Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.18

Prabhupāda: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse]

kunty uvāca namasye puruṣaṁ tu ādyam īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthitam [SB 1.8.18]

[02:05]

This is a prayer offered by Kuntī to Kṛṣṅa. After finishing the Battle of Kurukṣetra, when Kṛṣṅa was leaving for His own kingdom, Dvārakā, at that time He went to take blessings from Kuntī. Kuntī happened to be Kṛṣṅa's aunt, father's sister. So He went to take leave from aunt. At that time Kuntī offered this prayer. Kuntī, although she knew that Kṛṣṅa is her nephew, brother's son, but still she knew that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṅa comes here as ordinary human being, but the purpose is to reestablish the principles of religion as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, 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.]

Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham [Bg 4.7]. The..., anything, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam, anything, whatever you see, that is God's property, Kṛṣṅa's property. So as the owner sometimes goes to visit his property or to see things, that management is going on nicely, so everything belongs to God. Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-loka-maheśvaram.

[children making noises]

Devotee: Take the children out.

Prabhupāda:

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati [Bg 5.29]

[The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.]

This is the mistake of the modern world. Not only modern; this is the mistake of the material world. They do not know that everything belongs to God. That's a fact. We fight, "This is my land, this is your land," but fighting, we die, and the land is there. The land does not go with the fighters. They fight amongst themselves, "This is my land," "This is my land," but the land remains, and the persons fighting, they go away. This is the position. But still we do not understand that the land does not belong to either you or to me; it belongs to Kṛṣṅa. So anyway, just to establish, to remind them, Kṛṣṅa comes, so that "Any land does not belong to you." Bhoktāram, "I am the enjoyer," sarva-loka-maheśvaram, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." That's a fact.

So Kuntī knew it, that "We are..., we fought the Battle of Kurukṣetra, but actually Kṛṣṅa is the supreme proprietor." Therefore he is..., she is offering her prayer, namasye puruṣaṁ tvā, "You are puruṣam." Puruṣam means the enjoyer. Kṛṣṅa is not addressed as a..., a female. Just like there are—not in your country; in India—there are many devotees of Durgā, that they take Durgā as the supreme. Durgā is supreme, the supreme power and energy within this material world. The supreme energy, that is external energy, that is called Durgā. Durgā means "very difficult to overcome." The..., everyone is trying to overcome the difficulties of this material world, but it is very, very difficult. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṅa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg 7.14]:

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

"You cannot surpass the stringent laws of material nature." You cannot. This is our struggle for existence. Material nature is offering some difficulty, and we are trying to overcome them. This is called struggle for existence, and this is going on life after life. Any life, either human form of life or animal form of life, the struggle is there. There must be always anxiety, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt [SB 7.5.5],

[Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: O best of the asuras, King of the demons, as far as I have learned from my spiritual master, any person who has accepted a temporary body and temporary household life is certainly embarrassed by anxiety because of having fallen in a dark well where there is no water but only suffering. One should give up this position and go to the forest [vana]. More clearly, one should go to Vṛndāvana, where only Kṛṣṅa consciousness is prevalent, and should thus take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]

because we have accepted this material body, or this material world.

To accept this material world means to accept different types of material body, and so long you have got this material body—either you have got the body of a human being or an animal or of a demigod—that always there must be fearfulness, anxiety, because we have accepted something foreign. This material world is foreign to the living entities. The living entity is spiritual, so his actual residency is in the spiritual world. But somehow or other he has come in contact with this material world; therefore he is suffering threefold miseries—adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. He must suffer. Therefore this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is to get the living entity relieved from this material miserable condition of life and take him back to home, back to Godhead. That is also Kṛṣṅa's mission. Kṛṣṅa also came to impress that "This is not your place." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja. "You are creating so many plans to live here very peacefully, but that is not possible. Therefore you give up all this nonsense plan; just come to Me, surrender to Me, and I shall give you protection." Because He is the father, father wants that the nonsense sons, they want to live independently, but he has no such means, therefore father comes to invite, "Come back." Sarva-dharmān..., vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ [Bg 2.56].

[One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.]

These things are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So Kuntī knew it; therefore, although Kṛṣṅa was present before her as her nephew... Aunt is respectable, that Kṛṣṅa came to offer His respect, obeisances, before going home. But Kuntī is offering respect to Kṛṣṅa. Therefore she is saying namasye, "I offer my obediences unto You, Kṛṣṅa." Why? Puruṣaṁ tva, "You are the Supreme Person; therefore I must offer my respect unto You." Namasye puruṣaṁ tva ādyam. Ādyam means original, original person. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṅaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādiḥ [Bs 5.1].

[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.]

