually be developed can be learned from the Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Theoretical knowledge of love of God can be found in many places and in many scriptures, but what that love of Godhead actually is and how it is developed can be found in the Vaiṣṇava literatures. It is the unique and highest development of love of God that is given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Even in this material world we can have a little sense of love. How is this possible? It is due to the presence of our original love of God. Whatever we find within our experience within this conditioned life is situated in the Supreme Lord, who is the ultimate source of everything. In our original relationship with the Supreme Lord there is real love, and that love is reflected pervertedly through material conditions. Our real love is continuous and unending, but because that love is reflected pervertedly in this material world, it lacks continuity and is inebriating. If we want real, transcendental love, we have to transfer our love to the supreme lovable object—Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the basic principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

In material consciousness we are trying to love that which is not at all lovable. We give our love to cats and dogs, running the risk that at the time of death we may think of them and consequently take birth in a family of cats or dogs. Our consciousness at the time of death determines our next life. That is one reason why the Vedic scriptures stress the chastity of women: If a woman is very much attached to her husband, at the time of death she will think of him, and in the next life she will be promoted to a man’s body. Generally a man’s life is better than a woman’s because a man usually has better facilities for understanding the spiritual science.

But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that it makes no distinction between man and woman. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 9.32 (1972)|9.32]]), Lord Kṛṣṇa says, “Anyone who takes shelter of Me—whether a woman, ''śūdra'', ''vaiśya'' or someone of low birth—is sure to achieve My association.” This is Kṛṣṇa’s guarantee.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu informs us that in every country and in every scripture there is some hint of love of Godhead. But no one knows what love of Godhead actually is. The Vedic scriptures, however, are different in that they can direct the individual in the proper way to love God. Other scriptures do not give information on how one can love God, nor do they actually define or describe what or who the Godhead actually is. Although they officially promote love of Godhead, they have no idea how to execute it. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives a practical demonstration of how to love God in a conjugal relationship. Taking the part of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu tried to love Kṛṣṇa as Rādhārāṇī loved Him. Kṛṣṇa was always amazed by Rādhārāṇīs love. “How does Rādhārāṇī give Me such pleasure?” He would ask. In order to study Rādhārāṇī, Kṛṣṇa lived in Her role and tried to understand Himself. This is the secret of Lord Caitanya’s incarnation. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, but He has taken the mood and role of Rādhārāṇī to show us how to love Kṛṣṇa. Thus the author writes in the fifth verse, “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, who is absorbed in Rādhārāṇīs thoughts.”

This brings up the question of who Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is and what Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is. Actually Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is the exchange of love—but not ordinary love. Kṛṣṇa has immense potencies, of which three are principal: the internal, the external and the marginal potencies. In the internal potency there are three divisions: ''samvit'', ''hlādinī'' and ''sandhinī''. The ''hlādinī'' potency is Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure potency. All living entities have this pleasure-seeking potency, for all beings are trying to have pleasure. This is the very nature of the living entity. At present we are trying to enjoy our pleasure potency by means of the body in the material condition. By bodily contact we are attempting to derive pleasure from material sense objects. But we should not entertain the nonsensical idea that Kṛṣṇa, who is always spiritual, also tries to seek pleasure on this material plane. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' Kṛṣṇa describes the material universe as a nonpermanent place full of miseries. Why, then, would He seek pleasure in matter? He is the Supersoul, the supreme spirit, and His pleasure is beyond the material conception.

To learn how Kṛṣṇa enjoys pleasure, we must study the first nine cantos of ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', and then we should study the Tenth Canto, in which Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure potency is displayed in His pastimes with Rādhārāṇī and the damsels of Vraja. Unfortunately, unintelligent people turn at once to the sports of Kṛṣṇa in the ''Daśama-skandha'', the Tenth Canto. Kṛṣṇa’s embracing Rādhārāṇī or His dancing with the cowherd girls in the ''rāsa'' dance are generally not understood by ordinary men, because they consider these pastimes in the light of mundane lust. They foolishly think that Kṛṣṇa is like themselves and that He embraces the ''gopīs'' just as an ordinary man embraces a young girl. Some people thus become interested in Kṛṣṇa because they think that His religion allows indulgence in sex. This is not ''kṛṣṇa-bhakti'', love of Kṛṣṇa, but ''prākṛta-sahajiyā''—materialistic lust.

To avoid such errors, we should understand what Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa actually is. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa display Their pastimes through Kṛṣṇa’s internal energy. The pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa’s internal energy is a most difficult subject matter, and unless one understands what Kṛṣṇa is, one cannot understand it. Kṛṣṇa does not take any pleasure in this material world, but He has a pleasure potency. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the pleasure potency is within us also, but we are trying to exhibit that pleasure potency in matter. Kṛṣṇa, however, does not make such a vain attempt. The object of Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure potency is Rādhārāṇī; Kṛṣṇa exhibits His potency as Rādhārāṇī and then engages in loving affairs with Her. In other words, Kṛṣṇa does not take pleasure in this external energy but exhibits His internal energy, His pleasure potency, as Rādhārāṇī and then enjoys with Her. Thus Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself as Rādhārāṇī in order to enjoy His internal pleasure potency. Of the many extensions, expansions and incarnations of the Lord, this pleasure potency is the foremost and chief.

It is not that Rādhārāṇī is separate from Kṛṣṇa. Rādhārāṇī is also Kṛṣṇa, for there is no difference between the energy and the energetic. Without energy, there is no meaning to the energetic, and without the energetic, there is no energy. Similarly, without Rādhā there is no meaning to Kṛṣṇa, and without Kṛṣṇa there is no meaning to Rādhā. Because of this, the Vaiṣṇava philosophy first of all pays obeisances to and worships the internal pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord. Thus the Lord and His potency are always referred to as Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, those who worship Nārāyaṇa first of all utter the name of Lakṣmī, as Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. Similarly, those who worship Lord Rāma first of all utter the name of Sītā. In any case—Sītā-Rāma, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa—the potency always comes first.

Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one, and when Kṛṣṇa desires to enjoy pleasure, He manifests Himself as Rādhārāṇī. The spiritual exchange of love between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is the actual display of Kṛṣṇa’s internal pleasure potency. Although we speak of “when” Kṛṣṇa desires, just when He did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this way because in conditioned life we take it that everything has a beginning; however, in spiritual life everything is absolute, and so there is neither beginning nor end. Yet in order to understand that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one and that They also become divided, the question “When?” automatically comes to mind. When Kṛṣṇa desired to enjoy His pleasure potency, He manifested Himself in the separate form of Rādhārāṇī, and when He wanted to understand Himself through the agency of Rādhā, He united with Rādhārāṇī, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya. This is all explained by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja in the fifth verse of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta''.

In the next verse the author further explains why Kṛṣṇa assumed the form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa desired to know the glory of Rādhās love. “Why is She so much in love with Me?” Kṛṣṇa asked. “What is My special qualification that attracts Her so? And what is the actual way in which She loves Me?” It seems strange that Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme, should be attracted by anyone’s love. A man searches after the love of a woman because he is imperfect—he lacks something. The love of a woman, that potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and therefore a man wants a woman. But this is not the case with Kṛṣṇa, who is full in Himself. Thus Kṛṣṇa expressed surprise: “Why am I attracted by Rādhārāṇī? And when Rādhārāṇī feels My love, what is She actually feeling?” To taste the essence of that loving exchange, Kṛṣṇa made His appearance in the same way that the moon appears on the horizon of the sea. Just as the moon was produced by the churning of the sea, by the churning of spiritual loving affairs the moon of Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared. Indeed, Lord Caitanya’s complexion was golden, just like the luster of the moon. Although this is figurative language, it conveys the meaning behind the appearance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The full significance of His appearance will be explained in later chapters.

After offering respects to Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja begins offering them to Lord Nityānanda in the seventh verse of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta''. The author explains that Lord Nityānanda is Balarāma, who is the origin of Mahā-viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa’s first expansion is Balarāma, a portion of whom is manifested as Saṅkarṣaṇa, who then expands as Pradyumna. In this way so many expansions take place. Although there are many expansions, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the origin, as confirmed in the ''Brahma-saṁhitā''. He is like the original candle, from which many thousands and millions of candles are lit. Although any number of candles can be lit, the original candle still retains its identity as the origin. In this way Kṛṣṇa expands Himself into so many forms, and all these expansions are called ''viṣṇu-tattva''. Viṣṇu is a large light, and we are small lights, but all are expansions of Kṛṣṇa.

When it is necessary to create the material universes, Viṣṇu expands Himself as Mahā-viṣṇu. Mahā-viṣṇu lies down in the Causal Ocean and breathes all the universes from His nostrils. Thus from Mahā-viṣṇu and the Causal Ocean spring all the universes, and all these universes, including ours, float in the Causal Ocean. In this regard there is the story of Vāmana, who, when He took three steps, stuck His foot through the covering of this universe. Water from the Causal Ocean flowed through the hole that His foot made, and it is said that that water became the river Ganges. Therefore the Ganges is accepted as the most sacred water of Viṣṇu and is worshiped by all Hindus, from the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal.

Mahā-viṣṇu is actually an expansion of Balarāma, who is Kṛṣṇa’s first expansion and, in the Vṛndāvana pastimes, His brother. In the ''mahā-mantra''—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—the word “Rāma” refers to Balarāma. Since Lord Nityānanda is Balarāma, “Rāma” also refers to Lord Nityānanda. Thus Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma addresses not only Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma but Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda as well.

The subject matter of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' deals primarily with what is beyond this material creation. The cosmic material expansion is called ''māyā'', illusion, because it has no eternal existence. Because it is sometimes manifested and sometimes not, it is regarded as illusory. But beyond this temporary manifestation is a higher nature, as indicated in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 8.20 (1972)|8.20]]):

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

“Yet there is another unmanifested 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.”

The material world has a manifested state (''vyakta'') and a potential, unmanifested state (''avyakta''). The supreme nature is beyond both the manifested and the unmanifested material nature. This superior nature can be understood as the living force, which is present in the bodies of all living creatures. The body itself is composed of inferior nature, matter, but it is the superior nature that is moving the body. The symptom of that superior nature is consciousness. Thus in the spiritual world, where everything is composed of the superior nature, everything is conscious. In the material world there are inanimate objects that are not conscious, but in the spiritual world nothing is inanimate. There a table is conscious, the land is conscious, the trees are conscious—everything is conscious.

It is not possible to imagine how far this material manifestation extends. In the material world everything is calculated by imagination or by some imperfect method, but the Vedic literatures give real information of what lies beyond the material universe. Since it is not possible to obtain information of anything beyond this material nature by experimental means, those who believe only in experimental knowledge may doubt the Vedic conclusions, for such people cannot even calculate how far this universe extends, nor can they reach far into the universe itself. That which is beyond our power of conception is called ''acintya'', inconceivable. It is useless to argue or speculate about the inconceivable. If something is truly inconceivable, it is not subject to speculation or experimentation. Our energy is limited, and our sense perception is limited; therefore we must rely on the Vedic conclusions regarding that subject matter which is inconceivable. Knowledge of the superior nature must simply be accepted without argument. How is it possible to argue about something to which we have no access? The method for understanding transcendental subject matter is given by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', where Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna at the beginning of the Fourth Chapter:

:''imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ''   ''proktavān aham avyayam''
:''vivasvān manave prāha''   ''manur ikṣvākave ’bravīt''

“I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.” ([[BG 4.1 (1972)|Bg. 4.1]])

This is the method of ''paramparā'', or disciplic succession. Similarly, ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' explains that Kṛṣṇa imparted knowledge into the heart of Brahmā, the first created being within the universe. Brahmā imparted those lessons to his disciple Nārada, and Nārada imparted that knowledge to his disciple Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva imparted it to Madhvācārya, and from Madhvācārya the knowledge came down to Mādhavendra Purī and then to Īśvara Purī, and from him to Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

One may ask that if Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, then why did He need a spiritual master? Of course, He did not need a spiritual master, but because He was playing the role of ''ācārya'' (one who teaches by example), He accepted a spiritual master. Even Kṛṣṇa Himself accepted a spiritual master, for that is the system. In this way the Lord sets the example for men. We should not think, however, that the Lord takes a spiritual master because He is in want of knowledge. He is simply stressing the importance of accepting the disciplic succession. The knowledge of that disciplic succession actually comes from the Lord Himself, and if the knowledge descends unbroken, it is perfect. Although we may not be in touch with the original personality who first imparted the knowledge, we may receive the same knowledge through this process of transmission. In ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' it is stated that Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, transmitted transcendental knowledge into the heart of Brahmā. This, then, is one way knowledge is received—through the heart. Thus there are two processes by which one may receive knowledge: One depends directly upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated as the Supersoul within the heart of all living entities, and the other depends upon the guru, or spiritual master, who is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Thus Kṛṣṇa transmits information both from within and from without. We simply have to receive it. If knowledge is received in this way, it doesn’t matter whether it is inconceivable or not.

In ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' there is a great deal of information given about the Vaikuṇṭha planetary systems, which are beyond the material universe. Similarly, a great deal of inconceivable information is given in the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta''. Any attempt to arrive at this information through experimental knowledge will fail. The knowledge simply has to be accepted. According to the Vedic method, ''śabda'', or transcendental sound, is regarded as evidence. Sound is very important in Vedic understanding, for if it is pure it is accepted as authoritative. Even in the material world we accept a great deal of information sent thousands of miles by telephone or radio. In this way we also accept sound as evidence in our daily lives. Although we cannot see the informant, we accept his information as valid on the basis of sound. Sound vibration, then, is very important in the transmission of Vedic knowledge.

The ''Vedas'' inform us that beyond this cosmic manifestation there are extensive planets in the spiritual sky. This material manifestation is regarded as only a small portion of the total creation. The material manifestation includes not only this universe but innumerable others as well, but all the material universes combined constitute only one fourth of the total creation. The remaining three fourths is situated in the spiritual sky. In that sky innumerable planets float, and these are called Vaikuṇṭhalokas. In every Vaikuṇṭhaloka, Nārāyaṇa presides with His four expansions: Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Vāsudeva. This Saṅkarṣaṇa, states Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja in the eighth verse of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'', is Lord Nityānanda.

As stated before, it is in His form as Mahā-viṣṇu that the Lord manifests the material universes. Just as a husband and wife combine to beget offspring, Mahā-viṣṇu combines with His wife māyā, or material nature. This is confirmed in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' ([[BG 14.4 (1972)|14.4]]), where Kṛṣṇa states:

:''sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya''   ''mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ''
:''tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir''   ''ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā''
:([[BG 14.4 (1972)|Bg. 14.4]])

“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.” Viṣṇu impregnates ''māyā'', the material nature, simply by glancing at her. This is the spiritual method. Materially we are limited to impregnating by only one particular part of our body, but the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa or Mahā-viṣṇu, can impregnate by any part. Simply by glancing, the Lord can conceive countless living entities in the womb of material nature. The ''Brahma-saṁhitā'' confirms that the spiritual body of the Supreme Lord is so powerful that any part of His body can perform the functions of any other part. We can touch only with our hands or skin, but Kṛṣṇa can touch just by glancing. We can see only with our eyes; we cannot touch or smell with them. Kṛṣṇa, however, can smell and also eat with His eyes. When food is offered to Kṛṣṇa, we do not see Him eating, but He eats simply by glancing at the food. We cannot imagine how things work in the spiritual world, where everything is spiritual. It is not that Kṛṣṇa does not eat or that we imagine that He eats; He actually eats, but His eating is different from ours. Our eating process will be similar to His when we are completely on the spiritual platform. On that platform every part of the body can act on behalf of any other part.

Viṣṇu does not require anything in order to create. He does not require the goddess Lakṣmī in order to give birth to Brahmā, for Brahmā is born from a lotus flower that grows from the navel of Viṣṇu. The goddess Lakṣmī sits at the feet of Viṣṇu and serves Him. In this material world sex is required to produce children, but in the spiritual world a man can produce as many children as he likes without having to take help from his wife. So there is no sex there. Because we have no experience with spiritual energy, we think that Brahmās birth from the navel of Viṣṇu is simply a fictional story. We are not aware that spiritual energy is so powerful that it can do anything and everything. Material energy is dependent on certain laws, but spiritual energy is fully independent.

Countless universes reside like seeds within the skin pores of Mahā-viṣṇu, and when He exhales, they are all manifested. In the material world we have no experience of such a thing, but we do experience a perverted reflection in the phenomenon of perspiration. We cannot imagine, however, the duration of one breath of Mahā-viṣṇu, for within one breath all the universes are created and annihilated. This is stated in the ''Brahma-saṁhitā''. Lord Brahmā lives only for the duration of one breath, and according to our time scale 4,320,000,000 years constitute only twelve hours for Brahmā, and Brahmā lives one hundred of his years. Yet the whole life of Brahmā is contained within one breath of Mahā-viṣṇu. Thus it is not possible for us to imagine the breathing power of Mahā-viṣṇu, who is but a partial manifestation of Lord Nityānanda. This the author of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' explains in the ninth verse.

In the tenth and eleventh verses Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja describes Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, successive plenary expansions of Mahā-viṣṇu. Brahmā appears upon a lotus growing from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and within the stem of that lotus are so many planetary systems. Then Brahmā creates the whole of human society, animal society—everything. Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu lies on the milk ocean within the universe, of which He is the controller and maintainer. Thus Brahmā is the creator, Viṣṇu is the maintainer, and when the time for annihilation arrives, Śiva will finish everything.

In the first eleven verses of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī thus discusses Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord Nityānanda as Balarāma, the first expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Then in the twelfth and thirteenth verses he describes Advaitācārya, who is another principal associate of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s and an incarnation of Mahā-viṣṇu. Thus Advaitācārya is also the Lord, or, more precisely, an expansion of the Lord. The word ''advaita'' means “nondual,” and His name is such because He is nondifferent from the Supreme Lord. He is also called ''ācārya'', teacher, because He disseminated Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this way He is just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Although Lord Caitanya is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, He appeared as a devotee to teach people in general how to love Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, although Advaitācārya is the Lord, He appeared just to distribute the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus He is also the Lord incarnated as a devotee.

In the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa is manifested in five different features, known as the pañca-tattva, to whom Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja offers his obeisances in the fourteenth verse of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta''. Kṛṣṇa and His associates appear as devotees of the Supreme Lord in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Advaitācārya, Śrī Gadādhara Prabhu and Śrīvāsa Prabhu. In all cases, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the source of energy for all His devotees. Since this is the case, if we take shelter of Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the successful execution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are sure to make progress. In a devotional song, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, “My dear Lord Caitanya, please have mercy upon me. There is no one who is as merciful as You. My plea is most urgent because Your mission is to deliver all fallen souls, and no one is more fallen than I. Therefore I beg priority.”

With verse 15, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī begins offering his obeisances directly to Kṛṣṇa Himself. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja was an inhabitant of Vṛndāvana and a great devotee. He had been living with his family in Katwa, a small town in the district of Burdwan, in Bengal. He worshiped Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with his family, and once when there was some misunderstanding among his family members about devotional service, he was advised by Nityānanda Prabhu in a dream to leave home and go to Vṛndāvana. Although he was very old, he started out that very night and went to live in Vṛndāvana. While he was there, he met some of the Six Gosvāmīs, the principal disciples of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was requested to write the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' by the devotees of Vṛndāvana. Although he began this work at a very old age, by the grace of Lord Caitanya he finished it. Today it remains the most authoritative book on Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s philosophy and life.

When Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī was living in Vṛndāvana, there were not very many temples. At that time the three principal temples were those of Madana-mohana, Govindajī and Gopīnātha. As a resident of Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja offers his respects to the Deities in these temples and requests God’s favor: “My progress in spiritual life is very slow, so I’m asking Your help.” In the fifteenth verse of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'', Kṛṣṇadāsa offers his obeisances to the Madana-mohana ''vigraha'', the Deity who can help us progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the execution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our first business is to know Kṛṣṇa and our relationship with Him. To know Kṛṣṇa is to know one’s self, and to know one’s self is to know one’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Since this relationship can be learned by worshiping the Madana-mohana ''vigraha'', Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī first establishes his relationship with Him.

When this is established, in the sixteenth verse Kṛṣṇadāsa offers his obeisances to the functional Deity, Govinda. The Govinda Deity is called the functional Deity because He shows us how to serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The Madana-mohana Deity simply establishes that “I am Your eternal servant.” With Govinda, however, there is actual acceptance of service. Govinda resides eternally in Vṛndāvana. In the spiritual world of Vṛndāvana the buildings are made of touchstone, the cows are known as ''surabhi'' cows, givers of abundant milk, and the trees are known as wish-fulfilling trees, for they yield whatever one desires. In Vṛndāvana Kṛṣṇa herds the ''surabhi'' cows, and He is worshiped by hundreds and thousands of ''gopīs'', cowherd girls, who are all goddesses of fortune. When Kṛṣṇa descends to the material world, this same Vṛndāvana descends with Him, just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Because when Kṛṣṇa comes His land also comes, Vṛndāvana is considered to exist beyond the material world. Therefore devotees take shelter of the Vṛndāvana in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original Vṛndāvana. Although one may complain that no ''kalpa-vṛkṣa'', wish-fulfilling trees, exist there, when the Six Gosvāmīs were there, ''kalpa-vṛkṣa'' were present. It is not that one can simply go to such a tree and make demands; one must first become a devotee. The Gosvāmīs would live under a tree for one night only, and the trees would satisfy all their desires. For the common man this may all seem very wonderful, but as one makes progress in devotional service, all this can be realized.

