Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.1 – March 21, 1972, Bombay

720321SB-BOMBAY [41:36 Minutes]

Prabhupada: The first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, First Chapter, janmady asya yato: the original source of everything, that is the Absolute Truth, yataḥ, from which or from whom everything is emanating. That is the Absolute Truth. And what is the nature of that Absolute Truth? He is senscient. He is not a dead stone. He is completely conscious, yena sarvam idam tatam.

Idam sarvam tatam: everywhere there is consciousness. You can see the cosmic manifestation: the sun is rotating on the orbit; the moon is rotating on the orbit; thousands and millions of planets and universes are exactly rotating. Unless there is consciousness, how it is possible? There must be consciousness. Just like in my body, whenever I feel pains and pleasure, there is consciousness. Similarly, the cosmic body, the virat-rūpa, there is consciousness. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that the Absolute Truth must be conscious. Janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnaḥ. Abhijnaḥ means conscious.

Now this knowledge, abhijnaḥ-jnaḥ means "completely conversant," abhi. Now wherefrom this knowledge came? Just like we have got our experience: we get knowledge from a superior person. We go to school, we go to college and get knowledge, but wherefrom the Absolute Truth got knowledge? This question may be raised. Generally, because we have experience that without going to the superior person how we can get knowledge, so the same question may be inquired about God, or the Absolute Truth.

But Vyasadeva says that He is abhijnaḥ: He is perfectly conversant, He is perfectly in knowledge, but svarat. Janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnaḥ svarat. Svarat means "completely independent." There is no need of taking knowledge from others. That is God. Not that I am now in ignorance. The Mayavadi theory is that "I am now in darkness under the clutches of maya, and when maya is finished, then I am God." The answer is if you are actually God, how you are captured by maya? Then maya is greater than you. But it is understood that God is great, nobody can be greater than God; so if maya captures God, then maya is greater than God.

So this theory is not very intelligent theory, that God has become captured by maya. No. Maya can capture this small god, just like we are. As I explained yesterday, isvara. Īsvara means controller. So every one of us, somehow or other, we are controller. At least we control my…, our children, wife, at home. So in that sense everyone is controller. But sastra says that isvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ [Bs 5.1]: the supreme controller is Krsna.

He has no controller. I am controller, but when I go to my office, immediately I find my boss a controller. Although I am very strong controller on my children or on my wife or servant-I am very strict man-but as soon as I go to my office, immediately I am controlled by my boss. That is my position.

So I am not absolute controller. The absolute controller means who is not controlled by anyone else. He is never controlled by maya. That is absolute controller. How God can be controlled by maya? Therefore this Vedic term is used here, svarat. He is not controlled. Īsvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ [Bs 5.1], svarat. And Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita, mattaḥ parataram nanyat [Bg 7.7]: "There is no other controller above Me."

And Krsna, when He was present, He was not controlled by anyone. Even if we suppose that Radharani controls Krsna, but actually He was not even controlled by Radharani. That we have seen. When Krsna left Vrndavana, all the gopis, they would not allow Him to go away to Mathura. But still He did not…, Krsna did not care for them; He left Vrndavana. So He is not controlled by anyone. Svarat: fully independent.

And so far knowledge is concerned, there is perfect knowledge:

Any knowledge required, any reality, it is present. Not like here one has to learn, just like we have to learn knowledge. For Krsna, when He was only three months old, the Pūtana raksasi came to kill Him. She thought... She was engaged by Kamsa to kill. So she came to kill Krsna, smearing poison on her…, on the nipple of her breast, and came in a nice motherly dress. And Yasoda-mayi was very simple; she allowed her son. But her purpose was to kill Krsna. But Krsna sucked her breast and sucked her life also.

So at three months old, Krsna, how He became God? Then, He had no instruction. He did not go…, undergone any austerity or penance or meditation. How He became God? Therefore God is never made. God is always God. Either He appears Himself as a three-month-old boy or just like a young man, God is always God. It is not that I am not God now, but by meditation I become God. That kind of God, manufactured in mystic factory, is not Krsna. Krsna is svarat. He is God always. He is not a made-up God by some meditation or by yogic practice. Therefore He is called svarat.

Adi-kavaye, Brahma. Now one may argue that we find the first creature within this universe is Lord Brahma. So he spread the knowledge, Vedic knowledge, gayatri; so he must be the Supreme Lord. This question may be raised. Because he is the first creature; he created this universe, and he expanded the knowledge, Vedic knowledge, therefore he should be accepted as the Supreme Lord. Or janmady asya yataḥ means everything has emanated, taken birth from him; therefore Brahma is the original.

