Lecture – October 13, 1976, Chandigarh

Prabhupada: …the world is false. But our protest is that if Brahman is real then how can the world be false? In the very beginning of Vedanta-sūtra this point has been discussed. Athato brahma-jijnasa: [Vedanta-sūtra 1.1.1] This human life, what is the difference from animal life? The difference is the dog simply barks, eats, produces puppys, and after some time it dies.

Between human beings and animals there is no difference of these four things. The dog eats, I also eat. The dog sleeps, I also sleep. The dog begets puppys, enjoys sex with female dog, I also do. And the dog becomes afraid of the enemies, I also become afraid of the enemies. Then what is the difference? The only difference is that the hman being can inquire about Brahman or God in the human society. Athato brahma-jijnasa: What is God, how the world is functioning, whether there is any proprietor of it or not, if anyone is conducting it or not? These questions arise only in the hearts of the human beings. But the dog doesn't know all this. This is the distinction. No other distinction. Therefore sastra declares,

Atma-buddhi. This body is made of three elements, kapha, pitta, vayu or mucus, bile and air. According to Ayurveda, it is a combination of mucus, bile, and air. It is a combination of mucus, bile and air, and if one thinks it is the self, dehatma-buddhi, and on that basis he conducts himself then he is addressed by the sastra, sa eva go khara, go means cow and khara means ass. To consider the body as self is not befitting a human being. The human intelligence unfolds only when he inquires about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and he understands that "I am not this body, I am brahman or spirit." Aham brahmasmi. [Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 1.4.10] That is human life. Until this question arises, or this knowledge is not acquired, he remains an animal. That is why there is custom of giving knowledge in the human society. You go anywhere, any society, the discussion of religion is current. This is because, dharmena hinaḥ pasubhiḥ samanaḥ [Hitopadesa 25]

In a society if there is no discussion of religious principles, what is religion, what is God, what is soul, if these inquiries are not made then know that it is a society of dogs and sheeps only. The Supreme Lord Krsna is explaining how the dogs and sheeps behave. [aside:] Spectacle. What does He say? First of all He says, asatyam. This world is temporary.

Nowadays big, big scientists made a theory called "Accident. Accidental theory." Because they are unable to thoroughly analize and explain things they say it is accident. Nothing happens by accident. Jagad ahuar, haitukam, there is nothing in this world which has no cause. Everything has a cause. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. [SB 1.3.28] Our Vedic literatures which try to help us understand the Supreme Lord, in that Brahmaji has given the conclusion in Brahma-samhita, and in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vedic literatures it has been concluded and accept that Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a list of many types of the incarnations of the Supreme Lord and their qualities and activities. And finally it has been concluded that these lists which is explained to you, ete camsa-kalaḥ pumsaḥ, [SB 1.3.28] and in that list of names, the name Krsna is, Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Avatara and avatari or incarnation and the origin of incarnation. Similarly in Brahma-samhita it is stated,

Īsvara, isvara means One who orders. More or less we all are controllers. Our honourable Chief Minister is sitting here. He gives order to maintain the state. But he too is controlled by somebody. It is not a fact that he is the ultimare controller. No. In this way you will find one person who orders, and another person who obeys the order. You will never find a person who orders only and does not obey anyone's order. That is not possible. You go on searching up to Brahma, not only in this world but there are other planets, the demigods and finally there is Brahmaji. He too follows the order. Tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. [SB 1.1.1]

Brahmaji is the first living creature within the universe. He also follows some order. You go further, above Brahmaji there is Visnu, above Visnu is Mahavisnu, above Mahavisnu is Narayana, above Narayana is Sahkarsana, these descriptions are found in the sastra. Everyone of Them is a order giver. I also give order to my disciples. You also order your workers in your office and factory. At home you give order, in that sense all are isvaras or controllers. There is no dispute in that. Everyone is isvara. Nowadays theory is that everyone is God. Yes, God. We accept it. But sastra says, isvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ [Bs 5.1]