Vṛndāvana is actually experienced as it is by persons who have stopped trying to derive pleasure from material enjoyment. “When will my mind become cleansed of all hankering for material enjoyment so I will be able to see Vṛndāvana?” one great devotee asks. The more Kṛṣṇa conscious we become and the more we advance, the more everything is revealed as spiritual. Thus Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī considered the Vṛndāvana in India to be as good as the Vṛndāvana in the spiritual sky, and in the sixteenth verse of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' he describes Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa as seated beneath a wish-fulfilling tree in Vṛndāvana, on a throne decorated with valuable jewels. There Kṛṣṇa’s dear ''gopī'' friends serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa by singing, dancing, offering betel nuts and refreshments, and decorating Their Lordships with flowers. Even today in India people decorate swinging thrones and re-create this scene during the month of July–August. Generally at that time people go to Vṛndāvana to offer their respects to the Deities there.

Finally Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī offers his blessings to his readers in the name of the Gopīnātha Deity, who is Kṛṣṇa as master and proprietor of the ''gopīs''. When Kṛṣṇa played upon His flute, all the ''gopīs'', or cowherd girls, were attracted by the sound and left their household duties, and when they came to Him, He danced with them. These activities are all described in the Tenth Canto of ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam''. These ''gopīs'' were childhood friends of Kṛṣṇa, and many were married, for in India the girls are generally married by the age of twelve. The boys, however, are not married before eighteen, so Kṛṣṇa, who was fifteen or sixteen at the time, was not married. Nonetheless, He called these girls from their homes and invited them to dance with Him. That dance is called the ''rāsa-līlā'' dance, and it is the most elevated of all the Vṛndāvana pastimes. Kṛṣṇa is therefore called Gopīnātha because He is the beloved master of the ''gopīs''.

Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī petitions the blessings of Lord Gopīnātha: “May that Gopīnātha, the master of the ''gopīs'', Kṛṣṇa, bless you. May you become blessed by Gopīnātha.” The author of the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'' prays that just as Kṛṣṇa attracted the ''gopīs'' by the sweet sound of His flute, He will also attract the reader’s mind by that transcendental vibration.

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[[Category:Nectar of Devotion (1982)|N47]]
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'''Compassion'''

When the ecstasy of devotional service produces some kind of lamentation in connection with Kṛṣṇa, it is called devotional service in compassion. The impetuses for this devotional service are Kṛṣṇa's transcendental quality, form and activities. In this ecstasy of devotional service there are sometimes symptoms like regret, heavy breathing, crying, falling on the ground and beating upon one's chest. Sometimes symptoms like laziness, frustration, defamation, humility, anxiety, moroseness, eagerness, restlessness, madness, death, forgetfulness, disease and illusion are also visible. When in the heart of a devotee there is expectation of some mishap to Kṛṣṇa it is called devotional service in bereavement. Such bereavement is another symptom of this devotional service in compassion.

In ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', [[SB 10.16.10|Tenth Canto, Sixteenth Chapter, verse 10]], there is the following description. When Kṛṣṇa was chastising the Kāliya-nāga in the Yamunā, the big snake wrapped his coils all over Kṛṣṇa's body, and upon seeing Kṛṣṇa in this situation, all His dear cowherd friends became greatly disturbed. Out of bereavement, distress and fear, they became bewildered and began to fall on the ground. Because the cowherd boys were under the illusion that Kṛṣṇa could be in some mishap, their symptoms are not at all astonishing; they had dedicated their friendship, their possessions, their desires and their very selves to Kṛṣṇa.

When Kṛṣṇa entered the Yamunā River, which had become very poisonous from the presence of Kāliya, mother Yaśodā feared all kinds of mishaps, and she was breathing hotly. Tears from her eyes were soaking her clothes, and she was almost collapsing.

Similarly, when the Śaṅkhāsura demon was attacking Kṛṣṇa's queens one after another, Lord Baladeva became more and more bluish.

In the ''Haṁsadūta'', the following incident is described. The ''gopīs'' requested Haṁsadūta to search after the marks of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet and to accept them as Lord Brahmā had accepted them on his helmet after he had stolen all Kṛṣṇa's cowherd boys. Regretting his challenge to Kṛṣṇa, Lord Brahmā had bowed down before the Lord, and his helmet became marked with the footprints of Kṛṣṇa. The ''gopīs'' reminded Haṁsadūta that sometimes even the great sage Nārada becomes very ecstatic by seeing these footprints, and sometimes great liberated sages also aspire to see them. "You should therefore seek very enthusiastically to find the footprints of Kṛṣṇa," they urged. This is another instance of devotional service in compassion.

There is an instance when Sahadeva, the younger brother of Nakula, became greatly gladdened at seeing the effulgent glowing of Kṛṣṇa's footprints. He began to cry and call out, "Mother Mādrī! Where are you now? Father Pāṇḍu! Where are you now? I am very sorry that you are not here to see these footprints of Kṛṣṇa!" This is another instance of devotional service in compassion.

In devotional service without strong attraction to the Lord, there may sometimes be smiling and other symptoms, but never the stress or lamentation that are symptoms of devotional service in compassion. The basic principle of this compassion is always ecstatic love. The apprehension of some mishap to Kṛṣṇa or to His beloved queens, as exhibited by Baladeva and Yudhiṣṭhira, has been explained above. This apprehension is due not exactly to their ignorance of the inconceivable potencies of Kṛṣṇa but to their intense love for Him. This kind of apprehension of some mishap to Kṛṣṇa first of all becomes manifested as an object of lamentation, but gradually it develops into such compassionate loving ecstasy that it turns to another channel and gives transcendental pleasure.

'''Anger'''

In ecstatic loving service to Kṛṣṇa in anger, Kṛṣṇa is always the object. In ''Vidagdha-mādhava'', Second Act, verse 37, Lalitā-gopī expressed her anger, which was caused by Kṛṣṇa, when she addressed Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī thus: "My dear friend, my inner desires have been polluted. Therefore I shall go to the place of Yamarāja. But I am sorry to see that Kṛṣṇa has still not given up His smiling over cheating You. I do not know how You could repose all Your loving propensities upon this lusty young boy from the neighborhood of the cowherds."

After seeing Kṛṣṇa, Jaratī sometimes said, "O You thief of young girls' properties! I can distinctly see the covering garment of my daughter-in-law on Your person." Then she cried very loudly, addressing all the residents of Vṛndāvana to inform them that this son of King Nanda was setting fire to the household life of her daughter-in-law.

Similar ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa in anger was expressed by Rohiṇī-devī when she heard the roaring sound of the two falling ''arjuna'' trees to which Kṛṣṇa had been tied. The whole neighborhood proceeded immediately toward the place where the accident had taken place, and Rohiṇī-devī took the opportunity to rebuke mother Yaśodā as follows: "You may be very expert in giving lessons to your son by binding Him with rope, but don't you look to see if your son is in a dangerous spot? The trees are falling on the ground, and He is simply loitering there!" This expression of Rohiṇī-devī's anger toward Yaśodā is an example of ecstatic love in anger caused by Kṛṣṇa.

Once, while Kṛṣṇa was in the pasturing ground with His cowherd boys, His friends requested Him to go to the Tālavana forest, where Gardabhāsura, a disturbing demon in the shape of an ass, resided. The friends of Kṛṣṇa wanted to eat the fruit from the forest trees, but they could not go because of fear of the demon. Thus they requested Kṛṣṇa to go there and kill Gardabhāsura. After Kṛṣṇa did this, they all returned home, and their report of the day's activity perturbed mother Yaśodā because Kṛṣṇa had been sent alone into such danger in the Tālavana forest. Thus she looked upon the boys with anger.

There is another instance of anger on the part of a friend of Rādhārāṇī's. When Rādhārāṇī was dissatisfied with the behavior of Kṛṣṇa and had stopped talking with Him, Kṛṣṇa was very sorry for Rādhārāṇī's great dissatisfaction, and in order to beg forgiveness, He fell down at Her lotus feet. But even after this, Rādhārāṇī was not satisfied, and She did not talk with Kṛṣṇa. At that time, one of Her friends chastised Her in the following words: "My dear friend, You are allowing Yourself to be churned by the rod of dissatisfaction, so what can I say unto You? The only advice I can give You is that You had better leave this scene immediately, because Your misbehavior is giving me too much pain. I cannot bear to see Your behavior, because even though Kṛṣṇa's peacock feather has touched Your feet, You still appear to be red-faced."

The above attitudes of dissatisfaction and anger in devotional service are called ''īrṣyu''.

When Akrūra was leaving Vṛndāvana, some of the elderly ''gopīs'' rebuked him as follows: "O son of Gāndinī, your cruelty is defaming the dynasty of King Yadu. You are taking Kṛṣṇa away, keeping us in such a pitiable condition without Him. Now, even before you have left, the life air of all the ''gopīs'' has practically disappeared."

When Kṛṣṇa was insulted by Śiśupāla in the assembly of the Rājasūya ''yajña'' convened by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, there was a great turmoil among the Pāṇḍavas and Kurus, involving grandfather Bhīṣma. At that time Nakula said with great anger, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the nails of His toes are beautified by the light emanating from the jeweled helmets of the authorities of the ''Vedas''. If He is derided by anyone, I declare herewith as a Pāṇḍava that I will kick his helmet with my left foot and I will strike him with my arrows, which are as good as ''yama-daṇḍa'', the scepter of Yamarāja!" This is an instance of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa in anger.

In such a transcendental angry mood sometimes sarcastic remarks, unfavorable glances and insulting words are exhibited. Sometimes there are other symptoms, like rubbing of the two hands, clacking of the teeth, clamping of the lips, moving of the eyebrows, scratching of the arms, lowering of the head, rapid breathing, uttering of strong words, nodding of the head, yellowishness at the corners of the eyes, and trembling lips. Sometimes the eyes turn red, and sometimes they fade. And there are sometimes chastisement and silence. All these symptoms of anger may be divided into two parts: constitutional and unconstitutional, or permanent and temporary symptoms. Sometimes great emotion, bewilderment, pride, frustration, illusion, impotence, jealousy, dexterity, negligence and signs of hard labor are also manifest as unconstitutional symptoms.

In all these humors of ecstatic love, the feeling of anger is accepted as the steady factor.

When Jarāsandha angrily attacked the city of Mathurā, he looked at Kṛṣṇa with sarcastic glances. At that time Baladeva took up His plow weapon and gazed upon Jarāsandha with colored eyes.

There is a statement in the ''Vidagdha-mādhava'' wherein Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, in an angry mood, addressed Her mother, Paurṇamāsī, after she had accused Rādhārāṇī of going to Kṛṣṇa. "My dear mother," Rādhā declared, "what can I say to you? Kṛṣṇa is so cruel that He often attacks Me on the street, and if I want to cry out very loudly, this boy with a peacock feather on His head immediately covers My face so that I cannot cry. And if I want to go away from the scene because I am afraid of Him, He will immediately spread His arms to block My path. If I piteously fall down at His feet, then this enemy of the Madhu demon, in an angry mood, bites My face! Mother, just try to understand My situation, and don't be unnecessarily angry with Me. Instead, please tell Me how I can save Myself from these terrible attacks of Kṛṣṇa!"

Sometimes among contemporary personalities there are signs of ecstasy in anger because of love for Kṛṣṇa. An example of such anger was exhibited in a quarrel between Jaṭilā and Mukharā. Jaṭilā was the mother-in-law of Rādhārāṇī, and Mukharā was Her great-grandmother. Both of them were talking about Kṛṣṇa's unnecessary harassment of Rādhārāṇī when She was walking on the street. Jaṭilā said, "You cruel-faced Mukharā! By hearing your words my heart feels like it is burning in a fire!" And Mukharā replied, "You sinful Jaṭilā, by hearing your words, there is aching in my head! You cannot give any evidence that Kṛṣṇa has attacked Rādhārāṇī, the daughter of my granddaughter Kīrtidā."

Once, when Rādhārāṇī was taking off the necklace given to Her by Kṛṣṇa, Jaṭilā, her mother-in-law, told a friend, "My dear friend, just see the beautiful necklace that Kṛṣṇa has presented to Rādhārāṇī. She is now holding it, but still She wants to tell us that She has no connection with Kṛṣṇa. This girl's activities have disgraced our whole family!"

Natural jealousy of Kṛṣṇa by persons like Śiśupāla cannot be accepted as ecstatic love in anger with Kṛṣṇa.
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'''Astonishment'''

The ecstasy of astonishment in devotional service is perceived in two ways: directly, by the experience of one's own eyes, and indirectly, by hearing from others.

When Nārada came to see the activities of the Lord at Dvārakā and he saw that Kṛṣṇa was present within every palace in the same body and was engaged in different activities, he was struck with wonder. This is one of the examples of astonishment in devotional service by direct perception. One of the friends of mother Yaśodā said, "Yaśodā, just see the fun! On the one hand, there is your child, who is always captivated by sucking the milk from your breast, and on the other hand there is the great Govardhana Hill, which can obstruct the passing of the clouds. But still, just see how wonderful it is that this great Govardhana Hill is resting on the finger of your child's left hand, just as though it were a toy. Is this not very mysterious?" This statement is another example of astonishment in devotional service by direct perception.

An instance of astonishment in devotional service by indirect perception occurred when Mahārāja Parīkṣit heard from Śukadeva Gosvāmī about Kṛṣṇa's killing Narakāsura, who had been fighting Kṛṣṇa with eleven ''akṣauhiṇī'' divisions of soldiers. Each division of ''akṣauhiṇī'' soldiers contained several thousand elephants, several thousand horses and chariots and several hundreds of thousands of infantry soldiers. Narakāsura possessed eleven such divisions, and all of them were throwing arrows toward Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa killed them all, simply by throwing three arrows from His side. When Mahārāja Parīkṣit heard of this wonderful victory, he immediately rubbed the tears from his eyes and became overwhelmed with joy. This instance is an example of astonishment in devotional service by indirect perception through aural reception.

There is another example of indirect astonishment. Trying to test Kṛṣṇa to see if He were truly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Brahmā stole all the cowherd boys and cows from Him. But after a few seconds, he saw that Kṛṣṇa was still present with all the cows, calves and cowherd boys, exactly in the same way as before. When Lord Brahmā described this incident to his associates on the Satyaloka planet, they all became astonished. Brahmā told them that after taking away all the boys, he saw Kṛṣṇa again playing with the same boys in the same fashion. Their bodily complexion was blackish, almost like Kṛṣṇa's, and they all had four arms. The same calves and cows were still present there, in the same original fashion. Even while describing this incident, Brahmā became almost overwhelmed. "And the most astonishing thing," he added, "was that many other Brahmās from many different universes had also come there to worship Kṛṣṇa and His associates."

Similarly, when there was a forest fire in the Bhāṇḍīravana, Kṛṣṇa instructed His friends to close their eyes tightly, and they all did this. Then when Kṛṣṇa had extinguished the fire, the cowherd boys opened their eyes and saw that they had been relieved from the danger and that their cows and calves were all safe. They began to perceive the wonder of the situation simply by guessing how Kṛṣṇa had saved them. This is another instance of indirect perception causing astonishment in devotional service.

The activities of a person, even if they are not very extraordinary, create an impression of wonder in the heart and mind of the person's friends. But even very wonderful activities performed by a person who is not one's friend will not create any impression. It is because of love that one's wonderful activities create an impression in the mind.

'''Chivalry'''

When on account of love and devotional service for the Lord there is special valorous enthusiasm, the resultant activities are called chivalrous. These chivalrous activities can be manifested in the acts of mock-fighting, giving charity, showing mercy and executing religious principles. By performing chivalrous activities in fighting, one is called ''yuddha-vīra''. By charitable activities one is called ''dāna-vīra''. By showing extraordinary mercy one is called ''dayā-vīra''. And when one is munificent in executing religious rites, he is called ''dharma-vīra''. In all such different chivalrous activities, Kṛṣṇa is the object.

When a friend wants to satisfy Kṛṣṇa by performing some chivalrous activities, the friend becomes the challenger, and Kṛṣṇa Himself becomes the opponent; or else Kṛṣṇa may give audience to the fighting, and by His desire another friend becomes the opponent. A friend once challenged Kṛṣṇa thus: "My dear Mādhava, You are very restless because You think that no one can defeat You. But if You do not flee from here, then I shall show You how I can defeat You. And my friends will be very satisfied to see this!"

Kṛṣṇa and Śrīdāmā were very intimate friends, yet Śrīdāmā, out of anger with Kṛṣṇa, challenged Him. When both of them began to fight, all the friends on the bank of the Yamunā enjoyed the wonderful fighting of the two friends. They prepared some arrows for mock-fighting, and Kṛṣṇa began to throw his arrows at Śrīdāmā. Śrīdāmā began to block these arrows by whirling his pole, and by Śrīdāmā's chivalrous activities, Kṛṣṇa became very satisfied. Such mock-fighting generally takes place among chivalrous persons and creates wonderful excitement for all viewers.

There is a statement in the ''Hari-vaṁśa'' that sometimes Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa fought in the presence of Kuntī, and Arjuna would be defeated by Kṛṣṇa.

In such chivalrous fighting between friends, there is sometimes bragging, complacence, pride, power, taking to weapons, challenging and standing as an opponent. All of these symptoms become impetuses to chivalrous devotional service.

One friend challenged Kṛṣṇa thus: "My dear friend Dāmodara, You are an expert only in eating. You have defeated Subala only because he is weak and You adopted cheating means. Don't advertise Yourself to be a great fighter by such action. You have advertised Yourself as a serpent, and I am the peacock who will now defeat You." The peacock is the ablest enemy of the serpent.

In such fighting between friends, when the self-advertisement becomes personal, learned scholars say that it is subecstasy. When there is a roaring challenge, certain kinds of movement for fighting, enthusiasm, no weapons, and assurance given to frightened witnesses - all these chivalrous activities are called subecstasy.

One friend addressed Kṛṣṇa in this manner: "My dear Madhusūdana, You know my strength, yet You are encouraging Bhadrasena, and not me, to challenge mighty Baladeva. By this action You are simply insulting me, because my arms are as strong as the bolts of the gate!"

A devotee once said, "My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, may Your challenger Śrīdāmā become glorious for his chivalrous activities, such as vibrating like a thundercloud and roaring like a lion. May all glories go to Śrīdāmā's chivalrous activities!" Chivalrous activities in the matter of fighting, charity, mercy and execution of religious rituals are called constitutional, whereas expressions of pride, emotion, endurance, kindness, determination, jubilation, enthusiasm, jealousy and remembrance are called unconstitutional. When Stoka-kṛṣṇa, one of the many friends of Kṛṣṇa, was fighting with Him, his father chastised him for fighting with Kṛṣṇa, who was the life and soul of all residents of Vṛndāvana. Upon hearing these chastisements, Stoka-kṛṣṇa stopped his fighting. But Kṛṣṇa continued to challenge him, and thus, in order to meet the challenge, Stoka-kṛṣṇa took his pole and began to display his dexterity by whirling it.

Once Śrīdāmā challenged Bhadrasena and said to him, "My dear friend, you needn't be afraid of me yet. I shall first of all defeat our brother Balarāma, then I shall beat Kṛṣṇa, and then I shall come to you." Bhadrasena therefore left the party of Balarāma and joined Kṛṣṇa, and he agitated his friends as much as the Mandara Hill had agitated the whole ocean. By his roaring sounds he deafened all his friends, and he inspired Kṛṣṇa with his chivalrous activities.

Once Kṛṣṇa challenged all His friends and said, "My dear friends, just see - I am jumping with great chivalrous prowess. Please do not flee away." Upon hearing these challenging words, a friend named Varūthapa counterchallenged the Lord and struggled against Him.

One of the friends once remarked, "Sudāmā is trying his best to see Dāmodara defeated, and I think that if our powerful Subala joins him, they will be a very beautiful combination, like a valuable jewel bedecked with gold."

In these chivalrous activities, only Kṛṣṇa's friends can be the opponents. Kṛṣṇa's enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore, this challenging by Kṛṣṇa's friends is called devotional service in chivalrous activities.

''Dāna-vīra'', or chivalry in giving charity, may be divided into two parts: munificence and renunciation. A person who can sacrifice everything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa is called munificent. When a person desires to make a sacrifice because of seeing Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is called the impetus of the munificent activity. When Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Nanda Mahārāja, in clear consciousness Nanda Mahārāja desired all auspiciousness for his son and thus began to give valuable cows in charity to all the ''brāhmaṇas''. The ''brāhmaṇas'' were so satisfied by this charitable action that they were obliged to say that the charity of Nanda Mahārāja had excelled the charity of such past kings as Mahārāja Pṛthu and Nṛga.

