Bhagavad-gītā 7.4
Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]
bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [Bg 7.4]
[break] [01:54]
Translation: "Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies."
Prabhupāda: So,
bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [Bg 7.4]
Bhinnā means separated. Separated means... Kṛṣṅa explains in the Bhagavad-gītā that mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā [Bg 9.4].
[By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.]
Kṛṣṅa is everywhere. As it is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā,
eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṅḍa-koṭiṁ yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṅḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [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.]
Kṛṣṅa, by His one plenary portion... When we say of Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa is not alone. Kṛṣṅa has unlimited expansions. Just like one expansion is Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati [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.]
Kṛṣṅa expands Himself. There are millions and trillions of living entities. Anantyāya kalpate. The living entities... Sa ca anantyāya kalpate. So Kṛṣṅa's expansion is also ananta. Not only within the heart of all living entities, but He is within the atom also. Aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara. But this is only one plenary portion, expansion of Kṛṣṅa. Therefore in the morning we were studying—or yesterday—that to understand Kṛṣṅa philosophically or in truth, it requires a little intelligence. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānām [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.]
So Kṛṣṅa expands by His energy, one of the energy, external energy. Therefore it is called aparā. Kṛṣṅa will explain in the next verse, apareyam, inferior energy. For Kṛṣṅa there is no superior or inferior, but for us it is superior and inferior. Because Kṛṣṅa is the supreme spirit soul. Take, for example, just like electricity is producing heat and cool also. There is refrigerator. That is being worked out by the electric energy. And the heater is also being worked out by the electric energy. So we may distinguish this, that "This is heat and this is cold." But for Kṛṣṅa there is no such distinction. That will be understood by further explanation of this chapter.
So these energies, the external energy, Kṛṣṅa says they are separated. "Separated" means you cannot perceive Kṛṣṅa directly from this energy. All materialistic scientists, they cannot understand that earth is also Kṛṣṅa's energy, water is also Kṛṣṅa's energy, fire is also Kṛṣṅa's energy. But they are energy, that they can understand. They are accepting... The scientists, they are accepting that these are different energies. But whose energy, that they do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṅa is explaining herewith that "It is My energy, separated energy." If we analytically study how water can be energy of Kṛṣṅa... We should study Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa's energies very intelligently. Wherefrom this vast water of ocean came into existence? But we can understand from Bhagavad-gītā that this vast water has come from Kṛṣṅa's energy. Now, try to understand how Kṛṣṅa's energy can produce so large amount of water. So far I am concerned, I study in this way, that we produce perspiration from our body. That perspiration may be one ounce of water, but that is produced from my body. But Kṛṣṅa has got inconceivable energy. I have got also inconceivable energy. How the water is coming out, I do not know. It is inconceivable. But it is coming out. That's a fact. So I am a very small, teeny living entity. If I can produce... Because I am always limited, therefore my energy is also limited. But Kṛṣṅa is unlimited, so He can produce water from the perspiration of His body unlimitedly. We have to understand like that. Otherwise, it is not possible to understand how āpaḥ, water, came from the energy of Kṛṣṅa. It is coming from the living entity. Water is not coming from matter. Just like your perspiration is not coming... When the body is dead, the water is not coming, but so long you are living, the perspiration is there.
Therefore the source of all material elements is originally the supreme life, not matter. That is explained here: 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.]
But they are separated. How they are separated? That is explained in a different verse.
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni nāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ [Bg 9.4]
[By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.]
It is separated because in this material world you cannot directly perceive the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ: "I am not present there. Although it is coming from My energy, still, I am not present there." This is simultaneously-one-and-different philosophy.
So Kṛṣṅa says that ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭa... Everything is finer. Just like the earth is grosser than the water. Water, finer. Earth you cannot move, but water can move; therefore it is finer. And finer than the earth is the fire, and finer than the fire is air, and finer than the air is ether, and finer than the ether is the mind, and finer than the mind is intelligence, and finer than intelligence is my identity, ahaṅkāra. And finer than the ahaṅkāra is the soul. You have to study soul—finer, finer, finer, finer, finer. It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā in another place that indriyāṅi parāṅy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu parā buddhiḥ... [Bg 3.42].
[The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.]
In this way, finer, finer. And the soul is very small magnitude fine. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca [Cc Madhya 19.140].
[If we divide the tip of a hair into a hundred parts and then take one of these parts and divide it again into a hundred parts, that very fine division is the size of but one of the numberless living entities. They are all cit-kaṅa, particles of spirit, not matter.]
So everything is explained in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā. If we accept, then we get full knowledge. The beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā... In this chapter, Kṛṣṅa says, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṅu [Bg 7.1]: "Without any doubt and in full, as you can understand Me, I am going to explain."
