United by Chanting and Dancing
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.18
Bombay, December 27, 1974
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Nitai: "By exhibiting His potencies,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead adjusts all these different elements, keeping
Himself within as the Supersoul and without as time."
Prabhupada:
antah purusa-rupena
kala-rupena yo bahih
samanvety esa sattvanam
bhagavan atma-mayaya
[SB 3.26.18]
Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is exhibiting Himself in so many ways. That is summarized in the Visnu Purana. Just like the heat and light. Just like in the material world, we have got experience. The whole system of the material world is going on under the heat and light. The sunshine is diffusing unlimited quantity of heat and light, and on this heat and light the whole material existence is there. That is scientific estimate. Because the sunlight is there, the heat and light is there, the whole planetary system is rotating, there is vegetation and varieties of fruits, flowers, varieties of manifestation. This is heat and light.
Similarly, the example is given in the Visnu Purana,
eka-desa-sthitasyagner
jyotsna vistarini yatha
parasya brahmanah saktis
tathedam akhilam jagat
Just like agni, fire, eka-desa-sthita, is there is one place, localized. Agni does not move, but heat moves. That you have got experience. You have big fire in one place. The fire does not move, but you can feel the existence of fire by heat and light. Similarly, Bhagavan does not move. He has got immense power. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. He moves by His energy. That is the difference between the Mayavada philosopher and Vaisnava philosopher. Vaisnava philosopher says the Bhagavan is staying in one place. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah [Bs. 5.37]. He is staying. In the sastra we understand that Krsna... Vrndavanam parityajya na padam ekam gacchati: "Krsna does not leave even by a step Vrndavana." He always remains there. So in the Brahma-samhita also, it is stated that goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah. He is always living in Goloka Vrndavana. He does not require to move. That is His inconceivable potency. Suppose I am sitting here. Suppose I have got to do something in my apartment. So unless I go there, that business cannot be performed. This is my position. But Krsna, although He does not leave even by a step Goloka Vrndavana... He is always enjoying in company with Srimati Radharani: anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). His only business is ananda, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1].
But He has got so many other businesses, so many. He has to... Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. Krsna says that "I am situated in everyone's heart." And mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: [Bg. 15.15] "And through Me the living entity is getting intelligence, remembrance." So just see how much busy He is. Everyone's heart, isvarah paramah... Isvarah sarva...
Devotees: Sarva-bhutanam.
Prabhupada: ...sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati. Isvara, the Supersoul, it is said here, antah purusa-rupena, the Supersoul. And the Bhagavad-gita also confirms, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. He is situated in everyone's heart. In the Upanisads also, it is said that two birds are sitting in one tree. So one bird is eating the fruit, and the other bird is simply observing as witness. Anumanta upadrasta -- in the Bhagavad-gita. So just imagine. There is no limit of the living entities. Sa anantyaya kalpate. Anantyaya means there is no numerical count. Innumerable. Nityo nityanam. Nityanam, bahuvacana, plural number... So there is no limit of these living entities. And still, Krsna has to live within the heart of every living entity. Just see. And every living entity has different business. And He has to sanction and witness.
There is a common saying that "Not a
blade of grass can move without the sanction of God." Actually, that is the
fact. Everyone has got different propensities, and he cannot do it without the
sanction of God. This is God's business. Just see. Ananta-koti, innumerable
jiva, and He has to give sanction and see his business and witness, also give
the result. He is witness, and He has to give the result also. Because he is
doing independently, he must enjoy or suffer the activities. That is going on.
Karmana daiva-netrena. He has to give different types of body. Suppose I want to
eat everything -- never mind how much nonsense and nuisance it is. There are so
many men, they eat everything. So he has to be offered the body of a pig, no
discrimination, even stool accepted. So who is giving this body? Daiva-netrena,
by superior observation. Krsna is seeing that "This living entity wants a body
so that he can eat anything up to stool." So He has to judge; He has to give.
Karmana daiva-netrena jantur dehopapattaye [SB 3.31.1].
So we are getting different types of body according to the... Krsna does not give directly, but He is the Supreme Lord. He has nothing to do. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. This is the Vedic information. He has nothing to do. Simply His order is sufficient. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:
isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya
[Bg. 18.61]
So Krsna orders only maya that "Give this living entity a body like a demigod, or a dog, or a pig, or a tree." So there are 8,400,00 varieties of body. He has to manage all these. How He is managing? Is He managing personally? No. He is managing through His potency, atma-mayaya. Here it is said, atma-mayaya. Samanvety esa sattvanam bhagavan atma-mayaya. Maya means energy, energy, tricks. This is called maya. So everything is being done by His potency. So the Mayavadi philosopher, they says, "When Bhagavan is everywhere -- His action is visible in every step, every atom, everywhere -- then the original..., where is the original form of Bhagavan? Everything is Bhagavan." That is called nirvisesavadi, nirakaravadi, "Bhagavan has no akara. He is finished. Because He is everywhere, therefore there cannot be any particular form of God." This is nirvisesavadi. That is material conception. Just like if we take something and make into pieces and throw it everywhere, the original form of that particular thing is finished. This is material conception.