When a person knows the glories of the Lord completely and is prepared to sacrifice everything for the Lord, he is called ''sampradānaka'', or one who gives everything in charity for the sake of Kṛṣṇa.

When Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira went with Kṛṣṇa in the arena of the Rājasūya sacrifice, in his imagination he began to anoint the body of Kṛṣṇa with pulp of sandalwood, he decorated Kṛṣṇa with a garland hanging down to His knees, he gave Kṛṣṇa garments all embroidered with gold, he gave Kṛṣṇa ornaments all bedecked with valuable jewels, and he gave Kṛṣṇa many fully decorated elephants, chariots and horses. He further wished to give Kṛṣṇa in charity his kingdom, his family and his personal self also. After so desiring, when there was nothing actually to give in charity, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira became very perturbed and anxious.

Similarly, Mahārāja Bali once told his priest, Śukrācārya, "My dear sage, you are fully expert in knowledge of the ''Vedas'', and as such you worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, by Vedic rituals. As far as this brāhmaṇa ''dwarf'' (the incarnation Vāmanadeva) is concerned, if He is Lord Viṣṇu, a simple ''brāhmaṇa'' or even my enemy, I have decided to give to Him in charity all the land He has asked for." Mahārāja Bali was so fortunate that the Lord extended before him His hand, which was reddish from touching the breast of the goddess of fortune, who is always smeared with red ''kuṅkum'' powder. In other words, although the Personality of Godhead is so great that the goddess of fortune is always under His command for enjoyment, He still extended His hands to take charity from Mahārāja Bali.

A person who wants to give everything in charity to Kṛṣṇa but does not want anything in return is considered the real renouncer. Thus, a devotee will refuse to accept any kind of liberation, even if it is offered by the Lord. Real love of Kṛṣṇa becomes manifested when Kṛṣṇa becomes the recipient of charity and the devotee becomes the giver.

In the ''Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya'' there is another example, forwarded by Mahārāja Dhruva. He says there, "My dear Lord, I have practiced austerities and penances because I was desiring to receive something from You, but in exchange You have allowed me to see You, who are never visible even to the great sages and saintly persons. I had been searching out some pieces of broken glass, but instead I have found the most valuable jewel. I am therefore fully satisfied, my Lord. I do not wish to ask anything more from Your Lordship."

A similar statement is to be found in the Third Canto of ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'', [[SB 3.15.48|Fifteenth Chapter, verse 48]]. The four sages headed by Sanaka Muni addressed the Lord as follows: "Dear Supreme Personality of Godhead, Your reputation is very attractive and free from all material contamination. Therefore You are worthy of being glorified and are actually the reservoir of all places of pilgrimage. Auspicious persons who are fortunate enough to be engaged in glorifying Your attributes and who actually know what Your transcendental position is do not even care to accept liberation offered by You. Because they are so transcendentally enriched, they do not care to accept even the post of Indra, the heavenly King. They know that the post of the King of heaven is also fearful, whereas for those who are engaged in glorifying Your transcendental qualities there is only joyfulness and freedom from all danger. As such, why should persons with this knowledge be attracted by a post in the heavenly kingdom?"

One devotee has described his feelings about the charity exhibited by King Mayūradhvaja: "I am faltering even to speak about the activities of Mahārāja Mayūradhvaja, to whom I offer my respectful obeisances." Mayūradhvaja was very intelligent, and he could understand why Kṛṣṇa came to him once, in the garb of a ''brāhmaṇa''. Kṛṣṇa demanded from him half of his body, to be sawed off by his wife and son, and King Mayūradhvaja agreed to this proposal. On account of his intense feeling of devotional service, King Mayūradhvaja was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, and when he understood that Kṛṣṇa had come in the garb of a ''brāhmaṇa'', he did not hesitate to part with half of his body. This sacrifice of Mahārāja Mayūradhvaja for Kṛṣṇa's sake is unique in the world, and we should offer our all-respectful obeisances to him. He had full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the garb of a ''brāhmaṇa'', and he is known as the perfect ''dāna-vīra'', or renouncer.

Any person who is always ready to satisfy Kṛṣṇa and who is always dexterous in executing devotional service is called ''dharma-vīra'', or chivalrous in executing religious rituals. Only advanced devotees performing religious ritualistic performances can come to this stage of ''dharma-vīra''. ''Dharma-vīras'' are produced after going through the authoritative scriptures, following moral principles, being faithful and tolerant and controlling the senses. Persons who execute religious rituals for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa are steady in devotional service, whereas persons who execute religious rituals without intending to please Kṛṣṇa are only called pious.

The best example of a ''dharma-vīra'' is Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. A devotee once told Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, O killer of all demons, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the eldest son of Mahārāja Pāṇḍu, has performed all kinds of sacrifices just to please You. He has always invited the heavenly King, Indra, to take part in the ''yajñas'' (sacrifices). Because King Indra was thus absent so often from Śacīdevī, she had to pass much of her time pining over Indra's absence, with her cheeks upon her hands."

The performance of different ''yajñas'' for the demigods is considered to be worship of the limbs of the Supreme Lord. The demigods are considered to be different parts of the universal body of the Lord, and therefore the ultimate purpose in worshiping them is to please the Lord by partially worshiping His different limbs. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira had no such material desire; he executed all sacrifices under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, and not to take any personal advantage from them. He desired only to please Kṛṣṇa and was therefore called the best of the devotees. He was always merged in the ocean of loving service.
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[[Category:Teachings of Lord Caitanya (2011)]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Teachings of Lord Caitanya (2011)]] '''[[Teachings of Lord Caitanya (2011)]], Bhaṭṭācārya is Converted'''</div>
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For the impersonalist and voidist philosophers, the next world is a world of senseless eternity and bliss. The voidist philosophers want to establish that ultimately everything is senseless, and the impersonalists want to establish that in the next world there is simply knowledge without any activities. Thus less intelligent salvationists try to carry imperfect knowledge into the sphere of perfect spiritual activity. Because the impersonalist experiences material activity as miserable, he wants to establish spiritual life without activity. He cannot understand the activities of devotional service. Indeed, spiritual activity in devotional service is unintelligible to the voidist philosophers and impersonalists. The Vaiṣṇava philosophers know perfectly well that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can never be impersonal or void, because He possesses innumerable potencies. Through His innumerable energies, He can present Himself in multiple forms and still remain the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus despite expanding Himself in multiple forms and diffusing His innumerable energies, He can maintain His transcendental position.

Thus Lord Caitanya exposed many defects in the Māyāvāda philosophy, and although the Bhaṭṭācārya tried to establish himself by logic and word jugglery, Lord Caitanya was able to defend Himself from his attacks. The Lord established that the Vedic literature is meant for three things: understanding our relationship with the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, acting according to that understanding, and achieving the highest perfection of life, love of Godhead. Anyone who tries to prove that the Vedic literature aims at anything else must be a victim of his own imagination.

The Lord then quoted some verses from the ''Purāṇas'' by which He established that Śaṅkarācārya was ordered to teach Māyāvāda philosophy by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He quoted a verse from the ''Padma Purāṇa'' (''Uttara-khaṇḍa'' 62.31) in which it is stated that the Lord ordered Mahādeva, Lord Śiva, to present some imaginary interpretation of the Vedic literature to divert people from the actual purpose of the ''Vedas''. “In this way try to make them atheists,” the Lord said. “After that, they can be engaged in producing more population.” It is also stated in the ''Padma Purāṇa'' (''Uttara-khaṇḍa'' 25.7) that Lord Śiva explained to his wife Pārvatī that in the Age of Kali he would come in the form of a ''brāhmaṇa'' to preach an imperfect interpretation of the ''Vedas'' known as Māyāvāda, which in actuality is but a second edition of atheistic Buddhist philosophy.

The Bhaṭṭācārya was overwhelmed by these explanations of Lord Caitanya. After hearing Māyāvāda philosophy explained by Lord Caitanya, he could not speak. After he had remained silent for some time, Lord Caitanya said to him, “My dear Bhaṭṭācārya, don’t be astonished by this explanation. Please take it from Me that the devotional service of the Supreme Lord is the highest perfectional stage of human understanding. Indeed, it is so attractive that even those who are already liberated become devotees by the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” There are many such conversions in the Vedic literature. For instance, in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 1.7.10|1.7.10]]) the famous ''ātmārāma'' verse describes how impersonalist sages who are absorbed in self-realization and liberated from all material attachments become attracted to devotional service by the various activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Such are the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Actually, in pure consciousness the living entity understands himself as the eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. Under the spell of illusion, a person accepts the gross and subtle bodies as his self; such a conception is the basis of the doctrine of transference from spirit to matter. But the part and parcel of the Supreme is not eternally subjected to gross and subtle bodily life. The gross and subtle coverings do not comprise the living entity’s eternal form; they can be changed, or the living entity can be freed entirely from material existence. While the living entity is under the illusion that he is the body and mind, however, he has certainly transferred his position from spirit to matter. Māyāvādī philosophers, taking advantage of this doctrine of transference, say that the living entity is under the wrong impression when he thinks himself to be part and parcel of the Supreme. They maintain that the living entity is the Supreme Himself. This doctrine cannot be tenable.

The Bhaṭṭācārya then asked Lord Caitanya to explain the famous ''ātmārāma'' verse, for he desired to hear it from the Lord Himself. Lord Caitanya replied that first of all the Bhaṭṭācārya should explain the verse according to his own understanding, and then Lord Caitanya would explain it. The Bhaṭṭācārya then began to explain the ''ātmārāma śloka'', using his methods of logic and grammar. Thus he explained the ''ātmārāma śloka'' in nine different ways. The Lord appreciated his erudite scholarship in explaining the verse and said, “My dear Bhaṭṭācārya, I know that you are a personal manifestation of the learned scholar Bṛhaspati and can explain any portion of the ''śāstras'' nicely. Yet your explanation is more or less based on academic education only. But there is another explanation beside the academic, scholarly one.”

Then, at the request of the Bhaṭṭācārya, Lord Caitanya explained the ''ātmārāma śloka''. The words of the verse were analyzed thus: (1) ''ātmārāmāḥ'', (2) ''ca'', (3) ''munayaḥ'', (4) ''nirgranthāḥ'', (5) ''api'', (6) ''urukrame'', (7) ''kurvanti'', (8) ''ahaitukīm'', (9) ''bhaktim'', (10) ''ittham-bhūta-guṇaḥ'', (11) ''hariḥ''. (This verse has already been explained in connection with the Lord’s teachings to Sanātana Gosvāmī.) Without mentioning the nine explanations of the Bhaṭṭācārya, Lord Caitanya explained the verse by analyzing these eleven words. In this way He expounded eighteen different explanations of the verse. In summary, He said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of innumerable potencies; no one can estimate how many transcendental qualities He possesses. His qualities are always inconceivable, and all processes of self-realization inquire in a general way into the potencies and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But the devotees of the Lord immediately accept the inconceivable position of the Lord. Lord Caitanya explained that even great liberated souls like the Kumāras and Śukadeva Gosvāmī were also attracted to the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Lord.

The Bhaṭṭācārya appreciated Lord Caitanya’s explanation, and he concluded that Lord Caitanya was none other than Kṛṣṇa Himself. The Bhaṭṭācārya then began to deprecate his own position, relating that he had at first considered Lord Caitanya to be an ordinary human being and therefore committed a great offense. He then fell down at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, deprecating himself, and requested the Lord to show His causeless mercy to him. Lord Caitanya appreciated the humility of this great scholar and therefore exhibited His own form, first with four hands, and then with six hands (''ṣaḍ-bhuja''). Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then repeatedly fell down at the Lord’s lotus feet and composed various prayers to Him. He was undoubtedly a great scholar, and after receiving the causeless mercy of the Lord, he was empowered to explain the Lord’s activities in different ways. For instance, he was able to express the benefit of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

It is said that at this time Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya composed a hundred verses in appreciation of the Lord’s activities, and that those verses were so great that they could not be surpassed even by Bṛhaspati, the greatest learned scholar in the heavenly planets. The Lord was very much pleased to hear these hundred verses, and He embraced the Bhaṭṭācārya. The Bhaṭṭācārya became overwhelmed with ecstasy by the Lord’s touch, and he practically fell unconscious. He cried, trembled, shivered and perspired, and sometimes he danced and sang and fell at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. The Bhaṭṭācārya’s brother-in-law, Gopīnātha Ācārya, and the devotees of the Lord were surprised to see the Bhaṭṭācārya transformed into a great devotee.

Gopīnātha Ācārya then began to thank the Lord: “It is by Your grace only that the Bhaṭṭācārya has been transformed from his stonelike position into such a devotee.” Lord Caitanya replied to Gopīnātha Ācārya that it was due to a devotee’s favor that a stonelike man could be transformed into a mild, flowerlike devotee. Actually, Gopīnātha Ācārya had sincerely wished that his brother-in-law, the Bhaṭṭācārya, would become a devotee of the Lord. He had sincerely desired that the Lord favor the Bhaṭṭācārya, and he was glad to see that his desire had been fulfilled by Lord Caitanya. In other words, a devotee of the Lord is more merciful than the Lord Himself. When a devotee desires to show his mercy to a person, the Lord accepts him, and by the Lord’s grace he becomes a devotee.

Lord Caitanya pacified the Bhaṭṭācārya and asked him to go home. The Bhaṭṭācārya again began to praise the Lord and said, “You have descended to deliver all the fallen souls of this material world. That project is not so difficult for You. But You have turned a stonehearted man like me into a devotee, and that is very wonderful indeed. Although I was very expert at logical arguments and grammatical explanations of the ''Vedas'', I was as hard as a lump of iron. But Your influence and temperature were so great that You could melt even a hard piece of iron like me.”

Lord Caitanya then returned to His place, and the Bhaṭṭācārya sent Gopīnātha Ācārya to Him with various kinds of ''prasādam'' from the Jagannātha temple. The next day the Lord went to the temple of Jagannātha early in the morning to attend ''maṅgala-ārati''. The priests in the temple brought Him a garland from the Deity and also offered Him various kinds of ''prasādam''. The Lord was very much pleased to receive them, and He at once went to the house of the Bhaṭṭācārya, taking the ''prasādam'' and flower garland to present to him. Although it was early in the morning, the Bhaṭṭācārya understood that the Lord had come and was knocking on his door. He at once rose from his bed and began to say, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” This was heard by Lord Caitanya. When the Bhaṭṭācārya opened the door, he saw the Lord standing there, and he was very much pleased to see Him early in the morning. Receiving Him with all care, the Bhaṭṭācārya offered Him a nice seat, and both of them sat there. Lord Caitanya then offered him the ''prasādam'' He had received in the temple of Jagannātha, and the Bhaṭṭācārya was very glad to receive this ''prasādam'' from the hands of Lord Caitanya Himself. Indeed, without taking his bath and without performing his daily duties or even cleansing his teeth, he immediately began to eat the ''prasādam''. In this way he was freed from all material contamination and attachment.

As the Bhaṭṭācārya began to eat the ''prasādam'' he recited a verse from the ''Padma Purāṇa''. There it is stated that when ''prasādam'' is received it must be eaten immediately, even if it has become very dry or old, or even if it is brought from a distant place, or even if one has not completed executing his daily duties. Since it is enjoined in the ''śāstras'' that ''prasādam'' should immediately be taken, there is no restriction of time, place or atmosphere; the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be followed. There are restrictions one must follow before accepting food from various people, but there are no restrictions on accepting ''prasādam'' from all kinds of people. ''Prasādam'' is always transcendental and can be taken under any condition.

Lord Caitanya was very much pleased to see that the Bhaṭṭācārya, who had always obeyed the rules and regulations strictly, accepted ''prasādam'' without following any rules and regulations. Being so pleased, Lord Caitanya embraced the Bhaṭṭācārya, and they both began to dance in transcendental ecstasy. In that ecstasy Lord Caitanya exclaimed, “My mission in Jagannātha Purī is now fulfilled! I have converted a person like Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. I shall now be able to attain Vaikuṇṭha without fail.”

The missionary goal of a devotee is to convert simply one person into a pure devotee. Then the devotee’s admission to the spiritual kingdom is guaranteed. The Lord was so much pleased with the Bhaṭṭācārya that He began to bless him repeatedly: “Dear Bhaṭṭācārya, now you are a completely pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is now very much pleased with you. From today you are free from the contamination of this material body and the entanglement under the spell of the material energy. You are now fit to go back to Godhead, back home.” The Lord then cited a verse from ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 2.7.42|2.7.42]]):

:''yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ''
:''sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam''
:''te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ''
:''naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥśva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye''

“Whoever takes complete shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord is favored by the Supreme Lord, who is known to be unlimited. Such a person also receives permission to cross the ocean of nescience. However, one who is under the misconception that his material body is himself cannot receive the causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

After this incident, Lord Caitanya returned to His place, and the Bhaṭṭācārya became a pure and faultless devotee. Since he had formerly been a great academic scholar, the Bhaṭṭācārya could only have been converted by the causeless mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. From that day forward the Bhaṭṭācārya never explained any Vedic literature without explaining devotional service. Gopīnātha Ācārya, his brother-in-law, was very much pleased to see the Bhaṭṭācārya’s condition, and he began to dance in ecstasy and vibrate the transcendental sound Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

The next day, after visiting the Jagannātha temple early in the morning, the Bhaṭṭācārya went to see Lord Caitanya, and he offered his respects by falling down before the Lord. He then began to explain his past undesirable behavior. When he asked the Lord to speak something about devotional service, the Lord began to elaborately explain the verse in the ''Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa'' beginning ''harer nāma harer nāma''. While hearing this explanation, the Bhaṭṭācārya became more and more ecstatic. Seeing the condition of his brother-in-law, Gopīnātha Ācārya said, “My dear Bhaṭṭācārya, previously I had said that when one is favored by the Supreme Lord he will understand the techniques of devotional service. Today I am seeing this fulfilled.”

The Bhaṭṭācārya offered him his due respect and replied, “My dear Gopīnātha Ācārya, it is through your mercy that I have received the mercy of the Supreme Lord.” The mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be obtained by the mercy of a pure devotee. Lord Caitanya’s mercy was bestowed upon the Bhaṭṭācārya because of Gopīnātha Ācārya’s endeavor. “You are a great devotee of the Lord,” the Bhaṭṭācārya continued, “and I was simply blinded by my academic education. So it is only through your agency that I have obtained the mercy of the Lord.” Lord Caitanya was greatly pleased to hear the Bhaṭṭācārya say that a man can achieve the mercy of the Lord through the agency of a devotee. Lord Caitanya appreciated his words and embraced the Bhaṭṭācārya, confirming his statement.

The Lord then requested the Bhaṭṭācārya to go see Jagannātha in the temple, and the Bhaṭṭācārya started out for the temple accompanied by Jagadānanda and Dāmodara, two principal associates of Lord Caitanya. After seeing Jagannātha the Bhaṭṭācārya returned home, bringing with him much ''prasādam'' purchased from the temple. He sent all this ''prasādam'' to Lord Caitanya through his ''brāhmaṇa'' servant.

The Bhaṭṭācārya also dispatched two verses written on a palm-tree leaf and requested Jagadānanda to do him a favor by delivering them to the Lord. Thus Lord Caitanya was offered the ''prasādam'' and the verses on the palm leaf. But before reaching the Lord, Mukunda Datta, who had also undertaken the delivery of the verses, had copied the verses into his book. When Lord Caitanya read the verses on the palm leaf, He tore it to pieces, for He never liked to be praised by anyone. The verses only survive because they had been copied by Mukunda Datta.

The verses praised Lord Caitanya as the Supreme Original Personality of Godhead, declaring that He had descended as Lord Caitanya to preach to the people in general about detachment, transcendental knowledge and devotional service. Comparing Lord Caitanya to an ocean of mercy, the Bhaṭṭācārya wrote, “Let me surrender unto that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord, seeing that devotional service was absent, descended Himself in the form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu to preach devotional service. Let us all surrender unto His lotus feet and learn from Him what devotional service actually is.” These two important verses are considered the most valuable jewels by the devotees of the Lord in disciplic succession, and by virtue of these famous verses Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has become known as the highest of devotees.

Thus Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was converted into one of the most important devotees of the Lord, and he had no other interest than to serve the Lord. His only concern was to think of Lord Caitanya constantly, and this meditation and chanting became the main purpose of his life.

One day Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya came before the Lord, offered his respects and began to recite one of Lord Brahmā’s prayers from ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam'' ([[SB 10.14.8|10.14.8]]). The Bhaṭṭācārya recited as follows:

:''tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo''
:''bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam''
:''hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te''
:''jīveta yo bhakti-pade sa dāya-bhāk''

In reciting the verse the Bhaṭṭācārya changed the original word ''mukti'' (liberation) to ''bhakti'' (devotional service) in the last line. The meaning of the original verse is “A person who devotes his mind, body and speech to the service of the Lord, even though in the midst of a miserable life caused by his past misdeeds, is assured of liberation.”

