"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