Material Body Is Dead Body

72/11/22 Hyderabad, Bhagavad-gita 2.17

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Prabhupada:

avinasi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idam tatam
vinasam avyayasyasya
na kascit kartum arhati
 [Bg. 2.17]

So the distinction between the living soul and the dead body -- anyone can perceive. What is the distinction between a living body and the dead body? When a man is dead, he, his relatives cry, lament: "Oh, my father has gone," "My son has gone." But the father, as we have seen, he's lying on the floor. Where he has gone? He's lying on the floor. Why you are crying: "Oh, my father has gone away"? That means the person who has gone away, who has left this body, you have not, never seen. You have seen this body. So the body is lying there, and why you are crying, "My father has gone away"? So any intelligent man can understand that the real father, within the body, was a different thing. But our ignorance is so great that we accept this body, this dead body, as my father. This body is not only dead now, it was always dead. Because the living soul was there, within this dead body, it was moving. This is the fact. Just like a nice motorcar is running. But when the driver is not there, the motor is lying there, idle. If one identifies with the motorcar, the driver of the car, that is foolishness. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. Anyone who is identifying this dead body, or this material body, which is a composition of tri-dhatuka, kapha-pitta-vayu, some blood, flesh, and some secretion, and some bones -- if anyone identifies the self with this lump of matter, then he is described as no better than cow and ass.

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah
 [SB 10.84.13]

So at the present moment especially... This ignorance is there always, in the material world, that one is identifying this material body with the real self. The self, the soul is different. It is not this material body. But our modern education, everything, advancement of knowledge, philosophy, everything on the basis of, on this wrong conception of life. So to give an, a glimpse of idea what is that soul, how it acts, here Krsna, Lord Krsna informs us:

avinasi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idam tatam
vinasam avyayasyasya
na kascit kartum arhati

 

So the soul, the presence of soul is perceived by the consciousness. That consciousness... Just like the presence of sun, even I was blind, I could understand the sun is there because the sunlight and heat, I am experiencing. Without seeing the sun... When, as soon as I come to the sunshine, I feel light and heat; therefore immediately I can understand there is sun. It is not very difficult. Similarly just like we try to... When a man is dying, we try to feel whether the man is breathing, or he's feeling touch sensation. These are the tests. So the touch sensation is there so long the soul is there. Now I am living body. If somebody pinches my body, because the consciousness is all over the body, so I feel: "Somebody's pinching me." But when the conscious, consciousness is not there, if somebody chops up my body I will not protest. Therefore we should understand what is that living thing. That consciousness, which is spreading all over this body, that is living force. Krsna says here: avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. Yena, by that consciousness. The consciousness is spread all over the body. So Krsna says, "That consciousness is avinasi." After the death of, after the annihilation of this body, which we call dead, the consciousness is not dead. That we do not understand. There is no science; there is no philosophy. Everything based on a foolish assumption. They say the consciousness is made possible by combination of matter. The combination of matter, five elements, gross, the subtle elements, they cannot see. Even they see. So their... (aside:) Not now. Their proposition is that this consciousness is a symptom of combination of matter. That is Buddhist philosophy. They do not accept the existence of soul. "The consciousness is a combination of matter." But if it is a fact, then why don't you, if some matter is lacking, why don't you bring that matter or chemical and inject in the dead body and make it again conscious? Why it is not possible? What is your argument? If you say consciousness is combination of matter...

Just like our motorcar is being driven. So when the petrol is finished, matter... Because motorcar running means combination of matter -- some machine, made of matter, and some oil, acting -- so it is running. Of course, the driver is there. But foolish persons, they do not understand, simply combination of matter will not act. There must be a driver, a living person. Then the motorcar will go. So supposing the combination of matter, that the petrol is finished. So we can bring petrol. Again the motor runs. So if this body was running simply on combination of matter, and some matter is lacking, so why not bring that matter and put into it, and it will run? But that is not possible. That is, that was... The living force which was running this body was a different element, spirit. Nasato vidyate bhavo nabhavo vidyate satah. We have discussed this verse. That is living force. And Krsna says, vinasam avyayasya asya. This consciousness has no annihilation. Vinasa. Nobody can kill this consciousness, or the soul. One can do harm to this material body, but not to the spirit soul and consciousness. Vinasam avyaya. Avyaya means which is never deteriorates. That is avyaya. Vinasam avyayasya asya na kascit kartum arhati. Nobody can kill. Nobody can kill consciousness, nobody can kill the soul. Therefore it is said, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. "The consciousness, or the spirit soul, is never killed, never annihilated, on the destruction of this body."

So this is a great science. Unfortunately, the so-called scientist, he has no idea. He does not know. They simply say that "We do not know, but we are trying to know." That's all right. But here is the knowledge, perfect knowledge, in the Bhagavad-gita. Why don't you take it? That they will not take. They'll go on speculating and promise falsely that "In future we shall be able to inject some matter within the body and the body will again become alive." That is their dream. In the past history, it was never possible; at present also, it is not possible. How you can expect in future? But they are under illusion. They think like that, that "We are making progress." At all, no progress, practically. They have no knowledge. That is their position. They have no knowledge. So we have to understand from the authority. There are so many arguments. Now, if you say "This body's dead because the blood has become white. Blood corpuscles, they are now become white instead of becoming red." So if that is the possible, so why don't you make the blood red? By some chemical injection or by adding some color, as soon as the blood becomes red... Why don't you do that? No. If you say "That was ‘natural' redness. That natural redness cannot be brought," then your science is defective. And even if we accept that natural redness is the cause of living force, there are many natural redness in the flower, in the jewels. Why does it not move? So all the arguments of these foolish scientists, or so-called logicians, that can be, I mean to say, nullified, if you are intelligent. We have to take..., accept it, because it is said by Krsna, the Supreme Personality. Because we cannot say anything, why it is avinasi, why this body's not avinasi, but the consciousness is avinasi, that we cannot explain; therefore we have to accept the version of the supreme authority. That is education. That is education. We, we cannot deny. Because we cannot give any counterproposal. So how we can deny Krsna's proposal? Avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. Yena sarvam idam tatam. This is also very significant. Idam sariram.

So I am individual spirit soul. I am conscious. My consciousness is spread all over the body. But my consciousness is not spread over your body. If you are pinched by somebody, I don't feel. Because your consciousness is different from my consciousness. You cannot say that the consciousness is the same in you and me. No. Everyone is individual. Therefore there is another consciousness. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata [Bg. 13.3]. I am ksetra-jna, conscious. I know about the pains and pleasures of my body. You know about the pains and pleasures of your body. I do not know about your pains and pleasure. You do not know about my pains and pleasure. Therefore you are individual soul. I am individual soul. But there is another soul, Supersoul. That is Krsna. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. That Supersoul is present both in you and in me. Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata [Bg. 13.3]. Sarva-ksetresu bharata. In every living entity. Sarva-ksetresu. It is confirmed in the Vedic sutras, Brahma-sutra: andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. Eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim [Bs. 5.35]. That Supersoul is present within this universe. Because that Supersoul is present within this universe, Krsna says, vistabhya aham: "I enter within this world." Ekamsena sthito jagat: [Bg. 10.42] "I do not enter, but My plenary portion, ekamsena, Paramatma..." The Ksirodakasayi Visnu, He enters. The Garbhodakasayi Visnu, He enters within this universe. And the Ksirodakasayi Visnu enters into everything, even in the atom. Therefore it is working. So that consciousness is there. Because the universal consciousness of Visnu is there, therefore everything within the universe is working so nicely. Not that nature... Nature, you can compare with your body... The material nature is there, but without the soul's presence, the consciousness being there, it will not work.

Therefore as this universe, material cosmic manifestation is working very nicely, you have to accept there is God. You cannot deny. So that consciousness, superconsciousness, that is different. You cannot say that "I am the same. I have got superconsciousness." That is not possible. Then, if you have got superconsciousness, why don't you feel about my pains and pleasure? The superconsciousness is of Visnu. That is all-pervading consciousness. That is also the same. Nature is the same. As I have got my consciousness all over this body, similarly, the superconsciousness is there all over the universe. As I feel pains and pleasure on account of some disturbance on this body, similarly, as soon as we create some disturbance with this universal atmosphere, the supreme consciousness is disturbed. That disturbance is going on. Therefore, in spite of all arrangement... Purnam idam purnam adah purnat purnam udacyate [Isopanisad, Invocation]. That, by God's creation, everything is complete. There is no flaw. But because we are creating disturbances, the world situation is different.

