The Greatest Bewilderment

The Greatest Bewilderment

Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.27
Vrndavana, November 14, 1976

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Pradyumna: "The true activity of the sense organs -- mind, sight, words and all the knowledge-gathering and working senses -- is to engage fully in My service. Unless his senses are thus engaged, a living entity cannot think of getting out of the great entanglement of material existence, which is exactly like Yamaraja's stringent rope."

Prabhupada:

mano-vaco-drk-karanehitasya
saksat-krtam me paribarhanam hi
vina puman yena maha-vimohat
krtanta-pasan na vimoktum iset
 [SB 5.5.27]

So the entanglement is made by the senses. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung that sarira avidya-jal, jodendriya tahe kal, jive phele visaya-sagore. This body is covering of ignorance, sarira avidya-jal. Everyone has got a material body, and according to the different proportion of ignorance (aside:) This child is so crying. From three miles we can hear. Balanam rodanam balam. This is strength of the children, crying. They can disturb the whole world (laughter) simply by crying. So just see. This is the body, immediately. You cannot cry like that. Even if you are aggrieved, you cannot cry so loudly that up to four miles one can hear. That is not possible. Why it is not possible? Because he has got a different body and you have got a different. Everything is going on according to the body. This is maha-vimoha. This is going on, 8,400,000's of different forms of body according to mano, vaca, drk, karana, etc. This body is the entanglement, and the senses are the instruments, and we are acting with the senses and we creating another type of body. This is going on. Sarira avidya-jal, jodendriya tahe kal.

Therefore the first business is how to purify the senses. Bhakti means that. Bhakti, devotional service, means purifying the senses. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said... What is that verse, the body and the senses? I forget now.

Hari-sauri: Indriyani parany ahuh?

Prabhupada: Ah, very good. Thank you. Indriyani parany ahur indriyebhyah param manah, manasas tu para buddhih [Bg. 3.42]. These are finer. This body means indriya, and finer than the indriyas is the mind. And finer than the mind is intelligence. And finer than the intelligence is the soul, very minute part and parcel of the Supersoul. That is also mentioned: kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. So minute, you cannot imagine. Kesa agra, the tip of the hair, it is a small point. Divide into ten thousand, then you can get an idea what is the measurement of the soul. Kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya, jiva bhagah sa vijneyah [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. Everything, measurement, is there. It is not that without body. It is. There is body. And the impetus is coming from there. Intelligence is working, then mind is producing the senses, and the senses are transforming into a gross body. This is material existence. How finely it is. Where is the science? The rascal do not know except this body. Dehatma buddhi.

Therefore one who sticks to this body only, gross body, atheist class... Just like in our country the Carvaka, he says, bhasmi-bhutasya dehasya kutah punar-agamano bhavet: "Why you are thinking of next birth? It is not possible. We see this gross body is burnt into ashes. And where is the soul? Who is coming back again? Don't care for all these things. Live happily. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." Yavaj jivet sukham jivet. This philosophy is going on: "There is no mind, there is no intelligence, there is no soul, only this gross body, and so long we possess this gross body, let us enjoy the senses." But this is called, it is described, maha-vimoha. This is the greatest bewilderment, maha-vimoha. So because people have no education how we are existing in this material world, vimohana, vimudha, prakrti, how nature is working Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah, ahankara-vimudhatma [Bg. 3.27]. Vimudhatma. Maha-vimoha. This rascal is thinking that there is no other life. That is not the fact. It is very great entanglement.

