670123 - Lecture CC Madhya 25.36-40 - San Francisco

Lectures by Date, 1967

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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670123CC-SAN FRANCISCO - January 23, 1967 - 25:23 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

(nātaḥ paraṁ parama sambhavata) 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)

So the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is the ultimate goal. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat

asti kiñcid dhanañjaya

(BG 7.7)

In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says: "There is nothing more superior than Me." So this statement of Bhagavad-gītā is also confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by this verse. Ānanda-mātram. In the transcendental body of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is simply ānandam, blissful. We should note it that this body, our material body, is nirānandam, is without ānanda.

We are trying to adjust to have ānanda, or pleasure, by the limited resources of our senses, but actually, there is no ānanda, bliss. It is all miserable. This miserable body is condemned in every, I mean to say, practically, chapter and every śloka, every verse. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says:

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma

yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti

(SB 5.5.4)

Generally, people, they are mad, because more or less . . . not more or less. Practically every one of us, we are mad. Why mad? Pramattaḥ, this very word is used. Pramattaḥ. Pramattaḥ means mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. This material nature's program is such that the conditioned soul who are here, they should live in such a regulated life that ultimately they can go back to home, back to Godhead, because we are sons of the Supreme Lord.

We have come here to enjoy material, pramattaḥ svārthe, and we do not know what is our self-interest. We are thinking that, "I am this body," and therefore a little sense gratification . . . because the body means there are different senses, and if we can gratify the senses we think that we are happy. This is madness.

Ṛṣabhādeva says:

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma

yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti

(SB 5.5.4)

The only business is sense gratification. He says, na sādhu manye: "This is not very good." Sādhu means good. Just to distinguish between the body of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, and our body, here the body of Kṛṣṇa is said, ānanda-mātram. Ānanda-mātram, simply full of . . . reservoir of all pleasures. So because we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, we have also ānanda-mātram—simply blissful body we have got. That is called spiritual body. But because we have become mad, we have identified that this material body as "I am." Therefore . . . and material body means sense gratification. There is no other alternative. To enjoy this material body means to gratify the senses.

So this sense gratification means, as it is said by Ṛṣabhādeva, na sādhu manye: "I do not think it is very good." Why? Yata asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). If you act irresponsibly, without understanding yourself that you are not this material body but you are spiritual body, then the result will be continuation of this material body, one after another. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. Therefore we are all abodha-jātaḥ, born ignorant.

Because from the very beginning of our life we know that, "I am this body." There is no education in the material world that we are not this body, we are soul. Although there are books of knowledge, just like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but nobody is interested. Therefore they are all mad. They are after the will-o'-the wisp, phantasmagoria, a wrong conception of life. Therefore all their activities are to be considered as defeat. Parābhavas. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. They are born ignorant, and they will continue to be ignorant, and they will be defeated by all their activities.

Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam (SB 5.5.5). So long he is not awakened to inquire, "What I am?"—simply under madness he is going after this bodily sense enjoyment, but he does not know that he is not this body, therefore all his activities under this wrong conception of life are to be considered as defeat of his human mission of life. Yes. Just like the Supreme Lord is ānanda-mātram: simply ānanda, bliss, transcendental bliss. Therefore there is another verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: ramante yoginaḥ anante (CC Madhya 9.29). Yoginaḥ, those who are actually yogi . . . yogī means who are trying to reestablish their link with the Absolute Truth. They are called yogī.

There are different types of yogī, but the real purpose of yoga means . . . the ordinary yoga means to find out the Supersoul within yourself, because Supersoul is there. Ramante yoginaḥ anante. So those who are actually yogī, they are not interested in this bodily sense gratification. They want unlimited blissfulness. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande. Satyānande means that is real happiness, which is never to be broken. That is real . . . here, whatever we consider happiness—actually, there is no happiness—but whatever we think that "This is happiness," oh, that will also break; it will not continue. That will also break.

