Paṅḍāl Lecture

Prabhupāda: Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly coming here and participating in this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. So I may inform our friends that His Excellency Mr. James is a devotee of Lord Rāmacandra. I was talking with him.

So we are so pleased that you are associating with devotees.

'sādhu-saṅga', 'sādhu-saṅga'-sarva-śāstre kaya lava-mātra sādhu saṅge sarva siddhi haya [Cc Madhya 22.54]

The human life is meant for composing an association where devotees may take part, sādhu-saṅga. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes [SB 5.5.2]. Mahat-seva. Mahat means whose mind has been broadened, not crippled. Cripple-minded man thinks in terms of personal interest or society's interest or community's interest, nation's interest or international interest.

Even international interest is cripple-minded, because there are many planets. If we expand ourself from self-interest to family interest, from family interest to community interest, similarly, even you expand to the international interest, it is imperfect unless your interest is expanded up to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

That is the Vedic injunction in the Ṛg Veda: oṁ tad viṣṅoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ [Ṛg Veda 1.22.20].

[The lotus feet of Lord Viṣṅu are the supreme objective of all the demigods. These lotus feet of the Lord are as enlightening as the sun in the sky.]

Those who are advanced in knowledge, their aim is, their interest is, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṅu. Tad viṣṅoḥ paramaṁ padam. But people do not know what is his self-interest. That is indicated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅu [SB 7.5.31].

[Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṅu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.]

Everyone should be self-interested. But in this material world, being illusioned, being bewildered by the material energy, we are thinking our self-interest in terms of our particular type of education. Somebody is thinking that "Simply I have to maintain my body somehow or other." Little expanded, thinking interest of society, you go on. But they do not know that the self-interest must expand to Lord Viṣṅu. And that is explained by Prahlāda Mahārāja.

We are discussing this verse, that

yathā hi puruṣasya iha viṣṅoḥ pādopasarpaṅam yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānāṁ priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt [SB 7.6.2]

Priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt. Viṣṅoḥ, viṣṅoḥ pādopasarpaṅam. Our self-interest must reach up to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṅu. That is perfection. Otherwise, whatever interest we create, that is temporary interest and it will be finished, and I shall create another interest. That knowledge is lacking in the modern civilization. We are interested in nationalism. That is very good. But we do not know what nationalism was in my past life and what nationalism will be there in my next life. That we do not.

Therefore, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that interest should be to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṅu as it is indicated, directed, by the Vedas, tad viṣṅoḥ paramaṁ padam. Unfortunately, somehow or other we have forgotten that interest. That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, anādi bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṅa bhuli gela ataeva [Cc Madhya 20.117],

[Forgetting Kṛṣṅa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy [māyā] gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence.]

māyā tāra galāya bāndhila [Cc Madhya 22.24].

We do not know when we have forgotten Kṛṣṅa, our self-interest. And because we have forgotten Kṛṣṅa, therefore māyā, the illusory energy of Kṛṣṅa, has caught up us. Ataeva māyā tāra galāya bāndhila.

So you are existing in this conditioned state of life fully under the control of māyā. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā, that is stated in the Śrīmad..., Bhagavad-gītā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe.

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā [Bg 18.61]

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

Just try to understand. We are given a kind of machine, yantra, this body, a particular type of machine. Actually it is machine. It is a physiological machine. But the machine has developed by māyā prakṛti because I wanted it. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati. Īśvaraḥ, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Paramātmā feature, antaryāmī, He is situated in everyone's heart—in my heart, in dog's heart, in demigod's heart, everyone. Not only in the heart of the living entity, but He is within the atom.

That information we get from the Brahma-saṁhitā:

eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṅḍa-koṭiṁ yac chaktir asti jagad-aṅḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.35]

[He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.]

Eko 'py asau racayitum. One partial expansion of Lord Kṛṣṅa, Govinda. The prime factor is Govinda. So in order to create this material world, He has expanded Himself by His one portion, which is known as viṣṅu-tattva, Mahā-Viṣṅu. The Mahā-Viṣṅu is described,

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.]

We are getting this information from Lord Brahmā, the creator of this particular universe, very authoritative statement by his realization.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the beginning, the description of the Lord is given, janmādy asya yataḥ, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]. So first of all He gave instruction, the Lord, janmādy asya yataḥ, from whom everything is emanating. Lord Brahmā is also emanating from Him. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. So how Lord Brahmā got Vedic instruction? That is answered, hṛdā. Hṛdā means through the heart.

So the Lord is situated in everyone's heart—in the heart of the Brahmā or in the heart of the ant. Not only in the heart but also within the atom. Aṅḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham. Paramāṅu means atom. So we do not know how many paramāṅus, atoms, are there. That is impossible to count. Even if you are able to count how many paramāṅus or atoms are there, still you cannot know what is the limit of God's expansion and quality.

