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Nectar of Devotion
(Excerpt from chapter 1: Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service) Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, but pure devotional service attracts even Him. This means that pure devotional service is even transcendentally stronger than Kṛṣṇa Himself, because it is Kṛṣṇa's internal potency. TIME In his purport of SB 3.10.11, Srila Prabhupada writes as follows about time: The impersonal time factor is the background of the material manifestation as the instrument of the Supreme Lord. It is the ingredient of assistance offered to material nature. No one knows where time began and where it ends, and it is time only which can keep a record of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material manifestation. This time factor is the material cause of creation and is therefore a self expansion of the Personality of Godhead. Time is considered the impersonal feature of the Lord. The time factor is also explained by modern men in various ways. Some accept it almost as it is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. For example, in Hebrew literature time is accepted, in the same spirit, as a representation of God. It is stated therein: God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets... Metaphysically, time is distinguished as absolute and real. Absolute time is continuous and is unaffected by the speed or slowness of material things. Time is astronomically and mathematically calculated in relation to the speed, change and life of a particular object. Factually, however, time has nothing to do with the relativities of things; rather, everything is shaped and calculated in terms of the facility offered by time. Time is the basic measurement of the activity of our senses, by which we calculate past, present and future; but in factual calculation, time has no beginning and no end. Canakya Pandita says that even a slight fraction of time cannot be purchased with millions of dollars, and therefore even a moment of time lost without profit must be calculated as the greatest loss in life. Time is not subject to any form of psychology, nor are the moments objective realities in themselves, but they are dependent on particular experiences. SRILA PRABHUPADA SPEAKS ON: First Stop Sinful Activities, Then Understand Krishna Lecture: Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.2 Visnujana: Is showing miracles like some swamis do the way to bring people back to spiritual life? Prabhupada: Why should I show miracles? What is the business? I have to speak the truth. That's all. What is the use of miracle? When you go to college or school, we want to see miracles or you learn books and knowledge? Krishna never said that you go to a guru who can perform miracles. He never said that. He said tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya upadeksyanti tad jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah [Bg. 4.34] Go to a jnani, and who has known the truth, not to a jugglers, magician. Science is not magic. Science is knowledge. That is the Vedic injunction. Tad vijnanartham: in order to understand that science, not to see jugglery and magic. The jugglery and magic is here present: all these meat-eaters, drunkards, woman-hunters, now Vaisnava. This is real magic. If you have got eyes to see, see the magic. If you are blind, then that is different question. This is magic. Acyutananda: Question: I believe in Krishna but please clarify the following doubts. Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so when Krishna is the only God in the world, the creator of the whole universe, then why the existence of Jesus Christ and Allah? Why should not only one God for all? Why Christians and Muslims are not accepting Krishna as God? Prabhupada: They are accepting God, but they did not disclose the name of God because the people are unable to understand. "Krishna" means "the all-attractive." That is the meaning of Krishna. So unless God is all-attractive, how He can be God? "Krishna" means all-attractive. aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah [Bg. 10.8] When one understands Krishna... To understand Krishna it takes little time. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye, yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. So Krishna revealed Himself in India before Arjuna, and what the others will understand about Krishna unless he's advanced like Arjuna? So there are different persons, so different types of religion they have revealed. That is also Krishna-but, to some extent. The full extent they cannot understand. Just like Lord Jesus Christ says "Thou shall not kill." Just imagine what the audience were. They are killers. So what they'll understand about Krishna? Let them first stop this killing. Then the stage will come he'll understand what is Krishna. yesam tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam drdha-vratah [Bg. 7.28] One who is sinful, the first instruction should be, "You stop your sinful activities." Then the opportunity will come to understand Krishna. That is stated in the... Yesam tu anta-gatam papam. One who is sinful, what he will understand about Krishna? First of all, stop sinful activities. Then this stage will come, he'll understand Krishna. Therefore Jesus Christ said, "You nonsense, stop killing." Then there will be time we'll understand one day Krishna. So the first instruction is to stop sinful activities; then he'll be qualified. SRILA PRABHUPADA SPEAKS ON: Buddhism and Mayavadi philosophy A Second Chance Chapter 11 - The Realm of the Senses Pain and Pleasure Actually, there is no pleasure in the material world; everything is painful. Everyone is trying to be happy by sensual activity, but the result is unhappiness and frustration. This is called maya, illusion. Lord Buddha understood the nature of material pleasure. In his youth he was a prince, enjoying great opulence and sensual pleasures, but he renounced it all. Sitting down in meditation, he stopped all sensual activities, which subject one to the pains and pleasures of this material world. He gave up his kingdom just to teach that sensual activities do not help us attain salvation. Salvation means to get out of the clutches of the pleasure and pain of this world. Buddhism is concerned largely with the predicament of the body. Due to the interactions of the three modes of material nature, which are acting on our material bodies, we experience various pains and pleasures. Buddhism teaches that one can be relieved of these pains and pleasures as soon as one dismantles the combination of the material elements in the shape of the physical body. Nirvana, the goal of Buddhism, is the state attained when a person has finished with the material combinations. After all, pains and pleasures are due to possessing this material body. However, Buddhist philosophy does not provide information about the soul, the possessor of the body. Thus Buddhism is imperfect. Buddhist philosophy is incomplete, but that does not mean Lord Buddha did not know the complete truth. A teacher may have received his Masters degree, yet he still teaches the ABC's to his students. It is not that his knowledge is limited to the ABC's. Similarly, any especially empowered incarnation (saktyavesa avatara) will preach God consciousness according to time, place, and circumstances. The teacher holds his Masters degree, but the students may not be qualified to receive the high instructions that the teacher is competent to teach. Therefore there are different schools of religion, like Buddhism and Sankaracarya's Mayavada philosophy. Both the Buddhists and the Mayavadis encourage their followers to try to get free of pain and pleasure, which are due to sensual activities. No genuine philosopher urges his followers to pursue sensual activities. Buddha finishes with matter: to achieve nirvana one must first dismantle the material combination of the body. In other words, the body is a combination of five material elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether, and this combination is the cause of all pain and pleasure; so when the combination is at last dismantled, there will be no more pain and pleasure. Sankaracarya's philosophy is to get out of this combination of material elements and become situated in our original, spiritual position. Thus the Mayavadis' motto is brahma satyam jagan mithya: "Brahman, the Absolute, is true, and this material creation is false." Sankaracarya rejected Buddha's philosophy, which gives no information concerning the spirit soul. Buddha's philosophy deals only with matter and the dissolution of matter; thus the goal of Buddhism is to merge into the voidness. Both Buddhism and Mayavada philosophy reveal only partial truth. Sankaracarya's Mayavada philosophy accepts Brahman, spirit, but does not describe spirit in its fullness. Mayavada philosophy teaches that as soon as we become cognizant of our existence as Brahman (aham brahmasmi), then all our activities come to a stop. But this is not a fact. The living entity is always active. It may seem that in meditation one can stop all sensual activity, but still one is meditating, and that is also action. While meditating on Brahman, the Mayavadi thinks, "I have become God." In one sense, of course, it is correct to think, "I am one with God," for as spirit souls we are all one with God in quality. But no one can ever become quantitatively one with God. