"Krishna Is Everywhere And Still Source" 66/11/24 New York, Bhagavad-gita 9.4-7

Prabhupada:

maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
na caham tesv avasthitah

So this verse we have discussed last day. The Lord says that "All the universal planets, they are resting on My energy." The weightlessness energy, according to the modern materialistic science, how it is possible? That weightlessness we cannot manufacture. It is by nature's law, or, of course, modern scientists, they take nature as the Supreme, but Bhagavad-gita, or the persons who are theistic, they do not take nature as the Supreme. Supreme is the Lord. Behind the nature there is Lord. We'll find in the Bhagavad-gita,

mayadhyaksena prakrtih
suyate sa-caracaram
hetunanena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
[Bg. 9.10]

The Lord says, mayadhyaksena. Mayadhyaksena means "under My superintendence. Under My superintendence." So material nature cannot play such wonderful things unless there is hand behind it, the Lord's hand. That is to be accepted. You cannot see. You cannot give an example where material things are automatically working. You have no such example in your experience. Matter is inert. Without spiritual touch, there is no possibility of acting. Matter cannot act automatically. Just like you take for example a nice arrangement of machine, wonderful, but unless a person touches that machinery, it cannot work. It cannot work. And what is that person? That person is spirit, the driver, the engineer. He's a spirit. So without spiritual touch, oh, nothing can move. It is simply ignorance that we say that matter is moving automatically. No, that is not possible. You cannot show any example within your experience or in the history that matter is moving automatically, no.

So the Lord says that "All these planets, all this universe, they are resting on My impersonal energy." So His energy is impersonal, but He is person. He is person. We have so many examples in our experience that a person, by his energy, he can play wonders, by his energy. But still, the person remains as person. Because he is expanding energy in various ways, he does not become imperson. So if a ordinary man in this world, he can expand his energy in various ways and at the same time, he can remain a person, why not the Supreme Personality of Godhead? So that, that impersonal feature of the Lord is His energy. But the Lord Himself is a person. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. Just, just like we are persons, so He is also person. But He is the Supreme Person. We are all dependent person. That is the difference. He's the Supreme Person.

The Lord says again that na ca mat-sthani, na ca mat-sthani bhutani pasya me yogam aisvaram. Now, you can say, "Oh, Lord, He may be overburdened because He is bearing so many..." Just like, with our material conception... Just we see... We have seen the picture of Atlas: one stout man is bearing a big planet on his head. So we may think, "Oh, Lord is bearing so many big, huge planets on His shoulder. He must be troubled." No. The Lord says, na ca mat-sthani bhutani pasya me yogam aisvaram: "Although they are in My energy, still they are not in Me." Pasya me yogam aisvaram: "This is My mystic power." Pasya me yogam aisvaram. Bhuta-bhrn na ca bhuta-stho mamatma bhuta-bhavanah: "I am maintaining all these living entities." Bhuta-bhrt bhuta-sthah. "And My energy is all-pervading. Still, I am not there." Pasya me yogam aisvaram. This is His mystic power. Nanu rati-gurum bharam vahaste(?) mahan kheda syad iti cety aha, gatadau udaka aniva bhara-bhutani ca bhutani samsrsttani mayi na santi, tarhi mat-sthani sarva-bhutanity ukte viruddhe iti ceti tatraha pasyateti.(?)

