Bhagavad-gītā 7.1 [Hindi] – August 26, 1975, Vṛndāvana

Harikesa: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. [devotees chant responsively] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

[01:39]

Prabhupada:

The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna is talking about Himself. Sri-bhagavan. Our sense organs eyes, ears, nose, hands, legs etc, ten senses and mind, if we want to understand God through these senses, that is not possible. Because our eyes are material and God is spiritual. Just like there are so many devotees who come to see the Lord here, some say that, look! They have made a statue out of stone and these foolish people come to see that. Because he does not have the eyes, he sees God as stone. And those who have the eyes, they spend thousands of rupees to come and see the Lord in Vrndavana. This is the only difference. The Lord has come to give us darsana. Because we do not know about the Lord, therefore the Supreme Lord appeared here in His incarnation as Krsna and He left behind His instructions in the form of Bhagavad-gita and He is sitting here as the Deity form so that everyone can see Him. So to understand God is not difficult. Just like, you are hearing someone's instructions and also seeing him in the form of a deity, so then it is not difficult to understand about him. So that is why the Lord Himself, in the seventh chapter of Bhagavad-gita, is explaining about Himself. Sri-bhagavan uvaca. It is not that Vyasadeva is saying. Vyasadeva is writing, Sri-bhagavan uvaca, the Supreme Lord is speaking about Himself. If you want to know about me, however much you may speculate about it, your knowledge will not be complete. Until I reveal you myself that, I am like this, I have so many temples, I have so much property, I have so many books, then you will be able to understand. That is why the Supreme Lord says, Sri-bhagavan uvaca. What is He saying? mayy asakta-manaḥ. For one who has attachment for the Lord, for one who has love for the Lord. Asakti, just like you have attachment for your child, attachment for your husband, attachment for your wife. Similarly if you can develop attachment for the Supreme Lord then you can understand Him. Not by any other method.

If one has love for the Lord, then the Lord personally gives him darsana. And if we speculate according to our own whims like the Lord is like this, the Lord has a form like this, or He is formless, or this and that. No one can understand the Lord in that way. It is not possible. So this attachment, if one wants to increase the attachment, then the only means is the process of devotional service. That is why the Lord says,

To increase the attachment to the Lord, we have to take shelter of the Supreme Lord. mad-asrayaḥ, take the shelter of the Lord. But if you say that the Lord is not present before me! How do I take shelter of Him? So mad-asrayaḥ means that either you take the shelter of the Lord or you take the shelter of that person who has taken the shelter of the Lord. Mad-asrayaḥ, those who do not anything else but the Lord, mad-asrayaḥ, they have taken complete shelter of the Lord, that's all. We have to take shelter of such a person.

Those who take shelter of the Lord, they are seers of the truth. How has he seen the truth? Who takes shelter of the Lord? The devotees of the Lord. Who else will take? And the Lord says,

Only the devotees can understand the Lord. The mental speculators cannot, the mystic yogis cannot, the materialistic persons cannot. The Lord says, no. Those who engage in fruitive activities, "karmana mam abhijanati." No. "Jnanena mam abhijanati." No. "yogena mam abhijanati" No. He can know partially only. The Lord is sac-cid-ananda vigraha [eternal, full of knowledge and bliss]. Fruitive activities cannot give any clue about the Supreme Lord. The jnanis or dry mental speculators realize something, that is sad-amsa: the sat: eternity aspect of the absolute truth. The Lord is om tat sat, [Bg 17.23] that they realize. Sad vastu, eternal, the mental speculators know this much, not more. And the yogis realize the Paramatma feature of the Lord. The Lord is realized in three features,

So, Brahman realization, Paramatma realization and Bhagavad realization. So Bhagavad realization is ultimate. First is Brahman realization, impersonal Brahman. Then as we go further, the yogis realize this, dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yogino [SB 12.13.1]

They meditate and realize Paramatma in their hearts. They are called yogis. So the first realization is Brahman realization, then if we go ahead a little then it is Paramatma realization and if we still go further ahead it is Bhagavat realization. If one realizes the Bhagavan feature of the Lord, then that includes the Brahman realization and Paramatma realization also. He is in complete knowledge. Just like it is said in the Bhagavad-gita,

