Knot Between Matter And Spirit

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.21
November 1, 1972, Vrndavana



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.:)

bhidyate hrdaya-granthis
chidyante sarva-samsayah
ksiyante casya karmani
drsta evatmanisvare

Translation: "Thus the knots of the heart and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions, karma, is terminated when one sees the self as master."

Prabhupada:

bhidyate hrdaya-granthis
chidyante sarva-samsayah
ksiyante casya karmani
drsta evatmanisvare

This is complete liberated stage. In the previous verse it has been spoken, bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam mukta-sangasya jayate. The science of God, bhagavat-tattva, the science of Absolute Truth, becomes manifest to the liberated soul. We find sometimes that one man is posing to have very much advanced in spiritual understanding or a great devotee, but mukta-sanga..., he's not mukta-sanga; he cannot give up smoking bidi. You see. These are the small tests. One who has actually tasted spiritual life, his unwanted things of life would at once diminish. There is no need. Anartha-nivrttih syat. Anartha. Anartha, things which are not wanted, which has no meaning. So mukta-sanga means no material attachment. That is mukta-sanga. When one is actually liberated, these are the signs.

Bhidyate hrdaya-granthih. Our material life begins by a knot in the heart. What is that knot? That is sex desire. This is the knot. A man is hankering after a woman, and a woman is hankering after a man. This attachment is the beginning of material life. Everyone, not only human society. In animal society, in bird society, in beast society, you'll find this sex attachment. This is the hrdaya-granthih, beginning. Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, the first teaching to a student is to give him lesson how to become brahmacari. How not to become attached in sex life, that is called brahmacari. Tapasa brahmacaryena [SB 6.1.13]. Tapasa, to become brahmacari, to become..., abstaining from sex life, it requires tapasya. It is not so easy thing. Tapasa brahmacaryena damena samena [SB 6.1.13]. One has to practice how to control the mind, how to control the senses. This is brahmacarya. Tapasya. It requires tapasya. At the present moment, the students are, what to speak of tapasya, they are given all kinds of luxuries. So how there will be brahmacaris? It is not possible. Especially in the Western countries, the boys and girls, they are educated in one place, co-education, and they live in the same building, and there are so many things. You know, better than me.

So there is no brahmacari. There is no brahmacarya. That means the knot in the heart, sex desire, is more and more increased. It is not decreased. But if one takes to Krsna consciousness, by practice, one comes to the point of giving up all these unwanted things. Chidyante, bhidyate hrdaya-granthih. I have several times explained to you that this knot of the heart is the sex desire. Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam. Sex desire, mithuni-bhavam etam. Tayor hrdaya-granthim. And when they're actually united, that knot becomes more and more tight. But if one takes to Krsna consciousness, then gradually, bhidyate hrdaya-granthih, that knot, sex desire... That is the test whether one's sex desire has diminished. That is the test. Bhidyate hrdaya-granthih. Bhidyate hrdaya-granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah. Samsayah. We are now in hazy conclusion, what is our position. We do not know. We do not know what is God, what I am, what is our relationship. Everyone is speculating. There are, therefore, there are so many parties. The jnani party, the yogi party, the karmi party. Generally... and within each and every party there are hundreds and thousands of parties. So when one actually becomes free from the knot, or the knot is cut off, the attachment for material desires is cut off, at that time, he can understand what is his position, what is his position.

Therefore two things must go on in parallel lines. One side, a person should cultivate Krsna consciousness and, another side, he should try to give up all the unwanted things. That will help him. You cannot continue both the things. Just like when a person is diseased, he's given medicine. At the same time, he has to act, not to take this, not to take that. That is the way of treatment. Not that whatever you like, you can eat; whatever you like, you can do, at the same time you become spiritually advanced. This is all nonsense. Tapasa brahmacaryena [SB 6.1.13]. One has to practice tapasya. Tapas. Tapas means a little inconvenience, voluntarily accepting inconvenience. Just like brahmacari lies down on the floor. A sannyasi also, they follow the same practice as far as possible. Taking bath three, thrice daily, and so many rules and regulations are there. But at the present age, it is not possible to follow all the rules and regulations, but at least everyone who is interested in advancing in Krsna consciousness must rise early in the morning, before four. And take his bath and become cleansed, perform mangala-aratrika and study. These are tapasya. Tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca tyagena [SB 6.1.13]. Tyagena means renouncement. I like something, but voluntarily I should give it up. That is called tyaga. Of course, one who takes to Krsna consciousness seriously, Krsna helps him to become qualified in these matters. So bhidyate hrdaya-granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah.

