"You Serve Krsna Or Maya"

66/09/02 New York, Bhagavad-gita 6.1-4


Prabhupada: We have finished the Fifth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. Today we shall begin the Sixth Chapter. In the Sixth Chapter you'll find the process of yoga. You have heard many times of the yoga system. That yoga system is approved by Bhagavad-gita. But the system of yoga as prescribed in the Bhagavad-gita, it is specially meant for purifying your status. Karma-suddhasya vijitatmanah. Karma-suddhasya vijitatmanah. To control the senses and to purify the process of work, that is the purpose of yoga. Yoga means to purify the process of our activities and to control the senses. Sri-bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan. The other day we have explained who is Bhagavan. Bhagavan is the last word of the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases: impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma, Supersoul, and ultimately, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ultimately, Bhagavan, or the Supreme Absolute Truth, is person, and secondarily, He is all-pervading Supersoul, and the brahmajyoti effulgence.

So here it is said, sri-bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan means the proprietor of everything and all-powerful, all... He has got all the... All-famous. Nobody can be more famous than God. And all-beautiful, and full of knowledge, and full of renunciation. Full of opulence, at the same time, full of renunciation. Here in the material world you'll find if a rich man has got great opulence, he is not liking to give it up. He's not liking. He does not like to renounce. But in the Supreme Personality of Godhead you'll find full of all opulence, but at the same time, full of renunciation. The six qualifications: proprietor of all opulence, all-famous, all strength, all beauty, all knowledge, and all renunciation. Anywhere you find all these six qualifications in full, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So here it is said, sri-bhagavan uvaca. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is speaking. He's speaking means He's speaking with all knowledge. His knowledge has no flaw. Our knowledge has many, so many flaws. We commit mistake, we are illusioned. Sometimes we speak something and at our heart there is something else. That means we cheat. And our experience all imperfect because our senses are imperfect. Therefore I cannot speak anything to you. If you ask me, "Swamiji, then what you are speaking?" I am speaking simply what the Supreme Personality of Godhead has said. I'm just repeating the same words. That's all. Don't think that I am speaking. I am simply instrument. Real speaker is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is without and within. So what does He say? He says,

anasritah karma-phalam
karyam karma karoti yah
sa sannyasi ca yogi ca
na niragnir na cakriyah

Anasritah. Anasritah means without any shelter. Karma-phalam. Everyone is working, expecting some result. Whatever you do, work, you expect some result. Here Bhagavan says, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says, that "Anyone who works without any shelter of the result..." He works. Then if he does not expect any result, then why does he work? Unless... Suppose I ask somebody to work this way. Then he will expect something, some result, some remuneration, some reward, or some salary. That is the way of working here. But Krsna prescribes that anasritah karma-phalam, "One who works without any expectation of result or reward." Then why does he work? Karyam. "It is my duty. It is my duty." Not with a result, but as duty. "I am duty-bound to do this." Karyam karma karoti yah. In such a way, if somebody works, sa sannyasi, he is actually in the renounced order of life.

There are four stages of life according to Vedic culture. We have many times explained to you that brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasi. Brahmacari means student life, to be trained up in spiritual understanding, Krsna consciousness, fully trained up. He is called brahmacari. Then, after full training, he accepts wife, he gets himself married and lives with family and children. That is called grhastha. Then, after fifty years, he leaves the children alone and gets out of home accompanied by his wife and travels in the holy places. That is called vanaprastha, retired life. And at last he gives up his wife to the care of his children, grown-up children, and he remains alone. And that is called sannyasa, or renounced order of life. So these four orders of life there are.

Now, Krsna says that simply renouncement is not all. Simply renouncement is not all. There must be some duty. Karyam. Karyam means "It is my duty." Now, what is that duty? He has renounced the family life. He has no more botheration how to maintain his wife and children. Then what is his duty? That duty is very responsible duty -- to work for Krsna. Karyam. Karyam means it is the real duty. There are two kinds of duties in our life. One duty is to serve the illusion, and the other, another duty is to serve the reality. When you serve the reality, that is called real sannyasa. And when we serve the illusion, that is called maya. Now, either to serve the reality or to serve the illusion, I am in such a position that I have to serve. My position is not to become the master but to become the servant. That is my constitution.

Everyone in this material world, he's a servant. Nobody is master. One thinks that "I am the master," but he is actually servant. Suppose if you have got your family, if you are thinking that you are the master of your wife, of your children, of your servants, of your business, that is false. You are the servant of your wife, you are the servant of your children, you are the servant of your servants. That is your real position. Any case you take. The president, he is considered to be the master of your country, but actually he is the servant of your country. So if you go on analyzing that our position is always servant... So either we shall become the servant of illusion or we shall have to become the servant of God. But if we remain the servant of illusion, then our life is wasted. Everyone is servant of illusion. He's servant of nobody but servant of illusion. He is expecting some profit. For serving, he is expecting some profit, but that profit is transient and illusion. Therefore he is servant of illusion. And when a person becomes to his real senses, transcendental senses or jnanam, when he becomes actually the person in knowledge, then he becomes the servant of the reality. Because I am servant always, this way or that way.

So knowledge means: "Then why shall I serve the unreal illusion? Let me serve the reality. If my business is to serve and nothing to be...never to be master, always to serve, then why I shall serve the illusion? Let me serve the reality." That sense is called knowledge. So anasritah karma-phalam. Sannyasa, renounced order of life, means one who is in perfect knowledge, he can take sannyasa. Otherwise, if he takes all of a sudden the renounced order of life, he will create misery for himself and misery for others. In full knowledge, that sannyasa. So here, how that full knowledge is exhibited after sannyasa, that is explained here by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What is that? Karyam. "It is my duty to become Krsna conscious and to serve the cause of Krsna. Oh, that is my duty. That is my real duty." When we come to this knowledge, then we become mahatma, or the great soul. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gita. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. "After many, many births, when a person, when a soul, is perfectly elevated to the platform of real knowledge, transcendental knowledge," then what does he do? "He surrenders unto Me," Krsna says. "He surrenders unto Me." Vas... Why? Vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19], "You are everything, Vasudeva." Vasudeva means Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness. But Krsna says, "Such...," sa mahatma sudurlabhah, "such great soul is very scarce, rarely found." But any intelligent person, if he understands this philosophy, that "My ultimate goal of life is to surrender unto Krsna, why not surrender immediately? Why shall I wait?" Bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19]. "Why shall I wait for so many births?"

So that stage is called real sannyasa. Karyam. Karyam means "It is my duty." I am not forced, but voluntarily, out of love, transcendental love. Just like mother serves this child out of love. There is no question of salary or remuneration. The mother loves this child. Similarly, you can love the Supreme Lord in many ways. You can love the Supreme Lord as master, you can love the Supreme Lord as friend, you can love the Supreme Lord as child, you can love the Supreme Lord as your husband. Any way. There are five different rasas or humors, in which we are eternally related with the Supreme Lord. And when we are actually in the liberated stage of all knowledge, we can understand that "Our relationship with the Lord is in this way." That is called svarupa-siddhi. That is real self-realization. That is real self-realization. Everyone has an eternal relationship with the Lord, either in the conception of master and servant, or in the conception of friend and friend, or in the conception of parents and the child, or in the conception of husband and wife, or in the conception of paramour and lover, and the beloved. So these relationships are there eternally.

Now, the whole process of spiritual realization is to come to this stage, transcendental stage. This relationship with the Supreme Lord is pervertedly reflected in this material world. And therefore we have got this relationship here, master and servant. But because it is perverted, therefore that relationship is not master and servant. That relationship is with the money and the benefit. There is no love. There is no love. Here in this material world, the master and the servant, that relationship continues so long the master is able to pay the servant. As soon as the payment is stopped, the relationship of master and servant also stops. Therefore that is not eternal. (to someone:) Come on. Sit down here. That is not eternal. Similarly, here also, there is relationship between friend and friend. But in slight difference of opinion the friendship breaks. The friend becomes enemy. Therefore it is perverted reflection. Similarly, the relationship between... (aside:) Come on here. Relationship between mother and son. A slight difference of opinion breaks the relationship, and the son becomes out of the relationship of mother, mother becomes out of... Every way. Husband and wife, a slight difference of opinion, there is divorce, separation.

So no relationship here in this material world is actual. Always remember that all relationship in this material world is perverted reflection of that relationship which we have got eternally with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is simply reflected. Just like the sunshine. The sunshine is reflected in the glass, and that reflection comes to your, in my apartment. At six o'clock the sunshine comes from the western side... eastern side. So in the evening the sunshine cannot come from the eastern side. The sunshine comes from the western side, but it is coming because it is reflected through a glass in the opposite house. This is the idea of reflected. That reflection of the sunshine is not real, but it appears just like sunshine. Similarly, all our relationship here, either as master and servant or as friend and friend or as parents and child or as husband and wife or as lover and the beloved, any relationship, whatever we see here, that is the perverted reflection of our eternal relationship with God.

So when we come to that platform of understanding, then we are perfectly in knowledge. So when that knowledge comes here, it is stated, he takes the service of the Lord, Krsna consciousness: karyam. Karyam means "It is my duty." Because I have got my eternal love relationship with Krsna. There is no question of remuneration. Of course, remuneration is there thousand times more than what remuneration we get here by rendering our service. Krsna thousand times... Not thousand times because there is no limit.

There is a nice story of a great devotee, Bali Maharaja. Bali Maharaja was a very powerful king and he conquered over the heavenly planets. So the denizens of the heavenly planets, they appealed to the Supreme Lord to save them, that "We are now conquered by the demonic king, Bali Maharaja." So Bali Maharaja... And Krsna, Krsna took the shape of a dwarf and went to Bali Maharaja for begging as a brahmana boy. And He approached him, Bali Maharaja, "I want something from you. You are a great king. You give in charity to the brahmanas. So I want something from you." So Bali Maharaja said, "Yes, I shall give You. What do You want?" "Now, I want land of three, in the measurement of My sole, three sole measurements. That's all." So He was a boy, His sole was sole, not very long. So Bali Maharaja said, "What You will do with a small piece of land?" But He said, "Yes, that will suffice Me. If you promise this three measurement of My three feet of land, that will suffice." Then Bali Maharaja agreed, and by His two measurement of the palm, He covered the whole universe. Then He's asking, "Bali Maharaja, now whatever you have got, you got, now it is finished by two feet, by two measurement of my palm. Now where I am going to keep My third, third one?" Then Bali Maharaja understood that it is the favor of the Supreme Lord. He said, "My dear Lord, yes, I have now lost everything. I have no other property, but I have got my head. Please kindly keep on it." You see. So the Lord was very much pleased on him, and He offered, "Bali Maharaja, then what do you want from Me?" "No, I never expected anything from You. I could understand You wanted from me everything; so I have offered my everything. That is finished. I don't want..." Then Lord says, "Yes, but from My side, I have got something to offer you. I shall remain as your order-carrier servant in your door." So He remained always... Just like we are sitting here, there may be some doorman, He, Lord became his doorman. So that is the return. If we offer something to Lord, oh, that is rewarded in many millions of times. So we should not expect.