We are creating disturbances. By God's creation, everything is nice. Everything is fine. Take, for example, within this planet, there is sufficient place to grow food for all the population. Not only all the population at the present moment, but if the population increases ten times, twenty times, still, there is sufficient place to produce food for them. We are traveling all over the world three times a year, and we see in Australia and Africa and other countries, there are so much vacant places. And food can be produced, enough food can be produced. Enough milk can be available for feeding all this population. That is God's arrangement. But the difficulty is that we are quarreling amongst ourself. I am thinking Indian. Somebody's thinking "I am an American." Somebody's thinking "I'm Australian." "You cannot come here. You, I cannot allow you to come to my country." The immigration department. Therefore, the difficulty. By God's arrangement, there is everything complete. But I am disturbing. I am encroaching upon God's property: "This is mine." Therefore there is disturbance. Therefore the only solution of the whole world problem is Krsna consciousness. There is no other solution. The only solution. Krsna consciousness means when people will be educated to understand that this planet does not belong to America or India and Africa. Everything belongs... Sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. As Krsna says, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." When you understand this, that is Krsna consciousness. Then there will be peace.

Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is very important. To educate people. Because foolishly they are claiming God's property his property. Nothing belongs to us. Even this body does not belong to us. As soon as the time factor is finished, my body's finished... So I have got this body, say, for seventy-six years, age, and, say, after ten years, or five years, it will be finished. So before my body was created, the world was there, and when my body will be finished, the world will remain there. Then how can I claim that this world belongs to me? This is called illusion. This is called ignorance. Mudha. Mudha means one does not know to whom the property belongs, but foolishly he's claiming that "It is my property." This Krsna consciousness movement, in other words, it is spiritual communism. The material communism, which is going on, that is defective, because this Communist movement is centered around the state. But when there will be perfect communism -- isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1], the center will be God, Krsna -- that will be perfect. When everyone will understand that Krsna is the central point, Krsna is the proprietor, Krsna is the enjoyer, when perfectly we come to that Krsna consciousness, there will be peace and prosperity. Otherwise it is not possible. Therefore our... Of course, it is not possible that because the number of fools are greater.

But still, as it is suggested in the Bhagavad-gita: yad yad acarati sresthah. Yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad eva itarah janah. If the so-called leaders, they become Krsna conscious, they understand the philosophy, then others will follow. As, at the present moment, because the leaders are foolish, blind, they have no spiritual knowledge, all the population of the world becomes godless. Therefore our appeal is to the leading personalities to understand this Krsna consciousness movement. Try to understand its philosophy, apply in life, and try to distribute this knowledge. Automatically others will accept. Sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate. If Krsna consciousness movement is accepted by the leading personalities... Why they shall not accept unless they are ignorant and less intelligent? Everything is there. The Bhagavad-gita is left for this purpose. It was instructed not to Arjuna, but to the whole world, in the midst of Battlefield of Kuruksetra. So the whole world is a battlefield now. They should learn the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and thus become happy within this world.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.17 -- Hyderabad, November 22, 1972

