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730430SB.LA
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.38

Los Angeles, April 30, 1973
Devotee:
"As the name and fame of a particular body is finished with the disappearance of the living spirit, similarly, if You do not look upon us, all our fame and activities, along with the Pandavas and Yadus, will end at once."
Prabhupada: So this is the case not only with the Pandavas but every one of us. When somebody dies, big man, big scientist, big politician, big philosopher, when he's dead, the big name, "Here is Mr. Nixon, here is Mr, Sir Isaac Newton, or...," this is name. Nama-rupabhyam. Nama means name and rupa means form. So, so long we are living, our name, our fame, our form, our activities, are glorious, very good. And as soon as the life is gone, nobody cares. It is a lump of matter. That's all. Now at the... When one is living, a big man, nobody can go before him or touch himthere are so many guards. But the same man, when he's dead, if he's lying on the floor, if somebody kicks on his face, nobody cares, finished.
So we should understand this. That after the disappearance of the body, soul, this so-called big name, big fame, important body, has no value. And what is that soul? That soul is part and parcel of Krsna. Therefore we are energy of Krsna. So when the energy is withdrawn or Krsna is not there, the energy... Krsna's energy and Krsna is no difference. Sakti-saktimator abhedah. Just like the sun. The sun is the saktiman, energetic, and the sunshine is the energy. So, so long the sunshine is there, the sun is there. There is no difficulty. When the sun is not there, the sun's energy's also not there. Similarly Krsna, so long Krsna is within us, within this body... Krsna's energy... There are... Two things are always. The Mayavadi philosophers, they do not accept the energy. Simply they accept the energetic impersonal. No. We must accept the energy and the energetic, both. Sakti-parinama. Sakti, sakti means energy. By the energy everything is going on. The energetic is aloof. Just like the sun, we can very easily understand. The example is just before us. The sun is there, the sunshine is there, and within the sun-globe there is the sun-god. But we, so-called scientists, we are studying the sun from ninety-three millions of miles away, and we are taking very pride that we are studying the sun. If you have studied sun, why don't you go there? Go there, and enter into the sun planet. This is a material thing. And what to speak of the spiritual thing?
So the sunshine is working because the sun globe is there, the sun-god is there. Similarly, the material energy is working. This cosmic manifestation made of earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego, these are the eight ingredients of this material manifestation. So these eight material elements, they are energies, separated energies. Bhinna me prakrtir astadha. And, because the energetic is there behind this energy... Just like electric power. We are using electric power, but behind this electric power there is the powerhouse and there is the engineer who is producing the power. The rascals, they do not understand this. They simply see the power. But behind the power there is the power-maker, the source of power. They do not understand it. Therefore Krsna comes and says that "I am the power-maker. I am behind this power." Krsna personally comes, because we have no eyes to see Krsna, neither we can understand Krsna. He therefore comes. What kind...? God, we are simply contemplating God. What is the form of God? God must be very old man. Because He has created millions and millions of years ago, therefore He must be very old man. This is our contemplation. We are going on. Therefore God comes before you: "Here, see what is God." He's so kind. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7].
So God comes here in His person. He leaves behind Him His instruction, just like Bhagavad-gita. He leaves behind Him His devotees who can explain. But still we are so stubborn, we shall not accept God. This is the foolishness, mudha. They have been called mudhah, rascals, fools. God is there; God's energy is there. If you cannot see God, you see God's energy. Just like if you cannot see the electric powerhouse and the engineer who is within the powerhouse generating the power, but you should understand you are using electricity in so many ways. You are using in kitchen, you are using floor cleansing, using your, I mean to say, cleansing and so many things you are using. Your tape recorder, everything. In your country, especially, everything electric, every... So one should inquirethat is intelligencethat wherefrom this electricity's coming?
So if you make research, that is intelligent research. Then you'll find, "Here is the electric powerhouse." Similarly, if you further study, that who is running on this powerhouse, you'll find a human being. He's not impersonal; he's person. The electricity is impersonal. Even the powerhouse is also imperson. But the man behind the everything, that is a person. Therefore God is person. Logical conclusion. How He can be imperson? Imperson has no brain. The... Just like so many machines now we have invented, very wonderful machines. But the machine is not the brain. The operator is the brain. Why do they not understand? Therefore Krsna says, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: [Bg. 9.10] "You are seeing the energy or the wonderful action and reaction of this material cosmic manifestation. But don't think that they are working independently. No. I am behind there." So what is the difficulty to understand? Or from example you can understand how things can go on nicely without a nice brain behind these things? It is conclusion. Mayadhyaksena. And Krsna says further, maya tatam idam sarvam avyakta-murtina [Bg. 9.4]. Avyakta, avyakta is also murti, a form. Just like the sky. The sky is avyakta, not manifest, but it has also a form, a round form, the universe. Without form there is nothing. Everything has form. The so-called impersonal, that is also form. Just like you go to the ocean, you will find a form, a big circle. That is also form. How you can say there is no form?
