The Distinction Between Ksetrajna and Paramatma
А. Ч. Бхактиведанта Свами Прабхупада
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Distinction between individual and supreme consciousness
Some dog with large sana and haruh over like that. So, you, uh, last night, uh, we were discussing about the position of the kṣetra-jña, of kṣetra-jña.
The living entities, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, of God's system, have substance. They are known as kṣetra-jña. As you know, everyone, the living entity is the individual part and parcel of the Supreme Person.
And in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord Himself also said: "kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi." He is also kṣetra-jña. Sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. That is the difference between Paramātmā and jīva. I am kṣetra-jña. You are kṣetra-jña.
Because this body is known as kṣetra and one who lives in this body and knows about the body is called kṣetra-jña. So far we are individually concerned, I know the pleasures and pains of my body.
You know the pleasures and pains of your body. But I do not know the pleasures and pains of your body. Neither you know the pleasures and pains of my life. Therefore, we are all individual kṣetra-jñas with limited potency.
"avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam." My consciousness is pervading all over this body. If you pinch any part of your body, you are conscious there is spirit,
but if I pinch your body, I'm not conscious of yourself. Therefore, I am not all-pervading kṣetra-jña. All-pervading kṣetra-jña is He. He says: "kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata." As
you are feeling pains and pleasure of your body, as I am feeling pains and pleasure of my body, but I do not feel the pains and pleasure of your body. Neither you feel the pains and pleasure of my body.
But that kṣetra-jña, He says now. He feels His pain or pleasure or your desire, thinking, feeling and willing; He knows of your body and my body and everyone's. That is Paramātmā. Do not miss that.
That Paramātmā, jīvātmā one. If Paramātmā and jīvātmā were one, then I would have felt your pain and pleasure, you would have felt my pains and pleasure.
Influence of material and spiritual energies
So this kṣetra-jña-śakti is being discussed by Lord Caitanya. yayā kṣetra-jña-śaktiḥ sā kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā | avidyā- karma-sañjñā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. We are now under the control of avidya.
This living entity entrapped by avidya is sarvaga. Sarvaga means everywhere you'll find, not only in this material world, but in the spiritual world also.
So in the spiritual world, the living entities are under the control of daivī prakṛti or under the influence of the daivī prakṛti. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. Those are mahātmās.
They are under the control of the daivī-prakṛti, śakti, or hlādinī-śakti. They are also under the control. Therefore, Viṣṇu, the parā śakti, the cic-chakti, abhāva of the Personality of Godhead.
Just like we Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, we first of all utter the holy name of Rādhā, Rādhe Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is also everything we speak, potencies are the spiritual potency of the Lord.
Similarly, in other words, sampradāyas also, because those that take protection under the cit-potency or spiritual energy, he belongs.
And those who are not devotees, those who are connected within this material world, they are under the control of the external potency, māyā-śakti, avidyā-karma-sañjñā.
Under the control of māyā-śakti, one forgets his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. And under the control of the cit-potency, he is simply engaged in the service of the Lord. That is explained in Bhagavad-gītā:
Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso. Those are mahātmās. The symptom is that constantly, 24 hours, engaged in the service of the Lord. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti.
We cannot stamp anybody as mahātmā, but we have to see by the symptoms how a mahātmā is working. That is the definition given in Bhagavad-gītā: mahātmā, they are under the control of the spiritual element.
And therefore, their characteristic is that they constantly think of our relationship, Kṛṣṇa-sambandha. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham.
Mahad-vicalanaṁ nṝṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām, niḥśreyasāya bhagavan kalpate nānyathā kvacit. brahma-bhūyāya kalpate.
Anyone who is in devotional service of the Lord according to the rules and regulations, they are above these three qualities of material nature. They are situated in the transcendental platform, Brahma platform.
That is also supported by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Development of transcendental love and devotion
The Brahma platform... When one is actually on the Brahma platform, that is the svarūpa or constitutional position. When one comes to the Brahma platform, which is immense neutral, that is called uh, uh, uh, śānta-rasa.
But śānta-rasa has to be increased to the dāsya-rasa. And dāsya-rasa has to be increased to the sakhya. And sakhya-bhāva has to be increased to mādhurya-bhāva.
So Lord Caitanya came to tell that, to speak today to the people in general, about the jīva, about the mādhurya-bhāva: anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau / samarpayitum unnato jjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam.
That is the special contribution of Mahāprabhu. So the living entity can rise up to that platform of love of Krishna. That is that. Provided the price... tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalam.
