Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6, Hampstead Hall – August 6, 1971, London

710806S2-LONDON [44:37 Minutes]

You are actually not the dress

Devotee: [introducing tape] Side 2, track 2, London lecture number 4, evening, 6th August, Hampstead Hall.

Prabhupada: Ahaituky apratihata yayatma suprasidati [SB 1.2.6]. Atma means this body, atma means this mind, and atma means also the soul. So yaya atma samprasidati, to satisfy the atma, it means for satisfaction of the body, for satisfaction of the mind and for satisfaction of the soul.

We are situated in three strata, covering. Just like you all ladies and gentlemen, you are covered by the shirt, coat. Similarly you, as spirit soul, is covered by two layers. The first layer is very subtle: mind, intelligence and ego; and the second layer is this five gross material elements: earth, water, air, fire, like that. So..., but all of them, in one sense they are one, because it is created on the basis of atma.

Just like our body-your body, my body, anyone's body, cat's body, dog's body-these bodies are developed on the basis of the spirit soul. After sexual intercourse of the man and the woman there is an emulsification of the secretion, and they form into a material body just like a pea, and the atma, the spirit soul, takes shelter within that pea, and therefore it develops gradually in the embryo. It develops, then there are different holes, nine holes, and that holes different way develop two eyes, two ears, one mouth, one rectum, one genital, one navel, in this way.

So the spirit soul is covered by this matter. The first layer is called subtle, sūksma-mana, buddhi, ahahkara: mind, intelligence and ego. Now we are under the false ego. Exactly if you have got a nice dress you become very proud, that "I have got this very nice, costly dress." But you are actually not the dress. That's his misunderstanding. If you have got a nice car, Rolls-Royce car, if you sit on it, you feel very proud.

So this misidentification is called maya. The Bhagavata says that everyone is trying to be happy according to different layers of consciousness. One who is…

[aside to devotee:] One man is smoking. Stop.

One man who is under bodily consciousness, that "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am man," "I am woman," this is bodily consciousness. He is trying to be happy in a different way. They are called karmis. Another person, who is little advanced, thinking that "I am mind, intelligence, ego," taking part in nice philosophy, poetry, ideas, they are identifying with the subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego.

But there are other persons, who are far advanced, they are identifying with the soul. And actually we are that. Unless we come to the platform of identifying ourselves with the spirit soul, our existence is impure. Therefore in our Vedic literature the idea is to understand his real constitutional position, which is called atma-jnana, or self-realization.

So the authorities, they say parabhavas tavad abodha-jato [SB 5.5.3]. Abodha-jato means everyone is born ignorant, fool, anyone, even the human being, because he does not know what he is. He is under the bodily concept of life, just like animal. Therefore he is called abodha-jato. Abodha means no knowledge, and jataḥ means born. So the Vedic literatures indicate that a person born fool, rascal, abodha-jataḥ, if he go on acting on that platform, that foolish platform… Foolish platform means identifying oneself either with the body or with the subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego.

So Vedic literatures indicate parabhava. Parabhava means defeat. Everyone is trying to be victorious. Everyone is trying, working so hard day and night. Why? He has got some idea, and he wants to become victorious. Either individually or sociologically or community-wise or nation-wise or international-wise, they are trying to be victorious. There is a, I mean to say, impetus to become situated on the highest platform. So therefore everyone is trying-never mind in what status of life he is-everyone is trying to become victorious.

But Bhagavata, Vedic literature, says that you are trying to be victorious, that is all right, that is your nature; but you are being defeated. Therefore there is frustration. Either the karmis or the jnanis or the yogis, they are meeting with frustration.

I shall let you know one very nice example. Our great leader in India, in the later days, he was so much disgusted, because he wanted Hindu-Muslim unity, but the result was that Muslim partitioned, made a partition, and they took away the Pakistan. He wanted nonviolence, but actually there were so many violences, the Hindu-Muslim riots during the last days of the British Empire. There was furious Hindu-Muslim riot all over India. So his philosophy of nonviolence was frustrated. His philosophy of uniting the Hindus and Muslim, keep one India, that was also frustrated.

So we read in the papers that on the very day, morning, when he was killed, he was speaking to his secretary, "I am very much disgusted. I don't want to live anymore." And in the evening he was killed. So this is an example. Who can be better karmi and sincere worker for the country, for the society-but he was frustrated. You can take many examples in your European countries, Hitler, Napoleon. They are all frustrated.

