"Liberation Guaranteed"

74/04/12 Bombay, Bhagavad-gita 4.23


Pradyumna: Translation: "The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence."

Prabhupada:

gata-sangasya muktasya
jnanavasthita-cetasah
yajnayacaratah karma
samagram praviliyate

The difficulty in the conditioned state, that we are creating our next life by karma... We are.... just at the present moment we are acting according to our past karma, and again we are creating another karma so that we have to enjoy or suffer in the next life. The transmigration of the soul takes place according to karma. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. Sad-asat, good and inferior, janma. So one has to take his birth in a nice family or in nice nation, good education, good looking, nice opulence.... Janmaisvarya-sruta-srih. Janma means to take birth in good family, good nation, and aisvarya, opulence, very rich. Janmaisvarya-sruta. Sruta means knowledge, education. And sri, and beauty.

I repeatedly say to the American people that "You have got your this position, richest nation in the world, janma..." Practically in America there is no poor man. That I have seen. They do not know what is poor man. Because the poorest man gets five thousand rupees per month. The poorest man. So actually there is no poor man. There cannot be. The government arrangement is so nice that nobody is in want of money. He can get money in so many ways. So it is very good, fortunate position to take birth in America. Janma, rich family, rich nation.

And aisvarya. Janma-aisvarya-sruta, education. Now they are advanced education. By scientific advancement, they are trying to go to the moon planet. Not only that. Many machine up to date they have discovered, using.... There is very big company IBM. Machine, business machine, IBM. International Business Machine. You know everything.

So janma-aisvarya-sruta, education, and sri. Most American boys and girls, they are all beautiful. So why this position? This position is due to punya, karma. Karma means papa-karma, punya-karma. This is the way karmana daiva-netrena jantur dehopapattaye [SB 3.31.1]. This is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. By karma, the jantu, the living entity, jantu, he is getting particular type of body. In Bhagavad-gita also it is stated that karanam guna-sango 'sya. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. We are associating with a particular type of modes of nature, goodness, passion and ignorance or mixed. So on account of this, we are working differently and we are preparing our next life, karanam. This is the karanam.

So those who are karma-kandiya, they are interested, next life in the heavenly planet or higher standard of life. So that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah. If you associate with the modes of goodness, then you are promoted to the higher planetary system, beyond heavenly planets. Janaloka, Tapoloka, Maharloka, Satyaloka, Siddhaloka, Brahmaloka. So that is possible. But our problem is not to promote ourself to go to the heavenly planet or higher than that, Janaloka, Satyaloka, Maharloka, or Brahmaloka. Krsna advises a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16]. He does not encourage that "You go to the Brahmaloka." No. He never encourages. He says, a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16]. Even if you become promoted to the Brahmaloka, then again you have to come back. Ksine punye punar martya-lokam visanti. As soon as your punya, the duration of life, is finished, then you have to come back again. This is going on.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. We are rotating, wandering, in different species of life, different planets, different forms. In this way we are transmigrating from one position to another position. This is going on. So.... But that is not a very nice business. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. You accept some type of body or some type of place. Suppose one has become American. So how long he will remain American? Say, for fifty years or utmost hundred years. Then again, next chapter. One does not know what is the next life. That will be decided, karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. There is no guarantee that the next life again you become American or Indian or brahmana. You may become a cat and dog, because that is not in your hands. That is in the hand of material nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Karmana daiva-netrena. That will be awarded to you by superior judgement, that "This man has done like this; he should get a body like this." That is not in your hand. That is not in your science.

The real science is how to stop this business. That is being advised in Bhagavad-gita. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam. Tyaktva deham punar janma [Bg. 4.9]. People do not understand this, that our real problem is not become promoted to the higher position, but to stop this birth, death, old age, and disease. That is real problem. So Krsna says that gata-sangasya.

(aside:) Don't sit like that. Don't sit like that.

Gata-sangasya. Because we are getting different types of bodies in different planets and different spheres of life on account of our association with the modes of nature, therefore Krsna is advising, gata-sangasya: "Don't associate with the modes of material nature. That is your business." Not that "You associate with the higher modes of nature."

