Prabhupada: ...I spoke in Hindi. Now today I speak in English. If required I shall again speak in Hindi tomorrow. In this way, alternatively...So we are worshiping Krsna. His simple business is, as we have described, Radha-Madhava, He is lover of Srimati Radharani. Krsna means lover. This very word Krsna means "all-attractive." You can attract by your love, not by anything else. Therefore His name is Krsna. I have read one book, Aquarian Gospel, among the Christians. In that book it is said that the word Christ has come from the word Christo, Christo, it is a Greek word, and the meaning of Christo is "lover, anointed." So I think the word Christ is apabhramsa of Christo, and Christo... In India still, if one's name is Krsna, we call him Kristo, or sometimes Kesto. My younger brother, his name was Krsna. So in family we were calling him "Kesto." That is very current. So actually love, the word love, has come from Krsna. That is a fact. Therefore you will see always Krsna always with Radharani. We worship Krsna -- Radha-Krsna, Laksmi-Narayana, Sita-Rama. This is Vaisnava's worshipable Deity. We do not worship alone God. We Vaisnava, we want to see Krsna and His energy, potency. That is the Vedic system.In the Vedas it is said, Upanisad, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca.na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyatena tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyateparasya saktir vividhaiva sruyatesvabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya caThe Supreme Absolute Truth, He has nothing to do. He has nothing to do. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. Everything is being done by His potencies. Just like a big man, a big business man, or a big, the president of the state, he personally does not do anything. But his energies, his secretaries and others, they do everything. He simply signs or gives sanction. So this is the fact. God has nothing to do. Everything is being done very nicely by His energies. Just like the sunshine or the sun planet is one of the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the whole material world is being conducted very nicely by the sunshine... This is scientific. Due to the sunshine all the planets, they are rotating in their prescribed orbit and nobody is colliding with one another. Everything is going nicely, sunshine. Due to sunshine, the seasonal changes are taking place, and the varieties of trees, plants are growing. Everything is going on. The moon is also working under sunshine. And due to the moon, there are waves in the sea. There are changes of the ebb tide and low tide. So one energy of the sunshine is doing so much things.So parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. His energies are working so nicely that svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. Svabhava, natural. Just like a rose flower is coming into existence, very nicely painted, very nicely colored, very nicely flavored. So it requires brain. How you can say that it has been done automatically? No. There is brain. That is said in the Bhagavad-gita: mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. The nature is working under His direction. But His direction is so complete that it appears to us as it is being done automatically. Not automatic. There is brain behind it. Just like nowadays there are so many mechanical inventions. You just push one button and things come, as we see in the airplane. There are simply... The pilot is working simply by pushing some buttons, and such a big, gigantic plane is floating in the sky. We can understand. The television, simply by pushing one button... So if materially it is so much advanced, perfection is possible, you can just imagine, spiritually how much it is perfectly possible.So this perfection of love. We are also after love. A young man is after love; a young boy is after love. So wherefrom this love comes? Because originally the love is there in Krsna. That is the version of the Vedanta-sutra. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Yato va imani bhutani jayante. So this loving affair has come from the Supreme Absolute Truth, but it is pervertedly reflected only. Pervertedly reflected. Yatra tri-sargah amrsa. Here in the material world we are simply seeing the perverted reflection of the spiritual world. Therefore in Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said in the beginning,janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarattene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayahtejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsadhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi[SB 1.1.1]Satyam param dhimahi. Here everything is perverted. Reflection, shadow. The example is given. Just like in the desert, sometimes we find water. The reflection of the sunshine makes a false replica of water, exactly. But there is no water. There is no water, and the reflection of water. Similarly, in this material world there is only reflection of that love. Actually, there is no love. It is the mirage on the desert. Therefore, if we want really love, this word can be applied only to Krsna, all-attractive.So this Krsna consciousness movement is just to teach people not to be allured by the illusory so-called water and love or anything. There is one reality: satyam param dhimahi. Just try to come to the real reality. Don't be entrapped by the false reality. This is Krsna consciousness move... We are entrapped by the false reality, maya. Maya-mrgam dayitayepsitam anvadhavat. Maya, just like the deer, he runs over the false water in the desert. But the water goes ahead more and more, and the poor animal, without finding water, dies. But a sane man does not go. A sane man knows that reflection of water is not water. But that does not mean... Because there is no water in the desert, it does not mean that there is no water. The water is there, but not in the desert. That is knowledge.Therefore we were discussing last night this verse, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. Jivasya, every living entity should be inquisitive to know where is real pleasure. Because we are hunting after pleasure, everyone. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. Because we are by nature anandamaya, because we are part and parcel of Krsna. Mamaivamsah, Krsna says. Therefore Krsna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Sat, cit, ananda. He is personified, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Vigraha means person or the form, transcendental form of sac-cid-ananda. Sat means eternity, and cit means knowledge, and ananda, pleasure. His body is sac-cid-ananda. But our body is not sac-cid-ananda, this present body, the material body. It is neither sat, because it is temporary. Therefore it is not sat. And cit. Oh, we are ignorant in so many things. There is no knowledge. Abodha-jata. This body means ignorance. This material body means ignorance. Abodha-jata. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Parabhavas tavad abodha-jatah. Abodha-jata means the embodiment of ignorance. We do not know so many things. In our own body... I am claiming, "It is my body," but I do not know how the body is working, how we are taking food, how it is being transferred into different secretions, then the secretion is going to the heart. And we know something by the medical science, but it is not perfect. Medical science fails. Although I am claiming... I do not know, at least. The physician may know, the medical man may know, but I am claiming I am this body," but I do not know how it is working. Therefore we are all abodha-jata. Abodha-jata.Therefore our business is to inquire about the truth. This is explained in this verse, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. This human life should be engaged for inquiring about the truth, anything, either of this body or of this material nature or about God, our interrelationship -- so many things that have to be known. Therefore in this verse it is said that jivasya tattva-jijnasa. It is not our only business that simply to eat, sleep and have sex life and defend. That is not our only business. That may be the business of the cats and dogs. But human life is not meant for that purpose. The civilization should be so molded that people will have the chance to think soberly about the truth of life. That is the point. That is called tattva-jijnasa. For this purpose the Vedic civilization is perfect. Vedic civilization is for everyone, but nowadays it is said that it is for the Indians or for the Hindus or... But actually, it is meant for everyone. Just like here it is said, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. It is everyone's duty to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Where is the question of Hindu, Muslim or this or that? Truth is truth. Two plus two equal to four; it is accepted by the Hindus, Muslims, Christians and everyone. Science is science. So therefore we should be interested about inquiring. This is the confirmation in every scripture, in the Bhagavata also. This is also Bhagavata.In Bhagavata, in another place, it is said, tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: [SB 11.3.21] "Those who are actually inquisitive to know the value of life, the Absolute Truth, he must approach a guru." Here also, it is said, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. Jijnasa means somebody in inferior position inquires from the superior man. Then there is jijnasa. Just like a child inquires from his father. Intelligent child always inquires, "Father, what is this? What is this? What is this?" and father explains. In this way the child gets experience. So similarly, here it is said that jivasya tattva-jijnasa. Every human being... It is human being. Jivasya, the general meaning is all living entities, but all living entities cannot inquire. That is not possible. The cats and dogs, they cannot inquire. There are 8,400,000 species of life, out of which this human form of life is competent to inquire about the Truth. Therefore here it is said, jivasya tattva-jijnasa nartho yas ceha karmabhih. Now another place in Bhagavad-gita it is said that,tad viddhi pranipatenapariprasnena sevayaupadeksyanti te jnanamjnaninas tattva-darsinah[Bg. 4.34]So from whom you'll have to inquire? From a person who has actually seen what is tattva, what is truth, from him. Therefore I was speaking yesterday, last night, in Hindi, that the tattva is not to be inquired from a pan-wala or bidi-wala. No. One who has actually seen the tattva, tattva-darsi.So according to Vedic scripture, a tattva-darsi should be very pure, uncontaminated. Therefore, generally, we go to the qualified brahmana, satyam samo damas titiksa arjavam, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam. One who is qualified. