740613 - Lecture SB 02.01.05 - Paris

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740613SB-PARIS - June 13, 1974 - 33:00 Minutes

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

tasmād bhārata sarvātmā

bhagavān īśvaro hariḥ

śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca

smartavyaś cecchatābhayam

(SB 2.1.5)

(break)

Translation: "O descendant of Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries must hear, glorify and also remember the Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior from all miseries."

Prabhupāda:

tasmād bhārata sarvātmā

bhagavān īśvaro hariḥ

śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca

smartavyaś cecchatābhayam

(SB 2.1.5)

So who does not want abhayam? Abhayam means fearlessness. Everyone wants. Because by material nature we have got four positions. One position is always fearful, "What will happen next?" Even the big man, President Nixon, he is also fearful, "What will happen next?" Because so many charges are being brought against him, although he is on the very exalted position, president of USA, but he has . . . he is also always fearful. This is the nature, material nature. Can anyone say that he is not fearful? Is it possible? Then what to speak of us. As you require to eat something . . . this is material existence, eating. Then after eating, rest, sleeping. Then after rest, sex indulgence. Similarly, fearfulness.

So here it is recommended, icchatām akuto 'bhayam: "One who desires to be free from all miseries or fearfulness, for them." Those who are accustomed to this fearfulness, and they do not make any arrangement how to get out of this fearfulness, they are not human being. Human being is always . . . takes precaution how to save oneself. Although it is natural, everyone is fearful, but at the same time, it is the effort of the human being to see that he may be saved from the cause of fearfulness. Therefore it is said, icchatā abhayam. Abhayam means no fear. If anyone wants no more to be fearful, then for him the prescribed duty is mentioned here that tasmāt, "Therefore," bhārata, "O the descendant of Mahārāja Bharata."

Parīkṣit Mahārāja belonged to the dynasty of King Bharata, King Bharata, from whose name the Bhārata-varṣa, the word Bhārata-varṣa, has come. This planet is called Bhārata-varṣa. This planet, earthly planet, is called Bhārata-varṣa because it was ruled over by the King Bharata. Gradually, the original Vedic culture lost, Āryan, Āryan family . . . you French people, you are also Āryan family, but the culture is lost now. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is actually reviving the original Āryan culture. Bhārata. We are all inhabitants of Bhārata-varṣa, but as we lost our culture, it became divided. Now it is divided into so many countries: "This is India," "This is France," "This is Germany," "This is this," "This is this." But formerly, the whole planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. One culture, Vedic culture; one flag. Now they have increased hundreds and thousands of flags. So actually if you want United Nation, unity, then you must take this culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, again to become Bhārata. That will save the situation.

This one culture means politically, one flag; religiously, one God, Kṛṣṇa; and to understand Kṛṣṇa, one scripture, Bhagavad-gītā; and one work, one work, simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So this is oneness. And if you want at least to become free from all fearful condition, then you should always memorize or remember: whom? Sarvātmā. Sarvātmā means one who is the living force of everyone. He is called sarvātmā. There is living force. I have got living force, you have got living force, everyone. But wherefrom the living force is coming? From Kṛṣṇa. Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 7.10). Sarvātmā. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of the living force. He is the supreme living force. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). This is all stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel." Just like a man having many sons, he can claim that, "They are all my sons," similarly, Kṛṣṇa can claim that, "All living entities, they are My sons." That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ

tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Aham, Kṛṣṇa says that, "I am the seed-giving father of all living entities." "Of all" means sarva-yoniṣu, in different forms, in different species of life.

This outward dress is different. Somebody has become ant and somebody has become elephant, or bigger than that, whale fish. Another fish there is timiṅgala. That perhaps we have not seen. Whale fish, some of them have seen. It is just like as big as a big house. And still there are fishes which is called timiṅgala. Timiṅgala means they swallow up these whale fish, just like you swallow up some small nut. They are called timiṅgala. So there are so many varieties of life. We do not know. But we know from the śāstra. In the śāstra we can know. Therefore we should consult Vedic literature to have full knowledge. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi (Padma Purāṇa): "In the water there are 900,000 species of life." Now, who can deny that? If you deny, then I shall tell you that "Go and count." (laughs) But we can get the full knowledge from the śāstra. This is called Vedic knowledge. Everything is complete.

tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet

samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham

(MU 1.2.12)

So you learn from the Vedic literature. Every information is there. And all the Vedic literature is summarized in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3). Nigama. Nigama: the Vedic literature. Vedic literature, it is compared with desire tree. Every word used in the Vedic literature is peculiar to the ordinary man. But desire tree, they have no experience. But there is a tree which is called desire tree, kalpa-taru. What is the business of the desire tree? Now, desire tree means whatever you desire, you get from that tree. There is tree. That desire tree is there in Kṛṣṇa's loka. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa (Bs. 5.29). There is also, in the spiritual world, there are trees, but each tree is a desire tree. And we have no experience what is desire tree. You can get anything from that tree. That is called desire. So these Vedas is considered as the desire tree, means any kind of knowledge you want, it is complete there perfectly, any kind, either spiritual or material, any department of knowledge. And that is called desire tree. All kinds of knowledge you can achieve from the Vedic knowledge.

