Evolved Consciousness
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.21
Vrndavana, November 9, 1976
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Pradyumna: "Of the two energies
manifest, spirit and dull matter, beings possessing living force, that is
vegetables, grass, trees and plants, are superior to dull matter, or stone,
earth, etc. Superior to nonmoving plants and vegetables are worms and snakes,
which can move. Superior to worms and snakes are animals that have developed
intelligence. Superior to animals are human beings, and superior to human beings
are ghosts because they have no material bodies. Superior to ghosts are the
Gandharvas, and superior to them are the Siddhas. Superior to the Siddhas are
the Kinnaras, and superior to them are the asuras. Superior to the asuras are
the demigods, and of the demigods, Indra, the king of heaven, is supreme.
Superior to Indra are the direct sons of Lord Brahma, sons like King Daksa. And
supreme among Brahma's sons is Lord Siva. Since Lord Siva is the son of Lord
Brahma, Brahma is considered superior, but Brahma is also subordinate to Me, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because I am inclined to the brahmanas, the
brahmanas are best of all." [break]
Prabhupada: What is that?
...uduttama ye
sarisrpas tesu sabodha-nisthah
tato manusyah pramathas tato 'pi
gandharva-siddha vibudhanuga ye
devasurebhyo maghavat-pradhana
daksadayo brahma-sutas tu tesam
bhavah parah so 'tha virinca-viryah
sa mat-paro aham dvija-deva-devah
[SB 5.5.21-22]
So Maharaja Rsabhadeva analyzing the different grades of living entities. Bhutesu, anything which is generated. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Everything is generated from Krsna, Parabrahman. Aham sarvasya prabhavo [Bg. 10.8]. From Krsna everything is generated. But according to consciousness, they are divided into two energies: the superior energy and the inferior energy. The more the consciousness is developed, one comes to the platform of superior energy. So the dull stone, dull matter, they have no consciousness, but there is life.
We learn from Brahma-samhita that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is within the atom. Atom is..., not that atom was not known, atomic energy was not known to the Vedic scholars. Andantara-stha-paramanu-
jalaja nava-laksani
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam
In this way, this is evolutionary growth, one after another. The evolution takes place. Evolution means gradual evolution or manifestation of consciousness. That is evolution.
So the atheist class of men, because they cannot understand that there is soul, they cannot understand that evolution means evolution of consciousness. They do not understand. They are thinking that the, originally in the matter there was no life. and all of a sudden the life came. No. Life is completely different from the matter. Not completely different; it is the same energy from the Supreme Lord. One is developed, the other is not developed. In this way, as Brahma has defined, mat-paro aham dvija-deva-devah. So in this way, within this material world there are varieties of developed consciousness, and in the spiritual world, when we surpass, transcend the material world, paras tasmat tu bhavo anya [Bg. 8.20], when we are promoted to the other energy, other world, then our consciousness... Even when one is, I mean to say, transmitted to the spiritual world... The first is brahmajyoti. Their consciousness is also not developed, even one has gone to the spiritual world where everything is spiritual. Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adho anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah [SB 10.2.32]. That means consciousness is fully developed when he is a devotee, when one adores the lotus feet of the Lord. Yusmad-anghrayah. So those who are promoted even to the Brahmajyoti, they are also not fully conscious. Fully conscious means a devotee. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. That is full consciousness. Without this consciousness, Krsna consciousness, there is no question of full-fledged Just like a small bud of a flower. First of all the seed. The seed grows, then the buds come out, then gradually the buds develop, it becomes flower, then full-fledged flower, then fragrance, beauty. Everything is developed. That is real development. Similarly, this is the process of development. When one comes to Krsna consciousness, then it is full-fledged flower with fragrance, beauty, and everything. That is the perfection.
