Paṅḍāl Lecture

Prabhupāda:

om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave-namaḥ

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.]

śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

[When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?"]

vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṅavāṁś ca śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṅa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṅa-caitanya-devaṁ śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṅa-pādān saha-gaṅa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṅavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṅa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā.]

he kṛṣṅa karuṅā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

[O my dear Kṛṣṅa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṅī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.]

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṅamāmi hari-priye

[I offer my respects to Rādhārāṅī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṅa.]

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṅavebhyo namo namaḥ

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṅava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.]

śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

[I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.]

hare kṛṣṅa hare kṛṣṅa kṛṣṅa kṛṣṅa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

[My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.]

[02:21]

Ladies and Gentlemen, [applause] we thank you very much for your kindly coming here and participating in this noble movement of Kṛṣṅa consciousness, or saṅkīrtana movement. You'll be very glad to know that today I have received one letter from my disciple Śrīman Kṛṣṅadāsa adhikārī, the in-charge-of, commander, maṭha-command, or temple command, of West Berlin. He was negotiating with Russian Cultural Society, and one very important professor, he has invited us to lecture in Russia. [applause]

Devotees: Haribol!

Prabhupāda: So very soon I shall be going to Russia with some of my disciples. [applause]

Devotees: Haribol!

Prabhupāda: So gradually it will be realized that Kṛṣṅa is for everyone. Don't take Kṛṣṅa as Indian or Hindu. Don't limit Kṛṣṅa's activities. Kṛṣṅa is unlimited, Kṛṣṅa's activities are unlimited, Kṛṣṅa's devotees are unlimited, and Kṛṣṅa's field of activities, unlimited. So Kṛṣṅa says, yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat [Bg 7.5].

[aside:] Why it is not working? Huh?

Devotee: The electricity is down. The power is dead.

Prabhupāda:

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parāṁ jīva-bhūtaṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat [Bg 7.5]

[Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.]

Yaya. Prakṛti. The prakṛti, the energy. Energy is feminine gender; therefore it is stated here yaya. Dhāryate jagat. We are, we living entities, we are superior energy, and the matter is inferior energy. Therefore dhāryate. We are enjoying or we are capturing this material energy. We are using in so many ways. Sadyāsana[?]. Just like I am sitting on this material cushion or sitting on the material floor, using this material microphone or having material bedstead, car. In so many ways we are enjoying this material world, yaya. The same prakṛti.

Both of them are prakṛtis, energy. One energy is called superior, and the another energy is called inferior. Matter is inferior, and the living entities are superior. But in relationship with Kṛṣṅa, both of them are energy. The energies in their particular field of activities, superior or inferior, but still, in connection with Kṛṣṅa, because Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, for Him, there is no such distinction, superior and inferior.

Viṣṅu Purāṅa therefore says, viṣṅu-śaktiḥ parā. Originally, the energy of Kṛṣṅa is transcendental, spiritual.

viṣṅu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā avidyā-karma-saṁjñānya tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate [Cc Madhya 6.154]

[The internal potency of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṅu, is spiritual, as verified by the śāstras. There is another spiritual potency, known as kṣetra-jña, or the living entity. The third potency, which is known as nescience, makes the living entity godless and fills him with fruitive activity.]

So Kṛṣṅa can change superior energy into inferior energy and inferior energy into superior energy. That is His omnipotency. As such, when Kṛṣṅa appears within this material world, even though He assumes a so-called material body according to the Māyāvādī philosophers, that is not material. He can change into spiritual. That is His omnipotency.

Sambhavāmy ātmā-māyayā [Bg 4.6].

[Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.]

Just like the electrical engineer, the same electrical energy, he can use it for refrigerator and he can use it for heater. It is his manipulation. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa, by His Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, He can turn this material world into spiritual world simply by changing the consciousness. That is in His power.

Therefore anything in Kṛṣṅa consciousness should not be considered as material.

prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo phalgu-vairāgyaṁ kathyate [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.256]

[When one is not attached to anything but at the same time accepts anything in relation to Kṛṣṅa, one is rightly situated above possessiveness. On the other hand, one who rejects everything without knowledge of its relationship to Kṛṣṅa is not as complete in his renunciation.]

