681030 - Lecture ISO 1 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1968

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

681030IP-LOS ANGELES - October 30, 1968 - 16:32 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa (leads devotees in chanting mantras 1–15)

oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ

pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya

pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate

(Īśo Invocation)

īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ

yat kiṣca jagatyāṁ jagat

tena tyaktena bhuṣjīthā

mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

(Īśo mantra 1)

kurvann eveha karmāṇi

jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ

evaṁ tvayi nānyatheto 'sti

na karma lipyate nare

(Īśo mantra 2)

asuryā nāma te lokā

andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ

tāṁs te pretyābhigacchanti

ye ke cātma-hano janāḥ

(Īśo mantra 3)

anejad ekaṁ manaso javīyo

nainad devā āpnuvan pūrvam arṣat

tad dhāvato 'nyān atyeti tiṣṭhat

tasminn apo mātariśvā dadhāti

(Īśo mantra 4)

tad ejati tan naijati

tad dūre tad v antike

tad antar asya sarvasya

tad u sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥ

(Īśo mantra 5)

yas tu sarvāṇi bhūtāny

ātmany evānupaśyati

sarva-bhūteṣu cātmānaṁ

tato na vijugupsate

(Īśo mantra 6)

yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtāny

ātmaivābhūd vijānataḥ

tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka

ekatvam anupaśyataḥ

(Īśo mantra 7)

sa paryagāc chukram akāyam avraṇam

asnāviram śuddham apāpa-viddham

kavir manīṣī paribhūḥ svayambhūr

yāthātathyato 'rthān vyadadhāc chāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ

(Īśo mantra 8)

andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti

ye 'vidyām upāsate

tato bhūya iva te tamo

ya u vidyāyām ratāḥ

(Īśo mantra 9)

anyad evāhur vidyayā-

nyad āhur avidyayā

iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ

ye nas tad vicacakṣire

(Īśo mantra 10)

vidyāṁ cāvidyāṁ c yas

tad vedobhayaṁ saha

avidyayā mṛtyuṁ tīrtvā

vidyayāmṛtam aśnute

(Īśo mantra 11)

andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti

ye 'sambhūtim upāsate

tato bhūya iva te tamo

ya u sambhūtyām ratāḥ

(Īśo mantra 12)

anyad evāhuḥ sambhavād

anyad āhur asambhavāt

iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ

ye nas tad vicacakṣire

(Īśo mantra 13)

sambhūtiṁ ca vināśaṁ ca

yas tad vedobhayaṁ saha

vināśena mṛtyuṁ tīrtvā

sambhūtyāmṛtam aśnute

(Īśo mantra 14)

hiraṇmayena pātreṇa

satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham

tat tvaṁ pūṣann apāvṛṇu

satya-dharmāya dṛṣṭaye

(Īśo mantra 15)

Prabhupāda: Open the page. Read.

Gargamuni: Page eighteen.

Prabhupāda: Read.

Gargamuni: Page eighteen. "The root of sin is deliberate disobedience to the laws of nature through not recognizing the proprietorship of the Lord; disobedience to the laws of nature, or disobedience to the order of the Lord, brings ruin to the human being. On the other hand, if one is sober and knows the laws of nature, without being influenced by unnecessary attachment or abhorrence, he is sure to be recognized again by the Lord and thus become eligible for going back to Godhead, back to the eternal home." (Īśo mantra 1)

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So the natural law, without being influenced by unnecessary attachment or abhorrence. There is no need of attachment for this material world, neither there is need of abhorrence. That is īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (Īśo mantra 1).

Suppose we are sitting in this temple. So, of course, for temple we should have attachment. Ordinary home, or ordinary house . . . temple . . . we must explain. The temple is transcendental. According to Vedic civilization, to live in the forest is residential quarter in goodness, to live in the forest. Therefore, formerly, great sages and saintly persons, they used to go to the forest and live there. And the government would give them protection.

The king's duty was to supply them food. What sort of food? The king used to give them in charity cows, nice cows. So they would take little milk, and whatever fruits are available in the forest, that was sufficient for them. And the king would sometimes hunt ferocious animals so that they may not disturb. But actually, they do not disturb saintly persons still.

