Bhagavad-gita 7.4-5
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bombay, March 30, 1971

Prabhupada:

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave-namah

sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam [break]

…a common understanding how Krsna is everything. Krsna, sarva-karana-karanam.

isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1]

So now He’s explaining Himself, how He is sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1]

bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakrtir astadha

We materialistic persons, materialist scientists, they can study all these material elements, bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham… And then, little higher than that, material scientists, there are psychologists or philosophers. They study mano buddhir ahankara, thinking, feeling, willing—different stages of the mind. But Krsna says that itiyam me bhinna prakrtir astadha, “These eight kinds of material elements, they are separated energy from Me.” Separated energy, you can understand very easily. Just like I am speaking and it is being recorded in the tape recorder. When the tape recorder is replayed again, you’ll find that I am speaking again. But that speaking and my present speaking is different. Therefore that speaking is separated energy. Now I am speaking directly. That is not separated. But when it is transferred to another matter, that is separated energy.

So this material world is separated energy from Krsna, but it is energy, His energy—His energy, acting under His direction. But this material energy is not independent. The material scientists, they are thinking that there is no God, matter is working by actions and reactions. But that is not the fact. Matter is dependent on the direction of the Supreme Lord. That will be stated in the Ninth Chapter: mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. “This prakrti, this material energy, is acting under My superintendence.” How material energy can act independently? That is not very good understanding. Suppose this electric fan is running on, but it is not running on independently. There is electric energy, there is powerhouse, there is the superintending engineer in the powerhouse. So at the end there is living force. Matter cannot work independently. We have no such experience. Anything you take, matter, material, it has no power to work independently. Behind that, there is spiritual existence.

Now, Krsna says, bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh. When we cannot accommodate that how from a person all these material manifestation, the gigantic sky, the innumerable planets with different varieties of energies, how it is possible that it is produced from a person… Therefore, those who are in poor fund of knowledge, they think just the opposite way. Because personally, how it is possible? Therefore they think of the Supreme Absolute Truth as imperson, but that is not fact. Person. We can again study. Just like your body, my body, although it is gigantic… Just like elephant’s body… Or there are many other animals. Just in the ocean there are many big fishes. One fish is called timi, the whale fish. It is sometimes as big as one big house. And it is understood from the sastras that there is another fish which is called timingila. Timingila means a big fish which can swallow up a whale as big as a house. So there are so many big animals and big living entities all over the universe, but all of them are production of a very little spiritual spark.

My body, your body, let us study what is this body. This body is produced or generated from the small spiritual spark. That is also mentioned in the sastra, what is the dimension of that small spiritual spark.

kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca jiva-bhagah sa vijneyah sa canantyaya kalpate [Cc. Madya 19.140]

Kesagra-sata-bhagasya. The upper portion, the tip of the hair, just like a point, you divide it into hundred parts and take another one part and divide another hundred parts. That means one ten- thousandth part of the tip of the hair is the dimension of the spirit soul. That spirit soul, on the basis of that spirit soul, this body develops. Any medical scientist knows. And we know from the Vedic literatures that this small particle, atomic particle of spiritual spark, takes shelter in the semina of the father, and the father injects the semina in the womb of the mother. Then, if the situation is favorable, then it takes a form of body just like a pea in the first night. That pealike body develops. Then different holes are manifested. They are developed into eyes, ears, mouth, and so many holes, nine holes in the body. So anyone can understand that that small particle of atomic portion of a spiritual spark develops this body, big body. Not only human body, all sorts of bodies. Similarly, this whole universe is also a development of the spiritual body of Krsna, Paramatma.

