"One in Many Millions"

74/02/18 Bombay, Bhagavad-gita 7.3


Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

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

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

Prabhupada: Manusyanam sahasresu [Bg. 7.3]. Sahasresu, many times thousands, many times. That means out of millions and trillions of persons. Many times thousands means... One hundred thousand makes one lakh. One hundred times lakhs makes one crore. Similarly, one hundred thousands of crores, billions and trillions, unlimited. First of all, manusya. Manusya means man. So, to get this human form of life, one has to wait for many, many millions of years, according to evolutionary process. Asitim caturas caiva laksams tan jiva-jatisu. In the Padma Purana the evolution theory is described. That is taken away by Darwin, and in a perverted way he has described Darwin's theory of evolution; but that is not very scientific, although it is going on as scientific. But evolution theory is fact. Not that all of a sudden you get this body of human being, no. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13], "After death there is another body, dehantara." Just like in this life also, we get dehantara, another body. From baby's body to child's body, child's body to boy's body, boy's body to youth's body, from youth's body to old man's body; then, after old man's body, why not another body? But the rascals, they do not believe transmigration of the soul. It is very quite reasonable. After changing so many bodies, I have come to this old body. So what after this old body? There must be some body; it is quite reasonable. But these rascals have no brain to understand that there is life after death. Big, big professors in European countries, they do not believe transmigration of the soul.

So manusyanam, out of the, there are many kinds of men also. Just like kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah [SB 2.4.18]. The Africans, the Mongolians, the Huns... There are so many. We know so many types of human beings. Out of that, a few who are known as Aryans, they are the best type of human being. And out of the Aryans, those who are followers of the Vedic principles, they are the best. But those who are following the Vedic principles, they say that "We are Vedic, or followers of the varnasrama-dharma" -- in common sense they call "Hindu" -- but actually, they say so, they do not follow the principles. They do not follow them. They act against the Vedic principles. Therefore it is said that even though one gets this human form of life after many, many millions of years, the living soul, still, there are so many divisions in the human form of life; therefore it is said, manusyanam sahasresu: [Bg. 7.3] "Out of many millions of human beings," kascid yatati siddhaye. Siddhaye. Siddhaye means to get the spiritual power, or spiritual rejuvenation. That is called siddhi.

Bhukti-mukti-siddhi. There are three kinds of activities going on in the human society. Some people are karmis. They enjoy life, or they want to enjoy life by working hard. Enjoyment means ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam. To eat very nicely and to sleep very nicely, to enjoy sex life very nicely and to make defense force, this is called enjoyment, material enjoyment. If I am secure by defense force and if I have got good bank balance, if I have got a very nice, beautiful wife and if I eat sumptuously to the satisfaction of my tongue, I think I am very much successful. But that is not success. Success is different thing. This is called bhukti, material enjoyment. So bhukti-mukti-siddhi. When one is fed up with this hard working for material enjoyment and get little sense above material enjoyment, gets little sense for spiritual understanding... That we have discussed yesterday. Jnanam te 'ham sa-vijnanam [Bg. 7.2]. That is knowledge. To work hard like an ass for sense gratification, that is not siddhi. Siddhi is different thing. Siddhi means to understand the spiritual identification and work for it. That is called siddhi. So the attempt for such thing is called mukti, to get rid of the material entanglement. So bhukti-mukti-siddhi. There are three stages. So siddhi means when one understands his spiritual identity and tries to make his life perfect on that platform, that is called siddhi. Otherwise, bhukti mukti.

So in the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali asanta. "So long one is on the platform of bhukti, mukti and siddhi, he is restless. He is working because he's desiring." Siddhi is specially meant for the yogis. The yogis, they want to play wonderful magic: anima, laghima, prapti-siddhi, isita, vasita. There are eight kinds of yoga siddhis. That kind of siddhi is not recommended here. Siddhi means to understand one's spiritual identity and work for it; that is called siddhi. So manusyanam... Who knows it? There is no such education. Therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu [Bg. 7.3], "Out of million, million persons, one tries for this siddhi, perfection of life, to understand spiritual identity and to work for it." That is called siddhi. And yatatam api siddhanam: [Bg. 7.3] "One who has attained siddhi and trying for it further, further progress, out of them, millions of such persons, one can understand what is Krsna."