But spiritual conception is different. Spiritual conception is stated in the Vedas, purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate [Iso Invocation]. Krsna is purna, and He has expanded Himself in so many ways, so many potencies, so many forms, but still, He is Krsna. That is Krsna. You cannot think that "Because Krsna is expanded in so many forms and so many ways, therefore He is finished. There is no more Krsna. This form of Krsna is maya." No. That is Krsna, that Krsna can expand Himself... Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Ananta-rupam: you cannot count even. We are also forms of Krsna, vibhinnamsa. Everything is Krsna's form. That pantheism, they take it that "Krsna's... Everything is Krsna's form. Then where is Krsna?" No. Krsna is still Krsna. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca [Bs. 5.33]. He's still adyam, purusam adyam. Govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. He still remains adi. So how He has expanded? That is stated here, bhagavan atma-mayaya: by His internal potency. Bhagavan atma-mayaya. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport].
The example is given: just that the sun is localized in one place, but he is managing the whole universal affair by his heat and light. That is potency. That does not mean... For time immemorial, sun is supplying unlimited quantity of heat and light all over the universe day and night. There is no stoppage. It is not that sun's heat and light has been stopped because it is night. It is night for us, but his heat and light is being distributed. It is distributed. But still, has the sun has diminished by a small quantity? If it is possible even for the material thing... Sun is nothing but an insignificant material thing. There are millions of suns, millions and trillions of suns. That is admitted even by modern science. So this sun is only an insignificant portion of the sun category. This universe is the smallest. There are many big, big universes, and each and every universe, there is sun, there is moon, there is other things. And all these universes combined together is one fourth energy of Krsna. Ekamsena sthito jagat.
When Arjuna wanted to know about Krsna's potencies, vibhuti... He said... He says in so many ways. Then, at last, He summarized,
athava bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat
[Bg. 10.42]
"You just try to understand My potency in this way, that the whole material creation, cosmic manifestation, innumerable universes..." What are these universes? Yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah [Bs. 5.48]. In each and every universe there is a prime lord or the creator, Lord Brahma. So there are innumerable universes, and there are innumerable Lord Brahma, innumerable Lord Sivas, everything innumerable. So yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya [Bs. 5.48]. And these innumerable universes are coming out from the breathing of Maha-Visnu. That Maha-Visnu is partial expansion of Krsna.
yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya
jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah
visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-visesah...
[Bs. 5.48]
Kala-visesa means kala, and amsa... Amsa is directly, and kala is amsa of the amsa.
There are so many things to understand the science of Krsna. Therefore Krsna says that yatatam api siddhanam kascid vetti mam tattvatah. There are many siddhas. We are not siddhas. We are trying to be siddhas. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Not all. Just like here the bhakti-yoga is going on, how to become siddha. But who is interested? In Bombay there are millions of people, but who is interested? Therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye: "There are millions and millions of human beings, but out of them, one may be interested to become siddha." And if one is siddha... Yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. And although siddhas, those who are actually siddhas, they are trying to understand Krsna, kascit, out of... Some. Out of them, somebody may be knowing Krsna. Therefore the Krsna science is not so easy. It is not so easy. So therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised, yei krsna-tattva-vetta sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]. Yei krsna-tattva-vetta. Any person who knows the science of Krsna, he is guru, not others. Yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya.
kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
yei krsna-tattva-vetta sei 'guru' haya
[Cc. Madhya 8.128]
When Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya was talking about spiritual realization, so Ramananda Raya was from a sudra family and he was householder and governor of Madras, politician also. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was asking question from him and... This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's lila: mukam karoti vacalam, how He is making a sudra, grhastha, politician, His guru, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's guru. So nobody can become Caitanya Mahaprabhu's guru, but He was playing the part. He was questioning, and Ramananda Raya was replying. So just imagine how his position was exalted. So he was little hesitating, and when very intricate questions were put before him... He was quite able to answer. He was answering. So he was feeling little hesitation, "Sir, You are coming out of a very high brahmana family and the most learned personality, and now You have taken sannyasa, the supermost position in the human society."
