"The King Of Knowledge" 76/04/20 Melbourne, Bhagavad-gita 9.2

Prabhupada: (devotees repeating)

raja-vidya raja-guhyam
pavitram idam uttamam
pratyaksavagamam dharmyam
susukham kartum avyayam

So this knowledge, as we have begun yesterday, that idam te,

idam tu te guhyatamam
pravaksyamy anasuyave
jnanam vijnana-sahitam
yaj jnatva moksyase 'subhat

Very important chapter, the most confidential knowledge, guhyatamam. And it is spoken by Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even those who are liberated from this material contamination, they are called mukta-jiva, liberated soul. And there are nitya-mukta. Nitya-mukta and nitya-baddha. Nitya means eternally, and mukta means liberated. And again, nitya, eternally, baddha, conditioned. So just like there are many persons in the state who have never seen what is the prison life, and there are many persons in the state, the majority of one's life is passed in the prison. Similarly, there are two nature, material nature and the spiritual nature. What we are seeing, this nature, this universe, within the material nature... Similarly, there is another spiritual nature. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah [Bg. 8.20].

There is another nature. You cannot deny it. Where God's kingdom, creation, how far it is, and how widespread it is -- by your imagination you cannot determine. The so-called advancement of scientific knowledge is useless in the estimation of the total creation. This creation, material creation, is one-fourth exhibition of the total creation. And the three-fourth exhibition of the total creation is the spiritual world. So there are also... Like here we have got so many planets and each planet is full of living entities, as this planet is full of living entities, similarly, in other planets, upper, middle, down, there are millions, millions of different types of living entities. It is a false statement that "Only on this planet there is living entities; in other planets there are no living entities." That is nonsensical. There are living entities exactly like this. Maybe the climate, the situation, little different. Just like your climate, India climate... Even on this planet there are different climatic situations, European, American, Australian, Asian. So that is God's varieties of creation.

So we have to take knowledge from the perfect person. So what is the difference between this material world and the spiritual world? In the material world we are conditioned, and in the spiritual world we are liberated. This is the difference. In material... What is conditioned life? Conditioned life means subjected to the rules and regulation of the material nature. That is conditioned life. Just like we have got this body. This is also a condition of the material nature. We have got different types of bodies, why? Because we are conditioned. According to our karma we have got different types of body, 8,400,000's of bodies. So liberated life means not to go under the condition of this material nature. That is liberated life. In the conditioned life there are four defects. Out of many other conditions, so far our knowledge is concerned, that is defective. Why? Because we commit mistakes. Every one of us, we commit mistake, we are illusioned, our senses are imperfect, and we have a tendency to cheat. This is four defects of conditioned life. But the liberated life they have no such conditions.

And another condition is you have to live under threefold miseries, that miserable conditions pertaining to the body and mind... Even if you are opulent externally, if you are sick, if your mind is not in proper condition, you suffer. That is called adhyatmika. And there are other miseries offered by other living entities. Just like some friend all of a sudden becomes your enemy and he tries to inflict some injuries upon you. You are full of anxieties. This is called adhibhautika. Even there is no enmity, there are so many living entities, just like bugs, mosquitos, other animals. They are always prepared to give us trouble. This is called adhibhautika. Adhyatmika, adhibhautika, and adhidaivika, which is beyond your... Every miserable condition is beyond your control, but especially adhidaivika, famine, pestilence, overflood, no rain, scarcity. This is called adhidaivika. So this is called conditioned life.

So if you have got perfect knowledge, that is described here that jnanam vijnana-sahitam, if you have got perfect knowledge, then the result will be yaj jnatva. If you possess that perfect knowledge, then moksyase asubhat. These conditions we don't want. That is the real fact. We don't want any miserable condition due to my mind, due to my body, or due to other living entities or natural disturbances, birth, death, old age, disease. We don't want. These are inauspicities of life. But if you have got perfect knowledge, then Krsna says that you become liberated from all these inauspicities. That is the subject matter of this chapter.
Therefore Krsna says that this knowledge is raja-vidya. We have got different departments of knowledge, university and institutes. But nowhere this subject matter is discussed, or there is any department. There are... Suppose medical department. What is the medical department? To give us relief from diseased condition. But there is no department which discusses how to become free from all diseases. That is not found. There is no such department. There is department how to give you relief from disease, there is department how to manufacture very effective medicines, but there is no department where knowledge is given that no more disease. Is there any department? Therefore this knowledge which is given by Krsna, it is called raja-vidya. Raja-vidya means the king of knowledge. If you learn this knowledge, then you become completely freed from the conditioned stage of this material world. Therefore it is called raja. Raja means king, and vidya means knowledge.

