|
670102CC.NY
Prabhupada:
So we have already discussed how krsna-lila, or the pastimes, different manifestation of Krsna's pastimes during one hundred and twenty-five years, beginning from His birth up to the disappearance, as many pastimes there are, they are being manifested in some of the universe, out of the innumerable universes. So God is never dead. Krsna is never dead, as some of the modern philosophers, they are putting forward the philosophy of "God is dead." God is dead for those who are following the owl philosophy. Owl has never seen sun, or it does not like to see the sun. Therefore the owl says, "There is no sun." Similarly, the atheistic philosophy is... There are so many logic. Just like the owl philosophy, the frog philosophy, the camel philosophy and the dog philosophy, the hog philosophythere are so many philosophies. So only the persons who are, who have got two hands and two legs, but they are counted amongst the animals. And therefore they cannot think of the eternal, blissful existence of the Supreme Lord at all times.
So premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena [Bs. 5.38]. If one takes to this philosophy of Krsna consciousness and develops love of Godhead, then he can see God at every moment, in every step, in every thing. He's not, for a single moment, is out of the sight of God. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, tesu te mayi. The devotee who has love, who has developed love for God, he's also seeing God at every moment. Similarly, God is also seeing him at every moment. They are not separated. So simple process. This hari-kirtana, this is the simple process recommended in this age, and if we sincerely do it without any offense and with faith, then seeing of God is not difficult for a devotee.
So,
So similarly, in some of the brahmandas, or universes, there is already present Krsna-lila; Krsna is there.
There is another Bengali verse, very nicely:
Lord Caitanya's pastimes going on, still going on, but some of the fortunate devotees, they can see. Anything, God's pastimes, that is perceivable through devotional service. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. Only way. This is the process. No other process. No amount of speculation, no amount of academic education, no amount of philosophical discussion can..., one can... It is confirmed in the Vedic literature: nayam atma pravacanena labhya, na bahuna srutena. Na ayam atma... This self-realization is not possible. Nayam atma pravacanena labhya, simply by discussion, nobody can arrive. Nobody can understand what is self-realization, what is Supreme Soul, the Absolute Truth. Nayam atma pravacanena, na medhaya. Medhaya means one who is, who has got very good brain substance, he also cannot. Simply by agitating the brain, brain substance, one cannot understand. Nayam atma pravacanena labhya, na bahuna srutena, na medhaya. Srutena, one who is highly educated, very good scholar, he also cannot understand. Then, what is the pro...? Janena saba puruse tena labhya: a person to whom God reveals Himself, he can understand. So we have to wait for that and for God's mercy. We have to be engaged in loving, transcendental service, Krsna consciousness. Then He'll reveal.
goloka, gokula-dhama-'vibhu' krsna-sama
krsnecchaya brahmanda-gane tahara sankrama [Cc. Madhya 20.396] Now, gokula, gokula dhama-'vibhu' krsna-sama. Because the Lord is absolute, therefore His name, His fame, His qualities, His form, His associates, His paraphernaliaeverything absolute, nondifferent. God and God's name, nondifferent. God and God's place, nondifferent. And for that reason, when Krsna comes, the Absolute, the Vrndavana, the place where He descends, that is nondifferent. Actually you can see that, that Vrndavana-dhama, that place is a small spot of land, say about eighty-four miles area, but any person, and however atheistic he may be, and however nonsense he may be, if he goes to that place, he'll feel Krsna's presence. Still. Still, simply by going there, he'll at once change his mind that "Here is God." He'll accept it. Still. If you like, you can go to India and you can see, make an experiment. So, although Vrndavana is a, is a place for the personalists, now all the impersonalists school of India, they're making their asrama at Vrndavana because they have failed to achieve the sense of God anywhere, they are coming to Vrndavana. It is such a nice place. Here Lord Caitanya says that goloka, gokula-dhama-'vibhu' krsna-sama. Just like Krsna is unlimited, similarly, His place is also unlimited. It is not limited by the material laws. Similarly, His name is unlimited. When you chant Hare Krsna, the Hare Krsna, this name, the holy name, has got unlimited potency. Simply you have to realize it. Even God is present before us, we cannot realize it. When Krsna was present before us on this earth, not that all people of the world or all people of India could recognize. Only few peoplethe Pandavas and the inhabitants of Vrndavana, inhabitants of Dvaraka, some of them could understand. So it requires training only. Otherwise, the unlimited God can be seen even within this limited sphere of material existence.