Everyone is a tiny isvara. There is no disagreement with that. But paramesvara, paramesvara means there is none above Him to order. That isvara is Krsna. isvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ [Bs 5.1] And His body is saccidananda or eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. We should accept evidence from the sastra. Sat-cit-ananda. His body is not like our body. Our body is not saccidananda. The first thing is that it is not sat or eternal. It will stay for some years, 20, 50, or 100 at the most. Therefore asat or temporary. Not sat. And cit means knowledge. Neither we are knowledgeable. There are so many things we are yet to learn. We are still learning. So it is neither cit nor sat. And there is no question of ananda at all. How will it be blissful? So long you have this body you must suffer the threefold material miseries namely adhyatmika, miseries caused by one's own body and mind, adhibhautika, miseries caused by natural calamities, and adhidaivika, miseries caused by other living entities. For example, some of you are fanning yourselves. Why? Because its too hot and you cannot tolerate. That is adhidaivika misery. Similarly misery caused by the body and mind is called adhyatmika misery. All human beings, animals, insects, flies trouble one another, eat one another. This is the rule of this world. Jivo jivasya jivanam [SB 1.13.47] That is called adhibhautika misery. The demogods from the higher planets cause troubles like drought, earthquake, epidemic, and so on. We have no control over them. So many types of… So long we have got this body these three types of miseries will be there. Tri-tapa-yantrana or threefold miseries. You must suffer these three kinds of miseries. Then where is the question of ananda? This body is neither eternal, nor it is full of knowledge, nor blissful. And the Supreme Lord's body is, sat-cit-ananda vigrahaḥ. In the sastra where it is said nirakara or formless, it does not mean that He has no akara or form. Definitely there is form. But that form is not like this form. His form is not like my form or your form. Vigrahaḥ. Vigrahaḥ means personified. How God has no form? He is the supreme father. My father has a form. He is a person, therefore I am also a person. Like that his father, his father, his father and ultimately Brahmaji. You go further and further up to the supreme father. And that supreme father has no form? What kind of logic is this? He must have. Just like you have not seen your grandfather and his father, and his father. Does it mean he was formless? You had grandfather so would you say he was formless? No. So God is not formless. He is not formless because He does not have a form like us. His form is sat-cit-ananda vigrahaḥ. When the sastra declares, isvara parama Krsna, you do not think that Krsna as an ordinary human being. Therefore the Supreme Lord has forbidden in the Bhagavad-gita.

Because I appear in a human like form, I descend for the benefit of the people, those who are mūḍha, mūḍha means ass, they consider Me as an ordinary man. Avajananti mam mūḍha. [Bg 9.11] Why an ass has been chosen as a comparision? Ass's conduct is not good. Therefore it is called an ass. The ass lives at the house of the washerman. The washerman loads on its back 3 tons of cloth. The ass carries that heavy load to the bathing ghat and it is given little grass to eat. It eats the grass and again in the evening it carries back that 3 tons of cloth. But then why is it called an ass? The ass doesn't see that I can have grass anywhere. Why am I carrying so much cloth at the house of the washerman and not a single cloth belongs to me? Hence it is ass. An ass does not understand what is it's interest in this world. Whole day I am working so hard. Why am I working so hard? What is my purpose? One who doesn't understand this and simply works hard, he is called ass. Therefore sastra calls them mūḍha. Also in another place the Supreme Lord…In many places He has used this word mūḍha. In another place He said,

The asslike people are of demoniac nature. That is mentioned in the sixteenth chapter. What are their symptoms? Na mam prapadyante, they don't accept God. This is their first qualification. What is God? Na mam prapadyante mūḍha, duskrtino, na mam duskrtino mūḍha prapadyante. Why? Mūḍha, ass, and naradhama. What is the meaning of naradhama? Nara means human beings. In human life if one wants he can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has that previlage. That is the difference between animals and human beings. If the human beings want, athato brahma-jijnasa, if they inquire what is Brahman, what is God, it is all there in the sastra. Why have the scriptures been compiled? Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the Vedas, the Puranas and so many other scriptures are present. This is our India's treasury. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, bharata-bhūmite haila manusya janma yara, one who has taken birth in the land of Bharata, it occurs after a great deal of pious credit, it is not ordinary. I am traveling all over the world and observing that even today, no matter how fallen we are, Indian culture is still the highest of all. This is my practical experience. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said,