“Why have you changed the original verse?” the Lord asked the Bhaṭṭācārya. “The word is ''mukti'', and you have changed it to ''bhakti''.” The Bhaṭṭācārya replied that ''mukti'' is not as valuable as ''bhakti'' and that ''mukti'' is actually a sort of punishment for the pure devotee. For this reason he changed the word ''mukti'' to ''bhakti''. The Bhaṭṭācārya then began to explain his realization of ''bhakti''. “Anyone who does not accept the transcendental Personality of Godhead and His transcendental form cannot know the Absolute Truth. One who does not understand the transcendental nature of the body of Kṛṣṇa becomes His enemy and decries Him or fights with Him. The destination of such enemies is to merge into the Lord’s Brahman effulgence. Such ''mukti'', or liberation, is never desired by the Lord’s devotees. There are five kinds of liberation: (1) gaining admission to the planet where the Lord resides, (2) being able to associate with the Lord, (3) attaining a transcendental body like the Lord’s, (4) attaining opulence like the Lord’s, and (5) merging into the existence of the Lord. A devotee has no particular interest in any of these types of liberation. He is satisfied simply by being engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. A devotee is especially averse to merging into the existence of the Lord and losing his individual identity. Indeed, a devotee considers oneness with the Lord to be worse than hell. But he will accept one of the four other kinds of liberation if it enables him to be engaged in the service of the Lord. Out of the two possibilities of merging in transcendence—namely becoming one with the impersonal Brahman effulgence and becoming one with the Personality of Godhead—the latter is more abominable to the devotee. The devotee has no aspiration other than engaging in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.”

On hearing this, Lord Caitanya informed the Bhaṭṭācārya that there is another meaning to the word ''mukti-pade''. The word ''mukti-pade'' directly indicates the Personality of Godhead. The Personality of Godhead has innumerable liberated souls engaged in His transcendental loving service, and He is the ultimate resort of liberation. In either case, Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate shelter.

“Despite this reading,” Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya replied, “I prefer ''bhakti-pade'' to ''mukti-pade''. Although according to You there are two meanings to the word ''mukti-pade'', still, because this word is ambiguous, I prefer ''bhakti-pade'' to ''mukti-pade'' because when one hears the word ''mukti'' he immediately thinks of becoming one with the Supreme. I therefore even hate to utter the word ''mukti''. But I am very enthusiastic to speak of ''bhakti''.”

At this, Lord Caitanya laughed very loudly and embraced the Bhaṭṭācārya with great love.

Thus the Bhaṭṭācārya, who had taken pleasure in explaining Māyāvāda philosophy, became such a staunch devotee that he hated even to utter the word ''mukti''. This is possible only by the causeless mercy of Lord Śrī Caitanya. The Lord is like a touchstone, for by His grace He can turn iron into gold. After the Bhaṭṭācārya’s conversion, everyone marked a great change in him, and they concluded that this change was made possible only by the inconceivable power of Lord Caitanya. Thus they took it for granted that Lord Caitanya was none other than Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself.

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TLC 24

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NOD 45

2021-11-24T18:44:13Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Nectar of Devotion (1982)|N45]]
<div style="float:left">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=Nectar of Devotion (1982)]] '''[[Nectar of Devotion (1982)]], Laughing Ecstasy'''</div>
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In the fourth division of ''Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu'', Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described seven kinds of indirect ecstasies of devotional service, known as laughing, astonishment, chivalry, compassion, anger, dread and ghastliness. In this portion, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī further describes these ecstasies of devotional feelings, some being compatible and others incompatible with one another. When one kind of ecstatic devotional service overlaps with another in a conflicting way, this state of affairs is called ''rasābhāsa'', or a perverted presentation of mellows.

Expert learned scholars say that laughing is generally found among youngsters or in the combination of old persons and young children. This ecstatic loving laughing is sometimes also found in persons who are very grave by nature. Once an old mendicant approached the door of mother Yaśodā's house, and Kṛṣṇa told Yaśodā, "My dear mother, I don't wish to go near this skinny villain. If I go there, he might put Me within his begging bag and take Me away from you!" In this way, the wonderful child, Kṛṣṇa, began to look at His mother, while the mendicant, who was standing in the door, tried to hide his smiling face, although he could not do so. He immediately expressed his smiling. In this instance, Kṛṣṇa Himself is the object of laughing affairs.

Once one of Kṛṣṇa's friends informed Him, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, if You will open Your mouth, then I shall give You one nice sugar candy mixed with yogurt." Kṛṣṇa immediately opened His mouth, but instead of giving Him sugar candy with yogurt, the friend dropped a flower in His mouth. After tasting this flower, Kṛṣṇa turned His mouth in a disfigured way, and upon seeing this all His friends standing there began to laugh very loudly.

Once a palmist came to the house of Nanda Mahārāja, and Nanda Mahārāja asked him, "My dear sage, will you kindly check the hand of my child, Kṛṣṇa? Tell me how many years He will live and whether He will become the master of thousands of cows." Upon hearing this, the palmist began to smile, and Nanda Mahārāja asked him, "My dear sir, why are you laughing, and why are you covering your face?"

In such a laughing ecstasy of love, Kṛṣṇa or matters pertaining to Kṛṣṇa are the cause of the laughter. In such laughing devotional service, there are symptoms of jubilation, laziness, concealed feelings and similar other seemingly disturbing elements.

According to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī's calculation, laughter in ecstatic love can be broken down into six divisions. These divisions, according to different degrees of smiling, are called in the Sanskrit language ''smita'', ''hasita'', ''vihasita'', ''avahasita'', ''apahasita'' and ''atihasita''. These six classes of smiling can be classified as major and minor. The major division includes ''smita'', ''hasita'' and ''vihasita'' smiling, and the minor division includes ''avahasita'', ''apahasita'' and ''atihasita'' smiling.

When one is smiling but his teeth are not visible, one can distinctly mark a definite change in the eyes and in the cheeks. This is called ''smita'' smiling. Once when Kṛṣṇa was stealing yogurt, Jaratī, the headmistress of the house, could detect His activities, and she was therefore coming very hurriedly to catch Him. At that time, Kṛṣṇa became very much afraid of Jaratī and went to His elder brother, Baladeva. He said, "My dear brother, I have stolen yogurt! Just see - Jaratī is coming hurriedly to catch Me!" When Kṛṣṇa was thus seeking the shelter of Baladeva because He was being chased by Jaratī, all the great sages in the heavenly planets began to smile. This smiling is called ''smita'' smiling.

Smiling in which the teeth are slightly visible is called ''hasita'' smiling. One day Abhimanyu, the so-called husband of Rādhārāṇī, was returning home, and at that time he could not see that Kṛṣṇa was there in his house. Kṛṣṇa immediately changed His dress to look exactly like Abhimanyu and approached Abhimanyu's mother, Jaṭilā, addressing her thus: "My dear mother, I am your real son Abhimanyu, but just see - Kṛṣṇa, dressed up like me, is coming before you!" Jaṭilā, the mother of Abhimanyu, immediately believed that Kṛṣṇa was her own son and thus became very angry at her real son who was coming home. She began to drive away her real son, who was crying, "Mother! Mother! What are you doing?" Seeing this incident, all the girl friends of Rādhārāṇī, who were present there, began to smile, and a portion of their teeth was visible. This is an instance of ''hasita'' smiling.

When the teeth are distinctly visible in a smile, that is called ''vihasita''. One day when Kṛṣṇa was engaged in stealing butter and yogurt in the house of Jaṭilā, He assured His friends, "My dear friends, I know that this old lady is now sleeping very profoundly, because she is breathing very deeply. Let us silently steal butter and yogurt without making any disturbance." But the old lady, Jaṭilā, was not sleeping; so she could not contain her smiling, and her teeth immediately became distinctly visible. This is an instance of ''vihasita'' smiling.

In a state of smiling when the nose becomes puffed and the eyes squint, the smiling is called ''avahasita''. Once, early in the morning when Kṛṣṇa returned home after performing His ''rāsa'' dance, mother Yaśodā looked upon Kṛṣṇa's face and addressed Him thus: "My dear son, why do Your eyes look like they have been smeared with some oxides? Have You dressed Yourself with the blue garments of Baladeva?" When mother Yaśodā was addressing Kṛṣṇa in that way, a girl friend who was nearby began to smile with a puffed nose and squinting eyes. This is an instance of ''avahasita'' smiling. The ''gopī'' knew that Kṛṣṇa had been enjoying the ''rāsa'' dance and that mother Yaśodā could not detect her son's activities or understand how He had become covered with the ''gopīs''' makeup. Her smiling was in the ''avahasita'' feature.

When tears from the eyes are added to the smiling and the shoulders are shaking, the smile is called ''apahasita''. When child Kṛṣṇa was dancing in response to the singing of the old maidservant Jaratī, Nārada was astonished. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who controls all the movements of great demigods like Brahmā, was now dancing to the indications of an old maidservant. Seeing this fun, Nārada also began to dance, and his shoulders trembled, and his eyes moved. Due to his smiling, his teeth also became visible, and on account of the glaring effulgence from his teeth, the clouds in the skies turned silver.

When a smiling person claps his hands and leaps in the air, the smiling expression changes into ''atihasita'', or overwhelming laughter. An example of ''atihasita'' was manifested in the following incident. Kṛṣṇa once addressed Jaratī thus: "My dear good woman, the skin of your face is now slackened, and so your face exactly resembles a monkey's. As such, the King of the monkeys, Balīmukha, has selected you as his worthy wife." While Kṛṣṇa was teasing Jaratī in this way, she replied that she was certainly aware of the fact that the King of the monkeys was trying to marry her, but she had already taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the killer of many powerful demons, and therefore she had already decided to marry Kṛṣṇa instead of the King of the monkeys. On hearing this sarcastic reply by the talkative Jaratī, all the cowherd girls present there began to laugh very loudly and clap their hands. This laughter, accompanied by the clapping of hands, is called ''atihasita''.

Sometimes there are indirect sarcastic remarks which also create ''atihasita'' circumstances. An example of one such remark is a statement which was made by one of the cowherd girls to Kuṭilā, the daughter of Jaṭilā and sister of Abhimanyu, the so-called husband of Rādhārāṇī. Indirectly Kuṭilā was insulted by the following statement: "My dear Kuṭilā, daughter of Jaṭilā, your breasts are as long as string beans - simply dry and long. Your nose is so gorgeous that it defies the beauty of the noses of frogs. And your eyes are more beautiful than the eyes of dogs. Your lips defy the flaming cinders of fire, and your abdomen is as beautiful as a big drum. Therefore, my dear beautiful Kuṭilā, you are the most beautiful of all the cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana, and because of your extraordinary beauty, I think you must be beyond the attraction of the sweet blowing of Kṛṣṇa's flute!"
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KB 13 (1970)

2021-11-17T18:49:09Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970)]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970)|Kṛṣṇa Book (1970)]] - Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā'''</div>
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Śukadeva Gosvāmī was very much encouraged when Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked him why the cowherd boys did not discuss the death of Aghāsura until after one year had passed. He explained thus: "My dear King, you are making the subject matter of the transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa fresher by your inquisitiveness."

It is said that it is the nature of a devotee to constantly apply his mind, energy, words, ears, etc., in hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and for one who is rapt in hearing and chanting Kṛṣṇa, the subject matter never becomes hackneyed or old. That is the significance of transcendental subject matter in contrast to material subject matter. Material subject matter becomes stale, and one cannot hear a certain subject for a long time; he wants change. But as far as transcendental subject matter is concerned, it is called ''nitya-nava-navāyamāna''. This means that one can go on chanting and hearing about the Lord and never feel tired but will remain fresh and eager to hear more and more.

It is the duty of the spiritual master to disclose all confidential subject matter to the inquisitive and sincere disciple. Thus Śukadeva Gosvāmī began to explain why the killing of Aghāsura was not discussed until one year had passed. Śukadeva Gosvāmī told the King, "Now hear of this secret with attention. After saving His friends from the mouth of Aghāsura and after killing the demon, Lord Kṛṣṇa brought His friends to the bank of Yamunā and addressed them as follows: 'My dear friends, just see how this spot is very nice for taking lunch and playing on the soft sandy Yamunā bank. You can see how the lotus flowers in the water are beautifully blown and how they distribute their flavor all around. The chirping of the birds along with cooing of the peacocks, surrounded by the whispering of the leaves in the trees, combine and present sound-vibrations that echo one another. And this just enriches the beautiful scenery created by the trees here. Let us have our lunch in this spot because it is already late and we are feeling hungry. Let the calves remain near us, and let them drink water from the Yamunā. While we engage in our lunch-taking, the calves may engage in eating the soft grasses that are in this spot.'"

On hearing this proposal from Kṛṣṇa, all the boys became very glad and said, "Certainly, let us all sit down here to take our lunch." They then let loose the calves to eat the soft grass. Sitting down on the ground and keeping Kṛṣṇa in the center, they began to open their different boxes brought from home. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was seated in the center of the circle, and all the boys kept their faces toward Him. They ate and constantly enjoyed seeing the Lord face to face. Kṛṣṇa appeared to be the whorl of a lotus flower, and the boys surrounding Him appeared to be its different petals. The boys collected flowers, leaves of flowers and barks of trees and placed them under their different boxes, and thus they began to eat their lunch, keeping company with Kṛṣṇa. While taking lunch, each boy began to manifest different kinds of relations with Kṛṣṇa, and they enjoyed each other's company with joking words. While thus enjoying lunch with His friends, Lord Kṛṣṇa's flute was pushed within the belt of His cloth, and His bugle and cane were pushed in on the left-hand side of His cloth. He was holding a lump of foodstuff prepared with yogurt, butter, rice and pieces of fruit salad in His left palm, which could be seen through His petal-like finger joints. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who accepts the results of all great sacrifices, was laughing and joking, enjoying lunch with His friends in Vṛndāvana. And thus the scene was being observed by the demigods from heaven. As for the boys, they were simply enjoying transcendental bliss in the company of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

At that time, the calves that were pasturing nearby entered into the deep forest, allured by new grasses, and gradually went out of sight. When the boys saw that the calves were not nearby, they became afraid for their safety, and they immediately cried out, "Kṛṣṇa!" Kṛṣṇa is the killer of fear personified. Everyone is afraid of fear personified, but fear personified is afraid of Kṛṣṇa. By crying out the word "Kṛṣṇa," the boys at once transcended the fearful situation. Out of His great affection, Kṛṣṇa did not want His friends to give up their pleasing lunch engagement and go searching for the calves. He therefore said, "My dear friends, you need not interrupt your lunch. Go on enjoying. I am going personally where the calves are." Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa immediately started to search out the calves in the caves and bushes. He searched in the mountain holes and in the forests, but nowhere could He find them.

At the time when Aghāsura was killed and the demigods were looking on the incident with great surprise, Brahmā, who was born out of the lotus flower growing out of the navel of Viṣṇu, also came to see. He was surprised how a little boy like Kṛṣṇa could act so wonderfully. Although he was informed that the little cowherd boy was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he wanted to see more glorified pastimes of the Lord, and thus he stole all the calves and cowherd boys and took them to a different place. Lord Kṛṣṇa, therefore, in spite of searching for the calves, could not find them, and He even lost His boy friends on the bank of the Yamunā where they had been taking their lunch. In the form of a cowherd boy, Lord Kṛṣṇa was very little in comparison to Brahmā, but because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He could immediately understand that all the calves and boys had been stolen by Brahmā. Kṛṣṇa thought, "Brahmā has taken away all the boys and calves. How can I alone return to Vṛndāvana? The mothers will be aggrieved!"

Therefore in order to satisfy the mothers of His friends as well as to convince Brahmā of the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead, He immediately expanded Himself as the cowherd boys and calves. In the ''Vedas'' it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead expandes Himself in so many living entities by His energy. Therefore it was not very difficult for Him to expand Himself again into so many boys and calves. He expanded Himself to become exactly like the boys, who were of all different features, facial and bodily construction, and who were different in their clothing and ornaments and in their behavior and personal activities. In other words, everyone has different tastes; being individual soul, each person has entirely different activities and behavior. Yet Kṛṣṇa exactly expanded Himself into all the different positions of the individual boys. He also became the calves, who were also of different sizes, colors, activities, etc. This was possible because everything is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. In the ''Viṣṇu Purāṇa'' it is said, ''parasya brahmaṇaḥ śakti''. Whatever we actually see in the cosmic manifestation--be it matter or the activities of the living entities--is simply an expansion of the energies of the Lord, as heat and light are the different expansions of fire.

Thus expanding Himself as the boys and calves in their individual capacities, and surrounded by such expansions of Himself, Kṛṣṇa entered the village of Vṛndāvana. The residents had no knowledge of what had happened. After entering the village, Vṛndāvana, all the calves entered their respective cowsheds, and the boys also went to their respective mothers and homes.

The mothers of the boys heard the vibration of their flutes before their entrance, and to receive them, they came out of their homes and embraced them. And out of maternal affection, milk was flowing from their breasts, and they allowed the boys to drink it. However, their offering was not exactly to their boys but to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had expanded Himself into such boys. This was another chance for all the mothers of Vṛndāvana to feed the Supreme Personality of Godhead with their own milk. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa gave not only Yaśodā the chance of feeding Him, but this time He gave the chance to all the elderly ''gopīs''.

All the boys began to deal with their mothers as usual, and the mothers also, on the approach of evening, began to bathe their respective children, decorate them with ''tilaka'' and ornaments and give them necessary food after the day's labor. The cows also, who were away in the pasturing ground, returned in the evening and began to call their respective calves. The calves immediately came to their mothers, and the mothers began to lick the bodies of the calves. These relations between the cows and the ''gopīs'' with their calves and boys remained unchanged, although actually the original calves and boys were not there. Actually the cows' affection for their calves and the elderly ''gopīs''' affection for the boys causelessly increased. Their affection increased naturally, even though the calves and boys were not their offspring. Although the cows and elderly ''gopīs'' of Vṛndāvana had greater affection for Kṛṣṇa than for their own offspring, after this incident, their affection for their offspring increased exactly as it did for Kṛṣṇa. For one year continuoually, Kṛṣṇa Himself expanded as the calves and cowherd boys and was present in the pasturing ground.

As it is stated in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', Kṛṣṇa's expansion is situated in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. Similarly, instead of expanding Himself as the Supersoul, He expanded Himself as a portion of calves and cowherd boys for one continuous year.

One day, when Kṛṣṇa, along with Balarāma, was maintaining the calves in the forest, They saw some cows grazing on the top of Govardhana Hill. The cows could see down into the valley where the calves were being taken care of by the boys. Suddenly, on sighting their calves, the cows began to run towards them. They leaped downhill with joined front and rear legs. The cows were so melted with affection for their calves that they did not care about the rough path from the top of Govardhana Hill down to the pasturing ground. They began to approach the calves with their milk bags full of milk, and they raised their tails upwards. When they were coming down the hill, their milk bags were pouring milk on the ground out of intense maternal affection for the calves, although they were not their own calves. These cows had their own calves, and the calves that were grazing beneath Govardhana Hill were larger; they were not expected to drink milk directly from the milk bag but were satisfied with the grass. Yet all the cows came immediately and began to lick their bodies, and the calves also began to suck milk from the milk bags. There appeared to be a great bondage of affection between the cows and calves.

When the cows were running down from the top of Govardhana Hill, the men who were taking care of them tried to stop them. Elderly cows are taken care of by the men, and the calves are taken care of by the boys; and as far as possible, the calves are kept separate from the cows, so that the calves do not drink all the available milk. Therefore the men who were taking care of the cows on the top of Govardhana Hill tried to stop them, but they failed. Baffled by their failure, they were feeling ashamed and angry. They were very unhappy, but when they came down and saw their children taking care of the calves, they all of a sudden became very affectionate toward the children. It was very astonishing. Although the men came down disappointed, baffled and angry, as soon as they saw their own children, their hearts melted with great affection. At once their anger, dissatisfaction and unhappiness disappeared. They began to show paternal love for the children, and with great affection they lifted them in their arms and embraced them. They began to smell their children's heads and enjoy their company with great happiness. After embracing their children, the men again took the cows back to the top of Govardhana Hill. Along the way they began to think of their children, and affectionate tears fell from their eyes.

When Balarāma saw this extraordinary exchange of affection between the cows and their calves and between the fathers and their children--when neither the calves nor the children needed so much care--He began to wonder why this extraordinary thing happened. He was astonished to see all the residents of Vṛndāvana so affectionate for their own children, exactly as they had been for Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the cows had grown affectionate for their calves--as much as for Kṛṣṇa. Balarāma therefore concluded that the extraordinary show of affection was something mystical, either performed by the demigods or by some powerful man. Otherwise, how could this wonderful change take place? He concluded that this mystical change must have been caused by Kṛṣṇa, whom Balarāma considered His worshipable Personality of Godhead. He thought, "It was arranged by Kṛṣṇa, and even I could not check its mystic power." Thus Balarāma understood that all those boys and calves were only expansions of Kṛṣṇa.

