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Bg 15-01 CAL 1974-02-26 The Purpose of Vedic Study
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ANNOUNCER: The following is a class on
the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, 15th chapter,
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text number 1, given by His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
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recorded on the 26th of
February, 1974, in Calcutta, India.
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NITĀI: Translation:
The Blessed Lord said:
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There is a banyan tree which has its roots
upward and its branches downward,
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whose leaves are the Vedic hymns.
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One who knows this tree
is the knower of the Vedas.
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Purport: After the discussion of
the importance of bhakti-yoga,
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one may question,
“What about the Vedas?”
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It is explained in this chapter
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that the purpose of Vedic
study is to understand Kṛṣṇa.
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Therefore one who is
in Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
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who is engaged in devotional
service, already knows the Vedas.
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The entanglement of this material world
is compared here to a banyan tree.
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For one who is engaged
in fruitive activities,
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there is no end to the banyan tree.
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He wanders from one… one branch
to another, to another, to another.
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The tree of this material world has no
end, for one who is attached to this tree,
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there is no possibility of liberation.
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The Vedic hymns, meant for elevating
oneself, are called the leaves of this tree.
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This tree’s roots grow upward because
they begin from where Brahmā is located,
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the topmost planet
of this universe.
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If one can understand this indestructible
tree of illusion, then one can get out of it.
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This process of extrication
should be understood.
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In the previous chapters
it has been explained
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that there are many processes by which
to get out of the material entanglement.
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And, up to the Thirteenth Chapter,
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we have seen that devotional service
to the Supreme Lord is the best way.
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Now, the basic principle of
devotional service is detachment
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from material activities and attachment
to the transcendental service of the Lord.
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The process of breaking attachment
to the material world is discussed
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in the beginning of this chapter.
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The root of this material
existence grows upward.
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This means that it begins from
the total material substance,
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from the topmost
planet of the universe.
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From there, the whole
universe is expanded,
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with so many branches, representing
the various planetary systems.
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The fruits represent the results of
the living entities’ activities, namely,
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religion, economic development,
sense gratification and liberation.
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Now, there is no ready
experience in this world of a tree
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situated with its branches down and
its roots up, but there is such a thing.
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That tree can be found
beside a reservoir of water.
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We can see that the trees on
the bank reflect upon the water
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with their branches
down and roots up.
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In other words, the tree
of this material world
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is only a reflection of the real
tree of the spiritual world.
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This reflection of the spiritual
world is situated on desire,
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just as the tree’s reflection
is situated on water.
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Desire is the cause of things’ being
situated in this reflected material light.
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One who wants to get out
of this material existence
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must know this tree thoroughly
through analytical study.
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Then he can cut off
his relationship with it.
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This tree, being the reflection of
the real tree, is an exact replica.
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Everything is there in
the spiritual world.
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The impersonalists take Brahmā to
be the root of this material tree,
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and from the root, according to sāṅkhya
philosophy, come prakṛti, puruṣa,
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and then the three guṇas, then the five
gross elements [pañca-mahābhūta],
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then the ten senses
[daśendriya], mind, etc.
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In this way they divide up
the whole material world.
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If Brahmā is the center
of all manifestations,
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then this material world is a manifestation
of the center by 180 degrees,
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and the other 180 degrees
constitute the spiritual world.
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The material world is
the perverted reflection,
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so the spiritual world must have the
same variegatedness, but in reality.
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Prakṛti is the external
energy of the Supreme Lord,
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and the puruṣa is the
Supreme Lord Himself,
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and that is explained
in the Bhagavad-gītā.
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Since this manifestation is
material, it is temporary.
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A reflection is temporary, for it some… it is
sometimes seen and sometimes not seen.
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But the origin from whence the
reflection is reflected is eternal.
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The material reflection of the
real tree has to be cut off.
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When it is said that a
person knows the Vedas,
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it is assumed that he knows how to cut
off attachment to this material world.
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If one knows that process,
he actually knows the Vedas.
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One who is attracted by the
ritualistic formulas of the Vedas
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is attracted by the beautiful
green leaves of the tree.
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He does not exactly know
the purpose of the Vedas.
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The purpose of the Vedas, as disclosed
by the Personality of Godhead Himself,
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is to cut down this reflected tree and
attain the real tree of the spiritual world.
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PRABHUPĀDA: Now explain.
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TAMĀLA KṚṢṆA: So
this material world
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is a perverted reflection of the
transcendental spiritual world.
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Everything that we find
here can somehow…,
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We can trace its origins
to the spiritual world.
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- Just like we have…
- Therefore it is said, ūrdhva-mūlam.
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Mūlam means root.
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Just like from the root the tree
grows and becomes expanded.
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So now—this experience:
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The mūla is upside and the tree [is]
expanding in this way… Ūrdhva-mūlam.
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adhah-śākham
[Bg. 15.1]
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The branches are down.
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Here we have got
experience, all these trees,
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the root is down and the
branches are spread up.
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Here, the experience is… That…
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That means this material is created
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not from this matter, [but]
from [the] spiritual world.
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Go on.
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So i was… Just as in the spiritual…
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In the material world there
are personal relationships.
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Just like everyone is trying to
make friends, has family… [break]
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ūrdhva-mūlam
[Bg. 15.1]
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Just like if you have to keep yourself,
the legs are up and the head down,
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somebody keeps you like this, how
long you will feel comfortable?
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If… If you’re… Somebody takes your legs
and catches you and your head down,
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then it is not very comfortable.
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So this whole material world
is like that: ūrdhva-mūlam.
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The mūlam should have
been down, but it is up.
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Therefore it is discomfortable.
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And another explanation is the…
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It is perverted reflection.
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We have got experience
of the ūrdhva-mūlam.
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I think I have explained
that, that a tree…
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On the bank of a river or the bank of a
pond, tree is standing, but the reflection,
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we find that the same tree has become
ūrdhva-mūlam and adhah-śākham.
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So by this statement, Kṛṣṇa
says that this is not real.
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That reflection in the water,
of the tree, is not real.
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Real tree is up.
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Similarly, real enjoyment, real varieties—
everything is in the spiritual world.
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It is simply reflection.
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It is not fact.
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Therefore, our enjoyment
here is called māyā, or illusion.
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So in later ślokas Kṛṣṇa has
described how to get out…
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out of this mayic reflection
and go to the real tree.
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That has been described
later on. [splice]
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Hmm; what is that?
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Macmillan Company.
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Their trades manager—statistics:
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There [it’s] said that our
Bhagavad-gītā sale is increasing,
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other Bhagavad-gītā decreasing.
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In America also, they
are seriously studying
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how this movement is
being spread so quickly.
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People ask me also how it
is wonderfully increasing.
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Because there is no
adulteration. [splice]
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…before the public.
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And that’s a fact, if you don’t accept
this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement,
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you will never be happy.
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This is fact.
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Everything is there, social,
political, economical,
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philosophical, religious:
All perfect knowledge.
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So, what is to be done next?
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DEVOTEE: Prasādam.
- Prasādam?
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