So that God, Kṛṣṅa, is Vāsudeva, all-expansive. So He is sitting in everyone's heart and He is giving opportunity, everyone, whatever he wants to do. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61].

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

He is situated there, and He is so kind that the living entity, whatever he is wanting, the Lord is giving him.

So this body is also given by God. It is made by the material nature, but it is given by God. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni. Just like we take a vehicle and travel. Similarly, we are wanting to do something—it doesn't matter what—and Kṛṣṅa as Supersoul, who is sitting within my heart, He is asking this material nature that "You give him such-and-such body so that he can enjoy whatever he likes." So therefore we are getting different types of body, and there are 8,400,000 species of life.

So this body... If you like, you can get the body of a human being, or you can get the body of a tiger, or you can get the body of demigod, or you can get the body of Lord Brahmā, or you can get the body of the microbic germ in the stool. This will depend on your work. This is going on.

There are innumerable planets, there are innumerable universes, and the living entities are all innumerable, and they are getting innumerable types of bodies, and every account is kept. Now just imagine what is the government of Kṛṣṅa. And this is being managed, ekāṁśena sthito jagat [Bg 10.42].

[But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.]

This whole worldly affair is being managed by one Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṅu. This information we get from the śāstras.

So our position at the present moment is we are desiring something. We know, every one of us know we have got different desires. Not that everyone has got the same desire. Why you have got different desires? And that different desires means different consciousness. That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā,

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām [Bg 2.41]

Those who are not fixed up, they have got different desires. And because they have got different desires, they are getting different types of body. And because they are getting different types of body, they are rolling on, wandering in different situation, in different planets. But one who has come to the right conclusion of life, he is called vyavasāyātmikā buddhir eka. Eka means that Lord Viṣṅu. When our desire being..., becomes fixed up in Lord Viṣṅu, then our life is perfect.

But that we do not know. Therefore, bahu-śākhā anantāś ca buddhi avyavasāyinām. Because our mind, because our desire, is not fixed up in Lord Viṣṅu, we are manufacturing different desires, because mind's business is concoction, accepting something, rejecting something. This is going on. But by intelligence we come to a certain conclusion.

So one who is above the activities of the mind, manaso parā buddhi, one who has learned how to use his intelligence, that art is called buddhi-yogam, yoga on the platform of intelligence. First of all in the beginning, our platform is sensuous. Indriyāṅi parāṅy āhur [Bg 3.42].

[The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.]

Material life means sensuous life.

So those who are little above, they are on the mental platform—poetry, philosophy, mental speculation. Above this there is intelligence. That intellectual life required. That means we have to transcend the position of the sensuous life, we have to transcend the position of concocted mental speculation, we have to come to the intellectual platform.

That intellectual platform is called brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, when he approached Lord Caitanya, he very intellectually asked Lord Caitanya, 'ke āmi' kene more jāpe tāpa-traya [Cc Madhya 20.102]: "Who am I? Why I am suffering these three kinds of material miserable condition of life?" This is intellectual platform. This is intellectual path[?]. And when we exercise this intellectual part of our life, that is called buddhi-yogam. Buddhi-yogam.

Therefore, in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, kṛṣṅa ye bhaje se baḍa catura. The most intellectual person can become Kṛṣṅa conscious, not ordinary man. Why? Kṛṣṅa also confirms this in the Bhagavad-gītā,

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ [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.]

He is most intellectual, mahātmā, whose intelligence has been broadened so that he has understood Kṛṣṅa, Vāsudeva, as everything. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. Very rare.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, although it appears to be very easy, but it is actually it is very difficult. But by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, it has been made easy. Otherwise it is not very easy. It is made easy in this way, that Kṛṣṅa says,

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ [Bg 7.19]

Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. The thing which is achieved after many, many births of intellectual activities, Lord Caitanya says, "Now this is the point. You catch up this." Kṛṣṅa also says, "You catch up this. Why should you wait for many, many births?" If it is a fact that after many, many births of intellectual exercises you have come to the point of surrendering unto Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa says the most confidential part of knowledge is that "You surrender immediately unto Me."

So those who are actually intelligent, they take this opportunity and surrenders unto Kṛṣṅa. It is very easy if one accepts easily, but it is very difficult if one does not accept it easily. Otherwise, it is very easy. Kṛṣṅa is canvassing that "You surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg 18.66].

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

That is Kṛṣṅa is giving us the intelligence, buddhi-yogam. And if you surrender, then Kṛṣṅa says, assures,

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te [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.]

Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. Satata means twenty-four hours. Not that I meditate for fifteen minutes and do all nonsense twenty-four hours. No. Satata-yuktānām. One should be engaged twenty-four hours in the business of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is possible. It is not that it is impossible. You can engage yourself in Kṛṣṅa consciousness twenty-four hours without any cessation, but you have to know how to do it.