But the answer is there: tene brahma hrda adi-kavaye. Adi-kavaye. Adi-kavaye means the Brahma. So He also imparted knowledge to Brahma; therefore Brahma is not the original creator. The original creator is Visnu, or Krsna. Tene brahma hrda. But He was not present there, because there was only the living creature Brahma; so how knowledge was imparted to him? Therefore it is said, hrda: through the heart, because Krsna is in everyone's heart.

You have got Krsna within your heart. Simply you have to realize it; simply you have to become qualified, bona fide, to speak with Him. That's all. That is the qualification. That requires training. As soon as we are trained up to talk with the Supreme Lord, who is living within my heart, then our life is successful.

Krsna says,

"I give intelligence to the person who is always engaged in devotional service with love." So Brahma was educated by Krsna through the heart, tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye. And what kind of Krsna is... That is also explained here, that muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. Krsna is not understood even by the greatest scholar and greatest sage. Muhyanti: they become bewildered, puzzled to understand Krsna.

So,

Here in this material world, it is a false representation, tejo-vari-mrdam vinimayo. Just like a big skyscraper building, it actually it is very costly building, but what is the combination of this house? Tejo-vari-mrd. Tejaḥ means "fire," vari means "water," and mrd means "earth." So you mix earth with water and form it in a brick and dry it in the fire, and then it becomes brick. And you pile over one brick after another, it becomes a skyscraper building. But actually it is simply exchange of these three things, tejo-vari-mrd vinimayam. This whole material world is like that; actually it is the five elements combined together.

But there is another world, another nature, where the houses are made of cintamani. They are not made of these false, material things; they are made of..., by living cintamani, living stone. We haven't got the idea, but we can get the idea from the sastra:

Govinda's real abode is described here. The houses are made there of cintamani stone, living stone. The stone will talk with you. But there is a stone like that. We get information from the Vedic literature, there is a stone. And kalpa-vrksa: the trees are there, but they are not like these trees; they are kalpa-vrksa. You can get anything you want from that tree: desire tree. Here, from mango tree you can get mangoes only, not papaya; but from the desire tree, whatever you want. Even you can get puris and kachoris from that.

Devotees: Ahh!

Prabhupada: Yes, desire tree: cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-laksavrtesu. Such trees and houses, not one or two: laksavrtesu-thousands and millions of trees and houses are there. The fact is that the spiritual world is not void, as somebody thinks. They have no information. Krsna says,

So His dhama, He has got a dhama, He has got an abode, in the spiritual world. Paras tasmat tu bhavaḥ anyaḥ [Bg 8.20]: but that nature is different, beyond this material nature. That thing is explained here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa. Here everything is false-not false; temporary. Everything, just like your body, my body, it is temporary; it is not false. The Mayavadi philosopher will say it is false. But we, Vaisnava philosopher, we don't say that it is false; we say it is temporary. So we should not accept temporary things as permanent. We are spirit soul. We are eternal, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg 2.20]. We do not die after the destruction of this body. We accept another body, dehantara.

Just like we are advancing in age from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. Now just like I am, now an old man, so as I am existing from the babyhood up to date, I know I had a small body like this; I was lying down on the lap of my sister. I remember it. But that body has gone. Next body came and gone, next body came and gone. In this way hundreds and thousands of species or different types of body came and gone, but I am there-I can remember that I had this body, I had this body, I had this body. Similarly, death means the final change of this body:

Those who are intelligent, they do not become bewildered. Everything, that is all right. "My father is dead" means he has taken another body. Jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyu [Bg 2.27]. As soon as I take birth, then my death is sure, and as soon as there is death, my birth is sure. This is going on.

Therefore this body and anything in relationship with the body is kuhakam. Kuhakam means illusion, maya, illusion. Just like sometimes we find, the example is given, mirage. We find some water, vast water, in the desert. Actually there is no water, but animals, less-intelligent animals, they think that "There is water. Let me go there and quench my thirst."

And he jumps over the desert, and the water also, the so-called water, is going ahead more and more, and he's... And after that, he is dead. Because he spoiled his thirst. His thirsty heart is never quenched, and he dies. So this is going on. In the material world we are getting one body after another. You are trying to be happy in this body, but it is never attained. Maya mrdam. But it appears to be true. It appears to be true, that there is real water. But actually there is mud.