There is Dhanur-veda, Āyur-veda, Jyotir-veda, and all kinds. Veda means knowledge. So for military art, if you want to consult Vedic literature, you will get complete information, perfect. Similarly, Jyotir-veda. Jyoti means the luminaries in the sky, the stars. You can get. We are trying to go to the moon planet and wasting our time and energy, but if you consult Vedas, you get full information of the moon planet, sun planet or any other planet. There are millions and millions of trillions of planets. You can get all—Brahmaloka, up to the topmost planet. Jyotir-veda. That is called Jyotir-veda. And the Dhanur-veda. Āyur-veda. Āyuḥ means duration of life. And nobody wants to be diseased. So that means medical science. That is also fully there.

So this is the prescription given by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, "If you want to be, become without any fear . . ." Because the material life means we are all full of fearfulness. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, the supreme father of everyone, of all living entities, in all forms, sarvātmā, He says in the Bhagavad-gītā that, "I am the seed-giving father of all these living entities." Just like father impregnates the mother by giving the seed, similarly, this material world, material nature, is our . . . this body is also material. Similarly, this huge material cosmic manifestation is supposed to be the mother, and the father is God, or Kṛṣṇa, who impregnates this seed of the living entities, and therefore, when there is creation, they come out as children of this material world. Just like a woman is pregnant and the child comes out, similarly, this material world is impregnated by the seed-giving father.

So that is a different article from this matter. Otherwise, why a woman does not become pregnant automatically? Why? Can anyone answer? Why the seed-giving father is necessary? Let women produce children automatically. No, that is not possible. Therefore, for producing all these living entities in different forms of life, the seed-giving father is required, and that is God, Kṛṣṇa. Is there any bad logic? There is confirmation in the śāstra. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4): "I am the seed-giving father." And is it possible to produce life without the father? Is it possible? Then why these rascal scientists say that "Now we shall produce life"? How you can do it? It is not possible. This is rascaldom. Because we are living entities, therefore even in the Christian world the Supreme Lord God is accepted as the supreme father, "O Father, give us our daily bread." It is very good, accepting the Supreme Lord, the supreme father. Everyone must accept. That is human life. That is human knowledge. That is common sense knowledge that, "If I am produced by my father, so, so many living entities, wherefrom they have come? They have come from the supreme father." Sarvātmā. He is called sarvātmā. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca.

So if you want freedom from this fearfulness or this material existence . . . material existence means struggle for existence. This is material. Everyone has struggle, "I want to stay. I want to . . ." In your country there has been so much fight, the French Revolution and so many fighting, fighting between the Protestant and the Catholic. And your Napoleon Bonaparte, he also fought. So fighting. This is called struggle for existence. Everyone wants to exist, and he has to fight. At least we have to fight with the winter season. If there is no fighting, so at least there must be fighting with the winter season or summer season. Without fighting, you cannot stay. Without fighting, you cannot stay. That is called struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. You must be fit. This is called material world. And spiritual world means there is no fight; simply friendship, that's all. This is spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means "anxiety," and vaikuṇṭha means "without anxiety."

So we have been put into this place of anxieties on account of our rebellious condition against God. That is the cause of all material existence. Kṛṣṇa-bhuliya jiva bhoga vāñchā kare (Prema-vivarta). We should know this, that "Why we are put into this condition of struggle for existence, always fearfulness, anxiety? Why we are put into this condition? We don't want it." This is human life. When this inquiry will come to a human being, then he is human being. "Why?" So long this "Why?" question does not come, he is animal. The animal does not question that "Why I am put into the slaughterhouse? Why I have brought . . . I have been brought here to be slaughtered?" Animal. Similarly, if a human being does not understand that "I have been put into this material world for being slaughtered by the laws of material nature. Never mind I am Napoleon or an ordinary man, I will be slaughtered . . ." Therefore it is called mṛtyu-loka, "the universe of being slaughtered." Nobody wants. Just like the animal does not want to be slaughtered, but he is, by force, it is slaughtered. Similarly, nobody wants death, but we are forced. Even such a big man like Napoleon, he wanted to complete that arch, but he was slaughtered before his desire was fulfilled. This is material nature. You must be slaughtered as soon as required.

