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Cc M 20-360 NY 1966-12-30 What Is the Use of Becoming --etc
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ANNOUNCER: The following is a
class on the Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
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given by His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedata Swami Prabhupāda,
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recorded on the 30th of December,
1966 in New York, New York.
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PRABHUPĀDA: …ei śloke
‘paraṁ-śabde ‘kṛṣṇa’-nirūpaṇa
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‘satyaṁśabde kahe tāṅra svarūpa-lakṣaṇa
[Cc. Madhya 20.360]
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So we have been discussing this janmādy
asya verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
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and this śloka, this verse,
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ascertains two features of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa:
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constantly, eternally manifested
features, and temporary features.
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The sum and substance
of this verse is
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that there are two features of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead
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according to the nature:
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superior nature
and inferior nature.
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So in the last line of this
verse, it is clearly stated that,
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dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ
satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
[SB 1.1.1]
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Our aim should be to offer our
obeisances unto the Supreme Lord
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along with His eternal abode.
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So the impersonalists, they take it
for granted that everything is God,
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so we can approach the
Supreme Truth by any way.
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That is not accepted by
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam here.
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Here it is stated clearly,
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paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi
[SB 1.1.1]
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The eternal part of the Supreme
Lord, that should be accepted,
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that should be worshiped; not
the temporary manifestation.
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Take for example,
the same example,
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just like in this apartment
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we are not so much interested
with this toilet part of this room.
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We keep it closed.
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Although the toilet part of this room
is also part and parcel of this room,
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but we have nothing to
do with the toilet part.
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You have to take advantage of the other
part so that we can sit and we can talk.
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Similarly, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam indicates
that dhāmnā svena nirasta-kuhakaṁ:
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we offer our obeisances,
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satyaṁ paraṁ, the Supreme, where there
is no these illusory, temporary things.
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dhāmnā svena … satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
[SB 1.1.1]
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There are many interesting
stories in this connection.
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Of course, I do not wish to
take much of your time,
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because our morning
time is very short;
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but we should be interested into
the spiritual part of the Supreme.
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Just like in this body also,
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the spiritual part is the soul and
this material part is this gross body.
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But unfortunately, in
the modern civilizations
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they are taking more care for
this material part of this body.
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They have no information of
the spiritual part of the body.
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But actually one should take more
care to the spiritual part of the body.
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Material part of the
body, secondary.
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We can maintain our body
for spiritual realization.
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We should not be too much attracted
with the bodily necessities of life,
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sacrificing our spiritual needs.
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satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
[SB 1.1.1]
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That is the defect of
modern civilization.
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They have no information.
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They don’t care for
the spiritual part.
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Whenever you call
some gentleman,
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if you begin to talk about
spiritual necessities of our life,
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they will at once think that
“Swamījī is talking some nonsense.
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Let us go away.”
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And if you talk of politics
and just everything…
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yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
[SB 10.84.13]
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Regarding in relationship with
this body, we have many things—
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we have manufactured so
many things, bodily necessities.
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So the Bhāgavata says,
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paśyann api na paśyati
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teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ
paśyann api na paśyati
[SB 2.1.4]
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Pramatta, the mad,
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crazy human being, although they are
seeing that everything is being vanquished,
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it is all annihilated, vanished.
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Paśyann api: still they do not see.
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Why?
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Pramatta, crazy.
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The Bhāgavata has given designation to
these people who are materially interested:
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pramatta.
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teṣāṁ pramatya…
paśyann api…
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…nidhanaṁ
paśyann api na paśyati
[SB 2.1.4]
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I see that my father has died,
my father’s father has died,
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his father has died,
and I am going to die;
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and similarly my son will
die, my grandson will die,
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and therefore no more
will come back again.
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Once this body is vanished, there
is no chance of coming back;
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it is vanished forever, simply
just like a bubble in the ocean.
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Still we are interested with
these bodily activities.
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Therefore, they have been
described as pramatta.
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Pramatta.
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Pra means “specifically”;
matta means “mad.”
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“Specifically mad.”
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Paśyann api: we have seen that
everything is going to be vanquished.
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In the past we have seen so many
empires, so many Napoleans,
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so many Subash Bose,
Gandhi, came and gone.
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And what is the use of
becoming a Subash Bose,
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Gandhi or Napolean or
Hitler or great politician?
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Let us this life be engaged
in spiritual realization,
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so that we can make a complete
solution of the problems of life.
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But this path is not accepted
by the general mass of people.
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So we should not be discouraged.
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Because anything best, the
customer for that best thing,
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you will find a very small number.
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But that is not discouragement.
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But we should not, therefore,
give up the best part.
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manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
[Bg. 7.3]
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In the Bhagavad-gītā you
have read that out of many,
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many thousands of people they are
interested in the self-realization process.
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But that does not mean because
we have no many followers,
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that does not mean that it is…
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the subject matter is not changed.
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The subject matter is here affirmed in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and by Lord Caitanya,
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that this is the highest truth of life.
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satyam param dhimahi
[SB 1.1.1]
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We should be interested in that
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ei śloke ‘paraṁ-śabde ‘kṛṣṇa’-nirūpaṇa
[Cc. Madhya 20.360]
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And that Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṇa.
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Now Lord Caitanya said that Absolute
Truth is Kṛṣṇa: kṛṣṇa-nirūpaṇa.
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In this verse, Kṛṣṇa is
being pointed, indicated.
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In the beginning of this
verse—that is not here,
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but those who have seen
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
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namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
[SB 1.1.1]
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This vāsudevāya means Kṛṣṇa.
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And Jīva Gosvāmī has written
voluminous notes on this specific verse,
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and he has also mentioned that
this satyaṁ, this Absolute Truth,
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which is indicated here
in this śloka, is Kṛṣṇa.
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Because in the later chapters
the Bhāgavata affirms:
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kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
[SB 1.3.28]
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He is the Supreme Personality, ultimate,
the last word in the Absolute Truth.
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Therefore Lord Caitanya
also confirms this:
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ei śloke ‘paraṁ-śabde ‘kṛṣṇa’-nirūpaṇa
‘satyaṁśabde kahe tāṅra svarūpa-lakṣaṇa
[Cc. Madhya 20.360]
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Now Kṛṣṇa,
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what He is, that is described in
these two words, satyaṁ paraṁ.
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Satyaṁ paraṁ: the highest truth.
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