720815 - Lecture SB 01.02.12 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

720815SB-LOS ANGELES - August 15, 1972 - 24:45 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to you Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: So? Begin.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

Prabhupāda: This verse is finished? Twelve?

Pradyumna: Er, we didn't do all the purport.

Prabhupāda: No, then repeat this verse, tac chraddadhānā munayo.

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

tac chraddadhānā munayo

jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā

paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁ

bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā

(SB 1.2.12)

Prabhupāda: Next, anyone?

(interrupts and corrects pronunciation)

We are repeating so that by hearing the sound, you can practice. You should be attentive. By . . . (chanting resumes) Now girls, anyone? (girl devotee chants) Very good. Thank you. Yes. She has done better than all of you. (laughter) All right. (chanting resumes) Yes. That's all.

So people, they sometimes say: "Can you show me God? Have you seen God?" These questions sometimes we meet. So the answer is here. Yes, you can see God. Everyone can see God. I am also seeing God. But there must be the qualification. Just like God is there . . . suppose a motorcar is there, something is wrong there. Everyone is seeing. But one engineer or mechanic, he sees differently. Therefore we have to go there. "What is the wrong in this car? It is not running." He immediately touches some machine part; it runs.

So these rascal, they do not know that, "How I can see God if I have not the qualification?" The machine has gone wrong, I am seeing the machine. And the engineer, the mechanic, he is also seeing the machine. But his seeing and my seeing is different. He's qualified to see. Therefore when the machine has gone wrong, immediately he touches some part, it runs. So if for a machine we require so much qualification, and we want to see God without any qualification? Just see the fun. Without any qualification. Rascal, they are so rascal, so fool, that they want to see God with their nuisance qualification.

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25): "I am not exposed to everyone. Yogamāyā, yogamāyā is covering." So how you can see God? But this rascaldom is going on that, "Can you show me God? Have you seen God?" God has become just like a plaything: "Here is God. He is incarnation of God." Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). They are sinful, rascals, fools, lowest of the mankind. They inquire like that: "Can you show me God?" What qualification you have acquired, that you can see God?

Here is the qualification. What is that? Tac chraddadhānā munayaḥ. One must be first of all faithful. Faithful. Śraddadhānāḥ. He must be very much eager to see God, actually. Not that as a proclivity, frivolous thing, "Can you show me God?" a magic, just like God is a magic. No. He must be very serious: "Yes, if there is God . . . we have seen, we have been informed about God. So I must see."

There is a story in this connection. It is very instructive; try to hear. One professional reciter was reciting about Bhāgavata, and he was describing that Kṛṣṇa, being very highly decorated with all jewels, He is sent for tending the cows in the forest. So there was a thief in that meeting. So he thought that "Why not then go to Vṛndāvana and plunder this boy? He is in the forest with so many valuable jewels. I can go there and catch the child and take the . . . all the jewels." That was his intention. So, he was serious that, "I must find out that boy. Then in one night I shall become millionaire. So much jewelries." No.

So he went there, but his qualification was that, "I must see Kṛṣṇa, I must see Kṛṣṇa." That anxiety, that eagerness, made it possible that in Vṛndāvana he saw Kṛṣṇa. He saw Kṛṣṇa the same way as he was informed by the Bhāgavata reader. Then he saw, "Oh, oh, You are so nice boy, Kṛṣṇa." So he began to flatter. He thought that, "Flattering, I shall take all the jewels." (laughter)

So when he proposed his real business, "So may I take some of Your these ornaments? You are so rich." "No, no, no. You . . . my mother will be angry. I cannot . . ." (laughter) Kṛṣṇa as a child. So he became more and more eager for Kṛṣṇa. And then . . . by Kṛṣṇa's association, he has already become purified. Then at last Kṛṣṇa said: "All right, you can take." Then he became a devotee, immediately.

Because by Kṛṣṇa's association . . . so some way or other, we should come in contact with Kṛṣṇa. Some way or other. Then we'll be purified. Kāmād bhayād dveṣyāt. Just like the gopīs. The gopīs came to Kṛṣṇa being captivated by His beautiful feature. They were young girls, and Kṛṣṇa was so beautiful. So actually, they came to Kṛṣṇa being lusty, but Kṛṣṇa is so pure that they became first-class devotee. There is no comparison of their devotion. Because they loved Kṛṣṇa with heart and soul. That is the qualification. That is the qualification. They loved so much Kṛṣṇa that they didn't care for family, for reputation. When they were going at dead of night . . . Kṛṣṇa's flute was there, and they were all fleeing. Their father, their brother, their husband—"Where you are going? Where you are going in this dead of night?" They didn't care. They neglected their children, their family, everything: "We must go to Kṛṣṇa."

