Paṅḍāl Lecture

Prabhupāda: ...I spoke in Hindi. Now today I speak in English. If required I shall again speak in Hindi tomorrow. In this way, alternatively.

So we are worshiping Kṛṣṅa. His simple business is, as we have described, Rādhā-Mādhava, He is lover of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī. Kṛṣṅa means lover. This very word Kṛṣṅa means "all-attractive." You can attract by your love, not by anything else. Therefore His name is Kṛṣṅa. I have read one book, Aquarian Gospel, among the Christians. In that book it is said that the word Christ has come from the word Christo. Christo, it is a Greek word, and the meaning of Christo is "lover," "anointed." So I think the word Christ is apabhraṁśa of Christo, and Christo... In India still, if one's name is Kṛṣṅa, we call him Kriṣṭa, or sometimes Keṣṭa. My younger brother, his name was Kṛṣṅa. So in family we were calling him "Keṣṭa." That is very current. So actually love, the word love, has come from Kṛṣṅa. That is a fact. Therefore you will see always Kṛṣṅa always with Rādhārāṅī. We worship Kṛṣṅa—Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṅa, Sītā-Rāma. This is Vaiṣṅava's worshipable Deity. We do not worship alone God. We Vaiṣṅava, we want to see Kṛṣṅa and His energy, potency. That is Vedic system.

In the Vedas it is said, Upaniṣad, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca.

na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca [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 Supreme Absolute Truth, He has nothing to do. He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. Everything is being done by His potencies. Just like a big man, a big business man, or a big, the president of the state, he personally does not do anything. But his energies, his secretaries and others, they do everything. He simply signs or gives sanction. So this is the fact. God has nothing to do. Everything is being done very nicely by His energies. Just like the sunshine or the sun planet is one of the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the whole material world is being conducted very nicely by the sunshine. This is scientific. Due to the sunshine, all the planets, they are rotating in their prescribed orbit, and nobody is colliding with one another. Everything is going nicely, sunshine. Due to sunshine, the seasonal changes are taking place, and the varieties of trees, plants are growing. Everything is going on. The moon is also working under sunshine. And due to the moon, there are waves in the sea. There are changes of the ebb tide and flow tide. So one energy of the sunshine is doing so much things.

So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8]. His energies are working so nicely that svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Svabhāva. Svabhāva means natural. Just like a rose flower is coming into existence, very nicely painted, very nicely colored, very nicely flavored. So it requires brain. How you can say that it has been done automatically? No. There is brain. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā: 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.]

The nature is working under His direction. But His direction is so complete that it appears to us as it is being done automatically. Not automatic. There is brain behind it. Just like nowadays there are so many mechanical invention. You just push one button and things come, as we see in the airplane, there are simply..., the pilot is working simply by pushing some buttons, and such a big, gigantic plane is floating in the sky. We can understand. The television, simply by pushing one button... So if materially it is so much advanced, perfection is possible, you can just imagine spiritually how much it is perfectly possible.

So this perfection of love... We are also after love. A young man is after love; a young boy is after love. So wherefrom this love comes? Because originally the love is there in Kṛṣṅa. That is the version of the Vedānta-sūtra. 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.]

So this loving affair has come from the Supreme Absolute Truth, but it is pervertedly reflected only. Pervertedly reflected. Yatra tri-sargaḥ amṛṣā. Here in the material world we are simply seeing the perverted reflection of the spiritual world. Therefore in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, in the beginning,

janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yatra tri-sargo 'mṛṣā dhāmnā svena nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi [SB 1.1.1]

[O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṅa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.]

Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi. Here everything is perverted—reflection, shadow. The example is given, just like in the desert, sometimes we find water. The reflection of the sunshine makes a false replica of water, exactly. But there is no water. There is no water, and the reflection of water. Similarly, in this material world there is only reflection of that love. Actually, there is no love. It is the mirage in the desert. Therefore, if we want really love, this word can be applied only to Kṛṣṅa, all-attractive.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is just to teach people not to be allured by the illusory so-called water and love or anything. There is one reality: satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi [SB 1.1.1]. Just try to come to the real reality. Don't be entrapped by the false reality. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness move... We are entrapped by the false reality, māyā. Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvat [SB 11.5.34]. Māyā... Just like the deer, he runs over the false water in the desert. But the water goes ahead more and more, and the poor animal, without finding water, dies. But a sane man does not go. A sane man knows that reflection of water is not water. But that does not mean... Because there is no water in the desert, it does not mean that there is no water. The water is there, but not in the desert. That is knowledge.

