The Los Angeles Temple

Invocation and mantra recitation

0:11Prabhupāda: Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. So Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, how you are feeling? How do you see this temple? [indistinct] Hare Kṛṣṇa. [devotees chant japa] Oṁ… oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁpūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyateLoudly. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāyapūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate[Īśo Invocation]

3:03ISO 1ईशावास्यं इदं सर्वंयत् किञ्च जगत्यां जगत्तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथामा गृधः कस्य स्वित् धनम् || 1 ||īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁyat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagattena tyaktena bhuñjīthāmā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanamEverything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.ISO 2कुर्वन्न् एव इह कर्माणिजिजीविषेत् शतं समाःएवं त्वयि न अन्यथा इतो अस्तिन कर्म लिप्यते नरे || 2 ||kurvann eveha karmāṇijijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥevaṁ tvayi nānyatheto 'stina karma lipyate nareOne may aspire to live for hundreds of years if he continuously goes on working in that way, for that sort of work will not bind him to the law of karma. There is no alternative to this way for man.

Balancing material and spiritual knowledge

5:45ISO 3असुर्या नाम ते लोकाअन्धेन तमसा आवृताःताम् ते प्रेत्य अभिगच्छन्तिये के च आत्म हनो जनाः || 3 ||asuryā nāma te lokāandhena tamasāvṛtāḥtāṁs te pretyābhigacchantiye ke cātma-hano janāḥThe killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance.ISO 4अनेजत् एकं मनसो जवीयोन एनत् देवा आप्नुवन् पूर्वम् अर्षत्तत् धावतो अन्यन् अत्येति तिष्ठत्तस्मिन् अपो मातरिश्वा दधाति || 4 ||anejad ekaṁ manaso javīyonainad devā āpnuvan pūrvam arṣattad dhāvato 'nyān atyeti tiṣṭhattasminn apo mātariśvā dadhātiAlthough fixed in His abode, the Personality of Godhead is swifter than the mind and can overcome all others running. The powerful demigods cannot approach Him. Although in one place, He controls those who supply the air and rain. He surpasses all in excellence.

5:51ISO 5तत् एजति तत् न एजतितत् दूरे तत् व अन्तिकेतत् अन्तर अस्य सर्वस्यतत् उ सर्वस्य अस्य बाह्यतः || 5 ||tad ejati tan naijatitad dūre tad v antiketad antar asya sarvasyatad u sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥThe Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He is far away, but He is very near as well. He is within everything, and yet He is outside of everything.ISO 6यः तु सर्वाणि भूतानिआत्मनि एव अनुपश्यतिसर्व भूतेषु च आत्मनंततो न विजुगुप्सते || 6 ||yas tu sarvāṇi bhūtānyātmany evānupaśyatisarva-bhūteṣu cātmānaṁtato na vijugupsateHe who sees systematically everything in relation to the Supreme Lord, who sees all living entities as His parts and parcels, and who sees the Supreme Lord within everything never hates anything or any being.

6:00ISO 7यस्मिन् सर्वाणि भूतानिआत्म एव अभूत् विजानतःतत्र को मोहः कः शोकःएकत्वं अनुपष्यतः || 7 ||yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtānyātmaivābhūd vijānataḥtatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śokaekatvam anupaśyataḥOne who always sees all living entities as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Lord, becomes a true knower of things. What, then, can be illusion or anxiety for him?

6:08ISO 8स पर्यगात् शुक्रम् अकायम् अव्रणम्अस्नाविरं शुद्दं अपाप विद्धंकविः मानिसी परिभूः स्वयंभूःयथा तथ्यतो अर्थान् व्यदधात् शाश्वतीभ्यः समाभ्यः || 8 ||sa paryagāc chukram akāyam avraṇamasnāviram śuddham apāpa-viddhamkavir manīṣī paribhūḥ svayambhūryāthātathyato 'rthān vyadadhāc chāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥSuch a person must factually know the greatest of all, the Personality of Godhead, who is unembodied, omniscient, beyond reproach, without veins, pure and uncontaminated, the self-sufficient philosopher who has been fulfilling everyone's desire since time immemorial.

6:18ISO 9अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्तिये अविद्याम् उपासतेततो भूय इव ते तमोय उ विद्यायां रताः || 9 ||andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśantiye 'vidyām upāsatetato bhūya iva te tamoya u vidyāyām ratāḥThose who engage in the culture of nescient activities shall enter into the darkest region of ignorance. Worse still are those engaged in the culture of so-called knowledge.ISO 10अन्यत् एव आहुः विद्ययाअन्यत् आहुः अविद्ययाइति शुश्रुम धीराणांये नः तत् विचचक्षिरे || 10 ||anyad evāhur vidyayā-nyad āhur avidyayāiti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁye nas tad vicacakṣireThe wise have explained that one result is derived from the culture of knowledge and that a different result is obtained from the culture of nescience.

6:33So up to this verse we have done. Next. ISO 11विद्यां च अविद्याम् च यत्तत् वेद उभयं सहअविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वाविद्यया अमृतं अश्नुते || 11 ||vidyāṁ cāvidyāṁ ca yastad vedobhayaṁ sahaavidyayā mṛtyuṁ tīrtvāvidyayāmṛtam aśnuteOnly one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.[corrects devotees’ pronunciation] Vidyayāmṛtam aśnute. When they are compounded they are called vidyayāmṛtam aśnute.

