670122 - Lecture CC Madhya 25.31-38 - San Francisco

Lectures by Date, 1967

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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670122CC-SAN FRANCISCO - January 22, 1967 - 23:13 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī is quoting one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in which it is said that simply for understanding, if you waste your time, but if you do not practically apply yourself, then it is simply a waste of time.

There is a very nice story. In our college days in logic class of Professor Purnachandra Sen, he cited a very nice example, that a student approached his teacher, and the contract was that he wanted to become a law student, lawyer, and the contracts were that when the student will appear in the court after being duly qualified as lawyer, then he will pay the remuneration of the student.

This was the contract between the . . . so that the teacher may very quickly make him qualified. So teacher agreed, "Yes. I shall make you qualified within one year." So this is . . . "You have to pay me five million dollars," like that, something. So when he was qualified, passed his law examination, he said: "Now you come. You practice in the court." So he said: "No. I am not going to practice." "Then pay me." "How can I pay? If I practice, then I'll pay, but I am not going to practice."

So this kind of law student, that he has learned all laws and he has become lawyer officially by his degree, but he's not going to practice . . . so similarly, if we simply know what is Brahmin and what is not Brahmin but do not practice, it is just like that. It is useless waste of time. If you become a medical man but if you don't practice as a medical man, then why should you take so much trouble? Similarly, those jñānīs and yogīs, they do not take to the devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is practical. If you . . .

So far we are trying to be practically employed in Kṛṣṇa's service. That is our business. We may not be haṭha-yogī or dhyāna-yogī or this yogī or that yogī or a very learned scholar that we can distinguish and interpret that, "Not to Kṛṣṇa but to myself." In this way I can waste my time. But if I do not apply myself (to) the purpose, then what is the use of?

That is stated:

ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas

tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ

āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ

anādṛta-yuṣmad

(SB 10.2.32)

Such class of men simply trying to understand what is Brahmin, what is not Brahmin, but practically, he will simply be engaged in material sense enjoyment. He'll not give up anything, even not smoking. Anything he will not give up. Everything he'll keep in contact, but he'll discuss very scholarly, "This is not Brahmin, this is Brahmin." This is simply waste of time. Teṣāṁ kleśala eva śiṣyate (SB 10.14.4).

Therefore such persons who are simply wasting their time in that way, if they think that, "I have become liberated," so Bhāgavata says that their intelligence is not purified. They are less intelligent still, because the result of his being qualified is not being utilized. He's not engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The whole thing is that you have to meditate. Then meditate, you have to practice the haṭha-yoga. Haṭha-yoga is the practice for the person who is too much addicted to this body. One who has got very stubborn conviction that, "I am this body," for them, such foolish creatures are recommended that "You try to exercise and see what is there within you." Meditation.

But one who knows that, "I am not this body," he begins immediately that, "I am not this body—I am pure soul, and I am part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. So my duty is to serve the Supreme." It is very simple truth. If I am part and parcel of the Supreme, then what is my duty? That you can understand from any example. As we have several times discussed, the part and parcel of my body, these hands, legs, oh, they are engaged in service of the whole body.

The part and parcel of this body, hand, what is it meant for? It is meant for serving the whole body. Similarly, if I am part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, then what is my duty? My duty is to abide by the orders of the Lord. That is the version of all Vedic scriptures. And Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic scripture. It says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "You give up all other engagement. Just be surrendered unto Me and be engaged in My service." This is perfection.

So one who does not know this simple fact, then he may go on indulging, wasting his time by meditation, by cultivation of knowledge, by exercise, by pressing nose, or so many things. He is not in the, actually, in the factual position. So such person, in spite of their austerity, in spite of their severe penances . . . āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (SB 10.2.32). Although they realize that "Here is the Absolute Truth," or "Here is the light," or "Here is the essence," but because they do not engage in the devotional service of the Lord, or because they have no shelter under the lotus feet of the Lord, they fall down. Surely they fall down.

The same example: you may go very high on a sputnik, ten thousand miles off from this earth, but if you have no shelter there, then naturally, you have to come back again here. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ. You may go high, very high. That's all right. But if you don't approach the moon planet or the Venus planet, or any other planet for which you started . . .

But these people, they are so foolish they are taking simply clap by wandering in the space a few thousand miles. They think, "This is our perfection. Because I have come so high, and 20,000 miles off from the earth planet, and there is clapping, "Oh, Sputnik has gone . . ." But where is your result? The result must be you must reach to the moon planet. Then . . . that is minus.

