seeing Him
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Imported quote 14090 The process of destruction is going on according to the law of nature. Nothing within this material world can be permanent, although scientists, philosophers, workers and everyone else are trying to make things permanent. One foolish scientist recently declared that eventually life will be made permanent through science. Some so-called scientists are also trying to manufacture living entities within the laboratory. Thus in one way or another everyone is busy denying the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and rejecting the supreme authority of the Lord. However, the Lord is so powerful that He destroys everything in the form of death. As Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita, mrtyuḥ sarva-haras caham: "I am all-devouring death." (Bg. 10.34) The Lord is just like death to the atheists, for He takes away everything they accumulate in the material world. Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahlada, always denied the existence of the Lord, and he tried to kill his five-year-old boy due to the boy's unflinching faith in God. However, in due course of time the Lord appeared as Nrsimhadeva and killed Hiranyakasipu in the presence of his son. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, this killing process is natural. Jivo jivasya jivanam: "One animal is food for another animal." (Bhag. 1.13.47) A frog is eaten by a snake, a snake is eaten by a mongoose, and the mongoose is eaten by another animal. In this way the process of destruction goes on by the supreme will of the Lord. Although we do not see the hand of the Supreme Lord directly, we can feel the presence of that hand through the Lord's process of destruction. We can see the clouds scattered by the wind, although we cannot see how this is being done because it is not possible to see the wind. Similarly, although we do not directly see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we can see that He controls the process of destruction. The destructive process is going on fiercely under the control of the Lord, but the atheists cannot see it.
(More...) Imported quote 14497 The appearance of an old friend in the form of a brahmana is very significant. In His Paramatma feature, Krsna is the old friend of everyone. According to Vedic injunction, Krsna is sitting with the living entity side by side. According to the sruti-mantra (dva suparna sayuja sakhayaḥ), the Lord is sitting within the heart of every living entity as suhrt, the best friend. The Lord is always eager to have the living entity come home, back to Godhead. Sitting with the living entity as witness, the Lord gives him all chances to enjoy himself materially, but whenever there is an opportunity, the Lord gives good counsel and advises the living entity to abandon trying to become happy through material adjustment and instead turn his face toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrender unto Him. When one becomes serious to follow the mission of the spiritual master, his resolution is tantamount to seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As explained before, this means meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the instruction of the spiritual master. This is technically called vani-seva. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura states in his Bhagavad-gita commentary on the verse vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (Bg. 2.41) that one should serve the words of the spiritual master. The disciple must stick to whatever the spiritual master orders. Simply by following on that line, one sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
(More...) The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Paramatma, appeared before the Queen as a brahmana, but why didn't He appear in His original form as Sri Krsna? Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura remarks that unless one is very highly elevated in loving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot see Him as He is. Nonetheless, if one sticks to the principles enunciated by the spiritual master, somehow or other he is in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since the Lord is in the heart, He can advise a sincere disciple from within. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita:
(More...) "If I am engaged in devotional service unto You, my dear Lord, then very easily can I perceive Your presence everywhere. And as far as liberation is concerned, I think that liberation stands at my door with folded hands, waiting to serve me-and all material conveniences of dharma [religiosity], artha [economic development] and kama [sense gratification] stand with her." (Krsna-karnamrta 107) If one is very highly advanced in devotional service, he will have no difficulty in seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one engages in the service of the spiritual master, he not only sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead but attains liberation. As far as material conveniences are concerned, they automatically come, just as the maidservants of a queen follow the queen wherever she goes. Liberation is no problem for the pure devotee, and all material conveniences are simply awaiting him at all stages of life.
