Prabhupada:
raso 'ham apsu kaunteya
prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh
pranavah sarva-vedesu
sabdah khe paurusam nrsu
Now, Lord Krsna is describing how you become Krsna conscious fully, in every step of your life. This verse we have been discussing last day, that raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. Now, this glass of water, the taste, the juice of this water, is Krsna. You cannot, when you are thirsty..., this water given by God; there is no other replacement. If somebody offers me, "Instead of water, you drink gold," no, this water is required. The taste of water is so nice that when I am thirsty, I require water. No manufacturer can create this taste of the water. Therefore, which is not possible to produce by any human being, that is God's.
So raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. We can remember Krsna, or God, when we drink water because nobody can avoid drinking water. So the God consciousness is there. How can you forget? Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh. When there is some illumination, when there is some illumination... (aside:) You want to come here? I ask this... All right. When there is some illumination, that illumination is also Krsna. The original effulgence is brahmajyoti. That is in the spiritual sky. This material sky is covered; therefore the nature of this material sky is darkness. Now, at night we are experiencing the real nature of this material world -- it is darkness. Artificially, it is being illuminated by the sun, by the moon, by the electricity. Otherwise, it is darkness. So this illumination is God. We have to understand -- this illumination.
Now, how this illumination is coming? Originally, in the spiritual sky, just like the sun has the shining force which we call sunshine, similarly in the, from the kingdom of God, there is a shining which is called brahmajyoti. The brahmajyoti is reflected by the sun; the moon is reflected by the sun. I mean to say, sun is reflection of brahmajyoti, and moon is reflection of the sun. Everyone, you know, the stars, glittering stars, they are also reflection of the sun. Similarly, this electricity is also reflection of sun. The diamond, the jewels, everything, that is reflection of sun. (some outside radio noise) That's all right. So Krsna says, prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh. Sasi. Sasi means the moon, and surya... Surya means the sun. And in the spiritual world there is no need of sun and moon. Na tad bhasayate suryo na sasanko na pavakah [Bg. 15.6]. In the spiritual world there is no need of sun, there is no need of moon, there is no need of electricity. Because in the spiritual sky everything is illuminated, so there is no need. So we can remember God, or Krsna, when you see some illuminating property.
Pranavah sarva-vedesu. When we chant Vedic mantra, om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti surayah... Om bhur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi. Now, this omkara, om, that is the beginning. This omkara is addressing. Just like we are addressing, "Hare Krsna," this is also addressing, "O Hara, O Krsna." This omkara is also addressing. So this omkara is Krsna, is God. Pranavah sarva-vedesu sabdah khe paurusam nrsu. And sabda means sound. Whenever you hear some sound, you should know, "This is vibration of the transcendental sound." The sound which we are vibrating, that is pure spiritual sound. But any sound in the material world, that is reflection of that spiritual sound. So when you hear sound, you can remember God. When you drink water, you can remember God. When you see some illumination, you can remember God. And when you chant some mantra, some hymn, that also you can remember God. So where you cannot remember God? Everywhere. This is Krsna consciousness, God consciousness. Always, twenty-four hours we can remember Krsna. That remembrance means that Krsna is with me. Krsna is already with me, but as soon as you remember, that is factual. Because the devotional service,
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam...
[SB 7.5.23]
There are nine different process of associating with God. The first, preliminary association is sravanam. Just like you are hearing. You are kindly hearing the speeches of Lord Krsna. That means you are associating with Krsna, or God. Always remember when we speak of Krsna, Krsna means God. So because we are hearing, we are associating with God. And as we are associating with God, then your material contamination is being reduced. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. As you go on hearing, then the contamination which you have acquired in this material world, that is being reduced. So by the association of God in this way, by consciousness, that "Here is God, here is Krsna. In sound there is Krsna, in the taste of the water there is Krsna, in the illumination there is Krsna," so how you can avoid Krsna? Every step you can remember Krsna. And if you can remember in that way, then your association is permanent, twenty-four hours, your association with Krsna.
So association with Krsna means just like association with daylight, sunshine, there is no question of contamination. If you get sunshine always, oh, you will never be..., ultra violet rays... That is scientific truth. If you are always in the sunshine, there will be no disease. This is a practical point. This is a practical fact, that modern medical science, they approve a disease incurable. They recommend, "Just lie down on the sunshine." Yes, it is a fact. And Vedic rules, one man who is diseased, he worships sun. That means he has to come into the sunshine, and naturally his disease will be cured. Similarly, as you associate with sunshine, you are cured of all diseases, similarly, if you associate with Krsna always by consciousness, there is no trouble. There is no material trouble. Try it. Simply by sounding Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Not only sounding, this is also going on at the same time, this consciousness: "This water is Krsna. The taste of the water is Krsna. The sound is Krsna. This illumination is Krsna." In this way you have to practice.