Sadhu Inquires For Strictness

Sadhu Inquires For Strictness Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.100-108 New York, November 22, 1966 download  flash player   Take a test Prabhupada: apanara hitahita kichui na jani gramya-vyavahare pandita, tai satya mani krpa kari' yadi more kariyacha uddhara apana-krpate kaha 'kartavya' amara So Sanatana Gosvami, he's acarya in this disciplic succession from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Caitanya. He is the first disciple of Lord Caitanya, and from him, Sanatana Gosvami, six Gosvamis. There were six among the first followers of Lord Caitanya. And then, from next step comes Raghunatha Gosvami and then this author of this book, Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami, and from him, Narottama dasa Thakura, and then from him, Visvanatha Cakravarti, Baladeva Vidyabhusana. In this way this disciplic succession is coming from Lord Caitanya. So as acarya... Acarya means one who knows the principles of scripture, properly being initiated by authority who knows things as they are, and they apply those things in their own life. They are called acarya. Acinoti sastrani: he must know all the principles from authorities, and he should apply in his life those principles. Not that he knows but does not apply. He cannot be acarya. Apani acari prabhu jiva disa (?). Lord Caitanya, He, although He is accepted as the, I mean to say, the personal, He's Krsna Himself, still, He behaved in such a way that others can follow. He also accepted Isvara Puri. Isvara, Isvara Puri was His spiritual master, Lord Caitanya's. This is the disciplic succession. Now, how to present himself before the spiritual master? He said that "Actually I am not learned, because I do not know my own position, what I am. But people say that 'You are pandita,' and I am puffed-up, and I think, 'Yes, I am pandita, I am learned.' " This is the situation of the world. Everyone who has no spiritual knowledge, who does not know what he is, still, he is very much proud that he's very learned. So such kind of learning may be praised materially, but spiritually it has no value. Spiritually it has no value, because this is temporary, temporary. Just like by force, so many people is posted on the king's position, but after five years, ten years, again he's a common man. So similarly, all this material acquisition, they have no permanent value. Therefore those who are actually learned, they don't give any importance to this material acquisition. So Sanatana prabhu is, by his personal behavior, he's presenting himself that "People say that I am very learned, but actually I am not learned." This should be the position. Jijnasuh sreya uttama. Now, "Because I am not learned, and very kindly You have delivered me from the maya of illusion, kindly now let me know what is my duty." This is the position. One should present himself to the spiritual master, not that... We have to first of all select spiritual master. The selection is required. Because as soon as you accept one spiritual master, you cannot say that "I don't agree with you." No. That you cannot say. Then it is useless, simply waste of time. First of all you have to select a person who is actually representative. Just like Sanatana Gosvami is representative of, I mean to say, Lord Caitanya. Just like Arjuna is representative of Krsna, because he's directly receiving instruction from Krsna, and he's assimilating it; therefore, he is representative. So this is the parampara system. So we have to select a person who is actually representative of the Supreme. Then we have to surrender, and then we can... Of course, before (indistinct) and do not understand, we must put our questions, then the procedure is nice. So here, Sanatana Gosvami's asking that ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya. "Now I place myself that I do not know, but I request You to explain what I am." Now this "what I am..." Sanatana Goswami is such a learned man, he's asking from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "What I am, I cannot know." If one thinks, "What I am?" I shall think myself that "There are so many foolish people, they're meditating, 'What I am? What I am?' 'What I am,' you are a foolish. You cannot know, 'What I am?' " Just like Arjuna did not know what he is. He thought that "I am this body, and these persons who are in relationship with my body, they're my own men, they're my kinsmen." That was his knowledge. So you cannot know, we cannot know "What I am." A superior authority will let you know what you are. You cannot know. This is the mistaken idea, that "I shall find out what I am." No. You cannot know. Just see. Sanatana Gosvami said that ke ami: "Kindly, as You have very kindly delivered me from this illusory position, now I am surrendered soul to You. Please let me know what I am." Ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya. Tapa-traya means three kinds of material miseries. Tapa means miseries; traya means three. So, "What I am, and why I am placed in this miserable condition of material nature?" This is called jijnasuh sreya uttamam. This inquiry should be in the human form of life. Then his life is perfect. Ke ami. In the Brahma Sutra it is called athato brahma jijnasa, and in Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: [SB 11.3.21] "One who is inquisitive to inquire, to understand about his real position, he should accept a spiritual master." Not a formality. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is being asked, ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya. Tapa-traya means threefold miseries. What are these threefold miseries? They are miseries pertaining to this body and mind; miseries pertaining to the, I mean to say, disturbance of material nature; and miseries pertaining to the other living entities. We are always under threefold miseries. We may accept or not accept; that is our position. I am in miserable condition due to others' arrangement -- my enemies, other animals or other enemies. And I am in miserable condition due to material disturbances, nature's disturbances. And I am always under miseries due to my bodily and mental conditions. These called, these are called threefold miseries. So out of these three... We are always under three kinds of miseries, but sometimes one is slackened, other is greater, in this way, but we are always under miserable condition. When a sane man comes to this understanding, he is eligible for spiritual evolution. And one is dull, who cannot understand what are these miseries, then he has no need of approaching a spiritual master or inquiring about transcendental subject. Just like a man who is not, I mean to say, aware of his disease, he does not go to a physician. He thinks, "I'm all right." Just like the drunkards in the Bowery Street. They think that "We...," they're all right. There, there is nothing miserable condition for them. But what do they know about miserable...? They are so much accustomed to this miserable condition that they cannot understand what is meaning of his miserable condition. Yes. So when people are in this lowest stage of ignorance, they cannot understand what is needed. But when they are elevated, just like Sanatana Gosvami, they..., he goes to a bona fide spiritual master like Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His representative and asks, "What are the causes of my miseries, and what I am? What is my position?" 'ke ami', 'kene amaya jare tapa-traya' iha nahi jani-'kemane hita haya' "And I also do not know what is the path of my welfare." sadhya-sadhana-tattva puchite na jani krpa kaha ta' apani kari' saba tattva "And I also do not know how to place my question." Yes. The blank slate. Completely. "I do not know, but I am feeling that I am in a miserable condition, but kindly explain me, what is my duty, what I am, and why I am fallen in the miserable condition? So You kindly explain to me." prabhu kahe-krsna-krpa tomate purna haya saba tattva jana, tomara nahi tapa-traya And Lord Caitanya encourages him that "Because you have come to this understanding, now all your miseries are over. All your miseries are over." Just like a man suffering from certain kind of disease, if he approaches a right physician, that means he is beginning of, beginning of..., ending of all diseases is there. Similarly, if we can find out a bona fide spiritual master, and if we are actually anxious to end our miserable life, then it is actually done. The beginning is there. Saba tattva jana, tomara nahi tapa-traya. "Now don't be discouraged. You have no threefold miseries. Because you have come to this position, therefore you are above all these threefold miseries." krsna-sakti dhara tumi, jana tattva-bhava jani' dardhya lagi' puche-sadhura svabhava  [Cc. Madhya 20.105] A sadhu, a sage or a devotee, although he knows everything, still, he always places himself as he does not know anything. He never says that "I know everything." But actually, it is not possible to know everything. That is not possible. But one... Just like Sir Isaac Newton, he agrees that people say, "I am very much learned, but I do not know how much I have learned. I am simply collecting some pebbles on the sea shore." So that is the position. If a man who is actually learned, he'll never say that "I am learned." He'll simply say, "I am the fool number one. I do not know." So Caitanya Mahaprabhu appreciated his humbleness, because actually he was a very learned and very man of position in the society, so as a matter of reciprocation, exchange of, I mean to say, etiquette, he also accepted, "No, you are not fallen. You don't be discouraged. Simply it is the duty of any learned man to place himself like that. But you are not fool." Krsna sakti dhara tumi: [Cc. Madhya 20.105] "Because you are already devotee." Before retirement, and before coming to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, these Gosvamis, as I told you, they're very learned Sanskrit scholar. They used to read Bhagavata. When he gave false report to the Nawab Shah, that "I am not well. I cannot attend office," then Nawab Shah went to his house one day personally, that "This gentleman is not attending office and simply submitting sick report. What is that?" So when he approached and Nawab Shah saw that he's engaged with learned panditas reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, then he understood, "Oh, this is your disease. You are now taken to the Srimad-Bhagavatam." So actually he was very learned, but out of his humble behavior he is submitting himself to Lord Caitanya in this gentle way. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, sad-dharmasyavabodhaya yesam nirbandhini matih acirad eva sarvarthah sidhyaty esam abhipsitah He says that "Your desire is to get perfection; therefore you are so much humble." So he quotes one verse from Naradiya Purana, that anyone who is very serious, one who is serious about knowing himself perfectly, and if he seeks in that way, then his perfection is guaranteed. The only thing is that one should be very serious. The purport, purport of this verse is sad-dharmasyavabodhaya yesam nirbandhini matih. Nirbandhini matih means he has already determined that "In this life I shall make my life perfect." Then, for him, perfection is guaranteed. If he thinks, "Oh, let me try. Let me test also this department of Krsna consciousness, at the same time test other departments. Let us go this way..." No. One should be very much serious to make complete perfection in this life. So a man should be serious like Sanatana Gosvami. And for that purpose he sacrificed everything, he became a beggar. So we should be prepared to sacrifice anything for perfection of this human form of life. Then perfection is guaranteed. Simply we should be very serious, that's all. Now, Lord Caitanya says that "Yes. I will have to give you instruction." Actually, this Sanatana Gosvami is eternal associated, associate of Lord Caitanya. Just like Arjuna, he's also eternal associate of Krsna. Now, he placed himself as an ordinary man, and as if he was in illusion of this relationship of this body. Actually he was not so, but by the energy of Krsna he was so-called illusion. Otherwise he would not place himself in that condition, would not question Krsna, then Bhagavad-gita would not come. That is the purpose. Just like playing. He is similarly the sum of the associates of Lord Krsna. When Lord Krsna, His incarnation comes on this earth, His associates are also present there without. So some of the associates, they play like this, a fool, a personality like this ordinary man, and they question to the Lord, and the answer is there for the benefit of us. Just like Lord Caitanya, He's supposed to be Krsna Himself. Because people derided at Him when He was actually present as Krsna -- avajananti mam mudha: [Bg. 9.11] "Foolish persons deride at Me because I am playing just like a man" -- so He came again as a devotee, Lord Caitanya, how to teach, how to grasp Krsna bhakti, devotional service. So He practically demonstrated. So He is eternal as Sanatana Gosvami is also, he is eternal associate. So as if he is taking lesson, representing ourself, he is taking lesson from the Lord. The Lord is confirming that, yogya-patra hao tumi bhakti pravartaite krame saba tattva suna, kahiye tomate The Lord is also... This is a process. It is the duty of the spiritual master to select a disciple, and at the same time it is the duty of the disciple to select a spiritual master. Now the selection is very nice. Sanatana Gosvami is the right person to understand the science of devotional service, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the right person to give lesson to the disciple about this science. So He says, yogya-patra: "You are just the proper person to understand this science of devotion." Now, krame saba tattva suna, kahiye tomate: "Now I shall gradually explain to you about this devotional service, and you'll understand." Now the first question was, of Sanatana Gosvami, that is, that should be the first question of everyone: "What I am?" Because if I do not know what I am, there is no question of my duties and my destination, everything. Everything will depend first to know what I am. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita Arjuna did not know what he was; therefore Krsna first of all taught him that "You are not this body. You are not this body." That was the first instruction. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yau... [Bg. 2.13]. "You are so much absorbed in bodily conception of life, and you are thinking that you are a learned man. That is your foolishness." In the Bhagavad-gita you'll find the first instruction of Lord Krsna is there, asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase: [Bg. 2.11] "You are thinking, you are talking with Me just like a very learned man. You are arguing with me. But from your behavior I can understand you are a fool number one." Because such kind of talk is never, I mean to say, placed by a learned man. So indirectly He said that "You are a fool." And "Why you are fool?" He said that "You are not this body. You are changing every moment your body. Why don't you think that you are not this body? Why you are identifying yourself as with the body?" Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara: [Bg. 2.13] "You are changing your body at every moment. From the mother's womb up to the death point, you are changing every body. Then why you are thinking that you are body? But you are the same. In spite of all changes, you are the same." I think, my childhood, I think that I am the same. I forget that I am so much grown-up. That is my position. So the first lesson, the inquiry of Sri Caitanya, of Sanatana Gosvami, is that "What I am? What I am?" Arjuna did not place himself "What I am?" but here, because the instruction which is given in the Caitanya-caritamrta is practically higher than Bhagavad-gita -- it is postgraduate study, higher than Bhagavad-gita. In the Bhagavad-gita the, Arjuna, he did not question "What I am?" He was perplexed with this bodily conception. Now here, Sanatana Gosvami he, he thinks that "I'm not..., I do not know what I am." So he's advanced than Arjuna. He accepts that "I do not know." So because he inquired that ke ami-ke ami means "What I am?" -- therefore Lord Caitanya directly informs him first that jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. Jiva, the living entity, is eternally a servitor of the Supreme Lord. Eternal. He gets, He says, jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa. That is his identity. So he refused all nonsensical ideas that "I am God, I am equal with God." In the first beginning, he refused this idea, that "This is wrong. You are living entity. Your position is that you are eternally servitor of Krsna, or the Supreme Lord." Now we shall continue tomorrow. Any questions? (end)   >>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.100-108 -- New York, November 22, 1966 HOME

© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. 

