741013 - Lecture SB 01.08.33 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

741013SB-MAYAPUR - October 13, 1974 - 35:00 Minutes

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

apare vasudevasya

devakyāṁ yācito 'bhyagāt

ajas tvam asya kṣemāya

vadhāya ca sura-dviṣām

(SB 1.8.33)

(break)

"Others say that since both Vasudeva and Devakī prayed for You, You have taken Your birth as their son. Undoubtedly You are unborn, yet You take Your birth for their welfare and to kill those who are envious of the demigods."

Prabhupāda:

apare vasudevasya

devakyāṁ yācito 'bhyagāt

ajas tvam asya kṣemāya

vadhāya ca sura-dviṣām

(SB 1.8.33)

There are . . . actually, Kṛṣṇa is unborn, aja, but Aja is taking birth. That is already explained. This is the bewilderment, viḍambanam. It is already explained. So this viḍambanam, speculation or bewilderment, how many types of speculation are there, that is being described by Kuntīdevī. Somebody says that Kṛṣṇa is Yādava. Yādava. Yādavāya mādhavāya keśavāya namaḥ. Yādava means born in the Yadu dynasty. And somebody says Kṛṣṇa is Vāsudeva, son of Vasudeva, Devakī. And Kṛṣṇa . . . and some of them, they say nanda-kumārāya, now, son of Nanda Mahārāja. So Kṛṣṇa has many speculations, but actually He is aja. Ajas tvam asya kṣemāya.

Kṛṣṇa . . . this is to be understood, that everyone thinking that He is born in the Yadu family, He is born of Vasudeva, or He is the son of Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. This is Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. When the impersonalist says, or there are many philosophers that, "God has no name," actually that is a fact. God has no name. But He has name according to His activities. Just like when He acts as the chariot driver of Arjuna, His name is Pārtha-sārathi. When He plays as the child of Mother Yaśodā, He is called Yaśodā-nandana. When people say that He is born of Nanda Mahārāja, He is called Nanda-nandana. When people say that He came to protect Vasudeva and Devakī, He is called Vāsudeva, or Devakī-nandana. Or when He is in the Yadu dynasty, He's said as Yādava. In this way, Kṛṣṇa has unlimited pastimes and unlimited names. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta. Ananta means unlimited. He has got unlimited because so many devotees, not one devotees, and He has to satisfy everyone—as Nanda-kumāra, as Yaśodā-nandana, as Vāsudeva, as Yādava, as Pārtha-sārathi. So in this way, when one becomes bewildered that how many names He has got, so one should understand He has unlimited names or no name, but because He has to act unlimitedly, therefore He has got unlimited names.

So whole thing is summarized in one word, "Kṛṣṇa," means all-attractive. He draws the attraction of Vasudeva. He draws the attraction of Yadu-kula. He draws the attraction of Arjuna. He draws attraction everyone, all devotees. Mama vartmānuvartante pārtha sarvaśaḥ (BG 4.11). The whole world, civilized world, they have got some religion—Christian religion, Muhammadan religion, Hindu religion, Buddhist religion, and many other subordinate religion. Under the groups of Christian, there are so many churches—Protestant, Catholic. In the Muhammadan, they have got Shi'a, Sunni, Sek, so many. In Hindus also, Vaiṣṇavas and Śāktas and Sauras, Gāṇapatyas, so many. But Kṛṣṇa says, "The all of them, seeking after Me." Mama vartmānuvartante pārtha sarvaśaḥ: "Everyone, they may go on under different religious systems, but the aim is how to approach Me." Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15).

If you take . . . Veda means knowledge, scripture. Veda does not mean any particular scripture. Any scripture which gives knowledge of God, you can call it as Veda. Vedaiś ca sarvaiḥ. If any book or any scripture or any book of knowledge does not give the information of God, that is not scripture, because it cannot be called scripture, or Veda, because it does not search after the Supreme Being. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). This is the ultimate goal of knowledge.

So you can call the Supreme Lord "Kṛṣṇa" or something else. Just like Muhammadans, they say: "Allah." Allah means "the Supreme Being." Allahu akbar. And the Christian says: "God is great," and we say, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12), or "Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive." But the aim is to understand Kṛṣṇa. That Kṛṣṇa personally appears so that your misgivings, misunderstanding, may be mitigated immediately—"Here I am." The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for this purpose that, "You religionist, you philosophers, you scientist, you speculators, you are all . . . theosophists, so many, you are searching after God, and here is God, Kṛṣṇa." But they are so unfortunate, they'll not accept it. "No, why shall I accept Kṛṣṇa as God?" Then why you shall not? That is our question. If you do not accept Kṛṣṇa as God, then you must know what is God. That, if I ask him, "Do you know what is God?" "That I do not know."