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.7) Krishna declares that the living entities are "part and parcel of Me." Krishna is completely spiritual (sac-cid-ananda), so each particle of spirit must also be sac-cid-ananda, just as a gold earring is qualitatively one with the gold in a gold mine. Still, the gold earring is not the gold mine. So the Mayavadis' mistake is to think that the part can become equal to the whole. They presume that because they are part and parcel of God, they are God. Therefore the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32) describes the impersonalists as avisuddha-buddhayah: "Their intelligence is impure; they are still in ignorance." Mayavadis believe that by accumulating knowledge they become one with God, and thus they address one another as "Narayana." That is their great mistake. We cannot become Lord Narayana. Narayana is vibhu, which means "very big" or "infinite," whereas we are anu, infinitesimal. Our spiritual magnitude measures one ten-thousandth of the tip of a hair. Therefore how can any sane man claim that he has become God? Sankaracarya gave a hint about Brahman, teaching everyone to think, aham brahmasmi, "I am the spirit self, not the material body." The Vedas agree. One who is situated in mukti, or liberation, understands perfectly, "I am not this body; I am pure spirit soul." But that is not the end of self-realization. Next one has to ask, "If I am an eternal spirit soul, what is my eternal spiritual activity?" That eternal activity is devotional service to Krishna. In the Bhagavad-gita (18.54) Lord Krishna describes how Brahman realization leads to devotional service: brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param "One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me." Often big svamis talk about attaining "Brahman realization" but do not remove themselves from worldly pleasures and pains. They involve themselves in humanitarian activities, thinking, "My fellow countrymen are suffering; let me open a hospital" or "They are uneducated; let me open a school." If someone is really on the platform of brahma-bhutah, why would he accept any particular place as his country? Actually, as spirit souls we do not belong to any country. We get a body, and as soon as the body is finished, the connection with a particular country is also finished. The symptom of lamentation reveals that the so-called liberated person has not been cured of his attachment to worldly pleasure and pain. That means he has not become joyful, because one who is joyful does not lament. So many learned sannyasis have fallen down to material activities because they have not in fact realized Brahman. It is not so easy. As already explained, the influence of the modes of nature is very strong. The living entity entangled in different types of fruitive activity is like a silkworm trapped in a cocoon. Getting free is very difficult unless one is helped by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SRILA PRABHUPADA Q&A (Taken from Vedabase: Lectures & Classes; Bhagavad-gita 7.1 - Nairobi, October 27th, 1975) Devotee (3): Srila Prabhupada, when we are preaching to Christian people or to Muslim people, is there advantage in being familiar with their scriptures or simply Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam? Prabhupada: We are not preaching to Christian or Hindu or Muslim. We are preaching to human being. We do not see, "Here is a Christian. Here is a Muslim. Here is a Hindu. Here is a white man. Here is a black man." No. Every living being, his duty is to understand God. This is our preaching. This is our preaching, that "You are living being. You are part and parcel of Krishna. This designation, that 'You are Hindu,' 'You are Muslim,' 'You are Christian,' 'You are this'-these are all designations. Actually you are living being, part and parcel of Krishna. Therefore your main duty is to understand Krishna." This is our preaching. We are not going to convert Hindu into Muslim, Muslim into Christian. No, that is not our... That is not our business. He may think that he is Christian, he is Hindu, he is Muslim, but we think that he is a spirit soul, part and parcel of God. That is stated in the... vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva sva-pake ca panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18] If one is learned pandita, he does not see Hindu, Muslim, Christian. I went to America, I did not go there to turn the Christian to become Hindu. No, I never said that. Did I say, any, anyone, that "You are Christian. You become a Hindu"? No, never I said. That is not my business. Indian man (4): Just now you said we are all part and parcel of God. What would you say is God? Prabhupada: That we have explained, what is God. Asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1]. You have to become God conscious. Then you will understand what is God. It is not a so trifle thing you ask me and, one minute, you understand God. That is foolishness. You have to study the science of God. God is not so cheap. manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti tattvatah [Bg. 7.3] Out of many thousands of men, one wants to become perfect, and out of many millions of perfect men, one can understand God. So God is not so cheap thing. Therefore Krishna recommends, mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1] If you want to know God without any doubt, completely, then you have to adopt this yoga. So first of all come to the yoga. Then speak of God understanding. It is not so cheap thing. Some Definitions to be Familiar With... Avatara—literally means "one who descends." A partially or fully empowered incarnation of the Lord who descends from the spiritual sky to the material universe with a particular mission described in scriptures; When Krsna descends from the world of spirit into the world of matter, His appearance here is called avatara. The Sanskrit term avatara (one who descends) is often rendered into English as incarnation. It is wrong, however, to think that Krsna incarnates in a body made of physical elements. The Seventh and Eighth Chapters of Bhagavad-gita distinguish at length between the material nature (apara-prakrti), visible as the temporary substances of earth, water, fire, air and ethereal space, and God's own spiritual nature (para-prakrti), which is invisible (avyakta), eternal (sanatana) and infallible (aksara). When the Lord descends, by His mercy the invisible becomes visible. As He Himself states in Bg. 4.6, I descend by My own nature, appearing in My form of spiritual energy (prakrtim svam adhisthaya sambhavamy atma-mayaya). In Bg. 4.9 He declares, janma karma ca me divyam, My appearance and activities are divine. God has many avataras. But of all of them, that form described in Bg. 11.50 as the most beautiful (saumya-vapu) is His own original form (svakam rupam). This is the eternal form of Sri Krsna, the all-charming lotus-eyed youth whose body is the shape of spiritual ecstasy. SB 1.3.28 confirms that Krsna is the original form of Visnu: ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam indrari-vyakulam lokam mrdayanti yuge yuge, which means, All of the incarnations of Visnu listed in the scriptures are expansions of the Lord. Lord Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead. All avataras appear in the world whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists. The Srimad-Bhagavatam also provides us with the authorized list of scheduled incarnations of Godhead, of whom the Dasavatara (ten avataras) are particularly celebrated. The ten are 1) Matsya (the Lord's form of a gigantic golden fish), 2) Kurma (the turtle), 3) Varaha (the boar), 4) Sri Nrsimha (the half-man, half-lion form), 5) Parasurama (the hermit who wields an axe), 6) Vamana (the small brahmana boy), 7) Sri Ramacandra (the Lord of Ayodhya), 8) Sri Baladeva (Lord Krsna's brother), 9) Buddha (the sage who cheated the atheists), and 10) Kalki (who will depopulate the world of all degraded, sinful men at the end of the present age of Kali). There are two broad categories of avataras. Some, like Sri Krsna, Sri Rama and Sri Nrsimha, are Visnu-tattva, i.e. direct forms of God Himself, the source of all power. Others are individual souls (jiva-tattva) who are empowered by the Lord in one or more of the following seven ways: with knowledge, devotion, creative ability, personal service to God, rulership over the material world, power to support planets, or power to destroy rogues and miscreants. This second category of avatara is called saktyavesa. Included herein are Buddha, Christ and Muhammed. The Mayavadis think that form necessarily means limitation. God is omnipresent, unlimited and therefore formless, they argue. When He reveals His avatara form within this world, that form, being limited in presence to a particular place and time, cannot be the real God. It is only an indication of God. But the fact is that it is not God's form that is limited. It is only the Mayavadis' conception of form that is limited, because that conception is grossly physical. God's form is of the nature of supreme consciousness. Being spiritual, it is called suksma, most subtle. There is no contradiction between the omnipresence of something subtle and its having form. The most subtle material phenomena we can perceive is sound. Sound may be formless (as noise) or it may have form (as music). Because sound is subtle, its having form does not affect its ability to pervade a huge building. Similarly, God's having form does not affect His ability to pervade the entire universe. Since God's form is finer than the finest material subtlety, it is completely inappropriate for Mayavadis to compare His form to gross hunks of matter. Because they believe God's form is grossly physical, Mayavadis often argue that any and all embodied creatures may be termed avataras. Any number of living gods are being proclaimed within India and other parts of the world today. Some of these gods are mystics, some are charismatics, some are politicians, and some are sexual athletes. But none of them are authorized by the Vedic scriptures. They represent only the mistaken Mayavadi idea that the one formless unlimited Truth appears in endless gross, physical human incarnations, and that you and me and I and he are therefore all together God. And since each god has a different idea of what dharma is, the final truth, according to Mayavada philosophy, is that the paths of all gods lead to the same goal. This idea is as unenlightened as it is impractical. When ordinary people proclaim themselves to be God, and that whatever they are doing is Vedic dharma, that is called dharmasya glanih, a disturbance to eternal religious principles. Therefore Krsna came again, 500 years ago, as the Golden Avatara, Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He established the yuga-dharma, the correct form of sanatana-dharma for our time (sankirtana). Lord Caitanya's appearance was predicted in SB 11.5.32: In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by congregational chanting of the holy names of God. See Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krsna. Theism—According to the Harper Collins Dictionary of Philosophy, p. 120, the philosophy of theism in most interpretations is, God is partly immanent in the universe and partly transcendent. In essence, this definition is