Śrī Śrī Rādhā Gokulānanda Deity Installation, Brahma-saṁhitā 5.43

Prabhupāda:

...hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu te te prabhāva-nīcayā vihitaś ca yena... [Bs 5.43].

goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya devī-maheṣa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu te te prabhāva-nīcayā vihitaś ca yena govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.43]

Goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni. There is a planet in the spiritual world... The material world, you can see the material sky, limit of the sky, the horizon, but you are not able to reach even the moon planet, the nearest planet. But within this universe, within this horizon, there are innumerable planets. Aśeṣa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam [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.]

By the shining effulgence from the body of Kṛṣṅa... That is called brahma-jyoti.

Within that brahma-jyoti, or effulgence, there are innumerable universes. Ananta-koṭi. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi. Koṭi means innumerable. One million... Ten millions equal to one lakh. Such hundred lakhs makes a koṭi. So actually we see there are innumerable planets, but beyond this creation... This is material creation, one-fourth manifestation, one-fourth manifestation of God's creation, this, this material world.

This is also only one universe. There are innumerable universes clustered together, and beyond this clustering of universes there is another sky, which is called paravyoma, or spiritual sky. If you want to go there, then you have to penetrate through the material coverings—earth, water, fire, water..., fire, air, like that. Each layer so big. And the next layer is ten times more than the first layer. In this way there are seven layers. So penetrating through that seven layers you reach the spiritual sky. And after reaching the spiritual sky, there are so many Vaikuṅṭha planets, spiritual planets.

So that is summarized: goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya [Bs 5.43]. The topmost planet is called Goloka, or Kṛṣṅa-, Kṛṣṅaloka. Go means cows. Kṛṣṅa is very much fond of cows. Therefore that planet is called also Goloka, the planet full of cows. We have recited Brahma-saṁhitā today, cintāmaṅi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣā-vṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam [Bs 5.29]. Kṛṣṅa is engaged in tending cows. He's very much fond of cows. Surabhi. They are not ordinary cows. In the spiritual world, everything is spiritual. So there is a planet, goloka-nāmni. So that is the highest planet. Goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni. That is the personal abode. Goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya [Bs 5.43]. Under that planet, there are other planetary systems. They are called Devī-dhāma, Maheśa-dhāma, Hari-dhāma.

Now this universe, this material world, is called Devī-dhāma. Devī-dhāma. It is under the control of the material energy. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir-eka chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā [Bs 5.44].

[The external potency Māyā who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgā, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself.]

This energy is also personified, called Durgādevī. So above this planetary system there is Maheśa-dhāma. Maheśa-dhāma, in the border between spiritual sky and material sky. Above that, there are Hari-dhāma, the Vaikuṅṭha planets, where Nārāyaṅa in various forms is predominating. And above all of them there is Goloka-dhāma, or Kṛṣṅa's dhāma.

So picture we have given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu, te te prabhava-nicayā vihitaś ca yena [Bs 5.43]. Each planetary system has got specific atmosphere. Everything is specific. So that is done, that is created, by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So in this way, Kṛṣṅa is there in the topmost Goloka-dhāma. But still, goloka-dhāmni nivasati, although He is living there, akhilātmā-bhūto, He is everywhere. He's everywhere. That is Kṛṣṅa.

Just like we are sitting in this hall; we are not in our apartment house. Kṛṣṅa is not like that. He is, in the goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni, in His own planet, He's engaged in His occupation. Somewhere He's tending cows, somewhere He's dancing with the gopīs. He is going on with His enjoying occupations. But still He's everywhere. Goloka-nāmni..., goloka eva nivasaty [Bs 5.37].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.]

Nivasaty means although He's living there, akhilātmā bhūtaḥ, He's everywhere. He's within your heart. Īśvara sarva bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati. He's within your heart. Not only within the heart; He is within the atom also. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṅḍa-koṭim yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṅḍa cayā yad-antaḥ aṅḍantara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham [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.]

His one plenary portion has entered this material world as Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṅu. From Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṅu, there is expansion of Kṣirodakaśayī Viṣṅu. That Kṣirodakaśayī Viṣṅu has entered every atom. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṅḍa-caya yad-antaḥ.