Therefore we were discussing last night this verse, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Jīvasya, every living entity, should be inquisitive to know where is real pleasure. Because we are hunting after pleasure, everyone. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].

[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]

Because we are by nature ānandamaya, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. Mamaivāṁśaḥ, Kṛṣṅa says. Therefore Kṛṣṅa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs 5.1]. Sat, cit, ānanda.

[Kṛṣṅa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.]

He is personified, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Vigraha means person or the form, transcendental form, of sac-cid-ānanda. Sat means eternity, and cit means knowledge, and ānanda, pleasure. His body is sac-cid-ānanda. But our body is not sac-cid-ānanda, this present body, the material body. It is neither sat, because it is temporary; therefore it is not sat. And cit. Oh, we are ignorant in so many things. There is no knowledge. Abodha-jāta. This body means ignorance. This material body means ignorance. Abodha-jāta.

That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ [SB 5.5.5]. Abodha-jāta means the embodiment of ignorance. We do not know so many things. In our own body... I am claiming, "It is my body," but I do not know how the body is working, how we are taking food, how it is being transferred into different secretions, then the secretion is going to the heart. And we know something by the medical science, but it is not perfect. Medical science fails. Although I am claiming... I do not know, at least. The physician may know, the medical man may know, but I am claiming, "I am this body," but I do not know how it is working. Therefore we are all abodha-jāta. Abodha-jāta.

Therefore our business is to inquire about the truth. This is explained in this verse, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. This human life should be engaged for inquiring about the truth, anything, either of this body or of this material nature or about God, our interrelationship—so many things there have to be known. Therefore in this verse it is said that jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. It is not our only business that simply to eat, sleep and have sex life and defend. That is not our only business. That may be the business of the cats and dogs, but human life is not meant for that purpose. The civilization should be so molded that people will have the chance to think soberly about the truth of life. That is the perf... That is called tattva-jijñāsā.

For this purpose the Vedic civilization is perfect. Vedic civilization is for everyone, but nowadays it is said that it is for the Indians or for the Hindus or... But actually, it is meant for everyone. Just like here it is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. It is everyone's duty to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Where is the question of Hindu, Muslim or this or that? Truth is truth. "Two plus two equal to four," it is accepted by the Hindus, Muslim, Christian and everyone. Science is science. So therefore we should be interested about inquiring. This is the confirmation in every scripture; in the Bhāgavata also. This is also Bhāgavata.

In Bhāgavata, in another place it is said, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]:

[Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.]

"Those who are actually inquisitive to know the value of life, the Absolute Truth, he must approach a guru." Here also it is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Jijñāsā means somebody in inferior position inquires from the superior man. Then there is jijñāsā. Just like a child inquires from his father. Intelligent child always inquires, "Father, what is this? What is this? What is this?" and father explains. In this way the child gets experience. So similarly, here it is said that jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Every human being... It is human being. Jīvasya, the general meaning is all living entity, but all living entity cannot inquire. That is not possible. The cats and dogs, they cannot inquire. There are 8,400,000 species of life, out of which this human form of life is competent to inquire about the Truth. Therefore here it is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ.

Now another place in Bhagavad-gītā it is said that,

tad viddhi praṅipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ [Bg 4.34]

[Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.]

So from whom you'll have to inquire? From a person who has actually seen what is tattva, what is truth. From him. Therefore I was speaking yesterday, last night, in Hindi, that the tattva is not to be inquired from a pān-wala or biḍi-wala. No. One who has actually seen the tattva, tattva-darśī.

So according to Vedic scripture, a tattva-darśī should be very pure, uncontaminated. Therefore, generally we go to the qualified brāhmaṅa, satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam [Bg 18.42].

[Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness—these are the qualities by which the brāhmaṅas work.]

One who is qualified. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

So according to Vedic system, a guru, generally, he must be a brāhmaṅa. Any guru. It doesn't matter, it doesn't require that he is to take birth in a brāhmaṅa family. If he is qualified, then he is guru. If he is not qualified, then he cannot become guru. Even becoming a brāhmaṅa, qualified brāhmaṅa, one does not become a guru if he is not a Vaiṣṅava. That is the injunction of the śāstra.

ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṅo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ avaiṣṅavo gurur na syād sad-vaiṣṅavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ [Padma Purāṅa]

Sad-vaiṣṅava. One has to become Vaiṣṅava. Vaiṣṅava means one who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṅa instructed Arjuna. He said, bhakto 'si priyo 'si [Bg 4.3]:

[That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.]

