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731210 - Lecture SB 01.15.32 - Los Angeles

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada



731210SB-LOS ANGELES - December 10, 1973 - 20:00 Minutes



Pradyumna: Translation: "Upon hearing of Lord Kṛṣṇa's returning to His abode, and upon understanding the end of the Yadu dynasty's earthly manifestation, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira decided to go back home, back to Godhead." (SB 1.15.32)

Prabhupāda: Hm. So, hearing all the details how Kṛṣṇa has gone back to His abode and how the Yadu dynasty was destroyed by fighting amongst themself, so naturally . . . Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was very sober and very advanced. He thought what to do next. Everyone should think that . . . the Yadu dynasty, they belonged directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nobody could conquer them, but still, they were also finished by . . . others could not conquer them, but they fought amongst themselves, and then vanquished.

So everyone should take care that after all, we have to give up this body, estate, and whatever we possess. We have to give up. So after giving up, what is next? We have to give up. That is a fact. If you don't give it up now, at the time of death you must give it up, everything. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). You may try to keep in possession whatever you have got, but at the time of death you have to give it up. By force it will be taken away. Everyone should think like that. That is soberness.

One who is thinking that, "My family, my nation, my society, my bank balance, my skyscraper building, my motorcars—these will save me," that is not possible. That is not possible. That is the conclusion of the foolish person. Pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati (SB 2.1.4). Those who are mad, they do not see that everything they possess will be vanished. It will not stay. He'll be vanished, his body will be vanished—everything. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api (SB 2.1.4). Asatsu api. All these things are temporary, but I am eternal. They do not think very seriously that, "I am eternal, and I am engaged with temporary things. Now, what is my eternal business?" They do not know. That they do not know. This is called foolishness, mūḍha.

But you are eternal. About you, you have heard from the śāstra, and you are experiencing that "I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man. So my body, childhood body, boyhood body, youthhood body is gone. This body is not that body." Nobody can say: "I have got a different body." But I know that I had a childhood body, I had a boyhood body, youthhood body. That I know. So I am eternal, and this body is not eternal. It is changing. It is very simple thing. Why people cannot understand it? Very simple. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam (BG 2.17), antavanta ime dehāḥ (BG 2.18). This is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā. This body is antavat. It will be finished. But that thing which is spreading all over the body, avināśi, that will not be annihilated. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. That consciousness, the consciousness is spread all over the body, and Kṛṣṇa says that that thing which is spread all over the body, consciousness, that is immortal.

So now our consciousness is immortal consciousness or mortal consciousness, that is to be seen. I am absorbed in thought of this mortal consciousness, "This is my country, this is my body, this is my family, this is my community, this is my nation . . ." They are all mortal. But immortal consciousness is that "I am Kṛṣṇa's." That is immortal consciousness. "Kṛṣṇa is mine, and I am Kṛṣṇa's." This is immortal consciousness. When you come to this consciousness—that is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness—then you are saved. Immortal consciousness. So long you have got temporary consciousness, then . . . just like our mind changes. I accept something now, I reject something again. So this body is being manufactured according to the acceptance and rejection of my mind, the body is formed. Otherwise why we have different body? We are sitting here, so many boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen. Nobody's body will exactly tally with other body. No. Because the face is the index of mind. You have got different types of mind; therefore you have got different types of body. Not everyone's.

So this is to be understood. Therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, svaḥ-pathāya matiṁ cakre. This is meditation actually, "What I am? Wherefrom I have come? I am eternal. Why my body is not eternal? I would have been very happy if my body would have been eternal, but that is not being possible." Everyone knows, "But I desire that I may not die, my body may not be vanquished. That is my desire." But nobody is meditating upon this subject matter. They have learned some meditation—I do not know what kind of medi . . . this is meditation: matiṁ cakre. Svaḥ-pathāya matiṁ cakre nibhṛtātmā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ. So these things are to be solved. So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, now he will retire after this. So he will give up the kingdom. Not that . . . this is the Vedic system. However rich you may be, however prosperous you may be at your home or in your nation or in any way as you think, but you have to think that, "Actually, these things are temporary. I am eternal. So what is my eternal function?" That is meditation, "What is my eternal function? What is my eternal duty? Where is my eternal home?" That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not ordinary movement, manufactured something for recreation. No. It is very serious science. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). We are searching after some permanent place, permanent settlement on the world. Nobody wants to die, but that is not possible. But if there is possibility of going somewhere where no more death, why don't you search after that? That is intelligence. That information (is) there in the Bhagavad-gītā, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16): "If you go to the topmost planet, which is known as Brahmaloka . . ." Now, the Brahmaloka, the duration of life, you cannot calculate even their one day's time. That we were discussing this morning. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Their twelve hours, our twelve hours and their twelve hours, different. Their twelve hours you cannot calculate: forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand. Now see how many years. That is their twelve hours. So live hundred years, they also. So even if you go there, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ, or any planet, or any place, there must be death. Death you must have. But I am eternal. Why shall I accept death? That is intelligence. That information is given in Bhagavad-gītā, mad-dhāma gatvā, punar janma na vidyate (BG 8.16): "If you come to My place, My planet, then you will have no more to come back again to this mortal world." Mad-dhāma gatvā. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6): where going, nobody returns. That is, actually, we want.