Sannyasa is very respectable position. Still it is honored in India. Anyone where a sannyasi goes, at least in the villages, they offer respectful obeisances and gives all kinds of comforts, still now. According to sastra, it is said if a sannyasi is not offered respect or duly honored, the punishment is the man should fast at least one day. This is Vedic system. But there are many sannyasis taking advantage of this, so we are not concerned. Neither Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a false sannyasi. He was real sannyasi. And he was also real grhastha, Ramananda Raya. So he was feeling little hesitation. To encourage him, Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately said, "No, no. Why you are feeling hesitation? Why you are feeling inferior? You are guru." "Now, how I am guru?" "Yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]." Because to become a knower of Krsna is not ordinary position. Yatatam api siddhanam kascid vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]. One who has known Krsna is not ordinary man. Yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. He is above all the siddhas even. "So why you are hesitating? You know krsna-tattva; therefore I am asking from you." So this is the position.
So this Krsna consciousness movement means that training the people who come to us to make him far, far above than the siddhas, far, far above than the siddhas. And it is very easily one can become. One can hold this position of guru, who is... Guru means who is above the siddhas. Krsna-tattva-vetta. Yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]. One cannot become guru unless he knows krsna-tattva. Not ordinary man. The yogis, the karmis, the jnanis, they cannot become guru. That is not sanctioned, because even one is jnani, he has to learn Krsna after many, many births; not in one life, but many, many life. If he persists to understand what is the Absolute Truth by his jnana method, by his speculative method, then still he will have to change many, many births. Then one day he may be fortunate. If he comes in contact with a devotee, then it may be possible for him to understand Krsna.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Who is prapadyate? Who surrenders to Krsna. Unless one understands Krsna perfectly, why one should surrender? Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Big, big scholars they, "It is too much," they say. "It is too much. Krsna is demanding, mam ekam saranam vraja. This is too much." This is not too much; this is the real position. If he is actually advanced in his knowledge... Bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19]. That is not attainable in one life. If he persists in knowledge, understanding of the Absolute Truth, then, after many, many births, when he is actually in knowledge, then he surrenders to Krsna. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. That kind of mahatma... You will find so many mahatmas simply by changing the dress. Not that kind of mahatma. Sa mahatma sudurlabhah. It is very difficult to find out such mahatmas, but there are. If one is fortunate, he can meet such mahatma, and his life becomes successful. Sa mahatma sudurlabhah.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has made the thing very easy, very, very easy. Therefore His name is Patita-pavana. Patita-pavana. Patita means fallen, and pavana means purify. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's... Therefore we follow Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We first of all sing or chant,
sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda
[I offer my obeisances to Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and all others in the line of devotion.]
We beg mercy from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. That is the way of worship in this age. You cannot approach Krsna. Then it will be sudurlabhah. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye, yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. If you try to approach Krsna... Actually we are seeing that. The Bhagavad-gita is being read by so many scholars, so many theosophists and theist, but they do not understand Krsna. You will find it practically. So many big, big scholar, so many men, they say, "I read Bhagavad-gita thrice in a day." And ask him about Krsna -- he does not know anything. You will find it practically. He will be very proud of reading Bhagavad-gita. The politicians, they take photograph, taking a Bhagavad-gita in his hand, but ask him about Krsna -- he does not know anything. Sat-khanda ramayana pare 'sita kahar baba': "He has read all the Ramayana, and he is asking, 'Well, can you say me whose father is Sita?' " He does not know whether Sita is mother or father.
So this is the position. Because he does not know who is guru and how to learn Bhagavad-gita, therefore he is frustrated. Krsna says,
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
[Bg. 4.34]
Even Krsna, He is friend of Arjuna; still, Arjuna says, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam [Bg. 2.7]. Krsna says..., Arjuna says that "Krsna, no more friendly talking. I agree to become Your disciple." So when he agreed to become disciple of Krsna, then He explained Bhagavad-gita. Actually, one should not explain Bhagavad-gita or any Vedic sastra unless one has agreed to become a disciple. But devotees are so kind that they preach even amongst the nondisciples just to take them to Krsna consciousness. Otherwise, according to law, one should not speak beyond the jurisdiction of his disciple because they will not understand. They will not follow the rules and regulations. How they will understand? Krsna says, yesam tu anta-gatam papam: "One who is completely free from all kinds of sinful activities." That is the primary qualification to understand Krsna or understand Bhagavad-gita.
yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
[Bg. 7.28]
Unless one comes to this position, there is no possibility of Krsna consciousness.