Those who are impersonalists and who do not accept the form of the Supreme Lord, they are called jnani. Jnani means who has acquired complete knowledge of the Absolute Truth. 'Aham brahmasmi' "I am not this material body. I am Brahman." One who has this complete knowledge he is called a brahma-jnani an impersonalist. And brahma-bhūtaḥ, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannatma, [Bg 18.54] one whose soul becomes blissful. So in the Brahman realization, the Lord can be realized partially not completely. Complete knowledge will be achived only when, just like the Lord says, asamsayam samagram. Samagram means complete, not partial. Partial knowledge is Brahman realization, if you advance further then Paramatma realization and complete knowledge,

For one who realizes Vasudeva, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya: I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Vasudeva. Why knowledge of Vasudeva? Because He is the son of Vasudeva. In your Vrndavana, He is Vasudeva, in Vrndavana, He is svayam bhagavan: [the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.] And in Mathura, He is Vasudeva. Lord Krsna never leaves Vrndavana and and goes anywhere else. All His other pastimes are as Vasudeva, Vasudevaḥ sarvam iti. Through His Vasudeva form, He performs all His pastimes. In Mathura the killing of Kamsa was in His Vasudeva form. And in Vrndavana in His pastimes with the cowherd boys and the gopis, He is Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. This is the conclusion. So the Lord has unlimited pastimes, unlimited forms,

So this youthful Lord, you can see the Deity of the Lord, all the time He is youthful. He looks like a fifteen- twenty years old boy. He is fifteen- twenty years old. When the Lord became Arjuna's charioteer, He was a grandfather, great grandfather but even at that time He looked freshly youthful. That is the form of the Lord, nava-yauvanam ca, ever youthful, very beautiful to behold.

Just by having knowledge of the Vedas, it is very difficult to understand the Supreme Lord. Even the great Vedantists fail in their attempt to understand the Lord. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. [Bg 15.15] Although, the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Bhagavan, it is so difficult that even great scholars cannot understand Him. Vedesu durlabham. Then how to understand the Lord? Adurlabham atma-bhaktau. For the devotee of the Lord, adurlabham, it is very easy, easily he can understand. The Lord explains to them and they accept His word. The Lord says,

Who will understand this? The Supreme Lord says, there is nobody superior to Me. Who will understand this? Other than a devotee! The non devotees will argue that, "look, He is talking nonsense that there is no one superior to Me." And if one is a devotee he will understand that, "yes!"

A person who is a devotee of the Lord, he will understand that this Krsna, He is paramesvara: the Supreme controller, Īsvaraḥ paramaḥ. Īsvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ sac-cid-ananda, His body is sac-cid-ananda. Sat, cit, ananda body. By impersonal Brahman realization, one can get realization of His sat [eternal feature.] And the Paramatma realization is realization of His cit [awareness feature.] And realization of Bhagavad, is realization of sat, cit, ananda features. Ananda, anandamayo 'bhyasat [He is by nature full of bliss.] [Vedanta-sūtra 1.1.12]

So the final stage of realization of the all-blissful nature of the Lord is anandamaya, blissful. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis.

To understand the ananda-cinmaya-vigrah form of the Lord, the only process is,

This can be achieved only through devotional service, there is no other way. And how should one develop devotional service? That is also explained by the Lord, mayy asakti, we must increase our attachment for the Lord. Just like you come to the temple, so if you come daily, then your attachment will automatically increase. Here when the arati is being performed and you come to see the Lord, it is scriptural injunction, someone plays the karatalas, someone sees the Lord, someone plays gong, someone drinks the caranamrta, in some way or the other you go there and your attachment will keep increasing. That is why the temples are open, to increase the attachment of the ordinary living entity towards the Lord. Then we can get the vision of the Lord. That is why the Lord says mayy asakta, one who increases his attachment for the Lord and His topics, his knowledge of the Lord is complete. Asamsayam, there is no doubt about this. Asamsayam samagram mam, and who is telling this? The Lord Himself, asamsayam samagram.

Everybody is doubtful. Actually in other religions there is no clear understanding about the Lord. And in our Vedic dharma also, which is, especially the brahma-jnani, they do not have correct, clear knowledge. And the devotees , not only do they have knowledge about the Lord but they will tell you that, this is His name, His father's name is this, His address is this, they will tell everything. And for a non devotee the knowledge about the Lord is not clear because there is no attachment for the Lord. So we need to first increase our attachment for the Lord. Mayy asakta-manaḥ, only one who has attachment for the Lord can understand the Lord. Asamsayam and samagram. asamsayam means there is no doubt.

