"God Has No Body Like Ours"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.1-3
March 28, 1968, San Francisco



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Prabhupada: You read from the third chapter. [break]

Upendra: ...concerning "Description of Incarnations of Godhead." Translation: "Suta said, In the beginning of the creation the Lord first of all expanded Himself in the universal form of purusa incarnation primarily with all the ingredients of material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was on the intention of creating the material universe." Purport. "As it is said in the Bhagavad-gita that the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna maintains this material universes by extending His part of plenary expansions, so this purusa Form is the confirmation of the same principle. The Original Personality of Godhead Vasudeva or Lord Krsna who is famous as the son of King Vasudeva or King Nanda, the very same Personality of Godhead is full with all opulences, all potencies, all fames, all beauties, all knowledge and all renunciations. Part of His opulences is manifested as impersonal Brahman and part of His opulences is manifested as Paramatma. This purusa feature of the same Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna is the original Paramatma manifestation of the Lord. There are three purusa features in the matter of material creation and this form who is known as the Karanodakasayi Visnu is the first of the three. The others are known as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu and the Ksirodakasayi Visnu which we shall know one after another."

Prabhupada: These Visnu, Karanodakasayi, Garbhodakasayi, and Ksirodakasayi, these are little technical. Try to understand. Now this universe, which you find just like a big ball, there are innumerable universes like this, and they are floating in water. That water is called Causal Ocean. So that Causal Ocean there is, I mean to say, completely in the whole ocean, big gigantic body is lying down there. That is known as Karanodakasayi Visnu. The Visnu in that gigantic form is sleeping within the water of that Causal Ocean, and by His inhaling and exhaling, breathing, there are bubbles. And those bubbles are manifested as universes. This is stated in Brahma-samhita: yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah [Bs. 5.48]. That breathing, exhaling and inhaling... Just like we also do that. So we have inherited that exhaling-inhaling, from that Visnu.

So how these brahmandas or universes, each of them has a predominate deity? He is called Brahma. Brahmanda, the master of this brahmanda is called Brahma. The duration of this Brahma, duration of life, is only the inhaling and exhaling period of Maha-Visnu. When He's exhaling, all the brahmandas are coming in existence. And when He's inhaling, they're all vanquished. This process is going on. And the Supreme Person who is doing this, I mean to say, creation and dissolution, He is called Maha-Visnu. Visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. So the reference is in the Brahma-samhita that that Maha-Visnu is also part and parcel of Govinda, Krsna. Just try to understand what is Krsna. Then? Go on.

Upendra: "The innumerable universes are generated from skinholes of this Karanodakasayi Visnu, and in each one of the universes the Lord enters as Garbhodakasayi Visnu."

Prabhupada: Again, after creation of the universes, He enters each and every universe. This universe is filled with water, half. What you are seeing, that is half only. And half is filled with water. In that water Visnu again lying, expanding. This is Visnu's power. He can expand in innumerable identities. That is also confirmed in the Brahma-samhita. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs 5.33]. Ananta means unlimited, and rupa means forms. He's expanding in unlimited number of forms. We are also expansion of His form. These jivas, the living entities... He is expanding in two ways, svamsa and vibhinnamsa. Svamsa means Visnu. One extension, expansion, is just directly He Himself. And another expansion is separated from Him. That separated from Him we are.

We living entities, we are also vibhinnamsa. We are also part and parcel, but we are separated. Therefore we haven't got the full potency of God. We have got potencies of God. The six potencies, namely opulence, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, we have also got these in minute quantity. Whatever we see here, the richest man in the world, that is only minute particle of the richness of God. Because we are part and parcel, minute part and parcel. Therefore we have got all the opulences in minute form. Just like gold and a minute particle of gold. Chemically analyze the small particle of gold has got all the composition as the original big gold. A drop of sea water... Chemically, a drop of sea water has got all the composition as the big sea water. Similarly, we have got all the qualities of God, but in minute quantity. That is the difference between God and ourselves. Or in other words, you can study God also by studying yourself. Whatever propensities you have got, that is also there in God. Everything. Otherwise wherefrom it comes? Because I am part and parcel, if I have got all these propensities, naturally, in full and without any inebriety, those things are present in God.

Take for example our love, what you call love. Of course, it is perverted reflection of love. Several times I've repeated. In this material world there is nothing like love. It is only, everything perverted reflection of love. Just like you have got affection for children. That is there also, but that is without any inebrieties. Here also the same man and woman, male and female, there is attraction between one another. Similarly there is also, Radha-Krsna. But there is no inebriety. That is full and that is perfect. Here it is imperfect due to material contamination.

So everything, whatever we have got, Krsna has also got that thing. But in Krsna it is in perfection; in us, in our conditional state of life, it is imperfect. So if we dovetail ourselves with Krsna, then our..., all these propensities become perfect. The same example as I have given repeatedly, that a car is running at seventy-mile speed, a cyclist catches the car, he also runs in seventy-miles speed, although the cycle hasn't got such speed. Similarly, although we are minute particle of God, if we dovetail ourselves with the consciousness of God, or Krsna consciousness, then we become equally spirit. This is the technique. Go on.
Upendra: "In the Bhagavad-gita this is also mentioned that the material world is created at certain intervals and then again it is destroyed. This creation and destruction is done by the Supreme will on account of the conditioned souls or the nitya-baddha living beings."

Prabhupada: Nitya-baddha. This word is also technical. Nitya-baddha means ever-conditioned. There are nitya-muktas. Nitya-mukta means ever-liberated. In the spiritual world, there are also innumerable living entities. The... This material world is only one-fourth manifestation of Krsna's energy, God's energy. And the three-fourths energy is manifested in the spiritual world. So we can just imagine that in one-fourth manifestation of energy of the Lord, we are so many living entities which is impossible to count. Now you can imagine how many more living entities are there. But here we are conditioned and they are liberated. Those who are conditioned, they are called nitya-baddha, ever-conditioned. Nitya-baddha means we do not know when our, this conditional stage has begun. It is impossible to trace out the history. But we are conditioned. There is no doubt about it. Conditioned means no freedom. No freedom. As spirit soul we are free. Sarva-ga, we can go everywhere, anywhere. Even those who get some mystic powers by perfection of yoga practice, they can also exhibit some powers. So why? As we become free from material conditions, our original freedom comes.

So one of the qualification of the spirit soul is sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means he can go anywhere and everywhere. But because we are conditional stage, we are trying so much to go to the moon planet, we cannot go. But Narada, because he is free, he has got full spiritual body, he can go anywhere he likes. Go on.

Upendra: "The nitya-baddha or the eternally conditioned souls have the sense of individuality or ahankara which dictates them for sense enjoyment which they are unable to have constitutionally. The Lord is the only enjoyer and all others are enjoyed. The living beings are predominated enjoyer. But the eternally conditioned souls forgetful of this constitutional position have strong aspiration for enjoying. This chance of enjoying the matter is given to the conditioned souls in the material world and side by side they are given the chance of understanding the real constitutional position. Those fortunate living entities who catch up the truth and surrender unto the Lotus feet of Vasudeva after many many births in the material world, become one of the eternally liberated souls and thus are allowed to enter into the kingdom of Godhead. After..."

Prabhupada: We can also become one of them, eternally liberated. But we are not admitted in the spiritual kingdom unless we have given up this false sense of lording it over the material nature. Here, the conditioned souls, everyone is trying to become the lord, imitating. Everyone is trying. But there is clash. You are trying to become lord, I am trying to become lord. Therefore there is clash. And in the spiritual world the Lord is one and there is no competition of lording it over. Therefore in the spiritual world everything is unconditioned, freedom. Yes, go on.

Upendra: "After this such fortunate living entities have no more to come within the occasional material creation. But those who can not catch up the constitutional truth are again kept merged into the mahat-tattva at the time of annihilation of the material creation. When the creation is again set up this mahat-tattva is again let loose and this mahat-tattva contains all the ingredients of material manifestations including the conditioned souls. Primarily this mahat-tattva is divided into sixteen parts namely the five gross material elements and the eleven working instruments or senses."

Prabhupada: Five elements means the sky, air, then fire, water, and earth. And five senses acquiring knowledge, just like eyes, ear, tongue, smelling. We are acquiring knowledge by these... And working five senses, hands, legs, the genital, and in this way there are five working senses and five knowledge acquiring senses, and mind is the center. Therefore eleven. Eleven plus five elements equal to sixteen. Go on.

Upendra: "It is like the cloud in the clear sky. In the spiritual sky, the effulgence of Brahman is spread all round and the whole system is dazzling in spiritual light. The mahat-tattva is assembled in some corner of the that vast unlimited spiritual sky and the part which is thus covered by the mahat-tattva is called the material sky."

Prabhupada: This is also very important. The sky is one. Just like we can experience the sky, and suppose the sky on San Francisco is overcast with cloud. We say that then we are covered in cloud. Practically this San Francisco sky is only a fragmental portion of the whole sky. Similarly, the real sky is that spiritual sky, paravyoma. When that paravyoma partially is clouded with mahat-tattva, that is called material world. This is the position of material world. Material world is also existing in the spiritual world, but it is covered and in a fragmental segment. Yes.

Upendra: "This part of the spiritual sky, called the mahat-tattva, is only an insignificant portion of the whole spiritual sky, and within this mahat-tattva there are innumerable universes. All these universes collectively is produced by the Karanarnavasayi Visnu called also the Maha-Visnu who simply throws His glance only to impregnate the material sky to manifest." Text 2. Translation: "Another plenary part of the purusa is lying down within the water of the universe from the navel lake of His body which has sprouted the lotus stem (which is the body of the universe) and on the top, from the lotus flower Brahma the master of all engineers of the universe, is generated." Purport: "The First purusa is the Karanodakasayi Visnu. From the skinholes of Him innumerable universes have sprung up. In each and every one of them the purusa enters as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu. He is lying in half portion of the universe full with water of His body. And from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Visnu has sprung up the stem of the lotus flower the birth place of Brahma who is the father of all living beings and the master of all the demigod engineers engaged in the matter of perfect design and working of the universal order. Within the stem of the lotus there are fourteen divisions of planetary system and the earthly planets are situated in the middle. Upwards there are other better planetary systems and the topmost system is called Brahmaloka or the Satyaloka. Downwards the earthly planetary system there are seven downwards planetary systems domiciled by the asuras and similar other most materialistic living beings. From this Garbhodakasayi Visnu there is expansion of the Ksirodakasayi Visnu who is the collective Paramatma of all living beings. He is called Hari and from Him all incarnations within the universe are expanded.