There is a rasa, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ, serving Krishna, being associated with Krishna, there is a transcendental mellow, rasa.
And one whose mind is, uh, absorbed in that transcendental mellow, he is the most fortunate.
So, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ / krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate, the śloka, then if you love it, if you can find out somehow, just purchase it. And what is the price? tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalam.
That is simply your eagerness. It is simply with an eagerness in this life, that "I want Krishna. I want to serve Krishna." That is the price. Let me talk about bhāva. budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ.
When you become ecstatic, mad after Krishna, govinda-viraheṇa me, that's like Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Śikṣāṣṭaka: yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam / śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ...
This attitude, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching everyone, that one should aspire after this. What is that? What is that? Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa — a moment is as long as a yuga.
And cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam — just like torrents of rain. And this is śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. Everyone has got practical experience that when his beloved is not to be found, he sees everything vacant.
That, that is the suffering. It came out from the heart. That is the attitude. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says these cid-ābhāsa, living entities, they are sarva-ga. Everyone can, they can go. That facility is there.
Because we are conditioned, therefore we cannot go even to the moon planet. We are trying to go to the moon planet, but because we are conditioned, we cannot go. But when we are liberated, we can go anywhere we like.
That facility is there. So we have to get out of this conditioned life. Like Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni is free to go anywhere, any planet, in the spiritual world or in the material, anywhere. That is spiritual life.
That is the real constitutional position of the ātmā. But because we are hindered by the avidya-karma-saṁjñā-śakti, we are hampered. Just try to understand your position. Your position is very sublime.
You can go to the spiritual world, you can go to the material world, any part of the universe, and any part of the spiritual sky. That is our priority. We can go. But how can we go? And how do you say that?
Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma, sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma. Sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ. So there are different, different types of cid-ābhāsa.
Purification through hearing and chanting
Because in this material world there are three qualities, three modes: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa — ignorance, passion, and goodness.
So as you are becoming free from the uh engagement of māyā-śakti, kṣipta, avidyā, parama-saṅga-śakti, so we are becoming advanced in spiritual life. Therefore, everyone has to come in this material world.
First of all, it is the body has a pure breath. Sattva, without having come to the platform of sattva-guṇa and nobody can make advance in spiritual life.
Therefore, we are teaching these boys, these American boys and European boys and girls to come to this platform of sattva-guṇa: no meat-eating, no illicit sex life, no intoxication, no gambling.
It is not that we tell you, "Be a gambler and intoxicate, and intoxicate that, and at the same time we make spiritual advancement." You cannot do that. You have to make yourself clean from this material contamination.
Therefore, these four rules are incumbent, you must follow. We are staying on this one. First of all, we give chance. We have got about fifty centers at the present moment. And there everyone can come there. We invite them.
I mean to say, for hearing. They sit down. Some chant. And gradually their heart becomes clean. This process of cleansing method was introduced—why it is not introduced?
It is settled in our great research that Caitanya Mahāprabhu especially emphasized on this process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam.
You cannot purify yourself by uh philosophical discussions only, or yoga, because they are very, very difficult processes, not applicable for the common man.
But Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given a formula: that Hare Nāma, Hare Nāma, Hare Nāma, kevalam, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Offenselessly, without any offense.
There are ten types of offenses. And if you come to the platform of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra without any offense, you easily get kṛṣṇa-prema, love of God.
In the beginning, we cannot chant offenselessly; in the beginning, we chant it offensively. But the next thing is they're namabhasa, almost offensive. Nāmāparādha, śraddhā, niṣṭhā, bhāva, bhakti.
If you constantly chant or if you constantly associate with the devotee. That is very important. Utsāhān niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati.
Achieving peace through selfless service
You can induce your spiritual development in the association of sādhu. And who is a sādhu? Sādhu is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Gītā. Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk.
Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ, with all the engagement. Simply engaging in the bhajana. Kevala. Kevalayā bhaktyā. That is sādhu-lakṣaṇa. Without any other desire. Not even desiring mukti. Then bhakti.
Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta, kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva 'śānta'. Those who are aspiring after mukti, to merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth. Mukti. And bhukti. Bhukti means those who are karmīs.
Those who are simply aspiring after material enjoyment. Anyway, to the heavenly planets and now that sense gratification in every day planet.
Making a life with the senses to the fullest extent, just like in Europe and America, we just see how much they are working hard, they are not. Simply working. Of course, they are following our vikarma, Siddhānta.