So this is required. We must be very, very eager so that . . . and many gopīs who were forcibly stopped going to Kṛṣṇa, they lost their life. Just see how much eager they are. So this eagerness is wanted. Then you can see God. Either you become lusty or a thief or a murderer or whatever it may be, some way or other, if you develop this eagerness that, "I must see Kṛṣṇa," then Kṛṣṇa will be seen.

So here is . . . the first thing is how much eager you are to see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will respond. If you are actually eager to see Kṛṣṇa . . . it, the reason may be different—either you are lusty or to steal His ornament, or —some way or other you become attracted to Kṛṣṇa, then your business is successful. Rūpa Gosvāmī has advised that . . . he says in a poetry. It is on the matter of the gopīs talking. One gopī is advising another gopī that "My dear friend . . ."

Smerān candrakeṇa vaṁśīnyastādhara ujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa keśi-tīrthopakaṇṭhe govindākhyāṁ mā prekṣiṣṭhāstava 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 Yamunā near the Keśi-ghāṭa, and He's playing on His flute. And He's so beautiful that especially during full moon night, please do not go there." (laughter) Why? "Now, because if you have got intention to enjoy in this material world with your family members, wife, children, husband, please do not go there." Smerān bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭim. Bhaṅgī-traya: Kṛṣṇa always stands in three-curved way with His flute. That is Kṛṣṇa's tri-bhaṅga-murāri. Tri-bhaṅga. Three places, He is bent. So:

smerān bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭiṁ

mā prekṣiṣṭhāstava sakhe yadi bandhu-saṅge 'sti raṅgaḥ

"If you think that you will enjoy more your life in this material world, then you do not go there. You do not go there."

The idea is that if you once see Kṛṣṇa, then you will forget all this nonsense material enjoyment. That is seeing Kṛṣṇa. No more. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42): "My dear Lord I don't want anything." Dhruva Mahārāja . . . Dhruva Mahārāja went to see Kṛṣṇa to get the kingdom of his father, but when he saw Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu . . . Viṣṇu offered, "Now, whatever benediction you want, you take." He said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: "My dear Lord, I have no more any desire." That is Kṛṣṇa seeing. That if you want to see Kṛṣṇa for some business that, "I shall see Kṛṣṇa . . ." Just like . . . of course, if you are eager to see Kṛṣṇa, the motive may be different, but somehow or other, due to your eagerness, you'll see Kṛṣṇa. That is the only qualification.

In another poetry Rūpa Gosvāmī says, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ kriyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate (Padyāvalī 14). The our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I have taken this from this word kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ. This is actual translation in Sanskrit or . . . kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvanāmṛta. So Rūpa Gosvāmī advises that, "Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if it is possible, please purchase. Don't delay." Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvanāmṛta kriyatām. "Purchase immediately!"

Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvanāmṛta kriyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi. "Where it is available? It is very nice thing." "Yes, it is available. You can purchase. The movement is going on." "And what is the price?" "Price?" "It is such a nice thing; you have to pay price?" "Yes, there is price." "What is that?" Tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam: "Simply your eagerness. That is price. This price you have to pay." Then you get Kṛṣṇa. Immediately.

Kṛṣṇa is not poor. And the Kṛṣṇa-seller, the Kṛṣṇa devotee, he is also not poor. He can distribute Kṛṣṇa free. And he's doing that. Simply you have to purchase by your eagerness. That is wanted. Tatra laulyam. "Oh, eagerness? I have got eagerness." "Oh, it is not so easy." Tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyaṁ janma-koṭi-sukṛtibhir na labhyate: "This eagerness cannot be achieved even by pious activities for millions of births." If you simply go on doing pious activities . . . because without being pious, you cannot approach Kṛṣṇa. So if you go on doing simply pious . . . janma-koṭi-sukṛtaiḥ . . . sukṛti means pious activities, simply pious. Still, this eagerness is not awakened.

So this eagerness is very important thing. But it can be awakened by the association of devotees. Therefore we are giving chance to everyone to invoke that eagerness. Then you will see God eye to eye. It is not difficult. Tac chraddadhānā munayaḥ. Those who have developed that eagerness, faith that, "I must see Kṛṣṇa in this life . . ." This life is meant for seeing Kṛṣṇa. It is not meant for becoming dogs and hogs. Unfortunately, the whole civilization is going on, they are being trained to become dogs and hogs. It is the only institution that is teaching people how to see Kṛṣṇa.

This is the only institution, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is so important. Tac chraddadhānā munayo jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā (SB 1.2.12). By eagerness, automatically you will be enriched with knowledge and detachment. Knowledge does not mean, "Now we have discovered this atomic bomb." That is not knowledge. What knowledge this is? People are dying. You have discovered something which will accelerate death. But we are giving some knowledge to stop death. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is knowledge. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā. And as soon as you get this knowledge, automatically you become detached to all this nonsense material happiness.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya! All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances) (end)