Description of the Spiritual World

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada · Stockholm · 1973

Chapters

Vedic descriptions of spiritual reality

Prabhupāda: ...from Vedic literature the description of the spiritual world. [chants Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.29–38, excl. 6] BS 5.29चिंतामणि प्रकार सद्मसु कल्पवृक्षलक्ष आवृतेषु सुरभिः अभिपालयन्तम् ।लक्ष्मी सहस्र शत सम्भ्रम सेव्य मानंगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ २९ ॥cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhir abhipālayantamlakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.

Recitation of the Brahma Samhita

BS 5.30वेणुं क्वणन्तम् अरविन्द दल आयत अक्षंवर्हावतंसम् असित आंबुद सुन्दर अङ्गम् ।कन्दर्प कोटि कमनीय विशेष शोभम्गोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३० ॥veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam-barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgamkandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.

BS 5.31आलोल चन्द्रक लसत् वन माल्य वंशीरत्नान्गद प्रणय केली कला विलासम् ।श्यामं त्रिभङ्ग् ललितं नियत प्रकाशम्गोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३१ ॥ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vamśī-ratnāṅgadaṁ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsamśyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Śyāmasundara is eternally manifest.

BS 5.32अंगानि यस्य सकल इन्द्रिय वृत्तिमंतिपश्यन्ति पाँति कलयन्ति चिरम जगन्ति ।आनंद चिन्मय सत उज्जवल विग्रहस्यगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३२ ॥aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-mantipaśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jagantiānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasyagovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.

BS 5.33अद्वैतम् अच्यतुम् अनादिम् अनंत रूपंआद्यं पुराण पुरुषं नव यौवनं च ।वेदेषु दुर्लभम् अदुर्लभम् आत्म भक्तौगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३३ ॥advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpamādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ cavedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktaugovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.

BS 5.37आनंद चिन्मय रस प्रतिवाभि ताभिःताभिः य एव निज रूप तया कलाभिः |गोलोक एव निवसति अखिलात्म भूतोगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३७ ॥ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhistābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥgoloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtogovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.

BS 5.34पन्थाः तु कोटि शत वत्सर सम प्रगम्योवायोः अथ अपि मनसो मुनि पुंगवानाम् |सः अपि अस्ति यत् प्रपद् सीम्नि अविचिन्त्य तत्त्वेगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३४ ॥panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyovāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānāmso 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattvegovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogīs who aspire after the transcendental and betake themselves to prāṇāyāma by drilling the respiration; or by the jñānīs who try to find out the nondifferentiated Brahman by the process of elimination of the mundane, extending over thousands of millions of years.

BS 5.35एकः अपि असौ रचयितुं जगदण्ड कोटियत् शक्तिः अस्ति जगदण्ड् चया यत् अन्तः |अण्ड अन्तरस्थ परमाणु च अन्तरस्थंगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३५ ॥eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁyac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥaṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham-govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiHe is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.

BS 5.38प्रेम अञ्जन च्छुरित भक्ति विलोचनेनसन्तः सदैव हृदयेषु विलोकयन्ति |यं श्याम सुन्दरम् अचिन्त्य गुण स्वरूपंगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३८ ॥premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanenasantaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayantiyaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.

...there are about thirty-five verse like this in the Brahma-saṁhitā describing the tran... [break] ...place of the Lord. It takes time. I have cited about a dozen only. Let me try to explain some of them.

Because I have already taken much time. So one verse in these we find:

Divine attributes and universal presence

The Lord is one without a second, advaita. Acyuta: the Lord never falls down. The distinction between Lord and ourself... We are also eternal living entities, and the Lord is also eternal.

He's also a living entity, a person, just like us, but His name is Acyuta. He never falls from His position. But we living entities, sometimes we fall down. Just our material condition of life, this is our falldown.

Therefore He's called advaitam acyutam anādi. And He has no beginning. He is the beginning of everything. The creation is from Him, but He has no creator. So advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam

And He has got multi-forms. He can expand Himself. The one expansion is that īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati He has expanded Himself to live with you within your heart.

Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām. Not only that; another place it is described, eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi One portion of the Lord... That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā = ekāṁśena sthito jagat

Jagat means this material world. That is being maintained by one of His plenary portions, which is called Paramātmā, or Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu, or Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.

So one portion of His plenary portion, He is within the material world. A material world means within the universe. Aṇḍāntara-stham. Aṇḍa, brahmāṇḍa, means this universe.

This is not only one universe, but there are many millions of universes. So He's there. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam And aṇḍāntara-stham: He is within the universe. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham

= and He is within the atom also. Just, just imagine expansion of God. So advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Although He's the oldest of all, you'll find Kṛṣṇa always a young man.

He's, from His face, we'll find a young boy, twenty to twenty-five years.

Realization through pure devotional service

Nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Vedeṣu durlabham. If you want to search out God by studying Vedas, it will be very difficult. Adurlabham ātma-bhaktau. But He's very easily available from His devotee. This is the description.

Then, in another place, BS 5.37आनंद चिन्मय रस प्रतिवाभि ताभिःताभिः य एव निज रूप तया कलाभिः |गोलोक एव निवसति अखिलात्म भूतोगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३७ ॥ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhistābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥgoloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtogovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.The Lord... Everything is not material.

That is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. His form is eternity, blissful and full of knowledge.

So all His paraphernalia in the Goloka Vṛndāvana, that is His expansion of that quality—eternity, blissfulness and knowledge.

Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis. His gopīs, His consorts, His father, His mother, His friends, His trees, His flowers, His calves and cows—everything is spiritual, expansion from Him. Everything... The...

We are also expansion from Him. We are marginal potency, and this is spiritual potency. So everything is expansion. Therefore the Vedic literatures say, sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: "Everything is Brahman."

We are now combination of two energies = marginal energy and the external energy. But in the spiritual world, everything is only spiritual energy. So we are constitutionally spiritual energy.

Somehow or other we have been entangled with this material energy. So if we try in this human form of life, we can get out of this material energy and again go back to the spiritual energy. That is the opportunity.

Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ

Characteristics of the spiritual world

Another śloka is to explain = aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti The spiritual body is equally qualified for doing everything. Just like with our hand, we can touch only. We cannot do... Or we can pick up something.

But by simply having hand, or with the hand, we cannot eat. For eating we shall have to use this mouth, we have to use the stomach.

But in the spiritual world Kṛṣṇa, about Him is described, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti Each and every limb of Kṛṣṇa has got the potency of other limbs. He can eat by His eyes. He can hear from His eyes.

And anything, all the parts of the limbs, because they are spiritual, you can use it for any purpose. This is not understandable in this material condition of life, but it is possible.

When it is spiritually realized, it is possible. These things are there.

So His spiritual world, this, His planet, is described that cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam In His planet, there are many trees, many palaces, but they're all spiritual.

Cintāmaṇi means spiritual. The houses, they're made of touchstone. Just like here the houses are made of bricks and wood; there the houses are also spiritual. The touchstone...

It is described in the śāstras that if there is any touchstone in this material world, the touchstone can turn the iron into gold. So anyway, the houses... There are houses also, big, big palaces, like here.

Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa. And the trees are kalpa-vṛkṣa. Kalpa-vṛkṣa means here you can get fruit, one kind of fruit from one tree, but there, any fruit you want you can get, any tree.

That is spiritual world. Prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa. Kalpa-vṛkṣa means that. And surabhīr abhipālayantam And Kṛṣṇa is very much fond of tending cows. And what are those cows?

Surabhi. Surabhi means you can take as much milk as you like and as many times as you like. Here in this material world you have got cows, but you can take milk, limited quantity, and also once or twice.

That is the difference. In this way, if you read Brahma-saṁhitā, you'll get complete description of the spiritual world, the spiritual entities, the Supreme Lord, His associates.

His country, His pastimes, everything, very nicely described.

Mission of the Krishna consciousness movement

And if we become attached to such place, then we can try, we can try, we can prepare ourself for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is the perfection of life. That is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. [applause] [end]