That anything... Take for example, just like Māyāvādī philosopher, they say brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. But jagat, not mithyā, but temporary. And still, even if it is mithyā, false, it can be turned into truth by this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. That is possible. Nirbandhe kṛṣṅa-sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is so nice that it can transform the matter into spirit. How? Not transform, but the faith or feature is changed. Consciousness is changed. The same example as we have several times recited, that you take an iron rod, put into the fire. It becomes warm, warmer. But when it is red hot, it is no longer iron; it is fire. If you touch that red hot iron in any place, it will burn.

Similarly, Vaiṣṅava, by his spiritual advancement in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, makes the whole body spiritualized. Just try to understand the same example. By developing your Kṛṣṅa consciousness, you can make your body spiritualized, completely forgetting all material activity. Yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat [Bg 7.5].

[Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.]

Then Kṛṣṅa says,

etad-yonīni bhūtāni sarvāṅi iti upadhāraya ahaṁ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā [Bg 7.6]

So Kṛṣṅa is the original cause of the material energy, the spiritual energy. And by combination of this material energy and spiritual energy, the whole cosmic manifestation is there. There are two kinds of energies working. Everyone can experience. Just like in my body, I am the spirit soul, and the body is matter, material. When combined together it is working wonderfully. A man is becoming a great leader, a great scientist, a great philosopher, how? So long the spiritual spark is there. As soon as the spiritual spark is gone, the same very body is no longer a great leader, a great scientist or great, I mean, philosopher.

So both these energies are products of Kṛṣṅa's body. Just like the sunshine is the energy of the sun globe, and within the sun globe there is the sun-god also. We get it from Bhagavad-gītā. In the Fourth Chapter there is mention of the sun-god: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ, yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam, vivasvate [Bg 4.1].

[The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.]

Vivasvān is the name of the sun-god. At present, the predominating leader, or the principal deity, in the sun planet is called Vivasvān. So he's a person. He's a person, and his globe is the sun globe. And from the sun globe, there is sunshine.

Similarly, there is a planet which is known as Goloka Vṛndāvana. In the spiritual world there are millions of planets there. As we have got millions of planets here in this material world, millions of universes, similarly, the spiritual world there are millions of planets, globes, which are called Vaikuṅṭhalokas. And the topmost of the Vaikuṅṭhalokas is called Goloka Vṛndāvana or Kṛṣṅaloka. That is the original abode of Lord Kṛṣṅa. And from that globe, there is effulgence, which is bodily effulgence of Kṛṣṅa.

We get this information from Brahma-saṁhitā: yasya prabhā prabhavato jagadāṅḍa-koṭi [Bs 5.40].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth.]

Yasya prabhā. The brahma-jyoti is the bodily effulgence of Lord Kṛṣṅa. Exactly the sunshine is the bodily effulgence of Vivasvān, it is being emanating, it is emanating from the sun globe, similarly, the brahma-jyoti is emanating from Kṛṣṅaloka. And in that Kṛṣṅa..., Brahman effulgence, so many universes and so many Vaikuṅṭha planets are growing, exactly the same way as so many planets have grown from the sunshine. This is scientific.

So how Kṛṣṅa is ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ [Bg 10.8],

[I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.]

you can understand it. If you study, if you take information from Vedic literature, if you attentively think over it, you'll very easily understand that everything is produced out of Kṛṣṅa's bodily effulgence or energy. Kṛṣṅa also personally says here,

etad-yonīni bhūtāni sarvāṅi iti upadhāraya ahaṁ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā [Bg 7.6]

[Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both its origin and dissolution.]

Aham: "I am." The Māyāvādī philosophers cannot accommodate this idea, how a person can be the cause of creation, maintenance and annihilation. But Kṛṣṅa here says that ahaṁ kṛtsnasya. Ahaṁ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7],

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

because He is the origin of all energies.

We have already understood that the whole manifestation is nothing but, I mean to say, demonstration of the different types of energies of the Supreme Lord. That is confirmed in the Vedas: parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8].

[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Nothing is equal to Him or greater than Him. He acts in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels, which are all simultaneously differently situated by His unlimited, variegated potencies. Each potency acts quite naturally in sequences, providing Him full knowledge, power and pastimes.]

The Absolute Truth has varieties of energies, and they are so perfect and so perfectly working that it appears...

Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. You take a flower, nice flower, how it is nicely painted, how it is symmetrically colored. But it is sprouting from the bud automatically. So we are seeing that if flower is coming out automatically... There is no such thing automatically. It is Kṛṣṅa's energy which is working there. It is Kṛṣṅa's energy.

