Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.154 – November 24, 1975, Bombay

Simply I shall carry out the order of Krsna

So we were discussing other night about the three principal energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are multi-energies. Parasya saktir vividhaiva srūyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca [Cc Madhya 13.65, purport]. From sruti we understand that the Supreme Lord is full of potencies. Even we are. We are a small particle of the Supreme Lord; still, we are full of potencies. Just like you shave today, and tomorrow morning, by your own potency, the hairs again grown. We see actually things are happening. How it is happening, that we do not know, even in our body. But it is a fact it is happening. Things are happening. That means due to my potency. As soon as I leave this body there will be no more hair growth. The potency is gone. So as we are a small particle, mamaivamso jiva-bhūtaḥ... [Bg 15.7]. Jiva, the living entity, is a very small particle, one ten-thousandth part of the top point of hair. Kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca [Cc Madhya 19.140].

So such a small particle, atomic particle of the Supreme Lord, has got so much potencies. We see different varieties of life, different intelligence all over the world. What is that? Potency. So if we have got so much potencies, just imagine what Krsna, the Supreme Person, has got, potency.

So He has got potency. He is not niḥ sakti. He has got sakti. Parasya saktir vividhaiva srūyate svabhaviki jnana... Everything is happening on account of His potency. Just like in your body so many things are happening on account of potency, similarly, the gigantic universal form of the Lord-His potencies are working. Everything is happening. The tree is coming out, the fruit is coming out, the flower is coming out, the color is painted-everything. Svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. He hasn't got to do anything personally, but His potencies are acting. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. Nobody can be equal to Him or greater than Him. Sama. Asama-ūrdhva. In the Bhagavad-gita it is explained that Krsna is asama-ūrdhva. Nobody is greater than Him, and nobody is equal to Him. So anyone who is claiming equal to Him, they are less intelligent. They have no intelligence. Asama-ūrdhva. Na tasya samaḥ. Nobody is equal to Him, neither urdhva. Krsna says, mattaḥ parataram nanyat [Bg 7.7]: "Nobody is greater than Me." Therefore God is great. If somebody is equal to Him or greater than Him, then he is not God. God is Krsna.

He is the original cause of everything. So He has got... He is working. The whole cosmic manifestation is exhibited by His potency. That is described here: visnu-saktiḥ para prokta [Cc Madhya 6.154]. That is spiritual potency. Originally the God's potency, Krsna's potency-cit-sakti, sat-cit-ananda. God is sat, eternal; cit, full of knowledge; and anandamaya. Anandamayo 'bhyasat [Vedanta-sūtra 1.1.12]. You'll never see Krsna niranandamaya. [full of unhappiness] Even if He is killing a demon, He is smiling. That is also ananda. So the potencies of God, Krsna, Visnu-visnu saktiḥ para-they are not these ordinary potencies, material potency. Spiritual potency. Visnu-saktiḥ para prokta ksetrajnaḥ [Cc Madhya 6.154].

Ksetrajna means jiva. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita: ksetra-ksetrajnaḥ. The living soul is ksetrajna, and this body is ksetra. Ksetra-ksetrajnayor jnanam, yad jnanam tad jnanam matam mama [Bg 13.3]. If anyone understands what is this ksetra and ksetrajna and what is their relationship-ksetra-ksetrajnayor jnanam-that is jnana, not this material jnana. That is spiritual jnana. So ksetrajnakhya tatha para [Cc Madhya 8.153]. As God's potency is para... Para and apara. Originally everything is para. And apara means forgetfulness. This material world, we forget Krsna; therefore it is called apara. But there is another para. That is spiritual potency. There, there is no forgetfulness of Krsna. Everyone is Krsna conscious. So if you become Krsna conscious, then immediately you become para. Ksetrajnam akhya tatha para. Immediately you become para. Otherwise you remain in the apara, bhūmir apo 'nalo vayuḥ [Bg 7.4], this material contamination. Ksetrajnakhya tatha para.

Then what is this material potency? That is explained, avidya-karma-samjnanya trtiya saktir isyate. In between or besides this, para and apara, there is another sakti. That is avidya, ignorance, darkness. Avidya-karma-samjna. And in this potency everyone has to work. Karma-samjna. Without working, nobody can live here. You have to work. It is said that the lion is supposed to be the biggest animal, very powerful. So it is said in the Hitopadesa, na hi suptasya simhasya pravisanti mukhe mrgaḥ. Even if one is lion, if he thinks, "I am lion. Let me sleep, and the prey will automatically come within my mouth," no, that is not possible. You have to work. Anyone, whatever you may be, you have to work. Krsna also said in the Bhagavad-gita, sarira yatrapi te na prasiddhyed akarmanaḥ. [Bg 3.8] In this... This material world means everyone has to work. Otherwise he cannot live. Therefore it is called karma-samjna. Karma-samjna anya.

