Self-Analysis and Universal Understanding

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada · San Francisco · 1967

Chapters

[chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers]

Opening prayers and universal vision

[śrī-caitanya-mano]-'bhīṣṭaṁsthāpitaṁ yena bhū-talesvayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁdadāti sva-padāntikam

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?

CC Antya 2.1বন্দেঽহং শ্রীগুরোঃ শ্রীযুতপদকমলং শ্রীগুরূন্ বৈষ্ণবাংশ্চ শ্রীরূপং সাগ্রজাতং সহগণরঘুনাথান্বিতং তং সজীবম্ ।সাদ্বৈতং সাবধূতং পরিজনসহিতং কৃষ্ণচৈতন্যদেবং শ্রীরাধাকৃষ্ণপাদান্ সহগণললিতা-শ্রীবিশাখান্বিতাংশ্চ ॥ ১ ॥vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāmś caśrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvamsādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁśrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāmś caI offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā.

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindhodīna-bandho jagat-pategopeśa gopikā-kāntarādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

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.

tapta-kāṣcana-gaurāṅgirādhe vṛndāvaneśvarivṛṣabhānu-sute devipraṇamāmi hari-priye

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.

vāṣchā-kalpatarubhyaś cakṛpā-sindhubhya eva capatitānāṁ pāvanebhyovaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

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.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanyaprabhu-nityānandaśrī-advaita gadādharaśrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion. hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare harehare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

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.

Prabhupāda: So we have been discussing instruction of Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five-years-old boy, instructing his class fellows. So self-analysis.

And he says, "When self-analysis is complete, then the result will be that the person who is in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness after studying self-analysis, his vision will be universal." That is the stage of universal understanding.

BG 5.18विद्याविनयसंपन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि ।शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥१८॥vidyā-vinaya-sampannebrāhmaṇe gavi hastiniśuni caiva śva-pāke capaṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥThe humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].

In the Bhagavad-gītā you have read that a learned person, who is actually learned, he sees everyone on the equal level, sama-darśinaḥ. How?

Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne. A person who is very highly learned, very gentle, civilized, vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe, and a brāhmaṇa, still higher, intellectual personality; gavi, a cow; hasti, means an elephant; śuni, the dog; śva-pāke ca, and the dog-eaters; śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama, all these—there are different varieties of living condition—but still, one who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he sees everyone on the same level.

How it is, that? Has he become a madman, that a highly intellectual person and the dog, he sees on the equal level? Yes. Because he is not seeing on the material platform; he is seeing on the spiritual platform.

In the spiritual platform there is no distinction. The all distinction is due to our material conception of life.

Varieties, the bodies, there are 8,400,000 varieties of bodies, and because we are under the concept of this bodily, I mean to say, identification, therefore we see so many varieties.

Service and the localized Paramatma

So a person who is actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that if he prosecutes the devotional service under the guidance of bona fide spiritual master...

That is the beginning of this verse: guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā [SB 7.7.30], beginning with serving the bona fide spiritual master.

SB 7.7.32हरिः सर्वेषु भूतेषु भगवानास्त ईश्वरः ।इति भूतानि मनसा कामैस्तैः साधु मानयेत् ॥३२॥hariḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣubhagavān āsta īśvaraḥiti bhūtāni manasākāmais taiḥ sādhu mānayetOne should always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His localized representation as the Paramātmā, who is situated in the core of every living entity’s heart. Thus one should offer respect to every living entity according to that living entity’s position or manifestation.

So as soon as one is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not see anyone bad. Everyone he sees, he is sādhu. Sādhu means saintly. So that, his vision, completely changes. He does not see any enemy.

Three stages of spiritual development

There are three stages of development in spiritual life, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The first stage is when he's under the training. That is called neophyte stage. That, in that stage, he offers his respect to the Deity.

