761127 - Lecture SB 05.06.05 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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761127SB-VRNDAVAN - November 27, 1976 - 28.16 Minutes

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

kāmo manyur mado lobhaḥ

śoka-moha-bhayādayaḥ

karma-bandhaś ca yan-mūlaḥ

svīkuryāt ko nu tad budhaḥ

(SB 5.6.5)

(break) Translation: (02:46) "The mind is the root cause of lust, anger, pride, greed, lamentation, illusion and fear. Combined, these constitute bondage to fruitive activity. What learned man would put faith in the mind?" (break)

Prabhupāda:

kāmo manyur mado lobhaḥ

śoka-moha-bhayādayaḥ

karma-bandhaś ca yan-mūlaḥ

svīkuryāt ko nu tad budhaḥ

(SB 5.6.5)

So budha means one who is aware of everything, jñānī. Budhā bhāva-samanvitaḥ (BG 10.8). Such budha, intelligent person, will not accept these base qualities. Kāma, manyur, means greediness, lusty; madaḥ—madness; lobha . . . mada, mada? Kāmo manyur mada. What is mada? Madness? Mada—pride, yes. Kāmo manyur mado lobhaḥ—greediness; śoka—lamentation; moha—illusion; bhaya . . . (Sanskrit). When we are too much materially absorbed, then there is bhaya. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām (Hitopadeśa). So long we are interested in bodily concept of life, these things are manifested. And when we are spiritually identified, so there is no more kāma-lobha-bhaya-śoka-bhayādayaḥ. Śoka-moha-bhaya apahaḥ. Spiritually means, advanced means, śoka moha bhaya, these things are not existing. These are the symptoms of karma-bandha. But if we devote ourself in the bhakti-yoga, in the service of the Lord, then the face of these things will change. The face of these things will change.

Kāma, kṛṣṇa-kāma-karmārpaṇe. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has advised that kāma and the desire will be transformed how to serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇārthe akhila-ceṣṭa, the same thing. Kāma means fruitive activities for sense gratification, but this kāma can be utilized in Kṛṣṇa's service. Just like we have constructed this temple with the enthusiasm, "There must be a very nice temple for Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma." The same desire, as somebody is willing that "I must have a very big skyscraper building," so the same desire. People may ask, "What is the difference between these two desires? Somebody is desiring to possess a very big house, and another body is desiring to possess a very nice temple, expensive temple. So what is the difference?" The difference is one is kāma and the other is prema. That is the difference. As soon as we desire, that is natural. We cannot be desireless. That is not possible. People say that "You become desireless." That is not possible. I am living being. How I can be desireless? No. That is very difficult task, if we want to become desireless. That is not possible. Kleśo adhikāras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). Desireless means your desires are suppressed by force: "I shall not desire." That is not possible. You have got eyes, and if you want to suppress your eyesight, "I shall not see anything," is that possible? That is not possible. Yes, I have got my eyes, but I want to see Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma. That is wanted. That is wanted. Not that "No, I shall not see." Even meditation, so-called meditation, that is also seeing. Real meditation, seeing within. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasaḥ paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Paśyanti, this word is used. Paśyanti means sees, but within, not without. Meditation means seeing within. Not that without seeing. Concentrating the mind to see the form of Lord Viṣṇu, that is real meditation. And without seeing Lord Viṣṇu, that is kleśa. If you want to fix up my mind into nothing, they say nothingness, that is not possible.

So you cannot be desireless. Desire means kāma. You cannot be. But desire has to be purified. That is wanted. Kāma . . . kāma kṛṣṇa-karmātmane. Kāma should be utilized. The same desire should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service. Then it is bhakti. Then it is prema. We sometimes mistake the activities of gopīs, it appears just like lusty affairs. But actually that is not. Gopīs used to dress themselves very nicely, attractively, so that Kṛṣṇa may be very pleased. That was gopīs' desire. Just like in the material world the woman dresses very nicely so that a man may be attracted upon her, and then both of them will fulfill their sex desire or sense gratification. That is material world. But in the spiritual world there it appears that gopīs are dressed very nicely not for the purpose of her own satisfaction. They want to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, that "If I dress nicely, Kṛṣṇa will be pleased." So that is prema. And as soon as . . . in the material world, nobody wants to please anyone. He wants to please himself, his senses. That is kāma. We should understand what is kāma and what is prema.

So kāma, and the proof is because in the material world everyone wants to fulfill his own desire, therefore when the desire is not fulfilled he becomes angry, manyu. The next stage is manyu. Manyu means anger. And mada, then pride, then greediness, then śoka. These are different stages. Lamentation, bhaya. So many things. What is the cause? The root cause is karma-bandha. Because I am bound up by the resultant action of my past karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa yantra-dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). By the superior arrangement, according to my karma I get a body with varieties of kāma, krodha, moha, like that. Kāma, because somebody has got the body of a human being, his kāma, desires, are different from the hogs and pigs because he has got a different body. He has got also kāma, and the human body, he has human being, he has got also kāma. But one is desiring to have a very palatable dish, and the other is desiring stool. The different . . . according to the bodies the desires are . . . (indistinct) . . . less. So conclusion is that when you get your spiritual body then the desire will be different. And that is prema. Desires are going on. Now the desires are designated. Designated. Because one has got a particular type of body, his desires are different from another because another person, he has got a particular type of body. But in the spiritual world, because there is no material body, only desire is how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. 'Kāma' kṛṣṇa-karmārpaṇe. This is spiritual. Spiritual means when the center is Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual. Otherwise it is material. That is material means to forget Kṛṣṇa and satisfy His own senses. That is material. Just like a flower, a nice flower. One is accepting this flower for satisfying his smelling power and another is accepting the same flower with the desire that "Here is a nice flower. Let me offer it to Kṛṣṇa." So according to different mentality. The Kṛṣṇa, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravindayor (SB 9.4.18), if we simply engage our mind to Kṛṣṇa, naturally the flower will be offered to Kṛṣṇa.

