Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.45
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bombay, January 20, 1975

Nitai: “Odor, although one, becomes many—as mixed, offensive, fragrant, mild, strong, acidic and so on—according to the proportions of associated substances.”

Prabhupada:

karambha-puti-saurabhya-santogramladibhih prthak dravyavayava-vai…

What is that? Vaisamyad gandha eko vibhidyate. In the previous verse the gandha, from gandha, from smell, fragrance or smell, ghranas tu gandhagah. So in the smelling power, nostril, they perceive different varieties. Variety is there. Although the thing is one, one Krsna, but even in His material energy, He is perceived in varieties of things. That is the purpose of this Sankhya philosophy, how one has become many. Ekam bahu syam.

So intelligence is to know the one as well as the varieties. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca [Bs. 5.33]. The Mayavadi philosophers, they simply take one side, oneness. Ekam brahma dvitiyam nasti. That is fact. Dviti… There is no dvitiya. Dvitiyabhinivesa means maya. Everywhere, Krsna is there. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. The materialistic scientists, they take the ultimate cause of this material world: the atom. Now this atomic theory, paramanu. Paramanu. You have seen the paramanu. In your room, if there is a hole and sunshine is coming through that hole, you will find in that sunshine, sun rays, there are millions of small particles. That is called paramanu. Anu, paramanu. So then there is anu also, smaller than that. Six anus combined together becomes a paramanu. So the paramanuvada… I forget the rsi’s name who propounded the philosophy of paramanuvada, that the material creation is combination of these atomic particles, paramanuvada. But now the scientists they are studying the paramanu, atom, also. They are finding still subtle elements. They say “proton and electron,” like that, still finer. In this way you cannot go ultimately to the finest material being. And even if you go, still, there is no solution. You will find something else within it working.

So that something else, ultimately if we can realize, that is Krsna. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. Krsna is there even within the paramanu, electrons, protons. There is; He is there. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. Krsna showed Arjuna the virad-rupa, the gigantic universal form. So one side, He is universally represented, virad-rupa. And in another side He is within the anu paramanu, smaller than the anu, smaller than the paramanu. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. That is Krsna. Mahiyan. But these are all material forms. In the Bhagavad-gita, you will find in the Eleventh Chapter, Arjuna is requesting to come to His original form. So he was very much threatened, or frightened, and he requested, “This form is very much unbearable to see. Please come to Your original form.” So Krsna first of all came to His form, four-handed Visnu form; then again He came into His two-handed Krsna form, and that is the ultimate, real form of Krsna.

Krsna has got many forms. Every form is Krsna’s form. That’s a fact. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Some of the forms are personal, some of the forms are of His potencies, sakti, but all forms belong to Krsna. So some of them are material forms, and whatever differentiation of forms we see in the material world, they are all Krsna’s form. But in the spiritual world there are also many forms—just like Krsna, Balarama, then Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Narayana, and the purusa-avatara. There are many. And there are innumerable planets also. In each and every planet there is one form. And when incarnation comes, one of the forms from Vaikuntha, They come as incarnation. So many forms are called svamsa. In the Varaha Purana you will find the description of the forms: svamsa and vibhinnamsa. The forms exhibited in this material world as living being, they are vibhinnamsa. Bhinna prakrtir me astadha. As there are separated energies, bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh, the five elements, material elements, maha-bhuta, they are also forms of Krsna. This big mountain, Himalayan mountain, that is also form of Krsna. The big Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, that is also form of Krsna. He says bhumir apah. Apah. Apah means water. So not only water in this planet, but there are millions and trillions of Pacific Ocean bigger than that in other planets. So inconceivable. Therefore God is inconceivable, acintya. Acintya-guna. Acintya, inconceivable.

So in this way Krsna is existing. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca [Bs. 5.33]. But the original form is Krsna. Aham adir hi devanam. That is original form. That form is existing in Vrndavana. And other forms, they are distributed. Goloka eva nivasati. Actually, Krsna is living in His original form in Goloka Vrndavana. This form, Krsna, Radha-Krsna, this is the form in Goloka Vrndavana. Venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam [Bs. 5.30]. In the spiritual world there is no such thing as killing the Kamsa, Hiranyakasipu. That is in the material world. Krsna is in twelve different varieties of taste: santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhurya, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, hasya, the so many, twelve. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu it is…, Krsna is worshiped there that akhila-rasamrta, akhila. There are many kinds of taste, and that taste are all combined together in Krsna, akhila-rasamrta. In the Vedas it is said, raso vai sah. Rasa means mellow. So we have presented a little book, Krsna is the Reservoir of All Pleasure. Rasa means pleasure, taste, pleasing taste, rasa, or humor. Everyone has got different taste. So all the taste are there in Krsna. Raso vai sah, labdhvanandi. Anyone who has tasted Krsna he gets real taste of pleasure, either in this rasa or that rasa.