The Lord is always serious to return the service of the servant, of His devotee. So there are many devotees. This devotee, Bali Maharaja, is surrendered everything for the service of the Lord. So he became a famous king. Sarvatma-snapane abhavad balir vaiyasakih. So now, anyone who thinks that "Service of Krsna, or service of the Lord, is my duty, duty," he is the man in perfect knowledge. Sa sannyasi. Sa sannyasi ca yogi ca. And he's actually yogi. We have heard the names of so many yogis, but here Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, "He is actual yogi." Who? "Who has surrendered himself fully unto Me and he is engaged in My service as a matter of duty." That's all. Sa sannyasi ca yogi ca na niragnir na cakriyah. Na niragnih. Niragnih means "those who have left home." In the varnasrama-dharma, one who is a householder, he has to perform daily yajna. So there is fire. Fire. Still we find in the Parsis, they are fire worshipers. So this fire worship is recommended in Vedic literature. So grhasthas, or the householders, they are expected to offer, I mean to say, sacrifice in the fire daily.

yam sannyasam iti prahur
yogam tam viddhi pandava
na hy asannyasta-sankalpo
yogi bhavati kascana
[Bg. 6.2]

Now, here is very important point. Yam sannyasam iti prahuh. Lord Sri Krsna instructs Arjuna that "Whatever is known as sannyasa, renounced order of life, that is also yoga." Yoga system and sannyasa, there is no difference because everything on the yoga system... This Bhagavad-gita is also known as yoga system. You'll find here three kinds of yoga: karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. So just like you have got a staircase to rise up to the fifth or sixth or tenth floor, or more than that, the whole staircase or the lift service is called yoga. Now, somebody may be in the fifth floor, somebody may be in the tenth floor, somebody may be on the fiftieth floor, but the same lift service is going. You take the lift service as the yoga, connection between the highest story to the down. Anyone who has elevated himself to a certain platform... Someone is called karma-yogi, someone is called jnana-yogi, someone is called dhyana-yogi, someone is called bhakti-yogi. So there are different kinds of yoga in this conception. Otherwise, this lift service, yoga service, is the same. It is, the difference is between the elevation point.

So similarly, yam sannyasam iti prahur yogam tam viddhi pandava [Bg. 6.2]. "Oh Arjuna." Pandava means "the son of Pandu, Arjuna." "You can understand that what is sannyasa and what is yoga, they are the same principle." They are the same principle how? Na hy asannyasta-sankalpo yogi bhavati kascana. Because without being freed from desires of sense gratification, nobody can become either a yogi or a sannyasi. Everyone is trying to have some profit out of his activities. There are many yogis, they perform yoga system or teach yoga system for some profit, but that is not the idea of yoga system. Everything should be engaged in the service of the Lord. Everything. Whatever we do, either as ordinary worker or as sannyasi or as yogi, or as jnani, all our energies should be dovetailed with Krsna consciousness. That is real sannyasa, that is real yoga. Aruruksor muner yogam karma karanam ucyate. Those who are just stepping on the staircase of the yoga system, for them, karma karanam ucyate, they must work. In the beginning, nobody should stop working. Nobody should stop working.

Just like you'll find in the Bhagavad-gita that Krsna requesting Arjuna to become a yogi, but He never asked him to cease from the fight. How one can become a yogi, at the same time remain a fighter? That, a practical example you see. Krsna is asking Arjuna, tasmad yogi bhavarjuna. "My dear Arjuna, therefore you become a yogi." But at the same time, He's asking to fight. Now, we know the yogi sits down at a place and meditates and concentrates his mind and controls his senses. How is that he is fighting, at the same time yogi? Huh? This is the mystery of Bhagavad-gita. You can remain a fighting man, at the same time the highest yogi, highest sannyasi. How? In Krsna consciousness. You have to fight for Krsna. That's all. That is the secret. That is the secret. If you fight for Krsna, if you fight for work...work for Krsna, if you eat for Krsna, if you sleep for Krsna, if you do everything for Krsna, then you are the yogi, you are the sannyasi, and you are everything. That is the secret of Bhagavad-gita. It is practical example. We see that Arjuna is asked, tasmad yogi bhavarjuna. "My dear..." Now you'll find in this chapter, Krsna will instruct Arjuna how to become a dhyana-yogi. That is meditation, yogi in meditation. He will ask Arjuna in this chapter, and you'll find, Arjuna will say, "My dear Krsna, it is impossible for me. It is impossible for me. This system which You recommend for meditation is not possible for me." And actually also, although the instruction of yoga system is offered to Krsna in very full details, you'll never find in the history of Arjuna's life that ever he became a meditator. Ever. Then how he became the most perfect yogi? Oh, that is, that we'll find at the end of this chapter, that "One who is always thinking of Krsna..."

yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah
[Bg. 6.47]

Krsna, when He saw that Arjuna, he is (chuckles) declining, then He said, "My dear Arjuna, you are the highest yogi. You are the topmost yogi." Why? "Because you are always thinking of Me." That's all. "You have no other business than to think of Me." So this is the yoga system, this is the sannyasa system, this is the jnana system. All perfections of jnana, yoga, dhyana, and whatever, sacrifice, charity, and penance, all the recommended activities for spiritual realization ends in Krsna consciousness. So if you directly become Krsna conscious, then you are yogi, sannyasi, and everything. As it is stated here, sa sannyasi ca yogi ca. "He is sannyasi, he is yogi, and he is everything." He's everything. So this simple method, to become Krsna conscious, is the highest perfection of life. Therefore this society is established for Krsna consciousness. The techniques are there in the Bhagavad-gita and there are Srimad-Bhagavatam. Just try to accept this principle of life and your, this human form of life will be successful and perfect by Krsna consciousness.

So aruruksor muner yogam karma karanam ucyate. Those who are in the preliminary stage, they should always work for Krsna. Always. They must find out always some duty, "What is there to work now for Krsna consciousness?" Karma karanam ucyate. They should not remain idle for a second. Always find out some duty. That is meditation. "How I shall work for Krsna?"

aruruksor muner yogam
karma karanam ucyate
yogarudhasya tasyaiva
samah karanam ucyate

And when one is advanced in perfect stage of that Krsna consciousness, then he may not physically work, but because within himself he's always working for Krsna... Karma karanam ucyate. So in the beginning... Just like small boys and children, they are always twenty-four hours engaged in the schooling. Otherwise they'll be spoiled. Similarly, those who are in the preliminary stage of Krsna consciousness they should always engage themselves in the work. There are varieties of work. There are varieties of work.

Now, those who are actually working with our society, they practically do not find any time, any rest. There are so many work that one cannot finish. Day and night we have got work for Krsna consciousness. And we are happy to execute such work. And the students who are working with us, cooperating, they are also happy. You'll find happiness. If you chant Hare Krsna twenty-four hours, you'll never get tired, and that is the... You'll never get tired. In any other material thing, if you chant or you repeat three times, you'll get tired. It is practical test. But if you go on chanting Hare Krsna twenty-four hours, you'll never get tired. So if you engage yourself in the activity of Krsna consciousness, you'll never get tired because you are acting on the spiritual platform. Spiritual platform is absolute. The material platform is different. If you work very hard, then you get tired. So this is, these are the understandings of spiritual consciousness, or Krsna consciousness.

Now here it is very clearly explained:

yada hi nendriyarthesu
na karmasv anusajjate
sarva-sankalpa-sannyasi
yogarudhas tadocyate

When one becomes first-class yogi or when one is considered to be elevated in the highest yogic platform or sannyasa platform, yada, at that time, when, na indriyarthesu, a person works not for sense gratification... That's all. Everyone works for sense gratification. In the material world, everyone is working for sense gratification. Everyone works here to get some reward, some remuneration, for wages, and that is utilized for sense gratification. Now here it said, yogarudha. "When one is perfect yogi..." That is explained here that yada hi na indriyarthesu. "When one does not work for sense gratification," na karmasv anusajjate, "he does not engage himself in the work simply for sense gratification." And sarva-sankalpa-sannyasi, "And he has no desire to get any fruit." Because his desired thing, Krsna, is already there. So he has no other desire. Sarva-sankalpa-sannyasi yogarudhas tadocyate. At that time he is considered to be situated in the perfect stage of... (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 6.1-4 -- New York, September 2, 1966

"Yoga System--Everything Is Spiritual"

69/02/13 Los Angeles, Bhagavad-gita 6.1


Devotee: Verse number one. "The Blessed Lord said, ‘One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and works as he is obligated, is in the renounced order of life and he is the true mystic. Not he who lights no fire and performs no work.' Purport. In this chapter the Lord explains that the process of the eightfold yoga system is a means to control the mind and the senses. However, this is very difficult for people in general to perform, especially in this age of Kali. Although the eightfold yoga system is recommended in this chapter, the Lord emphasizes that the process of karma-yoga or acting in Krsna consciousness is better. Everyone acts in this world to maintain his family and their paraphernalia, but no one is working without some self-interest, some personal gratification, be it concentrated or extended. The criterion of perfection is to act in Krsna consciousness and not with a view to enjoy the fruits of work. To act in Krsna consciousness is the duty of every living entity because we are constitutionally parts and parcels of the Supreme. The parts of the body work for the satisfaction of the whole body. The limbs of the body do not act for self-satisfaction but for the satisfaction of the complete whole. Similarly the living entity, acting for the satisfaction of the supreme whole and not for personal satisfaction is the perfect sannyasi, the perfect yogi.

"The sannyasis sometimes artificially think that they have become liberated from all material duties and therefore they cease to perform agni-hotra yajnas, fire sacrifices."

Prabhupada: There are some yajnas to be performed by everyone for purification. So a sannyasi does not require to perform the yajnas. So by stopping that ritualistic performance of yajna, sometimes they think that they are liberated. But actually, unless he comes to the standard platform of Krsna consciousness, there is no question of liberation. Go on.

Devotee: "Actually they are self-interested because their goal is to become one with the impersonal Brahman."

