Prabhupada:
raja-vidya raja-guhyam
pavitram idam uttamam
pratyaksavagamam dharmyam
susukham kartum avyayam
This is called... (aside:) Bruce! Come on. Sit down. Yes... Raja-vidya. Vidya means education, and raja means king. So what is the king of education? Just like we have got a different status of life in the material world, similarly, in the education also, somebody is M.A., somebody is B.A., somebody is school-leaving certificate, somebody is three years, somebody is four years. There are different grades of education. Now, what is the summum bonum, highest, topmost education? This topmost education is Krsna consciousness, topmost education. Raja-vidya. Jivatma yathatmadi-rahasyanam rajah. Real knowledge is: "So what I am?" This is real knowledge. Unless we come to this point, that "What I am?" that is not knowledge.
Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He began His preaching, His first disciple was Sanatana Gosvami. He was a finance minister of Nawab Hussain Shah, but being attracted with Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement, he retired from service and he joined Lord Caitanya. So at that time, when he came to Caitanya for the first time, his inquiry was that "What is education? What is education?" He was educated. He was highly educated. In those days Persian language was being taught in England, er, in India. Just like during British rule English language was taught to us, similarly, during Pathan rule, Persian language was state language. Besides that, Sanatana Gosvami was a great scholar in Sanskrit also. Still, he inquired that "What is education? What is education?" Why he inquired like that? He placed before the Lord that "People in general, they call me very educated, and I am also so fool that I accept that I am educated." So the next question is: "Then why do you think that you are not educated? You are great scholar in Sanskrit, you are great scholar in Persian language. Why do you think that you are not educated?" He replied that "I am thinking ‘not educated' because I do not know what I am. I do not know what I am. I do not wish to be a suffering member, but these material miseries is enforced upon me. I do not know wherefrom I have come, where I have to go, and still people, they think that I am very much educated and they designate me that I am a great scholar, and I am satisfied. But I am such a fool that I do not know what I am."
Actually, this is the position of our present situation. We are very much proud of our advancement of education. But if you inquire from various persons that "What you are?" hardly some will answer what he is. Everyone is under the conception of this body. But we are not actually this body. This question we have discussed various times, many times. So this after passing this examination that "I am not this body," then one who, one comes into the real knowledge. That is real knowledge, "What I am." That is the beginning. So the knowledge about which Lord Krsna is now imparting, giving instruction to Arjuna, He says, "This is raja-vidya." Raja-vidya means to know oneself what he is and act accordingly. That is called raja-vidya. If I do not know what I am, what is my position, then if I am in mistaken about my situation, then all activities, what I am doing, they are all mistaken. They are all illusion. Therefore this position, raja-vidya, means one should know himself, what he is, and act accordingly. Simply by knowing that "I am not this material body," that is not sufficient. You must act accordingly, that you are not material; you are spiritual. That spiritual activity is called Krs..., act in Krsna consciousness, and that is called raja-vidya, the king of all education.
Raja-vidya raja-guhyam. Raja-guhyam. Raja-guhyam means confidential, very confidential. It is not possible to accept this Krsna consciousness very easily, but by the mercy of Krsna and by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, it is very easily delivered to us through this chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya has discussed a very analytical study of the living entity. He has analyzed that the living entities... There are innumerable living entities all over the universe. If you dig earth, you'll find many living entities. If you make a study of the air, you'll find many living entities. If you go deep into the water, you'll find living entities. So all over the universe there are full of different types of living entities. And He has divided all these living entities into two classes. Some are moving and some are not moving. Just like trees, plants, grass, they cannot move. Stone. Stone has also life, but it is not developed conscious. It is too much covered, stone life. Similarly, a person, even in human body, if he does not understand his position, he's almost stonelike. So these are stones, trees, grass and so many others. They are "not-moving" living entities. And there are moving entities just like aquatics, beasts, birds, reptiles, human being, demigods, oh, celestial angels, so many. There are moving. So out of the moving entities, very small number are human beings. There are 8,400,000's of species of life. Out of that, only 400,000 species of life are this human body.
So Lord Caitanya says, "Out of these 400,000 species of life, some of them are civilized. And out of many civilized persons, they are actually devoted to the scriptures, not all." Some of them, they agree that "I belong to Christian religion," "I belong to Hindu religion," or "I belong to Muhammadan religion," but at the present age, mostly they simply claim that "I belong to this religion" but do not believe in the scripture, mostly. So those who are believing in the scriptures, they are mostly attracted by pious, philanthropic activities. They, some of them, those who actually believe that charity is very good thing, and... Religious means these three things: yajna-dana-tapah. Yajna-dana-tapah. Yajna means sacrifice, dana means charity, and tapah means penance. Just like brahmacari. It is tapasya. Tapasya. A sannyasi, it is tapasya. Tapah. Tapah means penance, voluntarily accepting very rigid principles of life. That is called tapasya. And charity. Charity means voluntarily giving away his material possessions. That is charity. And yajna, sacrifice. Sacrifice, of course, you have no experience. Not you, but we all. Nowadays, in the present days, there is no sacrifice.
