Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.18

Chicago, July 4, 1974
740704SB.CHI
Prabhupada: (leads Sanskrit word-for-word with devotees responding) This is a prayer offered by Kunti to Krsna. After finishing the battle of Kuruksetra, when Krsna was leaving for His own kingdom, Dvaraka, at that time He went to take blessings from Kunti. Kunti happened to be Krsna's aunt, father's sister. So He went to take leave from aunt. At that time Kunti offered this prayer. Kunti, although she knew that Krsna is her nephew, brother's son, but still she knew that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna comes here as ordinary human being, but the purpose is to reestablish the principles of religion as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam,
The, any, anything, isavasyam idam sarvam, anything, whatever you will see, that is God's property, Krsna's property. So as the owner sometimes goes to visit his property or to see things, that management is going on nicely, so everything belongs to God, Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-loka-mahesvaram. (makes comment aside)
Devotee: Take the children out.
Prabhupada:
This is the mistake of the modern world. Not only modern, this is the mistake of the material world. They do not know that everything belongs to God. That's a fact. We fight, "This is my land, this is your land," but fighting, we die, and the land is there. The land does not go with the fighters. They fight amongst themselves, "This is my land," "This is my land," but the land remains, and the persons fighting, they go away. This is the position. But still we do not understand that the land does not belong to either you or to me. It belongs to Krsna. So anyway, just to establish, to remind us, Krsna comes, so that "Any land does not belong to you." Bhoktaram, "I am the enjoyer," sarva-loka-mahesvaram, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." That's a fact.
So Kunti knew it, that "We are..., we fought the battle of Kuruksetra, but actually Krsna is the supreme proprietor." Therefore he is..., she is offering her prayer, namasye purusam tva, "You are purusam." Purusam means the enjoyer. Krsna is not addressed as a, a female. Just like there are, not in your country, in India there are many devotees of Durga, that they take Durga as the supreme. Durga is supreme, the supreme power and energy within this material world. The supreme energy, that is external energy, that is called Durga. Durga means "very difficult to overcome." The, everyone is trying to overcome the difficulties of this material world, but it is very, very difficult. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya: "You cannot surpass the stringent laws of material nature." You cannot. This is our struggle for existence. Material nature is offering some difficulty, and we are trying to overcome them. This is called struggle for existence, and this is going on lfe after life. Any life, either human form of life or animal form of life, the struggle is there. There must be always anxiety, sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat, because we have accepted this material body, or this material world.
To accept this material world means to accept different types of material body, and so long you have got this material body, either you have got the body of a human being or an animal or of demigod, that always there must be fearfulness, anxiety, because we have accepted something foreign. This material world is foreign to the living entities. The living entity is spiritual, so his actual residency is in the spiritual world. But somehow or other he has come in contact with this material world; therefore he is suffering threefold miseries-adhyatmic, adhibautic, adhidaivic. He must suffer. Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is to get the living entity relieved from this material miserable condition of life, and take him back to home, back to Godhead. That is also Krsna's mission. Krsna also came to impress that "This is not your place." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. "You are creating so many plans to live here very peacefully, but that is not possible. Therefore you give up all this onsense plan, just come to Me, surrender to Me, and I shall give you protection." Because He is the father, father wants that the nonsense sons, they want to live independently, but he has no such means, therefore father comes to invite, "Come back." Sarva-dharman..., vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah. These things are explained in the Bhagavad-gita.
So Kunti knew it; therefore, although Krsna was present before her as a nephew... Aunt is respectable, that Krsna came to offer His respect, obeisances, before going home. But Kunti is offering respect to Krsna. Therefore she is saying namasye, "I offer my obediences unto You, Krsna." Why? Purusam tva, "You are the Supreme Person; therefore I must offer my respect unto You." Namasye purusam tva, adyam. Adyam means original, original person. That is stated in the Brahma-samhita, isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah, anadih. Anadih means who has no beginning. But He is the beginning of everything. That is Krsna. We have got experience that anything in our experience, it has got a beginning. Beginning. But Krsna is without beginning, and all others, they have got beginning. From Krsna, within this material world, from Krsna, Brahma. From Brahma, Narada or many other demigods. Then from demigods, we human being. In this way we have increased. Brahma is the first created being within this universe, and h is created by Krsna. So they are taking account of this material, this universe, so Brahma is therefore called grandfather, or a father of the father. But Krsna is the great-grandfather, the father of Brahma's. Therefore it is said adyam, the original person. Namasye purusam tva, adyam. What kind of adyam? Isvaram. Isvaram means controller. Adyam isvaram, the original controller.