So it is not very difficult to understand. The Buddhist theory is that living symptoms are produced by combination of matter. But from Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literature we understand that matter is produced from spirit soul. Matter, not from the matter the living symptoms are produced. According to Lord Buddha’s philosophy, that this body is combination of matter… So when we dismantle the matter, nirvana, then there is no more feelings of pains and pleasures. That is called sunyavadi. But we are neither sunyavadi or nirvisesa-vadi. We are savisesa-vadis. Savisesa-vadi means that the spirit soul has got its form, and this body has got form. Just like dress takes its form because the man has got a form. This body is considered as dress. Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya [Bg. 2.22] We are changing our dresses as much as we change our old dress to new ones. Old order changes, yielding place to new. So this body, because we, in our spiritual body we have got form, hands and legs, therefore we develop a material body which has got hands, legs, etc. That we can understand very easily. Just like your coat and shirt cannot have hands and legs without you having your hands and legs; similarly, this material body which is considered as dress means it has developed on the personal body of the spiritual form. This is called savisesa-vada.

So the material existence, external feature of the Lord, is the, are these eight elements, namely bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca. They are subtle forms. Ahankara, egotism, mind and intelligence. They are also material. They are not spiritual. One who thinks that mental speculation is spiritual speculation, that is wrong. Here from Bhagavad-gita we understand the mind is also subtle form of matter, and actually that is so. Because we get another body after death according to the mental situation at the time of death. The mind, intelligence, the subtle body… Just like at night our subtle body, mind, intelligence works, and we think that we have got a separate body and have gone somewhere else from our house, from our room. We forget this material body. Similarly, after death, my mind and intelligence carry me to another separate body according to my thinking at the time of death. So false ego. This false ego is that “I am something of material product.” This is called false ego. Actually, though, aham brahmasmi: “I am Brahman.”

bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakrtir astadha

So if we think over all these material objects, then actually, at the end we come to the platform of spirit soul. And the spirit soul, being part and parcel of the Supreme Soul, Krsna, then ultimately you come to Krsna. As such, Krsna is the origin of everything—janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]both material and spiritual. There are different kinds of energies of Krsna. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. This material energy is one of them. It is called external energy. Just like my body, your body is external energy, similarly, the whole material manifestation, cosmic manifestation, is manifestation of the external energy of Krsna.

Then Krsna says,

apareyam itas tv anyam prakrtim viddhi me param jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat

Now Krsna says that “These material energies are inferior,” apara. Just like in everything within our experience, we have got inferior quality and superior quality. Of course, Krsna being absolute, everything is spiritual in the higher sense. But when we analyze scrutinizingly, we can understand that “This is this, this is that.” So Krsna is analyzing Himself, that “All these material energies, eight kinds of material energies, they are inferior quality. Apareyam itas tu. Apareyam itas tu anyam prakrtim. There is another prakrti, another energy. Because parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. Krsna has got multi, various energies. So these eight elements, material elements in manifestation of His inferior energy. And the superior energy, Krsna says, apareyam itas tu anyam prakrtim viddhi me param. Param means superior energy. And that superior energy is jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat. They are living entities, just like we are living entities.

So we are energies of Krsna. The Mayavada philosophy claims that we are the same Brahman or Paramatma. But Bhagavad-gita says that the living entities, as we are, we are simply energy; Krsna is the energetic. So there is difference between the energetic and the energy. Just like fire. Fire is the energetic, and light and heat are the energies of fire. So the sun and the sunshine. The sunshine is the energy of sun. If you think because the sunshine has entered in your room, if you think the sun has entered your room, that is wrong. So energy and energetic, they are simultaneously one and different. That is the philosophy of Lord Caitanya. Acintya-bhedabheda. There are many philosophers, they say that God and the living entity the same; it is covered by maya. Yes. It is covered by maya. That is accepted. But God cannot be covered by maya. That is not possible. The same example. Just like the clouds, cloud covering my eyesight. Not that cloud is covering the sun. That is not possible. Similarly, maya also, being another energy…

visnu-saktih para prokta ksetrajnakhya tatha para avidya-karma-samjnanya trtiya saktir isyate [Cc. Madhya 6.154]

Out of multifarious energies of Krsna, all of them are spiritual. Visnu-saktih para prokta. If Krsna is complete spirit, His energies are also spiritual. Therefore in the Visnu Purana it is said, visnu-saktih para prokta. Para means spiritual, and ksetrajnakhya tatha para. Ksetrajna. The ksetrajna and ksetra will be discussed in the Bhagavad-gita in the Thirteenth Chapter.

