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721112SB.VRN
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.33

Vrndavana, November 12, 1972
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
asau gunamayair bhavair
bhuta-suksmendriyatmabhih
sva-nirmitesu nirvisto
bhunkte bhutesu tad-gunan
[SB 1.2.33]
Translation: "The Supersoul enters into the bodies of the created beings, who are influenced by the modes of material nature, and causes them to enjoy the effects of these by the subtle mind."
Prabhupada:
asau gunamayair bhavair
bhuta-suksmendriyatmabhih
sva-nirmitesu nirvisto
bhunkte bhutesu tad-gunan
In the previous verse we have discussed that naneva bhati visvatma bhutesu ca tatha puman, that the, the living entity, individual soul, and the Supersoul... So because the individual soul wanted a certain type of enjoyment, so the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is making such arrangement. Gunamayair bhavaih. That arrangement is made by the material nature. Bhava, bhava means nature. Gunamayair bhavaih. This nature is made of three modes of material nature. And the other nature... In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, paras tasmat tu bhavah anyah [Bg. 8.20]. This bhava, this material creation, it is also bhava. Another bhava, that is sanatana. Paras tasmat tu bhavah anyah. Anya means other. Avyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah. Here the mahat-tattva, the total material energy, is called avyakta. Then, when it is agitated by the glance of the Supreme Lord, the three modes of material nature acts. And by interaction of these three modes of material nature, the whole cosmic manifestation comes into being. This is the... Not theory. This is the fact of creation. Creation, there is machine, or there is electronic working and the buttons are pushed by the Supreme Lord. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. His electronic machine is so subtle and powerful that we cannot understand. We say "nature." Because, due to our ignorance, we cannot explain how the nature is working, we give an evasive reply. Just like a flower is coming from the seed. The tree is coming, the flower is coming, the fruit is coming. So we simply give an evasive reply: "By nature, it is coming." But we cannot explain how it is coming.
But there is explanation. Just like in our, this tape recording machine, we do not know; we push some button. It is recording. But there is a great manipulation of the machine. That we do not know. As soon as it is not working, because we are ignorant, we go to the mechanic: "Just find out what is the wrong." He knows; he puts the things in right way. Again it works. So we take the total working and we may say it is working by nature. No. There is brain. There is pushing of button. Everything is there. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita.
mayadhyaksena prakrtih
suyate sa-caracaram
hetunanena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
[Bg. 9.10]
Mayadhyaksena. "I am pushing the buttons." He is... But the His pushing of buttons and acting on the machine is so subtle and so quick and so immediate that we cannot explain. We think it is automatically done. We think that it is automatically...
So here, asau gunamayair bhavair bhuta-suksmendriya atmabhih. This whole material creation is... There is a brain. It is not a so-called evasive reply, "Automatically." What do you mean, "Automatically"? There must be somebody pushing the button, must be working. There is brain. That is really scientific study. Here, gunamayair bhavaih, by the three energies, three kind of energies, goodness, passion and ignorance, these gunamayi, these qualities of nature, bhuta-suksma indriya. Then there is creation of the ego, then creation of the intelligence, mind, then creation of sky, then creation of air, then creation of fire, then creation of water, then creation of land. Bhuta-suksmendriya. The objective of the senses, the senses are created, the sense enjoyment, objects are created, form is created, taste is created, smell is created. So there is great machinery. It is not that automatically it has come out. But behind all these energetic work... The energies, different energies are working.
Krsna's energy is so powerful that He puts the potency in a seed. Bijo 'ham sarva-bhutanam [Bg 7.10]. Krsna says bija, means "seed," sarva-bhutanam. "Whatever is coming out, being manifested, the seed, I am." Means"Seed, I am"means "It is manufactured under My supervision." Just find out the seed of a banyan tree, a small grain, like mustard seed. But you sow the seed and a big tree, gigantic tree, will come out. Unless the energetic tree is there within the seed, how it comes out? That is Krsna's energy. That is Krsna, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. His energy is so subtle that svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. Svabhaviki.
Now, from that seed, first of all, the trunk will come, the branches will come. Then the twigs will come, the leaves will come, and the fabrication of the leaf. Everything see, wonderful. Everything we see, wonderful. But svabhaviki, as if coming automatically, automatically. A creeper is coming, is trying to find out a shelter. As soon as it finds out shelter, immediately captures. We have seen in our Los Angeles. Behind my house, the electric post and the wire, the creeper is taking shelter and giving flower and fruits and everything. Svabhaviki. Now, you can say it has no eyes. How it is seeing, how it is coming here and is, what is called, squirreling? No. The energy's so perfect that svabhaviki, it is working like nature. Automatically. Svabhaviki. There is knowledge. Svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya. Everything is done by knowledge, by power, and by action.