So there are so many description of different types of living entities within this material world. But these so-called scientists, on account of their being mudha or rascals, they are studying that "Except in this planet, everywhere there is dust and rocks." This is their foolishness. No. Here it is stated that siddha Tato manusyah pramathas tato 'pi gandharva-siddha. So see development. Siddha. Siddha means those who have got yogic mystic power, siddhi, asta-siddhi. Anima, laghima, mahima, prapti, isitva, vasitva, these are called siddhis. Nowadays so-called yogis, they show some gymnastic. That is not siddhi. Siddhi is different thing. One can become smaller than the smallest. That is called anima. One can become bigger than the biggest, just like Hanumanji. He jumped over the sea. Jumped over sea... This is mahima-siddhi. One can become as big as required. Just like there is water. A grown-up man can cross water by jumping, but a small child cannot do. So proportionately, if you increase your body by the mahima-siddhi, you can jump over the sea. That is possible. So these are called siddhas. We have got description in the Srimad-Bhagavatam about the Siddhaloka. There the people can go from one planet to another in this body. That is called siddhi. Here we are trying to go to other planet with the machine, and still, we are failure. But in the Siddhaloka they can go very easily from one planet to another with this body. They are siddhas.
So these descriptions are there. There are Gandharvalokas, Kinnaralokas, and the topmost is Brahmaloka, where Lord Brahma lives. And other persons, many, everywhere... Not that simply the chief man lives. His assistant, his paraphernalia, everything, is there. Just like we understand from Bhagavad-gita, imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. So Visvasvate, Vivasvan, is the sun-god. The sun-god, Krsna instructed him this Bhagavad-gita. He says personally, imam vivasvate yogam proktavan. So do not think that simply there is sun. No. There are It is very, very big planet, fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet. Don't think that there is vacant. No. We get information from Bhagavad-gita that every planet is full of living entities. It is not vacant, but they have got different types of body. It is not vacant. Different types of body. In Brahma-samita we understand, yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotisu asesa-vasudhadi vibhuti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. Asesa-vasudha vibhuti-bhinnam. There are in each universe Within the Brahmajyoti there are innumerable brahmandas, universes. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was requested by one of His devotee, "My Lord, You have come here to deliver the fallen souls, so kindly take them with You. And if You think that 'They are sinful. They cannot go with Me back to home, back to Godhead,' so You kindly transfer all their sinful life to me. I shall suffer here. Let them go with You." This is Vaisnava, para duhkha duhkhi. Vaisnava can accept all kinds of sufferings, provided others are benefited. This is Vaisnava. Para duhkha duhkhi. This is the sample of Vaisnava. He is requesting Caitanya Mahaprabhu that "My Lord, You have come to deliver the fallen souls. In the material world everyone is fallen. So You take them. And if You think they are so sinful they cannot go, then transfer their sins to me. I shall continue to suffer many lives, but You take." So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased by his statement. So He replied also. He said, "Suppose the whole universe I take with Me. Then what is the loss in this material world? There are millions of universes." He compared that "In a bag of mustard, if I take out one mustard, then where is the loss there?"
So similarly, Krsna's creation, God's creation, is unlimited. That they do not understand. They are the frogs in the well. They are thinking... Kupa-manduka-nyaya. Everyone is thinking... The kupa-manduka is thinking that "This is the whole water, within this well, this three-feet span of water. That is final." And if you say to the kupa-manduka, "Oh, I have seen another vast water, Atlantic Ocean," he cannot imagine. So these rascals, those who are unaware of the potency of God, they think that "God may be like me. I am so little powerful. He may be little more powerful." Therefore they cannot understand what is God because they are thinking in their own terms. And somebody is thinking that "I am God." So this misconception should be given up. He is anor aniyam mahato mahiyan.
Manusyah... These are gradual, pramathah. Pramathah, they are also living entities. We have heard, some of them, about the ghost. They have no material body. The advantage of material body... [break] ...they are covered with mind, intelligence, and ego, but their gross body -- earth, water, air, fire -- that is not there. So one king, he also rejected the material body and remained, Videha. Videha king. So one can remain like that, without this gross body and subtle body, material. Just like in the Vaikunthaloka, that is... But in the material world, when one is not covered by the gross body but subtle body, they are called ghosts or pramathas. Those who are good, not harmful, they are called pramathas. And those who are harmful... As in this material world there are good men and bad men, similarly, amongst the persons who has no this gross body, they are sometimes called ghosts and sometimes they are called pramatha.