(More...) Imported quote 16321 Here the words bhaktanam anurūpatma-darsanam mean that the Personality of Godhead manifests His multi-forms according to the desires of the devotees. For example, Hanumanji (Vajrahgaji) wanted to see the form of the Lord as the Personality of Godhead Ramacandra, whereas other Vaisnavas want to see the form of Radha-Krsna, and still other devotees want to see the Lord in the form of Laksmi-Narayana. The Mayavadi philosophers think that although all these forms are assumed by the Lord just as the devotees desire to see Him, actually He is impersonal. From Brahma-samhita, however, we can understand that this is not so, for the Lord has multi-forms. It is said in the Brahma-samhita, advaitam acyutam. The Lord does not appear before the devotee because of the devotee's imagination. Brahma-samhita further explains that the Lord has innumerable forms: ramadi-mūrtisu kala-niyamena tisthan. He exists in millions and millions of forms. There are 8,400,000 species of living entities, but the incarnations of the Supreme Lord are innumerable. In the Bhagavatam it is stated that as the waves in the sea cannot be counted but appear and disappear continually, so the incarnations and forms of the Lord are innumerable. A devotee is attached to a particular form, and it is that form which he worships. We have just described the first appearance of the boar within this universe. There are innumerable universes, and somewhere or other the boar form is now existing. All the forms of the Lord are eternal. It is the devotee's inclination to worship a particular form, and he engages in devotional service to that form. In a verse in the Ramayana, Hanuman, the great devotee of Rama, said, "I know that there is no difference between the Sita-Rama and Laksmi-Narayana forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but nevertheless the form of Rama and Sita has absorbed my affection and love. Therefore I want to see the Lord in the forms of Rama and Sita." Similarly, the Gauḍiya Vaisnava loves the forms of Radha and Krsna, and Krsna and Rukmini at Dvaraka. The words bhaktanam anurūpatma-darsanam mean that the Lord is always pleased to favor the devotee in the particular form in which the devotee wants to worship and render service unto Him. In this verse it is stated that Brahma approached Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This form of the Lord is Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Whenever there is some trouble and Brahma has to approach the Lord, he can approach Ksirodakasayi Visnu, and it is the grace of the Lord that whenever Brahma approaches about disturbances in the universe, the Lord gives him relief in so many ways.
(More...) Actually, ecstatic samadhi or absorption in the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be achieved by constant engagement in His service, and this constant engagement in devotional service can be performed only when one is working under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master. The Vedas therefore instruct that in order to know the science of devotional service, one has to submit himself unto the bona fide spiritual master. The bona fide spiritual master is he who knows the science of devotional service in disciplic succession. This disciplic succession is called srotriyam. The prime symptom of one who has become a spiritual master in disciplic succession is that he is one hundred percent fixed in bhakti-yoga. Sometimes people neglect to accept a spiritual master, and instead they endeavor for self-realization by mystic yoga practice, but there are many instances of failure, even by great yogis like Visvamitra. Arjuna said in the Bhagavad-gita [6.34] that controlling the mind is as impractical as stopping the blowing of a hurricane. Sometimes the mind is compared to a maddened elephant. Without following the direction of a spiritual master one cannot control the mind and the senses. In other words, if one practices yoga mysticism and does not accept a bona fide spiritual master, he will surely fail. He will simply waste his valuable time. The Vedic injunction is that no one can have full knowledge without being under the guidance of an acarya. Acaryavan puruso veda: one who has accepted an acarya knows what is what. The Absolute Truth cannot be understood by arguments. One who has attained the perfect brahminical stage naturally becomes renounced; he does not strive for material gain because by spiritual knowledge he has come to the conclusion that in this world there is no insufficiency. Everything is sufficiently provided by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A real brahmana, therefore, does not endeavor for material perfection; rather, he approaches a bona fide spiritual master to accept orders from him. A spiritual master's qualification is that he is brahmanistham, which means that he has given up all other activities and has dedicated his life to working only for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. When a bona fide student approaches a bona fide spiritual master, he submissively prays to the spiritual master, "My dear Lord, kindly accept me as your student and train me in such a way that I will be able to give up all other kinds of processes for self-realization and simply engage in Krsna consciousness, devotional service."