But we get information from such historical literature as Mahabharata. Mahabharata is called history in the Vedic literature. So kings were performing very big sacrifices. Millions of rupees, millions of valuables, gold and silver, they were distributed. Oh, that is not possible. That was being done by the kings. Kings used to collect tax from the citizens but at the same..., at the time when they performed sacrifice, they were distributed to all the citizens, all of them. So that process is not. Nowadays the state simply collects taxes but never distributes. So we have no idea what is yajna. But this yajna is the performance of kings or the heads of the state, and dana of the general householders, and tapasya for brahmacari, sannyasi, vanaprastha. So these are different kinds of rules in religious life.
So those who believe in scriptures, they adopt, not all. Just like I explained that mostly people, they simply accept a certain faith. Mouth, in mouth only. Actually, they do not do anything. Do not do anything. So out of that many, millions of people like that, somebody are religious, really religious, who perform this sacrifice, charity, and penances. So Lord Caitanya says, "Out of many millions of persons who are actually engaged in charity, and," I mean to say, "penance and sacrifice, some of them become in perfect knowledge what he is." So this knowledge is... Just see how He's making analytical study of the living entities. Beginning from eighty-eight, er, eight hundred, 8,400,000 species of life, He's selecting only few human civilized life; then addicted to the, I mean to say, certain kind of faith; then extracting them who are actually believing; and then those who are actually believing. Out of them, those who are sacrificing, making charities and adopting penances, out of many millions of like, persons like that, some of them are actually in knowledge what he is.
You'll find in your country also. There are many foundations. They are making charities. But hardly you'll find amongst them that he knows that what he is. So out of many millions of these religious persons, some of them know what he is, "I am not this body." Now, simply theoretically knowing that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," that is not perfect. You have to actually become liberated from the material entanglement. That is called mukti, liberation. So out of many thousands of persons who are in the knowledge what they are or what he is, some of them are actually liberated. Liberated. And out of many thousands of people who are liberated, they can understand what is Krsna. So Krsna understanding is not very easy job. But Krsna is so kind because He knows that in this age, in this age of Kali, it will be very difficult for persons to become liberated under the process -- first to become civilized, then to become religious, then to perform this charity, sacrifices, then come to the platform of knowledge, then, after coming to the platform of knowledge, you come to the platform of liberation, and after being liberated, you can know what is Krsna.
That is stated in Bhagavad-gita,
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]
This is the sign of liberation. A man who is liberated, his signs are explained in the Bhagavad-gita, brahma-bhutah prasannatma. His first symptom is that he's very happy. One who is liberated, his first symptom is that you'll never find him morose. He is happy. Prasannatma. Na socati na kanksati. He has no anxiety. "Oh, this thing I haven't got. I have to secure this thing. This bill I have to pay. Oh, this I have to do." So many anxieties. We are full of anxieties. So he has no anxieties. And then does it mean, because he has no anxieties, he is very rich man? No. Not necessarily. He has no anxiety. Then he has no lamentation. He does not think, "I am poor." Why he should think poor? Poor, when I think that "I am this material, some, I am a part of this material world, I haven't got this possession, material possession," then I think, "I am poor" or "rich." But one who is liberated from the material conception of life, then he has nothing to do, what he's possessing, what he's not possessing. He has nothing to do. That is liberation. If one is free from the material conception of life, then factually, either he possesses or not possesses, he has nothing to do with them. Therefore he's prasannatma, he's joyful: "Oh. I have nothing to lose, nothing to gain. I am completely separate from here." This is liberation.
