Sannyāsa Initiation – October 22, 1972, Vṛndāvana

721022IN-VRNDAVAN [23:07 Minutes]

So long we remain under the cloud we are covered

Prabhupada: ...comes from fire, smoke is not acceptable, but fire is acceptable. Similarly, although this maya, material world, is coming from Krsna... Mattaḥ sarvam pravartate [Bg 10.8], Krsna says. Aham sarvasya prabhavo, mattaḥ sarvam pravartate. Sarvam pravartate means maya is also coming from Krsna. That is a fact. The same example: smoke is coming from fire, but we require fire, not the smoke. This is required. We don't require the maya's internal energy which disturbs seeing Krsna.

There are so many examples: Just like cloud. Cloud is the production of the sun, sunshine. When the sunshine is very strong it evaporates water from the sea, and the air is evaporating from the cloud. That is scientific observation and experiment. But by the cloud, the sun is covered. [break]

We cannot see the sun. Similarly, this maya is creation of God, mama maya, Krsna says. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya. But this maya covers the living entity so that the living entity forgets his eternal relationship with Krsna. Mama maya duratyaya.

That is just like we have got experience by flying in the sky, the jets, they penetrate the clouds and travel above the clouds, there is immense sunshine. There is no more covering. Similarly, we have to come above the maya to the transcendental position, and then we are in the sunshine; there is no more restriction.

So long we remain under the cloud we are covered; we cannot see the sun properly. Neither the people can utilize the sunshine properly. Similarly, if we remain within the control of this maya, then we cannot understand Krsna as God. Then we cannot understand God. We have to transcend the position of cloud, or fog; then our life is successful, and that is devotional service.

If you remain constantly engaged in devotional service of Krsna, mam ca 'vyabhicarena, bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate... We have got so many [indistinct] for serving Krsna; if you always remained engaged in the service of Krsna, then there is no question of maya's entering. That is the transcendental position.

Simply uttering aham brahmasmi, that is not our goal, "I am Brahman." Actually I am spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. Mamaivamso jiva-bhūtaḥ. All jivas are part and parcel of God, Brahman, part of Brahman, as the spark of fire is also fire. Similarly, the part and parcel of Brahman is also Brahman. So the Vedic injunction is that you are Brahman; you are not this matter. So how you can be given [indistinct] saying. Simply being that "I am a very rich man. I am a very rich man," that will not satisfy you. You must become rich, actually then you can say, "I am rich man." Potentially rich man; therefore I am a rich man-no.

So these are the causes. Simply thinking "I am Brahman" will not help you. You must have changed the [indistinct]. And what is that?

He is Brahman. He is realized Brahman, one who is engaged in the unflinching devotional service of the Lord-vadinya-brahma-he has realized, so simply realization of will not help you. Aham brahmasmi...

[break] ...will not help you means you cannot remain in the Brahman realization platform unless you fully realize the Supreme Lord. Full realization of Brahman means understanding Krsna. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate .

Brahman, Paramatma, Bhagavan. Simply understanding aham brahmasmi will not help you. You must come to the point of brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti. First realize Brahman, then Paramatma, then Bhagavan. But if you realize Bhagavan, automatically you realize Bhagavan and Brahman.

Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is directly [indistinct] contact with Bhagavan. Bhagavan. Because Bhagavan... What is the symptom of contacting Bhagavan? That is stated in Bhagavad-gita, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannatma [Bg 18.54]. If one has actually realized how his identification with Brahman, then immediately he will become very joyful. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannatma, that is the symptom. He has no more any cause of being morose; he must be joyful, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannatma.

What is the symptom of joyfulness? Na socati na kahksati: he has no lamentation nor any desire to be fulfilled. He is fully satisfied. Just like Dhruva Maharaja, when he saw the Supreme Personality in penance, he said, "My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied." He went for tapasya, for austerities, penances, in the forest, for getting the kingdom of his father or a better kingdom than his father. That was his aim. He was insulted by his stepmother, so on the advice of his mother he went to the forest. So he achieved some success by achieving his goal to attain a position better than his father and grandfather. Grandfather was not so much.

So he was engaged in that way, but when he actually saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana, he said, "My dear sir..." Narayana offered, "Now you take benediction whatever you like. I am now present. You have undergone so severe austerities. I am very much satisfied. Now you take [indistinct]." But at the same time Dhruva Maharaja said, svamin krtartho 'smi varam na yace [Cc Madhya 22.42].

This is the position, brahma bhuta. Simply by realizing Brahman one becomes passive, no more lamentation, no more material desire, and what to speak of when one is engaged directly in the service of Bhagavan. He doesn't have any material desires. That is bhakta. Svamin krtartho 'smi varam na yace.

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye . This is what the bhakta says. And what he says, there is no desire: anyabhilasita-sūnyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11].

No material desire. That is bhakti-yoga. Anyabhilasita-sūnyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam. We have got so many material desires, then desire to improve cultivation of knowledge, jnana. [indistinct], to merge into the existence of Brahman. That is also another desire.

Therefore Rūpa Gosvami says, anyabhilasita-sūnyam, jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Karma-kanḍi, fruitive activities, those who are engaged in pious activities, yajna-dana-tapaḥ kriya. By performing sacrifices and giving in charity, undergoing austerities, the aim is to be delivered in the higher planetary systems, svarga-loka, jana-loka, mahar-loka, tapa-loka, brahma-loka. That is the result of action of the karmis. The jnanis, the resultant action they want to merge into the existence of Brahman.