And if the energies are so perfect that we see that it is working automatically, that is because our energy is so limited. If I want to paint one nice flower, I have to arrange for so many things. I have to arrange for the colors, I have to arrange for the brush. I must have the requisite knowledge how to paint it. I have to devote some time for learning how to paint, then actually paint.

So many things required. But Kṛṣṅa's energies are so perfect that it appears svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca: flowers automatically coming out. That we have to study. And when you concentrate in that study with bhāva, then you can understand Kṛṣṅa, how He is working, how He is the original source of everything. That requires little brain.

Therefore unless one has got very fine brain, he cannot understand Kṛṣṅa. Gross brain cannot understand. In order to make our brain and senses very purified and fine, we have to take to devotional service. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc Madhya 19.170].

[Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.]

That fine brain and purified senses can be achieved. Just like you can get relief from diseased condition of life, similarly, the brain is already there; it will become finer, it will become subtler to understand Kṛṣṅa when we are able to give up our all material designations.

At the present moment I am thinking, feeling and willing under different designation. I am thinking, "I am this body." I am thinking, "I am Indian." I am thinking, "I am American," "I am Russian," "I am Pakistani." These are upādhis. But if you practice devotional service, Kṛṣṅa consciousness, then you become free from this contamination of designation. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc Madhya 19.170]. Nirmalam means completely freed from all dirty things. These are all dirty things.

As soon as I think that "I am this, I am that, I am that..." Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā we have understood that the body is simply just like a dress. So suppose I am dressed in orange color robes. If I think, "I am orange color," is that very nice intelligence? Similarly, as soon as I think in terms of my body, in my nationality, in my creed, in my being—they are all designation.

So purification of the senses made by devotional service, bhakti-yogena, nirmalam... That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also:

tato rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye etair ceta anāviddhaṁ sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati [SB 1.2.19]

[As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.]

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā [SB 1.2.18]

[By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.]

By daily, regular study or serving Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, anything in relationship with Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. These abhadras, this designations, can be eradicated simply by regular service to bhāgavatam. Bhāgavatam means the person who is a devotee, he is also bhāgavata, and the literatures which describe about Kṛṣṅa, that is also Bhāgavata.

So we have to associate with devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṅa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ [SB 3.25.25]. If you associate with devotees, with pure devotees... And who is a pure devotee?

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]

[One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṅa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.]

Those who are executing devotional service without any material desire. Not that I render to service..., I render service to Kṛṣṅa to fulfill some material desire. That is not pure devotee. Pure devotion is ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānu-śīlanam [Cc Madhya 19.167]:

[When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṅa favorably, as Kṛṣṅa desires.]

simply take to such work and activities which will favorably dispose Kṛṣṅa. Sva-karmaṅā tam abhyarcya saṁsiddhiṁ labhate parām [Bg 18.46]. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṅam [SB 1.2.13].

[O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.]

As soon as we simply take to such activities as will please the Supreme Personality of Lord, Personality of Godhead... Ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānu-śīlanam. Ānukūlyena. As Kṛṣṅa becomes favorably inclined, we have to please Kṛṣṅa. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṅam.

So we do not know what is Hari, what is God, what is Kṛṣṅa and what is our activity to please Him. That we have to learn. That you have to learn satāṁ prasaṅgāt, by association with devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Just like if you are a businessman, suppose a sharebroker, if you are a member of the stock exchange, your business is flourishing. You get most opportunities.

The scientists, they make some association. Every particular... The lawyers, they make an association, Bar Association. That is needed. The engineer, they make an association. The doctors, they make a medical club. Similarly, if you have to learn Kṛṣṅa consciousness, then you have to admit yourself with the Society for Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is necessary.

Satāṁ prasaṅgāt mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṅa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ. Unless you associate with practical devotees, you cannot understand or you cannot relish the transcendental nature of Lord Kṛṣṅa. Bhavanti hṛt-karṅa-rasāyanāḥ. Pleasing, rasāyanāḥ; relishing some mellows, transcendental mellows. How? Satāṁ prasaṅgāt: simply in the association. Sādhu-saṅge sato vṛtte. Rūpa Gosvāmī instructs that,

utsāhān dhairyāt niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt sādhu-saṅge sato vṛtteḥ ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati [Upadeśāmṛta 3]

[There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅam [SB 7.5.23]—hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṅa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.]