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. So according to Vedic system, a guru, generally, he must be a brahmana. Any guru. It doesn't matter, it doesn't require that he is to take birth in a brahmana family. If he is qualified, then he is guru. If he is not qualified, then he cannot become guru. Even becoming a brahmana, qualified brahmana, one does not become a guru, if he is not a Vaisnava. That is the injunction of the sastra.sat-karma-nipuno vipromantra-tantra-visaradahavaisnavo gurur na syadvaisnavah sva-paco guruhSad-vaisnava. One has to become Vaisnava. Vaisnava means one who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Krsna instructed Arjuna, He said, bhakto 'si priyo 'si, "Because you are My bhakta, therefore I am talking to you." So guru means a Vaisnava. He must be a representative of Krsna.Krsna is the Supreme Lord, supreme guru. He is the first guru. Tene brahma hrda adi-kavaye. Krsna imparted knowledge to the original person, Brahma. You may inquire that "Brahma is the original person. There was nobody present. Then who became his guru?" No, that is explained: tene brahma hrda, "From through the heart." Krsna, or God, is situated in everyone's heart. As you become purified, He speaks. He speaks always, but in our impure condition, we cannot hear. Just like in Bhagavad-gita it is said also,sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistomattah smrtir jnanam apohanam cavedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyovedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham[Bg. 15.15]So as Paramatma, Supersoul, Krsna is always prepared, ready to help every one of us, but provided we take His advice, we take His instruction. He says in the Bhagavad-gita,tesam satata-yuktanambhajatam priti-purvakamdadami buddhi-yogam tamyena mam upayanti te[Bg. 10.10]Those who are satata-yuktanam, means twenty-four hours engaged... Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam. In which business engagement? Bhajatam, in the devotional service. Such person, bhajatam. What kind of bhajatam? Priti-purvakam, with love and affection. Such person, buddhi-yogam dadami tam. So what kind of buddhi-yogam? This tattva-jijnasa, yena mam upayanti te. "This such instruction by which one can approach Me, one can understand Me," upayanti. In another place Krsna says, bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55].So here also it is said, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. So if we want to know the tattva, the Absolute Truth, then we have to go through the process. That process is simply to engage oneself in the loving service of the Lord. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. By these blunt senses, materially blunt... Just like with blunt instrument you cannot take any benefit, it must be sharpened; similarly, these senses, you utilize these senses to understand the Absolute Truth, but it must be purified, sharpened. Just like a knife. When it is sharpened it cuts very nicely. If it is blunt, it does not. But you can use the same very knife. So you can use these very eyes. Now you cannot see God, or Krsna. But if you purify these eyes, if you purify the senses, you can see God, you can talk with God, you can serve God, everything. That is possible. That is bhakti. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. We have to purify the senses. Now I am thinking, "This hand is my hand" or "This hand is my society's hand," "my family's hand" or "my nation's hand," "my community's hand." Upadhi, designation. But actually, this hand belongs to Krsna, and therefore this hand should be used for Krsna's purpose, not for anything else. That is called sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Purify. Actually that... Therefore Krsna's name is Hrsikesa. When these senses are purified, then with that purified senses, hrsikena... Hrsikena means senses, by these senses. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. This is bhakti.So tattva-jijnasa. Everyone should be inquisitive to inquire about the value of life, not like cats and dogs, no inquiry, simply... We go, walk, walking in the morning. We see so many nice bungalows -- they are sleeping, as if the sleeping will save him. No. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. These four things. They are thinking that these four things will save him. No. "Now we are situated in a very nice bungalow, very good income, very good wife and children." But any moment you can be kicked out of this situation, and you have to accept another body which is not very comfortable. This is nature's law. This is tattva-jijnasa. If we simply foolishly think, "Now I am very secure," that is God... [break] ...Vrndavana, They were ministers in the government of Nawab Hussein Shah. But when they lived in Vrndavana, about their life it is stated by Srinivasa Acarya, nidrahara-viharakadi-vijitau. These things, nidra, ahara, vihara. Nidra means sleeping, ahara means eating and vihara means sense gratification. So nidrahara-viharakadi-vijitau, conquered. Conquer. We have to conquer. This is called jitendriya.So tattva-jijnasa. This life is meant for tattva-jijnasa. Not a single moment should be wasted if we actually want to save ourself. But we do not know what is saving. We do not know, even we do not understand the very first instruction of Bhagavad-gita: tatha dehantara-praptih. A sane person should be inquisitive: "Now I was a child; I got a baby's body. Now, from baby's body, youth's body. From youth's body, now I've got this old, old age body. Then what is next? What is next?" This is the natural inquiry. And the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gita in the beginning, tatha dehantara-praptih. You'll have to accept another body. The nastika, they say that "There is no, no more life." Just like Professor Kotovsky, when I was in Moscow, he said, "Swamiji, after the annihilation of the body, there is nothing. Everything