So our happiness, hankering after happiness, is, material happiness, that is just like kuhakam, illusion, maya. We don't get here happiness. That is not possible. But the Absolute Truth, He has got His absolute abode. That is described here: dhamna svena nirasta-kuhakam. He, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Person, He has got His abode-but where there is no illusion, there is no kuhaka. Dhamna svena nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi. Vyasadeva says, "I offer my respect, obeisances, unto the Absolute Truth, who is above this illusory, temporary world." Dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam.

This is called chaya or maya. This world is called chaya. Just like you have got your finger underneath the light-there is a shadow. So this material world is shadow of the real world, spiritual world. But because we have no knowledge, therefore like the animal who is running after the mirage water, we are simply running after the mirage happiness here in this material world, and after all we are leaving this body and creating some situation to accept another type of body, which may not be human body or may be greater than human body-there is no certainty.

Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya [Bg 2.22]. Just like when you change your dress you get another dress according to the money you pay-you go to the shopkeeper, "Give me some dress"-so similarly, there is no guarantee what kind of body you are going to get in the next life. But if we follow Vyasadeva, as it is said here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, dhamna svena nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi; if you take shelter of Krsna, satyam param, then we go back to Him. Krsna says, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg 4.9].

We require training only, to become Krsna conscious; then we are also eligible to go back to the dhamna svena nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi. This is Krsna consciousness movement. We are offering… We are not offering-Krsna is offering. We are simply canvassing on behalf of Krsna. That's all. Our business, we are teeny living entities; what we can offer you? But Krsna is offering. We are simply carrying the message of Krsna to you. That is our business. Krsna says,

We are carrying the message, "My dear sir, why you are bothering in so many ways? You simply surrender to Krsna and your life is successful." Very simple thing. And those who are accepting in toto, they are becoming successful. This is the wonder. Four years ago, the Western people, they did not know what is Krsna. Now, because they are accepting this simple truth, they are becoming advanced in Krsna consciousness.

So there is no difficulty, neither we have got to manufacture anything. Everything is there. There is no question of rigid process of meditation or jugglery of words. Simple thing: "My dear sir, Krsna says that you surrender unto Him. So what is the difficulty?" And Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so pleased, so…, that He says that amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa [Cc Madhya 7.128]:

"You become a spiritual master on My order." So "What is Your order? Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa [Cc Madhya 7.128]: "Whomever you meet, you simply deliver the message of Krsna; then you become spiritual master."

So if you think… Sometimes people think that I am working very wonder in this world. But I am not working any wonder. I am just working like a peon carrying the letter from your friend and delivering. That's all. So Krsna says, suhrdam sarva-bhūtanam [Bg 5.29]: He is friend of everyone. He said. Samo 'ham sarva-bhūtesu [Bg 9.29].

So He has got a message-He is friend of everyone-and we are saying simply, "My dear sir, Krsna is your greatest friend. Here is a message from Him. Take it." That's all. Finished. We don't manufacture anything nonsense; we simply deliver the message of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness movement. And if you also act like this, you also become spiritual master.

So everyone can become spiritual master at his home. He can deliver the message to his wife, to his children, to his friends: "Sir, Krsna says that you surrender." If he does not surrender, that is not your business to see; but you simply deliver the message. And if you simply deliver the message, then Krsna says,

"There is no one else so dear to Me who is simply delivering the message all over the world." Simple. You haven't got to show any gymnastic or exercise, pressing your nose or making your head-so-called yoga system. That way will be never be practiced by anyone, nor the circumstances is favorable. This will be simply bluff. But you can say simply these plain word, that "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and you kindly surrender unto Him. He is your greatest friend. He will give you protection." That's all. There is no difficulty.

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says amara ajnaya. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's order. So that means we have to accept sincerely Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu or His representative as my guru. Then you become-you follow his instructions-you become a guru. This is called parampara.

In the Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter, you have seen:

This parampara system, learning by disciplic succession the pure knowledge, just like what we are preaching, the same thing as Arjuna understood from Krsna. Krsna understood..., Arjuna understood directly from Krsna. Now one may say that "Krsna is not present before me. How I can learn Bhagavad-gita rightly?" That is a plea. Krsna is not different from Bhagavad-gita. Krsna and Krsna's words are the same, because He is absolute.

[break] ...Bhagavad-gita, then you must know that Krsna is speaking before you. But if you interpret in a nonsense way, then there is no future[?]. Krsna says,

Krsna says that "You become My devotee. You offer Me respect. You always think of Me." You do this. But no. Some rascal interpreter will say, "Oh, this surrender does not mean to the Krsna person. This surrender should be to the fact which is within Krsna." The rascal does not know that Krsna has no within or without; He is absolute. But he is thinking Krsna as ordinary person. Avajananti mam mūḍha [Bg 9.11].

