670121 - Lecture CC Madhya 25.29 - San Francisco

Lectures by Date, 1967

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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670121CC-SAN FRANCISCO - January 21, 1967 - 25:17 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (sings) . . . snapanaṁ paraṁ vijāyate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12).

harer nāma-ślokera yei karilā vyākhyāna

sei satya sukhadārtha parama pramāṇa

(CC Madhya 25.29)

So one of the chief disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, he very much appreciated Caitanya Mahāprabhu's presentation of Vedānta-sūtra and excellent presentation of harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). That "In this age there is no other alternative for self-realization than chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare," harer nāma, the holy name of God. So considering the fallen age at the present moment, God is so merciful and kind that He presents Himself as sound, sound vibration, which everyone can produce by his tongue and can hear, and God is present there.

So we have been discussing this . . . śreyaḥ sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labhaye (SB 10.14.4, CC Madhya 22.22). Don't waste your time simply, "What is this? What is that? What is this? What is that?" Just immediately take shelter of the Supreme Lord. That is your immediate necessity. Because we do not know when death will come.

So this is an opportunity. Suppose if you have to do something and if you are given ultimatum, the deadline that, "Within five minutes you must finish," similarly, this spot of life, in the comparison of our eternal life, it is only five minutes. But if five minutes is wasted simply for eating, sleeping, and for a little comfort of this body, and our mission is forgotten, oh, it is simply suicidal policy.

Therefore Bhāgavata says, bhaktim udasya. Giving up the devotional service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if one is foolishly simply engaged in understanding, "What is this? What is that . . .?" That will be understood. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam etaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). If you understand Kṛṣṇa, if you understand the Supreme Absolute Truth, then there will be nothing unknown. Everything will be known because He is everything. Teṣāṁ kleśala eva śiṣyate nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām (SB 10.14.4, CC Madhya 22.22).

Such persons who are simply wasting time, "What is this? What is this? What is this?" their profit is simply labor of love, that's all.

ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas

tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ

(SB 10.2.32)

There is another verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Second Chapter, twenty-sixth verse (SB 10.2.26). It is said there, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa. God is addressed, Kṛṣṇa is addressed, as lotus-eyed. His eyes are very nice, so His another name is Aravinda, Aravinda-akṣa. Akṣa means eyes, and aravinda means lotus flower. So one devotee is praying: ye, persons those; aravindākṣa, O the lotus-eyed God. There are persons who, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta . . . they are falsely thinking that, "I am now liberated. I have become one with God." Falsely thinking. It is just like on some purchasing matter that we have become one with God. Bhāgavata says: "What, fool, you have become one with God? You are being kicked by the laws of nature. Why do you think foolishly that you are one with God?"

So ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Vimukta-māninaḥ means they are thinking that, "I am now liberated. I have become one with the Supreme." Te, aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Their intelligence is not purified. In other words, it is very gentlemanly said, "Their intelligence is not purified." That means they are in the darkness of knowledge, or grand fool, in other words. So these grand fools, they think that, "I have become liberated." They are being kicked every second by the laws of nature; still, they think that "I am liberated."

So such persons . . . he aravindākṣa, "O the lotus-eyed," āruhya kṛcchreṇa, "to become one with You, they perform severe austerity." That requires, of course. Śaṅkarācārya recommended monism. Oh, nobody can follow his strict principles. So we simply say that "We are follower of Śaṅkarācārya." You cannot approach even the shadow of Śaṅkarācārya, he was so strict and so disciplinary. He would . . . they are . . .

According to Śaṅkara-sampradāya, everyone must take first of all sannyāsa. Sannyāsa means this renounced order of life. There is no question, those who are enjoying this material life, for them to understand Śaṅkara philosophy. It is another foolishness. Śaṅkara does not recognize anybody who has not accepted sannyāsa. That is his first principle.

So Śaṅkara-sampradāya, they perform very austere penance and principles. They take three times bath at least, three times. And no clothing; simply one loincloth, one . . . and their possession is one loincloth and one wooden water pot. That's all. Nothing more. And they will lie down on the floor. So they are strict, I mean to say, renounced order is very strict. So they perform austerity. So Bhāgavata accepts their austerity. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tata. By their severe penances and austerity they come to the supreme position.

Supreme position means to come to the point of realization of Brahman. Impersonal realization of Brahman, that is not also a joke. It may be impersonal, but that position is very high. That is accepted. That Vaiṣṇavas, or the personalists, they also accept, "Oh, their position is very high." But the difficulty is that Bhāgavata says, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (SB 10.2.32).