So those who are actually yogī, they also, they also enjoy. But how they are enjoying? Satyānande. Real happiness, ramante yoginaḥ anante: and that is unlimited. There is no end. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande cid-ātmani. Cid-ātmani means in full knowledge and eternity. Cit. Cit means knowledge. Here we do not know what sort of enjoyment we are doing. Cid-ātmani.

iti rāma padenāsau

paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate

(CC Madhya 9.29)

This is the meaning of the word Rāma. We chant really Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Now, this word Rāma is explained in this way—Rāma means to enjoy life in the Supreme . . . transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead. That means dovetail your activities with Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you will be able to enjoy life eternally, blissfully. This is the purpose of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So in this verse we say . . . we see that Brahmājī says: paśyāmi viśva-sṛjam ekam aviśvam ātman: "Now, You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are the central point of all manifestation." Visvātman. Bhūtendriyātma . . . bhūtendriyātmakam adas ta upāśrito 'smi (CC Madhya 25.36). Bhūtendriya. Now, everything creation . . . here we see bhūta, there are so many, multi living entities, and they are enjoying what?

Enjoying means with these indriyaḥ, the senses. So bhūtendriyātmakam. So these senses, this body, the spirit of enjoyment, and the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, these are the manifestation. So therefore, upāśrito 'smi. Brahmā says that, "I surrender unto me . . . unto You."

tad vā idaṁ bhuvana-maṅgala maṅgalāya

dhyāne sma no daraśitaṁ ta upāsakānām

(SB 3.9.4), (CC Madhya 25.38)

This is the form which is searched after in meditation by persons who are engaged in yoga principle. Tad vā idaṁ bhuvana-maṅgala maṅgalāya dhyāne. Dhyāne means in meditation. Dhyāne sma no daraśitam: "We have seen this, this form." That means the perfection of meditation is, if one is serious about meditation and if he follows the rules and regulation as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the sitting posture, and the place, and the procedure, and the modes of eating, modes of living . . .

There are so many things. If somebody follows those regulation and meditates according to that, then ultimately he will see the Supreme Personality of Godhead within himself. Therefore Brahmā said that dhyāne, "While I was in meditation I saw this form." He revealed.

This form . . . how one does see the supreme form of Kṛṣṇa? Simply by the method of service. Otherwise, there is no possibility. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234). If you be engaged in service attitude, then God will reveal Himself unto you. You cannot see God. You . . . by your tiny effort you cannot see God. This is not possible. Just like in the midnight, darkness, it is not possible to see the sun. You can see sun when sun itself reveals to you. Sun has got a time, say, 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. in the morning, at once reveals. And as soon as the sun reveals itself, you see yourself, you see the sun and you see the world. And so long you do not see the sun, you are in darkness, the world is in darkness and you cannot see.

Similarly, without seeing the sun, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you cannot have actually the perfect knowledge of this manifestation of this world. The Vedānta-sūtra, or the Upaniṣad, confirms it: tasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātam bhavanti (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). One who has understood the Absolute Truth, for him, there is nothing unknowable. Everything becomes revealed to him automatically. He hasn't got to exert a different, I mean, separately to understand or to study different departments of knowledge. But if he, by the process, if he is able to see, just like Brahmā has seen, then he knows everything. Dhyāne sma no daraśitaṁ ta upāsakānām tasmai namo bhagavate 'nuvidhema tubhyam: "The same Personality of Godhead whom I saw in my meditation, now I see face to face. I offer my respectful obeisances."

Then he quotes another verse from Bhagavad-gītā, which is narrated as, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Those who are less intelligent, mūḍhā, mūḍhā means . . . mūḍhā is generally called the ass. Mūḍhā. So you can translate it, "less intelligent class of men." Avajānanti mām. When Kṛṣṇa was present . . . when Kṛṣṇa was present five thousand years before, not that everyone could see Him, because they had no such eye. Suppose if President Johnson comes before us immediately, but if you have no acquaintance, if you have no information of the feature of President Johnson or something, even if he is present we cannot see. We'll think, "Oh, he may be an ordinary gentleman. As others come, he has also come."

