Vaisnava Philosophy

Vaisnava Philosophy

Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.395
Hyderabad, August 17, 1976

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Prabhupada: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. This is from Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Twenty.

kona brahmande kona lilara haya avasthana
tate lila 'nitya' kahe agama-purana

Agama-purana means Vedic literature. Agama, "which is coming from higher plane," not manufactured here. Agama-purana. And Purana means the old history of the world, Purana. Purana, some of the modern scholars, they take everything as mythology, imagination. That is not fact. They're real history. Purana. Purana means very old. Nityah sasvato yam purano [Bg. 2.20]. In Hindi it is called Purana. Purana means old. The Puranas means the old history, not only of this world, but of the whole universe. Purana is also Vedic evidence. Purana is not ordinary thing. Therefore here it is said, agama-purana. Vedic literatures. Srila Madhvacarya has accepted the Vedic literatures -- four Vedas, Vedanta-sutra, Upanisads, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata. They're all Vedic literature. So here it is said, kono brahmande. (aside:) Come here. This room is very nice. Yes. Although it is not very big, but very comfortable. Daksina, daksina-raja.

So,

kona brahmande kona lilara haya avasthana
tate lila 'nitya' kahe agama-purana

Nitya-lila. Nitya-lila means everlasting pastimes. Our lila, material, that is not nitya-lila. Whatever I'm acting by this body, it is not nitya; it is temporary. I am the son of such and such family, I am such and such important person, my name is such and such, my position is such and such -- these are not nitya. This is temporary. As soon as the body is finished, everything is finished. Then another lila: I am such and such dog, I am such and such this and that. With the change of body, our lila is finished. Therefore ours is not nitya-lila. But Krsna's, Bhagavan's activities, they are nitya-lila. That is the difference. Nitya means eternal. Krsna's Vrndavana lila is going on. It is nitya-lila. Just like what is the time now? Quarter to eight. This quarter to eight is a crude example of the sun. It is going on. It is not that quarter to eight here, but when it will be eight, in some other place it is quarter to eight. Somewhere the sun is rising and setting within this regulation. Now suppose in Hyderabad it is quarter to eight and say it is in the eastern side.

Mahamsa: Central India.

Prabhupada: Central India. So the sun will pass. It will be eight. But the sun will go somewhere where it is quarter to eight. Is it not? Somewhere the sun will pass and it is quarter to eight. That quarter to eight is also permanent. Somewhere there will be, must be quarter to eight. This is crude example. This example is given by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to explain what is the meaning of nitya-lila.

So this is material example. And material, everything is temporary. Still we find some similarity of nitya-lila. And what to speak of spiritual. Spiritual, it is clearly said, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. So kono brahmande kona lilara haya avasthana. Just like we are opening the temple. This is also nitya-lila. In some brahmanda there is this opening ceremony of temple. When tomorrow we shall open, day after tomorrow it is opened. But day after tomorrow in some brahmanda it is being opened. This is nitya-lila. Some other brahmanda, again it is finished; in another brahmanda it is being opened. In another brahmanda it is being opened. There is no end. This is called nitya-lila. In some brahmanda Krsna is born, Janmastami. It is finished here. In other brahmanda, again Janmastami. Every moment. This is pastimes of Krsna. Kona brahmande kona lilara haya avasthana. There must be some... The same example: quarter to eight is somewhere. Similarly, Krsna's lila, it is eternal. Somewhere it is going on. And you have no experience of one brahmanda, what to speak of innumerable brahmandas.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was requested by one of His devotees that "Sir, You have so kindly come. Please liberate all the living entities of this brahmanda, and You take them with You to Vaikuntha. And if You think that they're so sinful they cannot be taken away, then please give all their sinful actions to me. I shall suffer. You take them." This is (not) Vaisnava's philosophy, that "You suffer. I'll go to Vaikuntha." That is not Vaisnava philosophy. Vaisnava philosophy is that "I take your all sinful activities. Let me suffer here. You go to Vaikuntha." This is Vaisnava. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "Suppose I take all the living entities to Vaikuntha. Do you think that the maya's business will be stopped? No. This brahmanda is one of the mustard seeds in the bag of mustard seeds." In the bag of mustard seeds, can anybody count how many mustard seeds are there? So here it is called kona brahmanda. This is one of the brahmanda, universe. And there are so many universes that is just like this one seed of mustard. One grain of mustard seed, and there is a bag of mustard seeds. That is kona brahmande. So in each brahmanda Krsna's lila is going on. Now you count. This is Krsna. They become very cheaply God, Krsna, but they do not know what is Krsna. Therefore they take it so cheaply, that "Anyone can become God. Anyone can become Krsna." Mudha. Mayaya-apahrta-jnanah. These rascals they say like that. But they do not know what is Krsna.

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

They do not know what is Krsna. Yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah [Bs. 5.48]. And they're coming out... Just like within our breathing there are so many things, particles, or germs are coming, similarly, with the breathing period of Maha-Visnu, so many universes are coming. This is Bhagavan. By breathing period innumerable universes are created. Not that they create something jugglery and become Bhagavan. Our conception of Bhagavan from the sastra is different.