So how outsiders will accept? If the outsider is requested, "Sir, you do not smoke," very small thing, then "Swamiji is not very good. He puts so many restriction." And if somebody says, "No, no, you can drink, you can eat anything. It does not...," then he is very liberal. He is very liberal. So we are first of all putting these restriction: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. Intoxication up to drinking tea and smoking cigarette, you have to give up. Anyone who comes to become my disciple, this is my first proposal, that "If you agree, then you come." It is not that you can do anything nonsense you like, and you become my disciple. No. Because one cannot understand Krsna unless he is restricted from the sinful activities. And these are the basic principle of sinful activities: illicit sex, and meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication. These are the four pillars of sinful life. And the whole world is addicted to these four things.
So we have to push on Krsna consciousness with great difficulty. When I went to America, I went by ship. So it stopped at the, what is that, Commonwealth Pier in Boston. So I was thinking that if "I say that 'No illicit sex, no meat-eating, and no intoxication, and no gambling,' so these people will immediately say, 'Please go home.' " (laughter) Yes. That is the position. It is... These are their daily affairs. These are their daily affairs in Western countries. And if you want to make them stop these things, they will think that "This man is lunatic." But by Krsna's grace these boys, these girls, they agreed. That is Krsna's grace. I did not expect that they will agree. In India they do not agree, and they are accustomed from childhood, from boyhood. So how they will... But Krsna's grace is so nice, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy is so great, that they agreed, and they are pushing on this movement on this principle.
So why? This is due to the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Patita-pavana. He can deliver the Jagai-Madhai. And what is the process? The process is:
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha
[Cc. Adi 17.21]
If people are simply induced to chant Hare Krsna mantra... Just see. Even a child, he is taking part. It is natural. There is no distinction between black and white, no question of language, nothing. You see practically. There is white child, black child. They do not know how to speak, tut they are dancing and chanting. So this movement is so important. Somehow or other if you can engage them in chanting and dancing, the whole world will be united. What the United Nations has failed, this movement can do -- if it is not checked by the rascals. But the rascals are ready to check this movement. That is the difficulty. Otherwise, God, Krsna, is always ready to help us. How? Here it is said, antah purusa-rupena kala-rupena yo bahih. He is inside and outside. Antah, antaryami. Caitya-guru. He is acting as caitya-guru.
Krsna is very much anxious because we are suffering and we are sons of Krsna. We are part and parcel of Krsna. He is unhappy to see that you are suffering. That is natural. If the son is suffering from ailment, the father also suffers: "How the son will be cured?" The son may not know it, but the father is suffering without having that ailment. Similarly, Krsna, the..., He is the father of all living entities. Aham bija-pradah pita. Krsna says. It is not my word, but Krsna says. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya: [Bg. 14.4] "All different forms of life." Sambhavanti, aham bija-pradah pita. So Krsna is the father of everyone, and He is very much anxious for us, to get us back. Therefore He is ordering, "You rascal, why you have created so many isms? Just surrender to Me. I will give you protection. Just surrender." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. For this purpose He comes. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. Dharma-glani, discrepancies in the matter of religious principle, glani... What is that glani? The glani is forgetfulness of God: "No God. I am God. You are God." This is glani. But this is going on as dharma. This is Kali-yuga. What is not dharma, that is going on as dharma. Dharma means to understand God. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. What is dharma? Dharma means the laws and instruction given by God. But at the present moment, what is God? "There is no God." Then where is dharma? Where is dharma?
So there is no dharma in the Kali-yuga. They are simply cheating. Therefore Bhagavata says, dharmah projjhita-kaitavah atra, atra srimad bhagavate: "In the Srimad-Bhagavatam all cheating type of religious system is kicked out." What is that cheating type? "There is no God." Then where is dharma? "Dharma means you become honest." But they do not know that nobody can become honest without Krsna consciousness. That is not possible. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunah. Anyone who is devoid of God consciousness, he cannot be gentleman. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunah.
yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana
sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah
harav abhaktasya kuto mahad...
[SB 5.18.12]
This is the test. And Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,
na mam duskrtino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana
asuram bhavam asritah
[Bg. 7.15]
So this is the test. Na mam prapadyante. Krsna says, "Who does not surrender to Me? They are these classes of men." What is that? Duskrtinah:"Always engaged in sinful activities." Krti means meritorious. But they are engaged in manufacturing atom bomb, duskrtinah. Atom bomb means killing. But discover something by which man will not die. That they are dying -- so you have discovered some instrument to die quickly. So that is duskrtinah. Merit, he has got merit, but misuse the merit. The death is there. He would have lived for, say, sixty years, and you drop atom bomb -- in ten years or twenty years finished. You cannot increase the duration of life. Therefore the so-called scientific advancement, what is that? Duskrtinah,no benefit for the human society.
The real problem is, Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-
So this is going on. Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is very, very important. Those who are intelligent, they will take to it and make his life successful.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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