Now, we have got experience about controlling. Suppose I am controlling this institution, Krsna consciousness movement. But that does not mean I am the original controller. Similarly, there are many, many big men, business magnates, controlling his factories, office, but he is not original controller. He is controlled by the government, and the government is controlled by somebody, the people. In this way you will see in this world there is one controller. Everyone is controller. If you..., one has nothing to control, he keeps a dog to control. That is very good experience in your country. He has no children to control, no wife to control-keep a dog. So the controlling propensity is there, everywhere, but he is not Supreme Controller. So if you study, that here is a controller, controlling a dog, but he is controlled by his master, he is controlled by somebody, somebody, somebody, in this way you will find that Brahma is the original controller of this universe, but he is also controlled by Krsna. Therefore H is the original controller, and the original controller means God, who is not controlled by anyone. Within our experience we see that one is controller, but he is controlled by somebody else. But in this way, when you, if you can, you approach a person who is controller, but never controlled by others, that is God. Therefore here it is said, namasye purusam tva, adyam isvaram.
Then adyam isvaram, how it is? Now prakrteh param, beyond this material nature. You will find in the Bhagavad-gita this verse, parah tasmat bhavah anyah: "There is another nature." Just like you have seen within your vision the big, I mean to say, horizon, and there within this there are millions and millions of stars, sun, suns and planets we cannot account for, although you are seeing daily. But we have no such knowledge; we cannot account for them. We are so minute. Still we are thinking, "Where is God? I am God." So, Krsna is not that kind of God, imaginative. He is real God. Therefore He is prakrteh param. Prakrteh means this cosmic manifestation, beyond that. He is creator of this. God is creator of this cosmic manifestation. Therefore it is said prakrteh. Prakrteh means this material nature. Param, superior, beyond. Prakrteh param alaksyam: but not visible. God is not visible to everyone. He is visible"Here is God"but those who have not developed the eyes to see God, they think "Here is a doll, and tese foolish people are worshiping a doll." No. He is God, Krsna. He is Krsna. This is called arca-vigraha. Krsna agrees to accept your service. If you want to serve the universal form of God, that is not possible. Where you will get so big dress to cover Krsna, if He appears in His universal form.? (laughter) But He is so kind that He has come in a form. Because He is almighty, all powerful, so whatever you can provide, you can dress Krsna, you can feed Krsna, you can decorate Krsna. It is His mercy, to become handy for your service. This is called arca-vigraha.
So the devotional service is so nice thatthis example I have given many timesjust like in front of your house there is small letterbox, a red letterbox, but if you put your letters within that box it will go ten thousand miles away. Therefore it is post office. It is not a box. It is post office. The post office has kindly come before your door for your convenience, so that you can put your letters there and it will go to the destination. Similarly, this arca-vigraha, He is just like that. Although Krsna is universal, still He has agreed to take your service. That will be accepted. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,
Krsna says, "My devotee, with affection," yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Krsna is not hungry. Krsna has not come to you for accepting your offering because He is hungry. No. He is not hungry. He is self-complete, and in the spiritual world He is served, laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam, He is served by hundreds and thousands of goddess of fortune. But Krsna is so kind, because if you are seriously lover of Krsna, He is here to accept your patram puspam. Even you are the poorest of the poor, He will accept whatever you can collecta little leaf, a little water, a little flower. Any part of the world, anybody can secure and offer to Krsna. "Krsna, I have nothing to offer You, I am very poor. Please accept this." Krsna will accept. Krsna says, tad aham asnami, "I eat." So main thing is bhakti, affection, love.
