740315 - Lecture CC Adi 07.08 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740315CC-VRNDAVAN - March 15, 1974 - 36:27 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (jaya rādhā-mādhava) (break)

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

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Pradyumna:

rāsādi-vilāsī, vrajalalanā-nāgara

āra yata saba dekha,—tāṅra parikara

(CC Adi 7.8)

(leads chanting of synonyms) (break)

rāsa-ādi- the rāsa dance; vilāsī- the enjoyer; vraja-lalanā- the damsels of Vrndāvana; nāgara - the leader; āra- others; yata- all; saba- everyone; dekha- must know; tāṅra- His; parikara- associates.

Translation: "Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme enjoyer in the rāsa dance. He is the leader of the damsels of Vraja, and all others are simply His associates."

Prabhupāda: Before this verse, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta has described:

svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa ekale īśvara

advitīya, nandātmaja, rasika-śekhara

(CC Adi 7.7)

Kṛṣṇa has got many, unlimited forms. Advaita-acyuta-anādi-ananta-rūpam. Svāṁśa-vibhinnāṁśa. Some of the forms are called svāṁśa. Svāṁśa means God, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, viṣṇu-tattva. Viṣṇu-tattva, They have expanded in so many ways. So all the viṣṇu-tattvas, They are called svāṁśa, personal expansions. And others, they are called vibhinnāṁśa. The demigods, the inhabitants of the higher planetary system within this material world, or the devotees in the spiritual world, we also, we are, although conditioned souls, we are vibhinnāṁśa. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. But we are not equal to the viṣṇu-tattva. We are fragment fires. The example is given, just like the big fire and the spark fire. So we living entities, we are spark fire. We are also fire, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, vibhinnāṁśa . . . aṁśa means part and parcel. So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Spirit, and we are part and parcel. We are also spirit, but we are not supreme. That is the difference. Svayaṁ bhagavān, kṛṣṇa ekale īśvara. So actually, īśvara means the controller. The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa.

So in the next verse the Kṛṣṇa's business is rāsādi-vilāsa. He's busy in dancing with the gopīs. He has no other business. Just like we try to imitate Kṛṣṇa. Big, big rich men, they go to the ball dance. Especially in your country, at night, big, big businessmen, politicians, they go to the nightclub for dancing. You know that? And they pay fifty dollars for entrance fee—I have seen in France, Paris—and then other fees for dancing with particular girls, and other things. So wherefrom this propensity comes, dancing? That comes from the Supreme Lord. Rāsādi-vilāsa. Because Kṛṣṇa has the business of dancing and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, so we have got the same spirit of dancing. But because we are in the material world, the material covering has perverted the dancing propensity. Otherwise, wherefrom we get the idea of dancing? Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Vedānta-sūtra says that everything is born of the Absolute Truth. So unless the Absolute Truth has got this dancing propensity, wherefrom we get it? This is the logic. We cannot have anything without that thing being present in the Supreme Absolute Truth. That is the meaning of janmādy asya yataḥ. But this dancing, our dancing, ball dancing, and that dancing is not the same. This is perverted reflection with inebrieties, dissatisfaction, frustration. But in the dancing of Kṛṣṇa there is no such things—no inebrieties, no frustration. Because that is not false; that is real.

So in the Vedas we understand the nature of the Absolute Truth as ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He's ānandamaya, always in pleasure potency. So when Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, wants to enjoy ānanda, so He expands His ahladini-śakti. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (CC Madhya 13.65, purport). This is Vedic injunction. He has got multipotencies. So when He wants to enjoy, He expands His internal potency, ahlādinī-śakti. That is Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī. Don't think Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī a ordinary girl. No. Then you will mistake. How Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can dance with ordinary girl? No. That is not possible. Cid-vilāsī. He is enjoyer of the internal potency. That is described by Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara:

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir ahlādinī śaktir asmād

ekātmānāv api deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau

śrī-caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam

āptaṁ rādhā-bhava-dyuti . . .

(CC Adi 1.5)

Caitanyākhyam, kṛṣṇākhyam, like that. So rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya, the loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, that is the expansion of Kṛṣṇa's ahlādinī-śakti. Sandhinī-śakti and ahlādinī-śakti . . . there are many potencies of Kṛṣṇa.

So Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman. Para-brahman. He is accepted as Para-brahman in the Bhagavad-gītā by Arjuna: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). He's Para-brahman, Supreme Brahman. The Māyāvādīs, they cannot understand the Supreme Brahman, or the Supreme ātmā, Paramātmā. These words are there, ātmā, paramātmā; brahma, paraṁ brahma; īśvara, parameśvara. These words are there. But they, on account of their poor fund of knowledge, they think ātmā and Paramātmā the same, or īśvara or Parameśvara is the same, or Brahman or Para-brahman is the same. That is poor fund of knowledge. There cannot be any competition of the Parameśvara or Para-brahman or Paramātmā. Therefore in this verse it is said, svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa ekale īśvara (CC Adi 7.7). Īśvara, or the Supreme Absolute Truth, cannot have any competitor. Asama aurdhva. These words are there. Asama. Asama means there is no equal. And aurdhva, and nobody is greater. Asamaurdhva. Nobody is greater than Kṛṣṇa, and nobody is equal to Kṛṣṇa. The Māyāvādī philosophy that everyone is God, everyone is Kṛṣṇa, that is not substantiated by the Vedic literature. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is used there. The Parameśvara, Para-brahman, Paramātmā, that is Kṛṣṇa. Not we are. We are very fragmental portion of Kṛṣṇa, very, very small spiritual spark. So as the sparks from the fire falls down, it loses its original sparking capacity or fire elements. We have seen it. When the spark falls down from the big fire, then it is extinguished—no more fire, it is carbon. Similarly, when we are detached from Kṛṣṇa, we are jīva-bhūta. Then gradually, if by good association, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and spiritual master, we gradually come to the spiritual position, then we become brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20).

At the present moment, being materially absorbed, accepting ourself as one of the products of this matter . . . yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma-ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). I am thinking that, "I am product of this material world." "I am product of India," "I am product of brāhmaṇa," "I am product of this family, that family." So this is called jīva-bhūta. And when one understands that, "I am not product of this material world. I am not American. I am not Indian. I am not brahmin. I am not śūdra. I am servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is called brahma-bhūta. Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He said that, "I am not brāhmaṇa. I am not sannyāsī. I am not kṣatriya. I am not householder. I am not brahmacārī. I am not sannyāsī. I am not . . . I am . . ." This is definition by negation. He said positive definition, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). "That is My identification. I do not belong to these material categories. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, who provides, who maintains the gopīs." Therefore it is said, rāsādi-vilāsī, vrajalalanā-nāgara (CC Adi 7.8). Vrajalalanā-nāgara: He is the leader of the vrajalalanā, damsels of Vrajabhūmi. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). These gopīs, vrajalalanā, they are not ordinary girls. Then you will mistake. They are ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency, expansion of pleasure potency. Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī is the direct pleasure potency, and the all the gopīs, they are expansion of Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī. Therefore He is called vrajalalanā-nāgara.

So don't think . . . you have come to Vṛndāvana. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa had rāsa dance with ordinary girls or Kṛṣṇa was ordinary man. As Kṛṣṇa was not man, He's God, similarly, the gopīs and Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī, they're internal potency of God, or Kṛṣṇa. This is . . . this should be understood. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Kṛṣṇa says: "Mūḍhas, rascals, they think that I am a human being, ordinary human being." And therefore they imitate. Sometimes the rascals imitate rāsa dance. "Kṛṣṇa had rāsa dance; then we can have also rāsa . . ." But they do not understand that Kṛṣṇa's rāsa dance is not ordinary ball dance like that. No. It is an imitation, perverted imitation. Because the tendency's there in Kṛṣṇa, therefore we have also got the tendency. But we do not know how to enjoy that dancing spirit. That is our illusion. We think this ordinary dance and Kṛṣṇa's dance is the same thing. No. That dancing, to take part in that dancing, it requires many, many millions of years' tapasya. It is not ordinary thing. Itthaṁ brahma-bhūta . . . there is a verse that kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. Sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11). To join with the rāsa dance of Kṛṣṇa, or to play with Kṛṣṇa as cowherd boy, it requires kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ, many, many millions of births' pious activities.