The only thing is that our present stage is forgetfulness. We have forgotten, that's all. So we have to revive. We have to revive our spiritual life, our spiritual consciousness. And the simple process is this sravanam. This act, which you are performing, is approved by Lord Caitanya. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. When Lord Caitanya was speaking with Ramananda Raya... He is a great friend of Lord Caitanya and great devotee, just like Krsna and Arjuna. So Ramananda Raya was explaining about gradual development of spiritual life. So he recommended so many things -- varnasrama-dharma, sannyasa, and renunciation of work. Lord Caitanya says, "No, it is not so good. It is not so good. It is not so good." In this way, when he was... Ramananda Raya, he was proposing something, that "This is the system of promoting spiritual consciousness," and Caitanya Mahaprabhu was rejecting, "No, no. You say something more, better than." Then he was proposing another, another, another.
When the eighth stage, when Ramananda Raya cited one verse from the Vedic literature... This literature is
jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva
jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam
sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir
ye prayaso 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyam
The purport of this verse is that jnane prayasam udapasya: "One should give up his unnecessary endeavor for philosophical speculation about God." One should give it up, jnane prayasam, because by speculation you cannot reach to the ultimate truth. How far... How can you... Just suppose we are speculating... Very great scientists are speculating about the nature of the moon from here. But they are speculating. They have not come to any conclusion. So you go on speculating, which you have no experience. You go on speculating, but the real nature of that thing will never come to you.
So jnane prayasam. Especially for understanding God, or God consciousness, speculation is useless. So Lord Caitanya, I mean to say the Bhagavata, says that jnane prayasam udapasya, that that sort of endeavor, speculating, should be given up. Namanta eva: "You just become submissive." Just become submissive, that "What I am? I am insignificant creature in this universe." This world, this earth, is an insignificant point in the universe. And within this earth, the America is a small spot. And within America, this New York City is another small spot. And in this New York City, I am there. So what is my importance? So we should understand that we are very insignificant in comparison to the creation of the whole cosmic situation and God. So we should be very submissive. We should understand our position. Artificially, we should not be puffed up, the frog philosophy.
The frog philosophy is that a frog in the well, he was informed about the Atlantic Ocean by his friend, and the frog inquired from him, "Oh, what is that Atlantic Ocean?" "Oh, it is a huge, vast span of water." Now, the frog is in the well, he is thinking, "Oh, it may be double than this well or it may be triple than this well, or a hundred times," in this way, calculating. But do you think by such calculation the frog will ever come to the conclusion how length and breadth is of Atlantic Ocean? So this is all frog philosophy. We are very tiny. Our knowledge, power of speculating, is limited always. So we cannot speculate about the Supreme. It is a useless waste of time. Therefore Bhagavata says, "You give up this. You give up this process of speculating." Jnane prayasam udapasy a: "Give it up." Then what is next? "Now, be submissive. Be submissive." Then? "All right, let me become submissive. Then next?" Jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam: "You just try to understand, just try to hear the message of God."
The message of God is just like Bhagavad-gita or Bible, any, as you like. Just try to hear, san-mukharitam vartam, from realized soul. Just like the truths of Bible were spoken by Lord Jesus Christ or Krsna. Any, whatever you like, you hear. Jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam. But you must hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and nothing more. That should be your profession. Then what will be the result? The result will be sthane sthitah. In whatever condition you are, that doesn't matter. "Oh, I am a very poor man." That doesn't matter. "Oh, I am a very rich man." That doesn't matter. "Oh, I am European." It doesn't matter. "I am Indian." Doesn't matter. "I am born very low." Oh, doesn't matter. Anything, unconditional. You remain whatever you are; that doesn't matter. If you simply hear, sthane sthitah sruti-gatam, if you simply give your aural reception to these transcendental words, the result will be that God, who can never be conquered, you'll conquer God. How you conquer? You will conquer by love. God cannot be conquered, but He can be conquered by love.
Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was a friend of Krsna. How he conquered? Now, Krsna became his driver. The Personality of Godhead, who is the Supreme, everyone's master, He became a menial servant of Arjuna. So God is so lovable, and He reciprocates His love in this way. So you can conquer. Just like Krsna became the son of Nanda Maharaja, and when He was child, He took the shoes of Nanda Maharaja on His head just like child play. You see? So these are symptoms of conquering God. What you... You are trying to become one with God? Oh, you can become father of God. You can become father of God. God has no father but He accepts His devotee, His lover, "Oh, you are My father." So that is the question. So if this process is for simply hearing, aural reception, sincerely, then by this process, whatever position I may be, in whatever position I may be, I can conquer the Supreme Lord. He agrees to be conquered.