So this formless, nirvisesa... You offer your prayers: nirvisesa-sunyavadi. This is all foolishness. "Zero, impersonal" is all foolishness. Behind this impersonal feature and so-called zero, there is the supreme form. That is Krsna. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Isvara means controller. That nature is not controlling. The real controller is Krsna. Icchanurupam api yasya ca cestate sa. Brahma-samhita says prakrti. Prakrti is..., the Deity is Durga. So it is said that she is working under the direction of Govinda. How she's working? Just like shadow. You have got your hand, and the shadow is the down. Your hand moves, the shadow moves. Similarly the motion is set. This is scientific truth. Behind all this manifestation, the..., there is a motion. And who set up that motion? The last, yesterday I was giving this example, just like shunting of big, big wagons in the railway line. One engine gives the motion, pushes one wagon, and it pushes other one, kat-kat-kat-kat, like that. You might have seen it.
So motion-giver is Krsna. Otherwise you can give very big, big name or very big, big form and dress, they are all useless. Useless. That is being explained by Kunti, that "We are very big. People says we are Pandavas. Similarly we have become famous. How? Because You are our friend." Krsna is the friend of the Pandavas. Krsna is the friend of Arjuna specifically. Therefore Arjuna is so great warrior. He has got gigantic vigor. So Krsna, Kunti is... Kunti knows that "What is the value of my sons, Pandava. They are saying, 'Oh, Pandavas are so big warriors and heroes.' " Similarly yadubhih. Yadubhih. Krsna took birth in the Yadu dynasty. That is already explained. So Krsna has made famous the Yadu dynasty because He took His birth in that family. Therefore two words are used here, yadubhih saha pandavah. The Pandavas are famous and the Yadu dynasty is also famous. Ke vayam. "What we are? What is our value?" Ke vayam nama-rupabhyam: [SB 1.8.38] "Simply a so-called name and so-called form. Otherwise without You, it is all useless. It has no value." Ke vayam.
So people do not understand this. He's very proud of having a nice body and nice name. "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this," "I am German." So what is this, German, American, Indian? A bogus name and bogus form, that's all. It has no value. Just make Krsna minus, everything is zero, finished. This is fact. But people are so rascal, they do not understand this fact. Who can deny it? If the body, the American body or Indian body, or good name and big name, it has no consciousness, then what is the value? No value. Therefore it is said that,
So Krsna consciousness means... Consciousness is there. But this consciousness, what is this Krsna consciousness? This is Krsna consciousness. We have forgotten Krsna; therefore we simply say "consciousness." Really consciousness means Krsna consciousness, because without Krsna, you cannot have consciousness. Therefore the right name is Krsna consciousness, not "consciousness." Right name is Krsna consciousness. Just like without sun how there can be sunshine? Therefore we say "sunshine," not "shine." Sunshine. Therefore as soon as there is consciousness, it must be Krsna consciousness. If one makes Krsna minus, he's a rascal. He's a rascal. Consciousness means Krsna consciousness. Shining means sunshine. The sunshine means without sun, how there can be sunshine? Similarly consciousness means Krsna consciousness. Without Krsna how there can be consciousness? How it can be Krsna consciousness? This requires a little brain to understand.
So the devotees, they have got brain. They understand. Just like Kunti: "What is the value of our... We are so big, big men, Pandavas, Yadus. What is the value?" Therefore she admits, ke vayam nama-rupabhyam: [SB 1.8.38] "Simply big name and big form, it has no value." Bhavatah adarsanam. Because Krsna was taking farewell, parting. So regretting, Kunti regretted that "You'll go. So we cannot see You. Then if we cannot see You, then what is the value of our name, fame?" This is... She's lamenting. Bhavatah a... yarhi hrsikanam iva isituh. It is exactly like the senses. Now we are after sense enjoyment. This material world means sense enjoyment. But without Krsna or without Krsna consciousness, there is no possibility of sense enjoyment. The senses are there. You have got big hands, big legs, and everything big, big. But when there is no Krsna consciousness, even you cannot utilize these. Hrsikanam. Hrsika means senses. Therefore intelligent person, he knows that "My senses without Krsna has no value." That is devotee. "Therefore so long my senses are active, it may be used for Krsna." That is bhakti. Right conclusion. Because without Krsna, these senses have no value. Therefore there is some intimate relationship with my senses and Krsna. That's a fact. Because without Krsna, what is the value of your senses?