We cannot understand Krsna so easily. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is not understandable by ordinary persons, up to the stage of siddhi. But, as Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, that "One can understand Me by the process of bhakti." Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. Here it is said,

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

Tattvatah means truth. Simply superficially to know Krsna... Just like in the English dictionary it is said, "Krsna..." Krsna is mentioned in the dictionary: "a Hindu god." So what does he know about Krsna? "Hindu god." There are Hindu gods, many. According to our Hindu conception, there are thirty-three crores of demigods, chief of which is Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Visnu, Surya and Ganapati. Chiefly they worship. In the Hindu world, they worship... Somebody worship Visnu, somebody worship Siva, somebody worship Brahma, somebody worship the sun. Just like the Parsis, they worship the sun. I think I am right. So they also can be concluded as Hindus, and actually, they came from Persia. When there was Muhammadan disturbance, they fled from their country and came to India. That is the history. So these five gods are especially recommended and worshiped. So Krsna is considered in the Visnu category; therefore in the English dictionary it is said as "one of the gods." They're under the conception, foreigners, that "Hindus, they have got many gods." But actually, that is not fact. There are... Many gods means... Just like "god-ly," because they are servants of Krsna. Just like in royal palace, even the servants are dressed with royal garments. Similarly, the chief servants of Krsna, like Indra, Candra... Surya is also servant. Candra, that is also servant. Indra is also servant.

So, as it is stated in the Brahma-samhita, yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakrah. The sun, so powerful god... The sun, you see the sun planet, but within the sun planet, there is the sun-god, whose name is mentioned also in the Bhagavad-gita, Vivasvan. Just like you know your president's name, Mr. Nixon, similarly, we know who is the predominating deity in the sun planet. How we know? We know from Bhagavad-gita. Vivasvan manave praha. Vivasvan, the present president, or the predominating deity in the sun planet, is called Vivasvan. His son is Manu, and from Manu, the manusya. Manu... Manusya means who is coming from Manu. The human race has come from the Manu. Therefore the Vedic followers, they follow the principles, or codes, of Manu-samhita. Manu-samhita is the law, Hindu law, still accepted, although they have made many amendments. But it is not to be amended. Just like in the Manu-samhita there is no divorce. Now our Hindu laws, they have amended, "Divorce is allowed." That is not according to Manu-samhita.

So there are different kinds of men. So out of many such millions and trillions different kinds of men in the human form of life, some may attempt to achieve success of life. What is that success of life? Success of life -- to understand his spiritual identity. At the present moment, being conditioned by the material nature, every man is working under the impression that "I am this body." "I am Indian because I got this body from India." "I'm American; I got this body from America." All bodily concept of life. Or "I'm Hindu because I'm born of a Hindu family," "I'm Christian because I'm born of a Christian family." These are all bodily identifications. When one goes above the bodily identifications, that is called siddhi. This is the explanation of siddhi. In the bodily platform, nobody can attain perfection. He's animal. Those who are in the bodily concept of life, those who are thinking that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddhist," they're all animals. They're not human beings. Because bodily concept. In the sastra says:

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah
[SB 10.84.13]

Go-kharah. Go means cow, and khara means ass. So those who are in the bodily concept of life, they're no better than the cows and the asses. This is the sastra's verdict.

So modern civilization, everyone, mostly, they're under the bodily concept of life and they're fighting like animals, because that is animal life. Therefore Krsna instructs at the end that "You Hindus, Muslims, Christians, this, that, kindly kick out all these conceptions of religion." Sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66]. Because that is not religion. This is bodily concept of life, the business of ass and cows. "So you give up this business." Sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66]. Krsna says in the beginning, dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge: "I come down just to reestablish the principles of religion." What is that religion? Not this Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion. Those who are thinking that we are preaching Hindu religion -- no. We are not preaching Hindu religion. Therefore while registering the association I purposely kept this name, "Krsna Consciousness," neither Hindu religion nor Christian religion nor Buddhist religion. Krsna does not belong to any sect. Those who are thinking that we are sectarian, they're wrong, because Krsna does not belong to any sect. He says in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-yonisu. Sarva-yonisu, sambhavanti murtayo yah. Yonisu, not only human society. Yoni means forms of life, or species of life; sarva-yonisu.

