Bhagavad-gītā 9.10

Prabhupāda: ...Nobel Prize. He came to California University. So he was lecturing on his theory that life has begun by combination of certain chemicals. He has mentioned those chemicals. But in that meeting, there was a member, he's my student, my disciple. He's doctor in chemistry. He has learned something about our philosophy. So he challenged that gentleman that "If I give you all these chemicals, whether you can produce life?"

The answer was, "That I cannot say." The answer was not very distinct. Actually, that is not the fact. If the scientist says that life begins from chemicals, wherefrom the chemicals came, the next question will be. You cannot get chemicals without being supplied by somebody else. So we are presenting this theory. People are being misled. It is a great question at the present moment, that the scientist says that from matter life begins. We are challenging: "No. From life, matter comes." Just the opposite.

So we are confident, because we have got our Kṛṣṅa's statement in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṅa [Bg 9.10]:

[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.]

"Under My superintendence." Mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ. Prakṛti is matter. Jaḍa-prakṛti. We have got many confirmation from the Vedic literature. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. Imāni bhūtāni yataḥ jāyante [Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1].

[The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born.]

In the Vedānta-sūtra the same thing is confirmed: janmādy asya yataḥ, anvayāt. The Bhāgavata explains, begins from this Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ [SB 1.1.1]. So we have got our sufficient background to challenge this theory that life comes from matter. No.

When Kṛṣṅa says... In another place, Kṛṣṅa also says:

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ [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.]

Budhāḥ. Not the rascals and nonsense, but those who are intelligence, budhāḥ. Bodha. Bodha means knowledge, and budha means one who possesses knowledge. So those who are devotees of Kṛṣṅa, they are not rascals. They are not rascals. They are budhāḥ. Not only budhāḥ, but also bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Bhāva-samanvita means a person who has understood Kṛṣṅa or who is in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, he feels the presence of Kṛṣṅa everywhere. Bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ.

The same thing is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The mahā-bhāgavata, one who is advanced in spiritual consciousness, he sees everywhere Kṛṣṅa. That is a fact. He does not see anything...

sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe, nā dekhe tāra mūrti sarvatra sphūrta haya iṣṭa-deva-mūrti [Cc Madhya 8.274]

[The mahā-bhāgavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.]

A devotee is seeing a palatial building, but he does not see the palatial building; he sees Kṛṣṅa. Because he knows that the ingredients of this palatial building, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ [Bg 7.4],

[Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies.]

all this earth, water, air, fire, that is Kṛṣṅa's energy. From Kṛṣṅa, this earth, water, air, fire, everything has come out. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante [Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1].

[The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born.]

The original source of anything, of everything, is Kṛṣṅa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg 10.8].

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is not a sectarian, sentimental movement. It is a very scientific movement, to understand Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So in the Western world, they cannot be misled by sentiments. That is not possible. Sentiment must be there, but that is after understanding. That is spiritual sentiment. That is bhava. That is another thing. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... He also exhibited His spiritual sentiments: "Where is Kṛṣṅa?"

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṅa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me [Cc Antya 20.39, 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 sentiment. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was thinking one moment as twelve years. Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṅa. Nimeṣa means twinkling of an eye, moment. But He was thinking twelve years. And before Him, the gopīs also, they used to condemn the creator, Brahmā, because he created the eyelid and twinkling of the eyes, which is obstructed seeing Kṛṣṅa.

[aside:] What is that sound?

Devotees: Motorcycle.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So sentiment must be there. But sentiment, ecstasy, from material point of view sentiment, that is different. Spiritual sentiment, aṣṭa-sāttvika-vikāra [Cc Antya 14.99]. There are eight kinds of ecstatic sentiment. That is not possible for ordinary person. When one is advanced, they are visible. That is called budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ.

So we have to understand this fact, that, as Kṛṣṅa says, we have to take knowledge from Kṛṣṅa. We, we are all born fools and rascals. That is the statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam [SB 5.5.5]. Parābhava abodha-jātaḥ. Jātaḥ. We are all born fools and rascals. That is a fact. We know. Therefore we are sent to schools for education, because we are fools and rascals.

Unfortunately, after so-called education also, we remain fools and rascals. Because we do not know... There is no educational system to understand ātma-tattvam. Ātma-tattvam. The human life is meant for understanding ātma-tattvam. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Brahman, ātmā, the same thing, absolute. The human life is meant for inquiring about ātmā, what I am. And when he comes to the understanding ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that is his perfected education... Otherwise he remains a fool, rascal.

