Bhagavad-gita 3.18
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Israel · 2019
Chapters
Recitation of Gita verses on action
Om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
Nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya, naraṁ caiva narottamam, devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ, tato jayam udīrayet. Tato jayam udīrayet.
So I will read famous verse from the third chapter of Bhagavad Gita called Karma Yoga, where Sri Krishna is describing, in two verses, in fact, 27th and 28th, Krishna is describing two different types of people and their understanding of what's going on around them in life and their approach to the activities.
It's a famous verse which is describing the ignorant person, person who doesn't know the difference between the soul and the body. Prakriteh kriyamana nigunaik karmani sarvashaha ahankar vi mudatma kartaham itimanyate.
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature, purported by His Divine Grace, His Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad.
Two persons, one in Krishna consciousness and the other in material consciousness, work on the same level, may appear to be working on the same platform. But there is a wide gulf of difference in their respective positions.
The person in material consciousness is convinced by false ego that he is the doer of everything.
He does not know that the mechanism of the body is produced by material nature, which works under the supervision of the Supreme Lord.
The materialistic person has no knowledge that ultimately he is under the control of Krishna. The person in false ego takes all credit for doing everything independently, and that is the symptom of his nations.
He does not know that this gross and subtle body is the creation of material nature under the order of the supreme personality of Godhead, and as such his bodily and mental activities should be engaged in the service of Krishna, in Krishna consciousness.
The ignorant man forgets that the supreme personality of Godhead is known as Rishikesha, the master of the senses of the material body, for due to his long misuse of the senses in sense gratification, he is factually bewildered by the false ego, which makes him forget his eternal relationship with Krishna.
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego, he sings himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.
Ramon Vishnu Padaya, Krishna Pistahy, Butale Srimati Bhaktividan Paswami, Tinami. Namaste Sraswati Devi, Gurava, Pacharini, Nirvis Sur Suny, pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe.
Sri Vasadi Gaura Bhakta Vrinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama
Theoretical knowledge vs physical identification
Hare Hari Ajanulambit Bujokna Kavadatu, Sankirtanaika Pitaruka Malayaksh, Vishwam Baru, Vijaaru Yu Gudharma Palu Banday Jagat Priya Karoka Ruhava Taru Yantah pravi mamma vachima prasuptam sanje vaja te kila shakti darah spadham na nyam scha hasta charana sramanat magadya, prananda mamma bhate, guru shoe to.
I thought of speaking about this very important topic because even though apparently this particular verse is speaking about the Mudhatma, the bewildered soul, the person who is in complete nations.
We oftentimes can find ourselves in a similar position. Theoretically, we may know that we are not this body. And we heard this nice philosophy many, many times. I am not this body.
It's almost the mantra which we repeat many, many times. Unfortunately, subconsciously we still completely identify ourselves with the body.
And when the situation comes, different situations in our lives comes, we act as if we don't know the philosophy. And in reality, we don't know the philosophy.
We know the theoretical knowledge, have the theoretical knowledge.
And therefore, I thought of speaking about this so that we could understand it more deeply and try to get this very basic knowledge of spiritual life you know established on a deeper level of our consciousness.
So Krishna explains here, prakriteh guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, that in reality there is a very complex mechanism which includes this body,
law of karma, the mechanism of material nature, Paramātmā behind it, and tiny tiny little spirit soul. And this whole complex system is working and makes some, you know, produces some activities.
But you know, the spirit soul which has the least input into the whole picture thinks that it's all me, nothing else. In reality, spirit soul is really tiny.
Later, Srila Prabhupada explains, will explain in the seventh chapter, that the only activity which we do in reality is the desire. We do have some role to play, but this role is not very significant.
The main activity of the soul in this material world, in this surrounding, or in this environment, material environment is to desire, to express desire. And everything else, more or less, everything else is done by the Supreme Lords through the arrangement which He has done.
God has created this world, God has created our bodies, God has created our complex mind, brain, and this whole system. And the little spirit soul sitting in this machine and says, I want to do something.
And something starts happening and the little soul thinks, oh, how great I am.
Parable of the proud flying frog
How great I am. In Russian literature there is a little fairy tale about one little frog. The frog was living in a pond very much similar to the story of Dr. Frog, which was described by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
But this particular frog was a very romantic, sort of a frog. So at one point this frog decided to travel. I want to see different, you know, countries. And the frog made a good arrangement.
There were some swans also living in this pond of flying in this pond, so geese actually, geese. And they were flying in the south direction. And the frog said, why don't you take me with you?
And I said, how we take you with us? She said it's very easy.
You take a little stick, you put it in your mouth, and two of you will put it in your mouth, and I will, you know, I will hold this stick by my mouth, and I will fly with you.
So yeah, and everything was very nice. It worked. The geese were very kind and considerate. They took this little frog and the little frog, lo and behold, started flying.
She was flying and she was really excited about this. And you know, and they were flying far away, you know, but quite high.
And then the frog noticed, and the frog wanted to see, you know, how how the world appreciates your performance because it's not often to see the flying frogs so and then this little frog saw that, you know, the people down there on the earth were pointing out and asking, oh, frog, frog is flying, frog is flying. How amazing it is.
I and they were talking, and she heard this. They were talking. Who who somehow rather who made all this arrangement? And the frog, she couldn't hold herself.