In another place Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9): "My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna," tyaktvā deham, "after giving up this body," punar janma naiti, "no more coming into the womb of material mother." Then where does he go? Mām eti. In his Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Sanātana Gosvāmī has stated that if you become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then immediately after death you will be sent where Kṛṣṇa is having His pastimes within this material world. In the material world, just like the sun rotates, similarly, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes is going on. That is another feature of His activities. Because He wants to reclaim the fallen souls, and there are millions and trillions, unlimited fallen souls within this material world, so He goes everywhere. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). As soon as there is discrepancies in the understanding of eternal life, He appears. He teaches.

So Kṛṣṇa is teaching somewhere. There are so many innumerable universes. Just like Kṛṣṇa takes, appears, as janma, janmāṣṭamī, in this universe, immediately in another universe there is janmāṣṭamī; immediately in another universe there is janmāṣṭamī. So therefore it is called nitya-līlā. Nitya-līlā means the janmāṣṭamī is going on; His govardhana-līlā is going on. Everything. Everything, what He displayed when He was present, that is going on. Just like the sun. Now it is half past seven. Now, half past six, there is sun somewhere. The half past six . . . it is not that because the sun has passed half past six in this country, therefore there is no more half past six. Half past six is somewhere. Is it not? Half past six is there. Similarly, it is not that because Kṛṣṇa has now finished His janmāṣṭamī, therefore no more janmāṣṭamī. Janmāṣṭamī is going on. This is kṛṣṇa-līlā.

So Kṛṣṇa is present. There are innumerable universes. In one of them He is always present. These is rotation. Just like sun rotates, morning to evening, similarly, Kṛṣṇa's līlā is going on. Just like something, a horse, is passing before your eyes. You see the horse is passing through your windows, and then you do not see the horse. Does that mean the horse is finished? No. The horse is running. But when it comes before your window, you see. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's līlā, pastime, is going on. And when He appears here . . . exactly like the sun. The sun is always present, but the planet is rotating. So when it comes before your eyes, you see the sun. But if you do not see the sun, it does not mean sun is finished, as formerly they used to think like that—"The sun is dead."

So if you become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness means no more material desire. That's all. Only Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. So long you will have a pinch of material desire, you will have to take birth. According to your desire, Kṛṣṇa will give you facility. Why there are so many types of body, 8,000,000? Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). We are making our next body by thinking of something. We have got so many thoughts, material thoughts. So at the time of death, when that thought is prominent, then I get the next moment a body like that. So if you simply think of Kṛṣṇa only, then you get a body where by which you can go to Kṛṣṇa. You can go to Kṛṣṇa. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). It is very scientific and very practical. So by going to Kṛṣṇa, you can talk with Kṛṣṇa personally. You can play with Kṛṣṇa personally. You can dance with Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa-loka. Just like we have got a picture, rāsa dancing going. Here is picture, Kṛṣṇa's. Everyone can get this opportunity.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes to show practically how enjoyable life with Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa is simply jolly, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In Vṛndāvana life you will see, everyone is jolly. The birds, trees and the water, the land, the cows, the calves, the inhabitants, the cowherd boys—everyone is happy simply by loving Kṛṣṇa. Simply by loving Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa therefore manifests His līlā, that "Why you are rotting in this material world? Come to Me and enjoy life eternally." That is Kṛṣṇa business. He is so kind. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). People, when they become debauch to enjoy life in this material world . . . what is the enjoyment? The last enjoyment there, sex life. Is that very good enjoyment? But they have accepted. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Maithuna means sex intercourse. That is their life and soul. They do not know. They have no information. There is better pleasure, eternal pleasure. That they do not know.

Therefore there is need of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to understand that . . . what is that? Niśamya bhagavan-mārgam, the way of God. The rascals do not understand what is God, they do not know what is the feature of God, and still, they will not accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are giving, "Here is God. Here is the form of God. He is so nice. He is so beautiful. His address is this. You can go there by this process." "No. We don't want." "Then what you want?" "I want to become a pig. (laughter) That's all." "All right, you become pig. What can be done? And what shall you eat?" "I will eat stool. That's all." "All right. Not prasādam?" "No." So what can we do? (laughs) We are distributing you prasādam, and he will go to eat some rascal thing in the restaurant. Just see. This is misfortune. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). Because unfortunate in this age, they will accept something wrong. Therefore our task is very responsible. We have to canvass. We have to plea, solicit, "Please come here. Please come here in this temple and learn something."

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya . . . (end)

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