Balarāma inquired from Kṛṣṇa about the actual situation. He said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, in the beginning I thought that all these cows, calves and cowherd boys were either great sages and saintly persons or demigods, but at the present it appears that they are actually Your expansions. They are all You; You Yourself are playing as the calves and cows and boys. What is the mystery of this situation? Where have those other calves and cows and boys gone? And why are You expanding Yourself as the cows, calves and boys? Will You kindly tell Me what is the cause?" At the request of Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa briefly explained the whole situation: how the calves and boys were stolen by Brahmā and how He was concealing the incident by expanding Himself so people would not know that the original cows, calves, and boys were missing.

While Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were talking, Brahmā returned after a moment's interval (according to the duration of his life). We have information of Lord Brahmā's duration of life from the ''Bhagavad-gītā'': 1,000 times the duration of the four ages, or 4,300,000 x 1,000, comprise Brahmā's twelve hours. Similarly, one moment of Brahmā is equal to one year of our solar calculation. After one moment of Brahmā's calculation, Brahmā came back to see the fun caused by his stealing the boys and calves. But he was also afraid that he was playing with fire. Kṛṣṇa was his master, and he had played mischief for fun by taking away His calves and boys. He was really anxious, so he did not stay away very long; he came back after a moment (of his calculation). He saw that all the boys, calves and cows were playing with Kṛṣṇa in the same way as when he had come upon them, although he was confident that he had taken them and made them lie down asleep under the spell of his mystic power. Brahmā began to think, "All the boys, calves and cows were taken away by me, and I know they are still sleeping. How is it that a similar batch of cows, boys and calves are playing with Kṛṣṇa? Is it that they are not influenced by my mystic power? Have they been playing continually for one year with Kṛṣṇa?" Brahmā tried to understand who they were and how they were uninfluenced by his mystic power, but he could not ascertain it. In other words, he himself came under the spell of his own mystic power. The influence of his mystic power appeared like snow in darkness or the glow worm in daytime. During the night's darkness, the glow worm can show some glittering power, and the snow piled up on the top of a hill or on the ground can shine during the daytime. But at night the snow has no silver glitter; nor does the glow worm have any illuminating power during the daytime. Similarly, when the small mystic power exhibited by Brahmā was before the mystic power of Kṛṣṇa, it was just like snow or the glow worm. When a man of small mystic power wants to show potency in the presence of greater mystic power, he diminishes his own influence; he does not increase it. Even a great personality like Brahmā, when he wanted to show his mystic power before Kṛṣṇa, became ludicrous. Brahmā was thus confused about his own mystic power.

In order to convince Brahmā that all those cows, calves and boys were not the original ones, the cows, calves, and boys who were playing with Kṛṣṇa transformed into Viṣṇu forms. Actually, the original ones were sleeping under the spell of Brahmā's mystic power, but the present ones, seen by Brahmā, were all immediate expansions of Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is the expansion of Kṛṣṇa, so the Viṣṇu forms appeared before Brahmā. All the Viṣṇu forms were of bluish color and dressed in yellow garments; all of Them had four hands decorated with club, disc, lotus flower and conchshell. On Their heads were glittering golden jeweled helmets; They were bedecked with pearls and earrings, and garlanded with beautiful flowers. On Their chests was the mark of śrīvatsa; Their arms were decorated with armlets and other jewelry. Their necks were smooth just like the conchshell, Their legs were decorated with bells, Their waists decorated with golden bells, and Their fingers decorated with jeweled rings. Brahmā also saw that upon the whole body of Lord Viṣṇu, fresh ''tulasī'' buds were thrown, beginning from His lotus feet up to the top of the head. Another significant feature of the Viṣṇu forms was that all of Them were looking transcendentally beautiful. Their smiling resembled the moonshine, and Their glancing resembled the early rising of the sun. Just by Their glancing They appeared as the creators and maintainers of the modes of ignorance and passion. Viṣṇu represents the mode of goodness, Brahmā represents the mode of passion, and Lord Śiva represents the mode of ignorance. Therefore as maintainer of everything in the cosmic manifestation, Viṣṇu is also creator and maintainer of Brahmā and Lord Śiva.

After this manifestation of Lord Viṣṇu, Brahmā saw that many other Brahmās and Śivas and demigods and even insignificant living entities down to the ants and very small straws--movable and immovable living entities--were dancing, surrounding Lord Viṣṇu. Their dancing was accompanied by various kinds of music, and all of Them were worshiping Lord Viṣṇu. Brahmā realized that all those Viṣṇu forms were complete, beginning from the ''aṇimā'' perfection of becoming small like an atom, up to becoming infinite like the cosmic manifestation. All the mystic powers of Brahmā, Śiva, all the demigods and the twenty-four elements of cosmic manifestation were fully represented in the person of Viṣṇu. By the influence of Lord Viṣṇu, all subordinate mystic powers were engaged in His worship. He was being worshiped by time, space, cosmic manifestation, reformation, desire, activity and the three qualities of material nature. Lord Viṣṇu, Brahmā also realized, is the reservoir of all truth, knowledge and bliss. He is the combination of three transcendental features, namely eternity, knowledge, and bliss, and He is the object of worship by the followers of the ''Upaniṣads''.

Brahmā realized that all the different forms of cows, boys and calves transformed into Viṣṇu forms were not transformed by a mysticism of the type that a ''yogī'' or a demigod can display by specific powers invested in him. The cows, calves and boys transformed into ''Viṣṇu mūrtis'', or Viṣṇu forms were not displays of ''Viṣṇu māyā'' or Viṣṇu energy, but were Viṣṇu Himself. The respective qualifications of Viṣṇu and ''Viṣṇu māyā'' are just like fire and heat. In the heat there is the qualification of fire, namely warmth; and yet heat is not fire. The manifestation of the Viṣṇu forms of the boys, cows and calves was not like the heat, but rather the fire--they were all actually Viṣṇu. Factually, the qualification of Viṣṇu is full truth, full knowledge and full bliss. Another example can be given with material objects, which are reflected in many, many forms. For example, the sun is reflected in many waterpots, but the reflections of the sun in many pots are not actually the sun. There is no actual heat and light from the sun in the pot, although it appears as the sun. But the forms which Kṛṣṇa assumed were each and every one full Viṣṇu. ''Satyam'' means truth, ''jñānam'', full knowledge, and ''ānanda'', full bliss.

Transcendental forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His person are so great that the impersonal followers of the ''Upaniṣads'' cannot reach the platform of knowledge to understand them. Particularly, the transcendental forms of the Lord are beyond the reach of the impersonalists who can only understand, through the studies of ''Upaniṣads'', that the Absolute Truth is not matter and that the Absolute Truth is not materially restricted by limited potency. Lord Brahmā understood Kṛṣṇa and His expansion into Viṣṇu forms and could understand that, due to the expansion of energy of the Supreme Lord, everything movable and immovable within the cosmic manifestation is existing.

When Brahmā was thus standing baffled in his limited power and conscious of his limited activities within the eleven senses, he could at least realize that he was also a creation of the material energy, just like a puppet. As a puppet has no independent power to dance but dances according to the direction of the puppet master, so the demigods and living entities are all subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is stated in the ''Caitanya-caritāmṛta'', the only master is Kṛṣṇa, and all others are servants. The whole world is under the waves of the material spell, and beings are floating like straws in water. So their struggle for existence is continuing. But as soon as one becomes conscious that he is the eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this ''māyā'' or illusory struggle for existence is immediately stopped.

Lord Brahmā, who has full control over the goddess of learning and who is considered to be the best authority in Vedic knowledge, was thus perplexed, being unable to understand the extraordinary power manifested in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the mundane world, even a personality like Brahmā is unable to understand the potential mystic power of the Supreme Lord. Not only did Brahmā fail to understand, but he was perplexed even to see the display which was being manifested by Kṛṣṇa before him.

Kṛṣṇa took compassion upon Brahmā's inability to see even how He was displaying the force of Viṣṇu in transforming Himself into cows and cowherd boys, and thus, while fully manifesting the Viṣṇu expansion, He suddenly pulled His curtain of ''yogamāyā'' over the scene. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not visible due to the curtain spread by ''yogamāyā''. That which covers the reality is ''mahāmāyā'', or the external energy, which does not allow a conditioned soul to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead beyond the cosmic manifestation. But the energy which partially manifests the Supreme Personality of Godhead and partially does not allow one to see, is called ''yogamāyā''. Brahmā is not an ordinary conditioned soul. He is far, far superior to all the demigods, and yet he could not comprehend the display of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore Kṛṣṇa willingly stopped manifesting any further potency. The conditioned soul not only becomes bewildered, but he is completely unable to understand. The curtain of ''yogamāyā'' was drawn so that Brahmā would not become more and more perplexed.

When Brahmā was relieved from his perplexity, he appeared to be awakened from an almost dead state, and he began to open his eyes with great difficulty. Thus he could see the eternal cosmic manifestation with common eyes. He saw all around him the super-excellent view of Vṛndāvana--full with trees--which is the source of life for all living entities. He could appreciate the transcendental land of Vṛndāvana where all the living entities are transcendental to ordinary nature. In the forest of Vṛndāvana, even ferocious animals like tigers and others live peacefully along with the deer and human being. He could understand that, because of the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Vṛndāvana, that place is transcendental to all other places and that there is no lust and greed there.

Brahmā thus found Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, playing the part of a small cowherd boy; he saw that little child with a lump of food in His left hand, searching out His friends, cows and calves, just as He was actually doing one year before, after their disappearance.

Immediately Brahmā descended from his great swan carrier and fell down before the Lord just like a golden stick. The word used among the Vaiṣṇavas for offering respect is ''daṇḍavat''. This word means falling down like a stick; one should offer respect to the superior Vaiṣṇava by falling down straight, with his body just like a stick. So Brahmā fell down before the Lord just like a stick to offer respect; and because the complexion of Brahmā is golden, he appeared to be like a golden stick lying down before Lord Kṛṣṇa. All the four helmets on the heads of Brahmā touched the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Brahmā, being very joyful, began to shed tears, and he washed the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa with his tears. Repeatedly he fell and rose as he recalled the wonderful activities of the Lord. After repeating obeisances for a long time, Brahmā stood up and smeared his hands over his eyes. Seeing the Lord before him, he, trembling, began to offer prayers with great respect, humility and attention.

''Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirteenth Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, "The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā."''
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KB 9 (1970)

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[[Category:Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970)|K09]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970)|Kṛṣṇa Book (1970)]] - Chapter 9: Mother Yaśodā Binding Lord Kṛṣṇa'''</div>
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Once upon a time, seeing that her maidservant was engaged in different household duties, mother Yaśodā personally took charge of churning butter. And while she churned butter, she sang the childhood pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and enjoyed thinking of her son.

The end of her sari was tightly wrapped while she churned, and on account of her intense love for her son, milk automatically dripped from her breasts which moved as she labored very hard, churning with two hands. The bangles and bracelets on her hands tinkled as they touched each other, and her earrings and breasts shook. There were drops of perspiration on her face, and the flower garland which was on her head scattered here and there. Before this picturesque sight, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as a child. He felt hungry, and out of love for His mother, He wanted her to stop churning. He indicated that her first business was to let Him suck her breast and then churn butter later.

Mother Yaśodā took her son on her lap and pushed the nipples of her breasts into His mouth. And while Kṛṣṇa was sucking the milk, she was smiling, enjoying the beauty of her child's face. Suddenly, the milk which was on the oven began to boil over. Just to stop the milk from spilling, mother Yaśodā at once put Kṛṣṇa aside and went to the oven. Left in that state by His mother, Kṛṣṇa became very angry, and His lips and eyes became red in rage. He pressed His teeth and lips, and taking up a piece of stone, He immediately broke the butter pot. He took butter out of it, and with false tears in His eyes, He began to eat the butter in a secluded place.

In the meantime, mother Yaśodā returned to the churning place after setting the overflowing milk pan in order. She saw the broken pot in which the churning yogurt was kept. Since she could not find her boy, she concluded that the broken pot was His work. She began to smile as she thought, "The child is very clever. After breaking the pot He has left this place, fearing punishment." After she sought all over, she found a big wooden grinding mortar which was kept upside down, and she found her son sitting on it. He was taking butter which was hanging from the ceiling on a swing, and He was feeding it to the monkeys. She saw Kṛṣṇa looking this way and that way in fear of her because He was conscious of His naughty behavior. After seeing her son so engaged, she very silently approached Him from behind. Kṛṣṇa, however, quikly saw her coming at Him with a stick in her hand, and immediately He got down from the grinding mortar and began to flee in fear.

Mother Yaśodā chased Him to all corners, trying to capture the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is never approached even by the meditations of great ''yogīs''. In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is never caught by the ''yogīs'' and speculators, was playing just like a little child for a great devotee like mother Yaśodā. Mother Yaśodā, however, could not easily catch the fast-running child because of her thin waist and heavy body. Still she tried to follow Him as fast as possible. Her hair loosened, and the flower in her hair fell to the ground. Although she was tired, she somehow reached her naughty child and captured Him. When He was caught, Kṛṣṇa was almost on the point of crying. He smeared His hands over His eyes, which were anointed with black eye cosmetics. The child saw His mother’s face while she stood over Him, and His eyes became restless from fear. Mother Yaśodā could understand that Kṛṣṇa was unnecessarily afraid, and for His benefit she wanted to allay His fears.

Being the topmost well-wisher of her child, mother Yaśodā began to think, "If the child is too fearful of me, I don't know what will happen to Him." Mother Yaśodā then threw away her stick. In order to punish Him, she thought to bind His hands with some ropes. She did not know it, but it was actually impossible for her to bind the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mother Yaśodā was thinking that Kṛṣṇa was her tiny child; she did not know that the child had no limitation. There is no inside or outside of Him, nor beginning or end. He is unlimited and all-pervading. Indeed, He is Himself the whole cosmic manifestation. Still, mother Yaśodā was thinking of Kṛṣṇa as her child. Although He is beyond the reach of all senses, she endeavored to bind Him up to a wooden grinding mortar. But when she tried to bind Him, she found that the rope she was using was too short--by two inches. She gathered more ropes from the house and added to it, but at the end she found the same shortage. In this way, she connected all the ropes available at home, but when the final knot was added, she saw that it was still two inches too short. Mother Yaśodā was smiling, but she was astonished. How was it happening?

In attempting to bind her son, she became tired. She was perspiring, and the garland on her head fell down. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa appreciated the hard labor of His mother, and being compassionate upon her, He agreed to be bound up by the ropes. Kṛṣṇa, playing as a human child in the house of mother Yaśodā, was performing His own selected pastimes. Of course, no one can control the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The pure devotee surrenders himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, who may either protect or vanquish the devotee. But for his part, the devotee never forgets his own position of surrender. Similarly, the Lord also feels transcendental pleasure by submitting Himself to the protection of the devotee. This was exemplified by Kṛṣṇa's surrender unto His mother, Yaśodā.

Kṛṣṇa is the supreme bestower of all kinds of liberation to His devotees, but the benediction which was bestowed upon mother Yaśodā was never experienced even by Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva or the goddess of fortune.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as the son of Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja, is never so completely known to the yogīs and speculators. But He is easily available to His devotees. Nor is He appreciated as the supreme reservoir of all pleasure by the ''yogīs'' and speculators.

After binding her son, mother Yaśodā engaged herself in household affairs. At that time, bound up to the wooden mortar, Kṛṣṇa could see a pair of trees before Him which were known as ''arjuna'' trees. The great reservoir of pleasure, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, thus thought to Himself, "Mother Yaśodā first of all left without feeding Me sufficient milk, and therefore I broke the pot of yogurt and distributed the stock butter in charity to the monkeys. Now she has bound Me up to a wooden mortar. So I shall do something more mischievous than before." And thus He thought of pulling down the two very tall ''arjuna'' trees.

There is a history behind the pair of ''arjuna'' trees. In their previous lives, the trees were born as the human sons of Kuvera, and their names were Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva. Fortunately, they came within the vision of the Lord. In their previous lives they were cursed by the great sage Nārada in order to receive the highest benediction of seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa. This benediction-curse was bestowed upon them because of their forgetfulness due to intoxication. This story will be narrated in the next chapter.

''Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Ninth Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, "Mother Yaśodā Binding Lord Kṛṣṇa."''
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KB 8 (1970)

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[[Category:Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970)|K08]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970)|Kṛṣṇa Book (1970)]] - Chapter 8: Vision of the Universal Form'''</div>
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<div class="purport">
After this incident, Vasudeva asked his family priest Gargamuni to visit the place of Nanda Mahārāja in order to astrologically calculate the future life of Kṛṣṇa. Gargamuni was a great saintly sage who underwent many austerities and penances and was appointed priest of the Yadu dynasty. When Gargamuni arrived at the home of Nanda Mahārāja, Nanda Mahārāja was very pleased to see him and immediately stood up with folded hands and offered his respectful obeisances. He received Gargamuni with the feeling of one who is worshiping God or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He offered him a nice sitting place, and when he sat down, Nanda Mahārāja offered him a warm reception. Addressing him very politely, he said: "My dear ''brāhmaṇa'', your appearance in a householder's place is only to enlighten. We are always engaged in household duties and are forgetting our real duty of self-realization. Your coming to our house is to give us some enlightenment about spiritual life. You have no other purpose to visit householders." Actually a saintly person or a ''brāhmaṇa'' has no business visiting householders who are always busy in the matter of dollars and cents. If it is asked, "Why don't the householders go to a saintly person or a ''brāhmaṇa'' for enlightenment?" the answer is that householders are very poor-hearted. Generally householders think that their engagement in family affairs is their prime duty and that self-realization or enlightenment in spiritual knowledge is secondary. Out of compassion only, saintly persons and ''brāhmaṇas'' go to householders' homes.

Nanda Mahārāja addressed Gargamuni as one of the great authorities in astrological science. The foretellings of astrological science, such as the occurrence of solar or lunar eclipses, are wonderful calculations, and by this particular science, a person can understand the future very clearly. Gargamuni was proficient in this knowledge. By this knowledge one can understand what his previous activities were, and by the result of such activities one may enjoy or suffer in this life.

Nanda Mahārāja also addressed Gargamuni as the "best of the ''brāhmaṇas''." A ''brāhmaṇa'' is one who is expert in the knowledge of the Supreme. Without knowledge of the Supreme Absolute, one cannot be recognized as a ''brāhmaṇa''. The exact word used in this connection is ''brahma-vidām'', which means those who know the Supreme very well. An expert ''brāhmaṇa'' is able to give reformatory facilities to the sub-castes--namely the ''kṣatriyas'' and ''vaiśyas''. The ''śūdras'' observe no reformatory performances. The ''brāhmaṇa'' is considered to be the spiritual master or priest for the ''kṣatriya'' and ''vaiśya''. Nanda Mahārāja happened to be a ''vaiśya'', and he accepted Gargamuni as a first class ''brāhmaṇa''. He therefore offered his two foster sons--namely Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma--to Him to purify. He agreed that not only these boys, but all human beings just after birth should accept a qualified ''brāhmaṇa'' as spiritual master.

Upon this request, Gargamuni replied, "Vasudeva has sent me to see to the reformatory performances of these boys, especially Kṛṣṇa's. I am their family priest, and incidentally, it appears to me that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī." By his astrological calculation, Gargamuni could understand that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Devakī but that He was being kept under the care of Nanda Mahārāja, which Nanda did not know. Indirectly he said that Kṛṣṇa, as well as Balarāma, were both sons of Vasudeva. Balarāma was known as the son of Vasudeva because His mother Rohiṇī was present there, but Nanda Mahārāja did not know about Kṛṣṇa. Gargamuni indirectly disclosed the fact that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Devakī. Gargamuni also warned Nanda Mahārāja that if he would perform the reformatory ceremony, then Kaṁsa, who was naturally very sinful, would understand that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Devakī and Vasudeva. According to astrological calculation, Devakī could not have a female child, although everyone thought that the eighth child of Devakī was female. In this way Gargamuni intimated to Nanda Mahārāja that the female child was born of Yaśodā and that Kṛṣṇa was born of Devakī, and they were exchanged. The female child, or Durgā, also informed Kaṁsa that the child who would kill him was already born somewhere else. Gargamuni stated, "If I give your child a name and if He fulfills the prophecy of the female child to Kaṁsa, then it may be that the sinful demon will come and kill this child also after the name-giving ceremony. But I do not want to become responsible for all these future calamities."

On hearing the words of Gargamuni, Nanda Mahārāja said, "If there is such danger, then it is better not to plan any gorgeous name-giving ceremony. It would be better for you to simply chant the Vedic hymns and perform the purificatory process. We belong to the twice-born caste, and I am taking this opportunity of your presence. So please perform the name-giving ceremony without external pomp." Nanda Mahārāja wanted to keep the name-giving ceremony a secret and yet take advantage of Gargamuni's performing the ceremony.