So these five elements, gross elements, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ kham..., kham. And finer than, manaḥ, buddhiḥ, ahaṅkāraḥ, mind, intelligence and false ego. False ego means I am identifying with this matter, which I am not. Therefore ahaṅkāra. This ahaṅkāra is false ahaṅkāra, which I am not. I am accepting that I am this body, but actually I am not. Therefore I am saying it is false ego. Real ahaṅkāra is ahaṁ brahmāsmi. There is also ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra cannot be abolished. Ahaṅkāra will be there, but ahaṅkāra has to be cleansed. Therefore bhakti-mārga, the path of bhakti-yoga, is the cleansing process, clearing process. Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam [Cc Antya 20.12].
[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]
This is the process of cleansing the mirror of the heart. Mirror, when it isEverything is there, but it has to be cleansed. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. By chanting the Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, you'll be able to cleanse your misconception of life. Misconception of life is that "I am this matter." This is ahaṅkāra, false ahaṅkāra. But I am actually not this matter; I am spirit soul. Therefore pure ahaṅkāra is ahaṁ brahmāsmi, a spirit soul. That is the beginning of understanding. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati [Bg 18.54].
[And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.]
If one understands this fact, that "I am not this material body; I am a spirit soul," that is called brahma-bhūta.
So gradually, by understanding the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā and practicing it in life, we shall very easily understand the ātma-tattvam. That is the real business of human life. Unfortunately, we are not interested in the matter of understanding ātma-tattvam. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṅāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ [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.]
Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "My dear King..." He was speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit that "For ordinary men there are many subject matter of hearing." Śrotavyādīni. Śrotavya means the subject matter for hearing. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "For the ordinary man..." Who is that ordinary man? Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2]. Apaśyatām: one who has no interest to see what he is. Everyone is under this contemplation that he is this body and his bodily interest is the prime interest. But nobody sees the ātma-tattvam. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṅāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ. We have got so many books, so many newspapers, so many magazines, we hear and read. But we are not interested in hearing Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where ātma-tattvam, the science of soul, is described.
So why they are not interested? Now, apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Gṛheṣu, the household life, they are thinking, "This is life." Tātala saikate vāri-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramaṅī-samāje. Vidyāpati, a great poet, Vaiṣṅava poet, he has sung that... We are happy within this material world. How? Suta-mita-ramaṅī-samāje. Suta. Suta means children, and mita means friends and ramaṅī means woman. So actually, our material life, existing, is society, friendship and love. If there are nice, beautiful woman at home, children and friends, we are taking, "This is our life." But that is not life. Real life is to understand what I am, ātma-tattvam. Ātma-tattvam. Without understanding ātma-tattvam, the life is failure. Therefore Vidyāpati sings, tātala saikate vāri-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramaṅī-samāje. We have created this society, friendship and love in this material world for becoming happy. Everyone wants to be happy, because that is his natural inclination. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].
[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]
As Kṛṣṅa is happy always... You will see, Kṛṣṅa is enjoying His life with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī and the gopīs or the cowherds boys or His father, mother. That is spiritual, everything. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ [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.]
That is ānanda-cinmaya. A similar imitation here in this material world, the same thing, suta-mita-ramaṅī-samāje. But it is false. Just like you see water in the desert. You'll see there is vast mass of water in the desert, and the animal falsely go to drink the water and dies. Similarly, in this material world, this suta-mita-ramaṅī-samāje, what we are trying to become happy, that is like will-o'-the wisp, false thing.
Real life is in the society of Kṛṣṅa. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura therefore says, kṛṣṅera saṁsāra kara chāḍi' anācāra. If you enter into the society, friendship and love of Kṛṣṅa, that is perfection of life. Not in this false, 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.]
They are separated energy. This is also made by the Kṛṣṅa's energies, but it is separate, reflection, false representa... Chāyeva. Chāyeva means just like shadow. Just like you see your face in the mirror, but it is not actually the face; it is simply... The face is here, and the shadow is there. Similarly, this material world, made of bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhiḥ, they are just like reflection of the real life in the spiritual world. Therefore it is called separated energy. Why Kṛṣṅa says? Kṛṣṅa says here that bhinnā. Bhinnā means separated. The example I have already..., sometimes I give. Just like I speak in the tape recorder. When you play, replay the tape recorder, the same voice will come. But that is not myself. That is my separated energy. With my energy I have spoken something, I have vibrated some sound. That is recorded in the tape. When it is played back, it produces exactly the same sound, but still, it is separated from me. Try to understand. This material world is like that, bhinnā, separate. The real life is in the spiritual world. The real life is... Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi [SB 1.1.1]: "The real truth, the Absolute Truth, I am offering my obeisances to the Absolute Truth." So Kṛṣṅa is the Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṅa is explaining Himself. If we want to understand Kṛṣṅa, then, instead of speculating about Kṛṣṅa, better take what Kṛṣṅa teaching Himself. That will be perfect.