So this ksetrajna-sakti or the jiva-sakti is also para-sakti, spiritual. Ksetrajnakhya tatha para. Avidya-karma-samjnanya trtiya saktir isyate. And there is another energy which is avidya. How it is avidya? Just like we are thinking that Brahman is covered by maya. This is avidya. How Brahman can be covered by maya? Then maya becomes the great, not Brahman. Brahman means the great. Brhatva. That is Brahman. So if maya covers Brahman, then maya becomes greater than Brahman. And that is not possible. Maya is illusion. Just like cloud. Cloud is another production of the sun. By the heat of the sun, the sea water is evaporated and it is transformed into clouds. So cloud is nothing but a transformation of the energy of the sun. Similarly, maya-sakti is also another energy of Krsna. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. Mama maya. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]

So maya is controlled by Krsna; Krsna is never controlled by maya. Krsna is never controlled by maya. That is not very good theory. That is due to poor fund of knowledge. Krsna cannot be covered. Just like Vyasadeva, by his bhakti-yoga meditation he saw Krsna and maya. Maya apasrayam, just on the background. Background, just like you find the shadow of the man. Not in the front. Similarly, maya cannot cover Krsna. That is wrong philosophy. Maya can cover the individual soul. Therefore because the individual soul is apt to fall down sometimes under the clutches of maya, it is called tatastha-sakti. Tatastha-sakti. Just like in the seaside the shore, the beach, sometimes you see it is covered by water and sometimes it is land; similarly, when we are covered by maya, that is our jiva-bhuta stage, and when there is no more covering, that is brahma-bhuta stage. When we are Krsna conscious, then we are brahma-bhuta, and when we are not Krsna conscious, we are materially conscious, that is maya.

Therefore as soon as we are freed from the clutches of maya, brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54], we become prasannatma, very happy, joyful. Just like if a man is freed from the contamination of a certain type of disease, he feels happy: “Now I am feeling all right,” similarly, these coverings of maya of the jivas, not of the Supreme Lord… The Supreme Lord cannot be covered by maya. That is wrong. The jivas. That is called ya… Apareyam itas tv anyam prakrtim viddhi me param, jiva-bhutam maha-baho. Arjuna is addressed as maha-bahu, the great fighter. Great fighter can understand. Who is great fighter? Who is acting under Krsna, he is great fighter. Just like Arjuna is fighting. So when you take shelter of Krsna and fight with these material opposing elements… These preachers, they are also maha-bahu. They are fighting with persons who are not Krsna conscious. They are pushing on Krsna consciousness movement by fighting. But this fighting is in different way. This was taught by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam [SB 11.5.32]. Sa anga upanga astra. Astra means weapons. Just like these Pakistanis are fighting with machine gun, Caitanya Mahaprabhu fought with maya not with machine gun but with His most confidential associates.

sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda

His fighting weapons were Sri Advaita Prabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda, and other many devotees.

So Lord Caitanya’s movement is also fighting, but it is a fight in a different way. So the soldiers, Nityananda Prabhu, soldier, was sent to deliver Jagai-Madhai. This is also fighting. Therefore all the devotees, all the preachers of Krsna consciousness movement, they are maha-bahu, strongly armed by the weapons of Krsna. They cannot be defeated. They will push on the fight with maya, this illusion. What is that illusion? The living entity under illusion is thinking that he will be happy by material comforts. That is not possible. So this movement, Krsna consciousness movement, is a declaration of war with maya. Declaration of war, but in a different way—by this chanting process: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. The transcendental vibration will clarify the whole atmosphere, and as soon as these Krsna conscious soldiers comes out victorious, the whole world will be peaceful.

