721020 - Lecture NOD - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

721020ND-VRNDAVAN - October 20, 1972 - 34:48 Minutes

Pradyumna: (reading) ". . . particular type of body as a result of his action in the present body. These activities are taken into account by superior authority known as daiva, or the authority of God. This daiva is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā as the prime cause of everything, and in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that a man takes his next body by daiva-netreṇa, which means by the supervision of the authority of the Supreme. In an ordinary sense, daiva is explained as destiny. Daiva supervision gives us a body selected from 8,400,000 forms. The choice does not depend on our selection, but is awarded to us according to our destiny."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So material rasas. That is being experienced in different types of body. Just like somebody wants to taste fresh blood, flesh and blood. So he's given the next life a body like a tiger, like a other carnivorous animal, and he tastes very nicely blood and flesh. Nature gives all the facilities.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

Prakṛti, nature, is doing everything. I am desiring something. That means I am contacting, contacting the certain type of the modes of material nature. This is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Sad-asad-janma-yoni. Yoni means the source of birth. Mother is called yoni, and father is called bīja. Yathā yoni yathā bījam. According to bījam and according to yoni, we get body.

So why you are getting different types of body? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya. He is contacting a particular type of the modes of material nature. There are three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So if I am associating with sattva-guṇa, then next life I'll get a sattva-guṇa body. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā. (BG 14.18) Sattva-guṇa body means higher standard of life. So similarly, if I am associating with the modes of passion, then I'll get a body, next life, passionate.

If I am associating with ignorance, tamo-guṇa . . . jghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Tāmasāḥ. Tama-vṛtti. The jaghanya, the lowest. There are so many varieties of life. So those who are associating with tamo-guṇa—drinking, flesh-eating, smoking, illicit sex, gambling . . . these are the association of tamo-guṇa. Yatra pāpāś catur-vidhā (SB 1.17.38), where there are four kinds of sinful activities. So intoxication is sinful activities. That is tamo-guṇa, associating with tamo-guṇa. So jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ (BG 14.18). Those who are associating with tamo-guṇa, their vṛtti, their habits, are very abominable. Jaghanya. Therefore, adho gacchanti: they go downwards.

In this way, everyone is enjoying a particular type of rasa, material rasa . . . and nature is offering him a particular type of body. Deha-yogena dehinam (SB 7.6.3). We can enjoy a particular type of rasa . . . just like the hogs: they are relishing the rasa of stool very nicely. You give them nice food, they will not take. They'll prefer to taste the stool. Why? Because he has been offered a particular type of body. And this particular type of body has been offered to him, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya . . . (BG 13.22) He has associated with jaghanya, tamo-guṇa, abominable tamo-guṇa; therefore he has developed a body of a hog, and tasting the juice of stool. This is the way of transmigration of the soul.

Actually, it is the living spirit soul, either hog or dog or a brāhmin or a caṇḍāla or a cow. This is simply a covering, or . . . just like we cover ourself in dream. That is subtle covering. Similarly, this is also covering. In the Vedas it is said, asaṅgo hy ayaṁ puruṣaḥ (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.3.16). Actually, the living entity, the spirit soul, is neither hog, neither dog, nor brāhmiṇ, nor this, nor that. It is simply a covering. But this covering is developed by our association with the particular type of modes of nature. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22).

But in this life, if we develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness by association of devotees . . . as Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung, tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa (Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7). One's aim of life should be to serve the ācāryas. Ācārya upāsanam. So our ācārya in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, the śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha, the six Gosvāmīs, and if we associate with them . . . this book, Nectar of Devotion, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, if you read regularly, try to understand, this means you are associating with Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī directly. And if you act accordingly, then you are serving their lotus feet. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa. And unless you are associated with devotees, you will not be able to understand the import of the writings of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, recommended one brāhmin, bhagavata para giyā bhagavata sthāne. Bhagavat . . . he, he came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu to read some poetry he had written, but it was the system that unless anything written . . . there were many devotees. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was living at Purī, Jagannātha Purī. So, many devotees from other provinces used to come and visit. And some of them wrote some poetries. But all of them, first of all, would be tested by Svarūpa Dāmodara. And then he'll be allowed to go before Caitanya Mahāprabhu and read it. That was the system.