Anādiḥ means who has no beginning, but He is the beginning of everything. That is Kṛṣṅa. We have got experience that anything in our experience, it has got a beginning. Beginning. But Kṛṣṅa is without beginning, and all others, they have got beginning. From Kṛṣṅa, within this material world, from Kṛṣṅa, Brahmā; from Brahmā, Nārada or many other demigods. Then from demigods, we human being. In this way we have increased. Brahmā is the first created being within this universe, and he is created by Kṛṣṅa. So they are taking account of this material...., this universe, so Brahmā is therefore called grandfather, or a father of the father. But Kṛṣṅa is the great-grandfather, the father of Brahmā's. Therefore it is said ādyam, the original person. Namasye puruṣaṁ tva ādyam. What kind of ādyam? Īśvaram. Īśvaram means controller. Ādyam īśvaram, the original controller.

Now, we have got experience about controlling. Suppose I am controlling this institution, Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. But that does not mean I am the original controller. Similarly, there are many, many big men, business magnate, controlling his factories, office, but he is not original controller. He is controlled by the government, and the government is controlled by somebody, the people. In this way you will see in this world there is one controller. Everyone is controller. If you..., one has nothing to control, he keeps a dog to control. That is very good experience in your country. He has no children to control, no wife to control—keep a dog. So the controlling propensity is there, everywhere, but he is not Supreme Controller. So if you study, that here is a controller, controlling a dog, but he is controlled by his master, he is controlled by somebody, somebody, somebody, in this way you will find that Brahmā is the original controller of this universe, but he is also controlled by Kṛṣṅa. Therefore He is the original controller. And the original controller means God, who is not controlled by anyone. Within our experience we see that one is controller, but he is controlled by somebody else. But in this way, when you..., if you can, you approach a person who is controller, but never controlled by others, that is God. Therefore here it is said, namasye puruṣaṁ tva ādyam īśvaram.

Then ādyam īśvaram, how it is? Now prakṛteḥ param: beyond this material nature. You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā this verse, paraḥ tasmāt bhāvaḥ anyaḥ [Bg 8.20]: "There is another nature." Just like you have seen within your vision the big, I mean to say, horizon, and there within this there are millions and millions of stars, sun, suns and planets we cannot account for, although you are seeing daily. But we have no such knowledge; we cannot account for them. We are so minute. Still we are thinking, "Where is God? I am God." So Kṛṣṅa is not that kind of God, imaginary. He is real God. Therefore He is prakṛteḥ param. Prakṛteḥ means this cosmic manifestation, beyond that. He is the creator of this... God is creator of this cosmic manifestation. Therefore it is said prakṛteḥ. Prakṛteḥ means this material nature. Param, superior, beyond that. Prakṛteḥ param alakṣyam: but not visible. God is not visible to everyone. He is visible—"Here is God"—but those who have not developed the eyes to see God, they think, "Here is a doll, and these foolish people are worshiping a doll." No. He is God, Kṛṣṅa. He is Kṛṣṅa. He is called arcā-vigraha. Kṛṣṅa agrees to accept your service. If you want to serve the universal form of God, that is not possible. Where you will get so big dress to cover Kṛṣṅa, if He appears in His universal form? [laughter] But He is so kind that He has come in a form. Because He is almighty, all-powerful, so whatever you can provide, you can dress Kṛṣṅa, you can feed Kṛṣṅa, you can decorate Kṛṣṅa. It is His mercy, to become handy for your service. This is called arcā-vigraha.

So the devotional service is so nice that—this example I have given many times—just like in front of your house there is small letterbox, a red letterbox, but if you put your letters within that box it will go ten thousand miles away. Therefore it is post office. It is not a box; it is post office. The post office has kindly come before your door for your convenience, so that you can put your letters there and it will go to the destination. Similarly, this arcā-vigraha, He is just like that. Although Kṛṣṅa is universal, still He has agreed to take your service. That will be accepted.

Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad ahaṁ tad ahaṁ aśnāmi... [Bg 9.26].

[If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.]

Kṛṣṅa says, "My devotee, with affection," yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Kṛṣṅa is not hungry. Kṛṣṅa has not come to you for accepting your offerings because He is hungry. No. He is not hungry. He is self-complete, and in the spiritual world He is served, lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam [Bs 5.29], He is served by hundreds and thousands of goddess of fortune. But Kṛṣṅa is so kind, because if you are seriously lover of Kṛṣṅa, He is here to accept your patraṁ puṣpam. Even you are the poorest of the poor, He will accept whatever you can collect—a little leaf, a little water, a little flower. Any part of the world, anybody can secure and offer to Kṛṣṅa. "Kṛṣṅa, I have nothing to offer You. I am very poor. Please accept this." Kṛṣṅa will accept. Kṛṣṅa says, tad aham aśnāmi, "I eat." So main thing is bhakti, affection, love.