Prabhupada: Yes. There is demand. The impersonalists, they have got one demand, that to become one with the supreme impersonal being. But a devotee has no demand. He simply engages himself to serve Krsna for the satisfaction of Krsna. They do not want anything in return. That is pure devotion. Just like Lord Caitanya said, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye: "I do not want any wealth, I do not want any number of followers, I do not want any nice wife. Simply let me be engaged in Your service." That's all. That is the bhakti-yoga system. When Prahlada Maharaja was asked by Lord Nrsimhadeva, "My dear boy, you have suffered for me so much, so whatever you want, you ask for it." So he refused. "My dear master, I am not doing mercantile business with you, that I will take some remuneration from you for my service." This is pure devotion. So yogis or the jnanis, they are demanding that they should become one with the Supreme. Why one with the Supreme? Because they have got bitter experience by the separation of material pangs. But a devotee has no such thing. The devotee remains, although separate from the Lord, he is fully enjoying in the service of the Lord. Go on.

Devotee: "Such a desire is greater than any material desire. But it is not without self-interest. Similarly the mystic yogi who practices the yoga system with half-open eyes, ceasing all material activities, desires some satisfaction for his personal self."

Prabhupada: Actually the yogis want some material power. That is the perfection of yoga. Not perfection, that is one of the procedure. Just like if you are actually practicing the regulative principles of yoga, then you can get eight kinds of perfection. You can become lighter than the cotton swab. You can become heavier than the stone. You can get anything, whatever you like, immediately. Sometimes you can even create a planet. Such powerful yogis are there. Visvamitra yogi, he did it actually. He wanted to get man from palm tree. "Why man should be begotten living ten months within the womb of mother. They'll be produced just like fruit." He did it like that. So sometimes yogis are so powerful, they can do. So these are all material powers. Such yogis, they are also vanquished. How long you can remain on this material power. So bhakti-yogis, they do not want anything such. Go on. Yes.

Devotee: "But a person acting in Krsna consciousness, works for the satisfaction of the whole without self-interest. A Krsna conscious person has no desire for self satisfaction. His criterion is the satisfaction of Krsna. And thus he is the perfect sannyasi or perfect yogi. Lord Caitanya, the highest perfectional symbol of Krsna consciousness prays in this way: ‘Oh almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor to enjoy beautiful women. Neither do I want any number of followers. What I want only is the causeless mercy of your devotional service in my life, birth and birth.' "

Prabhupada: So a devotee does not want even salvation. Why Lord Caitanya says "birth after birth"? The salvationists, they want to stop, the voidists, they want to stop this material way of life. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, "birth after birth." That means he is prepared to undergo all kinds of material pangs birth after birth. But what He wants? He simply wants to be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is the perfectional. I think you can stop. Stop here.

Devotee: Prabhupada? You said that spirit soul is one ten-thousandth the tip of a hair. In the spiritual sky, is the spirit soul still just that big?

Prabhupada: That is his constitutional position. Either in the spiritual sky or material sky, he's the same. But as you develop in the material world, material body, similarly in the spiritual world you can develop a spiritual body. You follow? Your position is that small particle, but spirit can expand. This expansion in the material world is being done in contact with matter. And in the spiritual world, that expansion can be done in spirit. Here in the material world I am spirit soul, I am different from this body. Because this body is matter and I am living. I am living force but this material body is not living force. And in the spiritual world there is everything living force. There is no dead matter. Therefore the body is also spiritual. Just like water with water, water, that's all. But water and oil -- distinction. Similarly, I am spirit soul, I am the oil. So I am in the water, so there is distinction. But if I am put into the oil, then everything's all right. So the impersonalists, they do not develop body. They simply remain as spirit particle. That is their idea. But we Vaisnava, we want to serve Krsna, therefore we require hands, legs and mouth and tongue, everything. So we are giving such body. As you are getting this body from the womb of the mother, similarly we get body in the spiritual world. Not from the womb of the mother, but there is process to get, you can get.

Devotee: That can't be done artificially though. Nobody can do like a trick.

Prabhupada: Artificially?

Devotee: Yes, no one can develop a spiritual body just by His own whim, "Oh I shall develop spiritual body."

Prabhupada: This Krsna consciousness practice is turning this material body into spiritual body. How it is done, the example I have several times given, that you put the iron in the fire. The more it is warm it becomes fire. When the iron is red hot, that when the iron has acquired the qualities of fire. You touch the iron anywhere, it will act as fire. Similarly, this body, although it is material, there are so many examples. A metal, electrified, the metal is not electricity. But when it is electrified, you touch the metal, you get electric shock immediately. Just like the electric wire. Copper, it is copper. But as soon as it is electrified, you touch it, you get electric shock. There are so many examples. Similarly, if your body is spiritualized, then the material action is no more. Material action means sense gratification. So the more one becomes spiritualized, the material demands become nil. No more material activities.

So how you can do that? The same example. You have to keep the iron constantly with the fire. You have to keep yourself constantly in Krsna consciousness. Then even your this body, material body is spiritualized. There is a Sanskrit grammatical law which is called mayatpoktaya (?). Marat(?) means, there is a word, just like svarnamaya. Svarnamaya means golden. Golden can be called, when it is made of pure gold, that is also golden. And if it is made of something else but the coating is gold, large body is full with spiritual activities only, this is also spiritual. Therefore saintly persons, of course in your country everyone is put into the grave after passing away, but in India according to Vedic system, only very high personality, devotees, their body is not burned. It is considered spiritual. A sannyasis body is not burned because it is considered spiritual. So how it becomes spiritual? The same example. When the body has no more any material activities, simply spiritual activity in Krsna consciousness, that body is spiritual.

So if this world is become full in Krsna consciousness, nobody is working for sense gratification, only for satisfaction of Krsna, this world becomes spiritual world immediately. This requires little time to understand. Anything used for Krsna, simply for Krsna's satisfaction, it is spiritual. Just like we are using this microphone for talking about Krsna, then it is spiritual. Otherwise what is the difference between this prasada and ordinary food? We are distributing prasada, people will say, "What is prasada? The same fruit we eat, and you have simply cut into pieces it has become prasada?" They can say that. How it is prasada? But it is prasada. You go on eating this prasada, you become spiritualized. Actually it is prasada. Just like the same example, if I take that iron, hot iron, if I say "It is fire." Somebody may say, "Oh, why it is fire? It is iron." I say, "Touch it." You see? These are crude examples, but that is the...

When your activities, actually in higher sense there is no matter. There is no matter, everything is spiritual. Because Krsna is spiritual. Krsna is whole spirit and the matter is one of the energy of Krsna. Therefore it is also spirit. But because it is being misused, not for the purpose of Krsna, therefore it is matter. So our Krsna consciousness movement is to spiritualize, respiritualize the whole thing. Whole social position, political position, anything. It is very nice movement. People should try to understand it. And if it will actually spiritualize the whole world, of course that is not possible. But the ideal is like that. But at least if individually one tries this respiritualization method, his life become perfect. Yes?

Devotee: Prabhupada, It is written in the Bhagavad-gita that we just read from, about how you think that Krsna will provide for us. And also further on in the Gita it is said that God helps those who help themselves.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee: Now, how do we determine what we should...?

Prabhupada: You put yourself under Krsna, that is helping yourself. And if you think, "Oh I can protect myself," then you are not helping yourself. Just like this finger, so long it is healthy, working, if there is some trouble, I can spend thousands of dollars for this. But if this finger is cut off from my body, if you trample down with your feet this finger, I don't care for it. Similarly, to help oneself means to put oneself in the proper position, as part and parcel of Krsna. That is real helping. Otherwise how you can help? The finger can help itself by putting itself in the proper position of the hand and work for the whole body. That is proper position. If the finger thinks that, "I shall remain separated from this body and help myself," it will die. So as soon as you think, that "I shall live independently without caring for Krsna," that is my death. As soon as I engage myself as part and parcel of Krsna, that is my life.

So helping oneself means to know one's position and work in that way. That is helping. Without knowing what is his position, how one can help oneself? It is not possible. Yes?

Devotee: We should always try to act discriminately and always try to serve Krsna and not have Krsna serve us. Always feel that we should try to serve Krsna, and not say that we will do this and Krsna will provide, Krsna will help us.

Prabhupada: You are serving Krsna, that means you are doing. Serving means doing. What do you mean by serving? Actually when you serve somebody, are you are not doing something. You are engaged in serving Krsna how? You are going to preach Krsna consciousness, you are cooking, you are cleansing, you are so many, doing something. So helping Krsna means doing. Helping Krsna does not mean you sit down tightly. That is Krsna consciousness activities. Whatever asset you have got to work, utilize it for Krsna. That is bhakti. Now we have got, what assets we have got. We have got this mind. All right, think of Krsna. We have got this hand -- wash the temple or cook for Krsna. We have got the legs -- go to the temple of Krsna. We have got this nose -- Oh, smell the flowers offered to Krsna. So we can engage. So Krsna consciousness engage means working, activity. Arjuna, he was declining to act. And Krsna was enthusing him to act. This is the whole Bhagavad-gita. Krsna consciousness does not mean that no work. To engage yourself in Krsna consciousness means to work -- for Krsna. Krsna does not say, of course in this chapter Krsna will say something about, He never says Arjuna, "My dear friend Arjuna, you don't care for this war. Sit down and meditate upon Me." Have you seen in the Bhagavad-gita? This meditation means to stop all nonsense work, sit down tightly. But those who are advanced in Krsna consciousness, they have to work for Krsna. Just like child. Simply disturbing. The mother says, "My dear child, sit down here." But if he can work nicely, "Oh yes," mother asks, "My dear boy, you have to do this, you have to do that, you have to do that." Sit down tightly for the nonsense. Not for the sensible. For the nonsense, the more he sits down, at least he does not commit any nonsense, that's all. Negation of nonsense. That is not positive. Here is positive activities.

So negation is no life. Positive life is life. "Don't do this," is no life. "Do this," this is life. But in order to do rightly, there are some things "don't." "Don't" is not life, "do" is life. The whole Bhagavad-gita is "do." "Do fight for Me." There is nothing "don't." Arjuna wanted, "Don't induce me." And Krsna did not like that. "You are speaking like non-Aryan." Kutas tva kasmalam idam. Anarya-justam. "This kind of words are spoken by the non-Aryans." He was accused of being non-Aryan. Anarya. So Krsna consciousness does not mean sitting idly, no. We have the whole pastimes of Krsna is full of activities. When you go to spiritual world Krsna is always dancing. You have to twenty-four hours dance there and eat there. Where is sit down? There is no question of sit down. Have you heard anything about gopis meditating? Sit down. (laughter) Have you heard? Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu? What, dancing, "Hare Krsna." You see? You are spirit soul, how you can stop yourself silent? That is not possible. Arjuna refused. And you'll find in this chapter when Arjuna was recommended, "My dear Arjuna, you meditate." He immediately refused. "My dear Krsna, it is not possible for me. It is not possible for me." That is actual fact. How it is possible for him? He was a householder man, he wanted kingdom, he wanted to rule over the country. Where is the time for his meditation. He flatly refused. "My dear Krsna, it is not possible for me." He said that controlling the mind: vayor iva suduskaram. "It is as difficult as to control the air." That is a fact. You have to engage the mind in Krsna. Then it is controlled. Otherwise, artificially you cannot control. It is impossible. Arjuna said, what to speak of others. Who is Arjuna? Personally talking with Krsna. Do you think he is ordinary man? He said that it is impossible. Vayor iva suduskaram.

