660826BG.NY
Bhagavad-gita 5.3-7

New York, August 26, 1966
Prabhupada:
Jneyeh, "Just understand," sa. Sa means he. Who? Nitya-sannyasi: "That person is always in renounced order, not by dress, but by action, always in renounced order..." Yo na dvesti na kanksati: "That person who does not hate, neither desires." Nitya-sannyasi. The renounced order means that I renounce my material propensities. That is called renunciation. A living entity is living. He has got his different propensities. That is his natural position. If I say that "You don't desire," no, that is not possible. I cannot desire, I don't desire... If I am desireless, then I am dead. What is my life? Desire... Somebody says that "You become desireless." That is an impossible, sir. Desireless means don't desire materially. That is desireless.
So a person who has renounced everything for service of the Lord. Sannyasi. Sannyasi means sat-nyasi. Sat means the supreme eternal, and nyasi means renounced. So sannyasi... He is a sannyasi who has renounced everything for the sake of the Lord. He's called sannyasi. And he has no hatred for anything because in his vision everything is meant for the service of the Lord. So therefore he cannot hate anything. Sometimes it (is) advertised that "Such and such saint, he does not touch money. He does not touch money. When money is offered to him, his hand becomes turned." But a Bhagavad-gita does not say that. Bhagavad-gita does not say that "Because money is offered to you, therefore you shall turn your hand." Yes. Because a devotee's life is dedicated to the Supreme, so he also thinks that "This money can be utilized for the service of the Lord." Just like there are many instances in India.
In our line of disciplic succession, acarya, there was one Rupa Gosvami. Rupa Gosvami, he was formerly the minister of a very big estate. Then he renounced his family life and joined Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and became a mendicant. Now, of course, nowadays people are not so much fond of mendicant. But formerly, any householder, they would go to some sage, some saintly person, and offer some service, "Sir, what can I serve for you." Oh, that was the system. So one big merchant. He belonged to Sindhi, Sindh Province, which is now in Pakistan. He approached Rupa Gosvami and offered that "Swamiji, I want to make some service. Please give me direction. How can I serve you?" So he was a very big man. So Rupa Gosvami asked him that "Yes, if you have got money, then engage it in the service of Krsna according to your position." So he built a very nice temple. That temple... If you go sometimes to India, that is a very remarkable temple.
So in this way, money is not bad. Ev... Nothing is bad. Anything created by God, nothing is bad. But if it is employed in the service of the Lord... Otherwise, it is bad. So for a sannyasi who has dedicated his life for the service of the Lord, he, he does not hate anything. He can... He knows the art how to employ anything in the service of the Lord. Therefore he does not hate anything. Na dvesti. And na kanksati. Na kanksati means he does not desire any money for his personal account. That is the significance. If you offer to a devotee who has renounced his life for the service of the Lord millions of dollars, he can engage. He knows the art how to engage millions of dollars in the service of the Lord, but not a farthing for his own comfort, not a farthing for his own comfort. Na kanksati. Na dvesti na kanksati. He does not hate money. Because he knows that money is a strength. By this strength, the service of the Lord can be advanced in so many ways. So that Rupa Gosvami made two verses for our guidance. For our guidance he made two verses, very nice verses.
anasaktasya visayan
yatharham upayunjatah
nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe
yuktam vairagyam ucyate
He says that visaya... Visaya means enjoyable things. In the material world, what we want to enjoy, that is called visaya. So anasaktasya visayan. So far we have got this body, we have to accept not for sense gratification, but for maintenance. So anasaktasya, without being attached, we may accept the necessities of our bodily requirements, yatharham, as far as possible, as much as I want for maintaining the body and soul together. In this way, if we live, but everything dedicated to the Supreme Lord, that is the highest standard of renounced. And another, other side he explains that, that the things... Phalgu-vairagyam kathyate. Nirbandhah. The idea is... I exactly forgot the verse, but it is stated like this, that a person who is trying to renounce this world without knowing that everything can be engaged in the service of the Lord, and he's renouncing, he is..., his renunciation is not first-grade. His renunciation is not first-grade. Why?