Ask Rascal Incarnations to... Pass Fragrant Stool

Ask Rascal Incarnations to... Pass Fragrant Stool

Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.33
Vrndavana, November 22, 1976

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Pradyumna: "Because Lord Rsabhadeva remained in that condition, the public did not disturb Him, but no bad aroma emanated from His stool and urine. Quite the contrary, His stool and urine were so aromatic that they filled eighty miles of the countryside with a pleasant fragrance."

Prabhupada:

tasya ha yah purisa-surabhi-saugandhya-vayus tam desam dasa-yojanam samantat surabhim cakara

 [SB 5.5.33]

So here is incarnation of God, Rsabhadeva. Now there are so many rascal incarnation. Is it possible to pass stool and make it surabhi? Is it possible? So you can ask these rascals incarnation that "Pass your stool here. Let us see first of all. Then we shall accept you." Practical. "We are fools and rascals. We want practical test." So sastra-caksusah. This is the injunction, sastra. Here is sastra, that the incarnation of God, even He passes stool, it is fragrant. He can do it. That is God. That practically you can see, that the cow dung... Cow dung, you can make a stack of cow dung here. It will never disturb you. You'll, rather, feel pleasure, passing through that portion of field where cow dung is stacked. You'll never feel any disturbance because it is pure. Cow dung... We have discussed this point many times. Where it is impure, that it makes pure. In Indian villages, still they use cow dung for smearing over the floor, and it becomes very nice, fresh, and purified. That is injunction of the sastra, that cow dung is pure. So if by the will of Krsna, by the arrangement of Krsna, even an animal's stool can become so purified, what to speak of Krsna's stool?

But param bhavam ajanantah. They do not know it, what is transcendental body, aprakrta, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], and what is the difference between this body and that body. Mudha, they do not know. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. Therefore they consider that "The Krsna's body and my body is the same. If He has become God, so why shall not I become God?" But that is not possible. His body is transcendental; your body is not transcendental. Your body is this rotten earth, water, fire, pannca-bhautika. You cannot compare with that. In this way, as it is stated in the Brahma-samhita, His body is completely different from our body. Angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti, we sing every day in the morning. His body is so made that He can do everything and anything by any part of the body. There are many instances. Just like generally we find a person is born from the yoni. Therefore we call sarva-yoni. But Maha-Visnu or Garbhodakasayi Visnu, He did not take any help from his wife to give birth to a son, Lord Brahma. He generated from His navel. This is called angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti. We have to see that. Where is that instance ordinarily that a child is born from the navel? But He can do that. A child is born from female. That is from the yoni. But here is, a living creature is born from the navel, and that is also purusa. So these things are there. And Krsna, He exhibited, manifested, His virata-rupa. So He can do everything and anything because His body is not this body. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. That is sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah.

You cannot compare Krsna's body with our body. If you do that, then you must be a mudha, rascal. Don't do that. Krsna is always transcendental, divyam. Janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. This divya you should understand. Yo janati tattvatah. He is liberated person. Anyone who knows what is Krsna, immediately he becomes liberated. Janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. It is not so easy to understand Krsna in truth. It requires time. He... Not all of a sudden you can understand. But if you stick to devotional service, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah [Brs. 1.2.234], then He reveals. When you engage your tongue... It is also wonderful. To understand Krsna, you require your tongue. Generally we understand by seeing or by hearing. Hearing is there, but here it is recommended tongue, especially. Why tongue is used? Because if you simply chant Hare Krsna by your tongue and taste Krsna prasadam, you will understand Krsna. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. If you make it a promise that "I shall not talk anything except Krsna's message," and if you promise that "I shall not take anything which is not offered to Krsna," these two things, this prasadam and chanting, will make you perfect to understand Krsna. In another place Krsna says, mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. This is yoga, bhakti-yoga. How easy it is. There are so many yogas, but if you practice bhakti-yoga you become first-class yogi.

 

yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantaratmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah
 [Bg. 6.47]

So it is very easy, bhakti-yoga. It is not at all difficult. You haven't got to strain your body as in other hatha-yoga practice you have to very undergo hardship, to sit in a particular posture, in a particular place. These things are stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Not that you become yogi in a fashionable city as you'll find nowadays, yoga-asrama signboard in a fashionable house, and you show some gymnastic, you become a yogi and get some money. Not that. This is bhakti-yoga, begins from jihva. Exercise your jihva, tongue; then you become a perfect yogi.

mayy asakta-manah partha
yogam yunjan mad-asrayah
asamsayam samagram...

 Samagram. Krsna you understand fully, not partially. Not partially means not simply understanding impersonal Brahman. That is partial understanding. And then localized Paramatma, that is also partial understanding. But when you understand Krsna, the Supreme Person, that is full understanding. So you simply concentrate your mind unto the person of Krsna, mayy asakta-manah. Here is Krsna. We can see Krsna. So if we simply concentrate our mind, meditation Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane [SB 9.4.18]. This was the practice done by Ambarisa Maharaja.

So Durvasa Muni, he was a great yogi, and he became very much envious that "Here is a person who is a grhastha and a ksatriya, he is not even a brahmana, and he does not practice anything. He is always engaged in his royal activities, and this man is so famous as a great person, great devotee. So I'll chastise him. I'll show." So he wanted to pick up some quarrel with Ambarisa Maharaja, and on dvadasi day he approached there with sixty thousand disciples and he said, "Maharaja, arrange for our prasadam. We..." "Yes, welcome." But his purpose was different. So he went to take bath in the Ganges and Yamuna, and then he came late. In the meantime he had to observe dvadasi-parana. With the advice of the brahmanas he took little water. The brahmanas advised, "Maharaja, water is food and no food. It has no actually food value. So your guest has not returned as yet. You can take little water and observe the completion of dvadasi." So he did it, and Durvasa came very angry, that "I am your guest, and you have taken food?" That is not food, little water. So he wanted to chastise him. He created a big giant to kill the Maharaja.

So immediately Krsna's promise... Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati [Bg. 9.31]. Immediately sudarsana-cakra came and killed that demon immediately, and then he pursued Durvasa Muni. Durvasa Muni first of all approached Lord Siva because he was devotee of Siva: "Please give me protection." He said, "Oh, it is not possible for me. If sudarsana-cakra is after you, I cannot do anything." Then similarly, he approached Brahma. So he also said, "No, this is not possible." Then he was so powerful that he approached Lord Visnu even, personally, in the Vaikunthaloka. He refused to help him. He said, "Durvasa Muni, unless you beg pardon from Ambarisa Maharaja, there is no question of excusing you. The sudarsana-cakra will not excuse." Therefore Vaisnava aparadha is very, very offensive. You should be very careful. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has warned vaisnava aparadha, hati mata. Vaisnava aparadha, offense at the feet of Vaisnava, is exactly like mad elephant. If a mad elephant enters your garden, then he spoils everything. This has been given. Vaisnava aparadha means hati mata. Mata means mad, and hati means elephant. So we should be very, very careful not to commit any offense at the feet of Vaisnava. Vaisnava does not take any offense. He does not care who is offender, but Krsna takes care. Krsna will never tolerate if a person is Vaisnava aparadha. Mind that. Just like a big man. You can offend him, he doesn't mind. But if he does something harmful to his child, so he becomes very angry.

