760817 - Lecture CC Madhya 20.395 - Hyderabad

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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760817CC-HYDERABAD - August 17, 1976 - 23.13 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (indistinct comments to Pradyumna) This is from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Twenty.

kona brahmāṇḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna

tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṇa

(CC Madhya 20.395)

Āgama-purāṇa means Vedic literature. Āgama, "which is coming from higher plane," not manufactured here. Āgama-purāṇa. And Purāṇa means the old history of the world, Purāṇa. Purāṇa, some of the modern scholars, they take everything as mythology, imagination. That is not fact. They're real history. Purāṇa. Purāṇa means very old. Nityaḥ śāśvato yaṁ purāṇo (BG 2.20). In Hindi it is called Purāṇa. Purāṇa means "old." The Purāṇas means the old history, not only of this world, but of the whole universe. Purāṇa is also Vedic evidence. Purāṇa is not ordinary thing. Therefore here it is said, āgama-purāṇa, Vedic literatures. Śrīla Madhvācārya has accepted the Vedic literatures—four Vedas, Vedānta-sūtra, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata. They're all Vedic literature. So here it is said, kono brahmāṇḍe. (aside) Come here. This room is very nice.

Devotee: Is it?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Although it is not very big, but very comfortable. Dakṣina, dakṣina-rāja.

So,

kona brahmāṇḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna

tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṇa

(CC Madhya 20.395)

Nitya-līlā. Nitya-līlā means everlasting pastimes. Our līlā, material, that is not nitya-līlā. Whatever I'm acting by this body, it is not nitya; it is temporary. I am the son of such and such family, I am such and such important person, my name is such and such, my position is such and such—these are not nitya. This is temporary. As soon as the body is finished, everything is finished. Then another līlā: I am such and such dog, I am such and such this and that. With the change of body, our līlā is finished. Therefore ours is not nitya-līlā. But Kṛṣṇa's, Bhagavān's activities, they are nitya-līlā. That is the difference. Nitya means eternal. Kṛṣṇa's Vṛndāvana līlā is going on. It is nitya-līlā. Just like what is the time now?

Devotee: Quarter to eight.

Prabhupāda: Quarter to eight. This quarter to eight is a crude example of the sun. It is going on. It is not that quarter to eight here, but when it will be eight, in some other place it is quarter to eight. Try to understand. Somewhere the sun is rising and setting within this regulation. Now suppose in Hyderabad it is quarter to eight, and say it is in the . . . eastern side?

Mahāṁsa: Central India.

Prabhupāda: Central India. So the sun will pass. It will be eight. But the sun will go somewhere where it is quarter to eight. Is it not? Somewhere the sun will pass, and it is quarter to eight. That quarter to eight is also permanent. Somewhere there will be, must be quarter to eight. This is crude example. This example is given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu to explain what is the meaning of nitya-līlā. So this is material example. And material, everything is temporary. Still we find some similarity of nitya-līlā. And what to speak of spiritual. Spiritual, it is clearly said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).

So kono brahmāṇḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna. Just like we are opening the temple. This is also nitya-līlā. In some brahmāṇḍa there is this opening ceremony of temple. When tomorrow we shall open, day after tomorrow it is opened, but day after tomorrow in some brahmāṇḍa it is being opened. This is nitya-līlā. Some other brahmāṇḍa. Again it is finished; in another brahmāṇḍa it is being opened. In another brahmāṇḍa it is being opened. There is no end. This is called nitya-līlā. In some brahmāṇḍa Kṛṣṇa is born, Janmāṣṭamī; it is finished here. In other brahmāṇḍa, again Janmāṣṭamī. Every moment. This is pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Kona brahmāṇḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna. There must be some . . . the same example: quarter to eight is somewhere. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's līlā, it is eternal. Somewhere it is going on. And you have no experience of one brahmāṇḍa, what to speak of innumerable brahmāṇḍas.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu was requested by one of His devotees, "Sir, You have so kindly come. Please liberate all the living entities of this brahmāṇḍa, and You take them with You to Vaikuṇṭha. And if You think that they're so sinful they cannot be taken away, then please give all their sinful action to me. I shall suffer. You take them." This is (not) Vaiṣṇava's philosophy, that "You suffer. I'll go to Vaikuṇṭha." That is not Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Vaiṣṇava philosophy is that "I take your all sinful activities. Let me suffer here. You go to Vaikuṇṭha." This is Vaiṣṇava. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, "Suppose I take all the living entities to Vaikuṇṭha. Do you think that the māyā's business will be stopped? No. This brahmāṇḍa is one of the mustard seeds in the bag of mustard seeds." In the bag of mustard seeds, can anybody count how many mustard seeds are there? So here it is called kona brahmāṇḍa. This is one of the brahmāṇḍa, universe. And there are so many universes that it is just like this one seed of mustard, one grain of mustard seed, and there is a bag of mustard seeds. That is kona brahmāṇḍe.

So in each brahmāṇḍa Kṛṣṇa's līlā is going on. Now you count. This is Kṛṣṇa. They become very cheaply God, Kṛṣṇa, but they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they take it so cheaply, that "Anyone can become God. Anyone can become Kṛṣṇa." Mūḍha. Māyayā-apahṛta-jñānāḥ. These rascals, they say like that. But they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścid vetti mām . . .