So Krsna's creation of this brahmanda and His pastimes, they are going on, nitya-lila. Kona kona bhagavan ei dekhi bare paya. The lila is going on constantly, but one who is fortunate enough, he can see how lila is... Kona brahmande kona lila haya avasthana, tate lila 'nitya' kahe agama-purana. It is not that Krsna dasa Kaviraja Goswami is manufacturing some idea. No. He says, kahe agama-purana. "I do not manufacture anything." That is not acarya. Acarya does not manufacture anything concocted. He quotes from the Vedic literature. Agama-purana. That is the qualification. So,

goloka, gokula-dhama-'vibhu' krsna-sama
krsnecchaya brahmanda-gane tahara sankrama
 [Cc. Madhya 20.396]

So Krsna-lila is going on in the spiritual world, but by Krsna's desire that spiritual world also comes down in this material world. Just like a big man, he lives in his palace, but if he likes he can go anywhere, and he has the same facility of his palace by arrangement. Similarly, when Krsna comes within this material world, He has all the paraphernalia of his Goloka Vrndavana lila. As such this Vrndavana is as good as the original Vrndavana. Aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa, tanaya tad-dhamam vrndavanam. This Vrndavana is not ordinary place; it is the same Goloka Vrndavana. By Krsna's omnipotency the same Vrndavana is duplicated. It is possible. That is called nitya-lila. Wherever He likes, He can bring in Vrndavana and He can have His pastimes. So this temple, do not think that it is Hyderabad place. No. It is Goloka Vrndavana. You should be very careful. Aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa, tanaya tad-dhamam vrndavanam. As Krsna is worshipable, similarly His place is also worshipable. Not that His place is different from Him. No. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says, sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marjanadau **. As the worship of the Deity is important, similarly, sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marj anadau **. To keep the temple very cleansed, very attractive, that is also Deity worship. Those who are here working, they should keep this temple as clean as possible. Then Krsna will be satisfied. Krsna's body -- this temple. Do not think it otherwise. Temple should be worshiped in that way. Therefore I ask you not to come with shoes. Even the temple is not opened, it is still Krsna's temple. It is not different from Krsna. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara **. You should always remember that. The temple management very nicely means to render service to Krsna.

So we are going to open this temple. Those who are in charge, they must take care of the temple. Cleanliness. Tan-mandira-marjanadau. The more we have got men, engage them. And do not think that temple cleaning and Deity worshiping are different. Do not be envious, that "This person has been given the in charge of decorating the Deity, and I have (been) given to wash the temple where there are not Deity." No. It is the same thing. There is no difference. It is spiritual. In spiritual... Just like either you worship Krsna's lotus feet or you offer a garland to Krsna on His head, it is the same thing. It is no such thing as "This is head, this is tail." No. This is absolute conception of... So Bhagavan, His lila, His form, His pastimes, His place, they're all Bhagavan. Even higher, those who are highly elevated devotees, they do not see even this material world different from Bhagavan. Idam hi visvam bhagavan ivetara. That is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Narada Muni says. The whole universe is Bhagavan, although it appears different from Him. Bhagavan ivetara. So actually everything is Bhagavan, but it is not this Mayavada philosophy, that because everything is Bhagavan, there is no Bhagavan. No. Everything is Bhagavan, and still Bhagavan is there. Krsna says, maya tatam idam sarvam [Bg. 9.4]. Maya, a person is there. Otherwise, there is no use of the word maya. Maya tatam idam sarvam. Vaisnava philosophy is that this material world is expansion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the Mayavada philosophy is that because God has become everything, there is no more God. Nirvisesa. That is called nirvisesa -- without understanding the beauty.

In this way, try to understand Krsna and His paraphernalia, His form, His name, His quality, everything. There are so many things to understand about Krsna. That is called Krsna consciousness. The materialistic persons, they will think that "These people are wasting time. They are doing nothing." But the agnostic, the material person, he does not know anything. Because here is the study of Krsna. And Krsna is so unlimited, what one life one can understand? It requires many lives. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyante [Bg. 7.19]. It is not so easy thing that we have understood immediately Krsna. Bahunam janmanam ante, after many, many births if one is fortunate, he can understand Krsna. So don't lose a single moment. Try to understand Krsna, agama-purana, from sastra. Don't manufacture. Here it is said, tate lila 'nitya' kahe agama-purana, from sastra. Sruti-smrti-puranadi pancaratriki vidhim vina [Brs. 1.2.101], you have to understand Krsna from the sastra. Sruti means veda, smrti means the history, the corollaries, just like Bhagavad-gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata. Sruti-smrti-puranadi, without reference to the Vedic literature, the knowledge of Krsna is simply disturbance. So you should always refer to the sastras. The sastras are there by Krsna's grace. It is now available in the English language. Be always engaged in studying, in rendering service, understanding the philosophy, then life will be successful. Thank you very much. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.395 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976

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