This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. This form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu which you are seeing, His mission is this. One who is Indian, one who has taken birth in Bharata-varsa as a human being and not as an ass, his duty is to make his life perfect. Because there are ample sastras here like Veda, Vedanta, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad-gita and many more. There are 108 Upanisads, 18 Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavad-gita. Make your life successful by studying all these literatures. What do we have to learn from outside? Elsewhere in the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta it is stated, anadi-bahirmukha jiva Krsna bhuli gela ataeva Krsna veda-purana kaila. [Cc Madhya 20.122]

The conditioned souls have forgotten the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no history to know since when they forgot, but they forgot. Anadi. Anadi means even before the creation took place. Anadi-bahirmukha jiva Krsna bhuli gela, they forgot the Supreme Lord. And since they have forgotten they should be reminded and explained. Ataeva Krsna veda-purana karila. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, that you have taken birth in the land of Bharata-varsa, you read and hear all these scriptures. You don't have to read even, simply by hearing it will do. Just like you are hearing and we are speaking. Sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ [SB 7.5.23] This is bhakti or devotional service. Some people hear and some people speak. That way both the speaker and the listener are benefitted.

The listener will accumulate piety and the speaker will accumulate piety. It is such a thing. Therefore, even though so much fallen, in India we still observe festivals in which ten thousand, twenty thousand, twenty five thousand people assemble, because it is in their blood. Because they have taken birth in this holy land of Bharata-varsa, devotional service is already there in their every drop of blood. Simply it has to be revived. That's all. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. bharata-bhūmite haila manusya janma yara. It is for everyone. It is not that Bhaktivedanta Svami went out of the country and preached. You all go. Plenty of customers are there. They are taking with eagerness. That these European, American young boys are accompanying me, I haven't bribed them anything. They are working as my menial servants because they must have found something, hence they are with me. Otherwise what they can expect from me? First of all we are a poor country and I am a sannyasi-beggar. No. They are now realising that if there is any reality at all then it is in India. That's a fact. That is why Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that Bharata-varsa need not learn from other countries how to exploit others, plunder others. No. Paropakara.

First make your life perfect. Read all these literatures. You can do paropakara only when you yourself are fully conversant with the spiritual topics. Is it not? When you don't have anything then how can you benefit others? Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,

This is also Caitanya Mahaprabhu's statement. He predicted that in all the villages and towns of the world My name will be spread. And it is happening. You have just seen and heard about this mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We have opened 102 centres all over the world. Europe, America, Australia, Japan, Africa, everywhere. No country is left out. This has been done alone, single handed. If you all preach this culture all over the world after making you own lives perfect then you will see how much India's prestige will be enhanced. This is the duty. If you love your country, if you love your culture you should up this Krsna Consciousness movement and preach all over the world. That is wanted. Yes. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. So my point is that you do not neglect it. That is my request to you. Whether you are a government officer, or a businessman, this culture, Krsna Consciousness, it is not difficult. That also Caitanya Mahaprabhu has confirmed. What did He say? amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa / yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa. [Cc Madhya 7.128]

Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that by My order you all become guru. Someone may say, "How can I become guru? I am not learned scholar. I am not educated. How can I become guru?" So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is assuring that there is no difficulty in it. Become a guru. How? yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa. Simply learn this much, no need to be over smart. You just repeat what the Supreme Personality of Godhead has instructed. That's all. Then you are a guru. To become guru is not difficult, if the supreme guru, the Supreme Lord appears and instructs Himself. What more do you want? We indulge in varieties of philosophical discussion, but when the Supreme Lord Himself explains then why don't you hear it? Why do you manipulate it to show your expertise? Simply accept what the Supreme Personality of Godhead has said. The Supreme Lord says, mattaḥ parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg 7.7]