Although they come to the almost nearer, but, anādṛtaḥ patanty adhaḥ. Anādṛta, if they have no shelter. Just like . . . it is not joke. If you go up by sputnik some few hundreds and thousands of miles, that is not joke. That is not to be ridiculed. But the danger is that if you do not have shelter, then you come down. If you have no shelter, then what is the use of going up? That shelter is Kṛṣṇa, that supreme abode or Vaikuṇṭhaloka, kingdom of God.

So because they have no idea that there is kingdom of God or God is person, you can reach there, you can talk with Him, therefore they have no shelter and their intelligence is not purified, because they have not still completed what is actual knowledge. Actual knowledge, it is stated in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). That is actual knowledge. When he comes to the point of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrenders, "My Lord, I have simply wasted my time in this way. Now I understand vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti, You are Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa. You are everything," that is the ultimate end of knowledge.

And so long one does not come to this point, it is to be understood that he has no shelter. And because he has no shelter, he has to come down again. Again. Again to the opening of hospital and giving medicine or so many things philanthropy, what the ordinary men are doing. What is the use of taking your sannyāsa, renouncing this world? Brahmā satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Śaṅkarācārya's first principle is this "Give up this material world. This is all false, nonsense. Come to the Brahman platform." So if you go to the Brahman platform, why again you come to this nonsense platform? That means patanty adhaḥ. That means patanty adhaḥ.

There is a very big sannyāsī in India, his name is Karpatri. Karpatrijī. So he is very learned scholar. When he speaks about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he's such a learned scholar, thousands of people will come to hear him. Actually, he's a very great scholar. But he was very much respectable and he had many disciples, very, I mean to say, a man of position, a sannyāsī. Unfortunately, he has taken now politics. He's after to take back Pakistan and join it with India. That has become his mission. So he is going to jail even—because political movement. So everything he's doing; now his sannyāsa is finished. Now no more Brahmin, now again India and Pakistan. That's all.

So this is sure. Vivekananda came here to preach Hindu religion. Before that, he had no idea of philanthropic work. And when he came back to India, "Oh, this is your religion. Oh, so many Indians they are suffering. So many Indians they have no shelter. Oh, give them shelter. Give them hospital." Now he became . . . and collected fund. Vivekananda started new religion, daridra-nārāyaṇa.

Daridra-nārāyaṇa means the poor, poverty-stricken Bowery men, they should be served, not Kṛṣṇa. That is their mission. The Ramakrishna Mission means to serve daridra-nārāyaṇa. "Nārāyaṇa has become daridra." He has invented some words, "Nārāyaṇa has become daridra." You see Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, so opulent. According to Vivekananda, He has become poor now.

So these things are going on. These things are nothing. They are symptoms of falling down, nothing more. They are symptoms of falling down. They cannot do a bit of benefit to the humanity. The laws of nature is so strict that if you have to suffer, nobody can check you. That is realized of Prahlāda Mahārāja. There are so many evidences. Bālasya neha pitarau śaraṇam (SB 7.9.19). So there are children. There are children. Of course, here a different . . . but there are many children, they have got their parents, but they are suffering. Actually, children who have got their parents, they take care. But in spite of their parents being present, they are suffering for want of foods, want of proper nourishment. Therefore it is to be understood that father and mother is not actually the, I mean to say, responsible men to take care of children.

Then, bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau nārtasya cāgadam. Ārtasya, those who are suffering, for them, those who are suffering from disease, medicine is not all. Suppose one man is suffering, you give him all treatment and medicine. There are many rich men, they can spend like anything. But does it mean that he'll be cured? No. He may not be cured. He may not be cured. The parents . . . even in the presence of parents, the children may suffer. Udanvato, nauḥ.

And suppose you have got very good, nice ship. Do you mean to say that you'll cross over the Atlantic Ocean safely? Oh, at any moment it can be drowned. There is no guarantee. You have got very nice jet plane, you are going to San Francisco. Oh, there is no guarantee that you shall reach there. So therefore, unless there is God's sanction, all these remedies, all these protection is useless. Useless.

Therefore the best service to the humanity is to revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness. That will save him. That will save him. Not this little hospital or this little foodstuff. No. That cannot save him. If God neglects one . . . there is a Bengali . . . two lines: rakṣe kṛṣṇa māre ke, māre kṛṣṇa rakṣe ke. If Kṛṣṇa, if God, wants to kill somebody, oh, nobody can protect him. And if God wants to protect him, oh, nobody can kill him. If God wants to kill him, nobody can protect him. And if God wants to kill him, nobody can protect him. Both ways.

One Dr. Ghosh, he told me . . . because I was in medical business. He went to see one patient. He explained that, "I went to see one patient. He's suffering from pneumonia, and he's so poor man, and he's lying in so unfavorable condition. So our medical science says he would have at once died. But don't see he's dying. He's not dying." I have tested this. One doctor at Gayā, he's a Muhammadan doctor. So I saw that many patients are, I mean to . . . surrounding him.