So when Krsna or God comes, He's not out of His eternal abode, because absolute. Whenever, wherever God is present, His absolute abode is also present there. Just like it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd dese 'rjuna tisthati: [Bg. 18.61] "The Supreme Lord is situated as Supersoul in everyone's heart." Now suppose there is a dog or there is hog. So there is also God. So does it mean that God is living with a dog or God is living with a hog? No. For Him, even within the heart of a hog, even within the heart of a dog, there is Vaikuntha. The same thing. These are the inconceivable energies of the Supreme Lord. Similarly, a God's pure devotee, wherever he may be, he lives at Vrndavana. Vrndavana is not limited or God is not so limited that He is under the boundary of certain limitation. No. They can... God and God's devotees, wherever they are, the same transcendental abode, God's place, Goloka Vrndavana, is manifested there. So in each and every brahmanda, or universe, wherever Krsna is there, there is Goloka Vrndavana there. Brahmanda-gane krame prakatya.
Now God's manifestation, fullest manifestation, is at Vrndavana. Fullest manifestation. Full freedom. In Krsna, when He's at Vrndavana, He has full freedom. Now there was a question: When rasa-lila..., Krsna performed rasa-lila. So Maharaja Pariksit, he questioned. Maharaja Pariksit was hearing the description of rasa-lila from Sukadeva Gosvami. So he cleared out one question which is generally discussed about the character of Krsna because He enjoyed these rasa-lila pastimes at dead of night, He played on His flute and all the gopis of Vrndavana, they came into the forest and they had the rasa dance. So Maharaja Pariksit, or King Pariksit, inquired to his teacher, Sukadeva Goswami, that Krsna is on this earth, He appeared on this earth for paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam, dharma samsthapanarthaya... Dharma samsthapanarthaya [Bg. 4.8], just to establish the process of religiosity. And India at least, still, the Vedic principle is that a, a lady or a girl who is especially married, or unmarried, she cannot mix with any other men. So that is against religious principles. So this question was raised that these girls who were already married, how they went to Krsna for dancing with Him, and how Krsna allowed them to dance with Him, because against religious principles. This question was raised by Pariksit Maharaja. Of course, you cannot imagine that a girl going to a friend and dancing with him, that is not against religious principles. But according to Vedic principles, this is irreligious.
So this was questioned by Maharaja Pariksit to Sukadeva Gosvami, and Sukadeva Gosvami replied in many ways, but the summary is that "How this can be impure?" That is, "By chanting Krsna's name, one becomes pure, how dancing with Krsna can be impure?" And he gave that example, tejiyasam na dosayet. One who is powerful, to..., for him there is no question of contamination. Just like the sun. He gave the example, the sun. Sun is so powerful that sunshine is touching all contaminated place, but sun is not contaminated. Rather, by the sunshine it is sterilized. Contaminated place becomes sterilized. As a crude example in the material world. Similarly, in God's association there is no question of irreligiosity. If there is ecstasy, intense love for God, there is no question of contamination. So contamination is considered within the material world. In the spiritual world, there is no contamination. And actually, when the gopis went to Krsna, they approached there in their spiritual bodies, not with material bodies. Because it is stated in the Bhagavata that when the gopis left their house, their husbands saw that the wife is sleeping on the same bed. So Krsna, I mean to say, danced with the gopis, not with their, in their material bodies, but in their spiritual bodies. These are the descriptions are there. So Krsna is always pure, always pure, perfect. So sarvaisvarya-prakase. There is purnatama, the fullest expression of God. Now this connection of Krsna and with the gopis, apparently it is abominable, but in the spiritual sense, it is the highest, highest perfectional stage of love of Godhead. So this world is perverted reflection. There... There is such psychological things that a married woman wants to mix with his, with her friend, or a married man wants to mix with another. Wherefrom this idea comes, this psychological...? It comes from God. In God there is. But there, it is in perfect order. Here it is contaminated. Here, it is contaminated. So we should not imitate the perfect thing in the contaminated place.
So we have to rectify ourself. Unless we approach to the spiritual stage... That is the process. Just like a diseased man, he cannot imitate the healthy man. A healthy man eats as he likes, but a diseased man, if he eats as he likes, he'll die. Death is sure. So he has to be restricted, not the healthy man. So if you want really happiness, if you want really freedom, and if you really want everything is reality, then you have to transfer yourself to the spiritual world, in association with Krsna. That is the whole process of Krsna consciousness. And for that purpose, just like a student for getting a degree in the university, he, I mean to say, tolerates all kinds of inconveniences"Never mind. Let me pass and go away"similarly, we have to make use, the best use of this bad bargain, this material body, and continue in Krsna consciousness just to achieve the highest perfection of life, freedom, love. This is the process. And if we imitate... The same example. If we, in diseased state, if we imitate a healthy man's activities, then death is sure. Death is sure. Nobody can say, "Oh, Krsna enjoyed with so many girls. Oh, let me enjoy also." You cannot, because you are in diseased condition. If you do that, then you continue your diseased life and you'll die.
