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710217CC.GOR
Prabhupada:
visnu-saktih para prokta
ksetrajnakhya tatha para avidya-karma-samjnanya trtiya saktir isyate [Cc. Madhya 6.154] So we are discussing three kinds of energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yesterday the question was, some gentleman, that whether the ultimate truth, Absolute Truth, is a person or imperson. There are many impersonalists, and there are many personalists also. The personalists, impersonalists, and the localized Paramatma worshipers, they are worshiping the same Absolute Truth in different features. Impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma and Personality of Godhead, They're one and the same. It is the process of realization only, that somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as imperson and somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as all-pervading Paramatma, Antaryami, and some persons are realizing the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. But they are advaya-jnana, identical, the same thing. It is our power of perception only that makes the difference. The object is the same. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [SB 1.2.11] So there is no quarrel between the impersonalists or personalists or the Paramatma-ists. There is no question of quarreling. The example is present daily in our daily experience. Just like the sunlight, sun, sun globe, and the sun-god. Within the sun globe, there is sun-god. So which one is the chief? That we have to consider. The sun-god or the sun globe or the sunshine? Everything is light. Sunshine is also light, sun globe also light, and the original source of this light, the sun-god, is also light. So sunshine is impersonal, sun globe is localized, and the sun-god is personal. If you be satisfied that "I am in the sunshine," be satisfied. That is called sayujya-mukti. The sunshine means combination of different molecular shining parts. Any scientist knows it that what is the sunshine. The sunshine appears to be a homogeneous thing, but actually, in minute analysis it will be found that there are innumerable shining sparks, molecular sparks onlytheir combination. (baby making noise) (aside:) They're disturbing. (speaks to some men in Hindi)
So those who are merging into the Supreme Absolute, the jnanis... Their ultimate goal is to merge into the Absolute Truth in His impersonal feature. That's all right; you can do so. That is also not this material; that is also spiritual. That is not material. If you want to merge... Generally, people think that is the ultimate goal. But that is not the ultimate goal. In the Isopanisad you'll find that it is said that "Please wind up Your effulgence so that I can see the actual face." The same example that the sunshine is light. There is no doubt about it. This is different from darkness. This material world is darkness. Tamasi ma jyotir gamah. The jyoti, the brahmajyoti... It is recommended in the Vedas that you try to approach the jyoti; don't remain in this darkness of material world. That is the injunction of Vedas. And the whole process of emancipation is to, how to approach that Brahman effulgence.
So those who are jnanis, those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth, jnani...
catur-vidha bhajante mam
(janah) sukrtino 'rjuna arto artharthi jijnasur jnani ca bharatarsabha [Bg. 7.16] So jnani, there are two kinds of jnanis. One jnani is trying to understand what is the Absolute Truth, and one jnani is trying not only to understand the Absolute Truth, but merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth. So according to Bhagavad-gita, they are also sukrtinah. Catur-vidha bhajante mam. The beginning of bhajana, bhagavad-bhajana... If they are, if persons are pious, they can begin bhagavad-bhajana in four ways. Sukrtinah. Sukrtinah means "whose background is pious activities." They can take to bhagavad-bhajana in four stages in life. Artah... Artah means those who are distressed; artharthi, those who are poor, need of money; jijnasuh, inquisitive; and jnani. So the artah and artharthi, they are lower than the jnani and the jijnasuh. Because sometimes we go to worship Bhagavan in the temple in distressed condition, but as soon as my distress is over, I forget. Or if I get some money, I forget. There is chance. Not that always we forget. But because maya is very powerful, daivi hy esa gunamayi [Bg. 7.14], sometimes we forget. Very rich men, opulent, they don't care for what is God. Generally, we see at, in Europe and America, they don't talk of anything about God. They are busy only how to acquire money and enjoy sense gratification.
