730114LE.BOM
Pandal Lecture
Bombay, January 14, 1973 Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) Before speaking on the verses already quoted by my disciples, I may be permitted to read a portion of my preface to the Hare Krsna movement. Those who are my, our life members, they have got the Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, Part One. There he will find this preface. But for general information as to the need of this Krsna consciousness movement, I may read a portion of it.
(reads) "We must know the present need of human society. And what is that need? Human society is no longer bounded by geographical limits." Just like we are traveling all over the world, not only once, but twice, thrice in a year. Because there is facility for traveling the airways, so it has become very easy to go from country to country. And practically, while I am in India, all my disciples are coming here from different parts of the world every morning. There are facilities now. Therefore the world is now not limited by geographical condition. Anyone can go anywhere very swiftly. You can go to London from Bombay within nine hours. So the world is not bounded any more by geographical limits to the particular countries or communities. "Human society is broader than in the Middle Age, and the world tendency is towards one state of human society." There is already the United Nations. In New York they have constructed a big organization, establishment, United Nations, but actually, when we pass through that roadI think it is First Avenueinstead of being united, the flags of the nations are increasing. They are becoming disunited. Just like in India our independence movement was started by Mahatma Gandhiji for uniting all the different section of the people. But actually, the result was that instead of being united, India was partitioned. And the partition has become so poisonous that formerly there was only sporadic Hindu-Muslim riots in some place; now there is organized fighting between Pakistan and Hindustan. So although the tendency is to unite, but in fact it is not being united. They are becoming disunited more and more. Not only the Hindus and Muslim. Now in India there are many provincial questions. Just like in Andhra the fight is going on for separation. Punjab is already separated. So actually we are not being united. We are being separated.
So "The ideals of human society is broader than in the Middle Age, and the world tendency is towards one state or one human society. The ideals of spiritual communism, according to Srimad-Bhagavatam, are based more or less on the oneness of the entire human society, nay, of the entire energy of living beings." This Krsna consciousness movement is meant for not only uniting the human society but also all living entities. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, panditah sama-darsinah.
When one is actually pandita, learned, he becomes sama-darsi. Vidya-vinaya-sampanne: one learned brahmana, gentle brahmana. Vidya dadati namrata. Education means one becomes gentle, sober, cool-headed. Therefore it is said, vidya-vinaya-sampanne. When one is learned, advanced in education, he must be very gentle, not haughty. So vidya-vinaya-sampanne gavi hastini. And one side, the brahmana with gentle behavior, learned scholarship, and the other side, an animal, say, a cow or a dog or an elephant, and another side the candala, the lowest of the human society. According to Vedic civilization, the dog-eaters are called candala. Just like in Hindu society, a person is not permitted to eat cow's flesh. Even in human society, although they are eating different types of flesh, one is considered abominable than the other. The cow-eaters are taken as abominable than the goat-eaters. And the dog-eaters are accepted as abominable than the goat-eaters. So although they are eating flesh, they have got some distinction. That is material. But according to Vaisnava philosophy, because a Vaisnava sees every living entity, not only human being, not only animals, birds and beasts, anyone, panditah sama-darsinah... [Bg. 5.18]. If one is actually learned and advanced, he sees all living entities on the equal status because... The reason is that a learned Vaisnava... Vaisnava, brahmana-Vaisnava, brahmana-pandita, these are the designations. A brahmana cannot be illiterate or rascal. And after becoming brahmana, one has to become Vaisnava. Brahmana, generally, brahma janatiti brahmanah. One who knows brahma, brahma-bhutah... At the present moment we are under the bodily concept of life, every one of us. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brahmana," "I am ksatriya," "I am sannyasi," "I am brahmacari," "I am grhastha..." There are so many designations. So these designations are pertaining to the body and mind. But when you transcend the bodily and the mental concept of life, then you can become Vaisnava.