Therefore it is the duty of everyone to use the senses for Krsna. Just like the property of somebody should be used for him, not for others. I have given this example many times. Perhaps you may remember. Suppose here is the assembly and there is one hundred dollar note is there, fallen from somebody's pocket. So if I take or you take the hundred dollar note and put your in the pocket: "Here is a hundred dollar note," then you are a thief, because that hundred dollar note does not belong to you. You are taking it without his information. That means you are a thief. This is called bhoga, enjoyment. And another is tyaga. One thinks, "Oh, why shall I touch it? Somebody's... Let it remain there. I have no, nothing to do." This is called tyaga, giving up. So the hundred dollar note is the same. One is trying to enjoy it, and one is trying to give it up: "I don't care for it." So both of them are fools, bhogi and tyagi. Bhogi means the karmis. The karmis, those who are working very hard, utilizing... The scientists are utilizing the resources, material resources. That means all are making policy how to steal that note. That is their policy, the karmis. And another, while he was unable to steal, he says, "Oh, grapes are sour. There is no need of..." That is tyagi.
So both the bhogis and tyagis, two classes of men, you'll find. Mostly they're bhogis. They're trying to enjoy anything for his sense gratification utility. And another, when he's baffled, he says, "No, no, we don't require it." Similarly the same example: If one takes that note and says, "Somebody has lost his hundred dollar note, sir." So one who has really hundred doll..., he says, "Yes, yes. I had..." And if you deliver to him, that is real service. To give up that note or to take that note, both is useless. So similarly karmi and tyagi, bhogi and tyagi, they're all useless. And bhakta, devotees, they know that everything belongs to Krsna; now it should be offered to Krsna. That is real service. The same example. You take the hundred note and you ask, "To whom this hundred dollar note belongs?" If you give him, that's a great service. That man becomes very much pleased upon you: "Oh, you are so nice."
So similarly this everything belongs to Krsna. What is this body? This body, material elements, earth, water, fire, air, and then within the body, subtle psychological, mind, intelligence, ego. So Krsna claims, "All these eight elements are My separated energy." Then where is your body, your mind? You cannot, you do not know even how this body is working. Although I am claiming, "This is my body..." Take, for example, just you are a tenant in an apartment. You are getting all supplies. But you do not know that how these, I mean to say, tap water is working, fire is working. You do not know. But you pay rent, or somehow or other, you have occupied the apartment. You are utilizing. Similarly, we are utilizing this body. But this body does not belong to me; it belongs to Krsna. This is real fact. So this body means senses. Therefore senses also belong to Krsna, mind also belong to Krsna. Everything I have got. I am a spirit soul. I have given the opportunity to utilize a certain type of body because I wanted it. Krsna has given me. Krsna is so kind. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham [Bg. 4.11]. If you want a body of a king, Krsna will give you. You do the prescribed method; you, you get a body of a king. And if you want the body of a hog, to eat stool, Krsna will give you.
So Krsna is giving you the body. So now in the human form of life, one should understand that "Everything belongs to Krsna. So why I am hankering after satisfying my so-called bod?. Rather, I have got now the senses and the body. Let me serve Krsna." That is intelligence. That is bhakti. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Here is the hrsika, hrsika word is... Hrsikanam iva isituh. Hrsikanam Hrsika, hrsika means the senses. The senses actually belong to Krsna. Therefore Krsna's name is Hrsikesa. Another name is Krsna, you know, Hrsikesa. Tvaya hrsikesena hrdi sthitasya yatha karomi. So hrsika, hrsika means senses. These senses have no value without Krsna. Therefore natural conclusion is the senses belongs to Krsna. But I wanted some sense gratification; therefore Krsna has given us some facility. But everything belongs to Krsna. That when I forget that actually everything belongs to Krsna, I have been given some facility... That's all. So much. So when I have got this facility, why not utilize all these facilities for Krsna's satisfaction? That is called bhakti.
Thank you very much. (end)

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