Raja-vidya raja-guhyam. And at the same time, it is the most confidential knowledge, guhyam, guhyatamam, very confidential. It is not disclosed to ordinary man. This knowledge is not meant for. Suppose we are discussing this knowledge, and when we say, "By understanding this knowledge there is no more birth, death, old age, and disease," ordinary person with less brain substance, they will laugh. They will say, "Ha, how it is possible?" Therefore it is very confidential. It is not open to everyone. It is meant for selected person. If I say that "I shall give you relief from birth, death, old age and disease," you'll not believe it. Therefore it is raja-guhyam. Guhyam means very, very confidential.

Raja-vidya raja-guhyam pavitram. Pavitram means very pure. Because unless we are purified, we cannot be free from these four miserable conditions especially, namely birth, death, old age, and disease. Birth, death, old age is meant for this body, and the body is obtained by the spirit soul. The spirit soul is pure; there is no doubt about it because it is part and parcel of Krsna or God. So God is pure. Just like gold is gold. And the fragments of gold is also gold, the same quality. But the fragments of gold sometimes becomes mixed up with dirty things. So we are in the same condition. Becoming fragments of God, we are sometimes put into this material world and we are materially contaminated. So this knowledge, raja-vidya, most confidential. If we can learn it, then we become pure, completely pure.

Pavitram idam uttamam. Uttamam. Ut mean udgata, transcendental, and tama means this material world, darkness. In the material world the nature is darkness. Just like at night it is darkness. This is the nature of this material world. But it is... There is illumination on account of the sun. So God has created the sun to give us light. Sometimes we have heard that on account of absence of the sunshine they commit suicide. In Switzerland, no, where?

Devotee: Scandinavia.

Prabhupada: Scandinavia, they say. So the darkness is very, very disgusting. But this material world is dark. To give us little relief, Krsna, God, has given us the sun. The day before yesterday, I think... Yesterday, in the morning, we saw, while coming on the path, how the sun was coming through the sea nicely. Within a second the whole light came. So this is God's arrangement. Don't think that this arrangement... Exactly in the time, six o'clock in the morning, immediately the sun comes out of the sea and gives you light. Because this material world is dark, so in order to give you relief... Otherwise you'll commit suicide. God is so kind, He is giving you light. So uttamam.

So if we can go back to home, back to Godhead, there is no darkness. It is all illuminating. It is stated in the sastra that there is no need of sun, there is no need of moon, there is no... 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 or fire. That is the description. Here in the Bhagavad-gita you'll find. Na tad bhasayate suryo na sasanko na pavakah. We cannot imagine how without sun, without moon, without electricity, without fire, one can live. Yes, but there is a world like that. You do not require sunshine. You do not require. They are all illuminated. So that is uttamam. Udgata tama yasmat, the Sanskrit word, "from which the darkness is completely eradicated." There is another Bengali verse,

krsna -- surya-sama; maya haya andhakara
yahan krsna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara

The meaning is that just like... "Krsna is just like sun, and maya, illusion, is just like darkness. So as the sun being present, there is no access of darkness, similarly, if you keep Krsna always within your heart, there is no more darkness of this material world." Krsna -- surya-sama maya andhakara, yahan krsna tahan. The example is given. If you keep yourself always, Krsna within your heart...

Krsna is within your heart. It is not that you have to create a Krsna or God or you have to call. He is there. But due to darkness we cannot see Him. But by chanting this Hare Krsna mantra, ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12], by cleanings the core of our heart, you will be able to see Krsna within yourself. Yena mam upayanti te. The instruction is how he can come back, go back to home, back to Godhead -- moksyase asubhat -- being free from all inauspicity. That stage can be attained. How? Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. If you engage yourself always in His service. Satata-yuktanam. Satata means always, always engaged in His service. Bhajatam priti-purvakam. And worshiping the Lord with priti, love, priti... Bhajatam priti-purvakam. So this is being instructed to the students who have entered this institute, how to worship the Deity. The Deity worship is there just to give chance to the devotee satatam, satata-yuktanam -- always engaged in Krsna's service. From early morning, half past three, four, up to night, ten, they are engaged. That is called satata-yuktanam. Only a few hours given to them for taking rest because, after all, we have got this material body. It requires little rest. Otherwise there is no question of resting. Twenty-four hours engaged in the service of Krsna.

