Bhagavad-gītā 7.6 – March 25, 1972, Bombay

Bhagavad-gita 7.6
-
March 25, 1972, Bombay

720325BG-BOMBAY [36:14 Minutes]

I am the origin of everything

Prabhupada:

So, as we have explained last morning, all these different forms, both living and not living, jaḍa cetana, animate and inanimate-everything-they are products of the two energies of Krsna: apara and para, inferior and superior. The inanimate is inferior energy-product of the inferior energy-and animate is the product of superior energy. But both of them are energies, and they are combination. They are combination in this material world. In the spiritual world there is no display of inferior energy; there is only that superior energy, cetana, cidya-vat[?].

The spiritual world is therefore called living world. There is no manifestation of this acetana, or inanimate. There are also varieties, as we have got here. There is water, there are trees, there is land. Not nirvisesa, not impersonal-everything is there-but they are all made of the superior energy. It is described that Yamuna River is flowing with her waves, but when Krsna comes on the bank of the Yamuna, the waves stop to hear Krsna's flute. These are the description. When Krsna passes through the roads of Vrndavana, the fruits and flowers, they offer their obeisances, and Krsna understands, and He takes. This is the position of the spiritual world.

From this material world we cannot conjecture or imagine what is spiritual world, but we can simply understand anubhava, by perceiving, by realizing. There are two energies-that we can understand very easily. Just like the difference between a living man and a dead man, that you can realize; anyone can realize. The dead man means that spiritual energy is no longer there. The scientist, the so-called scientist, they say there is no such thing as spiritual energy or soul. The bodily function have stopped; therefore a man is dead. So if it is only material, then why it is not re-enervated? It could be reinstated. Just like a material car stops to run: you go to a gas station, get some gas, again the car runs. Similarly, if this body is simply lump of matter, then when it stops to move, then why not give something material so that it can again rise up and move?

There are so many arguments in this connection. If the materialist scientist argue that the blood has become white, therefore the movement is stopped, so the answer should be the blood can be colored by so many scientific methods. And if redness of the blood, natural redness of the blood, is the source of life, then there are many jewels that are naturally red. Why they are not living?

So these arguments cannot be applied. The real thing is that the soul, individual soul, because the individual soul has passed away, therefore the body is dead. You cannot say that the life-giving substance or ingredients are lacking. No. That is not. The life-giving ingredients are there. If you say there are life-giving ingredients-I mean to say that material ingredients in which the soul was enwrapped-that is already there. And the life-giving force, that is also there, because the dead body, immediately after decomposition, is giving, growing or breeding so many germs. So the life…, you cannot say that life-giving ingredients are lacking. There is already; otherwise how these germs are coming out? So these arguments are not sound arguments. The real position is, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, etad-yonini sarvani. Etad-yonini sarvani…, etad-yonini bhūtani sarvanity upadharaya [Bg 7.6].

So everything is going on by combination of these two energies. And because these two energies are emanating from Krsna, therefore Krsna is the origin of creation. This is the conclusion. Krsna is the original cause. Krsna says also, aham sarvasya prabhavo [Bg 10.8]: "I am the origin of everything." The Vedanta-sūtra says that Absolute Truth, Supreme Personality of Godhead, is He from who everything generates: janmady asya yataḥ. These are the statements of the Vedic literature, and the conclusion is that Krsna is the origin of everything, sarva-karana-karanam, the cause of all causes.

Here Krsna says, aham krtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayas tatha. Krsna says, prabhavaḥ pralayas tatha. Here in this material world, we experience that things are generated, or born, and again they are finished, vanquished. So the cause of generation is also Krsna, and the cause of vanquishing is also Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, aham sarva-haras ca... Aham sarva-mrtyu: "At last I am… As death I take away everything from the living entity." Aham sarva-haras ca mrtyu, mrtyu aham, sarva-haras [Bg 10.34]. So at the time of death we lose everything, whatever we have gained. So who takes away? Therefore Krsna's another name is Hari. Hari means "taking away," hara, harati dipati[?], He takes away. So for the devotee He takes away all the material miseries, and for the nondevotee He takes away everything what he has created. Therefore He is called Hari.