The same . . . just like the scientist: he would propose that life is made by combination of chemicals, but when another scientist says: "Suppose I give you the chemicals. Can you produce life?" he will, the rascal, will say: "That I cannot say." Similarly, they are rascals. We are presenting herewith, "Here is Kṛṣṇa. Take His address. Take His name. Take His father's name, mother's name, all identification, His activities, His glories, everything." Kṛṣṇa proves that He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead:

aiśvaryasya samagrasya

vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva

ṣaṇṇāṁ iti bhagavān

(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

Bhagavān. Bhagavān means the proprietor of all wealth, aiśvarya. Samagrasya. Not any limited amount, but samagra, everything. Kṛṣṇa says that. Bhoktāraṁ yajña . . . sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29): "I am the proprietor of all the planets." Kṛṣṇa says that. So you check Him that, "How He is the proprietor of all the planets?" Therefore He showed Viśvarūpa, the universal form, how everything is within Him.

Everything is there. Arjuna wanted, requested Kṛṣṇa that, "How I can understand that You are the proprietor, You are the everything in the universe?" So He showed His universal form. Kṛṣṇa showed in every way to fulfill the proper definition of God, aiśvaryasya samagrasya, proprietor of everything; vīryasya, the powerful. Nobody could kill Kṛṣṇa, but He killed so many demons, big, big demons. Therefore He's powerful. And His reputation? Still continuing, Kṛṣṇa. We are selling Kṛṣṇa book like anything. Why people are interested with Kṛṣṇa? Because He is reputed. People are seeing, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is going on all over the world. This is yaśaḥ.

So when Kṛṣṇa was present, who could compete Him with His opulence? He had 16,108 wives—not loitering in the street, but each and every wife had big, big marble palaces, all marble palaces; furniture with ivory, ivory and silk, and frames, all golden, garden with pārijāta, so many things. The . . . and not one palace, two palace: sixteen thousand palaces. And Nārada was surprised, "What Kṛṣṇa is doing with sixteen thousand wives?" In each and every palace he entered, and he saw Kṛṣṇa is engaged in different way. Somebody is taking care of the children, somebody . . . somewhere He is arranging for the marriage of His son and daughter. Somewhere He is engaged in other . . . in the sixteen thousand palaces, in sixteen thousand engagement, and sixteen thousand queens. So this is called opulence, aiśvarya. Who can show this? And Kṛṣṇa showed it personally.

So in every way Kṛṣṇa proved the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, these rascals, they are searching after God. What is this nonsense? Here is God. You see that He is God in every respect according to the definition, and still, you say that, "Where is God?" How much rascal they are, just imagine. Here is God, and still, they are enquiring, "What is God? Can you show me God?" What is this? Is it not rascaldom? What is this? If everything, proof is there, why they are searching after God? What is the answer? Where is the question of searching after God? Just answer this question. God is present here, and still, you are wasting your time. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says mūḍha. Mūḍha. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). Simply rascal. They cannot be given any other title except this one title, mūḍhāḥ. Why they remain mūḍhāḥ? Why are they are not intelligent? They are being educated in the universities, getting so many degrees. Still, they remain mūḍhāḥ. Why? Duṣkṛtinaḥ, sinful, engaged in sinful activities, these sinful activities. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā. Every one of them, all these rascals, are . . . they're engaged in four kinds of sinful activities. They'll search after illicit sex, they will eat meat, and they will drink and they will play gambling. Just one after a . . . you just study. They cannot understand God because they are mūḍhāḥ.

Why they are mūḍhāḥ? Because they are sinful. Why they are sinful? Because narādhamāḥ, lowest of the mankind. Human form of life was given to him to become purified, but they are engaged in sinful activities so that next life they'll be cats and dogs and hogs and trees. Why trees? Trees stands naked. And now this nudie movement is there, how to remain naked. That means next life they are preparing for becoming tree, "Thousand years, stand up here, naked. Nobody will object." Yes, this is the law of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). These rascals . . . because the rascals, they do not know. And even the information is there, still, they'll not accept. This is their position.