That is also not karma, that is vikarma. Because by such karma, we are degrading themselves. Karma means one has to elevate himself to the higher position, that is real karma, according to the śāstra.
So, the karmīs, they are also busy. They are also peaceful. Because they are after something. And bhukti and mukti. Mukti means jñānī, those who are after liberation.
They are also restless because they are desiring something. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī, and siddhi-kāmī means yogīs. The yogīs are also aspiring after many vibhūtis, many perfections, aṇimā, laghimā, and so on.
They can become the smallest, they can become the lightest, they can capture anything. So many things are there. That is also material perfection. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: "Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali 'aśānta'."
Aśānta means they are not at peace. They are desiring something. So long as you desire something, you cannot have peace. Because you'll have to work hard and you have to make plans for having so many things.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "Kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma, ataeva 'śānta'." He has no desire. He doesn't care for mukti. Because muktiḥ mukulitāñjaliḥ sevate 'smān.
Because if you are a devotee, you are already mukta. Kṛṣṇa says, sa guṇān samatītyaitān. What does it mean, mukti? Mukti means hitvānyathā-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ.
Constitutional position and surrender to God
Mukti means hitvānyathā-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. And what is that svarūpa? Svarūpa means what is your constitutional position? That is enunciated by Lord Caitanya: jīvera 'svarūpa' haya—kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa'.
The real constitutional position of our living entities is that we are eternal servants of God. That is the real position. So if you become a servant of God, even in this life, you are mukta.
Accept that "I am a servant of God, I am a servant of Kṛṣṇa, and let me serve Him 24 hours." You haven't got to strive for mukti. Muktiḥ mukulitāñjaliḥ. That is because you are coming to this. That is true.
Just like my part and parcel is this finger. This finger, somehow or other, is paralyzed at the moment. It cannot serve me. The healthy position is that it serves me. That is the constitutional position of the finger.
I mean this finger, this is diseased, that is not the constitutional position. That is the body's. That is bhagavat. In the disease, I cannot use my finger according to my desire. It is disease.
And I go to the doctor and say, "Doctor, this thing that is not working in that..." The God Dr. Slide and I spend for it. When a living entity is denying service of Krishna, his disease, his garden.
At today, point of leverage. Therefore, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we find: dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. These things are dehasami. Same, atra mokṣavanta api vyāsa.
So mokṣavanta, after the mokṣavanta, that he also cognizant state of life. Because that is not natural life. That is artificial. So long I artificially try to be happy, that is my disease.
We have to come to the healthy position. That what Krishna says, that this healthy position comes after many, many births of many, many births of self-realization. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. And one man to the... So,
the intelligent person, they should say, and the respect of Lord Caitanya. That he says, jīvera 'svarūpa' haya—kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa'. And Krishna says, mamaivāṁśo.
So living entity, that part and parcel of Krishna, as part and parcel, how many this body is honored and good in the service of the whole body.
Still, and when a living entity is 24 hours engaged in the service of Krishna, that is it. The liberation does not mean something extra. It is simply that liberation is offered like this. It's easy. If you have me.
So, offer yourself in the service of the God. Easy. That means in a second you get liberated. People who ask me, "How long it takes to come to the perfection of Krishna consciousness?" I think in a second.
Because simply you have to agree. Yes, sir. Because you are not agreeing, because you are deviating from the service of Krishna, therefore you are not here.
That is also stated here by Caitanya Mahāprabhu: “Sva-yogyatā-rahita, sarva-bhūte upālabhyamānatva.” Taratamyābhāva.
As you become free from the contamination of gossips, that “I am free,” that “I am not servant of God, I am God,” that is māyā. How you can you go?
This theory is going on very strong all over the world, that by meditation one can become God. By meditation, one can realize his own self.
And that meditation, that realization of self is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: after many, many births, he surrenders, bhakti-vaśāt. That is the bhakti. Not that I am just now I am God. That is māyā. So
Caitanya Mahāprabhu finds that so that allowing me something in some link, the link of... So I was hard to say, a lot of people have evil starts to be line in the Vedas.
But the star being śakti, mā jīva-śakti aparā-khyāṁ itas tv anyāṁ viddhi me parām. Jīva is in a marginal energy, sarvadā. Sarvadā means this marginal energy when remain in this material world, or can go to the spiritual.
And we like. There is some kind of word in Gītā: yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. So it is not that that some theory is going on, you gotta watch it.
Any day that you have that, no, it's not true. It's not a guarantee view of the baddha-jīvas. If you want to demote, then you go to the demigods. You are getting for...