Similarly, here also, Lord Visnu... Just see how much powerful was Durvasa Muni that he could cross over the material universe and go to the Vaikuntha universe and see the Lord personally. How much powerful yogi he was, just you can... There is no such yogi, at least at the present moment. He could see, but he was refused by Lord Visnu, and he came back to Ambarisa Maharaja, and Ambarisa Maharaja was standing without aking any food, that "This brahmana came at my place. Somehow or other, unnecessarily he became angry and he has left. So unless he comes back, I cannot take any food." So he took only one year. The modern scientists, they are estimating that to go to the topmost planet of this universe, it will take forty thousands of years. That is their estimation. Now, Durvasa Muni, by his yogic power, he not only crossed over this material space and the material universe, but he went to the other space, paravyoma, where he saw Lord Visnu, and he came back within a year. So that is yoga. One can reach even the sun planet by the beams. This is yoga practice. By touching the beams he can go to the sun planet. There are so many wonderful things. So Durvasa Muni was a great yogi. He knew all these things. Still, he was defeated before a Vaisnava. He had to come and immediately fall down, "Maharaja Ambarisa, kindly excuse me. I have done offense." Maharaja Ambarisa was so humble that "You are in trouble, brahmana, so whatever I have got, asset, whatever I have done austerity, penance, and..., you take immediately and be excused." This is Vaisnava: "You take all my asset." So there was very friendly. Then both of them took prasadam, and then Durvasa Muni could understand what is the power of devotee. Yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah. So be very much careful to remain a spotless devotee. Then all success is there. There is no doubt about it. There are so many instances.

So this is transcendental body. It has nothing to compare with the material body. Param bhavam ajanantah. Krsna also says, janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. So one has to know Krsna. But that tattvatah, in truth to understand Krsna, is very difficult job.

manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascid vetti mam tattvatah
 [Bg. 7.3]

Not to understand superficially but to understand tattvatah. Then you are liberated immediately. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. One who has understood Krsna tattvatah, he is immediately liberated person. He is fit for being transferred to the spiritual world. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Punar janma... One who does not understand Krsna, he will have to repeat birth after birth. Nivartante mrtyu-samsara-vartmani [Bg. 9.3]. Unless you understand Krsna -- harim vina na mrtim taranti -- you cannot escape death, birth, death, old age and disease. It is not possible.

So if you want actually your life successful, you must try to understand Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness movement. Then your life is successful. And to understand Krsna, no other method will help you. Krsna said, bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. Never said that "I can be understood by yogic process or by karma, by jnana." The modern politicians, they stress on karma because they want to work hard like hogs and dog. They think karma-yoga... So karma-yoga is good, but karmis are mudhas. Those who are simply working hard day and night for sense gratification, they are no better than the hogs and dogs. They are no good. But karma-yoga is different thing. Karma-yoga means one who has got attachment for producing something, working something. So Krsna said that "Yes, you can do, but," yat karosi yaj juhosi yad asnasi yat tapasyasi kurusva tad mad-ar... [Bg. 9.27], "the result you must give to Me." Anasritah karma-phalam karyam karma karoti yah, sa sannyasi [Bg. 6.1].

So anyone who does not take the result of his karma, then he is sannyasi. Suppose you earn... You are a businessman. You have earned two lakhs of rupees, but give it to Krsna. Anasritah karma-phalam. Otherwise what you will do with these two lakhs of rupees? If you don't take it, will you throw it away? "No, why shall I throw it? It should be utilized for Krsna." So let them... People are very much enthusiastic to earn money in this material world. We can see practically, especially in the Western world. But if they engage their profit for pushing on Krsna consciousness movement, then their money will no more be engaged in releasing atomic bomb. Otherwise it will be used for releasing atomic bomb. I shall break your head and you shall break my head. Both of them, we shall finish.

Thank you very much. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.33 -- Vrndavana, November 20, 1976

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The Only Rescue

The Only Rescue

Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.22
Bombay, November 22, 1974

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Nitai: "Such a sadhu engages in staunch devotional service to the Lord without deviation. For the sake of the Lord he renounces all other connections, such as family relationships and friendly acquaintances within the world."

Prabhupada:

mayy ananyena bhavena
bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham
mat-krte tyakta-karmanas
tyakta-svajana-bandhavah
 [SB 3.25.22]

This is the explanation of the last version of Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. We have got so many obligations. As soon as we take birth -- human being, not cats and dogs -- we are immediately indebted to so many persons: devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam [SB 11.5.41]. We are indebted to the demigods. The body, the material body, which we have got, it is running by the direction of the demigods. There are different demigods controlling different parts of the body. So that means as soon as we get a body, we become indebted to the demigods. Then, when we are educated, we take knowledge. Then we become indebted to the great sages, saintly persons, who have given us all the directions how to live comfortably, sinlessly. Then devarsi-bhuta. Bhuta, ordinary, general living beings. Just like we are taking milk from the cows, service from the bull, from the horse, from the ass -- even cats and dogs. So we are also indebted to them. Devarsi-bhuta-apta. Relatives. We get so many help from relatives. Bhuta-apta. Devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam. General public. Devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam [SB 11.5.41]. And the forefathers. So a rni we are immediately. But if we renounce everything for the sake of Krsna, then we are not rni, or indebted. That is the injunction of the sastra.

devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam
na kinkaro nayam rni ca rajan
sarvatmana yah saranam saranyam
gato mukundam parihrtya kartam
 [SB 11.5.41]

So Krsna also says, all sastra says, that our only obligation is to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if we take to that process, then we are no more obliged to anyone. We are free. That is really freedom. How it is done? That is the almighty God's power. He can do that. Just like we have got practical experience. If a man is condemned to death, nobody can save him by law. But if the president or the king excuses him, then he is saved. That we have got practical experience, king's mercy or the president's mercy. So if you actually surrender your everything, your life... Pranair arthair dhiya vaca. We can sacrifice our life, our wealth... Prana, artha... We can sacrifice the intelligence. Everyone is intelligent. If he sacrifices... This is called yajna. If you sacri... You have got some intelligence. Everyone is intelligent how to make his sense gratification very nice. Even an ant knows how to gratify his senses. So you have to sacrifice that. Don't gratify your senses, but try to gratify Krsna's senses. Then you are perfect. Then you are perfect.

That you have to learn from the sadhu. Because it is recommended in the..., that sa eva sadhusu krtah. As much we are trying to gratify our senses and we have become attached to this material world -- prasangam ajaram pasam. We are becoming more and more entangled. The same thing, if we do for a sadh u or Krsna... Sadhu-guru-krsna. Sadhu-sastra-guru. So sadhu is representative of Krsna. Or Krsna directly... Sadhu will never say that "You serve me." Sadhu will say, "Serve Krsna." Therefore we have to approach Krsna through sadhu. Not directly. That is not... That is confirmed by Vaisnava acarya, Narottama dasa: chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba. You cannot directly approach Krsna. You have to go through the media, the transparent via media of his representative.

Therefore Krsna Maha... Sadh...

ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija
 [Cc. Madhya 19.151]

Caitanya Mahaprabhu says to Rupa Gosvami that we are wandering in this way, brahmanda, whole universe. There are different types, or forms, of body, 8,400,000. And there are millions and trillions of planets, up and down. Om bhur... Bhur bhuvah svah. Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka. Then Tala, Atala, Vitala, Patala, Rasatala... There are so many planetary systems. Caturdasa-bhuvana. This universe is called fourteen different planetary systems, and we are wandering in these different planetary systems. If we are pious, then we are promoted to the higher planetary system, Svargaloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Brahmaloka, Satyaloka. There are so many... Siddhaloka. And if we are impious, then we are downtrodden. We go down more and more. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah [Bg. 14.18]. If you are situated in sattva-guna, then you are promoted to the higher planetary system: adho gacchanti tamasah. Jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah. If you are infected with tamo-guna, then you go down, down, down, down. Madhye tisthanti rajasah. And if we are infected by the modes of passion, then we keep ourselves in the middle. But Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16]. Even if you go to the highest planetary system -- it is called Brahmaloka -- where the duration of life is very, very long... That is described in the Bhagavad-gita: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17].

So the... Sadhu. We are to take shelter of sadhu. Sadhu-guru. The same thing. Guru means sadhu. A sadhu... One... Sadhu means the devotee of the Lord. If one is not sadhu, then he cannot become guru. And sadhu means... This is the description given. What is that? Mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham. He's sadhu. Not that anyone with a saffron cloth and having a long beard. That is not sadhu. Sadhu means the devotee of the Lord. That is his first qualification. Krsna says, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak. The same thing. As it is, Kapiladeva says, mayy ananyena bhavena. Kapiladeva is also Krsna, incarnation of Krsna. The same thing. The Bhagavad-gita, Krsna svayam says, bhajate mam ananya-bhak. Ananya, "not being deviated." Mam ekam, "only unto Me." This is ananya-bhava. Not that sometimes take from here something, take from here something, whatever is available. Those who are after material concessions, they go different demigods: take something from Siva, take something from Durga, take something from Kali, take this, that, that. So many, there are different demigods. Especially Goddess Durga, Lord Siva and Ganesa and Surya, they are... And Visnu. The Visnu worship is the best. Aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param. That is said by Lord Siva to Goddess Parvati. Parvati asked Lord Siva, "What is the best type of worship?" There are so many. It is amongst the demigods. So Lord Siva advised, aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param. "My dear Parvati, amongst all kinds of different types of worship, Visnu worship is the best." And then again he said, tasmat parataram devi: "And there is still better worship." What is that? Tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarcanam. Then... "Visnu worship is the best. And more than that: to worship Vaisnava." Tadiyanam samarcanam.