(More...) Imported quote 16401 Anything either material or spiritual is but the expansion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as stated in the Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 13.13), the omnipotent Lord has His transcendental eyes, heads and other bodily parts distributed everywhere. He can see, hear, touch or manifest Himself from anywhere and everywhere, for He is present everywhere as the Supersoul of all infinitesimal souls, although He has His particular abode in the absolute world. This relative world is also His phenomenal representation because it is nothing but the expansion of His transcendental energy. Although He is in His abode, still His energy is distributed everywhere, just as the sun is localized as well as expanded everywhere and the rays of the sun, being nondifferent from the sun, are accepted as expansions of the sun disc. In the Visnu Purana (V.P. 1.22.52) it is said that as fire expands its rays and heat from one place, similarly the Supreme Spirit, the Personality of Godhead, expands Himself by His manifold energy everywhere and anywhere. The phenomenal manifestation of the gigantic universe is only a part of His virata body. The less intelligent class of men cannot conceive of the transcendental all-spiritual form of the Lord, but they are astounded by His different energies just as the aborigines are struck with wonder by the manifestation of lightning, a gigantic mountain or a hugely expanded banyan tree. The aborigines praise the strength of the tiger and the elephant because of their superior energy and strength. The asuras also cannot recognize the existence of the Lord, although there are vivid descriptions of the Lord in the revealed scriptures, although the Lord incarnates and exhibits His uncommon strength and energy, and although He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by learned scholars and saints like Vyasadeva, Narada, Asita and Devala in the past and by Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita, as also by the acaryas like Sahkara, Ramanuja, Madhva and Lord Sri Caitanya in the modern age. The asuras do not accept any evidential proof from the revealed scriptures, nor do they recognize the authority of the great acaryas. They want to see eye to eye at once. Therefore they can see the gigantic body of the Lord as virata, which will answer their challenge, and as they are accustomed to pay homage to superior material strength like that of the tiger, elephant, lightning, etc., they can offer respect to the virata rūpa. Lord Krsna, by the request of Arjuna, exhibited His virata rūpa for the asuras. A pure devotee of the Lord, being unaccustomed to look into such mundane gigantic form of the Lord, requires special vision for the purpose. The Lord, therefore, favored Arjuna with special vision for looking into His virata rūpa, described in the Eleventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. This virata rūpa of the Lord was especially manifested, not for the benefit of Arjuna, but for that unintelligent class of men who accept anyone and everyone as the incarnation of the Lord and so mislead the general mass of people. For them, the indication is that one should ask the cheap incarnation to exhibit his virata rūpa and thus be established as an incarnation. The virata rūpa manifestation of the Lord is simultaneously a challenge to the atheist and a favor for the asuras who can think of the Lord as virata and thus gradually cleanse the dirty things in their hearts in order to become qualified to actually see the transcendental form of the Lord in the near future. This is a favor of the all-merciful Lord to the atheists and the gross materialists.
(More...) The Absolute Truth is manifested in three different stages according to our understanding. The Absolute Truth is one, but according to my capacity I understand Absolute Truth in three features. Those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of his imperfect knowledge, he comes to the conclusion that Absolute Truth is impersonal. Suppose I give you a concrete example: One man is in darkness; he wants to come to the light. So when he comes to the sunshine he sees the sunshine impersonal. But if he has got power to go to the sun globe, he sees something localized; and if he has power to see the sun god, he will see something personal. So those who are outside the localized aspect and personal aspect of Krsna, those who are in the sunshine portion, or in the effulgent portion… Effulgence means minute particles of the soul assemble together, just like the sunshine is the combination of molecular shining parts. Similarly, we spiritual sparks, when we simply congregate one place, that is called brahma-jyoti. In that portion, because they have no information about the personality of Godhead, they are envious. Therefore, because the spirit soul by nature wants pleasure… Just like if you remain… Suppose you go with your sputnik or aeroplane very high in the sky. If you don't get a shelter in another platform or another planet, you come down again. You cannot remain there. Similarly, in our impersonal feature we cannot remain. And why we remain in the impersonal nature? Because we have no information of the Supreme Personality.