Similarly, unless we know about Kṛṣṇa by the symptoms . . . there are two mistakes: to understand God as common man or to accept a common man as God. Both things are mistakes. So one has to understand. That understanding is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. God Himself, Kṛṣṇa Himself, is describing about Himself, so there is no difficulty. But unfortunately, we have developed such material consciousness that even God describes Himself, even we see God face to face, because we have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore we cannot see. Therefore we cannot see. So avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā. Those who cannot see, they are described here as mūḍhā. Mūḍhā means foolish or less intelligent class men.

So avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). In the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "Because I am here amongst the human being as a man, therefore those who are less intelligent, they are deriding at Me." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam paraṁ bhāvam ajānanta. "Why they deride? Because they do not know what is My background." Paraṁ bhāvam. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanta, sarva-bhūta-maheśvaram. "They do not know that I am the Supreme Lord, and situated in everyone's heart. Because they do not know, therefore they deride at Me."

tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān

saṁsāreṣu narādhamān

kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān

āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu

(BG 16.19, CC Madhya 25.40)

So if anyone derides the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then . . . that means we must have impetus to know. But one who has no such impetus, he is called demon, or asura. So asura, one who does not want to understand the position of God, for them, Kṛṣṇa says that tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān. Dviṣataḥ means there is a class who are always envious of God. As soon as you speak something about God—they become fire, "Oh, what is this God nonsense?" So they are dviṣataḥ. Dviṣataḥ means envious. They cannot even tolerate the name of God. "Don't talk of God."

So it is not now individually infection, it is now worldwide. And therefore, the result is that the Communist party is developing all over the world due to this godlessness. And we have got experience, personal experience, in our selling our books, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I have seen many gentlemen, as teachers and educationists—as soon as he sees Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, "Oh, it is about God. Oh, we cannot purchase. We cannot purchase. Because it is God, therefore we have no connection with it. We cannot purchase." Such is the mentality.

So that . . . by that such mentality, godless mentality, atheistic mentality, the people of the world, they are not happy. But still, they are fools. Because they are fools, they'll not take to God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But it is our duty to canvass, to request.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu's one disciple, Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he took up a nice principle: dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā cāhaṁ bravīmi (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 8.90). His principle was that he would go to a gentleman, taking a straw in the mouth. According to Indian system, if you take a straw in your mouth and if you go to see somebody, he'll understand, "He is coming to me with most humble manner," so he'll receive you, "He's surrendered soul." So he will at least say: "Oh, what do you want to say?" So dante nidhāya. This is the sign. If you want to go to some big man, and if you take one straw in your mouth, he will accept. He will receive you. That is the system.

So dante nidhāya tṛṇakam. So Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he says that, "I have taken the straw in my mouth." Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya. "And I am falling down at your feet." Padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā cāham. "And I am flattering you in hundreds and thousands ways." Why? Why you are so humble? What is the intention? Kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā cāhaṁ bravīmi: "I want to say something. Please hear." "All right. Say it. What is that?"

He sādhava: "Oh, you are very learned man and you are very honest man." He sādhava sakalam eva vihāya dūrād: "For the time being, so long I shall speak, whatever you have learned, please set aside. Please set aside." Sakalam eva vihāya dūrād caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam: "Kindly hear for some time about the topics which Caitanya Mahāprabhu has presented before you."

We are servant of Lord Caitanya. So, in the disciplic succession we are trying to present. The Caitanya Mahāprabhu's topic is yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128): "Whoever you meet, please try to convince him about Kṛṣṇa consciousness." So in order to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he says that "I have taken straw in my mouth, and I am falling down to your feet and I am flattering you in so many ways. Kindly, for the time being, you forget whatever you have learned. Please try to hear about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

This should be the preaching method. Because you cannot enforce. You cannot enforce. The atheistic party, the godless civilization is so strong. So you are not weak. You are protected by the Supreme. But our mission is not to fight, but our mission is to convince. So this is the method to be accepted by devotees, those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to preach the philosophy in the world.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)