Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.23–4

Nitāi: [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

mahat-tattvād vikurvāṅād bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ samapadyata

vaikārikas taijasaś ca tāmasaś ca yato bhavaḥ manasaś cendriyāṅāṁ ca bhūtānāṁ mahatām api [SB 3.26.23–24]

[break] [01:13]

"The material energy springs up from the mahat-tattva, which evolved from the Lord's own energy. The material ego is endowed predominantly with active power of three kinds—good, passionate and ignorant. From these three types of material ego the mind, the senses of perception and the organs of action and the gross elements evolve."

[break]

Prabhupāda: [coughing] Hmm.

mahat-tattvād vikurvāṅād bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ samapadyata

vaikārikas taijasaś ca tāmasaś ca yato bhavaḥ manasaś cendriyāṅāṁ ca bhūtānāṁ mahatām api [SB 3.26.23–24]

So, the process of creation, how one after another it takes place, that is described here. So the total energy, mahat-tattva, by interaction, the begins... The moving, the pushing, begins from the vīrya, bhagavad-vīryatā. Bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt. Vīrya means energy. We understand vīrya sometimes, the semina. It is something like that; not exactly the material semina, but potency or energy, spiritual energy. That is the beginning of creation.

So wherefrom the creative energy begins? That is... In the Vedic literature we understand, sa aikṣata: "Simply by glancing." Not... When there is the word vīrya, it does not mean that, as in the material world, we discharge semina by sex intercourse. It is not like that. That vīrya, that energy, can be emanated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead any way. Therefore bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti [Bs 5.32]. Vīryatā we can understand as semina discharged from the genital. It is not like that. Vīryatā, that vīrya, or that energy, can be emanated from any part of the body, of the transcendental spiritual body, everywhere. That is called omnipotency. So just like Lord Brahmā was born not from the womb of Lakṣmī Nārāyaṅa... Nārāyaṅa was lying down, and Lakṣmī was present. To beget Lord Brahmā, there was no necessity of taking the help of Lakṣmījī. He sprouted a lotus flower from His navel, and there was Brahmā.

So everything is possible from every part of the body, transcendental body. That is spiritual body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs 5.1], omnipotent.

[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.]

That is explained in the Brahma-saṁhitā, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. The limbs and the parts of the body has got the potency of any other limb. Just like we can beget child, we can impregnate by the genital, but it is not required for the Supreme Personality of God. In the Vedas it is said, sa aikṣata: "Simply by glancing." The same. "She [He] glanced over the total material energy, and the material energy, total mahat-tattva, became agitated." Then, one after another, the creation was there.

So kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ. Kriyā-śakti, the creative energy, kriyā-śakti. God is not impotent. He is fully potent, and His energies are acting. We can experience in our daily life. So this kriyā-śakti begins in three different categories, tri-vidhaḥ. Kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ samapadyata. Ahaṅkāra, ego, identification, "I am." Everyone is conscious of his activities, ego: "I am doing this." But this ego, this is called false ego. This material..., under the material energy, this ego is called another way upādhi, "designation." The real ego is ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." But on account of being in touch, being born in this material world, my kriyā-śakti, my activities, are being done under different designation, under tri-vidhaḥ. Why under different designation? Because immediately there is creation, the guṅamayī, the three kinds of modes of material nature, they also become manifest, and on account of this, our ego, false ego, association with a particular type of material modes of nature, I am thinking, "I am like this" or "I am this." Just like in this body, I am thinking, "I am a human being" or "I am Indian" or "I am brāhmaṅa" or "I am sannyāsī," or this or that, so many things. Similarly, when I am in the dog's body, so I think, "I am dog. My business is barking and give service to the master." In different bodies different ego. This is called upādhi, upādhi, three kinds of upādhi: sāttvika-upādhi, rājasika-upādhi, tāmasika-upādhi. But originally there was no upādhi. The upādhi begins when the sṛṣṭi, creation, begins under different ego.