So this is the wonderful power, inconceivable power, that He is in everywhere, but still, He is aloof, He's aloof from that place. We can feel His energy, but we cannot see because in this material eye we cannot see. But when we develop our spiritual quality -- we sanctify our senses -- then even within His energy we can see Him. Take for example. Just like electric power is transmitted everywhere. There is wiring. Now, if some electrician is there he can take electric power from anywhere and utilize the electricity. Similarly, His energy is spread all over the universe. When we are transcendentally situated, just like when we become the electrician, then from anywhere we can see God eye to eye. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena [Bs. 5.38]. That creation, spiritualization of the senses, is possible by devotional service and love. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti [Bs. 5.38]. Therefore, as the Lord says, that maya tatam idam sarvam jagad avyakta-murtina, the Lord is all-pervading all over the universe. Therefore He is within the stone, He is within the earth, He is within the water, He is within the air -- everywhere. Therefore, if we make an image of God from anything, either of water, either of stone, either of anything, oh, that is not doll. That is also God. If we have got sufficient devotion, that image also will speak with me, because God is everywhere. Maya tatam idam sarvam: "I am spread all over, impersonal." But if we make His personal form from anything, either from the stone or from earth or from wood or from anything, or if we create an image of God within myself... There are eight kinds of images recommended in the sastra, in the Vedic literatures. So any kind of images can be worshiped because God is everywhere.

Now, you can say that why God should be worshiped in images, not in His original form, spiritual form? Yes. That may be a question. But I cannot see spiritual form. That is my difficulty. My senses are so imperfect that I cannot see God immediately in His spiritual form. Therefore, out of His causeless mercy, He appears before you as you can see you, Him. We cannot see just now with our material eyes except stone, earth, wood, something tangible. Therefore He becomes... These forms are called arcavatara, incarnation of arca, conveniently presented by the Supreme Lord so that we can actually see. But the result will be that in the image, if you concentrated your energy, and if you love and offer your, I mean to say, devotion, this will be responded, even from that image.

There are many instances, very many instances. I'll cite one story. It is very interesting story. If you go to India, you'll find one nice temple in Orissa. It is called the temple of "Witness-Gopala," Saksi-Gopala, Witness-Gopala. This Gopala was situated in a temple at Vrndavana. Now, two brahmanas, one young and one old, they went to visit Vrndavana, the place of pilgrimage, and the old man... Because at that time there was no railway, the journey was very hardship. The old man felt very obliged, and he began to say to the young man, "My dear boy, you have done so much nice service to me. I am obliged to you. So I must return that service. I must give you some reward." So the young man said, "Oh, my dear sir, you are old man. You are just like my father. So it is my duty to serve you, to give you all comforts. I don't require any reward." Formerly, the boys were so gentle. And still, there are many boys like that. So the old man also thought that "No, I am obliged to you. I must reward you." So he promised that "I shall get you married with my youngest daughter." Now, the old man was very rich man, and the young man was not rich. He was poor. Although he was brahmana, learned. So he said that "You are promising. You don't promise this because your kinsmen, your family men will not agree. I am poor man, and you are rich man. You are aristocratic. So it will be not. This marriage will not take place. Don't promise in that way before the Deity. It is not good because Deity is there." But he was firm faith that "Krsna is hearing," because the talks were going on in the temple. "So it will not be fulfilled." "No." The old man became still more persistent. "No, my daughter I shall offer you. Who can forbid me?"

So in this way, when they came back, one day the old man proposed to his eldest son that "Your youngest sister should be married with that boy. That I have promised." Oh, the eldest son of that old man become very angry: "Oh, how you have selected that boy to be husband of my sister? He's unfit. He's poor man. He's not so educated. Oh, this cannot take place." He did not agree. Then the mother of the girl, he(she) came to the old man: "Oh, if you get my daughter married with that boy, then I shall commit suicide." Now the old man is perplexed. Then, one day, the boy was anxious that "The old man promised before the Deity. Now he is not coming." So he... One day he came to his house: "Well, my dear sir, you promised before the Lord, Krsna, and you are not fulfilling your promise? How is that?" The old man was silent because he was praying to Krsna that "I am now perplexed. If I persist in offering this daughter to this boy, now there will be great trouble in my family." So he was silent. So, in the meantime, the eldest son came out and he began to quarrel with: "Oh, you, you plundered my father in the place of pilgrimage. You gave him some LSD or something, (laughter) intoxication. You took all the money from my father. Now you say that he has promised to offer you my youngest sister. You fool!" He began to say like that.