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54] So this Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-bhagavatam or Krsna consciousness movement is meant for devotees. Without becoming devotee, one cannot become Krsna conscious. The nondevotee... (aside:) Water. The non-devotees accept Krsna as ordinary person. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. Because Krsna comes before you as a human being, therefore because one has no sufficient knowledge about Krsna, param bhavam ajanantah, therefore such foolish persons accept Krsna as ordinary human being or a little greater than ordinary human being. But that is not the fact. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." That is the verdict of Vedic instruction. Ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. There is a list of incarnation of God in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Lord Buddha is also accepted as saktyavesa avatara, especially empowered incarnation of Krsna. Kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira, jaya jagadisa hare. Although Buddhism, we do not accept the philosophy of Buddhism, we Vaisnava, we do not accept, but we accept Lord Buddha as incarnation of Krsna. Kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira, jaya jagadisa hare. Sadaya-hrdaya darsita-pasu-ghatam. Lord Buddha appeared, being very much compassionate on the matter of animal slaughter. As nowadays animal slaughter is going on without any check, similarly, sometime before, about 2,500 years ago, in India the same condition prevailed. Vedic civilization is very liberal. According to Vedic civilization, the king has to give protection to all the prajas. Praja means one who has taken birth in his kingdom. Prajayate. So the animal is also praja of the government. The trees are also praja of the government. So formerly nobody could slaughter an animal, nobody can cut even a tree without reason, without sanction by the Vedic injunction. At the present moment in our country, this Bharatavarsa is called punya-bhumi. Actually it is so, because on this land all the great saintly persons appeared. The incarnation of God, Lord Ramacandra, Lord Krsna, Lord Buddhadeva, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all the big, big acaryasSankaracarya, Sri Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Visnu Svami... So... Vyasadeva... All of them appeared on this sacred land of Bharatavarsa. But the present Bharatavarsa has degraded so much that we have lost our Vedic culture. We are now eating meat. We are eating, drinking wine, and we are having illicit sex life and indulging in gambling. This is India's position. It is due to this Kali-yuga. Otherwise the land is punya-bhumi. Because the land is punya-bhumi, therefore in spite of so much fallen condition, still, you are anxious to hear about Krsna. You ladies and gentlemen who have come here, sacrificing your time, why? Because still the Vedic culture is twinkling within your heart and you are anxious to hear about Krsna, to hear about Srimad-Bhagavatam. Even somebody wants to cheat you, but because it is advertised in the name of Bhagavad-gita, many people flock there.
So Bharata-bhumi is punya-bhumi, the land of piety. We should understand this. After many pious activities... I have traveled all over the world. They have got enough money, enough material facilities, but still, the Vedic culture is different. It is so high. And it is taken still in estimation, in adoration, all over the world. So my request, especially to the Indians, that do not neglect your culture, the Vedic culture. Vedic culture means Krsna consciousness. There is no other different meaning of Vedic culture. In the Bhagavad-gita you have seen,
sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam... [Bg. 15.15] Krsna is to be understood. Vedic culture means to understand Krsna, what is Krsna. Vedic culture... All the Vedas, they are meaning how to understand Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva. Vedanta. Vedanta means... Veda means knowledge and anta means the end. There is... Everything has got the ultimate, the supreme summum bonum. That summum bonum of Vedic knowledge or Vedanta is Krsna. So that Vedanta knowledge, Krsna personified, He is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gita. Everyone is searching after God: "Where is God. What is God? What is the meaning of God? What God does? What is the power of God?" so many things. So everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, what is God. Sarvasya. In the Vedanta-sutra it is said what is God. That is the first question of the Vedanta-sutra. Athato brahma jijnasa. The human life (is) especially meant for inquiring about God. Unfortunately, people, instead of inquiring God, they are very much eager now to inquire about dog. This is the position. There are big, big dog shows in India. At the present moment we have seen many places.
