Paṇḍāl Lecture at Cross Maidan , Bombay , 1971-03-26

Prabhupāda: [prema-dhvani] [devotees offer obeisances]

Devotee: The following lecture was recorded on the evening of March 26th, 1971, at the Cross Maidan engagement. [break]

Prabhupāda:

["I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance."]

[aside:] I think it should be down little. All right. That's all. Yes.

["When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?"]

["O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."]

["I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa."]

["I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls."]

["I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion."]

["My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service."]

So Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your taking so much trouble in participating with us in this great movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As I am repeatedly placing before you with all humbleness, that this movement is very, very much essential, not only at the present moment, but also all the time, especially in this age, Kali-yuga, the age of disagreement and quarrel. Kali-yuga means nobody agrees with anyone. Everyone has got his own opinion, however condemned it may be. And on that point everyone is prepared to fight with one. Therefore it is called Kali-yuga.

So putting different theories, philosophical speculations, will not solve the problems of the world, because not only during this age, but in all other ages also, there are different philosophers, different scriptures. That is the law of this material nature. Here there is no oneness. Duality. This world is meant for duality. So it is called dvaita. Dvaita means duality.

So Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, he says,

In the world of dualities, bhadrābhadra, "This is good, this is bad. This is nice, this is not nice," they are simply mental speculation, because in this world nothing is nice. Everything is bad, because it is not eternal. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya said, jagan mithyā, brahma satya. That's a fact. These, anything, the varieties of this world: temporary. That is the right word. It is not mithyā; it is temporary fact. The Vaiṣṇava philosopher says that this world is not false, but temporary, anitya. Anitya saṁsāre moho janamiyā.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, jaḍa-vidyā saba māyāra vaibhava: "Advancement of material science is increasing the illusion of māyā." We are already illusioned, and if you go on increasing the illusion more and more, then we become more and more entangled. That is the nature. And so long we are illusioned, we shall put forward different theories, different philosophies and different arguments.

Therefore śāstra says, tarko apratiṣṭhaḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. Simply by argument and reasoning, you cannot make any spiritual advancement. Because you may be very good, I mean to say, logician, putting forward nice arguments, but somebody may come who is better than you. He will spoil all your logic, and he will establish his own logic. That is nyāya-śāstra. In Sanskrit there is nyāya-śāstra. So they are taught how to defeat his opponent.

Therefore the Absolute Truth you cannot understand by argument, by material dealings. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said,

Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ. [microphone cuts out] Just like in the material science they are trying to go to the moon planet or other planets also by certain standard of speed in the sputnik. [aside:] It is not working? [microphone comes back on] They are finding it difficult even to go to the moon planet, which is the nearest planet to the earth. And there are innumerable other planets. And the modern scientists calculate that the highest planet, if we want to go there, it will take the sputnik speed, which is running eighteen thousand miles per hour; in that speed if we go forty thousands of years, we can reach the highest planetary system within this material world.

But so far the kingdom of God, which is called Vaikuṇṭhaloka, or sanātana-dhāma, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nya 'vyakta 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ [Bg. 8.20]. That is sanātana-dhāma. There is—we get this information from the Bhagavad-gītā—the kingdom of God, where everything is permanent. Within this material world, everything is nonpermanent, temporary.

Anything you take, it has got its creation, it stays for some time, it produces some by-product, then it grows, and then it dwindles and then it vanishes. Anything you take. Just like our body: it is produced at a certain time by combination of the semina of father and mother, and then it grows, it stays for some time and it produces some by-products, then becomes older and older, and then vanishes. This is called ṣaḍ-vikāra, six kinds of changes of material world.

So although it is temporary, we cannot say it is false. It is not false. That is the difference between Māyāvāda philosophy and Vaiṣṇava philosophy. The Vaiṣṇava philosopher takes the temporary thing, although temporary. They know how to make the best use of a bad bargain. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate.

That is the direction given by the Gosvāmīs. And other side is:

So phalgu-vairāgya and yukta-vairāgya. Phalgu-vairāgya means inferior renunciation, or false renunciation. And yukta-vairāgya means actual renunciation. What is that difference? Prāpañcikatayā buddhyā. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they are giving up this world as false, māyā. Prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ.

