Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.395

Prabhupāda: Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [indistinct comments to Pradyumna] This is from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Twenty.

kona brahmāṅḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṅa [Cc Madhya 20.395]

Āgama-purāṅa means Vedic literature. Āgama, "which is coming from higher plane," not manufactured here. Āgama-purāṅa. And Purāṅa means the old history of the world, Purāṅa. Purāṅa, some of the modern scholars, they take everything as mythology, imagination. That is not fact. They're real history. Purāṅa. Purāṅa means very old. Nityaḥ śāśvato yaṁ purāṅo [Bg 2.20]. In Hindi it is called Purāṅa. Purāṅa means "old." The Purāṅas means the old history, not only of this world, but of the whole universe. Purāṅa is also Vedic evidence. Purāṅa is not ordinary thing. Therefore here it is said, āgama-purāṅa, Vedic literatures. Śrīla Madhvācārya has accepted the Vedic literatures—four Vedas, Vedānta-sūtra, Upaniṣads, Purāṅas, Rāmāyaṅa, Mahābhārata. They're all Vedic literature. So here it is said, kono brahmāṅḍe. [aside:] Come here. This room is very nice.

Devotee: Is it?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Although it is not very big, but very comfortable. Dakṣina, dakṣina-rāja.

So,

kona brahmāṅḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṅa

Nitya-līlā. Nitya-līlā means everlasting pastimes. Our līlā, material, that is not nitya-līlā. Whatever I'm acting by this body, it is not nitya; it is temporary. I am the son of such and such family, I am such and such important person, my name is such and such, my position is such and such—these are not nitya. This is temporary. As soon as the body is finished, everything is finished. Then another līlā: I am such and such dog, I am such and such this and that. With the change of body, our līlā is finished. Therefore ours is not nitya-līlā. But Kṛṣṅa's, Bhagavān's activities, they are nitya-līlā. That is the difference. Nitya means eternal. Kṛṣṅa's Vṛndāvana līlā is going on. It is nitya-līlā. Just like what is the time now?

Devotee: Quarter to eight.

Prabhupāda: Quarter to eight. This quarter to eight is a crude example of the sun. It is going on. It is not that quarter to eight here, but when it will be eight, in some other place it is quarter to eight. Try to understand. Somewhere the sun is rising and setting within this regulation. Now suppose in Hyderabad it is quarter to eight, and say it is in the... Eastern side?

Mahāṁsa: Central India.

Prabhupāda: Central India. So the sun will pass. It will be eight. But the sun will go somewhere where it is quarter to eight. Is it not? Somewhere the sun will pass, and it is quarter to eight. That quarter to eight is also permanent. Somewhere there will be, must be quarter to eight. This is crude example. This example is given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu to explain what is the meaning of nitya-līlā. So this is material example. And material, everything is temporary. Still we find some similarity of nitya-līlā. And what to speak of spiritual. Spiritual, it is clearly said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20].

So kono brahmāṅḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna. Just like we are opening the temple. This is also nitya-līlā. In some brahmāṅḍa there is this opening ceremony of temple. When tomorrow we shall open, day after tomorrow it is opened, but day after tomorrow in some brahmāṅḍa it is being opened. This is nitya-līlā. Some other brahmāṅḍa. Again it is finished; in another brahmāṅḍa it is being opened. In another brahmāṅḍa it is being opened. There is no end. This is called nitya-līlā. In some brahmāṅḍa Kṛṣṅa is born, Janmāṣṭamī; it is finished here. In other brahmāṅḍa, again Janmāṣṭamī. Every moment. This is pastimes of Kṛṣṅa. Kona brahmāṅḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna. There must be some... The same example: quarter to eight is somewhere. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa's līlā, it is eternal. Somewhere it is going on. And you have no experience of one brahmāṅḍa, what to speak of innumerable brahmāṅḍas.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu was requested by one of His devotees, "Sir, You have so kindly come. Please liberate all the living entities of this brahmāṅḍa, and You take them with You to Vaikuṅṭha. And if You think that they're so sinful they cannot be taken away, then please give all their sinful action to me. I shall suffer. You take them." This is [not] Vaiṣṅava's philosophy, that "You suffer. I'll go to Vaikuṅṭha." That is not Vaiṣṅava philosophy. Vaiṣṅava philosophy is that "I take your all sinful activities. Let me suffer here. You go to Vaikuṅṭha." This is Vaiṣṅava. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, "Suppose I take all the living entities to Vaikuṅṭha. Do you think that the māyā's business will be stopped? No. This brahmāṅḍa is one of the mustard seeds in the bag of mustard seeds." In the bag of mustard seeds, can anybody count how many mustard seeds are there? So here it is called kona brahmāṅḍa. This is one of the brahmāṅḍa, universe. And there are so many universes that it is just like this one seed of mustard, one grain of mustard seed, and there is a bag of mustard seeds. That is kona brahmāṅḍe.

So in each brahmāṅḍa Kṛṣṅa's līlā is going on. Now you count. This is Kṛṣṅa. They become very cheaply God, Kṛṣṅa, but they do not know what is Kṛṣṅa. Therefore they take it so cheaply, that "Anyone can become God. Anyone can become Kṛṣṅa." Mūḍha. Māyayā-apahṛta-jñānāḥ. These rascals, they say like that. But they do not know what is Kṛṣṅa.

manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti mām... [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.]

They do not know what is Kṛṣṅa. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṅḍa-nāthāḥ [Bs 5.48].

[Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṅu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṅu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṅu is the portion of portion.]