So the real understanding of Kṛṣṅa: that this material world is also Kṛṣṅa. But we do not know how to use it for Kṛṣṅa. If we take to that process... Kṛṣṅa's energy should be for Kṛṣṅa's purpose. That is Vaiṣṅava philosophy. Vaiṣṅava philosophy never says that this world is false. Why it is false? It is not false. As the Māyāvādī philosopher says that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā... No. Why jagan mithyā? Just like this temple is constructed. If somebody says, "Yes, it is very nicely constructed, but it is all false," shall I be happy? No. And actually, why it is false? It is not false; it is Kṛṣṅa's energy, the bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ. What is this temple? This temple is combination of this 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.]
Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ. This brick, what is this brick? Brick means you take earth, mix with water and put into the fire—it becomes brick. And there is air. So it is Kṛṣṅa's energy. It is not material; it is Kṛṣṅa's energy. Because the philosophy is that Kṛṣṅa's energy should be used for Kṛṣṅa's purpose. Then it is spiritual. That is our philosophy. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, this, gives this formula:
prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo phalgu vairāgyaṁ kathyate [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.256]
[On the other hand, one who rejects everything without knowledge of its relationship to Kṛṣṅa is not as complete in his renunciation.]
Phalgu-vairāgya. Phalgu means false. False. The phalgu, from river Phalgu is... Here, in India, there is a river Phalgu. You'll see that there is no water on the surface of the river. But if you push your hand within the sand, you'll get water. So phalgu-vairāgya means that I am giving up, renouncing everything, superficially, but within me there is a desire how to become God. I am giving up, but I cannot give up this desire. There is big, big philosophy on this point. The... They are trying to become one with God. But a devotee does not try to become one with God or separated from God. They are satisfied. In whatever condition God keeps him, he's satisfied.
So separated energy, in this way you have to understand, that although this energy is separated from Kṛṣṅa, it can be used for Kṛṣṅa. And when it is used for Kṛṣṅa, then it is spiritual; it is no more material. Material means forgetfulness. Karmīs are constructing big, big houses, skyscraper houses. The purpose is to enjoy himself. The same thing, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ, mixing together, brick or stone or cement, if it is used for Kṛṣṅa, then it is yukta-vairāgya.
anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṅa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255]
[When one is not attached to anything but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Kṛṣṅa, one is rightly situated above possessiveness. On the other hand, one who rejects everything without knowledge of its relationship to Kṛṣṅa is not as complete in his renunciation.]
So our philosophy is that. Although this material world, 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.]
they are separated from Kṛṣṅa, we can use it for Kṛṣṅa. Just like the same example: The tape recorder, it is material, but it can be used for Kṛṣṅa's purpose. We are writing books, recording in the tape recorder. That nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṅa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. There is no need of giving up this bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ, as the Māyāvādī philosopher says. You can utilize. After all, it is Kṛṣṅa's energy. This is the best philosophy, that one man's property should be used for the proprietor. That is the best use.
So we do not neglect this bhūmir āpaḥ..., although it is separated energy, but when we reconnect in the service of the Lord, it becomes spiritual. It requires little time to understand. And the example, as we have given many times, that you put one iron rod in the fire, it becomes warm, warmer, warmer, warmer. Then, when it is red hot, it is no longer iron rod, but it is fire. Similarly, everything in this material world, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ [Bg 7.4], although it is separated from Kṛṣṅa, if you engage it in the service of Kṛṣṅa, it is no more material; it is spiritual. This is the philosophy of Vaiṣṅavas. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṅa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate.
So this is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. If you always remember that everything, whatever we are using, that is Kṛṣṅa's energy... We are also Kṛṣṅa's energy, jīva-bhūta. That will be explained in the next verse. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Another prakṛti, parā-prakṛti, spiritual energy. What is that? Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate [Bg 7.5].
[Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.]
So both of us... The matter is also Kṛṣṅa's energy, and the spirit soul is also Kṛṣṅa's energy. And there is another, spiritual world. That is also Kṛṣṅa's energy. Everything is Kṛṣṅa's energy. So when the spiritual energy is engaged in the service of Kṛṣṅa, even this material energy, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ, that also becomes converted into spiritual energy exactly like that iron rod converted into fire.
So it requires intelligence. If you think how all things can be changed into spiritual world, that is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]
