Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 1 – October 30, 1968, Los Angeles

681030IP-Los Angeles [16:32 Minutes]

That pure goodness is called vasudeva, and in that pure goodness one can realize God

[Distorted audio]

Prabhupada: Hare Krsna [leads devotees in chanting]

[leads devotees in chanting mantras 1-15]

Prabhupada: Open the page. Read.

Gargamuni: Page eighteen.

Prabhupada: Read.

Gargamuni: Page eighteen. "The root of sin is deliberate disobedience to the laws of nature through not recognizing the proprietorship of the Lord; disobedience to the laws of nature, or disobedience to the order of the Lord, brings ruin to the human being.

On the other hand, if one is sober and knows the laws of nature, without being influenced by unnecessary attachment or abhorrence, he is sure to be recognized again by the Lord and thus become eligible for going back to Godhead, back to the eternal home."

Prabhupada: Hmm. So the natural law, without being influenced by unnecessary attachment or abhorrence. There is no need of attachment for this material world, neither there is need of abhorrence. That is isavasyam idam sarvam . Suppose we are sitting in this temple. So, of course, for temple we should have attachment. Ordinary home, or ordinary house... Temple... We must explain. The temple is transcendental. According to Vedic civilization, to live in the forest is residential quarter in goodness, to live in the forest. Therefore, formerly, great sages and saintly persons, they used to go to the forest and live there. And the government would give them protection.

The king's duty was to supply them food. What sort of food? The king used to give them in charity cows, nice cows. So they would take little milk, and whatever fruits are available in the forest, that was sufficient for them. And the king would sometimes hunt ferocious animals so that they may not disturb. But actually, they do not disturb saintly persons still.

So to live in the forest is in the mode of goodness, and to live in the city, or town, is..., is in the mode of passion, and to live in slaughterhouse and brothel and drunkards, these are the residential quarter in ignorance. And to live in the temple is transcendental, above goodness: pure goodness.

In the material world goodness is sometimes mixed up with ignorance and passion, but in the spiritual world there is pure goodness-no contamination or tinges of passion and ignorance. Therefore it is called suddha-sattva. Suddha-sattva. Sabdam, sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam [SB 4.3.23]: "That pure goodness is called vasudeva, and in that pure goodness one can realize God." Therefore God's name is Vasudeva, "produced from Vasudeva." Vasudeva is the father of Vasudeva.

So unless we come to the standard of pure goodness, without any tinge of passion and ignorance, it is not possible, God realization. Therefore bhakti means anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Jnana-karmady-anavrtam .

Jnana is the platform of goodness, and karma is the platform of passion and ignorance. So bhakti means anyabhilasita-sunyam, without any material desire, devoid of, freed from all kinds of material desire and uncovered by ignorance, passion and goodness. Goodness also.

To become very good man in this world, that does not mean that he is freed from this material contamination. He's contaminated by the goodness quality. Just like Arjuna. He wanted to be very good man. Krsna said, "Now fight." He said, "Oh, how can I fight? Oh, they are my brothers, they are my grandfathers. No, no. Better I shall beg. I don't want this kingdom."

So this is material goodness. People appreciate very much: "Oh, just see. Arjuna is giving up claim on the kingdom." But what Krsna replied? Krsna said, "Wherefrom you got this foolish idea?" Kutas te kasmalam idam visame samupasthitam, anarya-justam [Bg 2.2]: "This is for non-Aryans, not for Aryan."

So this so-called goodness, so-called gentlemanliness, has no value in the spiritual world. Spiritual world-complete love of God, without any attachment for this... So Arjuna, this goodness means attachment for his family. That's all. He was becoming a good man. Why? Because there is attachment for his family, for his grandfather, for his brother, nephews. So, so long there is attachment for this material world, either in the form of goodness or passion or ignorance, they're all the same.

In the transcendental platform... Therefore Caitanya-caritamrta says that in this material world, the divisions that "This is good" and "This is bad," they are simply mental concoction. The same example: the stool dried up is good, and the wet is not good. Stool is stool. That's all. For a devotee, this is stool. Either it may be dried up or moist, it doesn't matter. So those who are in ignorance and passion, they're little moist, and those who are in goodness, they're dried up. But after all, it is stool.

Therefore Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66]. There is no consideration of this goodness or badness. You have to give up all material attachment. And abhorrence. Abhorrence is also another negative attachment. "I don't like this," that means I have attachment for this "don't like." You see? So a devotee is simply attached to the service of the Lord, and whatever condition comes, favorable or unfavorable, any circumstances he is steady, drdha-vratah, bhajante mam drdha-vratah [Bg 7.28].

Drdha-vratah means fixed up, without being tilting, tottering in any circumstances. Ahaituky apratihata... [SB 1.2.6] So we should not have abhorrence or attachment. Suppose we have got this microphone. But sometimes there is no microphone; we have to say, lecture, in some jungle, where there is nothing available, neither like this seat. So whatever is available, that's all right.

But that does not mean because there is no microphone, there is no nice seat, there is no nice building, we shall stop our chanting. No. Chanting will go on at any circumstance, either in this nice building or in the hell. We have no consideration, hell or heaven. Whatever..., wherever Krsna is there, that we want. That's all.

So here it is said that without being influenced by unnecessary attachment. These karmis, they are unnecessarily attached to this world. They know that everything will be finished; I will be finished, this body will be finished. Still they are attached. These are karmis. And jnanis, they are abhorring: brahma satyam jagan mithya. Jagan mithya:

"This world is false." Why it is false? It is... There are..., so many nice things there are which can be engaged in the service of the Lord.

Why it is false? We don't say that "false," "abhorrent," or "This is made of material... You don't like." No, it can be used. When you speak, glorifying Lord, oh, it can help you. Why abhorrence? So there is no unnecessary abhorrence, unnecessary attachment. Simply whatever is favorable for my service to the Lord we shall accept. That is isavasyam idam sarvam .

Thank you very much. [devotees offer obeisances] [end]