Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.12–15

[SB 6.3.12]

[Yamarāja said: My dear servants, you have accepted me as the Supreme, but factually I am not. Above me, and above all the other demigods, including Indra and Candra, is the one supreme master and controller. The partial manifestations of His personality are Brahmā, Viṣṅu and Śiva, who are in charge of the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this universe. He is like the two threads that form the length and breadth of a woven cloth. The entire world is controlled by Him just as a bull is controlled by a rope in its nose.]

Devotee: [introducing recording] Morning Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam lecture on 4th January [sic], 1971, in Gorakhpur. [break]

Prabhupāda: ...his position. And from his statements any sane man will understand also his position. Don't claim that "I am God. I am Supreme." Just try to understand what is your position. Most insignificant position. How do you claim that you are God?

So Yamarāja says, [reads Śrīdhara Swami Sanskrit commentary] ko 'sau yatra yasmin vittam otam protam urdham urdhva tiryak tanti tu tatavat yasya tu amsabhyo brahma-visnu-rudrebhyasya trtiyadaya bhagavān tu yasya ca bhase loka vartase nasi nasikayam prota bali madhyam iva vastu.[?]

So, before claiming oneself as the Supreme, one should consider how he is the Supreme. There are different controllers. And the supreme controller, as is explained by Yamarāja, is one who creates this cosmic manifestation, maintains and again annihilates. He is the Supreme. And this is confirmed by Bhagavad-gītā, that this prakṛti, or the nature, is not working independently. The scientists take it, a platform, that the nature is doing out of its own accord.

That is not a very scientific proposal. Anyone knows that nothing takes place automatically unless one living force adjusts the materials. The house does not come automatically, although the ingredients are there. It has to be handled by a living entity, and then the house is appearing as one of the product of this material world. Similarly, we have to consider that this big cosmic manifestation is not creation of blunt material energy. No. That is not possible. There must be. How one can deny God? There is no possibility of denying God.

So Yamarāja is explaining that "He is above me, the supreme controller, and He is the..., He is such controller that He creates, He maintains and He annihilates also." We become so much harassed even for creating a family and maintaining them. We have become so much harassed. And foolishly we claim that we are the Supreme Personality of Godhead who creates the whole cosmic manifestation.

And Brahmā, Viṣṅu, Maheśvara, the directors of creation department, maintenance department and annihilation department... Annihilation also required. That annihilation is one of the business of Kṛṣṅa, or God, for this material world. Not in the spiritual world. There is no annihilation.

Here it is required. Sometimes, because everyone has come here to lord it over the material nature, so there must be a ultimate situation when it becomes intolerable, and therefore Kṛṣṅa has to annihilate, finish. That is kalki-avatāra.

mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavālaṁ dhūmaketum iva kim api karālam keśava dhṛta-kalki-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare [Śrī Daśāvatāra-stotra 10]

[O Keśava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Kalki! All glories to You! You appear like a comet and carry a terrifying sword for bringing about the annihilation of the wicked barbarian men at the end of the Kali-yuga.]

Mleccha. When people become mlecchas... Mleccha means not following the Vedic principles. Those who are following the Vedic principles, they are classified guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg 4.13], in four divisions.

[According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.]

And beyond these four divisions, who are less than śūdras, they are called mlecchas and yavanas and caṅḍāla. Their behavior is so abominable that they cannot be accepted as civilized man.

Civilized man not by so-called material advancement. Civilized man is this four division of society—brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. That is civilized society. Where there is no such division, everyone is a śūdra, that is not a civilized form of society. At the present moment the whole world is...

[break] Drakṣye tan-nabhita-susta-māyā

[microphone moving]

sattva-pradhāna api kim tato me. Anye ca ye vrsyasi yo maresa bhrgradayaḥ spṛṣṭa-rajas-tamasya sapta-pradhāna..., drakṣye hi tam na viduḥ spṛṣṭa-māyā sattva-pradhāna api kim tato 'smi.[?] Bhṛgv-ādayaḥ. There are seven ṛṣis, headed by Bhṛgu: Bhṛgu, Vasiṣṭha, Ātreya, like that. There are seven great ṛṣis. The seven planets you see on the northern side, they are supposed to be their abodes, bhṛgv-ādayaḥ, centering Dhruvaloka, the polestar. You have seen the seven stars? What is called?