Just like Bhisma. Bhisma was fighting with Krsna. He had no business fighting with Krsna because He is charioteer. But sometimes the horses, the charioteer, are also killed by the opposing party. So when Arjuna was in a very dangerous position… Because Bhisma promised to Duryodhana. Duryodhana was criticizing his grandfather, that “You are not fighting wholeheartedly. Because your affection is there on the other side, your other grandsons, panca-pandava, therefore you are not fighting with your full strength.” So this is a great insult for the ksatriya. So he promised to kill the five Pandavas next day. That was a challenge to Krsna. So Krsna promised that He will not fight in the battle, and Bhisma promised that “Unless Krsna fights and protects His friend, Arjuna, he could not be saved. I will fight in that way.” So he was fighting in that way, and Arjuna’s chariot became broken into pieces, and he was in danger. And Krsna could understand that “Bhisma wants Me to fight on account of Arjuna; otherwise he would not be saved.”

So to please Bhisma—not that it was necessary to fight with Bhisma, but because Bhisma wanted that “Either Krsna must fight or His friend Arjuna must die”—therefore Krsna decided… Not to… He could save His friend Arjuna in any way. But in order to show Bhisma that “Yes, He is fighting. He has broken His promise…” He promised that He would not fight, but Bhisma promised that either He should fight or His friend would die. So therefore He prepared to fight. But superficially, He did not take His original disc. He took only one broken wheel of the chariot, and taking it, He was going to kill Bhisma just to show him, “You promised that I would fight, so now I have taken this fighting weapon. Now you can stop. Otherwise you will be killed.” So he stopped. He could understand. But while Krsna was coming to kill him with that broken piece of wheel, that was very pleasing to him, Bhisma. At that time Bhisma was piercing with sharpened arrow the body of Krsna. So He was pleasing, He was feeling very pleasure, being pierced by the arrow of Bhisma. So bhakti transaction, there are many kinds of bhakti transaction. And at the time of Bhisma’s death he was thinking of Krsna: in His fighting spirit He was coming to kill him. That is in Bhisma’s prayer. There is in the Bhagavata. He was not thinking of Krsna with flute. He was thinking of Krsna with the broken chariot wheel and was coming to kill him. That form was very pleasing to him.

So we can reciprocate all kinds of rasas, humor, because He is the reservoir of all rasas. So this is the rasa of chivalry, the fighting spirit. So everything is there. Janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. The Absolute Truth is that where all varieties are there, variety. Although He is one, but still, varieties are there. Otherwise wherefrom the varieties come? Everything, all varieties. You see in the material world how many varieties are there. You take one bunch of flower. You will find, if you study minutely, how many hundreds and thousands of varieties of thorns, varieties of twigs, and color, and everything is there, variety. How these varieties are coming? The Vedanta replies, “From the Absolute Truth, varieties.” Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. The Supreme Absolute Truth has got so many varieties of energies. For each and every variety, particular, finer craftsmanship, there is different energy. They are working. Just like we require to present some varieties a specialist, so Krsna Himself has got all the special varieties of energy, and they are working in such a nice way as svabhaviki. He hasn’t got to learn it. Svabhaviki. Svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. Jnana, knowledge. Suppose if you want to paint something, you must have the knowledge of painting, jnana. And strength, and activity. Everything.

So Krsna, anything He is creator. Therefore He is perfect, all- opulent. Anything that requires to be created… You can create. We have got the creative energy. Because we are also part and parcel of Krsna, the creative energy is there, but not in fullness. Krsna’s variety of energy, that is full of potency.

aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah jnana-vairagyayos caiva sannam bhaga itingana

These are called bhaga, opulence. So all the opulences… For creating a nice flower, that is being manufactured by Krsna. With His brain the seed of the flower is a chemical composition so nicely made. Svabhaviki jnana, He knows. Naturally He knows how to make the seed perfect so that from the seed, by sowing in the soil, by watering, the whole varieties will come. Is there any scientist to put in a small seed all the chemicals and it will come automatically, a motorcar? No. That is not possible. That is not possible. You have to create every car. And Krsna’s energy is so perfect that she has created one male body and one female body, and innumerable cars are coming. This is car, described in the Bhagavad-gita, this body. Yantra. Yantrarudhani mayaya. This is yantra, but this yantra is coming by union of two yantras: one male yantra and female yantra. And millions of yantras are coming. Where is that capacity?

So one gentleman, he challenged me. He’s atheistic class. He said, “What is Krsna’s intelligence? It is just like an watch. If you wind the watch, it goes and gives time. Similarly, it is just like a machine—the whole world is going on.” That’s all right. Still, you are lacking knowledge, because Krsna hasn’t got to prepare each and every watch. He has made two watches, male and female, and they are producing. That is Krsna’s intelligence. Therefore even if you supposed to be very intelligent, still, you are lacking intelligence. You cannot be as intelligent as Krsna. There must be some less quantity. Just like Yasodamayi wanted to bind Krsna with ropes, and as soon as she was going to knot it, there was little difference.