When Gargamuni was so eagerly requested by Nanda Mahārāja, he performed the name-giving ceremony as secretly as possible in the cowshed of Nanda Mahārāja. He informed Nanda Mahārāja that Balarāma, the son of Rohiṇī, would be very pleasing to His family members and relatives and therefore would be called Rāma. In the future He would be extraordinarily strong and therefore would be called Balarāma. Gargamuni said further, "Because your family and the family of the Yadus are so intimately connected and attracted, therefore His name will also be Saṅkarṣaṇa." This means that Gargamuni awarded three names to the son of Rohiṇī--namely Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṇa, and Baladeva. But he carefully did not disclose the fact that Balarāma also appeared in the womb of Devakī and was subsequently transferred to the womb of Rohiṇī. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are real brothers, being originally sons of Devakī.

Gargamuni then informed Nanda Mahārāja, "As far as the other boy is concerned, this child has taken different bodily complexions in different ''yugas'' [millennia]. First of all He assumed the color white, then He assumed the color red, then the color yellow and now He has assumed the color black. Besides that, He was formerly the son of Vasudeva; therefore His name should be Vāsudeva as well as Kṛṣṇa. Some people will call Him Kṛṣṇa, and some will call Him Vāsudeva. But one thing you must know: This son has had many, many other names and activities due to His different pastimes."

Gargamuni gave Nanda Mahārāja a further hint that his son will also be called Giridharī because of His uncommon pastimes of lifting Govardhana Hill. Since he could understand everything past and future, he said, "I know everything about His activities and name, but others do not know. This child will be very pleasing to all the cowherd men and cows. Being very popular in Vṛndāvana, He will be the cause of all good fortune for you. Because of His presence, you will overcome all kinds of material calamities, despite opposing elements."

Gargamuni continued to say, "My dear King of Vraja, in His previous births, this child many times protected righteous persons from the hands of rogues and thieves whenever there was political disruption. Your child is so powerful that anyone who will become a devotee of your boy will never be troubled by enemies. Just as demigods are always protected by Lord Viṣṇu, so the devotees of your child will always be protected by Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This child will grow in power, beauty, opulence--in everything--on the level of Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore I would advise that you protect Him very carefully so that He may grow without disturbance."

Gargamuni further informed Nanda Mahārāja that because he was a great devotee of Nārāyaṇa, Lord Nārāyaṇa gave a son who is equal to Him. At the same time he indicated, “Your son will be disturbed by so many demons, so be careful and protect Him.” In this way Gargamuni convinced Nanda Mahārāja that Nārāyaṇa Himself had become his son. After giving this information, Gargamuni returned to his home. Nanda Mahārāja began to think of himself as the most fortunate person, and he was very satisfied to be benedicted in this way.

A short time after this incident, both Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa began to crawl on Their hands and knees. When They were crawling like that, They pleased Their mothers. The bells tied to Their waist and ankles sounded fascinating, and They would move around very pleasingly. Sometimes, just like ordinary children, They would be frightened by others and would immediately hurry to Their mothers for protection. Sometimes They would fall into the clay and mud of Vṛndāvana and would approach Their mothers smeared with clay and saffron. They were actually smeared with saffron and sandalwood pulp by Their mothers, but due to crawling over muddy clay, They would simultaneously smear Their bodies with clay. As soon as They would come crawling to Their mothers, Yaśodā and Rohiṇī would take Them on their laps and, covering the lower portion of their saris, allow Them to suck their breasts. When the babies were sucking their breasts, the mothers would see small teeth coming in. Thus their joy would be intensified to see their children grow. Sometimes the naughty babies would crawl up to the cowshed, catch the tail of a calf and stand up. The calves, being disturbed, would immediately begin running here and there, and the children would be dragged over clay and cow dung. To see this fun, Yaśodā and Rohiṇī would call all their neighboring friends, the ''gopīs''. Upon seeing these childhood pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the ''gopīs'' would be merged in transcendental bliss. In their enjoyment they would laugh very loudly.

Both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were so restless that Their mothers Yaśodā and Rohiṇī would try to protect Them from cows, bulls, monkeys, water, fire and birds while they were executing their household duties. Always being anxious to protect the children and to execute their duties, they were not very tranquil. In a very short time, both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma began to stand up and slightly move on Their legs. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma began to walk, other friends of the same age joined Them, and together they began to give the highest transcendental pleasure to the ''gopīs'', specifically to mother Yaśodā and Rohiṇī.

All the ''gopī'' friends of Yaśodā and Rohiṇī enjoyed the naughty childish activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. In order to enjoy further transcendental bliss, they all assembled and went to mother Yaśodā to lodge complaints against the restless boys. When Kṛṣṇa was sitting before mother Yaśodā, all the elderly ''gopīs'' began to lodge complaints against Him so that Kṛṣṇa could hear. They said, "Dear Yaśodā, why don't you restrict your naughty Kṛṣṇa? He comes to our houses along with Balarāma every morning and evening, and before the milking of the cows They let loose the calves, and the calves drink all the milk of the cows. So when we go to milk the cows, we find no milk, and we have to return with empty pots. If we warn Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma about doing this, They simply smile charmingly. We cannot do anything. Also, your Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma find great pleasure in stealing our stock of yogurt and butter from wherever we keep it. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are caught stealing the yogurt and butter, They say, 'Why do you charge us with stealing? Do you think that butter and yogurt are in scarcity in our house?' Sometimes They steal butter, yogurt and milk and distribute them to the monkeys. When the monkeys are well fed and do not take any more, then your boys chide, 'This milk and butter and yogurt are useless--even the monkeys won't take it.' And They break the pots and throw them hither and thither. If we keep our stock of yogurt, butter and milk in a solitary dark place, your Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma find it in the darkness by the glaring effulgence of the ornaments and jewels on Their bodies. If by chance They cannot find the hidden butter and yogurt, They go to our little babies and pinch their bodies so that they cry, and then They go away. If we keep our stock of butter and yogurt high on the ceiling, hanging on a swing, although it is beyond Their reach, They arrange to reach it by piling all kinds of wooden crates over the grinding machine. And if They cannot reach, They make a hole in the pot. We think therefore that you better take all the jeweled ornaments from the bodies of your children."

On hearing this, Yaśodā would say, "All right, I will take all the jewels from Kṛṣṇa so that He can not see the butter hidden in the darkness." Then the ''gopīs'' would say, "No, no, don't do this. What good will you do by taking away the jewels? We do not know what kind of boys these are, but even without ornaments They spread some kind of effulgence so that even in darkness They can see everything." Then mother Yaśodā would inform them, "All right, keep your butter and yogurt carefully so that They may not reach it." In reply to this, the ''gopīs'' said, "Yes, actually we do so, but because we are sometimes engaged in our household duties, these naughty boys enter our house somehow or other and spoil everything. Sometimes being unable to steal our butter and yogurt, out of anger They pass urine on the clean floor and sometimes spit on it. Just see your boy now--He is hearing this complaint. All day They simply makes arrangements to steal our butter and yogurt, and now They are sitting just like very silent good boys. Just see His face." When mother Yaśodā thought to chastise her boy after hearing all the complaints, she saw His pitiable face, and smiling, she did not chastise Him.

Another day, when Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were playing with Their friends, all the boys joined Balarāma and told mother Yaśodā that Kṛṣṇa had eaten clay. On hearing this, mother Yaśodā caught hold of Kṛṣṇa's hand and said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, why have You eaten earth in a solitary place? Just see, all Your friends including Balarāma are complaining about You." Being afraid of His mother, Kṛṣṇa replied, "My dear mother, all these boys, including My elder brother Balarāma, are speaking lies against Me. I have never eaten clay. My elder brother Balarāma, while playing with Me today, became angry, and therefore He has joined with the other boys to complain against Me. They have all combined together to complain so you will be angry and chastise Me. If you think they are truthful, then you can look within My mouth to see whether I have taken clay or not." His mother replied, "All right, if You have actually not taken any clay, then just open Your mouth. I shall see."

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa was so ordered by His mother, He immediately opened His mouth just like an ordinary boy. Then mother Yaśodā saw within that mouth the complete opulence of creation. She saw the entire outer space in all directions, mountains, islands, oceans, seas, planets, air, fire, moon and stars. Along with the moon and the stars she also saw the entire elements, water, sky, the extensive ethereal existence along with the total ego and the products of the senses and the controller of the senses, all the demigods, the objects of the senses like sound, smell, etc., and the three qualities of material nature. She also could perceive that within His mouth were all living entities, eternal time, material nature, spiritual nature, activity, consciousness and different forms of the whole creation. Yaśodā could find within the mouth of her child everything necessary for cosmic manifestation. She also saw, within His mouth, herself taking Kṛṣṇa on her lap and having Him sucking her breast. Upon seeing all this, she became struck with awe and began to wonder whether she were dreaming or actually seeing something extraordinary. She concluded that she was either dreaming or seeing the play of the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. She thought that she had become mad, mentally deranged, to see all those wonderful things. Then she thought, "It may be cosmic mystic power attained by my child, and therefore I am perplexed by such visions within His mouth. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead under whose energy bodily self and bodily possessions are conceived." She then said, "Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Him, under whose illusory energy I am thinking that Nanda Mahārāja is my husband and Kṛṣṇa is my son, that all the properties of Nanda Mahārāja belong to me and that all the cowherd men and women are my subjects. All this misconception is due to the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord. So let me pray to Him that He may protect me always."

While mother Yaśodā was thinking in this high philosophical way, Lord Kṛṣṇa again expanded His internal energy just to bewilder her with maternal affection. Immediately mother Yaśodā forgot all philosophical speculation and accepted Kṛṣṇa as her own child. She took Him on her lap and became overwhelmed with maternal affection. She thus began to think, "Kṛṣṇa is not understandable to the masses through the gross process of knowledge, but He can be received through the ''Upaniṣads'' and the ''Vedānta'' or mystic ''Yoga'' system and Saṅkhya philosophy." Then she began to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as her own begotten child.

Certainly mother Yaśodā had executed many, many pious activities as a result of which she got the Absolute Truth, Supreme Personality of Godhead, as her son who sucked milk from her breast. Similarly, Nanda Mahārāja also must have performed many great sacrifices and pious activities for Lord Kṛṣṇa to become his son and address him as father. But it is surprising that Vasudeva and Devakī did not enjoy the transcendental bliss of Kṛṣṇa's childhood pastimes, although Kṛṣṇa was their real son. The childhood pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are glorified even today by many sages and saintly persons, but Vasudeva and Devakī could not enjoy such childhood pastimes personally. The reason for this was explained by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit as follows.

When the best of the Vasus of the name Droṇa along with his wife Dharā were ordered to increase progeny by Lord Brahmā, they said unto him, "Dear father, we are seeking your benediction." Droṇa and Dharā then took benediction from Brahmā that in the future--when they would take birth again within the universe--the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa in His most attractive feature of childhood would absorb their whole attention. Their dealings with Kṛṣṇa would be so powerful that simply by hearing of Kṛṣṇa's childhood activities with them, anyone could very easily cross over the nescience of birth and death." Lord Brahmā agreed to give them the benediction, and as a result the same Droṇa appeared as Nanda Mahārāja in Vṛndāvana, and the same Dharā appeared as mother Yaśodā, the wife of Nanda Mahārāja.

In this way, Nanda Mahārāja and his wife, mother Yaśodā, developed their unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having gotten Him as their son. And all the ''gopīs'' and cowherd men who were associates of Kṛṣṇa naturally developed their own different feelings of love for Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore, just to fulfill the benediction of Lord Brahmā, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared along with His plenary expansion, Balarāma, and performed all kinds of childhood pastimes in order to increase the transcendental pleasure of all residents of Vṛndāvana.

''Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighth Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, "Vision of the Universal Form."''
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[[Category:Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1996+)]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1996+)|Kṛṣṇa Book (1996+)]] - Chapter 47: Delivery of the Message of Kṛṣṇa to the Gopīs'''</div>
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When the ''gopīs'' saw Uddhava, they observed that his features almost exactly resembled those of Kṛṣṇa, and they could understand that he was a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa’s. His arms were very long and his eyes were just like the petals of the lotus flower. He was dressed in yellow garments and wore a garland of lotus flowers. His face was very beautiful. Having achieved the liberation of ''sārūpya'' and thus having the same bodily features as the Lord, Uddhava looked almost like Kṛṣṇa. In Kṛṣṇa’s absence, the ''gopīs'' had been coming dutifully to visit mother Yaśodā’s house early in the morning. They knew that Nanda Mahārāja and mother Yaśodā were always grief-stricken, and they had made it their first duty to come and pay their respects to the most exalted elder personalities of Vṛndāvana. Seeing the friends of Kṛṣṇa, Nanda and Yaśodā would remember Kṛṣṇa Himself and be satisfied, and the ''gopīs'' also would be pleased by seeing Nanda and Yaśodā.

When the ''gopīs'' saw that Uddhava was representing Kṛṣṇa even in his bodily features, they thought he must be a soul completely surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They began to contemplate, “Who is this boy who looks just like Kṛṣṇa? He has the same eyes like lotus petals, the same raised nose and beautiful face, and he is smiling in the same way. In all respects he resembles Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara, the beautiful blackish boy. He is even dressed exactly like Kṛṣṇa. Where has this boy come from? Who is the fortunate girl who has him for her husband?” Thus they talked among themselves. They were very anxious to know about him, and because they were simple, unsophisticated village girls, they surrounded Uddhava.

When the ''gopīs'' understood that Uddhava had a message from Kṛṣṇa, they became very happy and called him to a secluded place and offered him a nice sitting place. They wanted to talk with him very freely and did not want to be embarrassed before unknown persons. They welcomed him with polite words, in great submissiveness: “We know that you are a most confidential associate of Kṛṣṇa and that He has therefore sent you to Vṛndāvana to give solace to His father and mother. We can understand that family affection is very strong. Even great sages who have taken to the renounced order of life cannot give up family affection cent percent. Sometimes they think of their family members. Kṛṣṇa has therefore sent you to His father and mother; otherwise He has no further business in Vṛndāvana. He is now in town. What does He have to know about Vṛndāvana village or the cows’ pasturing grounds? These are not at all useful for Kṛṣṇa because He is now a man of the city.

“Surely He has nothing to do with persons who do not happen to be His family members. Friendships with those outside the family continue as long as there is some selfish interest in them; otherwise, why should one bother about those outside the family? Specifically, a person attached to the wives of others is interested in them as long as there is a need of sense gratification, just as bumblebees have interest in flowers as long as they want to take the honey out of them. It is psychologically very natural that a prostitute does not care for her paramour as soon as he loses his money. Similarly, when the citizens find that a government is incapable of giving them full protection, they leave the country. A student, after finishing his education, gives up his relationship with the teacher and the school. A priest, after taking his reward from the worshiper, gives him up. When the fruit season is over, birds are no longer interested in the tree. Just after eating in the house of a host, the guest gives up his relationship with him. After a forest fire, when there is a scarcity of green grass, deer and other animals give up the forest. And so a man, after enjoying his girlfriend, gives up his connection with her.” In this way, all the ''gopīs'' indirectly accused Kṛṣṇa by citing many examples.

Uddhava understood that the ''gopīs'' of Vṛndāvana were all simply absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa and His childhood activities. While talking about Kṛṣṇa with Uddhava, they forgot all about their household business. They even forgot about themselves as their interest in Kṛṣṇa increased more and more.

One of the ''gopīs'', namely Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, was so much absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa by dint of Her personal touch with Him that She actually began to talk with a bumblebee which was flying there and trying to touch Her lotus feet. While the other ''gopīs'' were talking with Kṛṣṇa’s messenger Uddhava, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī took that bumblebee to be a messenger from Kṛṣṇa and began to talk with it as follows: “Bumblebee, you are accustomed to drinking honey from flower to flower, and therefore you have preferred to be a messenger of Kṛṣṇa, who is of the same nature as you. I can see on your mustaches the red powder of ''kuṅkuma'' which was smeared on the flower garland of Kṛṣṇa while it was pressed against the breasts of some other girl who is My competitor. You feel very proud because of having touched that garland, and your mustaches have become reddish. You have come here carrying a message for Me, anxious to touch My feet. But My dear bumblebee, let Me warn you—don’t touch Me! I don’t want any messages from your unreliable master. You are the unreliable servant of an unreliable master.”

It may be that Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī purposely addressed the bumblebee sarcastically in order to indirectly criticize the messenger Uddhava. Like the other ''gopīs'', Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī saw that Uddhava’s bodily features resembled Kṛṣṇa’s, but She also saw Uddhava as being equal to Kṛṣṇa. Indirectly, therefore, She indicated that Uddhava was as unreliable as Kṛṣṇa Himself. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī wanted to give specific reasons why She was dissatisfied with Kṛṣṇa and His messenger.

She addressed the bumblebee, “Your master Kṛṣṇa is exactly of your quality. You sit down on a flower, and after tasting a little honey you immediately fly away and sit on another flower and taste. Similarly, only once did your master Kṛṣṇa give Me the chance to taste the touch of His lips, and then He left Me altogether. I know also that the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, who is always in the midst of the lotus flower, is constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service. But I do not know how she has become so captivated by Kṛṣṇa and why she is so much attached to Kṛṣṇa, although she knows His actual character. Maybe she is so much captivated by Kṛṣṇa’s sweet words that she cannot understand His real character. As far as We are concerned, We are more intelligent than the goddess of fortune. We are not going to be cheated anymore by Kṛṣṇa or His messengers.”

According to expert opinion, Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, is a subordinate expansion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. As Kṛṣṇa has numerous expansions of ''viṣṇu-mūrtis'', so His pleasure potency, Rādhārāṇī, also has innumerable expansions of goddesses of fortune. Therefore the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmījī, is always eager to be elevated to the position of the ''gopīs''.

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī continued: “You foolish bumblebee, you are trying to satisfy Me and get a reward by singing the glories of Kṛṣṇa, but it is a useless attempt. We ''gopīs'' are bereft of all our possessions. We are away from our homes and families. We know very well about Kṛṣṇa. We know even more than you. So whatever you make up about Him will be old stories to us. Kṛṣṇa is now in the city and is better known as the friend of Arjuna. He now has many new girlfriends, who are no doubt very happy in His association. Because the lusty, burning sensation of their breasts has been satisfied by Kṛṣṇa, they are now happy. If you go there and glorify Kṛṣṇa, they may be pleased to reward you. You are just trying to pacify Me by your behavior as a flatterer, and therefore you have put your head under My feet. But I know the trick you are trying to play. I know that you are a messenger coming from an even greater trickster, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, please leave Me.

“I can understand that you are expert in reuniting two opposing parties, but at the same time you must know that I cannot place My reliance upon you, nor upon your master, Kṛṣṇa. We left our husbands, children and relatives only for Kṛṣṇa, yet He did not feel any obligation in exchange. At last He left us forlorn. Do you think we can place our faith in Him again? We know that Kṛṣṇa cannot live for a moment without the association of young women. That is His nature. He is finding difficulty in Mathurā because He is no longer in the village among innocent cowherd girls. He is in aristocratic society and must be feeling difficulty in making friendships with other young girls. Perhaps you have come here to canvass again or to take us there. But why should Kṛṣṇa expect us to go there? He is greatly qualified to entice all other girls, not only in Vṛndāvana or Mathurā but all over the universe. His wonderfully enchanting smile is so attractive and the movements of His eyebrows are so beautiful that He can call for any woman from the heavenly, middle or plutonic planets. Even Mahā-Lakṣmī, the greatest of all goddesses of fortune, hankers to render Him some service. In comparison to all these women of the universe, what are we? We are very insignificant.

“Kṛṣṇa advertises Himself as magnanimous, and He is praised by great saints. His qualifications would be perfectly utilized if He would only show us some mercy, for we are so much downtrodden and neglected by Him. You poor messenger, you are only a less intelligent servant. You do not know much about Kṛṣṇa, how ungrateful and hardhearted He has been, not only in this life but in His previous lives also. We have all heard this from our grandmother Paurṇamāsī. She has informed us that Kṛṣṇa was born in a ''kṣatriya'' family previous to this birth and was known as Rāmacandra. In that birth, instead of killing Vāli, an enemy of His friend, in the manner of a ''kṣatriya'', He killed him just like a hunter. A hunter takes a secure hiding place and then kills an animal without facing it. So Lord Rāmacandra, as a ''kṣatriya'', should have fought with Vāli face to face, but, instigated by His friend, He killed him from behind a tree. Thus He deviated from the religious principles of a ''kṣatriya''. Also, He was so attracted by the beauty of Sītā that He converted Śūrpaṇakhā, the sister of Rāvaṇa, into an ugly woman by cutting off her nose and ears. Śūrpaṇakhā proposed an intimate relationship with Him, and as a ''kṣatriya'' He should have satisfied her. But He was so henpecked that He could not forget Sītā-devī and converted Śūrpaṇakhā into an ugly woman. Before that birth as a ''kṣatriya'', He took His birth as a ''brāhmaṇa'' boy known as Vāmanadeva and asked charity from Bali Mahārāja. Bali Mahārāja was so magnanimous that he gave Him whatever he had, yet Kṛṣṇa as Vāmanadeva ungratefully arrested him just like a crow and pushed him down to the Pātāla kingdom. We know all about Kṛṣṇa and how ungrateful He is. But here is the difficulty: in spite of His being so cruel and hardhearted, it is very difficult for us to give up talking about Him. And it is not only we who are unable to give up this talk, but great sages and saintly persons also engage in talking about Him. We ''gopīs'' of Vṛndāvana do not want to make any more friendships with this blackish boy, but we do not know how we shall be able to give up remembering and talking about His activities.”

