30--Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.23

Prabhupada: So... smaranam pada-sevanam…

[aside: It is not working? Why this...]

This verse was spoken by Prahlada Maharaja-the path of devotional service. Sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ, to chant. First of all to hear, sravanam. Sravanam means to hear. To hear and then chant. Sravanam kirtanam, to chant… To hear and chant about whom? Visnu. Visnu means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Tad visnoḥ paramam padam [Rg Veda 1.22.20].

Visnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam [Katha Upanisad 2.2.13]: living entities. We are all living entities-not only we, but there are many other living entities in higher planetary system. They are more highly situated-their duration of life, their standard of living, their knowledge, everything. If you go higher and higher to the planetary system, in each and every planet you will find thousand times better situation than this planet. There are fourteen planetary systems. We are in the middle planetary system. Om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ. Those who are initiated, they chant this mantra: bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ. Bhūloka, Bhuvarloka and Svargaloka: lower planetary system, middle planetary system, intermediate planetary system and higher planetary system. So there are all living entities. No planet is without living entities; it is a wrong theory. Everywhere there are living entities. So innumerable planets, innumerable universes, innumerable varieties of living entities-that is the creation of God. And God Himself is also living entity, but He is the Supreme. Just like in this meeting you have selected me as the supreme person here. So I may be a supreme person within the group; similarly your President Nixon may be a supreme person within your national group. So he is supreme person in a country, another country, another country-so this is only one planet. Similarly each and every planet has a supreme person, just like in the sun planet the supreme person is called Vivasvan. Those who have read Bhagavad-gita, they know:

So in the sun planet the supreme predominating person, or the president you may say, his..., his name is Vivasvan-at the present moment. Their duration of life is very, very long in upper planetary system. So these are the description of the living entities-intelligent living entities, demigods, human being, civilized being and the animals, the planets…, plants, the trees, the birds, the bees, the aquatics, the insects. All of them are living entities, but they are in different grades. That is the difference.

[aside: Going into the room? There should be chain. Nobody should enter into Deity room.]

So Visnu, or God, is the supreme living entity. He is also living entity, as we are living entity. He is the supreme living entity, and we are born of Him. Just like we children, we are born of our father, similarly God is the supreme father, so we are all born. He is the supreme father; from Him we have taking birth. So nityo nityanam [Katha Upanisad 2.2.13]: He is the Supreme, and He is all pervasive. How He's all-pervasive? All-pervasive means that He is also sitting within our heart. In the Bhagavad-gita we have learned that God has hands and legs everywhere: sarvato pani-padas tam [Bg 13.14].

Pani means hands, and pada means legs. And another place in the Vedic literature you'll find that apani-padaḥ [Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.19]: He has no hands, no legs-yavano grahita-but still He can accept whatever you offer Him in devotion and faith. He'll accept. In the Bhagavad-gita you have read,

Lord Krsna says that a devotee, poorest, a poorest of the poorest, can collect a little flower, a little leaf, a little water, patram puspam phalam toyam-toyam means water-yo me bhaktya prayacchati: "Anyone who offers Me these things in devotion and love," tad aham asnami, "I eat them." So one place it is said that God has no hands, and in another place He says, Vedas says, but He can accept what you offer Him in devotion. Therefore the conclusion is that God is not without hands or legs, but His hands and legs are different quality. That is explained in the Brahma-samhita:

His hands and legs or other limbs of the body, parts of the body, they are of spiritual quality. Otherwise, if God is in Vaikuntha, in His kingdom, how He can accept this patram puspam, the fruits and flowers and water we offer? But He says, "I take it. I eat it." He's not lying. Therefore, even He's many, many thousand of miles away from us, still He is within ourself, and He accepts.

So these Vedic instruction has to be learned very carefully, attentively, from the person who has realized; then we can understand about God. Now it is a common argument. We say-everyone, either Hindu, Muslim or Christian; it doesn't matter-we say "God the father." So He is the supreme father. In Bhagavad-gita also Krsna says, aham bija-pradaḥ pita [Bg 14.4].

Pita means "father," and bija-pradaḥ means "seed-giving." Just like in the material world the father injects the seed in the womb of the mother and the mother gives facility to develop the body, similarly, the supreme father impregnates the material nature with the seeds of living entities, and the material nature gives birth to so many species of life. It is very plain thing. The same system is going on in our ordinary life, and it is, in every scripture, God is accepted as father-it doesn't matter whether it is Vedas or Bible or Koran. And He is actually the father. From argument's sake also, if somebody tries to understand how I have come into existence, the common sense will say my father has given birth to me. Then how my father came into existence? His father. Go on searching-his father, his father, his father, his father-so there must be one ultimate father. You cannot deny this fact. Without a supreme father, how this birth, this generation, has come into being? So therefore it is the conclusion of all Vedic scriptures: God is father. Now, what kind of father He is? He is father of all living entities.