So here it is said alaksyam. Krsna is not visible, God is not visible, but He is so kind that He has come before you, visible to your material eyes. Krsna is not visible within this material world, material eyes. Just like Krsna's part and parcel. We are Krsna's part and parcel, all living entities, but we do not see each other. You cannot see me, I do not see you. "No, I see you." What you see? You see my body. Then, when the soul is gone from the body, why you are crying "My father is gone"? Why father is gone? Father is lying here. Then what you have seen? You have seen the dead body of your father, not your father. So if you cannot see the particle of Krsna, the soul, how you can see Krsna? Therefore sastra says, atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. This blunt material eyes, he cannot see Krsna, or cannot hear Krsna's name, namadi. Nama means name. Nama means name, form, quality, pastime. These things cannot be understood by your material blunt eyes or senses. But if they are purified, sevonukhe hi jihvadau, if they are purified by the process of devotional service, you can see Krsna at all times and everywhere. But for ordinary person, alaksyam: not visible. Krsna is everywhere, God is everywhere, andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. So alaksyam sarva-bhutanam. Although Krsna is outside and inside, both, still we cannot see Krsna unless we have got the eyes to see Krsna.
So this Krsna consciousness movement is to open the eyes how to see Krsna, and if you can see Krsna, antah bahih, then your life is successful. Therefore sastra says that, antar bahir.
Everyone is trying to become perfect, but the perfection means when one can see Krsna within and without. That is perfection. Aradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim. If you have been able to worship Krsna, then there is no need of any more austerities, penances, (indistinct) to self-realize or to know God. There are so many processes, austerities, penances. Sometimes we go to the forest, go to the forest to see where is God, where... There, there are different processes, but the sastra says that actually if you are worshiping Krsna, aradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim, that there is no more need of your undergoing severe penances and austerities. And naradhito, naradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim, and ultimately after going severe..., undergoing severe austerities and penances, if, if you do not know what is Krsna, then what is the use? It is useless. Naradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim, antar bahir yadi haris tapasa tatah kim. Similarly, if you can see twenty-four hours Krsna, within and without, then the that is the end of all tapasya.
So here Krsna say again..., Kunti says that "Although Krsna is within and without, because we haven't got the eyes to see Him," alaksyam, "not visible." Just like here Krsna was present in the battle of Kuruksetra, only the five Pandavas, just like, and their mother Kunti, they could understand that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And few others. So even though Krsna was present, somebody took Him as ordinary human being. Avaja..., avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam. Because He was very kind to the human society, He came personally. Still, because they had no eyes to see Him, they could not see. Therefore Kunti says, alaksyam, "You are not visible, although You are antah bahih, sarva-bhutanam." Not that antah bahih of the devoteeeveryone. Everyone's heart Krsna is situated, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese. Pointing out, hrd-dese, here in the heart, Krsna is there. Now, therefore, meditation, yoga principle, is how to find out Krsna within the heart. That is called meditation.
So Krsna's position is always transcendental. If we accept this transcendental process, Krsna consciousness, regulative principles, and try to become free from sinful life. Because you cannot see Krsna or understand Krsna while you are practicing all sinful activities. Then it is not possible. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah. Those who are duskrtinah... Krti means merited, meritorious; but duskrti, but merit is applied for sinful activities. So, we therefore request our... We shall not request; this is our, I mean to say, rules and regulation, that one must be free from the sinful activities. The sinful activities, the four pillars of sinful life, are illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. So our students are advised..., not advised, they must follow; otherwise they will fall down. Because a sinful man cannot understand God. One side we should practice the regulative principles and the devotional process, another side we should avoid sinful activities. Then Krsna is present, nd you can talk with Krsna, we can be with Krsna. Krsna is so kind. Just like Kunti is talking with Krsna as her nephew, similarly you can talk with Krsna as your son, as your husband, as your lover, as your friend, as your master, as you like.
So I am very glad this, to, to see the Chicago temple. You are doing very nice, and the hall is also very nice. So go on with your service attitude and realize Krsna. Then your life will be successful.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya! Hari bol! (end)
740704QA.CHI

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