Therefore it is said here that icchatā abhayam: "Anyone, if he wants fearlessness, saved from being slaughtered, then he must do this." What is that? Sarvātmā bhagavān īśvaraḥ: "The Supreme Lord, who is the origin of all living entities, sarvātmā, and He is Bhagavān." Bhagavān means all-powerful, all-opulences. He can do anything and everything. That is Bhagavān. Not that imitation rascals who claim that, "I am God," but he cannot do anything—not that kind of Bhagavān. Bhagavān means all-powerful. Whatever He likes, He can do. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa, full of six opulences. That is called Bhagavān.

aiśvaryasya samagrasya

vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva

ṣaṇṇāṁ iti bhagāṅganā

(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

Bhagavān definition. Everything has definition. Nothing to be accepted blindly. Aiśvaryasya, richness. So Bhagavān means who has got the complete riches. He is called Bhagavān. Now, I have got some money, you have got some money, he has got some money, but nobody can claim that, "I have got all the money." No, that is not possible. So one who possesses all the money, that is Bhagavān. Similarly, money, strength, beauty, intelligence, knowledge and vairāgya, when you find out such a person . . . you can find out some very big, rich man in this material world, but you cannot say that he is the supreme richest man. That is not possible. You will find another man richer than him. You will find another rich. In this way, if you are very scholar, researching, you research—when you come to a person where you see that nobody is richer than him, that is Bhagavān. That is Bhagavān. That is Bhagavān.

So if you have got the energy to search out such person, that is Bhagavān. It is not difficult. The definition is there. Here there is competition. Not only Bhagavān, but īśvara. Īśvara means controller. Everyone is īśvara. I also am controlling this institution. Or somebody is controlling his office, his factory, his kingdom. Just like President Nixon, he is controlling the United States. So all of us, more or less, we are īśvara, controller. Everyone. Just like this mother, she is controlling the small child. So she is also īśvara, means she is controlling. So anyone who has controlling power . . . so God has given everyone a little controlling power. In that sense, every one of us īśvara. But here it is said, bhagavān īśvaraḥ: "The supreme controller." Supreme controller means we are controller, but we are controlled by somebody else. But the Bhagavān Īśvara means He is no more controlled by anyone. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is described, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: "The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa." Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1).

So īśvara and hari. Hari means if you surrender to such īśvara . . . you are being controlled. Foolishly, we are thinking, "I am free." How you can be free? The biggest personality in this country, Napoleon Bonaparte, he was not free. And how you can be free? This is misconception. Nobody can be free. Everyone is controlled. But we are rebelled, "No, I don't want to. I don't want to be controlled." But you will be controlled. Just like in a state, if you don't want to be controlled by the state laws, the state will force you into the prison house to be controlled. This is your position. You cannot be free. This is not . . . therefore freedom is not good for us. Just like the small child. If the child is given freedom, he will simply create havoc. So it is not to be given freedom, must be controlled.

Similarly, all living entities, being child of God, we must voluntarily put ourself to be controlled by God. That is perfection of life. Don't try to be falsely free. That is not possible. Just like the mother: she will never give freedom to the child, because that is not good for him. It should not be. Anyone who is weak, he must not be given freedom. That is good for him. Similarly, we are weak; God is great. God is all-powerful. We are very teeny. We have no power. Therefore our normal life is voluntarily accept the controlling power of God. That is human life. And God comes and He pleads, He requests that, "My dear boy, why you are struggling here? You will never be happy." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "You have manufactured so many plans to be happy, but you will never be happy. Therefore your only business is that you come under My control and you will be happy." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ: "I will give you all happiness." This is the sum and substance of Bhagavad-gītā. And anyone who agrees to be controlled, then success of life begins from that point, when he agrees. Unfortunately, at the present moment the whole world population has been taught in such a way that they do not want to be controlled. Therefore there is always chaotic condition.

So here is the solution, that if you want to be saved from this chaotic condition of life, if you want to be free from all anxieties, then your business is that śrotavyaḥ, "You hear about the supreme controller, Kṛṣṇa." And for hearing about the supreme controller we have got eighty books like that. Not one, two, three, four—eighty books. So if you are actual intelligent, if you are actually scientist, if you are actually philosopher, read these books. That is called śrotavyaḥ. Hear about the supreme controller. Not that simply God is great. Just try to understand how God is great. That you will find in this literature. There is no other literature throughout the whole world. You will find here. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca. Not only hearing like dull. As soon as hear, if you are . . . then you spread this knowledge. Kīrtitavyaḥ: "My dear sir, there is God. God is like this. I have heard from this authority." That is called kīrtitavyaś ca, preaching. First of all hearing. Without hearing, how you will preach? So this is called śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23), another name. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca (SB 2.1.5). And smartavyaḥ. As soon as you become expert hearer and expert, I mean, chanter, then you will remember always, smartavyaḥ, as is here. And as soon as you will always remember Kṛṣṇa, then there is no more fear. Finished. That is life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)