Bhagavad-gita 2.25
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Hyderabad, November 29, 1972

Prabhupada:

avyakto ’yam acintyo ’yam avikaryo ’yam ucyate tasmad evam viditvainam nanusocitum arhasi

So in so many different ways, Krsna is convincing how the spirit soul is immortal. In different ways. Avyakto ’yam. It is not manifest to the blunt material eyes. We cannot see, Because as we have explained several times, the magnitude of the soul is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair, very small. I think, smaller than the atom. That spirit soul is everywhere. Sarva-ga. Sarva-gata. Everywhere. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. And wherever the spirit soul is there within this material world, he has got a body and there is heart, and within that heart, Krsna is also there. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Both of them, living there. Therefore anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. Krsna can become greater than the greatest and the smaller than the smallest. This is God.

When Krsna was playing as a child, He ate earth and the playmates complained to mother Yasoda: “Mother, your son Krsna is eating earth.” Mother Yasoda called for explanation: “Krsna, why You are eating earth? I have given You sandesa.” Krsna said, “No, mother, I have not eaten.” “No, Your friends are complaining.” “No, they have become My enemies this morning. We had some quarrel. Therefore they have combined together to make Me chastised by you.” So in this way… Then mother Yasoda wanted to solve this problem: “All right, show Your mouth, open Your mouth. I want to see.” And when Krsna opened the mouth, the mother saw innumerable universes are within the mouth. This is Krsna. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. Krsna enters within the universe, but at the same time, millions of universes are within His mouth. This is the explanation of “the greater than the greatest and the smaller than the smallest.” Of course, mother Yasoda, although she saw, she could not believe it because mother Yasoda never thought of that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. She always thought that “He is my teeny child.” That’s all. “I have to take care of Him.” This is called paternal feelings. Vatsalya-rasa.

Krsna is served by the devotees in so many rasas, transcendental mellow, or humor. Somebody is serving as servant. Somebody is serving as friend. Somebody is serving as father and mother. Somebody is serving as conjugal lover. These are five primary mellows in which a devotee is connected with Krsna. And there are other, seven rasas also. They are not primary; secondary. Somebody is serving Krsna as enemy. Just like the asuras. They also serve Krsna—as enemy. Somebody is serving, giving pleasure to Krsna, by fighting with Him. So there are so many, twelve rasas. Akhila-rasamrta-sindhu. All the rasas that we have got experience within this world, they are coming from Krsna. Janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. The Vedanta-sutra says, “Everything, whatever we see within our experience, we cannot experience anything if it is not in Krsna.” That is Krsna. He was stealing, which we consider not very good business. That stealing is also in Krsna. He’s, He’s famous as Makhana-cora, the stealer of butter. So this is Krsna. So everything is there. Whatever our dealings in this material world we find, that is only perverted reflection of our dealing with Krsna in the spiritual world. But those who are unaware of the spiritual world, impersonalists, they have no information that Krsna is always busy. Jaya radha-madhava kunja-bihari. He’s always busy. He’s person. But He is simply dear to the gopijana. Gopijana-vallabha. He wants to please the gopijanas. The gopis, the cowherd boys and the gopis, constant companion of Krsna.

So this is sanatana. Krsna is sanatana, and His dealing with His devotees, that is also sanatana. And these are possible not here, but in the sanatana-dhama. We cannot have sanatana dealings with Krsna within this material world. Therefore Krsna comes to canvass the conditioned souls that “For eternal happiness, for eternal dealings, you come to Me in My eternal place.” Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. Why not in this material world? No. The material world, the nature is it is not permanent. It is temporary. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. Janmady asya [Bhag. 1.1.1]. Janmadi. Everything here in this material world has a date of birth, and anything which has a date of birth must be a date of death also. That is the nature of this material world. So here we can practice what is sanatana-dharma, but actually sanatana-dharma is executed in the spiritual world. So just like one is trained up to become apprentice in some business and when he’s trained up, then he’s given the post. So we get this information from the gosvamis, sanatana-gosvamis, that those who are devotees, those who are perfected in the training of devotional service, they are first of all given birth in the universe where Krsna is present. Krsna is always present. Just like the sun is present always in the sky, but we can see the sun in some opportune moment. But sun is always there. When the sun is set, it is set in my vision, but sun is there. When it is night, I cannot see the sun, but the sun is there. Similarly, Krsna is always there. We have to make our eyes to see Him. That’s all. And that, how that eyes are made?

premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti yam syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.38]

Only the devotees who have loving affection for Krsna, who has developed loving propensity… The loving propensity’s there already. But we have transferred, the loving propensity to Krsna, we have transferred the loving propensity to the maya.

So whole Krsna consciousness process is again transferring the loving propensity from maya to Krsna. This is the simple method. We have got love for Krsna, but being illusioned, being falsely positioned, we are trying to love something which is not Krsna. maya, Krsna’s maya, illusion. Mama maya. Krsna says, “Maya is also Mine.” Just like the cloud. What is this cloud? This is also made by the sun. Everyone, you know. The cloud means the sun evaporates water from the ocean, and it becomes cloud, and the business of the cloud is to cover our eyes to see the sun. Actually, the cloud has no existence, separate existence, and as soon as the sun is bright, the cloud disappears. This is bhutva bhutva praliyate. It comes into existence and again it disappears. This is maya. But the sky remains there; the sun remains there. Similarly, maya, illusion, is sometimes is generated. This is the creation of the material world, mahat-tattva-maya. So this is not permanent. It comes and goes. Similarly, maya is simply covering our eyes. Just the… Just like this cloud, it is not possible for the cloud to cover the sun. Sun is ninety-three millions, or at least, fourteen, fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth. So how a cloud, spreading over, say, a few miles, ten miles, it can cover the sun? No. The cloud cannot cover the sun, but the cloud can cover my eyesight. This is the position. Similarly maya cannot touch Krsna. The Mayavadi philosophy is that maya also covers Krsna. When Krsna comes here, He comes covered by this maya. No. This is not. Maya cannot touch. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam… When Vyasadeva realized Krsna, before writing Srimad-Bhagavatam…

bhakti-yogena manasi samyak pranihite ’male apasyat purusam purnam mayam ca tad-apasrayam

So Vyasadeva, by his meditation, saw the Supreme Person and maya also. Maya is on the backside. Maya cannot come in the front side. So Krsna is never covered by maya. It is our eyes which covered by maya. So we, the fragments of Krsna, mamaivamsah, we are covered by maya, not Krsna. The theory that Krsna becomes covered, that is nonsense. How Krsna can be covered? Krsna cannot be covered. He is the controller of the maya. And we are controlled by the maya. That is the difference. Krsna, mayadhisa, and we are mayadhina. Adhina. We can become free. Exactly the same example that when our eyes are covered by the cloud, we cannot see the sun, although the sun is there. So if some way or other… We have got very good experience nowadays by flying in the airship. As soon as the airship goes above the cloud, you have got immense sunlight. Immense sunlight. And practically, the jet planes, they go seven miles above the surface and there is no cloud. The cloud is down. Similarly, you can go also above maya. You can transcend maya and see Krsna always. That is possible. How? Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14] You simply surrender to Krsna and Krsna will arrange that you are no more under maya. Simple process. You just become, as Krsna demands, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is sanatana-dharma. Because we are, after all, servant of Krsna, but artificially we are trying to become master of this material…, of this world. We are therefore sent here. Just like those who are revolutionary, do not care for the state laws, they are sometimes killed or sometimes put into the prison house. That means those who are not voluntarily surrendering to Krsna, they are put into the prison house. They are forced to surrender. Forced to surrender. They’ll be forced. Just like you cannot become… You are not free, either outside the prison house or inside the prison house. But when you think that you have become free… Vimukta-maninah. Vimukta-maninah, falsely thinking that “I have now become liberated.” Avisuddha-buddhayah. But the intelligence is not very clear. This is last snare of maya. When one thinks that “I am God. I have become God,” that is the last snare of maya. That is also maya. How you can become God? What capacity you have got? God has created so many things. What you have created? God has shown so many things. What you have done? But still, falsely they are thinking, “I am God.” This is maya, last snare of maya. Because the real disease as we have already explained, is to lord it over the material nature. Everyone is trying: “I am the lord of all I survey. I want to become lord of this universe. I want to become minister. I want to become president. I want to become business magnitude.” And everything fails. Then he wants to become God. That is also maya. That is not possible.