This very example he has given. Cancalam hi manah krsna pramathi balavad drdham. "My dear Krsna, you are asking me to control the mind. It is so powerful, and restless," I think he is ordinary man? He said that it is impossible. Vayor iva suduskaram. This very example he has given. Cancalam hi manah krsna pramathi balavad drdham. "My dear Krsna, you are asking me to control the mind. It is so powerful, and restless, I think to control the mind is as good as to control the air." If there is high wind, can you control it? He gives this example. You can control the mind when you fix up the mind in Krsna's lotus feet, that's all. No nonsense can come within your mind, simply Krsna. That is perfection of meditation. Activities?

Devotee: What is recreation for a Krsna conscious person?

Prabhupada: Recreation? Dancing. (laughter) Come on, dance with us. Is it not recreation? And when you get tired take prasada. Do you want more recreation than this? What is your answer. Is it not recreation?

Devotee: Yes. I think it is difficult for someone who comes from...

Prabhupada: Why difficult? Dancing is difficult? Chant and dance?

Devotee: It's easier for a devotee who lives in the temple.

Prabhupada: Oh, but as you come come, anyone can come. Everyone is welcome. We don't charge anything for this dancing. You go to ball dance and so many other dances, you pay for it. But we don't charge. We simply, our, these students simply beg something because we have to maintain. We don't charge anything. So if you simply come and chant for recreation, it is very nice. Everything is there in Krsna consciousness. We want music, there is music. We want dancing, there is dancing. You can bring nice musical instruments, you can join. We distribute nice palatable dishes. So practically this is a system of recreation only. (laughter) Yes. If you seriously think, you'll find, this system, there is no labor at all. Simply recreation. Su-sukham. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita in the Ninth Chapter you'll find, su-sukham. Everything is pleasing and happy. Find out anything in our system, that this is troublesome. Tell me practically, anyone. "This point is very troublesome." Just put your counterargument. Simply pleasing. It is simply recreation. That's all. You just point out, "Swamiji, this point is not very recreation or not, that is unhappy position." Nothing.

People want. That is their natural, just like these children. When they see that boys and girls are dancing, the children also dancing. Automatically. This is spontaneous, this is life. And that is our real life in the spiritual world. There is no anxiety. Simply people are dancing and chanting and eating nicely. That's all. There is no factory, there is no labor, there is no technical institution. There is no need. These are all artificial. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. The Vedanta says. The, every living entity, God is anandamaya, full of bliss and pleasure, and we are part and parcel of God, we are also the same quality. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. So our whole process is to join the supreme anandamaya, Krsna, in His dance party. That will make us actually happy. Here we are trying to be happy by artificial means. And we are becoming frustrated. But if you actually be situated in Krsna consciousness, simply you revive your original position, joyful, simply joyful. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. These are the Vedanta. Because our nature is anandamaya. People are, everyone is trying to find out. In this La Cienega Avenue there are so many restaurants, so many things and so many signboards. Why? They are advertising, "Come on, here is ananda, here is pleasure." He's advertising, we are also doing like that. "Here is ananda." So everyone is searching after ananda pleasure. But there is different standard of pleasure. The same thing. Somebody are trying to find out pleasure from the material point of view, somebody's trying to find pleasure from speculation, philosophy, poetry of art. And somebody's trying to find out pleasure in the transcendental stage. Everyone is trying to find out pleasure. That is our business only. Why you are working so hard day and night? Because you know, at night, "I shall mix with that girl" or "I shall be mixed with wife, I shall enjoy." The whole, everyone is accepting all kinds of trouble to find out that pleasure.

Pleasure is the ultimate goal. But you do not know where is the pleasure. that is illusion. Real pleasure is in the transcendental form of Krsna. You'll find Krsna always jolly. There's so many pictures you see. And if we join, you become jolly. There's so many pictures you see. And if we join, you become jolly, that's all. Have you seen any picture Krsna is working with machine? (laughter) Huge machine? Or have you seen any picture He is smoking? (laughter) By nature, pleasure, you see? Pleasure. So you have to unfold yourself, unfold yourself in that way and you find pleasure. Simply full of pleasure, that's all. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. By nature simply pleasure. Not by artificial means. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhih. In the Brahma-samhita you find.

ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.37]

Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. Rasa means the taste, the mellow. Just like we try to taste a sweetmeat, a sweet candy, anything. Why? Because there is a very nice taste. So everyone is trying to have some taste from everything. We want to enjoy sex life. There is some taste. So that is called adi-taste. So there are so many tastes. There in the Brahma-samhita, ananda-cinmaya-rasa. That taste, material taste, you may taste it, but it will be finished immediately. Immediately finished. Say few minutes. Suppose you have got very nice sweetmeat. You taste it. You get, "Oh, it is very nice." "Take another." "All right." "And another?" "No, I don't want," finished. You see? So material taste is finishable. It is not unlimited. But real taste is unlimited. If you taste one then you cannot forget. It will go on, increasing, increasing. Anandambudhi-vardhanam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that, "This taste is simply increasing." Although it is ocean-like, great, still it is increasing. Here you have seen ocean. It is limited. Your Pacific Ocean is tossing, but it is not increasing. If it increases there is havoc, you see? But by nature's law, by God's order, it does not come beyond its limit. Within the limit it is. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu says there is an ocean of bliss, ocean of taste, of transcendental bliss, which is increasing. Anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. You'll get by this chanting Hare Krsna, your pleasure potency increasing more and more, more and more. Yes, what is your question?

Devotee: Is Ksirodakasayi Visnu present in non-living entities, like rocks, matter?

Prabhupada: Yes, even in the atom.

Devotee: In His four-armed form like...

Prabhupada: Oh yes. Wherever He lives, He lives in His own paraphernalia. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. He's the biggest than the biggest, and He's smallest than the smallest. That is Visnu. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. Paramanu means atom. You cannot see even atom, how small. He is within that atom. He's everywhere.

Devotee: Prabhupada, you told us that wherever Krsna is, that is Vrndavana. What I was wondering is, if Krsna's present within our hearts, does that mean that within our heart is...

Prabhupada: Yes. One who has realized, he is living in Vrndavana anywhere. A realized soul is always living in Vrndavana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said. One who has realized Krsna, then he's always living in Vrndavana. Just like Krsna or Visnu is living in everyone's heart, but He is living in the dog's heart also. Does it mean that He's doggish? He's living in Vaikuntha. Although He's living in the dog's heart, but He's living in Vaikuntha. Similarly a devotee may seem to be living in some place which is far from Vrndavana, but he's living in Vrndavana. That's a fact. Yes. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 6.1 -- Los Angeles, February 13, 1969

"Actual Sense Pleasure"

"Actual Sense Pleasure"

66/08/31 New York, Bhagavad-gita 5.22-29

Prabhupada:

ye hi samsparsaja bhoga
duhkha-yonaya eva te
ady-antavantah kaunteya
na tesu ramate budhah

Happiness which is derived by touch senses, samsparsaja... Samsparsajah means happiness, so-called happiness derived by touch senses. Ye hi samsparsaja bhogah, enjoyment. Duhkha-yonaya eva te. Lord Krsna says that this is not real happiness. Anything, any happiness derived out of touch sensation, that is not real happiness. Rather, that is the gate for various miseries. The whole Vedic scripture describes that happiness derived of sense perception out of the body, that is not real happiness. If we are to enjoy real happiness, then we have to transcend these bodily pleasures. Happiness is there because I am spirit soul. Actually I am full of pleasure, but because my sense of happiness is being manifested through this matter, therefore we are being frustrated in deriving real pleasure. So those who are in the, advanced in spiritual life, they are called yogis. Yoginah. Ramante yoginah anante. Those who are spiritualists, they also enjoy. But they enjoy in the real happiness which has no end. Any happiness which is ended at a certain point, that is not happiness. That is, rather, source of distress. Ady-antavantah kaunteya na tesu ramate budhah. Budhah means who is learned. A learned person does not enjoy such flickering or transient happiness which is derived by sense touching.

saknotihaiva yah sodhum
prak sarira-vimoksanat
kama-krodhodbhavam vegam
sa yuktah sa sukhi narah

Saknoti. Saknoti means one who is able to tolerate. Ihaiva. Ihaiva means in this body. And sodhum. Sodhum means to tolerate. Prak. Prak means before. Sarira-vimoksanat. Before leaving this body, if one practices that... What is that practice? Kama-krodhodbhavam vegam. Vegam means urge. Just like sex urge. Everyone has got sex urge. Or so many things, we have got some urge. That Krsna advises, that before quitting this body... The example is that suppose a man is diseased, is suffering from a type of disease. And doctor has asked him not to take solid food. Now, if he is thinking that... Because he is practiced to take solid food, he is thinking, "I must take solid food. I must take solid food..." But if he can tolerate -- "No, doctor has advised not to take solid food" -- if he can tolerate, then he becomes very easily cured. Similarly, sense perception, sense pleasure, is reserved for us in our spiritual life. That is actual sense pleasure. Here we are having sense pleasure artificially through this body. Before leaving this body, if we practice to stop sense pleasure as much as possible... There is training, of course. Without training, nothing can be done.

So according to Vedic civilization, this training was given, student life, complete abstinence from sex life, then vanaprastha life, complete abstinence, and sannyasa life, complete abstinence. The whole training was to abstain, to cure. Because... The same example: In diseased condition we cannot enjoy the foodstuff which we take. When we are healthy, we can enjoy the taste of the foodstuff. So we have to cure. We have to cure. And how to cure? To be situated in the transcendental position of Krsna consciousness. That is the cure. So Krsna advises here anyone who is able to tolerate the urge of sense pleasure. But we have to mold our life in such a way that we should be able to tolerate. Tolerate. That will give us our advancement in spiritual life, and when we are situated in spiritual life, that enjoyment is unending, unlimited. There is no end. Exactly similar verse is there in Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam Rsabhadeva is advising his sons that

nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam
[SB 5.5.1]

It is very nice verse. He says, "My dear boys, this human form of life..." Na ayam deha. Ayam deha means "this body." Na ayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke. Everyone has got body. The cats, dogs, hogs, and birds, beasts, man, human being demigod -- everyone has got this body, material body. But he's especially advising nrdeha. Nr means human form of life. He says that this human form of life is not meant for working hard for sense pleasure just like the hogs and dogs. Human life. Then what it is meant for? He says, tapo divyam. One should undergo penance for transcendental realization. And what will be the result of such penance? He says that yatah suddhyet sattvam. Your existence will be purified. And when your existence is purified, then you enjoy brahma-saukhyam, the unlimited spiritual happiness.