There are 8,400,000's of forms or species of life, and He says that "I am the father for all of them." Now suppose if you want to know about your forefather, your great-grandfather's great-grandfather, or something, his great-grandfather, how you can know about him? Suppose your forefather's great-grandfather's great-grandfather was Mr. John, and if you want to know something about Mr. John, how you can know him? Can you know him by speculation, that "That Mr. John was like this or like that"? No, that is not possible. You cannot know about your forefather who established your family. Everyone has got a tradition of family-the family title is there-so if you want to know about your first father, how you can know about it? You cannot know by speculation. That is not possible. You have to know from the right source in the family member-either your father will describe about him or your grandfather will describe about him, or you might have a family diary or chronological table, the genealogical table, that his son, his son, his son, his son, like that. Anyway, you have to know about that Mr. John through authoritative description of literature or from the authoritative version of your father, grandfather, like that. You cannot speculate, that "Such and such Mr. John was like this." That is not possible. However you may go on speculating, that will not be correct. But if you get authoritative family traditional information, generation by generation, you can understand.

So if you cannot understand a material forefather's history by speculation, how you can speculate about God? So those who are speculating about God-God may be like this, God may be like that; God is person, God is imperson; God has hands, God has legs, God has no legs, no hands-not in that way. You have to take the information of God from the right source. Then you will have right knowledge about God, exactly like that if you take the family history, traditional history of your family, you can know about your forefathers' activities, or from history you can learn the activities of previous kings. How we learn the history of the previous kings? Just like your President, er, Washington. You have not seen President Washington. How do you know about President Washington? You know by reading history. You know from traditional message coming from President Wilson, er… So similarly, you have to learn about God from authoritative Vedic scripture. Now here we have got Bhagavad-gita, which is spoken by God Himself: bhagavan uvaca. It is not that I am saying that Bhagavad-gita was spoken by God Himself, but great authorities, they also accept. Formerly, Vyasadeva, Narada, and the modern age great acaryas, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka, Lord Caitanya-everyone. Anyone who accepts Vedas, they will accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In India there is not a single Hindu or not a single Indian who does not know Krsna. Everyone knows: the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So if you want to learn about God, this is the process: that you have to learn from authoritative source. And here in the Bhagavad-gita God Himself speaking about Himself. How you can realize God? God says,

And describing Himself, at last He says-not at last; somewhere He says-that "I am the all-plundering death." We are be…, we are becoming plundered by time. Just like I am seventy-four years old, so my seventy-three years of age has been plundered out. It's taken away. So we are being plundered in course of time, everyone. If you ask, "What is the age of this child?" his mother says, "He is three years old." Three years old-we think that he's growing; but actually three years reduced. The actual fact is, suppose the child will live for hundred years, so three years already minus. Therefore it is…, we are being plundered. Actually we have being plundered. So Krsna says that the last plunderer is death. When death comes, everything gone, finished: my body finished, my bank balance finished, my relatives finished, my education finished, my motorcar finished, [laughter] my everything finished. Sarva-haras [Bg 10.34].

So Krsna says that "I am all-plundering death." So those rascals who say that "If there is God, then we want to see," this is a lie. Everyone sees God. God says that "I am this." Just like God says raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg 7.8]: "I am the taste in the water." Who has not tasted the water? Every day we are eating…, drinking water. Have you not tasted? So if you cannot see as the Supreme Person, God, then you can see the taste, you can perceive the taste of water. Just like a third-class man or an illiterate man who does not know how the government is going on, he may say that "I do not see what is government." For him the red light and the green light is government. As soon as the red light is: "Stop!" That is government order; otherwise who cares for that red light? So everyone sees God, just like everyone sees government. But he lies, that "I do not see God." Liar! Every moment everyone is seeing God. So God says that mrtyuḥ sarva-haras caham [Bg 10.34]: "At last I am the ultimate plunderer, death."

So just like Hiranyakasipu, he didn't care for God, but his son Prahlada was God-conscious. So he challenged his son, "Where is your God? You are always talking of God; where is your God?" And the child was seeing to the column to the pillars of the palace. So he was very angry. He asked his son, "Is your God in this pillar?" He says, "Yes, my dear father. God is everywhere." [laughter] "Hrrr!" Out of anger He immediately broke the pillar, and from the pillar God came out, "Rawr!" [laughter] So this kind of atheist class of men, they meet God "Hrawm!"-death. [laughter] At that time he cannot say "I do not see God." [laughter] God says "I am death," so who does not see death? Who is a man here present who has not seen somebody is dying? Everybody. Nobody will live. So God is seen by the demon as death, and God is seen by the devotee as Krsna.