Now unless one is taken to this Krsna consciousness practice, he has got so many doubts. "Why I shall do this? Why I shall do that?" But when he is raised to the platform of goodness, as it is expressed, mukta-sangasya jayate, bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam, when he understand the science of God, automatically he becomes disinterested with these unwanted things. Ksiyante ca asya karmani. Karmani, karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam [Bs. 5.54]. We are bound up in this material existence due to our karma. According to my past karma, I have got this body, and again, as we are acting in this body, I am preparing forward my next body. Karmana daiva-netrena. We have got varieties of body, varieties of body. Not that because we are all human beings... We have got common factors -- two hands, two legs, one head -- but each body is different from the other body. You won't find one pair of body exactly of the same nature. That is not possible. Because everyone's karma is different. Karmana daiva-netrena. According to our karma, we get different types of body. So we have to stop this karma. We have to stop this karma. How you can stop this karma? Yajnarthe karmanah anyatra karma-bandhanah. If we simply act for Krsna, then we get rid of the resultant action of karma. Yajnarthe karma. Whatever you do, you do for Krsna. Yajnarthe. Yajna means Visnu. Krsna's the origin of visnu-tattva. So whatever you are ordered to do for Krsna, you are not bound up by the karma. Otherwise, good or bad, you are bound up by the resultant action of karma.

So when one is actually in the liberated stage... Liberated stage means to remain fixed up in devotional service, bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah... Otherwise it is not possible. Evam prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah [SB 1.2.20]. You can stand liberated on the platform of devotional service. As soon as you deviate from devotional service, immediately the maya is standing. She'll capture you. You can see practically. There is sunshine, and just next to the sunshine, there is darkness or shadow. So little deviation from the sunshine there is shadow. And little deviation from the shadow, you go to the sunshine. Both things are side by side, maya and Krsna. Maya means absence of Krsna. Shadow means absence of light, sunshine. So if you always keep in Krsna consciousness, there is no shadow of maya.

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

Krsna is just like sunshine and maya is just like darkness. So wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be any possibility of darkness. So you keep always yourself in Krsna consciousness. Then there is no possibility of maya. And maya means to engaged in fruitive activities.

Trtiya-karma, karma-sangah anya trtiya-saktir isyate. Maya... So long we are in maya, we have to engage ourself in fruitive activities, karma. Therefore here it is said, ksiyante ca asya karmani. One who is liberated, being engaged in devotional service, his karma, fruitive activities, stop immediately. In the Brahma-samhita it is said,

yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-
bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti
karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.54]

Yas tu indra. Indra means the King of heaven. And there is another indra, indra-gopa. It is a, it is an insect, very small. That is called indra-gopa. So it is said, "Beginning from that Indra, the King of heaven, down to this indra, the small insect," yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma, "everyone is enjoying, suffering according at the karma." The, that Indra, the King of heaven, is... You can become the King of heaven, provided you have got a mass of pious activities. You are promoted. Just like if you have got sufficient education, you can become high court judge. It is not very difficult. Similarly, this Indra, Candra, Brahma, big, big demigods, they have got all these posts on account of their great pious activities. Punya. Punya-karma. Similarly, the hogs and dogs and other animals, they are due to the papa-karma, impious activities. So both of them are resultant action of our karma.

So everyone is suffering or enjoying the resultant action of his karma. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhanurupa. Bandhana. As he's bound up by the resultant action of karma... Bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam ata... They are getting different results of their karma. It is very easy to understand. But for the devotees it is said, karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam [Bs. 5.54], those who have taken to Krsna consciousness in devotional service, their karma is cut off. There is no resultant action. Just like you know chick peas. Chick peas, if you sow on the ground, it will fructify into a plant. But the same chick pea, if it is fried and you sow on the ground, it will not fructify. So our karma should be fried up by devotional service. Then it will not produce any result. And Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami. So there is no resultant action of a devotee's activity. Therefore here it is said, ksiyante ca asya karmani. Unless you have completely finished your resultant action of karma, you cannot be promoted to the spiritual world. You have to accept a type of material body so long karma will go on. Therefore in another place, Bhagavata, it is said that people are engaged as karmis, and Rsabhadeva says na sadhu manye. One is engaged in karma. It is not very good.

...na sadhu manye yata atmano 'yam
asann api klesada asa dehah
[SB 5.5.4]

By karma only we are getting different types of body, although it is temporary. But as soon as we are encaged in this body, we become subject to threefold miseries of life.

So for a devotee, there is no more karma, or there is no more material body. Krsna also confirms in the Bhagavad-gita, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. After giving up this body, a devotee, he does not get anymore birth in this material body. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. In his spiritual body, he comes back home, back to Godhead. So the same thing is expressed here: ksiyante ca asya karmani drsta atmani isvare. He sees, atmani drsta, he realized his relationship with God, isvare. He realized that "I am eternal servant of God, eternal servant of Krsna." Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. He realizes it. And because he realizes it, he engages himself in that way. That is the perfection of life.

bhidyate hrdaya-granthis
chidyante sarva-samsayah
ksiyante casya karmani
drsta evatmanisvare

Read the purport.

Pradyumna: "Attainment of scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead means seeing one's own self simultaneously. As far as the identity of the living being as spirit self is concerned, there are a number of speculations and misgivings. The materialist does not believe in the existence of the spirit self, and empiric philosophers believe in the impersonal feature of the..."

