Spiritual Life Is Scientific

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.20
August 23, 1972, Los Angeles


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

evam prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
[SB 1.2.20]

Translation: "Thus established in the mode of goodness, the man rejuvenated by loving service to the Lord gains liberation from material association, mukti, and comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead."

Prabhupada: So bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam. Vijnana means science. It is not concoction, speculation. It is a science. Just like mathematics is a science: "Two plus two equal to four." You cannot make two plus two equal to five according to your whims. No. Anywhere you go, it doesn't matter. Because it is science, so either in America or in India or in England, everyone will accept "Two plus two equal to four." That is science. Science is true everywhere. Not that "I can imagine my God according to my whims; you can imagine your God..." That is going on. No, how you can imagine? There is no question of imagine. This bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam, this truth, this science, can be understood by a person who is mukta-sanga. Mukta-sanga, freed from material association. He can understand. Mukta-sangasya jayate. And the condition is evam prasanna-manasah. When you are enlightened, engladdened... Because so long we are in the jurisdiction of ignorance and passion, there cannot be any jubilant. There cannot be any enlightenment. Therefore you have to come to the platform of goodness.

As it is stated in the previous...,

tada rajas-tamo-bhavah
kama-lobhadayas ca ye
ceta etair anaviddham
sthitam sattve prasidati
[SB 1.2.19]

Cetas, everything is working within the heart, the whole thing. Heart is the central point of this body. So when the heart is not punctured by the rajo-guna and tamo-guna and you become situated on the modes of goodness, then you become jubilant. Jubilant means he can understand at that time that "Why these people are working so hard like cats and dogs?" The human life is meant for understanding what is God. Athato brahma jijnasa. This life is meant for simply understanding what is God. The animal life, they cannot understand. That life is different. But the human life is developed, consciousness is developed. He can understand. This is called goodness. Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovidah. How one becomes intelligent? He can study... When he is on the platform of goodness, he can study the nature that "Why I shall work so hard for getting all my material necessities?" This is being supplied by nature. The birds and beasts, they are getting their food, they are getting their mates, they are being protected in their own way, they have got a sleeping nest, apartment. So even an animal, even a small ant... We sit down in the garden, we see, even the small ant it has got family, it has got home, it has got eating. Everything is there. From ant to the elephant. Who is supplying? They have no business. They do not do any business. They have no profession. But they are getting their necessities of life.

Therefore, intelligent person... This is... Goodness means intelligence, prakasa. And ignorance means darkness. In darkness, we cannot see what is what. So goodness means light. Anyone can see that there are 8,400,000 species of life or forms of life. They are getting their food. They are getting their shelter. They are satisfying their sex. They are also defending without any extra endeavor. By nature, they are doing their own way. So why human being, so-called civilized human being, is so much harassed for these four things? We have got better intelligence. We shall be, rather, more comfortable without struggling for existence than the animals. But our struggle for existence is greater than their struggle of existence. What is this civilization? This is not civilization. Everyone wants peaceful, calm life. Even those who are struggling so hard, big business magnate. Still, at the weekend, they find out some secluded place, nice place, without trouble. That is the nature.

That human nature should be like that, that "Why should we work so hard, simply for eating, sleeping, mating?" This is a wrong type of civilization. But at the modern age, the human society is so made that one has to work like ass, whole day and night, simply for satisfying these four necessities of life. That is also not guaranteed. We thought that in your country... When I was in India, I was contemplating coming to your country. I thought that America is very rich. "There is no problem for eating, sleeping, mating." Actually, there is nil. There is no problem. But the civilization is so made that there is no shelter. They are lying down on the park, on the street. Why? There was no necessity, but they have created such civilization, that a certain section of people are voluntarily, or being obliged, lying down on the street, on the park, no dress, no food, no fixed..., fixed-up sex life. Everything is topsy-turvied. Everything is topsy-turvied. But this is not civilization, this is not civilization. Then how they can understand God? Their mind is always disturbed and full of anxiety.

So first of all you have to come to the stage of tranquillity. Prasanna-manasa. Evam prasanna-manasah. Prasanna-manasa means always jubilant. That is... That can be achieved by this process: bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah. By devotional service, not by no other process. Evam prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah [SB 1.2.20]. One can be jubilant only by practicing bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. There are many other yoga systems, karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga, hatha-yoga. Everything you endeavor for spiritual enlightenment, that is called yoga. So there are different types of yoga, but real yoga is bhagavad-bhakti, devotional service. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, yoginam api sarvesam. "Of all the yogis..." There are different types of yoga systems and different types of yogis also. But Krsna says, "Of all the yogis..."

yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah
[Bg. 6.47]

"That yogi who is devotee and always thinking of Me, or thinking of Krsna within the heart..." Yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantar-atmana. Sraddhavan, faithful. Bhajate. This is bhajana: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So he is first-class yogi, who is chanting Hare Krsna mantra and thinking of Krsna within his heart, first-class yogi. That is bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. And if he does it nicely, according to the rules and regulations, in the beginning, then he becomes prasanna-manasa, prasanna-manasa, enlightened, engladdened. There is no more any lamentation or hankering.