You are hankering after happiness. Happiness is your prerogative. You must have. That is your life. You cannot stop happiness. But happiness in the diseased condition is not happiness. That we must understand. So we have to cure this diseased condition and then enjoy happiness, then enjoy pleasure that will be unlimited. There will be no end. In the diseased condition... Suppose whatever pleasure we take, it is for fifteen seconds or few minutes or few hours or few days -- it will end. But real happiness, what is real happiness, that is unending. Brahma-saukhyam anantam. Anantam means unending. So we are meant for unending happiness. So Krsna advises here that saknotihaiva yah sodhum prak sarira-vimoksanat. Before quitting this material body, if one practices to tolerate the so-called urges of sense pleasure, then he becomes very happy at the long run. He recommends it. And that is the real purpose of human form of life. That we should not derive. We should not try to derive that false happiness in this diseased condition of material life. This is temporary. That is not happiness. We should understand that out of ignorance we are engaged to derive such kind of happiness, but that is not happiness. Real happiness is in spiritual life.

We have to attain that spiritual life and just a man tolerates so many things for being cured, similarly we have to practice tolerance. Then there will be urges, certainly, because we are practiced to these sense urges for so many births in so many evolutionary process. Now in this human form of life we have to consider that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul." So I have to search out the happiness of the spirit soul, and for that, I have to train myself under superior guidance, as Arjuna has put himself under the guidance of Krsna.

yo 'ntah-sukho 'ntar-aramas
tathantar-jyotir eva yah
sa yogi brahma-nirvanam
brahma-bhuto 'dhigacchati

One who is aspiring after that transcendental happiness which is called brahma-sukha, brahma-sukha... One who is, yah antah-sukha, that brahma-sukha is within. That brahma-sukha is not without. Yah antah-sukhah antar-aramah. And is happy and satisfied by enjoying within. Antah-sukhah antar-aramas tathantar-jyotir eva yah. And who is trying to find out the brahmajyoti, the effulgence of Brahman within. Sa yogi brahma-nirvanam. That yogi is already situated in Brahman. Nirvanam means ending all this material contamination. Brahma-bhuto 'dhigacchati. And he becomes a realized soul or the brahma-antah.

labhante brahma-nirvanam
rsayah ksina-kalmasah
chinna-dvaidha yatatmanah
sarva-bhuta-hite ratah

Now, Krsna says, ksina-kalmasah. Ksina-kalmasah, one who is able to reduce the reaction of all sinful life. We must know it that this material existence, either in any form, they are all reactions of our sinful life. That we must know. So in any condition, it does not matter that a highly advanced person, educated, learned, rich, or beautiful, or anyone -- more or less, according to degree, they are all enjoying or suffering the reaction of their past karma. And, more or less, all the world, they are considered to be sinful. So ksina-kalmasah. Ksina-kalmasah means those who are trying to reduce the reaction of sinful activities. How? By practicing that sense control. Sense control. Practicing sense control. Just like a diseased person. By controlling... By controlling according to the prescription of the doctor, by controlling himself he becomes reduced in the sufferings of the disease. The fever diminishes from 105 degrees to 102, then 100, then 99, then 98 -- he is cured. Similarly, we have to reduce the temperature. We haven't got to increase the temperature. We are just like in the matter of increasing our temperature. We are thinking that by increasing the temperature we shall be happy. We do not know that by increasing temperature we shall never be happy. We have to decrease the temperature. There is a very nice story. Perhaps I have many times told you, that there was a householder, a very rich man. His wife was sick and the maidservant was also sick. So the gentleman called for a doctor, and the doctor treated both the patients, and the doctor said that "Your wife has got 98 temperature, nothing serious. But your maidservant, she has got 104 temperature, so she should be taken care of." Now, the housewife, she became angry. She told the doctor, "Oh, I am the head of the family. I have got only 98 temperature? And my maidservant has got 104? So you are not a doctor!" So that is going on. From 104 we want to increase. 104 degrees and death will come. So the modern civilization is increasing the temperature. So we have come to the point of 107 degree -- atom bomb. So we are prepared for killing ourselves. So this degree, this increasing of temperature of material enjoyment will never make us happy. We have to decrease the temperature. We have to come to the point of 97, not to the 107.

So labhante brahma-nirvanam rsayah ksina-kalmasah. Just like by decreasing temperature we come to the path of healthy life, similarly, if we decrease our sensual activities... The material life means sensual activities, nothing more. Whatever advancement of civilization we are creating, that means we are simply creating artificial sense enjoyment. That's all. This is called material civilization, simply sense enjoyment, nothing more. So we have to... Of course, we don't decry the modern civilization, but it has its proper use. Just like we are also using here electric light, the microphone, and the tape recorder. This is the gift of the modern science. So instead of decrying them, let them engage in the matter of understanding Krsna consciousness. Then everything will be properly utilized. We cannot go back. You cannot go back in the matter of advancement of modern civilization, but here we have got a point, Krsna consciousness. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. We can engage everything in the matter of understanding Krsna consciousness. Everything can be utilized properly. Yuktam vairagyam ucyate. We haven't got to give them up. Our Gosvamis, our predecessors, acaryas, they do not recommend that whatever is produced we shall not give them up. "Oh, it is all material. We don't want." No. Even if that is material... Material is everything. My body is also material. So as I am utilizing my material body for spiritual advancement, similarly I can utilize anything material for spiritual advancement. That is possible. So that prescription is given, nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. You just try to engage everything in Krsna consciousness. Then you'll have... That means everything will be transformed into spiritual. By Krsna consciousness everything will be transformed into spiritual. Just like the iron rod, if you put into the fire it gets warm, warmer, and when it is red-hot, then it is no longer iron rod, it is fire, similarly, if we constantly engage all our energy in Krsna consciousness, then, even though we have increased the temperature to 107 degrees, that will be transformed into 107 degree of spiritual life. Yes. That is the secret of this Krsna consciousness.

As we'll understand when we come to the Ninth Chapter, it is clearly stated that su-sukham kartum avyayam. It is very happy to adopt this principle of Krsna consciousness. So instead of lamenting what has been done -- that is useless. No use lamenting. We have to now go, make progress, advance by Krsna consciousness and utilizing everything for that purpose, Krsna consciousness. Then everything will be all right. Otherwise,

prapancikataya buddhya
hari-sambandhi-vastunah
mumuksubhih parityago
vairagyam phalgu kathyate

Simply thinking, "Oh, it is material. It is not spiritual. Let me give it up," but I do not know how to utilize them in the purpose of Krsna consciousness, then that sort of renunciation is not very much appreciated by our Gosvami sampradaya. We should not decry anything. Whatever is produced now, welcome. But let it be engaged in Krsna consciousness. Then everything will be all right. The same example. Just like Arjuna was a fighter. He was a military man. But he was trying to mix with sense gratification. He was trying... He declined to fight just to make his own sense gratification. What is that sense gratification? He thought that "By killing my kinsmen, my brothers on the other side, I will be unhappy." So my happiness and unhappiness pertaining to this body, that is a kind of sense gratification. So when he was taught Bhagavad-gita he gave up that process of sense gratification. He agreed to fight to satisfy the sense of Krsna. So he remained the same fighting man. He remained the same military man. But only difference was that in the beginning he wanted to satisfy his own senses and at the end of studying Bhagavad-gita, when he became a liberated soul, he engaged the same energy for the sense gratification of Krsna.

So this is Krsna consciousness. We haven't got to decry anything. Simply we have to change the consciousness. Everything we are now doing in the matter of sense gratification, we have to prepare ourself, we have to train ourself for the sense gratification of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. So that requires toleration. Now we are practiced to satisfy our own senses since a very, very long time. In every life, either in this human form of life, in other, so many species of life everyone is engaged for sense gratification. Now we have to change the process. Instead to satisfying my senses, we have to agree to satisfy the senses of Krsna. Unfortunately we make the Supreme Lord senseless. "God is impersonal; He has no sense. He has no hands. He has no mouth. He has no legs." Then what it is? So we are creating imaginary God in that way. But here is God present, Krsna. He's with hands and legs and feet and speaking to Arjuna. So God is not senseless. If He is senseless, then there was no use of speaking this Bhagavad-gita and taking it so very important book so that world is reading very carefully. He's not senseless. He is full sense. Otherwise His Bhagavad-gita has no meaning. So He is full sense. Now, the Krsna consciousness means that instead of satisfying my senses, we are to satisfy the sense of Krsna. A simple process. It is not very difficult.

kama-krodha-vimuktanam
yatinam yata-cetasam
abhito brahma-nirvanam
vartate viditatmanam

Kama-krodha-vimuktanam. Now, this kama-krodha, lust, anger, it has been advised in the Fourth Chapter that they are our very great enemies, so we have to give it up. Kama-krodha-vimuktanam. Kama-krodha. We have to give up this lust and kama. Kama is lust, and krodha means anger. Now, just see... Kama-krodha-vimuktanam. How kama-krodha-vimukta, how one can be freed from kama-krodha? Kama-krodha, how one can be freed? Just see the same example we see that Arjuna, he was thinking of the welfare of his kinsmen, and Krsna was asking that "You should fight." And he was declining. So this kind of declining is kama, lust, his own sense gratification. As soon as he became to satisfy the senses of Krsna, then he is freed from his own kama, own lust. There is no more his own lust. His own lust was that he was desiring not to fight. But as soon as he agreed to the instruction of Krsna, he gave up his own lust; he becomes free from kama-krodha. So kama-krodha, kama-krodha, this anger and this lust, that can be... Actually we can be free from the anger and lust when we are actually in Krsna consciousness. Kama-krodha-vimuktanam yatinam yata-cetasam. Yatinam. Therefore great sages, one who is able to give up this kama, the lust and anger, they are called great sages. Ksama-rupa-tapasvinam. Tapasvi, one who is, who are sages, their duty is they always forgive any enemy. Just like you have got very nice example, Lord Jesus Christ. He was being crucified, but he forgave all the persons who were engaged in crucifying him. He prayed Lord, "O my Lord, these people do not know what they are doing." So this is, I mean to say, the signs of great sages. They are not, I mean to say angry. Kama-krodha.