Prabhupada: This is doubt, whether there is soul or not. Chidyante sarva-samsayah. There are so many doubts for the material scientists. Somebody says, "There must be something." Somebody says, "No, there is no soul. It is the combination of matter. The life symptoms come out." There are so many theories. So actually, when becomes enlightened by Krsna consciousness, his all doubts are moved. Go on.

Pradyumna: "...and empiric philosophers believe in the impersonal feature of the whole spirit without individuality of the living beings. But the transcendentalists affirm that the soul and the Supersoul are two different identities qualitatively one..."

Prabhupada: This is also another doubt. Because the impersonalists, they think, ghatakasa-potakasa. Just like the sky. The sky is within the pot, and the sky is outside the pot. So when the pot is broken, the inside sky becomes one with the outside sky. That is their theory. So these doubts are also dissipated when one comes to Krsna consciousness. That this potakasa means the sky within the pot, no, ghatakasa, the sky within the pot, it cannot be made analogy with the sky in the pot and outside. Because they are individual souls. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that they are part and parcel of God sanatana, eternally, not that they have been cut off. Just like the sky within the pot is walled by the wall of the pot, but actually we are not walled. We are individual. Every, every one of us are individual. We are not surrounded by some material wall. This material wall is supposed to be this body. Actually, we are individual, and therefore, because we are individual, according to our individual karma, we have got different types of body. So these are the doubts. When one become completely, I mean to say, cognizant with the Krsna consciousness science, his all doubts are removed. Go on.

Pradyumna: "There are many other theories, but all these different speculations are at once cleared off as soon as Sri Krsna is realized in truth by the process of bhakti-yoga. Sri Krsna is like the sun, and materialistic speculations about the Absolute Truth are like the darkest midnight. As soon as the Krsna sun is arisen within one's heart, the darkness of materialistic speculations about the Absolute Truth and the living beings is at once cleared off. In the presence of the sun, the darkness cannot stand, and the relative truths that were hidden within the dense darkness of ignorance become clearly manifested by the mercy of Krsna, who is residing in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. In the Bhagavad-gita (10.11), the Lord says that in order to show special favor to His pure devotees, He personally eradicates the dense darkness of all misgivings by switching on the light of pure knowledge within the heart of a devotee."

Prabhupada: This is another advantage of the devotee. Because Krsna shows a special favor to the devotee. Although He's equal to everyone, He's specially, I mean, inclined favorable to the devotees. Tesam eva anukampartham aham ajnana-jam tamah. There... He takes special care. He says, samo 'ham sarva-bhutesu. Although He's equal to everyone, still He's specially inclined to the devotees. For the devotees, he gives special instruction from within. Yena mam upayanti te. This is the special advantage of a devotee. Go on.

Pradyumna: "Therefore, because of the Personality of Godhead taking charge of illuminating the heart of His devotee, certainly a devotee, engaged in His service in transcendental love, cannot remain in darkness."

Prabhupada: So there is no question that a devotee will remain in darkness. Sometimes it is argued that mostly devotees are not very much educated. It doesn't matter. This external, academic education has no value for spiritual advancement. So here it is said, aham nasayamy atma-bhavasthah. Krsna is within everyone, and if every, anyone is purified, Krsna takes charge and He instructs. And who can be greater instructor than Krsna? Therefore it is wrong theory that devotees are ignorant. They're full of knowledge. If one is actually a devotee, there is no lack of knowledge. That's a fact. Go on.

Pradyumna: "He comes to know everything of the absolute and the relative truths. The devotee cannot remain in darkness, and because a devotee is enlightened by the Personality of Godhead, his knowledge is certainly perfect. This is not the case for those who speculate on the Absolute Truth by dint of their own limited power of approach."

Prabhupada: Yes. One can speculate about the Absolute Truth to certain extent. Therefore, generally, these speculators become impersonalists. Because they cannot go beyond that. But that impersonal knowledge is not complete. As we have several times stressed on this point, one has to go further, onward: realization of Paramatma, realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But they stop only in impersonal view. That's all. Go on.

Pradyumna: "Such knowledge is called parampara, or deductive knowledge, coming down from the authority to the submissive aural receiver, bona fide by service and surrender. One cannot challenge the authority of the Supreme and know Him also at the same time. He reserves the right of not being exposed to such a challenging spirit of an insignificant spark of the whole, subjected to the control of illusory energy. The devotees are submissive, and therefore the transcendental knowledge descends from the Personality of Godhead to Brahma, and from Brahma to his sons and disciples in succession. This process is helped by the Supersoul within such devotees. That is the perfect way of learning transcendental knowledge. This enlightenment perfectly enables the devotee to distinguish spirit from matter, because the knot of the spirit and matter is untied by the Lord. This knot is called ahankara, and it falsely obliges a living being to become identified with matter. As soon as this knot is loosened, therefore, all the clouds of doubt are at once cleared off. He sees his master and fully engages himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, making a full termination of the chain of fruitive action. In material existence a living being creates his own chain of fruitive work and enjoys the good and bad effects of those actions life after life. But as soon as he engages himself in the loving service of the Lord, he at once becomes free from the chain of karma. All his actions no longer create any reaction."

Prabhupada: That's all right. Have kirtana. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.21 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972