6:52So you read as the English translation. ISO 11विद्यां च अविद्याम् च यत्तत् वेद उभयं सहअविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वाविद्यया अमृतं अश्नुते || 11 ||vidyāṁ cāvidyāṁ ca yastad vedobhayaṁ sahaavidyayā mṛtyuṁ tīrtvāvidyayāmṛtam aśnuteOnly one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.

6:53“Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.” So we have to learn.

6:58Knowledge means, just like darkness and light, if we know “this is darkness” and “this is light,” that is perfect knowledge. If you simply know darkness, or if you simply know light, that is not perfect.

The marginal position of the soul

7:24So the living entity is called tatasta śakti, marginal. There are two sides: one is darkness, one is light, and the living entity is marginal potency.

7:48As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, there are two…, three prakṛtis: parā, aparā… Two prakṛtis practically, but the living entities belong to the superior energy.

8:09But because it is prone to fall down to the inferior energy, it is called marginal. So there are two sides. Just like the seashore: immediately land, immediately water, side by side.

8:39On the land you are safe; as soon as you are in the water, unsafe. So you are on the margin. Just like I was walking on the beach, so I was very careful so that the water may not come and wet my shoes.

9:05So we are little bit careful. Side by side there is.

9:12So one should have perfect knowledge, that “this is water,” “this is land.” Because water means if you fall into the water, your death; and if you stand on the land, you are secure. Therefore here it is stated:

9:37ISO 11विद्यां च अविद्याम् च यत्तत् वेद उभयं सहअविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वाविद्यया अमृतं अश्नुते || 11 ||vidyāṁ cāvidyāṁ ca yastad vedobhayaṁ sahaavidyayā mṛtyuṁ tīrtvāvidyayāmṛtam aśnuteOnly one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.

9:38One should know what is my secure place and what is my unsecure place. Because I am prone. I am not God; I am little spark. God has no such fear, either this land or this water. He is controller of everything.

10:04But so far I am concerned, I am tiny. Although I am part and parcel of God, I am tiny. Therefore I must know what is my secure place and what is my unsecure place. The unsecure place is Kṛṣṇa, and unsecure place is māyā.

10:31So if you know what is māyā and what is Kṛṣṇa, this knowledge, if there is perfect knowledge, then avidyayā mṛtyuṁ tīrtvā. Avidyayā, I am in the nescience, māyā, now, where there is death, repeated birth and death.

10:59So if I become conversant what is Kṛṣṇa, then I become transcendental to this birth and death, mṛtyuṁ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtam aśnute. Āmṛtam means eternal life.

Understanding death and the womb

11:22We are eternal by nature. As God is eternal, we are also eternal living entities. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, second chapter [Bg 2.20]: na jāyate mriyate vā.

11:33These living entities, actually they do not take birth or do not die. The birth and death is just like changing of this dress.

11:54Just like I am now in this dress, next moment I will take out all these dresses—I become naked body. So birth and death—which we call birth and death—death means sleeping. Death is taking place every day, every night.

12:17When we sleep, that is death, but because the duration of life continues, therefore we again come to consciousness and take up this body in the morning. But that sleeping is also death.

12:33Sometimes one man dies, appears to be sleeping for seven days, and all of a sudden it is seen that—coma; it is called coma—no more breathing. So death means sleeping of this body.

12:53As soon as this body becomes old enough, useless, somehow or other, then the soul does not come back again to this body; he accepts another body, just like changing dress.

13:10So actually if you take sleep as death… But death, that is al... As sleep is temporary, a few hours, similarly this death means sleeping for a few months. That's all. Seven months or ten months—actually seven months.

13:34The child in the womb of the mother sleeps, unconscious, and when the body is made up, he has got his hands, legs, eyes, everything manufactured; then consciousness comes back, and that time the child moves and desires to come out, prays.

14:02One who is advanced in his previous life, he understands, “Oh, I am again put into this condition. I did not utilize my life for Kṛṣṇa consciousness; therefore I am again put into this condition.” It is very risky.

14:26Don't try to go again into the womb of the mother. It is very, I mean to say, distressful, packed-up. We all forget this.

Responsibilities of the human form

14:39Sometimes the child is killed by the modern civilization. The most sinful child does not see the light. It is being killed from one womb to another womb. You see? This is going on.

14:56Those who are killing this, using these pills, they will be put into that womb, and they will never see light, and from womb to womb they will be transferred—horrible life, ghostly life. So these are nescience.

15:23People do not know, and they are advancing: “I am civilized.” What nonsense civilization you have got. Try to understand this Vedic knowledge, then your life will be successful.

15:43Otherwise if you remain in the darkness, then this human form of... And this human form of life is important. Why? This book is meant for the human beings, not for the cats and dogs and animals.

16:00This Īśopaniṣad, the Vedic knowledge, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is meant for human beings. So if we do not take advantage of this knowledge and keep ourself into darkness of animal life, then you are doomed.

16:21Thank you very much.

19:19Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [offer obeisances] [break]

19:22Prabhupāda: Chant. Chant please. [kīrtana] [Prabhupāda plays gong] [end]