Just like sometimes we are criticized because we are using the advantages offered by the material science. Just like I am using this microphone. So the people may criticize, "If this world is false, the material world is false, then why should I take advantage of this material product?" They expect that those who are spiritualists, they should go to Himalayas, giving up, giving up everything material and meditate in a solitary place, in snow-covered area.

But Vaiṣṇava philosophy does not think like that. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma [CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126]. He does not recommend, although He was a sannyāsī, He was in renounced order of life; He gave up His family, beautiful wife, very affectionate mother, very comfortable home, very prestige, too much prestige of His personality in the society. He gave up everything. He was in the prime age of His youthful life, twenty-four years only, but He gave up everything.

This prayer is offered to Lord Caitanya in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But although He renounced this material world, He is never unmindful of the conditioned souls. Therefore He says that,

Or He wants that..., He predicted that "All over the world, as many villages and towns are there, this saṅkīrtana movement should be spread."

That is the responsibility given to the human society of Bhārata-varṣa at least. Because we followers of the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, beginning from Rūpa Gosvāmī, who is giving us direction that nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate. Prāpañcikatayā... Anāsaktasya viṣayān. There are two use, two kinds of uses of everything. Just like this microphone is being used for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same microphone can be used for singing a cinema song. So microphone is not bad, but as you use it for different purposes it is bad or good.

Similarly, this world, or things which we accept for our maintenance of the soul..., body and soul together, they are called viṣaya. Viṣaya means eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is viṣaya. So anāsaktasya viṣayān. We should not be attached to the viṣayas. Just like eating. Everyone is eating. You are eating, I am also eating. So what is the difference between you and me? The difference is that we who are engaged in the service of the Lord, we are eating for maintaining the body just to keep ourselves fit for working for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Another person, he is also eating; he is eating to satisfy his palate or with the aim simply to make the body stout and strong.

So nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. We should not give up anything. That is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not advice of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. He never says Arjuna that "You give up this fighting and go to the Himalayas and sit down silently there to meditate." Never He advises. We are following that. As Kṛṣṇa says, as Kṛṣṇa advises to Arjuna, yuddhyasva mām anusmaran... So long you are in this material world, you have to fight, because this material world is called avidyā-karma-samjña anyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate [Cc. Madhya 6.154].

This energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, material energy, it is called avidyā-karma-samjña. Here the position is everyone is ignorant, and he has to work for his maintenance. Even a small ant which requires a grain of sugar, he has to work also very hard. And the elephant, who eats hundred pounds at a time, he has also to work. Even a rich man, he has also to work, and a very poor man, he has also to work. Therefore this material energy is called avidyā-karma-samjña anya.

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy is that we have to work, but we should work for the best bargain. That is our philosophy. And that is taught in Bhagavad-gītā. There are, according to Vedānta philosophy, there are five kinds of interest, or artha, pañcārtha. What is that? God: first of all to know what is God. Next, to understand what is jīva, or the living entity. Then, what is this material nature, or what is that spiritual nature. Īśvara, jīva, prakṛti. And then time—what is the time factor, past, present and future. And then there is karma, activities. These five things, primary principles of philosophical speculation or philosophical understanding, are very clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: īśvara, jīva, prakṛti, kāla and activity.

So out of these five, īśvara, the Lord; the jīva, the living entity; the nature, prakṛti; and the time factor, as well as the..., they are eternal. They are not temporary. But the material energy is temporary. Actually what is the difference between material energy and spiritual energy? The difference is material energy, the consciousness is different, and in the spiritual energy, the consciousness is Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference.

Just like the sky. The sky is one, but when there is cloud, it is called clouded sky. The sky is the same. The clouded sky is not different from the original sky, but the cloud has come and has covered the sun. Not the sun—it is not the actual term—the cloud has covered my eyes. The cloud cannot cover the sun. The sun is fourteen hundred times..., fourteen hundred thousands of times bigger than the earth. Now, how a cloud spreading over, say, one hundred miles or two hundred miles can cover the sun? It is not possible. It covers the eyes of us who are within one hundred and two hundred miles.

So as the cloudy sky is not different from the original sky, it is simply covered, simply..., similarly, this material world is not different from the spiritual world, but it is simply covered. In ignorance we forget Kṛṣṇa. That's all. The forgetfulness is compared with the cloud. That is stated in simple Bengali poetry:

As soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa... Because we are eternally part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be any separation. There cannot be any separation between us and Kṛṣṇa because we are eternally related. But a cloudy thing, which is called forgetfulness, that comes between us, and we cannot see, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. That is diffi...

Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā samāvṛtaḥ [Bg. 7.25]. You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I am not visible to everyone. Because yogamāyā..., there is a curtain between Me and the material world, which is called yogamāyā." So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, or devotional movement, is a process by which we can move that curtain and we can see Kṛṣṇa face to face. This is the process.

So prāpañcika. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says the process is anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ [Brs. 1.2.255]. You... We should be unattached to the material necessities of life. It is not that we shall neglect this body, because a body is vehicle for understanding. So we cannot neglect it. Just like you take care of your car. You ride on your car. For business you go from one place to another. So you have to keep it fit so that it can move very nicely, it can carry out your order. Similarly, there is no necessity of neglecting this body.

As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yuktāhāra vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi [Bg. 6.17]. We do not say that "You don't eat," but we say that "You eat Kṛṣṇa prasāda, bhagavat-prasāda." You satisfy your tongue. You do not starve, but you satisfy your tongue by the foodstuff which is offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our proposal. We do not say that "You don't sleep," but we say, "Yes, you sleep. But sleep as much as possible so that to keep your body fit."

We do not say that "You don't have sex life," but you have, have it. Just like in this association you'll find my disciples, out of them, there are many gṛhasthas. So there is no check that the woman and man should not mix. No. But they should mix together for producing Kṛṣṇa conscious children. You have seen the sample of one Kṛṣṇa conscious child. She's always dancing, and she's always jolly. She's always jolly, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

So in this way, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to Kṛṣṇa-ize everything favorably. That is called śaraṇāgati. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That does not mean that it was told to Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna... So Arjuna did not give up his profession as a fighter, but he submitted to Kṛṣṇa. He Kṛṣṇa-ized the fighting principle. He fought for Kṛṣṇa, not that he gave up fighting. In the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā he was a fighter, soldier. And at the end of his understanding Bhagavad-gītā he remained a fighter and a soldier, but his consciousness was changed. That is the difference.

Similarly, the activities of this material world which is going on, we do not say, like the Māyāvāda philosophers, that brahma satya jagan mithyā. According to the leader of Māyāvāda philosophers, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, his perfection of life begins when one takes to sannyāsa. The Śaṅkarācārya philosophers, they do not admit anyone as realized soul unless he has accepted sannyāsa.

But Vaiṣṇava philosophy is not like that. Vaiṣṇava philosophy is that you may remain in any condition of life—it doesn't matter—but you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That's all.

That is the direction by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Īhā yasya harer dāsye. One who is always anxious to serve the Supreme Lord... Because my natural constitutional position is to serve Kṛṣṇa. And because I am covered by the ignorance injected by the māyā, I am thinking, "I am servant of this, servant of my country, servant of my society, servant of my body." If not, "I am servant of my dog, of my cat." So that is my position.

But actually I am servant of Kṛṣṇa. As I am thinking at present moment, "I am servant of this, servant of that," we have to give up this servant..., servitorship or servitude, and we have to turn our face toward Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection of life. Īhā yasya harer dāsye. Jīvan muktaḥ sa ucyate. Nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu. That is the direction of Rūpa Gosvāmī, that it doesn't matter in what condition of life you are now. You may be an Indian, you may be a European, you may be American, you may be Hindu, you may be Christian, you may be Muhammadan, but you should think that you are eternal servant of God, or Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa" is the right terminology what we mean by God.

So that consciousness will save you. And that consciousness will make my life, this human form of life, perfect. Rūpa Gosvāmī says, anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ, nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. The same thing, the same philosophy, as I have already explained, that there is no restriction in accepting the bodily necessities of life, but you accept so much only as it will help you to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't take less, don't take much.

Accept properly. That is the law of nature. Nature does not allow you to take more or less. Just like salt. Salt is an ingredient which you want very badly in every, I mean to say, morsel of foodstuff. But if you take more salt, it will spoil the foodstuff, and if you take less, then it will not be tasteful. So you have to take salt simply as much as you require, neither more nor less.