So originally it is svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ śāntatvam iti cetasaḥ. The consciousness is pure. The same example, as we have explained yesterday, that the water is coming from the sky. Before touching the ground it is pure, crystal, distilled water. So before touching this material energy... Icchā-dveṣa samutthena sarge yānti parantapa [Bg 7.27]. Before our material body creation, in spiritual consciousness, it is clear, crystal clear. But when it is agitated by the material desires... In Bengali there is that poetry, kṛṣṅa-boliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare [Prema-vivarta]. What is that? That desire is that "I can independently enjoy." The example... There are many such examples. Just like a man is honest, but if he becomes polluted by the desire that "If I can get that money by fair or unfair means, I will become rich, so let me take this money," so immediately mind becomes agitated, and it becomes under the spell of criminality. Then gradually, under superior judgment, I am put into the prison house.

So similarly, originally we are all pure, Kṛṣṅa conscious, but as we have got little independence... Because we are part and parcel of God, therefore—God has got full independence—so we have got independence according to the quantity. Just like a small drop of ocean water has got a little quantity of salt also, similarly, we are aṅu and God is vibhu; He is Prabhu, and we are servant; He is master, we are servant. The master has got independence, and the servant has also independence, not that because one is servant, he has no independence. He has got independence. If he likes, he can give up the service of the master and live independently. This is crude example. Similarly, our material contamination means that, when we desire to live without Kṛṣṅa consciousness, "Why we shall be subservient to Kṛṣṅa? We shall live independently..." That is going on.

Material life means everyone is trying to become victorious in the struggle of existence without God consciousness. That is our material disease. Kṛṣṅa-boliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare [Prema-vivarta]. We may revolt. That independence we have got, little independence, and we can misuse it, that "Why shall I serve Kṛṣṅa? Let me serve myself." "Let me serve myself" means "Let me serve my different propensities—kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya," like that. My independence means "I will not serve God; I will serve my lusty desires." You cannot become independent. This is a concoction only, that "I will not serve Kṛṣṅa." But you have to serve. What is that? "Then I serve my lusty desires." Indriya-tṛpti, indriya-tṛpti. Yad indriya-prītaye. Simply to satisfy... Kṛṣṅa consciousness means there is no such thing as indriya-tṛpti, or sense gratification. Everything for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord: hṛṣīkeṅa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [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.]

Hṛṣīka means the indriya, or the senses. That is stated here also, manasaś cendriyāṅāṁ ca bhūtānāṁ mahatām api, that different types of indriya for sense gratification, we develop. This is the creation, every one of us developing, and it is become complicated with so many other desires. Each life is full of desires.

Therefore in the Guru-stotra in the morning we recite, ār nā koriho mane āśā. Is it not? What is that?

Devotee: Ār nā koriho mane āśā.

Prabhupāda: Ār nā koriho mane āśā. So that is required. Guru-mukha-padma-vākya... Eh?

Devotee: Cittete koriyā aikya.

Prabhupāda: Cittete koriyā aikya, ār nā koriho mane āśā. That is liberation. Otherwise, we shall be implicated. And what guru says? Guru says the same thing as Kṛṣṅa says. That is guru. Kṛṣṅa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]. Kṛṣṅa also... Guru also says the same thing. That is guru's business, that "You surrender to Kṛṣṅa and fully be engaged in Kṛṣṅa's service." So therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises, "Take this very seriously." Ār nā koriho mane āśā: "No more. Stop any other desires." Then your life is successful. Ār nā koriho mane āśā.

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām [Bg 2.41]

Buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām. Vyavasāyātmikā, niścayātmikā. "Now, my life will be successful when I accept very seriously the instruction given by Kṛṣṅa and it is delivered to me through the transparent via media of guru. Then it will be successful." Ār nā koriho mane āśā.

