Обзор ШБ.3.29. Лекция 4 (перевод)
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · Вриндаван · 2019
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Omnamô bhagavaté vacudevaya. Namaskritiya, Naraynam Namaskritiya, Namaskritiya, Namaskritiya, Namaskritiya, Naraynam Naraynam Namaskritiya, Namaskritiya, бхактирбхаватина-стики, Dvaipaya no virahakata ra juhava.
Putretitan Mayathayo, Taravòbhinedu, Tam Sarva-Bhuta, Hridayam Munimana To smith.
Curing the disease of material enjoyment
Araya Krishna.
So we are reading the twenty ninth chapter of the Third Canto of Shimat Bhagavatam, the explanation of devotional service where our Lord Kapiladev is explaining how we can ultimately be cured from the disease which every one of us has.
That's the disease of enjoyment, Kama Rhoga. And this is a mortal disease. And this disease manifests in this material world in our desire to control.
But the world is designed in a very tricky way That those things which we want to control and we think we are controlling start controlling us. That's the inevitable low of this world.
Whatever we are trying to enjoy is actually... Whatever we think we're enjoying is actually enjoying us. Like in Sanskrit the food is called Anna. Whatever we are controlling is controlling us.
Like, people try to enjoy drugs. But ultimately the drugs controlling them, enjoying them. Sometimes we create something, achieve something. And Raga and Vvesh attachment and hatred blinds the people.
And therefore we cannot perceive the Lord. So, the philosophy is to give us the vision. Therefore in Sanskrit philosophy is called Darshan.
Philosophy is the way to see things and the methodology which helps us to see something which we don't see now.
And the most important blind spot which we all have is our blindness or inability to see or perceive the Lord.
So in this chapter, which is very important because of this, it's basically the crux of the whole issue, Lord Kapil Dev teaches us how to see the Lord. How to perceive the Lord.
How he gives us the methodology by which we will be able ultimately to perceive him. And he basically says that this methodology is very simple. You respect everyone and you try to feed everyone.
And by respecting everyone you neutralize your Dvesa. By giving respect to other people you diminish the intensity of your Dvesa which is very prominent now in our consciousness.
And by feeding everyone, by giving something, some gifts to other people, you diminish your attachment, your Raga.
So in this way the disease of Raga and Vesa which are born ultimately from Kama, from our desire to enjoy and control will be cured.
The symptoms of Ragha and Vesa will be cured and in the end we will be able to see or to perceive the Lord.
Respecting and feeding all living entities
Which is the end result ultimately. So we have to worship him, but not only worship him and that's the point, that's a very important point of this chapter.
Not only directly worship the Lord, but also try to see the Lord in every living entity and relate with other living entities accordingly.
Yesterday at the end of the class Jagadhatmu Prabhu said that he was trying to be nice to one beggar. But beggar became nasty to him because he didn't give him what he wanted to give. What he wanted him to give.
So, the beggar became nasty and started attacking him, right? Beating him!
So it's interesting that Vishwanacyakravartita Kuran explaining one of the verses actually foresaw this event which happened with Jagadhat Muprabhu. Which happens with basically many people.
Interesting how he explains this. That's his explanation of the verse number 27. In the verse number 26, Kapil Dev says that you should not discriminate between your belly and the belly of other living entities.
In other words, you have to feed them even before you take food yourself. And that's the injunction, that's the imperative mood. It is stated that you have to do it. This is the Vidi.
And then Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says: But you cannot feed everyone. There are so many beggars. You cannot really satisfy everyone.
And, you know, if you try to feed and you go out and say, Whoever is hungry, come here. And then there will be a line of people and they become very angry with you when the food is finished. So what to do?
Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains the twenty-seventh verse: ātmāvat sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati.
He says, you know, if you cannot feed them, at least give them some respect. At least give them some glass of water. And even if they become angry at you, still you offer them some respect.
That's how he translates because he says, you know, atha as we translated yesterday and as Śrīla Prabhupāda translates here usually means therefore. That usually signifies the conclusion of everything else which was said before. Atha therefore do this and this and that.
But according to some dictionaries Atha means on the contrary.
So, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura takes this meaning of the word atha and says: Even if they try to attack you and beat you, I'll give them gift which you have. You know, maybe apple or banana or whatever.
I tried that one time they had fruit on the ground. Money! Well, that's his problem, that's not your problem. You did what you're supposed to do. I run away.
Anyway, what he says, if you cannot satisfy everyone, just try your best! Respect them! Basically, mana-dana, mana. Do whatever you can, give whatever you can.
If you cannot give anything, give some respect to them and some friendliness. That's what you should do.
Stages of Vaishnava consciousness
So that's how Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains this thing. I also wanted We read till the verse 33. We will read in the verse 33.
But I wanted to also come back to the verse 32 which is Arthajat samsaya catatha sreya svakarma krit mukta sangas tata bhuyan adhogda dharman atmanha Better than those who know the meaning of the Vedas are those who can dispel the doubts. Better than those who can dispel the doubts, those who strictly follow the duties prescribed in the vedas.
And better than those Muktasangas, those who achieve liberation already, who are liberated and who are not really using or employing Dharma for their own benefit. They're not milking Dharma. A doctor Dharman at Manaha.
And Prabhupāda, he gives a very interesting interpretation to this in the purport which I wanted to bring your attention towards.
He says that in the previous word it was said that the brāhmaṇa is the best among everyone else and artha-jña, because brāhmaṇa studies the Vedas and those who know the meaning of the Vedas they are even better than the ordinary brāhmaṇas.
And Prabhupāda says: Those who know the meaning of the Vedas, they are whom? vaiṣṇavas!
So he says that the next stage after the Brahmana is Vaisnava because Vaisnava is the one who really understand the meaning of the Vedas. That's what he says: ArthaArtagya.
