"Abominable Ananda" 74/08/09 Vrndavana, Bhagavad-gita 7.3

"Abominable Ananda"

74/08/09 Vrndavana, Bhagavad-gita 7.3


Pradyumna: Translation: "Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth."

Prabhupada:

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

To understand Krsna in truth, not superficially, but in fact, that we can understand, as Krsna says in the beginning of this chapter,

mayy asakta-manah partha
yogam yunjan mad-asrayah
asamsayam samagram mam
yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu
[Bg. 7.1]

How Krsna is truth, the Absolute Truth, although the Absolute Truth is described in three phases in the Srimad-Bhagavatam... Just like vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam [SB 1.2.11]. This tattva. Here it is said, tattvatah. The truth, Absolute Truth, is called tattva. So vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam [SB 1.2.11]. Tattva-vid. Vid means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jnane. One who has got complete knowledge, he is called vid, tattva-vid. So tattva-vid, they ascertain the tattva, the truth, in three ways. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam [SB 1.2.11]. So knowledge of the truth is nondual. Absolute means nondual, no relative, absolute, advaya-jnana. So what is that advaya-jnana? Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. So to approach Krsna, to understand, one has to go through the brahma-jnana, brahmeti, then Paramatma, paramatma-jnana. Then krsna-jnana. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. So generally, those who are inquiring about the Absolute Truth, they come to the point of brahma-jnana, brahma-jnana. Then, if one makes further advance, then he can understand paramatma-jnana. Paramatma-jnana means the all-pervasive Personality of Godhead, localized aspect. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. That is paramatma-jnana. First of all, brahma-jnana, then paramatma-jnana, then bhagavad-jnana.

Bhagavan iti sabdyate. That bhagavan is Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Bhagavan means opulent.

aisvaryasya samagrasya
viryasya yasasah sriyah
jnana-vairagyayos caiva
sannam bhaga itingana

One who has complete, in possession, all wealth, aisvarya, samagrasya, all, samagrasya... So that is the one of the items of becoming Bhagavan. Nowadays there are so many bhagavans, so-called bhagavan, but this is the first step, aisvaryasya samagrasya, whether you possess all the wealth. Who can say so? There are... A person, he is living by begging, and he's claiming to become Bhagavan. So that is not the definition of Bhagavan. Bhagavan must possess all the wealth. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram: [Bg. 5.29] "I am the proprietor of the all the planetary systems, all the lokas, all the universes." Actually that is the fact. So one who is begging for his livelihood, he is claiming, "I am Bhagavan." Just see.

They do not know what is Bhagavan. These rascals who unnecessarily, unceremoniously claiming to become Bhagavan, they do not know what is Bhagavan. Bhagavan is described in the Brahma-samhita:

yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya
jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah
visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.48]

This is one of the description of Bhagavan, Govinda. Krsna is Govinda. So govindam adi-purusam. He's the original, primal Lord.

isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam
[Bs. 5.1]

So these Bhagavans... There are expansion of Bhagavan. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs 5.33]. Bhagavan has got unlimited number of expansions. It is stated, "Just like you cannot count in the river how many waves are flowing, similarly, you cannot count even how many expansions are there of Bhagavan."

So one of the expansions of Bhagavan is Maha-Visnu. Yasya kala-viseso visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-visesah. Kala-visesah means... Kala means part of the expansion, not direct expansion, but part of the expansion. That is called kala. Amsa-kala. Amsa means direct expansion, and kala means expansion of the amsa. So the Maha-Visnu is described as kala-visesah, an expansion of the amsa, secondary. And what is that Maha-Visnu? Now, yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah [Bs. 5.48]. Jagad-anda means this universe. There are millions and millions of universes. This is only one universe. This universe, what you are seeing, this is only one. There are millions. (aside:) What is that? This is... This information we get also from the Vedic literature,

yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-
kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam
tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.40]

So yasyaika, yasya prabha. This brahmajyoti, brahma-jnana, is just like the rays. As the sunshine is the rays of the sun globe, similarly, the rays of the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is brahmajyoti. And within that brahmajyoti, there are innumerable universes. So in each universe... We have given the picture in our title cover of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So in each universe there are innumerable planets. In this way, this is a partial expansion, partial exhibition of Krsna. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

athava bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat

Ekamsena. This whole, all the universes, they are simply partial exhibition of the partial expansion of Krsna. Yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalam... [Bs. 5.48].

In this way you have to study Krsna, not that "Krsna was born in His maternal uncle's house at Mathura, and He played with the gopis or the cowherd boys." That is actual fact, but one should understand Krsna -- how great He is. That is called tattvatah.

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

They simply superficially study Krsna. Therefore they cannot understand how great is Krsna. In the Western world they say "God is great." But one should understand how great He is. That is tattvatah. Otherwise, we shall be misled. We cannot understand Krsna. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. The rascals, fools, asses... Mudhah means asses. They deride Krsna, "Oh, Krsna I understand. What is that Krsna?" Not like that. Therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu: [Bg. 7.3] "Out of many, many millions of persons..." First of all let him become siddha. Siddha means perfect. Everyone is imperfect. Everyone commits mistake. This is imperfection. Everyone commits mistake, everyone becomes illusioned, everyone's sense perception are all imperfect, and everyone is a cheater. These are the deficiency of the conditioned soul. One does not know what is Krsna, and he wants to become Krsna: "I am God. I am Krsna."