Devotee: It's called the Little Dipper. Seven-star formation?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Like that.

Devotee: Box and then one thing going up?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: That's the Dipper.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Seven star in the northern pole, center being the polestar. It is moving whole night.

Guest: Saptarṣi-maṅḍala.

Prabhupāda: Saptarṣi-maṅḍala, yes. That saptarṣi-maṅḍala is the abode of great seven ṛṣis. So here it is said, Yamarāja says, "Even the seven ṛṣis..." They are controlling the affairs, like the demigods, and they are brāhmaṅas amongst the demigods, the great sages. The demigods, some of them are brāhmaṅas, some of them are kṣatriyas, exactly in the same way. So these bhṛgv-ādayaḥ ṛṣis, they are brāhmaṅas. Sattva-guṅa-pradhānāḥ. Sattva-pradhānāḥ. They are standing on the modes of goodness.

So... And they are viśva-sṛjo 'mareśāḥ. Amara. Amara means the demigods. They are supposed to be amara in our calculation. Just like Brahmā. We cannot calculate his duration of life. His duration of life is so long that it is beyond our calculation. Therefore they are sometimes called amara. Amara means immortal. Although none of them are immortal, but...

Just like in comparison to a germ or... What is called in our, in Diwali, during? What is that, that worms? They generate in the night, in the evening, and at the end of the night, finished. During... We call deoyāli-pokā in Bengali. What do you call in Hindi? You have not seen?

Devotee (1): Glowworms.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Glowworm is different. They..., small. They generate in the evening, lots of. They come, attack the light.

Guest: Pataṅga. Pataṅga.

Prabhupāda: Pataṅga. And many millions gather, and in the morning finished. Within that period their birth, death, marriage and children—everything—finished. Now, for them, suppose such pataṅgas, whose life is only, say, twelve hours, within that hours they finish all business. So if they are told that "You are doing so much, but there is another, man—this night is only twelve hours.

Similarly, another twelve hours, day; similarly, another, I mean to say, such thirty days makes a month; such twelve months makes a year; and such hundred years they live," so they will be surprised: "How is that?" Similarly, we are surprised also when we hear about Brahmā. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṅo viduḥ [Bg 8.17].

[By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahmā's one day. And such also is the duration of his night.]

Actually in the higher planet our six months is equal to their one day. Just like when the sputniks were thrown in the outer space, they circulated the whole world in one hour, twenty-five minutes. One hour, twenty-five was all. They circulated three times within one hour, twenty-five minutes. Such a speed. Now actually, in our calculation the whole world can be circumambulated in twenty-four hours. But that is reduced to one hour, twenty-five.

That is admitted by Einstein. This is called relative, relativity, according to the speed. Just like when you travel by airplane from here to London it takes, say, about nine hours. That is relative, relative to the force. Similarly, everything is relative. We are thinking that Brahmā's duration of life is so great, but it is also hundred years. But it is...

[to guest:] You will understand very nicely. You can explain.

So according to our calculation they are immortal. Just like according to calculation of the pataṅga, our life is immortal. You see? They will calculate, "Oh, these human beings are immortal." But none of them are immortal. So we call them immortal, the demigods. Amareśāḥ.

So amareśāḥ, they are the bhṛgv-ādaya-ṛṣis, great ṛṣis, or Indra, Candra and so many demigods. They are looking after the management of this universe. Bhṛgv-ādayaḥ. But they are also attacked, contaminated, by these qualities of ignorance and passion and goodness. Some of them are in goodness; some of them are in passion; some of them in ignorance. They are not free. The proportion may be... Because their duration of life is greater, far, far greater than ours, the proportion may be different, but they are not free.

That is stated here. Nobody is free. Anye ca ye viśva-sṛjo 'mareśā bhṛgv-ādayo 'spṛṣṭa-rajas-tamaskāḥ [SB 6.3.15].