So this is going on. So real our relationship with God, Krsna, is to serve Him. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Anadi bahirmukha jiva krsna bhuli gela, ataeva krsna veda purana kaila. We have forgotten real position, sanatana-dharma. We have forgotten. Sanatana-dharma means a living entity is meant for serving the whole. Living entity’s a part, part of the whole. So the living entity’s business is to serve the whole. Just like this finger. This finger is the part of my body. Its business is to carry out my order, to serve the whole. I want the finger to come here. Immediately… Similarly, our business is to serve Krsna, but when we want to become lord, independent of Krsna, that is called maya. Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare, nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare. This is a statement in the Prema-vivarta. As soon as we desire to imitate Krsna, that is maya. Maya is nothing. We create that situation of maya. What is that? “I want to become Krsna. I want to become God. I want to become the Lord.” This is maya. This is not possible. So Krsna is sanatana. We are also sanatana. But when we forget to serve Krsna, that is our asanatana. And when we are engaged again in the service of Krsna, that is sanatana-dharma. So sanatana-dharma means eternally serving Krsna. Another example, dharma… What is dharma? Dhr-dhatu. Characteristic. You cannot change it. You cannot change it. Just like sugar. Sugar characteristic means sweetness. And chili characteristic means pungent. So everything has got characteristic. Everything. That is called dharma. If sugar has become pungent and chili has become sweet… You purchase chili. If it is not very pungent, you throw it… “Oh, it is not good.” Because the dharma of the chili is lacking there. Similarly, if you take sugar and if you find it salty, then you… “Oh, what is this?” So everything has got some characteristic. So we are living entities. We have got our characteristics. That is sanatana. I am sanatana, eternal, and my characteristic is to serve God. If I don’t serve God, then the characteristic will remain there. Then I’ll have to serve maya, in the illusion that I have become master. Actually, he’s serving, but… Just like one man has got motorcar. So motorcar, to maintain a motorcar, to purchase a motorcar, it requires lots of money. So to get that money, he has to work very hard. And when he gets that money, he purchases a car, and then he has to maintain it by oiling, by supplying so many things. But he’s thinking that “Now I have got a motorcar. Very nice.” What is that? You are serving your motorcar. That’s all.

So this is the position. One is actually serving, not master. But he’s thinking that he’s master. This is maya. So when we give up this false prestigious position that I am master, then you are liberated. Hitva anyatha rupam. Mukti, the definition of mukti is hitva anyatha rupam svarupena avasthitih. Anyatha rupam. Now we are struggling hard within this material world, under the influence of maya, changing different types of body. Sometimes I am going to the heavenly planets. Sometimes I am going to the hellish planets. Sometimes I am rich man. Sometimes I am poor man. Sometimes brahmana, sometimes sudra. Sometimes tiger, sometimes tree. In this way, sarva-gata. Everywhere within this universe, the living entities are struggling for existence. Manah sasthani indriyani prakrti-sthani karsati. Mamaivamso jiva-bhuta. Krsna says, “All these living entities, they are My part and parcel, but foolishly, being carried by the mental concoction, prakrti-sthani, within this material world, karsati, struggling to become master.” This is the disease. Prakrti-sthani karsati.

prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]