finished." Just see. Now, Krsna says that na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Na jayate na mriyate va kadacin na hanyate. Now, shall I accept Professor Kotovsky's statement or Krsna's statement? Which shall I accept?Of course, according to our Vedic civilization, we have to accept the authority. All our acaryas, those who are practically conducting the Vedic civilization or Hindu civilization, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Sankaracarya, everything, everyone says there is life. Sankaracarya says, balas tavat kridasaktah(?): "Oh, the boys..." He is going as a sannyasi, passing through the street. He sees, balas tavat kridasaktah: "Oh, the boys are engaged in playing." Balas tavat kridasaktah. "And the young men, they are after young girls." Balas tavat kridasaktah, and vrddhas cinta-magnah, tavat tarunas tavat taruni-raktah(?). I was just forgetting the words. Taruna means young man. Young man, he is after some young girl, or young girl is after some young man. So childhood is being spoiled by playing, and youthhood is being spoiled by searching after the opposite sex, and old man, vrddhas tavat cinta-magnah. And old man is thinking, "Now I could not do so, I could not situate this boy into right position. The girl is still unmarried. Now I am going to die." So many things, thoughts. Parame brahmani ko 'pi na lagnah(?). "And nobody is interested with Parabrahman." This is the world. He is thinking of so many things for others' benefit. He does not know his own benefit, that after death he is going to change his body. He has to accept another body. His chapter will begin a new history. "Now, what kind of body I am going to accept?" That he does not know. Therefore he is called abodha-jata, fools. So therefore in his ignorance, whatever he is doing, parabhava, simply defeat. Simply defeat.parabhavas tavad abodha-jatoyavan na jijnasata atma-tattvamapasyatam atma-tattvamgrhesu grha-medhinam[SB 2.1.2]So we should be awakened to the consciousness, "Now what is my duty?" We should inquire. And for your inquiry, the answers are there already in the Bhagavad-gita, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Upanisads. We have got in the Puranas. So we should utilize it. So instead of utilizing this knowledge, this treasurehouse of knowledge, we are reading bunch of useless newspapers. You see? In the Western countries, most of you may know, they are delivering in the morning such big lump of newspapers. And after one hour, it is thrown away. Who will read that? But people's attentions are diverted by so many nonsense literatures, and they are not interested to inquire from the real source of knowledge, real treasurehouse of knowledge. Therefore here it is said that jivasya tattva-jijnasa: "Your only business is to inquire about the truth." And that truth should be inquired from whom? Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. If you are actually inquisitive to understand what is Absolute Truth, what is your life, what is the value of life, tasmad gurum prapadyeta. A guru is not a fashion, "Oh, such and such swamiji is a..., let me make him guru." Just like, "Oh, there is a nice dog. Keep me a dog. Let me keep here dog." And if a guru says, "Yes, whatever you are doing, you are right. You can do whatever you... You can eat whatever you like. You can do whatever...," "Oh, he is a very nice guru." And as soon as he will say, "No illicit sex life, sir, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication," "Oh, Swamiji, you are very conservative." I have heard these things. That poet Allen Ginsberg, he said, "Swamiji, you are very conservative." No, I am the most liberal. You do not know. If I become conservative, then none of you will come to me.So a brahmacari is strictly prohibited not to see even one young woman. But what can be done? In the Western countries, the boys and girls, they mix very freely. And if I say, "My dear boys, you cannot see even a young girl," then finished. My business there is finished. Therefore I have to arrange according to the country, according to the circumstances, as far as possible. So gradually, they are coming to the perfectional stage. So we have to adopt desa-kala-patra, according to time, according to... But we are keeping our principles as it is, but making arrangement according to the circumstances. That is required.So here, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. Now what is tattva? Of course, I shall... It is... I can speak something about tattva. The next verse, it is tattva. Tattva, here it is said,vadanti tat tattva-vidastattvam yaj jnanam advayambrahmeti paramatmetibhagavan iti sabdyate[SB 1.2.11]So tattva, the Absolute Truth, is one. Absolute Truth is not two. Ekam brahma dvitiyam nasti. Absolute Truth is one, but it is realized from different angles of vision. There are transcendentalists, just like... Karmis are not transcendentalists. Fruitive worker. Those who are simply working for betterment of life or standard of life or economic development -- dharma, artha, kama. Kama means sense gratification. That is already explained. Kamasya nendriya-pritih. But they are thinking that indriya-priti, sense gratification, is the highest perfection of life. But Bhagavata says, or our Vedic authority says, kamasya nendriya-pritih. So karmis, they are rejected. They are not fit for spiritual life, at least, so long they remain karmis. Mudha. That I have explained last night. Then, out of many thousands of karmis, one becomes jnani, jnani, in true knowledge. They are called jnani. When one is fed up with this karmi, he