So there is no educational system to teach people that he's not this body; he is ātmā, spirit soul. That is the beginning of spiritual education. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṅa first teaches this principle that,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati [Bg 2.13]

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

Asmin dehe. Dehī. There is soul. Not that, that "I am this body." So the soul is moving the body, not the body is moving the soul. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa is the Supersoul. Kṛṣṅa is the Supersoul. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: viṣṭabhya aham idaṁ kṛtsnam 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.]

Viṣṭabhya, entering. "Because I have entered within this material world...," viṣṭabhya aham idaṁ kṛtsnam. One partial representation, Paramātmā—ātmā and Paramātmā. Just like we, we are ātmās. We have entered this body; therefore it is moving.

Similarly, the Paramātmā, the Supersoul, He has entered within this material world; therefore it is moving. Just like immediately we heard some sound of the motorcycle. How it is sounding? Because the driver is there. He is pushing some button. Immediately there is sound: but-but-but-but-but. Otherwise, the motorcycle may remain there for thousands of years. There will be no more sound.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram [Bg 9.10].

[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.]

It is Kṛṣṅa who has entered this material world, and He is supervising all the actions and reaction of this material world. Therefore it is moving. Mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ. Prakṛti has no power. These rascals, foolish person, they are thinking that the prakṛti is working automatically. No. That is not possible. Prakṛti is jaḍa. Jaḍa-prakṛti. Jaḍa-prakṛti, without any sense. The motorcar has got the wheels, the machine, everything, but it has no sense. So unless there is a sensible driver there, it cannot move. Very plain truth. Anyone can understand.

But we are so foolishly educated that we do not accept this fact. We say that "Matter is the cause of life." We do not accept this theory that life is the cause of matter. Because they are atheistic persons. As soon as they accept that life is the cause of matter, they have to accept God. Immediately. Immediately they have to accept God.

So these atheistic persons, in order to avoid Kṛṣṅa consciousness, in order to avoid Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Person, they push forward this theory that life is caused by matter. But that is not the fact. There are many instances. We can give many instances that life produces matter. Life... I can give you one small example. Just take, for example, one lemon tree. Lemon tree, it is also a living entity. Because there are 8,400,000 species of living entities. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṅi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati [Padma Purāṅa].

Sthāvarāḥ means these trees, plants, creepers. They are two millions of varieties. So this ordinary lemon tree is producing so many lemon. And the lemon means citric acid. So if you take all these lemons, and take their juice, so one ordinary lemon tree produces tons of citric acid. It is a small living entity.

So similarly, we are also producing, with our perspiration, water. And the water is salty also. We have got, everyone, experience. Now it is the question of limited and unlimited. We are limited. We are producing a little quantity of water by perspiration which contains salt, salty water. If I am able to produce unlimited quantity of water, salty, that is sea and ocean. That is sea and ocean. What is this sea and ocean? That is perspiration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has got such potency, unlimited. Unlimited potency.

So where is the difficulty to understand that when Kṛṣṅa says, 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.]

"I produce everything..." The chemists, the scientists, they're beginning from chemical, but wherefrom the chemical came? That came from Kṛṣṅa. If some chemicals come, come from an insignificant lemon tree, how much chemicals can come from Kṛṣṅa?

Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante [Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1].

[The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born.]

It is a simple, commonsense affair to understand that matter comes from life. And the Supreme Life is Kṛṣṅa. The Supreme Life is Kṛṣṅa. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].

[The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities.]

These are the version of the Upaniṣads. Kṛṣṅa, or God... What is God? God means the Supreme Person. That's all. Just like I am person; you are also person. You may be bigger in quality, in opulence, than me, and somebody else may bigger..., may be bigger than you, somebody else bigger than him. So similarly you go on, searching after who is the biggest. Then you come to Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is person. Simply go on searching, as we search: here is a big man, and here is a bigger man, here is another biggest man. So go on, go on, you go up to Brahmā.

Then after Brahmā... Brahmā is also not the ultimate. Because from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we understand, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]. Ādi-kavaye. Ādi-kavi is Brahmā. Brahmā is also educated by superior person. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. Brahmā is also educated. He's not self-sufficient. He gets education from Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa haite catur-mukha.

So in this way, if we try to find out, if we'll find out, if we are actually sincere to find out the ultimate source of everything, then you will come to Kṛṣṅa, which is confirmed by Kṛṣṅa: 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.]

Mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram [Bg 9.10].

[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.]