Just like you are all devotees of Krsna assembled here, none of you have any doubt that Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, asamsayam. And samagram knowledge, one who has knowledge about Bhagavan, then his Brahman realization and Paramatma realization is also included. Brahma janati iti brahmana. To increase the attachment for the Lord, Rūpa Gosvami a devotee of the Lord who discovered Vrndavana, this Vrndavana was just a piece of land. The Gosvamis- Rūpa, Sanatana, Bhatta Raghunatha, Sri Jiva, Gopala Bhatta, Dasa Raghunatha, these six Gosvamis came here and unfolded Vrndavana. That is why the Madana Mohana Mandir was built first. So, this Rūpa Gosvami who has the Govindaji's mandir, he has explained how the attachment will be increased. In his Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu, he has given the way. What is the way? Adau sraddha. Just like, you have got faith that is why you have come and those who do not have faith they get up and go away. If you explain to them about God, they don't like it. If you talk about anything else they will sit and listen. But they don't like topics related to the Supreme Lord or talks on devotional service to the Supreme Lord. No attachment. So first of all faith, to listen to the topics of the Lord, that is faith.

After developing faith, we must associate with sadhus or saintly persons. Who is a sadhu? If we say by wearing saffron clothes we have become sadhu, no. That is not a sadhu. Who is a sadhu then?

He is a sadhu. This has been told by the Lord Himself this. Who is a sadhu? "A sadhu is one who worships Me without any deviation, he does not know anything other than Me, He is a sadhu." No one else is a sadhu. Sadhavaḥ sadhu-bhūsanaḥ, sadhu-bhūsanaḥ. [SB 3.25.21] Sadhu, the Lord Himself says, just like the Lord is Himself explaining about His own self. Similarly Lord has also explained as to who is a sadhu, who is a mahatma. Who is a sadhu? Bhajate mam ananya-bhak, those who know nothing other than the Supreme Lord. Other than Lord Krsna he knows nothing else, he is a sadhu. And who is a mahatma?

The same requirement. Ananya-bhak and ananya-manaso are the same thing. Those who are constantly engaged in devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why the process of devotional service, you are seeing these Europeans and Americans have come here, they do not know anything else, they have accepted Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and are constantly chanting, you can see,

These are the sadhus and mahatmas. That is why it is appropriate to associate with sadhus, to associate with these people. This is not a correct outlook that they are foreigners and should not go into the temples because they are Englishmen or American. No! We should not indulge in, vaisnave jati buddhi [to consider a vaisnava as belonging to a particular caste.]

A Vaisnava does not belong to any particular caste. Just like Hanuman! Hanumanji was not even a human being, an animal. A monkey is an animal. So why do we worship Hanuman? Does anyone worship monkeys? If by a caste mentality, we say that Hanumanji belongs to the monkey caste so why should we worship him? No! We should not consider a Vaisnava an ordinary person on the basis of birth, caste. Arcye sila-dhir, we have the Deity, arca-mūrti of the Lord and if someone thinks that it stone. And arcye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matiḥ, and the spiritual master, a bonafide spiritual master or acarya, if someone considers him to be an ordinary person and similarly if they consider a Vaisnava to belong to a certain caste, then according to the scriptures, they have naraki-buddhi [hellish mentality.] That kind of mentality is not proper. Whoever engages in devotional service of the Supreme Lord is a sadhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, krsna-bhajanete nahi jati-kuladi-vicara. [Cc Antya 4.67]

Those who have come to engage in devotional service to Krsna, their caste, creed should not be taken into consideration. God is open to everyone.

Even though born as the lowest, lowest grade of family, in canḍala [dog-eater family], there is no impediment in this. Just like in the river Yamuna everyone goes to take a bath, is there any impediment? Everybody can go. A sweeper can go and have a bath. What is the fault in that? He can also get purified. And a Brahmana, priest, sadhu, sannyasi they can also go. There is no restriction on anyone. Similarly there is no restriction on anyone for executing devotional service to the Supreme Lord. It is open for everyone because in reality the living entity is spiritual, a part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If gold is lying in a dirty place, won't anyone pick it up still? Definitely he will take. The gold is not impure. Canakya Panḍita also says this in Niti-vakya, amedhyad api kancanam. If in a very filthy place there is gold, one must take it, one must accept it. amedhyad api kancanam.