Devotees: Jaya!

Prabhupada: So everyone sees God. Nobody can say "I have not seen God." Just like nobody can say that "I do not know what is government." "Oh, you do not know government? Just go to the street and you will see the light, and government you will see." You may be very rich man, but as soon as there is government red light, you have to stop your car.

So similarly, God is seen in different grades. God is seen by everyone, but in different grades, in different capacities. Nobody can say that "I have not seen God." This is lie. Everyone has seen God. And everywhere, if you think he has not seen, he can see from the description how God can be seen. So God is everything, therefore everything…, in everything we can see God. But the atheists, the demons, the agnostic, they see God in a different way, and the devotees see God in a different way. A devotee, as soon as he sees a flower, he thinks of God: "Oh, how nice artist is God. How nicely painted this flower, symmetrically. Where red is required, there is red; when white is required, for color. Without any brush, without any color, God has painted a nice flower." A devotee can see. You cannot say that this flower, this artistic flower, has come out itself. That is nonsense. There is hand of God, there is brush of God, there is color of God-and actually it has been by done by God, that He has painted flower. But His energies are so perfect that you cannot see…, although you cannot see Him, it is being done. Therefore Vedas says, "He has no hand." As soon as we speak of hand we think my hand, imperfect hand. So God hasn't got that imperfect hand. He has got God's so nice perfect hand that anywhere He is working. How He is working anywhere? Everywhere, anywhere, there is living entity, and He is sitting in everyone's heart, and He is dictating. This is described in the Bhagavad-gita, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto: "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smrtir jnanam apohanam ca [Bg 15.15]:

"From Me, one can remember," smrti. Smrti means remembering; jjnana: knowledge. A scientist is working very nicely, but who is giving him the knowledge? God. The artist painting very nicely. Who is giving him the knowledge? God. And forgetting-that is also God is making me to forget. These are described in the Bhagavad-gita.

So God is doing, just like a very big businessman, he is acting through his workers, millions of workers, working in the factory. But actually he isn't working-his brain is working. But if you go to him in his room, you'll find that he is sitting silently. Sarvasya caham hrdi. Therefore Vedas says, na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate [Svetasvatara Upanisad,6.88]:

God has nothing to do. Why He shall do? If He is all-powerful, the Supreme, why He shall do? He has got so many assistants. Parasya saktir vividhaiva srūyate [Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8]. Therefore you'll find God always enjoying in the company of Radharani, that's all. His only business is to enjoy. Why He shall work? What is our tendency? We also want to enjoy without working. What…, wherefrom do we get this tendency? Because it is in God. We are sons of God; we have inherited that tendency not to work but enjoy. The human psychology is unless he is forced to work, he doesn't like to work. If he gets money without working, nobody will work; but when the money is finished, he goes to work. [laughter] This is psychology.

Therefore the real fact is that living entities, they have got the God's quality. What is that? No work but simply enjoyment. Just Radha-Krsna, They are not working. Everyone is working for Him, but He is enjoying. That is possible for you also, when you become free from this material contamination. That is Krsna consciousness. If you associate with God… Just like this picture, God's associates, the gopis or the cowherds boy or the inhabitants of Vrndavana, they are all associates of Krsna. As Krsna has nothing to do, similarly, they haven't got also to do anything. There is a place where without doing anything you will get everything enjoyable. That is possible. Anandamayo bhyasat [Vedanta-sūtra 1.1.12]: simply transcendental bliss and enjoyment-there is a life. Here we are struggling hard to get little peace and happiness, but there is possibility of eternal happiness and eternal peace. These things are described in the Bhagavad-gita:

As this is a planet, there are many variegated planets; similarly there are many variegated planets in the spiritual world. They are called Vaikuntha. This very name suggests… Vai means "without," and kuntha means "anxiety." Kuntha: anxiety. So Vaikuntha-loka… Here in this planet, we are full of anxieties. Every one of us, simply anxiety-birds, beasts, human beings, kings and President Nixon and this and that-everyone full of anxiety. Nobody can say, "Oh, I have no anxiety." No. The greater his position is, he has got greater anxieties; rather, poor man has no anxiety. So these lokas are kuntha-lokas. Kuntha means "anxieties." Why there's..., there will not be anxieties? Because the disease of this material world is that however you may advance yourself scientifically or any way-socially or conventionally-the four things janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi [Bg 13.9], birth, death, old age and disease, they are with you.