Now, what do you mean by renunciation? Suppose I am in the renounced order of life. What I have renounced? Oh, you are, you have got clothing. I have got also clothing. It may be less costly. Or you are living in some room. Oh, I am also living in some room. So what is the difference between you and me? Renunciation. Suppose a mendicant becomes..., he has renounced everything. In India you'll find, simply a loincloth he's wearing, even naked body. Sometimes, they are naked. So Rupa Gosvami says that the monkey, monkey is completely naked, and he eats fruit. Markata-vairagya. Markata-vairagya..., mendicantism just like the monkey. He is... He is living in a jungle. Suppose a sage or saintly person goes to the jungle. So monkey is there in the jungle. Oh, he has renounced. He has no clothing. He's naked. And he eats also only fruits. Just like the sages also eat only fruit. So these are not qualification, simply eating fruit or renouncing. The real qualification is that how much one is engaged in Krsna consciousness, in the service of the Lord. That is the qualification. Otherwise, if I am in renounced, I am naked, I eat, only eat fruit, and I live within jungle, and I have got many lady monkeys with me, oh, what sort of renouncement that is? That is not... That is called "monkey renouncement."
So we don't want monkey renouncement; we want real renouncement. We don't use anything for my personal comfort; everything for Krsna. That is called renouncement, not a single farthing for my personal comfort, but millions of dollars for Krsna. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the only enjoyer. So this is called renouncement. Anyone who has renounced everything... Therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended the renouncement of the gopis as the highest renouncement. Gopis. The gopis in Vrndavana... When Krsna was present, He was so attractive. Now, why? Because He was said... Yesterday I explained that the God's one qualification is that He has all the beauty. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah (Visnu Purana 6.5.47). Sriyah means beauty. So when He was sixteen years old, so in village He had many friends, girl friends, who were of the same age, but in India the girls are married earlier. In those days also, they were married at the age of twelve years, thirteen years. But Krsna was only sixteen years. So... But He was playing flute. His playing flute was so nice that even at night, when He was playing flute, all those girls, they'll leave their husband and father and mother and everything; they'll come at once to Krsna. So this is an example how they don't care for anything but Krsna. So that is the life. Therefore... Of course, that is not material association. That can be understood when one is a little advanced in the science of Krsna consciousness, the love between the gopis and Krsna. That is not ordinary thing. So anyway, that... They did not care anything. So that is renouncement. The father is asking, "Oh, where you are going?" The husband is asking, "Oh, where you are going?" The brother is... "No, Krsna's flute is there." So Lord Caitanya recommended, ramya kecid upasana vraja-vadhu-varga-virya-kalpita:(?) "There is no higher type of worship than it was done by the gopis of the Lord." They were not very learned. They were ordinary village girls. They were not educated. They were not Vedantists, philosophers. But they had the unlimited ecstasy and love for Krsna. That is required. That is called sannyasa. Everything. We should, twenty-four hours, we should think in Krsna consciousness, how we can advance the cause of Krsna consciousness. That is renouncement. That is the first-class renouncement, how to engage people... The people are suffering. Lord Caitanya is worshiped by the same Rupa Gosvami,
They said, "Lord Caitanya, You are the most munificent person, personality, because You are distributing krsna-prema, love of Krsna, love of Krsna, and this love of Krsna, distribution of love of Krsna by You, means that You are Krsna Himself." Because Krsna, when He appeared, when He spoke Bhagavad-gita and He said, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "You give up all engagements; just become under My shelter. I give you protection," aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami, some people misunderstood. Even in Dr. Radhakrishnan's book, you'll find, he said,"Oh, not to Krsna." You see. Even great scholars make mistake. The clear indication is that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam... [Bg. 18.66]. Krsna, Krsna says that "Just surrender unto Me," and the scholar says, "Oh, this surrender is not to Krsna." Just see. So the surrender to Krsna and this Krsna consciousness is the highest perfectional stage of life, highest perfectional stage of... One who has tasted it, oh, he cannot be, I mean to say, thinking of anything else.
Nirdvandvo hi maha-baho sukham bandhat pramucyate. One who has attained such consciousness, Krsna consciousness, he becomes nirdvandva. Nirdvandva means he has no duality because he sees everything in Krsna relationship. He sees everything. Actually, everything is the manifestation of Krsna's energy. So highest stage, in the highest stage of Krsna consciousness, the person sees everything in relationship with Krsna. Nirdvandvo hi maha-baho sukham bandhat pramucyate. And if we are fortunate enough to come to that stage of Krsna consciousness then very easily and very happily we'll become liberated from this entanglement of material life. Only we have to develop that stage of ecstasy and love for Krsna. That's all.
Now Arjuna's question was that "You are engaging me sometimes in karma-yoga and sometimes in sannyasa. So what is the real thing that You want me to do?" So Krsna replied here that sankhya-yogau prthag balah pravadanti na panditah. Sankhya-yoga. Sankhya-yoga. Perhaps some of you or most of you know what is sankhya-yoga, metaphysics, by Kapila, sankhya-yoga. Sankhya-yoga means analytical study of these material elements.