SB 11.2.47अर्चायामेव हरये पूजां य: श्रद्धयेहते ।न तद्भ‍क्तेषु चान्येषु स भक्त: प्राकृत: स्मृत: ॥ ४७ ॥arcāyām eva harayepūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehatena tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣusa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥA devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a prākṛta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position.

In the beginning stage, he offers respect to the Deity in the church or in the temple or in the mosque, according to different religious conception, but he has no idea who is actually devotee, and what is his duty towards other.

He does not know. This is the first stage. But he has got good faith in religion and in God. That is the beginning. The second stage is that,

SB 11.2.46ईश्वरे तदधीनेषु बालिशेषु द्विषत्सु च ।प्रेममैत्रीकृपोपेक्षा य: करोति स मध्यम: ॥ ४६ ॥īsvare tad-adhīneṣubāliśeṣu dviṣatsu caprema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣāyaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥAn intermediate or second-class devotee, called madhyama-adhikārī, offers his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent and disregards those who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The intermediate stage is that he sees four things: īśvara, the Lord, the Supreme Lord, and then His devotee, tad-adhīne. Tad-adhīna means one who has accepted subordination of the Supreme Lord.

He is called devotee, or one who has surrendered. So he sees God, God's devotee, and bāliśa.

Bāliśa means innocent person, one who has no sense what is God, neither he's against God; he's called bāliśa. And dviṣatsu. And there are atheists.

Atheist class, they will, as soon as they hear of God, oh, they become fire. So dviṣatsu, they are envious of the Lord. So these four classes are visioned in the second stage.

And he deals with four classes differently: he loves God, he makes friendship with devotee of God, and he instructs sincerely, just like Cai..., er, Prahlāda Mahārāja is instructing to his friends, because they are innocent.

They are neither against nor in for. So he is instructing them. But those who are dviṣat... His father..., he was not instructing his father, because he knew that his father was atheist number one. So he was avoiding.

So this is the second stage. And the third stage, or the highest stage, he does not see any distinction that who is atheist or who is friendly or who is innocent. He sees that "Everyone is the servant of God. Everyone.

Therefore he's good." He does not make... That is very higher position. We should not imitate. We must begin from the beginner stage, then second stage. Generally, the devotees are on the second stage.

The highest stage is very rare to be seen. So, SB 7.7.32हरिः सर्वेषु भूतेषु भगवानास्त ईश्वरः ।इति भूतानि मनसा कामैस्तैः साधु मानयेत् ॥३२॥hariḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣubhagavān āsta īśvaraḥiti bhūtāni manasākāmais taiḥ sādhu mānayetOne should always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His localized representation as the Paramātmā, who is situated in the core of every living entity’s heart. Thus one should offer respect to every living entity according to that living entity’s position or manifestation.

So when one reaches the highest stage of perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he has no more any distinction, and he thinks everyone as sādhu, as devotee.

He thinks himself that "I am the worst." He thinks anyone, "Oh, everyone is serving the Supreme Lord. They are engaged in the service of the Lord. Simply I am so fool that I cannot engage myself." He simply laments himself.

That is the highest stage. He sees, "Everyone is engaged in the loving service of God, but simply I am unable to serve God.

So kindly...," he prays to God, "my dear Lord, please give me strength so that I can serve." This is the first-quality stage.

Controlling senses through divine attachment

Evaṁ nirjita-ṣaḍ-vargaiḥ kriyate bhaktir īśvare. These are the process of devotional service, when the senses are completely under control.

This highest stage means, even in the first stage, second stage, the senses are controlled. SB 7.7.33एवं निर्जितषड्वर्गैः क्रियते भक्तिरीश्वरे ।वासुदेवे भगवति यया संलभ्यते रतिः ॥३३॥evaṁ nirjita-ṣaḍ-vargaiḥkriyate bhaktir īśvarevāsudeve bhagavatiyayā saṁlabhyate ratiḥBy these activities [as mentioned above] one is able to cut down the influence of the enemies, namely lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness and jealousy, and when thus situated, one can render service to the Lord. In this way one surely attains the platform of loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

"If anyone prosecutes his devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, then gradually he develops ratiḥ." Ratiḥ means affection, affinity, attachment for the Lord.