Kṛṣṅa says this. And we have to take it, with intelligence, with good brain. Otherwise we cannot understand. Therefore those who are less intelligent, foolish rascals, they cannot understand Kṛṣṅa. Because they cannot understand Kṛṣṅa, they do not take to Kṛṣṅa. They do not surrender to Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa says,

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ [Bg 7.15]

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

As soon as we see one has not surrendered to Kṛṣṅa, immediately we can accept he's either a duṣkṛtinaḥ, a mūḍhaḥ, a narādhamaḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānaḥ. Immediately.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is especially interested to broadcast the news that "You are searching after God. Here is God. You do not know what is the name of God. Here is the name: Kṛṣṅa. You do not know what is the address of God." We say, "Here is: Vaikuṅṭha, Goloka." We can give Kṛṣṅa's father's name. Everything we can give. Just like if you want to know somebody, you want to know his name, his address, his father's name—everything. So we can supply. Why you are searching?

Here is God. Not only I am speaking, but all the great ācāryas, they also speak. India is guided. Now we have lost our culture, but our Vedic culture is maintained and guided by big, big ācāryas like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya. But we have given ācārya patha. We are inventing our own ways. Now it is. We are inventing our own ways of understanding God. Yato mata tato patha. That is foolishness. No scientific knowledge can be attained by whimsical ways. No. You must accept the prescribed method. "Two plus two equal to four" always. You cannot make it "five" or "three." That is not science. Similarly, if you want to know Kṛṣṅa, then as Kṛṣṅa says you have to understand.

Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any interpretation. Kṛṣṅa says, "I am the Supreme Person"; we say, "Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Person." Kṛṣṅa says that He's the background of this cosmic manifestation; we present, "Yes, Kṛṣṅa is the cause of all material cosmic manifestation." This is our program. So our only request is those who are intelligent person, let them understand this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. It is not meant for the foolish person. Because foolish person cannot understand. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [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.]

The foolish person, after endeavoring many thousands of births, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante, if he's actually inquisitive, jñānī...

Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna ārto arthārthī jñānī jijñāsuḥ ca bharatarṣabha [Bg 7.16].

[O best among the Bhāratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.]

Four classes of men, they become inquisitive to understand Kṛṣṅa, or God. Ārto arthārthī jñānī jijñāsuḥ. So ārto arthārthī, ordinary men, when one is in need of money, when one is in distress, they go to God for relief. But although they go to God for..., with some motive, still they have been described as sukṛtinaḥ. Sukṛtinaḥ, pious. Background is piety. Otherwise, nobody can go. And those who are duskṛtinaḥ, always engaged in sinful activities, they cannot go to Kṛṣṅa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

Therefore, we first of all try to make people sukṛtinaḥ. Hare Kṛṣṅa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. He'll become sukṛtī. He'll get some pious assets. Then he'll be able to understand Kṛṣṅa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has introduced this method, and actually this method has been successful now all over the world. We began, "Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. Simply chant." So all these foreign students who have taken to Kṛṣṅa consciousness very seriously, they began simply with chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa. It is not difficult.

Everyone can chant. Where is the difficulty? Everyone can chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare... Where is the difficulty? But they'll not chant. They'll not chant. They'll talk so many rubbish things, but as soon as you ask him to chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, he'll be silent. That we have experienced. But still our thankless task is to induce everyone: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṅa."

There is a cartoon picture in New York, one old man and his wife, sitting together. The wife is requesting the husband, old husband, "Chant, chant, chant," and the husband is replying, "Can't, can't, can't." [laughter] This cartoon we have seen. So this is the... He will say three times, "Can't, can't, can't," but not "Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa." That is not possible. A similar story is there in the Bengal. One old mother was dying, and the sons requested the mother, "Mother, now you say 'Hare Kṛṣṅa Hare Kṛṣṅa.' " So after requesting two, three times, mother became disgusted: atha katha nivalta nare.[?] So atha katha nivalta nare[?] she could say. Not Hare Kṛṣṅa. Not Hare Kṛṣṅa. This is the position.

We are going door to door: "Please chant Hare Kṛṣṅa." This is our only propaganda. But it is a very difficult, we are experiencing. Although innocent children, they take part. Just now we went to some gentleman's, kavirāja's house. We began kīrtana. And a small children immediately began... Yes. Naturally. Because those who are sukṛtinaḥ, because he's not..., the child is not yet polluted, therefore immediately he could join, "Hare Kṛṣṅa." This is the position.

So our only request is, the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is, that it doesn't require much education or intelligence or opulence. In whatever condition you are, chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. Then gradually everything will be clear and you'll be able to understand how Kṛṣṅa is conducting.

mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram hetunānena kaunteya jagad viparivartate [Bg 9.10]

[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.]

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Haribol. [kīrtana] [end]