So Kṛṣṇa's pastimes in Vṛndāvana with the cowherds boy and with the gopīs, they are all spiritual. They are not material. But Kṛṣṇa manifests, exhibits the līlā, coming here personally so that you may hear about Kṛṣṇa and you may be attracted, "So how I can go and play with Kṛṣṇa? How I can go and dance with Kṛṣṇa?" Or "How I can become a . . . in paternal affection with Kṛṣṇa? How I can become a tree, a grass, in Vṛndāvana, so that Kṛṣṇa may trample over me?" This is called kṛṣṇa-prema. So Kṛṣṇa practically demonstrates, for the facility of the conditioned soul.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He comes here, exhibits Himself, how He is dealing in His spiritual abode. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). Kṛṣṇa, in the spiritual world, Goloka Vṛndāvana, is engaged in tending the cows, surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). So when He comes on this planet, in this universe . . . Kṛṣṇa rotates His touring. There are innumerable universes, and in every moment there is kṛṣṇa-līlā is going on. That is called nitya-līlā. The example, I have given several times: Just like the sun is rotating within the orbit. Now it is, say, eight o'clock at night. But at this time, there is six o'clock, seven o'clock, nine o'clock, ten o'clock—everything is there. Similarly, every moment, Kṛṣṇa's līlā is going in some of the universes. There are innumerable universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). So in each universe, kṛṣṇa-līlā is going on. And in rotation, after some lakhs of years, again Kṛṣṇa comes on this planet. This is . . . therefore Kṛṣṇa's līlā is nitya-līlā. So just to attract us that, "You are fond of dancing. Why don't you come back to Me and dance with Me?" this is Kṛṣṇa's business. "Why you are rotting in this rotting dance? You want association. You want sporting. Why don't you come to Me and take part in My sporting with the cowherds boy?" This is invitation of Kṛṣṇa.

So one who has got intelligence, they will try to enter into the pastimes, transcendental pastimes of the Lord, either as a cowherd boy or as a servant or as a flower, as a tree, or the water of Yamunā, or the land, or the father and the mother and the conjugal lover. Or it may be as enemy, as Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Pūtanā. They are also blessed, because they are acting with Kṛṣṇa. This is the sum and substance of Vṛndāvana līlā. Kṛṣṇa comes, He exhibits His līlā in Vṛndāvana to attract the conditioned souls, who are engaged in false līlā, temporary līlā, or hellish līlā. Kṛṣṇa wants to save us. The propensity is there. Kṛṣṇa says, "Not here. Not in this material . . . this is perverted. You come to Me." But the Māyāvādīs, because they have poor fund of knowledge, they think that, "If again there is līlā, there is sporting, there is dancing, so that is here. Then it is māyā." In their poor fund of knowledge, brain cannot accommodate that Kṛṣṇa's līlā and this līlā are not the same. Not the same. They think when there is līlā, then it must be māyā; therefore they are called Māyāvādī. Their idea is that liberation means minus this līlā, no more līlā, simply stop everything, or voidism.

But that is not the fact. The fact . . . just like a diseased man. He is always drinking bitter medicine, lying on the bed and passing stool in the bed. Very miserable condition. So he wants to commit suicide. So he cannot understand that after being cured from the disease, he will eat very nicely, he will lie down on the bed very nicely, he will no . . . he'll have no miserable condition of life. He cannot understand. He says: "Again lying down on the bed and again eating? Oh, this is māyā." They do not know that. Therefore they are called poor fund of knowledge. They think that by avoiding this līlā, making minus, making void, making zero, we become liberated. No, that is not liberated. That is a disgusted negation only. And as soon as I am disgusted with something, I want to make it "No." Just like sometimes a man commits suicide. He thinks that "This life is simply disgusting. So finish this life." So Māyāvādī philosophy is like that. They want to finish this. But finishing, then what you are accepting? That they do not know. Therefore they are śūnyavādī, nirviśeṣavādī. If there is life . . . na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Simply by committing suicide, how you'll be happy? Because tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You'll have to accept another body. Either you commit suicide or die naturally, you have to accept. But if you accept natural death and natural body, then your karma kṣaya, you annihilate your karma. But if you commit suicide, then you become ghost. Because nature's punishment. You got a body and you neglected it, so you now you become . . . remain without body. That is ghost. Ghost means who does not possess this material body, but he has got the subtle body. That is ghost.