Even very good man, goodness, brahmana, that is also conditioned life. To become brahmana, satyam samo damas titiksa arjava, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam, very perfect way of life, but that is also risky. Not that.... Everything is risky because at any moment we can be associated with another quality. And karanam guna-sango 'sya. It is very difficult position, mixture.

Therefore Krsna advises that "You become freed from association of any of the modes of material nature, any one of them." Gata-sangasya. Muktasya. As soon as you become free from the association of the modes of material nature, then you are mukta. Muktasya. Gata-sangasya muktasya. And how mukti can be achieved? Muktasya. How this position can. Now, jnanavasthita-cetasah. If you are actually situated in knowledge, then you can be mukta. Without knowledge, ignorance...

Just like a man in knowledge, he never commits any mistake lawfully. So he is not a member or subjected to be punished in the prisonhouse, because he has got full knowledge of the law. If anyone knows.... Even ordinary dealings, just like "Keep to the right, keep to the left." You are driving your car. If you are fully aware that "If I go to the right, it will be criminal," then you are not subjected to be fined, mukta, if you are in full knowledge. Therefore our first business is to be situated in knowledge. Jnanavasthita-cetasah.

So this knowledge is being imparted by Krsna Himself, Bhagavad-gita. The beginning of this knowledge is when Arjuna accepted Him as guru. Sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam. "Now no more friendly talks. I become your disciple." So this is the position. Knowledge should be taken from the perfect person. Because if you take knowledge from a person who is defective, your knowledge has no value. You must take knowledge from the perfect.

So anyone in this material world, he is defective. Every one of us, we know that we are defective. What is that? We are very much proud of seeing. So what is the value of our seeing? We see under certain condition. That's all. If there is immediately darkness, what is the value of our eyes? We cannot see. So under certain conditions, because we see, therefore we are not perfect. But if you can see in any condition, that is perfection, not depending on these defective eyes or senses. That is not knowledge. Defective.

Four defects. I have several times explained. One defect is that we commit mistake, everyone. And we become illusioned, accepting something for something. Just like mostly, even educated persons, they accept this body, "I am this body." Just like animals. The cats and dogs, they also think that "I am this body." I have several times told you that I talked with Professor Kotofsky in Moscow. He said, "After finishing this body, Swamiji, everything is finished." He said like that. And he is a big professor. And according to our Vedic culture, yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. If one is going on under this impression that "I am this body," he is go-khara, ass and cow, means animal. Therefore they do not know how we are accepting different bodies under karma, by associating with especial...

Associating means even unknowingly. Just like infection. In medical science there is the word "infection." You may not know, but if you have infected typhoid disease, it will fructify at one moment. So similarly, even if we do not know, if we associate with the material modes of nature, it will be effective. Sad-asad-janma-yonisu. Therefore we must have full knowledge how to save oneself from the association, from the infection of this material disease. That is called jnanavasthita-cetasah. Just like a man who knows hygienic rules and regulation, he does not infect disease. But a man in ignorance, he infects disease and suffers. It is not God's creation. Your creation. If you do not know how to live, then you will infect the infection of the different modes of material nature, and you will have to suffer or enjoy.

Therefore common sense instruction given by Canakya Pandita, a great politician, tyaja durjana-samsargam. This is his first instruction, that "Don't associate with bad character." We are also doing that, that "Don't associate with the four principles of sinful life illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling. To tyaja durjana-samsargam bhaja sadhu-samagamam: "You associate with sadhus."

Who are sadhus? That is also described in the Bhagavad-gita. Sadhur eva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah [Bg. 9.30]. Who? Api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak, sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30]. That is sadhu. Sadhu means who is fully engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord. He is sadhu. So in this way we have to acquire knowledge. Jnanavasthita-cetasah. Full knowledge. Then we can avoid the association of the three modes of material nature.

Gata-sangasya muktasya. Then we become liberated even in this life, if you are actually situated in knowledge. And how to.... How one can understand that "This man is mukta. He is not associating with any material modes of nature?" How? Yajnayacaratah karma. For yajna, yajnaya. Yajna karma-samudbhavah. Just like I was explaining. You have to perform yajna yajnaya, only for yajna. Yajnarthe. Another place Krsna.... yajnarthe karma anyatra karma-bandhanah. If you do not act for yajna, then you be entangled in the karma-bandhanah.