So to live in the forest is in the mode of goodness, and to live in the city, or town, is . . . is in the mode of passion, and to live in slaughterhouse and brothel and drunkards, these are the residential quarter in ignorance. And to live in the temple is transcendental, above goodness: pure goodness.

In the material world goodness is sometimes mixed up with ignorance and passion, but in the spiritual world there is pure goodness—no contamination or tinges of passion and ignorance. Therefore it is called śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva. Śabdam, sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam (SB 4.3.23): "That pure goodness is called vasudeva, and in that pure goodness one can realize God." Therefore God's name is Vāsudeva, "produced from Vasudeva." Vasudeva is the father of Vāsudeva.

So unless we come to the standard of pure goodness, without any tinge of passion and ignorance, it is not possible, God realization. Therefore bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jṣāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. Jṣāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11). Jṣāna is the platform of goodness, and karma is the platform of passion and ignorance. So bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ, without any material desire, devoid of, freed from all kinds of material desire and uncovered by ignorance, passion and goodness. Goodness also.

To become very good man in this world, that does not mean that he is freed from this material contamination. He's contaminated by the goodness quality. Just like Arjuna. He wanted to be very good man. Kṛṣṇa said: "Now fight." He said: "Oh, how can I fight? Oh, they are my brothers, they are my grandfathers. No, no. Better I shall beg. I don't want this kingdom."

So this is material goodness. People appreciate very much, "Oh, just see. Arjuna is giving up claim on the kingdom." But what Kṛṣṇa replied? Kṛṣṇa said: "Wherefrom you got this foolish idea?" Kutas te kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam, anārya-juṣṭam (BG 2.2): "This is for non-Āryans, not for Āryan."

So this so-called goodness, so-called gentlemanliness, has no value in the spiritual world. Spiritual world—complete love of God, without any attachment for this . . . so Arjuna, this goodness means attachment for his family. That's all. He was becoming a good man. Why? Because there is attachment for his family, for his grandfather, for his brother, nephews. So, so long there is attachment for this material world, either in the form of goodness or passion or ignorance, they're all the same.

In the transcendental platform . . . therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that in this material world, the divisions that, "This is good" and "This is bad," they are simply mental concoction. The same example, the stool dried up is good, and the wet is not good. Stool is stool. That's all. For a devotee, this is stool. Either it may be dried up or moist, it doesn't matter. So those who are in ignorance and passion, they're little moist, and those who are in goodness, they're dried up. But after all, it is stool.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). There is no consideration of this goodness or badness. You have to give up all material attachment. And abhorrence. Abhorrence is also another negative attachment. "I don't like this," that means I have attachment for this "don't like." You see? So a devotee is simply attached to the service of the Lord, and whatever condition comes, favorable or unfavorable, any circumstances he is steady, dṛḍha-vratāḥ, bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 7.28). Dṛḍha-vratāḥ means fixed up, without being tilting, tottering in any circumstances. Ahaituky apratihatā . . . (SB 1.2.6)

So we should not have abhorrence or attachment. Suppose we have got this microphone. But sometimes there is no microphone; we have to say, lecture, in some jungle, where there is nothing available, neither like this seat. So whatever is available, that's all right.

But that does not mean because there is no microphone, there is no nice seat, there is no nice building, we shall stop our chanting. No. Chanting will go on at any circumstance, either in this nice building or in the hell. We have no consideration, hell or heaven. Whatever . . . wherever Krsna is there, that we want. That's all.

So here it is said that without being influenced by unnecessary attachment. These karmīs, they are unnecessarily attached to this world. They know that everything will be finished; I will be finished, this body will be finished. Still they are attached. These are karmīs. And jṣānīs, they are abhorring: brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Jagan mithyā: "This world is false." Why it is false? It is . . . there are . . . so many nice things there are which can be engaged in the service of the Lord.

Why it is false? We don't say that "false," "abhorrent," or "This is made of material . . . you don't like." No, it can be used. When you speak, glorifying Lord, oh, it can help you. Why abhorrence? So there is no unnecessary abhorrence, unnecessary attachment. Simply whatever is favorable for my service to the Lord we shall accept. That is īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (Īśo mantra 1).

Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances) (end)