Prabhupada: Yes. This Garbhodakasayi Visnu is the father of Brahma who has created all these innumerable planets. And in one of the planets there is Ksirodakasayi Visnu. In that planet the ocean is of milk. There are different kinds of ocean, as we get information from Vedic literature. As we have got here the ocean of water, similarly there is ocean of milk, there is ocean of oil, there is... Just like you have got oil within earth, similarly in those planets there are oil ocean, milk ocean. So there is one planet within this universe which has got ocean of milk. And in that milk ocean there is another Visnu, who is called Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Ksira means milk and udaka means water. Go on.

Upendra: "Therefore, the conclusion is that the purusa-avatara is manifested in three features namely first the Karanodakasayi who creates aggregate material ingredients in the mahat-tattva, second the Garbhodakasayi Who enters in each and every universe and third the Ksirodakasayi Visnu Who is the Paramatma of every material object organic or inorganic."

Prabhupada: This Ksirodakasayi Visnu is in everyone's heart. He is also sitting with me in the heart. I, as spirit soul, I am sitting there, and Ksirodakasayi Visnu as Paramatma, as guiding Supersoul, He is also sitting in the same position. One is... It is stated in the Upanisad that two birds are sitting in one tree. One bird is eating the fruit and the other bird is simply witnessing. So Ksirodakasayi Visnu as Paramatma, He is witnessing the activities of the individual soul. And according to the activities of the individual soul, He is getting the necessary result. He is witness. In the Bhagavad-gita also it is confirmed, anumanta and upadrasta. Upadrasta means witness. Suppose you are doing something. I have nothing to do with your activities, but I can see..., I am seeing what you are doing. So He is upadrasta. And anumanta. Anumanta means the individual soul cannot do anything without the sanction of the Supersoul. Either you may do something good or bad, but it has to be taken sanction from the Supersoul.

Just like there is a English version, that "Not a grass moves without the sanction of God." So without sanction of God, we cannot do anything. You may say that when we do something bad, why God gives us sanction? God does not give us sanction, but we force Him to give us sanction. Therefore He gives us sanction. Otherwise, He does not give sanction. But because we want to do it persistently, so God gives us sanction: "All right. You can do it. And you have to enjoy or suffer the result." Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita, the last instruction is that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "Don't try to do according to your whims. You just surrender unto Me. Abide by Me. Then I shall give you all protection. But if you want to do according to your own whims, and if you do not hear Me, what can I do? You do that and enjoy the result."

Suppose a foolish boy is trying to touch fire. Father says, "Don't do it." In spite of that, if the foolish boy does it, his hand is burned. So father is not responsible. He says, "Don't do it." But the child does it out of ignorance and suffers. Similarly the sanction of God is there as we persist on it. "I want this. I want this." As a child sometimes cries and the mother is obliged to sanction, similarly, God is very kind. If we persist on doing something, He gives us sanction. But the result you have to suffer or enjoy. Go on.

Upendra: "One who knows these plenary features of the Personality of Godhead knows also Him (Godhead) properly and thus the knower becomes freed from the material conditions of birth, death, old age and diseases as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. In this sloka the subject matter of Maha-Visnu is summarized. The Maha-Visnu lies down in some part of the spiritual sky by His own free will and thus He does lie on the ocean of karana from where He glances over His material nature and the mahat-tattva is at once created. Thus electrified by the power of the Lord the material nature creates at once innumerable universes just like in due course a tree is decorated with innumerable grown up fruits all at a time. The seed of the tree is sown by the cultivator and the tree or creeper in due course becomes manifested with so many fruits. Nothing can take place without a cause. The karana ocean is therefore called the Causal Ocean. Karana means causal. We should not foolishly accept the theory of creation by the atheist without any cause. The description of such atheists is given in the Bhagavad-gita. The atheist does not believe in the creator neither he can give any good explanation of the theory of creation. Material nature has no power to create..."

Prabhupada: The atheist class of men, they do not agree to accept that this material world is created by God. They give some reason of their own way of thinking, and most of the arguments are "perhaps like this, perhaps like this, perhaps like this." What is this nonsense, "perhaps"? Is that science? "Perhaps"? So they have no sufficient reason that there is no creator. In everything, we find there is a creator. Anything you take. Take for example this table. There is a creator. Somebody has manufactured it. Or this microphone, somebody has created it. Anything you take, you have to find out some creator. And such a vast, gigantic thing, going on so nicely and punctually... The sun is rising punctually, the moon is rising punctually, the fortnight is going on, the season is coming punctually -- everything. Why there should be no creator or no superintendent? That answer is there in the Bhagavad-gita. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. "Under My superintendence." So if you accept this, then the whole problem is solved. But if we don't accept it, then we have to speculate. But we never to come to the right conclusion, how this creation began. That is not possible to understand by such way. Go on.

Upendra: "Material nature has no power to create without the power of the purusa as much as a prakrti or woman cannot produce any child without the connection of a purusa. The purusa impregnates and the prakrti delivers. We should not expect milk from the fleshy bags in the neck of the goat although they look like breastly nipples. Similarly we should not expect any creative power from the material ingredients. We must believe in the power of the purusa who impregnates the prakrti or nature. And because the Lord wished for lying down in meditation the material energy created innumerable universes also at once and in each of them the Lord lay Himself down, and thus all the planets and the different paraphernalia was created at once by the will of the Lord. The Lord has unlimited potencies and as such He can perform as He likes in perfect planning although personally He has nothing to do and no body is greater or equal to Him."

Prabhupada: In the Bible also it is said, "God said ‘Let there be creation,' and there was creation." That means God is the origin of creation. Yes. Go on.

Upendra: "That is the verdict of Veda." Text 3. Translation: "It is conceived that all the universal planetary system are situated on the extensive bodily features of the purusa but He has nothing to do with the created material ingredients."

Prabhupada: This is universal form of the Lord, virat-purusa. Here is also. This is more or less imaginary. But virat-purusa... Just like Arjuna was shown the virat-purusa, universal form. That is not eternal. That was causal or temporary; for the time being it was shown to Arjuna.

Upendra: "His body is eternally in spiritual existence par excellence." Purport: "The conception of virad-rupa or visva-rupa of the Supreme Absolute Truth is specially meant for the neophyte materialist who can hardly think of the transcendental form of the personality of Godhead. To them a form means something of this material world and as such an opposite conception of the absolute is necessary for them in the beginning to concentrate their mind in the power extension of the Lord. As stated above the Lord extends His potency in the form of mahat-tattva which includes all material ingredients. The extension of power by the Lord and the Lord Himself personally are one in one sense but at the same time the mahat-tattva is different also from the Lord. Therefore the potency of the Lord and the Lord are non-different. The conception of the virad-rupa specially for impersonalist is thus non different from the eternal Form of the Lord. This eternal form of the Lord exists prior to the creation of the mahat-tattva and it is stressed here that the eternal Form of the Lord..."

Prabhupada: Just like in the Bible it is said "God said, ‘Let there be creation.' " That means before the creation, before this material creation, God was there. And the material... There was nothing material. Therefore, God's body cannot be material, because He existed before the creation of matter. So before creation of matter, there was nothing like matter, though God was there. Therefore conclusion is that God has no material body. He spoke, "Let there be creation." "He spoke" means He's a person; otherwise how He can speak? But His personality is not material, because when He spoke there was no material creation.

Therefore the persons with less intelligence, they cannot understand that God's body is not matter. They think that anything has got a body is matter; but that is not the case. The real thing is that God has got body, but not material body. And it is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita that isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. His body is eternal, full of bliss and full of knowledge. Just opposite. You have got this body which is neither eternal, nor full of bliss, nor full of knowledge. This body is full of ignorance and full of miseries and temporary. Therefore God hasn't got a body like this. When in the Vedic literature it is said that God has no body, that does not mean that He has no body. He has no body like this body, material body. Apani-pado javana grhita. The Vedic literature says like this, that God has no leg, no hand. Therefore the impersonalists take advantage of it. "Oh, here it is stated God has no legs, no hands." But the next line is, javana grhita: "He can accept everything which you offer Him in devotion."

Now how He can accept? If He has no hand, how He can accept things from us? That means He hasn't got a hand like us. His hand is different. Therefore even though He is situated in the spiritual world, which is far, far away from us, still, He says in the Bhagavad-gita, it is said,

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah

Krsna says that "A little flower or little water or a little leaf, whatever My devotee offers Me in love and devotion, I accept it." And tad aham bhakty-upahrtam. "And because he has brought it with great devotion, therefore I eat." Tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami. Asnami means "I eat." Now you can say, "All right, I'll offer these fruits and flower to God, but it is the same. It is remaining. How He is eating?" But His eating is not like my eating, because He hasn't got a body like this. This body is material. If you bring me a plate of fruits, this body immediately swallows it. But He has got spiritual body. He eats... Simply as soon as He knows that you have offered it in devotion, He eats immediately.

So these are, I mean to say, technical of understanding, and we can know it from Vedic literatures. Just like in the Vedas it is said, purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate. We cannot imagine. Purnam means full. If you take full from the full, still the balance is full. That is the spiritual calculation. Just like if you have got hundred dollars and I take hundred dollars from you. Still, you have got hundred dollars. This is beyond material conception. Here, one minus one equal to zero, and in the spiritual world, one minus one equal to one. Here one plus one equal to two. And in the spiritual world one plus one equal to one. So these things are very subtle. As we make progress in spiritual understanding... Just like how Krsna can eat from such a distant place? No. Krsna is everywhere. He's within you. So His eating process is different, because His body is spiritual. Purnasya purnam adaya. He can take the whole thing; still, one minus one equal to one. Still, the... Purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate. What is your question?

Visnujana: I was going to ask if the rose-colored light that we see around the food when it's being offered up...

Prabhupada: You can ask after we have finished all these things. Not within the lecture you cannot ask. What is that?

Upendra: "...the eternal form of the Lord is par excellence spiritual or transcendental to the modes of material nature. The very same transcendental form of the Lord is manifested by His internal potency and the formation of His multifarious manifestation of incarnations are always of the same transcendental quality without any touch of the mahat-tattva." Text number 4.