So our this Krsna consciousness movement is to revive the Vedic culture. And the Vedic culture, another name of Vedic culture is sanatana-dharma. Sanatana means eternal, and dharma means characteristic. Dharma generally in English is translated: "religion." Religion means a kind of faith, "I believe in such and such faith""I believe in the Muhammadan faith," "I believe in Christian faith," "I believe in Buddha faith." But actually, dharma does not mean faith. Dharma means characteristic. What is that characteristic? Just like every thing, every little item has got its characteristic. Just like take for example chili, it is very hot. The more the chili is hot, it is good. But if the sugar becomes hot like chili, immediately rejected. But if the chili is hot, you accept, "It is good chili." Similarly, dharma means characteristics of the living entity. That is dharma. The living entity is described in the Bhagavad-gita, mamaivamso jiva-bhuta jiva-loke sanatanah [Bg. 15.7]. Sanatana means eternal. God is eternal sanatana, we are eternal sanatana, and there is an eternal place also. This material world is not eternal. The characteristics of this material world is that it appears at a certain date, it continues to stay for a certain period, it develops, then it dwindles and then vanishes. Just like our body, your body, my body. It has got a date of appearance. It is growing or changing from one shape to another. It will stay for some time. From this body, some by-products will come out, sons and daughters, and then it will become old, dwindling, diminishing, and then it will vanish. One day it will comeno more this body. Similarly, this material world is also like that. It is a gigantic body only. Whole cosmic manifestation has a date of its creation. It is expanding and it is giving so many by-products. Then time will come which is called devastationthere will be no more rain and everything will dry up. All living entities will die. Then there will be devastating rainfall. Everything will be absorbed in water and then vanish. We have got this information from Vedic literature. So this is not sanatana-dhama. This is not eternal dhama. This is temporary. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. It comes into existence and it disappears; therefore it is not sanatana-dhama.
But there is another dhama, sanatana, eternal. That is also, there is information in the Bhagavad-gita. Paras tasmat tu bhava anya 'vyaktya 'vyaktat sanatanah [Bg. 8.20]. So there is sanatana-dhama, the living entity is sanatana, and God is sanatana, Krsna is sanatana. So these three sanatana... Just like we have our dealings. In Bombay there are so many businessmen. The place is Bombay and two parties, business parties, they are dealing. Similarly... But these are all temporary. Our staying in Bombay city is temporary. The dealing is temporary. But there is another place which is called sanatana-dhama. That place is eternal, and the parties, namely God and the living entities, both of them eternal. Their dealing also eternal. That eternal dealing is called nitya-lila, eternal pastimes. These descriptions are there in the Vedic samhita, Brahma-samhita.
cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.29] Govinda has dealing. That dealing He represents exactly when He comes, when He appears on this planet, and that dealing is exhibited in Vrndavana-dhama. You know Vrndavana-dhama. When Krsna comes... About forty-three crores of years' interval Krsna comes. This estimation, these things are there. Krsna comes in one day of Brahma. The duration of Brahma's day you know, that is described in the Bhagavad-gita: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17]. This means forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand. That is the duration of one day of Brahma. And similarly, the duration of his night. So Krsna comes in one day during that duration. So when Krsna comes, He comes here the same place, Vrndavana. Therefore Vrndavana is held in so much estimation by the devotees. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayah. Aradhya, worshipable Deity, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, who appeared as the son of Maharaja Nanda. Vrajesa. Aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam. Similarly, His place Vrndavana is also worshipable; therefore those who are Vaisnavas, especially Gaudiya-Vaisnava, they live in Vrndavana in numbers. There are hundreds and thousands of Gaudiya-Vaisnava still living in Vrndavana because they worship the land, Vrndavana, as good as Krsna because it is Krsna's place.