The frog started crying, it's I, I did it. And of course, the mouth was open. And she fell down by crying very loudly and very proudly. That's I did it. Look at me. So that's a story about us. There is some arrangement.
Something is going on around us, and it's a very complex arrangement, but we always want to appropriate and to say that this is all me. I'm doing this, I'm the doer. Ahankāra vimūḍhātmā.
Therefore, Krishna says this soul is completely bewildered by Ahankara, by the false ego, by the false identity, by the false sense, I am doing this. And kartāham iti manyate thinks that you know I'm doing everything.
So it would not be bad in itself if it was not if it was not so detrimental for us to understand our real spiritual nature.
What is happening with us in reality when we are in this conception of false ego, we cannot really distinguish or really understand where is the soul.
We are more or less constantly by, this conception, I'm the doer, reinforcing the false notion that I'm this body. And the result is actually very sad because since we are this body, we will have to die.
And we have this fear of death, we have all this traumas, all these problems which are happening with us, you know, all the problems which are happening with our body, we think it's our problems.
And so many other problems are there inevitably, when we have this identification with this body, and the main problem of course is that it deprives us of spiritual understanding and this identification with the
Primary causes of miseries in Yoga Sutra
the body on notions, how Prabhupada says, is extremely deep. The roots of this are so deep that even though we know we may understand theoretically that I'm not this body, but still there's so much attached to this body.
This problem is being dealt with in Yoga Sutra in a very interesting way.
I wanted to use this material of the Yoga Sutra to explain this point about false ego to understand deeper the consequences of this initial mistake which everyone is doing.
The initial mistake is, of course, this natural identification with the body when you know the little baby is born. You know that he's the body.
So and in the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali Muni explains that this is the beginning of all our problems. He says this is the first klesha. Klesha is the source or the cause of miseries, cause of suffering.
And this first cause of suffering is called avidya when we don't understand we somehow rather mix, or somehow rather we're being bewildered, we think that this matter is me. The consciousness is being produced by matter.
And most of the people in this world are under this impression. Vast majority of people. I quite often because I have little scientific background, I read some scientific books about this.
And it's amazing how deeply rooted this understanding or misunderstanding is among the most intelligent people in the source, supposedly most intelligent people.
All these people they think that the consciousness is epiphenomenon, is the product of the brain. And if there is no brain, there is no consciousness.
And therefore, they don't believe this near-death experience, of course, transmigration of the soul, all this stuff is completely out of question. Because it's all brain, nothing else.
There is a lump of neurons, and somehow or other, this lump of neurons is the experiencer of everything.
With very strange ideas, you know, this evolution is very a strange concept because ultimately, if you ask them what is the moving force behind evolution, they say that DNA wants to reproduce itself.
Somehow or other the DNA is a very special sort of stuff. It has very strong desire to reproduce itself. What is this DNA and why it has some desires? Very difficult to understand.
You know it's uh they completely cannot really even imagine that consciousness has a different nature than the matter. Consciousness is just a product of matter.
And even though so many philosophers were there before, still people are very stubborn. They still are completely convinced I'm this body.
But as I started saying, Patanjali Muni very aptly says that this is the beginning of all our problems, of all our suffering. It's klesha.
Klesha from the Sanskrit root klesh, which means to suffer. Klesha literally means the source or the cause of suffering. So kleśa, the first kleśa, avidyā, gives rise to asmita, a false ego.
Here false ego in Bhagavad-gītā, in the language of Bhagavad-gītā, false ego is called ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra means the doer. I mean, sometimes people translate it as "I am the doer", but it's not really is.
It's just certain very subtle material element or subtle concept which is there, that which creates this sense of false identity. That's the element which helps us to completely identify with the body.
It's the element which helps us to completely penetrate our consciousness through the body. That there's no even question that I'm something different.
But Patañjali Muni gives a very beautiful explanation which I wanted to dwell a little bit with you and with your permission on of what is asmita.
Asmitā is just a different name or different nomenclature for false ego, and he calls it in yoga asmita, and he gives a definition, a beautiful definition.
Distinction between subjective and mechanical vision
Dṛk-darśana-śaktyor ekātmatevā- -smitā. Asmitā or false ego is when you think that there are two śaktis. In reality, there are two very distinct śaktis. Two distinct abilities or two distinct energies. One is dṛk-śakti.
Dṛk-śakti is the subjective ability to see. When I see, and subjective ability to see. And darśana-śakti is a different śakti, it's a mechanical ability to see, instrument of seeing.
So when these two śaktis, when the person thinks that these two śaktis are one, ekātmatā, ekātmatā eva. This is asmitā. It's a very interesting concept which I wanted to describe in a little more detail.
So we have two verbs in English, to hear and to listen. What is the difference between hearing and listening? I may hear but not listen. Right? Hearing means I'm just hearing. My mechanism.
The instrument of hearing is working. The ear is there, the sound is going into the ear, and some vibration is there, it's maybe registered. But I may hear but not listen. Listen means I don't understand what's going on.
So listening means the subjective ability to understand to to realize what's going on or to hear, there is a material instrument and subjective ability to hear and interpret and so on and so forth.
So this Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda said that this dṛk-darśana-vicāra, the distinction, the ability to distinguish between these two Shaktis.