And avidya. If I am part and parcel of Krsna, and Krsna... Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. If Krsna has nothing to do, then-I am also part and parcel-I will also have nothing to do. Everything will be there, present. But that is our real constitutional position. We don't require to work. Everything is there for my enjoyment. But because we are now in this avidya, ignorance, this material darkness, therefore I have to work. Avidya-karma-samjna. Karma is meant for this materialistic person. Bhakta does not require to take to karma-karma, jnana, yoga, nothing. These are all material. Karma, jnana, yoga and bhakti. There are four primary principles for spiritual realization. So out of the four, karma, jnana and yoga, they are all material, but bhakti is not material. That is spiritual.

Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes,

If you want santi, then you have to become a devotee. Otherwise, yayatma samprasidati.

If you actually want peacefulness of your atma, then you have to learn bhaktir adhoksaje. And this action cannot be checked, ahaituki, if your bhakti is pure, without any motive. Bhakti means without any motive.

Bhakti has no other definition. Simple, pure. "Simply I shall carry out the order of Krsna," as Arjuna did, that is pure devotee. He is not under the resultant action. Anasritaḥ karma-phalam karyam karma karoti yaḥ [Bg 6.1].

One who does not expect the resultant action... Karmi, they are very much careful about getting the resultant action: "I am working so hard. I must have some material profit." That is karmi. Everyone in this material world, they are working so hard. Why? For some material profit. Therefore they are asanta.

Bhukti. Bhukti means sense enjoyment. So bhukti, mukti and siddhi. This is karmi, jnani, yogi. The karmis, they are expecting some good result, material result, sense enjoyment. That is karmi. And jnani, he is thinking that "Material result has no profit. I have tried for it, but I could not get any profit out of." Gatila janja. Ghatila janjala. [Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakura. Upadesa 4.2]

[I gave up the association of devotees to enjoy sense gratification in the association of common, nonsense men, and immediately Maya caught me and entangled me in the web of fruitive activities.]

So jnani means when he understands, "By acting for fruitive result, actually I have not gained anything." That is jnani. One cannot get actually any good result. That is not possible. That is ajnana. So jnani means one who understands that "We cannot get any good result by this karma. So let me become one with God." That is... He does not know that is higher expectation. The karmis are trying to become a big man, a big, very honorable man in the society, or minister or president. But when he is baffled... This is also wanting something, karmi. A jnani, he wants to stop the small business; he wants to become one with God. That is more dangerous expectation. So that is jnani. So they also cannot get peace, because there is demand. Karmis, they want something material, and the jnanis, they tries to become one with the Supreme. Ekatvam. [Bg. 6.31] Ekatvam meaning we make differently, but the jnanis-sayujya-mukti, to become one with God.

So they cannot be happy also, because there is want. The karmis, they have got want. They want something. And here also there is want, a different type of want. Karmi wants some material result, immediate sense gratification, and here is also sense gratification. He is expecting something impossible-"I want to become one with God." So they cannot also get peace. That is not possible. And yogi, they also wanting to be something, siddhi, asta-siddhi: anima, laghima, garima, prapti siddhi, isitva, vasitva. There are eight kinds of siddhis. The yogis want to get these siddhis and declare that he has become God, the same, like the jnani. People are hankering after. If some yogi, some..., play some yogic prakriya, magic: "Oh, here is God." He does not see the wonderful magic which is going on throughout the whole universe. A simple magic captivate them.

So Caitanya-caritamrtakara [the author of] therefore says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali asanta. They cannot get peace. That is not possible. Krsna-bhakta niskama [Cc Madhya 19.149]. Krsna bhakta, he doesn't want anything. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, at least, teaches us, and that is the... Anyabhilasita-sūnyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]: zero, no abhilasa. Anyabhilasita-sūnyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc Madhya 19.167].

In the platform of jnana there is demand: "I shall become one with God." And karma, there is demand: "I must have the highest form of material happiness." Therefore jnana-karmady-anavrtam: "without any tinge of jnana and karma." Anyabhilasita-sūnyam: "all material desires made zero, sūnyam." "Then I become zero?" No. That is your purity. When you are not contaminated by jnana, karma, yoga, that is your pureness. And that purity, anukūlyena krsnanu-silanam [Cc Madhya 19.167]. Simply always be ready to serve Krsna. Serve Krsna.

