Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.23

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [chants verse]

Prabhupāda: Huh? What is that difficulty?

Hari-śauri: This was yesterday's verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: All right, just go on. What is that?

Pradyumna:

tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād īśvaraḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ māyāṁ vyudasya cic-chaktyā kaivalye sthita ātmani [SB 1.7.23]

[04:15]

Translation: "You are the original Personality of Godhead who expands Himself all over the creations and is transcendental to material energy. You have cast away the effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency. You are always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental knowledge."

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād īśvaraḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ māyāṁ vyudasya cic-chaktyā kaivalye sthita ātmani [SB 1.7.23]

So, we have to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead through authority, not by speculation. Speculation is no use.

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvayam- prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvaṁ... na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan [SB 10.14.29]

[My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years.]

The Supreme Personality of Godhead can be known by a person who has got a slight favor of the Lord upon him. This is the Vedic version. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23].

[The Supreme Lord is not attained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence, nor even by much hearing. He is attained only by one who He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form.]

Ātmā, the Supreme Absolute Truth, cannot be understood... Nāyam ātmā na pravacanena labhyaḥ... By becoming a great debater one can understand the Supreme—that's not possible. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na bahunā śrutena. Nor by a person who is very vastly learned or by a great scientist or philosopher, na medhayā—in this way we cannot understand. But one who is surrendered, he can understand. Arjuna is surrendered. In every case he surrendered to Kṛṣṅa. As soon as there is any problem... Problem or no problem, he surrendered. Not that "When there is problem I am surrendered, and when there is no problem I am independent." No. Always surrendered. That is Arjuna's position.

So we have to follow. People are searching after God. They do not know God. They are asking this question, "Can you show me God?" So, so many questions are there about God, but here is God, pointed out by Arjuna, a mahājana. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

Why should you not accept? That is our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. "Why you are searching God? Here is God, as Arjuna says." Tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ: "You are the original person." Tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ. Puruṣa means enjoyer. God is not female. Sometimes they worship a female as God, like Durgā, Kālī and so many others. But God is puruṣa. Everyone is prakṛti. Prakṛti means female. Everyone knows it. There are two things: prakṛti and puruṣa. The puruṣa is the enjoyer, and prakṛti is the enjoyed. Or, in other words, puruṣa is the predominator and prakṛti is predominated. So we are prakṛti. The Māyāvāda philosophy is that prakṛti wants to become puruṣa. And that is not possible. Suppose a woman, if she dresses like a man, does it mean that she has become a man? No. Or a man dresses like a woman, does it mean that he has become woman, simply by outward dress? No. Puruṣa..., the only puruṣa is Kṛṣṅa. That is very nicely explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta: ekale īśvara kṛṣṅa, āra saba bhṛtya [Cc Ādi 5.142].

[Lord Kṛṣṅa alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants. They dance as He makes them do so.]

Only Kṛṣṅa is puruṣa. He's the enjoyer. All others, they are servant. This is the position. Never try to become the puruṣa, or the master. That is very dangerous. Always remain prakṛti. Prakṛti means to be controlled or control, and puruṣa means the controller. So here is the supreme controller: tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣāt. Not that "You were made by some means." Sākṣāt, directly. Sākṣāt. And īśvara. Sākṣād īśvaraḥ. Not artificial īśvara. Sākṣād īśvaraḥ.

So where is the difficulty to understand God, īśvara, or the puruṣa? There is no difficulty. Kṛṣṅa personally says that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7].

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

Aham ādir hi devānām [Bg 10.2]. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ [Bg 10.8].

[I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.]

So many things. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [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.]

Everything is explained sākṣāt, directly. Where is the difficulty to find out God? They are searching after God, making research, all nonsense speculation. This is our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, that "Why you are searching?" You say, "Can you show me God?" Why don't you see, "Here is God"? Why, just like the owl, you have closed your eyes, not to see the sun? Sun is there. See. Open your eyes and see it. The whole world is going on that "There is no God" or "God is dead" or "Can you show me God?" And "I am God by meditation," by this way, that way. This is going on. Whole world, especially at the present moment, it is a great disastrous condition, godless civilization. They won't accept the real God, and they'll create some artificial God and become God, "Everyone is God," like that. No.

Therefore if you want to be benefited, then you must take the shelter of mahājana, great personalities. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

If you are perplexed that "Who is mahājana? How can I find him?" that is also explained in the śāstra. Mahājana, dvādaśa-mahājana:

svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilo kumāraḥ manuḥ prahlādo janako bhīṣmo balir vaiyāsakir vayam [SB 6.3.20]

[Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.]