So angry, we can give up anger only when we are Krsna conscious. Otherwise it is not possible to give up lust and anger. It is not possible. Simply... When he was... When... Why Lord Jesus Christ was able to forgive them? Because he was engaged in God's service. Therefore he was... So it is such a thing. Sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah. One who is actually Krsna conscious, automatically all the good qualities overtake him without any separate endeavor. So

kama-krodha-vimuktanam
yatinam yata-cetasam
abhito brahma-nirvanam
vartate viditatmanam

So one who is always engaged in Krsna consciousness, automatically he becomes freed from lust, anger, and this is the stage of brahma-nirvanam. Brahma-nirvanam means cessation of material conception of life and be engaged in spiritual, transcendental position. That is called brahma-nirvanam.

sparsan krtva bahir bahyams
caksus caivantare bhruvoh
pranapanau samau krtva
nasabhyantara-carinau

This is yoga process. Krsna is advising that yoga process. Yoga process means to come to the point of Krsna consciousness. But one who directly goes to Krsna consciousness, he hasn't got to practice this. But still, the practice is recommended here, sparsan krtva bahir bahyams caksus caivantare bhruvoh. We have to put our eyeballs within the... What is called? Eyebrow, yes. Eyebrow. And pranapanau samau krtva. There are five kinds of air passing within our body: prana, apana, vyana, udana... There are different names of the air. So controlling them, pranapanau samau krtva and nasabhyantara-carinau. They are coming, breathing control. These are the process. Those who are have practiced this yoga process, they can know.

yatendriya-mano-buddhir
munir moksa-parayanah
vigateccha-bhaya-krodho
yah sada mukta eva sah

Now, this process is to give up that lust and anger. But if you engage yourself direct in Krsna consciousness the result of this process is achieved very easily. Yatendriya-mano-buddhir munir moksa-parayanah, vigateccha. Iccha-bhaya-krodha. Iccha means we desire so many things. And in material life we shall be always afraid. Afraid. Everyone is afraid. So iccha-bhaya-krodha. Anger is unavoidable because in so many things we are frustrated in our dealing that anger is possible. But if we are engaged in Krsna consciousness, even we are put into such difficulty... I am very glad to inform you that one of our students is put into some difficulty, but he is very happy simply thinking of this Krsna consciousness. Practical. He is... Not very long he is practiced the Krsna consciousness, but within a few days he has learned the art. Just now I received telephone that he said that "I am quite happy." So this is such a thing. Krsna consciousness can get us even in the greatest... Yasmin sthite gurunapi duhkhena na vicalyate. Even one is situated in a very great dangerous point, still, he is not disturbed. This is such a thing, Krsna consciousness. He does not become disturbed.

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhrdam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim rcchati
[Bg. 5.29]

Now, here, Krsna summarizes that "If you want peace... Peace, the formula of peace, you must know." What is that formula?
Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam.

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhrdam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim rcchati
[Bg. 5.29]

Now, if anyone understands that Krsna, or the Supreme Lord, He is the enjoyer of all activities... Now, whatever activities are going on in this world, there is some result of any activity. Especially good activities. Here it is called yajna-tapasam. Yajna and tapasya, that is good. They are pious activities. So Krsna says that if anyone can understand that all result of pious activities, the enjoyer is Krsna... Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. And He is the proprietor of all planets. Not only this earth, but there are innumerable planets, innumerable universes, and the Lord is the proprietor of all these universes. Then suhrdam sarva-bhutanam, and He is the only friend of all living entities. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam jnatva mam santim rcchati. If anyone can understand this secret of life, that nobody is proprietor... Everyone is claiming that "I am proprietor of this house. I am proprietor of this land. I am proprietor of this country." Or "I am proprietor of this planet." You can go on increasing. There are many instances who became proprietor of many other planets also. In the history I have got. Not only this planet, but many other planets. But this is mistake. Actually, the proprietor is the Supreme Lord. We are just guest in His house. We are not proprietor. We must have, we must develop this sense, that Krsna is the proprietor, or the Supreme Lord is the proprietor.

Now, that is actually fact. We come here as guest. Suppose I am Indian, you are American. We have come on this earth as guest for few years, say, for hundred years or fifty years; then we leave this place. So if I am the proprietor, why don't I take this place with me when I am going? No, I am not proprietor. So there is no question of tyaga, renunciation. And there is no question of bhoga or enjoyment. Because you are not proprietor. So you neither you can enjoy it, neither you can renounce it. So renunciation or enjoyment, both are illegal. Renunciation. Suppose we are sitting in this room. This room belongs to the landlord. Suppose I am vacating this room, and while vacating, while I am going from this room if I say to the landlord "Well Mr. such and such, I leave this place for you now." Now, what is this place? That place belonged to him. How we are leaving? So he'll laugh: "Oh, you were my guest, you were my tenant. How you can leave? It is mine." Similarly, if we say, "All right. I am giving up this, renouncing this enjoyment life,"... So either... We cannot either renounce or enjoy. Both are illegal. Simple thing is that we must know that as it is formulated here, that everything belongs to God.

So everything should be engaged for the service of God. That is real knowledge. Just like suppose here is a hundred dollar note somebody left by mistake. Now, what is to be done with that hundred dollar notes? If somebody takes that hundred dollar notes, "Oh, here is a hundred dollar note. Take me. Let me take it and enjoy it," that is illegal. And if that hundred dollar note is neglected, "All right, let it remain there. The owner will find it," that is also not good because if I do not find out the person and hand over that hundred dollar note, that is not my duty because others may take it away. Similarly, to leave that hundred dollar note is also not good, and to enjoy that hundred dollar note is also not good. The best is that find out the proprietor of that hundred dollar note. Ask somebody, "Have you left something, sir? Anybody?" If one: "Yes, I'm missing one hundred dollar..." "Here is..." That is real service. Similarly, if we understand that everything belongs to God, so that sense will lead me: "No, I am not enjoyer." So my sense gratification, my anger, my lust, all finished. All finished at once, at stroke, if I understand that "Nothing belongs to me; everything belongs to God." If I want to enjoy it, that is illegal, and if I neglect it, that is also illegal. If I say, "Oh, let... Jagan mithya, this world is false. I don't want it. Let me go to the Himalaya in the jungle," oh, that is also not good. You must try to utilize the whole thing for the purpose of Krsna because everything belongs to Krsna. That is your duty. That is Krsna consciousness. Because He is the proprietor.

Now, this tape recorder is advancement now of material science. We should think, "Oh, this is the property of Krsna." Let it be utilized in the propaganda work for Krsna's service. That is proper utilization. So everything. Sarva-loka-mahesvaram. Suppose if somebody says that "I am the proprietor everything of this room. So you have no claim." So we have actually no claim. We simply come. And the whole philosophy is... That is spiritual communism. In the Bhagavata you'll find that this anything, all the richness, all the riches that is all over the world, all over the universe, that is created by God. So you are at liberty to make its use. You can take as much as you like. But if you claim proprietorship, then you make fault and you have to suffer. You can use them. There is no harm using. Krsna has given, God has given us enough things. Now, why you are suffering? Why the world is suffering? Because we are trying to occupy it. "Oh, this is my country." He said, "This is my country. Oh, this is my property. You cannot come here. You cannot enjoy it." This is the trouble. But if we think, "Oh, it is all Krsna's property. Let us enjoy it and be Krsna conscious and be happy," then there is no disturbance. Automatically, peace is there.

So we do not know what is peace, what is the formula of peace, but we are trying to make peace. We keep all the, I mean to say, dirty things within our heart, and we are making propaganda that we want peace. How you can have peace? Here is the peace formula. What is that? Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. The Supreme Lord, Krsna, He is the enjoyer, He is the proprietor, and He is the real friend. In the Vedic scripture you'll find, He's such a nice friend that I am transmigrating from one body to another, and Krsna is also transmigrating in the same body. Supersoul. Suppose I am transmigrating to the body of a hog. Oh, Krsna is present there also. He's such a friend. Now, suppose we have got our friends. So when I've got richness, I am very rich, I will have so many friends. Suppose I am poverty-stricken now, no friends come to us. Krsna is not such a friend. Krsna is such a good friend. In whatever condition you may live, He is always with you. He is always with you. In the Vedic literature you find that two birds are sitting on the same tree. One bird is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird is witnessing. That witnessing bird is Krsna, and the eating bird is myself. I am eating, I am enjoying the fruits of my work in this material world, and Krsna is simply observing. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was talking so many things; Krsna was observing. But when Arjuna came to his senses, he surrendered to Krsna: sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam. Similarly, the bird, the Supersoul bird, is sitting. He's simply waiting for the opportunity when he'll say, "Oh, Krsna I surrender unto You. Now protect me. Give me instruction." He is waiting.

So this is the formula of Krsna consciousness.

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhrdam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim rcchati
[Bg. 5.29]

If you really want peace, then this is the formula. You should always know that Krsna is the enjoyer of everything, He is the proprietor of everything, and He is the only sincere friend. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam jnatva. One who understands this secret, he becomes happy. peace is for him. Thank you very much. Now if there is any question, you can ask. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966

"Krsna and We-Very Intimately Connected"

66/08/27 New York, Bhagavad-gita 5.7-14


Prabhupada:

yoga-yukto visuddhatma
vijitatma jitendriyah
sarva-bhutatma-bhutatma
kurvann api na lipyate

Detachment.

sannyasas tu maha-baho
duhkham aptum ayogatah
yoga-yukto munir brahma
na cirenadhigacchati

This verse we have been discussing, that sannyasa, renouncement. Renouncement of this world, not by artificial dress, but actually renouncement is described herein that yoga-yuktah. Yoga-yuktah. That means we have to stay in the Krsna consciousness. Then we can renounce. Otherwise it is not possible. Otherwise it is not possible. If I am to vacate this room, then I must have some other room to stay there; otherwise it is not possible for me to leave this room. That is the nature of living entities. They want some engagement. They want some engagement. Simple negative consideration, that "I want to detach," that will not make me happy. I must have some attachment also. I detach from this place by attach myself to that place. Because I am eternal. I am eternal living entity. My symptom is eternity. Not that I detach and end myself. No. I continue to exist. So without attachment we cannot actually be detached from this material world.