This is the science. One has to be situated in full knowledge, and full knowledge is.... The beginning of knowledge is that one must understand that "I am not this body." This is knowledge. And if one is working like cats and dogs, thinking himself "I am this body," he has no knowledge. Just like animals. They are not expected to be in knowledge. A man is expected to be in knowledge and he must know that "I am not this body." Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara, tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. So one has to know that "I am not this body, but circumstantially and according to my association with the modes of nature, I am transferring, transmigrating from this body to another body."

So therefore in the Vedic culture the karma-kandiya-yajna is recommended. At least, you get a better body. Don't go to the lower body. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah. Better body in higher planetary system. That is karma-kandiya-vicara. Therefore yajna. Yajnayacaratah karma. Everything should be easier. Yajna-sistasinah santo mucyante sarva-kilbisaih. The same thing.

Just like here. We are performing yajna, the sankirtana-yajna. We are preparing food for Krsna. That is yajna. And when we eat the remnants of foodstuff, that is also yajna-sistasinah, remnants of foodstuff. Yajna-sistasinah santah. Asina. Asina means eating. After offering in the yajna, if you eat, yajna-sistasinah santah, you become a santah, saintly person. And yajna-sistasinah, mucyante sarva-kilbisaih. He becomes free from all sinful reaction.

And bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pacanty atma-karanat. And who is cooking for himself very palatable dishes, he is bhunjate te tv agham papa. He is simply eating sins, and he has to suffer. Therefore we have to eat, we have to work, we have to do everything only for yajnaya, not for any other purpose. Then we are entangled. As soon as we do anything for my sense gratification, then we are entangled immediately, goodness or badness, goodness, passion, or ignorance. So there are very complicated laws, but we do not know. That is ignorance. So we have to know what are these complicated laws. That is called jnanavasthita-cetasah. Ignorant person, they suffer from disease, they suffer from legal action, because ignorant.

Ignorance is no law, no excuse. If you go to the court, "Sir, I did not know this law. I did not know law that ‘Keep to the left,' " so the court will not excuse you. "I did not know that to associate with the smallpox infection." The nature will not excuse you. A child touches fire. The fire will not excuse, "Because it is a child, no, no, I shall not burn it." No. Nature must work. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya.

So you have to be fully in knowledge how to save yourself from the contamination of the modes of material nature. That is called gata-sangasya muktasya. Then you are free. So that is also stated, how you can become gata-sangasya. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate
[Bg. 14.26]

You have to situate yourself on the Brahman platform, spiritual platform. Mam ca yo 'vyabhi... And how it can do it? No. Avyabhicarini-bhakti-yogena. Bhakti-yoga. You have to perform bhakti-yoga.

Then what is that bhakti-yoga?

sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]

These are the bhakti-yoga. You have to hear about Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Hearing, hearing, hearing, hearing, you can become mukta.

Just like Maharaja Pariksit. He simply listened about Krsna, Srimad-Bhagavatam. At the last stage of his life, he listened from Sukadeva Gosvami, simply Srimad-Bhagavatam, and he became liberated. Sri-visnoh sravane pariksit. The sri-visnoh sravane, about Lord Krsna or Lord Visnu. Pariksit Maharaja became liberated. Abhavad vaiyasakih kirtane. And vaiyasaki, the son of Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami, he simply narrated the topics of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He became liberated.

There are nine items of bhakti-yoga.

sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]

So if you can execute all the items, that is very good. If not, some of them, at least one.

This chance is being given by the Krsna consciousness movement. We invite people all over the world, "Please come and join with this chanting, Hare Krsna." Actually, whatever development has been made, it is only by this process. We don't impose any, I mean to say, regulation in the beginning. No. "Please come and sit down and hear about Krsna." Sravanam. If you simply continue, if you do not do anything, I guarantee that if you simply come here and hear about Krsna, you will be liberated. If you do not do anything, if you kindly come here and hear about Krsna. Here or anywhere, sravanam.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended this process. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir ye prayaso 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyam. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's recommendation, that sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih: "You remain in your position." It doesn't require to change, because you are grhastha, or you are engineer, you are doctor or you are washerman. It doesn't matter. You remain in your position, sthane sthitah. But lend your ears for aural reception of Krsna's message. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam. Sruti mean this ear. Allow this much, the message of Krsna, to enter your ears. That will help you. Sthane sthitah. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam.