So intelligent person, they will try to get out of this sarira avidya-jal, jodendriya tahe kal, to get out of these gross senses. Senses are there. The spirit soul is a person. Person. As Krsna is person... Just like the father is person, the child is also person. It cannot be otherwise. Or if the child is a person, the father must be a person. Krsna says, aham bija-pradah pita [Bg. 14.4]. So all living entities, we experience it, that we are all persons. Even a small insect, a small ant, it is a person. An ant is going this way. If you stop, it will struggle: "Why you are stopping me?" That is person. It will try its best to go this way and this way to avoid your checking. You will find it by practical experience. Even a small ant, it has got all the propensities. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna, these propensities, eating, sleeping, sex, and fearing, you will find everywhere. Visayah sarvatah purusya(?). Visaya. Visaya does not mean to become rich man. Visaya means enjoyment of the senses. That is called visaya. Visaya chariya, se rase majiya, mukhe bolo hari hari. This is instruction, that we can chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, we can chant the holy name of the Lord, purely, without offense. Because if we can chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra once only -- if it is pure -- then immediately you become liberated. Ekara hari name yata papa hare, papi haya tata papa karibare nare. Hari-nama is so powerful that once chanting, immediately vanquishes the accumulated sinful reaction of millions of lives. Papi haya tata papa karibare. Every papi, sinful man, is very expert in committing sinful activities. But hari-nama is so expert that once chanted, the papi, the sinful man, will be failure to commit sin anymore.

But the difficulty is that we cannot come to the pure stage of chanting Hare Krsna mantra. Due to our past habits our mind is disturbed. We cannot concentrate. Therefore we have fixed up the minimum. We cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura. That is not possible. If somebody imitates Haridasa Thakura... We can see this chanting Hare Krsna and smoking bidi. We can understand what is the position. The offense is going on. Therefore we should try to avoid the ten kinds of offenses. Of course, in the beginning the offenses will continue. But chanting, chanting, chanting, chanting, as soon as we become purified Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. By chanting, chanting, chanting repeatedly, when our, the core of heart will be cleansed, ceto-darpana-marjanam, then immediately bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam, this maha-vimoha... This is maha... This is bhava-maha-davagni. They do not know that what kind of position we are now passing through. Krsna says the same thing, mrtyu samsara vartmani. Mam aprapya nivartante mrtyu samsara vartmani [Bg. 9.3].

So we are rascals, we do not know what is that mrtyu samsara vartmani. We have dismissed everything, all instruction of the sastra, all instruction of Krsna, all instruction of guru. We have all dismissed, "Oh, these are all mythology. There is no life after death." This is going on, maha... Ahankara vimudhatma. Vimudhatma. This is the position. We should understand that what is our position. But they have become so dull, just like a stone or a tree. You cut it; it does not respond, does nothing. But if there is life, little pinching -- immediately, "Why you are pinching?" That is the difference between life and dead body, or jada and cetana. So long one is not conscious, he's as good as the stone or the wood. Therefore sometimes Vaisnava poets say that amara lid pasanta bolo na, pasan hole bolo yato(?). We have created such a strong heart of material existence that it does not respond even after suffering so much. This is our position.

So Krsna consciousness movement means to bring him to the right position of consciousness. Consciousness we have got. The more it is covered, dull, it cannot respond. But it can be brought into the proper existence, and the process is hearing, hearing. Go on hearing, hearing. Krsna has given us one chance, this ear. If we properly use it... Therefore Vedic knowledge is to be heard, hearing. Listen. It is therefore called sruti. The Vedic instruction has to be gotten from the right person through aural reception.

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrt satam
 [SB 1.2.17]

So this is the process, that we should engage our ear to receive the knowledge, Vedic knowledge, very attentively. And therefore we have to approach to the proper person and inquire and hear. Sravanam kirtanam. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. Not to hear like animal, but pariprasnena sevaya. Then our knowledge will be developed. This is the process.

So mano-vaco-drk-karanehitasya saksat-krtam me paribarhanam hi. So we can worship the Lord by mind, by words, by seeing, and all senses. Hrsikena hrsikesa sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. (aside:) You sit down. Yes. Hrsikena hrsikesa sevanam bhakti ucyate. Bhakti means hrsika. Hrsika means the senses, karana. Mano-vaca. Mind is the king of the senses. So mind is also one of the senses. Manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. Mind and the indriyas combined together, we are trying to be happy in this material world, but there is no happiness, simply struggling. Prakrti-sthani karsati. Purusah prakrti-stho bhunkte prakrti-jan gunan. He is put into this prakrti, bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham buddhi, bhinna me prakrtir astadha [Bg. 7.4]. So we are put into this prakrti. Bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham buddhi mano. These are material. There is also mana. Mind is subtle matter; it is not spirit. So in this way, separated energy and the jiva, the living entity, although he is part and parcel of Krsna, he wanted to enjoy life separately or independently without Krsna, and that is called material world, struggle for existence. Without Krsna. Therefore he has to come to Krsna if he wants to stop his struggle for existence with mind and senses, then he must come to Krsna. That is the natural position.