This is the sign. Evam prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah [SB 1.2.20]. Then you can understand what is God. God is not so cheap: "Come on, I shall show you God. You haven't got to follow any rules and regulations." People want to be cheated. Therefore there are so many cheaters. They take advantage of it. Because they want everything very cheap. That is not possible. This is the stage, prasanna-manasa. Then you can understand what is God. Bhagavat-tattva-vi... Because it is a science. If somebody says, "Come on, I shall teach you the science of chemistry within a second. Give me some money," is it possible? If somebody says, "I shall teach you mathematics. Come on, give me some money.," So why these rascals are misled? If... It is a science; it is not sentiment. It is science. There was... Understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without reference to these scientific books, Vedic literature, it is simply a disturbance, simply rascaldom. Simp... Because they are creating disturbance, always, cheating some people. They are cheated. They do not get anything. Create some disturbance. That is the instruction of Rupa Gosvami.

sruti-smrti-puranadi-
pancaratra-vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktir
utpatayaiva kalpate
[BRS 1.2.101]

Utpata, utpata means disturbance. So many rascals, without reference to the Vedic literature, revealed scriptures, Sruti-smrti. These are Vedic literatures, sruti-smrti-purana, pancaratra-vidhi. Without reference to all these books, if anyone poses himself that he has understood God and devotional service, it is simply a disturbance, creating disturbance. That's all. Sruti-smrti-puranadi... [BRS 1.2.101]. Because it is a science. How you can manufacture it? It is not that thing.

Therefore any religion without scientific understanding through philosophy, it is simply sentiment. It is not religion. And philosophy without religious understanding is mental speculation. That is also useless. Philosophy which does not search ultimately what is truth, what is God, that philosophy is mental speculation. And the knowledge of God without philosophy is simply sentiment. They should be combined. To understand God, our relationship with God, our duty, everything should be understood, scientifically. Bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam. Therefore this word has been used, vijnanam. Visesa-jnanam. Jnanam, ordinary knowledge, and vi, when the this word is added, vi, meaning visesata, particularly, for practical application... This vijnanam.

So this vijnanam, this science, can be understood by mukta-sanga, who is freed from the lower modes of material nature, especially tamo-guna and rajo-guna. So do not be befooled by so many rascals that bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam, the science of God, understanding is so cheap that anyone can give you by simply one day's association with some rascal. You see. This is not so possible. Yes, it has to be studied, it has to be practiced. It has to be realized. So this vijnanam is being stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Therefore in the beginning, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. All rascaldom going on under the name of religion, cheating religion, they're completely kicked out from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Simply on scientific understanding we are presenting what is Krsna consciousness. Not for sentimentalists. Read the purport.
Pradyumna: "In the Bhagavad-gita [Bg. 7.3] it is said that out of many thousands of ordinary men, one fortunate man endeavors for perfection of life. Mostly they are conducted by the modes of passion and ignorance, and thus they are engaged always in lust, desire, hankerings, ignorance and sleep. Out of many such manlike animals, there is actually a man..."

Prabhupada: Manlike animals. They show with two hands, two legs, but actually they are animals. Four-legged. Two legs have been transformed into two hands. Go on.

Pradyumna: "Out of many such manlike animals, there is actually a man who knows the responsibility of human life and thus tries to make life perfect by following the prescribed duties. And out of such many thousands of persons who have thus attained success in human life, one may know scientifically about the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna."

Prabhupada: Yes. So it is not so easy to understand Sri Krsna. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye, yatatam api siddhanam: [Bg. 7.3] "Those who have endeavored for perfection of life, out of many such persons, one can hardly understand Krsna." It is not so easy. But it is by Krsna's grace. Krsna being very compassionate with these fallen souls of this age, He appeared as Lord Caitanya and distributed Krsna. That is His prerogative. That is His right. If Krsna wants to distribute Himself freely, that is a different thing. Otherwise, it is not so easy to understand Krsna. Just like to earn one million dollar is not so easy. But if you are fortunate, you meet somebody who can distribute million dollars at a time, that is a different thing. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was recognized by Rupa Gosvami, namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te: [Madhya 19.53] "My dear Lord, You are the most munificent of all incarnations. The other incarnations, people could not understand, but You are freely distributing Yourself." Krsna-caitanya-namne. Krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah. Therefore we have to follow the footsteps of Rupa Gosvami, rupanuga. Then we can understand Lord Caitanya. And if we get favor of Lord Caitanya, we can very easily understand Krsna. This is the process. Go on.

Pradyumna: "In the same Bhagavad-gita (18.55) it is also said that scientific knowledge of Sri Krsna is understood only by the process of devotional service, or bhakti-yoga..."

Prabhupada: Yes. Here also it is confirmed: bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah. It is not said, "By mystic yoga, by hatha-yoga, by jnana-yoga, by karma-yoga." No. Bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah. If you want to understand the science of God, then we have to adopt this devotional service. Not by other yogas. Otherwise, in Bhagavata it would have been said "By karma-yogatah, by jnana-yogatah, by hatha-yogatah, by dhyana-yogatah." No. It is clearly said, bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah. Bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam mukta-sangasya jayate. If you are still after jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga, you cannot understand Krsna, God. It is clearly said. In the Bhagavad-gita also, it is clearly said, bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. Simply through devotional service.

So if you want to know God, then you have to follow the prescribed rules and regulations of bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. It is very simple. It is made very easy, especially in this age: simply by chanting Hare Krsna mantra. It's so made easy, but we are so unfortunate that we do not take advantage of this. Etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu laments, "My dear Lord, You are so compassionate and merciful upon us that in this age You have descended in Your, as Your name, and one can chant this name without any regulation, without any regulation." Niyamitah smarane na kalah. Any time, any circumstances, one can chant this Hare Krsna mantra. Krsna has become so liberal. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi: "My dear Lord, although You are so much merciful upon me, still, I am so unfortunate." Etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrsam, "I am so unfortunate," durdaivam idrsam ihajani na, "I could not be attached to chanting of mantra. Oh, I am so unfortunate." You see? The things have been made so easy, actually, but unfortunate class of men, they cannot take to it.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972