Krishna and the Spiritual World
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada · Bombay
Chapters
Vedic knowledge and the absolute truth
As soon as there is a question of finance and difficulty, that means the consciousness is gone. Then you have to travel for material. How they are managing? How they are managing?
The whole Vedic disputes is meant for understanding Krishna. Veda means knowledge. And it is nigama-kalpa-taru. Nigama means Veda. And that is compared with a tree. A tree means kalpa-taru.
That is a fiction in the material world, but it is a fact in the spiritual world. Just as we get from Brahma-saṁhitā: cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpavṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam.
Kalpavṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam. The abode of Krishna is cintāmaṇi. There are also houses made of cintāmaṇi, that stone, kalpa-vṛkṣa, and the trees are kalpa-vṛkṣa. Surabhīr abhipālayantam.
And Krishna is tending cows. Those cows are surabhī. Surabhīr abhipālayantam. And lakṣmī- sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ. And he is attended by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.
Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam. In this material world we are worshiping our Mahā-Lakṣmī for getting some material profits. We are always very much suppressed that Lakṣmī may not go away from my home.
But there, Lakṣmī is thinking, "Krishna may not leave me." Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam.
Here in this material world, we are worshiping the goddess of fortune with great fervor, with great respect, so that we may not be broke.
But in the spiritual world, that hundreds and thousands of Lakṣmī, goddesses of fortune, are very respectfully engaged in the service of the Lord. That is the difference between the material world and the spiritual world.
So from Vedic literature we can get all this information. That is the purpose of studying the Vedas. And Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. vedānta-kṛd vedavid eva cāham.
He is the compiler of Vedānta. And He can explain Vedānta. Not others. Or His devotees can explain Vedānta. The Vedānta philosophy is meant for the devotees, not for the demons who deny the existence of God.
Vedānta means Vedānta-sūtra. The Vedānta-sūtra defines the nature of Absolute Truth. What is that? Neither. In one sūtra, summary. Summary sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ. Janmādi. Janmādi asya yataḥ.
So, wherefrom everything is emanated, where everything rests. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. And after being created, generated, resting, and after annihilated, again, yaṁ prayanty abhisaṁviśanti.
Let it be asarvān pravartate. Everything runs in Absolute, so Kṛṣṇa-sambandha. Na kāraṇa-vigraha-bhaviṣyatāṁ sa cetanaś cetanānām.
Overcoming illusion through devotional service
Mahāprabhu is saying that Kṛṣṇa-sambandha, Vedas, studying the Vedas means to understand our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is studying the Vedas. Kṛṣṇa-sambandha, and abhidheya, development, the actual activity begins.
Now we are having an interaction with māyā. I am thinking, "This is my family, this is my body." All body is conceptual, māyā, because I'm not this body. Therefore, basic conception is wrong.
Basic concept, it is called māyā, illusion. Māyā is so much illusion that the Bhāgavata says, the śāstra would be known to be without anyone who is working on the basis of the concept of body. The side of this is hard.
Sa eva go-kharaḥ. That person is only no better than cows and asses. So with the wrong consciousness that I am this body, I'm attached to this material world.
I am this body; first of all, we are attached to the body, then bodily relations: father, mother, brother, then society, community, national or international. We can think so far.
But they are on the same basis: a bodily concept of life. They are expanding on this; this is going on as, uh, the highest principles or, uh, higher facilities.
But actually our aim, our target, our goal of life is this truth. Nothing we do. They do not know. Therefore they are after so much figures for national hope or something like that.
Bhauma-ijya-dhīḥ... national... nationalism means accepting this land as, I mean, for the worship. The people will sacrifice everything.
For the land where one is born, but he is not required to sacrifice everything for Krishna. That is the point.
So directly Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that our study of Vedas, abhidheya, means to understand our relationship with Krishna.
And then after understanding the relationship with Krishna, the activity, activities, uh, that is abhidheya. That is bhakti. Bhakti means, after understanding our relationship with Krishna, the pure activity.
Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. When one becomes free from the designations, material designations. Sarvopādhi. Upādhi. This material designation. Upādhi. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam.
When one becomes Krishna conscious, he becomes nirmalam; nirmalam means free from all material contamination. At that time, the senses, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate.