(More...) Feeling I had exhausted all American literary and psychedelic possibilities, I left for India in 1965 with some vague notions of finding a guru who could direct me. I only emerged from this trip in 1966 with the conviction that India didn't have the answer and that she was only capable of giving me the dysentery. However, on the trip I read Bhagavad-gita again and was told by a Nepalese boy who played a flute that wherever the flute is played Krsna is present. Although he called himself a Buddhist, his eyes lit up when he spoke of Krsna, and it was obvious that Krsna was much more real to him that the Tathagatas of the Sūtras, which he probably never read. And when in India, while trying to sleep on a train from Bombay to Delhi that stopped at every station where the sounds of hawkers, music and cows would awaken me, I somehow strongly felt that the sounds I was hearing were weaving themselves into a song which was the song of Bhagavad-gita. This was a song not only of India, but of the entire creation. Somehow or other, I realized the Gita, but not Bhagavan. I heard the Song, but knew nothing of the singer. Krsna was still a perplexing question mark that I preferred not to give much thought to.
(More...) Therefore, the real situation is that everything belongs to Krsna. We are artificially enjoying, and so this frustration will come. But if we return everything to Krsna before coming to that frustration, then it will be all right. So the best thing is to return everything to Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness. Then you will not be loser; you'll be gainer just like Bali Maharaja. Actually if you do not think that everything belongs to Krsna, that it belongs to you, this is maya. It is Krsna's property, and you are thinking "mine." Does this land of America belong to you actually? It is stolen property. There is another example. Hira means diamond, and khira means cucumber. One man has stolen a cucumber from the street, and he is captured. Another man has stolen a diamond, and he is also arrested. But for the police both are thieves. If the man says, "Oh, what have I stolen? I have stolen a little cucumber. It is worth nothing, not even two cents or one cent. Why are you arresting me? No. In the eyes of law, he is a thief, and the other is also a thief. Everyone's a thief. Anyone who is not in Krsna consciousness is a thief. He'll not be happy. The best thing is to return whatever you possess. "Krsna, it is Yours. Take it." Finish with it. Bhaktivinode Thakur has written a song expressing this. Everything we possess in mind, actually we don't possess. Suppose I am "possessing" all this. As soon as I go from this body, all possessions will remain here. I will not take anything. So I don't possess, but in my mind I am thinking, "Oh, this is mine, this is mine. Where is my other box? Why is it not coming?" It is possessed in the mind. If I leave this body, I leave the box here or in Chicago or anywhere else. What is the difference? There is no difference. But because I am possessing in the mind, "Oh that box is mine," therefore I am asking whether it is in Chicago or it is here or there. So possession is in the mind. Actually you don't possess. By that false possessive attitude we have gotten our mind, our body, then the expansions of the body, wife, children, family, society, country. In this way we possess so many things. Bhaktivinode Thakur says, "Now whatever I possess, either in the mind or in the family, or in the society or in the body, whatever I have, I surrender unto my dear Krsna. Nandakisora, O son of Nanda, I give it unto You. Now whatever You like You can do. Either You kill me or protect me, as You like. You are the proprietor. You have the right to do anything." This is surrender. This is full Krsna consciousness. But that is not possible immediately. Therefore we have to practice. And if we die in this Krsna consciousness … according to the particular type of consciousness in which one gives up this body, he's transferred in the next life to the respective position. In this way in Krsna consciousness we are able to be with Krsna, by practicing always, constantly, that situation of consciousness. Then in the next life, after giving up-Why next life? This life also-one who is always in Krsna's service in this life or the next life is with Krsna. Any person who is in Krsna consciousness is always with Krsna. Krsna is everywhere, though I may not understand that Krsna is everywhere.