This Krsna consciousness should be spread. It is very easy. You drink water -- oh, you remember Krsna. You hear something -- oh. Suppose there are... So many sounds are occurring in the street, but if you know that "This sound is Krsna," then in every step you will feel Krsna.
Then again He says,
punyo gandhah prthivyam ca
tejas casmi vibhavasau
jivanam sarva-bhutesu
tapas casmi tapasvisu
He is describing more elaborately. How is that? Now, punyo gandhah prthivyam ca. Punyo gandhah means flavor, the flavor. Any flavor, that is Krsna, that is God. You cannot create any flavor. Synthetically, we may create some scent, but that is not as good as natural scent. So that is... When you have a good flavor, you can remember, "Oh, here is God. Here is Krsna." When there is some natural beauty, oh, you can understand, "Here is Krsna." And when there is something uncommon, very powerful, wonderful, oh, you can understand, "Here is Krsna." And when there is life, jivanam... As long a tree lives, as long a man lives, as long as animal lives, so you understand, "This life, this life is part and parcel of Krsna." As soon as the part and parcel of Krsna, the spark, is taken away from that body, oh, everything goes. No meaning. So nice brain, we are acting -- Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. But as soon as that small particle of Krsna's part and parcel is removed from this body, no more Sir Isaac Newton working. Finish.
So jivanam sarva-bhutanam: He is the life. He is the life. We can see in every step God. People say, "Can you show me God?" Yes. God is seen in so many ways. You just try to see. If you close your eyes, that "I shall not see God," then who can show you? But you can see God in every step. Jivanam sarva-bhutesu tapas casmi tapasvisu. Tapas casmi, any kind of penance, any kind of perseverance, that is also God. Tapas casmi tapasvisu. Bijam mam sarva-bhutanam viddhi partha sanatanam. And bijam. Bijam means seed. The seed is sanatana, that is eternal. Sanatana means eternal. There is a gigantic tree, but what is the platform, that is the background of this gigantic tree seed? That small seed, that mustardlike grain, seed. That is the background of this large tree.
Bijam mam sarva-bhutanam viddhi partha sanatanam. And that seed is eternal. The seed within me, within you, everyone, the seed is there. And as soon as the seed takes place in the mother's womb, the seed begins to fructify, little by little. Then it comes out. When it is properly developed with hands and legs and eyes, it comes out from the mother's womb. Then again develops, again develops. He becomes a boy, he becomes a youth, he becomes a... So many things, changes everything. But that seed is permanent. The body is changing, but the seed is there. Therefore it is sanatana.
It is very easy to understand how we change our body. We are changing our body every moment, imperceptibly. Imperceptibly, we are changing our body every, every moment, every second. So change of body is a fact. Therefore that bijam, that small particle, spark of spirit, that is sanatana. This body is changing. Now, when it is changed to another body, that means transmigration of the soul from one body to another. This is a fact, and it is not very difficult to understand. We are changing our body every moment. Bijam mam sarva-bhutanam viddhi partha sanatanam, buddhir buddhimatam asmi. One who is very intelligent, that intelligence, extraordinary intelligence, must be considered, "Oh, he is Krsna." Without being especially favored by Krsna, nobody can become extraordinarily intelligent. Anyone... Everyone is trying that "I shall be more intelligent than my friend, my others," but without Krsna's, I mean to say, special favor, nobody can become extraordinarily intelligent. Therefore, wherever you find extraordinary intelligence, you should consider, "Oh, there is Krsna." This is Krsna consciousness.
Buddhir buddhimatam asmi tejas tejasvinam aham. One who is very influential, that influence is Krsna. That influence, that particular influence of a particular man, that is also Krsna. Balam balavatam caham. And one is very strong, stout and strong, that particular strength is also Krsna. Just like an elephant is very strong. And more than elephant, the gorilla is still more strong. That strength, wherefrom..., wherefrom he gets strength? Now, suppose I am a human being. I cannot get such strength by my own endeavor, but I can get strength ten thousand times more than the elephant if Krsna favors. Therefore strength. Just like Bhima. Bhima had strength ten thousand times than an elephant. He was so strong. There is no question of not believing. Because as I find that you are stronger than me and he is stronger than you, oh, similarly, there are many degrees of strength. Now, these degrees of strength is Krsna. So you can understand Krsna. Without Krsna's favor, nobody can be stronger than the others. So balam balavatam asmi.