So where is the difficulty? Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. You follow the path of mahājana—Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Bhīṣma. There are gṛhasthas, there are brahmacārīs, sannyāsī. Brahmā, Lord Brahmā is mahājana; he's gṛhastha. Svayambhū, Nārada, he's brahmacārī. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ [SB 6.3.20]—Lord Śiva, he's also gṛhastha. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he's also gṛhastha. It doesn't matter whether you are gṛhastha or sannyāsī or brahmacārī. You must become actual representative of Kṛṣṅa. That is mahājana. And that is also not very difficult. How you can become representative of Kṛṣṅa? That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu:

āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa 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 simply speak what Kṛṣṅa says, then you become His representative. Don't manufacture. Don't be over-prudent, manufacturing. Simply to follow Kṛṣṅa and His representatives, then you become mahājana. Otherwise you are a nonsense, mūḍha. 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.]

That is the test. One should be very, very careful to follow Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction. Caitanya Mahāprabhu never said that "I am directly servant of Kṛṣṅa." No. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsa-dasānudāsaḥ [Cc Madhya 13.80]:

[I am not a brāhmaṅa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.’]

"Servant of the servant of the servant of the..." The more you become servant of the servant, you are perfect. And as soon as you declare independence, you are rascal. This is the process. We should always remain most obedient servant of my master.

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23]

[Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.]

Then it will reveal. The whole thing is revelation. It is not by experience, by scholarship. No. Revelation. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. One who has surrendered proportionately, God reveals. 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.]

So there is no difficulty to understand what is God. Here is Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Lord, directly. I do not know why people are searching after God, why they do not know what is God. Just see. That means mūḍha. Although God is here, still, he'll not accept. That is mūḍha, narādhama. And why he's mūḍha? Because narādhama. He does not take the process. He wants to manufacture something. Don't do that. Here Arjuna is mahājana, he's Kṛṣṅa's friend, he's always with Kṛṣṅa, and Kṛṣṅa recognizes him. Not that because one is always with Kṛṣṅa, therefore he knows Kṛṣṅa. No. That is not possible. Just like I have given this example many times, that I am sitting here, and the bug is also sitting here. That does not mean we are very confidential. No. Bug is different business[?], and my business different. And bug's business is biting. That kind of association will not help. Association means to develop love for the person. That is association.

dadāti pratigṛhṅāti guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṅam [Upadeśāmṛta 4]

[A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.]

So we have to become associate of Kṛṣṅa, as Arjuna became. Always with Kṛṣṅa—eating with Kṛṣṅa, sitting with Kṛṣṅa, talking with Kṛṣṅa, joking with Kṛṣṅa, fighting with Kṛṣṅa—everything Kṛṣṅa. That is wanted. Not a single moment... Therefore Kṛṣṅa certifies, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me [Bg 4.3]:

[That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.]

"My dear Arjuna, you are very dear to Me." Naturally, if Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṅa, sitting with Kṛṣṅa, talking with Kṛṣṅa, consulting with Kṛṣṅa, joking with Kṛṣṅa, eating with Kṛṣṅa, so why he should not be very dear? Kṛṣṅa, does He remain with anyone unless he is very dear? So bhakto 'si priyo 'si me sakhā ceti. So we have to become..., we have to establish some relation with Kṛṣṅa—as servant, as a friend, as a son, as a father, mother, or like the gopīs, mādhurya-rasa, friend. That is also... Conjugal love. Kṛṣṅa is ready to associate with you in any way you like. Somebody likes Kṛṣṅa as friend, somebody likes Kṛṣṅa as husband, somebody likes Kṛṣṅa as paramour. So Kṛṣṅa is ready. Somebody likes Kṛṣṅa as son. So any way, Kṛṣṅa is ready. We have got these five relations in this material world. There is no other relation. And there are other relationship also. Kṛṣṅa also ready to accept... If you want Kṛṣṅa as enemy, yes, Kṛṣṅa is ready; He'll kill you. But that is also good for you. If you want to fight with Kṛṣṅa, yes, Kṛṣṅa is ready. Everything. Akhila-rasāmṛta-sindhu. He can associate with you in any rasa, humor, you like. Kṛṣṅa is ready. Ready means that is natural. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa, so the part and parcel must remain with Kṛṣṅa.

So you have to remain with Kṛṣṅa in some relationship. Here our relationship is through this external energy, māyā. The relationship is there. Although we have tried to give up our relationship with Kṛṣṅa, but Kṛṣṅa has not given up. Kṛṣṅa is always with you. 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.]

He is within your heart. Why? Just to give you association. Now we are rebelled. You want to do something independently. Kṛṣṅa also has agreed, "All right. You do independently. But it is not possible for you to live independently. That is not possible. So I'll give you sanction for independent living." Just see how Kṛṣṅa is friend. You cannot live independently. That is not possible. Because you are aṁśa. Aṁśa means part and parcel. Just like this finger. Finger is finger so long he's with the body; otherwise who cares his finger? Suppose a finger is cut and thrown in the street. Who cares for it? The finger is important so long it is with the body. Similarly, we are always with Kṛṣṅa, indirectly or directly. But here Arjuna sees sākṣāt, directly. But we are forced to accept Kṛṣṅa indirectly, māyā. Arjuna is māyāṁ vyudasya. He has no intervention by māyā. And we have got intervention by māyā. Therefore we cannot see Kṛṣṅa.