comes to the stage of jnani, knowledge, that "I am not this body. Why I am working so hard for this body like cats and dogs?" He comes to the platform of jnani. Then above the jnani, the yogi. Those who are trying to connect, link with the Supreme, they are called yogi. Yoga indriya-samyamah. In the yoga stage, there is control of the senses. So yogis, and then bhaktas. Karmi, jnani, yogi, and bhakta. Bhakta means devotee.So those who are karmis, they are not talked about here, tattva, because they are not interested in tattva-jijnasa. They are interested in ahara-nidra-bhaya. Visayi. Visayinam sandarsanam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, therefore, He was very strict sannyasi. Visayinam sandarsanam atha yositam ca ha hanta hanta visa-bhaksanato 'py asadhu. If you are interested... Caitanya Mahaprabhu was requested by His confidential devotee to allow a meeting with Maharaja Prataparudra. Oh, He immediately refused, "No, no, I cannot see a king." He was so strict. "A king is simply interested with politics and money, so what shall I do by meeting him? No, no, I cannot meet him." Refused. So in that connection He composed one sloka, verse, bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya param param jigamisor bhava-sagarasya: "Those who are interested to go to the other side of the spiritual world," bhava-sagarasya jigamisoh, "that such person, for such person," visayinam sandarsanam atha yositam ca, "to see the visayis interested in simply eating, sleeping, mating, such persons, and yosit, and woman," ha hanta, ha hanta visa-bhaksanato 'py asadhu, "oh, for him, this kind of action is more abominable than drinking poison."So actually, this is the position. If we are actually tattva-jijnasu, then we must be very careful, very careful. Especially in the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that karmi-jnani. Karmi is also wanting, and jnani is also wanting, and yogi is also wanting. Karmi wants the comfortable position of life. That is also want. And jnani, he is also wanting moksa, to merge into the existence. Because after becoming big, big man within this material, when he is frustrated, he wants to become God. That is another illusion. And how you can become God, sir? But the jnanis they want, merge into the existence. Sayujya-mukti. It is called sayujya-mukti, to merge into the existence. That is Brahman. That is brahma-jnana. And yogis, they want some magic power, mystic power. They can walk on the water, they can fly in the air, and so many things -- anima, laghima, siddhi. There are eight kinds of siddhis. Prakamya, isita, vasita. So a yogi can attain such perfection. But they are wants also. The jnanis also want, and the karmis, what to speak, they are simply in want. Therefore, krsna-bhakta niskama ataeva santa. A krsna-bhakta, a devotee of Lord Krsna, he doesn't want anything more. He doesn't want anything more. You will never find that... Arjuna was a devotee. He was working for Krsna so much, he was sacrificing everything. He was prepared to kill his family members and everything. Still, he never wanted anything, "Krsna, give me this." Never. You will never find in the Bhagavad-gita.This is the position of bhakta. And that is the teaching of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye: "My dear Lord Jagadisa, I don't want these things." Why? Na dhanam: "I don't want riches." Na dhanam na janam. "Not many followers." Because materially everyone wants this. He wants money, he wants to become leader, he will..., many thousands of people will follow him, janam. And sundarim kavitam, very beautiful wife. These are the material wants. So Krsna, Caitanya Mahapra bhu, He said, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye: "I don't want all these things." This is called niskama. Kama means those who are wanting all these things. And niskama means those one who does not want all these things. How one can avoid these? Mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi. If one becomes perfect, unalloyed devotee, he doesn't want all these things. Therefore he is svami. Krsna-bhakta niskama ataeva santa. Others, they are wanting something.So we cannot be peaceful so long we shall want something. That is the secret. And that want can be completely, we can be free from all wants when we become Krsna conscious.yam labdhva caparam labhammanyate nadhikam tatahyasmin sthito na duhkhenagurunapi vicalyateYou have seen the history of Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva Maharaja, many, many devotees, Pandavas. How much tribulation they had to suffer in their lives! So yasmin sthite, because they were devotee of Krsna, they were never disturbed. Never. This is the position of Krsna consciousness. They will never want anything, and they are not disturbed by any material tribulations. This is the sign of a krsna-bhakta. Krsna-bhakta niskama ataeva santa.So it is possible to arrive that state by little endeavor, and that is Krsna consciousness. And it is so simple, by chanting Hare Krsna mantra. And the practical examples you can see, that these European, American boys, they had so many wants, but they, all these demands could not satisfy them, but now they are fully satisfied simply by chanting Hare Krsna. Just like this boy, our Gurudasa, explained that he could swim over liquor business. His father has got very big business of liquor. But no. He wants to swim in the ocean of transcendental love. This is Krsna consciousness movement.Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973
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