Because people do not know siddhānta, general people. Those who are advanced devotee, they know siddhānta, the conclusion. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, therefore, it has been advised:

siddhānta baliyā citte nā kara alasa

ihā haite kṛṣṇe lāge sudṛḍha mānasa

(CC Adi 2.117)

If you neglect siddhānta, conclusion, given by the ācāryas, then you will misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa . . . therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says . . . these are the evidences.

rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti

kabe hāma bhujhaba se yugala-pīriti

(Lālasāmayī)

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, such an exalted ācārya, he's teaching us, "Don't try to understand yugala-pīriti, the love affairs between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, concoctedly, by your own concoction." No. You should first of all try to serve the six Gosvāmīs, rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti, how they are directing.

Just like this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī is not teaching in the beginning the loving affairs of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. No. He's training first of all the reader, the devotee, how to become first of all pure devotee.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

(Brs. 1.1.11)

First of all, he's trying to bring the devotee to the standard devotional service. Vidhi-mārga. Then gradually, when he becomes accustomed, then rāga-mārga will be revealed. Rāga-mārga is not artificial. It becomes . . . svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ.

Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau sva . . . (Brs. 1.2.234). Everything, devotional relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you cannot establish artificially. Everyone has got a particular relationship with Kṛṣṇa in his original, constitutional position. That will be revealed gradually as you advance in devotional service in the prescribed rules and regulation, as they are directed in the śāstras and by spiritual master. When you are trained up properly, you come to the platform of rāga-mārga, then your relationship . . . that is called svarūpa-siddhi. Svarūpa-siddhi.

So svarūpa-siddhi is attained at a certain stage. Just like svarūpa-siddhi . . . the desire for sex life is there in every human being, but when the boy and the girl come to the mature stage, it become manifest. It is . . . is not learned artificially. Similarly, the rāga-mārga, svarūpa-siddhi, becomes revealed, or manifest. Śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya (CC Madhya 22.107). Udaya. This very word, udaya, is used. Just like sun. Sun becomes visible when the sun rises automatically. You cannot force the sun to rise at dead of night. That is not possible. Sun will rise. You just wait. When the time will be right, morning, six o'clock, you'll find the sun.

Similarly, the devotional service we have to execute with patience, with enthusiasm. Utsāhāt dhairyāt niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt (NoI: verse 3). We must be enthusiastic, that we . . . "I, I shall engage myself very nicely in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement." That is first qualification: enthusiastic. Dullness will not help you. You must be very enthusiastic. My Guru Mahārāja used to say, prāṇa ache yara sei hetu pracāra. A preacher can . . . a person can become a preacher if he has got life. A dead man cannot become a preacher.

So you must be very enthusiastic that, "I shall preach the glories of the Lord to my best capacity." It is not that one has to become very learned scholar to become a preacher. Simply it requires enthusiasm, "My Lord is so great, so kind, so beautiful, so wonderful. So I must speak something about my Lord." This is the qualification, enthusiasm. You may not know Kṛṣṇa very perfectly. It is not possible to know Kṛṣṇa very perfectly. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. We cannot know Kṛṣṇa cent percent. That is not possible. But Kṛṣṇa reveals as far as possible you can understand. So if we are sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa, utsāhā, and if we serve patiently, then Kṛṣṇa reveals.

The example is given in this connection: Just like a girl is married. Generally, a girl wants a child. But if she wants a child immediately after marriage, that is not possible. She must wait. She must serve her husband nicely. Utsāhān dhairyāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, just like a faithful wife. Time will come she will become pregnant and she will have child. So niścayāt means . . . just like the girl must know because she's married, because she has got a husband, that there must be a child. It is a fact. It may be little later.

