Pradyumna: Translation: "The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy."Prabhupada: Sri bhagavan uvaca. We have already explained the meaning of bhagavan in connection with the first verse. Still, again, we are repeating, bhagavan... Bhaga means opulence, and when the Sanskrit affix is there, vat-pratyaya, one who possesses opulence, he's called bhagavan. So it is described by Parasara Muni thataisvaryasya samagrasyaviryasya yasasah sriyahjnana-vairagyayos caivasannam bhagam itingana(Visnu Purana 6.5.47)"Bhagavan means who possesses these six opulences in full: all riches, all strength, all influence, all wisdom, all beauty, all renunciation." So, it has been analyzed how we possess all these opulences, and it has been found by the great sages that Krsna is the possessor of all opulences -- all beauty, all wisdom. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. The supreme possessor is Krsna. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah, anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1].So Bhagavan is individual; we are also individual, part and parcel. Just like the father is individual, and the sons are also individuals. We are all sons of God. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah jiva-loke... [Bg. 15.7]. So we are all individual. In the Second Chapter, Krsna said that "We all, you, Me, and all the soldiers and the kings who have assembled here, they were existing before as individual, and we are existing now as individual, and in future also we shall exist as individuals." So that is being explained again.Bahuni me vyatitani janmani tava carjuna. As individuals, we are taking birth. That Krsna's birth will be explained in the next verse. Ajo 'pi sann avyayatma. Ajah. Ajah means "who does not take birth." We are also aja. Na janma... What is that? Na jayate na mriyate va kadacin...na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20], nityah sasvato 'yam puranah. That is the description of the living entities. A living entity, as we are, we also do not take birth. We are eternal, part and parcel of Krsna. Krsna is eternal; we are also eternal. Krsna is individual; we are also individual. The difference is that He is isvarah paramah, He's the supreme controller, and we are... We are also controller, but limited, very minute controller. That is the difference. God is great, and we are a small particle. That is the difference.Therefore Krsna said that "I also take My birth, and you also take your birth, but the difference is..." Tany aham veda. "I know how many times I took birth, but you... You also took, many times, but you have forgotten." That is the difference. Tany aham veda sarvani na tvam vettha parantapa. You cannot remember. Actually, we do not remember. What I was in my last birth, I do not know. Death means forgetfulness. Death means to forget everything.Just like daytime and nighttime. Nighttime also, when we sleep, we forget all our business in daytime. We have got everyday experience. We are different person at night. We are dreaming something, dreamland, somewhere I have gone, and forget that I have got a body which is lying on the bed, I am the father of such and such sons, I am the husband of such and such... No, you forget everything. And again, in the daytime, you forget everything, what you dreamed. This is our practical experience.Similarly, we had our last birth, but we have forgotten. But Krsna does not forget. That is the difference between Krsna and the living entities. I have explained already. We forget because we change body. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. Dehantara-praptih, we do not know what kind of body I had in my last life or what kind of body I am going to accept next life, but there is the law: tatha dehantara-praptih. But Krsna does not forget. He knows. That is perfect knowledge. And because we are imperfect, we do not... When we'll be perfect also, we'll remember. But that is, means, spiritual life, no more material body. That can be also possible.It is said in the Bhagavad-gita, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. So when we go to Krsna, we get the similar body. Although we are subordinate, still, the facility is almost the same, seventy-eight percent. So about Krsna it is, in the Brahma-samhita it is said,advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupamadyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam cavedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktaugovindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami[Bs. 5.33]Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam. Krsna can expand Himself -- ananta-rupam. Ananta means unlimited. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Now, we are individual souls. So we are also associated with Krsna, as Paramatma within the heart. Paramatma is there. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. Where the Paramatma is there, that is also stated: hrdi, "in the heart." Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. There is no, I mean to say, mistake. Krsna says, "I stay within the heart of everyone."They are sitting, two birds... That is stated in the Upanisads. Sitting on one tree. This body is tree, and Paramatma and jivatma, both of them are sitting on the same tree. The jivatma is relishing the fruit of the tree, and Paramatma is only observer. Paramatma is observer. Anumanta upadrasta. Upadrasta, simply seeing our activities. Krsna is so kind, God is so kind, that He is living with me just to turn my face towards Him. He's so.... Just looking after the opportunity when this living entity....mamaivamso jiva-lokejiva-bhutah sanatanahmanah sasthanindriyaniprakrti-sthani karsati[Bg. 15.7]He is struggling for existence in this material world with his concocted mind and senses. So Krsna is looking for the opportunity when the living entity will come back to Him. Because we are all sons.So father, if the son is bewildered, gone out of the home and loitering in the street, the father is very anxious to get him back, although the son has forgotten. This is the position. Therefore, as Paramatma, He's guiding us. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca [Bg. 15.15]. From Him, we get the remembrance.I wanted to enjoy something. Krsna gives us full opportunity: "Now here is the opportunity. You can do it." Anumanta. He's so kind. But that is not our actual business. Our actual business is to go back to home, back to Godhead, not to enjoy in this material world. But still, because we want it, Krsna gives us all facilities. Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca [Bg. 15.15]. If we want to enjoy this material world, Krsna will give us all the opportunities. You can become the topmost living entity like Lord Brahma, and you can become an insignificant ant. According to your karma. Anumanta upadrasta. So this is going on.Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. In this way, we are wandering all over the universe as some body. Sometimes human being, sometimes demigods, sometimes cats, sometimes dogs, sometimes tree, sometimes plant, sometimes insect, sometimes Brahma, sometimes ant, sometimes pig. Anything. There are 8,400,000 species of life. So this is our circulation. Therefore Krsna says that tava carjuna. "As Paramatma, I am with you always. And you are changing so many bodies."Of course, Arjuna did not change because he's devotee. He is accompanying Krsna always. Sakha ceti, bhakto 'si sakha ceti. So he's friend. He takes his birth as human being whenever Krsna wants. Krsna has His associates. When He comes on this planet in this universe, He comes with His associates. So the Pandavas, they are Krsna's eternal associates. Although associate, still, Arjuna forgets about his previous birth because he's human being, whereas Krsna remembers.So Krsna also takes birth, very many incarnations.ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthannanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintukrsnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yogovindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami[Bs. 5.39]This is stated in the Brahma-samhita. Krsna is appearing in so many incarnations. Just try to understand what is the position of Krsna. He is situated as Paramatma in everyone's heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. And He's giving direction to everyone. And there are unlimited, innumerable living entities. So He has to give instruction in different ways to so many living entities. How much busy He is, just try to imagine. Still, His position is the same. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah [Bs. 5.37]. Goloka eva nivasati. Krsna is still in His own original place, Goloka Vrndavana, and He's enjoying in the company of Srimati Radharani. That business is.... It is not the Mayavadi philosophy. Because He has expanded Himself in so many hearts of the living entities, that does not mean that He is finished in His own abode. No. Still He's there. That is Krsna. Purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate. This is the Vedic information.Even the... Here we have got material experience. If you have got one rupee, if you take one anna, then it is fifteen annas. Or if you take two annas, it is fourteen annas. If you take sixteen annas, it becomes zero. But Krsna is not like that. He can expand Himself unlimited forms; still, the original Krsna is there. That is Krsna. We have got experience: one minus one equal to zero. But there, in the spiritual world... That is called Absolute. One minus, million times one minus, still, the original one is one. That is Krsna. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33].So that Krsna you cannot understand vedesu, simply by studying Vedic literature. Although the Vedas means, Vedanta means, to understand Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. But unfortunately, because we do not take the shelter of Krsna or His devotee, we cannot understand what is the purpose of Vedas. That will be explained in the Seventh Chapter. Mayy asakta-manah partha.... Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. Mad-asrayah. Asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1]. If you want to understand Krsna asamsayam, without any doubt, and samagram, and in full, then you have to practice this yoga system.What is that yoga? Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. Mad-asrayah yogam yunj... Yogam yunjan, mad-asrayah. Mad-asrayah, this word is very significant. Mat means... "Either you take directly..."That is not very easy thing. "...shelter of Me, or one who has taken shelter of Me, you take shelter of him." Just like there is electric powerhouse, and there is a plug. That plug is connected with the electric powerhouse, and if you push your wire in the plug, you also get electricity. Similarly, as it is stated in the beginning of this chapter, evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. If you take shelter of the parampara system.... The same example. If you take the shelter of the plug which is connected with the powerhouse, you get immediately electricity. Similarly, if you take shelter of a person who is coming in the parampara system...There is a parampara system. Krsna, He instructed Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma instructed Narada. Narada instructed Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva instructed Madhvacarya. Madhvacarya instructed in so many ways. Then Madhavendra Puri. The Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri. From Isvara Puri, Lord Caitanya. In this way, there is a parampara system. There are four Vaisnava sampradayas. The Rudra-sampradaya, Brahma-sampradaya, Kumara-sampradaya, and Laksmi-sampradaya, Sri-sampradaya.So sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah.(?) If you do not receive instruction of Krsna from the sampradaya, then nisphala matah, then whatever you have learned, it is useless. It is useless. That is the defect. So many people are studying Bhagavad-gita, but they do not understand what is Krsna. Because they do not receive through the evam parampara-praptam [Bg. 4.2]. The parampara, unless you go to the parampara... The same example. If you do not take electricity from the plug which is connected with the powerhouse, what is the use of your bulb and wire? It has no use.Therefore how Krsna is expanding, it is vedesu durlabha. If you simply have got academic knowledge, then it will not be possible. Vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. This is the statement of Brahma-samhita. Adurlabham atma-bhaktau. One who is Krsna's devotee, pure devotee...anyabhilasita-sunyamjnana-karmady-anavrtamanukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama[Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]Pure devotee means he has no other desire, no material desire. Anyabhilasita-sunyam, zero.So what is that? Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Jnana and karma and bhakti. Bhakti is anyabhilasita-sunyam, but jnana is abhilasi..., there is desire for liberation, to become one with the Supreme. So that also should be given up. Jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Not covered by the speculative process or fruitive activities. Jnana-karma.... anukulyena krsnanusilanam. Simply favorably cultivating Krsna consciousness. Anukulyena... That is bhaktir uttama. That is first-class bhakti. And if it is mixed up, anyabhi..., with material desire or spiritual emancipation or fruitive activities, then it is not pure devotee.So if you can approach such pure devotee... As it is stated in the Brahma-samhita, adurlabham atma-bhaktau. This is atma-bhaktau, a pure devotee. He can deliver you Krsna. "Take Krsna. Here is Krsna." Krsna-prema... That is...The symbolic representation is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He's described by Rupa Gosvami:namo maha-vadanyayakrsna-prema-pradaya tekrsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah[Cc. Madhya 19.53]When Rupa Gosvami... He was minister in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah. At that time, very exalted personality. He could understand Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. Therefore when he first met Him at Allahabad, Prayaga, he offered his respect with these words: namo maha-vadanyaya, the most munificent incarnation. Why? Krsna-prema-pradaya te. "You are distributing krsna-prema. It is very difficult to understand Krsna, but You are so kind that You are immediately delivering love of Krsna."You can know one person. But to develop love for him, that is another transaction. So people cannot understand even Krsna, and what is the saying of Krsna's love? But Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so kind that He's immediately giving krsna-prema, love of Krsna. Therefore He is described as the most munificent incarnation. Krsna Himself could not deliver Himself. He wanted. "First of all you surrender." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so kind. Simply through this chanting and dancing, He is distributing love of Krsna.You can see practically. These boys from European and American countries, means all over the world, why they are chanting and dancing in this way? Do you think they have become mad? And one says, "Yes, they have become mad." Why? For love of Krsna. Now they have began they have become lover of Krsna. So krsna-prema is like that. That is through the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the symbolic representation of devotee. Bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta-saktikam. Namami bhakta-saktikam. He can give the strength to the devotee so that he can develop his dormant love of Krsna. Therefore in the Brahma-samhita it is stated that adurlabham atma-bhaktau. If one is pure devotee, for him, Krsna is available very easy. He says in the Bhagavad-gita. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. "One can understand Me in truth..." Yavan yas casmi tattvatah. "Which is very, very difficult."manusyanam sahasresukascid yatati siddhayeyatatam api siddhanamkascin mam vetti tattvatah[Bg. 7.3]To understand Krsna as He is, it is difficult. But if you take to this process of devotional service...sravanam kirtanam visnohsmaranam pada-sevanamarcanam vandanam dasyamsakhyam atma-nivedanam[SB 7.5.23]Either of these process. All the process or either of these. You become successful to develop your dormant Krsna consciousness, and then your life becomes successful. Thank you very much. (end)Bhagavad-gita 4.5 -- Bombay, March 25, 1974
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