Kama-raga-vivarjitam. Kama. Kama means desire. Raga-vivarjitam, without attraction. Desire without attraction, that is Krsna. Desire without attraction, how it can be possible? Desire with attraction. Whenever we desire something... I want some young girl, I desire. Desire means I have got attraction. But desire without attraction, how it is possible? Can you explain? Yes. Desire without attraction means Krsna consciousness. I desire for Krsna's benefit, not for my benefit. That is desire without attraction. So kama-raga-vivarjitam.
Kama-raga-vivarjitam, dharmaviruddho bhutesu kamo 'smi bharatarsabha. "And lust, lust which is not against religious principles, that is also I am." What is that lust? Lust means, generally means, sex, sex life. Sex life which is not against religious principles, that is Krsna. How it is religious principle, sex life? Yes. Sex life is religious principle in this way, that when you want a good child, in that sense, if you undertake sex life, that is sanctioned. That is religion. And without that, everything sex life is nonreligion. If you can produce a good child, you can have thousand times sexual intercourse, but if you produce cats and dogs, don't take. That is irreligious. So here it is stated that dharmaviruddho bhutesu. Therefore, for sex life, dharma is marriage. In the human society there is marriage. In the animal society there is no marriage. They indulge in sex life any way, because they are animals. But in human society, either Hindu society or Muslim society or Christian society or any society, any civilized society, there is the marriage. So the marriage, sex life by marriage, is religious, and sex life without marriage, that is irreligious. So here Krsna says that "Sex life," dharmaviruddhah, "which is not against religious principle, that is I am."
So there is no harm to become a householder. It is not that... I am a sannyasi; I have given up household life. And one person who is a householder... There is no difference, provided it is on the principle of religion. I am a sannyasi. I am forbidden to make any association with women. I cannot talk even with woman in a lonely place. That is forbidden. I cannot talk with a woman. I give you one practical example. When my Guru Maharaja, my spiritual master, was living... I am speaking about fifty years before. We were all young men at that time, and one of my Godbrothers, he was also young man, Dr. O. B. Kapoor, and his wife was also young. So his wife wanted to speak with my Guru Maharaja. My Guru Maharaja was at that time not less than sixty or more than that, and the girl, my friend's wife, she was not more than twenty-two years. But actually, she was just like his granddaughter. But she proposed, "Sir, I wanted to speak with you something confidentially." My Guru Maharaja said, "Oh, no, no. I cannot speak with you confidentially. You can speak whatever you like here." Just see. "I cannot speak." Now the so much age difference, so much, I mean to say, affection, still, he refused: "No, no. I cannot talk with you confidentially because you are woman."
So a sannyasi is forbidden not to talk even in private place with woman. But a householder, he, if he associates woman under marriage tie, then it is religious. And without this, this is irreligious. And that religious sex life is God. Religious sex life is God. This should be followed. If we, every one of us reading Bhagavad-gita, every one of us, at least... So far India is concerned, that is a different thing. In America also, I find so many American gentlemen, they read Bhagavad-gita. But I am afraid if they are reading Bhagavad-gita so scrutinizingly, as it is stated here, dharmaviruddho bhutesu kamo 'smi bharatarsabha: "Sex life which is not against religious principle, that is I am." So in, I mean to say, regulated sex life, married life, that is Krsna. So that is not without Krsna. That is Krsna.
Then He says,
ye caiva sattvika bhava
rajasas tamasas ca ye
matta eveti tan viddhi
na tv aham tesu te mayi
Now, one may question, "Then if You are particularly -- You are Personality of Godhead, Supreme God -- You are speaking that You are sound, You are this light, You are this pranava, You are bija, You are also kama, so many things. So do You mean to say that You are simply in goodness? And what about the other things?" Because there are three qualities of the material world: the modes of goodness and the modes of passion and the modes of darkness. Now, so far Krsna has described Himself, that any good thing... Just like sex life in marriage is a good. "That's all right. You are. What about other things?" Then Krsna replies. He automatically says that ye caiva sattvika bhava rajasas tamasas ca ye.
Whatever there are in this material world, we find interaction of three qualities only: goodness, passion, and ignorance. All manifestations that you are observing, they are different combination of these three qualities. Now that can be made into nine. Three into three equal to nine; nine into nine equal to eighty-one; and so on -- go on diluting. But the main background is that three qualities. So Krsna says that "Whatever qualities are there," ye caiva sattvika bhava rajasas tamasas ca ye, "either goodness or passion or ignorance," matta eveti tan viddhi, "they are all produced from Me. They are all produced from Me." How is that? Na tv aham tesu te mayi, that "Because they are produced from Me, therefore they are standing, their position is in Me, but I am not there. I am transcendental." So in another sense, even the bad things, evil things, which is produced out of ignorance, that is also Krsna. But when? When it is applied by Krsna.