"Because you are My bhakta, therefore I am talking to you." So guru means a Vaiṣṅava. He must be a representative of Kṛṣṅa.

Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Lord, supreme guru. He is the first guru. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]. Kṛṣṅa imparted knowledge to the original person, Brahmā. You may inquire that "Brahmā is the original person. There was nobody present. Then who became his guru?" No. That is explained: tene brahma hṛdā, "From through the heart." Kṛṣṅa, or God, is situated in everyone's heart. As you become purified, He speaks. He speaks always, but in our impure condition, we cannot hear. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā it is said also,

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd vedānta-vid ca aham [Bg 15.15]

[I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.]

So as Paramātmā, Supersoul, Kṛṣṅa is always prepared, ready to help every one of us, but provided we take His advice, take His instruction. He says in the Bhagavad-gītā,

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.]

Those who are satata-yuktānām, means twenty-four hours engaged... Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatām. In which business engagement? Bhajatām, in the devotional service. Such person, bhajatām. What kind of bhajatām? Prīti-pūrvakam: with love and affection. Such person, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. So what kind of buddhi-yogam? This tattva-jijñāsā, yena mām upayānti te. "This such instruction by which one can approach Me, one can understand Me," upayānti. In another place Kṛṣṅa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

So here also it is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. So if we want to know the tattva, the Absolute Truth, then we have to go through the process. That process is simply to engage oneself in the loving service of the Lord. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. 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.]

By these blunt senses, materially blunt... Just like with blunt instrument you cannot take any benefit—it must be sharpened—similarly these senses, you utilize these senses to understand the Absolute Truth, but it must be purified, sharpened. Just like a knife: when it is sharpened, it cuts very nicely; if it is blunt, it does not. But you can use the same very knife. So you can use these very eyes. Now you cannot see God, or Kṛṣṅa. But if you purify these eyes, if you purify the senses, you can see God, you can talk with God, you can serve God, everything. That is possible. That is bhakti.

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.]

We have to purify the senses. Now I am thinking, "This hand is my hand" or "This hand is my society's hand," "my family's hand" or "my nation's hand," "my community's hand." Upādhi, designation. But actually, this hand belongs to Kṛṣṅa, and therefore this hand should be used for Kṛṣṅa's purpose, not for anything else. That is called sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam. Purify. Actually that. Therefore Kṛṣṅa's name is Hṛṣīkeśa. When these senses are purified, then with that purified senses, hṛṣīkeṅa—hṛṣīkeṅa means senses, by these senses—hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc Madhya 19.170]. This is bhakti.

So tattva-jijñāsā. Everyone should be inquisitive to inquire about the value of life, not like cats and dogs, no inquiry, simply... We go, walk, walking in the morning. We see so many nice bungalows—they are sleeping, as if the sleeping will save him. No. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna [Hitopadeśa 25],

[Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.]

these four things, they are thinking that these four things will save him. No. Now you are situated in a very nice bungalow, very good income, very good wife and children. But any moment you can be kicked out of this situation, and you have to accept another body which is not very comfortable. This is nature's law. This is tattva-jijñāsā. If we simply foolishly think, "Now I am very secure," that is God, dog...

[break] ...Vṛndāvana, They were ministers in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah. But when they lived in Vṛndāvana, about their life it is stated by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. These things, nidrā, āhāra, vihāra. Nidrā means sleeping, āhāra means eating and vihāra means sense gratification. So nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau, conquered. Conquer. We have to conquer. This is called jitendriya.

So tattva-jijñāsā. This life is meant for tattva-jijñāsā. Not a single moment should be wasted if we actually want to save ourself. But we do not know what is saving. We do not know; even we do not understand the very first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā: tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ [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.]

A sane person should be inquisitive: "Now, I was a child; I got a baby's body. Now, from baby's body, youth's body. From youth's body, now I've got this old, old-age body. Then what is next? What is next?" This should be natural inquiry. And the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā in the beginning, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ: "You'll have to accept another body." The nāstika, they say that "There is no..., no more life." Just like Professor Kotovsky, when I was in Moscow, he said, "Swāmījī, after the annihilation of the body, there is nothing. Everything finished." Just see. Now, Kṛṣṅa says that na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin na hanyate. Now, shall I accept Professor Kotovsky's statement or Kṛṣṅa's statement? Which shall I accept?