And better than ordinary Vaishnavas is those Vaishnavas. If we take Arthagya as Vaisnava, then better than ordinary Vaisnava is the Vaisnava who can dispel the doubt. In other words, the preacher is better.
There are Vaishnavas who don't preach, but better than the Vaishnavas who don't preach are Vaishnavas who preach. And better than those who can preach the knowledge.
Prabhupāda says: A Vaiṣṇava who knows the signs of Absolute Truth but is not able to preach such knowledge to others is described as being of the lower stage. And one who not only understands the principles of the signs of God but also can preach is the second stage.
And one who not only can preach but also sees everything in the Absolute Truth and the Absolute Truth in everything is the highest class of Vaishnava.
So Prabhupāda gives a specific twist to this whole ladder or the description of the stages of development of consciousness.
The highest development of human consciousness
And ultimately in the verse 33 which we will read now, Lord Kapiladeva describes the highest possible development of consciousness. What is the next stage?
And it seems like there is no next stage because already Mukta Sangha, you're already liberated. Ādoptā dharma nātmanaḥ, you're completely detached from dharma, you're not selfish, but there is a higher stage.
Okay let's read Tasmān mayy arpitāśeṣāḥ kriyārthātmā nirantaraḥ, mayy arpitā manaḥ puṁso mayi saṁnyasta-karmaṇaḥ, na paśyāmi paraṁ bhūtam akartuḥ sama-darśanāt.
So, Lord Kapila Deva says, [Na paśyāmi paraṁ bhūtam] I don't see anyone, he says, I don't see anyone who is higher or better than the person who is described in this verse.
And what are the characteristics of the highest possible achievement in this human birth? Is that Mayy arpitāśeṣāḥ, The one who gave everything without keeping anything to himself, to me.
The one who completely dedicated everything to myself therefore I do not find a greater person than he who has no interest outside of mine and who therefore engages and dedicates all his activities and all his life, everything into me without cessation.
Mei Arpita Ashesha Kriya, Artha and Atma. The one who gave everything without keeping anything for himself and that is Kriya, Artha and Atma. He gave all his actions, Artha, all his wealth and Atma himself ultimately.
And that's the ultimate donation which we can give. Ultimate sacrifice. I do not belong to myself anymore. The one who sacrificed his independence. The one who sacrificed his ego, independent ego to the Lord.
And he says Nirantaraha, such person is doing it, Nirantaraha, constantly without any break. It's not that in the morning I gave myself to the Lord and by the lunchtime I changed my mind. And I'm on my own again!
So he's doing it constantly, nirantaraha, without any end. And that basically means that he's constantly engaged in the service of the Lord. He always has this consciousness I am the servant of the Lord.
And as commentators are explaining that it means that he does not utilize any other processes like karma, jñāna or yoga. He is not really interested in performing any other processes.
That's why nirantara, jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛttaḥ. My only goal and my only meaning of my existence is the performance of devotional service. NIRANTARAHA.
Mayy arpitā manaḥ puṁso mayi saṁnyasta-karmaṇaḥ, he gave me mind, he renounced all the activities. Prabhupāda he quotes Bhagavad-gītā because in mayi saṁnyasta-karmaṇaḥ, mayy arpitā manaḥ he gives mind...
Anyway, same verses there in Bhagavad-gītā in the third chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. Na paśyāmi paraṁ bhūtam, I don't see anyone who is higher than this. Akartuḥ sama-darśanāt.
I don't see anyone who is higher of this person who is akartuḥ.
Devotional dependence and non-doership
Akartuḥ basically means that he doesn't have any false ego. I'm the doer! I'm Karta! I'm not Karta!
And Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura by explaining this he stresses one very interesting point. He says that the devotee, and this is of course a description of a devotee who gave everything to the Lord, the devotee even in regard to his performance of Bhakti, is totally dependent on the Lord. He doesn't say I'm performing Bhakti, I'm chanting. He never says I'm chanting.
Therefore, when you ask him how many rounds you chanted, he says No, don't know. Because it's not that I'm chanting. I'm being chanted. The mantra is actually going through me. So I'm not doing anything.
Krishna gives me bhakti. Because sometimes we may relinquish our false identity or false ego towards other activities but still maintain the false ego in regard to our performance of Bhakti. I'm distributing books!
So many books I distribute. I'm studying! We're not studying because the process of studying means you're higher than something which you study, right? Like scientists, they study rats. Who is higher?
The rat or the scientist? The scientist, right? You cannot study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the same way the scientists study rats because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is higher than you.
Therefore, the process which we are doing now is Krsna Anushilanam. This is in the definition of bhakti, it's called Anushilanam. It means that we are offering ourselves to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
We're allowing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to change our consciousness. That's what's going on. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is higher and we're opening our heart to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam so that our consciousness would be changed in the process.
So in this way the devotee always remains in service mood, in this position of the servant and therefore nirantara and therefore he is akartu.
And samadarśanāt, samadarśanāt, Prabhupāda says that it's not samadarśanāt like Māyāvādīs says. Samadarśanāt according to Māyāvādīs means I'm the same as the Lord.
Samadarśanāt they look at ourselves as the same as the Lord. No, he says samadarśana basically means that he sees everything equal in a sense that the Lord is present everywhere.
But at the same time they see the distinction. Otherwise it would be the contradictory, know, capillar they're describing that one is higher and higher and then samudash in it.
And when you are on the top, all of a sudden it disappears. No!
He sees that there are different grades and gradations of living entities but he at the same time understands that Lord is present everywhere in every living entity and therefore he offers respect to everyone.
But it's very interesting the rule here that he offers respect, the general rule or general conclusion of this whole section is that he offers respect according to the level of the person and according to one's capacity.
These two considerations are there.
Offering respect within the mind
Whatever he can, he offers and he also understands the relative position of different living entities according to their development of consciousness and offers respect accordingly.