So when I saw him, I congratulated, "Doctor, you have got very good patients. Your practice is very nice." So his name was Suvahi. He's Muhammadan. So, "Sir, it is not my credit. If you want my practical experience, I'll say you that with confidence I prescribe somebody some medicine, it fails. And without any confidence, just to take a chance, I prescribe some medicine, 'Oh, let me see if it . . .' Oh, it works nicely. So actually, I have no credit."

So that sir, he was honest man to admit, "It is God's grace that so many patients are being cured in my hand, but I say I have no credit." This is really. So we should not take any credit. Everything is under the laws of the Supreme Lord, through the agency of this material, external energy. Just like a government is working under different departments, similarly, God is working under His different energies. That's all.

He's sitting with you, He's seeing everything, He knows everything. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). He knows your past, present, and He knows your mind. As you wanted to do something, He will remind you, "My dear boy, you wanted to do this. Do it. And you wanted to place your hand on the fire. You've forgotten. Just place your hand on the fire and see. Test it." So this is going on. This is nature's law. And they are suffering. They are being kicked by the material nature; still, they have no sense. "I am God. I am God." These fools, these rascals, has created havoc in the world. Godlessness.

So Bhāgavata says that "They are," in a very polished language, that "their intelligence is not," I mean to say, "pure." Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Buddha means . . . buddhi means intelligence; and aviśuddha, not purified. Why not purified? Because they have no shelter. So in spite of their so much austerity, penance, Vedānta reading and jugglery of words, they come back again to the hospital. That's all. That is their business. So ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta bhāvād aviśuddha . . . they are simply thinking they are liberated. This is not liberation. Liberation means to have Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is liberation.

brahma'-śābde kahe 'ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa bhagavān

tāṅre 'nirviśeṣa' sthāpi, 'pūrṇatā' haya hāna

(CC Madhya 25.33)

The Brahman, as explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu—He's summarizing—Brahman means the greatest. Greatest means . . . how we can estimate greatest? "Oh, he is the greatest rich man. He is the greatest strong man. He is greatest man of knowledge. He is greatest the man of beauty. He is greatest man of . . ." That is God. That's all. You find out any person in this world who is greatest rich man—you won't find.

Therefore nobody's God. You find out any man, he is the greatest strong man. There is no such thing. If you find me greatest strong, and after a few days you'll find, "Oh, Bruce is stronger than Swāmījī." Then, if you conclude there, you'll find, "Oh, Dvārakādhīśa is stronger than Bruce." You go on. You find stronger and weaker, both. You'll find weaker than you and stronger than you.

Even if you find an elephant—he's supposed to be the strongest animal—oh, the lion is stronger than you (him). If you think that lion is very strong, oh, you'll find gorilla is stronger than you (him). So there is no limit who is the strongest. When you come to the limit . . . so śāstra says that īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1).

There are so many īśvaras, gods, that's all right. But the Supreme Lord is Kṛṣṇa, because nobody is found greater than Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa was actually present and He manifested as ordinary man like us, in the history we find that nobody was greater than Him. At least, we can find out the Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. There is nobody in the world who could speak more than Bhagavad-gītā, up to date. The man is so much advanced his knowledge, so-called, that they cannot put a literature like Bhagavad-gītā or they can understand fully. Even Dr. Radhakrishnan fails and other fails.

So God means the greatest. Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains on that line. Brahman means the greatest, the Supreme. And how we can estimate one's greatness? These are the symptoms of greatness. So how He can be impersonal? If the Brahman is the richest, if the Brahman is the most beautiful, if Brahman is the most learned, then where is the question of impersonality? Can any impersonal thing become learned? Can any impersonal thing can become richest? That is . . . who can challenge this explanation?

If you say "God is great," then how we estimate God is great? These are the symptoms. He must be great in richness. He must be great in strength. He must be great in beauty. He must be great in knowledge. He must be great in renunciation. These are the symptoms of greatness. How you can deny it? Where is the . . . now, if you say: "Our idea of great means the sky," oh, then God creates the sky, therefore sky is not great, God is great. Just like you see the sunlight distributed all over the universe. If you say: "This is greatest," oh, the sun planet is creating the sunlight—therefore sun planet is greatest, not the sunshine.

So we are captivated, tribhir guṇamayī (BG 7.13), as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. We are captivated by the greatness of the three qualities of nature or the energies of God, and we do not approach God. That is our difficulty. We are simply amazed by seeing the wonderful activities of God's energy. That's all. But we do not approach God. Therefore we are less intelligent. One who does not approach God, simply is captivated by the display of His energy, they are called śakta. Śakta means appreciating the strength or the energy of God. That's all.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) (end)