Similarly, when you have entered into devotional service, bhakti-yoga, bhakti-mārga, your success is assured, provided you are enthusiastic and patient. Not that, "Immediately I want a child," "Immediately I become fully Kṛṣṇa consciousness and perfect." No. There may be so many imperfections, because we are in the imperfect atmosphere. But patiently if you go on executing your duties in devotional service as it is directed in the śāstras and confirmed by the spiritual master, then rest assured that your success is guaranteed. This is the way. Utsāhān dhairyāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. You must execute the duties.

Just like we have asked our student to finish sixteen rounds chanting, minimum. Sixteen rounds is nothing. In Vṛndāvana there are many devotees, they chant 120 rounds, like that. So sixteen rounds is the minimum. Because I know in the Western countries it is difficult job to finish sixty-four rounds or 120 rounds, like that. Minimum sixteen rounds. That must be finished. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. This is the direction, observing the regulative principles. In this way, we must be abiding by the direction of the spiritual master and the śāstra. Then rest assured, success is guaranteed.

Go on reading, next.

Pradyumna: "If our body at present . . ."

Prabhupāda: (aside) Bring the light. Hmm. Go on.

Pradyumna: "If our body at present is engaged in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is guaranteed that we will have at least a human body in our next life."

Prabhupāda: So one thing is guaranteed. If you engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and suppose you do not become perfectly mature, some way or other you fall down . . . we should not fall down. Because if we have got enthusiasm and patience, we shall not fall down. But suppose we fall down. Śāstra says, tasya abhadra abhūd amuṣya kim. There is nothing inauspicity, because whatever you have done sincerely, that is recorded in the book, in the Kṛṣṇa's book.

Kṛṣṇa has got accountant. (laughter) He keeps nice account of the activities of His devotees. That's a fact. Just like the nondevotees' accounts are kept by Yamarāja for punishment, similarly, devotees' accounts are kept by Kṛṣṇa, personally. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Unless He keeps account, how He says: "I respond to the devotee to the proportionate surrender"? Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. The real business is surrender to Kṛṣṇa. If we surrender immediately, cent percent, then Kṛṣṇa also gives you the result immediately, cent percent. Kṛṣṇa says:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣya . . .

(BG 18.66)

If Kṛṣṇa relieves me from all kinds of sinful activities, then where is my miserable condition of life? Miserable condition of life is for them who are enjoying or suffering . . . there is no question of enjoyment, but it is sometimes taken, enjoyment, the fruitive action, the result of fruitive action. So a devotee does not enjoy anything or suffer anything, because a devotee does everything for Kṛṣṇa. So therefore for his personal self, there is no question of karma-phala.

That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: yajñārthe karma anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). If you act for Kṛṣṇa, that is nice. If you act otherwise, then it is karma-bandhana. Yajñārthe karma anyatra. Anyatra means except Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities, the activities of the karmīs and the jñānīs and the yogīs, they are all karma-bandhana, bound up. Suppose karmīs, they are going to the heavenly planet or higher planetary system for getting higher standard of life, to take birth by pious activities in nice family, to become rich. But that is bandhana. That is bondage.

Similarly, the so-called mukti, jñānīs, they merge into the existence, Brahman existence, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nirbheda-brahmānusandhana. Nirbheda, without any distinction, enter, merge into the Brahman. But that is also bandhana, bondage. Why? Because we find in the śāstras, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam. Paraṁ padam means brahma-pada, to merge into the effulgence, brahma-jyotir. That is called paraṁ pada. According to Vaiṣṇava, paraṁ pada means to go to Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana and be engaged as servant, eternal servant of the Lord. But according to the jñānīs, the paraṁ pada means merge into the effulgence, or brahma-jyotir. Śāstra says that āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam. To go to that paraṁ padam, that is also not very easy. Kṛcchreṇa. Severe austerities and penances, one has to undergo to merge into the Brahman effulgence. Therefore you'll find the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, their stricture is very rigid. They must take bath thrice in, in a day and lie down underneath a tree and . . . their renunciation is very rigid; of course, those who are strictly following.