So therefore... Here also the same thing: sa eva sadhusu krtah. Begin. The spiritual life begins from the association of sadhu, or devotee. You cannot progress a pinch only without the mercy of sadhu. Naisam ma... Prahlada Maharaja said like that:

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam
niskincananam na vrnita yavat
 [SB 7.5.32]

His father, Prahlada Maharaja's father asked -- after all, he's son -- "My dear son, Prahlada, how you became so much advanced in Krsna consciousness?" Although he was demon, still, he was inquisitive. So Prahlada Maharaja said, "My dear father..." He used to address his father as asura-varya, "the best of the asuras." Tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya. Asura-varya. Asura means demon, and varya means "the best," variyan. So he... Because he asked that "How you have advanced in Krsna consciousness, Prahlada? What is the process?" After all, he was a learned scholar. He inquired out of joking or something like that. So Prahlada Maharaja plainly said, matir na krsne paratah svato va: "My dear asura-varya father, this Krsna consciousness..." Na matih. Matir na krsne. "One cannot get Krsna consciousness," matir na krsne paratah, "by the instruction of others, or guru." Paratah. Svatah, "by speculating oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by assembly, conference. For them..." Who? Who are they? Grha-vratanam. Grha... Matir na...

matir na krsne paratah svato va
mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam
adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
punah punas carvita-carvananam
 [SB 7.5.30]

"This class of men, punah punas carvita-carvananam..." Punah punas carvita-carvananam means sense gratification. We can see in the Western countries how they are, everywhere, how they are attached to sense gratification. Punah punah... The same thing. Just like sex life. Everyone has sex life. Still, they are not satisfied. And... Our country it is not yet introduced, but they go to see naked dance. The same thing which he sees every night, he goes to see by paying some fees. This is called punah punas carvita-carvana, "chewing the chewed." This class of men... Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30], matir na krsne paratah svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam. And grha-vrata means those who have made their determination that "We shall remain in this material world, or in this family life, and we are not prepared to accept any other thing."

The Vedic principle is that you remain family life for some time, not for all the days. Pancasordhvam vanam vrajet. As soon as you're fifty years old, you must give up family life. Compulsory. Therefore we have got... Vedic religion means varnasrama-dharma: brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa, and brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra. So for brahmana, the four asramas are compulsory. He must become a brahmacari. Then from brahmacari he becomes grhastha. Then from grhastha he must become vanaprastha. Then he must become a sannyasi. But when he becomes a sannyasi, that is the... Tyakta-karmanas tyakta-svajana-bandhavah. Tyakta-karmanah. So long we are in this material world we have to work. Karma. Karma means to gain some profit. Karma, akarma, vikarma. Vikarma means against the law. Just like ordinary laws. If you are working honestly, business or karma, that's all right. But if you do something wrong, then you are punishable. So karma and vikarma. Vikarma is punishable. Karma you can do. You ripe (reap) your own fruit by working. You become big man, you become rich man, and you become poor man also, by your karma. If you cannot handle your business nicely, then you become poor man. And if you can handle your business nicely, you become rich man. That is karma. Karma means you have to enjoy the result, fruitive result. That is called karma. And vikarma means punishable, papa. And akarma means you do something, but you are neither punishable nor rewardable. It is rewardable, practically. And that is bhakti, or satisfying Krsna. There is no result. There is result; ultimate result is go back to home, back... But the material... Materially, if you expect some material profit by becoming a devotee, that is not possible. That is not possible. Mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate [Bg. 14.26]. Then you become above all the resultant action of karma.

So tyakta-karma. Sannyasi means tyakta-karmanas tyakta-svajana-bandhavah. You cannot give up karma if you live with your relatives, svajana, and bandhavah, society, friendship and love. If you live, then you cannot give up karma. You have to do, either karma or vikarma. But if you become sannyasi, then you become akarma. Whatever you do, it is for Krsna, and there is no reaction. Yajnarthe karmano 'nyatra karma-bandhanah. Karma is bandhanah. Vikarma is bandhanah, but akarma is not bandhanah. Bandhanah means bondage. So we have to act for Krsna. Yajnarthe. Yajna means Krsna. Yajna means Visnu. But people... Prahlada Maharaja said, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum: [SB 7.5.31] "These ordinary men, they do not know that their ultimate destination of life is to go back to Visnu, go back to home, back to Godhead." Na te viduh. Why they do not know? Durasaya. Their hope is dur, very, I mean to say, what is called?

Nitai: Hardy?

Prabhupada: No. Durasaya means which cannot be fulfilled. You can hope something, you can... But it is hoping against hope. It will never be fulfilled. That is called durasa. Durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. Persons who are trying to become happy by adjustment of this bahir-artha, external energy, or the material energy, they do not know that happiness cannot be achieved without approaching Visnu, or God. They do not know it. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi... Everyone is thinking, "I must first of all see my own interest." That's all right. But what is your interest, that you do not know. First of all try to understand what is your interest. But that you do not know. Because you are thinking falsely that "By adjustment of this material atmosphere I shall be happy." Everyone is trying. Nationally, individually, collectively, everyone is trying. But it is not possible. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. It will be frustration. Therefore it is called bahir-artha-maninah.

So why they are attempting this process, which will meet with frustration? That is also said: adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. Because they cannot control their senses, adanta... Adanta-gobhih. Go means indriya, senses, and adanta means uncontrolled. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. So in this way we are being baffled in so many ways. The only rescue is Krsna. Therefore it is said, ananya-bhavena, mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham. That is wanted. Drdha-vrata. That is stated in Bhagavad-gita. You'll find parallel passages, the same thing. Because Krsna, or God, cannot say anything contradictory. Whatever He has said... Therefore Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary study of spiritual life. If you can understand Bhagavad-gita, then you can begin Srimad-Bhagavatam. If you have not understood Bhagavad-gita, it is useless. You cannot understand Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Just like Bhagavad-gita ends with the assertion of the Lord: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Sarva-dharman. We have created so many dharmas. But dharma cannot be so many. Dharma is one. Or religious system... What is that, religious system? The all religious system, the author of religion, author of religion... Just like author of law is government, similarly author of religion is God, Krsna. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. You cannot manufacture dharma, just like you cannot manufacture law at your home. That will be not feasible. That will be not useful for anyone. You can make thousands of laws: "I think this should be done..." That is the fashion now. Everyone thinks in his own way. That is not philosophy. That is not law: "I think..." "We think..." No. You cannot think. What is your value? You are imperfect. Your senses are imperfect. How you can think perfect things? No, that is not possible. Therefore we have to...

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
 [Bg. 4.34]

You have to take knowledge from the tattva-darsi, one who has seen the truth. Otherwise, you'll be frustrated. Similarly religion. Religion you cannot manufacture: "This is our religion. This is this religion, that religion, that religion." So that is not religion. Religion is this: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim. This is religion. Anything else, that is cheating. That is not religion.

Therefore if one can understand Bhagavad-gita perfectly and he takes to this system of religion, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], then he can understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because where Bhagavad-gita is ended, Srimad-Bhagavatam begins from that point. Because in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the introductory verses, Vyasadeva says, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam [SB 1.1.2]. "This, this Srimad-Bhagavatam is not ordinary type of religious system, because from this Bhagavatam, kaitava, cheating type of religion, is completely swept away, kicked out, thrown away." Dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. And upon this the great commentator Sridhara Svami, he says, atra moksa-vancha api nirasta. Because we know dharma-artha-kama-moksa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Adi 1.90]. So Sridhara Svami says that dharmah projjhita... Because people are becoming religious for moksa, liberation. So Sridhara Svami says that up to the end of moksa-vancha, desire for liberation, that is also rejected. The... Because moksa is also not our ultimate goal of life. Moksa means to get relief from the material bondage. But if you do not get engagement of spiritual life, then moksa is also cheating because you'll fall down again.