So..., but everyone is trying to be very satisfied with the idea of his program. And the process he has accepted, you can take it as dharma. Just like the Nationalist, they have taken dharma as country's advancement, desa-dharma, and somebody is manufacturing another dharma, somebody is manufacturing another dharma. Dharma means occupational duty. But Bhagavata says, sa vai pumsam paro dharmo [SB 1.2.6]: that is first-class dharma, occupation, yato bhaktir adhoksaje, by which you can advance in your love for God. That is first class.

Everyone is advancing either for his love to the country or to the society or to the nation or to the humanity. There are different stages of dharma. But Bhagavata says that is first-class occupation by which one can advance his love for God, yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Adhoksaja, another name of God. Aksaja means experimental knowledge, and adha, adhakrta, where experimental knowledge cannot reach. That is God.

We cannot understand God by our senses, by seeing or by hearing or by tasting or by touching or by going. No. That is not possible. Ataḥsri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaiḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136]. You cannot perceive God or His holy name, nama, namadi. Because first of all you hear the name of God, either you call "Krsna," or you call "Jehovah," or you call something else. So we hear first of all about God by the name.

In every religion they have got a particular type of name. But by our these senses we cannot understand God even by hearing His name. Ataḥsri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaiḥ-this indriya, the senses. Therefore His name is Adhoksaja, where experimental knowledge of perception fails. He is called Adhoksaja.

But we have to render service to the Adhoksaja. Yato bhaktir adhoksaje, ahaituki. Ahaituki means without any motive. We go to church or temple with some motive, for some material compensation: "God, give me this. God, give me this. God, give me that." But without motive. If we execute our dharma, or occupational duty, for attainment of the highest perfection of life, love of God, then it should be done without any motive: ahaituky apratihata. If it is without any motive then it will never be checked by any material condition.

It is not that a poor man cannot realize God, only the rich man can realize God. Neither it is that a rich man cannot realize God, only the poor man can. Or it is neither that a learned man can understand God by his philosophical speculation and an illiterate man, who has no knowledge, he cannot understand God. In other word, perception of God, realization of God, love of God is not dependent on any material condition. Ahaituky apratihata. If we can prosecute in that way our religious principle, that is first class religion. This is the definition of first-class religion. The religion's motive should be only realization of God, not any other.

Just like according to Vedic process, the person in the lowest stage of life, on the material platform, they are first of all induced to take to religion, dharma, and they are induced to take religion for material profit, artha. Dharma, artha. Why artha? Dharma, artha, kama. Kama means for sense gratification. We take to religion for some material profit. And why you want material profit? Because without material profit we cannot enjoy our senses. Dharma, artha, kama. And when we fail, when we become frustrated… Because anyone who is on the material platform, executing some type of religion with a motive, he will be frustrated.

Just like one of my Godbrothers said, Germany, during last World War, all men went to the active field for fighting, and their sister, their mother, their wife, they went to the church, praying, "Please get our men-my father, my husband or my brother-return peacefully, without being injured." But all of them they died, and these women became frustrated, and later on they became atheist: "There is no God. We prayed so much for our husband, for our brother, but they did not come."

So therefore if we approach God with a motive, and if we are frustrated, then we become atheist. Many men. Just like our..., in India, the policy is that, the leaders' policy is they think that "By too much attention to religion our country is fallen. We must have economic development and get out all these religious sentiments." Or they say that "If you want economic development, why you are going to temple for praying? Take to technology."

So the danger is as soon as we go..., approach God with a motive, and if we are frustrated... Naturally you'll be frustrated. But you cannot make God as order-supplier. God is not order-supplier. The real religion is: we shall execute the order of God. That is religion. Don't make God your order-supplier: "God give me this. God give me this," and if God does not give you… Why God will give you? Eh? You start war, and when there is dangerous position you go to church, pray God, "Please give us victory." But did you take sanction from God before declaring the war? That is our position. [indistinct comment by person in audience about technonlogy]

So if we take, if we worship in that way, we'll be frustrated. Therefore Bhagavata says that that type of religion which is executed simply to develop the dormant love of God... Everyone has got dormant love of God. That is natural, because we are all parts and parcels of God. Just like you are part and parcel of your parents. You have got some natural affection for parents, and the parents have got natural affection for the son. So similarly, we are part and parcel of God. Therefore our love for God is there in the heart, in everyone's heart, but artificially we have checked it, blocked it.