So our main business should be how to improve in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So far other things are required, bodily necessities, that is recommended by Rūpa Gosvāmī, anāsaktasya: "Don't be attached." Don't take food..., don't eat simply for satisfying your palate. That is called sense enjoyment. But you, just to keep yourself fit, just to keep your body fit for giving service to the Lord, you can eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam. And so far kṛṣṇa-prasādam is concerned, it is not very bad; it is very good.

We offer... Of course, those who are followers of Vedic principles of life, they know how nice foodstuff can be offered to Kṛṣṇa. There are hundreds and thousands of varieties of fruits. There is nice grains also, there is nice milk also, there is sugar also. So you can prepare nice foodstuff on these ingredients, which are considered sattvika, sattvikāhāra. Fruits, grains, vegetables and sugar, rice, wheat, they are considered as sattvikāhāra. So you can prepare.

Kṛṣṇa also says that patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. He can eat everything. Just like we have evidences from His life, sometimes He ate fire. Blazing fire in the forest, He ate up. So He can eat everything because He is God. He has got the potency of accepting anything. That is a different thing. But when He demands from His devotee, He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. So we have satisfy Him from these groups. Patraṁ puṣpam means vegetables, fruits, grains; and toyam, water or milk, like that. And you partake the prasāda.

Sometimes I am questioned in European countries that "What is the difference between patraṁ puṣpam? That is also eatable. They are also vegetable. They have got life. Why do you ask us not to eat meat because they are living being?" So answer is that it is not the question of living being. Every living being has to eat another living being. That is the law of nature. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. The... Those who have got hands, they are eating the handless of the animals. Those who have not..., those who have got legs, they are eating the legless, just like the vegetables. Just like cows, goats, or other animals, they are eating grass. The grass is also a living entity, but it has no legs. It is being eaten up by another animal which has got legs.

Similarly, we are also a kind of animal with hands. We are eating another animal, which has no hands. Similarly, those who are strong, even in animal kingdom or vegetable kingdom, those who are strong, they are eating the less strong. In this way the whole world is maintained by one animal is eating another animal or one living entity is eating another living entity. That is the law of nature. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam.

So you are not interfering with the right of the living entity. A tiger has got the right to eat another animal. So we are not going to preach amongst the tigers that "You become vegetarian" or "You become Kṛṣṇa conscious." That is not our business. Our business is that we are inducing, we are entreating, we are requesting people that "You take Kṛṣṇa prasāda." That is our business. To become vegetarian or nonvegetarian is not very big business. We do not admit that vegetarians are very much pious and nonvegetarians are not pious. No. Not like that. We say that everyone is impious who is not taking foodstuff offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our view. Anyone.

That is stated by Kṛṣṇa. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: "Anyone who is eating foodstuff offered to Yajña, to Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, he is diminishing his volumes of sinful life." Bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt [Bg. 3.13]: "And anyone who is cooking for himself, not for Kṛṣṇa, then he is simply eating a lump of sinful life." It doesn't matter whether he is vegetarian or nonvegetarian. This is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to eat what is offered to Kṛṣṇa. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva.

Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ [Bg. 3.9]. If you simply work for Kṛṣṇa... That is called karma-yoga. One who is working simply for Kṛṣṇa, he is karma-yogī. You have got tendency to work. You have got tendency to flourish yourself by advancing industrialism. That's nice. You go on, do it. We don't forbid it. But do it for Kṛṣṇa. Make Kṛṣṇa center. That is the whole teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. You offer... Kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam. Yat karoṣi. "Whatever you do, it doesn't matter. Whatever you eat," yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi, "whatever you sacrifice, whatever you give in charity, give unto Me." Kuruṣva tat mad-arpaṇam. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to educate people how to live in spiritual atmosphere, and then there will be peace and prosperity. Unless one is in spiritual life... Because factually, we are spiritual entities. Mamaivāṁśaḥ. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the whole spirit, and we are His part and parcel. Just like a machine, and there is small screw, a part of the machine. The screw, although it has no value, but because it is a part of the machine, big machine, if that screw is missing, you will have to purchase at any price. It has got value. The same screw, when it is without the machine, it has no value, because it is only a small particle of the machine.

Similarly, when we are out of the atmosphere, we are out of Kṛṣṇa atmosphere... There are many examples. Just like a fire and the sparks of the fire. They are of the same quality. If the spark of the fire falls on your cloth, it will immediately burn. But the spark of the fire and the whole fire is different in quantity. But in quality the spark of the fire is as good as the fire.