Prabhupada: That's all right. Now what is your question?

Visnujana: We offered food up one time to Krsna.

Prabhupada: Some fruit?

Visnujana: Yes, fruit, to Krsna. And while we were offering it up, when we raised our head we looked at the food and we saw a rose-colored light that was vibrating all around the food. Is this how He eats?

Prabhupada: (pause) He eats. How He eats, that you can understand when you make advancement to that stage. He eats. For the time being, you just take it for granted that He eats. How He eats, that is not possible because you cannot see Him. And how can you see that how He is eating? So that requires spiritual vision, and we shall understand. But He eats, we take it. Because in the Bhagavad-gita He says that "I eat." Asnami. Asnami means "I eat." (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968

Krishna Is Omnipotent

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17
March 25, 1967, San Francisco



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Prabhupada:

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

Krsna, this sound, transcendental sound. Krsna means the highest pleasure. Highest pleasure. Everyone, every living being, is seeking after pleasure, but he does not know how to seek pleasure. Therefore in this material conception of life we are being frustrated in every step for satisfying our pleasure. Because we have no information from which platform we can have pleasure. That we are discussing for the last few weeks, that we are not this body. We are consciousness. Not exactly consciousness. Consciousness is the symptom of my real identity. I am pure soul. I am merged within this material body... And the modern material science, they have no stress of it. Therefore they are sometimes misled about this understanding of the spirit soul. But the spirit soul is a fact. And everyone can understand by the presence of consciousness. Any child can understand. The consciousness is the symptom of the spirit soul. So the whole process now we are trying from the Bhagavad-gita is to bring one to get him on the platform of consciousness. And if we act from the platform of consciousness, then we may not be pushed again into the platform of this bodily conception. And if we can continue that platform, if we continue to act on that platform of consciousness, then, at the end of this body, not even at the end of this body, even in the presence of this body, we shall be free. We shall be free from material contamination. Our spiritual life will be revived and the result will be that in our next life, next life, after leaving this body, we shall have our full spiritual life eternally.

Spirit is described... We have already discussed on this point that the spirit is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire: [Bg. 2.20] "Even after the destruction of this body, the consciousness is not destroyed." That continues. Rather, consciousness transferred to another type of body makes me again alive to the material conception of life. And that is also described in the Bhagavad-gita. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death, if our consciousness is pure, then it is sure that next life is not material. Next life's pure spiritual life. But if our consciousness is not pure at the point of the verge of death, just leaving this body, then we have to take again this material body. That is the process going on by nature's law. We have got our finer body. This is gross body. The body which you are seeing, which I am seeing, this is gross body. Just like shirt and coat. Within your coat, there is shirt, and within your shirt, there is a body. Similarly, the pure soul is covered by shirt and coat. The shirt is mind, intelligence and false ego. Mind, intelligence and false ego. False ego means that the wrong conception that "I am matter. I am something, product of this material world." This wrong conception makes me localized. Just like because I have taken my birth in America, therefore I think myself American. Because I have taken my birth in India, therefore I think myself as Indian. But as pure soul, I am neither Indian nor American. I am pure soul. Because this is designation. This American, or Indian, or German, or Englishman, or cats and dogs and this and that, black and white, all these are designations. Spiritual consciousness means to become free from all these designations.

So that freedom is achieved when we are in constantly touch with the supreme spirit, Krsna. That supreme spirit is Krsna. So this assembly which we are trying to conduct is just to keep in touch constantly with Krsna. Krsna, Krsna can be in constantly companion with us. Because He's omnipotent, God is omnipotent, therefore He can be exactly in touch with us by His words. His words and He are not different. That is omnipotency. Omnipotency means in everything relating to Krsna has the same potency. Just like here in this material world the..., if you want water, you are thirsty, if you want water, then this water, simply calling, simply saying repeatedly, "water, water, water, water, water," will not satisfy your thirst. Because this word has not the same potency as water itself. You require the water as it is. Then your thirst will be satisfied. But in the transcendental, in the absolute world, there is no such difference. Krsna and Krsna's name and Krsna's words and Krsna's qualities, Krsna's pastimes -- everything is Krsna. Somebody, some people argues that "Arjuna was talking with Krsna. So Krsna was present before him, whereas my case, Krsna is not present. So how I can get direction?" That is not the fact. Krsna is present by His words, this Bhagavad-gita. Krsna... Therefore the system is... Of course, here we don't find such facilities, but India, when we speak on the Bhagavad-gita, or on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, we worship regularly with flower, with other paraphernalia required for worshiping. You see? In the Sikh religion they also, they have no deity, form of the deity, but they worship the book, grantha-seva. Perhaps some of you who are acquainted with the Sikh community, they, they worship this grantha. Similarly, the Muhammadans also, they worship the Koran. And similarly, in your Christian also, you worship Bible.

So it is a fact that Lord Jesus Christ is present by his words, Bible. Similarly, Krsna is present by His words. These personalities, either God or son of God, who come from the transcendental world, they keep their transcendental identity without being contaminated by this material world. That is their omnipotency. We are practiced to say that God is omnipotent. Now, this is His omnipotency. Omnipotency means that He is not different from His name, from His quality, from His pastimes, from His instruction, everything. Therefore the discussion on Bhagavad-gita is as good as you are discussing certainly to Krsna. And not only that; Krsna is seated in your heart, in my heart also. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 18.61]. God, God is situated in everyone's heart. God is not away from us. He's friendly. He's so friendly that in my repeated change of birth, He's with us. He's trying to see when we shall turn to Him. Rather, He's canvassing. He's canvassing. He's so kind that we may forget Him, but He has not forgotten us. He is with us. Just like the father never can forget the son, however the son may forget the father. That is, that is natural. Similarly, God is the original father of everything, everybody, all living entities. We may have different bodies. That is our shirt-coat. It has nothing to do with our real identity. Our real identity is pure soul. That pure soul is the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. You'll find in Bhagavad-gita. And that part and parcel of the Supreme Lord is encaged in this material body. And you'll find in Bhagavad-gita that the Lord is said,

sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]

"My dear Arjuna, whatever forms of life you are seeing..." There are eighty-four lakhs species of life. That means eight millions and four hundred thousands of different varieties of life. Not one, two, three or one thousand, two thousand. No. We have not seen. Even the biologists, or the anthropologists, they cannot calculate. But from authoritative, revealed scripture we get this information that there are eight, eight, 8,400,000's of species of life of which human beings, they are divided into 400,000's species of life. And eighty, eighty million, eight million, there are other species of life. But Krsna, the Supreme Lord, claims that all of them, never mind, either he is bird or beast or man or a snake or whatever he may..., god, or semi-god, demigod, anything, whatever... "There are different forms, but apart from the forms, real identity is that all of them, they are My sons. I am actually bija-pradah pita, seed-giving father." Just like the father gives the seed, and the mother receives the seed, and the body is formed according to the mother's body. And when the body is completely formed, it comes out, either from cats, either from dog, either from man, or anything. That is the process of generation. The father gives the seed, and it takes, emulsified, two kinds of secretion within the womb of the mother, and in the first night the body is formed like a pea. Then gradually it develops. There are certain holes, the nine holes. They first of all come out, nine holes. We have got nine holes, two eyes, one mouth, two ears, and penis, and so many things. So when they are fully developed, they come out. And according to their last karma, or action, they get this body and enjoy, or suffer. That is the process of birth and death which is going on. And after finishing this life, again dies, again enters into the moth..., womb of the mother, again gets another type of body, again comes out. This is going on. This is going on.

So we should be very much intelligent that "How long we shall continue this repetition of birth and death and change of body?" Any intelligent man... That is the prerogative of the human form of life. That is the prerogative. He can stop this process, repetition of birth and death. He can get his real, actual spiritual form again and be blissful, full knowledge and eternal life. That is the whole process. So we should not miss this. And the whole thing begins just what we have begun now, now, this chanting and hearing. I wanted to point out that this chanting and hearing is as good as actual association of Krsna. That is stated in the Bhagavata, that srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. This, this process is called kirtana. Even one does not understand the language, still, by hearing only, he acquires some piety. His, his assets become pious life, even he does not understand. It is such powerful. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah... krsna-katha means topics in, in the matter of Krsna. The topics in the matter of Krsna, there are two, two kinds of topics. One topic is this, Bhagavad-gita. It is spoken by Krsna. It is spoken by Krsna. And another krsna-katha, I mean to..., topics about Krsna, is this Srimad-Bhagavatam. That is spoken about Krsna. So there are two types of krsna-katha, and both of them are equally potent. Because it is connected with Krsna.

Now, in the Bhagavad-gita... We find that the Bhagavad-gita is spoken in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Now, what we have to do with the battlefield? We have nothing to do with battlefield. We are here to have some knowledge in the spiritual atmosphere, and why should we bother about the battlefield? No. Because in the battlefield there... [break] The whole battlefield has become Krsna-ized. Krsna-ized. Just like if there electric charges, electric current, is in some metal, the whole thing becomes surcharged with electricity, similarly, when Krsna is interested in some matter, then the whole thing becomes Krsna-ized. Otherwise, there was no need of discussing the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. So that is the omnipotency. Now this omnipotency is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam,

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

Now, simply by hearing the krsna-katha... That means, krsna-katha means... This... krsna-katha, there are many. All the Vedic literatures, they are full of krsna-katha. And all the Vedas means that is also krsna-katha. Any scripture in Veda, that may appear apparently different, but they are meant for krsna-katha. Krsna-katha. Because you'll find in the Bhagavad-gita that vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. The whole topics, they are meant for krsna-katha. (aside:) You'll excuse me. I am called by nature. I shall... [break] So krsna-katha... srnvatam krsna-katha. If you kindly simply hear about this krsna-katha, topics on Krsna, then what will be the result? Because it is pure, transcendental vibration, the result will be srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah, hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani. We have accumulated many inauspicious things within our heart due to our material contamination for many, many births. Many, many births. Not only this birth, but many, many last births. So when we surcharge our heart with the krsna-katha, then the result will be... srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah, hrdy antah sthah.