So to increase this attachment Rūpa Gosvami says, adau sraddha, first thing is faith, belief. There is God here. People go to the temple not come to see a stone, they know here is Bhagavan. This is called faith, God is here definitely. Adau sraddha tataḥ sadhu-sahgo, they come here with faith and if they want to increase that faith then they must associate with devotees who are engaged in devotional service unto the Supreme Lord.

By mixing with the sadhus we associate with them. Then when we advance further through the association of the sadhus, then there is bhajana-kriya, then we will also think let us serve the Supreme Lord as the sadhus are doing. I will also chant the names of Hari, bhajana-kriya.

When we chant the holy names of the Lord all the anarthas, anartha means things which has no value, unwanted things that we have learnt from bad association, all that will be destroyed. Anartha-nivrttiḥ syat. Just like smoking biḍis, does anyone die if he does not smoke biḍis? This is unwanted activity that he learns from bad association. Similarly by good association all these things can be given up. Look at these Americans, their daily activities are illicit sex, meat eating, drinking wine and gambling but they have given it all up. Anartha-nivrttiḥ syat. Gave up everything, this is the result of sadhu-sahga.

Then his faith becomes stronger, firm faith in devotional service. Tato nistha tato rucis, develops a taste, he develops a taste for hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord. Tathasaktis, after developing this taste, then comes the stage of asakti [attachment.] This attachment, the Lord….let us start from the beginning, first of all faith, then association of sadhus, then giving up of unwanted habits, then firm faith and taste-after surpassing these five stages then the stage of attachment comes. One cannot give up the Supreme Lord Lord at all, he becomes intoxicated with that. By giving up the intoxications like bidis, cigarettes, wine, opium, when one becomes addicted to this Krsna-intoxication that I cannot leave the Lord ever, that is called attachment. So, mayy asakta-manaḥ

So for a person who is so attached to the Lord, it is a liberated stage. To have such attachment to the Lord is not an ordinary stage, not on a material stage. Because,

Devotion, if one is a devotee of the Lord, hewill have no interest in the unwanted activities at all, he will give up voluntarily. This is the symptom of devotion. And if you are a devotee and are smoking a biḍis as well, that will not do. That is also ok, as sometimes it may be the case, but one should gladly give them up. By practice it is possible. Suppose a person gave up everything, but due to his old habit he may become implicated. Even for him the Lord has said, api cet su-duracaro, doesn't matter but is his devotional service all right or not? Bhajate mam ananya-bhak, is his bhajana all right or not? If that is all right then, sadhur eva sa mantavyaḥ, then he is a sadhu. If he does not give up the process of devotional service, and because of his old habit he sometimes smokes a biḍi, he is pardoned. But those who willfully indulge in these intoxications, it is difficult for them to atone for it. No!

So this yoga, we have to practice. What is the practice for bhakti-yoga?

You execute devotional service through these nine processes. If nothing else, then at least come here and listen, sravanam. Just by hearing constantly you will achieve everything.

The more you hear about the topics of the Lord, the more your sins will be destroyed and you will earn piety. And when all your sins are completely eradicated and you have only piety then you can understand God.

Only those whose sins are completely eradicated can be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord with firm faith. This is said by the Lord. The Lord is supremely pure and by remaining impure no one can approach the Lord. One has to be pure.

Arjuna understood the Lord, what did he understand? Pavitram paramam. If we want God then we have to become pure also. It is not that we can remain impure and yet understand God. But by engaging in devotional service one becomes purified. Srnvatam sva-kathaḥ krsnaḥ punya-sravana-kirtanaḥ. That is why, it is appropriate that you come to the temple of the Lord, see the Lord, listen to Lord's glories, sravanam. And not only sravanam, after hearing you must do kirtanam. Whatever you have heard about the Lord you explain it to others. That is called kirtanam. Sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ. Who should we talk about? Visnu, not about anyone else.

These are the processes. So those who have come to Vrndavana it is appropriate for them to hear the topics of the Lord and slowly become pious only. Those who are not pious cannot understand the Lord. That is why we need to hear. Those who, due to not being pious, have no taste or faith in hearing the Lord's glories... But slowly it will happen, nothing happens in one day, but these are the processes.

There is no use in taking shelter of an outsider, mad-asrayaḥ. Either directly take the shelter of the Lord or take the shelter of a person who is completely surrendered at the lotus feet of the Lord. Then we can understand the Lord completely and without any doubt. This is what the the Supreme Lord is advising. We will discuss further.

Thank you very much! Hare Krsna! Jaya! [end]