So here it is said alakṣyam. Kṛṣṅa is not visible, God is not visible, but He is so kind that He has come before you, visible to your material eyes. Kṛṣṅa is not visible within this material world, material eyes. Just like Kṛṣṅa's part and parcel. We are Kṛṣṅa's part and parcel, all living entities, but we do not see each other. You cannot see me; I do not see you. "No, I see you." What you see? You see my body. Then, when the soul is gone from the body, why you are crying, "My father is gone"? Why father is gone? Father is lying here. Then what you have seen? You have seen the dead body of your father, not your father. So if you cannot see the particle of Kṛṣṅa, the soul, how you can see Kṛṣṅa? Therefore śāstra says, 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.]

This blunt material eyes, he cannot see Kṛṣṅa, or cannot hear Kṛṣṅa's name, nāmādi. Nāma means name. Nāma means name, form, quality, pastime. These things cannot be understood by your material blunt eyes or senses. But if they are purified, sevonukhe hi jihvādau, if they are purified by the process of devotional service, you can see Kṛṣṅa at all time and everywhere. But for ordinary person, alakṣyam: not visible. Kṛṣṅa is everywhere, God is everywhere, aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham. So alakṣyam sarva-bhūtānām. Although Kṛṣṅa is outside and inside, both, still we cannot see Kṛṣṅa unless we have got the eyes to see Kṛṣṅa.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is to open the eyes how to see Kṛṣṅa, and if you can see Kṛṣṅa, antaḥ-bahiḥ, then your life is successful. Therefore śāstra says that antar bahir.

antar bahir yadi kṛṣṅa tapasā tataḥ kiṁ nāntar bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim [Nārada Pañcarātra]

Everyone is trying to become perfect, but the perfection means when one can see Kṛṣṅa within and without. That is perfection. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ. If you have been able to worship Kṛṣṅa, then there is no need of any more austerities, penances, become to self-realize or to know God. There are so many processes, austerities, penances. Sometimes we go to the forest, go to the forest to see where is God, where... There..., there are different processes, but the śāstra says that actually if you are worshiping Kṛṣṅa, ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ, that there is no more need of your undergoing severe penances and austerities. And nārādhito, nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, and ultimately after going severe..., undergoing severe austerities and penances, if, if you do not know what is Kṛṣṅa, then what is the use? It is useless. Nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, antar bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ. Similarly, if you can see twenty-four hours Kṛṣṅa, within and without, then the..., that is the end of all tapasya.

So here Kṛṣṅa saying again..., Kuntī says that "Although Kṛṣṅa is within and without, because we haven't got the eyes to see Him," alakṣyam, "not visible." Just like here Kṛṣṅa was present in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, only the five Pāṅḍavas, just like, and their mother, Kuntī, they could understand that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And few others. So even though Kṛṣṅa was present, somebody took Him as ordinary human being. Avajā..., avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [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.]

Because He was very kind to the human society, He came personally. Still, because they had no eyes to see Him, they could not see. Therefore Kuntī says alakṣyam, "You are not visible, although You are antaḥ bahiḥ, sarva-bhutanam." Not that antaḥ bahiḥ of the devotee—everyone. Everyone's heart Kṛṣṅa is situated, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe [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.]

Pointing out, hṛd-deśe, here in the heart, Kṛṣṅa is there. Now, therefore, meditation, yoga principle, is how to find out Kṛṣṅa within the heart. That is called meditation.

So Kṛṣṅa's position is always transcendental. If we accept this transcendental process, Kṛṣṅa consciousness, regulative principles, and try to become free from sinful life... Because you cannot see Kṛṣṅa or understand Kṛṣṅa while you are practicing all sinful activities. Then it is not possible. 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.]

Those who are duṣkṛtinaḥ... Kṛti means merit, meritorious; but duṣkṛti, but merit is applied for sinful activities. So we therefore request our... We shall not request; this is our, I mean to say, rules and regulation, that one must be free from the sinful activities. The sinful activities, the four pillars of sinful life, are illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. So our students are advised... Not advised; they must follow, otherwise they will fall down. Because a sinful man cannot understand God. One side we should practice the regulative principles and the devotional process; another side we should avoid sinful activities. Then Kṛṣṅa is present, and you can talk with Kṛṣṅa, we can be with Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is so kind. Just like Kuntī is talking with Kṛṣṅa as her nephew, similarly you can talk with Kṛṣṅa as your son, as your husband, as your lover, as your friend, as your master, as you like.

So I am very glad this, to..., to see the Chicago temple. You are doing very nice, and the hall is also very nice. So go on with your service attitude and realize Kṛṣṅa. Then your life will be successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! Haribol! [end]