And the next verse is very important also because it teaches us how to offer respect. Manaśaitān bhūtāni praṇamed bahu-mānayan īśvaro jīva-kalayā. Praviṣṭo bhagavān iti.
So immediately Kapila Dev dispels out what does it mean to offer respect to everyone? Does it mean that I have to bow down to dogs and to microbes and to germs and to ants. He says, no, manasa. You do it by your mind.
You do it within your mind. Especially to those who are lording you. You still respect them, but in your mind. You're not manasā 'py anihaṁ bhūtāni praṇaméj bahu-mānayan.
You show regard, you bow down to them but in your mind.
So, and it's very important first of all because we don't have to bow down to everyone which is a big relief. It would be very difficult for us to always bow down to everyone.
But the second point here is that sometimes we bow down to somebody by our own body. But in the mind we're still saying this guy is a nonsense! I'm superior to him!
So, Kapila Dev is stressing here that you have to offer or to show your respect within the mind. Whether you bow down by the body or not that's a different question. But with the mind you have to offer respect.
You have to be established in this respectful attitude towards every living entity. Why? Īśvaraḥ jīva-kalayā praviṣṭo bhagavān iti because in every living entity Īśvaraḥ has entered together with his kāla.
Īśvaraḥ jīva-kalayā. The expansion or the little particle of Īśvara is jīva. And Īśvara, praviṣṭa, together with jīva, Bhagavān himself entered everyone. And that's again very important point.
Extremely important point to understand what Lord Kapila Dev wants to say to us here because we know that in the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Bharata Mahārāja he showed a lot of respect to a little baby deer.
He was worshiping little baby deer. What was the result? He became one in the next life! So, how does it relate to what Kapila Dev is speaking here in this chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?
The mistake of Bharata Mahārāja was that he respected or worshipped, one shall say, the baby deer independently of the Lord. He didn't do it because he knew that the Lord is present in the heart of this deer.
He was trying to do it independently and the result was disastrous. But on the contrary to this, Rāmacandra Deva was feeding Caṇḍālas and the result was glorious. Why? Because he was not feeding a Caṇḍāla.
He knew that the Supersoul is there. And therefore he was respecting the Caṇḍāla because the Supersoul is there. So for him it was the act of worship.
And therefore, it's basically what is being said here is that we have to be very careful by manifesting our compassionate nature. Because we may misapply the compassion and the sentiments and the result will be very bad.
Yeah, if the compassion is material, if the sentiment is material, ultimately we will be bound to this material world. We will remain. Basically, as Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā, what's this verse? Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām.
We will try to basically imitate the Lord. He is the best friend of every living entity. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. And we say: No, no, no. I'm the best friend of all living entities. Let me be compassionate to everyone.
I'm feeding all these school children, day meal program, Akshaypatra, whatever it is. So, you know, you can do it, you should do it. We should respect everyone but we have to understand how.
Īśvara-jīva-kalayā-pravisto bhagavān iti. We have to be very clear I'm doing it because bhagavan is there. Yes. Yes. Maharaja, we should see the super soul in all the living entities, and we should respect everyone.
But when it comes to certain personalities like Hiraṇyakaśipu and Kāmasuvera Rāvaṇa, there were any envy of our Lord because they gave lots of distress to the devotees, Vaiṣṇavas.
Dealing with envious personalities
So how to develop this respectful attitude for this kind of asuras? You showed respect to them by killing them. How else you can show respect to them?
You help them by depriving them the opportunity to create troubles to Vaishnavas. Yes? It's like this, either if you can correct them or help them not to do it, then you should try to do it.
If you cannot just respect them from a respectful distance and make the distance as respectful as possible. So if we can correct them, correct them.
If you cannot correct them, so just be a little distance from them because they are learning their lessons and hopefully they will learn their lessons.
Ultimately we have to understand that the process of bhakti is very powerful and they will be purified at the end of the day. Krishna will take care of them. If you cannot take care of them, Krishna will take care of them.
But at the same time we should not come too close to them because if we come too close to them there is a good chance that this contagious disease of enviousness because the germs of enviousness are there in our heart.
And when we come too close to them then these germs of enviousness will manifest in our heart as well. Therefore we have to keep distance for sure. But, you know, at the same time, you know, bhakti is powerful.
They are doing bhakti. They already went to a very high level of consciousness. So hopefully, at one point they will realize. Haley Kushan.
I'm thinking of this, you know, how you have to respect somebody in your mind, but you know sometimes you'll focus it's a wrestle. It's a wrestle! Yes, he is a rascal. So I'm also sometimes thinking he is a rascal.
He is a rascal. No problem. But Krishna is in the situation. It's a mistake. There's some kind of a saying we make, we think it's the person that's bad, but it's what they did was bad. Yeah, yeah.
Jesus Christ, I think it's in the Bible, it says that thing. We hate this
Discrimination versus respect in spiritual life
sin not the sinner. Not sinner. Yeah. Is that correct? That's definitely correct.
See, we should not mix two concepts. One is the concept of discrimination or judgement and other is the concept of respect. They are not necessarily the same thing. We can't judge according to our proper discrimination.
He is doing something wrong. But at the same time we do feel respect because he is the part and parcel of the Lord.
You know, offering respect does not mean that we don't see what he is doing, where he is wrong, where he is right. We can see very clearly he is doing wrong.
Respect doesn't mean that we have to become all of a sudden blind and make this smile all the time. Everything is good. This is my life. People think that's what it means. Yeah, well, okay, that's their problem.
Discrimination, intelligence should be there. We should not switch off our intelligence. Discrimination, because we are Vaishnavas, we are not Māyāvādīs.
Māyāvādīs, yeah, everything is the same unless you hit me and then I will show you how great I am. Think as Arjuna also in Bhagavad-gītā we say to Krishna better I die than kill them. Then Krishna said, not kill them.
