Everywhere His Mystic Potency

Everywhere His Mystic Potency

Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.112
New York, July 20, 1976

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Pradyumna: (chants verse, etc.)

visnu-saktih para prokta
ksetrajnakhya tatha para
avidya-karma-samjnanya
trtiya saktir isyate
 [Cc. Madhya 6.154]

"Translation: Originally, Krsna's energy is spiritual, and the energy known as the living entity is also spiritual. However, there is another energy, called illusion, which consists of fruitive activity. That is the Lord's third potency." [break]

Prabhupada: ...Bhagavan, the Supreme Absolute Truth, Visnu, all-pervading Personality of Godhead. So His potency... So His potency must be also spiritual. Just like the sun globe is reservoir of heat and light. Everyone will know. So His potency... The sun globe potency, sunshine, is also heat and light. It is not different from the sun. Sakti means potency. Sakti saktimat abheda. The potency of a certain person is nondifferent; there is no difference in quality. The same example, the sun and the sunshine. Sunshine is the potency of the sun, but the quality of the sun and the quality of the sunshine is the same, heat and light. So visnu-sakti, there are... According to the Vedic information, He has got many multifarious potencies. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. Different types of sakti. We can see different types of agency, er, what is called, energy, is working within this creation. Take for example the leaves of the tree. Some of them are green; some of them are red; some of them are yellow; some of them are mixed. Similarly fruits -- different tastes; flowers -- different flavor. Varieties. But wherefrom it is coming? The sunshine. The sunshine is the same, but it is acting in different way, so we see different manifestation. This is crude material example. Similarly, if we take the spiritual original, then the original is Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavah [Bg. 10.8]. It is not different from Krsna. Aham sarvasya. All these colored manifestation, it is coming from Krsna. Mattah sarvam pravartate: "Everything is coming from Me." So this understanding is real Krsna consciousness, when you understand that there is one only. Eka brahma dvitiya nasti. And Krsna is above Brahman. We have got a slight idea of Brahman, generally, but Krsna is Parambrahman. There are many millions of Brahmans, and above them, the Supreme Brahman is Krsna. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. Arjuna admitted.

So Krsna sakti... Everything is Krsna's sakti, potency. There is no doubt about it. Aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate iti matva [Bg. 10.8]. Vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]. Vasudeva is everything. That is Krsna. But He's working in so many ways. So many ways. How it is working? That is stated in the Vedas: svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. He has got so unlimited potency that things are being done as if naturally, without any endeavor. But the background is Krsna. Just like we see one flower growing, very small flower. The stem is very fine, and the flower is decorated even in their different colors. But it is not ordinary thing. If you are a painter, if you paint such a flower, it will take so many days. But it is coming. But don't think simply that it has come automatically. No. There is no such thing as automatically. Same as you, when you paint a flower, you have to employ so much energy, so Krsna has also do that, the same energy. But it is because it is so natural for Krsna, svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. Simply by His willing, it is happening. So He hasn't got to endeavor for it. That is the difference between Krsna's activities and our activity, although we have got the tendency at least. Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, we have got the same quality. Ksetrajnakhya tatha para. Ksetrajna means living entities. They are also of the same potency. So then what is the difference? The difference is that the ksetrajna, the living entities, are prone to become under illusion. That is the difference. We are small, very small; therefore we are prone to be extinguished. Just like the fire and the fire spark. The spark, when it is out of the fire, it is extinguished. No more fiery quality. But so long it is playing with the fire, you'll find the nice brilliant sparks coming, now dancing. The quality is the same. Fire can burn, and the small spark, it falls down, it will burn your cloth. It is very small, but it will... It has become off, illusion. This is avidya. The same spark, when he's out of Krsna's touch, it is extinguished, avidya. Immediately he is covered by darkness, extinguished, his spiritual quality. Not finished -- at least stopped for the time. Spiritual quality cannot be finished because it is spiritual. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. The spiritual quality cannot be finished. It goes on. And on account of avidya, ignorance, it goes through another body, another body, transmigration of the soul. And unless he is again revived to his original consciousness, he has to go through that. He has to struggle for existence. He's trying to get his original position like Krsna's brilliant position, like the fire.