(More...) Imported quote 16491 They are... So many people, they ask, "Where is God? Can you show me God?" That... That means people in general, they cannot see God. That is not possible. Because with these eyes, these senses, we cannot understand. We cannot understand even that why they are chant... Just like yesterday this man was asking, "Why this chanting?" Because blunt senses, they cannot understand what is the meaning of chanting and why chanting. Ataḥ sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaiḥ. It is not possible. But sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. When we take to the service spirit... Here we are training people how to render service. Then, gradually, he will be able to understand what is this name of Krsna, what is the form of Krsna, what is the activities of Krsna. And that is explained here.
(More...) Now I do not know the situation in your particular case, I am simply giving you the general policy or background understanding. We should never think of our so-called advancement as being conditioned by or dependent upon some set of material circumstances such as marriage, vanaprastha, or this or that. Mature understanding of Krsna consciousness means that whatever condition of life I am in at present, that is Krsna's special mercy upon me, therefore let me take advantage in the best way possible to spread this Krsna consciousness movement and conduct my spiritual master's mission. If I consider my own personal progress or happiness or any other thing personal, that is material consideration. If there was unhappy adjustment for becoming married, why you got married at all? Whatever is done, is done, that is a fact, but I am only pointing out that once before you did something without proper study of your real responsibility, now you are contemplating again some drastic action in a similar manner. Therefore consider it carefully in this light. There is one verse from Bhagavad-gita: yasman nodvijate loko lokan nodvijate ca yah/harsamarsa-bhayodvegair mukto yah sa ca me priyah, "He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me." (12.15) One mistake of judgment often made by the neophyte devotees is that any time there is some disturbance or some difficulty they are considering that the conditions or the external circumstances under which the difficulty took place are the cause of the difficulty itself. That is not the fact. In this material world there is always some difficulty, no matter in this situation or that situation. Therefore simply by changing my status of occupation or my status of life, that will not help anything. Because the real fact is that if there is any difficulty with others, that is my lack of Krsna consciousness, not theirs. Is this clear? Krsna says that His dearest devotee is one who does not put others into difficulty, in fact, who puts no one other into difficulty. So try to judge the matter on these points, whether or not you are putting either your wife or yourself into some difficulty. The right understanding of Bhagavad-gita is Arjuna's understanding. In other words, Arjuna came to the conclusion that he must perform his occupational duty, not as a material obligation, for reasons of wife, family, friends, reputation, professional integrity, like that-no. Rather he must conduct the functions of his station of life only as a devotional service performed for Krsna. That means that devotional service is what is important, not my occupational duty. But it does not mean that because occupation duty is not the real consideration, that I should give it up and do something else, thinking that devotional service may be carried on under whatever circumstances which I may whimsically decide. Krsna recommended Arjuna to remain as he was, not to disrupt the order of society and go against his own nature just for convenience sake. Our occupational duty is not arbitrary, that means once we have taken up some field of action, if we are advanced in our understanding, then we shall not change it for another. Rather our devotion is the important factor, so what does it matter what I am doing so long my work and energy are completely devoted to Krsna? Just like Krsna, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has no work, neither He has anything to do, still He comes here to teach us this lesson. He accepts not only His occupational duty as cowherd boy, royal prince, but also He accepts married life, He enters politics, He is philosopher, He is even chariot driver during a great battle, He does not give example of Himself avoiding His occupational duty. So if Krsna Himself is exhibiting by His own conduct what is the perfection of existence, then we should heed such example if we are intelligent. Even supposing there is wife at home, with children, that does not matter, that is no hindrance to our spiritual life. And once we have accepted these things, occupational duties, we should not lightly give them up. That is the point. Of course, our occupational duty is as preachers of Krsna consciousness. So we must stick to that business under all circumstances, that is the main thing. Therefore married, unmarried, divorced, whatever condition of life, my preaching mission does not depend on these things. The varnasrama-dharma system is scientifically arranged by Krsna to provide facility for delivering the fallen souls back to home, back to Godhead. And if we make a mockery of this system by whimsically disrupting the order, that we must consider. That will not be a very good example if so many young boys and girls so casually become married and then go away from each other, and the wife is little unhappy, the husband is neglecting her in so many ways, like that. If we set this example, then how the thing will go on properly? Householder life means wife, children, home, these things are understood by everyone, why our devotees have taken it as something different? They simply have some sex desire, get themselves married, and when the mater does not fulfill their expectations, immediately there is separation-these things are just like material activities, prostitution. The wife is left without husband, and sometimes there is child to be raised, in so many ways the proposition that you, and some others also, are making becomes distasteful. We cannot expect that our temples will become places of shelter for so many widows and rejected wives, that will be a great burden and we shall become the laughingstock in the society. There will be unwanted progeny also. And there will be illicit sex life, that we are seeing already. And being the weaker sex, women require to have a husband who is strong in Krsna consciousness so that they may take advantage and make progress by sticking tightly to his feet. If their husband goes away from them, what will they do? So many instances are already there in our Society, so many frustrated girls and boys.