So there is everything. We can see practically how the trees are growing. Your body, my bodyin the same way, everything is coming out. Now, there was seed, the father and mother's seed. Now, within that seed, all these arrangements of the veins, nerves and fibers and muscles and everything was there. You cannot explain how these veins are working. Little discrepancy of the working of the vein, I suffer on my finger for so many days. What is that? There was no regular supply of the energy. The, there was some disturbance in the holes of the veins and nerves. This is the medical science. But as soon as it is cured, the supply is there. Just like when the pipe is jammed, the water does not go and it creates disturbance. Similarly, everything is going on nicely in a machine. And Krsna knows everything. Anvaya-vyatirekabhyam. Janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas ca arthesu abhijnah svarat [SB 1.1.1]. I do not know how the nerves in my finger became disturbed and how it has become diseased and how it became cured. And now it is all right. I do not know, although I claim, "This is my hand, this is my leg." But I do not know. Therefore it is not my leg, not my hand. Just like I'm living in a room, rented room. That is not my room. If you study in this way, you'll find: isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1]. Everything belongs to God, Krsna. Falsely you are claiming. I do not know how it is working. I have been given the chance to live in this particular body. Otherwise Krsna is working as I wanted. I wanted teeth to eat fresh flesh, so Krsna gives us the tiger's teeth, tiger's nail. But how the nails and teeth came into existence, how it is working, how it is set up, that I do not know. That I do not know. That knows Krsna. Anvayat vyatireka arthesu.
All the purpose of these instruments, different instruments, bhuta-suksma indriya... indriya means senses. How they are working, how the enjoyment, object of enjoyment is supplied, that is all being arranged by Krsna.
asau gunamayair bhavair
bhuta-suksmendriyatmabhih
sva-nirmitesu nirvisto
bhunkte bhutesu tad-gunan
Sva-nirmitesu, we wanted this kind of manufactured. So Krsna has given me the chance, prakrte, by..., through the agency of prakrti. prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. That is also explained. Similarly, I wanted a body like this to enjoy a certain standard of sense enjoyment, so I enter into this body, I enter into that body. Also Krsna enters as Supersoul. Sva-nirmitesu nirvistah. Then bhunkte bhutesu tad-gunan. Then what I enjoy? I enjoy the action and reaction of the three modes of material nature, that's all.
Actually, the enjoyment is in my mind. That is not enjoyment. That is not enjoyment. Real enjoyment is when I am free from this embodiment of five elements, gross elements, and three subtle elements. I have entered into this, and the action and reaction of these five gross elements, three subtle elements, I am enjoying. Actually, not enjoying. This is called maya. There is no enjoyment. It is enjoyment in the mind. The mind is also material creation. Real enjoyment is beyond these senses. Sukham atyantikam yat tad atindriya-grahyam [Bg. 6.21]. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: sukham atyantikam yat tat. The real happiness is not by these gross senses. By transcendental senses, we can enjoy sukham at..., real happiness. Therefore, because we are not in that platform of enjoying the transcendental senses, we are trying to enjoy by these gross senses, therefore we are becoming baffled and frustrated. This is the cause of frustration. Because that is not the platform of enjoyment.
Sukham atyantikam yat tad atindriya-gra... Atindriya. Atindriya means "beyond this." It is covered. Covered senses, you cannot enjoy. Suppose I cover your tongue with some cloth and then I give you one rasagulla. Can you taste it? What you'll taste? There are so many things. If you cover the senses, the real senses, and try to enjoy with that covering, what you'll enjoy? That is not enjoyment. The..., it has to be uncovered. Then you'll enjoy. That is indicated: sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. If you uncover the senses, upadhi... These upadhi... Because I am in bodily concept of life, therefore I am thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am black," "I am white," "I am man," "I am woman," "I am tree," "I am this," "I am that." This is covered. How you can enjoy with these covered senses?
So you have to uncover. You have to discover. That discovering process is devotional service. The more you are engaged in devotional service, the more your senses become pure or uncovered. And when it is completely uncovered, without any designation, then you are capable to serve Krsna. This is apprenticeship. Vaidhi-bhakti, that is apprenticeship. Real bhakti, para-bhakti, that is raganuga-bhakti. This raganuga-bhakti, we have to come after surpassing the vaidhi-bhakti. In the material world, if we do not try to make further and further progress in devotional service, if we are simply sticking to the shastric regulation process and do not try to go beyond that... Shastric process also regulation, that is required. Without shastric process you cannot go to that platform. But if we stick to the shastric process only and do not try to improve ourself... The shastric process is kanistha-adhikara, lowest stage of devotional service.