[II, Yamarāja; Indra, the king of heaven; Nirṛti; Varuṅa; Candra, the moon-god; Agni; Lord Śiva; Pavana; Lord Brahmā; Sūrya, the sun-god; Viśvāsu; the eight Vasus; the Sādhyas; the Maruts; the Rudras; the Siddhas; Marīci and the other great ṛṣis engaged in maintaining the departmental affairs of the universe; the best of the demigods headed by Bṛhaspati; and the great sages headed by Bhṛgu are all certainly freed from the influence of the two base material modes of nature, namely passion and ignorance. Nevertheless, although we are in the mode of goodness, we cannot understand the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What, then, is to be said of others, who, under illusion, merely speculate to know God?]

Spṛṣṭa: they are also contaminated. Nobody... Unless one is completely free from this contamination, nobody is allowed to enter in the spiritual kingdom. Śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means... Even one is situated in that sattva-guṅa, he is not completely pure. Sometimes the other two qualities, ignorance and passion, may attack.

Therefore Yamarāja says, yasyehitaṁ na viduḥ: "They also tried to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such great personalities whose duration of life is so long, who are so advanced in the modes of goodness, they also try to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Na viduḥ: "But they could not do so." And what to speak of us?

It is said also that Ananta, He has got unlimited faces, Anantadeva... You have seen the picture, Viṣṅu... Holding over the head of Viṣṅu is Ananta. Ananta-śayyā. So Ananta, He has ananta hoods and ananta mouth and... Ananta means unlimited. And He is trying to chant the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead unlimitedly, in unlimited time. Still, it is unfinished. Still, it is unfinished.

So yasyehitaṁ na viduḥ. Why? If they are so much advanced, why they cannot? Spṛṣṭa-māyāḥ: "They are also contaminated by māyā." Spṛṣṭa-māyāḥ. Sattva-pradhānāḥ: "Their position in the platform of goodness, on the quality of goodness, that is very prominent, but they are not free from the contamination." Just like in this our experience, a first-class brāhmaṅa, he is supposed a first-class man. But still there is contamination.

At least this contamination is there: "Oh, I am a brāhmaṅa. I am brāhmaṅa. I am bigger..., I am greater than all others. I am learned, and I know all the Vedas. I know what is what. I understand Brahman." Because brahma jānātīti brāhmaṅaḥ, so he knows. So all these qualities, first-class brāhmaṅa, but still he is contaminated, because he is proud: "I am this. I am this."

That is material identification. That is... He is not free from the material identification. And this proud, this pride, when increases, then there is falldown, which has caused this falldown of the brāhmaṅas of this age. Unnecessarily they became pride and tried to dominate over the other classes. And they saw... Gradually they degraded in their qualities, and they saw, "Why this class of men..."

That is being protested still—who are known to be brāhmaṅas, they should go over everyone: "We are also qualified." Therefore, instead of cooperation there was misunderstanding, and the whole structure of Vedic society became dismantled. The whole Vedic society. They are simply now proud: "I am brāhmaṅa," "I am kṣatriya."

But according to our Bhāgavata school or the Vedānta school... Bhāgavata is the Vedānta, you should always remember. Bhāṣyaṁ brahma-sūtrāṅām. It is the right commentary on the Brahma-sūtra, Vedānta. So the falldown takes place not only of the brāhmaṅas, but also of the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and the śūdras. How the falldown takes place?

ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ [SB 11.5.3]

[Any members of the four varṅas and four āśramas who fail to worship the Personality of Godhead, the source of their own creation, or who intentionally disrespect Him will fall down from their position into a hellish state of life.]

When these classes of men forget that we are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as soon as they neglect... Always remember: being parts and parcel, our duty is to serve the Supreme. The same example: the finger, hand, being part and parcel of body, is always engaged in the service of the whole.

So these brāhmaṅas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, they are also parts and parcels, the same position. Brāhmaṅa is the head, kṣatriya is the arm, vaiśya is the belly, and the śūdras... But everything is required. If you want to keep up your body in sound condition of... Any part of the body is important.