There are many examples. You can understand what is our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God. We are small. We are atomic small, and Kṛṣṇa is unlimitedly great. That is the difference. Otherwise, so far quality is concerned, Kṛṣṇa and ourself, the same. As the parts and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, if we live always with Kṛṣṇa, then we are in spiritual life. If we always live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that in spite of our living in this material world we are called jīvan mukta, "liberated in this material condition." Jīvan mukta. He has got to die and take liberation. Even in this life he is liberated.

That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā:

He is already Brahman-realized. Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who is engaged in My devotional service, avyabhicāriṇi, without any deviation, twenty-four hours," as we are teaching these boys and girls... This function is meant for engaging them there twenty-four hours in Kṛṣṇa's business. They are going to outside for securing advertisement. It may seem equal that another man has got to secure advertisement and they have also got securing advertisement, but there is gulf of difference. They have gone for Kṛṣṇa, and others, they have gone for sense gratification. That is the difference.

In this way you can mold your life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and you live in brahma-bhūtaḥ. You haven't got to try for becoming brahma-bhūtaḥ or you have to realize Brahman separately. You are already in brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Sa guṇan samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati [Bg. 18.54]. These statements are in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So in the Bhagavad-gītā it is taught what is God, what is nature of God and who is God, and what is these living entities, we living entities, and what is our relationship. These things are taught in the Bhagavad-gītā. We have to find out. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He says,

So Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ. Sarvasya means including all other demigods. Even Brahma, Lord Śiva, and even Viṣṇu, they are emanations from Kṛṣṇa. We have got in the Vedic literature how Kṛṣṇa is the original person. Therefore Arjuna accepted, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān [Bg. 10.12].

And the Gosvāmīs, the six Gosvāmīs, they have analyzed Kṛṣṇa's characteristic, Nārāyaṇa's characteristic, Lord Śiva's characteristic, Lord Brahmā's characteristic. They have analyzed very scrutinizingly everything, and they have found it that Kṛṣṇa is cent percent God. Nārāyaṇa is ninety-six percent God, Lord Śiva is eighty-four percent God, Lord Brahmā is fifty per..., seventy-eight percent God. Of course, those who have studied Vedic literature, especially the book named Bhakti-rasāmṛta sindhu, given by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, which we have translated into English, Nectar of Devotion, or The Science of Devotion...

So you have to learn from the Vedic literatures what is God, what are the living entities, what is their relationship, what is our ultimate goal of life. But everything is very nicely, and concise form, is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. But we have to study Bhagavad-gītā as it is, I mean to say, directed, not according to the whimsical commentators. Nothing should be studied which is against the principles of bhakti-yoga mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā.

As I have told you yesterday, Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna, bhakto 'si, priyo 'si me [Bg. 4.3]. "Because you are My pure devotee, because you are My friend, dear friend, therefore I am speaking to you Bhagavad-gītā, which is very mysterious," rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam. And that mystery is very nice. So in order to understand Bhagavad-gītā we have to learn it from the devotee. That is also not very difficult. It is not necessary that you have to find out a devotee. The devotee is already there: Arjuna. And if you simply follow the footsteps of Arjuna, if you simply try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as Arjuna understood, then your study of Bhagavad-gītā is complete. That is not difficult.

So as Arjuna said, that paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān [Bg. 10.12]: "You are the Supreme Personality." Śāśvataṁ puruṣa. He is accepted puruṣa. Puruṣa, the Supreme Lord, puruṣa; the bhokta, the enjoyer. And He's paraṁbrahman and pavitra, uncontaminated. Pavitra means uncontaminated by the material nature. Paramaṁ bhavān: and He is the rest of everything. Kṛṣṇa also says,

So everything is there. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am spread all over the world, all over the universe," avyakta-mūrtinā, "in My impersonal form. But everything is resting upon Me, but I am not there." These contradictory terms, how it is satisfied, how it is mitigated, we have to learn from a person who knows Kṛṣṇa, not from others.

Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended one brāhmaṇa who went to see Him by writing some books, and they were not in order. His secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, disqualified, that "These books are not written the right order." He was surprised. He was supposed to be a great scholar of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but Svarūpa Gosvāmī nullified him that "You do not know anything."