Since Kṛṣṇa is absolute, His so-called unkind activities are as relishable as His kind activities. Therefore saintly persons and great devotees like the ''gopīs'' cannot give up Kṛṣṇa in any circumstances. Lord Caitanya therefore prayed, “Kṛṣṇa, You are free and independent in all respects. You can either embrace Me or crush Me under Your feet—whatever You like. You may make Me brokenhearted by not letting Me see You throughout My whole life, but You are My only object of love.”

“In My opinion,” Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī continued, “no one should hear about Kṛṣṇa, because as soon as a drop of the nectar of His transcendental activities is poured into the ear, one immediately rises above the duality of attraction and rejection. Being completely freed from the contamination of material attachment, one gives up attachment for this material world, including family, home, wife, children and everything else materially dear to every person. Being deprived of all material acquisitions, one makes his relatives and himself unhappy. Then he wanders in search of Kṛṣṇa, either as a human being or in other species of life, even as a bird, and voluntarily accepts the profession of a mendicant. It is very difficult to actually understand Kṛṣṇa—His name, His qualities, His form, His pastimes, His paraphernalia and His entourage.”

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī continued to speak to the black messenger of Kṛṣṇa: “Please do not talk anymore about Kṛṣṇa. It is better to talk about something else. We are already doomed, like the black-spotted she-deer in the forest who are enchanted by the sweet musical vibration of the hunter. In the same way, we have been enchanted by the sweet words of Kṛṣṇa, and by thinking of the rays of His toenails again and again, we are becoming more and more lusty for His association. Therefore, I request you not to talk of Kṛṣṇa anymore.”

These talks of Rādhārāṇī with the bumblebee messenger, including Her accusing Kṛṣṇa in so many ways and at the same time expressing Her inability to give up talking about Him, are signs of the topmost transcendental ecstasy, called ''mahā-bhāva''. The ecstatic ''mahā-bhāva'' manifestation is possible only in the persons of Rādhārāṇī and Her associates. Great ''ācāryas'' like Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura have analyzed these ''mahā-bhāva'' speeches of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and described their different varieties, such as ''udghūrṇā'', or bewilderment, and ''jalpa-pratijalpa'', or talking in different ways. These are the signs of ''ujjvala-rasa'', or the brightest jewel of love of God.

While Rādhārāṇī was talking with the bee and the bee was flying hither and thither, it all of a sudden disappeared from Her sight. She was in full mourning due to separation from Kṛṣṇa and felt ecstasy by talking with the bee. But as soon as the bee disappeared, She became almost mad, thinking that the messenger-bee might have returned to Kṛṣṇa to inform Him all about Her talking against Him. “Kṛṣṇa must be very sorry to hear it,” She thought. In this way She was overwhelmed by another type of ecstasy.

In the meantime, the bee, flying hither and thither, appeared before Her again. She thought, “Kṛṣṇa is still kind to Me. In spite of the messenger’s carrying disruptive messages, He is so kind that He has again sent the bee to take Me to Him.” Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was very careful this time not to say anything against Kṛṣṇa. “My dear friend, I welcome you,” She said. “Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has again sent you. Kṛṣṇa is so kind and affectionate to Me that He has fortunately sent you back, in spite of your carrying My message against Him. All good fortune to you, My dear friend. Now you may ask from Me whatever you want. I shall give you anything because you are so kind to Me. You have come to take Me to Kṛṣṇa because He is not able to come here, being surrounded by new girlfriends in Mathurā. But you are a tiny creature. How can you take Me there? How will you be able to help Me meet Kṛṣṇa while He is taking rest there with the goddess of fortune and embracing her to His chest? Never mind. Let us forget all these things about My going there or sending you. Please let Me know how Kṛṣṇa is faring in Mathurā. Tell Me if He still remembers His foster father, Nanda Mahārāja, His affectionate mother, Yaśodā, His cowherd friends and His poor friends like us, the ''gopīs''. I am sure He must sometimes sing about us, who served Him just like maidservants, without any payment. Is there any possibility that Kṛṣṇa will come back and place His ''aguru''-scented hand on our heads? Please put all these inquiries to Kṛṣṇa.”

Uddhava was standing near, and he heard Rādhārāṇī talking in this way, as if She had become almost mad for Kṛṣṇa. He was exceedingly surprised at how the ''gopīs'' were accustomed to thinking of Kṛṣṇa constantly in that topmost ecstasy of ''mahā-bhāva'' love. He had brought a message in writing from Kṛṣṇa, and now he wanted to present it before the ''gopīs'', just to pacify them. He said, “My dear ''gopīs'', your mission of human life is now successful. You are all wonderful devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore you are eligible to be worshiped by all kinds of people. You are worshipable throughout the three worlds because your minds are wonderfully absorbed in the thought of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. He is the goal of all pious activities and ritualistic performances, such as giving charity, rigidly following the austerity of vows, undergoing severe penances and igniting the fire of sacrifice. He is the purpose behind chanting different ''mantras'', reading the Vedas, controlling the senses and concentrating the mind in meditation. These are some of the many different processes for self-realization and attainment of perfection of life. But actually they are meant only for realizing Kṛṣṇa and dovetailing oneself in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” This is the last instruction of the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' also; although there are descriptions of different processes of self-realization, at the end Kṛṣṇa recommends that one give up everything and simply surrender unto Him. All other processes are meant for teaching one how to surrender ultimately unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. The ''Bhagavad-gītā'' also says that this surrendering process is completed by a sincere person after executing the processes of self-realization in wisdom and austerity for many births.

Since the perfection of such austerity was completely manifested in the lives of the ''gopīs'', Uddhava was fully satisfied upon seeing their transcendental position. He continued: “My dear ''gopīs'', the mentality you have developed in relationship with Kṛṣṇa is very, very difficult to attain, even for great sages and saintly persons. You have attained the highest perfectional stage of life. It is a great boon for you that you have fixed your minds upon Kṛṣṇa and have decided to have Kṛṣṇa only, giving up your families, homes, relatives, husbands and children for the sake of the Supreme Personality. Because your minds are now fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul, universal love has automatically developed in you. I think myself very fortunate that I have been favored, by your grace, to see you in this situation.”

When Uddhava said that he had a message from Kṛṣṇa, the ''gopīs'' were more interested in hearing the message than in hearing about their exalted position. They did not very much like being praised for their high position. They showed their anxiety to hear the message Uddhava had brought from Kṛṣṇa. Uddhava said, “My dear ''gopīs'', I am especially deputed to carry this message to you, who are such great and gentle devotees. Kṛṣṇa has specifically sent me to you because I am His most confidential servitor.”

Uddhava did not deliver to the ''gopīs'' the written message brought from Kṛṣṇa, but he personally read it to them. The message was very gravely written, so that not only the ''gopīs'' but all empiric philosophers might understand how pure love of God is intrinsically integrated with all the different energies of the Supreme Lord. From Vedic information it is understood that the Supreme Lord has multi-energies: ''parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate'' ([[CC Madhya 13.65|CC Madhya 13.65, purport]]). Also, the ''gopīs'' were such intimate personal friends of Kṛṣṇa that while He was writing the message for them He was so moved that He could not write distinctly. Uddhava, as a student of Bṛhaspati, had very sharp intelligence, so instead of handing over the written message, he thought it wise to read it personally and explain it to them.

Uddhava continued: “These are the words of the Personality of Godhead: ‘My dear ''gopīs'', My dear friends, please know that separation between ourselves is impossible at any time, at any place or under any circumstances, because I am all-pervading.’ ”

This all-pervasiveness of Kṛṣṇa is explained in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', in both the Ninth and Seventh chapters. In the Ninth Chapter Kṛṣṇa is described as all-pervasive in His impersonal feature; everything rests in Him, but He is not personally present everywhere. And in the Seventh Chapter it is stated that the five gross elements (earth, water, fire, air and sky) and the three subtle elements (mind, intelligence and ego) are all His inferior energies. But there is another, superior energy, which is called the living entity. The living entities are also directly part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is both the material and the efficient cause of everything. He is always intermingled with everything as cause and effect. Not only the ''gopīs'' but all living entities are always inseparably connected with Kṛṣṇa in all circumstances. The ''gopīs'', however, are perfectly and thoroughly in cognition of this relationship with Kṛṣṇa, whereas the living entities under the spell of ''māyā'', the illusory energy, are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa and think themselves separate identities having no connection with Him.

Love of Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is therefore the perfection of real knowledge in understanding things as they are. Our minds can never be vacant. The mind is constantly occupied with some kind of thought, and the subject matter of such thought cannot be outside the eight elements of Kṛṣṇa’s energy. One who knows this philosophical aspect of all thoughts is actually a wise man, and he surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa. The ''gopīs'' are the epitome of this perfectional stage of knowledge. They are not simple mental speculators. Their minds are always in Kṛṣṇa. The mind is nothing but the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Actually, any person who can think, feel and will cannot be separated from Kṛṣṇa. But the stage in which he can understand his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The diseased condition in which he cannot understand his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa is the contaminated stage, or ''māyā''. Since the ''gopīs'' are on the platform of pure transcendental knowledge, their minds are always filled with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For example, as there is no separation between fire and air, there is no separation between Kṛṣṇa and the living entities. When the living entities forget Kṛṣṇa, they are not in their normal condition. As for the ''gopīs'', because they are always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, they are on the absolute stage of perfection in knowledge. The so-called empiric philosophers sometimes think that the path of ''bhakti'' is meant for the less intelligent, but unless the so-called man of knowledge comes to the platform of ''bhakti'', his knowledge is certainly impure and imperfect. Actually, the stage of forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa is separation. But that is also illusory because there is no such separation. The ''gopīs'' were not situated in that illusory condition of life, so even from the philosophical point of view, for them there was no separation.

Uddhava continued reading Kṛṣṇa’s message: “ ‘Nothing is separate from Me; the whole cosmic manifestation is resting on Me and is not separate from Me. Before the creation, I was existing.’ ” This is confirmed in the Vedic literature: ''eko nārāyaṇa āsīn na brahmā na īśānaḥ''. “Before creation, there was only Nārāyaṇa. There was no Brahmā and no Śiva.” The whole cosmic manifestation is manipulated by the three modes of material nature. It is said that Brahmā, the incarnation of the quality of passion, created this universe. But Brahmā is the secondary creator: the original creator is Nārāyaṇa. This is confirmed by Śaṅkarācārya: ''nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt''. “Nārāyaṇa is transcendental, beyond this cosmic creation.” In this way, nothing within this cosmic manifestation is separate from Kṛṣṇa, although Kṛṣṇa’s original form is not visible in everything.

Kṛṣṇa creates, maintains and annihilates the whole cosmic manifestation by expanding Himself in different incarnations. Everything is Kṛṣṇa, and everything depends on Kṛṣṇa, but He is not perceived in the material energy, and therefore it is called ''māyā'', or illusion. In the spiritual energy, however, Kṛṣṇa is perceived at every step, in all circumstances. This perfectional stage of understanding is represented by the ''gopīs''. As Kṛṣṇa is always aloof from the cosmic manifestation although it is completely dependent on Him, so a living entity is also completely aloof from his material, conditioned life although the material body has developed on the basis of spiritual existence. In the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' the whole cosmic manifestation is accepted as the mother of the living entities, and Kṛṣṇa is the father. As the father impregnates the mother by injecting the living entity within the womb, Kṛṣṇa injects all the living entities into the womb of the material nature. They come out in different bodies according to their different fruitive activities. But in all circumstances, the living entity is aloof from this material, conditioned life.

If we simply study our own bodies, we can understand how a living entity is always aloof from this bodily encagement. Every action of the body takes place by the interactions of the three modes of material nature. We can see at every moment many changes taking place in our bodies, but the spirit soul is aloof from all changes. One can neither create nor annihilate nor interfere with the actions of material nature. The living entity is therefore entrapped by the material body and conditioned in three stages, namely while awake, asleep and unconscious. The mind acts throughout all three conditions of life; the living entity in his sleeping or dreaming condition sees something as real, and when awake he sees the same thing as unreal. It is concluded, therefore, that under certain circumstances he accepts something as real, and under other circumstances he accepts the very same thing as unreal. These matters are the subject of study for the empiric philosopher or the ''sāṅkhya-yogī''. To come to the right conclusion, ''sāṅkhya-yogīs'' undergo severe austerities and penances, practicing control of the senses and renunciation.

All these different ways of determining the ultimate goal of life are compared to rivers, and Kṛṣṇa is compared to the ocean. As the rivers flow down toward the ocean, all attempts for knowledge flow toward Kṛṣṇa. After many, many births of endeavor, when one actually comes to Kṛṣṇa, he attains the perfectional stage. Kṛṣṇa says in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', ''kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām'': ([[BG 12.5]]) “All are pursuing the path of realizing Me, but those who have adopted courses without any ''bhakti'' find their endeavor very troublesome.” Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood unless one comes to the point of ''bhakti''.

Three paths are enunciated in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'': ''karma-yoga'', ''jñāna-yoga'' and ''bhakti-yoga''. Those who are too much addicted to fruitive activities are advised to perform actions which will bring them to ''bhakti''. Those who are addicted to the pursuit of empiric philosophy are also advised to act in such a way that they will realize ''bhakti''. ''Karma-yoga'' is therefore different from ordinary ''karma'', and ''jñāna-yoga'' is different from ordinary ''jñāna''. Ultimately, as stated by the Lord in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', ''bhaktyā mām abhijānāti'': ([[BG 18.55]]) only through execution of devotional service can one understand Kṛṣṇa. The perfectional stage of devotional service was achieved by the ''gopīs'' because they did not care to know anything but Kṛṣṇa. It is confirmed in the ''Vedas'', ''kasmin bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati''. This means that simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa one automatically acquires all other knowledge.

Uddhava continued reading Kṛṣṇa’s message: “ ‘Transcendental knowledge of the Absolute is no longer necessary for you. You were accustomed to loving Me from the very beginning of your lives.’ ” Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is specifically required for persons who want liberation from material existence. But one who has attained love for Kṛṣṇa is already on the platform of liberation. As stated in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'', anyone engaged in unalloyed devotional service is to be considered situated on the transcendental platform of liberation. The ''gopīs'' did not actually feel any pangs of material existence, but they felt the separation of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa therefore said, “My dear ''gopīs'', to increase your superexcellent love for Me, I have purposely separated Myself from you so that you may be in constant meditation on Me.”

The ''gopīs'' are in the perfectional stage of meditation. ''Yogīs'' are generally more fond of meditating than of executing devotional service to the Lord, but they do not know that the perfection of the ''yoga'' system is the attainment of devotion. This constant meditation on Kṛṣṇa by the ''gopīs'' is confirmed in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' to be the topmost ''yoga''. Kṛṣṇa knew very well the psychology of women. When a woman’s beloved is away, she thinks of him more in meditation than when he is present before her. Kṛṣṇa wanted to teach through the behavior of the ''gopīs'' that one who is constantly in trance like the ''gopīs'' surely attains His lotus feet.

Lord Caitanya taught people in general the method of ''vipralambha-sevā'', which is the method of rendering service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the feeling of separation. The six Gosvāmīs also taught worship of Kṛṣṇa in the feeling of the ''gopīs'' in separation. The prayers composed by Śrīnivāsācārya about the Gosvāmīs explain these matters very clearly. Śrīnivāsācārya said that the Gosvāmīs were always absorbed in the ocean of transcendental feelings in the mood of the ''gopīs''. When they lived in Vṛndāvana they were searching for Kṛṣṇa, crying, “Where are You, Kṛṣṇa? O ''gopīs'', where are You? Where are You, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī?” They never said, “We have now seen Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and therefore our mission is fulfilled.” Their mission remained always unfulfilled; they never met Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa reminded the ''gopīs'' that at the time of the ''rāsa'' dance those ''gopīs'' who could not join Him for the ''rāsa-līlā'' gave up their bodies simply by thinking of Him. Absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by feeling separation is thus the quickest method for attainment of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. By the personal statement of Kṛṣṇa, the ''gopīs'' were convinced about the strength of feelings of separation. They were actually experiencing the supernatural method of Kṛṣṇa worship and were much relieved by understanding that Kṛṣṇa was not away from them but always with them.

The ''gopīs'' therefore received Uddhava very happily and began to speak as follows: “We have heard that King Kaṁsa, who was always a source of trouble for the Yadu dynasty, has now been killed. This is good news for us. We hope, therefore, that the members of the Yadu dynasty are very happy in the association of Kṛṣṇa, who can fulfill all the desires of His devotees. My dear Uddhava, kindly let us know whether Kṛṣṇa sometimes thinks of us while in the midst of the highly enlightened society girls in Mathurā. We know that the women and girls in Mathurā are not village women. They are enlightened and beautiful. Their bashful smiling glances and other feminine features must be very pleasing to Kṛṣṇa. We know very well that Kṛṣṇa is always fond of the behavior of beautiful women. It seems, therefore, that He has been entrapped by the women of Mathurā. My dear Uddhava, will you kindly let us know if Kṛṣṇa sometimes remembers us while in the midst of other women?”

Another ''gopī'' inquired, “Does He remember that night in the midst of ''kumuda'' flowers and moonlight, when Vṛndāvana became exceedingly beautiful? Kṛṣṇa was dancing with us, and the atmosphere was surcharged with the sound of foot bells. We exchanged pleasing conversation then. Does He remember that particular night? We remember that night, and we feel separation. Separation from Kṛṣṇa makes us agitated, as if there were fire in our bodies. Does He propose to come back to Vṛndāvana to extinguish that fire, just as a cloud appears in the sky to extinguish a forest fire by its downpour?”

Another ''gopī'' said, “Kṛṣṇa has killed His enemy, and He has victoriously achieved the kingdom of Kaṁsa. Maybe He is married with a king’s daughter by this time and living happily among His kinsmen and friends. Therefore, why should He come to this village of Vṛndāvana?”

Another ''gopī'' said, “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the husband of the goddess of fortune, and He is self-sufficient. He has no business either with us, the girls in the Vṛndāvana forest, or with the city girls in Mathurā. He is the great Supersoul; He has nothing to do with any of us, either here or there.”

Another ''gopī'' said, “It is an unreasonable hope for us to expect Kṛṣṇa to come back to Vṛndāvana. We should try instead to be happy in disappointment. Even Piṅgalā, the great prostitute, said that disappointment is the greatest pleasure. We all know these things, but it is very difficult for us to give up the expectation of Kṛṣṇa’s coming back. Who can forget a solitary conversation with Kṛṣṇa, on whose chest the goddess of fortune always remains, in spite of Kṛṣṇa’s not desiring her? My dear Uddhava, Vṛndāvana is the land of rivers, forests and cows. Here the vibration of the flute was heard, and Kṛṣṇa, along with His elder brother, Śrī Balarāma, enjoyed the atmosphere in our company. Thus the environment of Vṛndāvana constantly reminds us of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. On the land of Vṛndāvana are the impressions of His footprints, the residence of the goddess of fortune, and because of such signs we cannot forget Kṛṣṇa.”

The ''gopīs'' further expressed that Vṛndāvana was still full of all opulence and good fortune; there was no scarcity or want in Vṛndāvana as far as material necessities were concerned. But in spite of such opulence they could not forget Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.

“We constantly remember various attractive features of beautiful Kṛṣṇa—His walking, His smiling, His joking words. We have all become lost by the dealings of Kṛṣṇa, and it is impossible for us to forget Him. We always pray to Him, exclaiming, ‘Dear Lord, dear husband of the goddess of fortune, dear Lord of Vṛndāvana and deliverer of the distressed devotees! We are now fallen and merged in an ocean of distress. Please, therefore, come back to Vṛndāvana and deliver us from this pitiable condition.’ ”

Uddhava minutely studied the transcendental abnormal condition of the ''gopīs'' in their separation from Kṛṣṇa, and he thought it wise to repeat again and again all the pastimes the gopīs had enjoyed with Him. Materialistic persons are always burning in a blazing fire of material miseries. The ''gopīs'' were burning in a transcendental blazing fire due to separation from Kṛṣṇa. The blazing fire exasperating the ''gopīs'', however, is different from the fire of the material world. The ''gopīs'' constantly wanted the association of Kṛṣṇa, whereas materialistic persons constantly want the advantage of material comforts.