And they're coming out... Just like within our breathing there are so many things, particles, or germs are coming, similarly, with the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṅu, so many universes are coming. This is Bhagavān. By breathing period innumerable universes are created. Not that they create something jugglery and become Bhagavān. Our conception of Bhagavān from the śāstra is different.

So Kṛṣṅa's creation of this brahmāṅḍa and His pastimes, they are going on, nitya-līlā. Kono kono bhāgyavāne dekhibāre pāya. The līlā is going on constantly, but one who is fortunate enough, he can see how līlā is...

kona brahmāṅḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṅa [Cc Madhya 20.395]

It is not that Kṛṣṅa dāsa Kavirāja Goswami is manufacturing some idea. No. He says, kahe āgama-purāṅa. "I do not manufacture anything." That is not ācārya. Ācārya does not manufacture anything concocted. He quotes from the Vedic literature, āgama-purāṅa. That is the qualification.

So,

goloka, gokula-dhāma-'vibhu' kṛṣṅa-sama kṛṣṅecchāya brahmāṅḍa-gaṅe tāhāra saṅkrama [Cc Madhya 20.396]

So kṛṣṅa-līlā is going on in the spiritual world, but by Kṛṣṅa's desire that spiritual world also comes down in this material world. Just like a big man, he lives in his palace, but if he likes he can go anywhere, and he has the same facility of his palace by arrangement. Similarly, when Kṛṣṅa comes within this material world, He has all the paraphernalia of His Goloka Vṛndāvana līlā. As such this Vṛndāvana is as good as the original Vṛndāvana. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa, tanaya tad-dhāmaṁ vṛndāvanam [Sri Hari Bhakti Kalpa Latikā]. This Vṛndāvana is not ordinary place; it is the same Goloka Vṛndāvana. By Kṛṣṅa's omnipotency the same Vṛndāvana is duplicated. It is possible. That is called nitya-līlā. Wherever He likes, He can bring in Vṛndāvana and He can have His pastimes.

So this temple, do not think that it is Hyderabad place. No. It is Goloka Vṛndāvana. You should be very careful. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa, tanaya tad-dhāmaṁ vṛndāvanam. As Kṛṣṅa is worshipable, similarly His place is also worshipable. Not that His place is different from Him. No. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-sṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau. So as the worship of the Deity is important, similarly, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-sṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārj anādau, to keep the temple very cleansed, very attractive, that is also Deity worship. Those who are here working, they should keep this temple as clean as possible. Then Kṛṣṅa will be satisfied. Kṛṣṅa's body—this temple. Do not think it otherwise. Temple should be worshiped in that way. Therefore I ask you not to come with shoes. Even the temple is not opened, it is still Kṛṣṅa's temple. It is not different from Kṛṣṅa. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-sṛṅgāra.... You should always remember that. And the temple management very nicely means to render service to Kṛṣṅa.

So we are going to open this temple. Those who are in charge, they must take care of the temple, cleanliness. Tan-mandira-mārjanādau. The more we have got men, engage them. And do not think that temple cleaning and Deity worshiping are different. Do not be envious, that "This person has been given the in-charge of decorating the Deity, and I have given to wash the temple, I mean to say, where there are not Deity." No. It is the same thing. There is no difference. It is spiritual. In spiritual... Just like either you worship Kṛṣṅa's lotus feet or you offer a garland to Kṛṣṅa on His head, it is the same thing. It is no such thing as "This is head, this is tail." No. This is absolute conception of...

So Bhagavān, His līlā, His form, His pastimes, His place, they're all Bhagavān. Even higher, those who are highly elevated devotees, they do not see even this material world different from Bhagavān. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetara. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada Muni says. The whole universe is Bhagavān, although it appears different from Him. Bhagavān ivetara. So actually everything is Bhagavān, but it is not this Māyāvāda philosophy, that because everything is Bhagavān, there is no Bhagavān. No. Everything is Bhagavān, and still Bhagavān is there. Kṛṣṅa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam [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.]

Mayā, a person, is there. Otherwise, there is no use of the word mayā. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam. Vaiṣṅava philosophy is that this material world is expansion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the Māyāvāda philosophy is that because God has become everything, there is no more God. Nirviśeṣa. That is called nirviśeṣa—without understanding the beauty.

In this way, try to understand Kṛṣṅa and His paraphernalia, His form, His name, His quality—everything. There are so many things to understand about Kṛṣṅa. That is called Kṛṣṅa consciousness. The materialistic persons, they will think that "These people are wasting time. They are doing nothing." But the agnostic, the material person, he does not know anything. Because here is the study of Kṛṣṅa. And Kṛṣṅa is so unlimited, what one life one can understand? It requires many lives. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante [Bg 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

It is not so easy thing that we have understood immediately Kṛṣṅa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. After many, many births, if one is fortunate, he can understand Kṛṣṅa.

So don't lose a single moment. Try to understand Kṛṣṅa, āgama-purāṅa, from śāstra. Don't manufacture. Here it is said, tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṅa, from śāstra. Śruti-smṛti-purāṅādi pañcaratriki vidhiṁ vinā [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101].

[Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṅas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.]

You have to understand Kṛṣṅa from the śāstra. Śruti means veda; smṛti means the history, the corollaries, just like Bhagavad-gītā, Rāmayana, Mahābharata. Śruti-smṛti-purāṅādi. Without reference to this Vedic literature, the knowledge of Kṛṣṅa is simply disturbance. So you should always refer to the śāstras. The śāstras are there by Kṛṣṅa's grace. It is now available in the English language. Be always engaged in studying, in rendering service, understanding the philosophy, then life will be successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]