So sannyasas tu maha-baho. If artificially I detach myself, renounce this world, then Krsna says duhkham aptum ayogatah. If there is no engagement, good engagement, better engagement, then it is a cause of misery. It is a cause of misery. It is very difficult. Suppose a family man, he renounces the family connection, but if he has no better connection and better attachment, then he will feel, "Oh, I was better in my family life. I have done mistake." Krsna says, sannyasas tu maha-baho duhkham aptum ayogatah. Ayogatah means if we have no link with the Krsna consciousness, then simply detachment will be cause of misery. Duhkham aptum. It will be a cause of misery. Yoga-yukto munir brahma. But one who is in dovetail, one who is dovetailed with the Supreme, yoga-yukto munir brahma na cirenadhigacchati. Brahma. Yoga-yuktah. If I am dovetailed with Krsna consciousness, then acirena. Acirena means very soon I shall realize myself as Brahman. I am Brahman. It is simply question of realization. By misconception, by illusion, I am thinking that I am matter, but actually I am Brahman. The whole process is to realize that "I am Brahman, I am not this matter." This conception, Brahman conception, or realization, self-realization, is possible, yoga-yuktah, if I am always dovetailed with Krsna consciousness.

If I am always dovetailed with Krsna, doing something in connection with... Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate. The other day I tried to explain this verse of Rupa Gosvami. Rupa Gosvami, he has stated in two ways the attachment and detachment. He says, anasaktasya visayan yatharham upayunjatah. Visayan. The things of our enjoyment, that should be accepted, anasaktasya, without any attachment. I require this for maintenance of my body; therefore I accept this. This is called anasaktasya. So, in other words, just to make the better use of a bad bargain. I am now materially encaged. So I must make the best use of this body by dovetailing myself with Krsna. Krsna-sambandhe. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. And another, another verse, Rupa Gosvami states,

prapancikataya buddhya
hari-sambandhi-vastunah
mumuksubhih parityago
vairagyam phalgu kathyate.

Prapancikataya buddhya. Just like there are some philosophers. They say that this material world is false and Brahman is real. Of course, that is all right, but according to Vaisnava philosophy, as we are, we say that material world is not false, but it is temporary. That's all. If you say temporary thing as false, that is not the right nomenclature. Temporary, one thing may be temporary, but that is not false. Just like we have come here, I have come from India. I am staying in this room for the last two months, or I may stay here for some days more. So my visit, I am a visitor. My visit is temporary. But this temporary visit is not false. Is it false? Oh, I am sitting here, I am talking with you, I am eating, and so many things. They are all false? No. They are not false. They are not false, but temporary. Therefore hari-sambandhi-vastunah. Everything has got connection with Krsna. That realization is required. Everything. Whatever we see here, they are only perverted reflection of the reality. That's all.

This perverted reflection I have tried to explain many times. Just like if there is a tree on the bank of a lake you'll find that tree is perverted, reflected, pervertedly reflected within the water. That means the top has gone to the down and the root has come up. And in the Fifteenth Chapter it is described in that way. So this world is a perverted reflection. And because it is reflection of the reality, therefore it appears so nicely that we take it as actual fact. That is called illusion. But if we understand that, "It is temporary, I should not be attached. It is temporary. My attachment should be to the reality not to the unreality,"... So reality is Krsna. This is also reality, but temporary. So we have to get ourself from the temporary to the reality. Therefore Rupa Gosvami says that prapancikataya buddhya hari-sambandhi-vastunah. Now in this material world, because this material world is manifestation of the energy of the Supreme Lord, therefore it has got a very intimate connection with the Supreme Lord. It has got connection. Because...

Just like the sunshine. The sunshine, although the sun is far away, but if the sunshine has got direct connection with sun... The sunshine is connecting me from this earth to the sun, ninety millions of miles away. Still, I have got connection with that. So similarly, this material world is the manifestation of the energy, energy of the Supreme Lord. Therefore it has got intimate relation with the Supreme Lord. That we have to understand. We should not take it, accept it as false and reject it. No. We cannot reject it because there is connection with Krsna. Now we have to utilize it properly. Because it has got connection with Krsna, and because it is the energy of Krsna. Therefore the whole thing is that this should be utilized for Krsna. That's all. It should be utilized for Krsna. If this material world is utilized for Krsna, then there is no trouble, there is no disturbance of peace. There is always peace and tranquility and happiness in this world, and at the same time happiness in the next world.

If we consider... When I am taking my food, if I think, "Oh, this nice foodstuff is sent by Krsna. He has kindly sent me this foodstuff." So I think of Krsna. So that taking of foodstuff in Krsna consciousness is yoga-yukta. That is called yoga-yukta. That is yoga. Always thinking in Krsna consciousness. That is called yoga-yukta. Yoga-yukto muni. Muni. Muni means one who is thoughtful, he's called muni. So one who is always thoughtful of Krsna, such person, yoga-yukta, yoga-yukto munir brahma na cirenadhigacchati. He, very soon, he becomes situated in his Brahman conception of life. And as soon as you are situated in Brahman conception of life, then immediately your effect will be brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. You'll be joyful. Your material moroseness will go at once. At once. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati. You'll be free from all anxiety. You'll be free from all... And there will be no demand for your sense satisfaction. You'll feel yourself full. "Oh, I am full. I have nothing to demand." Such stage will come.

So yoga-yukto munir brahma acirena. If we always dovetail ourself in Krsna consciousness and in that way we prosecute our duties... We don't take that this is false. We take it that because it has connection with Krsna, it should be utilized for Krsna. That's all. That yoga-yukto muni, he, at once, very nicely, very easily, he realizes Brahman. So many other processes, they're trying to realize Brahman for so many years by meditation, by penance, by going to the forest, Himalaya, and so many things. But if one is intelligent enough, always thinking that everything has got connection with Krsna and it should be utilized for Krsna, then I am yoga-yukta. And my brahma-bhutah, my Brahman realization is within my hand. It is such a nice thing. Yoga-yukto visuddhatma. And one who is dovetailed in such a way, he is visuddhatma. Visuddhatma. Atma means self and visuddha means pure. In pure self. This is... When we think that "I am the enjoyer," that is, my atma is covered with dirty things. "I am enjoyer," when I think. But when I think, when I am yoga-yukta, that "Krsna, everything belongs to Krsna," then I am visuddhatma. And that is a fact. I am not proprietor, I am not enjoyer. I am allowed to enjoy whatever is allotted to me.

Just like take, for example, foodstuff. You can take foodstuff as much as you require for your maintenance of the body. Now if you take more, then you'll be in trouble, and if you take less, then you'll be in trouble. You have to take exactly what is prescribed for you. Just like the elephant. Elephant is taking hundred pounds daily, twice. Once at a time he takes hundred pounds or more than that. And the ant takes only one grain. Now if the ant thinks that "I shall also take hundred pounds," oh, it is impossible for him. It is impossible. (chuckling) And if the elephant thinks, "All right, the ant is taking one grain. I shall take." No. That is not. The system is that in God's kingdom, in God's creation, for everybody, there is sufficient food. You take as much as you require. That is the natural way. In the nature's way you'll find, beginning from the ant to the elephant, they will not take more, they will not take less. If to the elephant you give two hundred pounds foodstuff, he'll take only a hundred pounds as he requires. Neither he'll take the foodstuff to his place to stock it for next day. No. You see these pigeons. You see. Whenever you give some foodstuff they take whatever they require, but they don't take anything for the next day. Next day. But we are thinking, "Oh, we have got so much foodstuff. All right, let me eat up to my throat, and then take something for next day." No.

The next day question should be stopped. We shall always depend. We shall always take as much as we require. That is called yoga-yukta. Yuktahara-viharasya yogo bhavati siddhih. One who is situated just exactly what he needs. Now, the whole world is situated in such a way, that every body, if he takes exactly what he needs and he does not stock, then there is no need. There is no poverty, there is no scarcity. But we do not do that. We stock for black market. No. That is creating... Because I am thinking that "This is my property." If I think that "Every thing, every eatable things, they are sent by Krsna or God for everyone, let me take whatever I want," then there is peace in the world. Of course, that is not possible because it is such a world (people yelling outside)... It is such a world that we are always anxious to stock, or you'll ask always to take more, then more, then more. Nobody is satisfied. Nobody is satisfied.

So yoga-yukto visuddhatma. One who is visuddhatma, one who is situated in his pure consciousness, then vijitatma jitendriyah. (aside:) Sit down. Don't disturb. Sit down. Vijitatma, and jitendriyah. Jitendriyah means that greedy, greediness. I want more. As soon as he becomes Krsna consciousness, his greediness goes away. "I don't want more. I don't want more." So if everybody thinks like that, that "I don't want more," then where is the trouble in this world? There is no trouble. Because by grace of God, there is enough food, enough sufficient stock. Simply it is the anomaly of distribution by the human society that is creating one starving and one... And that starvation is also due to his own work. There are so many. But for perfection, the perfection of the world situation, this is required. Yoga-yukto visuddhatma. When one is dovetailed with Krsna consciousness, he is pure soul.

Visuddhatma. And vijitatma means he has control over the body and jitendriyah. Jitendriyah means he has conquered over the senses. Jitendriyah. Sarva-bhutatma-bhutatma. And he has identified himself with all living entities. Sarva-bhutatma-bhutatma kurvann api na lipyate. If he works in that condition of life, then he is practically doing nothing. Because we are being entangled in this material world, and according to the reaction of my own work. So if I am situated in this Krsna consciousness and I am in my atma, I am in pure state of my atma and I am controlling my body and senses, and I identify with everybody, every living entity, then I have no entanglement, no reaction of my work. In this state, Krsna says, naiva kincit karomiti yukto manyeta tattva-vit. "I am not doing anything." That is the stage. A Krsna conscious person, he never thinks that "I am doing something." Even if you ask him that "Are you going to such and such place?" Suppose it is settled that he's going to such and such place. If you ask him, "When you are going?" He'll say that "I do not know when I shall go, but when Krsna will ask me or allow me to go, I shall go." I am saying this from my practical experience from my Guru Maharaja, from my spiritual master. He would never say that "I am going," "I am doing," no. "If Krsna desires, then I shall do it." "If Krsna desires, then I shall go." Like that. Always depending on Krsna. This is called visuddhatma.

Naiva kincit karomiti yukto manyeta tattva-vit. Tattva-vit. Tattva-vit means one who knows the truth. One who knows the truth. The truth is that unless Krsna allows me to go, oh, I may not go. There may be so many obstacles on my path. I have made my whole program. Just like last year, there was air crash on the Switzerland, one Indian aircraft. And there were all respectable gentleman, and there was... Perhaps you know it. There was one Indian chemist, Dr. Bhabha(?). He was going to attend some nuclear meeting in some European country, but there was a crash and all of them died in a second. So unless Krsna desires, unless He allows, we cannot do anything. We cannot do any... This is the fact. So tattva-vit... Tattva-vit means one who knows the truth. He thinks like that, that "I cannot do anything. I am always dependent on Krsna. I cannot..." Mahatma Gandhi he used to say that "Not a blade of grass moves without the sanction of God." It is a fact. It is a fact. Nothing can be done without His sanction.