Generally, people come to this temple, they are very devoted to the Deity. They offer their respects, flowers and other things, make the regulative process, circumambulate. This is nice beginning, but one has to go above this. One has to know who is actually bhakta, who is ac... Na tad-bhaktesu canyesu. One has to do good for others. That is madhyama-adhikari. If I become satisfied only with these regulative principles for worshiping the Deity in the temple and following the regulative principle daily, but if I have no other idea, then sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah. Prakrta means on the material platform. Such devotee can fall down at any moment, because he's on the prakrta stage. And prakrta means this gunamayi, prakrti. It is very strong.
So any devotee can fall down if he remains prakrta-bhakta. So he has to raise himself above this in the madhyama-adhikara. So here it is said that sva-nirmitesu nirvisto bhunkte bhutesu tad-gunan. So we are not enjoying actually. We are enjoying the interaction of the three modes of material nature. And we are thinking... The same thing, as my Guru Maharaja used to say, that licking up the bottle of honey. That is not real honey. You have to open the bottle of the honey and lick up the real honey, then you'll get taste. That is advancement of spiritual knowledge.
satam prasangan mama virya-samvido
bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah...
[SB 3.25.25]
Therefore, if we do not associate with the advanced devotees, uttama-adhikari, if we simply want to remain in the lowest stage of devotional service, then we are not making progress. Then we shall simply enjoy the material field, without entering into the spiritual platform.
Bhunkte, bhunkte bhutesu tad-gunan. We have to raise above the modes of material nature. Nirguna. Traigunya-visaya veda nistraigunyo bhavarjuna. That is the statement of Bhagavad-gita. In the Vedic instruction, traigunya, Vedic instruction is dealing with the three gunas, the three material modes of nature. Nistraigunyo bhavarjuna. Nistraigunya. What is that? Because when Krsna was asking Arjuna to fight, he was in the traigunya platform, in the material platform. He was thinking, "How shall I kill my grandfather? How shall I kill my teacher? How shall I kill my brother? How can I kill nephews?" This is traigunya-vicara, consideration on the material platform. Then Krsna said, nistraigunyo bhavarjuna: "Just become transcendental to the material modes of nature." What is that transcendental material nature? "I am asking you to fight. You do it." That is nistraigunya. Krsna is asking him. That is nistraigunya. Traigunya-visaya veda nistraigunyo bhavarjuna. The guna or nirguna, these two words are there in the Vedic literature. When we speak of guna, that is, means these three gunas, three material modes of nature. And nirguna means above these three material modes of nature. So actually devotional service is above the three modes of material nature. Sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26].
So when you are actually in pure devotional service, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], being freed from the interaction of the three material modes of nature, that is real transcendental stage of devotional service. So we have to try to go to that platform. Otherwise, we shall remain a prakrta-bhakta. As it is said here: bhunkte bhutesu tad-gunan. We have to become transcendental to the three modes of material nature. That is not very difficult. Simply one has to become very serious and sincere. That's all. As there are directions in the sastras... As, as I was speaking in this morning, the sastra... Just like Rupa Gosvami has given instruction in the Nectar of Devotion how to prosecute. He begins in the characteristic of devotional service. He says this verse:
anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
[Brs. 1.1.11]
So we have to begin from this uttama-bhakti. Uttama means nirguna, or transcendental. Uttama. Uttama, udgata-tamah. Ut means transcendental, when you surpass. Tama. Tama means this material world. So anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. That is uttama-bhakti. That is transcendental bhakti.
So if we execute devotional service with some material purpose, that purpose may be served, but you cannot rise to the transcendental platform. So we should be very careful that we may not take to devotional service... Even though we take it, still, it is recommended that you prosecute, you go on with the devotional service by the regulative principles. Then you'll come to the uttama platform. There is no question of disappointment, but we must know that if we remain on the material platform, then we have to take so much time. From the material platform, we have to go to the spiritual platform. That means we require to follow the regulative principles very strictly and sincerely. Then we'll be promoted to the nirguna platform. Without performing the regulative principles, one cannot come immediately, all of a sudden... Maybe, by the grace of Krsna, one can come, but the regular way is first of all let us follow the regulative principles strictly. Then gradually we shall be purified and come to the spiritual platform. And that will be successful, a success of our life.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

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