Therefore Rūpa Gosvami gives us instruction that pure devotional service, uncontaminated by any kind of desires, including the path of jnana and yoga and karma. Because that is also contaminated. The path of jnana, yoga or karma, they are all. It may be in the higher stage of material existence, but that is not freedom from material existence. If you want freedom completely from material existence, and [indistinct] in eternal life of infinite knowledgeable existence, then you have to take to this bhakti-yoga.

Bhakti-yoga means to try to understand Krsna and serve Him, that is bhakti-yoga. Krsna is explaining Himself in Bhagavad-gita; you try to understand. Some of you are now taking sannyasi, sannyasa asrama [indistinct]. Etam sa asthaya paratma-nistham. When you accept sannyasa, means taking vow that "I shall act only for Krsna service," paratma-nistham ..., pūrvatamair mahadbhir.... What is that? Etam?

Pradyumna: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Now those who are taking sannyasa take this mantra.

[Prabhupada chants each word and they respond]

Etam sa asthaya paratma-nistham upasitam pūrvatamair maha...

[break] In the Vedas it is said that I am accepting this sannyasa for mukundam ahghri nisevayaiva, to serve the lotus feet of Mukunda, mukundam ahghri nisevayaiva. And by this process, by serving the lotus feet of mukundahghri, aham tarisyami, duranta-param tamo.

This material world is called tamo. The Vedic injunction is tamaso ma jyotir gamaya: "Don't remain within this darkness of material world." This material world is by nature dark. We live in-enlightened by the sunshine, moonshine, electricity. Just like the sunshine is over now. We are now [indistinct] chasing the sunshine, we get electricity, or moonshine. So actually the position of this material world is darkness. Therefore it is called tamah. Aham tarisyami, duranta-param tamo.

Duranta-param this material sky [indistinct] material world, is very, very [indistinct]. Just like you have seen the sky, it is covering, but we have no power to, I mean to say, overcome [indistinct] so called [indistinct] aeroplanes, they are in [indistinct], but nobody has covered the whole space. That is not possible. It is so big; therefore it is called duranta-param. Duranta-param, the structure is so great that with your teeny sputniks, they calculate that if you want to go to the limit of this universe, it will take 40,000 of years at the speed of light years. That is beyond your imagination. Unlimited space, you can see; therefore it is called duranta-param.

So you have to cross this duranta-param, unlimited space of the material world, then you come to the spiritual world. Where there is Brahman effulgence. Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya. The aim of life is to cross over this darkness, this vast patch of darkness, and go to the spiritual world [indistinct]. There is covering there also, as in this material world. Ten times, or [indistinct] times bigger than this space that is covering. So how you can cross over this material world of darkness? Simply by mukundahghri nisevayaiva. Simply by serving the lotus feet of Mukunda, you can cross over this great existence of material world. Etam sa asthaya. Etam sa asthaya, paratma-nistham. This sannyasa means firm faith in Krsna: paratma-nistham.

So it is not that you are accepting this position something new. Pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ. Many, many great saintly acaryas, they accepted. Just like in our line Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted; my Guru Maharaja accepted this order of life; I have accepted. This is not a new thing. That is parampara. These are all acaryas have accepted, our spiritual master also, Madhvacarya accepted, Visnusvami accepted. But it is not that sannyasa is only in the Sahkara sampradaya-the Vaisnava-sampradaya. Long, long ago, perhaps you have read in the Krsna book, that Arjuna pretended to be sannyasi.

So we should not pretend to take sannyasa, but actually take, and mukundahghri nisevayaiva, simply for serving Mukunda. If you, you are young men, you insisted, so I have given you order with hope, that you stick to the transcendental loving service at the lotus feet of Krsna. Then you will be very strong. Mam eva ye prapadyante, mayam etam taranti te. If you stick, if you catch hold of the lotus feet of Krsna very tightly, maya will not be able to touch you-rest assured. But don't forget, this is important thing, aham tarisyami, [indistinct].

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, He was only twenty-four years old. So Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya suspected that He was [indistinct], "You have taken sannyasa, so You must read Vedanta twenty-four hours, learn from me." He was teaching Vedanta at that time. So there was Vedanta conversation, later with Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So... And Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya soon became a disciple of Caitanya Mahaprabhu after the argument of Vedanta. That was the system: when there is some argument between two parties, the defeated party becomes a disciple of the victorious party. That was formerly the system; not that you talk for hours and nobody becomes disciple of nobody. Simply this is waste of time.

So you are, sannyasis who are accepting this order, you are going outside India. We require many preachers, because to fulfill the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired,

It is the duty of Indians to preach this cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, or Krsna consciousness, all over the world, to do some welfare to the people in general. Because outside India they are in darkness practically, because there is no guidance. India is envied with the experience of so many sages and saintly persons. [indistinct] experience of spiritual knowledge simply spread all over the world in that they may be defeated, and their poorer lives may be successful. This is our mission, Krsna consciousness movement... [indistinct] [loud bell ringing] of going to Bangkok when I was coming from Malaysia I meet one gentleman from Bangkok he was very much anxious to receive us so by the grace of Krsna you are going forward I shall thank you can take the address of that gentleman by going and being helpful in so many ways. Thank you very much. [end]