(BG 7.3)

They do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (BS 5.48). And they're coming out . . . just like within our breathing there are so many things, particles, or germs are coming, similarly, with the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, so many universes are coming. This is Bhagavān. By breathing period innumerable universes are created. Not that they create something jugglery and become Bhagavān. Our conception of Bhagavān from the śāstra is different.

So Kṛṣṇa's creation of this brahmāṇḍa and His pastimes, they are going on, nitya-līlā. Kona kona bhagavān ei dekhi bare paya. The līlā is going on constantly, but one who is fortunate enough, he can see how līlā is . . .

kona brahmāṇḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna

tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṇa

(CC Madhya 20.395)

It is not that Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Goswami is manufacturing some idea. No. He says, kahe āgama-purāṇa. "I do not manufacture anything." That is not ācārya. Ācārya does not manufacture anything concocted. He quotes from the Vedic literature, āgama-purāṇa. That is the qualification.

So,

goloka, gokula-dhāma-'vibhu' kṛṣṇa-sama

kṛṣṇecchāya brahmāṇḍa-gaṇe tāhāra saṅkrama

(CC Madhya 20.396)

So kṛṣṇa-līlā is going on in the spiritual world, but by Kṛṣṇa's desire that spiritual world also comes down in this material world. Just like a big man, he lives in his palace, but if he likes he can go anywhere, and he has the same facility of his palace by arrangement. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes within this material world, He has all the paraphernalia of His Goloka Vṛndāvana līlā. As such this Vṛndāvana is as good as the original Vṛndāvana. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa, tanaya tad-dhāmaṁ vṛndāvanam (Sri Hari Bhakti Kalpa Latikā). This Vṛndāvana is not ordinary place; it is the same Goloka Vṛndāvana. By Kṛṣṇa's omnipotency the same Vṛndāvana is duplicated. It is possible. That is called nitya-līlā. Wherever He likes, He can bring in Vṛndāvana and He can have His pastimes.

So this temple, do not think that it is Hyderabad place. No. It is Goloka Vṛndāvana. You should be very careful. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa, tanaya tad-dhāmaṁ vṛndāvanam. As Kṛṣṇa is worshipable, similarly His place is also worshipable. Not that His place is different from Him. No. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-sṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau. So as the worship of the Deity is important, similarly, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-sṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārj anādau, to keep the temple very cleansed, very attractive, that is also Deity worship. Those who are here working, they should keep this temple as clean as possible. Then Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. Kṛṣṇa's body—this temple. Do not think it otherwise. Temple should be worshiped in that way. Therefore I ask you not to come with shoes. Even the temple is not open, it is still Kṛṣṇa's temple. It is not different from Kṛṣṇa. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-sṛṅgāra . . . you should always remember that. And the temple management very nicely means to render service to Kṛṣṇa.

So we are going to open this temple. Those who are in charge, they must take care of the temple, cleanliness. Tan-mandira-mārjanādau. The more we have got men, engage them. And do not think that temple cleaning and Deity worshiping are different. Do not be envious, that "This person has been given the in-charge of decorating the Deity, and I have given to wash the temple . . . I mean to say, where there are not Deity." No. It is the same thing. There is no difference. It is spiritual. In spiritual . . . just like either you worship Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet or you offer a garland to Kṛṣṇa on His head, it is the same thing. It is no such thing as "This is head, this is tail." No. This is absolute conception of . . .

So Bhagavān, His līlā, His form, His pastimes, His place, they're all Bhagavān. Even higher, those who are highly elevated devotees, they do not see even this material world different from Bhagavān. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetara. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada Muni says. The whole universe is Bhagavān, although it appears different from Him. Bhagavān ivetara. So actually everything is Bhagavān, but it is not this Māyāvāda philosophy, that because everything is Bhagavān, there is no Bhagavān. No. Everything is Bhagavān, and still Bhagavān is there. Kṛṣṇa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam (BG 9.4). Mayā, a person, is there. Otherwise, there is no use of the word mayā. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam. Vaiṣṇava philosophy is that this material world is expansion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the Māyāvāda philosophy is that because God has become everything, there is no more God. Nirviśeṣa. That is called nirviśeṣa—without understanding the beauty.

In this way, try to understand Kṛṣṇa and His paraphernalia, His form, His name, His quality—everything. There are so many things to understand about Kṛṣṇa. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The materialistic persons, they will think that "These people are wasting time. They are doing nothing." But the agnostic, the material person, he does not know anything. Because here is the study of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is so unlimited, what one life one can understand? It requires many lives. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante (BG 7.19). It is not so easy thing that we have understood immediately Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. After many, many births, if one is fortunate, he can understand Kṛṣṇa.

So don't lose a single moment. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa, āgama-purāṇa, from śāstra. Don't manufacture. Here it is said, tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṇa, from śāstra. Śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi pañcaratriki vidhiṁ vinā (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101). You have to understand Kṛṣṇa from the śāstra. Śruti means veda; smṛti means the history, the corollaries, just like Bhagavad-gītā, Rāmayana, Mahābharata. Śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi. Without reference to this Vedic literature, the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa is simply disturbance. So you should always refer to the śāstras. The śāstras are there by Kṛṣṇa's grace. It is now available in the English language. Be always engaged in studying, in rendering service, understanding the philosophy, then life will be successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)