(More...) Imported quote 16562 Lord Sri Krsna is the one Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He has expanded Himself into His multiplenary portions by His inconceivable energy. The conception of duality is due to ignorance of His inconceivable energy. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that (Bg. 9.11) only the foolish take Him to be a mere human being. Such foolish men are not aware of His inconceivable energies. By His inconceivable energy He is present in everyone's heart, as the sun is present before everyone all over the world. The Paramatma feature of the Lord is an expansion of His plenary portions. He expands Himself as Paramatma in everyone's heart by His inconceivable energy, and He also expands Himself as the glowing effulgence of brahmajyoti by expansion of His personal glow. It is stated in the Brahma-samhita that the brahmajyoti is His personal glow. Therefore, there is no difference between Him and His personal glow brahmajyoti or His plenary portions as Paramatma. Less intelligent persons who are not aware of this fact consider brahmajyoti and Paramatma to be different from Sri Krsna. This misconception of duality is completely removed from the mind of Bhismadeva, and he is now satisfied that it is Lord Sri Krsna only who is all in all in everything. This enlightenment is attained by the great mahatmas or devotees, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita (7.19) that Vasudeva is all in all in everything, and there is no existence of anything without Vasudeva. Vasudeva or Lord Sri Krsna is the original Supreme Person, as now confirmed by a mahajana, and therefore both the neophytes and the pure devotees must try to follow in his footsteps. That is the way of the devotional line.
(More...) Imported quote 16823 Tattva-darsinaḥ. Unless you have seen, how you can give information of the truth to others? So God is seen, not only seen in the history. In the history, when Krsna was present on this planet, the history of Battle of Kuruksetra where this Bhagavad-gita was spoken, that is a historical fact. So we can see through history also Bhagavan Sri Krsna and through sastra also. Sastra-caksusa. Just like at the present moment Krsna is not physically present, but we understand through sastra what is Krsna.
(More...) So sastra-caksusa. Sastra cak... Either you take direct perception or through the sastra. Through the sastra the perception is better than direct perception. Therefore our knowledge, those who are following the Vedic principle, their knowledge is derived from the Vedas. They do not manufacture any knowledge. If one thing is understood by the evidence of the Vedas, that is fact. So Krsna is understood through the Vedas. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg 15.15].
(More...) Imported quote 17245 Prabhupada: You can see. You can hear the sound "Krsna." Are you not hearing Hare Krsna? So that is a question of realization. You go on hearing, hearing. The child cannot understand what is the sound. The sound is the same. The car is going on. But his father can understand that with this sound this car is going on. But child cannot understand. So you begin hearing, then gradually your ignorance will be cleansed, and then you understand that the sound is for car. Therefore you have to begin to hear the sound. Everyone is hearing, but those who are not experienced, they cannot understand that this sound is of the car. But the... One understands or not understands, that doesn't matter. But the sound is of the car, that's a fact. So those who are experienced, they are understanding; those who are not experienced, they do not understand. That is the difference. It is the difference of experience. But the sound is of the car-that is a fact. Similarly, the Hare Krsna sound is God. Those who are advanced, they can understand. And those who are not yet advanced, by hearing, hearing, they will understand. You want to see God. That is your idea?