Now we have got attachment for the matter. So as we make progress, we gradually become freed from material attachment and come to the platform, complete attachment for God. So attachment, that is my natural instinct.

I cannot be free from attachment. I shall be either attached to this matter or I shall be attached to spirit. If I am not attached to spirit, then I must be attached to matter.

And if I am attached to spirit, then my material attachment is gone. This is the process.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "In this process, if a person advances in his spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then vāsudeve bhagavati..." The Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa.

Vāsudeve bhagavati: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Yayā saṁlabhyate ratiḥ: "He becomes automatically attached."

And so long we are not attached to Vāsudeva, then our attachment for this matter will oblige me to transfer or transmigrate from one body to another, and I'll have to circambulate [sic] in the 8,400,000 species of life, lower grade, higher grade.

That will continue. Therefore this is the opportunity, this human life, to become a devotee of Vāsudeva, or to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Now, when one becomes fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or a devotee of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, his characters are described:

SB 7.7.34निशम्य कर्माणि गुणानतुल्यान्वीर्याणि लीलातनुभिः कृतानि ।यदातिहर्षोत्पुलकाश्रुगद्गदंप्रोत्कण्ठ उद्गायति रौति नृत्यति ॥३४॥niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyānvīryāṇi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāniyadātiharṣotpulakāśru-gadgadaṁprotkaṇṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyatiOne who is situated in devotional service is certainly the controller of his senses, and thus he is a liberated person. When such a liberated person, the pure devotee, hears of the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord’s incarnations for the performance of various pastimes, his hair stands on end on his body, tears fall from his eyes, and in his spiritual realization his voice falters. Sometimes he very openly dances, sometimes he sings loudly, and sometimes he cries. Thus he expresses his transcendental jubilation.[pause]

Bhagavat, bhagavad-rati liṅgāny āhuḥ. Now, a person, how he is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his symptoms are now being described.

Bhagavad-rati-liṅgāni āhur niśamyeti guṇāni bhakta-vatsalādi. Now, he says, niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyān vīryāṇi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni. This incarnation of...

In the Bhagavad-gītā, you have learned that the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham Bg. 4.7*.*

Hearing the activities of Krishna

Whenever there is discrepancy in the discharge of religious principles, then there is incarnation of God. Whenever there is. Because this is... Everything, God is the supreme proprietor.

Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. Now, the kingdom of God is everywhere, but this material world is also kingdom of God, but here the people are, 99.9%, they are forgetful. They have forgotten God.

Therefore in this material world there are religious principles. In every civilized society there is some form of religion, without any exception.

Either you be Christian or be Muhammadan or be Buddhist or Hindu, that doesn't matter, because the whole idea is this is the process. Human civilization, to make progress means self-realization.

So as soon as there is discrepancy in the matter of self-realization—they become too much materialistic—then the incarnation of Godhead comes and He instructs.

Just like Lord Kṛṣṇa came in five thousand years before, and He has left His instruction. So why? Because we shall get the opportunity of hearing His activities.

By hearing His activities means we shall be associating Him, because His activities, because He is Absolute, there is no difference between He and His activities. There is no difference.

So here, niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyāni. So just like you are kindly hearing the description given by Prahlāda Mahārāja. So this is the process.

So when one becomes highly elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so as soon as he hears Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavata or Bible—anything description of Kṛṣṇa or God—then atiharṣotpula kāśru-gadgadaṁ protkaṇṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyati: as soon as he hears, he becomes so much ecstatic that immediately he begins to dance and sing and becomes very happy.

As soon as he hears. Just like somebody hears that in some business he has earned ten millions of dollars. He becomes so much, I mean to say, enthusiastic: "Oh, I have got this," and dances and like that.

This is, of course, material conception.