But these rascals are not taught about Krsna, but they are already in ignorance and they are kept into ignorance. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. The rascals, they do not know that his real self-interest is how to approach Visnu or Krsna. Krsna, Visnu, therefore comes personally just to show His causeless mercy upon them, to exhibit Himself, how He can be friend to everyone. Suhrdah sarva-bhutanam jnatva mam santim rcchati. If you want santi, then you must accept Krsna, suhrdah. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29]. He is friend of everyone; therefore He comes. He is not only friend of Arjuna. Arjuna is symbolic friend. He is instructing Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, His friend, but He is friend of everyone. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam.

So we must take advantage of the instruction of Bhagavad-gita. It is not meant for... Arjuna is already liberated, but he is placing himself as one of us just to take the lessons of Krsna for the benefit of the whole world. And Arjuna, who is living with Krsna as friend not only in one life... Bahuni me janmani vyatitani tava carjuna. So Arjuna is always with Krsna. He cannot be in ignorance. Krsna-surya-sama, maya andhakara, yahan krsna tahan nahi mayara adhikara [Cc. Madhya 22.31]. Who is constantly living with Krsna, he has no ignorance, but he's putting himself as ignorant. Just like Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is asking question from Ramananda Raya. Does it mean that Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not know, Ramananda Raya No. Just to make a scene that how we can get knowledge from hearing from the authorities Similarly, Arjuna placed himself. It is a theatrical stage, that ignorant. But actually he is liberated. When Arjuna was advised to practice hatha-yoga, he said, "Krsna, it is not possible for me."

cancalam hi manah krsna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva suduskaram
 [Bg. 6.34]

"I cannot do this." He was frank enough. Or on behalf of us he said frankly that "It is impossible," at least in the Kali-yuga, "to control the mind." Yoga indriya samyamah. It is not possible. Cancalam hi manah krsna pramathi balavad drdham [Bg. 6.34]. Five thousand years, Arjuna is denying to accept this yogic process. "It is not possible to give that. I am a politician. I am a military man. I have to fight. I have to see so many things. How can I control my mind? It is not possible."

So that is fact. This controlling the mind by the yogic process, by meditation, is impossible. [break] ...read so many sastras, the essence of the sastra. That is the duty of the acarya. The essence of the sastra should be presented to the fools and rascals so that, just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he presented himself before His guru that guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana: [Cc. Adi 7.71] "My guru found Me a great rascal." Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not a rascal, but He presented Himself as a rascal because we are rascals. These people of this age, they are all rascals. Therefore he presented Himself, guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana: "My guru saw Me a great rascal; therefore he has asked Me, chastised Me, that 'You rascal, You cannot understand Vedanta. You cannot read even.' " Murkha tumi nahi tomara vedanta adhikara: "You cannot read Vedanta." That means the rascals of this age, what they will understand Vedanta? He will simply misrepresent. They will simply mislead the persons. You see so many big, big politicians, scholars, simply misleading people from Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita is spoken on the battlefield, and they want to prove that it is nonviolence. In this way people are being misled.

Therefore avoid this rascal process, to read something and interpret in a different way. Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to do that. Guru more murkha dekhi karila sasana. So we should not try to become very learned scholar by misreading the Vedic literature. Take the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Not Caitanya Mahaprabhu -- the sastra, the Brhad-naradiya Purana. Sadhu sastra guru vakya. Sadhu will not speak anything which is not in the sastra. That is sadhu. Sadhu cannot manufacture anything. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said that,

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir...
 [Cc. Adi 17.21]

Chant Hare Krsna as many times as possible and be liberated.

Thank you very much. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.27 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1976

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