Similarly, all these exercises, all this cultivation of knowledge, if they do not reach to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they are sure to come down again to these material activities. They are sure. Because they have no taste for Kṛṣṇa, they have to. They will come again for opening hospitals and so on, so many activities, material activities. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ. This is fall down. Patanty adho anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. "My dear Lord, because they have neglected Your lotus feet."

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

tāṅre nirviśeṣa sthāpi, 'pūrṇatā' haya hāna

(CC Madhya 25.33)

And Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that . . . not Caitanya Mahāprabhu; I'm sorry. That disciple, the chief disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, he's repeating what Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained about Vedānta-sūtra. He also accepts, "Yes." Brahmin, the great, means He is great in all respect. He is great in richness, He is great in strength, He is great in power, He is great in knowledge, He is great in renouncement. Then He is great.

So if a man is the greatest man in richness, greatest man in power, greatest man in fame, greatest man in knowledge, greatest man in beauty, then where is the impersonality? These are all personal qualification. So Brahmin, or the Supreme, or the Absolute Truth, cannot be imperson. Imperson may be a feature, but ultimately He is person.

śruti-purāṇa kahe-kṛṣṇera cic-chakti-vilāsa

tāhā nāhi māni, paṇḍita kare upahāsa

(CC Madhya 25.34)

So śruti, śruti means the Vedas. The Vedas clearly say that all these manifestation, they are out of the energy. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). From this fountainhead, from the supreme source, the energies. Just like the electric lights, it is very brilliant, illuminating. But this is energy emanating from the powerhouse. The powerhouse is person. It is managed by a person, executive engineer or resident engineer. So when you go, the government, United States, externally, ephemerally, it appears imperson, but if you go deep into the matter, you see that there is president, a person.

So ultimately, a person, Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, ultimately. That is the evidence from all Vedic scriptures. Tāhā nāhi māni, paṇḍita kare upahāsa (CC Madhya 25.34). And these impersonalist, they do not accept this personal aspect of the Absolute Truth, and they laugh at the devotees, "Oh, what they are doing? They are less . . ." They are thinking that the devotees are less intelligent. And the devotees, they are also thinking that less intelligent.

But you have to decide who is less intelligent. If you, from the Vedic literature, if you do not accept the decision . . . and the essence of Vedic literature is Bhagavad . . . Bhagavad-gītā, and it is clearly stated there. When understood . . . Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gītā, he clearly accepted Him that paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12), "You are the Supreme Lord, and nobody knows Your personality." So personality is accepted. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says that the verdict of all Vedic literature is to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

cid-ānanda kṛṣṇa-vigraha 'māyika' kari' māni

ei baḍa 'pāpa'—satya caitanyera vāṇī

(CC Madhya 25.35)

Now the disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī is admitting that "God is person, His body is spiritual, but we do not accept it." It is the greatest offense. It is the greatest offense. How it is offense? Suppose you are my friend, and if I say: "Oh, you have no eyes. You have no hand. You have no leg. You have no tongue . . ." "You have no leg" means you are lame man. "You have no eyes" means you are blind man. "You have no hand" means . . .

That means I am calling you by all ill names: "You are blind. You are lame. You are nonsense. You are rascal." Are they not offenses against the friend? If I say: "You have no eyes," it is gentlemanly speaking that, "You are blind." If I directly say: "You are blind," oh, will you be very nice . . . will you be very happy upon me? No. If I say, if "You have no leg . . ." Suppose if I say if, "You have no brain," that means, "You are rascal. You are fool."

So these impersonalist, they are always, I mean to . . . trying to understand how God is eyeless, handless, legless—all less. Simply he has got eyes to see beautiful things. He has got his hands to touch nice things. No. These are offenses. According to Caitanya Mahāprabhu these are great offense against God. So therefore they are, life after life, they are studying this impersonalism, but there is no perfection.

This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Simply by knowledge . . . this is not liberation. Otherwise, why it is stated bahūnāṁ janma? Janma means that is not liberation. If you have again to take birth in material body, that means you are not liberated. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is specifically stated, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. That means after many, many births. So their acceptance of material body will continue.