So don't remain mūḍhāḥ. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to educate people not to remain mūḍhāḥ. Be intelligent. It is a very nice cultural movement that it is trying to awaken people to their God consciousness, "Here is God." This is the sum and substance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And the process is also bona fide because Kṛṣṇa Himself is teaching the process. Kṛṣṇa, first of all, generally He told, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), because this is the process. But because they are mūḍhas, rascals and sinful, they could not understand. They could not understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa came personally to teach people how to surrender. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikhāya.

namo mahā-vadānyāya

kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te

kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-

nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

(CC Madhya 19.53)

Rūpa Gosvāmī could understand that, "Here is Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu." Kṛṣṇāya. Now He is acting as Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya. Kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne: "He has assumed the name of Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya, but He is Kṛṣṇa Himself." And what He is doing? Because previously, as Kṛṣṇa, He simply ordered that "You surrender. Then you'll be purified and you'll be promoted." Now here, as Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya, He is giving kṛṣṇa-prema. Kṛṣṇa-prema. Unless I understand you very thoroughly, how there can be love for you? Love is not so easy that simply by meeting, or one day's transaction, one becomes lover of other. No. It takes time. So in the Kṛṣṇa form, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, He simply wanted that, "You surrender, then you'll understand Me." But in the Caitanya Mahāprabhu, not only understanding Him, but one gets love of Kṛṣṇa, the highest stage. Therefore He is addressed as namo mahā-vadānyāya, the topmost charitable personality. He is giving kṛṣṇa-prema.

So the process is there. And actually it is so happening all over the world. How the Christian priests are surprised that, "These boys, these Christian boys or these Jewish boys, they never came to the church. They did not inquire even what is God. Now they have left everything and they are mad after God. How it is po . . . how it is?" Because we have adopted the process enunciated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; therefore it has become easier. Otherwise, to understand Kṛṣṇa only it will take millions of years, simply to understand Kṛṣṇa. And what to speak of becoming lover of Kṛṣṇa? If I do not understand you, I cannot become your lover. You . . . we cannot love an unknown person. Is it possible? You must know him. You must behave with him. You must study him. He will study you. Then there is question of love. But Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us such a nice process: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, immediately . . .

Because we do not love Kṛṣṇa. We have got intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa as part and parcel. It cannot be separated. It cannot be separated. But any way, some way or other, we have lost or forgotten that intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. That is nitya-siddha, eternally fact, that Kṛṣṇa loves us and we love. Kṛṣṇa loves; therefore He comes personally. He comes as devotee to deliver us back to home, back to Godhead. Unless He loves, how it is possible? Kṛṣṇa is coming in so many ways. He is sending His devotee. He is leaving Bhagavad-gītā for study to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is . . . Kṛṣṇa loves. Simply teaches that . . . therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. This kṛṣṇa-bhakti, love of Kṛṣṇa, it is not something that artificially trained up. Artificial things . . .

Now these American and the European boys, they are after me. They are after this for the last six, seven years. Had it been an artificial thing, they could not stay. That is not possible. It is not artificial. It is already there, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti nitya-siddha. It is already there. By the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, I am simply trying to awaken that kṛṣṇa-bhakti. That's all. That is the duty of guru. Cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena. He opens the eyes that, "Why you have forgotten Kṛṣṇa? Here is Kṛṣṇa. You love Him. You'll be happy." This is guru's business. Not that he is giving artificially something which is known as kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti's already there. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte. Simply by this process, hear about Kṛṣṇa. That we have introduced. In our so many centers this process is going on: Hear about Kṛṣṇa, chant about Kṛṣṇa. Simply "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa." Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Then Kṛṣṇa will help you.