He says: this is one of my main contributions into whole philosophy. He was giving many lectures on this particular topic, dṛk-darśana-vicāra. Vichar means the deliberation on this particular topic.
And basically, his uh idea is that we should be very clear about the difference between these two completely separate but very closely in our subjective consciousness, closely related functions.
You know, there is a mechanism of hearing or seeing. And there is me, the spirit soul, who is interpreting this.
And he he gives a very interesting and very simple example, but very interesting and very apt and very exact example how to distinguish it.
He said, you know, you take two persons and you show them the same sort of picture. And they all have, you know, they see the picture.
But if after them seeing, after this mechanical act of seeing the picture, you ask them what did you see, they will describe different things. They will see different things. Why? Because they all have different experience.
And they are really seeing different things. Even though that mechanically the picture is the same. So we, the spirit soul, with the experience which are created in our mind.
We interpret what we see and we see it differently. So this concept or this differentiation has very important implications.
When we think that, and usually people, if you tell them that it's amazing, it's really amazing, it's truly amazing. Uh everyone sees this world differently, and everyone is completely convinced that he's right.
And that only his vision is right. You know, we are sitting here, and we're only sitting here because our vision is somewhat similar. You know.
If you invite somebody else with completely different vision, he will not be able even to sit here because his vision is his interpretation, his experience, his understanding will be completely different.
He will not agree with this. So even though we all see the same things, we see differently. We see completely different things. And because we see different things, there is so much problems in this world.
Everyone is fighting because everyone sees the world differently, and everyone thinks that only my vision is right. Everyone else's vision is wrong. Isn't it? You know, there is only one person who is right here.
And no, not only one. Only one and those who agree with this one. And this one happened to be me. So this is this is the reality of this world.
Everyone, you know, completely convinced, absolutely convinced, due to false ego, that only my vision, my understanding is correct. Everyone else is wrong, and somehow or other they're just bewildered. ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
They're bewildered by the false ego. But we are not different because again, we are interpreting everything through our experience, so to speak. And our experience is faulty. Our experience is not perfect.
It's never perfect. And the problem is that this is some scientific reality, some scientific facts which I wanted to share with you. There are two things which are very interesting.
Scientific findings on brain and perception
First of all, I recently heard several lectures on this topic, scientific lectures, because now they intensely study the brain function. So by studying the brain function, there are different areas in the brain,
and some areas of the brain they are responsible for action, for example. For example, you're doing something. And some areas in the brain are responsible for understanding of reality of what you're doing.
So it's very interesting, exactly according to the truth which is Krishna, which is expressed in this verse by Lord Krishna, they say that first person is doing something.
For example, I'm, you know, I'm doing this movement or I'm speaking now. You know, first I'm speaking, then only I realized what I'm speaking. First, I'm doing something and then only I realized, oh, I did it.
They uh they define that there is a difference, it's uh approximately one-fourth quarter of a second uh between the perception or understanding that I'm doing and the action itself.
You first act and then only you understand what you're doing. Because when we're doing something, when we're speaking, when we are talking, when we are moving
something, we're doing it according to our previous experience which is recorded in our brain and around in our body so exactly like Krishna says here prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni The work is done by prakṛti.
The brain is working, and there are so many programs in this brain. The body is working, and there are so many programs in this body, one
quarter of a second later we understand what we're doing and then we say, Oh, I'm doing this. It's not you're doing this, it's all the programs which are there, which were created
by the whole mechanism, by Lord Himself, actually, who created this body, who created this brain, who created everything.
And you only realizing it a little later, you know, sometimes I think some people they're even you know not a quarter of a second. For some people it takes longer. But nevertheless the result is the same. I'm doing this.
You're not doing this. It's the mechanism which is working, the mechanism which is in work. And there is nothing to be proud about it.
The only reason to be proud is that, you know God has created such a beautiful thing, such a beautiful machine, beautiful mechanism. That's one problem, but that's not the worst problem.
The worst problem uh of this whole thing is that uh this mechanism uh which we have, this uh material mechanism of the body and of the brain, which we have, and the experience which we gather through our brains, through our cognitive functions by working or acting in this world they create
certain perceptions as I say or create certain convictions. I already mentioned about this, you know, certain worldview. So what happens with us due to this ahaṅkāra?
We completely identify ourselves with this worldview, with this convictions, with this understanding, with these concepts.
False ego as source of stress
And when somebody, why there is so much conflict in this world? Why people are always quarreling who is right, who is wrong? Because, please listen very carefully, it's a very interesting fact.
You know, we have the world and we have the mechanism, and we know how to act in this world according to our experience and according to the mechanism which we have.
So when somebody else comes with some different idea or different worldview, or when we somehow or other find ourselves in a different environment where we don't know how to act,
the Ahaṅkāra, which is so strong, interprets it as a threat to his life.
Literally, we may not understand this deeply when we react in a certain way, but literally when somebody says something which is or expresses some opinion which is different from our opinion, we think that he is the threat for my life, for my existence.
That's why people are fighting so fiercely over who is wrong and who is right. You know, there are people they are really fighting, you know, for this sometimes without so much reason.
You know, mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law in one kitchen. It's uh it's a second world war. It's it's a complete disaster because they have different understanding how it works.
And why it is so bad, why the conflict is so strong. It's really strong.