So the sanatana-dhama. Vrndavana is also part of the sanatana-dhama. The living entity is sanatana, eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. We do not die after destruction of this body. This is the preliminary instruction to understand Vedic knowledge, or spiritual knowledge. If you do not understand the plain fact that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul. I live within this body..." Dehino' smin yatha dehe [Bg. 2.13]. Dehinah. Dehina means the proprietor of the body. Idam sariram kaunteya ksetram ity abhidhiyate [Bg. 13.2]. This sarira, this body, is called ksetra, and the person, or the living entity, who is working on this body, he is called ksetra-jna. Those who have read Bhagavad-gita, they have come to this understanding of ksetra and ksetra-jna. Ksetre-jna means I, you. I know about my body, about the interest of my body. If somebody wants to kill me, I take protection because it is my body, ksetra. Just like your land, if somebody comes to encroach upon it, you take care. Similarly, this body is ksetra, the field of activities, and I or you, the proprietor of the body, is ksetra-jna, one who knows about the body. But there is another ksetra-jna. That is Krsna. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata. Sarva-ksetresu. Krsna is also ksetra-jna, Krsna is also sitting... As I am sitting within this body, similarly, Krsna is also sitting within this body.
isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya [Bg. 18.61] He is directing. Actually, under His instruction we are taking permission. Just like you do business in your business office, establishment, but you have to take permission, license from the government. It is very easy to understand. Although you are proprietor of the business, you cannot do anything without being permitted by the government. Similarly, although this body is yoursyou are the proprietor of this body, you have been given freedom to utilize the body to your best intereststill, you cannot do anything without the permission of Krsna. That is the subject matter to understand spiritual life. Sarvasya caham hrdi... Krsna confirms this in Bhagavad-gita. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto: [Bg. 15.15] "I am entered in everyone's body." Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: "Through Me, one remembers and one forgets." Because our capacity is very limited. We forget very soon. Even we do not know two lours before what we were doing. So that is our nature. Therefore Krsna helps us from within. Even though we forget, Krsna does not forget. That is also there in the Bhagavad-gita. When Arjuna asked Him, "Krsna, You say that You gave instruction on Bhagavad-gita long, long ago, some forty thousands of millions of years ago, to sun-god. How can I believe it, because we are contemporary?" So Krsna answered, "Yes, at that time you were also present, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten." That is the distinction between ordinary living being and the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is also nitya. The Supreme Being is also conscious. As we are eternal, nitya, and conscious... That is the statement of the Vedas. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). He is the supreme conscious. He is the supreme living being. Therefore Krsna is person. Krsna is not imperson. Impersonal feature is one of the partial manifestation of Krsna. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita: brahmano aham pratistha. Krsna is the basis of Brahma. But the original Brahma is Krsna, Parabrahman, as Arjuna accepted: param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12].
So this Krsna consciousness movement is India's movement because it was started from India. It is meant for everyone because every living entity is sanatana, eternal. It is not that only Indians are eternal. Everyone is eternal. Even the animals, they are also eternal. They have got different body according to their karma. Therefore panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. The pandita does not see the outward dress. As if we talk with you, I do not see what kind of dress you have got, I talk with you as gentleman, similarly, a pandita sees the inner soul. He does not see the outward dress, that "Here is a human being," or "Here is an American, here is an Indian, here is a brahmana," or "Here is an elephant" or "dog" or "candala" or "tree." No. He sees only the spirit soul, the part and parcel of Krsna. And as soon as one sees the part and parcel of Krsna, he immediately remembers Krsna. So therefore one who is advanced in Krsna consciousness, even though he sees a tree, immediately he sees Krsna. But as soon as sees the tree, he understands that "This tree is standing here for seven thousands of years according to his karma, but here is a living entity, and this living entity is the part and parcel of Krsna." And as soon as he remembers Krsna, he sees Krsna. Just try to understand. Therefore a maha-bhagavata, advanced devotee, he sees everything, but in everything he sees Krsna, Krsna's energy. That is perfection of life. That is brahma-bhuta [SB 4.30.20] life, realization of Brahman in everything. He understand himself, he understands others. Just like when there is sunrise... In the darkness of night I cannot see you properly, neither you can see me properly. Suppose if the streets are dark, we cannot see, even we pass very near. Similarly, in darkness of ignorance, we do not know actually what is our position. But as in the daytime, when there is sunrise, you can see the sun, you can see the world, you can see yourself, you can see your friend, you can see the whole world... Therefore we have to see Krsna. Then this stage will come.