So this is Kṛṣṇa. So the highest devotees, they . . . Kṛṣṇa, they, Kṛṣṇa accepts because He is playing the part of human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Those who are mūḍhas, they cannot understand, but those who are intelligent, they know that Kṛṣṇa is perfectly playing as a human being. As a human being takes birth in the womb of his father and mother, by the father and mother, similarly, Kṛṣṇa also appeared, accepting Vasudeva as His father, Devakī as mother. But actually Kṛṣṇa is not born. That is being repeatedly explained by Kuntīdevī, that apare, apare vasudevasya devakyām: "They say like that." What is that? Devakī-nandana . . . there is a verse that, "It is a saying only." Nobody can become Kṛṣṇa's father or mother, but they get the reputation as father and mother. That is a concession to the devotee. Therefore Kuntīdevī says apare, "Others say like that." Somebody says like this, somebody says like that, somebody says like this. This is going on. But actually, Kṛṣṇa remains aja always. Because if we do not understand that Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, then we'll misunderstand Him that, "He is also born. He is also born, so how He can become?" The Māyāvādī says that, "Kṛṣṇa is also having a body of . . . the material body, māyā. Therefore real spiritual identity—impersonal. As soon as He assumes the body, it is material." That is called Māyāvādī. "Māyā. The Kṛṣṇa's body is māyā. The ultimate Absolute is no body, impersonal." That is their theory. Therefore we call them Māyāvādī.

But they do not know actually that ultimately the Absolute Truth is a person, the Supreme Person, Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas, tattva-vidaḥ (SB 1.2.11). Tattva means one who knows tattva. They know that ultimately the Absolute Truth is person, not imperson. Therefore Bhāgavatam says, vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam. What is the Absolute Truth? Absolute Truth means tattvam. So Bhāgavatam says, vadanti tat tattva-vidaḥ: "Those who are aware of the Absolute Truth, they say like this." What is that? Brahmeti . . . yad, yaj jñānam advayam. Advayam: "He is without any duality, but the Absolute Truth is known as in three features: by somebody as Brahman, by somebody as Paramātmā and somebody as Bhagavān." Actually, He is Bhagavān. Paramātmā is His universal feature.

eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ

yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ

aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.35)

Eko 'py asau: only one portion. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, athavā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna, viṣṭabhyāham . . . (BG 10.42). (break) . . . this universe is only one only. That also, we cannot estimate what is the length and breadth, how many planets are there, and still, we are proud of becoming God. But God creates such millions of universes. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Koṭi, million. Yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ. He is creating, and everywhere He is present. How He is present? Aṇḍāntara-stha. He's present within the universe and within the heart of all living entities, even within the atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara . . . that is Kṛṣṇa. That is only by His one part. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi.

So such Govinda has become the son of Vasudeva and Devakī. So how it is possible? And therefore the devotee is so great that although Kṛṣṇa, or God, is so great that by His one portion He can create the innumerable universes, He enters into the womb of Devakī and comes out as her son. This is Kṛṣṇa's grace. You see? He can make His devotee so great that the greater than the greatest is coming out of the womb of Devakī. So apare vasudevasya devakyām. And why He agreed? Yācitaḥ. Yācitaḥ: "requested." Requested as Sutapā and Pṛśni. Vasudeva was Pṛśni in his former life, and Devakī was Sutapā. Sutapā. Sutapā means one who can perform austerities and penance very nicely. Su means nicely; and tapaḥ. So they underwent austerities and penance to get a son like Kṛṣṇa.

So when Kṛṣṇa was pleased with their tapasya, they wanted, "My Lord, we wanted a son like You." "So where is like Me?" Kṛṣṇa is asamordhva. There is nobody equal to Kṛṣṇa; nobody is greater than . . . otherwise, how He can be great? If somebody is greater than Him, then how He can be great? Nobody can be greater than Him. That is greatness, either you say in English language or Muhammadan language, Allahu akbar: "Allah, the Supreme Being, is the great." We also say paraṁ brahma. So nobody can be greater than Him or equal. Asamordhva. So they wanted, "The son like You." That means somebody must be equal to Him. "Like You" means equal to Him. So who can be equal to Kṛṣṇa? But He can expand Himself with many equals. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself in millions' and millions' forms. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Everything is there. Although He is living in Goloka, still, by His omnipotency, omnipresence, He can be everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-ca . . . so that Paramātmā, or the Supersoul, is equal with Kṛṣṇa. Not anything else equal with Kṛṣṇa, but the Paramātmā is equal with Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore by His expansion, He agreed to become son of Devakī, and there may be hundreds and thousands of Devakī, devotees. He is unlimited. His devotees are unlimited. Their demands are unlimited. So everything is Kṛṣṇa's unlimited. So therefore all-unlimited means Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive. That is the real name of God, if God can be given one name. Because God has no name, but His names are given according to His activities. Then how to concentrate in one name? That one name is Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive. That is the real name of Kṛṣṇa.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)