Bhagavad-gītā 7.1 – December 20, 1975, Bombay

The Real Thing

The yoga system which is known as bhakti-yoga... [children making noise]

Devotee: [indistinct] take the children outside.

Giriraja: The children won't understand the lecture.

Prabhupada: Everyone is trying... Not everyone; at the present moment, practically nobody wants to understand what is God. Everyone is busy to fulfill the desires and necessities of the body.

Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow and kharaḥ means ass. So according to Vedic culture, one who has accepted this material body as self... Atma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhatuke. This body is a combination of matter, and the living force within this body is not this combination of matter; it is the spirit soul. That one has to understand before coming to the platform of spiritual life. So long one is attached with this material body it is not possible to understand what is spiritual life. If one continues to be attached to this material body, he is no better than go-kharaḥ, cows and asses, animals.

So our Vedic culture... Vedic culture means that human culture, not animal culture. Animal culture means to satisfy the needs of the body, and Vedic culture or human culture means to satisfy the needs of the soul. That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gita. One who is reading Bhagavad-gita... In India practically everyone reads, but because one does not take the instruction of Bhagavad-gita as it was instructed by Krsna, he cannot take the benefit of Bhagavad-gita's instruction. One tries to understand Bhagavad-gita by erudite scholarship, or good position in the society-political, social, economical-but that is not the way to understand Bhagavad-gita. The way to understand Bhagavad-gita is said in the Bhagavad-gita,

Unless you approach a person who is representative of Krsna and tattva-darsi, who has seen the truth, jnani, and full of knowledge, from him you can understand what is Bhagavad-gita, what is Bhagavan. Otherwise you cannot understand. Naham prakasaḥ sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtaḥ [Bg 7.25]. If you remain covered by the material energy, then you cannot understand Bhagavad-gita. The purpose of Bhagavad-gita is to understand real religious life. Religion means the order which is given by God to carry out. That is religion. Those who are unknown of this fact, they are not religious. They may be some faith or blind belief, but religion means dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Religion means the order, or the law, given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is religion.

So to know God, the God, He is personally giving instruction how to know God. Krsna says, bhagavan uvaca. Here it is not... Vyasadeva is not speaking; Krsna said. Because sometimes Krsna is misunderstood; therefore Vyasadeva writes or says in this connection, bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan means the fully opulent, samagrasya. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya [Visnu Purana 6.5.74]: He is the most powerful, the supreme rich, supreme wise, supreme beautiful and at the same time supremely renounced. These qualification makes one Bhagavan. So krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. That is the verdict of Vedic literature. So isvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ [Bs 5.1].

Bhagavan is also sometimes called Paramesvara. Īsvara means the ruling power or the personality who controls. So every one of us, we have got some controlling power either in the society or family or community or government or international. Everyone has got some capacity to control, but nobody is supreme controller. Supreme controller means that He is no more controlled by anyone. Other controller, they are controllers, but they are controlled by somebody else. But Krsna is not that kind of controller. He is the supreme controller means He controls everyone but nobody has above Him to control. Therefore He is called Paramesvara. Īsvaraḥ means controller.

Īsvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ [Bs 5.1]. He is not nirakara; vigraha. Vigraha means form, but His form is different from our form. Therefore He is described as sac-cid-ananda. Sat means eternal, cit means full of knowledge, and ananda means full of transcendental bliss, eternal bliss. The beginning is eternal, so eternal life, eternal complete, full knowledge and eternal bliss; this is the composition of Krsna's body. But mūḍhas, rascals, they think Krsna as ordinary human being. Avajananti mam mūḍha manusim tanum asritam [Bg 9.11].

Fools and rascals, mūḍhaḥ-mūḍhaḥ means fools and rascals-because they see that Krsna is incarnation just like ordinary human being, cousin of Arjuna or nephew of Kunti, like that. Param bhavam ajanantaḥ. Krsna comes just like ordinary human being, but that does not mean He is ordinary human being. Therefore Vyasadeva says bhagavan uvaca. If you consider Krsna as ordinary human being, then you are missing the point.

And I have already given the definition of Bhagavan. One of the qualification of Bhagavan is aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasaḥ sriyaḥ [Visnu Purana 6.5.74]. Jnana. He has got full knowledge. He hasn't got to take knowledge from anyone else. Svabhaviki jnana. Bhagavan means svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. Na tasya karyam karanam..., this is Vedic injunction.