the Vedic philosophy of the Supreme Person. As stated in Purusa-sukta (Rig-Veda 10.90.4): With three-fourths of Himself, the Purusa ascended; the other fourth was born here. From here on all sides He moved, toward the living and the non-living. Again and again in the Vedic literatures we find references to tripada-vibhuti and ekapada-vibhuti, the three-fourths of the Lord's splendor displayed as the spiritual world, and the one-fourth by which He pervades the material world. About the material manifestation, Lord Krsna says in Bg. 10.41: yad yad vibhutimat sattvam srimad urjitam eva va tat tad evavagaccha tvam mama tejo-'msa-sambhavam. Know that all these opulent, beautiful and glorious creations are born from a part of My total splendor. Because they oppose theism, the theories of deism, monism, pantheism and dualism are actually atheism. Deism separates God completely from His material creation. Monism renders God partless. Pantheism confines Him to the material universe. And dualism divides creation against Him, placing part of it in the hands of a rival. Even major religious traditions like Christianity are influenced by deism and dualism. The English natural theologian Robert Boyle (1627-1691) expressed open contempt for theism as a doctrine of infidels. When he drew up his last will and testament, he bequeathed fifty pounds per annum for ever, or at least for a considerable number of years in order to institute a series of lectures for proving the Christian Religion, against notorious Infidels, viz. Atheists, Theists, Pagans, Jews, and Mahometans. Monotheism and panentheism are synonyms for theism. Monotheism means belief in one God. In the Vedic religion, there is only one God, though He empowers servants who act as demigods on His command. These demigods are worshiped as God only by foolish people. Panentheism teaches that all things are imbued with God's presence, because all things are in God. God is more than all there is. He is all-conscious and the supreme unifying factor. See Atheism. Atheism—From the Greek theos (a, not and thes, God). In its most blatant form, atheism argues that God does not exist. The proof of that claim is that He is not available to our sensory inspection. Also, religious doctrines that oppose theism are not theistic, hence atheistic. As explained in the entry for theism, the Vedic account of Lord Krsna's immanence and transcendence is the clearest demonstration of the standard definition of theism. To oppose Vaisnava philosophy is therefore to court atheism. Much of what passes for religion is actually atheism in pious disguise. Atheism disguised as religion is called Deism, Semi-deism, Dualism, Henotheism, Kathenotheism, Panpsychism, Pantheism, and Polytheism. These entries, together with the entry for Theism, may be consulted for a clearer understanding. LOGIC Tattva Viveka Prathamanubhava - First Realization Text 18 - 22 Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Text 18 karma-jnana-vimisra ya yuktis tarkamayi nare citra-mata-prasuti sa samsara-phala-dayini Mixed with karma (fruitive work) and jnana (philosophical speculation), material logic places a great variety of ideas in human society. Thus logic brings many material results in this world of birth and death. Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Logic (yukti) is of two kinds: pure (suddha) and mixed (misra). Pure logic is present in the spirit soul in his original, pure nature. When the spirit soul is imprisoned in matter and his activities are mixed with material conceptions, then he possesses what I call mixed logic (misra-yukti). This mixed logic is of two kinds: mixed with fruitive action (karma-misra) and mixed with philosophical speculation (jnana-misra). This mixed logic is also known by the word tarka (material speculation). This mixed logic is very bad, for seen within it are the four defects: bhrama (mistakes), pramada (illusions), vipralipsa (cheating), and karanapatava (sensory inefficiency). The conclusions attained by this mixed logic are always faulty. Pure logic always arrives at the same conclusions. Mixed logic arrives at a great host of mutually contradictory conclusions. By acting according to the conclusions of mixed logic, the souls in the material world attain the result of being more and more stringently confined in the prison of the material world. Text 19 yuktes tu jada-jataya jadatite na yojana ato jadasrita yuktir vadaty evam pralapanam yuktes-from logic; tu-but; jada-from matter; jatayah-born; jada-matter; atite-beyond; na-not; yojana-able; ato-then; jada-of matter; asrita-taken shelter; yuktir-logic; vadaty-says; evam-thus; pralapanam-nonsense talk. By employing the logic that is born from matter one cannot go above matter. Material logic speaks only nonsense. Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Mixed logic is born from matter. Looking through the door of the senses, the soul imprisoned in matter catches a glimpse of material images, a glimpse carried by the nerves to the brain. There the images are preserved by the power of memory. It is then that material logic does its work. In this way many ideas and imaginations are created. Sorting through these material images, material logic arranges them in pretty patterns. This is called science and philosophy. Looking this way and that at the sensory images, logic comes to certain conclusion. This is called reason. Compte says, Carefully preserve and organize what you have seen. Examine that information to find the truth. By examining the images seen by the material senses, logic may understand something of the material world. Why should that logic not be called material logic? However, how can that material logic hope to understand the nature and activities that are beyond the material world? If something indeed exists beyond the material world, then a specific process to understand it must certainly also exist. If, unaware of that spiritual process of obtaining knowledge, and not wishing to understand whether such a process exists, an uneducated barbarian takes shelter of material logic alone, then that person will talk only nonsense. How can there be any doubt of that? Only when it is directed towards understanding the workings of the material world does that material logic bring any good results. For engineering, medicine, warfare, music, and other like material activities mixed logic is very suitable. First is material logic mixed with philosophical speculation (jnana-misra yukti). In this, the theoretical stage, the scientist understands general principles. After that comes the second stage, where the theoretical knowledge is applied to solving practical problems. This is called karma-misra yukti. For example, in building a railroad, first comes the theoretical stage (jnana-misra yukti), and then the stage of application (karma-misra yukti), where the railroad is actually built. Engineering and other like activities are the proper sphere of mixed logic. The world beyond matter is not the proper sphere of mixed logic. Mixed logic cannot understand that world. Only spiritual logic can understand the world beyond matter. Materialism, the worship of material nature, the philosophy of the cessation of existence (nirvana), and Scepticism take shelter of material logic to understand the original cause of the material world, a cause that is beyond matter. Using material logic for this purpose will never bring a happy result. That is why these philosophies have become the object of laughter. Whatever books these philosophers have written are only nonsense chattering. Text 20 pralapantiha sa yuktir udanti svatma-siddhaye carame paramesanam svi-karoti bhayatura pralapanti-talking nonsense; iha-here; sa-that; yuktir-logic; udanti-saying; sva-own; atma-self; siddhaye-for perfection; carame-at the end; paramesanam-God; svi-karoti-accepts; bhaya-with fear; atura-filled. Material logic talks nonsense. Sometimes, at the end, to bring perfection to the soul, frightened material logic accepts the existence of God. Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Pure spiritual logic is the natural endowment of the soul. Still, when he is imprisoned in the world of matter, the soul, always meditating on matter, thinks mixed logic is better. In this way most of the people in this world are followers of mixed logic. It is rare in this world to find a follower of pure logic, the logic that is beyond matter. Only those fortunate souls who know the secrets of service to God appreciate pure spiritual logic, for they know the glories of rapt meditation (samadhi) on God. For a long time the people of this external material world have, hoping in this way to fulfill their selfish desires, honored mixed logic. They gave great honor to the ideas material logic gave, but in the end the people could find no happiness. This material, or mixed logic will not leave the soul. Sometimes material logic tries to help the soul. Arguing for a great variety of philosophies, as speaking in many different ways, mixed logic did not become happy. Then material logic began to hate itself. Talking and talking, material logic wept and lamented. It said, Alas! For how long have I labored in this external material world? I have fallen very far away from the soul, my eternal companion. I have rejected my own true nature. Lamenting and lamenting in this way, and now filled with fears, at the end material logic accepts God as the original cause of all causes. In country after country is found this kind of preaching about God, preaching born from the human mind and from material logic. Udayana Acarya described this idea in his book Kusumanjali. In Europe and the West this kind of dry belief in God, called Deism or Natural Theology, has come from many minds. There it has a certain popularity. When it is thus established by mixed logic, knowledge of God is very incomplete and imperfect. That is because material logic is very weak and unqualified to bring the soul closer to God. Because it is thus against its own nature, material logic cannot elevate the soul. Material logic cannot bring spiritual knowledge or guide the soul. This will be shown later in this book. Text 21 kadacid isa-tattve sa jada-bhranta-pralapini dvaitam traitam bahutvam va- ropayaty eva yatnatah kadacid-sometimes; isa-tattve-in knowledge of God; sa-that; jada-matter; bhranta-bewildered; pralapini-talking nonsense; dvaitam-two; traitam-three; bahutvam-many; va-or; aropayaty-imagines; eva-indeed; yatnatam-with effort. Bewildered by matter, and talking wildly, material logic sometimes declares that there are two, three, or many Gods. Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Mixed logic may sometimes accept the existence of God. Still, bewildered by matter and always talking nonsense, mixed logic has no power to accept that there is only one God. Sometimes mixed logic thinks there are two Gods. Then it thinks there is a God of spirit and a separate God of matter. The God of spirit brings auspiciousness, and the God of matter brings troubles. A philosopher named Zarathustra taught this idea: That there is a God of spirit and a God of matter. In his book Zendavesta he taught that these two Gods are eternal. The devotees of God have only contempt for these old speculations. In the same way they also have contempt for the atheistic jnana-kanda (philosophy of speculative knowledge) and karma-kanda (philosophy of fruitive work). Zarathustra is a very ancient philosopher. When his philosophy found no honor in India, Zarathustra preached it in Iran. It was by the influence of Zarathustra's ideas that Satan, an equally-powerful rival to God, made his imaginary appearance first in the religion of the Jews and then in the religion based on the Koran. Then, influenced by Zarathustra's idea of two Gods, the idea of three gods, or a Trinity made its appearance in the religion that had come from the Jewish religion. At first they were considered three Gods, but then, when the philosophers were displeased with that idea, the Trinity became God, the Holy Ghost, and Christ. At the same time, in India, Brahma, Visnu, and Siva came to be considered three different competing Gods: a very foolish idea. Some philosophers then preached that these three are actually only one God, and indeed many passages of the Vedic scriptures forbid us to think of them as three separate, independent rival Gods. In many other countries is seen faith in many different Gods simultaneously. Indeed, among the countries with the lowest level of civilization it is difficult to find pure belief in one God. Sometimes Indra, Candra, Vayu, and others are considered independent rival Gods. Different philosophers refuted that mistaken idea and proved that Brahman alone is God. These ideas of many Gods are only the foolish babbling of ordinary logic bewildered by matter. There is only one God. If there were more than one God this material world would not be organized so well. If there were many competing independent Gods, they would decree different, conflicting material laws, each according to his own desire. Of this there is no doubt. Looking at the material world, an intelligent and thoughtful person cannot fail to accept the idea that it was created according to the will of a single Supreme Person. Text 22 jnanam sahajikam hitva yuktir na vidyate kvacit katham sa parame tattve tam hitva sthatum arhati jnanam-knowledge; sahajikam-natural; hitva-abandoning; yuktir-logic; na-not; vidyate-is; kvacit-anywhere; katham-how; sa-that; parame-in the Supreme; tattve-Truth; tam-that; hitva-abandoning; sthatum-establish; arhati-should. There is no true logic separate from the natural knowledge of the soul. How, turning away from that natural knowledge, can one understand the Supreme Truth? Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Logic that comes from the soul's own natural knowledge is pure and faultless. The philosophy that comes from such logic is the actual truth. Separated from that natural knowledge, true logic has no power to stand. However, logic that comes from material knowledge, the logic that is seen everywhere in this world, is always mixed and impure. Philosophies that come from such mixed logic are always faulty and lacking. Such philosophies are never good at describing God. Mixed logic is not the proper tool to describe the Supreme Truth. Pure logic which takes shelter of the soul's natural knowledge is the proper tool to describe the Supreme Truth. Here someone may ask, What is this natural knowledge of which you speak? The answer is: The soul is spiritual, and therefore naturally full of spiritual knowledge. That original knowledge possessed by the soul is called here natural knowledge. That natural knowledge is eternally present in the soul. It is not created by perceiving the contents of the material world. The activities of that natural knowledge are called pure logic. That natural knowledge was known by the soul before the soul ever had any knowledge of the material world. That knowledge is: (1) I am. (2) I continue to be. (3) I am happy. (4) My happiness comes from a certain place, a shelter, a reservoir of happiness. (5) It is natural for me to take shelter of that reservoir of happiness. (6) I am eternally a follower of that reservoir of happiness. (7) That reservoir of happiness is very beautiful. (8) I have no power to abandon that reservoir of happiness. (9) My present condition is lamentable. (10) Abandoning that lamentable condition I should take shelter of that reservoir of happiness. (11) This material world is not my eternal home. (12) By becoming elevated in this material world I do not become elevated eternally. If logic does not take shelter of this natural knowledge, logic remains mixed with matter. Then logic is only a babbler of nonsense. Even in ordinary material science, first some axioms must be accepted. In mathematics, astronomy, or other sciences, one cannot make progress if one does not first accept the axioms. In the science of understanding the Supreme Truth one must also first accept some axioms, the axioms given by natural knowledge. Those axioms are the root from which the tree of spiritual knowledge grows. SRI BRAHMA SAMHITA 5.33 Translation and purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada TEXT advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami SYNONYMS advaitam-without a second; acyutam-without decay; anadim-without a beginning; ananta-rupam-whose form is endless, or who possesses unlimited forms; adyam-the beginning; purana-purusam-the most ancient person; nava-yauvanam-a blooming youth; ca-also; vedesu-through the Vedas; durlabham-inaccessible; adurlabham-not difficult to obtain; atma-bhaktau-through pure devotion of the soul; govindam-Govinda; adi-purusam-the original person; tam-Him; aham-I; bhajami-worship. TRANSLATION I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal purusa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth. PURPORT Advaita means "indivisible truth who is knowledge absolute." Brahman, the infinite, emanates from Him as His effulgence and God-immanent (Paramatma) as His constituent; but nevertheless He remains one and indivisible. Acyuta means that though myriads of avataras emanate from Him as subjective portions and millions of jivas as separated spiritual particles, still He remains intact as the undivided whole of fullest perfection. Though He indulges in exhibiting the pastimes of births, etc., still He is without a beginning. Though He disappears after the pastimes of His appearance, still He is eternal. Though without origin, yet He is with an origin in His pastime of appearance; and although eternal in essence, He is still a person in the full bloom of youth. The sum and substance of it is that though He possesses diverse and apparently mutually contradictory qualities, still they are in universal harmonious concordance by dint of His unthinkable potency. This is what is meant by cid-dharma (transcendental nature) as distinguished from the material. His graceful threefold-bending form with flute in hand, possesses eternal blooming youth and is above all unwholesomeness that is to be found in limited time and space. In the transcendental realm there is no past and future but only the unalloyed and immutable present time. In the transcendental sphere there is no distinction between the object and its qualities and no such identity as is found in the limited mundane region. Hence those qualities that seem to be apparently contradictory in the light of mundane conception limited by time and space, exist in agreeable and dainty concordance in the spiritual realm. How can the jiva realize such unprecedented existence? The limited intellectual function of the jiva is always contaminated by the influence of time and space and is, therefore, not in a position to shake off this limitedness. If the potency of cognitive function does not extend to the realization of the transcendental, what else can? In reply. Brahma says that the transcendental Absolute is beyond the reach of the Vedas. The Vedas originate in sound and sound originates in the mundane ether. So the Vedas cannot present before us a direct view of the transcendental world (Goloka). It is only when the Vedas are imbued with the cit potency that they are enabled to deal with the transcendental. But Goloka reveals itself to every jiva-soul when he is under the influence of the spiritual cognitive potency joined to the essence of ecstatic energy. The ecstatic function of devotion is boundless and is surcharged with unalloyed transcendental knowledge. That knowledge reveals goloka-tattva (the principle of the highest transcendental) in unison with devotion, without asserting itself separately but as a subsidiary to unalloyed devotion. Srila Prabhupada on Communism Reverend Powell: Yes. I gather when you had this interview with the professor in Moscow that there was a little bit of adjustment needed. What is your view of communism, Your Grace? Prabhupada: Communism, the idea is nice. But they are imperfect. Imperfect. Their philosophy is that everything belongs to the state. Reverend Powell: Yes. Prabhupada: But that is imperfect idea. Our philosophy is everything belongs to God. So unless they come to this conclusion, they’ll remain imperfect. The equal distribution of wealth, everything belongs to God—that is very good idea. But if it is limited within certain area... Just like the communistic state. Besides that, this is imperfect in the sense, they have no idea who are nationals. Not only they, even the capitalists. National means those who are born in that particular land. So there are animals also. They are also national. But because they are imperfect, either the communists or capitalists, they do not accept the animals as nationals. They are sent to the slaughterhouse. These things are happening because they are imperfect. They have no God conscious views. They have crippled views. They are imperfect. Srila Prabhupada on Socrates Disciple: It is interesting that nowadays we find the kind of relativism taught by Sophists like Protagoras to be again very widespread. "If you believe it, then it is true for you." Socrates took up the task of vigorously combating this position, trying to demonstrate by strong arguments that there must be an absolute truth that is distinguishable from the relative and that must be categorically acknowledged by everyone. Srila Prabhupada: That is what we are also doing. The Absolute Truth is true for everyone, and the relative truth is relative to a particular position. The relative truth depends on the Absolute Truth, which is the summum bonum. God is the Absolute Truth, and the material world is relative truth. Because the material world is God's energy, it appears to be real or true, just as the reflection of the sun in water emits some light. That reflection is not absolute, and as soon as the sun sets, that light will disappear. Since relative truth is a reflection of the Absolute Truth, the Srimad-Bhagavatam states, satyam param dhimahi: "I worship the Absolute Truth." The Absolute Truth is Krishna, Vasudeva. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. This cosmic manifestation is relative truth; it is a manifestation of Krishna's external energy. If Krishna withdrew His energy, the cosmos would not exist. In another sense, Krishna and Krishna's energy are not different. We cannot separate heat from fire; heat is also fire, yet heat is not fire. This is the position of relative truth. As soon as we experience heat, we understand that there is fire. Yet we cannot say that heat is fire. Relative truth is like heat because it stands on the strength of the Absolute Truth, just as heat stands on the strength of fire. Because the Absolute is true, relative truth also appears to be true, although it has no independent existence. A mirage appears to be water because in actuality there is such a thing as water. Similarly, this material world appears attractive because there is actually an all-attractive spiritual world. Disciple: Socrates held that the highest duty of man was to "care for his soul," that is, to cultivate that healthy state of the soul which is true knowledge, the attainment of the good. When a man becomes fixed in such knowledge he will as a matter of course act correctly in all affairs, he will be beyond the dictates of the passions, and he will remain peaceful and undisturbed in every circumstance. Socrates himself seems to have attained such a state, as his own behavior at the time of his death illustrates: he calmly drank the poison hemlock rather than give up his principles. He seems to have realized knowledge of at least some aspect of the Absolute Truth, although we must add that he never spoke of it as a person or gave it a personal name. Srila Prabhupada: That is the preliminary stage of understanding the Absolute, known as Brahman realization, realization of the impersonal feature. When one is further advanced he attains Paramatma realization, realization of the localized feature, whereby he realizes that God is everywhere. It is a fact that God is everywhere, but at the same time God has His own abode. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah [Bs. 5.37]. God is a person, and He has His own abode and associates. Although He is in His abode, He is present everywhere, within every atom (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). Like other impersonalists, Socrates cannot understand how God, through His potency, can remain in His own abode and simultaneously be present in every atom. The material world is His expansion, His energy (bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca). Because His energy is expanded everywhere, He can be present everywhere. Although the energy and the energetic are nondifferent, we cannot say that they are not distinct. They are simultaneously one and different. This is the perfect philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference. Disciple: Socrates held that "all the virtues are one thing-knowledge." He saw goodness and knowledge as inseparable. This union of the two seems to reflect features of sattva-guna as described in the Bhagavad-gita. Srila Prabhupada: Sattva-guna, the mode of goodness, is a position from which we can receive knowledge. Knowledge cannot be received from the platform of passion and ignorance. If we hear about Krishna, or God, we are gradually freed from the clutches of darkness and passion. Then we can come to the platform of sattva-guna, and when we are perfectly situated there, we are beyond the lower modes. In the words of Srimad-Bhagavatam [1.2.18-19]: nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya bhagavaty uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki tada rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye ceta etair anaviddham sthitam sattve prasidati "For one who regularly attends classes on the Srimad-Bhagavatam and renders service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire, and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy." This process may be gradual, but it is certain. The more we hear about Krishna, the more we become purified. Purification means freedom from the attacks of greed and passion. Then we can become happy. From the brahma-bhuta platform we can realize ourselves and then realize God. So before realizing the Supreme Good, we must first come to the platform of sattva-guna, goodness. Therefore we have regulations prohibiting illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling. Ultimately we must transcend even the mode of goodness through bhakti. Then we become liberated, gradually develop love of God, and regain our original state. Muktir hitvanyatha rupam svarupena vyavasthitih (SB 2.10.6). This means giving up all material engagements and rendering full service to Krishna. Then we attain the state where maya cannot touch us. If we keep in touch with Krishna, maya has no jurisdiction. Mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. This is perfection. Disciple: Socrates took the oracular gnothi seauton, "know thyself," to enjoin "care of the soul." Care of the soul, as we have seen, involved an intense intellectual endeavor, a kind of introspective contemplation or meditation. It gradually purified the self, detaching it more and more from the body and its passions. Thus through the contemplative endeavor entailed by "know thyself," a person attained knowledge and self-control, and with that he also became happy. Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is a fact. Meditation means analyzing the self and searching for the Absolute Truth. That is described in the Vedic literatures: dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. Through meditation, the yogi sees the Supreme Truth (Krishna, or God) within himself. Krishna is there. The yogi consults with Krishna, and Krishna advises him. That is the relationship Krishna has with the yogi. Dadami buddhi-yogam tam. When one is purified, he is always seeing Krishna within himself. This is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita [5.38]: premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti yam syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami "I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Syamasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee." Thus an advanced saintly person is always seeing Krishna. In this verse, the word syamasundara means "blackish but at the same time extraordinarily beautiful." Being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna is of course very beautiful. The word acintya means that He has inconceivable, unlimited qualities. Although He is situated everywhere, as Govinda He is always dancing in Vrndavana with the gopis. There He plays with His friends and sometimes, acting as a naughty boy, teases His mother. These pastimes of the Supreme Person are described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Disciple: As far as we know, Socrates himself had no teacher in philosophy. Indeed, he refers to himself as "self-made." Do you believe that one can be self-taught? Can self-knowledge be attained through one's own meditation or introspection? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Ordinarily everyone thinks according to the bodily conception. If I begin to study the different parts of my body and seriously begin to consider what I am, I will gradually arrive at the study of the soul. If I ask myself, "Am I this hand?" the answer will be "No, I am not this hand. Rather, this is my hand." I can thus continue analyzing each part of the body and discover that all the parts are mine but that I am different. Through this method of self-study, any intelligent man can see that he is not the body. This is the first lesson of the Bhagavad-gita [2.l3]: dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." At one time I had the body of a child, but now that body is no longer existing. Nonetheless, I am aware that I possessed such a body; therefore from this I can deduce that I am something other than the body. I may rent an apartment, but I do not identify with it. The body may be mine, but I am not the body. By this kind of introspection, a man can teach himself the distinction between the body and the soul. As far as being completely self-taught, according to the Bhagavad-gita and the Vedic conception, life is continuous. Since we are always acquiring experience, we cannot actually say that Socrates was self-taught. Rather, in his previous lives he had cultivated knowledge, and this knowledge was simply continuing. That is a fact. Otherwise, why is one man intelligent and another man ignorant? This is due to continuity. Disciple: Socrates believed that through intellectual endeavor-meditation-a person can attain knowledge or wisdom, which is nothing else but the possession of all the virtues in their unity. Such a person always acts in the right way and thus is happy. Therefore the enlightened man is meditative, knowledgeable, and virtuous. He is also happy because he acts properly. Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita [18.54]. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati: when one is self-realized, he immediately becomes happy, joyful (prasannatma). This is because he is properly situated. One may labor a long time under some mistaken idea, but when he finally comes to the proper conclusion, he becomes very happy. He thinks, "Oh, what a fool I was, going on so long in such a mistaken way." Thus a self-realized person is happy. Happiness means that one no longer has to think of attaining things. For instance, Dhruva Maharaja told the Lord, svamin krtartho 'smi varam na yace [Cc. Madhya 22.42]: "Having seen You, my Lord, I don't want any material benediction." Prahlada Maharaja also said, "My Lord, I don't want material benefits. I have seen my father-who was such a big materialist that even the demigods were afraid of him-destroyed by You within a second. Therefore I am not after these things." So real knowledge means that one no longer hankers for anything. The karmis [fruitive workers], jnanis [speculators], and yogis are all hankering after something. The karmis want material wealth, beautiful women, and good positions. If one is not hankering for what one does not have, he is lamenting for what he has lost. The jnanis are also hankering, expecting to become one with God and merge into His existence. And the yogis are hankering after some magical powers to befool others into thinking that they have become God. In India some yogis convince people that they can manufacture gold and fly in the sky, and foolish people believe them. Even if a yogi can fly, what is his great achievement? There are many birds flying. What is the difference? An intelligent person can understand this. If a person says that he will walk on water, thousands of fools will come to see him. People will even pay ten rupees just to see a man bark like a dog, not thinking that there are many dogs barking anyway. In any case, people are always hankering and lamenting, but the devotee is fully satisfied in the service of the Lord. He doesn't hanker for anything, nor does he lament. Disciple: Through jnana, philosophical inquiry, could Socrates have realized Brahman? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Disciple: But what about the realization of Bhagavan, Krishna? I thought that Krishna can be realized only through bhakti, devotion. Srila Prabhupada: Yes, one cannot enter into Krishna's abode without being a purified bhakta [devotee]. Krishna states that in the Bhagavad-gita [18.55]. Bhaktya mam abhijanati: "One can understand Me as I am only by devotional service." Krishna never says that He can be understood by jnana, karma, or yoga. The personal abode of Krishna is especially reserved for the bhaktas, and the jnanis, yogis, and karmis cannot go there. Disciple: What do you mean when you say that Krishna consciousness is the ultimate goal of life? Does this mean always being conscious of Krishna? Srila Prabhupada: Yes, we should always be thinking of Krishna. We should act in such a way that we have to think of Krishna all the time. For instance, we are discussing Socratic philosophy in order to strengthen our Krishna consciousness. Therefore the ultimate goal is Krishna; otherwise we are not interested in criticizing or accepting anyone's philosophy. We are neutral. Disciple: So the proper use of intelligence is to guide everything in such a way that we become Krishna conscious? Srila Prabhupada: That's it. Without Krishna consciousness, we remain on the mental platform. Being on the mental platform means hovering. On that platform, we are not fixed. It is the business of the mind to accept this and reject that, but when we are fixed in Krishna consciousness we are no longer subjected to the mind's acceptance or rejection. Disciple: Right conduct then becomes automatic? Srila Prabhupada: Yes, as soon as the mind wanders, we should immediately drag it back to concentrate on Krishna. While chanting, our mind sometimes wanders far away, but when we become conscious of this, we should immediately bring the mind back to hear the sound vibration of "Hare Krishna." That is called yoga-abhyasa, the practice of yoga. We should not allow our mind to wander elsewhere. We should simply chant and hear the Hare Krishna mantra, for that is the best yoga system. Disciple: Socrates could have avoided the death penalty if he had compromised his convictions. He refused to do this and so became a martyr for his beliefs. Srila Prabhupada: It is good that he stuck to his point yet regrettable that he lived in a society in which he could not think independently. Therefore he was obliged to die. In that sense, Socrates was a great soul because although he appeared in a society that was not very advanced, he was still such a great philosopher. "Bogus 'Loves'" Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.1-3 Los Angeles, May 22, 1972 Prabhupada: Where is Pradyumna? Book? Begin. Karandhara: Ramesvara? Pradyumna: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. (leads chanting) sri-suka uvaca evam etan nigaditam prstavan yad bhavan mama nrnam yan mriyamananam manusyesu manisinam brahma-varcasa-kamas tu yajeta brahmanah patim indram indriya-kamas tu praja-kamah prajapatin devim mayam tu sri-kamas tejas-kamo vibhavasum vasu-kamo vasun rudran virya-kamo 'tha viryavan Prabhupada: So, anyone else? That's all right. So in this way, if you chant ten times, you'll get it by heart. It is not difficult. So we are giving this diacritic mark, English transliteration, only for this purpose -- so that you can chant, you can vibrate these mantras. So practice. Here you hear, and in your leisure time, you practice. If you chant these mantras anywhere, you'll be honored. Sanskrit language is so nice. And direction, everything is there: purport, word meaning, and translation. So we are taking so much trouble in writing books not for simply making market. It is for you to read. Not that simply we go and sell books, and that ... If the customer says, "You read it first of all," then what you will say? You'll say, "No, I cannot read. I can sell only." (laughter) (Prabhupada laughs.) Then what will be your position, if you say like that? "I can sell; I cannot read." Anyway, then? Word meanings? (Pradyumna reads synonyms.) So these are kama, these material desires. Somebody is wanting wealth, somebody is wanting beauty, somebody is wanting strength, somebody something else. All these are...the beginning from brahma-varcasa-kamas tu. And ultimately, they want to merge into the brahmajyoti. So up to that point, everything that we want -- that is material -- and that is lust. Therefore it is said kama. The...just the opposite word of kama is prema, love. So in the material world there cannot be prema. Prema means love. The prema is only possible in the spiritual world. Here, what is going on as love, that is not love, that is lust. A boy loves a girl, a girl loves a boy. That is not love, that is lust. As soon as there is some disturbance in lusty affair, they divorce. So therefore that is not love. So we should note it, that so-called love is bogus in this material world. Love cannot be possible. This very word love, prema, is specially reserved for Krsna. Prema pum-artho mahan. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's preaching, that the highest perfection of life is to evoke one's dormant love for Krsna. The love is there. It is reserved for Krsna, but due to our foolishness, we are distributing that love in so many ways, up to the dog. This is called illusion. We do not know where to apply love. If you see, all these words is touched with the word kama, kama. Kama means lust. There is no question of love. And love ... Prema and kama is described in Caitanya-caritamrta. What is prema and what is... prema and kama. Atmendriya-priti-vancha tara bali kama. Kama. What is lust? Atmendriya-priti, to satisfy one's own senses. That is kama. Here, a boy and girl love. They say "love," but no, it is not love. The boy wants to satisfy his senses, and the girl wants to satisfy her senses. That's all. Therefore, atmendriya-priti-vancha. Everyone is trying to satisfy her own senses. That is kama. Lust. And then, what is prema? Krsnendriya-priti-iccha dhare prema nama. When the same propensity is transferred for satisfying Krsna's senses... just like gopis. The superexcellence of gopis is due that they wanted to satisfy Krsna. They dressed very nicely because they thought that "Krsna become very pleased seeing us nicely dressed." Not that ... In this material world, a woman or a girl dress very nicely just to attract the opposite sex for his sense gratification. That's all. So everyone, all this description is given there: brahma-varcasa-kama, virya-kama, then vasu-kama. Devim mayam tu sri-kamah. Sri. (aside) You can stand near the wall. Others may not... Sri means beauty. In the Durga-puja, Devi-puja, they ask... After offering Mother Durga all sorts of paraphernalia, then they puspanjali, they pray favor, dhanam dehi rupam dehi balam dehi. Dehi dehi. Dehi means "give me." After puja... Therefore it is called puja. Puja, just like in business circle, if you want to take some business from a big merchant, so you satisfy him, flatter him, and sometimes invite him in hotel and give him nice dinner. In this way, after he is satisfied, "Sir, if you kindly give me this contract." (laughter) "Or if you give me this post." The ultimate aim is his post and contract, not to satisfy the person. No. He's spending some money for his own sense gratification. Similarly, all these pujas... The demigod puja, that is for his sense gratification. That's all. Krsna, therefore, condemns this: kamais tais tair hrta-jnana yajante anya-devatah. This very kama. These words, kama, kamas, kama, kama. So Krsna also says... So you won't find any difference between Bhagavad-gita , or Srimad-Bhagavatam, or any Vedic literature. It is to be understood through proper channels. So all these kamas have been condemned by Krsna. Kamais tais tair hrta-jnana yajante anya-devatah. The persons who go to worship other demigods like Devi, Maya, Durga, Siva, or Indra, Candra, so many ... There are 33, I mean to say, crores. One crore equal to? Devotee: Ten million. Prabhupada: Ten million, and thirty-three. Just see. There are so many demigods, and so many desires also. So they are not prohibited. Everything is there in the Bhagavata, that "If you want this particular..." Kanksantah karmanam siddhim yajanta iha devatah. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: "Those who want quick success in fulfilling some material desires, they worship the demigods." The Mayavadi, Shankarites, they have made a hodgepodge. They have made so much blunder in understanding the Vedic conclusion. Misleading, simply. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has especially warned that "Anyone who hears about the Mayavada commentation, he's doomed. He's gone forever, lost." He will have no understanding, either this way or that. The Vedas, they give us information of the demigods, but they are not imagination. And neither Krsna is imagination. The Bhagavata is giving this direction; Bhagavata means Vyasadeva is giving direction that "If you want this profit, then worship this demigod." So he's playing childish, foolish things? He's giving some wrong information? Imagination? What business he has got to do that? But these Mayavadi rascals will say that "the demigods are also maya, Krsna is also maya, everything is maya." Therefore we call them Mayavadi, everything maya. Krsna-bhakti is maya. They say it is good for raising oneself to the platform of impersonalism. Their process is that you, if you want to go higher platform, you take one staircase and get on it, and then throw it away. Because you don't require to come down again. That is their philosophy. So you take any means, the Ramakrishna Mission also says like that. Yata mata tata patha. "You can worship brahma-varcasa, you can worship Devi-maya; you can worship Vasun; you can worship Rudra; you can worship anyone; ultimately, you become one with the Supreme." Most misguiding. Here it is... But if you want this particular thing, then you worship this. In the Bhagavad-gita also, it is confirmed, yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah [Bg. 9.25]. Demigod worshipers will go to the demigods. There are different planets, 33 crores of demigods, and there are thirty-three crores of planets also. The moon planet, according to Vedic literature, that is also one of the planets belonging to the demigod Candra. It is one of the higher planets. So this is the list. If you want something particular... if you want to merge into the effulgence, brahmajyoti, then you worship... Yajeta brahmanah patim. Brahmanah. Brahmanah means also Vedas, sabda-brahma. Tene brahma hrda, in the Bhagavata, beginning. Brahma means this sound, transcendental sound of knowledge. That is Veda. So there is Upanisad. So Upanisad, they generally, those who are scholars in Upanisad, they want to become one with the... So that is not a very difficult thing. Anyone can do that. There is a process, but we Vaisnavas, we do not accept that suicidal policy. We want to keep our individuality, not merge. We don't want to finish our identity. Our real identity is eternal servant of Krsna. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. So we want to keep that identity, and we want to serve Him eternally. Eternally means, now we are in this material world, we are being trained up how to serve Krsna. This Deity worship -- this is training. The same thing will continue when you go to Vaikuntha or Vrndavana. The same way we shall personally serve. Here, Krsna... This is also personally. But due to my imperfectness, I cannot see Krsna in His actual spiritual form, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Therefore Krsna has assumed a form which you can approach. It is for your facility. And Krsna, in any form He appears, He is transcendental. Either this form or that form. Nama cintamanih krsnas caitanya-rasa-vigrahah. Everything. That is Krsna's specialty. He can appear... Just like if you have got a photograph of some of your friend, so you cannot derive the benefit of directly meeting him. But in Krsna's form, if you have a Krsna's photograph, it is as good as Krsna. That is the difference. You can get the same benefit from the photograph picture of Krsna as you get benefit by directly meeting Him. Therefore, meeting this photograph Deity of Krsna is as good as Krsna. Advaya-jnana, nonduality. Here in this material world there is duality, but in the spiritual world, there is no such duality. Brahma-varcasa-kamas tu yajeta brahmanah patim, indram, indram indriya-kamah. Indriya means senses. Those who are too much lusty satisfy simply... The most important indriya is the genital, sex. So for them, it is recommended that "You worship Indra." Indra, the demigod, he is number one sexually inclined demigod. He has got eyes, eyes over all his body. Sata-caksumsi. These eyes were originally vagina. He was cursed by Gautama Muni that "You are so fond of vagina that I curse you that you get all over your body vagina only." Then, when he surrendered, he began to cry that "It will be very much, I mean to say, abominable for me." Then he asked, offered, that "These vagina may be turned into eyes." Therefore his body is full of eyes. Sata-caksumsi. So those who are too much lusty, lover of the vagina, they may worship Indra. This is the recommendation. Everything is there. If you want vagina instead of Krsna, all right, do it. You have it. So unfortunately, if our student falls a victim of vagina instead of Krsna, that is very regrettable. Then better he worship, instead of Krsna, let him worship Indra. That is the Bhagavata direction. Indram indriya-kamas tu praja-kamah prajapatin. Praja, many children, dynasty. Just like aristocratic family. One is working very hard to establish a family. In England, it is very prominent, "Lord family, Duke family." And where the rascal is going himself, he does not know. But he's establishing a family, Lord family. Praja-kamah. People want that son, grandson, great grandson, his son, his son, the family will be filled up with so many ... In India especially, the karmis, they want like that. Sry-aisvarya-prajepsavah. Sri, beauty, beautiful women. Sri, aisvarya, wealth, and praja. Praja means many children. They are spending their whole time earning money, amass money, huge bank balance. Then his sons are married, the same thing. He begotten so many children by sex. So he's giving indulgence to his sons, "All right, you also take this sex indulgence and produce many children." Prajepsavah. And then, grandchildren are also, "You also take another. You also produce children." So they are called prajepsavah. They want, they are happy to see that he has got many children. Just like Dhrtarastra. He has got... He had hundred sons, and the hundred sons had another hundred sons. So he was after "How this kingdom should be mine, sons' land?" That is the cause of Kuruksetra war. So prajepsavah, praja-kamah. So...so there are so many kamas, desires. Different people, different kama. Therefore they are all hrta-jnanah. Anyone who is impeded by this kamas, they are less interested [intelligent]. Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah [Bg. 7.20]. Hrta-jnana means one who has lost intelligence. They are captivated by this kind of lusty things. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Praja-kamah, those who want children, great-grandchildren... In Bengali there is a proverb, nati nati svarge vati(?). Nati means grandson, and grandson's grandson. Therefore, "I am living, my son is living, my grandson is living, his son is living, his son is living," in this way, up to seventh generation, if one sees, then immediately he goes to heaven. These are the conception of the materialistic person, that "If I can see a grandson of a grandson, then my life is successful." (laughter) And he's working hard for that purpose. They are called praja-kamah. Praja means many sons in the family. That is considered very aristocrat. Praja-kamah prajapatin. Devim mayam tu sri-kamah. Sri means beauty. If you want to become very beautiful, either man or woman, then you worship Durga. Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktih. Tejas-kamo vibhavasum. Vibhavasum. There are Vasus, eight kinds of Vasus. So you can worship one of the Vasus. If you want to be very influential person, like Mr. Nixon, then you worship Vibhavasum. Vasu-kamo vasun rudran. Vasu means "wealth." If you want wealth, riches. So list is there, but Krsna says, "This will not make you happy, My dear friend. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. You kick off all this nonsense! You just surrender unto Me." That is Krsna's instruction. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Because He's the Supreme, He's giving supreme advice. But there are other persons. To regulate them... Because... These they are called yajnas. Saha-yajnah prajah srstva. There is little touch of devotion, indirectly. Because if you want to worship Indra, you must worship at the same time Narayana. That is the system. Narayana-sila will be there. Because the benediction you want from the particular type of demigod, he cannot give independently. When he takes permission from Narayana, that "He is after this benediction from me, and he's worshiping me. So shall I give him this benediction?" So with His order ... Because, after all, isavasyam idam sarvam, everything means Krsna's property. How? Suppose somebody is cashier in our institution. He's getting a thousands of dollars in his custody. So he cannot distribute without being sanctioned. That is not good. So he must take the superior sanction, that "Shall I give him?" Similarly, all these demigods, they cannot give you anything directly. With the permission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ... Mayaiva vihitan hi tan. That benefit which they derive from the demigod, that is ordained by Krsna, Krsna says. When the demigod appeals to Krsna that "This person is hankering after this thing, and he's worshiping me," so just to keep the position of the demigod, Krsna says "All right, give him." Because the demigods are servant of Krsna. So one has approached the servant of Krsna. To keep the position of the servant, Krsna orders, "Yes, you give." Just like Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu took benediction from Brahma. So many things. "I shall not die at daytime, I shall not die at night, I shall not die on land, I shall not die on water." In this way, all definitions by negation. Brahma said, "Yes." Now, to keep the words of Brahma, Krsna is so kind... Brahma is servant. He appeared in such a way that all the prayers of Hiranyakasipu was not touched. Hiranyakasipu said that "I shall not die by any man or any animal or any demigod." So He appeared in Nrsimha-murti, who is neither animal nor man nor demigod. You cannot define. Then Hiranyakasipu