So that is possible as you become advanced. Just like the six Gosvamis. They attained that stage. They were not sleeping at night. Giving service. It is said, nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau lokanam hita-karinau. Nidrahara-vijitau. This is spiritual life. The more you conquer over the necessities of this body. Our necessities, the created necessities, they are necessities of the body. The body requires to eat. The body requires rest. The body requires sex. The body requires defense. But the soul does not require. So more you become advanced in spiritual consciousness, the material necessities become minimum. Nidrahara-viharakadi-vijitau. That is possible. That is not story. There are many instances, and the more you become advanced in Krsna consciousness, spiritual life, these necessities of life, necessities of body... Because body is different from the spirit soul. The necessities of the body is material, and the necessities of the soul is spiritual. But unfortunately, although the spirit is there, we are so much absorbed in material consciousness, we do not understand what is spirit soul. We are simply busy in taking care of the body. So this is not very good condition. This is material condition. And it is very risky if we simply... Simply to take care of the body means creating different desires. "I shall be happy in this way. I shall be happy in this way." So nature's mercy is that as soon as you think that you will enjoy life like this, she will give you good opportunity. That means changing a body wherein you can enjoy the material facilities very easily.

I have several times given example. There are different types of bodies: animals, birds, beasts, demigods, human being, many varieties of life, 8,400,000, higher life, lower life. So those who are associating with the base qualities of material nature, they get lower life. That is natural. Just like you contaminate a kind of disease. It will become manifest in due course of time. So this is going on. But if we understand this knowledge as Krsna is speaking, raja-vidya raja-guhyam pavitram idam uttamam, then pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. Dharma. One meaning of dharma is the basic principle of our life or the occupational duty of our life, dharma. Occupational duty of our life, that is called dharma. Generally in the English dharma is translated by the word religion, a kind of faith. But actually dharma means the characteristic. That is real meaning of dharma, characteristic.

Just like you can understand. By the characteristic in the chemical laboratory they test different chemicals. So the heading is characteristic. "This chemical looking such and such color. The granules are like this. The taste is like this. The reaction is like this. If you put with this, it will react like this." So many. If certain chemical complies with all the characteristic, then it is declared pure. So suppose what is the characteristic of sugar? Everyone knows. It must be sweet. Sugar and salt, both of them externally seem the same, white. But you have to understand which is sugar and which is salt by tasting. So there are different test of characteristic. If sugar becomes salty, immediately, "Oh, it is not sugar. Throw it." And if salt become sweet, you throw it. Similarly, dharma means everything has got a special characteristic. That is called dharma.

So what is our dharma, living entities? We are living entities. We may be in different forms; it doesn't matter, 8,400,000's of forms. But what is the actual business? The actual business is that every one of us giving service to others. This is our dharma. That is enunciated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. This is the characteristic of living entity. Living entity is meant for giving service to Krsna. This is the characteristic. When this characteristic is not found or lacking, that means it is diseased condition or that is material condition. Just like this finger. What is the characteristic of finger? The finger characteristic, it is the part and parcel of my body. As soon as I say, "My dear servant finger, please capture this," immediately I capture, immediately. "Oh, my dear servant finger, come on the head and give me some itching." "Yes." So this is characteristic. If the finger... I order, "Please pick up this rasagulla." "Yes." "Give it here." "Yes." The finger cannot eat. Just try to understand. The finger, if he gets one rasagulla, nice, tasteful sweetmeat, the finger will never try to smash it and spoil it. (laughter) The fingers immediately will take. You'll find. It is psychology, even for a child. The child captures with the finger some nice sweetmeats and immediately puts in... Why? The child could smash it and taste this rasagulla. That is not possible. Study nature. You take the very nice sweet, but you cannot. The fingers cannot spoil it. The process is that by nature the child knows that "If I put into the mouth, it goes to the stomach, and if it is digested, these fingers will be healthy, the eyes will be healthy, the leg will be healthy, hands will be healthy, every -- all parts of the body will be healthy." This is natural.

Just like another example is given. Yatha taror mula-nisecanena trpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopasakhah. Just like tree. If you... Tree, plant, anything. You pour water in the root; it goes, transferred to the branches, to the twigs, to the leaves, to the flower and everyone, if you put water. Yatha taror mula-nisecanena trpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopasakhah, pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam. And by giving food to the stomach, then all the different parts of the body, limbs and senses, they become healthy. Similarly, sarvarhanam acyutejya. If you worship Krsna, Acyuta, then the whole world will be satisfied because He is the root. It is said in the Bhagavad-gita,

aham sarvasya prabhavo
mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam
budha bhava-samanvitah
[Bg. 10.8]

One who understands... This is raja-vidya. He must know how to work. We are manufacturing so many ways of happy life, this ism, that ism, that plan, that plan. So many plans. We are seeing suggestion, so many suggestions, in the television. "This is the problem. This is the suggestion. This is problem." Full of new, new problem, new, new suggestion. But because we are lacking this raja-vidya, the king of knowledge, we are perplexed. But if you know that Krsna is the root cause of everything and if we serve Krsna, then every problem will be solved immediately. This is called raja-vidya. Raja-vidya raja-guhyam. And pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. Just like I have given the example that the different parts of the body, they are suffering from different diseases. But if you make good treatment, if you take the proper medicine and put it in the stomach, then immediately you will understand, "Yes, I am getting relief."