"Now, where is Krsna?" Yes, Krsna is there. You can serve. Krsna is present before you in His sound representation, Bhagavad-gita. Krsna is absolute, and His words, what He has spoken in the Bhagavad-gita, they are the same. Krsna's words and Krsna, they are not different. The material world means my words and me, we are different. But in the spiritual world the words, the name, the form, the pastimes of Krsna, they are as good as Krsna. Therefore, if you discuss on the instruction of Krsna, like Bhagavad-gita, then you are immediately in touch with Krsna. Abhinnatvad nama-naminoḥ [Cc Madhya 17.133]. There is no difference.

So anukūlyena krsnanu-silanam. If you want to abide by the orders of Krsna, anu-silanam... Anu-silanam means cultivation. The words are there. The words are not different from Krsna. So as soon as you take the words as it is, you immediately associate with Krsna. Otherwise, you take the instruction of guru, representative of Krsna. If you can please your guru, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadaḥ... [Sri Gurvastakam 8]. If you can please His representative, then you please Him. So in this way, krsnanusilanam, that is our duty, anukūlyena. Anukūla, not pratikūla. There are two ways of acting: anukūla and pratikūla. If you act as I desire, that is anukūla, and if you act what I don't desire, that is pratikūla. So Krsna consciousness must be anukūla, according to the desire of Krsna, as it is confirmed by guru. That is anukūla, favorable. And if you act whimsically, which Krsna does not desire or the guru does not desire, then it is pratikūla. So anukūlyena krsnanusilanam [Cc Madhya 19.167], that is bhakti.

So here it is said, avidya-karma-samjnanya trtiya saktir isyate. This material energy is full of ignorance, avidya, and karma-samjna. Here you have to work hard. But if you become devotee, then there is no need of working hard. Yoga-ksemam vahamy aham [Bg 9.22]. Then Krsna takes charge. Krsna takes charge of you. Krsna has taken charge of everyone, but especially yo tu bhajanti yam pritya tesu te mayi. [Bg 9.29] Those who are devotee, for them special care. So here we are careless. Nobody is taking... The materialistic persons, they are working in their own capacity, that "I shall become happy in this way, I shall become happy in this way," and therefore entangling, committing so many sinful activities. And he's not becoming happy; more and more unhappy. Karma-bandha. Narottama dasa Thakura says, sat-sahga chaḍi kainu, asate vilasa, te-karane lagila mora karma-bandha-phahsa.

So if we don't take to Krsna consciousness, if we act independently, then the result will be that we shall be entangled in the laws of karma. Laws of karma means karmana daiva-netrena jantor deha upapatti [SB 3.31.1]. By karma we are creating another body, next body. That we do not know. Karma, according to my karma. Karmana daiva-netrena, supervised, decided by the higher authorities: "You have done like this; you must get this body." Automatically. Automatically. Karmana guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu [Bg 13.22]. Everything is going on. Prakrteḥ kriyamanani gunaiḥ karmani [Bg 3.27].

If you don't like or like, it doesn't matter. If you have infected some disease which you don't like, that will not save you because you don't like. You must have to suffer from that disease. That is the law of nature. But that we do not know. We are acting independently. That is not possible. So therefore it is called avidya. Avidya means rascals. They are acting independently without knowing that there is overseer. There is the supreme seer. He is sitting within your heart.

Now Īsvara is seeing. You cannot do anything secretly. That is not possible. He is seeing. According to your karma, the next body is offered. Karmana daiva-netrena. Īsvaraḥ sarva-bhūtanam hrd-dese... He is seeing. He is witness. Anumanta upadrsta. [Bg 13.23] He is seeing everything, upadrsta. So He is asking the material nature, "Now this living entity wanted to act like this. So give him this body." Daiva-netrena. So you'll get a body, yantra. This body is yantra, machine. You are sat down on a machine, and bhramayan sarva bhūtani-sometimes you are in nice bodies... Nothing is nice. Everybody will die, so there cannot be anything nice. It may be, the duration of life, little more-a dog's duration of life less than man's duration of life. That may be. But nobody is going to live forever. That is not possible.

So this is anitya, this body, daiva-netrena, by the order, prakrti, prakrti. Īsvaraḥ sarva-bhūtanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati, bhramayan sarva-bhūtani [Bg 18.61]. Sarva-bhūtani, all living entities, are wandering. Wandering not only here; there are so many planets, so many up and down situation. So we are wandering within this universe, within this material world, sometimes in good body, sometimes in bad body, and this is our life. Avidya-karma-samjna anya. Under the influence of this material energy, on account of our ignorance, we have submitted to the laws of material nature. Prakrteḥ kriyamanani gunaiḥ karmani sarvasaḥ, ahahkara-vimūḍha [Bg 3.27].