I have repeatedly said that cure of disease is all right, but after curing, if you are not engaged in your healthy activities, then means, that means that your disease is again, will be relapsed. The sastra says therefore, aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adhah [SB 10.2.32]. One sometimes, after practicing much severe austerities and penances, he can approach the Brahman, param padam, that is Brahman realization, or Brahmaloka. Patanty adhah. But from there also you will fall down. Why? Anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah. Because they did not care to worship the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Mayavadis, the impersonalists, they fall down. Because they cannot stay. It is not possible. Simply impersonal effulgence, Brahman effulgence, you cannot stay. You can... That example I have given many times, that you can go very high in the sky by your very powerful sputnik and airship, but if you have no place to stay there, then you'll come back again. You'll come back again. Similarly, you can go to the Brahman effulgence, but within the Brahman effulgence, there are Vaikuntha planets, or the spiritual world, there is Vaikuntha planet. If you have no place to stay in the Vaikuntha planets, then you'll come down again to this material world.

Therefore ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham. Drdha-vratam.

ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham
 [Bg. 9.22]

Ananyas cintayantah. Simply thinking of Krsna. That will help you. Ananya-bhavena. This is sadhu. These are de... Sadhu. In the previous verse also, there were several descriptions:

titiksavah karunikah
suhrdah sarva-dehinam
ajata-satravah santah
sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah
 [SB 3.25.21]

This is the beginning of sadhu. Because to come to this stage, ananya-bhavena bhakti-yogena, you have to tolerate so many things. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Ananya-bhavena yogena. He was simply thinking of Narayana. How much trouble he had to undergo, even by, offered by his father. So we should be very much... Titiksavah. The matter... This material nature will not give you freedom so easily. It will not give so much freedom... Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama... mam eva ye prapadyante [Bg. 7.14]. If you become strong enough to capture the lotus feet of Krsna, then mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam... Then maya will give you, "No, he's very strong. I cannot any more keep him under my clutches." So that is ananya-bhavena. That is described. Ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham, mat-krte. For the sake of Krsna, one can give up everything. That is ananya-bhava. The first-class example is the gopis. They gave up everything. Their family, their relatives, their husband, their sons, their father, their prestige, their honor -- everything sacrificed, simply for Krsna. That is the highest perfection. That is not possible for ordinary... But we can, if we follow the gopis' way of loving Krsna, then...

Just like the Gosvamis. They used to... Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhur vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau. It is possible if we follow the Gosvamis. The Gosvamis were minister, minister of Nawab Hussain Shah in the Bengal government in those days. Sanatana Gosvami and Ru..., very, mean, prime, finance minister, chief minister, very important ministers, and they gave up everything, everything. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat. By their determination to worship Krsna they gave up everything. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-sreni... Mandala-pati means very big, big leaders. When one is minister, certainly he is connected with so many big, big men. So they were actually connected with them, but they gave up, sada tuccha-vat, as most insignificant thing. And what was their next adoption? Now, tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau. Kaupina, a, simply a loincloth and underwear, kaupina-kanthasritau, and one quilt. That's all. Minimum. Minimum necessities of the body. But how they lived? They were so big men. How they adopted such life and lived? Because if a man, rich man, adopts immediately renunciation, that affects his material condition of life. That we have seen. Just like in Bengal, C.R. Das, he had fifty thousand rupees' income in those days, and he gave up everything and joined Gandhi's movement. He died within one year, because he could not tolerate. So without spiritual engagement, one cannot give up this material engagement. That is the real fact. One must... Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati... They gave up this material enjoyment. That's all right. How they lived? Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhuh. They dipped into the ocean of the transcendental loving affairs of the gopis with Krsna. That was their asset. Therefore they lived very peacefully and very happily.

So we have to... We, we cannot simply give up. As it is said that tyakta-karmanah, give up everyone, engagement, and tyakta-svajana-bandhavah,... You'll become mad if you give up all these things, unless you have got staunch faith in Krsna. Then you cannot give up. It is not possible. Param drstva nivartate [Bg. 9.59]. If you find Krsna's association is so nice, then you can very easily give up your opulent position, svajana, bandhavah, family, business and everything. If you... That requires sadhu-sanga, sadhu-sanga [Cc. Madhya 22.83], to associate with sadhu, devotees. Then you can develop such thing when day will come you'll be able to give up everything and you become liberated person, quite fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. Unless you are completely free... If you have got a tinge of attachment for material enjoyment, Krsna will give you chance: "All right, you enjoy. You enjoy, to the fullest extent." Because we have come to this material world for enjoying sense gratification. Krsna bhuliya jiva... That is called maya, illusory. It is not enjoyment. It is simply struggle. But one who comes to the senses, that "This is simply struggle. Life after life, there is no enjoyment," then he can become a devotee of Krsna. So that requires knowledge, association of sadhu, devotee. That is being explained by Kapiladeva.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974

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© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.

"Material Body Is Dead Body"

"Material Body Is Dead Body"

72/11/22 Hyderabad, Bhagavad-gita 2.17



Prabhupada:

avinasi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idam tatam
vinasam avyayasyasya
na kascit kartum arhati
[Bg. 2.17]

So the distinction between the living soul and the dead body -- anyone can perceive. What is the distinction between a living body and the dead body? When a man is dead, he, his relatives cry, lament: "Oh, my father has gone," "My son has gone." But the father, as we have seen, he's lying on the floor. Where he has gone? He's lying on the floor. Why you are crying: "Oh, my father has gone away"? That means the person who has gone away, who has left this body, you have not, never seen. You have seen this body. So the body is lying there, and why you are crying, "My father has gone away"? So any intelligent man can understand that the real father, within the body, was a different thing. But our ignorance is so great that we accept this body, this dead body, as my father. This body is not only dead now, it was always dead. Because the living soul was there, within this dead body, it was moving. This is the fact. Just like a nice motorcar is running. But when the driver is not there, the motor is lying there, idle. If one identifies with the motorcar, the driver of the car, that is foolishness. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. Anyone who is identifying this dead body, or this material body, which is a composition of tri-dhatuka, kapha-pitta-vayu, some blood, flesh, and some secretion, and some bones -- if anyone identifies the self with this lump of matter, then he is described as no better than cow and ass.

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah
[SB 10.84.13]

So at the present moment especially... This ignorance is there always, in the material world, that one is identifying this material body with the real self. The self, the soul is different. It is not this material body. But our modern education, everything, advancement of knowledge, philosophy, everything on the basis of, on this wrong conception of life. So to give an, a glimpse of idea what is that soul, how it acts, here Krsna, Lord Krsna informs us:

avinasi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idam tatam
vinasam avyayasyasya
na kascit kartum arhati

So the soul, the presence of soul is perceived by the consciousness. That consciousness... Just like the presence of sun, even I was blind, I could understand the sun is there because the sunlight and heat, I am experiencing. Without seeing the sun... When, as soon as I come to the sunshine, I feel light and heat; therefore immediately I can understand there is sun. It is not very difficult. Similarly just like we try to... When a man is dying, we try to feel whether the man is breathing, or he's feeling touch sensation. These are the tests. So the touch sensation is there so long the soul is there. Now I am living body. If somebody pinches my body, because the consciousness is all over the body, so I feel: "Somebody's pinching me." But when the conscious, consciousness is not there, if somebody chops up my body I will not protest. Therefore we should understand what is that living thing. That consciousness, which is spreading all over this body, that is living force. Krsna says here: avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. Yena, by that consciousness. The consciousness is spread all over the body. So Krsna says, "That consciousness is avinasi." After the death of, after the annihilation of this body, which we call dead, the consciousness is not dead. That we do not understand. There is no science; there is no philosophy. Everything based on a foolish assumption. They say the consciousness is made possible by combination of matter. The combination of matter, five elements, gross, the subtle elements, they cannot see. Even they see. So their... (aside:) Not now. Their proposition is that this consciousness is a symptom of combination of matter. That is Buddhist philosophy. They do not accept the existence of soul. "The consciousness is a combination of matter." But if it is a fact, then why don't you, if some matter is lacking, why don't you bring that matter or chemical and inject in the dead body and make it again conscious? Why it is not possible? What is your argument? If you say consciousness is combination of matter...