So Kṛṣṅa is everywhere, and if you are devotee, then you can catch Him. This is the secret. Just like electricity is everywhere, electrons. One who can tackle the electrons, they can talk without any direct connection by electronic method, thousand, thousand miles away. Just like radio message, television message. So similarly, Kṛṣṅa is also everywhere. Just like the waves of sound wave is going on. As soon as you produce..., I produce one sound, immediately within a second the sound goes round the earth seven times. So if a material thing has got so much power, just think how much power God has got. So He is everywhere. Simply you have to catch Him. And He's also ready for being caught. Yes. If somebody wants to catch Him... Suppose you are a devotee. If you want to catch Him, He comes forward ten times than your desire. He's so kind. Therefore, we have to simply receive Him.

So this Deity worship in the temple means worshiping Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He's akhilātmā-bhūtaḥ [Bs 5.37]. Where you shall find Him? He's everywhere. Therefore, He has very kindly accepted to assume a form which you can handle. This form of Kṛṣṅa, the atheist will say that "Here is a form made of marble. How is that, they are worshiping God, Kṛṣṅa?" That is atheist view. But from the śāstra, we understand Kṛṣṅa, if He is within the atom, why not within the marble? It is simply understanding. Not only within; the marble itself is also Kṛṣṅa. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā we understand: bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca [Bg 7.4].

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

These material elements, earth..., earth, water, fire, air, they are Kṛṣṅa's energy. Kṛṣṅa says, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā: "They are My energies, separated energy."

So even if you consider that here is not Kṛṣṅa but a marble, no, that marble is also Kṛṣṅa. Marble is also... And Kṛṣṅa is, being omnipotent, even for your logical argument... Even if you say that this is a marble statue, still Kṛṣṅa is so powerful, omnipotent, that He can accept your service even through this marble. Actually, it is not marble. Or, from spiritual vision, everything being Kṛṣṅa, so Kṛṣṅa can accept your service even through the marble, even through the water, even through the fire. Why not? Energy.

Just like if you come to the sunshine, energy of sun, you immediately touch the sun globe. Is it not? Because the beams are coming from the sun globe, so as soon as you touch the sunshine, sunbeam, you touch the sun immediately. And there are yogīs who can reach the sun planet through the beams of sun. Because the spirit soul is very, very small, smaller than the atom. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.9].

[When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul.]

And the spirit soul can go everywhere.

And it is, the speed of spirit soul, is greater than the mind. You have got experience of the speed of the mind. In a second you can go many thousands of miles, mind. Suppose you are sitting here, those who are Indians, immediately, within a second, one can reach Calcutta, Bombay. Immediately, without even less than a second's time. The mind's speed... Mind's speed you can imagine. And finer than the mind is the spirit soul. So how much speedy is the spirit soul, that we have to know from the śāstras. Śāstra yonitvāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.3]. Everything.

Therefore do not think that we have installed a marble statue. The rascals will say, "They are heathens." No. We are worshiping Kṛṣṅa personally. Kṛṣṅa personally, Kṛṣṅa has kindly assumed this form just... Because we cannot see Kṛṣṅa, the gigantic Kṛṣṅa, or Kṛṣṅa is everywhere... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṅa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136].

[Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṅa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṅa really is.]

Our imperfect senses cannot see Kṛṣṅa immediately. But Kṛṣṅa is so kind, as we can see... We can see stone, we can see wood, we can see earth, we can see water, we can see color. Therefore, Kṛṣṅa comes before us just quite suitable for our vision. But He's Kṛṣṅa.

So this Deity worship, those who are in charge of Deity worship, they never should think that "Here is a statue." No. Here is Kṛṣṅa. The honor, the respect, the samra, means with great honor... You must always think that "Here is Kṛṣṅa personally." Don't think that it is statue. Kṛṣṅa personally. So you should honor and think also and be cautious so that you may not commit offense. Kṛṣṅa worship, if you neglect the process, then it will be offensive. There are sixty-four kinds of offenses. You have seen it in The Nectar of Devotion. So not very much...

You should be very much clean, first thing is. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Very much clean, rise early in the morning, take your bath and perform maṅgala ārātrika, then chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, then read scriptures. In this way remain twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṅa's service. This is the purpose of installing Deity. Not that after few days you think it is a burden. No, then it will be great offense. It is not burden; it is a great opportunity to serve Kṛṣṅa.

As the gopīs are serving in Goloka Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṅa is so kind, He has come here to accept your service in a manner in which you can handle Him. You can dress Kṛṣṅa, you can offer prasādam, you can chant His glory. In this way, always remain engaged in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, and gradually you'll find how you are advancing in spiritual life.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Jaya. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]