He is thinking, "I am independent. I am now this. I am now that." Avidya-karma-samjna. Bhramayan sarva-bhūtani. Everything you will find this. So prakrteḥ kriyamanani gunaiḥ karmani sarvasaḥ, ahahkara-vimūḍhatma. This ahahkara, that "I am independent," this ahahkara is making you obliged to accept different types of body in different condition of life within the universe. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu is maha-vadanyavatara. He is very, very kind incarnation. Rūpa Gosvami accepted Him, namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te [Cc Madhya 19.53]. So He teaches, ei rūpe brahmanḍa bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva. Under this avidya-karma-samjna tritiya sakti, material energy, we are wandering throughout the whole universe.

[child making noise]

[aside:] This child should be moved.

So ei rūpe brahmanḍa bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva.

So one who takes Krsna consciousness, bhagyavan jiva, not the dur-bhagyavan jiva. Mandaḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya . Those who are unfortunate, they cannot take to Krsna consciousness, Caitanya Mahaprabhu says. kona bhagyavan jiva. Kona means somebody. That is also not all. That is confirmed by Krsna: manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg 7.3]. Out of many, many millions of persons, one wants to become perfect, or bhagyavan. And yatatam api siddhanam kascid vetti mam tattvataḥ. So therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu also says the same thing, kona bhagyavan jiva. Not always. Not the manda-bhagya. Saubhagyavan [most fortunate].

Guru and Krsna. Two persons' favor: guru and Krsna. So Krsna is asking to become a guru, everyone. "Everyone become a guru," Caitanya Mahaprabhu says.

Amara ajnaya guru hana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said... Because Caitanya Mahaprabhu is maha-vadanyavatara, most munificent incarnation to reclaim all the fallen souls. Ei rūpe brahmanḍa bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva. So the guru's business is to make everyone a bhagyavan, fortunate. That is guru's business. The guru's business is... They are so much sympathetic that one can get Krsna consciousness if he is fortunate. So guru's labor, guru's activity, is how to make people fortunate. That is wanted. Because without being fortunate one cannot understand Krsna. And without Krsna consciousness he cannot be relieved from this avidya-karma-samjna-sakti, material nature. Therefore it is the business of guru to make everyone fortunate.

So how he can make everyone fortunate? That is... Caitanya Mahaprabhu advises that amara ajnaya guru hana. You follow the principles of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction first of all. Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda, sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. You just take their mercy. Then you become guru. And then what is your business? His business is yare dekha tare kaha krsna upadesa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. So guru-krsna. Guru makes the people fortunate, and then the people become Krsna conscious, and then he becomes fortunate. This is the process of Krsna consciousness movement. Everyone is advised to become guru, especially those who are born in India. They can easily take the Krsna consciousness movement, because in the blood there is Krsna consciousness on account of taking birth in this holy land of Bharata-varsa. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says,

This is the business.

So every Indian is expected to take this Krsna consciousness movement and spread it outside India. There are many people who are hankering after it. It is the duty of every Indian to first of all get himself out of these clutches of avidya-karma-samjna-ignorance and whole day and night working like hogs and dogs. One has to become free from these clutches of maya, and then he must undergo tapasya. There is no difficulty. This tapasya is that you have to give up the four principles: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. This is tapasya. It is not that you have to go to the forest or Himalayan mountain and enter into a cave and press your nose and... No, that is not possible. You simply practice. Wherever you are, you simply practice this tapasya-no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling and no meat-eating. Then you become perfect. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattva [SB 5.5.1].

"This tapasya, can we do that?" You can do it very easily. It is not said "No sex," but "No illicit sex." That is very sinful. Therefore one has to get himself married. That is allowed. But no illicit sex. And no meat-eating. Why one should eat meat? There are so many nice things given by Krsna-so many fruits, so many nice food grains. We can eat many palatable dishes mixed with milk. Take milk from the cows. Therefore Krsna advises, go-raksya. Without milk you will eat all rubbish things like hogs and dogs, and your life will be spoiled. Everything is there, practical. But avidya, on account of our ignorance, foolishness, rascaldom, we are avoiding this krsna-upadesa and suffering. Be saved from suffering and be happy by Krsna consciousness.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. [end]