Lecture [Partially Recorded]

Prabhupāda: …ignorance, this is ignorance. Therefore jñāna and vairāgya is stressed here. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Kṛṣṅa.... Śrī Kṛṣṅa, our original father, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pita [Bg 14.4],

[It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.]

He is not very happy to see that we are struggling very hard within this material world for sense gratification. Only our objective is sense gratification. Therefore He comes out of compassion: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati [Bg 4.7].

As soon as people forget the principles of religion, dharmasya glānir bhavati…, abhyutthānam adharmasya, as soon as people become irreligious, then as soon as the people become without any religion, the irreligious principles flourish, abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham [Bg 4.7]. At that time Kṛṣṅa, God, comes: paritrāṅāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg 4.8].

[In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.]

Now this vināśāya and paritrāṅāya, both contradictory.

He is killing the demons and He is giving protection to the devotees, but the result is one. The killing devotees means that they are also being promoted to the spiritual world. Anyone who is killed by God, Kṛṣṅa, he immediately gets liberation from material bondage. Therefore Kṛṣṅa's killing and Kṛṣṅa's petting, there is no difference. Advayam: they are the same.

So Kṛṣṅa comes when there is discrepancies in the religious principles. He comes down. In this age, the Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṅa directly ordered this 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 could not take it very nicely. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā [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.]

Even a great philosopher, he says that “This is too much. Why Kṛṣṅa says that sarva-dharmān parityajya?”

He says sophist. But actually that is not the fact. Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has the right to ask like that: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja. That He is asking. Just like father can ask, can oblige, can ask very strongly his son, “You must do it.” But it is up to the son to do it or not to do it. That choice is always there. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa says that “You have created so many religions, but real religion, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja.”

The other day some gentleman was asking me, “So why there are so many religions?” The reply is that so many... Religion is one. God is one; religion is one, because religion means the codes, the law given by God. So this law is this, that: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja. So therefore religion is one, but because we are disobedient to the orders of God, or Kṛṣṅa, we have manufactured so many religions. So they are not actually religions. They are concoctions, a kind of faith. That will not help us. Therefore we have already explained, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje [SB 1.2.6].

[The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]

Again the same thing is repeated:

vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam [SB 1.2.7]

[By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṅa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.]

Therefore we should take this principle, bhakti-yoga, vāsudeve, kṛṣṅe[?]. Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṅa.

So Lord Caitanya appeared. He is Kṛṣṅa, but He appeared as a devotee. Kṛṣṅa, when He saw that “I ordered the world to give up all other engagements and simply surrender unto Me, but they could not take it properly. They misunderstood,” therefore He came again as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as a devotee: bhakta-rūpaṁ-bhaktākhyaṁ namāmi bhakta-śaktikam [Cc Ādi 1.14].

He came as a devotee. Because Kṛṣṅa appearing as a devotee and teaching us how to approach Kṛṣṅa, that is Lord Caitanya's vision. This is confirmed in the Vedic literature:

kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]

[In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṅa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṅa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.]

This is the definition given in the Vedic literature, that in this age, Kali-yuga, kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ. Kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ means either you say who is always describing Kṛṣṅa-varṅaite[?], always describing Kṛṣṅa, or he belongs to the same category. Varṅaṁ means “category” also. There is vipra-varṅa, śūdra-varṅa, like that.

So kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ mukti sarva[?], He is Kṛṣṅa Himself, always describing Kṛṣṅa, and tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ, but His bodily complexion is not like Kṛṣṅa; it is yellowish. That is also mentioned in the śāstras. Idānīṁ kṛṣṅatāṁ gataḥ. Śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṅatāṁ gataḥ [SB 10.8.13].

Gargamuni, when he made horoscope of Kṛṣṅa at Nanda Mahārāja's house, he said, “Nanda Mahārāja, your this son formerly was sometimes white and sometimes red, sometimes yellow, and now He has appeared as black.”Śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṅatāṁ gataḥ.

So this pīta color is Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or Kṛṣṅa. He is Kṛṣṅa, but He is fair complexion. That is also mentioned in the śāstra. These ślokas were very nicely explained by Jīva Gosvāmī. So we follow the footsteps of Jīva Gosvāmī.

So this verse recommends that in this age:

kālo saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]

This form of God, Kṛṣṅa, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, dancing with His associates, sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam… He has got His associates, five as…, four associates; including Himself, five: pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṅaṁ. Pañca-tattvā. He is associated with Lord Nityānanda, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara and Śrīvas.”