Because again, we have our experience and false ego identification with the body, is not only identification with the body, it's the identification also with the mind and with the interpretation of this world. And when somebody comes with different interpretation, with different experience, and, you know, his existence, his existence is a threat to my comfortable existence in my world.
I think it was John Paul Sartre who said that the existence of a different person is a big scandal. He was really, I mean it's a scandal, you know. Somebody has a right to exist. How dare he is.
What I want to say by saying this is that because of false ego, we are practically constantly in stress. Because our false ego interprets even small things as the threat to our existence.
Somebody, you know, somebody does something differently than we are used to do. And we sometimes, you0.9893502936363636 know, our reaction, we cannot even explain our reaction completely.
We don't know reaction, but sometimes we react very strongly, even though it's a small thing. Why? Again, because very deeply inside, on the level of subconsciousness.
We interpret this little accents or whatever as a threat to our existence. Threat to existence of our false ego. Again, the false ego, the whole concept of false ego, false ego is very vulnerable.
Because we identify with the body, we identify with our understanding of the world. There are so many levels and layers of this uh identification, false identification, and this world is constantly changing.
And any change in this regard is a big problem for us. How how is it changing? You know, I remember very much, uh, you know, that was very I was a little child, and uh my mother at that time started having grey hairs.
So and I, you know, I looked at her at one point. She was sitting in front of the mirror and she was plucking the grey hairs from from. I asked her, why are you doing this? I couldn't figure out why she's doing this. Why?
Now I understand very well. I had to read Bhagavad-gītā and study it for many years to understand the very deep psychological reason for this. Because of the false ego. Something is changing. It is not supposed to change.
It's very threatening to my existence. Because I completely identify with the body, and the body is changing, something is wrong.
Because Krishna, in the beginning, he very beautifully described that the soul itself is unchanging.
And we as observers understand I'm not changing, but at the same time, we see everything is changing and we start fighting against these changes.
The whole life, if we analyze very deeply and minutely what we are doing, the whole life we are fighting and trying to resist against the changes which are taking place completely outside of our will.
And lo and behold, usually Usually nobody becomes a winner in this very heroic fight against the time and the changes which are taking place. Again, please listen very carefully.
Personal reflection on releasing status
It's a very interesting idea. The whole thing, and actually, Patanjali Muni will speak about this a little later in Yoga Sutra.
Because of this false identification, false ego, anything which because of this false ego, ultimately, because of false ego, we live in constant stress.
I can I will tell you one little experience. It's a very I mean for me it's a confession. It's difficult for me to say, but mm but I will still uh confess in front of you because I trust you.
So sometimes we think that you know there are this external reasons for stress. In reality, all the reasons for stress are inside us.
Most of the stress which we experience is because of our false conceptions and false identifications, which are very deep.
Gaura Vani Prabhu started this lecture very gracefully by saying that I'm free from the GBC duties and I very happily, you know, I was very happy to be reminded about this. But it was a very difficult transition. Why?
You know, I thought, you know, the this GBC duties is such a burden, so much stress coming of this. I will tell you, the stress of giving up this identification was much more than the stress of doing this. Why?
Because of the same thing. You know, we think we are free that Krishna is speaking about some you know foolish scientists who are completely identifying with the body. But we have the same problem.
In reality, very sometimes imperceptibly we have the same problem. It actually took me a long time to adjust to this new stress because the position changed.
You know, even though it was completely external, you may think it's completely external. Still, you know some deep layers of identification where you were somehow.
At one point I very clearly realized that there is some sort of fear for my existence because of this upadi.
This whole concept, my identification with my position in this body, in this world, with this body, with nationality, what not. It all goes very deeply inside our consciousness. Very deeply.
You know, Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja, who was in black body, you know, he was sometimes sharing his sorrow and grief.
He said, I came to this society, which is supposed to be completely free from all this bodily identification. And I experienced the same thing in this society as I experienced in the external world.
Fear of death and five kleshas
The same mistreatment or same sort of maybe not to the same extent, but still the same thing is there. And we can see it on a different level in our consciousness how deeply this false ego is, how deeply rooted it is.
But what happened, and this is what I wanted to tell you. Because of this false identification, then you know Patangelimuni says there are five five basic causes for suffering in this world. Five basic causes for miseries.
These five classes. First is Avidya, this misidentification. Second is Asmita, the false ego, then raga and vesha, which basically means programs which are coming from this false identification.
I like this, and I don't like this. You know, this is good, this is bad. And then he says, Abhinivesha is the five one, fifth one. And Abhinivesha basically means clinging for life.
When we are completely, we are trying to hold for this material identification. And actually, it's a fear of death.
And it's a very strong sort of misery because we all know, and Prabhupada explains that all fear which is there in this world is ultimately different varieties of different types of the same one fear, fear of death.
And it is said in the 11th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Bayam Dvitieb Abi Niniives Veshah Taks Takysiat Sadah Peta Sya Vare Yos Mritiv. It is said that the Bhaya Bayam Dvitya Abinives Bha fear comes from the Abinives.
Abhina Vesh means complete absorption in Dvitya. Dvitya means secondary. When our consciousness is absorbed in the secondary thing, in the body, in the matter, then baya comes, fear comes, fear of death.