Now what is the use of analytical study of this material world? Simply understanding that this material world is working in twenty-four elements. The eleven senses, ten senses, five working senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses, and the mind. Eleven. Eleven elements. And panca-maha-bhuta. Panca-maha-bhuta means the material elements just like earth, water, fire, air and ether. Eleven and five, it becomes sixteen. Then subtle elements, just like manah, buddhih, ahankara: mind, intelligence and false ego. False ego. So sixteen and three. Nineteen. And five, I mean to say, sense objects. Sense objects means rupa, form; rasa, taste; form, taste, rupa, rasa, gandha, smell; then rupa, rasa, gandha, sabda, sound, sound. You have got ear. You require sound to hear. In this way, the sankhya-yoga, they have analyzed the whole material world into twenty-four elements. That is sankhya-yoga.
Now suppose you study very analytically these twenty-four elements. And what is the idea of studying these elemental, analytical study of this material world? Because we have to find out what is the main principle which is working behind these twenty-four elements. What is the main principle? Now, suppose I have got these senses, and suppose there are material elements, earth, water, fire, all these things are there. But are they sufficient by themselves? No. They are not sufficient by themselves. Unless that spirit soul is there, so they are lying down. Just take for example this land of America. It was lying, oh, vast land. Still you have got many lands vacant. So they are lying vacant. And so when the Europeans came there, they gradually developed. Now they nice. So simply these material elements has no value. Unless there is spiritual touch, there is no value.
So study of, analytical study of this material world, they are not sufficient by themselves. You have to find out the spiritual power behind it. So sannyasa means, generally, the sannyasa, those who have taken up the renounced order of life, they search after the Supreme Truth and make an analytical study of this material world. That is called sankhya-yoga. Krsna says, sankhya-yoga... Sankhya and yoga. And yoga means direct connection with the Lord, direct connection with the Lord. Just like in the darkness. In dark, in the darkness, you cannot see anything. Suppose your room is closed and dark. You cannot see anything. But when you come to the light, you come to the sunlight, then you can see yourself and everything very nicely. So yoga, this word yoga, means to come in direct touch with the absolute light or Absolute Truth. That is called yoga. So by analytical, analytical study of this material world, that is not sufficient. Unless you come in direct touch with the Supreme Absolute Truth, this knowledge has no value. This knowledge has no value. If you want, you can study anything, any straw in the street. You can make a very analytical study of the straw. But that sort of knowledge has no value unless you come to the point of our spiritual existence. So sankh... So Krsna says... The idea of sankhya-yoga, analytical study of this material world, means you have to find out the spiritual existence. And that spiritual existence you can have when you directly come to the spiritual life. So direct process is Krsna consciousness. Krsna is just like the sun.
The idea is just like the sun. In the sun there is no darkness. You cannot conceive any darkness in the sun. Similarly Krsna, Krsna is just like the sun. If you become Krsna conscious, if you come in touch with Krsna, then there is no possibility of ignorance. There is no possibility of ignorance. You'll learn everything. As we have repeatedly said that Krsna says, tesam,
tesam evanukampartham
aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhava-stho
jnana-dipena bhasvata
[Bg. 10.11]
Krsna says. Krsna is within yourself. Krsna is without and within. So without, we cannot see, but within, we can see, provided we are little advanced in the understanding that there is Supersoul, presentation of Krsna. So Krsna says that tesam eva anukampartham. Those who are actually seeking after becoming Krsna conscious... Within yourself, He sees, "Oh, here is a person now who is anxious."
So He gives you intelligence. Buddhi-yogam dadami tam: "I give him intelligence how he can approach Me, how he can excel himself by this Krsna consciousness." The help will come from within. And so far ignorance is concerned, that will be vanquished within no time. Tesam eva aham anukampartham: "for special favor." Krsna has got special favor for persons who are trying to be Krsna conscious. He's God, He's God. He's equal to everyone. That you'll find in the Bhagavad-gita. Samo 'ham sarva-bhutesu na me dvesyo 'sti na priyah [Bg. 9.29]. Just like a rich man. A rich man, he has got many, many, many thousands of people to maintain. Suppose he has got workshop, many, many thousands of workers. So he's looking after the interest of everyone. That's all right. But those who are his personal sons and dependents, oh, he has got special favor for them. Similarly, Krsna, although He is equal to everyone, still, those who are especially trying to be connected with Him... Because the whole thing is, whole material manifestation is meant for giving us a chance to become Krsna conscious. So one who is trying to become Krsna conscious, He has got special favor. (aside:) I'll answer later. He has got special favor.