And samah sarvesu bhutesu. And his vision of life is that he does not see anybody rich, poor, or fool, or educated, or so many dualities there are in the material world. He has nothing. His vision is completely on the spiritual platform. He sees that every living entity is a part and parcel of Krsna. Therefore he tries to take them back to Krsna consciousness. He has no distinction that "He is brahmana. He is sudra. He is Indian. He's American," or "He's black. He's white," or "He's educated. He's noneducated." No. "Everyone should come to Krsna consciousness." That is his viewpoint. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. When one is qualified in that way, then mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]. Lord Krsna says "Then he becomes eligible for becoming a pure devotee of Krsna." So practically this process, under regulative principles, is not very easy, especially in this age. In this age, the description of the people are that prayena alpayusah: "Their duration of life is very short." And prayenalpayusah mandah. Manda means very slow. Sleeping, out of twenty-four hours, sleeping twelve hours, and out of twelve hours, they're busy in earning money ten hours. Then two hours left. What he can do for spiritual understanding. There's no time. So mandah sumanda-matayah. And if somebody has got some intention to make spiritual progress, then there are so many pseudo-spiritual, I mean to say, societies. They're entrapped by some of them. So manda-matayah, sumanda-matayah, manda-bhagyah: "And most of them are unfortunate, unfortunate." Most of them. If you count the population, take a statistic, they are so unfortunate that the primary principles of life -- eating, sleeping, defending and mating -- they haven't got sufficient arrangement. Oh. These are only primary principles. They are available even in animal life. But in this age even these primary principles... No one has got shelter, no one has arrangement for eating nicely, no one has got the mating or wife, and everyone is afraid of "When there will be war declared, and I'll have to go to the warfield?" This is the position.
Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagyah [SB 1.1.10]. Unfortunate. And upadrutah: "In spite of all this, he's always disturbed with diseases and so many other things." This is disturb. This is the position. Therefore Lord Krsna, He thought that if these people are allowed, if they have to come to the point of liberation under the regulative process, it is impossible. So out of His causeless mercy, He came as Lord Caitanya, Lord Caitanya, and distributed this highest perfection of life, ecstasy, spiritual ecstasy, by chanting this Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This is practical. This is practical. It does not depend whether you are now liberated or non-liberated, what is your position, what is your condition. Doesn't matter. Just come and take part in it, and you'll feel spiritual ecstasy. Therefore it is called raja-vidya raja-guhyam pavitram. Pavitram: "It is very pure." Anyone who takes to this process, he becomes immediately purified. Or the purification process begins immediately. Immediately. Pavitram.
And uttamam. Uttamam means the highest, or transcendental. Last day we have already explained uttamam. So the commentator, he says, aprarabdha
aprarabdha-phalam papam
putam bijam phalonmukham
kramenaiva praliyante
visnu-bhakti-ratatmana
Visnu-bhakti-ratatmana. That means one who is in this Krsna consciousness, then the, eh, gradually his the seed of all reaction of his sins, that becomes vanquished. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita, we have studied. Just like in the fire, if you put anything... You go on putting everything. It makes into, turns it into ashes. Similarly, this fire of Krsna consciousness, as soon as it is begun, then all our reactions of sinful activities in our past life... Mind that. Our suffering is due to sinful activities. And sinful activities are due to our ignorance. Ignorance. Sinful activities are done by persons who do not know what is what. Just like a child. A child does not know what is the result of catching fire. Because he is ignorant. But as soon as the child catches fire, his hand becomes burned immediately. The fire does not allow any concession for the child. It will act as fire. Similarly, we do not know how this material world is going on, what are the laws, who is the controller, how it is being controlled. Due to our ignorance, we act in some way, but nature is so stringent that it will never excuse you, either you do it knowingly or unknowingly. Just the same example: the child does not know that the fire will burn, but if the child catches the fire, the fire will not excuse because it is child. Therefore ignorance is the cause of suffering.
And one should be put into proper knowledge. Proper knowledge means to know things as they are: "What I am, what is this world, what is God, what is our relation." These things we should know, not that simply becoming a technical expert or some departmental expert, we become a man of knowledge. That is not knowledge. Here is knowledge. You should know what you are and how you act. And this knowledge can be achieved in this human form of life, not in the animal form of life. Therefore, to give you knowledge, to give you proper direction, there are so many scriptures in all parts of the civilized world. They should not be neglected. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says,
krsna bhuliya jiva, er,
anadi bahir-mukha jiva krsna bhuli' gela
ataeva krsna veda-purana karila(?)
The meaning of this stanza is that people are forgetful since time immemorial about his relationship with the Supreme Lord. Forgetful. Bhuli' gela. Bhuli' gela means he has forgotten. Ataeva krsna veda-purana karila. Therefore Lord has sent so many representatives to give them these literatures, these scriptures.
So we should take advantage of these scriptures, especially the Bhagavad-gita, which is accepted as the prime scripture in the modern world, and you'll find everything nicely. You can put your arguments, you can try to understand with your knowledge, with your intelligence. Everything will be clear. So we should take advantage of this Bhagavad-gita and our power of intaking will be increased if we begin with this transcendental sound vibration, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Thank you very much. Any questions? (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 9.2 -- New York, November 22, 1966
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