Comparatively, the head is most important. But other parts, you cannot say they are not important. But when there is competition, that "I am the most important. You are nothing," or "I am something. You are nothing," in this way we forget to serve the whole, and that becomes the cause of our falldown.

Na bhajanty avajānanti. Gradually, by their degradation, they forget service of Kṛṣṅa. Simply they fight for their position. Then they fall down their position. Sthānād bhraṣṭaḥ patanty adhaḥ. They are no more brāhmaṅas or kṣatriyas; they are all rascals.

One who forgets the service of the Lord, in spite of His appearing in a brāhmaṅa family or a kṣatriya family, he is rascal. He is nothing. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṅāḥ. All these guṅas... Guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg 4.13]. All the guṅas are lost.

[According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.]

So Yamarāja says... It sometimes takes place in the great. Just like Bhṛgu Muni. There was meeting, "Who is the greatest, the three deities, Brahmā, Viṣṅu, Maheśvara?" So Bhṛgu Muni was deputed to test. And he purposefully kicked on the chest of Viṣṅu. So the so-called brāhmaṅas, they take pride: "Oh, our community man was able to kick."

Even in Tulasī Dāsa's Rāmāyaṅa that is very... But no brāhmaṅa should discuss. The kicking on the chest of Viṣṅu, that was a different matter. But the so-called brāhmaṅas are very much proud that "We are so great that we can kick on the chest of Viṣṅu." They described this incident very proudly, nonsensically.

Bhṛgv-ādayaḥ. Bhṛgu is considered to be great ṛṣi. But Yamarāja says—he is mahājana, he is authority—that "They are also contaminated." "They are also contaminated," that Bhṛgu dared to kick on the chest of Viṣṅu, being contaminated by the brahminical... "I am so great. I can do that." So when such great personalities like Bhṛgu Muni, Parāśara Muni, er, I mean to say, Vasiṣṭha and Ātreya, they are so much contaminated, what to speak of others?

How they will understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by mental speculation? They will conclude naturally, "Imperson." That's all. It is not possible for them. Only the devotees, they can understand what is the actual identification of the Absolute Truth. Yasyehitaṁ na viduḥ spṛṣṭa-māyāḥ sattva-pradhānā api kiṁ tato 'nye. What others can do it?

So, yasya ca līlā durvibhavya ity aham iti vādyam. Na spṛṣṭaṁ rajas-tamaṁ ye iti tam abhyehi pretam ceṣṭitaṁ vā na viduḥ.[?] Although they are freed from the contamination of the lower-grade qualities, still they could not understand, although there is possibility. There is possibility. Sattva-guṅa-pradhānāḥ. The brāhmaṅas..., it is for the brāhmaṅas. By quality, they can understand to some extent. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṅaḥ. He has to become a Vaiṣṅava. Simply brahminical qualification will not help him. That is the greatest qualification within this material world. But still, he has to surpass that...

Just like postgraduate. The brāhmaṅas may be graduate. Others, they are not graduate. They are, say, ISA matriculate, like that. But even the brāhmaṅa has to become... That is also stated. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṅo vipraḥ, nipuṅa, mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A brāhmaṅa, his qualification is that he knows what is his business.

And that business is ṣaṭ-karma. Ṣaṭ-karma means a brāhmaṅa has to become very learned. Paṭhana. He must be a serious student of Vedic religion. That is first qualification. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. And unless he has studied all these Vedic literatures, and he remains a fool, that is... Immediately he is disqualified.

So paṭhana-pāṭhana. Not that he would simply take advantage of the knowledge without distributing it. Therefore a brāhmaṅa's business is to distribute the knowledge. Just like yesterday we saw. There is a small school. That's a very nasty condition. But this is the business of the brāhmaṅas. In the village a brāhmaṅa would sit down, and the village boys and girls would come there to learn from him, and they will bring some presentation. That will be his livelihood. A brāhmaṅa hasn't got to go anywhere to seek his livelihood. So therefore paṭhana-pāṭhana, he should be himself very learned scholar, and he should try to make others also like him.

Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana. He should also worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he should try to induce others to come to that position. Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha [SB 5.17.11 purport].

[Brāhmaṅas are supposed to acquire six kinds of auspicious qualifications: they become very learned scholars (paṭhana) and very qualified teachers (pāṭhana); they become expert in worshiping the Lord or the demigods (yajana), and they teach others how to execute this worship (yājana); they qualify themselves as bona fide persons to receive alms from others (pratigraha), and they distribute the wealth in charity (dāna).]

The brāhmaṅa is offered donation. That is the system. But he not should keep it for his personal... As soon as he gets donation, he spends for some service of the Lord. Even a brāhmaṅa gets one lakh of rupees, next morning he is still a beggar, because he does not keep anything for tomorrow. Everything depending on Kṛṣṅa, and he spends money like that.

Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. The brāhmana is, I mean to say, allowed. A brāhmaṅa is allowed to take charity from others—a sannyāsī and a brāhmaṅa. No other is allowed. Nowadays it has come, daridra-nārāyaṅa. Daridra. "The poor man become Nārāyaṅa; therefore he should be served." This nonsensical theory has come out by some nonsense. But actually a qualified brāhmaṅa should be given charity.

A sannyāsī, Vaiṣṅava, should be given charity. That is sāttvika charity. And rājasika charity means to open hospital, schools. These are rājasika charity. And tāmasika charity means without any discrimination; a Bowery man given one rupee and immediately purchase a bottle of wine. So this is tāmasika charity. By tāmasika charity, one is degraded.

So śāstra says, ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṅo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. He is not only... A brāhmaṅa, qualified brāhmaṅa, is expert in these six kinds of businesses, but he should be very much expert in chanting the Vedic mantras, hymns, mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ, very expert. And even he is expert in such way, if he is avaiṣṅava, if he has no tendency for rendering devotional service to the Lord, avaiṣṅavo gurur na sa syāt, he cannot be a guru. Even without... Even with all the qualifications, if he is avaiṣṅava...

You will find, there are many brāhmaṅas, they are smārtas. They are called smārta, means they are under conclusion that "If we do nice Vedic..., perform nice Vedic rituals, then our duty is finished. These devotees, they are chanting. They are less intelligent class of men. They do not..., cannot do anything. They have taken to this process." So therefore he is avaiṣṅava.

Just like Rāmānanda Rāya, he was accompanied by very, very learned men, learned brāhmaṅas. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu..., when he met Caitanya Mahāprabhu and both of them embraced and were crying in ecstasy, the brāhmaṅas, the smārta-brāhmaṅas, they could not understand that "Why this great personality, governor...? He is so great, and simply by embracing a sannyāsī he is crying.

And why this sannyāsī... It is understood that He is coming from a brāhmaṅa family. And He has taken such a great personality. Why He is crying by embracing Rāmānanda?" They could not understand. And as soon as Lord Caitanya saw that the smārtas are puzzled, He stopped. He stopped. Perhaps you know this incidence.

So the smārtas, they cannot understand the... Smārta, jāta-gosāi. The smārtas, to pull on their business, so they have become gosvāmīs. But actually they are not devotees. So these gosvāmīs will go to a devotee, and one who is willing to accept a spiritual master. Then they will offer different kinds of mantras: "You want to worship Kṛṣṅa? All right. I will give you kṛṣṅa-mantra. You want to worship Kālī? I will give you kālī-mantra." This way the business is going on.

So that sort of qualification is not very good qualification. One should be actually a surrendered soul. That will make him qualified. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām. Here it is said, spṛṣṭa-māyāḥ. Even such qualified brāhmaṅas, they are also spṛṣṭa-māyāḥ, contaminated by the touch of māyā, māyā-grasta. He is not free. But Kṛṣṅa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg 7.14].