Svabhaviki, all full knowledge He has got. Aham sarvasya prabhavaḥ [Bg 10.8]: He is the creator of everything. So how He got this knowledge to float these big, big planets in the air? That... There is knowledge. There is art. Just like when you float a big aeroplane in the sky, it requires knowledge, it requires technology, art. It is not flying automatically; that is a mistake. So if to float an ordinary airship it requires so much knowledge, so much technology, how much knowledge is there when you see that the biggest planet, the sun, is floating in the air, and it is lying in one corner of the sky and exactly in time it is rotating, yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakraḥ? There is knowledge; there is art, who has fixed it. Therefore in the Vedas it is said, yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakraḥ [Bs 5.52]. He is also rotating in the orbit by the order of Govinda. Govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami.

So there are so many things to learn and to understand what is God and what is Krsna. God means Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate [Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8]. God means nobody is equal to Him and nobody is greater than Him. That is God. There is no competition that in this quarter there is one God and another neighborhood there is another God, just like it has become a fashion, so many Gods, competition is going on. No. There is no competition. God is one. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate, na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. That is God. So because God is complete in knowledge, therefore we have to take knowledge from Him, not from the persons who has got incomplete knowledge. That knowledge is not perfect. We must take knowledge from the person..., we have to take knowledge from the Guest:

We have to approach. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [Munḍaka Upanisad 1.2.12]. We have to approach a superior person, guru, and take knowledge from him. The most superior person is Krsna. You may doubt others, that may be, but when you come to Krsna, that is perfect knowledge. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Īsvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ [Bs 5.1]. So Krsna is so kind that He comes in, once in... We were calculating yesterday, what is, how many years after? You were there? Ah, some billions of years after. We can calculate from the sastra because He comes once in the day of Brahma. The Brahma's duration of life is there in the Bhagavad-gita, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduḥ [Bg 8.17].

Forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by thousand becomes twelve hours of Brahma, and similarly twelve hours at night, that is one day and night. Such thirty times makes a month, such twelve times makes a year, and similarly hundred years is the duration of life of Brahma. So according to sastra we understand once in the day of Brahma Krsna appears.

Why does He appear? Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati..., tadatmanam srjamy aham [Bg 4.7]. Dharmasya glaniḥ. What is that dharmasya glaniḥ? Disobedience to Krsna's order. That is dharmasya glaniḥ. Yada yada hi dharmasya. Dharma is one. As God is one, similarly dharma is also one. There cannot be many dharmas. There are many dharmas practically we see: Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma, Buddha dharma, this dharma, so many dharma. But real dharma is one. That is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: sa vai pumsam paro dharmaḥ. Para means transcendental. These are material dharma: "I am Hindu," "You are Muslim," "You are Christian," "You are this," "You are that." These are..., means an attempt to raise oneself to the platform of real dharma. But real dharma is one for everyone. What is that? Sa vai pumsam paro dharmaḥ. That is transcendental dharma. Yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6].

The dharma by following which one becomes a Krsna conscious person or godly person, one who understands God, his relationship with Him and acting according to that relation, that is real dharma. So our, everyone's, all living entities' dharma means to know that we are eternal servant of God. That is explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: jivera svarūpa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc Madhya 20.108-109]. And in the Bhagavad-gita also Krsna instructs the same dharma, that "You are, the living entities, you are all My part and parcel, and it is your duty to cooperate with Me without any reservation." That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66].

So the Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krsna personally when He was present for the benefit of the human society, for all nations. It is not for the Hindus or the Indians; it is for everyone. God is for everyone. Krsna also says, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ, aham bija-pradaḥ pita [Bg 14.4]. Mamaivamso jiva-bhūtaḥ [Bg 15.7], every living entity is part and parcel, and He is the supreme father of everyone. So our Krsna consciousness movement is trying to re-establish the real dharma, not fictitious dharma. That is bhagavata-dharma. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam also the same thing is spoken where Krsna ends Bhagavad-gita: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. From the same point Vyasadeva begins Srimad-Bhagavatam, janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnaḥ svarat, and he describes about dharma: dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. All cheating type of religious system are projjhita. Projjhita means to throw away, kick out.