So in this way, varieties of life, beginning from the insects and the aquatics, animal, up to the point of Lord Brahma. But they are all within this material world. It does not mean because the Gandharvas, Siddhas, they have got higher standard of life and power hundreds and thousands times more than our power, do not think that they are liberated persons. They are not liberated person. They are all conditioned soul. A-brahma-bhuvanal lokan punar avartino arjuna. All these conditioned soul, according to karma, they are getting different types of body. One has got the body of an ant, and one has got the body of Brahma, Lord Brahma. But that is not our aim. Our aim is how to avoid this material body. For that purpose, Krsna consciousness. Not that "I have got now the body of an ant. Let me get the body of Brahma or Indra or in a Siddhaloka." This is not gain.
Therefore those who are devotees, they do not care either for Brahma or for the ant. They do not care. Kaivalyam narakayate tridasa-pur akasa puspayate, vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate. For a devotee... Vidhi means Lord Brahma, and Mahendra means this maghavat -- here it is said -- means Indra. So for a devotee they treat equally either Brahma or Indra kitavat, just like an ant, because they know that he may be Brahma, he may be Indra, but he has got this material body; one small insect, it has got material body.
kaivalyam narakayate tridasa-pur akasa puspayate
durdantendriya kala-sarpa-patali protkhata-damstrayate
vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate visvam purnam-sukhayate
yat karunya-kataksa vaibhavavatam gauram eva stumah
This is a verse by Prabhodananda Sarasvati. He gives his opinion that if one is favored by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, yat kataksa vaibhavavatam gauram eva stumah: "I am offering my respectful obeisances to Lord Caitanya because little glance of His mercy creates this situation." What is that? Kaivalyam narakayate. The people are very anxious to merge into kaivalya, brahmajyoti, only spirit. So for them that kaivalya is naraka, hell. Kaivalyam narakayate. And tridasa-pur akasa puspayate. Tridasa-pur means the heavenly planets, where the demigods, as it is described, the Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Siddhas, they live. They are like flowers in the sky, will-o'-the-wisp, no factual happiness. Kaivalyam narakayate tridasa-pur akasa puspayate. And durdantendriya kala-sarpa-paali protkhata-damstrayate. And indriya samyamah, the yogis, they are trying to control the senses. Yoga indriya sam... That is the real purpose. Our indriyas are so disturbing, just like kala-sarpa. You are sitting here. If one snake comes, immediately you'll be all disturbed, immediately. So to... Disturbing why? Because every one of us, we know, "Here is a kala-sarpa." Kala-sarpa means anyone it bites, immediately death. Immediately death. But this kala-sarpa is dreadful, vicious, so long the fangs are there. Protkhata damstrayate. If the fangs, the poison fangs, are taken away, or if you know, "Here is a snake, but the snake's fangs have been taken away," you'll not be afraid. Visa hina sarpah. Visa hina sarpah.
So for a devotee this kala-sarpa-paali automatically subdued because they do not use the senses for sense gratification. They are engaged in the service of Krsna. If our senses are engaged in the service of Krsna, the poisonous fangs are taken away. It is no more dreadful. There is no need of practicing indriya samyamah. Indriya samyamah automatically. One who is Krsna conscious, he is not disturbed. Just like Haridasa Thakura. He did not go to control the senses, but because he was chanting... He practiced chanting. A beautiful prostitute at dead of night offered her body to be enjoyed. He said, "Yes, I shall satisfy you. Please sit down. Let me finish my chanting." This is kala-sarpa-paali protkhata-damstrayate. He was not even agitated. This is the benefit of becoming a favorite servant of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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