If you actually..., if you are actually serious to understand Kṛṣṅa consciousness, then you must be very much energetic, utsāhān: "Yes, I shall learn this art verily in this life." You must be fixed up, dṛḍha-vratāḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is called dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ [Bg 7.28].

[Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.]

That determination should be "Yes."

Just like Prahlāda [Dhruva] Mahārāja, five-years-old boy. Nārada Mahārāja said, "My dear boy, you are king's son. You cannot undergo so much severe austerity. Why you are feeling so much insulted by your stepmother? Please go home." And Prahlāda..., Dhruva Mahārāja replied, "My dear sir, what you are saying, it is all right. But I am a son of kṣatriya. I am unpolite. I cannot accept your advice. I must see God. Please show me the way how I can get Him." That is determination, a five-years-old boy saying, "I must see God in this life. If you know something, how to do it, please explain that. Don't try to deviate me." That is determination.

So that determination means utsāhā, "I must." That is necessary. Not that "When Kṛṣṅa will be pleased, then I shall take to it." Kṛṣṅa is always pleased upon you. But we are not taking His process. Kṛṣṅa says, everyone,

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]

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

But we are not doing that. Why should we say that "When Kṛṣṅa is merciful, then I shall do"? Kṛṣṅa is already merciful. But if we do not take it, then what Kṛṣṅa will do? Kṛṣṅa does not touch on your little individuality or little independence.

So therefore we have... Just like when we earn money, we are very enthusiastic; similarly, if we want to earn Kṛṣṅa consciousness, if we want to earn that position, go back to home, back to Godhead, we must be very much enthusiastic, utsāhān. And dhairyāt. Dhairyāt means patience: "Oh, I am executing Kṛṣṅa consciousness according to the rules and regulation, I mean, still, I am not yet perfect?" So don't be impatient. Be patient.

The example is that any woman desires a child. So when she is married, it is supposed that she will get a child. But if she wants immediately child after being married, that is not possible. She must be patient, then in due course she will be pregnant and there will be child. Similarly, if we are patient, at the same time very much energetic, utsāhād dhairyāt, and tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt... But we must take to the regulative principles by which we can make advance in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt sato vṛtteḥ.

And our occupation should be very nice, honest. Sādhu-saṅge, the sādhu-saṅge, in the association of devotees. These six things: utsāhād dhairyāt niścayād and sato vṛtteḥ, sādhu-saṅga, tat-tat-karma. These six kinds of devotional service will make you perfect. Ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati. These six kinds of activities will make your devotional service perfect. Anything, if you want to do, if you want to learn, there are different regulative principles, anywhere.

So similarly, for understanding Kṛṣṅa consciousness, for enter into the kingdom of Kṛṣṅa, we have to adopt this means. And similarly, there are counteractivities also. The counteractivities also kill our Kṛṣṅa consciousness. So we have to be very cautious not to accept the counteractivities, but we have to take the favorable activities. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānu-śīlanam [Cc Madhya 19.167].

[When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṅa favorably, as Kṛṣṅa desires.]

So Kṛṣṅa says that,

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṅi-gaṅā iva [Bg 7.7]

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

"Everything is resting on Me, just like the pearls are remaining on the thread." Kṛṣṅa is the thread, and all these universes, all this cosmic manifestation and their different activities in different planets, they are all resting on the thread of Kṛṣṅa. Therefore He is the original source of everything.

How you can accept Kṛṣṅa as ordinary man, I do not know. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ [Bg 9.11].

[Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.]

They are described as mūḍhas. They do not know. Although it is all explained here in the Bhagavad-gītā, but they will not accept Kṛṣṅa in that way. They will manufacture a different way of understanding Kṛṣṅa. Therefore they are deviated. Therefore, after studying thousand times Bhagavad-gītā, they are all in darkness as they were in the beginning. That is the result. But if you take Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation, without exercising your brain to manufacture something out of Bhagavad-gītā, then naturally you become Kṛṣṅa conscious and your life is successful.

Here it is stated, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7]:

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

"There is no more superior factor than Me." Then how we can think of Kṛṣṅa as ordinary human being? What is your answer? How do you form such idea? These are the challenges by Kṛṣṅa. And I cannot understand how Kṛṣṅa is accepted as ordinary person. Then either you don't believe in Bhagavad-gītā—that is a different thing—but don't try to malinterpret, wrongly interpret Bhagavad-gītā in your own way. That will not help you.