Hṛṣīkeśa means Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses. Hṛṣīka means senses. They are Krishna's. They are not ours. We are thinking, "This is my hand," but it is not. It is Krishna's hand. Just like we are in this apartment.
If we normally think that this is our house, no, we are simply saying that we have been given the facilities to live. As soon as the facility is over, we have to quit. Given
this body is a facility, given by māyā, given by Krishna. Karmaṇā-daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye. We work, and according to our work, supervised by the superintendent of higher authorities, we get a body.
Therefore, this body is not ours, but it is given to us according to our desire.
So Nārada-bhakti-sūtra says that, uh, unnecessarily we are designating this body as Indian, as American, as brown, as white, as these or that. Factually, this body belongs to Krishna. He has given us.
Working for the satisfaction of Vishnu
So finally, to understand this position, our relationship with Krishna, that is liberation. That is mukti. Simply to understand Krishna and what is our relationship with Him, that is mukti.
Mukti does not mean something extraordinary. Simply this knowledge that everything belongs to Krishna, I also belong to Krishna, I am part and parcel of Krishna, everything is manifestation of Krishna's energy.
When you understand all these things, that is Krishna consciousness. And that is the position of the world. And if we act according to that, there is no implication of bondage. There is no implication.
That's what Gītā says: yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma- bandhanaḥ. Simply because everything belongs to Krishna, therefore, when everything is done for Krishna, that is yajña. Yajña means another name of Viṣṇu.
For the satisfaction of Viṣṇu or Krishna. Yajñārthāt karma. So we shall have to work simply to satisfy Krishna. That is Krishna consciousness activity. And that is the position of the devotee.
You can have whatever position you are, just like Arjuna has said. Arjuna was a fighter, a soldier. His business was to fight. But he fought for Krishna, therefore he was a devotee. He did not fight for his own decisions.
He did not fight because... He's supreme, He's supreme diplomat also. The supreme politician. Everything is supreme. Nobody can surpass Him. He's diplomatic.
Just Duryodhana and Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whole life they plotted against the Pāṇḍavas. How to deprive these Pāṇḍavas from their rights? That was their policy. But when Krishna was there on their side, all their diplomacy failed.
The Pāṇḍavas came out of it, and they were depending on Krishna. So Krishna and Arjuna, apparently Arjuna was fighting. He was not chanting Hare Krishna.
But that fighting, because he was fighting on the order of Krishna, therefore, it is as good as chanting. As good as chanting. Krishna is absolute and Krishna's service is also absolute.
Krishna's service is Krishna, not different. In the absolute world, everything is beyond supreme spirit, soul, Supersoul. So this is Krishna consciousness. Kṛṣṇa-prāpty-abhimukhyam. We have got some aim.
To achieve some target, some aim. So we have to achieve Krishna. That should be the aim of our life. But we do not know that.
Therefore this Krishna consciousness movement is to let people know that his ultimate aim is to approach Krishna and His love.
It doesn't matter whatever you are doing, but by your actions, by your activities, by your business, whether you are a professor, whatever you are doing, by that activity you can satisfy Krishna. Then you are successful.
Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam. If you are a military man, a tree, you are a military man, a senior man, a businessman, you are a medical man.
Whatever you are, you remain. There is no necessity of changing your position. There is no necessity of changing your position. But try to understand Krishna better. Simply try to understand. That will make your life a bit...
We do not see, we have one small devotee, we can see his wife. That I do have thought with children, but a few things. He has a nice girl, Sarasvati, she also worked in that. She has a tendency thus.
This morning, I mean in the garden, as soon as she saw one flower, she immediately thought of making a garland for Krishna. This is Krishna-bhakti. She does not see flowers to be enjoyed by herself.
She sees: "Oh, Krishna's flower." "It should be offered to Krishna." Let's see how to set up such a life.
It's more... yes, this is yogi, parama, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā. Even a small child of three or four years old, she is better than any yogi that was, because she's always thinking of Krishna.
Mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā. Simply you have to understand Krishna, and after all, there is no question of king or police. Do whatever business is to the will you do, but try to satisfy this. The only thing is Him as well.
Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ.
I spoke... Śukadeva Gosvāmī in a big meeting in Naimiṣāraṇya, Naimiṣāraṇya, attended by great learned persons, that was not originally... he says, basically, is addressing the audience.
Viprarṣayaḥ, the best of the army, lions, scholars in Vedic literature and devotees. Therefore, therefore, based on the śāstra.