And what is very interesting how Patanjali Muni uh defines this fear of this of Binivesha, the fifth Klesh. He says, Svarasavahi Rudha. He says this vidusha api rudha.
He says this abnival fear of death penetrates the whole consciousness of even Vidusha, even the wise people. The sphere of death is completely, you know, it's very deeply ingrained in our consciousness.
And because of this, because of this fear, we experience so many problems in this world.
And actually, all this anxiety, all these panic attacks, depression, all this kind of stuff, it's ultimately boiled down to this root cause, or the very basic negative emotion, which is the fear of death.
And to stress, to underline, to emphasize this point, he says that even great sages, vidvān, those people, vidvān, those people who have knowledge like us, who have theoretical knowledge, even them, api, rudhas, svara-vāhinī, it's inherent in them.
What I want to say here is that because of this problem, you know Patañjali Muni says it's it's very deeply rooted. It penetrates all our consciousness. And ultimately, it deprives us of genuine spiritual experience.
In reality, we can have spiritual experience only uh if we uh this uh how you say this this identify or how you say this uh How you say this? Identify, disidentify? What is the proper word? Anyway, you understand.
When we stop identifying with the body, you know, in reality,
False ego obstructing pure spiritual practice
why is our spiritual progress or spiritual practice so slow? Because we are performing our spiritual practice with the same false conception. I am the doer.
When we chant the Holy Name, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Ram, Hare, Ram, Ram, Ram, Hare Hare. You know there is so much glorification of the Holy Name in the scriptures. It's so powerful.
Just chant it once, and you know the whole spiritual world will open. And somehow rather, you know, we look at ourselves and we think something is wrong with me, it doesn't happen with me.
But then when we're looking around and we see that it doesn't happen with everyone else, so we think it's okay, I'm okay, no problem. But what I want to say is that the main problem is
that because this misidentification with the body, this ahaṅkāra. We are so deeply bewildered that even when we perform the spiritual activities, we perform it not in a pure way.
The ahaṅkāra, the false ego, always comes in the way. Like the tenth offense of the Holy Name is exactly this offense.
The tenth offense of the Holy Name is to hold this conception mere in mind that -> The tenth offense of the Holy Name is to hold this conception merest in mind that still maintain this conception of false identity while chanting the holy name.
And who does not maintain this conception? Who really, you know, uh or maybe you, I don't know. Please forgive my offences. But I'm speaking about myself. This, uh, you know, tenth offense.
I recently was in London and I I was giving a class and somebody said, you know, you know, when I read all this nine offenses, or when I read ten offenses, you know, first okay, not to blaspheme the devotees, okay.
I don't do this, you know, not to blaspheme the spiritual master, not to you know to so on so forth.
He says nine of them are okay, but the tenth one, I think it's not possible, you know, to maintain these false conceptions of I in mind.
You know, and uh and we know that offenses are the main problem or the main obstacle in our spiritual progress. And in the same way, whatever spiritual activity which we do, because we do it with the false identity.
The false identity is still there.
You know, and therefore sometimes Sanatana Gosvami, he describes different ways of this tenth offense, that sometimes people, how it manifests, sometimes people say, I chant 64 rounds every day. Look at me.
I chant 64 rounds every day. Did you see such people? Especially in Java retreats of course. Of course, sometimes we say I chant 16 rounds. Every day. Every day. No problem. But that's the same.
Ahankara-vimudhatma kartahamiti manyate. Because we cannot chant. We cannot even once chant the holy name. We can chant, you know, 16 rounds of namaparadha, that's not a problem. That's simple.
To chant the Holy Name, the Holy Name is supposed to descend upon our heart. If we open our heart, if we open ourselves to this experience.
You know, sometimes we think I study Bhagavad-gītā, I study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. How can we study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? How can we study Bhagavad-gītā?
We can only open our heart to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā and try to beg this knowledge to descend upon us.
This is exactly what Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda meant when he said darśana darśana-vicāra: that I'm not the doer. I'm not seeing the deities.
When I come to the darśana, it's not I'm seeing the deities. Let's hope they see me. If I have the proper attitude, I'm not chanting. Hopefully, the Holy Name descends upon me if I have the proper attitude.
Therefore, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, Trinada Pisu Nishinatarora Pisa Hishnu Nama Nam And if we live in this stressful condition of false ego, if we live in this stressful life which is actually created by the false ego.
As I said, the cause of stress is not outside of us. The only single cause of all stress is inside us. It's ahaṅkāra, it's false ego. If there is no false ego, there is no stress.
There was this beautiful story about Srila Prabhupada. Uh, Harikesh Maharaj used to tell this story.
He said that once was very difficult, and you know, this problem and that problem, you know, the whole, you know, the international society for Krishna consciousness with so many problems.
We know if we take just one yatra, there are so many problems, and Śrīla Prabhupāda was the head of the whole international society with you know the programs in America, you know, court court case here, court case there, you know, and then you know Juhu battle in in India and attacks from all sides.
And Harikesh Maharaj says that once Prabhupada got, you know, it was difficult day, you know, day after day after day after day, you know, the situation was becoming more and more serious.
From bad news were coming and coming and coming and finally Telegram comes. And some really bad news. Prabhupada opens and reads this telegram, and then he goes in his room.