But Kṛṣṅa is always there. Kṛṣṅa is always there.

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni [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.]

This rascal, he wants to wander within this material world in different capacities. Sometime he's demigod, sometime he's dog, sometime he's tree, sometime he's fish, sometime he is president, sometime he's a nonsense. In this way, in different ways, he is suffering in this material world, and Kṛṣṅa is with him, trying to get him back. And whenever there is opportunity, He's asking, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅam [Bg 18.66]: "You rascal, why you are suffering in this way? You give up all this nonsense business. You simply surrender to Me." That is Kṛṣṅa's ambition, that "This rascal is suffering, so better give him good instruction."

Therefore Kṛṣṅa's coming. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata [Bg 4.7]. "These rascals have forgotten. All right, let Me go and convince them, try to bring them back." Therefore Kṛṣṅa comes: tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham. Paritrāṅāya sādhūnām [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.]

Those who are sādhu, devotees, they became immediately relieved by getting Kṛṣṅa. And those who are rascal, they had to be killed. But that killing is also good for them. Just like father—to some son he gives directly rasagullā, and to other son, slaps. But father is father. Either slapping or giving rasagullā, he's father. Similarly, we should not be sorry when the father gives slaps, and we should not be overjubilant when father gives his rasagullā. Any condition. That is devotion. A devotee is never disturbed when the father gives slap or the master gives slap. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṅo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam [SB 10.14.8]. So any way, Kṛṣṅa is always ready to help me and to give me knowledge and to understand. Where is the difficulty? This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. There is not at all difficulty. Simply because we do not take advice of Kṛṣṅa, we are suffering. This is the difficulty. This is the only difficulty. Where is the difficulty? No difficulty. Simply, if you simply think of Kṛṣṅa, you become advanced. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā [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.]

There is no expenditure, no loss. The gain is great. Simply if you think of Kṛṣṅa: man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Where is the difficulty?

But we are so rascal that we do not take advice of Kṛṣṅa. We manufacture our own ways; the suffering goes on. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. This is māyā. He's thinking that he'll make his own plan and be happy. That will never be possible. The only plan you have to accept—what is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅam [Bg 18.66]. That is the only plan. You have to get yourself relieved from all other engagements. Simply engage yourself... Not immediately. First of all, you must ready: "Kṛṣṅa, from this day, I am now ready. Whatever You'll say, I'll do." That's... Immediately you become liberated. Liberated. How liberated? Liberation is achieved after so many years' tapasya? No. Immediately, as soon as you surrender to Kṛṣṅa. How? Kṛṣṅa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg 18.66]. If you are sincerely surrendering to Kṛṣṅa, immediately...

Our this material sufferings, why? Due to our sinful activities. Sinful activities mean anything you do without any purpose to serve to Kṛṣṅa, that is sinful. That is sinful. Not that "In the material calculation this is very good work, the opening of hospital or this or that, very good work. And Deity worship and going to the temple is bogus." You may think like that. But that, your opening of hospital, is sinful. That is going on nowadays. One becomes very great philanthropist, rejecting... They say, "What is the use of this temple worship?" The daridra-nārāyaṅa-sevā. Nārāyaṅa has now become daridra. Formerly Nārāyaṅa was husband of the goddess of fortune, and now He has become daridra. So serve this Nārāyaṅa. This, they're manufacturing, concoction. This is not... That means sinful activities. Because he has manufactured something, that is sinful. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says plainly that "You rascal, you give up any other engagement, even if you think it is very pious activity, very philanthropic. You give up." Sarva-dharmān. Sarva means whatever you think pious and whatever you think impious, both of them should be given up. Because there are two kinds of activities: pious or impious. And sarva includes pious and impious.

So you have to give up everything. Simply you have to become ready, "My Lord, I am now fully surrendered. Whatever You ask me, I shall do it." Then you are liberated person. Īhā yasya harer dāsye. That is Rūpa Gosvāmī's instruction. Anyone who has determined like this, that "I shall simply serve Kṛṣṅa. That's all." Īhā yasya harer dāsye karmaṅā manasā vācā [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.187]: by work, by mind, by body, or by words. One has decided like that, nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate, in any condition of life, he's liberated. Any condition of life. Because that īhā yasya harer dāsye. Simply he's thinking of "How to serve Kṛṣṅa? How to serve Kṛṣṅa?" He is liberated. So what is there wrong or what is there difficulty? If you simply think of man-manāḥ, always think of Kṛṣṅa: "What shall I do?" "Oh, yes. My representative is there. You take permission from him and do it," where is the difficulty? There's no difficulty. But because we are mūḍha, narādhamas, we are manufacturing and suffering.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]