Social divisions and spiritual duties
Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ, there is division of varṇa and āśrama. Very real human society. Where there is varṇāśrama. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is real society.
A division of social and spiritual order. So they have got respective duties. The gṛhastha has got respective duties. The brahmacārī has got respective duties. Yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyā. Brahmacārī is meant for tapasya, yoga.
Gṛhastha is meant for giving in charity. And sannyāsī is meant for, uh, me... or the, for the jñāna, when it's a sannyāsī renouncing everything. It does not mean he has to renounce the tapasya.
Or you have to, have to renounce charity. Yajña. Yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyam. We are not, mean now... Let me see the value that I should be put on. So, this is that.
So, uh, to what time is that, one we just say varṇāśrama-dharma. We have the respect to you. But there one should perform this prescribed duty. That is really...
So we are now, uh, we can do some examples, just like vaiśyas. At the present moment in the world, practically vaiśyas and śūdras are very much prominent. Capitalist class and labor.
And brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya are practically extinguished. Maybe there are some. So now take for example the vaiśyas. The vaiśyas means their business is kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya- karma svabhāva-jam. But what we do?
The vaiśya's duty is to develop agriculture, give protection to cows, and make commerce. But unfortunately, they're making trade, but not out with it. They're therefore deviating from the duty.
But the point is that when Krishna says, and He said it in Bhagavad-gītā, that these are the duties of the vaiśyas.
So in the vaiśya community, the merchant community, they are guided by the rules that are given by Krishna by the Lord. That's we have, we have to satisfy Hari, the Supreme Lord.
The Supreme Lord says, "You do this," then if we do it, then He is satisfied. There is no difficulty to understand how to satisfy.
Brāhmaṇa, his business is śamo dama-stapaḥ śaucaṁ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ, he has that very responsibility. That's why he is accepted as the first class, ah, first-class man in the humanity.
And because he has got so many duties. And his classification, Krishna says, guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Guṇa-karma.
According to quality, if you have the quality, and if you act according to the quality, then Krishna is satisfied.
If you have no quality and you are saying, "I am brāhmaṇa, I am kṣatriya, I am this, I am that," but what is your quality? That means by such false claim Krishna is not pleased. So these are claims.
The Bhāgavatam says the perfection of your position—it doesn't matter whether you are having sannyāsa, vānaprastha, gṛhastha— just try to see whether you are performing according to your position. Mentioned.
And that is your purpose. It doesn't matter that the gṛhastha has to be down or sannyāsa up. No. That's not enough. Of course, the gradual process is that a vānaprastha, that is sannyāsa. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī... so
you remain in your gṛha, anāśrita. But śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir, try to hear about Krishna.
Śruti-gatāṁ, by hearing, tanu-vāṅ-manobhir, can employ your tanu, body, your words, tanu- vāṅ-manobhir, your mind in the service of the Lord.
Even if you cannot practically do it, just give your consideration; it's a solemn subject, very serious. That is the point. In this way, we can make our life successful because it would be impossible.
That's what it is, and that opportunity is in the human form of life. We can satisfy the Supreme Lord. In animal life, it is not possible. Animal life we can satisfy, not directly, but indirectly.
Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "He deha-rākhala, o-he pāla-kartā." He's a dog. If a dog is under the protection of a devotee, his life also becomes success. His life also, because dogs also become elevated.
On account of his sacrifice, having a devotee... because the devotee is always engaged in the prasāda. So the cat or dog, on the other hand, you will see, dog eats such prasāda, he also is.
It is certainly the kṛṣṇa-sambandha bhakti. The activities, the activities in Krishna consciousness is called bhakti. Bhakti is not very an extraordinary thing.
It is extraordinary in this sense that all the activities are meant for satisfying Krishna. That is... Arjuna sent down to satisfy Krishna by fighting, by killing; Krishna says that you must fight.
Surrender and the soul relationship
Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ, Krishna said, when Arjuna denied to fight. Krishna wanted that fight. And Arjuna did not fight. But he said with it. So Krishna did not agree.
But because Arjuna was very dear to Krishna, he explained to him the essence of the literature, Bhagavad-gītā. To understand his position, to understand his real duty. That is the purpose of Bhagavad-gītā.