Just like our motorcar is being driven. So when the petrol is finished, matter... Because motorcar running means combination of matter -- some machine, made of matter, and some oil, acting -- so it is running. Of course, the driver is there. But foolish persons, they do not understand, simply combination of matter will not act. There must be a driver, a living person. Then the motorcar will go. So supposing the combination of matter, that the petrol is finished. So we can bring petrol. Again the motor runs. So if this body was running simply on combination of matter, and some matter is lacking, so why not bring that matter and put into it, and it will run? But that is not possible. That is, that was... The living force which was running this body was a different element, spirit. Nasato vidyate bhavo nabhavo vidyate satah. We have discussed this verse. That is living force. And Krsna says, vinasam avyayasya asya. This consciousness has no annihilation. Vinasa. Nobody can kill this consciousness, or the soul. One can do harm to this material body, but not to the spirit soul and consciousness. Vinasam avyaya. Avyaya means which is never deteriorates. That is avyaya. Vinasam avyayasya asya na kascit kartum arhati. Nobody can kill. Nobody can kill consciousness, nobody can kill the soul. Therefore it is said, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. "The consciousness, or the spirit soul, is never killed, never annihilated, on the destruction of this body."

So this is a great science. Unfortunately, the so-called scientist, he has no idea. He does not know. They simply say that "We do not know, but we are trying to know." That's all right. But here is the knowledge, perfect knowledge, in the Bhagavad-gita. Why don't you take it? That they will not take. They'll go on speculating and promise falsely that "In future we shall be able to inject some matter within the body and the body will again become alive." That is their dream. In the past history, it was never possible; at present also, it is not possible. How you can expect in future? But they are under illusion. They think like that, that "We are making progress." At all, no progress, practically. They have no knowledge. That is their position. They have no knowledge. So we have to understand from the authority. There are so many arguments. Now, if you say "This body's dead because the blood has become white. Blood corpuscles, they are now become white instead of becoming red." So if that is the possible, so why don't you make the blood red? By some chemical injection or by adding some color, as soon as the blood becomes red... Why don't you do that? No. If you say "That was ‘natural' redness. That natural redness cannot be brought," then your science is defective. And even if we accept that natural redness is the cause of living force, there are many natural redness in the flower, in the jewels. Why does it not move? So all the arguments of these foolish scientists, or so-called logicians, that can be, I mean to say, nullified, if you are intelligent. We have to take..., accept it, because it is said by Krsna, the Supreme Personality. Because we cannot say anything, why it is avinasi, why this body's not avinasi, but the consciousness is avinasi, that we cannot explain; therefore we have to accept the version of the supreme authority. That is education. That is education. We, we cannot deny. Because we cannot give any counterproposal. So how we can deny Krsna's proposal? Avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. Yena sarvam idam tatam. This is also very significant. Idam sariram.

So I am individual spirit soul. I am conscious. My consciousness is spread all over the body. But my consciousness is not spread over your body. If you are pinched by somebody, I don't feel. Because your consciousness is different from my consciousness. You cannot say that the consciousness is the same in you and me. No. Everyone is individual. Therefore there is another consciousness. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata [Bg. 13.3]. I am ksetra-jna, conscious. I know about the pains and pleasures of my body. You know about the pains and pleasures of your body. I do not know about your pains and pleasure. You do not know about my pains and pleasure. Therefore you are individual soul. I am individual soul. But there is another soul, Supersoul. That is Krsna. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. That Supersoul is present both in you and in me. Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata [Bg. 13.3]. Sarva-ksetresu bharata. In every living entity. Sarva-ksetresu. It is confirmed in the Vedic sutras, Brahma-sutra: andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. Eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim [Bs. 5.35]. That Supersoul is present within this universe. Because that Supersoul is present within this universe, Krsna says, vistabhya aham: "I enter within this world." Ekamsena sthito jagat: [Bg. 10.42] "I do not enter, but My plenary portion, ekamsena, Paramatma..." The Ksirodakasayi Visnu, He enters. The Garbhodakasayi Visnu, He enters within this universe. And the Ksirodakasayi Visnu enters into everything, even in the atom. Therefore it is working. So that consciousness is there. Because the universal consciousness of Visnu is there, therefore everything within the universe is working so nicely. Not that nature... Nature, you can compare with your body... The material nature is there, but without the soul's presence, the consciousness being there, it will not work.

Therefore as this universe, material cosmic manifestation is working very nicely, you have to accept there is God. You cannot deny. So that consciousness, superconsciousness, that is different. You cannot say that "I am the same. I have got superconsciousness." That is not possible. Then, if you have got superconsciousness, why don't you feel about my pains and pleasure? The superconsciousness is of Visnu. That is all-pervading consciousness. That is also the same. Nature is the same. As I have got my consciousness all over this body, similarly, the superconsciousness is there all over the universe. As I feel pains and pleasure on account of some disturbance on this body, similarly, as soon as we create some disturbance with this universal atmosphere, the supreme consciousness is disturbed. That disturbance is going on. Therefore, in spite of all arrangement... Purnam idam purnam adah purnat purnam udacyate [Isopanisad, Invocation]. That, by God's creation, everything is complete. There is no flaw. But because we are creating disturbances, the world situation is different.

We are creating disturbances. By God's creation, everything is nice. Everything is fine. Take, for example, within this planet, there is sufficient place to grow food for all the population. Not only all the population at the present moment, but if the population increases ten times, twenty times, still, there is sufficient place to produce food for them. We are traveling all over the world three times a year, and we see in Australia and Africa and other countries, there are so much vacant places. And food can be produced, enough food can be produced. Enough milk can be available for feeding all this population. That is God's arrangement. But the difficulty is that we are quarreling amongst ourself. I am thinking Indian. Somebody's thinking "I am an American." Somebody's thinking "I'm Australian." "You cannot come here. You, I cannot allow you to come to my country." The immigration department. Therefore, the difficulty. By God's arrangement, there is everything complete. But I am disturbing. I am encroaching upon God's property: "This is mine." Therefore there is disturbance. Therefore the only solution of the whole world problem is Krsna consciousness. There is no other solution. The only solution. Krsna consciousness means when people will be educated to understand that this planet does not belong to America or India and Africa. Everything belongs... Sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. As Krsna says, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." When you understand this, that is Krsna consciousness. Then there will be peace.

Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is very important. To educate people. Because foolishly they are claiming God's property his property. Nothing belongs to us. Even this body does not belong to us. As soon as the time factor is finished, my body's finished... So I have got this body, say, for seventy-six years, age, and, say, after ten years, or five years, it will be finished. So before my body was created, the world was there, and when my body will be finished, the world will remain there. Then how can I claim that this world belongs to me? This is called illusion. This is called ignorance. Mudha. Mudha means one does not know to whom the property belongs, but foolishly he's claiming that "It is my property." This Krsna consciousness movement, in other words, it is spiritual communism. The material communism, which is going on, that is defective, because this Communist movement is centered around the state. But when there will be perfect communism -- isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1], the center will be God, Krsna -- that will be perfect. When everyone will understand that Krsna is the central point, Krsna is the proprietor, Krsna is the enjoyer, when perfectly we come to that Krsna consciousness, there will be peace and prosperity. Otherwise it is not possible. Therefore our... Of course, it is not possible that because the number of fools are greater.

But still, as it is suggested in the Bhagavad-gita: yad yad acarati sresthah. Yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad eva itarah janah. If the so-called leaders, they become Krsna conscious, they understand the philosophy, then others will follow. As, at the present moment, because the leaders are foolish, blind, they have no spiritual knowledge, all the population of the world becomes godless. Therefore our appeal is to the leading personalities to understand this Krsna consciousness movement. Try to understand its philosophy, apply in life, and try to distribute this knowledge. Automatically others will accept. Sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate. If Krsna consciousness movement is accepted by the leading personalities... Why they shall not accept unless they are ignorant and less intelligent? Everything is there. The Bhagavad-gita is left for this purpose. It was instructed not to Arjuna, but to the whole world, in the midst of Battlefield of Kuruksetra. So the whole world is a battlefield now. They should learn the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and thus become happy within this world.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.17 -- Hyderabad, November 22, 1972