So jnani, those who are appreciated in the Bhagavad-gita. And there are other four classes of men, they are called duskrtinah. Duskrtina means miscreants. They're simply busy in sinful activities: "Any way, bring money; never mind what is the process." Or not that always they get money. But they aspire after material happiness by so many... Just like in Calcutta. The party, Naxalite, they are committing so many sinful activities thinking that by that way they will be happy and they will get the political supremacy. They are called duskrtina. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. Four class, the four classes of men who are pious, whose background is piety, they go to worship Krsna. Similarly, there are four classes of men who are called duskrtina, very sinful, simply miscreants, and mudha, rascals, no knowledge, completely in ignorance, almost like animals, mudha. Na mam duskrtino mudhah, and naradhamah, lowest of the mankind. Because lowest of the mankind and highest of the mankind, what is the difference? The highest of the mankind means one who knows what is the value of life. And the lowest of the mankind is one who does not know the value of life. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah, mayayapahrta-jnana. And there are so-called learned scholars also, whose knowledge has been taken away by the influence of maya. They're supposed to be very learned scholar, but they do not know that what is the aim of knowledge. They are called mayayapahrta-jnana. And these classes of men are called asurim bhavam asritah. Asuric bhava means denying the existence of God, or defying the supremacy of God. That is asuri bhava. Just like example... We have got many examples in our sastrasHiranyakasipu, Kamsa, Ravana. They were very powerful materially, but their only fault was that they denied the supremacy of God. Therefore they are called asuras, raksasas. Asurim bhavam asritah. So four classes this way, four classes that way.
So jnani... Jnani is accepted... Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that koti-karmi-madhye eka 'jnani' srestha. There are karmis, innumerable, millions and millions, all karmis. Karmis means they are working hard simply for sense gratification. And according to Bhagavad-gita, they are called mudhas. These are the statement in the sastras. So we have to explain the sastras. So karmis are called mudhas because they are working so hard, but do not know what is the aim of their life. Simply going on working very hard. And in the modern education, in the modern civilization, people are simply taught to work very hard and gratify senses. That's all. "Get money and gratify your senses." That is the modern mode of civilization. But according to Srimad-Bhagavatam, an authority, Rsabhadeva, He says, nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. He says that this human form of life is not meant for working very, very hard simply for sense gratification. That is the business of the hogs, vid-bhujam. Vid-bhujam means the animal which eats stool. You have seen in the villages or sometimes in the cities, there are hogs. Whole day they are busy: "Where there is stool? Where there is stool?" And they become fatty also, very, by eating stool. And as soon as they become fatty... Not fatty. Even the hogs in the cub state, they're very much passionate, sense gratification. Perhaps you have seen. So to work very hard and get some means of sense gratification and live like hogs without any discrimination of eating and sleeping and mating, that is called hog life. The hog has no discrimination. By nature, there are examples. One who has no discrimination in the matter of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Just like hog. They have no discrimination. Mother or sister or what is to be eaten, there is no discrimination. Anything they can eat, anything they can do, or any female they can mate, never mind. That is hog's life.
So actually, we are experiencing... Not only at the present moment, millions of years ago, when Rsabhadeva instructed His sons... That is long, long ago. Rsabhadeva was the father of Maharaja Bharata, under whose name this planet is called Bharata-varsa. Formerly this planet was known as Ilavati-varsa. After the emperor Maharaja Bharata, this planet is called Bharata-varsa, this whole planet. Bharata-varsa means the whole planet. And gradually it is being diminished. Just like in your experience the Bharata-varsa, the so-called Bharata-varsa is now diminished: Pakistan has gone away. So millions of years ago the same thing was that: a class of persons, they are just like hogs. It is not that a newly... Now, in this age, the hog persons are in great number, but there were... Just like Ravana. There was only one Ravana during Lord Ramacandra's days. At the present moment there are many Ravanas. That is the difference. But the Ravana is always there, Ravana-class men. Ravana-class men means they want to take away the goddess of fortune, Sita, from the custody of Lord Ramacandra. That is their business. They do not know that wealth, riches, they are fortune, they are the property, they are enjoyable by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna says, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the enjoyer. But Ravana-class men, they think that "I am enjoyer. Get out Sita from the custody of Ramacandra. I shall enjoy." But the result is the Ravana-class of men becomes vanquished.