Hrdy antah sthah. Hrdy antah sthah means the contaminations which we have accumulated within our heart, that will be washed off. That will be washed off so that your heart will be cleansed of all rubbish things. And, as soon as all rubbish things are cleared off, then we are situated in pure consciousness. Because it is very difficult to understand, to eradicate oneself from all the designation. Suppose I am Indian. Is it very easy...? Is it not very easy to take it for granted immediately that I am not Indian, I am pure soul? Similarly, anyone, to not identify with this bodily designation, it is not very easy task. But still, if we go on hearing the krsna-katha, as we have begun here, it will be very easy. It will be very easy. You, you make an experiment. You make an experiment how easily you shall be able to get yourself free from all these designations. And as soon as we are free from the designations... What are the freedom? What are the signs of freedom? The signs of freedom...

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

Nasta-prayesv abhadresu. Nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18], bhaktir bhavati, bhaktir bhavati naisthiki, bhavati naisthiki. Now, as soon as, not cent percent clearance... It is not possible to clear our, I mean to say, rubbish things within our mind all of a sudden or very soon, all things. Even some percentage of the rubbish are cleared off, then at once it happens that our, the influence of the material nature becomes slackened.

tada rajas-tamo-bhavah
kama-lobhadayas ca ye
ceta etair anaviddham
sthitam sattve prasidati
[SB 1.2.19]

The material nature is working in three modes: goodness, passion and ignorance. Now, ignorance is hopeless life. Passion is too much materialistic. Passion means, one who is influenced by the modes of passion, he wants, he wants this false enjoyment. Although... Because he does not know, he wants to squeeze out the energy of the body to enjoy this matter. That is called modes of passion. And modes of ignorance, they have neither passion nor goodness in the modes of darkness of life. And mode of, modes of goodness is that in that position we can understand, at least theoretically, "What I am, what is this world, what is God, what is our interrelation?" This is the, I mean, stage of the modes of goodness. So by hearing krsna-katha, you will be freed from the two stages of ignorance and passion. You'll be situated in the modes of goodness. At least, you'll have the real knowledge, "What I am." Because in the ignorance... Just like animals... Animals, you see, the animal's life is full of suffering. But still, the animal does not know that he's suffering. Or take the case of a hog. Of course, here in your New York City, no hog is seen, but in village, in India, not only villages, sometimes in towns, we see the hog. Oh, how much miserable life they are, living in a filthy place, eating stools, and always unclean, and anyone sees hog and "Unhh! Nasty." But he, the hog, does not know that he's nasty condition. He's very jolly. (laughs) He's very jolly. The person who's in the upper status of life, he can see that "Oh, this is very nasty life!" The hog is very happy by eating stools and having sex intercourse with the she-hog constantly. Oh, it is getting fat, getting... The hog gets very... Too soon, they become very fatty. Because that spirit of enjoyment is there although the nasty enjoyment... [break]

Then he'll understand what is happiness. So you'll be promoted to that stage of life, goodness.

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

Nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Nityam, daily, as a routine, routine work, if you hear this krsna-katha, then the result will be that nasta-prayesu abhadresu, when all this accumulation of dirty things in our heart accumulated for life after life, they'll be cleared off. And as matter of evidence you'll see that you are not no more in ignorance and in passion, but you are situated in the modes of goodness. Then what is, what is that position? Ceta etair anaviddham. Then your mind will not be attacked by the modes of ignorance and passion. You'll be steadily fixed up in the position of goodness. Then, when you are in goodness, then what is your attitude? Prasanna-manasah. You will find yourself joyful in every circumstances of life. You'll never feel yourself morose.

In the Bhagavad-gita you'll find... That is our brahma-bhuta situation. The Vedas teaches us that "You are not this matter. You are Brahman." Aham brahmasmi. Lord Sankaracarya, he preached this gospel to the world that we are not this matter. We are Brahman, spirit soul. So that, when that spiritual realization will be actually done, then your symptoms will change. What are those symptoms? Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati: [Bg. 18.54] "When one is situated in his own spiritual consciousness, then he will have no hankering and no lamentation, lamentation for loss or hankering for gain." Two things are going on in this material world. The things which we do not possess, we hanker after it: "If I get these things, I'll be happy. If I get these things... Oh, I have no money. If I get one hundred thousand millions dollars, then I'll be happy." This is hankering. And when one hundred thousand million dollars you have got... Some way or other, it is lost, oh, you cry, "Oh, I am gone." So either for earning or we hanker, that is also a kind of distress, and when we suffer loss there is distress. But if you are situated in brahma-bhutah avasthana, you'll be neither, neither distressed, nor hankering. You'll be in equilibrium. Yasmin sthite gurunapi na vicalyate. Even if you are situated in the midst of fiery tribulation, you'll not be disturbed. That is the position.

evam prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
[SB 1.2.20]

Bhagavat-tattva-vijnana... Bhagavat-tattva-vijnana means the science of God. The science of God becomes perceivable by such person who is situated in the brahma-bhuta, I mean to say, status. So from that brahma-bhuta status, we have to work, and that work is recommended here,

buddhi-yukto jahatiha
ubhe sukrta-duskrte
tasmad yogaya yujyasva
yogah karmasu kausalam

Now, so, so long we have got this material body, we have to work. We cannot stop working. That is not possible. But we have to adopt the tactics of yoga so that even by doing ordinary work in which by destiny or by circumstances I am put into, there is no harm. You'll find in Bhagavad-gita that even if you find in your own occupation there is... Suppose I am occupied in some business in which I have to speak lie. Without speaking lie, my business cannot go on. Now, suppose if that is the position. Now, speaking lie is not very good thing, and if you think that your business is not very, based on very moral principle, "So I should give up," then Bhagavad-gita you'll find that "Don't give up." Even if you are put into such circumstances that your livelihood cannot go on without that unfair means, still, you should not give it up, but you should try to make it purified. You should try to make it purified. How it is purified? Now, you should not take the fruitive result of your work. That is meant for God.

So here it is stated that, that buddhi-yukto jahatiha ubhe sukrta-duskrte. Sukrta means pious activities, and duskrta means impious activities. In the material platform we are two things, pious or impious. Pious or impious. Either we are doing some pious activities or we are doing some impious activities or we are doing mixed, pious or impious. So Lord Krsna advises that if you act with intelligence or devotion of the Supreme... Intelligence means... What is that intelligence? That "I am the part and parcel of the supreme consciousness, pure soul. I am not this body." This is called intelligence. If you identify yourself, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this or that," then you are material placed.(?) If you identify yourself that "I am neither American, nor Indian, but I am pure consciousness, I am subordinate consciousness of the supreme consciousness, or, in other words, I am servant of God... God is supreme consciousness, and I am subordinate." That... So for our present understanding, subordinate means a servant. But don't carry out the idea of servant in relation to God. Here nobody wants to be servant. Everyone wants to be master. Because to become servant is very, not very, mean, a palatable thing. So but to become a servant of God is not exactly like this. Sometimes servant of God becomes the master of God. The real position of the living entity is a servant of God, but in Bhagavad-gita we see that the master, Krsna, has become the servant of Arjuna. Arjuna is sitting on the chariot, and Krsna has accepted his drivership. Is not the servant of the owner of the chariot? So in spiritual relation we should not carry out the conception of this material relationship. Although the relationship are there. The whole relationship, as we have got experience in this world, the same relationship are there in the spiritual world. But that relationship is not contaminated with matter. Therefore they are pure and transcendental. Therefore they are of a different nature. As we become advanced in spiritual conception of life, then we can understand what is the actual position in spiritual, transcendental life.

So here the Lord instructs that buddhi-yukta. Buddhi-yukta means with the full consciousness that you are not this body. If we act in that way... Now, if I am, I am not body, then I am consciousness. That is a fact. Now, if we act on the consciousness platform, then we can overcome the fruitive result of good work or bad work. It is transcendental stage. It is transcendental stage. It is especially mentioned, buddhi-yukto jahatiha sukrta-duskrte. That means you are acting on other's account, on the supreme account. You are not liable for loss or gain. When there is gain, don't be puffed up. You should think that this gain is for the Lord. And when there is loss, you, you should know that "This is not my responsibility. It is God's work. He'll see." Then you'll be happy. That practice you have to do, everything on account of the Supreme. That transcendental nature we have to develop. Tasmad yogaya yujyasva yogah karmasu kausalam. This is the trick of doing work in these present circumstances. As soon as we work on the platform of bodily consciousness, we become bound up by the reaction of my works. And as soon as I work on spiritual consciousness, I am not bound up either by sukrti or duskrti, either by pious activities or by, I mean to say, vicious activities. That is the technique.

Karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi phalam tyaktva manisinah. Manisinah. This word is very significant. Manisinah means thoughtful, thoughtful. Manisa. Manisa means thought. Manisinah, those who are got, those who are thoughtful, not trifling. Those who are thoughtful. Unless one is thoughtful, one cannot understand that he is not this body. Then how, how you can do work for yourself? What is your position? Now, I am consciousness. What kind of consciousness? Subordinate consciousness. I am the part of the supreme consciousness. Then what will be your activities? My activities will be under the guidance of the supreme consciousness. Just like in office, the managing director is the supreme consciousness. Just for example. Now, everyone is working under him, under his direction. So anyone who is working under his direction, they have no responsibility. They have got simply to discharge the duty, either pious or impious, never mind. In the military rank the order of the captain or the commander is there. The soldier has to execute it. Never mind whether it is pious or impious. It doesn't matter. He has to act simply. Then he becomes a, I mean to say, real soldier. If he acts in that way, he gets remuneration, he gets reward, he gets title, he gets honor. He doesn't care. The commander asks him, "Just go and kill the enemy." He goes and kills. He gets reward. But killing, do you mean to say one gets reward? No. For the duty discharged. For the duty discharged. Similarly, here the whole position is that Krsna is instructing Arjuna. Krsna is the supreme consciousness and Arjuna has to discharge only according to the order of the supreme consciousness. So my, manisinah. Manisinah means those who are thoughtful philosophers, those who can take up things by philosophical conclusion, that "I am consciousness. I am the part and parcel of the supreme consciousness. Therefore my duty is to act according to the supreme consciousness." Just like your hand is the part of your body. Now, it is moving according to my consciousness. The hand is not moving in its own way. As I want, that let the hand be moved, let my legs be moved, let my eye be opened and see, so I am dictating and these parts are working. Similarly we are all parts and parcel, parcel of the supreme consciousness. When we train ourself to move and act in according to that supreme consciousness, then we become transcendental to all these pious or impious activities. That is the technique.

So karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi phalam tyaktva manisinah. Manisinah means thoughtful, those who are thoughtful, those who have understood that "I am the part and parcel of the supreme consciousness and let me act in that way"... Then what will be the result? Just see the fine result: janma-bandha-vinirmuktah padam gacchanty anamayam: "Then he becomes free from the bondage of birth and death, no more birth and death." Janma-bandhana. This is a, this is a very strong shackle. You see? Janma. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. The modern scientists, modern philosophers, they do not think about these four things, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi, birth, death, disease and old age. They set it, set them aside. "Oh, let them be happened. Let us enjoy this life, hogs and dogs." This is human life. Human life is meant to make a solution of this bondage: life, I mean, birth, death, disease and old age. If the human civilization has not made a solution of these four things, oh, that is not human civilization. Human civilization is meant for making a complete solution of these things.

So here, in the Bhagavad-gita, just see how the Lord says that karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi. Karma-jam. Karma-jam means whenever you act, there will be some reaction. If you act good things, there will be a good reaction. If you act bad things, there will be bad reaction. But reaction, either good or bad, that is, in higher sense, all suffering. I have already explained to you another, some other day, that suppose by good action I get good birth, good riches and good features of the body, good education, all these thing I get, but that does not mean that I am free from the material pangs. The material pangs are janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi: birth, death, old age and diseases. Because you are rich man, because you are beautiful man, because you are educated man, because you are born in a aristocratic family, that does not mean that you have avoided death, old age and disease. So we shall not be concerned with pious activities or impious activities. We shall be concerned with transcendental activities. That will save me from this bondage of birth, death, old age and disease. That should be our aim of life. We should not be hankering after good or bad things. Because everything here, in higher consciousness, everything material... Now, take for example... Suppose you are diseased, suffering from some disease. You are lying on the bed. And you are eating in that stage, you are passing your nature's call in that way, and taking bitter medicines, and always you have to keep by the nurses clean. Otherwise, there is some obnoxious smell. In such a condition you are lying, and some friends come to you and ask you, "My dear such and such, how are you today feeling?" "Yes, I am today feeling well." What is this "well"? He's lying on the bed. He's passing his nature's calls in that way. He's eating bitter medicine, and he, he cannot move. All these inconveniences, and he says that "I am well." Similarly, in our material conception of life, if we think, "I am happy," that is foolishness. That is foolishness. There is no happiness in material life. It is impossible to get happiness. Then we do not know meaning of happiness. Therefore this very word is used, manisinah. We want to happy, to become by some extraneous, artificial means. And how long it will stand? It will not stand. You'll again come back. Suppose by intoxication you feel happy. Oh, that is not your actual happiness. Suppose by chloroform I am unconscious; I don't feel the pains of operation. Oh, that does not mean that I am out of these pains and pleasures. This is artificial. So real, real pleasure, real life is here, as recommended in Bhagavad-gita by Sri Krsna. Just see. Karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi phalam tyaktva manisinah. Manisinah means the thoughtful. "They give up the reaction of, of work, being situated in the platform of consciousness. And the result will be that janma-bandha-vinirmuktah, this bondage of birth and death and disease and old age, he becomes free from that." Then the next life? Padam gacchanty anamayam. Anamayam. Anamayam means where there is no death, no, I mean to say, old age, no birth, no disease. That is possible. That is called Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha. The Sanskrit word is Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha means vigata-kuntha. Kuntha means anxiety, anxiety. Here, due to our material contamination, we are always full of kuntha, anxiety. Even a bird, when he's eating, he's seeing like this; this way, this way, this way, "Somebody's coming, or kill me. Oh." Full of anxiety. We are also anxiety, anxious. The politician is anxious. So long we are in contamination of this material body, we must be anxious. We must be anxious.

There is a nice instruction by Prahlada Maharaja, a great devotee, boy devotee. And he was, from his boyhood, childhood, from his mother's womb, he became a devotee by the grace of Narada Muni. That is the history. Now, he, he was five-years-old boy, and his father was too much materialistic. And he wanted that his son should be great politician, economist, and so on, so on, just like the materialists want. But the boy, he's a devotee. So father did not like the idea. So one day he called his boy, "My dear boy, come on." He came. A small boy. "Sit down on my lap. All right, my dear boy, will you kindly tell me what you have learned, the best thing in your school?" "Yes, my dear father, I shall tell you." So he said like this, tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat, hitvatma, hitva atma-patam grham anda-kupam vanam gato yad-dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. "My dear father..." He's addressing his father, "O the best among the materialists." Now, he's not afraid. His father was very powerful, and there is a story. We shall narrate one day. Now, today is... Very shortly I am giving some instance... So he says, "My dear father, you are the greatest of the materialists, but to my opinion that is the best thing if people should give up this materialistic life and devote himself for searching out God, then he'll be free from the anxiety which is due to him due to his material connection." Just, how, see the nice, that hitva, tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam. Persons who are always full of anxieties. Why? Now, due to their material connection. Asat. Asat means matter. Matter will not stay, however you may chemically try to preserve. Will... It will not stay. Therefore matter's another name is asat. And spirit's another name is sat. Sat means "which exists." Asat means "which does not exist." Antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah saririnah [Bg. 2.18]. We have already described that this body, this body is antavat, it has got end, but the consciousness, or the spirit soul, it is not... It is endless. So the endless, I mean to say, ever-existing soul, being contaminated by this body, he's full of anxiety. So Prahlada Maharaja thinks that in order to realize his self for self-realization, if he gives up all material engagement and takes to the path of self-realization, that is the best way of his life. And the father became angry. "What nonsense he's taking? A five-years-old boy, he's taking, talking of self-realization. I wanted to make him a great politician, economist. Now he's talking of this nonsense and..." Hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam. "He's describing that this family life is just like a dark well." If a man is put, dark well... [break]

...be engaged. Be... Whatever you are, that doesn't matter. But act it on the platform of consciousness. And that platform, acting on the consciousness, is, Lord Caitanya has made very easy. Just like there are some note-makers of school books, "Easy Study." So Lord Caitanya has recommended that "You may be engaged in whatever occupation. That may be good or bad. We don't mind for that. But you must hear the krsna-katha. You must continue to hear this Bhagavad-gita." That is... For this, we are trying to organize this institution, that "You come. Whatever you do, that doesn't matter. Everything will be adjusted by and by." Because, as I have described in the beginning, that srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah, hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani [SB 1.2.17]. Everything will be adjusted as our mind becomes clear, clear, clear, simply by hearing. Simply by hearing.

So this process, this association of hearing about the krsna-katha, what Krsna is speaking and what is spoken about Krsna, if we continue about the, about this process and chanting the Krsna name, you'll practically see how much your heart is becoming clearer and clearer and how much you are pro..., making progress towards spiritual realization and real, real identity of pure consciousness.

Thank you very much. Any question?

Mukunda: If a good man, who is passed through the states of being ignorant and passionate and he's really a good man, is walking down the street, let's say, in Delhi or Istanbul or any place, any city. And he sees a very young man beating up on a very old man just for no reason at all. He's just beating up, beating him to death. And the old man is calling out for help and there's a few people standing around. And as he approaches, he, he begins to get stirred by this scene. And being a good man he feels the whip on this other human being's back. Now, as a good man, should he not take sides on the two people quarreling and accept it and just walk on, even though he feels something welling up in him, or should he give way to what would be a passionate desire and try to interrupt and stop this injustice, so to speak?

Prabhupada: The whole idea is that action, either in ignorance or passion or goodness... We have discussed that point. That doesn't matter. But action should be done from the spiritual consciousness platform. That's all. Then you transcend the reaction. Just like, for example, Arjuna. Arjuna's fighting... This fighting is on the modes of passion, passion. Now, when the, that work of passion, if he does... Now, Arjuna was thinking not to fight, not to fight, because he thought that "Fighting with my brothers, with my relatives, is not good."

Mukunda: Yes.

Prabhupada: So, from material point of view, it is all right. From material point of view. But the thing is that material point of view, if you do act good work, you have to enjoy the reaction. That is the point. As I have already explained that by your good work, you get good birth, you get good wealth, you get good education, good features of body. But that is not the solution of your problem. Here the whole thing is that how to act. If we act from the material platform, even in the modes of goodness, that is also not solution of my life. But even, even in the spiritual, from the spiritual platform, if we act which apparently may seem to be acts of passion, that is not reactionary. That is not reactionary. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna... Now, the Lord says that you become free from the reaction of your activities. That is the proposition. Now, at the same time, He's inducing Arjuna to fight. Now, fighting is on the platform, on the modes of passion. Does it mean that simultaneously Krsna is inducing him to be entangled in the reaction of passion modes? No. That action, even apparently appears to be act, being acted on the platform of passion, it is transcendental because it is direction of the supreme consciousness. So whole thing is that we have to... Just like... Same example can be cited, that a soldier is killing his enemy, and the soldier's rewarded, "Oh, you have killed such a big enemy. You are rewarded." Do you mean to say by killing one is rewarded? But he is not acting on his platform. He's acting on higher consciousness platform, higher order. So if a commander's order can give him immunity from the reaction of being hanged, why not God's command? That is the thing. So we have, we haven't to discriminate whether I am in the modes of ignorance or passion or goodness. No. We have simply to see whether I'm acting under the direction of the supreme consciousness. That is the thing to be seen. Then we are free. Then our life becomes free. That thing, we have to learn. Yes?

Student: Is there...? Am I my brother's keeper? Am I, am I responsible for my brother's actions?

Prabhupada: Yes. Materially, you are responsible. Because materially you are responsible for all acts, good or bad. That I have already explained. So you may think that you have taken the responsibility of maintaining your brother, but at the same time, you are responsible for all the reactions.

Student: For all the?