In this way if we live, bhakti-yoga, then there is no such thing as to give up. Prapañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. To give up, renounce . . . renounce means renounce the mentality of sense gratification. That is renounce. Otherwise nothing can be renounced. Everything can be properly utilized. 'Kāma' kṛṣṇa karmārpaṇe 'krodha' bhakta-dveśi-jane. This manyu-manyu means krodha, anger—it can be also utilized. Bhakta-dveśi-jane, those who are envious of devotees . . . just like they are making propaganda in Europe and America that "Why this Kṛṣṇa conscious persons should be allowed?" So bhakta-dveśi. So one should utilize his krodha, anger, upon these persons. That is wanted. 'Kāma' kṛṣṇa karmārpaṇe 'krodha' bhakta-dveśi-jane. And moha, without seeing a devotee, without seeing Kṛṣṇa . . . just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaching, yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛsāyitaṁ śūnyāyitaṁ jagat-sarvam (Siksastakam 7). This is illusion. Śūnyāyitam. Jagat is not śūnyaṁ. Just like we have got practical experience. If somebody's beloved has died, he sees everything zero. Nothing is appealing to him. Similarly, if we have developed our love for Kṛṣṇa and if we do not see Kṛṣṇa, that is śūnyāyitaṁ jagat-sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. But a devotee and ordinary person, if ordinary person wants to see something and if he cannot see, he becomes angry because that is kāma. But a devotee, he says that "Kṛṣṇa, although the whole world is vacant because I cannot see You, still I cannot change my mind to love You." That is . . . one side śūnyāyitaṁ jagat-sarvam, the other side, āśliṣya vā pādaratāṁ pinaṣṭu māṁ marma-hatāṁ karotu vā adarśanam (Siksastakam 8). "You break my heart by not allowing me to see You, still You are my beloved, worshipable Lord." That is the difference. There is no manyu, no disappointment. Disappointment is there, but so much disappointed that broken heart, still he wants to love Kṛṣṇa. That is pure love. Not that "I have been disappointed, my heart is broken; therefore I give up Kṛṣṇa." No. Still Kṛṣṇa is good. That is pure love.

So we have to learn in that way. Kāma kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, karma-bandhana. Yajñārthe karmaṇe anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9), it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yajña means Viṣṇu. Whatever you do, if it is for Kṛṣṇa, then you are liberated. Otherwise, karma-bandha; you are bound up by the laws of nature, karma-bandha. So karma-bandha yān mūlaḥ. If we act for our sense gratification, then this kāma-krodha is bondage. And if we don't accept this karma-bandha, then you are liberated. Very easy thing. So we have to purify our desires. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we give up this conception of life that "I am Indian," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am this and that . . ." these are upādhis. So while serving Kṛṣṇa, don't come back to the upādhi platform, that "We are Indians and they are Europeans, so they are taking more advantage and we are not given advantage," or visa versa. This means coming back to the upādhi. That is not the stage of devotion. We have to become free from the upādhi. "I am neither Indian nor American. I am eternally Kṛṣṇa's servant, that's all. Whatever Kṛṣṇa orders, in whichever position He keeps me, I am His eternal servant." This is upādhi-mukta-nirmalam, pure stage.

Now, when we are in the pure stage, the same kāma, the same manyu, the same mada lobhaḥ śoka, śoka, lamentation . . . just like the gopīs, they were lamenting, "Kṛṣṇa is going to Mathurā," and He has gone there, the lamentation is there. But this lamentation and our lamentation not the same. Therefore in the beginning, the neophyte devotees, they should not try to understand the dealings of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. They should not try to understand. Unless one is free from the material concept, sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170) . . . that means we have to execute devotional service in the regulative principles. "I cannot follow the regulative principle and I am trying to understand Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa prema," this is rascaldom. This is rascaldom. Only rascals will do that. He does not see his position, that "What is my position? I am still full of lusty desires. My mind is still disturbed by seeing a nice woman, a nice man, and I am discussing Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa?" This is nonsense. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said, rūpa-raghunātha pade haibe ākuti kabe hāma bujhabo se yugala-pīriti. Unless you are expert in devotional service, by practical application of the instruction of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu—rūpa-raghunātha pade haibe ākuti—then if we are qualified, then someday we may be able to understand what is yugala-pīriti, love between Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Not so suddenly. That is sahajiyā. Not so suddenly. We should not try to do that. First of all I must see how much I have become sarvopādhi vinirmuktam, how much I am free from the designational position. Then we shall be able. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikrṭi ahlādinī śakti asmād (CC Adi 1.5).

The Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa praṇaya, loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, this is not ordinary thing. When you worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, we are not fit for that . . . (break) . . . we shall think ourself as servant of Kṛṣṇa, eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, under the guidance, ādau gurvāśrayam sad-dharma-pṛcchā. So if we want to do something, we must inquire from guru, sad-dharma-pṛcchā. Sādhu mārganu gamanam. We must follow. We should not manufacture things, that "This way I shall be able to satisfy Kṛṣṇa." No. Sādhu mārganu gamanam. "If I discuss about Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā in my neophyte stage, Kṛṣṇa will be pleased." No. You must first of all purify yourself by the regulative principle. And when you are completely free, then, from the material conception, then you understand what is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (end)