Because he is rascal, he does not understand Krsna; he is thinking that Krsna is something within and something outside. Just like we are: we are spirit soul within; outside, this material body.

Krsna is not like that. Sambhavamy atma-mayaya [Bg 4.6].

Sambhavamy atma-mayaya: "I come as I am," not like ordinary man. Therefore it is said, atma-mayaya. We are forced to take birth. We are forced to accept some body by the prakrti.

Our position is to act under the influence of this material nature. But Krsna is above this material nature. Krsna says,

"This prakrtiḥ is working under My direction." So how He can be under the laws of this prakrtiḥ? He cannot. He is the master of the prakrtiḥ: mama maya, He says.

Maya…, if one surrenders to Krsna, maya has no more influence upon him. How maya can have influence upon Krsna? The person who surrenders to Krsna, he becomes relieved from the clutches of maya. And how Krsna can be under the clutches of maya? This is to be understood.

Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam says that dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam. Nirasta-kuhakam: there is no maya. Just like in the sunshine you may be covered by the clouds, but the sun is never covered by the clouds. That is our practical experience. When we say that "Today is cloudy; I cannot see the sun," yet that does not mean the cloud has covered the sun. The cloud has covered your eyes. How the cloud can cover sun? Sun is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth, earthly planet. So a hundred miles cloud over the cloud…, over the earth, a cloud-say some are covering about one hundred miles or two hundred miles on this..., upon this earth-how the cloud can cover the sun? That is not possible. It is covering the eyes of the persons who are within that hundred miles.

Similarly, those who are under the clutches of maya, they are covered by maya, not the Supreme Lord. Maya is acting under the direction of the Supreme Lord, so maya cannot cover Krsna, or the Supreme Lord. Maya can cover us, we small creatures.

That nityo: one person. Qualitatively Krsna is nityaḥ; I am nityaḥ. He is eternal; I am eternal. He is cetana, He is living; I am living. In this way, we are equal, but not in quantity: in quality we are one.

This simultaneously one and different, acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy we follow. We are not one with God in quantity, but we are one with God in quality. Because we must be one in quality with God, because we are part and parcel of God. A particle of gold is also gold, but it is not as big as the gold mine. Similarly, we are equal in quality with Krsna, but not in quantity. He is sarva-saktiman. He is sarva-saktiman. When it is said, just like,

Now this sarvam idam tatam, all-pervading, do you think you are all-pervading, I am all-pervading? No. I am pervading over my body, that's all. If there is pinching any part of my body, I can feel; therefore I am pervading all over my body. But I am not pervading your body or others' bodies. If there is pinching in your body, I cannot feel it. Therefore I am not all-pervading. All-pervading is Krsna.

Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that "I am also Supersoul. As Supersoul, I am present in everyone's heart." Ksetra-jna, in the Thirteenth Chapter, ksetra-jna and ksetra, this knowledge. Ksetra means this body, and ksetra-jna means the soul. So He is explaining ksetra-jna: the soul is there in this body, is all-pervading all this body. But He says in another verse,

Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi. He says, "I am also soul, but I am soul all-pervading. I am in everyone's body." I am a soul. I am living in my body. But Krsna as the Supersoul, He is living in everybody's body. That is difference between Krsna and me: He is all-pervading; I am not all-pervading. Therefore I cannot be equal with God, or Krsna, in any circumstances.

That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita, Second Chapter. He says that "All these kings, you and Me-all of us-it is not that we did not exist in the past, and it is not that we shall not exist in the future." That means as individual soul, Krsna and the living entities existed eternally. Not that now we are separated-we are separated energy eternally. Jiva-bhūtaḥ sanatanaḥ [Bg 15.7]. Sanatanaḥ, eternally, we are different than Krsna: a small particle. So Krsna explained this in the Second Chapter, that "It is not that we did not exist in this individual pattern in the past. Now we are individual, you, Me and all these soldiers, and similarly we shall become…, we shall remain individual in the past…, in the future."

This is called perfect knowledge. Not that in future, when I'm out of this clutches of maya, I become one. There is no such possibility to become one. If one thinks like that, then you have to come back again. That is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:

Therefore this is nirasta-kuhakam, nirasta-kuhakam, where there is no more illusion. Krsna is the Supreme individual, we are subordinate individuals, and if we become Krsna conscious, all these individual persons will go back to home, go back to Godhead. That is Krsna consciousness movement.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol. [end]