Prabhupada: For all the reactions out of that act. It may be bad or good. That doesn't matter. Our problem is not to be infected with the reaction. If you think that bringing up your brother... It is, actually, it is good thing. You are doing good thing. That's all right. And you'll have the good result of it. But that, having that good result, does not mean that you are free from the reaction. Now, our problem is that we want to be free from the reaction. So long... Now... The same answer is there, that reaction of my good work, that I get good birth, I get good education, I get sufficient wealth or I get good features of body. These things are goodness of this material world. But that does not make solution of the disease in which... [break]...vyadhi, birth, death, old age and disease. The whole problem is that we have to get out of this material existence. So the, from the material point of view, or platform, any act, good or bad, that will have material reaction. And we are, we want to get out of this material reaction. That is our point of view. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967

Krishna Is Omnipotent

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17
March 25, 1967, San Francisco



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Prabhupada:

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

Krsna, this sound, transcendental sound. Krsna means the highest pleasure. Highest pleasure. Everyone, every living being, is seeking after pleasure, but he does not know how to seek pleasure. Therefore in this material conception of life we are being frustrated in every step for satisfying our pleasure. Because we have no information from which platform we can have pleasure. That we are discussing for the last few weeks, that we are not this body. We are consciousness. Not exactly consciousness. Consciousness is the symptom of my real identity. I am pure soul. I am merged within this material body... And the modern material science, they have no stress of it. Therefore they are sometimes misled about this understanding of the spirit soul. But the spirit soul is a fact. And everyone can understand by the presence of consciousness. Any child can understand. The consciousness is the symptom of the spirit soul. So the whole process now we are trying from the Bhagavad-gita is to bring one to get him on the platform of consciousness. And if we act from the platform of consciousness, then we may not be pushed again into the platform of this bodily conception. And if we can continue that platform, if we continue to act on that platform of consciousness, then, at the end of this body, not even at the end of this body, even in the presence of this body, we shall be free. We shall be free from material contamination. Our spiritual life will be revived and the result will be that in our next life, next life, after leaving this body, we shall have our full spiritual life eternally.

Spirit is described... We have already discussed on this point that the spirit is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire: [Bg. 2.20] "Even after the destruction of this body, the consciousness is not destroyed." That continues. Rather, consciousness transferred to another type of body makes me again alive to the material conception of life. And that is also described in the Bhagavad-gita. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death, if our consciousness is pure, then it is sure that next life is not material. Next life's pure spiritual life. But if our consciousness is not pure at the point of the verge of death, just leaving this body, then we have to take again this material body. That is the process going on by nature's law. We have got our finer body. This is gross body. The body which you are seeing, which I am seeing, this is gross body. Just like shirt and coat. Within your coat, there is shirt, and within your shirt, there is a body. Similarly, the pure soul is covered by shirt and coat. The shirt is mind, intelligence and false ego. Mind, intelligence and false ego. False ego means that the wrong conception that "I am matter. I am something, product of this material world." This wrong conception makes me localized. Just like because I have taken my birth in America, therefore I think myself American. Because I have taken my birth in India, therefore I think myself as Indian. But as pure soul, I am neither Indian nor American. I am pure soul. Because this is designation. This American, or Indian, or German, or Englishman, or cats and dogs and this and that, black and white, all these are designations. Spiritual consciousness means to become free from all these designations.

So that freedom is achieved when we are in constantly touch with the supreme spirit, Krsna. That supreme spirit is Krsna. So this assembly which we are trying to conduct is just to keep in touch constantly with Krsna. Krsna, Krsna can be in constantly companion with us. Because He's omnipotent, God is omnipotent, therefore He can be exactly in touch with us by His words. His words and He are not different. That is omnipotency. Omnipotency means in everything relating to Krsna has the same potency. Just like here in this material world the..., if you want water, you are thirsty, if you want water, then this water, simply calling, simply saying repeatedly, "water, water, water, water, water," will not satisfy your thirst. Because this word has not the same potency as water itself. You require the water as it is. Then your thirst will be satisfied. But in the transcendental, in the absolute world, there is no such difference. Krsna and Krsna's name and Krsna's words and Krsna's qualities, Krsna's pastimes -- everything is Krsna. Somebody, some people argues that "Arjuna was talking with Krsna. So Krsna was present before him, whereas my case, Krsna is not present. So how I can get direction?" That is not the fact. Krsna is present by His words, this Bhagavad-gita. Krsna... Therefore the system is... Of course, here we don't find such facilities, but India, when we speak on the Bhagavad-gita, or on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, we worship regularly with flower, with other paraphernalia required for worshiping. You see? In the Sikh religion they also, they have no deity, form of the deity, but they worship the book, grantha-seva. Perhaps some of you who are acquainted with the Sikh community, they, they worship this grantha. Similarly, the Muhammadans also, they worship the Koran. And similarly, in your Christian also, you worship Bible.

So it is a fact that Lord Jesus Christ is present by his words, Bible. Similarly, Krsna is present by His words. These personalities, either God or son of God, who come from the transcendental world, they keep their transcendental identity without being contaminated by this material world. That is their omnipotency. We are practiced to say that God is omnipotent. Now, this is His omnipotency. Omnipotency means that He is not different from His name, from His quality, from His pastimes, from His instruction, everything. Therefore the discussion on Bhagavad-gita is as good as you are discussing certainly to Krsna. And not only that; Krsna is seated in your heart, in my heart also. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 18.61]. God, God is situated in everyone's heart. God is not away from us. He's friendly. He's so friendly that in my repeated change of birth, He's with us. He's trying to see when we shall turn to Him. Rather, He's canvassing. He's canvassing. He's so kind that we may forget Him, but He has not forgotten us. He is with us. Just like the father never can forget the son, however the son may forget the father. That is, that is natural. Similarly, God is the original father of everything, everybody, all living entities. We may have different bodies. That is our shirt-coat. It has nothing to do with our real identity. Our real identity is pure soul. That pure soul is the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. You'll find in Bhagavad-gita. And that part and parcel of the Supreme Lord is encaged in this material body. And you'll find in Bhagavad-gita that the Lord is said,

sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]

"My dear Arjuna, whatever forms of life you are seeing..." There are eighty-four lakhs species of life. That means eight millions and four hundred thousands of different varieties of life. Not one, two, three or one thousand, two thousand. No. We have not seen. Even the biologists, or the anthropologists, they cannot calculate. But from authoritative, revealed scripture we get this information that there are eight, eight, 8,400,000's of species of life of which human beings, they are divided into 400,000's species of life. And eighty, eighty million, eight million, there are other species of life. But Krsna, the Supreme Lord, claims that all of them, never mind, either he is bird or beast or man or a snake or whatever he may..., god, or semi-god, demigod, anything, whatever... "There are different forms, but apart from the forms, real identity is that all of them, they are My sons. I am actually bija-pradah pita, seed-giving father." Just like the father gives the seed, and the mother receives the seed, and the body is formed according to the mother's body. And when the body is completely formed, it comes out, either from cats, either from dog, either from man, or anything. That is the process of generation. The father gives the seed, and it takes, emulsified, two kinds of secretion within the womb of the mother, and in the first night the body is formed like a pea. Then gradually it develops. There are certain holes, the nine holes. They first of all come out, nine holes. We have got nine holes, two eyes, one mouth, two ears, and penis, and so many things. So when they are fully developed, they come out. And according to their last karma, or action, they get this body and enjoy, or suffer. That is the process of birth and death which is going on. And after finishing this life, again dies, again enters into the moth..., womb of the mother, again gets another type of body, again comes out. This is going on. This is going on.

So we should be very much intelligent that "How long we shall continue this repetition of birth and death and change of body?" Any intelligent man... That is the prerogative of the human form of life. That is the prerogative. He can stop this process, repetition of birth and death. He can get his real, actual spiritual form again and be blissful, full knowledge and eternal life. That is the whole process. So we should not miss this. And the whole thing begins just what we have begun now, now, this chanting and hearing. I wanted to point out that this chanting and hearing is as good as actual association of Krsna. That is stated in the Bhagavata, that srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. This, this process is called kirtana. Even one does not understand the language, still, by hearing only, he acquires some piety. His, his assets become pious life, even he does not understand. It is such powerful. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah... krsna-katha means topics in, in the matter of Krsna. The topics in the matter of Krsna, there are two, two kinds of topics. One topic is this, Bhagavad-gita. It is spoken by Krsna. It is spoken by Krsna. And another krsna-katha, I mean to..., topics about Krsna, is this Srimad-Bhagavatam. That is spoken about Krsna. So there are two types of krsna-katha, and both of them are equally potent. Because it is connected with Krsna.

Now, in the Bhagavad-gita... We find that the Bhagavad-gita is spoken in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Now, what we have to do with the battlefield? We have nothing to do with battlefield. We are here to have some knowledge in the spiritual atmosphere, and why should we bother about the battlefield? No. Because in the battlefield there... [break] The whole battlefield has become Krsna-ized. Krsna-ized. Just like if there electric charges, electric current, is in some metal, the whole thing becomes surcharged with electricity, similarly, when Krsna is interested in some matter, then the whole thing becomes Krsna-ized. Otherwise, there was no need of discussing the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. So that is the omnipotency. Now this omnipotency is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam,

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

Now, simply by hearing the krsna-katha... That means, krsna-katha means... This... krsna-katha, there are many. All the Vedic literatures, they are full of krsna-katha. And all the Vedas means that is also krsna-katha. Any scripture in Veda, that may appear apparently different, but they are meant for krsna-katha. Krsna-katha. Because you'll find in the Bhagavad-gita that vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. The whole topics, they are meant for krsna-katha. (aside:) You'll excuse me. I am called by nature. I shall... [break] So krsna-katha... srnvatam krsna-katha. If you kindly simply hear about this krsna-katha, topics on Krsna, then what will be the result? Because it is pure, transcendental vibration, the result will be srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah, hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani. We have accumulated many inauspicious things within our heart due to our material contamination for many, many births. Many, many births. Not only this birth, but many, many last births. So when we surcharge our heart with the krsna-katha, then the result will be... srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah, hrdy antah sthah.

Hrdy antah sthah. Hrdy antah sthah means the contaminations which we have accumulated within our heart, that will be washed off. That will be washed off so that your heart will be cleansed of all rubbish things. And, as soon as all rubbish things are cleared off, then we are situated in pure consciousness. Because it is very difficult to understand, to eradicate oneself from all the designation. Suppose I am Indian. Is it very easy...? Is it not very easy to take it for granted immediately that I am not Indian, I am pure soul? Similarly, anyone, to not identify with this bodily designation, it is not very easy task. But still, if we go on hearing the krsna-katha, as we have begun here, it will be very easy. It will be very easy. You, you make an experiment. You make an experiment how easily you shall be able to get yourself free from all these designations. And as soon as we are free from the designations... What are the freedom? What are the signs of freedom? The signs of freedom...