Then you can ask, "Then why somebody is doing bad work and why somebody is doing good work? In both ways Krsna has sanctioned?" Yes, in both ways Krsna has sanctioned. Without sanction he cannot do it. But how both ways Krsna has sanctioned? Now Krsna has sanctioned in this way. He has given you liberty. He has given you independence. Not full independence, but... You cannot become full independent. But you have got independence. He does not touch on your independence. That is there. Because otherwise, if you, if you are bereft of your independence, if you are without independence, then you have no meaning as living entity. Every living entity has got his minute share of independence. So Krsna has given every one of you independence to make your choice. Now why you are...? Somebody is doing bad work or somebody is doing good work, and Krsna giving sanction? How is that? That sanction is like that, that when I want to do something and I desire, I pray, "Oh, this thing may be done." It may be bad or good, that is a different thing. It may be... I am very much anxious. So when he's bent upon doing so, Krsna gives him sanction, "Yes, you do it. You do it." He gives him facility. But one who has dovetailed himself into Krsna consciousness, Krsna gives him better consult, that "You do like this. Then you come to Me."

So sanction is always there. Sanction is always there. Without sanction, nothing can be done. So one who is in Krsna consciousness he knows. He's tattva-vit. Tattva-vit means one who knows the truth, that "I cannot do anything without Krsna's sanction." Therefore he does not do anything. Whatever is sanctioned by Krsna he does; otherwise not. So pasyan srnvan sprsan jighrann asnan gacchan svapan svasan. These are our activities. Pasyan, we act by seeing. We act by hearing. We act by touching. We act by smelling. We act by going. We act by dreaming. We act by breathing. So many our activities are... So in all these, going on. But a tattva-vit, one who is in the perfect knowledge and is Krsna consciousness, he, although he is doing all these things he knows, "I'm not doing." This is tattva-vit. Although he's doing all these things he knows that "I am not doing. Krsna is doing. I am simply instrumental. I am simply instrument." That is the perfection. So

pralapan visrjan grhnann
unmisan nimisann api
indriyanindriyarthesu
vartanta iti dharayan

Indriyanindriyarthesu. There are senses. They have got use. So even the tattva-vit who is in perfect knowledge, he is also using his senses, but he knows that Krsna is the proprietor of the senses, and he's instrumental only. "As He is directing, my senses for working." Or, in other words, when our senses work in that direction of Krsna consciousness, then we gradually make progress to back to Godhead, back to home, back to liberation.

brahmany adhaya karmani
sangam tyaktva karoti yah
lipyate na sa papena
padma-patram ivambhasa

There is a very good example here, that lotus, lotus flower and leaves of the lotus stem. So if you put some water, that water does not stick into the lotus leaf. By natural way. It will not touch. It will then never be moist. Similarly just like the lotus flower leaf does not moist, although it is in the water... Lotus flower is in the water, and the leaves are also in the water, but it has no connection with the water. Even a drop of water, if you put on it, it will at once fall down. Lotus flower. It is so made by nature. So here the same example is there, that although we may be in this material world, so because I am staying in Krsna consciousness and I'm acting under the direction of Krsna, therefore nothing will affect me. Nothing will affect me. Because due to this material affection, contamination, now I am in trouble. I am getting this body one after another just like changing dress. So myself, the pure spirit soul, so I am now in contamination because I am absorbed in the material consciousness. So as soon as I transfer myself into Krsna consciousness, then I become aloof from this material...

Just like the example is given here, the leaf of the lotus flower, although it is in the water, it has no connection with the water. Not a drop of water will stay there. Not a drop, even a drop, although it is in the huge mass of water. Waves are going over it and so many things. Water it is moving always, but that particular leaf of lotus flower, it has no connection with the water. Similarly with all upheavals of this material world, one who is Krsna conscious, he has nothing to do. Visvam purnam sukhayate. Visvam purnam sukhayate. Everyone is very much afflicted. They say, "Oh, it is very troublesome. It is very troublesome water, world. It is very troublesome." But a man who is in Krsna consciousness, he'll find, "Oh, everything is happy." There is no... So na lipyate na sa papena. And this contamination is... That is...

Krsna consciousness is the antiseptic measure. Suppose there is some epidemic in the city, and one has taken the antiseptic vaccine of measure. He's not affected. Similarly this Krsna consciousness is the antiseptic method to become free from the contamination of this material world. So lipyate na sa papena. He's not affected by the counteraction or contamination of this material world.

kayena manasa buddhya
kevalair indriyair api
yoginah karma kurvanti
sangam tyaktvatma-suddhaye

Atma-suddhaye yoginah. Those who are yogis. Yogi means those who are in connection with the Supreme. They are called yogis. So kayena. Kayena means by body. Manasa. Manasa means by mind. Buddhya. Buddhya means by intelligence. Kevalair indriyair api. And with the senses. Yoginah karma kurvanti. They work. It appears just like they are doing like ordinary man, but sangam tyaktva atma-suddhaye. Sangam tyaktvatma... He has no connection. He has no connection. Just like a bank cashier. He is sitting on the cash counter, and millions of dollars are coming to him, but he has no connection with it. Atma-suddhaye. Because he is yoga-yukta. He knows that "I am different from this money." He's all right. So by Krsna consciousness, one who is a yogi, yogi... Yoginah karma kurvanti sangam tyaktvatma-suddhaye. Atma-suddhaye. Karma. They work for atma-suddhi.

Just like we are working here. This is also work. We are reading. We are singing. This is also work, a sort of work. The same thing can be done in a club, in musical. But here the music is for atma-suddhaye, for purifying the soul. We are also eating, but for purifying the soul. So no work is different from the ordinary man, and the members of the society, they are also doing in the same way. They are also going to the store, purchasing things and preparing foodstuff, offering to Krsna and eating. It appears that they are also eating, they are also sleeping, they are also working. But here everything is for atma-suddhaye. It is under such a regulation that one is becoming purer and purer and purer and purer. So yoginah karma kurvanti sangam tyaktva. It has no connection with the material conception of life. Everything with Krsna concept of our life.

Therefore atma-suddhaye.

yuktah karma-phalam tyaktva
santim apnoti naisthikim
ayuktah kama-karena
phale sakto nibadhyate

The... Those who are in Krsna consciousness, he does not expect any result of his work. "Oh, I am doing this work. So I will enjoy this result." That never comes. That never comes in the mind of a person who is Krsna conscious. He doesn't mind. He doesn't think of any result. Yuktah karma-phalam tyaktva. And that is the source of peace. Santim apnoti naisthikim. Naisthikim. He's always confident that "I am engaged in Krsna's duty. So I am protected. So what is the result I do not mind. I do not mind." Ayukta. But one who is not connected in that Krsna consciousness, then kama-karena phale sakto nibadhyate. He, out of his lust, he becomes attached to the result, and therefore he becomes entangled in this material world. Ayuktah kama-karena phale sakto nibadhyate. Because he has got attachment for the result, therefore ultimately he becomes entangled with this material world.

sarva-karmani manasa
sannyasyaste sukham vasi
nava-dvare pure dehi
naiva kurvan na karayan

So sarva-karmani manasa sannyasyaste. Sarva-karmani. Whatever he does, he has decided, manasa, by the mind. Determination comes into the mind. Therefore his determination is manasa aste sukham vasi. He has decided to work only for Krsna consciousness; therefore his happiness is under his own control. Happiness is under his own control. He hasn't got to seek happiness externally. The happiness is controlled, controlled by him. Sukham vasi nava-dvare pure dehi naiva kurvan na karayan. So there are nine holes in our body. So that nine holes, they are acting. These two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, one naval, and the evacuating and the urinal, they are nine holes and we are taking work with these nine holes. Just like one, this room. This room has got four outlets. One there, one here, and two windows. Similarly we have got nine holes in our body. So we are acting with the help of these nine holes. Nava-dvare pure dehi. Dehi, it is just like a room having nine outlets. We are not this body. That we must know. Nava-dvare pure dehi. It is pure. Pure means a city or a room. I am sitting within this room. Nava-dvare pure dehi kurvan na karayan. He is doing in the room, from the... Just like a rich man, he is sitting in his room and everything is going on. Similarly, the soul who is in pure consciousness, Krsna consciousness, he is aloof from this body and everything is going on by Krsna consciousness.

Na kartrtvam na karmani lokasya srjati prabhuh. Now you can ask that "If Krsna is giving sanction, then He is responsible for my bad work also. Good work, of course, He is responsible. So bad work He is also responsible." Now, here the answer is na kartrtvam na karmani lokasya srjati prabhuh. Prabhu. Prabhu means the Lord. The Lord does not create work for you, neither He creates the result for you. Na karma-phala-samyogam svabhavas tu pravartate. Svabhavas tu pravartate. As you have acquired your characteristics, so you create your own work and you create your result of own work and you become entangled. It is not the creation of God. You create. "How I create? If it is sanctioned, if it is controlled by God, then how I create?" The question may be. Yes. The answer is very simple. You can understand that a person who is criminal, who is condemned. Now he's condemned to death or he is condemned to be imprisoned. Now he makes appeal that "Oh, excuse me, what was done(?)." But the judge puts him into the jail or condemns to life. So he thinks that "The judge has condemned me to death or the, he has put me into jail." But is the judge enemy of a particular person that he puts somebody into the jail and condemns to death? No. I have created. I have created my jail life before. The judge is simply giving me the direction. "Oh, you have done this. Now you have to go." He is not responsible. Similarly God is not responsible for my work, neither He creates my work. It is my nature, it is my characteristic, which, by which I create my work, I create the result and I suffer. God simply gives direction because He is the supreme director. Or the agent of God.

So He is not responsible. I am responsible. I am responsible. But if I become Krsna consciousness, if I act on His account and completely becoming dependent on Him then He is responsible for everything happening. That is the principle. Any question?

Hayagriva: Did you say self-realization is realizing our identity with Brahma?

Prabhupada: Oh yes.

Hayagriva: With Brahma. Brahma dies. Brahma is not eternal.

Prabhupada: Brahman is eternal. I am eternal. I am thinking.(?) Yes?

Devotee: He's saying Brahma instead of Brahman.

Prabhupada: Oh, Brahma you mean to say?

Hayagriva: Oh, you said Brahman.

Prabhupada: Brahma is a living creature just like us. A powerful living creature, he is called Brahma. He's the first creature. And Brahman, Brahman is the Supreme Absolute. [break] Pathans were ruling over Bengal in the 14th Century or 15th Century. 15th Century, yes. (tambura, kirtana) (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 5.7-14 -- New York, August 27, 1966