So the forms of life are 8,400,000 forms of life. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. Nine hundred thousand species of life in the water. Who knows that? But Krsna knows. Krsna, because He's the father. Krsna says,

sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]

Krsna has given birth to the aquatics, to the trees, to the plants, to the birds, to the beast, to the human beings, to the demigods, everyone. Sarva-yonisu, including everyone. So how Krsna consciousness can be sectarian? Just like our men went to consult about taxation. They're considering that "This is sectarian, Krsna." This is not sectarian. Where is sectarian? Krsna says, sarva-yonisu. Not only international, universal. So how we can be sectarian? For everyone. Otherwise, how everyone outside India, they're accepting this Krsna consciousness if it is sectarian? It is not sectarian. Krsna consciousness, Krsna Himself says that "I am the father of all forms of life." How Krsna can be sectarian? There is no reason to say that it is sectarian. Therefore it is said that somebody's thinking that Krsna is Hindu god, somebody's thinking that "Krsna was born in India; therefore He's Indian." "Krsna took birth in the family of Yadu dynasty; therefore He's ksatriya." "Krsna played as a cowherd boy in Vrndavana; therefore He's a vaisya." In so many ways they are thinking. But Krsna says this is all rascaldom. Therefore He says, kascid vetti mam tattvatah: "Actually what I am, that is known to very, very few men, only to the devotees, not to the common man."

This is the idea. Krsna is not sectarian. Krsna is not Hindu; Krsna is not Indian; Krsna is not African. Krsna is nothing of this material world. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, transcendental. Simply by knowing Krsna, one becomes immediately liberated and goes back to Krsna, simply by knowing Krsna. Janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. This very thing again, tattvatah. His activities, His coming down, His work, they're all transcendental, divyam, not ordinary. So, He's divyam, He's transcendental. If anyone knows in truth, then what happens to him? Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Simply by knowing as He is, one becomes immediately liberated. Immediately. So therefore it is said, manusyanam. Because if one would know Krsna as He is, he'll immediately liberated. So liberation is not so cheap thing. Therefore Krsna says,

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

So you can understand Krsna.

Therefore Krsna said in the beginning of this chapter that jnanam me. Jnanam te 'ham sa-vijnanam [Bg. 7.2]. It is a great science. It is not a speculative; it is not imagination. Just like sometimes they create imagined God. The impersonalists, they think there is no God. "God is not personal, but is impersonal. So you can imagine any form." That is rascaldom. That is not Krsna; that is not God. How, with your limited senses, imperfect senses, you can imagine God? Whatever you imagine, that is rascaldom, that is not Krsna. Therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu kascid vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]. If you want to know Krsna, then you must become Krsna's devotee. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. You cannot understand by your so-called scholarship, imaginative power. That is not possible. Athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi, janati tattvam [SB 10.14.29]. Again that tattvam. "One who has achieved a little favor of You, he can understand you by tattvata, in truth." Athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-prasada, padambuja-dvaya-prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi, janati tattvam, na canya, na ca anya, ciram, for good, for many, many millions of years, vicinvan, simply by speculating. That is not possible. There are many places like that.

panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vayor athapi manaso muni-pungavanam
so 'py asti yat prapada-simny avicintya-tattve...
[Bs. 5.34]

If you simply speculate to understand God, He'll remain inconceivable. Even if you endeavor for millions and billions of years, that's not possible. In another place Krsna says, bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19]. Not only billions of..., but after many billions and millions of births. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan. When one is actually on the platform of knowledge, mam prapadyate, he surrenders to Krsna. Why? Because he understands at that time vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. That is mahatma. "Vasudeva, Krsna, is everything." That will be explained, how Krsna is everything, in this chapter. Jnanam te 'ham sa-vijnanam [Bg. 7.2]. How Krsna is everything, that will be explained in this chapter.

So if we want to understand Krsna, it is not to be done by our scholarship, "It may be this, it may be that." That is all rascaldom. You should understand as Krsna says. Then you'll understand Krsna. How you can understand? You are so imperfect, you cannot understand even yourself. You do not know what you are. You are thinking that you are body; I am thinking I am this body. So bodily concept of life is the business of the cows and the asses. How the cows and asses can understand Krsna? They cannot understand. If you want to understand Krsna, then you should hear from Krsna and take it as it is. Then you'll understand. If you are fortunate enough, then you'll understand.

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

Tattvatah means truth. You can understand that "Krsna was an India in...," He was born like that. Just like Arjuna also said, aparam bhavato janma param janma vivasvatah, katham etad vijaniyam. So he also... Arjuna understood Krsna because Krsna, Arjuna was devotee of Krsna. But to clear the idea of Krsna, as the rascals take, he asked this question, aparam bhavato janma, that "Your birth is just recently, say a hundred years ago, but the sun planet? Millions, millions of years. How can I believe that you spoke this philosophy, or science, to the sun-god, Vivasvan?"