There is no truth superior to Me. The Supreme Lord was present here, He was visible, but nobody could excel Lord Krsna. Right from His birth only the demons tried to kill Him. Even before His birth, His own maternal uncle, Kamsa Maharaja ordered his servants and followers "Look, as soon as Krsna is born, bring Him to me and I will kill Him." So starting from there Aghasura, Bakasura, Pūtana and who knows how many more demons tried to kill Him. But ultimately Kamsa was killed by Krsna. So nobody can kill the Supreme Lord. The present propoganda that "Finish God," how can you finish God? Just yesterday I heard there was some accident in which 95 people died of air crash. So God's law will prevail. How can you over rule it? That is foolishness.

One who deny's the existence of God, he is called mūḍha or an ass. The Supreme Lord Himself mentioned the symptoms of such asslike people,

Their first proposition is that this world is false. This world is false and me alone is factual. Whatever I am saying is real and everything else is unreal. No. The world is not false. It is real. Had the world been unreal and Brahman is real, Brahman means janmadyasya yataḥ. [Vedanta-sūtra]

Brahman is ascertained in the Vedanta-sūtra as, janmadyasya yataḥ, from Whom everything has emanated. What is the original source, the supreme object? Is that something material or spiritual? These things are discussed. After careful consideration it has been concluded that, no. Abhijna. No it is not matter. Abhijna, full of knowledge. Otherwise how He can create? Janmadyasya yataḥ. He must know everything. Just like an engeneer has to build a big bridge, so he knows everything about it. Although he is sitting in his office he knows where each and every screw has been used. He knows everything. Therefore sastra states, anvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnaḥ svarat. [SB 1.1.1]

Just like my body, I say it is my body, but I do not know anything about the body. I eat, then how the food goes to the stomach, how it is transformed into blood, how the stool and urine are formed, how the heart is working? I know nothing. I just eat. The doctors know something, but not everything. He is not abhijna. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead who has created this world, He is anvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnaḥ. [SB 1.1.1] He knows everything directly and indirectly. He is called Bhagavana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These are the considerations. Those who are foolish they call it asatyam. He created this gigantic universe. We construct a building, a small building. We make it nicely. Some friend comes and says to me "O you have made a nice building." And we become very happy. If someone comes and says, "You have made this house, but it is false." We will become discouraged. I have spent so much money, worked so hard and he says it is false. Why do you say unreal? Only one who does not believe in God, and who does not accept God, he will say it is unreal. It is not unreal. What a wonderful architecture! A wise person can see and understand how the sun is rising, how the moon is rising and how the Supreme Lord has created the material elements.

Besides, if Brahman is real then how can unreal object emanate from Him? What is false is that you say there is no God and I am God, that is false. One who understands the existence of God and God's creative power he must accept it. A sane man should not speak like that. Only demons speak like that. It is false. We don't say it is false. There are two considerations. One is Mayavada consideration and the other is Vaisnava consideration. The Mayavadis say that the world is false. Brahma satya jagan mithya. No. Not false. Even the Supreme Lord says that only the demons claim this world to be false. The Supreme Lord Himself said,

"This is My prakrti, My nature, I have created it." So how can it be false? How did He create? Earth is needed, water is needed, fire is required, air is required, everything is needed. So the Lord says, bhinna me prakrtir astadha. [Bg 7.4] These eight material elements are created by My energy. He further says, apareyam. [Bg 7.5] This prakrti is apara or inferior. Apart from this there is another superior prakrti.

There is another superior energy of Mine. That is called Para-prakrti. Jiva-bhūtam maha-baho, [Bg 7.5] that is the living entities, we all are. There is a gulf of difference between matter and us, because we have control over material objects. We bring bricks, stones, wood etc and construct a nice house. So I am also a prakrti and the matter is also a prakrti. But I, the spirit soul, belong to para-prakrti or superior nature. The Supreme Lord has very nicely explained everything. Apareyam. This is apara or inferior. So this prakrti…We are actually prakrti and not purusa or the enjoyer. The purusa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead alone. The only purusa…Just like Arjuna accepted this fact after hering Bhagavad-gita.

