730414 - Lecture SB 01.08.22 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730414SB-LOS ANGELES - April 14, 1973 - 33:33 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (leads singing of Jaya rādhā-mādhava)

(prema-dhvāṇī prayers)

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Pradyumna: . . . vate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

namaḥ paṅkaja-nābhāya

namaḥ paṅkaja-māline

namaḥ paṅkaja-netrāya

namas te paṅkajāṅghraye

(SB 1.8.22)

Prabhupāda: That's all. Now, word meaning.

Pradyumna: namaḥ—all respectful obeisances; paṅkaja-nābhāya—unto the Lord who has a specific depression resembling a lotus flower in the center of His abdomen; paṅkaja-māline—one who is always decorated with a garland of lotus flowers; paṅkaja-netrāya—one whose glance is as cooling as a lotus flower; namas te—respectful obeisances unto You; paṅkaja-aṅghraye—unto You, the soles of whose feet are engraved with lotus flowers (and who are therefore said to possess lotus feet).

Translation: "My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who is always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus, and whose feet are engraved with lotuses."

Prabhupāda: Lord's feet, there are flags, lotus flower, chariot. These are the symbolic representation. God is person, but His personality is distinct from our personality. So these specific marks are there on His lotus feet. And paṅkaja-nābhāya, another meaning, paṅkaja-nābhāya means originally a lotus stem came out from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and Brahmā was born in that lotus flower, the origin of creation.

So Kṛṣṇa's all parts of the body reference to the paṅkaja. Paṅkaja means lotus flower. Paṅka means mud, and ja means generate. Paṅkaja, the lotus flower, is so important. Still, it is generated from mud. So Kṛṣṇa likes paṅkaja very much, lotus flower. So if we see lotus flower, we can remember . . . immediately remember Kṛṣṇa. If . . . just like if you love your child, if you see any garment, a small ship . . . shoes or any play things, immediately you remember your child: "Oh, this is my child's shoes. This is my child's playing things. This is my garment."

So it is the question of love. If you actually love God, Kṛṣṇa, then you can remember Him at any time, always, always. There is no difficulty. Here Kuntīdevī describes paṅkaja, with reference to lotus flower. And Kṛṣṇa describes Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8): "I am the taste of the liquid." So Kṛṣṇa can be remembered by tasting water. Even those who are drinking . . . if he thinks that, "This taste of drinking is Kṛṣṇa," he will one day come out a great saintly person. Such a nice thing, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you have cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you follow the description given by the śāstras . . .

So I can request even the drunkards that, "You can become Kṛṣṇa conscious." The drunkard. What to speak of others? Because Kṛṣṇa says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya, "I am the taste of the liquid." Generally, liquid, water is taken. So liquor is also liquid. Liquor is bad, because it creates intoxication. Otherwise, it is made from sugar, molasses—molasses with sulphuric acid fermented, so far I know. We were in the chemical line. Molasses fermented with sulphuric acid and then distilled. That is called spirit, or liquor. So thing is, nothing is bad, but because if a thing creates bad effect, then it is bad. Then it is bad.

So I shall request even the drunkards—in your country, there are many drunkards; there is no scarcity—so if you'll kindly remember when drinking wine that, "This nice taste of wine is Kṛṣṇa . . ." Just begin with it. You'll come out one day a saintly person, Kṛṣṇa conscious. (laughter) It's so nice, practical.

So Kṛṣṇa is available any circumstance, if we want to catch Him. That's all. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). He's . . . if one is actually very serious to search out Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi (Bs. 5.35). He is within this universe. Not only within the . . . He's within your heart. He's within the atom even. So it is not difficult to find Him out, but you must know the process how to find Him out. And this process is very simple. And the process we are distributing by the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to everyone, without any charge. The process is, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa."

As soon as you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately you understand Kṛṣṇa. As soon as you see the lotus flower, if you hear this verse . . . this Sanskrit verse is meant for understanding ourself. It is not for simply selling our books. Every one of you . . . we are repeating this verse again and again so that you are expected to chant these mantras. Not that the book is kept . . . "I'm very learned scholar." What kind of learned scholar? "If I find the book, then I can speak." That is not scholarship. You must chant.

Therefore we are teaching in our Dallas children simply to learn Sanskrit. They have nothing to do anything else. They are not going to be technologist or servant of everyone. No. We want some generation who can preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if they learn simply English and Sanskrit, they will be able to read this book, and that is sufficient. We don't want anything. All informations are there.

Throughout the whole world, whatever knowledge is there, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, everything is there. There is literature, there is poetry, there is philosophy, there is religion, there is love of Godhead, there is astronomy. Everything is there. Śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam (SB 12.13.18). Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhiḥ. If one simply reads this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, his education is the topmost. Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhiḥ. There is something topmost, ultimate. So for education, vidyā, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If one studies Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he is well versed in every subject matter.

So we want to create a new generation in your country so that in the future there will be fluent speaker in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and preach all over the country, and your country will be saved. This is our program. We have come here not to exploit your country, but to give you something substantial. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So read Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Pronounce the verses very nicely. Therefore we're repeating. You hear the records and try to repeat. Simply by chanting the mantra you'll be purified. Simply by chant . . . even you do not understand a single word of it, simply if you chant, this vibration has got such power. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If you simply chant and vibrate this verse . . . these verses, these ślokas, it is puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ.

There is . . . there is no question of understanding. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Puṇya means pious, and śravaṇa means hearing, and kīrtana means chanting. One who is chanting this verse and one who is hearing this verse, he is becoming pious automatically. Pious. To become pious one has to endeavor so much: do this, do that. But if you simply hear these verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā . . .

Therefore, as a rigid principle, in every temple there should be class for hearing and chanting. Without hearing and chanting, to become leader it is impossible. You can . . . you can become leader in the material world, but not in the spiritual world. Śravaṇa-kīrtana kare . . .

mālī hañā sei bīja kare āropaṇa

śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana

(CC Madhya 19.152)

Bhakti-latā-bīja. It is a seed of developing your original consciousness. Just like in the seed there is potency, in a small seed, mustardlike, but if you sow it, in due course of times it comes out a big banyan tree. There is so much potency in that seed. Where is that scientist? Just prepare a seed in which there is a big, gigantic banyan tree. Where is your science? But that is not possible.

But Kṛṣṇa says, bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 7.10): "I am that seed." So anyone can appreciate. Suppose you . . . the banyan seed, you have seen the fig fruit. There are hundreds and thousands of seeds. And each seed, there is a banyan tree. Each seed. If you simply study a fig of banyan tree, you can study the whole cosmic manifestation. If you simply think over . . . this is a small seed, insignificant. And there are millions of seeds like that, millions of fruits.

And each seed's containing the potency of fructifying into big banyan tree. So who has made it? How much His brain is sharp that He has made it? It is . . . it is done by brain. It has not come out automatically. This is rascaldom. Whatever . . . what is coming, rascaldom? No. There is brain. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Vedānta-sūtra says that everything is coming from Him, coming from His brain, big brain. Kṛṣṇa has got big brain. We haven't got such brain. Still, we rascals, we claim that, "I am as good as Kṛṣṇa. I am God." What nonsense, you are God? You cannot create anything.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice. Here Kuntīdevī, a great devotee, is giving us opportunity to become Kṛṣṇa conscious: simply concentrating your mind on lotus flower. That's all. Lotus flower. As soon as you see a lotus flower, you will immediately think of namaḥ paṅkaja-nābhāya: "Oh, Kṛṣṇa's navel is just like lotus flower. From the navel of Kṛṣṇa there was a stem of lotus flower, and from that lotus flower, Brahmā came out.

And Brahmā created this universe. This universe means so many planets, so many seas, mountains and cities, motorcars, everything." Within that lotus flower, the beginning is . . . namaḥ paṅkaja-nābhāya. And namaḥ paṅkaja-māline (SB 1.8.22). So such wonderful lotus flower which contains the seedling of the whole universe . . . that is not only one. Paṅkaja-māline. Just like here is a garland, there are so many flowers. So Kṛṣṇa is not so poor that simply producing one lotus flower, He's finished. No. There is a garland of lotus flower, big garland. Or as many lotus flowers as you want.

This is God. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Unlimited. Everything is unlimited. Kṛṣṇa's creation . . . we are very much concerned with one planet, this, but Kṛṣṇa's creation is unlimited number of planets. As you see unlimited number of hairs on your head, you cannot count. Can you count how many hairs are there? This is Kṛṣṇa's creation. You cannot count. So what to speak of this hair—anything you take.

You take one tree: unlimited number of foliages. You cannot count. Similarly, unlimited number of planets, unlimited number of universes—everything unlimited. Therefore He is unlimited. Namaḥ paṅkaja-nābhāya namaḥ paṅkaja-māline namaḥ paṅkaja-netrāya (SB 1.8.22). Kṛṣṇa's eyes are compared with the petals of lotus flower. Ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī (Bs. 5.31).

So if you simply think only one verse, as it is explained here, and the paṅkaja, lotus, in reference with Kṛṣṇa's body, you can meditate the whole life how Kṛṣṇa is beautiful, how Kṛṣṇa is wise, how Kṛṣṇa's creation, how . . . this is meditation: thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Yoginaḥ means . . . yogī means he's always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Mat-paraḥ. That is yogī. These rascals are not yogī, thinking something impersonal and being harassed. Kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). They are . . . they are simply laboring, adhikataraḥ, more and more. They cannot get anything substantial. Therefore after meditation, "Come on, give me cigarette. Come on. My throat is now dried up. Give me cigarette." That is not meditation. Meditation means this is, namaḥ paṅkaja-netrāya.

So if we think of Kṛṣṇa always, satataṁ cintayanto mām (BG 9.14), "Always thinking of Me," yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ, and endeavoring to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness with vow, then we have to remain purified. Because Kṛṣṇa is purified. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). You cannot approach Kṛṣṇa impurified. But if you think of Kṛṣṇa always, in this way, meditate upon Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be purified.

Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). That meditation can be possible by hearing and chanting. Then thinking will automatically come. That is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam (SB 7.5.23). Smaraṇa means remember. If you chant and hear, then remembrance will automatically come. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. Then you will be engaged in worshiping His lotus feet. Arcanam. Then you'll be engaged in arcanam, the temple worship; vandanam, offering prayers; dāsyam, you'll engage yourself as servant; sakhyam, you'll become friend of Kṛṣṇa; ātma-nivedanam, and surrender everything to Kṛṣṇa. This is the process.

So each and every verse you should chant very perfectly, nicely, meditate upon it. That is the process of progress, advancement in spiritual life. We should get all these verses by heart, and chant, and offer prayer to the Lord, vandanam. Vandanam. These are meant for such purpose.

namaḥ paṅkaja-nābhāya

namaḥ paṅkaja-māline

namaḥ paṅkaja-netrāya

namas te paṅkajāṅghraye

(SB 1.8.22)

Everything is Kṛṣṇa's, with reference to paṅkaja.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya, Haribol. All glories to Prabhupāda. (kīrtana) (end)