740512 - Lecture BG 12.13-14 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740512BG-BOMBAY - May 12, 1974 - 40:01 Minutes

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

adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ

maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca

nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ

sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī

(BG 12.13)

santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī

yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ

mayy arpita-mano-buddhir

yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ

(BG 12.14)

Translation: "One who is not envious, but one who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me—he is very dear to Me."

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ

maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca

nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ

sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī

(BG 12.13)

santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī

yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ

mayy arpita-mano-buddhir

yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ

(BG 12.14)

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means how to become dear to Kṛṣṇa, "How Kṛṣṇa will love me." Kṛṣṇa loves. Kṛṣṇa says that He is no one's enemy and no one's friend. That is in neutrality. But He says, ye tu bhajanti māṁ bhaktyā teṣu te mayi, samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu (BG 9.29). (child crying) (aside) That talking, stop. Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ. God must be equal to everyone. He is neither envious to anyone nor friendly to anyone. This is general. But there is special significance. Ye tu bhajanti māṁ bhaktyā (BG 9.29): "Persons who are engaged in devotional service with love and faith," teṣu te mayi, "I have got a special intimate relation with him."

It is not partiality. Just like if a gentleman has got five sons, and out of the five sons, those who are very obedient to the father, or one of them, two of them, naturally the father is inclined to them. That is not partiality that, "Why the father is inclined to some sons and other sons, indifferent?" That is natural. As we have got this natural instinct, similarly, God has also the same instinct. If we study ourself analytically, we can understand what is God, because we are the sample of God. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Sample. Just like if you take one drop of water from the seawater, you can understand what is the chemical composition of the whole sea. It is not very difficult. Similarly, if you study yourself, what are your inclinations, propensities . . . there are so many things. So everything, what you have got, the same thing God has also got. The difference is that you are like a drop of seawater and He is vast sea. That's all. Big quantity. Quantitatively, we are different, but qualitatively, we are one. The same quality.

If you take . . . if you are cooking rice, you take one grain of rice and you press it, if you think that, "It is now soft," then the whole rice is cooked. The sample. There is a bag of rice. You take a few grains, sample. You can understand what is the quality of the whole bag. Similarly, what is God, that is not very difficult to understand. Simply you have to study yourself. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). But not that . . . that you are God. You are sample of God.

Now, we being very intimately connected, because we are all sons of God . . . Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā:

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ

tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Kṛṣṇa says aham, "I," "I." "I am the seed-giving father." Not only human society, but there are other societies—animal society, bird society, beast society, vegetable society, insect society, aquatic society—they are also Kṛṣṇa's son, God's sons. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says: "One who is actually devotee and wants to be very dear to Me, his qualification must be adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānām: he must be nonenvious to all living entities."

Nowadays a fashion has become, daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. This is nonsense. What is the daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā? Why you are taking care of the daridras? If you have got such vision, such outlook, that in everyone's heart . . . that is a fact. Everyone's heart there is Nārāyaṇa. There is no denial. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61): "Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in everyone's heart." If you have got such vision—you are seeing in everyone the Supreme Nārāyaṇa—then why should you designate only the daridras? Others also. You should see dog-nārāyaṇa. You should see kuttā-nārāyaṇa. Why daridra-nārāyaṇa? If you have got such broad vision, why you are taking particular? No. That is imperfect vision. You cannot send the chāga-nārāyaṇa, goat-nārāyaṇa, to the slaughterhouse and allow the daridra-nārāyaṇa to eat the meat. This is not bhakta's business. This is demonic.

Bhakta's business is . . . here it is clearly stated, adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānām. You should be equally kind to everyone, to the daridras, to the dhanīs also. Here everyone is daridra because everyone is lacking knowledge. So nobody is rich. Here the so-called rich is also daridra, because he has no knowledge. And the so-called daridra is also daridra. Because everyone's knowledge is the bodily concept of life, "I am this body." But Kṛṣṇa does not say that, "A particular body is very dear to Me." He says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4): "All species of life, they are all sons." They are simply in different dress. We are sitting here, so many people in different dress. That does not mean that one who is in black dress or dirty dress, he is not a human being. He is also human being. Or one who is dressed very nicely, he is also human being. That is paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18).