And Harikesh Maharaj says, I was really intrigued to see what he would be doing. He says, I saw he lay on the floor and started laughing. He just laughs.
And he says it was as if demigods were, you know, putting their flowers on him. He's laughing. Why? Because he doesn't have stress. Why he doesn't have stress? Because he doesn't have false ego. Why he doesn't have false ego?
Because he knows I'm not the doer. I am not doing. I am just I am just trying to surf, and ultimately the result doesn't depend on me.
So, and when we are, you know, sometimes I see people they uh you know they they do so-called devotional service they chant you know and there's so much you know it's just Hare Krishna. I will do it. I will chant.
No, it's not like this.
It's the the very attitude is wrong. The attitude is not correct. When we chant, it's not I'm doing. I'm just trying to serve the Holy Name. I'm just trying to invite the Holy Name so that the Holy Name could descend upon me. You know, it's not my concentration, it's just my attitude.
I'm not the doer. So, this whole concept: what I want to say is that it's extremely important for us to understand deeply how all-pervading it is. How it pervades my whole consciousness.
If Patanjali Muni says that even great sages, they are for them it's Svarasavahi. Svarasavahi means this concept or this fear of death, this abhiniveśa, is very natural.
It's very uh on a very deep level is ingrained in our consciousness. And therefore, it's so difficult to get rid of this. And therefore, the only solution to this problem.
Role of sadhu-sanga in transformation
What is the solution to this problem?
Of course, Krishna, in this particular section of Bhagavad-gītā, he gives the solution to this problem. He says: you try to do niṣkāma-karma-yoga, try to act but always being reminded ourselves that I'm not the doer, you know, do it without expectation of results, do it, you know, as a as an you know as a charity or whatever it is, which is a common recipe.
It's a very common uh solution to this problem which many other religions give. You do good, do good, but that would not do anything special if Krishna would only say this. Krishna will say so many things after that.
And his main ultimately, his main understanding or main conception is which he will explain in the seventh chapter, starting from the seventh chapter, is that you can only change radically change something in you if you have if you have sadhu sangha.
If you hear this, but not from somebody who has theoretical knowledge.
But if you hear this philosophy from somebody who has practically realized knowledge that he's not this body, that ultimately something may change in our consciousness on a very deep level only if I associate with people who themselves are realized. Otherwise it's very difficult.
If Patanjali Muni says that even the great sages, you know, they have difficulties with this, what to speak about us? What we will do.
You know, we may chant, and it's good if we chant, it's good if we study Srila Prabhupada's books, but ultimately, and it's again and again stressed in Śrīla Prabhupāda's books and especially in Caitanya Caitāmṛta, that the main driving force behind our spiritual progress is ultimately sadhu sangha.
Therefore, in Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, "sādhu-saṅga, sādhu-saṅga, sarva- śāstra-koya, lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi," that sādhu saṅga, even a little bit of sādhu saṅga, can give a great boost or push in your spiritual life.
You know it's one thing, it's good if you read. But when we read again, who is reading this? Again, we will read and the information which we will get from the book will be filtered through the filter of our false ego.
And what we will understand, we will understand only what our false ego will allow us to understand. So, but when we meet with really saintly people and when we hear them, something can change something really can change.
I remember one experience in my life. I once came to listen to kīrtana to one saint. He's a really great saint.
And after kīrtana he spoke. And he spoke just very shortly, maybe I don't know, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, he didn't give big bombastic lectures, he didn't quote so many slogans, he just spoke very simple things.
But it was amazing how deep and profound the effect of these few things was in my heart. I was really, you know, I was so happy and I felt as if I'm flying. I'm not, you know, walking on the earth because
again, he speaks from a different level. He doesn't speak from the level of false ego. He doesn't want to impress anyone. In Sanskrit it is called Manoranjanam. He's he's not trying to entertain you.
Because very often we feel, you know, being a quote-unquote professional preacher, I know, you know, there is a You know, I have to entertain the audience, you know. I have to do it.
Otherwise they will fire me, they will not listen to me. You know, sometimes we feel this push.
Again, where it's coming from? It's coming from the platform of the false ego. So, but when it's not coming from the platform of the false ego, when the pure spiritual sound is coming from the sphere which is beyond ego, beyond
the false identity, from the spiritual realm, then only by hearing this we can experience some profound changes in our heart. You know, that's how that was Prabhupada's success. He came and he just, you know, he was speaking very simple things, but it had a very profound effect.
There is this one of my favorite stories about Prabhupada and Malati. She tells this.
She says, you know, I came to Prabhupada and she was the hippie, you know, and uh idealistic young you know lady, American lady with different ideas.
And then she said the first thing which Swamiji said, there is no happiness in this world. And she said, when I heard this, I felt such a relief.
You know, if I say there is no happiness in this material world, I remember once in Israel, uh Rami Blecht invited me to his seminar for some psychologically minded people. And I said something to this.
They almost crucified me. I said this. They were deeply offended. When I said a statement, and it was not even such a radical statement, it was much more much more gentle.
But Malati says, Prabhupada said, you know, there's no happiness in this material world. She said, I felt such a relief. I was so happy by hearing this. Why? Because it's coming from a different level.
It's not coming from the level of false ego. And because it's not coming from the level of false ego, it goes deep and it changes something on this deep level.