So this is called struggle for existence. Avidya-karma-samjnanya. They are trying to be happy. You'll find in the New York City, they are simply struggling. What is the aim? The aim is how to become happy. Somebody is drinking, somebody is gambling, somebody is going to the restaurant, somebody is going to the Times Square, and somebody is going here, there. Their real aim is how to become happy. But because in avidya, ignorant, they are unable to become happy. That is the position. Avidya-karma-samjna anya trtiya saktir. This avidya is illusion, illusion. Just like we are now enwrapped, covered with this body, and I am thinking I am this body. This is avidya. I am not this body. So again he has to brought to this knowledge, that "You are not this body. Because you wanted to dominate over the material nature, therefore you have got this material body. Because you wanted to eat stool, you have got this hog's body. Because you wanted this, jump over unnecessarily, creating trouble, you have become monkey. Because you wanted to drink fresh blood, you have got the body of a tiger." This is called avidya. He's not either tiger nor pig nor monkey nor this so-called human being, nor American, nor Indian. He's spirit soul. That knowledge one has to come. From that avidya, from ignorance, one has to come to the knowledge. Then his life will be successful.

So our Krsna consciousness movement is trying to bring back the human society, because it is not possible to bring back the monkeys and cats and dogs to Krsna consciousness. That is not possible. So those who are of the dog's mentality, cat's mentality, monkey mentality, it is difficult for them. They have to change their mentality by sat-sanga. This is called sat-sanga. Just like you are hearing from the sastra, and we are speaking from the sastra. This is called sat-sanga. Satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah [SB 3.25.25]. By sat-sanga, by real spiritual association, by talking with them, by mixing with them-satam prasangan mama virya-samvido -- then we can learn about the unlimited potencies of Krsna. Mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah. Then it becomes very pleasing to the heart and to the ear, by satam-prasangan. Otherwise it is not possible. If you go to a professional reciter, it will enter in this ear and go out this ear, that's all. Because there is no life; it is business. So you cannot do business with Krsna. Krsna is not agreeable to this proposal. He's master. You cannot utilize Him for your service. You must engage yourself to His service. That is wanted. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Then if we be in that attitude, that "Krsna is my master; I must serve Krsna. I shall not take Krsna an instrument to become my servant..." That is not possible, although it is said that catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtino 'rjuna: "Four kinds of men," sukrtina, "whose background is pious, they come to Krsna." One who is impious, he cannot come.

na mam duskrtino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana
asuram bhavam...
 [Bg. 7.15]

Why a few selected persons come here? Because it requires background of pious activities. Otherwise it is not possible. We do not expect that cent percent of people will become Krsna conscious. That is not possible. But if there is one ideal Krsna conscious person, he can do benefit to many thousands. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tarah sahasrasah. If there is one moon in the sky, he can illuminate the whole universe, na ca tarah sahasrasah, not these twinkling stars. It is not possible.

So people are suffering. Avidya-karma-samjnanya. Being enwrapped by avidya, illusion, they are struggling for existence. So Krsna personally comes Himself to deliver them. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. That is His two businesses. So the Krsna conscious, Krsna's devotee, also take up the business of Krsna by this Krsna consciousness movement, and it will do good to him and as well as to the persons amongst whom he will preach. But preach. Don't manufacture preaching. Preach as it is in the sastra. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction: yare dekha tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. You do not become a rascal guru yourself by manufacturing some imagination, "You do this. Give me some money and you become God, you become this, you become..." This rascaldom don't do. One thing you do. What is that? What is said by Krsna, you say. That's all. What is the difficulty? What Krsna has said, you say. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. These four things, that you just become a devotee of Krsna... How can I become devotee? Come to the temple, offer little obeisances, take prasadam. So what is the difficulty? If you say there is no difficulty... And if one comes, there is no difficulty. But they are so rascals, they will not come. We are giving so much facilities that "Come here, live in this nice building and hear about Krsna. Take prasadam, chant and dance, very happy life." But they'll become hog. They are preparing their life for that purpose. They'll become a dog next life. They prefer like that.

So therefore the Krsna consciousness movement is the topmost welfare activities in the world. People should try to understand it and join it and take advantage of it.

Thank you very much. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.112 -- New York, July 20, 1976

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