We should not see to the dress. We should see inside the dress, what is the inside in the dress. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna that dehino 'smin yathā dehī. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). One has to see, asmin dehe, in this body, there is the dehinaḥ, the proprietor. Dehinaḥ means one possesses the body. That is spiritual vision. The spiritual vision is . . . one who is advanced in spiritual knowledge, he does not see the outward dress, but he sees within the dress who is living there. Asmin dehe dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ. Dehī means the possessor of this body. I am not this body, you are not this body, but you possess this body. Just like you possess your shirt and coat, similarly, you possess this body also. The gross body made of material elements is your coat, and the subtle body made of finer material elements—mind, intelligence, ego—that is your shirt. And within that coat and shirt, the real living entity is there.

So one who has such vision, one who is learned in spiritual understanding, he is called paṇḍitā.

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne

brāhmaṇe gavi hastini

śuni caiva śva-pāke ca

paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

(BG 5.18)

Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. That is the real vision. A paṇḍita means he sees. There is . . . for a advanced spiritualist, advanced Kṛṣṇa consciousness person, there is no such distinction, "Here is American; here is Indian; here is brahmin; here is śūdra; here is Hindu; here is Muslim." No. He has no such vision. He has the vision that within this body, the spirit soul is there. That is part and parcel of God, or Kṛṣṇa. He is suffering on account of different dresses, different conception of . . . therefore he should be released from this misconception of life. That is called paṇḍita.

The whole world is going on under this misconception of life that, "I am this body." And under this misconception he is thinking that, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am brahmin," "I am śūdra," "I am black" and "white," "fat" and "thin," all these things. This is called ignorance. Therefore śāstra says, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13): "Anyone who has got this conception that, "I am this body, this bag of bones and bloods and flesh," sa eva go-kharaḥ, "he is no more than the cows and the asses." That means animal. So whole world at the present moment is going on under this animalistic concept of life, animal civilization. Everyone is busy to take care of the body, but nobody knows how to take care of the proprietor of the body. That he does not know.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says who is devotee, real devotee. And not only real devotee, "Who is very dear to Me." Devotion means the activities . . . my Guru Mahārāja used to say that, "You don't try to see God." Just try to understand. "Just work in such a way that God may see you." This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Everyone is busy to see God. Of course, it is not so easy to see God. But a devotee is not busy to see God, but he wants God to see him. Because just like if you are working in some establishment, if you are working very nicely, faithfully, then the proprietor will automatically see you. Don't try to see the proprietor. Work in such a way that the proprietor will be inclined, "Well, this man is working very nicely. Who is this man?"

So that is our business. That is the teaching of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, not that we go to God and beg our daily bread. That is also good, because . . . that is good in the sense that the atheists, they do not even agree to accept the authority of God. Better than them, anyone who is going to the temple or the church and asking for bread or something material benefit, that is good. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna (BG 7.16): "Those who are pious, whose background is piety, such persons, divided into four classes . . ." Ārto arthārthī jijñāsur jñānī, four classes. Ārtaḥ means distressed, and arthārthī means needing . . . in need of money. Ārto arthārthī. Or some material benefit. And jñānī, one who is searching after knowledge. And jijñāsuḥ, inquisitive. These four classes of men, if their background is life of piety, they go to God to pray, "My Lord, my Lord, give me some money. I am very poor. I am very distressed. Kindly mitigate my distress." Or jñānī, they are searching after actually what is God. Or inquisitive, simply inquiring what is God.

So there are four classes whose background is life of pious activities, they go to God. And those who are . . . there is sukṛtina. Sukṛtina means those who are background is pious activities. And just opposite number, duṣkṛtina. Those background is impious activities, sinful activities. Such persons, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15), the lowest of the mankind, full of sinful activities. Narādhama. Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. Why lowest of the mankind? Because mankind means those who are interested to understand God. That is mankind. Otherwise "dog-kind." The dogs and asses, they are not interested to know what is God. It is the prerogative of the human being to understand what is God. Therefore a man who has got this human form of body does not inquire about God, he is narādhama, the lowest of the mankind. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ. And rascal, ass. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15).