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu says the same thing. The kṛṣṇa-sambandha. How we are related to Krishna. Not with this family, not with this body, not with this country, not with this nation, not with this, no.
Our actual relationship is with Krishna. And we have to satisfy Krishna. That is our Krishna consciousness. And if we can't do so, then our life is death. Thank you. God is Super... Yes, God is Supersoul. Supersoul.
God is the Supreme Soul. And we are minute souls. So we are part and parcel. Mm-hmm. Krishna says, living entities, they are My part and parcel. They are part and parcel, they are one in quality.
You and God, they are one in quality. That's like the sea, ocean sea, and a small particle of the ocean sea water. Qualitatively they are one. But one is a sea, it is a drop and it is ocean. Is that clear? Yes.
The karma means just like īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni. Bhrāmayan. Sarva-bhūtāni. All living entities, and then driven by Him, just like the soul is carried.
Arjuna says, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam. So the jīvātmā is surrendered and Krishna is that. The brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham, māyā means the you, us, all want something from Kṛṣṇa. "Please do it."
And Kṛṣṇa is so kind. As a friend, "Please..." "All right, yes." "Give us this career." Even my aunt and driving us because he wants to drive him. "Please drive me there." Tryingly, "Make me a second side."
"Make me a tiger." "All right, become a tiger." "Make me president." Kṛṣṇa says, "All right, you can," because you want it. But he says that, "Give us this with this." But that we shall not do.
We can ask Kṛṣṇa, "Please dare me to be done with a fishing." All right, to become Kṛṣṇa. "Islam, make me a millionaire." "All right." "Islam, make me a dog." "All right." Come on. But that will not make you happy.
I give you all facilities. Sometimes to become a demigod and sometimes to become a dog. Sometimes you become a Brahmā, sometimes you become insect in the stool. Sometimes we have form. You want all that you become.
Then she can be without his first hand. So he did. If he persists on the subject matter, "I want to become like this." "All right." That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy.
But from his side, he says, "sarva-guhyatamam, the most confidential part of my instruction is, please give up this foolishness. Simply surrender unto me. That will make you happy." That is his present step.
And when he is traveling in the chariot given by māyā, that is he didn't say so. We have to learn that instead of becoming ourselves the order-giver, better take order from Kṛṣṇa and be happy.
Now we are in the position of order-giver, high order. Even if we go to temple, you order, "My dear Lord, please give me this property." And since I don't get, I don't care for this Kṛṣṇa. So we don't go to ask.
We want one to order it. And Kṛṣṇa becomes order-supplier. But at that point, position actually is here. you become order-supplier of Krishna. Then you come up with it. Don't make Krishna that happy. Then you never yet...
But Krishna is you, please apply your... Who has created the people? You have created. You have created. Then I explained it. You want it, this body, this idea. But that's alright. But if you want something, so kind in do...
That's like your son. Part and parcel of your partner. But if you want, but this all that I want it to do, all I took. Even if you do not want it. What I'm talking about is that beautiful.
Purification through hearing and association
From this ashram, what we are doing? We are making, we are helping you to understand Krishna. You come daily and understand. You come daily here and hear us, and we will understand.
We are at your service; these boys have understood. Similarly, you can understand. I know. Yes, everyone is there. So please come and try to understand; we are at your service.
But the ISKCON is opening centers all over the world to make people understand what is Krishna. We are ready to help you. You go up ahead and you understand Krishna. And then you'll like the bhakti.
Kṛṣṇa-kathā, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ, Krishna, when one is engaged in hearing about Krishna, then śṛṇvatāṁ Kṛṣṇa.
Then even if one does not understand, simply by hearing, puṇya- śravaṇa-kīrtana, anyone who is hearing and one is chanting, both are acquiring piety. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanam.
And as soon as the increase of faith, then hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi, all these givings or dirty things in the heart become clean. Vidhunoti. It is wash. Suhṛt satām. Vidunoti śubhāni. Kṛṣṇa, suhṛt, friend of everyone.
So suhṛt satām, especially those who are devotees. He's special friend. He's friends of everyone. But he is special friends for the devotees. So Śrī sādhu... So he is helping.
And as soon as you dirtied things from the heart, he cleans. You can understand it. Simply by hearing, when that is clean, you'll understand this. That is good.
Therefore, this thing is recommended: please come and hear from a pure devotee. Then it is bhāva.