Śrī Īśopaniṣad Lecture [recites verses 1–12] – July 8, 1971, Los Angeles

 
710708IP.LA
Sri Isopanisad Lecture
[recites verses 1-12]
-
July 8, 1971, Los Angeles
710708IP-Los Angeles [22:33 Minutes]
King said, 'Oh, He is Supreme Personality of Godhead?'
Audio
Prabhupada: [sings along with Govindam prayers, then recites Sri Isopanisad verses 1-12 with devotees]
om purnam adah purnam idam
purnat purnam udacyate
purnasya purnam adaya
purnam evavasisyate
isavasyam idam sarvam
yat kinca jagatyam jagat
tena tyaktena bhunjitha
ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam
kurvann eveha karmani
jijivisec chatam samah
evam tvayi nanyatheto 'sti
na karma lipyate nare
asurya nama te loka
andhena tamasavrtah
tams te pretyabhigacchanti
ye ke catma-hano janah
anejad ekam manaso javiyo
nainad deva apnuvan purvam arsat
tad dhavato 'nyan atyeti tisthat
tasminn apo matarisva dadhati
tad ejati tan naijati
tad dure tad v antike
tad antar asya sarvasya
tad u sarvasyasya bahyatah
yas tu sarvani bhutany
atmany evanupasyati
sarva-bhutesu catmanam
tato na vijugupsate
yasmin sarvani bhutany
atmaivabhud vijanatah
tatra ko mohah kah soka
ekatvam anupasyatah
sa paryagac chukram akayam avranam
asnaviram suddham apapa-viddham
kavir manisi paribhuh svayambhur
yathatathyato 'rthan vyadadhac chasvatibhyah samabhyah
andham tamah pravisanti
ye 'vidyam upasate
tato bhuya iva te tamo
ya u vidyayam ratah
anyad evahur vidyaya-
nyad ahur avidyaya
iti susruma dhiranam
ye nas tad vicacaksire
vidyam cavidyam c yas
tad vedobhayam saha
avidyaya mrtyum tirtva
vidyayamrtam asnute
andham tamah pravisanti
ye 'sambhutim upasate
tato bhuya iva te tamo
ya u sambhutyam ratah
[05:10] Page?
Karandhara: Page 14 in the middle, almost the middle of the first paragraph. "The Vedas are not known like that. The Vedic knowledge was originally imparted into the heart of Brahma, the first created living being, and Brahma in his turn disseminated the knowledge to his sons and disciples, who have continued the process down thorough history."
Prabhupada: Formerly, the spiritual master, the disciplic succession, there are two ways. One is called saukra and another is called sautra. Saukra means succession from the seminal. Just like son. Son is born by the semina, and the disciple is born by Vedic knowledge. So the one familywise is called saukra. Sukra means semina, coming from the sukra. And the other is sautra: by hearing.
The spiritual master... In India still there are gotras. Gotras means coming from that great sage. Just like our family belongs to the Gautama gotra. Gautama Rsi, from him the familywise gotra, and similarly disciplic succession is also gotra. There is no difference between putra and chatra. Putra means son, and chatra means disciple. Canakya Pandita said, putrams ca sisyams ca: they are equally treated. Both of them equally eligible for hereditary rites from the person, either he is son or disciple.
So Brahma distributed knowledge to some... Practically everyone was his son, because he was the first living creature. So later on, disciples also, son's son. So in this way Brahma distributed this Vedic knowledge, some to the sons, some to the... Vyasadeva also, he distributed knowledge, some to his sons, some to his disciples. That is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. So that is the process of disseminating Vedic knowledge.
Then?
Karandhara: [reading:] "The Lord being purnam, or all-perfect, there is no chance of His being subjected to the laws of material nature, while the living entities and the inanimate objects are all controlled by the laws of nature and thus ultimately by the potency of the Lord. The Isopanisad is a part of the Yajur Veda."
Prabhupada: There are four Vedas-Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, Rg Veda and Atharva Veda. Originally there was one Veda, but later on, Vyasadeva divided them into four. So Yajur Veda is one of the Vedas, and the Isopanisad is stated there. All the Upanisads are stated in the different kinds of Vedas. Therefore Upanisad is accepted as Vedic study.
Go on.
Karandhara: "The Isopanisad is a part of the Yajur Veda, and as such, it contains information as to the proprietorship of all things that exist within the universe."
Prabhupada: Just like evidence. Evidence... [aside:] Now you can sit down. Evidence, whenever we want to give evidence... Just like in law court, the evidence, you have to cite the section or the preamble of the laws. Similarly, in our human civilization this evidence is Veda. If you find something stated in the Vedas, that you have to accept. That's all. Axiomatic truth. And because the Vedas were particularly studied by the brahmanas, high-class qualified brahmanas, therefore they are also accepted as authority.
Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He was at Puri, the king of that place, Maharaja Prataparudra, he inquired from Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, "Oh, what is your opinion about this Caitanya who has come here?" He said that "He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So the king immediately accepted it. King said, "Oh, He is Supreme Personality of Godhead?"
So he accepted immediately. There is no question of experimenting. Because an authority like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya is stating, a brahmana, and... He was very learned scholar. You know Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya's name. So because he said that "He is Supreme Personality..." He did not ask any storekeeper, but he asked a learned brahmana who knows things.
So similarly, we have to accept in that way. In each and every case, if we want to research, it is not possible, because our senses are blunt senses. What you can do? Acintyah khalu ye bhava na tams tarkena yojayet [Mahabharata, Bhisma parva 5.22]. The sastra says that "Things which are beyond your conception, beyond your mental speculation"-avaṅ-manasa gocarah-"neither you can express by words, neither you can think of." Avaṅ-manasa gocarah.
So such things it is useless [to] try to understand by arguments. That is simply nonsense. You can, of course, inquire, but that inquiry is not challenge. If you inquire from your spiritual master by challenge, then it is your misfortune. You have to inquire from the spiritual master-that is indicated-sevaya, by service, by making him satisfied.
Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg 4.34]. First of all you have to surrender, and then you have to please him by service. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. If you can please him, then naturally Krsna is pleased upon you. That is the injunction.
So this prasna... First of all you should find out somebody where you can surrender. If there is duplicity in surrender, that is useless. First of all see whether you can surrender there; then accept him spiritual master, and then please him by your service and inquiry. That is Vedic principle.
Thank you very much.
[14:03] [kirtana] [Prabhupada plays gong] [prema-dhvani] [end]