Or suppose you are hungry. You are... On account of your hunger you are feeling headache, you cannot see through your eyes properly, you cannot hear, you cannot work -- so many things, problems, will arise. But as soon as you put some food stuff, nourishing foodstuff, immediately you'll feel strength and you'll happy, be happy. That is called pratyaksa. Pratyaksa means directly. Avagamam dharmyam. If you are hungry and if you are given very nice, nutritious, palatable food, you haven't got to take any certificate from others. You'll understand yourself, "Yes, I am now feeling strength. I am now feeling energy." This is called pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. Similarly, if you take to Krsna consciousness -- that is the process -- then you'll feel automatically how you are satisfied. Pratyaksavagamam dharmyam.

These boys, these American, European, they are all Western country, belong to the Western country. Why they are sticking to this Krsna consciousness? Because they are feeling directly happiness. There is no doubt about it. Ask any one of them. This is pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. And susukham. To execute this dharma, this transaction, it is very, very happy. Don't you see? What is their business? They are not going to the factories to work twelve hours. They are simply chanting and dancing. This is their business. And when they are hungry, they are taking very nutritious prasadam. This is called susukham. Very happy. They haven't got to work in the factory, in the mine, in the sea for extracting oil or coal. They haven't got. We have no such business. We are simply engaged in chanting, dancing, and eating Krsna prasadam. Susukham. Pratyaksavagamam. Practically you can perceive. And how happy it is, you can perceive. Kartum avyayam. To execute this business of Krsna consciousness is so easy and happy and whatever you do, a little, it is your permanent asset. It will never be spoiled.

You'll find in the Bhagavad-gita that sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto 'bhijayate. This is called bhakti-yoga. Suppose somebody is enjoying, but maya is very strong. If he falls down... He could not execute the Krsna consciousness program completely in this life. Mostly if you simply stick, there is no difficulty. But if voluntarily we give up, that is another thing. What is the wrong there? Chant, dance, and take prasadam. You haven't got to work. You haven't got to go to the field work or to the factory. Still, if you don't accept it -- you fall down -- so that is your choice. But even if you fall down, because for a few days you joined Krsna consciousness movement, your the resultant actions for so much time is permanent asset. Permanent asset. What is that permanent asset? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto 'bhijayate. Those who have fallen from this Krsna consciousness, their next life is guaranteed a human life.

Because others, there is no guarantee. Tatha dehantara-praptih. According to one's karma he can get the body of a dog, cat, hog or demigod. There is no guarantee that... Krsna says, tatha dehantara-praptih. Antara means another. He does not say that "This body he'll get." But if one is Krsna's devotee, then there is guarantee. What is that guarantee? Sucinam srimatam gehe. He'll take birth in a very rich family or in a very nice brahmana and Vaisnava's family. If he gets a Vaisnava's, birth in a Vaisnava's family... Just like we have got so many children among our grhastha devotees. How fine they are. They're getting Krsna consciousness from the beginning of their life. That means in the past they advanced in Krsna consciousness. Somehow or other they failed to complete. Now they have got again chance, again in the temple, dancing and chanting from the very beginning of life.

So this is the opportunity. So this knowledge, raja-vidya raja-guhyam pratyaksavagamam dharmyam, susukham kartum avyayam. Avyayam means in ordinary fruitive activities whatever you do... Suppose by karma, by material activities, fruitive activities, you become very rich man or very learned man, very good office. But everything will be finished with your death. As soon as the body is finished, all your asset finished. But if you become a devotee, your body may be finished but the soul is eternal. The soul will carry your assets of Krsna consciousness, and nature will give you another chance of taking birth in a very rich family or in a Vaisnava family. To get birth in a Vaisnava family is greater asset than to take birth in rich family. Rich family means there is no economic problem. But on account of richness one may fall down, but if one takes birth in a Vaisnava family there is no more fall down. He makes progress further and further. In this way he is allowed again go back to home, back to Godhead. Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 9.2 -- Melbourne, April 20, 1976