These rascals, they are pulled by the ear by prakrti. Prakrteh kriyamanani. “You do this”—I have to do this. One who has associated with the tamo-guna of prakrti, prakrti has given a body just like hog, and the prakrti is obliging, “You come here. Eat the stool.” And he’s eating. “Oh, so nice.” This is maya. Stool is very nice thing? But prakrti has given this hog a certain type of body and he is relishing: “Oh, stool is so nice.” This is going on. Similarly, human form of body also. They’re eating so many nonsense things in the restaurant, in the hotel, and they’re relishing: “Oh, it is so nice.” This is maya. This is going on. So our business is to serve, but because we have taken this attitude, that “I don’t like to serve Krsna” or, “I am Krsna,” then we are under the clutches of maya. Immediately. And under the illusion of mayaPrakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani… Karanam guna-sangah asya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. Because we are associating with the different modes of material nature, therefore we have to take birth, sad-asad-janma-yonisu. One is becoming hog, one is becoming dog, one is becoming human being, one is becoming demigod, one is becoming tree, one is becoming plant. So many… Eight million, four hundred thousands of species and form of life. Krsna says, sarva-yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4] Krsna says, “All these forms, whatever they may be, I am the bija-pradah pita. I am the father.” So if Krsna is the original father of every living entity, how one has become brahmana, one has become sudra, one has become tree, one has become tiger, one has become hog, one has become Indra, one has become Brahma? How is that?

Now, karanam guna-sango ’sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. So we are getting our birth in different types of body. The reason is I am associating with different types of the modes of nature. My mind is carrying me. It is not death. It is foolish to say that “This man is now dead. Everything is finished.” That is rascaldom. Not finished. It is going on. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. The foolish rascals, they say, “Now this man is dead, finished.” Big, big professors, they are saying, “Swamiji, after death everything is finished.” And he’s professor. Just see. Rascal fools they are becoming leaders, professors, politicians, How the people will be happy? They are put into the ignorance of life. Always put. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah [SB 7.5.31]. They have been enamored by the external feature of Krsna’s energy. This is also Krsna’s energies, this material world. But we are attracted by this material energy. We should be attracted by the spiritual energy. That is perfection of life. Both energies are Krsna’s. Apara, para. This is explained in Bhagavad-gita. So we are now attracted by the apara energy. Bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh, these material elements. We want. Because we are attracted by the material energy, therefore, when we construct a very nice stone house, oh, we think, “Now, yes, my life is successful. I have got a very nice house, made of stone.” Are you stone? No. Still, my attraction is for the stone. Therefore Krsna gives me facility. “All right, you take the stone and try to… But you’ll never be happy. Happy you’ll be when you surrender to Me.” Just like a child is given by the father all facilities to play, but at the same time, the father says, “My dear child, don’t play like this. It is not good.” But because the child persists, father sometimes says, “All right, you play like that. Similarly, Krsna does not want that we should come in this material world and be attracted by the earth, water, air, fire, and become great scientist and make combination of these five elements. Tejo-vari-mrdam vinimaya. What is this world? This world is a mixture of fire, earth, water, air. That’s all. What is this? Tejo-vari-mrdam vinimayah tri-sargo ’mrsa. It is a false thing. Actually it is a combination of these five elements. And we are accepting… This body’s also like that. Body’s also combination of five elements. And we are attracted to this. “Oh, I have got so, such a, such a nice, beautiful body, strong body, American body,” “Indian body,” “Brahmana body,” “This body,” “That body.” All maya. You’ll never be happy by this bodily concept of life. Because you are…

Therefore Krsna indirectly saying that: acchedyo ’yam adahyo ’yam. The body is burned into ashes. Then how we are body? The body, when the man is dead, the body is put into the fire. So it is dahya, it becomes burned. Then how we are body? One man is claiming, “Oh, I am born brahmana. I have got this body from my birth.” So that’s all right. Then when your son will burn this body, then he’ll be liable to brahma-hatya-papa. So this is going on, bodily concept… Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. This body, made of three, I mean to say, biles, mucus, and air… So the, a bag of bones and flesh and blood, if one is thinking that “I am this, I am this body,” then he is go-khara, cow or ass. So anyone who is on the bodily concept of life, he is animal, go-khara. Sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. So how you can receive knowledge from a person who is animal? You cannot get any knowledge from the cows or the asses. So anyone who is under the bodily concept of life, he’s no better than animal. So actually, if we say frankly, everyone is in the bodily concept of life. Therefore the modern civilization is animal civilization. It is not human civilization. Human civilization will begin when one will understand that “I am not this body. I am spirit soul.” Aham brahmasmi. That is the beginning of human civilization. And so long one is under the bodily concept of life, it is the civilization of cats and dogs. That’s all.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. [break]