Yeah, and Krishna didn't approve this. How Śrīla Prabhupāda said, he didn't approve this, misapply it or something like this. What did he say? We are not nonviolent in that sense? Will fight.
Yeah, we will fight very respectfully. No problem. We will kill them respectfully. Yes, caturaḥ puruṣaḥ. Okay, let's go to the next verse.
So Kapiladeva is making the final conclusion to the material of this chapter and the previous chapter where he was describing the meditation and the process of yoga.
He says: Bhakti-yogaś ca yogaś ca by both. By Bhakti yoga and by yoga, by mystical yoga, by the yoga of meditation. O my mother, Devahūti.
Mayodiritaḥ I already, by me, both processes were described to you and here there are different translations which could be: By these processes you can achieve the state of union with the Lord or puruṣaḥ puruṣam vrajet or the jīva will achieve the Supreme Lord.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda translates it differently.
He says: By both, a devotee who applies the signs of devotional service and mystic yoga in this way can achieve the abode of the Supreme Person simply by that devotional service.
So Prabhupāda gives a very interesting twist to the whole thing.
The ordinary superficial meaning is that by yoga you achieve the union with the Lord because it was said there that the yogi who meditates upon the Lord ultimately wants to enter into the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi which is objectless meditation.
And by object less meditation you cannot achieve the Lord!
You use the Lord as the hook, as the means to achieve this state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi and therefore he uses Bhakti for his own purpose to enter the Lord, to achieve the union with the Lord.
But by bhakti-yoga puruṣaḥ puruṣam vrajet the puruṣa achieves puruṣa. The little puruṣa, jīva puruṣa achieves the Supreme Puruṣa, Parama Puruṣa. So that's one thing.
But Praupat says that in the purpurque he says that ultimately yoga means Bhakti Yoga. Praupad is very consistent in his approach. There is no other yoga, there is Bhakti Yoga.
And even if you you know, if you start with the yoga you have to come to the point of bhakti yoga because only by bhakti yoga you get the real result and this real result is Praupat very beautifully describes this Purushak Purusam Rajat. The Purusha, the living entity, goes to the Supreme Person. The Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entity are qualitatively One. Both are defined as Purusha. The quality of Purusha exists both in the Supreme Godhead and in the living entity. Purusha means enjoyer and the spirit of enjoyment is present both in the living entity and in the supreme lord. The difference is that the quantity of enjoyment is not equal. So we should not try to imitate the lord in his enjoyment but the quality is the same. And that's basically Bhakti Yoga.
Yeah, and Prabhupada he warns against imitation. He says that if we try to imitate and enjoy by imitating, then it's called māyā.
He uses this puruṣaḥ puruṣaṁ vrajet to say that this is the philosophy of Acintya-bhedābheda-tattva.
Time as a perceivable feature of God
Okay, so now from the verse number 36. Kapila Deva is answering on the third question of Devahūti. The second question will be answered in the next chapter.
But the third question about the nature of the time or definition of the time... Mother Devahūti asked him, "Please give the definition of the time." And why Kapila Deva is doing this?
Because he has already said that the whole point of this description is that God is everywhere, God is behind everything. We can perceive those who cannot perceive God directly in everyone's heart.
They will perceive God in a form of time. So that's the form of God which is perceivable by us. And this form of God reminds us to behave properly.
So therefore, in the next verse he says: So he says that this puruṣa which is mentioned in the previous verse can take or can be perceived in three different ways — as Bhagavān, as Brahman and as Paramātmā.
So we are immediately reminded of the foundational verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.11: Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam.
Actually, if we take our Gaudiya line of explaining Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, those two, one and a half verses, are the most important. One is this one and second one: Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.
These two verses, they basically two pillars upon which the whole tradition of Gaudiya siddhānta is based or commentary of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
And here it is very clearly repeated again that there are three stages of realization of God. Three distances by which we can approach God.
And if we come closer we'll see Bhagavan, if we are from very far distance away, we see Brahman effulgence, if we're a little closer we see him as Paramatma. Depending on our desire and our method employed to him.
But ultimately we will have to understand this.
So etat bhāgavat-rūpaṁ brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ paraṁ pradhānaṁ puruṣaṁ. This is the this puruṣa mentioned in the previous verse, he is paraṁ pradhānaṁ, he is the chief among all the puruṣas. Daivam Karma Viceshitam.
Daivam karma-viciṣṭitam, his activities are divine.
Sometimes it is also translated, this particular verse is translated as that his paraṁ pradhānaṁ puruṣaṁ, this puruṣa is behind daiva or behind the providence which is created by karma-viciṣṭitam.
But Śrīla Prabhupada translates that this transcendental chief personality and his activities are all-encompassing.
But basically, and it will become very clear in the next verse that what is being explained here is that God is behind everything.
Definition and characteristics of time
And the next verse is the definition of time. So, this is a very important verse for this section of Shimad Bhagavatam. So let us read this next verse.
Rupa beda spadam diviam kala I tebidiyate bhutanam mahadadinam yato bhina drishambayam yato bhina sama yar So the definition of time is given in the first line of this verse rupa beddas padam divyam kala it abideate. The dictionary definition of time kala ittiabidi ate is rupa bheda aspadam something which causes forms of this world to change.
The causal factor behind changing the forms or appearances of this world is time. Because otherwise how you define time? What is time? Nobody knows what is time!
So, Lord Kapiladeva gives a very precise definition. This is the cause behind every change which we can perceive in the world. We cannot see the world, we cannot see the time.
But we can perceive the presence of the time by the changing of the form. And particularly our own form. When we see that our form changes, you know, it's about time to think about the time. Because everything is changing.
So, that's a very important point that Krishna is reminding us all the time about his presence by changing the forms.