So our process should be how to develop that dormant love for God. That is actually our position. Otherwise we shall never be happy. Bhagavata says:

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma samprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]

That type of religious process or occupational duty, the religion is taken. The English meaning of religion, as described in the dictionary, it is said that it is a kind of a faith. But according to Sanskrit etymology, the religion has a different meaning. Religion means which is your natural occupation. That is called religion. Natural. And if we study and analyze our different occupational duties, you will find that the one common factor is there, which is rendering service to other. Every one of us, either Hindu or Muslim or Christian, it doesn't matter, but everyone is engaged to render service to somebody else. Just try to understand.

So our constitutional position is that we are rendering service to somebody superior. In a country, the president or the king or queen, he is also engaged in rendering service to the nation or to the public. Similarly, we are also engaged in rendering service to some office boss or to some government post. If you analyze very nicely you will find that everyone is rendering some service to the superior.

Our this Bhagavata philosophy says that if you are rendering service to others, somebody superior, you render your service to God, the Supreme. Then you will be happy. Otherwise you will be frustrated. Everyone is rendering service to his family, to his nation. Just like Mahatma Gandhi, he rendered best service to the nation, but the result was frustration, and he was killed. This is a fact.

So you can render service to your society, to your family, to your nation or to the international activities, but unless the center point is God, all such attempts will be frustrated. That is a fact. If you do not understand now, but if you meditate on it, you will see that is the actual fact.

Suppose you are rendering service to his family..., to your family, and at the old age, if you ask your wife, your children, "Whether you are satisfied? I have rendered service throughout my whole life," now I don't think you will get any satisfactory reply. The children will say, "Father, you have not done this thing for me." The wife will say, "You have not done this for me." That is a fact. Because we are not serving.

Our motive is sense enjoyment. I am serving a wife or a wife is serving his [her] husband, that neither the wife is serving the husband, neither the husband is serving wife, but everyone is serving his senses. When you go to some office, you are serving some boss. Actually you are not serving that boss; you are serving your senses, because the boss will pay you some money, and with that money you will be able to gratify your senses.

In this way, if you analyze, everyone is serving his senses. That is the material existence. And that is said in the Bhagavatam, that kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesa. One devotee is offering his prayer to the Supreme, that "I have served my kama, krodha-lust, anger, greediness-so long." Kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesas tesam jata mayi na karuna na trapa [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 3.2.35].

"But still, lifelong I have served them, but they are not very much pleased upon me." You go on increasing your lusty desires, serving, but they will never be satisfied. The lusty desires will, I mean to say, dictate that you go on serving like this, go on serving like this, go on serving like this. You cannot satisfy your lusty desires. Similarly, you cannot satisfy your greediness. Increase.

So actually the philosophy is that you cannot satisfy your senses even though you give lifelong service to them, tesam karuna jata na trapa na santiḥ. There is no santi. They are not pleased, and they are not very much, I mean to say, merciful. They will never say, "Oh, you have served so much; now we retire." The same example like Gandhi. He gave so much service. The country did not say, "Mahatmaji, you please retire." Neither he retired. He wanted to give more service. The result was that he was killed.

So if we think all these matters little cool-headed, we can understand that we are rendering service to our whims, to the senses, but we are never satisfied. That cannot be. Therefore at the end, dharma, artha, kama, moksa. First of all people take to religion for some economic profit, and they want economic profit for sense gratification, dharma, artha, kama. And when they are dissatisfied or frustrated in the process of sense gratification, they want moksa. Moksa means liberation, or become one with the Supreme. That is called moksa, or nirvana. The nirvana philosophy, Buddhist philosophy: end this material existence; dismantle this combination of matter. Then there is nothing.

Therefore Buddha philosophy is that we have got this body, combination of material elements, gross and subtle, therefore there is feelings of pains and pleasure. And if you dismantle this, let the earth go to the earth, let the water go to the water-because it is a combination of earth, water, fire, air-so you dismantle it and distribute it, then there is no body and there is no feelings of pains and pleasure. That is nirvana philosophy.

But the Vedanta philosophy says that this is external. This material body is external. Jagat, material, mithya. This combination is for the time being. But there is soul, brahma, brahma satyam jagan mithya. They are after brahma. The person who is trying to make this existence void, they are called voidist. Voidist means sūnyavadi, make everything zero. There are many philosophers, they write volumes of books to prove everything zero. That is called sūnyavadi. And there are others, philosophers, they say that there is Brahman, the Absolute Truth, but He is imperson. He is not a person. These two classes of philosophy are going on very, I mean to say, prominent at the present moment.