Indian: (Hindi) [break]

Prabhupada: (answering question:) Then gradually we can understand. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. If you associate with devotees, hear them, then gradually everything will be cleared, and you’ll understand your position. Then you understand: “Oh, I am not this body.” Aham brahmasmi. That is the beginning of knowledge. Otherwise, so long you are under the bodily concept of life, you are in the animal platform. That is the difference. [break] But bhakti’s such a nice thing that krsnakarsini. Bhakti attract Krsna. Krsna attracts everything, but bhakti attracts Krsna. Therefore we have to adopt the bhakti means. Bhaktya mam abhijanati, yavan yas casmi tattvatah. (Hindi)

bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah tato mam tattvato jnatva visate tad-anantaram [Bg. 18.55]

If you want to know Krsna in truth, then you have to take this devotional line. Then gradually Krsna will be attracted by your devotion, and then you will know Krsna and you’ll be allowed to enter into Krsna’s place. Otherwise, sarva-gatah, sthanur acalo ’yam. Although we are eternal, we have to wander within so many forms of life within this brahmanda and waste our time. That’s all.

Indian: (Hindi) [break]

Prabhupada: Yes. (Hindi) Tilaka mantra hai, bhagavan kahe, Vamanadeva, Kesava, Govinda. So a devotee is protected from all sides by Krsna. So you remain safe. Krsna says, kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. So bhakta hai (Hindi) So you are protected. That’s it.

Indian: Yes, but even we put that tilaka on Lord also.

Prabhupada: Hmmm?

Indian: The same is there, of Lord, on the face of Lord, on…

Prabhupada: It is a temple of the Lord. Visnu-mandira. You cannot put Krsna or Visnu just like statues. We have got a fashion now, imitated from the Western. We make the statue of a big man the place of passing stool by the crows. We do not make like that. We give temple. When we worship somebody, we give him temple. Not for passing stool by the crows.

Indian: Why Brahman temples are not existing, and is there any Sanskrit reason or is…?

Prabhupada: What is that?

Indian: Brahman temple is not existing.

Prabhupada: Brahman is impersonal. Brahman is everywhere. Sarvam khalv idam brahma. Then Paramatma. Then Bhagavan. Bhagavan is the last word of Absolute Truth. So Brahman is impersonal. Just like the sky is impersonal. [break]

Indian: Maharaja, it is indicated in Ramayana that God is coming to this world as kali-avatara. It is correct? What is the indication of His coming?

Prabhupada: His indication He’s coming is that people are becoming degraded, forgetting God. That is their degradation. So at the end of this Kali-yuga they will be so much degraded that it will be impossible for them to understand God. At the present moment, although it is Kali-yuga, there are some persons who are trying to understand God. At least, there is attempt. But, at the end of Kali- yuga, say, about 400,000’s of years, then people… Because they’re becoming animals, more and more. The more we become animals, we cannot understand God. So our modern civilization is to make the people animal. That is advancement of civilization. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhih naranam. The modern civilization is how we can eat very nicely, how we can sleep nicely, how we can have sexual intercourse nicely, how we can defend nicely. Only these four principles are being taught. They have no idea what is soul, what is God, what is the relationship with the soul. So this is, this type of civilization is increasing. So just imagine how much it will be increased after four hundred thousands of years. The Kali-yuga has begun only five thousand years. Within this five thousand years, we have so much degraded, illusioned by the maya as advancement of civilization. This is maya. So the more days go, we shall be more illusioned. So there will be no capacity to understand about God. At that time, God will come to destroy all this population by cutting their throat. That is kalki-avatara. (end)