In Greek philosophy they say that you cannot step into the same river twice because first of all river is not the same and second of all you're not the same. So everything is changing.
The Buddhist philosophies they also say "Sarvam ksanikam", everything is momentary. Everything is changing all the time. And therefore, Buddhists say that there is no permanent reality.
But according to the philosophy of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the permanent reality is there. It's not that everything is changing, but ātmā is not changing. God is not changing.
But he reminds us about our false conception which keeps us bound to this eternally changing material world. And therefore this definition is important. Rupa bheda spadam and divyam. This is the second lakshana of kala.
Rupa bedas padam divyam. Divyam means amazing. Divyam means wonderful. Śrīla Prabhupāda says "divine" of course. Divyam literally from the Sanskrit root, div means one of the meaning of this root is that it's playing. Krida.
So the time we see how the time is playing with everyone. As much as the cat is playing with the mouse, you know, the mouse is running and the cat is catching it and then lets it go.
And sometimes we feel like, you know, we are caught by the time. And then after some time there is a relief and we say, No, no, everything is fine, no problem.
So this is how the time is playing with us, therefore it's Divyam.
Divyam means also it's divine, it's ultimately the divine will of the Lord which manifests the time but it's imperceivable, it's really amazing and wonderful.
The time factor who causes the transformation of the various material manifestations is another feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Anyone who does not know that time is the same Supreme Personality is afraid of the time factor.
Overcoming the fear of time
That's second line of this verse which is also very important. Bhūtānām mahad-ādīnām yato bhinnā dṛśām bhayam. It is very clearly said that the living entity, they are in a state of fear.
Bhūtānām mahad-ādīnām, starting with the greatest of them. All the greatest living entities like Lord Brahmā, mahad-ādīnām. If they are bhinnā dṛśām, they will feel fear.
So, of course, bhinnā dṛśām can be translated in many different ways.
Shiva Praupat says Binadrisham they don't understand that the time and the Lord are the same and therefore they are afraid. If you understand that this is the Lord came to me, you will not be afraid.
There is a famous anecdote from Roman history when Europe was invaded by Hunas. And Attila was the very cruel and fearful leader of these Hunas. And they were basically killing everyone and creating havoc all over Europe. Ultimately they came to Rome.
Huge army of these Hunas and, you know, basically they would destroy everything. They would take the huge city, conquered the huge city and destroy everything.
So the Rome was about to... everyone in Rome was afraid. The only one who was not afraid was the Pope. His name was Leo the first.
So when he found out that this huge army of the Hunas by which the whole Europe was terrified is there by their walls of Rome, then this Pope Leo with a couple of his assistants came out directly and he said: I want to see this Attila! And everyone was shocked, even these Hunas, because they themselves were afraid of this Attila. He was such a cruel person!
And Attila came out and this Pope Leo I looked at Attila and he says: Welcome! Welcome the... How you say this? Whip, yeah. Welcome, oh, whip of the Lord! He didn't see him separately.
He saw him as a representative of the Lord by which the Lord is wiping us, by which the Lord is doing this. So he was not afraid. Everyone else was afraid. He was not afraid. Why?
Because, as Prabhupada says, because he didn't see the difference between the time or this factor of this Attila sent by time and the Lord himself. And therefore he was happy, you0 know. And Attila was so impressed by this that he said: Okay, okay, you go. And he didn't take over Rome.
In this way the Rome was saved. So one fearless person saved the whole country and the whole city. Why? Because he knew that there is no difference between the time and the Lord. And therefore he didn't have any fear.
And of course Binadrisham can easily be referred to the previous verses of this chapter where Bina Drisham means separatist.
Bina Drisham the one who doesn't see that the Lord is in everyone's heart and who does not respect everyone. So it is another very important point, philosophical point of this chapter.
If you offer respect to everyone and you feed everyone, you will be free from fear. You will not be afraid of death because you will see that the Lord is there and you're already relating with him in a proper way. So there will be no fear if you are like this.
So different interpretations can be given. And Bina Drisham of course also may mean that you discriminate between other living entities in an improper way.
You're saying that somebody is higher, somebody is lower not according to the proper conclusion of the Shastras and so on and so forth. So that's the definition of time factor.
Rūpa-bheda-spadaṁ divyaṁ kāla ity abhidhīyate. And of course another definition, very famous definition of time is given by Krishna himself in Bhagavad-gītā. What is the definition he gives?
And in the tenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita he says Kalayatam kalo kalosmi, right? Kalaham. Among the subduers I'm the time. Among the controllers I'm the time.
So the very word kalah comes from the root Kal and root Kal, Sanskrit root Kal means to put an end or to control. Or to calm down also. The English word calm comes from this root.
So somebody who calms you, you know, ultimately you become very calm. You will be very calm. All your agitations will be gone because of the time. The time makes everyone quiet ultimately.
So that's Kala and that's being explained in the next verse. Kalach kalayatam prabhu.
Addressing offenses against devotees
Yes? Mahesh, when we are talking about respecting all your entities, that is, we have to practice that. But also the injunction is that when someone is offending a devotee, we have to be also like fire.
Yeah, again we still have to remember that God is there within his heart. Doesn't mean that he cannot become foolish. Yeah, God is there but the person is behaving in the wrong way.
So you try to straighten him out or to, you know, make him behave properly but still you know that the Lord is in his heart. That's not a problem.
Practically how do we like if some devotees offending another devotee and we don't understand how we should react because we are also afraid of offending the other person.
But he is doing unreasonable to genuine devotee and we will feel angry also. Or if you can influence him in a positive way then try to influence him.
Otherwise try not to be involved into this and not to listen to criticism.
The advice which I heard from my Spiritual Master, he said, If somebody is offending in front of you somebody else and you don't know how to behave in this awkward situation, you please tell him: You're so advanced. You can do it, I'm not very advanced, I cannot do this, please don't do it in front of me because I will be implicated.