How it is that? Practical example: Now, an electrical engineer, he is producing electricity, energy. Now, you are feeling at your home in the refrigerator it is cold, and in the heater it is hot. But in the original generating station, it is electricity. It is neither cold, neither hot. So these qualitative manifestation of the world, they are different for me. For Krsna, there is no difference. Therefore sometimes, if Krsna acts on the principle of this ignorance, for Krsna it is Krsna. Just like for the electric engineer -- the whole energy is electricity. Nothing. He has no distinction, "This is cold and this is hot." This is the philosophy. Matta eveti tan viddhi na tu, na tv aham tesu te mayi. Everything is being generated. And the Vedanta-sutra confirms it: janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1], everything. "That is the Supreme Truth from where everything is emanating." That is Supreme Truth. So what we are thinking bad, good, that is bad and good for me, because I am conditioned, but because He is not conditioned, therefore for Him, there is no bad and good. He is not conditioned. I am conditioned; therefore I am feeling heat and cold. But because He is not conditioned, everything is all right for Him. So such is Krsna.
So how Krsna has described Himself as He is. But why we are not attracted to Krsna? That is explained in the next.
tribhir gunamayair bhavair
ebhih sarvam idam jagat
mohitam nabhijanati
mam ebhyah param avyayam
"Because they are illusioned by the intermixture of these three qualities..." Mohita: "They are illusioned." Tribhir gunamayair bhavair ebhih sarvam idam jagat. Idam jagat. This material world is spread all over with these three gunas, or three qualities of material nature.
Now, from here you can understand that the division of social orders, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13], that "The four division of human society is made by Me." How it is that? That guna-karma-vibhagasah: "According to the material qualities and world." So in the Vedic literature in India you find there are four division of human society: the brahmana, the ksatriya, the vaisya and the sudra. So that is natural. That is not artificial. People misunderstand that Indians have created a caste system. No. That caste system is everywhere -- sarvam idam jagat. Not only India, all universe is being conducted by that process. Even here also, you have got that caste system. Some of you are in the modes of goodness, some of you are in the modes of passion, some of you are in the modes of ignorance, and some of you are in the mixed quality. So that is prevailing all over the world. And those who are in the modes of goodness, they are brahmana. Name may be another thing. You may say, "Oh, this person, this man is very intelligent, very moralist." That means he is a brahmana. Or "This man is very good administrator." That means he is ksatriya. "Oh, this man is very good industrialist, merchant." That means he is vaisya. "This man cannot do anything." He is sudra.
So Lord Krsna says that tribhir gunamayair bhavaih: "By these three qualities, everywhere, all over the universe..." You must know whenever Krsna says something, it is nothing limited. Universally true, He says. When He says sarva-yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4], He claims to be father of all living entities. Even the animals, even the aquatics, even the trees, plants, worms, birds, beasts, this human being, that human being -- all He claims. He's the father of everyone. So similarly, tribhir gunamayair bhavaih, mohitam sarva-jagat: "The whole world is," I mean to say, "illusioned or covered by these reactions of these three qualities." And we are under the spell of that illusion; therefore we cannot understand what is God, what is God. Tribhir gunamayair bhavair ebhih sarvam idam jagat, mohitam nabhijanati: "Because they are now illusioned, under the spell of the intermixture of these three qualities, they cannot understand Me, Krsna." Mam ebhyah param avyayam: "I am the supreme eternal being. Oh, they cannot understand."
So this illusion... What is the nature of this illusion? How it can be overcome? That is also explained here.
daivi hy esa gunamayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te
[Bg. 7.14]
Oh, you cannot do it by mental speculation. You cannot get rid of this entanglement of three qualities. It is not possible. It is very strong. Don't you think how we are in the grip of the material nature? It is not possible. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya. Guna. Guna means this quality, and another meaning of guna is rope. Just like we have seen rope, one rope, two rope, three ropes. When three ropes are, I mean to say, bound up, twisted in one, oh, that becomes very strong. Guna means rope also. So we are tied up hands and feet with that rope of these qualities, three. You see? It is very difficult to get out of it. Then? Hopelessness? No. No hopelessness. How can I get rid out of it? Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te: [Bg. 7.14] "Anyone who surrenders unto Me, he is at once free." Anyone who becomes Krsna conscious by this way or that way, he becomes free.
Thank you very much. Any questions? Yes.
Student: Did you say you're supposed to have sex... (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966
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