Tasmad sarvatmana bharata bhagavan isvaro hariḥ, smartavya. This was the instruction of Sukadeva Gosvami to Pariksit Maharaja, that tasmad bharata sarvatma bhagavan isvaro hariḥ. Hari, another name of Bhagavan. He is Hari. Īsvaro bhagavan hariḥ smartavya-always to remember; kirtitavyas ca-always to be glorified; smartavyas kirtitavyas ca. In this way the Bhagavata says. So this Krsna consciousness movement is a process: always remembering Hari. Bhagavan isvaro hariḥ smartavyas kirtitavyas ca. These are the instruction.

So Krsna is the cause of all causes. Now here there is difference between Mayavadi philosophy and Vaisnava philosophy. Now here our Vaisnava philosophy is that everything is created as the product of the energy of the Supreme Lord. The Mayavadi theory is that the Lord has become everything. The Lord has become everything, that is all right; but that does not mean that there is no more Lord. This is material conception. Just like if you take a piece of paper and make it into fragments, many fragments, and throw it, the original piece of paper is no longer existing. This is material thing.

But spiritual… Krsna, by His energy, has produced innumerable universes, and in each and every universe there are innumerable planets, and each and every planet there are innumerable mountains, rivers, seas and their by-products. In this way, the whole existence is there, one after another. How things are happening like that, they are also described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, after another, one after another. Just from the sky there is sound, and from sound there is air, from air there is fire, from fire there is water, from water there is earth.

So it is not that this Krsna consciousness movement is a sentimental movement. It is based on fully scientific basis. But people do not understand the science. They are simply, I mean to say, allured by the experimental science. The experimental science is very limited. Everything is experimental, but we do not know the process how to make this experiment. Otherwise, science means experimental science. But our knowledge, our activities are so limited that we cannot experiment higher analytical process. That is not possible.

Just like I have several times given this example: just like there is a flower. The flower is fructifying from the plant, but there is a process. We see all of a sudden in the morning there is a nice rose flower, but we evade the experimental knowledge-because we cannot do it. We say "by nature." This nature is prakrti. This prakrti is described here: para prakrti, apara prakrti.

So this nature is working not blindly-under the direction of Krsna. Just like you have got some energy. That energy you can utilize as you like, not that all of a sudden the energy comes out from your body and it acts. Suppose you have got the energy to give somebody a blow. This energy is there in your body, but when you like, when you desire to use this energy, then it acts. Not that the energy automatically comes out. No. Similarly, this energy, this material energy and the spiritual energy, they are Krsna's energies. When He likes, He exhibits. Therefore Krsna says, mayadhyaksena prakrtiḥ sūyate sa-caracaram [Bg 9.10]. When He desires, there is creation. When He desires, there is annihilation. In the Bible also it is said, "God said 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." This is fact.

But the so-called scientists, they cannot explain that how God said "Let there be creation," and there was creation. So because the so-called scientists, they are thinking in terms of their own knowledge. When the scientist want to create something, they require the implements, they require the ingredients, they require the facilities, they require the laboratory and so many things. But parasya saktir vividhaiva srūyate: God's energy is so perfect that as soon as He desires, everything is performed automatically.

Now in this age of electronics we find very easily that you simply… Just like the airplanes, they are running in electronics, big mechanical process by electronics, simply by the pilot is pushing one button and so many things are happening. So if it is possible for the material scientist to discover such nice mechanical arrangement-by simply by pushing on the button such wonderful things take place-why not Krsna's energy, as soon as He desires, everything takes place? What is the difficulty? He is omnipotent, He is all-powerful, He is energetic. The energies are working, but the energies are working so quickly and swiftly and subtly that we cannot see how they work. That is the difference. Because due to our dull brain we cannot appreciate; we simply say "nature," but we cannot explain what is that nature.

So therefore the Vedic literature, we should accept as they are. They are perfect. Vedic literature we give authority because they are so perfect. Everything is scientific and perfect. Simply we have to accept it. We'll save our time to… [break] …the cow dung is pure, antiseptic. We get the information from Vedas. The Vedas also say that any stool of animal is impure, but another place it says that the cow dung is pure. Now from our point of view we shall speak it is contradiction. No, it is not contradiction; it is actual statement. If you analyze cow dung, you will find it is full of antiseptic properties.