So this is cheating. Bhrama, pramada, vipralipsa, karana-patava. One should understand Krsna, what is Krsna. There are so many Vedic literatures to understand... Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. If you are studying Vedas, if you are Vedantist, then ultimate knowledge will depend how you have understood Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. If you do not understand Krsna, what is the use of your studying Vedanta and Vedas? It is useless. Srama eva hi kevalam. So don't try to understand Krsna in that way. Generally, they understand Krsna very easily -- they are called sahajiyas -- that "Krsna was a young boy, and He was joking with the gopis and dancing with the gopis, and that is Krsna. We can imitate also. We can do also." This kind of understanding means he's a rascal; he's a fool. That is, of course, Krsna's, one of the pastimes. But that is not this ordinary young boy and young girl's pastime. That is cinmaya. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. That is ananda-cinmaya-rasa.

We have no understanding what is ananda-cinmaya-rasa. We are accustomed to taste this material ananda, sense gratification. There are... Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Here, in this material world, the ananda is sex gratification, sex intercourse. Maithuna. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham. This is the most abominable ananda. This is not ananda. Although the whole world is mohita... Tribhir gunamayair bhavair mohitam. This is the ananda. In the Western world we have seen even old men, seventy-five years old, eighty years old, they are going to the naked dance club, the sex ananda. Because in the material world there is no ananda except this. But in the Bhagavad-gita you'll find, sukham atyantikam yat tad atindriya-grahyam. What is real ananda, that you have to taste by your transcendental senses, not these senses, blunt senses. This is blunt senses, covered senses. There is no question of tasting ananda with these senses. There is no possibility. Ananda is described. Just like it is said, ramante yoginah anante. Yoginah, those who are transcendentalists, above this material world, they also seeking after ananda or tasting ananda. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. That is satyananda. That is real ananda. Ramante yoginah anante. And there is no end of that ananda. Nityam nava-navayamanam.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has described, ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Anandambudhi... We have no experience that ambudhi... Ambudhi means the ocean. And anandambudhi, the ocean of ananda, vardhanam, it is increasing. It is increasing. We have no experience that the sea or the ocean is increasing. It is decreasing. So this is ananda. Ramante yoginah anante. That is ananta ananda. Ramante yoginah anante satyanande cid-atmani. That is not jadatma. Here this ananda is jada, dull. It is not ananda, material, but cid-atmani. Iti rama-padenasau param brahmabhidhiyate. These are the description. Rama means one who takes ananda in the reality, not in the false. So this is the way of understanding Krsna. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said,

siddhanta baliya citte na kara alasa
iha haite krsne lage sudrdha manasa

"To understand Krsna in truth, do not be lazy." "Oh, now I have understood Krsna." What you have understood Krsna? Therefore we fall down.

One should understand... Therefore, to understand Krsna in truth, one has to devote, studying Srimad-Bhagavatam nine cantos. In the Tenth Canto Krsna is described because... Try. First of all become fit to understand Krsna. That is called tattvatah. So Srimad-Bhagavatam is there. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, janmady asya yatah anvayat itaratas ca arthesu abhijnah svarat [SB 1.1.1]. Try to understand Krsna in truth, not superficially. Of course, the ultimate goal is to understand Krsna's pastimes in Vrndavana. Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi... But that... First of all, you become siddha. Without becoming siddha, you cannot understand. So long you are asiddha, imperfect, you cannot understand Krsna. But if you try, if you associate with the siddhas... Satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah. You have to associate... Just like in the morning: munibhir mahatmabhih. You have to understand Krsna in the association of mahatmas. And who is mahatma? Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah [Bg. 9.13]. Mahatma is not in this material world. He is in the spiritual world. Daivim prakrtim asritah. Bhajanti. And the result is: always engaged in devotional service of Krsna. That is mahatma.

So Krsna says that it is not very easy to understand Krsna. People understand Krsna very easily; therefore they are called sahajiyas. Everything, takes very easily. So manusyanam sahasresu [Bg. 7.3]. Manusyanam. There are 400,000 species of manusya, 400,000. Catur-laksani manusah. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati, krmayo rudra-sankhyakah. There are statements in the Padma Purana how many living entities, forms are there. So out of 8,400,000 different forms and species, there are 400,000 species of manusya. So out of them, one who is born in India, he is first-class manusya. That is a fact. Unfortunately, we are missing the chance. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara [Cc. Adi 9.41]. So those who are Indians present here should know that after many pious activities, one gets birth in India, bharata-bhumite. They should try to understand Krsna. There is facility. There are sastras. Krsna personally speaks Bhagavad-gita. Vyasadeva speaks about Krsna in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. We are neglecting, we have become so rascal and fools. This is not India's business, to imitate how economic development: "Money, money, money, money, money." This is not India's business. India's business is to understand Krsna. Athato brahma jijnasa. That is India's business. These Americans and Europeans have come here not to see how much you are economically developed, industrially developed. They have got enough of this, enough, more than enough. They don't care for it. The modern young men, they do not like. They are fed up. They have come here to understand Krsna. They come here to understand Krsna. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3].

Therefore we have... We are trying to construct this center. Let everyone come, all over the world. And it is the India's business to understand what is Krsna and help them. That is India's business. It is very serious movement, Krsna consciousness movement. On this platform, the whole world can be united. It is not ordinary movement, only on the basis of Krsna consciousness. Try to understand Krsna.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 7.3 -- Vrndavana, August 9, 1974