Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.40

Nitāi: [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

dyotanaṁ pacanaṁ pānam adanaṁ hima-mardanam tejaso vṛttayas tv etāḥ śoṣaṅaṁ kṣut tṛḍ eva ca [SB 3.26.40]

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"Fire is appreciated by its light and by its capacity to cook, to digest, to destroy cold, to evaporate, and to give rise to hunger, thirst, eating and drinking."

Prabhupāda:

dyotanaṁ pacanaṁ pānam adanaṁ hima-mardanam tejaso vṛttayas tv etāḥ śoṣaṅaṁ kṣut tṛḍ eva ca [SB 3.26.40]

So people may be astonished that "They are reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why they are discussing the action and reaction of fire?" Generally, they think Bhāgavata reading means rāsa-pañcādhyāya, bās, immediately jump over to the rāsa-līlā of Kṛṣṅa. Actually, to know God means to know everything in detail. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3].

[If one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of all controllers, one can understand everything else.]

That is the Vedic injunction. If we understand Kṛṣṅa, then we must understand also how Kṛṣṅa's different energies are working. That is called tattvataḥ. Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye [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.]

The other day I was reading Gandhi's discourses on Bhagavad-gītā. He said that "I can imagine any way Kṛṣṅa. I do not accept the historical Kṛṣṅa." In this way, so many things. He was a big man. He can say like that. But we cannot imagine or manufacture Kṛṣṅa. That is not possible. That is not Kṛṣṅa. God is never imagined or speculated or manufactured by my limited knowledge and limited senses. That is not Kṛṣṅa. Of course, Kṛṣṅa is everything. But if we want to know tattvataḥ Kṛṣṅa, in truth, how Kṛṣṅa has created the pañca-bhūta and how each bhūta or each material element is working, that is being discussed. This is perfect knowledge, tattvataḥ.

So because they do not want to know Kṛṣṅa in tattvataḥ, factually, therefore they mistake Kṛṣṅa. Especially they attack Kṛṣṅa, that "He killed so many demons. He had rāsa-līlā with so many gopīs. He married so many wives"—misunderstand Kṛṣṅa. But if Kṛṣṅa is all-powerful, almighty, then what is difficulty for Him to marry 16,108 wife? Kṛṣṅa has many, many millions and millions of devotees. Some of them desiring to Kṛṣṅa..., to serve Kṛṣṅa as servant. Some of them are desiring Kṛṣṅa, to serve Him as friend or as father, as mother, as lover, as wife. So there are many devotees, ananta devotees, only not one or two. So Kṛṣṅa has to satisfy every one of them. That is not difficult for Him. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham [Bg 4.11].

[All of them—as they surrender unto Me—I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.]

There are so many millions and trillions of devotees. They are surrendering to Kṛṣṅa and desiring to serve Him in his different propensity, and Kṛṣṅa fulfills everyone's desire.

So to understand Kṛṣṅa, kṛṣṅa-upadeśa, to know about Kṛṣṅa, that is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is like that. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṅa'-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128].

[Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.]

If you study just like here, analytical study of fire: dyotanam, illumination; pacanam, digesting; pānam, increasing thirst... If you don't feel thirsty, that means the agni, or the fire element within the stomach, is not working. Agni-māndya. Māndya, the word comes from manda. Manda means slow. So the Āyurvedic treatment, they say it, agni-māndya. So when there is agni-māndya, there is medicine how to ignite the fire again. There is fire within the stomach, within the abdomen. Everything is there. So according to Āyurveda treatment, this kapha, pitta, vāyu. Vāyu... About the air we have discussed something in the previous verses. Now agni, and then kapha, mucus. Mucus, bile and fire.

So to know Kṛṣṅa means know everything, because Kṛṣṅa is everything. How Kṛṣṅa is working in everything, even in different parts of our limbs, represented by demigods, they are all described. Even our eyelids moving under the direction of some demigod. And demigods, they are different parts and parcels, bodily limbs of whole Kṛṣṅa. So do not mind, "Why Bhāgavata is studying Kṛṣṅa so analytically?" That is required. If we understand Kṛṣṅa by analytical study, how His divine power is working throughout the whole universe, within the atom, within myself, within the movable, immovable, everywhere, antaryāmī... Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṅḍa-koṭim [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.]

Jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi. This universe, that is not one universe. We are in one of the universes. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has described, "As there are many multimillions of mustard seed within a bag." Just imagine. If you bring one bag of mustard seed, round, round, so that round, round seed, that each and every universe. So one devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Vāsudeva Datta, he prayed to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "Sir, You have come. You deliver all these fallen souls, conditioned souls within the universe. Your kindness can do that. And if You think they are so sinful they cannot be delivered, then I am prepared to take all their sins. I shall remain here alone to suffer. You kindly deliver them." This is Vaiṣṅava desire. Vaiṣṅava is not selfish. He is... Vaiṣṅava's real qualification is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī: he is unhappy by seeing others unhappy. Personally he has no unhappiness. Why he should be unhappy? He has got Kṛṣṅa. But as he has become happy by getting Kṛṣṅa, so he wants others also to become happy, and therefore he tries to spread Kṛṣṅa consciousness. This is called para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He knows that all these conditioned souls, they are, I mean to say, rotting in this material world and suffering. And the only remedy is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That's a fact. Only remedy is. Bhavauṣadhāc chrotra mano-'bhirāmāt [SB 10.1.4].

This was recommended by Śrīla Parīkṣit Mahārāja, the king. He said that this Kṛṣṅa consciousness is bhavauṣadhi. Bhavauṣadhi means bhava. Bhava means this repeated birth and death. Bhava means you be, and again you not be—not be for few months. Our death means a sleeping for seven months. That is the description we get from the śāstras. Just like you go on sleep every night, so death means to sleep for seven months, unconsciousness, very deep sleep in the womb of the mother. Then as soon as another body is grown up by the ingredients supplied by mother's body or nature, then we get back again consciousness. Just like when we sleep deeply, there is no consciousness. There is consciousness—this is called suṣupti, unconscious. And again, as soon as the body is complete, then we get back our consciousness. Then we become in sleepy condition. Then again, when we come out of the mother's abdomen, that is awakening state. There are three states of conditions: jāgara, suṣupti and svapna—dreaming condition, awakening condition and unconscious or deep... Actually, we do not die. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit [Bg 2.20]. There is no question of death. It is simply sleeping or deep sleeping, like that.

So if we keep Kṛṣṅa consciousness very active always, that means try to understand Kṛṣṅa from different angles of vision. Here also, as we are studying analytically the functions of agni, but what is this agni? This is also Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's energy. Bhūmir āpo anala vāyuḥ [Bg 7.4],

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

Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā. Anala. Anala means agni. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. They are not different from Kṛṣṅa. Just like sunshine: sunshine is not different from Kṛṣṅa. Whenever there is sun, wherever there is sun, there is sunshine. Similarly, wherever there is Kṛṣṅa, the Kṛṣṅa's energies are also there. Therefore Viṣṅu. Viṣṅu means all-pervading. So Kṛṣṅa's energies are spread everywhere, just like the illumination, dyotanam. It is called dyotanam, illumination. If the fire is there, there must be illumination. And you have seen in the morning—as soon as the sun..., before the sun rising actually, before we can see the sun, immediately there is illumination, dyotanam. So the energy, sunshine, is the energy of the sun. It is always there. Sunshine is not differentiated from the sun. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa's energy is not differentiated from Kṛṣṅa. Therefore fire is Kṛṣṅa's energy, air is Kṛṣṅa's energy, water is Kṛṣṅa's energy, land is Kṛṣṅa's energy, the sky is Kṛṣṅa's energy. This is Kṛṣṅa's all-pervasiveness, or God's all-pervasiveness. Parasya brahmaṅaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat [Viṣṅu Purāṅa]: "Akhilam, the entire universe, is expansion of Kṛṣṅa's energy."

Therefore in the advanced stage of devotional life a devotee does not see fire; he sees Kṛṣṅa. A devotee does not see air, but he sees Kṛṣṅa. A devotee does not see sky, but he sees Kṛṣṅa. Sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti [Cc Madhya 8.274].

[The mahā-bhāgavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.]

Iṣṭa-deva. Kṛṣṅa is the worshipable Deity of the devotee. So immediately he sees anything, because he knows it is Kṛṣṅa's energy... Just like we, generally, as soon as we see in the morning light, we can understand there is sun. Immediately. There is no delay. "Now there is sun." The sun may not be visible immediately, but because the darkness is gone and there is light, although glimpse light, now we understand, "This is morning, and now there is sun." Similarly, a advanced devotee, because he knows everything is Kṛṣṅa's energy... So this is energy study. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg 7.8]:

[O son of Kuntī [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.]