So our this Krsna consciousness movement is bhagavata-dharma: to teach throughout the whole world that God is great and we are small particle, part and parcel of God, our duty is to serve God. That is bhakti. Anukūlyena krsnanusilanam [Cc Madhya 19.167]. When you favorably serve Krsna, be ready to get orders from Krsna and serve Him, that is perfection of life. That is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. And if we daily manufacture a kind of dharma according to my concoction or we accept everything as real dharma, that is a mistake. Dharma means the order given by God, and if you follow that, or execute that order as Arjuna did, then you are dharmika, you are religious. Just like Arjuna, he followed Krsna's order. Krsna wanted him to fight. Of course, he was a ksatriya, his duty was to fight, and Krsna wanted him to fight. But he was hesitating because the other party with whom he had to fight, they happened to be his family member, most dear kith and kin, some of them are nephews, some of them gurus, teacher, grandfather. So all of them-it was a family fight-so Arjuna was not willing to fight, but Krsna wanted to fight. And after learning from Him the essence of Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66], he agreed to fight. That is bhakti-yoga. Even by fighting, you can become a devotee. You have to carry out the order of Krsna. That is bhakti-yoga.

So you must be qualified to know Krsna, then you must be qualified, or automatically you become qualified how to receive His order. This is the way. So unless you understand from where the order is coming, how the order-giver is speaking, if you do not know the science, how you can talk with Krsna and receive His order? That is also not very difficult. Krsna says, tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-pūrvakam [Bg 10.10].

Anyone who is twenty-four hours engaged in Krsna's service, satata-yuktanam, not sporadic, that two minutes I meditate upon Krsna and then twenty-three hours sixty-eight minutes, ah, fifty-eight minutes, I remain to satisfy my senses. That is not krsna-bhakti. Krsna-bhakti means satata-yuktanam, twenty-four hours engaged in Krsna consciousness. Just like these boys are being trained up. They have not come to me for some monetary benefit. What monetary benefit I can give to them? They are, rather, bringing money, and I am constructing big, big temples-their money. So still they are engaged in carrying out my order. There is no payment, no monetary benefit, because they have understood me, that "He is representative of Krsna."

That we have to find out, the representative of Krsna. That is also not very difficult, who is representative of Krsna. Representative of Krsna is he who simply repeats the instruction of Krsna, does not say anything nonsense. He is representative of Krsna. Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

He does not say any big, big, bombastic thing. Very simple thing, that "Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer obeisances." It doesn't require M.A., Ph.D. education to learn these four things. Anyone, even a child, can do it. It is very easy. If you daily see the Deity in the temple, or if you have got Deity at home, even a child will be practiced to think of Krsna. It is not at all difficult. And if you chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, that is also thinking of Krsna.

So man-manaḥ, and if you continue this, then mad-bhakta, you become His devotee. Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Mad-yaji, then if you can, you can offer to Krsna. Is it very expensive? No. Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg 9.26].

You can offer Krsna a little water or a tulasi leaf. Or if tulasi leaf is not available, any leaf. He does not say tulasi leaf. So what is the difficulty to secure a little water, a leaf or a small flower? Patram puspam phalam toyam. The real thing is bhakti. Patram puspam phalam toyam. So, mad-bhakta, if you are poorest of the poor you can become a devotee. Ahaituky apratihata yenatma samprasidati. If you want to become a devotee of Krsna, there is no impediment throughout the three worlds within the universe. You can become a devotee, it is so easy. If you want to be a rich man it requires so much trouble. Rather, so long you do not desire to become a rich man, you are peaceful. And as soon as you desire to become a rich man, it will be all activities begin: how to acquire money this way or that way, this way... So, everyone tries to become rich man because generally one thinks that at old age I'll get some income and I shall sit down very peacefully. So you are already sitting down peacefully. Why you take another means?

Of course, these things we are not going to discuss, but bhakti means no desire. Anyabhilasita-sūnyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]. Then bhakti is very easy. Anyabhilasita-sūnyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc Madhya 19.167]. People are very busy for knowledge and fruitive activities. Everyone in Bombay is working so hard day and night to get some result, and the jnanis, when they are disgusted, they try to become jnani. Jnani generally means one who wants liberation, mukti, by merging into the existence. Bhakti is above this, jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc Madhya 19.167]. If you want to become a bhakta then you have to disregard the process of fruitive activities and the speculative method of understanding God, jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Then what I have to do? Anukūlyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama. Simply you have to be ready to execute the order of Krsna, Bhagavan. Anukūlyena, what Krsna says, you have to do that, just like a servant. Servant's faithfulness is, as soon as the master orders something, he is ready. You have to become like that.

So to become ready to serve Krsna does not require much knowledge or very advanced in fruitive activities. These are material things. Spiritually, when you understand that you are eternal servant of God, Krsna, and if you become fully convinced and do the needful, then you are liberated immediately. Mukti means, it is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, muktir hitvanyatha rūpam svarūpena vyavasthitiḥ [SB 2.10.6].