It is stated by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura that Kṛṣṇa saved the cowherd boys from the blazing forest fire within a second, while their eyes were closed. Similarly, Uddhava advised the ''gopīs'' that they could be saved from the fire of separation by closing their eyes and meditating on the activities of Kṛṣṇa from the very beginning of their association with Him. From the outside, the ''gopīs'' could visualize all the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa by hearing the descriptions of Uddhava, and from within they could remember those pastimes. From the instructions of Uddhava, the ''gopīs'' could understand that Kṛṣṇa was not separate from them. As they were constantly thinking of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa was also thinking of them constantly at Mathurā.

Uddhava’s messages and instructions saved the ''gopīs'' from immediate death, and the ''gopīs'' acknowledged the benediction from Uddhava. Uddhava practically acted as the preceptor spiritual master of the ''gopīs'', and in return they worshiped him as they would worship Kṛṣṇa. It is recommended in authoritative scriptures that the spiritual master be worshiped on the level of the Supreme Personality of Godhead because of being His very confidential servitor, and it is accepted by great authorities that the spiritual master is the external manifestation of Kṛṣṇa. The ''gopīs'' were relieved from their transcendental burning condition by realizing that Kṛṣṇa was with them. Internally, they remembered His association within their hearts, and externally Uddhava helped them associate with Kṛṣṇa by his conclusive instructions.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the scriptures as ''adhokṣaja'', which indicates that He is beyond the perception of all material senses. Although beyond the material senses, He is present in everyone’s heart. At the same time, He is present everywhere by His all-pervasive feature of Brahman. One can realize all three transcendental features of the Absolute Truth (Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead; Paramātmā, the localized Supersoul; and the all-pervasive Brahman) simply by studying the condition of the ''gopīs'' in their meeting with Uddhava, as described in ''Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam''.

It is said by Śrīnivāsācārya that the six Gosvāmīs were always merged in thoughts of the activities of the ''gopīs''. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also recommended the ''gopīs''’ method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead as superexcellent. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has also recommended that anyone who hears from the right source about the dealings of the ''gopīs'' with Kṛṣṇa and who follows the instructions laid down by the previous ''ācāryas'' will be elevated to the topmost position of devotional service and be able to give up the lust of material enjoyment.

All the ''gopīs'' were solaced by the instructions of Uddhava, and they requested him to stay in Vṛndāvana for a few days more. Uddhava agreed to their proposal and stayed with them not only for a few days but for a few months. He always kept them engaged in thinking of the transcendental message of Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes, and the ''gopīs'' felt as if they were experiencing direct association with Kṛṣṇa. While Uddhava remained in Vṛndāvana, the inhabitants enjoyed his association. As they discussed the activities of Kṛṣṇa, the days passed just like moments. Vṛndāvana’s natural atmosphere, with the presence of the river Yamunā, its nice orchards of trees decorated with various fruits, Govardhana Hill, caves, blooming flowers—all combined to inspire Uddhava to narrate Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. The inhabitants enjoyed Uddhava’s association in the same way that they enjoyed the association of Kṛṣṇa.

Uddhava was attracted by the attitude of the ''gopīs'' because they were completely attached to Kṛṣṇa, and he was inspired by the ''gopīs''’ anxiety for Kṛṣṇa. He offered them his respectful obeisances and composed songs in praise of their transcendental qualities as follows: “Among all the living entities who have accepted the human form of life, the ''gopīs'' are superexcellently successful in their mission. Their thought is eternally absorbed in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Great sages and we ourselves also try to be absorbed in meditation on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, but the ''gopīs'', having lovingly accepted the Lord, are automatically accustomed to this and do not depend on any yogic practice. The conclusion is that one who has attained the ''gopīs''’ condition of life does not have to take birth as Lord Brahmā or be born in a ''brāhmaṇa'' family or be initiated as a ''brāhmaṇa''.”

Śrī Uddhava confirmed Lord Kṛṣṇa’s statement in the ''Bhagavad-gītā'' that one who takes shelter of Him for the right purpose, be that person a ''śūdra'', a woman or a member of a low-grade family, will attain the highest goal of life. The ''gopīs'' have set the standard of devotion for the whole world. One who follows in the footsteps of the ''gopīs'' by constantly thinking of Kṛṣṇa can attain the highest perfectional stage of spiritual life. The ''gopīs'' were born not of any highly cultured family but of cowherd men, yet they developed the highest love of Kṛṣṇa, who is the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Supreme Brahman. For self-realization or God realization there is no need to take birth in a high family. The only thing needed is development of ecstatic love of God. For achieving perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no qualification is required other than to be constantly engaged in the loving service of Kṛṣṇa, the supreme nectar, the reservoir of all pleasure. The effect of taking up Kṛṣṇa consciousness is just like that of drinking nectar: with or without one’s knowledge, it will act. The active principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness will equally manifest itself everywhere; it does not matter how and where one has taken his birth. Kṛṣṇa will bestow His benediction upon anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without any doubt.

Uddhava continued: “The supreme benediction attained by the ''gopīs'' in spite of their being born in the families of cowherd men was never attained even by the goddess of fortune herself, and certainly not by the denizens of heaven, though the bodily scent of the women there is exactly like the scent of the lotus. The ''gopīs'' are so fortunate that during the ''rāsa-līlā'' Kṛṣṇa personally embraced them with His arms and kissed them face to face. Certainly it is not possible for any women in the three worlds to achieve this except the ''gopīs''.

“Therefore I wish to take birth as one of the plants or creepers in Vṛndāvana, who are so fortunate that the ''gopīs'' trample them. The ''gopīs'' have so lovingly served Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda Himself, the giver of liberation, who is searched after by great sages and saintly persons. For His sake they left everything—their families, their children, their friends, their homes and all worldly connections.”

Uddhava appreciated the exalted position of the ''gopīs'' and wished to fall down and take the dust of their feet on his head. Yet he dared not ask the ''gopīs'' to offer the dust from their feet; perhaps they would not be agreeable. Therefore, to have his head smeared with the dust of the ''gopīs''’ feet without their knowledge, he desired to become only an insignificant clump of grass or herbs in the land of Vṛndāvana.

The ''gopīs'' were so much attracted to Kṛṣṇa that when they heard the vibration of His flute they instantly left their homes, families, children, honor and feminine bashfulness and ran toward the place where Kṛṣṇa was standing. They did not consider whether they were passing over the road or through the jungles. Imperceptibly, the dust of their feet was bestowed on small grasses and herbs of Vṛndāvana. Not daring to place the dust of the ''gopīs''’ feet on his own head in this life, Uddhava aspired to have a future birth in Vṛndāvana in the position of a clump of grass or herbs. He would then be able to have the dust of the ''gopīs''’ feet.

Uddhava appreciated the extraordinary fortune of the ''gopīs'', who were relieved of all material pangs and anxieties by placing on their beautiful high breasts the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, which are worshiped not only by the goddess of fortune but by such exalted demigods as Brahmā and Lord Śiva, and which great ''yogīs'' meditate upon within their hearts. Thus Uddhava prayed to be constantly honored by the dust from the lotus feet of the ''gopīs'', whose chanting of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental pastimes has become celebrated all over the three worlds.

After living in Vṛndāvana for some time, Uddhava desired to go back to Kṛṣṇa, and he begged permission to leave from Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā. He had a farewell meeting with the ''gopīs'', and, taking permission from them also, he mounted his chariot to start for Mathurā.

When Uddhava was about to leave, all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, headed by Mahārāja Nanda and Yaśodā, came to bid him good-bye and presented him with various kinds of valuable goods secured in Vṛndāvana. They expressed their feelings with tears in their eyes due to intense attachment for Kṛṣṇa. All of them desired a benediction from Uddhava. They desired to always remember the glorious activities of Kṛṣṇa and wanted their minds to be always fixed upon His lotus feet, their words to be always engaged in glorifying Him, and their bodies to be always engaged in bowing down as they constantly remembered Him. This prayer of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana is the superexcellent type of self-realization. The method is very simple: to fix the mind always on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, to talk always of Kṛṣṇa without passing on to any other subject matter, and to engage the body in Kṛṣṇa’s service constantly. Especially in this human form of life, one should engage his life, resources, words and intelligence for the service of the Lord. Only such activities can elevate a human being to the highest level of perfection. This is the verdict of all authorities.

The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana said, “By the will of the supreme authority and according to the results of our own work, we may take our birth anywhere. It doesn’t matter where we are born, but our only prayer is that we may simply be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” A pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa never desires to be promoted to the heavenly planets, or even to Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana, because he has no desire for his own personal satisfaction. A pure devotee regards heaven and hell to be on an equal level. Without Kṛṣṇa, heaven is hell; and with Kṛṣṇa, hell is heaven.

When Uddhava had been sufficiently honored and worshiped by the pure devotees of Vṛndāvana, he returned to Mathurā and to his master, Kṛṣṇa. After offering respects by bowing down before Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, he described the wonderful devotional life of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Then he presented to Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa’s father, and Ugrasena, Kṛṣṇa’s grandfather, all the gifts given by the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana.

''Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-seventh Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, "Delivery of the Message of Kṛṣṇa to the Gopīs."''
</div>

<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=KB 46 (1996+)]] '''[[KB 46 (1996+)]] - [[KB 48 (1996+)]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|KB 48 (1996+)]]</div>
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KB 46 (1996+)

2021-10-26T18:33:56Z

Srikanth:

KB 45 (1996+)

2021-10-24T17:38:27Z

Srikanth:

CC Madhya 17.130

2021-10-24T07:29:07Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C130]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.129|Madhya-līlā 17.129]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.129|Madhya-līlā 17.129]] - [[CC Madhya 17.131|Madhya-līlā 17.131]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.131|Madhya-līlā 17.131]]</div>
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==== TEXT 130 ====

<div class="verse">
:ataeva tāra mukhe nā āise kṛṣṇa-nāma
:‘kṛṣṇa-nāma’, ‘kṛṣṇa-svarūpa’—duita ‘samāna’
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''ataeva''—therefore; ''tāra mukhe''—in their mouths; ''nā''—not; ''āise''—manifests; ''kṛṣṇa-nāma''—the holy name “Kṛṣṇa”; ''kṛṣṇa-nāma''—the holy name “Kṛṣṇa”; ''kṛṣṇa-svarūpa''—the personality of the Lord; ''duita samāna''—both identical.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
“Because they are offenders unto Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is identical with His holy name, the holy name ‘Kṛṣṇa’ does not manifest in their mouths.
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.129|Madhya-līlā 17.129]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.129|Madhya-līlā 17.129]] - [[CC Madhya 17.131|Madhya-līlā 17.131]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.131|Madhya-līlā 17.131]]</div>
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CC Madhya 17.129

2021-10-24T07:27:32Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C129]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.128|Madhya-līlā 17.128]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.128|Madhya-līlā 17.128]] - [[CC Madhya 17.130|Madhya-līlā 17.130]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.130|Madhya-līlā 17.130]]</div>
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==== TEXT 129 ====

<div class="verse">
:prabhu kahe,—“māyāvādī kṛṣṇe aparādhī
:‘brahma’, ‘ātmā’ ‘caitanya’ kahe niravadhi
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''prabhu kahe''—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said; ''māyāvādī''—the impersonalists; ''kṛṣṇe''—unto Kṛṣṇa; ''aparādhī''—great offenders; ''brahma''—brahma; ''ātmā''—ātmā; ''caitanya''—caitanya; ''kahe''—say; ''niravadhi''—without stopping.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “The Māyāvādī impersonalists are great offenders unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore they simply utter the words ‘Brahman,’ ‘ātmā’ and ‘caitanya.’
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.128|Madhya-līlā 17.128]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.128|Madhya-līlā 17.128]] - [[CC Madhya 17.130|Madhya-līlā 17.130]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.130|Madhya-līlā 17.130]]</div>
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CC Madhya 17.128

2021-10-24T07:24:44Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C128]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.127|Madhya-līlā 17.127]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.127|Madhya-līlā 17.127]] - [[CC Madhya 17.129|Madhya-līlā 17.129]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.129|Madhya-līlā 17.129]]</div>
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==== TEXT 128 ====

<div class="verse">
:ihāra kāraṇa more kaha kṛpā kari’
:tomā dekhi’ mukha mora bale ‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘hari’”
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''ihāra''—of this; ''kāraṇa''—cause; ''more''—unto me; ''kaha''—please speak; ''kṛpā kari’''—by Your causeless mercy; ''tomā dekhi’''—seeing You; ''mukha''—mouth; ''mora''—my; ''bale''—says; ''kṛṣṇa hari''—the holy names of Kṛṣṇa and Hari.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
“Why could Prakāśānanda not utter the names ‘Kṛṣṇa’ and ‘Hari’? He chanted the name ‘Caitanya’ thrice. As far as I am concerned, simply by seeing You I am moved to chant the holy names ‘Kṛṣṇa’ and ‘Hari.’”
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.127|Madhya-līlā 17.127]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.127|Madhya-līlā 17.127]] - [[CC Madhya 17.129|Madhya-līlā 17.129]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.129|Madhya-līlā 17.129]]</div>
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CC Madhya 17.127

2021-10-24T07:22:48Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C127]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.126|Madhya-līlā 17.126]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.126|Madhya-līlā 17.126]] - [[CC Madhya 17.128|Madhya-līlā 17.128]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.128|Madhya-līlā 17.128]]</div>
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==== TEXT 127 ====

<div class="verse">
:tina-bāre ‘kṛṣṇa-nāma’ nā āila tāra mukhe
:‘avajñā’te nāma laya, śuni’ pāi duḥkhe
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''tina-bāre''—three times; ''kṛṣṇa-nāma''—the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; ''nā āila''—did not come; ''tāra mukhe''—in his mouth; ''avajñāte''—in contempt; ''nāma laya''—takes Your name; ''śuni’''—hearing; ''pāi duḥkhe''—I was very much aggrieved.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
“Although he spoke Your name three times, he did not utter the name ‘Kṛṣṇa.’ Because he uttered Your name in contempt, I was very much aggrieved.
</div>

==== PURPORT ====

<div class="purport">
Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī vilified and blasphemed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Words like ''brahma, caitanya, ātmā, paramātmā, jagadīśa, īśvara, virāṭ, vibhu, bhūmā, viśvarūpa'' and ''vyāpaka'' all indirectly indicate Kṛṣṇa. However, the chanter of these names is not actually attracted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa and His transcendental pastimes. One may get a little light from these names, but one cannot understand that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord. One considers the Lord’s names material due to a poor fund of knowledge. Māyāvādī philosophers and the ''pañcopāsakas'' cannot in the least understand the existence of the spiritual world and the blissful variegatedness there. They cannot understand the Absolute Truth and its spiritual varieties—name, form, qualities and pastimes. Consequently they conclude that Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental activities are ''māyā''. To avoid this misconception one has to directly cultivate knowledge about the holy name of the Lord. Māyāvādī philosophers do not know this fact, and therefore they commit great offenses. One should not hear anything about Kṛṣṇa or devotional service from the mouths of Māyāvādī impersonalists.
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.126|Madhya-līlā 17.126]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.126|Madhya-līlā 17.126]] - [[CC Madhya 17.128|Madhya-līlā 17.128]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.128|Madhya-līlā 17.128]]</div>
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CC Madhya 17.126

2021-10-24T07:17:44Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C126]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.125|Madhya-līlā 17.125]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.125|Madhya-līlā 17.125]] - [[CC Madhya 17.127|Madhya-līlā 17.127]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.127|Madhya-līlā 17.127]]</div>
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==== TEXT 126 ====

<div class="verse">
:tomāra ‘doṣa’ kahite kare nāmera uccāra
:‘caitanya’ ‘caitanya’ kari’ kahe tina-bāra
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''tomāra doṣa''—Your fault; ''kahite''—describing; ''kare''—does; ''nāmera''—of the name; ''uccāra''—utterances; ''caitanya caitanya''—Caitanya, Caitanya; ''kari’''—in that way; ''kahe tina-bāra''—he uttered three times.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
“While finding fault with You, he uttered Your name three times, saying ‘Caitanya, Caitanya, Caitanya.’
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.125|Madhya-līlā 17.125]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.125|Madhya-līlā 17.125]] - [[CC Madhya 17.127|Madhya-līlā 17.127]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.127|Madhya-līlā 17.127]]</div>
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CC Madhya 17.125

2021-10-24T07:14:35Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C125]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.124|Madhya-līlā 17.124]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.124|Madhya-līlā 17.124]] - [[CC Madhya 17.126|Madhya-līlā 17.126]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.126|Madhya-līlā 17.126]]</div>
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==== TEXT 125 ====

<div class="verse">
:“tāra āge yabe āmi tomāra nāma la-ila
:seha tomāra nāma jāne,—āpane kahila
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''tāra āge''—before him; ''yabe''—when; ''āmi''—I; ''tomāra''—Your; ''nāma''—name; ''la-ila''—uttered; ''seha''—he; ''tomāra''—Your; ''nāma''—name; ''jāne''—knows; ''āpane kahila''—he said himself.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
The brāhmaṇa said, “As soon as I uttered Your name before him, he immediately confirmed the fact that he knew Your name.
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.124|Madhya-līlā 17.124]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.124|Madhya-līlā 17.124]] - [[CC Madhya 17.126|Madhya-līlā 17.126]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.126|Madhya-līlā 17.126]]</div>
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CC Madhya 17.124

2021-10-24T07:12:56Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C124]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.123|Madhya-līlā 17.123]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.123|Madhya-līlā 17.123]] - [[CC Madhya 17.125|Madhya-līlā 17.125]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.125|Madhya-līlā 17.125]]</div>
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==== TEXT 124 ====

<div class="verse">
:śuni’ mahāprabhu tabe īṣat hāsilā
:punarapi sei vipra prabhure puchilā
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''śuni’''—hearing; ''mahāprabhu''—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; ''tabe''—then; ''īṣat''—mildly; ''hāsilā''—smiled; ''punarapi''—again indeed; ''sei''—that; ''vipra''—brāhmaṇa; ''prabhure puchilā''—inquired from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
Hearing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu mildly smiled. The brāhmaṇa then spoke again to the Lord.
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.123|Madhya-līlā 17.123]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.123|Madhya-līlā 17.123]] - [[CC Madhya 17.125|Madhya-līlā 17.125]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.125|Madhya-līlā 17.125]]</div>
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CC Madhya 17.123

2021-10-24T07:10:45Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C123]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.122|Madhya-līlā 17.122]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.122|Madhya-līlā 17.122]] - [[CC Madhya 17.124|Madhya-līlā 17.124]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.124|Madhya-līlā 17.124]]</div>
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==== TEXT 123 ====

<div class="verse">
:prabhura daraśane śuddha hañāche tāṅra mana
:prabhu-āge duḥkhī hañā kahe vivaraṇa
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''prabhura daraśane''—by seeing personally the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ''śuddha''—purified; ''hañāche''—was; ''tāṅra mana''—his mind; ''prabhu-āge''—before the Lord; ''duḥkhī hañā''—being very unhappy; ''kahe vivaraṇa''—described the incidents.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
The mind of the brāhmaṇa was already purified by his seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He therefore went to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and described what had taken place before the Māyāvādī sannyāsī Prakāśānanda.
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.122|Madhya-līlā 17.122]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.122|Madhya-līlā 17.122]] - [[CC Madhya 17.124|Madhya-līlā 17.124]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.124|Madhya-līlā 17.124]]</div>
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CC Madhya 17.122

2021-10-24T07:08:59Z

Srikanth:

[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Madhya-lila Chapter 17|C122]]
<div style="float:left">'''[[Sri Caitanya-caritamrta|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta]] - [[CC Madhya|Madhya-līlā]] - [[CC Madhya 17|Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana]]'''</div>
<div style="float:right">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.121|Madhya-līlā 17.121]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.121|Madhya-līlā 17.121]] - [[CC Madhya 17.123|Madhya-līlā 17.123]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.123|Madhya-līlā 17.123]]</div>
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==== TEXT 122 ====

<div class="verse">
:eta śuni’ sei vipra mahā-duḥkha pāilā
:‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahi’ tathā haite uṭhi’ gelā
</div>

==== SYNONYMS ====

<div class="synonyms">
''eta śuni’''—hearing this; ''sei vipra''—that ''brāhmaṇa''; ''mahā-duḥkha pāilā''—became very much aggrieved; ''kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kahi’''—uttering the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; ''tathā haite''—from there; ''uṭhi’ gelā''—got up and went away.
</div>

==== TRANSLATION ====

<div class="translation">
When the brāhmaṇa heard Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī speak like this about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he became very much grief-stricken. Chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, he immediately left.
</div>

<div style="float:right; clear:both;">[[File:Go-previous.png|link=CC Madhya 17.121|Madhya-līlā 17.121]] '''[[CC Madhya 17.121|Madhya-līlā 17.121]] - [[CC Madhya 17.123|Madhya-līlā 17.123]]''' [[File:Go-next.png|link=CC Madhya 17.123|Madhya-līlā 17.123]]</div>
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