Then if you are, any man is conscious, deliberate, then, if you try to implement and practice in your life.... Sthane sthitah. First of all hearing. Unless you hear.... Just like Krsna is speaking. You have to hear.

gata-sangasya muktasya
jnanavasthita-cetasah
yajnayacaratah karma
samagram praviliyate

So in this way, hearing, hearing, you become jnanavasthita-cetasah. You don't require to go to the college and school.

This is also.... They simply hear. Even in college and school, there is percentage of attendance, hearing. All of you know that unless one has attended class of the professor seventy-five percent, he is not allowed for the examination. So hearing is so important.

And that is also in the case of spiritual. You hear from.... Hear from whom? Hear from whom? That tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12] "Hear from guru." Who is guru? Guru. Brahma-nistham. Brahma-nistham. Guru means who knows God and fully engaged in His service. That is guru. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet, samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham. Srotriyam brahma-nistham. And he has also heard from his guru. This is both, hearing. Therefore Vedas are known as sruti. Formerly it was learned simply by hearing. There was no books. And there was no need of noting down. The merit was so perfect that simply by hearing from guru, he would understand everything.

But in the Kali-yuga because gradually we are losing the potency of our brain, therefore we require in writing books. Vyasadeva was very kind. He knew that in the Kali-yuga there will be no sharpened brain. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10]. They are made by nature; by the influence of Kali-yuga, they are all mandah, very slow or very bad, mandah. Sumanda-matayah, and they have got, manufactured some ideas, sumanda-matayah, which is not standard to the Vedic ideas. Manda-bhagyah, and unfortunately, they cannot accept. Manda-bhagyah.

Krsna is accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all the sastras. Vyasadeva, He writes, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. In the Brahma-samhita, Brahma writes, isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Krsna personally says, mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. Arjuna, who heard Bhagavad-gita, he accepts. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. The acaryas, Sankaracarya, Madhvacarya, Rama..., they accept Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was.... Then what evidence want you more? What is your knowledge? You do not accept so many authorities? You are so proud? That is our misfortune. Manda-bhagya hy upadrutah, and disturbed condition of life. That is our misfortune.

This is the position. Otherwise where is the difficulty of understanding God? "God is dead. There is no God. I am God, you are God." So many theories. Why? Here is God. God personally comes to show you what is the position of God, and He has shown what is the meaning of God. Aisvaryasya samagrasya balasya yasasah sriyah. What is the meaning of Bhagavan, He has shown. Still, we are so unfortunate, we cannot accept. Because we are not free from the contamination. Yesam. One can understand. Yesam tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam. Otherwise,

manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah
[Bg. 7.3]

So the best thing is that we should be submissive. We should not be proud. That will not help us. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam. Jnane prayasam udapasya. The so-called speculative knowledge should be given up. Jnane prayasam, namanta eva. Just be submissive. Namanta eva. Sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. Jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva, san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam. San-mukharitam, those who are perfectly saint.... Just like Vyasadeva, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, san-mukharitam. They have accepted.... Caitanya Mahaprabhu.... San-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam. In this way we can understand, we can take the lesson, everything is clear.

Now this formula, that gata-sangasya muktasya... So gata-sanga, how gata-sanga, to be free from the contamination of the material nature? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate: [Bg. 14.26] "Anyone who is engaged according to the principles, rules and regulations in bhakti-yoga..."

Just these boys are being trained up all over the world to rise early in the morning, to perform mangala-aratrika, to chant the holy name, to read Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, then take some prasadam, then go to preach, distribute books.... When we go to distribute books, we are doing this very organizedly all over the world, and it has become very successful, very successful.

So why not in India? Why you are neglecting this process? Why you are manufacturing something nonsense? That will not help you.

That you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974