So jiva-bhutam maha-baho. The conclusion is that jiva, the living entities, individual living entities, they are part and parcel of Krsna as energy. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita here, apareyam itas tv anyam prakrtim, that jiva-bhuta, the living entities, they are prakrti, not purusa. Purusa means enjoyer, and prakrti means enjoyed. Just like for crude example: man and woman. Man is supposed to be the enjoyer, and the woman is supposed to be enjoyed. Similarly, prak rti is not enjoyer; prakrti is enjoyed. If the prakrti remains in her own position as being enjoyed, that is her natural position. And if she superficially, artificially tries to be enjoyer, a purusa, she never becomes happy. According to our Manu-samhita it is said that woman has no independence. Na stri svatantryam arhati. According to Manu-samhita, a woman should remain always dependent, and that is her real happiness. Let her remain dependent when young under the protection of the father. Let her remain dependent when she is young under the protection of the husband. And let her remain dependent in old age under the protection of elderly sons. That is the direction by Lord Manu who has given us law. Actually, in fact, if woman is dependent under suitable father, husband, and son, she is happy. Therefore, according to our Vedic civilization, it is the father’s duty when the girl is young to find out a suitable boy who can take charge of her, and the father is relieved that “Now I have given charge of my girl to a suitable boy, and I am happy.” Perhaps you have seen in our last wedding ceremony yesterday, the husband promised that “I take charge of you to make you comfortable throughout your whole life.” And the wife promised, “Yes, I accept you as my husband, and I shall devote my life just to make you happy.” These are the relationships. Prakrti and purusa.

So here Krsna says that jiva-bhuta: prakrti, not purusa. So how the prakrti can be enjoyer of this material world? That is not possible. That is superficial, artificial, crip-scrip(?). That is not fact. Therefore, our main disease is that we are to be enjoyed by Krsna and we are trying to be enjoyer. We are actually to be predominated by Krsna, but we are trying to be predominator. That is our fault. Don’t try to be predominator. Try to be predominated by Krsna and you will be happy. Just like the woman. As soon as she is under protection of a big father, a nice husband, and nice elderly son, she is happy, very happy. And as soon as she is independent… I have seen practically in Europe and America, there are so many women declared independence. They are most unhappy. I have seen it. In old age they are very, very unhappy. Young age also. They do not get a right husband, and they are very unhappy. When one young girl sees that another young girl has husband, she becomes, “Oh, so this woman, this girl has got a husband.” You see. That is the nature.

Prakrti means to remain dependent on the supreme husband or on the supreme father. You can accept Krsna as father. You can love Krsna as father, as husband, as master. Dependent. Remain dependent. And Krsna has come to teach us that natural position of the living entities. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is our position, not to be puffed up, that “I am God, I am Krsna, everyone is Krsna.” This is maya, the last snare of maya. Maya dictates that “You become the biggest man of the world. You become the biggest, richest man of the world.” And you are struggling. And there is struggle. Just like there is struggle is going on in Pakistan. The Bangladesh is trying that “We shall be leading Pakistan.” And the Western Pakistan is trying that “We shall be leading.” Nobody is leader. Actually, Krsna is leader. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam, eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman. This is the Vedic injunction. Krsna also says clearly: bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. Bhokta aham. Krsna does not say that “You are also bhokta, you living entities.” He never said Arjuna that “You are bhokta, I am bhokta.” So you have to accept that position, prakrti, all dependent on Krsna. Then Krsna takes charge. Krsna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami. He will give us protection. Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. These are the statements of Bhagavad-gita.

So as prakrti, as dependent on Krsna, Krsna the Supreme Purusa, if we accept this philosophy, then our life is successful. Otherwise it is simply struggle for existence. Krsna personally… Jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat. The whole material world is moving due to the jiva-bhuta, the living entities. This Bombay city is so important because there are so many living entities. And if something happens that all the people leave, then the big, big skyscraper will not face even two hundred rupees’ rent. It will be all unimportant. Similarly, the whole world, material world, is important because the jiva-bhuta, who has declared himself as bhokta falsely… Everyone in this material world, beginning from Brahma down to the insignificant ant, they are struggling hard. That will be explained in the Fifteenth Chapter. Manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. Simply struggling to become equal to Krsna, to be the bhokta. So this Krsna consciousness movement means to bring men in the same condition, that “You are not bhokta; bhokta is Krsna, and you become bhogya. You become enjoyed, not the enjoyer. Then you will be happy.”

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)