"Oh, some of them, some of the atheists, they are very learned scholars." But the answer is māyayā-apahṛta-jñānāḥ: "They are superficially very learned, but actually their real knowledge is taken away by māyā." Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Just like Rāvaṇa, he was very learned scholar in Vedas. He was son of a brahmin. And materially he was very, very opulent. But because he did not care for Rāma, he is addressed as rākṣasa. This is the . . . he was also a great devotee of Lord Śiva. But still, in the śāstra he is described as rākṣasa. So māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. So this is the position.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa directly says how you can become devotee or dear to Kṛṣṇa. Or, in other words, how you will be seen by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is seeing you, seeing your activities, but especially, to take care of you . . . Kṛṣṇa takes care. As soon as you become a devotee, immediately He takes care of you. Otherwise you are under the care of māyā, this material energy. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). So long you are not devotee, you are simply . . . just like if you are a candidate or criminal within the jail walls, the caretaking person is the jail superintendent, and he is taking care. There is taking care, but it, the care, is taken by the jail superintendent. But if you are a free citizen, the government personally or the king personally takes care of you. That is the way. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says that:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

(BG 18.66)

This is the way. If you actually surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then He personally takes care, not by māyā. Otherwise:

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati

bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni

māya yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

(BG 18.61)

If you do not become directly under the care of Kṛṣṇa, then you are under the care of this material energy. He takes care. The same way as the jail superintendent takes cares of the criminals, similarly, those who are criminals, nondevotees, does not care for God, they are under the laws of material nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante (BG 7.14). The jail superintendent business is to correct the criminal so that he may become a right citizen, a lawful citizen. Similarly, this māyā's business is to give you always trouble, tri-tāpa-yatana, adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, just to kick you, those who are nondevotees, just to correct you to become a devotee of the Lord. Unless you become devotee of the Lord, the kicking of material laws, stringent laws of nature, will go on. Therefore it is said:

daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

(BG 7.14)

As soon as you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, as soon as you surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no more jurisdiction of māyā upon you. Then you are free. To become liberation, liberated, means to become liberated from the controller of māyā. That is liberation. Therefore those who are devotees, they are already liberated. They are not under the control of the external energy.

māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

People are trying to become Brahman without caring for Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible, sir. As soon as you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then you become immediately:

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

na śocati na kāṅkṣati

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu

mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

(BG 18.54)

That is wanted. So everything is described very nicely in the Bhagavad-gītā. Do not misinterpret foolishly. Try to understand as it is, and your life will be successful. This is our propaganda, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. And it is being accepted all over the world.

So here Kṛṣṇa says that adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānām (BG 12.13). You should not be envious to any living entity. But the present civilization is to become envious. Envious. I do not wish to criticize anyone, but this enviousness is the basis . . . this nationalism means . . . this is also enviousness. "Why foreigners will come here?" This is enviousness. Why not? Who is foreigner and who is national? Everyone is son of God. Why should you distinguish? But because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this discrimination between man to man, animal to man, and so many discrimination . . . even taking from the national point of view, national means anyone who is born in that country. But because one happens to be animal, although it is national, still, it is sent to the slaughterhouse, because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

If there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the government or the leaders should be equally favorable to the man, to the animals, to the trees, to the plants, to the insects, to the . . . everyone. That is called kṛṣṇa-bhakti, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ. Maitraḥ. Treat them just like your friend, maitraḥ. A devotee is friend to everyone. He does not want to kill even an ant or a mosquito. That is devotee, maitraḥ, to everyone friendly. Maitraḥ karuṇaḥ. Karuṇaḥ means kind. A devotee is kind to everyone. It is not that Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be spread in India or amongst the brahmins or amongst the Hindus. No. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person will preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, as far as possible. That is called karuṇaḥ.

Adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca, nirmamaḥ. Nirmama means without claiming any personal proprietorship or any nepotism. Nirmama. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is the fact. Kṛṣṇa says, bhoktāraṁ sarva-yajñanāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor. God is actually proprietor of everything. Why shall I shall claim, "This is mine"? Nothing belongs to me. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nirmama nirahaṅkāraḥ (BG 12.13). Nirahaṅkāra means this false egotism: "I am this body," "I am Indian," "American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." No. Nirahaṅkāra means "I am Kṛṣṇa's servant." That is nirahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra means my identification, what I am. That is called ahaṅkāra. Now my identity is with this material world: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am this," "I am that." That should be negativated. We must come to the right conclusion that, "I belong to Kṛṣṇa. I am the son of Kṛṣṇa. I do not belong to anyone." This is called nirahaṅkāra.

Sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ, this material happiness and distress. Because I am not this material body, if I am actually convinced, so the pains and pleasure of this material world is due to this body. Just like because I have got this material body, I am feeling some heat; therefore fan is required. Similarly, by this body in the winter season I shall stop the fan. So under different season my body feels differently pains and pleasure. But actually, if I am not this body, then I should tolerate all these pains and pleasures. This is called sama-duḥkha.

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya

śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ

āgamāpāyino 'nityās

tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

(BG 2.14)

We should not be disturbed by these material pains and pleasure. We have to execute our spiritual consciousness business. That is called sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ.

And kṣamī. Kṣamī means kṣama, excuse. Especially devotee is always attacked by the demons. Even the nondevotee is a father. We have seen it, Prahlāda Mahārāja's life. Because Prahlāda Mahārāja was devotee, even his father was enemy, what to speak of others. So devotee will have to meet so many enemies. Just like we have got this from the life of Lord Jesus Christ. When he was being killed by others, he said, to excuse them, "God, they do not know what they are doing." That is devotee's position. Kṣamī, always excusing. We have to learn this. So these are some of the qualities of the devotees. In the twelfth chapter some of them are being described. And the Bhagavad-gītā we are narrating.

Then santuṣṭa, satisfied. Satataṁ yogī. A devotee should not be dissatisfied in any condition of life. He should remain satisfied, because he knows that "My pains and pleasure are now dependent on the will of Kṛṣṇa. Not now, always. So if Kṛṣṇa desires that I should suffer like this, why should I bother? Let me suffer." Santuṣṭa. These are many verses to support this. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtam (SB 10.14.8). A devotee, when he is put into distress, he thinks that, "It is God's kindness that He is giving me little pain, hurt, although I should have suffered more." This is devotee's view. He is not, I mean to . . . disturbed by any kinds of pains and pleasure. Santuṣṭa. Satataṁ yogī. Even in distressed condition he also thinks of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is yogī. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47). A devotee always thinks of Kṛṣṇa. That is devotee. Yogī.

Yatātmā. He does not neglect his duty, his devotional service. And dṛḍha-niścayaḥ. Dṛḍha-niścayaḥ means he believes in the word of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). A devotee believes in this, that "I have nothing to do, simply to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Then my all business is done." That is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya: "Simply by serving Kṛṣṇa, all other duties are discharged." This is called dṛḍha-niścayaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, and the devotee takes it very seriously. That is called dṛḍha-niścaya. Dṛḍha means firmly convinced, "Yes, if I surrender to Kṛṣṇa, all other business is complete." That is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta:

śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya

kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

(CC Madhya 22.62)

This is the process. Dṛḍha-niścaya. Mayy arpita-mano-buddhiḥ: mind and intelligence is always focused towards the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, mayy arpita, to the form of Kṛṣṇa. That is real meditation. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ. You come to the temple, take the impression of this Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and always think of Him. That is the highest, topmost yoga system.

Therefore the Deity worship is very important. If you are engaged in Deity worship, you always get impression of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. And if you think of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī always within your heart, then you become the topmost yogī. Mayy arpita-mano-buddhiḥ. Yo mad-bhaktaḥ. "In this way, one who executes devotional service," sa me priyaḥ, "he is very dear to Me." So if you want to be dear, if you want to be seen by Kṛṣṇa, if you want to be seen by God, follow this instruction and your life will be successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)