You can propound your own philosophy, as you like. Everyone has got the right. Nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam [Cc Madhya 17.186]:

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

"One cannot be a philosopher, muni, thoughtful man, unless he has got a different philosophy." That's a fact. Everyone wants to propound a type of philosophical method and tries to become famous. That is the natural way. But you make your philosophical presentation in different way. You have got right. But don't try to interpret in Bhagavad-gītā in your own way. That cannot be accepted. And that will not give you the effect of Bhagavad-gītā. You have to accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is.

Our this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, we are not presenting Kṛṣṅa in a different way. Our only method is to present Kṛṣṅa as He is. That is our... If there is any credit for this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement or for us, now, our credit is that we are not adulterating Bhagavad-gītā. We are simply presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. And by Kṛṣṅa's grace it is being understood very easily all over the world, and they are accepting it, that one God, Kṛṣṅa; one philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā; and one hymn, Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra; and one nation, Kṛṣṅa conscious people. Just push this movement and the world will be happy. Don't create God: "Here is a incarnation of Kṛṣṅa."

Sometimes we accept somebody as God because he says that "I am the same Kṛṣṅa. I am the same Rāma," believing on his word. All right, accept that he may be the same Rāma and same Kṛṣṅa. But when Kṛṣṅa is there, why should we accept an imitation Kṛṣṅa? Why? Suppose if you go to purchase some medicine in a drug shop and the shopkeeper says, "Here is a medicine, sir, which is equally good, but the price is very cheap. You can take it," and if you are sane man, you will say, "No, no. I don't want it. Give me that original. Why shall I take this? Let it be cheaper, but I don't want it."

Similarly, why should we accept so-called incarnation of Kṛṣṅa? We should accept Kṛṣṅa, original Kṛṣṅa. Original Kṛṣṅa is there. Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa's words are identical. When you read Bhagavad-gītā, you are exactly in front of Kṛṣṅa, as Arjuna was in front of Kṛṣṅa while Kṛṣṅa was personally speaking. That is transcendental nature of Kṛṣṅa. Why He has left this instruction? Because if we accept the teachings of Kṛṣṅa, Bhagavad-gītā, immediately we are in presence of Kṛṣṅa. Just like the other day I cited the example of the illiterate brāhmaṅa.

So that is transcendental way of understanding Kṛṣṅa. Take this formula. Kṛṣṅa says here that everything that is working in this material or spiritual world, they are different energies of Kṛṣṅa. He is the original source of creation, He is the original source of maintenance and He is the original source of annihilation. Therefore nobody is greater than Him.

Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat [Bg 7.7].

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

Na anyat: "There is no other greater elevated." Kiñcid asti: "Not even one." You cannot say, "Here is something which is greater than Kṛṣṅa." That is not possible. Na anyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya. Mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṅi-gaṅā iva. Just like in your necklace, pearl necklace, all the pearls are situated in the thread, similarly, Kṛṣṅa is the thread, and everything existing. This will be explained more explicitly in the Thirteenth Chapter.

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni nāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ [Bg 9.4]

[By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.]

So all the śāstric conclusion is... Now, so far the universes are concerned, that is also stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā:

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṅḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṅur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.48]

[Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṅu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṅu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṅu is the portion of portion.]

So Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, whose plenary portion is Mahā-Viṣṅu. And what is Mahā-Viṣṅu's activity? That He is lying in the Causal Ocean, and while He is breathing, with His breathing only, innumerable universes are coming out. And universes, innumerable universes are going into Him. In this way He is sleeping. That Mahā-Viṣṅu is the plenary portion of Kṛṣṅa.

So we have to believe in the śāstras, and there is no other way for understanding Kṛṣṅa. What is beyond our imagination, beyond our mental cultivation, beyond the reach of our senses, we have to accept authority. Exactly in the same way, just like we have to accept somebody as our father simply on the version of mother, similarly, we have no information of Kṛṣṅa, but we have got Kṛṣṅa's books, we have got Vedic literature, and if we study... Śāstra-cakṣuṣāt: you have to see through the śāstras. Then you will understand Kṛṣṅa and your life will be successful.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [applause] [end]