Therefore when a man is diseased, he is full of anxieties. When there is question of death, he is full of anxieties. When there is birth, there is anxieties. The mother giving birth to the child, she's always full of anxieties, and the child, oh, the greatest anxieties. There is no surety whether it will live or die during the birth, especially in these days. Why? Before birth they are killed within the womb. This is the scientific work: before birth. A child has taken shelter within the womb of the mother, and science has discovered to kill. This is going on. So where there is no anxiety? The child in this way, lying down within the womb of the mother, with full of anxieties. From the beginning of the construction of this body-full of anxieties, up to the point of death.

So we do not think seriously how we are living in this material world. And we are proud that we are advanced in education, advanced in civilization. Nothing! yasyatma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhatuke : just like animals. The animals, they have no aim of life; going on by nature's way. The modern civilization is like that. But human being is not meant for such irresponsible life. So if you want to take advantage of the facility of this human form of life, you should be very careful that we may not miss this opportunity. You have got the greatest opportunity to understand your position as part and parcel of God. God is full of bliss, knowledge and eternity. You are part and parcel; you have also the same thing. But you have been covered by this material energy, so you have to come out of it. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita:

The laws of material nature is so stringent that nobody can surpass it. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya. But these laws of material nature or the material nature itself is working under God. Just like police force is working under government, so if you become a good citizen, then there is no question of police force. If you become criminal, then there is necessity of police force; but if you are a civil gentleman-do not violate the laws-then police department may remain there, but you have no connection. Similarly, if you surrender unto God, the maya may be there, but it has nothing to do with you. You are free from the clutches of maya.

"Anyone who surrenders unto Me, he surpasses the jurisdiction of this material nature." So try to do that. Don't miss this opportunity. Surrender unto Krsna. Surrender unto God. If you think Krsna is Indian, that is, of course, a different thing; but whatever conception of God you have got, you surrender to God. Then you will be free from the clutches of the stringent laws of material nature, and then you'll be free. Your real life will be there, anandamayo 'bhyasat [Vedanta-sūtra 1.1.12]: simply enjoyment, simply transcendental bliss and eternity.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is started in your country to give you perfect knowledge about God. If you want, you can take advantage of it. For you only we have taken this nice church. For us, we do not require any nice place-we can sit down underneath a tree. This room is for you: we invite you to come here to chant with us. We hear, you hear the science of God, and then take little prasadam, and then you do whatever you like. So we are inviting you. Don't think that this is a sectarian… God is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian. God is God. So don't think that "Why we shall go to Krsna temple? It is of Indian culture." No. We are speaking this philosophical topic. It is neither Christian nor Hindu; it is fact. Philosophy is philosophy. When I said raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg 7.8],

God says, "I am the taste in the water," the taste in the water is neither Christian or Hindu nor Muslim; taste is taste. Why do you take it why it is Hindu taste or it is Indian taste? [laughter] The taste is the same, either in India or in Czechoslovakia or China, Russia. The taste is taste. The sun, the sun when is on the American horizon, does it mean that it is American sun? Or when it is on the Indian horizon does it mean that it is Indian sun? It is our creation. God is one: eka brahma dvitiya nasti. God cannot be two. If God has competition, then He's not God. If I am God and you are God and he is God, then we are all dogs; we are not Gods. God will have no competition. God is great. Nobody can be greater than Him; nobody can be equal to Him. That is God. God cannot be created. God cannot be manufactured. One cannot become God by meditation. God is God, from the very beginning; He hasn't got to meditate to become God. So don't be misled by all this false assumptions. Take "God is great, God is beautiful, God is all-powerful, God is all-wise, God is all famous," and try to see where that all-famous, all-powerful, all beautiful, all-wise personality is there. If you sincerely make a scientific research, you'll find in Krsna they're all present there: all-powerful, all-beautiful, all-famous, all-wise-everything.

So try to understand the science of Krsna. We are trying to push this movement, Krsna consciousness movement, to understand God. So our only request is that you take advantage of this facility. Don't take us as sectarian or this or that. We are actually teaching love of God; that is our mission. Anyone who wants to love God, that is the highest perfection of life. We are meant for loving God. Just like a father takes the responsibility of the family, he expects that his wife, his children, all will love him, and he will be happy to work for them. Similarly, there is a big family of God. We are all children. If we simply love Him, He will be happy, and you'll have no anxiety. Just like if one has got father, rich father, able father, he has no anxiety. So we have got the richest father; why we shall have any anxiety at all? Just like little child, as soon as he is in difficulty, mother is immediately ready: "Yes, my dear child. Come on," and he's happy: "Oh, I have got my mother, I have got my father." Similarly, there is eternal father. Why you should be unhappy? Why you should be unhappy at all? He is all-powerful, all riches, all ability, all potential-so why we shall have anxiety? Anxiety is due to our rebellious condition; we do not care for God, don't acknowledge God; we disobey God. So these things we should give up, and try to love the science of God, and become happy in this world. Thank you very much!

Devotees: Haribol! [end]