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

Only a fully surrendered soul to Kṛṣṅa is able to get out of the contamination of māyā. Therefore such surrendered soul can understand what is Kṛṣṅa, not others. Not others.

yaṁ vai na gobhir manasāsubhir vā hṛdā girā vāsu-bhṛto vicakṣate ātmānam antar-hṛdi santam ātmanāṁ cakṣur yathaivākṛtayas tataḥ param [SB 6.3.16]

[As the different limbs of the body cannot see the eyes, the living entities cannot see the Supreme Lord, who is situated as the Supersoul in everyone's heart. Not by the senses, by the mind, by the life air, by thoughts within the heart, or by the vibration of words can the living entities ascertain the real situation of the Supreme Lord.]

Tan māyā-mohitam, mohitād na jānanty ity uktam.

So the conclusion is that nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ [Bg 7.25].

[I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-māyā]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.]

Kṛṣṅa says, "I am not revealed to everyone." Yogamāyā. Therefore very few person can understand what is Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa does not reveal Himself. Those who are devotees... Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

[No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṅa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.]

Those who are actually devotees, dedicated the life and everything for Kṛṣṅa, for them only, Kṛṣṅa reveals: "Yes, I am like this."

Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam [Bg 10.10].

[To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.]

Those who are twenty-four hours engaged in the devotional service—not as a routine, but with faith and love—bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Not that official. Official, he cannot understand. But one who is serving the Deity with love and faith, to him only, Kṛṣṅa will reveal, and He will give intelligence. Kṛṣṅa is very intelligent. Kṛṣṅa ye bhaje... Only intelligent men can worship Kṛṣṅa.

So here it is said, yaṁ vai na gobhir manasāsubhir vā hṛdā girā vāsu-bhṛto vicakṣate. [reads commentary] Tan māyā-mohitād na jānanty ity uktam, avaśed tata tasya ityāhayam iti. Gobhir indriyair cittena na vicakṣata na paśyanti.[?] So gobhiḥ, by sensual gymnastic or mental speculation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be understood. There are many mental speculator, just like Aurobindo Ghosh. So he speculated.

He understood that there are activities even after liberation, but he could not understand Kṛṣṅa, so hard it is. Others, the so-called sannyāsīs, just like Ramatirtha or Vivekananda, they could not approach even, in the modern age. And the Aurobindo, he approached up to the Brahman liberation, but he could not approach to the understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

That is... Arjuna says also in the Bhagavad-gītā, "It is very difficult to understand Your personality." Everyone becomes... The other day in the Melā, Māgha-melā, one Gangeshvarananda, retired high-court judge, he said that "This is the first time, Swāmījī, that we are hearing from you on solid basis about the Personality." The whole world, nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi... Nirviśeṣa... Means the impersonalists and voidists, that's all. They have no understanding what is Personality of Godhead.

Gobhir indriyair hṛdā cittena na vicakṣate. One cannot, gobhiḥ, by exercise of the senses. Gobhiḥ and indriyair hṛdā, heart also, meditation. The jñānīs, the speculators, they are speculating by sensual activities, and the yogīs, they are trying to find out the Supreme within the heart, cittena. So na paśyanti: "But they cannot see." They cannot see.

So jñānīs, the yogīs, they cannot understand. Although they are trying for it, they cannot understand. It is clearly said, hṛdā girā vāsu-bhṛto vicakṣate. Yad vāca nābhūd dhṛtaṁ yan manaḥ manute ityādi śruteḥ.[?] And he is giving recitation from the Vedas, yad vāca nābhūd dhṛtaṁ yan manaḥ manute ityādi śruteḥ, that avāṅ mānasa-gocaraḥ: He is beyond the reception of mental speculation or philosophical topics.

[reading commentary] Ātmānaṁ jīvanam ātmānaṁ drastaram yam ākṛte rūpāṅi cakṣur yathā karmabhūt na jānanti. Tataḥ param ākṛte nāyaṁ prakāśakaṁ nāhi pramattaḥ pranmanasya viṣaya iti bhāvam. Evaṁ bhūta parameśvara mad-anyasyeti pūrvenaiva sambandhaḥ.[?] So he is trying to explain about his master, so that it is not very easily understood.

That was the point of Yamarāja to his assistants, that "People like you, they think that Yamarāja... I am the supreme. But that's not a fact. The fact is I am also controlled by another supreme master." And how to know Him, he is describing. He is describing that "It is not possible to know Him in this way. It is not possible in this way. Even great sages and ṛṣis, they could not understand in this way."