That is being taught in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But you can do it. And as soon as you take to it, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam [Bg 10.10]. Kṛṣṅa should be worshiped with prīti, love, not officially. Of course, in the beginning, we have to be officially. In the beginning, we have to act by the direction of the spiritual master, by the direction of the śāstras. But when you practice it by the direction of guru and śāstra, sādhu guru śāstra vākya, then gradually you become attached to it.

As I have explained several times, this attachment stage can be achieved under certain process. As Bhagavad-gītā, Bhagavān, says,

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṅu [Bg 7.1]

Kṛṣṅa is teaching how you can develop your attachment for Kṛṣṅa in the Bhagavad-gītā. We have to take it. We have to understand it. So as soon as we develop this attachment, teṣāṁ satata-yuk... Attachment means just like you have got a lover or something lovable object; you cannot live without it. You are always searching, "Where is my lovable object? Where is my..." That is called attachment.

That attachment, as taught by Lord Caitanya, He says, śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me [Śikṣāṣṭaka 7].

[O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.]

This is the final stage of attachment. Just Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching us that "I am feeling everything vacant." Why? "Being separated from Govinda." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me. This is the highest stage of attachment.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is teaching people how to become attached to Kṛṣṅa instead of māyā. We are attached to māyā. We have created so many things just arrangement for forgetting Kṛṣṅa. Anything we make here for sense enjoyment.

[break] that means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṅa—sense enjoyment and sense service. Our senses are not for sense enjoyment. Just like you take a crude example: there is a beautiful flower; it is made by Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa says, puṅyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca [Bg 7.9].

[I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.]

Anything beautiful, any nice flavor, aroma, aromatic, Kṛṣṅa says, “It is I,”puṅyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa consciousness means when you get a flower, nice rose flower, very aromatic, so if you think, “Let me enjoy it. Let me smell it and enjoy it,” that is material. The same flower, if you change your consciousness, that “This flower is made by Kṛṣṅa, so beautiful, so aromatic. Let me offer it to Kṛṣṅa,” the same flower, you can become sensuous, and you can give service to Kṛṣṅa.

This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. There is nothing to be invented; everything is there. Simply you have to change your consciousness. If you do not do that, then it is māyā. Then Kṛṣṅa is there. Kṛṣṅa has given you all facilities. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61]:

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

He is there, within your heart.

He knows what is your purpose of life. You cannot hide from Kṛṣṅa anything you desire. If you desire Kṛṣṅa, then Kṛṣṅa gives you intelligence, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ [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.]

“Yes, take this intelligence. You will come to Me,”yena mām upayānti te. But you desire to enjoy this material world, then He will give you facility, different types of body. If you think that “I shall eat fresh flesh and fresh blood,” “All right, you become a tiger. Why you are desiring? I give you all facility. You have got nails and teeth, and you just enjoy.”

Kṛṣṅa gives you that enjoyment. If you don't discriminate what is your food—whatever you like, you eat, all nonsense—“All right, you become a hog, eat up to the stool.” And the stool... The body is made so that the hog will like to eat stool. That is said by Prahlāda Mahārāja, deha-yogena dehinām [SB 7.6.3]. The material enjoyment is given facility by Kṛṣṅa by a particular type of body, deha-yogena dehi.

So this is going on. Now here is the chance that human form of body. Now you have got discrimination, you can understand because your consciousness is advanced. Now you can make your choice: whether you want to continue this repeated birth and death in different species of life or you want to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is your discretion. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said:

kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam [SB 7.6.1]

Very nice instruction. “My dear friends,”durlabhaṁ, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma, “this human form of body is very, very rare to achieve. Now we have got it, therefore let us begin Kṛṣṅa consciousness from very childhood.” That is the Vedic system. From the very childhood a brahmacārīis given Kṛṣṅa consciousness so that in future his life becomes perfect. What is that perfect? He knows Kṛṣṅa by Kṛṣṅa consciousness perfectly. And what is the result? If one knows Kṛṣṅa perfectly, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9]

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

Then after giving up this body, he does not come again back to take another material body, and he goes back to home:

mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ [Bg 8.15]

[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is very scientific, based on Vedic knowledge. And it is so perfect that we are actually seeing that anyone who is taking this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, he is feeling how happy he is. I am getting thousands of letters from Western countries, from my disciples, how much transcendental feeling they are enjoying.

So I do not wish to take much of your time. This Kṛṣṅa consciousness should be injected from the very beginning of life, from childhood. So you are here, our Honorable High Commissioner of Canada is present, His Excellency. So I request that you have come to our country; please try to understand this philosophy. And so far I have traveled in your country, I have traveled in Canada also, as you have already mentioned, we have got five branches—in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Hamilton and Ottawa. So the boys are struggling.

They are distributing literature, their books, and I am getting very encouraging reports. Many young men, they are coming. It is a very scientific movement. So I request you to, I mean to say, inform your government to give these boys who are struggling to inject this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement in your country all facilities.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]