Which otherwise may remain unchanged even though we are engaged in spiritual practice. Therefore it is said, you know, you can chant many, many lifetimes,
and nothing will happen because again the false ego will always, you know, will always some ratha get on the way and will not deprive us from experiencing the spiritual truths.
This process is extremely powerful, and ultimately this process is the most powerful. Bhakti-yoga is by far the most powerful process, but still it's not easy because of this factor of false ego.
And therefore, when Kṛṣṇa starts describing bhakti- yoga, in the seventh chapter, the commentators of Bhagavad-gītā they say here in the first verse of the seventh chapter, there is indication what it is why
it is about bhakti-yoga. Tajrinu. Listen. Listen. Not even hear, listen. Try to understand and listen.
Try to absorb and because bhakti yoga starts from hearing from listening shravanam kirtanam visnah smaranam padasavanam that's the beginning of bhakti. And that's the beginning of rewiring our program, which is there.
Complete rewiring of our program. Otherwise, it will be very difficult. Without hearing there will not be, you know, there will be no no real spiritual progress. It will only be you know some sort of it's good.
There's nothing bad in it.
But we have to be very clear about this that the real spiritual progress comes when we hear, when we listen attentively and when we open our heart to this sound which is coming from a different realm.
Anyway, I think I should finish now. Thank you very much.
Simplicity and sincerity in spiritual life
Yes. Um how can it be some description of sincerity? Sincerity definitely is very important factor. And there is another quality
which is very close to it, which Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda defined as vaiṣṇavatā. He said, saralatā is vaiṣṇavatā. To be vaiṣṇava means to be simple. Sincere, simple is the same.
And simplicity or sincerity, it's basically being devoid of false ego, or at least having a very small false ego.
So we can uh definitely uh Incorporate this concept of sincerity in what I said if we understand that real sincerity means that our false ego is not so big and it doesn't really uh I mean it's it's small. It's uh it's uh next to nil. If we define sincerity in this way.
And I think it's a good definition of sincerity. Sincerity means you're not falsely proud and you're just sincerely trying to understand and you're sincerely open. Instead of resisting, you are accepting.
You know, this sincerity means you understand that I'm a failure in many, many ways.
I'm still suffering despite of all my knowledge and all my diplomas and all my degrees which I have. And sincerity means that I open myself to somebody who knows better. And that will be a synonym of uh less false ego. Thank you.
It's a topic that you touched at the beginning, the difference between consciousness and matter.
Then, uh, the drashtā and then the same. Uh, drk-śakti and darśana-śakti. The drk-śakti is subjective power of uh seeing and darśana-śakti is the tool or instrument of seeing.
So this is subjective, you know, that's subjective power of seeing. Or ability. Can you say that it starts from the level of the quantum mechanics when there is the observer the Influence is the same thing.
Yeah, it's something like this. The uh, it's very close to this concept of observer, subjective observer.
In Vedic understanding, or in Vedic concept, there is this understanding that there is pratyakṣa, parokṣa and aparokṣa jñāna, three levels of knowledge. And pratyaksha is the knowledge which we acquire through the senses.
Then parokṣa is the knowledge which we acquire from other people, from their experience, sensual experience. And then there is aparokṣa jñāna.
It's a very interesting concept. Aparokṣa jñāna means direct perception. Perception without the medium of the senses. Like people who underwent the near-death experience. They don't have the instruments.
But still, I recently read a very interesting and very impressive book by one neurosurgeon who was a complete non-believer, who was completely convinced that the consciousness is a product of brain, and he never believed it, and he had his near-death experience.
And then his whole perception changed, and he understood that there is some perception beyond the senses, that there is a perceiver or observer who is using this machine, material machine, including the brain, and perceiving this.
And it's very interestingly, he had very deep and profound experience of this near-death experience.
And he says that amazingly enough, you know, he was in some realm, and he said, when the question would arise in me, he said immediately I would receive the answer, and the answer was so I mean unbelievably deep.
The concept which would come to me, to my consciousness, in In reply to my question was very, very profound. And it was completely, you know, unencumbered by senses and by the mind, by intelligence.
It was completely different way of perceiving it. And Krishna actually explains this perception beyond the senses in the sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. So there is this ability in us to perceive without the senses.
And we are using the senses because this ability is innate to the soul. Then only because it's there, the ability to see is there in the soul, therefore we're using the senses and mechanical.
It's as if, you know, we are in a uh in a big spacesuit, you know, and uh we're seeing through these oculars and and uh or we are in a tank and there is an ocular there you know so the mechanism is there, uh but the perceiver is inside the tank and you know, looking through this thing here.
Yeah.
I wonder if uh um sundae is very important, it's uh very clear and but i in our life it's not always easy uh to find uh rare um sages uh behind the ego and even if we find those it's sometimes very hard to um stay in close contact because of our ego.
Ego, work and maintenance of life, yeah it's like it it's very hard to swim and and we are lucky enough to have teachers here in the community,
but I wonder if uh if someone is really trying his best to keep the uh the sādhana and the principles of bhakti-yoga, intelligence is Krishna says Dani Buddha Yoga, and also some realization from the inside.
Yeah, but that's all good. We definitely have to do sadhana and everything else because ultimately that's what the sages say and recommend. But at the same time, we shouldn't forget that Krishna says, as I explained,
that the soul, the ability of the soul, the main function of the soul is to desire. So if the desire is there, Krishna will help you to fulfill the desire.