Yam evaiṣa vṛṅute... Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labh... [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23].

[The Supreme Lord is not attained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence, nor even by much hearing. He is attained only by one who He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form.]

This is Vedic injunction. Simply by talking, becoming a very nice speaker or lecturer, you cannot understand the Supreme. Nāyam ātmā na medhayā. Because you have got very nice brain, therefore you will be able to understand—no. Na medhayā. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na. Then how? Yam evaiṣa vṛṅute tena labhyaḥ-labhyaḥ [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23]: "Only such person who is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can understand." He can understand. Otherwise, nobody can understand.

So therefore our business should be how to get His favor. And that favor, that is very easy to understand, that if you surrender to a person, then you can get his favor; otherwise not. This is process of understanding the Supreme Personality.

[devotees offer obeisances] [break]

Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.3].

[The Supreme Lord is not attained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence, nor even by much hearing. He is attained only by one who He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form.]

These are Vedic injunctions. Bahunā śrutena. Śruti means education. Not by medhā, brain, and not by education, not by lecturing, but simply by surrendering. Or... Surrendering, or simply by the mercy, by the causeless mercy of the Lord. By... His causeless mercy to this age is simple. Immediately says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam [Bg 18.66],

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

sarva-guhyatamam: "The most confidential part of My instruction is this, that you simply surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān.

Sarva-guhyatamam. What is that verse? Mahārāja, you can say? Sarva-guhyatamam. No, no. In the Bhagavad-gītā. Before this sarva-dharmān parityajya, there is another verse. Where is the Bhagavad-gītā? Hmm? Not English. I want original Sanskrit. Sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ. Sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ śṛṅu me paramaṁ vacaḥ [Bg 18.64]:

[Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you the most confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit.]

"The most confidential instruction, just try to understand." [Hindi] "Surrender unto Me." They cannot understand: "Why shall I surrender?" But it is the most confidential instruction.

So they cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. They will put forward, "Why should we surrender? Kṛṣṅa has said about jñāna, about karma, about yoga. Why not these processes?" But he does not know that is the ultimate process. The jñāna, yoga may help one to come to that point, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān [Bg 7.19],

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

after many, many births, but that is not the direct process.

The direct process is sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ śṛṅu me paramaṁ vacaḥ iṣṭo 'si: "I am disclosing this most confidential part of My instruction unto you," iṣṭo 'si, "because I love you." Iṣṭo 'si me dṛḍham iti. "Because I am confident that you are My confidential friend." Dṛḍham iti tato vakṣyāmi te hitam: "Therefore I am disclosing this to you."

Kṛṣṅa does not say everyone that sarva-dharmān parityajya, only to a selected devotee. Because unless one is very highly elevated devotee, he cannot accept this proposition. He is puffed up with his material, contaminated life. That's all. "I am this. I am that. I am this. I am that. Why shall I surrender?" Actually they forgot. Dr. Radhakrishnan says, "This is sophistry, that Kṛṣṅa is demanding like that."

He is very proud of his becoming a great philosophy, but he does not know he is a fool number one. He comments on the Bhagavad-gītā in a different way. That he does not know. Therefore he is surprised: "How this gentleman, Kṛṣṅa, is asking to surrender? I am so proud. I am so learned."

But this is the only process. What is that? He again explains it: man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. The same thing which was instructed in the Ninth...

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo 'si me [Bg 18.65]

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

Priyo 'si me: "Because you are My very dear friend, you have fully surrendered unto Me; therefore I am speaking to you." Then He says,

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ [Bg 18.66]

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

These three verses are the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Sarva-guhyatamam.

So people do not understand, and they read Bhagavad-gītā daily. They are very much proud: "I am reading Bhagavad-gītā daily." If anyone actually reads Bhagavad-gītā, then he will be Kṛṣṅa conscious. It is meant for that purpose. But they do not read actually. They simply make a show. Neither do they understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Is that all right? So we have to preach in that spirit. [end]