So sankhya-yogau prthag balah pravadanti na panditah. So any, any type of spiritual realization, they are different forms. "You are, you are Hindu? Oh, I am, I am Christian." "Oh, you are Christian? I am Muhammadan." So these conceptions, that "I am different from you," that is not for the learned. The learned one is hankering after the Supreme Truth. Never mind. Either you go through Bible, or go through Bhagavad-gita, or go through this Koran, that doesn't matter. What is the aim of your life? If your aim of life is to understand the Absolute Truth, then there is no difference. But if your aim is something else, then you find some difference from Bhagavad-gita to Bible, Bible to Koran, Koran to something else. So Krsna says that sankhya-yoga. Either you take sankhya-yoga or sankhya or this karma-yoga, anything, there is no difference. Because the, everything is trying to give you the ultimate Absolute Truth.
So if you have caught up such Absolute Truth, then there you'll find no difference. Panditah... Panditah means learned. They do not find. But the, those who are not learned, they find difference. Ekam apy asthitah samyag ubhayor vindate phalam. Those who are learned, he can be situated in any form of realization and he can realize soul or... It is not... Never a learned man will say that "In this process, there is no self-realization. In this process there is spiritual..." No. In every process, there is. It may be in a higher standard or in a lower standard. Just like I have many times that two plus two equal to four, that is fact. That is a mathematical truth. Now, this two plus two, in the infant class, the two plus two equal to four is the same, and higher mathematics and in the M.A. class, the student is studying higher mathematics, astronomy, astrology. There also, the two plus two equal to four is the truth. But the infant class, the study of mathematics in the infant class and the study of mathematics in the M.A. class, there is difference. There is difference. There is a... There is a story that a student... Why it is not open? It is not open?
Student: It is open.
Prabhupada: All right. People may come in. One student, he was studying trigonometry. After passing his matriculation, in the college he was studying. So he was reading, "Let A and B, a straight line, and C, another straight line." So just like he was reading. So his mother thought, "Oh, my son has again begun A, B, C." You see? So he was asking, she was asking his son, "Oh, my dear son, you have passed your school ending examination? You have again begun A, B, C, D? What is that?" That means she, she's not so intelligent. She thought that "My son has begun again A, B, C, D from the infant class." No. It is higher mathematics. The same A, B, C, D is there, but that is higher mathematics. Similarly, the Truth, Absolute Truth, is always the same. But that Absolute Truth is expressed according to the different situations. The position of certain scriptures in certain countries in certain circumstances may be described in a certain particular way, but the aim is the same. Aim is the same. So those who are interested in higher mathematics, they take to higher mathematics. Or those who have developed themselves from infant class. But the truth, "two plus two is equal to four," that does not any circumsta...become false. That is the truth.
So ekam apy asthitah samyag. If one is intelligent enough, if he really learned, so he can be situated in any place and if he follows... Just this morning we were reading, yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya. If he follows the rules and regulations and, uh, then it is sure that he will come to that stage. But you should not be rigid. Suppose I have come to certain stage. "Oh, therefore I'll take it as final." No. There is no improvement. You have to seek out, if there is more and more knowledge beyond this. Just like the higher mathematics and mathematics in the infant class.
Yat sankhyaih prapyate sthanam tad yogair api gamyate [Bg. 5.5]. Now, Krsna is stressing that the ultimate goal of life which you can achieve by analytical study and metaphysics and philosophy, the same thing you can also reach by direct Krsna consciousness. Not that you have to wait. This is the direct means. It is specially suitable for this age. How many people, they are fit for studying philosophy? Very few. It requires very learned knowledge to understand philosophical truth. Therefore Lord Caitanya is... He said, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha: "In this age, there is no other way, no other way, no other way than this particular way of chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare." "No other way, no other way, no other way" means, according to Vedic system, there are different types of spiritual realization in different ages. Just like in the... Krte yad dhyayato visnum. Krte means in the Satya-yuga, when people used to live for millions of years. At that time it is recommended that they should take to meditation for self-realization. Then in the next age... Krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih [SB 12.3.52]. And the next age it is recommended that they should sacrifice. They should perform costly sacrifice. But that is not possible also. And in the Dvapara-yuga. Dvapare paricaryayam. The temple worship was introduced in the Dvapara-yuga. Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. And in the, this age, it is called Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and fight. In this age the only means is hari-kirtana.