Then all the neighboring gentlemen, they: "Oh, what is the trouble? Here there is so much howling." "This is the... Do you think, sir, that this boy is fit for my sister? We are aristocratic family and this and that...," so on. So the young man said... Young man could understand the old man is still agreeable, but these, his sons and family members, as he suggested, they are not agreeable. So he explained the whole thing before all the gentlemen who came, that "This is the fact. Now, he promised. Now, for the sake of his son and wife, he cannot fulfill his promise. This was a promise before the Lord." In the meantime, the old man's eldest son... He was atheist. He voluntarily says, "Well, if your God comes and gives witness, then I shall offer my sister to you." But he was confident that God will come. He said, "Yes. I shall ask God. I shall ask Krsna to come and give witness." So... Now, before all gentlemen this was done. Then the young man said, "All right, let us now come to agreement that I shall call Krsna from Vrndavana to give witness in this matter, and when He comes, you'll have to." All the other gentlemen, they also persisted. So there was some agreement. So this boy went again to Vrndavana to his Gopala, and he prayed that "Sir, You have to go with me." He was so staunch devotee, just like talking with friend. He did not think that He's a statue; it is image. He knew God. That was his conviction. So God said, "How do you think that a statue can go with you? I am a statue. I cannot go." Then this boy replied, "Well, if a statue can speak, He can go also." (laughter) Then Krsna said, "All right, I shall go with you." Then there was some arrangement that "You will not see Me, but I will go with you. I'll go with you, and you hear, you'll hear the sound of My nupura." A nupura is an instrument which is fixed up in the leg of Krsna. It sounds like "Ching, ching, ching, ching," just like that. So He was going with him, and daily he was offering some foodstuff, taking alms from the village. In this way he was coming, but when he came in the precincts of the village, of his own village, he could not hear the sound of the nupura. So he saw back: "Oh, where is Krsna?" He saw that statue there, the statue standing.

So he informed all the villagers that Lord has come to be witness, and... It is about some thousands yards before this thing happened. People were convincing: "Yes. There was no... Such a big statue, this boy could not bring." So they believed, and there was a temple constructed by the king of that country. And still that temple is there, and it is named, the Lord is named, as Saksi-Gopala. Saksi-Gopala. Gopala means... Gopala is the name of Krsna's boyhood. So because He came to give witness in that controversy, so that temple is still there. So the whole idea is the statue, statue... Because God is everywhere. So He's also in statue. God is everywhere. How can you say that He's not in statue? He's also in statue. So it is my devotion, it is my qualification, that I can induce that statue to speak with me. Just like the same way -- if I am electrician, then I can fit any electrical instrument or machine or light from the electric energy which is all over -- similarly, God's energy, He is present everywhere...

When we are advanced in spiritual consciousness, then we can see God everywhere. Maya tatam idam sarvam jagad avyakta-murtina. So He is everywhere, and He is not everywhere also. Just like you have got this post box. The post box means the Post Office. You put your letter. It will go to the destination because it is authorized. Similarly, the authorized Deity, established in a temple, that is worshiped by thousands and thousands of men in India still. There was an occasion to worship the temple of Jagannatha at Puri. In one day about 600,000 people assembled there, in one day. So still, India, they have got this faith, and they worship the Deity in the temple. There are thousands and thousands of temples. And they receive the result. They are happy. So if we are prepared to accept these things and do according to the devotional rules and regulation, then it will be possible for us to see God anywhere and everywhere. It requires our own qualification.

But at the same time,

na ca mat-sthani bhutani
pasya me yogam aisvaram
bhuta-bhrn na ca bhuta-stho
mamatma bhuta-bhavanah

So His energy is spread all over the universe, all over the world, and by His energy He can present anywhere and everywhere, but at the same time, He is not in everywhere and anywhere. The conclusion is: when His devotee is there, He can manifest Himself in everywhere and anywhere, but when there is no devotee, He is not there, although His energy is there. There are many instances. Prahlada Maharaja, he saw Krsna from the pillar. There was... That is a long story. I shall recite some other day. So God can manifest Himself from anywhere and everywhere because He is present everywhere. But it requires my qualification to see Him. It requires my qualification. If I am qualified enough... Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena [Bs. 5.38]. If I have developed such consciousness, such love, transcendental love for God, then I can see Him everywhere and anywhere, any place -- from picture, from statue... [break] ...statue, without picture, within myself, in air, in water -- everywhere I can see. That is the process.