So we may be very intelligent scientifically or mathematically or physically, biologically. That’s all right. But when we compare with the intelligence of Krsna, it is less by two cubits. It is less. That we should always understand. Mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. We have to accept this, that we cannot excel the intelligence of Krsna. That is not possible. I may show varieties of magic and declare myself Krsna, or God. But still, you cannot show as perfectly magical arts as Krsna is showing. That is not possible. If we understand this fact and realize it, then we can understand what is Krsna. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. We are part and parcel of Krsna. There is little value like Krsna. But we can never be equal with Krsna. That is not possible. Asamordhva. Nobody can be equal with Krsna; nobody can be greater than Krsna. Everyone is lower than Krsna. So this intelligence is real intelligence, and if we think that equal to Krsna or greater than Krsna, that is all maya.

tribhir gunamayair bhavair ebhih sarvam idam jagat mohitam nabhijanati mam ebhyah param avyayam

So this Krsna consciousness movement is to know that no more greater than Krsna. Nobody is greater than Krsna. Nobody is equal to Krsna. If we understand this much perfectly… We cannot understand perfectly because that is not possible. Krsna is unlimited. But as far as we have got our knowledge, if we understand this fact, that “I can never become equal with Krsna; neither I can become greater than Krsna. That is not possible. I have to remain always subordinate to Krsna,” this is called mukti, liberation. We are entrapped in this material bondage by illusory understanding. So when we come to the right understanding, that “My position is always subordinate to Krsna,” that is called mukti. Anyone can become a mukta, liberated person, as soon as he agrees to this philosophy that he is always subordinate to Krsna, or God; he is never equal to Him nor greater than Him. Asama-urdhva. And those who are thinking that they are equal with Krsna, that is maya. Maya mohitam nabhijanati. They do not know their actual… But when he comes to the knowledge, vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah… [Bg. 7.19]. That is required.

If you want to become mahatma really, then you have to come to this point, to understand the, originally, the Vasudeva is the supreme cause of all causes. That is perfection of life. And our Krsna consciousness movement is trying to teach this knowledge to the world, the best welfare activities. They are all in illusion. Some of them are thinking there is no Krsna, and some of them are thinking, “If there is Krsna”—Krsna means God—“I am also God. I am equal.” And some of them are thinking that “By meditation, by spiritual advancement, now I am greater than Krsna.” Yes. They are not, neither equal nor below, but they are thinking greater than Him. “With the progress of time the human being is advancing in knowledge. So by their meditational power, they can become greater than Krsna.” So that is foolishness. That is not possible. This is also maya. Just like maya is acting in so many ways. Sometimes we are thinking, “There is no Krsna, no God. We are, every one of us are God.” Similarly, to think of greater than Krsna is another illusioning curtain of maya. Maya is not getting you out very easily. He will put so many impediments. Therefore bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate: [Bg. 7.19] “After many, many births, when actually becomes wise, then he understands that ‘I am nothing. Vasudeva, Krsna, He is everything.’ ” Vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]. Then that is not oneness, dual. “Vasudeva, and I am.” Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma [Bg. 7.19].

So mahatma and Vasudeva, there are two. The mahatma realizing Vasudeva, and Vasudeva is everywhere. That is perfection of life. A person who realizes Vasudeva in that way… Vasudeva means everything lives on somebody. Vasudeva. So Krsna says, mat-sthani sarva-bhutani naham tesu avasthitah: “Everything is resting on Me, but still, it appears that I am not there.” This is illusory energy. Vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19], that’s a fact. Vasudeva is everywhere. Krsna is everywhere. Simply we have to purify our senses to understand the presence of Vasudeva. That is required. And that is possible if we increase our loving tendency to love Krsna. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti [Bs. 5.38]. If we increase our loving propensity… That is already there, but now it is intervened by the maya cloud. So we have to get out of the cloud. Then we will find vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. So that is called purificatory process.

So this purificatory process means this devotional service. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. Vasudeva reveals. You cannot… By your force, you cannot see Him. But He is pleased, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau, when you accept to serve Him by your tongue, beginning with tongue, kirtanam. You glorify Krsna. You taste Krsna’s prasadam with devotion and service. Then you realize Vasudeva very easily. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. These blunt senses, they cannot realize. But when the senses are purified, hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170].

So this Krsna consciousness movement is the process by which you can purify, sanctify your senses. And then, when your senses are engaged in Krsna’s service, beginning with the tongue, then your life becomes perfect.

Thank you very much. (end)