But when he understands that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19), when he comes to that point, that "God is everything. Kṛṣṇa is everything," then his perfection is there. Cid-ānanda kṛṣṇa-vigraha māyika kari māni ei baḍa pāpa. This is a great offense, sinful conclusion, that God is imperson.

nātaḥ paraṁ parama yad bhavataḥ svarūpam

ānanda-mātram avikalpam aviddha-varcaḥ

paśyāmi viśva-sṛjam ekam aviśvam ātman

bhūtendriyātmakam adas ta upāśrito 'smi

(SB 3.9.3, CC Madhya 25.36)

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Third Canto, Ninth Chapter, in which the Lord is prayed by Brahmā that nātaḥ paraṁ parama yad bhavataḥ svarūpam ānanda-mātram: "The personality which I am now seeing, that is the highest goal, or the topmost understanding of the Absolute Truth." Nātaḥ param. There is no beyond. Even if you are in the consciousness of impersonal Brahmin, there is far advanced stage. What is that? Or Paramātmā, the Supersoul understanding. And when you are in the Supersoul understanding, you have to go farther, because the Supersoul is a reflection. Reflection.

Of course, there is no difference between the reflection and the substance in the spiritual world. Still, it is reflection. Just like the sun. Sun is on your head, but his reflection can be perceived by everyone standing within this, I mean to say, under the sun. Suppose you are here. The sun is above your head, and there are . . . you ask other persons who are five thousand miles or five hundred miles away from you, "Where is sun?" he will say that, "Sun is on my head." So everyone will say: "Sun is on my head." Similarly, although sun is one, he is perceived that he is in everyone's heart, er, everyone's head.

Similarly, the Lord, although He is one, He is situated in Vaikuṇṭha, but He is Brahmin; He is the greatest. He is greater than the . . . far million, million times or unlimited timely greater than sun. Then He is reflected in everyone's heart. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, that Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in the heart of every living being. Now, this reflection, although there is no difference between this reflection of the Supreme Lord, Supersoul, and the Supreme Lord, still, He is not Supreme Lord. You have to still go further. You have to search out the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Brahmā said: "Now I am seeing Your personality. So there is nothing beyond this."

Nātaḥ paraṁ parama yad bhavataḥ svarūpam. "Now, here it is Your real form, or real identity." Bhavataḥ svarūpam. And what is that svarūpam? What is that identity? Ānanda-mātram: it is simply reservoir of pleasure. This is the form of Kṛṣṇa. Form of Kṛṣṇa means there is no shadow of any material contamination. Ānanda-mātram.

Ānanda-mātram avikalpam aviddha-varcaḥ. And not that . . . suppose we are sometimes happy and next time I am unhappy, but this ānanda is eternal. There is no cessation. Ānanda-mātram. Paśyami viśva-sṛjam ekam aviśvam ātman. "So I am seeing now personally viśva-sṛjam, the creator of the whole manifestation." Viśva-sṛjam, viśvam ātman. "And You are the soul of all manifestation." Bhūtendriyātmakam adas ta upāśrito 'smi. "So You are the original source of all creation, all body, all ātmā, all soul, everything. So I surrender unto You." This is one nice verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

tad vā idaṁ bhuvana-maṅgala maṅgalāya

dhyāne sma no daraśitaṁ ta upāsakānām

tasmai namo bhagavate 'nuvidhema tubhyaṁ

yo 'nādṛto naraka-bhāgbhir asat-prasaṅgaiḥ

(SB 3.9.3, CC Madhya 25.38)

Now, Brahmā says that, "This form is bhuvana-maṅgala maṅgalāya. This form, Kṛṣṇa, is meant for all auspicity for everyone." Bhuvana-maṅgalāya dhyāne sma daraśitaṁ ta upāsakānām. "Those who are observing You in meditation . . ." Meditation means to concentrate the mind only on Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. This is meditation. I do not know . . . nowadays so many meditators are there, they have no objective. Something they try to think of impersonal, nonmanifested. And that is condemned in Bhagavad-gītā, that kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5).

Those who are trying to meditate upon that impersonal void, they are simply, I mean to say, taking unnecessary trouble. If you want to meditate, just meditate on Kṛṣṇa or the Paramātmā, the catur-bhuja Viṣṇu, four-handed Viṣṇu. That is the process of meditation everywhere recommended. So why should we go to the impersonal or voidness of meditation and waste our time? Yes.

Any question?

(break) . . . jya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66) that, "You give up all nonsensical engagement. Just surrender unto Me." This is the purpose of Vedānta-sūtra, and this is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And that astonished them, therefore they say that vedomāyā mūrti tumi sākṣād nārāyaṇa: "You are just the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it appears. And You are personified Vedānta. Therefore we criticized You formerly. Please excuse us."

Thank you very much. (break) (end)