So here, our students they are singing,

There are two classes of philosophers: nirvisesa, impersonalist, and the voidist. The whole Western world is full of all these philosophers. Now "You are giving something which is beyond this impersonal idea and voidist," like that.

So try to understand this Krsna consciousness philosophy. This impersonalist philosophy or the voidist philosophy will not give you any solace after being frustrated. Everyone is frustrated, but they are trying to take some solace from certain type of philosophy. But here Srimad-Bhagavata says that you can be pleased, you can be satisfied, when you know the personal feature of the Absolute Truth and you render service unto Him. Then you will be satisfied; otherwise not. Yayatma suprasidati.

You cannot render service to anyone in the void or something impersonal. You cannot love something... You do not love sky. Sky is very big, but you love a small child. Why? Why not the sky? Why don't you render your service and love to sky? It is very big. But why you are rendering service to a child? The child is passing stool; immediately you take care of it and doing the work of sweeper, and he is crying, you taking care of. Why? Why not serve the big? No. You cannot have affection without person. That is the main point. You cannot love the sky, but you can love a small child because it is person.

Similarly, if you want to love God, you cannot love God in His impersonal feature. Neither you can love God in His other features. You have to love God as He is. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that,

maya tatam idam sarvam
...avyakta-mūrtina
[Bg 9.4]

"I am spread everywhere, avyakta, impersonal nonmanifested form."

maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-mūrtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhūtani
[Bg 9.4]

"Everything is resting on Me," na caham tesv avasthitaḥ, "but I am not there."

So this philosophy is very interesting. If you want to understand this Krsna consciousness philosophy, we have got many books. I am talking with only one book and only one or two lines. So this is Srimad-Bhagavatam. So if you study scrutinizingly word-to-word Srimad-Bhagavatam, you will get philosophical understanding of the Absolute Truth in details. Srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam [SB 12.13.18]. Vidya bhagavatavadhiḥ. Your learning will be tested if you can understand Srimad-Bhagavatam.

There are eighteen thousand verses in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Each line, each word is so much impregnated with thoughts that you can think over them lifelong. But the result will be that you will become God conscious, Krsna conscious, and you will know more and more about God. Simply knowing God is great is not sufficient. It is very good to accept God. The atheist, they do not accept God. But anyone who is accepting God, he is described as very fortunate. So not only accept God, but also inquire more and more about God.

If you cannot think of God immediately, the Bhagavata..., Bhagavad-gita gives you direction how you can realize God step by step. Just like Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg 7.8]: "My dear Arjuna, I am the taste of the water." Now, you are drinking water every day, many times, and quench your thirst. If you think, meditate, on the water only, that Krsna says that "I am the taste of the water," you become a great philosopher and lover of God-simply by tasting water. You do not require to see Krsna. You just think over the matter which you are using daily, you will come to Krsna consciousness. Why Krsna says that "I am the taste of the water"?

Another place He says that prabhasmi sasi-sūryayoḥ [Bg 7.8]: "I am the sunshine. I am the moonshine." Then you think over, "How Krsna becomes sunshine?" If you are philosophical-minded, you will find Krsna. Now sunshine, everyone knows, everyone sees. So what is the sunshine? The effulgence of the sun globe. Now whether the sun globe is important or the sunshine is important? You can think over. You will find that sun globe is important, because the sunshine is emanating from the sun globe.

Then what is more important than the sun globe? If you have power to penetrate still further within the sun globe, you will find there is a god, or demigod, whose name is Vivasvan, and he is the supreme personality in the sun globe. This is one of the suns. But there are millions and trillions of suns. The science also accepts it: not only one sun. But just imagine who manufacturesd all these suns. You go further, and Krsna says aham. Mattaḥ sarvam pravartate, aham sarvasya prabhavo [Bg 10.8]. So in this way, if you are actually philosophically inclined, you can find out Krsna by studying Bhagavad-gita.

So our this Krsna co nsciousness movement is to educate people, to awake him to Krsna consciousness. As it is said, yenatma samprasidati. By awakening Krsna consciousness you will be happy, his body will be happy, his mind will be happy, and as soul he will be happy. And for example you can see-example is better than precept-we have started this movement only for the four or five years, and we are getting the prowess of every country, young boys and girls, they are coming to Krsna consciousness.

So do not think that this movement is a bogus movement or a sentimental movement. We have got solid philosophy behind this movement. If you are able to study, come forward. That is our request.

So thank you very much for giving us so much time. I request you to understand this movement and be happy.

Thank you very much. [applause] [end]