(More...) Prabhupada: So God is speaking Bhagavad-gita. Just like reading, Krsna is speaking. So hear it, God speaking, the sound. The devotees are chanting Hare Krsna, that is God, that sound is God, sabda-brahma. This is the way. And if you want to see God, you can see also. That is prescribed here. Just like Krsna says, prabhasmi sasi-sūryayoḥ: "I am the sunlight and moonlight." So you see the sunlight, moonlight, and you see God. Krsna says, "I am the sunlight. I am this moonlight." Then if you want to see Krsna, you see the... Sunlight you can see very easily. Is it very difficult for you? Then Krsna says, He personally says, that "I am the sunlight." You see the sunlight. You go on sunlight, seeing the sunlight, and you just take the words of Bhagavad-gita, "Now here is Krsna." Then you will understand, "Here is God." And factually you will see.
(More...) Prabhupada: Sabdaḥ khe paurusam nrsu... [break] You try to see Krsna as advised by Him. Don't try to see Krsna in your own way. Then you will never find. You try to see Krsna... Why they say that "We have not seen God"? The God is represented in so many ways. You take God's advice and try to see Him as He advises. Then you will see God. That's a fact. I do not... Why do they say that "We have not seen God"? You are seeing always God. You are seeing the sunlight. You are seeing the moonlight. You are smelling the good flavor of flower. You are reading, if you are scholar, you are reading Vedas. Om tad visnoḥ... He says, "This om," pranavaḥ sarva-vedesu, "in the Vedic mantra, the omkara is I am." Then, paurusam nrsu. Any wonderful work, if somebody has done, that is Krsna.
(More...) Imported quote 17638 So tavehitam janaḥ. Janaḥ, public, if they do it, then sa eva pasyanti. Such person... What will be the result? By this srnvanti gayanti grnanty abhiksnasaḥ, by this process, what will be result? The result will be sa eva, ta eva pasyanti: "They will be able to see You-simply by this process." Has anybody seen Krsna? Krsna cannot be seen. Ataḥ sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaiḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136].
(More...) So if you follow this process, srnvanti gayanti grnanty abhiksnasaḥ smaranti nandanti, then ta eva pasyanti. When? Acirena: "Very soon." Not that after millions of years. No. Acirena: "Immediately." If he is actually serious, if he has no offense, then acirena. Srnvan... Acirena, ta eva pasyanty acirena tavakam. "Your..." What is that? "Your..." Padambujam: "He can see Your lotus feet." Athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi, janati tattvam [SB 10.14.29]. Padambuja-dvaya-prasada-lesa... If one can see... Naham prakasaḥ sarvasya yogamaya sa... [Bg 7.25]. Nobody can see. But if one is fortunate, if he can see... That is possible by this process, srnvanti gayanti. That is possible. Then what will be the result? The result is bhava-pravaha uparamam, finish this business. What is that business? Working hard, day and night, without any aim of life. This will be finished. As soon as one is able to see the padambujam, lotus feet of Krsna, then immediately, bhava-pravaham.
(More...) So here the devotees, they are not impersonalists. They first of all see the lotus feet of Krsna, not that "No hand, no leg, no head." They means... Just like Upanisad, the Brahma-samaj, Rabindranath Tagore. So he addresses, "Ohe, tumi..." No, "Ohe tumi..." Who is that "Ohe," they do not know. Ohe. Impersonalist. Ohe tumi. In the Brahma-samaj, they pray, "Ohe." "Ohe." Why "Ohe"? If you know God, then you address Him by His name. Just like we say, he krsna karuna-sindho... We know what is God. We don't say, "Ohe." Ohe. Why...? No. We know, "He Krsna," directly address Krsna, he krsna karuna-sindho dina-bandho jagat-pate. So that is the benefit of the devotee. By this process, srnvanti gayanti grnanti, you immediately, acirena, very soon, the more you are sincere, you'll be able to see first of all the lotus feet of the Lord. Padambujam, the lotus feet of the Lord, you'll be able to see.