So for us, so long we are conditioned by this material nature, we have to live under regulation, under restriction, and as soon as we are free from this material entanglement, when we come to Krsna consciousness fully, even in perfection of Krsna consciousness here you'll have that transcendental nature. Just like several times I have cited one sloka from Yamunacarya. Yamunacarya was a great king. Later on, he became a great devotee. He has written his life's experience in one verse. Yad-avadhi mama cetah krsna-padaravindayor: "So long my mind and attention is absorbed in Krsna consciousness," tadavadhi, "since then," tad-avadhi bata nari-sangame, "sex life, as soon as I remember about that, it becomes very nasty thing for me." This is the experience. And in the Srimad-Bhagavatam also... Sex life is there in Krsna, not exactly like this, but there is a, I mean to say, unification of embracing, kissing, everything is there, but there is no pregnancy, there is no abortion. That is the perfection. So that we cannot do here. Therefore we have to avoid. Yes. We have to avoid. The perfection... Krsna mixed with so many girls, but there was not a single case. And Bhismadeva certified that "If I had been among such beautiful young girls..." Because Bhisma was famous as brahmacari. "So I think I could not protect myself, but Krsna is so nice that He, He was always..." Krsna is all-perfect. It is because the girls wanted Krsna as their husband; therefore Krsna accepted them. Krsna did not, I mean to say, need the assistance of any other person or girl or boy or anything for His... He's fully satisfied. He's God. He's full perfect.
So His pastimes are manifest in different way, and in Vrndavana His fullness is exhibited. That is described here by Lord Caitanya. Vraje krsna-sarvaisvarya-purne prakasa. There is no restrictions. He is fully manifested there. Puri-dvaye, paravyome-'purnatara', 'purna'. Puri-dvaye means Mathura puri and Dvaraka pura. Mathura puri... As there... As in this universe there is Mathura puri and Dvaraka puri, similarly, in the transcendental abode of Krsna, there is Mathura puri, Dvaraka puri. They are represented here. So India there is Mathura puri and Dvaraka puri. They are... In Mathura puri and Dvaraka puri, in these two places, Krsna's fullness is not manifested. But His fullness is manifested at Vrndavana.
This subject matter is very confidential, but still, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is describing to Sanatana Gosvami, and we are trying to take advantage of this. But a little advanced in Krsna consciousness, it is little difficult for others, how Krsna, the Supreme Lord, manifests Himself fully and manifests Himself less than full. These consideration are there. But let us try to understand as far as possible.
Now Lord Caitanya is summarizing about Krsna's, I mean to say, lila, pastimes. Sanksepe. They are all, whatever, which I have already spoken to you, that is only summary of Krsna's pastimes. Otherwise, ananta kahite nare ihara vistara. Ananta... The Sesa incarnation of Krsna, He's called Ananta. Ananta means unlimited. So it is said that Ananta is describing about Krsna's pastimes for unlimited years and eternally; still it is not yet finished.
So far the forms of Krsna are concerned, they're also unlimited. Sakha-candra-nyaye kari dig-darasana. So sakha-candra-nyaye. There is a logic, sakha-candra logic. What is that? That the sun, uh, moon, at night, is far, far away, but one is pointing out that we can see the moon through the branches of the tree. So there is a location. So through that location one can see the moon. Similarly, although krsna-lila and Krsna's pastimes, Krsna's forms, no human being can describe, still, as far as possible, Lord Caitanya says, this sakha-candra logic: just like the branch of a tree is far away from the moon, still, one can see it by perspective view through the branches of the tree.
Now here is Lord Caitanya's order. Whether we do understand or not understand, if we simply submissively give aural reception to these messages of Krsna, then gradually we shall understand the whole philosophy and science of Krsna consciousness. This is the summary. You may not understand at the present moment about the extensive constitutional position and philosophy of Krsna. Still, if we submissively give aural reception to these messages, as it is described in the Caitanya-caritamrta by Lord Caitanya, that will help usBhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta. This hearing process is very nice. That is recommended by Lord Caitanya. Simply by hearing. We do not require to be very highly educated or very good scholar in Vedanta philosophy. Whatever you are, you remain in your place. That doesn't matter. Simply try to hear, and by hearing everything will be... Svayam eva sphuraty adah. Because the process is that we cannot understand God or we cannot see God unless He reveals. So this revelation will come if we submissively hear. We may not understand, but simply by hearing, we can achieve that stage of life.
Thank you very much. (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/cc/madhya/20/391-405/new_york/january/02/1967 Previous: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.385-394 -- New York, January 1, 1967 Next: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.395 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976
|