In our Brahmā . . . Vaiṣṇava sannyāsa, there is little leniency. Because they live in Kṛṣṇa, so there is no need of very strict, rigid following. Although it is stated that they should live like this. But there is leniency. But Māyāvāda, they are very rigid in their principles of sannyāsa life. That is called āruhya kṛcchreṇa. Kṛcchreṇa, with great difficulty, they merge into the Brahman effulgence. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam (SB 10.2.32). They attain the perfectional stage. Not perfectional, paraṁ padam, in the spiritual realm. But patanty adhaḥ: again falls down. Again falls down means because in the effulgence there is no varieties. The example is just like you have got a nice sputnik or, what is called . . .?

Indian man: Apollo. Apollo.

Prabhupāda: No, no. By which they go?

Indians and Devotees: Rocket.

Prabhupāda: Rocket, rocket. You have got very nice rocket, running at the speed of eighteen thousand miles or twenty-five thousand miles per hour. But you may go. If you don't take . . . if you don't get shelter in some planet—just as they're going in the moon planet, but do not get shelter and come back—similarly, supposing they are getting shelter, but that shelter is not very secure; they again come back. So without shelter, how long you can fly in the sky? The sky is unlimited. You can fly on your sputnik or capsule, but if you don't get the shelter in some planet, then again you come back to your place.

So this is . . . the same example is given in the Bhāgavata: āruhya kṛcchreṇa, with great scientific method you can go up. But if you don't get a shelter, then you come back again on this planet. Similarly, the nondevotees, the impersonalist, they undergo severe penances and austerities undoubtedly, and they rise up to the brahma-jyotir. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). From there, he again falls down. Same example. Why? Anādhṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. Because they did not care for the shelter under the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, therefore they have to come back again to this material world.

That is practically experienced. We have seen many, many great sannyāsīs, they give up this world and take sannyāsa for merging into Brahman, but later on they come back again to the material activities for opening hospital, schools, and philanthropic work. Why? Because they could not get there. In their so-called Brahman realization, they could not get any pleasure. Therefore they come down again to the material activities. You have left this material world as brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Then why you come back again to this mithyā world, to open hospitals and schools? The reason is they could not get any pleasure in so-called Brahman-realization; therefore they come back to give food to the poor, to open hospital, philanthropic work. So . . .

Indian devotee: Haribol! Jaya Gaura haribol!

Prabhupāda: Therefore . . .

Indian devotee: Jaya Rādhe!

Prabhupāda: Therefore, if you stick to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will enjoy blissful, transcendental blissfulness. Then you'll not be attracted with this humanitarian work or philanthropic work. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).

In the service of the Lord, there are so much pleasure, transcendental pleasure. Just like in the life of Gosvāmīs we find:

tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat

bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna kantāśritau

gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau sadā

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

(Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 4)

They gave up their ministerial post. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. Most insignificant. They gave up their ministerial post. And they became mendicant.

tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat

bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kantāśritau

Became very poor, voluntarily mendicant. It is very difficult. If one changes his dress artificially by imitating Rūpa Gosvāmī, he cannot stay. He'll have to take to sex pleasure and intoxication to keep himself fit for bhajana. No. But the Gosvāmīs, they did not take into sex pleasure or intoxication. They were merged into the ocean of the dealings of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī. There is a . . . laharī. There is a flow, constant flow of waves, in the ocean of loving affairs between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. So they were merged into that.

Therefore this renunciation, this material renunciation, did not affect. Otherwise, if one artificially renounce this material world, and he does not get real shelter unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he'll fall down. That's a fact. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). So if you want to stay attached to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then you must always keep yourself busy in the transcendental loving service of Lord.

Thank you very much. (break)

Devotee: . . . scientists who are going to the moon by some artificial process that even though mechanically, on the gross level, they may reach the moon planet, because they cannot enter into the actual activity on the moon planet, technically, according to Bhāgavata, they have not reached there?

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you go . . . suppose if somebody comes on this earthly planet and goes to the Arabian desert, then what he'll find? He must go back again.

Devotee: So he can say he has been there grossly, but actually he has not been there, because he cannot enter into the activity there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He . . . they have not gone to the proper place. They have gone to the Arabian desert. That's all. (laughter)

Devotee: Don't think it is wrong. (end)