If you chant Hare Krsna, so all enemies and friends, and learned and fools, rich and poor, man, woman, black, white, yellow, oh, everyone can take part. There is no distinction. There is no distinction, and you derive the same profit. That is recommended. So here also, Krsna says, ekam sankhyam ca yogam ca yah pasyati sa pasyati. So therefore we have to accept the favorable circumstances. In this age, in this difficult age, if we find the same result by being Krsna conscious and chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, then I, we should take advantage of it. Why should we stick to certain other principles? That is also good. That's all right, but this is favorable in the present circumstances. That is the point.
sannyasas tu maha-baho
duhkham aptum ayogatah
yoga-yukto munir brahma
na cirenadhigacchati
[Bg. 5.6]
Sannyasa... Suppose if you simply renounce the world for your certain difficulty... "The worldly life, household life, is very difficult to maintain. Now let, let me become a sannyasi. I'll go door to door and beg and I'll have..."
Guest (1): (loud voice in background) Excuse me, sir...
Prabhupada: No. You cannot disturb just now.
Guest (2): Now wait a minute, man... (quarrel going on in background)
Prabhupada: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, not just now. No, no, no. You cannot ask just now.
Guest (1): (someone trying to ask a question) I'm trying to...
Prabhupada: No. Just now you can ask.
Guest (2): Wait a minute, man. Wait. (quarrel goes on)
Prabhupada: Why you interfere just now. We have got question time.
Guest (3): Let the man finish. (loud quarrel going on, etc.)
Guest (1): I just have one question please. How long is an individual allowed to go on with soul? What if he's going (?) without any type of thought? Why? How long?
Prabhupada: I'm not finished. We, we'll give question time after finishing all this.
Guest (1): Well, I am here to learn.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Guest (1): I'm serious.
Prabhupada: All right. I'm very glad that you are serious, but please wait. Have some patience. Because we have not finished. As soon as we finish now, after five minutes, ten minutes, I will attend to your question. Don't be impatient. Sit down. So Krsna says that,
sannyasas tu maha-baho
duhkham aptum ayogatah
yoga-yukto munir brahma
na cirenadhigacchati
[Bg. 5.6]
Sannyasa, simply by renouncing this world, if you do not find out the Absolute Truth, then it is simply accepting tribulation voluntarily. Because suppose I have to give up my family life. Anyone is comfortable in family life, but suppose he leaves such family life and takes this life of mendicant. It is not very comfortable. But why shall I accept this position if I have no idea of the Absolute Truth? That is... So sannyasas tu maha-baho duhkham aptum. So if you don't find the Absolute Truth, then it is simply meant for accepting miseries. Miseries. And yoga-yukto munir brahma na cirenadhigacchati. But one who is dovetailed with Krsna consciousness, even he is at home... It was particularly said to Arjuna that "You are thinking that you are, you'll not fight. Better, you are thinking, that you shall beg instead of killing your kinsmen. You do not want kingdom. But that is not a practical proposition. You, you, you just try to understand why you have to fight. What is the cause?" That means He was giving hint that "You'll have to fight for Krsna consciousness. Then you'll get happiness. Simply by leaving, simply by becoming mendicant, it will not help you."
yoga-yukto visuddhatma
vijitatma jitendriyah
sarva-bhutatma-bhutatma
kurvann api na lipyate
[Bg. 5.7]
All right. We shall. This gentleman is impatient. We shall stop here. You see. Now, what is your question kindly sir?
Guest (1): (question goes on for a long timepractically unintelligible) We tend to place emphasis on those who. We identify with the fact itself. Many people have made to explain the whyfors and wherefors, the whyfors and wherefors of the metaphysical truth that "I think, therefore I am."
Prabhupada: What is your particular question?
Guest (1): I have no answer to that question. What does it matter? Rather, but every attempt that I can hear. I live, I breathe. (sounds intoxicated)
Prabhupada: Yes.
Guest (1): But who has been able to tell me yet why I feel.
Has nothing to do with. The mere fact of my existence is true.
Prabhupada: That's all right?
Guest (1): I have difficulty in your... I have difficulty in saying, in expressing...
Prabhupada: Now, so long you are in this material world, there are many problems.
Guest (1): Not many problems. It is a... Not many problems. This is the greatest fact. I have... I know the sort of world in which I live.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Guest (1): I also know that attempts to explain the whys and wherefors of my particular...
Prabhupada: Yes.
Guest (1): I didn't come here personally... Let me explain my position. This isn't necessary. I feel I must... I think the difference is to learn. You'll find at numerable times. By the same token maybe are able to reconcile the fact of individual being for along time to find out why.
Prabhupada: Raymond, you can, you can answer his question. It is general question. You can answer. Yes.
Guests: (indistinct) (end)

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