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

So therefore our method is bhakti-yoga. Everything is bhakti-yoga: vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ [SB 1.2.7],

[By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṅa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.]

the bhakti-yoga through Lord Caitanya. Because Kṛṣṅa Himself is teaching how to approach Him by bhakti-yoga.

So if we follow the path of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then it is very easy, very easy, because the master Himself teaching how to approach the master. Just like a teacher takes the pen from the student and he instructs, “Hold it; do like this. This is like…, this is A, this is A.”

So the master is not student, that he is writing A-B-C-D, but he is teaching the student, “Write A-B-C-D like that.” Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the master, Kṛṣṅa Himself. That was detected by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī:

namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te kṛṣṅāya kṛṣṅa-caitanya- nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ [Cc Madhya 19.53]

[O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṅa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṅa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.]

He could understand. When he first met Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Prayāg he said, “Sir, You are mahā-vadānyāya. You are so magnanimous.” Why? Kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te: “You are distributing kṛṣṅa-prema, love for Kṛṣṅa, which is very, very difficult.” Kṛṣṅa says, manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati [Bg 7.3].

[Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.]

Nobody can understand Kṛṣṅa, and what to speak of kṛṣṅa-prema. It is very, very difficult.

But Caitanya Mahāprabhu distributed this kṛṣṅa-prema just like anything: “Take kṛṣṅa-prema.” Factually you see. Because this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is being pushed on in the line of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, how easily and quickly these European and American boys are taking it, because through the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu it has become possible. Kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te: by simply chanting His name:

śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda [Pañca-tattva Mahā-mantra]

Quick, I mean to say, entrance in the kṛṣṅa-prema. Kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is described by Rūpa Gosvāmī: namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te. Kṛṣṅāya: and they could detect also, Rūpa Gosvāmī, that “You are no other than Kṛṣṅa. Otherwise who could give kṛṣṅa-prema so easily? If Kṛṣṅa Himself can give it, so You are giving it.” So Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, never He disclosed Himself that He is Kṛṣṅa Himself.

Although He was detected many times by His expert devotees like Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, but He never said that “I am Kṛṣṅa.” He never said. Sometimes in Vṛndāvana some Vṛndāvana residents, they came to eulogize Him, that “Sir, You are Kṛṣṅa. We can understand.” So He closed His ears like this: “Don't say like that. Oh, it is great offense to speak a common man as Kṛṣṅa.” Yes.

So this is a teaching of Lord Caitanya, that to accept Kṛṣṅa as ordinary man is also offense, and similarly to accept an ordinary man as Kṛṣṅa, or God, that is also offense. He taught us that. That is going on nowadays. Any common man, he is declaring himself that “I am God,” and people are accepting. This is offense. We should understand who is actually Kṛṣṅa from the direction of the śāstra, not that any bogus man comes before us and declares himself that “I am Kṛṣṅa and God,” and we shall accept.

This is not good. But at the present moment there is no protection of the ruler. Everybody can go on like everything; there is no check. But this was not possible when there were kṣatriya kings in this country, in Bhārata-varṣa. Nobody could pretend as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Kṛṣṅa's time also, one king, he pretended himself that “I am Vāsudeva.” So he was killed by Kṛṣṅa. So that is another story.

So our process, as recommended by Sūta Gosvāmī, that: vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ [SB 1.2.7]. We should render devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva: oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya [SB 1.1.1]. Then this process will elevate us. Janayaty āśu [SB 1.2.7].

[By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṅa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.]

Āśu means “very soon,” “without delay.”

Āśu vairāgyaṁ, that is required. Vairāgyaṁ: we must be detestful of this material world. We should not be very much optimistic. Pessimistic. But when you are spiritually advanced, then there is no difference between this material world and spiritual world. That is another stage. But in the beginning we should be detestful. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate [Bg 2.59].

[The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.]

We should try to find out the better position of spiritual life.

If we entangle ourself with this materialistic way of life, we can gratify our senses for the time being, but that will not help us. The śāstra condemns: “This kind of sense gratification is there in the life of dogs and hogs.” So we should not waste our time simply by sense gratification like dogs and hogs. We should take to the principles of bhakti-yoga and make our life successful by developing real knowledge, jñāna, and become detached to this material world.

So next verse is said... [end]