So our this Vedic process of understanding is very perfect, and all the acaryas, they accept: sruti-pramana. Just like here this statement of Krsna, Srila Ramanujacarya has quoted many Vedic statement how Krsna's this claim, that "I am the origin of everything. I am the creator of everything," that is given evidences from Vedas, Munḍaka Upanisad: maha na vyakta liyate avyakta isvarye akare liyate akaran tamasi liyate tamah pare devi eki bhavati[?]

So these are Vedic statements how things are emanating from the origin of all causes, and how they are again going back. Just like in the Brahma-samhita:

These are Vedic statements.

Yasmad bhavanti. In the Upanisads also, yato va imani bhūtani jayante [Taittiriya Upanisad 3.1].

So the statements of Bhagavad-gita, because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are exactly the Vedic statement. But to make it easier for our understanding, for the people of this age, Krsna left this Bhagavad-gita spoken by Himself personally. So unfortunately, there are so many rascals, they misinterpret this Bhagavad-gita. They do not understand Bhagavad-gita from the disciplic succession.

Krsna said that this Bhagavad-gita should be understood in disciplic succession:

This is transcendental knowledge. We should hear from the authority, as it is, not by changing according to my whims. That is going on nowadays, that everyone can interpret in his own way. Yato mat tato path, "If you have got your own opinion, that is also nice." How your opinion can be nice? Every one of us are imperfect. We have got four defects: we commit mistake, we are illusioned, our senses are imperfect and we want to cheat. How we can give perfect knowledge? It is not possible. You cannot get perfect knowledge for the conditioned soul, however he may be educated in this. That is not education. Real education is one who knows the Vedas. One who knows, one who has understood the Vedic knowledge from the disciplic succession, that is perfect knowledge.

Just like yesterday evening we were explaining dharma-jnana. Dharma-jnanadibhiḥ saha [SB 1.3.43]. Dharma and jnana, these should be understood very perfectly from the authorities. You cannot create dharma, you cannot have perfect knowledge, unless you take it from the authority. So this authority, Krsna, Supreme Personality of Godhead, accepted by all acaryas. Not that because we are preaching Krsna consciousness and therefore we are advocating that Krsna is the supreme authority. He is accepted supreme authority by all acaryas: Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka, Visnusvami, Lord Caitanya-everyone. Krsnas tu bhagavan… Vyasadeva, Devala, Asita-everyone, all the Vedic literature.

So we should take in that way. We should not try to interpret Bhagavad-gita in a whimsical way, as "I think," "This may be." Just like sometime one doctor, medical practitioner of your city in Bombay, he has also written a comment on the Bhagavad-gita, and he has explained that Arjuna is a patient and Krsna is the doctor, medical man. So he is explaining physiology and anatomy [laughter], you see. So this is going on. Mahatma Gandhi, he wanted the nonviolence, so he interpreted Bhagavad-gita in his own way to prove nonviolence. But where is nonviolence in Bhagavad-gita? It is spoken on the battlefield. So somebody, somebody-there are so many commentaries, they are misleading. We should not be misled; we should take Bhagavad-gita as it is, and then we will profit out of it. Otherwise we shall be misled.

Here Krsna says that aham sarvasya prabhavo, pralayas tatha: "I am the origin of all emanations, and I am the ultimate rest after pralaya, after annihilation," conservation of energies. Yasmad bhavanti vibhavanti visanti. Bhavanti means "comes out," "emanates"; and vibhavanti, "enriches," "flourished"; and visanti. This is the way of material existence. It comes out, it takes birth at a certain point and it remains. Just like our body, your body, it is born at a certain date and it will stay for a certain duration of time, and on a certain date it will vanish. This is the process of. So Krsna is the origin of the birth, Krsna is the maintainer and Krsna is the annihilator. The form by which He creates, that is Brahma, of this material world. The form by which He maintains, that is Visnu. And the form by which He annihilates, that is Lord Siva. Brahma, Visnu, Mahesa.