(More...) And that is the way of seeing. First of all, you have to see the lotus feet. Then, gradually, the thighs. And then, then... At last, the beautiful face. Therefore the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the First Canto, Second Canto are two lotus feet of the Lord. We have to read very carefully, because we have to see, first of all, padambujam. Don't go all of a sudden to see the face of the Lord, just like the sahajiyas did. Their reading of Bhagavata means rasa-lila. Rasa-lila is the smiling of Krsna, where Krsna is personally enjoying very sweet smiling. So you don't try to see the smiling of Krsna immediately. First of all see, try to see, the lotus feet of Krsna, padambujam. Then gradually rise. When you are accustomed to see, as soon as you close your eyes, immediately see Krsna's lotus..., then you go further, go further, go further, go further. And that is Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, Second Canto, Third Canto, Fourth Canto. In this way, you have to go to the Tenth Canto. Then Tenth Canto means the head. And then, in the Tenth Canto, the chapters Twenty-nine through Thirty-five chapter, that is smiling. Don't try to see Krsna smiling immediately. Then you will be baffled. It requires qualification, and it requires time, but if Krsna is pleased, He can show His plea..., I mean, smiling immediately. That is special favor. But the general way is to see, first of all, the lotus feet of Krsna and make your endeavor perfectly done by this sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ, srnvanti gayanti [SB 7.5.23].
(More...) Imported quote 18216 So the bhakti gives you chance to see Krsna, as you can see now. Of this seeing or any other kind of seeing, they are the same thing; there is no difference. When Arjuna was seeing Krsna face to face-Krsna was teaching Bhagavad-gita-that seeing of Krsna and when you read Bhagavad-gita, it is the same thing. There is no difference. Somebody, they say that "Arjuna was fortunate enough to see Krsna face to face and take instruction." That is not correct. Krsna, He can be seen immediately, provided you have got eyes to see. Therefore it is said, premanjana-cchurita... Prema and bhakti, the same thing. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti [Bs 5.38].
(More...) Imported quote 24233 Our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, writes: "By ignorance only the conditioned soul wrongly thinks that he is a product of the material nature and that the Personality of Godhead is also a product of matter. But in fact, the Personality of Godhead and the living being are transcendental and have nothing to do with the material nature When nescience is removed, then it is perfectly realized that there is nothing existing without the Personality of Godhead. As the gross and subtle bodies are emanations from the Personality of Godhead, the revival of transcendental knowledge permits one to engage both of them in the service of the Lord." The gross body can be engaged in rendering service, cleaning the temple, distributing Krsna conscious literature and bowing down in the temple, and the subtle mind can hear and think of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. The realization by which one can change his activities into transcendental activities develops without apprehension in execution of the bhakti path. Narada grasped this at once by his superior attraction for the Supreme Personality of Godhead-through the most effective method of hearing from pure souls. As Narada tells it, "The flow of my devotional service began." Devotional service is natural to everyone, but it is choked up and suspended due to our being covered by modes of passion and ignorance. In Narada's case, the pure sound vibration of unadulterated devotees speaking the glories of the Supreme Lord at once removed the material coverings and his devotional service thus began. Or in other words, the eternal being who was residing in the body of the maidservant's son woke up, and the ultimate goal-love of God-became manifest in his heart. Narada's position before his teachers is a model for the disciple who wishes to attain success even within one lifetime: "I was very much attached to the bhakti-vedantas. I was gentle in behavior, and all my sins became eradicated in my heart. I had strong faith in them; I had subjugated the senses and was strictly following the bhakti-vedantas with body and mind."
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