You know? So there are different ways of how to deal with it. And it's difficult. You know, society of devotees is a very difficult society. It's the most difficult society.
Because we all know how it's supposed to be and we all see that nobody is doing how he's supposed to do. There's a lot of the abnormal between theory and practicality. Yeah. And the ideal is so high.
And because the ideal is so high it sometimes makes us very judgmental and even very insensitive and cruel. Because we always try to compare with this ideal.
And by comparing with this ideal we are more or less or the impetus to compare all the time with this highest ideal is sometimes imperceptibly for ourselves unconsciously. It's just the envy which we have.
But this envy which we have is being manifested in a very tricky way. Because we're saying this is the ideal, why you're not doing like this? And people become very judgmental because of this.
And it's sometimes difficult to live in such a society where everyone is judging everyone. So the only solution to this is that we have to manifest kindness in our dealings. And this kindness may solve many many problems.
Because if the kindness in our personal dealings will be very prominent then most of the time people will not feel the need to criticize other people. Why people feel the need, the psychological need to criticize others?
Because they just miss love and they try to compensate by criticizing others. But if there will be more loving interaction in our dealings then it will be better.
And let those people who are supposed to judge, judge others. I'm not the judge.
I'm a servant and yes I can see that he is not behaving properly therefore I may keep a distance from him but at the same time I'm not the judge.
I'm not somebody who is trying to, you know, if I cannot correct, what is the point?
Otherwise it's just gossip and rumors, you know, he said this and she said this and he did that and, you know, in 1985 he said this and in 1986 he answered that. All this kind of nonsense going on in the Internet.
We also compare like, if I myself also like judge myself, then I will also see that I am so far away from the idea. Yeah.
Controlling power of eternal time
So, if you want to judge somebody, look in the mirror and do it.
Okay, so the next verse, verse number 38: Yon tak pravishye bhutani, Bhutaya Akhilasrayaha, SAVISNV AKYO DVIJAYAGYO, Vishayto Dhistn Vakyo Dvikyoso. Kalah Kalahatam Prabhu.
So he says that Kalah Kalayatam Prabhu or as Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā Kalah Kalayatam Aham among those who can control I AM the Time.
The Time is the Supreme Master, the Supreme Controller of all controllers, the Supreme Subduer of everything. I AM the Time. So how the Time is controlling is described in this verse. By which means the Time is controlling.
The Time is entering - yo antach pravisya bhutani - the Time is entering within everyone's heart, within in every living entity. Butair Atya Kilashraya Heart. He enters everyone's heart, He is the support of everyone.
So He gives us the chance to exist. BUTTER ATTA KILLAV SREHA SAVISH AKYO SAVISH AKYO ADIYAGESCAM.
But also it is explained that the time is controlling, Shilipravapat doesn't say this, but the time is controlling by bhutani bhutair - ati akilasreha. The time is entering everyone's heart. I think it's written here.
Yeah, the point number six causes every being to be annihilated by another. By entering into every living entity the time is actually helping one living entity to kill another living entity.
Jivo Jivasya Jiva Nam The time is controlling every living entity through other living entities. This is how the time is exerting his control.
We can see that, you know, one living entity comes and he's young and strong and he's on the top and then somebody else is younger and stronger and he becomes old in the meantime.
So he devours him literally or indirectly by some other means.
So the time is controlling everything Kala Kala Yatam Prabhu by entering into different living entities and creating all the quarrels and all the destructions which are there.
This is how the controlling power of the time is being manifest in this world. And also the time is Vishnu himself. SA Vishnu Akyo. He is Vishnu himself. This is another time, another name of time.
Why it is another name of time? Because Vishnu means literally one who entered. One who entered.
So, one who is everywhere, who entered everything and because the time enters everything he is Vishnu. And therefore he gives the results of Yagna. Ultimately whatever we do, whatever sacrifice we do, the time will bring the result. In due course of time the result will be there because time knows everything, time enters everything and by entering different living entities the time exerts its control. Okay?
Shall we go further? Okay. Yes. Generally people think of time as, you know, we say part of time.
But part of time, in the European cosmology, they usually think of, you know, the very old man with a sun that's cutting everything down. And that's also dead person fine. Yeah. Or Yamaraj. Yeah. But He also says,
you know, in one sense that he is Yama because he is giving the result of But your at the end of this chapter he will say that I am even the killer of Yama, no problem. So he is also under my control.
Yeah, Yama is also because Yama is in the material, but also, yeah. But in that Europeans, they think like that, and that's why they're afraid of god. They have fear because he's gonna kill you. Yeah.
Okay, so how we can help them? They're supposed to fear. And therefore, therefore, during the month of December we distribute Prabhupada's books and say that no problem, Krishna loves you ultimately.
Impartiality of time toward living entities
Okay, so let's read the next verse. Verse number 39. Na cāsyākaścid dāyādo nādveṣyo na ca bāndhavaḥ NADVESYO NACHA BHANDAVAHA. ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham
So here the impartiality of the time is being described. NA cāsya ākaścid dāyādo — nobody is dear to him, to the time. NADVEṢYO — he doesn't hate anyone. NA CA BĀNDHAVAHA — nobody is his relative. He is not partial.
There is no... When it comes to time, you know, you cannot really say, you know, my dear time, I'm your favorite son, please don't do this to me. Time is very impartial. Time is actually blind.
He doesn't do anything, according to his heart. What he is doing in the form of time? It's also interesting and there is a difference, possible difference in translation. Aviśatya pramattaḥ... pramattāṁ jñānam anta-kṛt.