Ecstatic sentiments and spiritual behavior

Similarly, when one has actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in developed position, his symptom will be that as soon as he hears of Kṛṣṇa, or God, he becomes immediately ecstatic and begins to dance and cry and sing just like a madman.

So this stage... We have several times cited the example, that reading of Bhagavad-gītā... When Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India, He saw one brāhmaṇa, he was reading Bhagavad-gītā, but he was illiterate.

But he was crying. So on inquiry from Caitanya Mahāprabhu what he is reading, he frankly admitted that "I am illiterate. I do not know even the letters.

But my Guru Mahārāja asked me to read Bhagavad-gītā daily, so I am trying to read it. But I cannot read it." Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "Then why you are crying?" He replied, "Yes, I get an ecstatic sentiment.

As soon I touch this book, I see the picture, that Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot, and Arjuna is sitting, and He is instructing.

So Kṛṣṇa is so kind, Kṛṣṇa is so faithful to His devotee that He has taken the menial execution of service to His devotee. This feelings, whenever I feel, I am crying." This is the stage.

This is the stage, when one becomes too much, I mean to say, glorifying about the wonderful acts. This is very wonderful act.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the greatest—God is great—but He has taken the service of a devotee as a menial driver. So this feeling gave him in ecstasy. This is a sign. It is not artificial.

Tad guṇa-sūnavan, er, śruti-mātreṇa [SB 3.29.11]. Just like if you place..., if you pour some water on the ground, you will see where there is down level, it will at once go to that side.

Without any arrangement, you simply pour the water and it will go down where the level is down, just like the rivers are flowing to the sea level.

Similarly, a highly developed Kṛṣṇa conscious person, at once he will hear about something of Kṛṣṇa, he will be in ecstasy. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There was a devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

His name was Murāri Gupta. He was physician to the then Nawab, Muslim Nawab. Now, they were sitting. The Nawab was going some hunting excursion or something like that, but he was Nawab's physician. He was to accompany him.

So they were sitting on the back of the elephant. In the meantime, that Murāri Gupta saw one peacock, and as soon as he saw the peacock, the feather, he at once remembered Kṛṣṇa and at once fainted and fall down.

This is called ālambana. This is called ālambana. Ālambana means anything to the context, immediately he remembers his Lord and becomes ecstatic. This is the first-class stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So there are many instances. Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed this manifestation in His life. We shall discuss. We are discussing now in the morning class.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, yadā atiharṣotpulakāśru-gadgadam. He becomes so glad that he is faltering in speaking.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was dancing in Jagannātha Purī during car festival and was singing, He could not utter "Jagannātha." He was uttering, "Jaga-aga-aaa-aaa...," like that. He was faltering, faltering.

These signs are that. They become at once transferred to the spiritual, I mean to say, atmosphere and platform. These are very higher stage.

SB 7.7.35यदा ग्रहग्रस्त इव क्वचिद्धसत्याक्रन्दते ध्यायति वन्दते जनम् ।मुहुः श्वसन्वक्ति हरे जगत्पतेनारायणेत्यात्ममतिर्गतत्रपः ॥३५॥yadā graha-grasta iva kvacid dhasatyākrandate dhyāyati vandate janammuhuḥ śvasan vakti hare jagat-patenārāyaṇety ātma-matir gata-trapaḥWhen a devotee becomes like a person haunted by a ghost, he laughs and very loudly chants about the qualities of the Lord. Sometimes he sits to perform meditation, and he offers respects to every living entity, considering him a devotee of the Lord. Constantly breathing very heavily, he becomes careless of social etiquette and loudly chants like a madman, “Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa! O my Lord, O master of the universe!”

Just like one man is haunted by ghost. He shows different caricatures. Sometimes he laughs; sometimes he cries; sometimes he is fall down; sometimes he touches your feet. These are the symptoms.

He forgets. Just like a madman forgets that "I am in office" or "I am in the society, in my friends' circle. If I show this caricature, they will..." [break] [end]