"Apsu, in the water, the taste I am." Because every one of us become thirsty and we take water. And actually it is so; the taste of water is Kṛṣṅa. Otherwise who can give taste unless Kṛṣṅa is there? Now take. There are big, vast water in front of Bombay. Now change the taste. Then there is no need of acquiring water from here and there, bringing big, big pipes. No. You take and change the taste, salty taste, and making drinkable. No. That you cannot unless Kṛṣṅa does it. Therefore the taste is Kṛṣṅa. It is not difficult to understand.

So if we study in this way, analytically, everything, Kṛṣṅa's energy... Śaśi-sūryayoḥ. Prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. Kṛṣṅa says, "I am the illumination of the sun and the moon." So you can create by... Scientists, they say the sun is combination of so many chemicals. Now you create one sun and illuminate the whole universe. That you cannot do, because that is Kṛṣṅa. You cannot create Kṛṣṅa. You cannot imagine Kṛṣṅa. That is not possible. Foolish persons, they may say, "Kṛṣṅa is my imagination." No, He's not imagination. He's fact. Simply one has to know how Kṛṣṅa is present in everything. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā:

raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ praṅavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu [Bg 7.8]

[O son of Kuntī [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.]

So there is list of understanding Kṛṣṅa. Don't say that "We have not seen God. Can you show me God?" Why don't you see? The God says, "I am here," but why don't you see? God says, "I am the taste of water." So when you drink water, why don't you see God in the taste? He is visible in every step. Every working of this nature, He is doing that. Simply we have to make our eyes to see. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Everything is there, present. Kṛṣṅa, God, is present everywhere. Aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham [Bs 5.35].

Kṛṣṅa is present here. Kṛṣṅa is within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna 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.]

But when you learn the art to see Him within your heart, that is called mystic yoga. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ [SB 12.13.1].

[Sūta Gosvāmī said: Unto that personality whom Brahmā, Varuṅa, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada-kramas and Upaniṣads, to whom the chanters of the Sāma Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogīs see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and becoming fully absorbed in thoughts of Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon—unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead I offer my humble obeisances.]

The yogic process is to see Kṛṣṅa within the heart. That is real yoga. That is real yoga system. Try to see Kṛṣṅa within the heart. Then you first-class yogī. That is the perfection of topmost yogic process.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ [Bg 6.47]

[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 you can learn how to see Kṛṣṅa within the heart always, twenty-four hours, then your life is perfect. That is perfection of life. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement: how you can learn to see Kṛṣṅa within your heart, within others' heart, and everywhere. Sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti [Cc Madhya 8.274].

This is wanted.

So this is possible by increasing our love for Kṛṣṅa. Simply we have to increase our love. Just like in practical life also, we begin to love somebody, one after another, gradually, not all of a sudden; similarly, we have to increase our love for Kṛṣṅa. That love for Kṛṣṅa is the devotional process.

śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sarvātma-nivedanam [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.]

Then surrender. That is the ultimate state of loving affairs: surrender. Why one should surrender to another person unless there is love? Just like wife surrenders to husband and husband protects the wife. This is general duty. So why one man is interested with one woman for giving her all protection, and why one man is surrendered to..., one woman is surrendered to one man? What is the basic principle? The basic principle is love. So similarly, our full surrender, full Kṛṣṅa consciousness, can be achieved when we develop our love for Kṛṣṅa little by little, little by little, and then come to the perfection. When we come to the perfection, then we cannot live without Kṛṣṅa. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us. In the last stage of His life He exhibited such manifestation of love that He was dying without Kṛṣṅa. Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me [Śikṣāṣṭaka 7].

[O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.]

Śūnyāyitam. Śūnyāyitam, "everything is vacant." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me. "Without Govinda, I see everything vacant." Sometimes we have got experience. If we lose a friend, a son, at that time everything becomes vacant without my son, without my lover. That is practical. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was exhibiting that type of love for Kṛṣṅa, that He was feeling that "Without Kṛṣṅa, everything is void." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me. This He taught personally, how to raise oneself to the topmost stage of love for Kṛṣṅa. That is the ultimate aim and object of life. Premāñ...

[break] ...yaṁ śyāma-sundaram acintya-guṅa-svarūpaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.38].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṅa Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.]

To see Kṛṣṅa within the heart always... [break] [end]