So this Krsna consciousness movement is meant for this purpose, that one can see in terms of Krsna consciousness. In terms of Krsna consciousness means that every living entity is part and parcel of Krsna. Krsna says, mamaivamso jiva-bhuta: [Bg. 15.7] "All these living entities, they are My part and parcels." In another place He says,
sarva-yonisu kaunteya
sambhavanti murtayo yah tasam mahad-yonir brahma aham bija-pradah pita [Bg. 14.4] So Krsna is the aham bija-pradah pita. Just like the father gives the bija, yoni... The mother is the yoni, and the father is the bija. Yatha bijam yatha yoni. We get our body by the bija and yoni. Similarly, this material world is the yoni, mother, and the Krsna is the bija. Aham bija-pradah pita. So in this way different forms of life are coming8,400,000 species of life. So they are all sanatana. All these living entities are sanatana. But on account of their forgetfulness, being diverted, misled by the illusory energy, mayaya apahrta-jnanam... That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Na mam prapadyante mudha duskrtino naradhamah, mayaya apahrta-jnanam. Their jnana, their knowledge, has been taken away by maya; therefore they do not understand Krsna. Na mam prapadyante mudha. "Because they are foolish rascal, therefore maya has taken their knowledge, and therefore," na mam prapadyante, "they do not surrender unto Me." Therefore Krsna's last instruction is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66].
So we shall gradually discuss all these points. The preliminary is that at the present moment, although we are trying to be united, United Nation, united society, united religion, united... So many things we are trying to be unitedcommunism, united community... But this unity can be possible only when we are actually learned in Krsna consciousness.
One has to become learned. And the process of learning is not very difficult. It is very easy, especially for the men of this age. That is this chanting of Hare Krsna maha-mantra. If you chant this Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is it very difficult for you? God has given you tongue. We are talking so many things, whole day and night. But if we utilize this tongue for chanting Hare Krsna mantra, what is the loss there? That is the injunction of the sastras. Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam [Cc. Adi 17.21]. Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached this cult.
ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam [Cc. Antya 20.12] So this Krsna consciousness movement is spreading this cult of Krsna understanding... [break] ...and we have got very good scheme of communism as I have stated here in this... (reads) "The ideals of spiritual communism, according to Srimad-Bhagavatam, are based more or less on the oneness of the entire human society, nay, of the entire energy of the living beings." This is spiritual communism. The communist cult is concentrating on the state. That is also limited. Not only on the state, there are so many limitations. Actual communism is this:
Panditah sama, when we see equally, not only the learned brahmana... The learned brahmana or the elephant or the cow or the dog or the candala. No matter. Whatever the bodily condition is there, the spiritual condition is the same. Panditah sama... This samata, this communism, equality, is perfect. Their modern theory of communism, that "I am good, my brother is good, and all bad," this is not communism. When we are, we can see that "I am good, my brother good, the dog is good, the cat is good, the Englishman is good, the every living entity is good," that is communism. That is perfect communism. So this Krsna consciousness movement, or the Bhagavata-dharma, there is ideal communism. You will find in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Seventh Canto, Narada Muni is giving, instructing to Maharaja Yudhisthira about this communism that "A grhastha, before taking lunch, he must see that every insect, every lizard, every cat, every rat, even a snake in that house must have been fed, must have taken their food. This is so hospitable that the householder, the owner of the house, not only sees that his wife, children, servants are well-fed, but even the rats, cats or the insect or the lizard. Or even the snake has got his food. This is the ideal of communism. Because when you are pandita, learned, you cannot distinguish that "This is animal and this is human being." You can treat them different because their consciousness is... But on the basic principle the living entityany living entityit doesn't matter whether it is animal or manhe is part and parcel of Krsna. So you cannot kill one living entity for the satisfaction of the tongue of other... (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/general/pandal_lecture/bombay/january/14/1973 Previous: Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 "The Present Need of Human Society" Next: Lecture at Bharata Chamber of Commerce "Culture and Business" -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973
|