So some way or other, originally, we are all Kṛṣṅa conscious, pure, svaccha. Svacchatvam avikāritvam. Now vikurvāṅāt, now, being transformed or agitated somehow or other... Anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṅava-jale. We cannot ascertain when this transformation took place. There is no necessity of making research how we fell in this material contamination or envelopment. But we should be intelligent enough to understand that we are fallen now. That is... How we fell, you can trace out the history, but it is very difficult because anādi karama-phale—nobody can ascertain. Just like when a man is diseased he goes to doctor. So when he goes to the doctor, the doctor gives him medicine according to the symptoms and the diagnosis. There is no necessity of find out the history, how he fell diseased. There is history, but that is not possible to trace out. Therefore it is said, anādi karama-phale. Anādi. Anādi means... Ādi means the creation. Creation... Before creation I contaminated this desire, icchā-dveṣa samutthena [Bg 7.27]. I became revolting to the desires. Kṛṣṅa says... Every one of us revolting now also. Kṛṣṅa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66], but we are revolting: "Why? Why shall I surrender to You? This is too much You are demanding." This is going on. This is going on. This is the disease. And to cure the disease Kṛṣṅa Himself comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmi [Bg 4.7]. But we are so stubborn that we won't..., do not like to be cured.

So what Kṛṣṅa will do? How Kṛṣṅa will help? He is coming. He is sending His devotee. He is leaving behind Him the śāstras. Ataeva kṛṣṅa veda-purāṅa karila. The Vedic literature, Veda, Purāṅa... "So I elaborately explained the Vedic ideals in the Purāṅas." Purāṅa means supplementary. They are not to be neglected, the history. Then Mahābhārata, then Vedānta Purāṅa, er, Vedānta philosophy, then explanation of Vedānta philosophy, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And Mahābhārata means which contains Bhagavad-gītā. So many literatures there are. And who has made it? Made it, Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is Kṛṣṅa's incarnation, Vyāsāvatāra. That is stated in the śāstras. So Vyāsadeva made all this literature. That means Kṛṣṅa made through His incarnation. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta we find this verse: anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṅa bhuli' gela, ataeva kṛṣṅa veda purāṅa karila.

So some way or other, we are fallen in this material condition of life, making a... Prakṛti... Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṅi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg 15.7]. This manasaś cendriyāṅi, as it is stated here, manasaś ca indriyāṅāṁ ca bhūtānāṁ mahatām api. Mahā-bhūta, mahā-bhūta, these five elements, kṣitir āp tejo marud vyoma, and mind. So in this way we are entrapped, and there is struggle. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṅi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati, mamaivāṁśa [Bg 15.7]: "They are My part and parcel. They can live as good as I am, but unfortunately, they are undergoing a struggle for existence on account of this polluted mind." What is that pollution? Kṛṣṅa-boliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare [Prema-vivarta]. He thinks that "What is the use of..." this is, what is called, "service mentality, slave mentality." They say, "This bhakti-mārga is slave mentality. Instead of becoming God, they want to become servant or slave of God. So this is slave mentality." No, this is not slave mentality. This is actual liberation, because our constitutional position is to remain. We are servant of Kṛṣṅa, but somehow or other, we revolted. Still we are revolting. Although Kṛṣṅa coming and canvassing, "Just surrender unto Me," but still we are revolting. This is our disease. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṅi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg 15.7].

So if we want to be cured again and come to our original consciousness, Kṛṣṅa consciousness, which is svacchatvam avikāritvam śāntatvam cetasaḥ, then we have to take to this Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is the only way. There is no other way to become peaceful. Śāntatvam avikār..., without any change, fixed-up mind—that is Kṛṣṅa consciousness, śānti. If you want... Everyone is hankering after śānti. The śānti formula is given everywhere in the śāstra. And the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṅa, is personally saying, "This is śānti." What is this?

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā mām... [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.]

Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām—who? Not these political leaders. We are taking these political leaders as our friend and carried away by their dictation. Some political leader says, "You do like this," another political leader, "Do like that." So we are not. No. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka..., suhṛdaṁ. If we want to take advice of real well-wisher, so suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Similarly, a sādhu, he is also suhṛdaṁ sarva-dehinām, the same thing. As Kṛṣṅa is the supreme friend, well-wisher, suhṛt... Suhṛt means good heart. Friend, mitra, it is little different from suhṛt. Mitra means I make friendship with you with some motive. But a father, he is suhṛt, mother is suhṛt, always well-wishing. Or there may be some friend also, always well-wishing. But the best example, that the father is always well-wishing: "How my son will be well-situated? How he will be happy?" Similarly, Kṛṣṅa is... Kṛṣṅa says that "When one can understand Me as suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām," then śāntim ṛcchati, "then he will get śānti, śāntatvam." When we accept it, firmly convinced that "Kṛṣṅa is my father, Kṛṣṅa is my friend, Kṛṣṅa is my well-wisher..." And Kṛṣṅa says. Where is the difficulty? Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg 18.66]. He takes charge. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṅaśyati [Bg 9.31].

[He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.]

He is giving assurance.

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ striyo śūdrās tathā vaiśyās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim [Bg 9.32]

[O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas [merchants], as well as śūdras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination.]

Everything is there.

So on account of this dirty position of material contamination, we cannot accept Kṛṣṅa as the real friend. Therefore we cannot get śānti. So if we want really śānti, then we must accept the formula, suhṛdaṁ sarva-dehināṁ jñātvā mām, not this political leader, that political leader. No. They do not know what is the actually path of śānti. They cannot. They do not have śānti in themselves. How they can...? "Physician, heal thyself." The physician himself is a diseased person, māyā-mohita, so how they can help us? So this is not possible. We have to accept Kṛṣṅa as suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā [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.]

He is the proprietor of everything. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. Maheśvaram. Īśvara, maheśvaram. Parameśvaram. Maheśvaram or parameśvaram. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṅaḥ [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.]

In this way, if we can understand that "Kṛṣṅa is the proprietor, Kṛṣṅa is the enjoyer, Kṛṣṅa is my supreme friend," then śāntatvam, we can get śānti. Otherwise this material envelopment will always create disturbances and... Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt [SB 11.2.37]. Then we will be always in fearful condition, in anxiety. But if we accept this formula, then no more we are in this, I mean to say, hodgepodge of this material existence. We will live clearly, svacchatvam. That is called svacchatvam avikāritvam.

So a Kṛṣṅa conscious person is not agitated by the material action and reaction. He remains fixed-up, naiṣṭhikī-bhakti. This is called naiṣṭhikī-bhakti. Niṣṭhā, firmly convinced. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ [SB 1.2.19].

[As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.]

Naiṣṭhikī-bhakti. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu [SB 1.2.18].

[By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.]

This is abhadra, this material contamination, kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ, three kinds of kriyā-śakti: working in the modes of ignorance, working in the modes of passion... These are the moha, that when these two things, kriyā-śakti, this kriyā-śakti under the spell of passion and spell of ignorance, is almost gone... Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā.

So this is the only process. Let us hear from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, not these professional. But just like here Kapiladeva is explaining Sāṅkhya philosophy. Every word of Bhāgavatam, sublime. And this is given to us by Vyāsadeva, because we do not know how to get out of this entanglement of material envelopment. Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣāt. Anartha. On account of being entangled in this material modes of nature, we have accumulated so many unwanted things, anartha. That is called anartha. Artha means substance, and anartha means illusory things. So many things. So that is our material condition of life, and the only remedy is become Kṛṣṅa conscious, and that is... How we can become Kṛṣṅa conscious? Śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ [SB 7.5.23].

[Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṅu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṅa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.]

Viṣṅu means Kṛṣṅa. Simply hear and speak about Kṛṣṅa. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]