If you understand that you are eternal servant of Krsna, that is mukti. And so long you are thinking that you are master of something, that is bondage. This is the difference between mukti and bondage. Bondage means to think of becoming master. "I am the lord of this universe," or "I am trying to become a lord or master," this is bondage. And when you fully understand Krsna and become engaged in His service, that is mukti.

So for a devotee, there is no question of mukti. A devotee is already mukta. Why? Krsna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami [Bg 18.66]: "Immediately, as soon as you surrender to Me, immediately I give you protection." You are awaiting some fruitive result of your past karma, that is bondage. You have to take birth and you have to serve according to that karma. Then from that position you are immediately liberated. Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami... Then you are mukta. So if you remain in the position to serve Krsna, then you are always mukta. Muktiḥ mukulitanjali sevate asman. [Krsna-karnamrta 107] A great devotee, Bilvamahgala Thakura, he said this muktiḥ mukulitanjali, "With folded hands she is standing at my door, 'What can I do for you?' " Maidservant. So devotee is not after mukti, because they are already muktas. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc Madhya 19.170]. He is already nirmala, without a tinge of material modes. Therefore he is able to serve Krsna. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc Madhya 19.170].

So Krsna personally instructing Bhagavad-gita to understand Him, so we should take advantage of this, otherwise we are missing this opportunity this human form of life. Krsna is not teaching Bhagavad-gita to some cats and dogs. He is teaching to the most influential person, imam rajarsayo viduḥ [Bg 4.2].

So Bhagavad-gita is meant for the rajarsi, very rich, opulent, at the same time saintly person. Formerly all the kings were rajarsi-raja and rsi combined together. So the Bhagavad-gita is not meant for the loafer class. It is to be understood by the heads of the society: yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janaḥ [Bg 3.21]. So those who are claiming to be the leaders of the society, they must learn Bhagavad-gita, how to become practical and actual leader, then the society will be benefited. And if we follow the instruction of Bhagavad-gita and Krsna, then all problems will be solved. It is not a sectarian religious sentiment or fanaticism. It is not that. It is a science-social science, political science, cultural science. Everything is there. So our request is that every one of you become a guru. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's order. He wants that everyone must become a guru. How? That He says:

This is guru. Suppose you are family member. So many living entities, your sons, your daughters, your daughter-in-law or children, you can become their guru. Exactly like this you can sit down in the evening and talk about the Bhagavad-gita, yare dekha tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. You haven't got to manufacture something. The instruction is there; you simply repeat and let them hear-you become guru. It is not difficult at all. So that is our preaching. We do not want to become alone guru, but we want to preach in such a way that every..., the chief man, or any man, he can become guru in his surrounding. Anyone can do that. Even a coolie, he can also. He has got family, he has got friends, so even though he is illiterate, he can hear the instruction of Krsna, and he can preach the same. This we want. And we invite all respectable gentlemen, leaders, to learn this. It is very simple: man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg 18.65], and by executing this order of Krsna, He assures, mam evaisyasi, "You come to Me." [Bg 9.34] Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg 15.6]. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg 4.9]. Very easy thing.

So our only request is the leaders of the society should take up the teachings of Bhagavad-gita very seriously, learn himself and teach to others. That is Krsna consciousness movement. It is not at all difficult; it is very easy. Everyone can do it. But the result will be that as soon as you understand..., people understand Krsna, janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvataḥ [Bg 4.9], anyone who understands Krsna, the result is tyaktva deham punar janma naiti... After giving up this body he does not accept any more material body; he stays in his spiritual identity and enjoys the society of Krsna. That is Vrndavana. Gopijana-vallabha. Krsna... Krsna, Vrndavana means that Krsna is the center. He is the lovable object of everyone. The gopis, the cowherd boys, the calfs, the cows, the trees, the fruits, flowers, the father, mother-everyone is attached to Krsna. That is Vrndavana. So this is the replica, this Vrndavana, and there is real Vrndavana. This is also real. In the absolute there is no difference. But for our understanding there is original Vrndavana,

This is the description, Goloka Vrndavana. So there is dhama, panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara, beyond this material world. [Bs 5.34] So if we like, we can go there. Mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam, Krsna says. You can go to the higher planetary system,

If you are preparing to go to some other, better planet, that is the chance in the human being. But if you live like cats and dog, then where is promotion, where is Krsna, and where is Goloka? Everything is spoiled. Our only request is don't spoil your time, valuable time. Be prepared for being transferred to Krsna. And the method is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Take to it and be benefited.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol. Jaya Srila Prabhupada. [end]