So aviśati apramattāḥ. He exerts his influence... Sorry, Śrīla Prabhupāda very interestingly translates this: Aviśati apramattaḥ. He says that he inspires those who are apramatha. Apramata means those who are not intoxicated, those who are not maddened, those who are not sleeping. So if you are not intoxicated by the enjoyment, by the material enjoyment, by the vine or intoxication of this world then the time will inspire you.
It's amazing, you know, the devotees become more and more inspired in due course of time. Just a couple of days back we met with one acārya of one of the maṭhas.
He's 92 years old and he's completely fit and he wasn't hurry to his train but before hurrying to his train he sat down and he started giving lecture and he became a volcano. He started, you know, erupting and he couldn't stop! He was just saying and saying with so much energy!
You know, the Vaiṣṇavas, the older they become, the more enthusiastic they become. Usually normal people the older they become the more depressed they become.
Therefore Prabhupāda says he gives inspiration to those who have not forgotten him. He translates Apramatha as somebody who has not forgotten him. Āviśat Apramatta.
So for those who have not forgotten him he gives them inspiration and life and everything. Pramatta Jana Mantakṛt.
But to those people who, Pramatta, who have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, Antakṛt. He puts an end to their activities. He destroys those who have forgotten.
Another version of the translation is that he himself is Apramatha. The time is not sleeping. Pramatha can mean sleeping, pramatha can mean intoxicated. So he himself is not intoxicated.
He's impartial, he's there, he's watching everyone. You know, if you think that the time sleeps, you know, the time now is sleeping, you know, no, time never sleeps. Twenty four hours a day time is watching you.
You sleep And in your sleep the time catches you. So, everyone else is sleeping. The time is not sleeping. That's another definition of time. I don't remember now, but the time is somebody who never sleeps.
So, I think it's Chanakya Pandit, he gives this definition that everyone else sleeps in the lapse of time, but the time never sleeps. So, always time is watching you and when the time comes, that's it. Finished! No more!
No more! So we should definitely remember that the time is there. And how we can remember? Yeah, by seeing that everything changes. So time is there.
And if we forget about him then antakṛt. The time will just put an end of foolish forgetfulness.
And Prabhupāda says that Harim vinā naiva sṛtiṁ taranti. It's not possible to be saved from the repetition of birth and death without the help of the Supreme Lord.
Again the same point that we should understand very clearly that there is no other shelter. And therefore in the previous verse it was said that the time is Akil Aasraya, the shelter of everything.
So we should take shelter of the Lord. Actually, gratefully understand that the time is the reminder. Like, you know, we have in these machines we have the reminders if we forget anything. And something started beeping.
Beep, beep, beep, beep. It means you forget. So next time when see some changes in yourself, it means some reminder is there, some program. You know, the grey hairs, it's a reminder why the black hairs should become grey.
May remain black. Krishna is just gently reminding. Time is going, time is going. And then, you know, the teeth falls out. Another change. Another reminder. To forget, yeah, your glasses. So on and so forth. No problem.
Anyway, that's the built in reminder. Works very nicely, very beautifully. In these machines the reminder always give the same beep beep beep beep. In the form of time Krishna gives different beeps.
The whole, you know, spectrum of different beeps. But the message is the same.
Universal order under cosmic control
Time is going! So, anyway, now we come to the power of time, how the time manifests himself. And we still have six verses. So let's read these verses one after another.
Yadbayat Vati Vatoyam Surya Sthapati Yadbayat Yadbayat Varsate Devo bhagano bhati yadbhayat, bhaagano bhati So it's very clear because of fear yadbhayat, vati vatoyam the wind is blowing, surya stapati yadbayat because of fear of him the sun is shining, yadbayat varsat e devo because of fear the god of rain gives the rain, Bhagano Bhati Yad-Bayat, and out of fear of him the host of heavenly bodies share, shed their luster.
So, very clear, no need to explain anything.
And basically what it means Yad-Bayat, we have to understand that Bhaya does not necessarily mean that the sun is always fearful and it's trembling out of fear and let me shine otherwise. No, everything is being done.
Everything is under the control of time. That's what it means. That like in very well managed organization. Everything is being done very properly and you may say because of fear.
But it's not that consciously everyone is experiencing fear and therefore everyone is running. It's just organized in a very proper manner and that's what it means.
Therefore Praupad explains: Mayadyaksena prakritik, swayat esa cacharam. Everything is just working under my direction. That's the meaning of this sort of statement which are many in different literatures.
In Upanishads the same statements are also there.
Сей, again, the plants are growing, the creepers and herbs are growing and they bring in proper time seasonal plants and flowers blossom and fructify each in a proper season.
So again the same idea is that everything is being organized by time and we have to observe it very philosophically and understand that here is the time which is behind this. Otherwise why it is so orderly?
How is it so orderly? Because of the entering of the time force in everything. The time imperceptibly is everywhere and it switches on different mechanisms which are there.
Okay, verse number 42: Sravantisari Tobitam, Not Sarpat Uddha Uddha Dhiryata, AgniRindhe Sa Giribhir, Burna Majati Yadbayat. So many other things are happening, The rivers flowing because of the fear of time and the ocean is not overflowing again because of the fear of time. It's very amazing actually that the ocean always remains in the same borders.
Why?
Because that's the arrangement of the time and the fire is burning because of the time and the mountains, even though they are so heavy, they are not sinking into the earth. And the earth itself is not coming down to the ocean which is there in the Universe and floating.
And Prabhupada explains in the purport how the planets are there because of the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, energy of Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not just some impersonal power but ultimately he says that the material scientists explain that all these different planets are floating because of the law of gravity or some other law. But the actual lawmaker is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When we speak of law we must understand that there must be lawmaker.
So again the same point is being made here that we see that everything is working orderly, Everything is managed. Everything is just really working properly.
You know, the government doesn't work properly. Everything else works properly. So the sun is working properly, the whole order of material nature is working properly and that means that there is a controller.