He is giving a nice example here.

yathakasa-sthito nityam
vayuh sarvatra-go mahan
tatha sarvani bhutani
mat-sthanity upadharaya

He says, yatha akasa-sthitah nityam vayuh. The air is situated in the sky. Everyone knows it, that air is passing or blowing within the sky. And nityam vayuh, sarvatra-go mahan. And it is blowing everywhere. You cannot find out any place where there is no air. If you want to drive out air, then you have to make by machine, by vacuum, airtight. Otherwise, air is everywhere. Yathakasa-sthito nityam vayuh sarvatra-go mahan. "As the air is spread all over, anywhere, similarly," tatha sarvani bhutani mat-sthanity upadharaya, "similarly, everything that is there that is existing, it is within Me. It is within Me." Sarva-bhutani kaunteya prakrtim yanti mamikam. And when this manifestation, material manifestation, is dissolved, then where does it take place? Where does it go? He says, sarva-bhutani kaunteya prakrtim yanti mamikam: "My prakrti, My nature, My nature, is manifested and when the time is finished, that nature is wound up." And kalpa-ksaye punas tani kalpa, kalpadau visrjamy aham: "In this way, at a certain interval, this material manifestation is exhibited, and again it is wound up."

This material manifestation is... Sometimes it is created, and sometimes it goes into the nature of the Lord. But spiritual creation is not like that. Spiritual creation is permanent. In the material creation everything is temporary, nonpermanent. Just like this body. This body is created. And take for example. In our personal self, we are spiritual spark, fragmental. We have several times discussed this point, that we are all spiritual spark, fragmental part of the Supreme Lord. As we are creating our body and it is finishing, and again I am creating my body and again finishing... That is a fact. I have created this body; you have created your body. You are a small particle, atomic spiritual portion. And when you are put into the womb of your mother you get your body and develop, develops. Everything is developing like that. Similarly, as we are developing our own body, unless that spiritual spark is there within the body, the body will not develop. This example we have given several times. A child comes out. If the child is dead, no, it will not develop. But if he has got life, if the spiritual spark is there, the child grows to a man. Similarly, the whole universe, the whole material manifestation, they are going on the presentation, on the, I mean, the presence of the Supreme Lord.

As we have got our spiritual presence within this body, similarly, this universe is also containing the God's representative as Paramatma, Ksirodakasayi Visnu. That information we get. Due to His presence, the material existence is there. Just due to my presence, the body is existing, and as soon as I am out of this body, the body will go to hell, similarly, this material manifestation is due to the presence of God. Otherwise there is no such existence. So sometimes He manifests, and sometimes He does not. This is going on. Sarva-bhutani kaunteya prakrtim yanti mamikam: "Similarly, I wound up. It goes to Me again." Kalpa-ksaye punas tani kalpadau visrjamy aham. Then, after certain intervals, when there is again kalpa... Each creation is called a kalpa. Kalpanta-sthayinah-gunah.(?) Each creation is called a kalpa. So there are many kalpas. We can, cannot calculate what is the age of one kalpa. One hint is there in the Bhagavad-gita that in each kalpa the one day of Brahma..., that sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh... [Bg. 8.17]. Four hundred thousand, four hundred forty-three, forty-three hundred thousands of years into one thousand, that makes one day of Brahma. Similarly, he lives for hundred years and, after each hundred years, the kalpa is finished and again another kalpa begins. That is the calculation from Vedic literature. (incomplete) (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 9.4-7 -- New York, November 24, 1966