Of course, according to our Vedic civilization, we have to accept the authority. All our ācāryas, those who are practically conducting the Vedic civilization or Hindu civilization—Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Śaṅkarācārya—everything, everyone says there is life. Śaṅkarācārya says, bālās tāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ[?]: "Oh, the boys..." He is going as a sannyāsī, passing through the street. He sees, bālās tāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ: "Oh, the boys are engaged in playing." Bālās tāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ. "And the young men, they are after young girls." Bālās tāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ, and vṛddhāś tāvat cintā-magnāḥ, taruṅās tāvat taruṅī-raktāḥ[?]. I am just forgetting the words. Taruṅa means young man. Young man, he is after some young girl, or young girl is after some young man. So childhood is being spoiled by playing, and youthhood is being spoiled by searching after the opposite sex, and old man, vṛddhās tāvat cintā-magnāḥ, and old man is thinking, "Now I could not do so, I could not situate this boy into right position. The girl is still unmarried. Now I am going to die." So many things, thoughts. Parame brahmaṅi ko 'pi na lagnāḥ[?]. "And nobody is interested with Para-brahman."

This is the world. He is thinking of so many things for others' benefit. He does not know his own benefit, that after death he is going to change his body. He has to accept another body. His chapter will begin a new history. "Now, what kind of body I am going to accept?" That he does not know. Therefore he is called abodha-jāta, fools. So therefore in his ignorance, whatever he is doing, parābhava, simply defeat. Simply defeat.

parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam [SB 5.5.5]

apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām [SB 2.1.2]

[Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.]

So we should be awakened to the consciousness, "Now what is my duty?" We should inquire. And for your inquiry, the answers are there already in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the Upaniṣads. We have got in the Purāṅas. So we should utilize it. So instead of utilizing this knowledge, this treasure house of knowledge, we are reading bunch of useless newspaper. You see? In the Western countries, most of you may know, they are delivering in the morning such big lump of newspaper. And after one hour, it is thrown away. Who will read that? But people's attentions are diverted by so many nonsense literature, and they are not interested to inquire from the real source of knowledge, real treasure house of knowledge.

Therefore here it is said that jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā: "Your only business is to inquire about the truth." And that truth should be inquired from whom? Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21].

[Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.]

If you are actually inquisitive to understand what is Absolute Truth, what is your life, what is the value of life, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta. A guru is not a fashion, that "Oh, such-and-such svāmījī is a... Let me make him guru." Just like, "Oh, there is a nice dog. Keep me a dog. Let me keep here dog." And if a guru says, "Yes, whatever you are doing, you are right. You can do whatever you... You can eat whatever you like. You can do whatever...," "Oh, he is a very nice guru." And as soon as he will say, "No illicit sex life, sir; no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication," "Oh, Swāmījī, you are very conservative." I have heard these things. That poet Allen Ginsberg, he said, "Swāmījī, you are very conservative." No. I am the most liberal. You do not know. If I become conservative, then none of you will come to me.

So a brahmacārī is strictly prohibited not to see even one young woman. But what can be done? In the Western countries, the boys and girls, they mix very freely. And if I say, "My dear boy, you cannot see even a young girl," then finished. My business there is finished. Therefore I have to arrange according to the country, according to the circumstances, as far as possible. So gradually, they are coming to the perfectional stage. So we have to adopt deśa-kāla-pātra: according to time, according to... But we are keeping our principles as it is, but making arrangement according to the circumstances. That is required.

So here, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Now what is tattva? Of course, I shall... It is... I can speak something about tattva. The next verse, it is tattva. Tattva, here it is said,

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]

[Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.]

So tattva, the Absolute Truth, is one. Absolute Truth is not two. Ekaṁ brahma dvitīyaṁ nāsti. Absolute Truth is one, but it is realized from different angles of vision. There are transcendentalist, just like... Karmīs are not transcendentalist. Fruitive worker: those who are simply working for betterment of life or standard of life or economic development—dharma, artha, kāma. Kāma means sense gratification. That is already explained. Kāmasya nendriya-prītiḥ. But they are thinking that indriya-prīti, sense gratification, is the highest perfection of life. But Bhāgavata says, or our Vedic authority says, kāmasya nendriya-prītiḥ. So karmī, they are rejected. They are not fit for spiritual life, at least, so long they remain karmī, muḍḥa. That I have explained last night. Then, out of many thousands of karmīs, one becomes jñānī, jñānī, in true knowledge. They are called jñānī. When one is fed up with this karmī, he comes to the stage of jñānī, knowledge, that "I am not this body. Why I am working so hard for this body like cats and dogs?" He comes to this platform of jñānī. Then above the jñānī, the yogīs. Those who are trying to connect, link with the Supreme, they are called yogīs. Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. In the yoga stage, there is control of the senses. So yogīs, and then bhaktas. Karmī, jñānī, yogī and bhakta. Bhakta means devotee.