So this process of civilization at the modern times, Ravana-class, that "Take money which is the property of the Supreme Lord and enjoy," this is going on. "No God. Godless. Defy God. I am God. Who is God? I am so powerful." These things are also explained in the Bhagavad-gita, Sixteenth Chapter. They don't believe any creator. So these are called asurim bhavam asritah. The asurim bhavam asritah civilization will not make you happy. The asuri-bhava... Because asuri-bhavam means everyone wants to enjoy. I want to enjoy, you want to enjoy. So there must be clash, there must be friction between you and me, because both of us, we are trying to enjoy. But that is not our position. The enjoyer is Krsna. Enjoyer is Krsna. Just like Krsna in Vrndavana, as we sung this song, jaya radha-madhava... Jaya radha-madhava kunja-bihari. He is enjoying in Vrndavana. His only feature is... That is the real picture of God: simply enjoying. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. That is the real picture of God. The Vrndavana-lila of Krsna is the perfect presentation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He's simply enjoying. And all the inhabitants of Vrndavana, the gopis, the cowherd boys, Maharaja Nanda, Yasoda, everyone is simply anxious how to make Krsna happy. They have no other business. The inhabitants of Vrndavana has no other business than to satisfy Krsna, and Krsna has no other business. Yasoda-nandana brajajana-ranjana. He's acting as the little son of Yasoda, and His only business is how to please the inhabitants of Vrndavana. Yasoda-nandana brajajana-ranjana. And yamuna-tira-vana-cari. And He's wandering in the forest of Vrndavana on the bank of the Yamuna. This is the actual picture of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But Brahma, Indra, big, big demigods, they are also bewildered. They are sometimes mistaken, that "How this cowherd boy can become the Supreme Personality of Godhead?" Just like some of us think like that. But those who are thinking like that, for them also, there is manifestation of Krsna's supremacy. Brajajana-ballabha giri-vara-dhari. Although he's engaged in pleasing the inhabitants of Vraja, but when there is need, He can lift up the Govardhana Hillat the age of seven years. Or He can kill the Putana at the age of three months. And so many demons used to visit daily. Krsna used to go with the calves and cows, with His friends in the forest, and every day Kamsa used to send one kind of demon to kill themAghasura, Bakasura, Dhenukasura, so many.
So although Krsna is playing just like a cowherd boy, His supremacy as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is never absent there. That is God. God is not created by meditation. God is God. God is never manufactured. We should know this. God is God, and we living entities, we are living entities. That is the Vedic version. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). Equality, when there is question of equality, the equality is that Krsna, or God, is nitya, eternal; similarly, we are also eternal. So equality in eternity. Krsna is conscious, cetana, and we are also conscious. That is equality: equality in quality. Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, therefore there is so many things equality. But that equality is just like the ocean and a drop of water of the ocean. If you analyze the ocean, you'll find the same chemical ingredients, and if you analyze the drop of ocean, you'll find the same chemical ingredients. That is equality. But you cannot think that the drop is equal to the ocean. That is not possible. Therefore Krsna is vibhu. God is great, and we are anu, infinitesimal. Krsna is infinite, we are infinitesimal. So when there is question of merging into the existence of the Supreme, that means we remain in the effulgence, Brahman effulgence, as the minute particle of Brahman. There is dimension. That is mentioned in the sastras: kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. One ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of hair. That minute particle, cetana. So there is... Anantaya kalpite. There are innumerable such particles. That is the formation of nirvisesa-brahman. That is nirakara-brahman. Brahman, but there is no visible formation. But there, there is formation. Unless there is formation, how the material formation can take place? Just like you have got formation; therefore your shirt and coat has got a formation. You have got hands; therefore your shirt has hands, your coat has hands, according to your formation. So this material body is called vasamsi, garments, or dress, shirt and coat. The mind, intelligence and ego, that is shirt, subtle body; and this gross body, ksitir-ap-tej-marud-van (?). So there are two kinds of shirt and coat, and within that, dehino 'smin yatha dehe... [Bg. 2.13]. The minute particle, that is called dehi, who has formed this body.
So it is very easily understandable. Unless the original, the spiritual spark, has form, how this form can take place? This is shirt and coat. Just try to understand. If you have no form, then how the shirt and coat can take form? From argument. So therefore, living entity is not formless, neither Krsna, or the supreme living entity, is formless. Both of them form, having form, but not this form. This is temporary form. The real form is spiritual form. Therefore nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). And Krsna also says in the Second Chapter that "Both you and Me and all these soldiers and kings who have assembled before us, they were existing in the past, they are existing now, at present, and they will continue to exist in the future." So they... From our present experience we can see that all the living entities are in form. Therefore, if they existed in the past, they existed in the past as forms, and they'll continue to exist in the future as forms, there is no question of formlessness. There is no question of form... But because we cannot see the form in these material eyes... Just like there is a form in the body, but when that spirit is passing from this body, we cannot see. A medical man cannot see because he hasn't the eyes to see. But it is not that a jivatma is formless. No. He hasn't got the eyes to see. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. Just like I am seeing you, you are seeing me. But what I am seeing? I am seeing your body, shirt and coat. You are seeing my shirt and coat. But when I pass away from this body or you pass away from this body, neither I can see you, neither you can see me. So because we cannot see, because we have no such knowledge, therefore we say sometimes that formless. Just like people say generally, "A point has no length, no breadth," because he has no measuring instrument how to see the length and breadth of the point. That is deficiency of knowledge. But anything has length and breadth. That is a fact.
So nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). This Vedic version, Upaniad, means that Krsna is the Supreme Person and we are also persons. We are... What is our position? Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman. We are dependent persons, and He is the maintaining person. So your position is always dependent. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. That is the version of Lord Caitanya. And Krsna also says. All the sastra says. Here also, we are reading that,
visnu-saktih para prokta
ksetrajnakhya tatha para avidya-karma-samjnanya trtiya saktir isyate [Cc. Madhya 6.154] So we are one of the energies of the Lord, marginal energy. Marginal energy means if I desire... Because I have got little independence... Because Krsna is fully independent, sva-rat. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Vedanta says, janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas ca arthesu avijnah sva-rat. Krsna is sva-rat, means "fully independent." But we are Krsna's minute part and parcels; therefore we have got the independence quality, but not full independence. We are controlled. Just like you claim to be independent, Indian nation. But that does not mean that you are fully independent, each of you. You are dependent on the government. These things are very easy to understand. Similarly, a living entity has got independence, but not full independence. He cannot do anything without the sanction of God. That is his dependence. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivista. "I am sitting there." The living entity and the Supreme Person as Paramatma, both of them are sitting in this body. That is explained in the Upanisad. Two birds are sitting in the same tree. One bird is eating, and one bird is witnessing. Anumanta upadrasta. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, anumanta. Because we have tried, we have taken the opportunity to live independently, Krsna or the Paramatma is so kind that He has given... Just like a child is playing, and sometimes he is going to catch the fire, and the parents are obstructing, similarly, Krsna, being the supreme father, He is always guiding. Although we are given the freedom to enjoy this material world, but without His sanction, you cannot enjoy, you cannot touch anything. But He is giving the facilities. Because krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare, we wanted to enjoy, to lord it over this material world, He has given us chance, "All right, enjoy. Enjoy to your best capacity." But He is witnessing. Witnessing means you want something, Krsna is supplying. The material agent, Krsna's prakrti, or the material nature is supplying you ingredients. But Krsna is sanctioning, and you are desiring. You are desiring, "I want this." Krsna says, "No, you will not be happy," but you insist: "No. I want this." "All right. You take this." Krsna's material energy is there; He is supplying the ingredients. "All right. Take these ingredients. What do you want?" "I want a three-hundred-story skyscraper building." "All right. Take it. Take it." The ingredients... The sky... You cannot create the ingredients. The ingredients is ksitir-ap-tej-marud-van (?). You take earth, water, fire, air, and combine it and make a skyscraper building. But the ingredients does not belong to you. It is Krsna's. Ksitir-ap-tej-marud-van (?). Prakrtir me astadha. Bhinna prakrtir me astadha. "They are My property. That is Mine. Actually it is Mine." You cannot create water, you cannot create fire, you cannot create earth. It is God's property. You take it and satisfy your senses. That's all. That's your business. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Prakrti is supplying. But how prakrti is supplying? How the material nature is supplying you ingredients? Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. "Under My direction." So what is the difficulty? And how can you become God? How you can become greater than God? This is all foolishness. You are completely under the control. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. You are completely under the prakrti, this material nature.
So our position is to be dependent on the supreme living force, God or Krsna. That is our position. And He is supplying everything as we want. Because God is not poor. He is our father. Just like rich father, there is no insufficiency. In a rich family, the father is very rich, and the sons, they can draw anything from the rich father. Similarly, we can draw anything from Krsna, the supreme father. But our, this so-called independence for sense gratification, will not make us happy. That is the position. You can independently try to become Brahma, what to speak of this prime minister or this king or... You can become Brahma, Indra, Candra. You can become. They are also living entities in higher position. Just like your president, he is also an Indian, but in higher position. That's all. Your prime minister, he is also Indian. Similarly, all these demigods, Indra, Candra, Varuna, they're demigods, they are highly posted as servant of God. But just like a foolish man thinks a constable in the street is the supreme power without knowing the background of the constable's position, similarly, those who are foolish persons, they think demigods are the supreme. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Hrta-jnanah means lost of all intelligence.
So if we actually try to understand Krsna from all points of view on the basis of Vedic literature, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam... [SB 1.3.28]. And Krsna personally says, mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. Kincid. "Nobody. Nobody is greater than Me." How a foolish man can say that "I am greater than Krsna"? So we have to give up all these foolish ideas. We have to take the real fact as it is. And then we become Krsna conscious and our life becomes successful. That is our propaganda.
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/cc/adi/7/119/gorakhpur/february/17/1971 Previous: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.118-121 -- San Francisco, February 24, 1967 Next: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.149-171 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1967
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