And this controller in the form of time is reminding us about his existence. And only foolish people say that by chance it's working like this. By chance. Everything by chance. Yeah, right, right, by chance.
There was a joke that one atheist, atheistic person, some high governmental official, he came to India. And he said openly, from the outset, when he came to India, he said that I don't believe in God.
Because of the spiritual influence of this land or because of the people? Maybe you met some saintly persons. He said: No, no, no. I just saw how your government works and, you know, I can't understand how it's all working.
But still it works! Therefore I start believing in God! That's only God knows how it's working. Yeah! That's very true!
And when Prabhupada sat and gave class, started giving class, he closed his eyes, started speaking something and everyone fell asleep. Bhakti-vicaru Maharaja tells this story.
He was in the kitchen and he came to the temple room to see what's happening and he saw this scene. Prabhupada is sitting there speaking something with closed eyes and everyone else is sleeping.
And then Prabhupada opened his eyes and then Prabhupada said everything is in this movement is happening by the mercy of Lord Caitanya. And then Prabhupada opened his eyes, he looked through his glasses and saw that the whole room is sleeping and he said, This is a fact!
It's working only by the mercy. So this is what is explained in these verses.
Transcendental nature of eternal devotional service
Okay, the verse number 43. Lokam svadeham tanute, mahan sakta bhirabritam.
The subject to the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sky, subject to control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sky allows outer space to accommodate all the various planets which hold innumerable living entities.
The total universal body expands with its seven coverings under his supreme control. So, again the same point, the sky is there, the planets are there and the order is there. There's basically repetition of the same point.
Prabhupada is explaining the structure of the Universe here by commenting on this. And anyway, so verse number 44: Guna bhimani nodevah Guna abhimanaha devaha.
The devas who are in charge of the gunas carry out the function of creation, maintenance and destruction. Sarga Adi, Asya Yadba Yad.
So we know that ultimately that the gunas of material nature they create and there are devas behind the gunas. Shiva, destruction, Vishnu is maintenance.
So the amazing point here is that even Vishnu is under the control of time. Because Vishnu is the guṇa-avatāra of the Supreme Lord here. And Krishna is of course beyond the time.
But Vishnu who is immanent manifestation of God here in this material world, He is doing everything according to the proper design of this world, according to the original design.
So he is also performing his function in the creation which is important. And Brahma of course is creating this world. They are not doing it whimsically, that's the point.
Everything animate and inanimate within this material world is under their control. So if they are controlled by the time what to speak about everything else because everything else is under their control.
Vasa ettacharacharam, the moving and non moving living entities, they are under the control of this. And therefore Brahma-saṁhitā starts with Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ as Prabhupada quotes here.
And the last verse which we read now: Anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam, Nadir Adi Kritavyaya, Janam Janena Janayan, marayan mrtyunantakam. So he saha this time is Ananta, is endless.
But at the same time his Antakaraha, this Kalah is Antakaraha, puts the end to everything. Anadir he does not have any beginning but addicrit he starts everything, everything is being started by that time.
And avyaayah he is inexhaustible, eternal, in other words, Adhikrit, not liable to change. He is not changeable himself even though he changes, he starts and he ends everything.
Janam Janema Janayan and he is the cause of the birth of all living entities and also Marayan Mrytyunantakam. He is the cause of death not only of all the living entities but the lord of death.
Mrytjuna Antakam of Yamarac himself. The eternal time factor has no beginning and end. It is the representative of the Supreme Personality of God, the maker of criminal world.
I have my doubts about this particular statement. I think this is a transcriber's mistake.
Just cannot understand how it's most probably Prabhupada says material world and the transcriber being himself a criminal heard criminal world, the maker of the criminal world. I was the maker of the criminal world.
Because there is no, you know, there is nothing in the purport which, let's say, this probably material world. In Russia, we translate. We translate. World prison. Or maybe, maybe, maybe the of the world is a prison.
But it's not really It's just our attempt to make sense out of this. But anyway, it brings about the end to the phenomenal world. It carries on the work of creation by bringing one individual into existence from another.
And likewise it dissolves the universe by destroying even the lord of deaths Yama Raja.
And Prabhupada, he ends this purport, it's a beautiful purport which he says: The phenomenal world is created, maintained and destroyed by the finger signal of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore a devotee does not desire anything in this material world. A devotee desires only to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The servitude exists eternally, the Lord exists eternally, his servitor exists eternally and the service exists eternally.
So the implication here or the meaning here is that if you understand the temporary nature of this world and if you have the fear of this time which puts an end of everything you have to develop the eternal service attitude.
Desire to serve. And if this service attitude is established then you become eternal because the Lord exists eternally, his servant exists eternally and the service to the Lord exists eternally.
That's how Prabhupada beautifully ends this purport. That's it. Thank you very much, Hare Krishna. Yes. I think when I did criminal world, I thought that was fine.
Okay, reason being that sometimes it is said that this world is made for the lowest living entity.
It's possible, in Russian translation it is said that this world is... which is a prison. It's possible, possible, possible. It's yeah. The maker of this... criminal. Possible.
But Prabhupada doesn't say anything about this in the purport and there is nothing here so... Whatever it is. But it's good to be reminded that this world is a prison for criminals. For us, for the rebellious.
So maybe this is like this, maybe. Any question? Yes? Hands of the time. How it can be good? It basically means that first of all Krishna is outside of time. Krishna is not.
But when we see, it is said that all the avatars they come in a particular time, in a particular order. Right? So it means that there is a law behind it and of course lawmakers himself.
It's like the president of the country or the king of the country may make a law but he himself also abides the law. He doesn't have to do it but he abides the law. To set the example.
Okay, so we are ten minutes before the time. We are somehow controlling the time. We're before the time. So, thank you very much for being such attentive and tireless listeners. Thank you. Thank you very much.
There is some prasadam I heard.