So those who are karmīs, they are not talked about here, tattva, because they are not interested in tattva-jijñāsā. They are interested in āhāra-nidrā-bhaya. Viṣayī. Viṣayiṅām sandarśanam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, therefore, He was very strict sannyāsī. Viṣayiṅāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṅato 'py asādhu [Cc Madhya 11.8]. If you are interested... Caitanya Mahāprabhu was requested by His confidential devotees to allow a meeting with Mahārāja Pratāparudra. Oh, He immediately refused, "No, no. I cannot see a king." He was so strict. "A king is simply interested with politics and money, so what shall I do by meeting him? No, no. I cannot meet him." Refused. So in that connection He composed one śloka, verse, that bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya [Cc Madhya 11.8]: "Those who are interested to go to the other side of the spiritual world," bhava-sāgarasya jigamiṣoḥ, "that such person, for such person," viṣayiṅāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca, "to see the viṣayīs interested in simply eating, sleeping, mating, such person, and yoṣit, and woman," hā hanta, hā hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṅato 'py asādhu, "oh, for him, this kind of action is more abominable than drinking poison."

So actually, this is the position. If we are actually tattva-jijñāsu, then we must be very careful. Very careful. Especially in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that karmī-jñānī. Karmī is also wanting, and jñānī is also wanting, and yogī is also wanting. Karmī wanting comfortable position of life. That is also want. And jñānī, he is also wanting mokṣa, to merge into the existence. Because after becoming big, big man within this material..., when he is frustrated, he wants to become God. That is another illusion. And how you can become God, sir? But the jñānīs they want, merge into the existence. Sāyujya-mukti. It is called sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the existence. That is Brahman. That is brahma-jñāna. And yogīs, they want some magic power, mystic power. They can walk on the water, they can fly in the air, and so many things—aṅimā, laghimā, siddhi. There are eight kinds of siddhis: prākāmya, īśitā, vaśitā... So a yogī can attain such perfection. But they are wants also. The jñānīs also want, and the karmīs, what to speak, they are simply in want. Therefore, kṛṣṅa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva śānta [Cc Madhya 19.149].

[Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṅa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.]

A kṛṣṅa-bhakta, a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṅa, he doesn't want anything more. He doesn't want anything more. You will never find that... Arjuna was a devotee. He was working for Kṛṣṅa so much; he was sacrificing everything. He was prepared to kill his family members and everything. Still, he never wanted anything, "Kṛṣṅa, give me this." Never. You will never find in the Bhagavad-gītā.

This is the position of bhakta. And that is the teaching of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye [Cc Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]:

[O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.]

"My dear Lord Jagadīśa, I don't want these things." What? Na dhanam: "I don't want riches." Na dhanaṁ na janam: "Not many followers." Because materially everyone wants this. He wants money, he wants to become leader, he will..., many thousands of people will follow him, janam. And sundarīṁ kavitām, very beautiful wife. These are the material wants. So Kṛṣṅa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He said, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye: "I don't want all these things." This is called niṣkāma. Kāma means those who are wanting all these things. And niṣkāma means those..., one who does not want all these things. How one can avoid these? Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi [Cc Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]. If one becomes perfect, unalloyed devotee, he doesn't want all these things. Therefore he is svāmī. Kṛṣṅa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva śānta [Cc Madhya 19.149].

[Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṅa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.]

Others, they are wanting something.

So we cannot be, I mean to..., peaceful so long we shall want something. That is the secret. And that want can be completely..., we can be free from all wants when we become Kṛṣṅa conscious.

yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ yasmin sthito guruṅāpi duḥkhena na vicālyate [Bg 6.22]

[The stage of perfection is called trance, or samādhi, when one's mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.]

You have seen the history of Prahlāda Mahārāja, Dhruva Mahārāja, many, many devotees, Pāṅḍavas. How much tribulation they had to suffer in their life. So yasmin sthite, because they were devotee of Kṛṣṅa, they were never disturbed. Never. This is the position of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. They will never want anything, and they are not disturbed by any material tribulations. This is the sign of a kṛṣṅa-bhakta. Kṛṣṅa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva śānta [Cc Madhya 19.149].

So it is possible to arrive that state by little endeavor, and that is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. And it is so simple, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. And the practical examples you can see, that these European, American boys, they had so many wants, but they..., all these demands could not satisfy them, but now they are fully satisfied simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa. Just like this boy, our Gurudāsa, explained that he could swim over liquor business. His father has got very big business of liquor. But no. He wants to swim in the ocean of transcendental love. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]