prayed for that "I shall not die in daytime, at night." Yes. So Hiranyakasipu was killed in the sandhya, between the junction of day and night. Just in the evening. You cannot say it is day, neither it is night. In this way, Krsna kept all the words of Brahma, and still killed him. That is Krsna. That is Krsna. That you may be very intelligent to avoid Krsna or the laws of Krsna, but Krsna is more intelligent. He will also cheat you. Because you wanted to cheat Him, so He will also cheat you in such a way that (is) beyond your imagination. Yes. That is Krsna. You cannot excel Krsna. You have to be always under Him, even your cheating process. This is Krsna. So take shelter of Krsna and be happy. Thank you. (end) BHAGAVAD-GITA Chapter 9. The Most Confidential Knowledge TEXT 18 gatir bharta prabhuh saksi nivasah saranam suhrt prabhavah pralayah sthanam nidhanam bijam avyayam SYNONYMS gatih--goal; bharta--sustainer; prabhuh--Lord; saksi--witness; nivasah--abode; saranam--refuge; su-hrt--most intimate friend; prabhavah--creation; pralayah--dissolution; sthanam--ground; nidhanam--resting place; bijam--seed; avyayam--imperishable. TRANSLATION I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed. PURPORT Gati means the destination where we want to go. But the ultimate goal is Krsna, although people do not know it. One who does not know Krsna is misled, and his so-called progressive march is either partial or hallucinatory. There are many who make as their destination different demigods, and by rigid performance of the strict respective methods they reach different planets known as Candraloka, Suryaloka, Indraloka, Maharloka, etc. But all such lokas or planets, being creations of Krsna, are simultaneously Krsna and not Krsna. Actually such planets, being the manifestations of Krsna's energy, are also Krsna, but actually they only serve as a step forward for realization of Krsna. To approach the different energies of Krsna is to approach Krsna indirectly. One should directly approach Krsna, for that will save time and energy. For example, if there is a possibility of going to the top of a building by the help of an elevator, why should one go by the staircase, step by step? Everything is resting on Krsna's energy; therefore without Krsna's shelter nothing can exist. Krsna is the supreme ruler because everything belongs to Him and everything exists on His energy. Krsna, being situated in everyone's heart, is the supreme witness. The residences, countries or planets on which we live are also Krsna. Krsna is the ultimate goal of shelter, and as such one should take shelter of Krsna either for protection or for annihilation of his distressed condition. And whenever we have to take protection, we should know that our protection must be a living force. Thus Krsna is the supreme living entity. Since Krsna is the source of our generation, or the supreme father, no one can be a better friend than Krsna, nor can anyone be a better well-wisher. Krsna is the original source of creation and the ultimate rest after annihilation. Krsna is therefore the eternal cause of all causes. EVOLUTION? (His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ~ Philosophy Discussions with Syamasundara Dasa: Charles Darwin) Syamasundara: They would say that from the lowest apartments we are evolving to the better apartments. Prabhupada: Yes. So according to your position. Just like if you… There are different apartments: first-class apartments, second-class apartments, third-class apartment. But as you are fit to pay the rent or price, then you are allowed to enter in the apartment. The apartments are already there-first-class, second-class, third-class. They are not evolving. Syamasundara: They say all living things on this earth are evolving in that way, from lower to higher. In the history of the earth… Prabhupada: That also may be accepted, because just like at certain period, people are constructing a certain type of apartment, next stage they construct a different type of apartment. That can be accepted. But the apartment itself is not evolving; the evolution is taking, of the apartment, on the desire of something else. Syamasundara: On the desire of something else. Prabhupada: Yes. Syamasundara: So just like… Prabhupada: That they do not know. Syamasundara: Oh, I see. Just like… Prabhupada: They say simply the apartment is changing. Syamasundara: Just like if it suddenly got cold, the spirit soul would desire to be warm so he would evolve a body with hair. Prabhupada: Yes. That we say. That is our…, according to the mentality at the time of death you get another apartment. But the apartment is already there. Syamasundara: I see. So if conditions suddenly change… Prabhupada: Change of mind. Syamasundara: …a new apartment would arrive on the scene because the… Prabhupada: Not will arrive, it is already there. Karandhara: Simply awarded. Prabhupada: It is already there. Karandhara: The material nature has it in its closet… Prabhupada: Yes. "If you want this, come on, here." Karandhara: …that, that dress… Prabhupada: "If you want this, come on here." It is already there. Syamasundara: And then all the others will die out and that new one will begin, because the… Prabhupada: Everyone will die. Everyone will die means change his apartment. Now at the time of changing apartments… Suppose I am here, I have to change another, so I can select my apartment, what kind of apartment I shall have. But that apartment is already there. I'll have to simply make arrangement, that's all. It is not that I am creating that apartment. Syamasundara: The elements, material elements, ingredients are already there. Prabhupada: Already there. ABSOLUTE MORALITY? ( His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ~ Philosophy Discussions with Syamasundara Dasa: David Hume ) Syamasundara: He (Hume) says that there is no absolute morality, that everything is relative. Prabhupada: Yes. We say also. If it is sanctioned by Krishna, then it is morality; otherwise the same morality may be immorality. Just like Yudhisthira was asked by Krishna to speak lie-"Go to Dronacarya and inform him that 'Your son is dead,' " because Dronacarya had a benediction that unless he was shocked by the dead limbs of his son, he would not die. So he had to be shocked. But he would not believe anybody except King Yudhisthira because he was known as very honest and truthful. Therefore Krishna employed this service that "You go." Maharaja Yudhisthira, he said, "Oh, how can I tell a lie?" So this is immorality. Krishna is ordering, and he is saying that "How can I say lie?" This is immorality; he is disobeying the order of Krishna. But Arjuna, he rejected all morality and immorality. He accepted Krishna's order. That is morality. He was personally thinking that "If I kill my brothers, cousins, this, that," so many things, but because he was a pure devotee of Krishna, when he understood "Krishna wants it," he said, "Yes." This is morality. That is the fact. When your actions are approved by the supreme authority, that is morality. If it is not approved by the supreme authority, that is immorality. Therefore so-called morality-immorality has no fixed position. When it is approved by Krishna, it is morality. Even so-called immorality will be morality, and so-called morality will be immorality. That we practically see, the same example as I gave you, that a soldier killing so many human beings, he is awarded, and it is... [break] ...he does what he likes, then it becomes chaos. Syamasundara: That's what has happened. Prabhupada: There must be some authority. Syamasundara: He says the only authority is public opinion, and it changes. Prabhupada: That's all right. Still it is authority. Public opinion, he says, or without public opinion, the king or royalty. There must be some authority to guide them. Otherwise there will be chaos. Syamasundara: As far as his philosophy of religion, he rejected the idea of absolute matter and the concept of a soul as substance. He rejected the utility of scientific laws, and he rejected moral principles as objective realities. He says all religious ideas are relative. There is no certainty and anything religious may be merely probable but never certain. Prabhupada: Yes. That also he says. Therefore religion means love of God. The means may be different in different processes of religion, but ultimately if one develops love of Godhead, that is the prima facie factor, love of God. So if any religious principle love of God is absent, that is simply show, it is not factual religion. Syamasundara: He says that even the idea of God is merely probable but not certain. Prabhupada: That he cannot say. As soon as he speaks of authority, there must be a supreme authority. That is God. Syamasundara: For him, the authority is the senses. His authority is the senses. Prabhupada: Then why does he say public opinion? Your senses may not be approved by the public opinion. Then where do your senses stand? Syamasundara: That's as far as morality goes, public opinion. But for my understanding of God, I can only rely upon my own senses. Prabhupada: Morality, morality means what is sanctioned by... [break] Syamasundara: ...imperfection or finiteness. Prabhupada: God is absolute. For Him there is no evil. Absolute good. Otherwise He cannot be absolute. So what you think evil, to God it is good. Just like a father slaps a child and he cries. For the child it is evil, but for the father it is good. Father thinks, "I have done right. He is crying. He will not commit the mistake again." So this chastisement is just like sometimes Aravinda complains he thinks "I was unnecessarily chastised," but I say it is good. (laughter) The same thing. So whose opinion is to be taken? Syamasundara: His idea is that God is limited. Prabhupada: That is nonsense. If God is limited, then He cannot be God. Syamasundara: He says either God is limited in His goodness, in order to allow evil to exist... Prabhupada: No. He is unlimitedly good. Syamasundara: Then He must be limited in His power, because He cannot stop evil from existing. Prabhupada: No. Evil works under His guidance. Good and evil, both are controlled by Him. Therefore He is called supreme controller. He is not limited. The exact word used in Sanskrit is called ananta, unlimited. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs 5.33]. Ananta. Advaita, non-dual; acyuta, infallible; and ananta, unlimited. (end) </b></b> |