Then he advised him, because that person was very submissive, he advised him that bhāgavata paro diya bhāgavata sthāne: "Just try to understand Bhāgavata from the person bhāgavata." Person bhāgavata. There are two kinds of bhāgavatas. One is book Bhāgavata, and there is another bhāgavata, who is person bhāgavata. Bhāgavata means in relationship with Bhagavān. To those who have dedicated their life... One who has dedicated his life only for the service of the Lord, Bhagavān, he is called bhāgavata.

So as, if we want to learn some specific subject, we have to accept a proper authority or a bona fide teacher, similarly, if we want to learn the science of God, we have to approach a person who knows the science. Not that a casual person takes one Bhagavad-gītā and writes his comment, and it goes on for some ulterior purpose. In that way you cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. And Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61].

He is situated in everyone's heart. So as soon as you are actually a devotee... He is everyone's heart but He is silent. But as soon as one is devotee, one is inclined to serve Kṛṣṇa, at that time He gives him intelligence. He does not give intelligence... He gives others intelligence in a different way, as we want. Everyone, because we are free, so as we want. Because without sanction of Kṛṣṇa, we cannot do anything. Therefore one has to take sanction from Kṛṣṇa for doing anything.

So for others He gives sanction, "All right. You do it." Because He will see. Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You do it," because He perceives that I must do it. So Kṛṣṇa gives the sanction. That is one sanction. But there is another sanction, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. That is sanction for the devotees. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam [Bg. 10.10]. Teṣām. "For those who are twenty-four hours engaged in My service." Satata-yukta. Satata means always, and without any deviation. Simply in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, thinking everything in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He is seeing one flower...

You'll be surprised. This little girl, the other day we were walking in Hanging Garden, and this little girl, as soon as she saw some flower, immediately she expressed her opinion that these flowers should be taken and made into garland for Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa conscious. She is being taught from the very beginning of her life how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So it is not difficult. It depends only on training. Even in this old age. And especially in this age this method is very simple. Simply we have to agree to accept it. That's all. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the simplest form of self-realization and advancement in spiritual life.

So Kṛṣṇa, as I was talking, that Kṛṣṇa is sitting in everyone's heart. And as soon as one is inclined to serve Him, He is also ready to respond immediately. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam [Bg. 10.10]. One who is engaged twenty-four hours in His service, in Kṛṣṇa's service, bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, not as a matter of routine... Of course, we have to begin as a matter of routine. But when you develop gradually love for Him, that is called prīti.

Just like this Deity worship. Our students, first of all they are engaged in a matter of duty of devotional service. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanam [SB 7.5.23]. This is called arcanam. But by worshiping the Deity he feels an attachment for service. That is natural. Tathāsakti. It is called āsakti. It will develop if you begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness at your home. Then you will feel at a certain stage an attachment for Kṛṣṇa. Āsakti. Ādau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅga.

These are the different stage.

Now you are coming in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is called śraddhā, a little faith. And if you increase that faith... How it can be increased? By association with devotees. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅga [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Sādhu means devotees. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ [Bg. 9.30]. Even these boys, these European and American boys, you do not find they are correct to the principle, still they are sādhu, because they have engaged themselves in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ. Even though you find cause... Because their forefather, their fathers, they did not teach anything; they are learning new. So even you find some fault in their activities, don't think that they are not sādhu. Kṛṣṇa said, api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ. Sādhu. Sādhu means those who are devotees.

So the symptom of a devotee is: always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And Kṛṣṇa is sitting within everyone's heart. As soon as He sees that "This particular living entity is very much interested in Me," teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam [Bg. 10.10], immediately dictates from within that "You do like this. You do like that." What is that dictation? Yena mām upayānti te. That dictation is favorable for advancing towards Kṛṣṇa. That dictation is not favorable for advancing towards to hell[?], but that dictation is favorable to advance towards Kṛṣṇa. Why does He say...., why does He do like that? That is His special favor. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

This is Kṛṣṇa's business: responsive cooperation. As you advance, as you try to serve Kṛṣṇa sincerely, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. We cannot realize Kṛṣṇa, or God, by mental speculation or by material advancement. We have to render service to Kṛṣṇa. Then Kṛṣṇa will be pleased and He will give you dictation from within how we can make advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And that is the successful life of human form of existence.

Thank you very much. [applause] [end]