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

Nasta-prayesv abhadresu. Nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18], bhaktir bhavati, bhaktir bhavati naisthiki, bhavati naisthiki. Now, as soon as, not cent percent clearance... It is not possible to clear our, I mean to say, rubbish things within our mind all of a sudden or very soon, all things. Even some percentage of the rubbish are cleared off, then at once it happens that our, the influence of the material nature becomes slackened.

tada rajas-tamo-bhavah
kama-lobhadayas ca ye
ceta etair anaviddham
sthitam sattve prasidati
[SB 1.2.19]

The material nature is working in three modes: goodness, passion and ignorance. Now, ignorance is hopeless life. Passion is too much materialistic. Passion means, one who is influenced by the modes of passion, he wants, he wants this false enjoyment. Although... Because he does not know, he wants to squeeze out the energy of the body to enjoy this matter. That is called modes of passion. And modes of ignorance, they have neither passion nor goodness in the modes of darkness of life. And mode of, modes of goodness is that in that position we can understand, at least theoretically, "What I am, what is this world, what is God, what is our interrelation?" This is the, I mean, stage of the modes of goodness. So by hearing krsna-katha, you will be freed from the two stages of ignorance and passion. You'll be situated in the modes of goodness. At least, you'll have the real knowledge, "What I am." Because in the ignorance... Just like animals... Animals, you see, the animal's life is full of suffering. But still, the animal does not know that he's suffering. Or take the case of a hog. Of course, here in your New York City, no hog is seen, but in village, in India, not only villages, sometimes in towns, we see the hog. Oh, how much miserable life they are, living in a filthy place, eating stools, and always unclean, and anyone sees hog and "Unhh! Nasty." But he, the hog, does not know that he's nasty condition. He's very jolly. (laughs) He's very jolly. The person who's in the upper status of life, he can see that "Oh, this is very nasty life!" The hog is very happy by eating stools and having sex intercourse with the she-hog constantly. Oh, it is getting fat, getting... The hog gets very... Too soon, they become very fatty. Because that spirit of enjoyment is there although the nasty enjoyment... [break]

Then he'll understand what is happiness. So you'll be promoted to that stage of life, goodness.

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

Nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Nityam, daily, as a routine, routine work, if you hear this krsna-katha, then the result will be that nasta-prayesu abhadresu, when all this accumulation of dirty things in our heart accumulated for life after life, they'll be cleared off. And as matter of evidence you'll see that you are not no more in ignorance and in passion, but you are situated in the modes of goodness. Then what is, what is that position? Ceta etair anaviddham. Then your mind will not be attacked by the modes of ignorance and passion. You'll be steadily fixed up in the position of goodness. Then, when you are in goodness, then what is your attitude? Prasanna-manasah. You will find yourself joyful in every circumstances of life. You'll never feel yourself morose.

In the Bhagavad-gita you'll find... That is our brahma-bhuta situation. The Vedas teaches us that "You are not this matter. You are Brahman." Aham brahmasmi. Lord Sankaracarya, he preached this gospel to the world that we are not this matter. We are Brahman, spirit soul. So that, when that spiritual realization will be actually done, then your symptoms will change. What are those symptoms? Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati: [Bg. 18.54] "When one is situated in his own spiritual consciousness, then he will have no hankering and no lamentation, lamentation for loss or hankering for gain." Two things are going on in this material world. The things which we do not possess, we hanker after it: "If I get these things, I'll be happy. If I get these things... Oh, I have no money. If I get one hundred thousand millions dollars, then I'll be happy." This is hankering. And when one hundred thousand million dollars you have got... Some way or other, it is lost, oh, you cry, "Oh, I am gone." So either for earning or we hanker, that is also a kind of distress, and when we suffer loss there is distress. But if you are situated in brahma-bhutah avasthana, you'll be neither, neither distressed, nor hankering. You'll be in equilibrium. Yasmin sthite gurunapi na vicalyate. Even if you are situated in the midst of fiery tribulation, you'll not be disturbed. That is the position.

evam prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
[SB 1.2.20]

Bhagavat-tattva-vijnana... Bhagavat-tattva-vijnana means the science of God. The science of God becomes perceivable by such person who is situated in the brahma-bhuta, I mean to say, status. So from that brahma-bhuta status, we have to work, and that work is recommended here,

buddhi-yukto jahatiha
ubhe sukrta-duskrte
tasmad yogaya yujyasva
yogah karmasu kausalam

Now, so, so long we have got this material body, we have to work. We cannot stop working. That is not possible. But we have to adopt the tactics of yoga so that even by doing ordinary work in which by destiny or by circumstances I am put into, there is no harm. You'll find in Bhagavad-gita that even if you find in your own occupation there is... Suppose I am occupied in some business in which I have to speak lie. Without speaking lie, my business cannot go on. Now, suppose if that is the position. Now, speaking lie is not very good thing, and if you think that your business is not very, based on very moral principle, "So I should give up," then Bhagavad-gita you'll find that "Don't give up." Even if you are put into such circumstances that your livelihood cannot go on without that unfair means, still, you should not give it up, but you should try to make it purified. You should try to make it purified. How it is purified? Now, you should not take the fruitive result of your work. That is meant for God.

So here it is stated that, that buddhi-yukto jahatiha ubhe sukrta-duskrte. Sukrta means pious activities, and duskrta means impious activities. In the material platform we are two things, pious or impious. Pious or impious. Either we are doing some pious activities or we are doing some impious activities or we are doing mixed, pious or impious. So Lord Krsna advises that if you act with intelligence or devotion of the Supreme... Intelligence means... What is that intelligence? That "I am the part and parcel of the supreme consciousness, pure soul. I am not this body." This is called intelligence. If you identify yourself, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this or that," then you are material placed.(?) If you identify yourself that "I am neither American, nor Indian, but I am pure consciousness, I am subordinate consciousness of the supreme consciousness, or, in other words, I am servant of God... God is supreme consciousness, and I am subordinate." That... So for our present understanding, subordinate means a servant. But don't carry out the idea of servant in relation to God. Here nobody wants to be servant. Everyone wants to be master. Because to become servant is very, not very, mean, a palatable thing. So but to become a servant of God is not exactly like this. Sometimes servant of God becomes the master of God. The real position of the living entity is a servant of God, but in Bhagavad-gita we see that the master, Krsna, has become the servant of Arjuna. Arjuna is sitting on the chariot, and Krsna has accepted his drivership. Is not the servant of the owner of the chariot? So in spiritual relation we should not carry out the conception of this material relationship. Although the relationship are there. The whole relationship, as we have got experience in this world, the same relationship are there in the spiritual world. But that relationship is not contaminated with matter. Therefore they are pure and transcendental. Therefore they are of a different nature. As we become advanced in spiritual conception of life, then we can understand what is the actual position in spiritual, transcendental life.

So here the Lord instructs that buddhi-yukta. Buddhi-yukta means with the full consciousness that you are not this body. If we act in that way... Now, if I am, I am not body, then I am consciousness. That is a fact. Now, if we act on the consciousness platform, then we can overcome the fruitive result of good work or bad work. It is transcendental stage. It is transcendental stage. It is especially mentioned, buddhi-yukto jahatiha sukrta-duskrte. That means you are acting on other's account, on the supreme account. You are not liable for loss or gain. When there is gain, don't be puffed up. You should think that this gain is for the Lord. And when there is loss, you, you should know that "This is not my responsibility. It is God's work. He'll see." Then you'll be happy. That practice you have to do, everything on account of the Supreme. That transcendental nature we have to develop. Tasmad yogaya yujyasva yogah karmasu kausalam. This is the trick of doing work in these present circumstances. As soon as we work on the platform of bodily consciousness, we become bound up by the reaction of my works. And as soon as I work on spiritual consciousness, I am not bound up either by sukrti or duskrti, either by pious activities or by, I mean to say, vicious activities. That is the technique.

Karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi phalam tyaktva manisinah. Manisinah. This word is very significant. Manisinah means thoughtful, thoughtful. Manisa. Manisa means thought. Manisinah, those who are got, those who are thoughtful, not trifling. Those who are thoughtful. Unless one is thoughtful, one cannot understand that he is not this body. Then how, how you can do work for yourself? What is your position? Now, I am consciousness. What kind of consciousness? Subordinate consciousness. I am the part of the supreme consciousness. Then what will be your activities? My activities will be under the guidance of the supreme consciousness. Just like in office, the managing director is the supreme consciousness. Just for example. Now, everyone is working under him, under his direction. So anyone who is working under his direction, they have no responsibility. They have got simply to discharge the duty, either pious or impious, never mind. In the military rank the order of the captain or the commander is there. The soldier has to execute it. Never mind whether it is pious or impious. It doesn't matter. He has to act simply. Then he becomes a, I mean to say, real soldier. If he acts in that way, he gets remuneration, he gets reward, he gets title, he gets honor. He doesn't care. The commander asks him, "Just go and kill the enemy." He goes and kills. He gets reward. But killing, do you mean to say one gets reward? No. For the duty discharged. For the duty discharged. Similarly, here the whole position is that Krsna is instructing Arjuna. Krsna is the supreme consciousness and Arjuna has to discharge only according to the order of the supreme consciousness. So my, manisinah. Manisinah means those who are thoughtful philosophers, those who can take up things by philosophical conclusion, that "I am consciousness. I am the part and parcel of the supreme consciousness. Therefore my duty is to act according to the supreme consciousness." Just like your hand is the part of your body. Now, it is moving according to my consciousness. The hand is not moving in its own way. As I want, that let the hand be moved, let my legs be moved, let my eye be opened and see, so I am dictating and these parts are working. Similarly we are all parts and parcel, parcel of the supreme consciousness. When we train ourself to move and act in according to that supreme consciousness, then we become transcendental to all these pious or impious activities. That is the technique.

So karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi phalam tyaktva manisinah. Manisinah means thoughtful, those who are thoughtful, those who have understood that "I am the part and parcel of the supreme consciousness and let me act in that way"... Then what will be the result? Just see the fine result: janma-bandha-vinirmuktah padam gacchanty anamayam: "Then he becomes free from the bondage of birth and death, no more birth and death." Janma-bandhana. This is a, this is a very strong shackle. You see? Janma. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. The modern scientists, modern philosophers, they do not think about these four things, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi, birth, death, disease and old age. They set it, set them aside. "Oh, let them be happened. Let us enjoy this life, hogs and dogs." This is human life. Human life is meant to make a solution of this bondage: life, I mean, birth, death, disease and old age. If the human civilization has not made a solution of these four things, oh, that is not human civilization. Human civilization is meant for making a complete solution of these things.

So here, in the Bhagavad-gita, just see how the Lord says that karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi. Karma-jam. Karma-jam means whenever you act, there will be some reaction. If you act good things, there will be a good reaction. If you act bad things, there will be bad reaction. But reaction, either good or bad, that is, in higher sense, all suffering. I have already explained to you another, some other day, that suppose by good action I get good birth, good riches and good features of the body, good education, all these thing I get, but that does not mean that I am free from the material pangs. The material pangs are janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi: birth, death, old age and diseases. Because you are rich man, because you are beautiful man, because you are educated man, because you are born in a aristocratic family, that does not mean that you have avoided death, old age and disease. So we shall not be concerned with pious activities or impious activities. We shall be concerned with transcendental activities. That will save me from this bondage of birth, death, old age and disease. That should be our aim of life. We should not be hankering after good or bad things. Because everything here, in higher consciousness, everything material... Now, take for example... Suppose you are diseased, suffering from some disease. You are lying on the bed. And you are eating in that stage, you are passing your nature's call in that way, and taking bitter medicines, and always you have to keep by the nurses clean. Otherwise, there is some obnoxious smell. In such a condition you are lying, and some friends come to you and ask you, "My dear such and such, how are you today feeling?" "Yes, I am today feeling well." What is this "well"? He's lying on the bed. He's passing his nature's calls in that way. He's eating bitter medicine, and he, he cannot move. All these inconveniences, and he says that "I am well." Similarly, in our material conception of life, if we think, "I am happy," that is foolishness. That is foolishness. There is no happiness in material life. It is impossible to get happiness. Then we do not know meaning of happiness. Therefore this very word is used, manisinah. We want to happy, to become by some extraneous, artificial means. And how long it will stand? It will not stand. You'll again come back. Suppose by intoxication you feel happy. Oh, that is not your actual happiness. Suppose by chloroform I am unconscious; I don't feel the pains of operation. Oh, that does not mean that I am out of these pains and pleasures. This is artificial. So real, real pleasure, real life is here, as recommended in Bhagavad-gita by Sri Krsna. Just see. Karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi phalam tyaktva manisinah. Manisinah means the thoughtful. "They give up the reaction of, of work, being situated in the platform of consciousness. And the result will be that janma-bandha-vinirmuktah, this bondage of birth and death and disease and old age, he becomes free from that." Then the next life? Padam gacchanty anamayam. Anamayam. Anamayam means where there is no death, no, I mean to say, old age, no birth, no disease. That is possible. That is called Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha. The Sanskrit word is Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha means vigata-kuntha. Kuntha means anxiety, anxiety. Here, due to our material contamination, we are always full of kuntha, anxiety. Even a bird, when he's eating, he's seeing like this; this way, this way, this way, "Somebody's coming, or kill me. Oh." Full of anxiety. We are also anxiety, anxious. The politician is anxious. So long we are in contamination of this material body, we must be anxious. We must be anxious.

There is a nice instruction by Prahlada Maharaja, a great devotee, boy devotee. And he was, from his boyhood, childhood, from his mother's womb, he became a devotee by the grace of Narada Muni. That is the history. Now, he, he was five-years-old boy, and his father was too much materialistic. And he wanted that his son should be great politician, economist, and so on, so on, just like the materialists want. But the boy, he's a devotee. So father did not like the idea. So one day he called his boy, "My dear boy, come on." He came. A small boy. "Sit down on my lap. All right, my dear boy, will you kindly tell me what you have learned, the best thing in your school?" "Yes, my dear father, I shall tell you." So he said like this, tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat, hitvatma, hitva atma-patam grham anda-kupam vanam gato yad-dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. "My dear father..." He's addressing his father, "O the best among the materialists." Now, he's not afraid. His father was very powerful, and there is a story. We shall narrate one day. Now, today is... Very shortly I am giving some instance... So he says, "My dear father, you are the greatest of the materialists, but to my opinion that is the best thing if people should give up this materialistic life and devote himself for searching out God, then he'll be free from the anxiety which is due to him due to his material connection." Just, how, see the nice, that hitva, tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam. Persons who are always full of anxieties. Why? Now, due to their material connection. Asat. Asat means matter. Matter will not stay, however you may chemically try to preserve. Will... It will not stay. Therefore matter's another name is asat. And spirit's another name is sat. Sat means "which exists." Asat means "which does not exist." Antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah saririnah [Bg. 2.18]. We have already described that this body, this body is antavat, it has got end, but the consciousness, or the spirit soul, it is not... It is endless. So the endless, I mean to say, ever-existing soul, being contaminated by this body, he's full of anxiety. So Prahlada Maharaja thinks that in order to realize his self for self-realization, if he gives up all material engagement and takes to the path of self-realization, that is the best way of his life. And the father became angry. "What nonsense he's taking? A five-years-old boy, he's taking, talking of self-realization. I wanted to make him a great politician, economist. Now he's talking of this nonsense and..." Hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam. "He's describing that this family life is just like a dark well." If a man is put, dark well... [break]

...be engaged. Be... Whatever you are, that doesn't matter. But act it on the platform of consciousness. And that platform, acting on the consciousness, is, Lord Caitanya has made very easy. Just like there are some note-makers of school books, "Easy Study." So Lord Caitanya has recommended that "You may be engaged in whatever occupation. That may be good or bad. We don't mind for that. But you must hear the krsna-katha. You must continue to hear this Bhagavad-gita." That is... For this, we are trying to organize this institution, that "You come. Whatever you do, that doesn't matter. Everything will be adjusted by and by." Because, as I have described in the beginning, that srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah, hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani [SB 1.2.17]. Everything will be adjusted as our mind becomes clear, clear, clear, simply by hearing. Simply by hearing.

So this process, this association of hearing about the krsna-katha, what Krsna is speaking and what is spoken about Krsna, if we continue about the, about this process and chanting the Krsna name, you'll practically see how much your heart is becoming clearer and clearer and how much you are pro..., making progress towards spiritual realization and real, real identity of pure consciousness.

Thank you very much. Any question?

Mukunda: If a good man, who is passed through the states of being ignorant and passionate and he's really a good man, is walking down the street, let's say, in Delhi or Istanbul or any place, any city. And he sees a very young man beating up on a very old man just for no reason at all. He's just beating up, beating him to death. And the old man is calling out for help and there's a few people standing around. And as he approaches, he, he begins to get stirred by this scene. And being a good man he feels the whip on this other human being's back. Now, as a good man, should he not take sides on the two people quarreling and accept it and just walk on, even though he feels something welling up in him, or should he give way to what would be a passionate desire and try to interrupt and stop this injustice, so to speak?

Prabhupada: The whole idea is that action, either in ignorance or passion or goodness... We have discussed that point. That doesn't matter. But action should be done from the spiritual consciousness platform. That's all. Then you transcend the reaction. Just like, for example, Arjuna. Arjuna's fighting... This fighting is on the modes of passion, passion. Now, when the, that work of passion, if he does... Now, Arjuna was thinking not to fight, not to fight, because he thought that "Fighting with my brothers, with my relatives, is not good."

Mukunda: Yes.

Prabhupada: So, from material point of view, it is all right. From material point of view. But the thing is that material point of view, if you do act good work, you have to enjoy the reaction. That is the point. As I have already explained that by your good work, you get good birth, you get good wealth, you get good education, good features of body. But that is not the solution of your problem. Here the whole thing is that how to act. If we act from the material platform, even in the modes of goodness, that is also not solution of my life. But even, even in the spiritual, from the spiritual platform, if we act which apparently may seem to be acts of passion, that is not reactionary. That is not reactionary. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna... Now, the Lord says that you become free from the reaction of your activities. That is the proposition. Now, at the same time, He's inducing Arjuna to fight. Now, fighting is on the platform, on the modes of passion. Does it mean that simultaneously Krsna is inducing him to be entangled in the reaction of passion modes? No. That action, even apparently appears to be act, being acted on the platform of passion, it is transcendental because it is direction of the supreme consciousness. So whole thing is that we have to... Just like... Same example can be cited, that a soldier is killing his enemy, and the soldier's rewarded, "Oh, you have killed such a big enemy. You are rewarded." Do you mean to say by killing one is rewarded? But he is not acting on his platform. He's acting on higher consciousness platform, higher order. So if a commander's order can give him immunity from the reaction of being hanged, why not God's command? That is the thing. So we have, we haven't to discriminate whether I am in the modes of ignorance or passion or goodness. No. We have simply to see whether I'm acting under the direction of the supreme consciousness. That is the thing to be seen. Then we are free. Then our life becomes free. That thing, we have to learn. Yes?

Student: Is there...? Am I my brother's keeper? Am I, am I responsible for my brother's actions?

Prabhupada: Yes. Materially, you are responsible. Because materially you are responsible for all acts, good or bad. That I have already explained. So you may think that you have taken the responsibility of maintaining your brother, but at the same time, you are responsible for all the reactions.

Student: For all the?

Prabhupada: For all the reactions out of that act. It may be bad or good. That doesn't matter. Our problem is not to be infected with the reaction. If you think that bringing up your brother... It is, actually, it is good thing. You are doing good thing. That's all right. And you'll have the good result of it. But that, having that good result, does not mean that you are free from the reaction. Now, our problem is that we want to be free from the reaction. So long... Now... The same answer is there, that reaction of my good work, that I get good birth, I get good education, I get sufficient wealth or I get good features of body. These things are goodness of this material world. But that does not make solution of the disease in which... [break]...vyadhi, birth, death, old age and disease. The whole problem is that we have to get out of this material existence. So the, from the material point of view, or platform, any act, good or bad, that will have material reaction. And we are, we want to get out of this material reaction. That is our point of view. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967