So the reply was that "My dear Arjuna, you are My devotee. Whenever I appear, you also appear, but I remember what I spoke to the sun-god. You were also present at that time with Me, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten." That is the difference between Krsna and Arjuna, or God and human being. That is the difference. Vedaham samatitani [Bg. 7.26]. Krsna, God, knows everything, past, present and future. Just like in the Bhagavata, in the beginning, God means janmady asya yatah: [SB 1.1.1] "From whom everything has emanated." So everyone can say, "I have given birth to so many children, so many houses, so many factories. I am also God." No. You cannot be God, because you do not know, abhijna... You do not know the past, present and future. Janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas ca arthesu abhijnah [SB 1.1.1]. Krsna is abhijna. Just like in our body. We are eating. How this eating, I mean, the substance is transformed into different secretion and again blood, again flesh, again bone? How these are, we do not know. But it is actually happening. Anvayad itaratah. I know that I am eating, but itaratah, how this eating substance are transformed into bones, marrow, stool, I do not know. Therefore I am not abhijna. But about Krsna it is said, abhijna. "He knows everything." How this world is going on? How these planets are rotating? How seasons are changing? Yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakrah. Actually, it is happening due to the rotation of the sun; every scientist knows. But how the rotation of sun is going on, that they do not know. That we know. How? It is said in the Brahma-samhita, yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakrah. "The sun is moving by His order." Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: [Bg. 9.10] "Under My supervision, everything is going on." That is Krsna. Krsna is not ordinary thing.

So one who tries to understand Krsna in truth, tattvatah, he is very very fortunate; therefore he's called manusyanam sahasresu [Bg. 7.3]. The fortune does not come to everyone and anyone. Out of millions of persons. Therefore, who have taken Krsna, who have understood Krsna in tattvatah, as far as his knowledge is concerned, he is very, very fortunate. Ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that we are wandering throughout the universe in many species of life, and when we come to this human form of life, if we are fortunate, or if we are fortunate to meet another fortunate devotee, then we can understand what is Krsna. That is the saying, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Simply for a time endeavoring like cats and dogs, that will not help us. We have to approach such a person... That is stated in the beginning of Seventh Chapter, mad-asrayah. What is that first version?

Pradyumna: Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah.

Prabhupada: Ah. Yes. Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. That is the beginning. Mad-asrayah. One has to take shelter of Krsna. But Krsna, directly you cannot take shelter. But Krsna is not present. Krsna is present, but we do not know how to capture Krsna. That is another thing. Krsna is... Just like electricity is everywhere, but one who knows the science, he can capture electricity. Telephone wire is everywhere, but still, you have to bring some expert to connect your telephone. The telephone wire is everywhere. Similarly, Krsna is everywhere. Andantara-stha-paramanu (aside:) Why you are standing? Then stand.

So the process is tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12], in the Vedic injunction. If you want to know Krsna, Vedas, the ultimate knowledge of Veda... Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. Vedic knowledge means to understand Krsna. So if you want to understand Krsna, tad-vijnanartham, vijnana... Jnanam te 'ham sa-vijnanam [Bg. 7.2]. It is vijnana, it is science. Sa-vijnana. So if you want to know that vijnana, then you should approach: tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. You must accept guru. Who is guru? Samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham [MU 1.2.12]. Guru's qualification is that he's srotriyam: he has heard from his guru perfectly. That is guru. Srotriyam. And brahma-nistham: and firmly fixed up at the lotus feet of Krsna. These are two qualifications. You cannot move from that firmness. You cannot move. And he has heard about Krsna from the authorities of guru. Evam parampara-praptam [Bg. 4.2]. That is guru. So that is recommended. If you want to know Krsna, then tad-vijnanartham. In order to understand that science, then you must approach guru. Adau gurvasrayam. That is Rupa Gosvami's... Adau gurvasrayam. Adau sraddha.

So this is the process. You cannot understand Krsna, sitting in your parlor and speculating on your so-called educational qualification. That is not possible. That is not possible. You must surrender. You must surrender. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam... [Bg. 18.66]. You must give up all these idea that "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I'm Indian," "I am American," "I am white," "I am black." These designations, you have to give up. First qualification: sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Upadhi, these are all designations. So you have to give up these designations. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. You have to become Krsna-ite and pure. Tat-paratvena nirmalam, hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate. Then, when you are purified, not designated, not covered by your material designation, at that time, the senses are purified. When you engage your senses to the service of the Lord, that is called bhakti.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 7.3 -- Bombay, February 18, 1974