So without knowledge what is the aim of life, what is the actual life, if something is . . . somebody is misguided by so-called guides or guru, then his life is spoiled. Therefore Vedas gives us direction:

tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet

samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham

(MU 1.2.12)

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta

jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ

brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

(SB 11.3.21)

These are the definitions.

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo . . . (BG 4.2). So we have to approach the right spiritual master. That is our system, everyone's system. Ādau gurvāśrayaṁ sad-dharma-pṛcchāt (Brs. 1.1.74). This is the direction of Śrīla Rupa Gosvami. So we have to accept the bona fide spiritual master. Who is spiritual master? Now, evam paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). By the paramparā system, one who has got the knowledge, he's a spiritual master, and the proof is—how one is spiritual master—that means paramparā, as Kṛṣṇa says. He does not change the words of Kṛṣṇa, but he follows the words of Kṛṣṇa and then preaches the words of Kṛṣṇa. That is the proof of spiritual master. That's all. Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam (SB 11.3.21). Firm faith, unflinching devotion at the lotus feet of the Lord, and speaking what the Lord spoke. No manufacturing. That is bona fide spiritual master. Otherwise, we shall be misguided, bogus. Bogus are described in the Bhāgavatam: mandāḥ sumanda-matayo. Sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). They have manufactured their own ideas. That will take time. But if we approach the real spiritual master, bona fide spiritual master, then our material disease will be cured even in this life. Then material disease will be cured when we develop our dormant love for Kṛṣṇa. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa.

So here the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta is describing about Kṛṣṇa. Here it is, svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa ekale īśvara. Īśvara, Bhagavān, is Kṛṣṇa. Don't accept these humbug, bogus Kṛṣṇa and bogus Bhagavān. Then you'll be misled. And nowadays, especially India, there are so many Gods. No. Here it is said, svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa ekale īśvara (CC Adi 7.7). If you accept this, then you understand what is Kṛṣṇa. And if you manufacture another dini Kṛṣṇa, no, that will not help you. Kṛṣṇa is one, but He has got many expansion. Therefore the expansions are called āra yata saba dekha. There are . . . just like Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Viṣṇu, Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Catur-vyuha Nārāyaṇa. There are hundreds and thousands of viṣṇu-tattvas. So āra saba yata dekha tāṅra parikara, expansion. Real, original Kṛṣṇa, the Bhagavān, is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28).

rāmādi-mūrtiṣu-kalā-niyamena-tiṣṭhan

nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu

kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.39)

So if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. So those who have come to Vṛndāvana, they should try to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is the business. And unfortunately, they are busy in some other business. And if I criticize them, they become angry. So what can I do? I have to speak the truth. I cannot, I mean to say, amalgamate real and nonreal. That is not possible. So Kṛṣṇa . . . try to understand. Here it is said that svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa ekale īśvara. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa also says. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7): "Nobody is superior than Me." And how these rascals, they think that "I am equal to Kṛṣṇa"? Kṛṣṇa cannot be two. Kṛṣṇa is one. But He can expand. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu-kalā-niyamena-tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Kalā, aṁśa-kalā, avatāra. There are description in the śāstra. So we have to understand how Kṛṣṇa expands. There are expansion. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta-rūpam. Just like Kṛṣṇa . . . īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna . . . (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart, innumerable living entities. And not only that. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Aṇḍāntara-stham. Kṛṣṇa, as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is within this universe. Not only within this universe, but within the atom, every atom. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ-paramāṇu-cayāntara. So Kṛṣṇa is so all-pervasive. But that does not mean everything Kṛṣṇa. (break)

The dogs and hogs of Vṛndāvana, they are also fortunate because they are in Vṛndāvana. So one life of dogs and hogs, then they will be liberated. But why should we take the risk of becoming dogs and hogs? Finish this business of understanding Kṛṣṇa in this life by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Remain pure, observing the rules and regulation. Then your life is successful. At the end: tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is the highest success of life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya . . . (break) (end)