Actually, Krsna is everything, just like He expands Himself for managing different department. The creation department is Brahma, guna-avatara. Therefore Brahma is called rajo-guna-avatara, and Visnu is personally sattva-guna-avatara, and Lord Siva is tamo-guna-avatara. So Krsna personally becomes three, and maintains this material world under three departmental managers. But we are concerned with the sattva-guna. We are concerned with the sattva-guna-avatara, Visnu, not with the rajo-guna and tamo-guna. Sattva-guna means maintenance, existence.

So our philosophy: to exist, not to annihilate and not to be created. This Krsna consciousness movement means that "Now, henceforward, I shall exist. I shall neither take birth, neither I shall annihilate." If you take birth then you have to be annihilated, but if you don't take birth there is no question of annihilation-you simply exist. So that can be possible by Krsna consciousness. Krsna says, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvataḥ [Bg 4.9].

If you simply try to understand Krsna: how Krsna appears, how Krsna disappears, why Krsna comes, what does He do-so many things. If you read Bhagavad-gita, you simply think of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. If you read Srimad-Bhagavatam, you shall think of Krsna. If you associate with these Krsna conscious people, then you will always think of Krsna. In this way, when you become fully Krsna conscious, then the result is, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti: immediately you become eligible to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our mission. No more taking birth, no more annihilation. Exist eternally: na jayate na mriyate va. To come to that position-neither to die, neither to take birth.

So this is possible if we study this Bhagavad-gita according to the will and method given by the acaryas. Here is commentary by Ramanujacarya, who is very authorized comments. Similarly there are… These are not comments; they are explaining. Comments means I give some interpretation in my own way. So these are explanations, giving evidence from the Vedas.

So,

This should be concluded: that Krsna is the govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami-Brahma-samhita. Govindam adi-purusam. Adi-purusam means He is the origin of everything. Purusam adyam. Arjuna accepted Krsna after reading Bhagavad-gita:

"You are the purusa." Purusa. The Supreme Absolute Truth is never prakrti. Prakrti is the energy of the purusa. He is purusa-bhokta. So when you worship prakrti, material energy, or the spiritual energy… Spiritual energy is Radharani, and the material energy is Durga-devi. But they are under Krsna; they are not the supreme. They are working, mayadhyaksena prakrtiḥ sūyate sa-caracaram [Bg 9.10]. They are working under Krsna.

Therefore Krsna is original purusa, purusam adyam. Govindam adi-purusam. He is adi-purusa. He is only purusa, male, while all others are the female. Don't understand female means like this. Female means predominated, and male means predominator. So Krsna is always predominator, and everything is predominated. That is Krsna's position.

Mattaḥ parataram nanyat kincit asti dhananjaya [Bg 7.7]. Because He is the Supreme, all the energies are working under Him; therefore He says mattaḥ, "Beyond Me," parataram nanyat, "there is no more superior…, superior objective."

Just like in a necklace the pearls are woven in a thread, on a thread, so Krsna says, "Everything that you see, they are just like pearls, but they are resting on the thread, which I am." As soon as the thread is broken, they will be scattered. Similarly, Krsna is the resting place. In another sloka Krsna says,

Just like this example: the pearls, they are resting on the thread, but the pearl is not the thread. This is acintya-bhedabheda philosophy. Everything is resting, is emanation from Krsna, but not that everything is Krsna.

The Mayavada philosophy is that Krsna, as the Supreme, has expanded as everything-pantheism. Then why Krsna separately to be worshiped? Everything should be worshiped. No. That is not. Everything… The worshipable is the Supreme, Krsna. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru.

Krsna says, man-mana bhava: "You just think of Me." Although He is everything, He does not say that "You think of stone, you think of this or think of that," the Mayavadis are saying. No. He says, "Think of Me," man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. Not that "Because I am expanded as everything, therefore everything should be worshiped as Krsna." No.

So if we study Bhagavad-gita in this way, then we come to Krsna consciousness very easily. We have published Bhagavad-gita As It Is, so we request everyone to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is and take the profit out of it.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.

Devotees: All glories to Srila Prabhupada. [end]