The whole actually the whole essence of spiritual life is to develop spiritual desires.
Everything else is not within our control, but the development of desires, the proper desires, is very important, extremely important.
Therefore, if we have this understanding that it's important, some arrangement will be done. He will make sure.
If we really want to associate, he will make the arrangement. Despite all our work problems and everything else. Yes. I thought it was very interesting that you mentioned Yes.
Wouldn't wouldn't you say that Shakti imply the śakti bhāva that the has to be. Yeah, but Śaktimān has a specific śakti to see. It's a subjective śakti, but it's it belongs to Śaktimān to the soul. But the soul has the ability to see it.
Because the soul has the ability to see only because of the presence of this ability or this śakti in the Śaktimān he can use the instrument or material mechanism and sees through the material mechanism.
But innate ability is in the Śaktimān.
I mean that sometimes people read the Yoga Sutra and they see it as an impersonal text, but here you you show that there is a there's a mechanism of seeing, there's a seer and they're both Shakti's.
Yoga Sutra, it's not an impersonal text, definitely, because in Yoga Sutra at least three times Ishvara Pranidana is mentioned, so Ishvara is mentioned there. Much more direct statements are there in Yoga Sutra.
Ishvarapranidana is in fact very much stressed in Yoga Sutra. And Ishwara Pranidana means surrender to God, you know, it's in the very clear terms. So it's definitely not uh even though
sometimes it says that you know yoga is an offshoot of Sankhya but Sankhya
meaning Nirīśvara Sānkhya, but yoga is definitely seśvara, uh, concept, seśvara philosophy, philosophy which recognizes the Puruṣa Viśeṣa, isn't Puruṣa Viśeṣa? Yeah. Yeah, Puruṣa Viśeṣa, yes, exactly.
The special we well it's we don't agree with this con but anyway. But at least the concept is there. Their understanding of God is of course different from our understanding, but it's definitely there.
At least the concept is there. Thank you so much for the lecture.
I wanted to ask if we had an opportunity to hear from sādhu and we had an experience that it going's through so not through the ego. And what is our responsibility to keep this experience?
Well we have to we have to appreciate uh you know the the experience of the mercy which we get because we will only be able to get more mercy if we appreciate the mercy which has already been given to us.
It is said in the Bible that if you throw pearls to the swine, the pearls will not the swine will not be able to appreciate pearls, and therefore you shouldn't do it.
In the same way, you know, some pearls are given to us by sadhus. And if we appreciate this experience which we get from them and cherish it and accumulate it in the heart, then more pearls will be given.
And if we behave like swine with the pearls, then there is a big chance that we will not be given pearls anymore. So that's our responsibility is to cherish and to appreciate what we got.
Internal introspection and applying spiritual instruction
Okay. Thank you for the lecture. You said very nicely that described the false ego and how we are entangled in this false ego. And that the sadhu-sanga is a very powerful force that can help us.
Now and then there is a description that there it's a garden that we need to put water inside and pull out all the weeds. So what is when we have this connection with sadhus that give us so much help?
What is the part that we need to look inside the false ego to look on our our uh actions and what influence them and what is the introspection that we need to do in order to complement the connection with the devotion to Yeah, thank you very much. Yeah, definitely.
That's perhaps also a second uh side of what uh Annapurna Rada asked in the previous question that uh we definitely have to um try to see inside ourselves from the vantage point or the point of view which was described by the Sadhu and act accordingly.
It's basically it's it's actually interesting. In the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and 29th chapter, there is some Let me remember, it's uh teachings of Lord Kapila, and he describes sādhana. And uh I
don't remember now the Sanskrit phrase of uh uh what oh yeah. Uh I think it was ah Adyatma. I I don't remember now. I I I can find it. Twenty-ninth chapter.
I believe it's twenty-sixth verse of twenty-ninth chapter of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There are different elements of sadhana there.
And one of the elements, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura commenting on this verse, he describes that this particular element it's something like uh it sounds like it sounds very simple,
something like reading the scriptures or something like this or listening scriptures. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives a very specific description of this process. He says it actually means when you hear the scriptures, it means that you have to see inside through what you heard about good and bad of your antaḥ-karaṇa or of your internal organ.
And act accordingly to approve some problems. So what actually he wants to say that when you hear this you will be able to see inside yourself what you haven't seen before.
When we hear philosophy, when we hear the description of our problems, we will be able to see the problems more clearly.
If we don't act after that on these problems, if we pretend that everything is fine, then it's wrong.
So our responsibility is to hear and by means of hearing to see and recognize it, and by recognizing it act accordingly. So it's a fact when we hear, we start seeing something which we haven't seen before.
And if we see it, then definitely we have to uproot something. It's basically, it becomes easier for us why we don't see it, because we completely identify with the particular problem.
When we hear about this, it's already good because we have a chance to look at it from the objective point of view.
And by looking at it objectively, we will be able to disidentify with it and not act, not become a slave of it. When we completely identify with some problem, we are slaves of this problem.
We cannot really act differently. But as soon as I've seen it already, it's not me, it's something different. So I can work with it. So yes. Okay, I guess that's it. Thank you so much. Thank you very much, Hare Kṛṣṇa.