"You are the only Purusa and all others are prakrti." Prakrti means the enjoyed, and Purusa means the enjoyer. The Supreme Lord Himself said,

All of us want peace. But the path through which the peace is available that we don't know. That is revealed by the Lord Himself that if you want peace then this is the process. What is that? Bhokta or Purusa is only the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

"I am the proprietor of all the planets." That we claim proprietorship, that is false. That's not a fact. The Supreme Lord declares that "I am the proprietor." We are thinking we are Indian therefore India is our country. How long can India remain our country? Only so long we have this body. Once the body is dead India remains where it is. I saw in Paris in a park it is written Napolean and park. They equalize him. So I asked them, "France is still here but where has Napolean gone?" There is no answer. This is going on. Therefore what the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam/sarva-loka-mahesvaram, His proprietorship remains intact. We come here for a few days, ten years, twenty years, fifty years, one hundred years or million of years. Brahmaji lives for millions of years. But that does not mean he is not the proprietor. The owner is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are visitors. We go to a guest house, stay there for few days and then we leave. Does it mean the guest house is mine? This is illusion. The whole world is in this spell of illusion. Everything belongs to the Supreme Lord. isavasyam idam sarvam

Everything is owned by God. This sense should be awakened. This is Krsna Consciousness movement. We are trying to spread it. So our request to you it that this is Indian culture, kindly join this movement. It is not sentimental. We are not talking whimsically. Everything is backed up by scriptural evidence. We have written 84 books and presented before you. Read the scripture scientifically. Take this movement seriously. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, bharata-bhūmite haila manusya-janma yara, we go to foreign country to beg. Why do you beg? You give. You have got the thing to give. Why do you go there to beg? [Bengali proverb. Apana dhana bilaye diye bhiksa mage parera dvare.] Your own treasure you have abandoned and you are begging alms from others. That is not proper. This Krsna Consciousness movement assures that you have got the treasure. You take it and make your life successful. Distribute it to the world and thereby benefit others.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.

Devotees: Jai Srila Prabhupada.

Caitya-guru: After Guruji's lecture if any brothers and sisters want to ask any question, they may come forward and ask question only on the subject of today's discussion. The question should be on the topics discussed just now which you could not understand. So anyone can come forward and ask his question. Your inquiry should be based on his lecture. Thereafter we will have arati followed by kirtana. So you all participate in it and thus receive His mercy. After that you will be shown a very nice movie as Guru Maharaja said how this movement is spreading all over the world, how people are accepting it and why they are taking to it. Kindly sit down until the arati starts. Hare Krsna. [aside:] Come here.

Indian man: Sat-cit-ananda has a form or not?

Prabhupada: Yes, form. Just like you have got form asat, acit, nirananda, similarly there is an opposite form of that sat, cit, ananda. That when you come to understand then you will know. It cannot be explained in one minute. It requires some education and some understanding. But you have to accept the statement of the sastra that vigraha. Saccidananda. Just like you know I have got mind and you have got mind. But can you see my mind?

Indian man: No. But there are so many things…

Prabhupada: Just like you cannot see but you can perceive I have got mind and you have got mind. I have got intelligence, you have got intelligence, but what is that intelligence can you see? Something cannot be seen but it can be perceived. Therefore our knowledge is acquired by perceiving. Vedas means sruti-you have to hear and perceive. You cannot see at the present moment. You haven't got the eyes to see.

Indian man: Can I not say that Saccidananda is the light of consciousness.

Prabhupada: Whatever it may be, just like I have already given you the example that the gross thing you can see.

Indian man: Saccidananda is the light of consciousness.

Prabhupada: Yes, consciousness.

Caitya-guru: The process of questioning is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, the person who asks question must be humble and submissive.

You approach in such a state of mind and say that I don't know anything, please explain to me. Then when you get the answer you hear with attention. [end]