Questions & Answers
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Hyderabad, April 10, 1975

Prabhupada: It is already described in the Bhagavad-gita that karanam guna-sango ’sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. There are different forms of life, different species of life. What is the reason of these different gradations? A dog’s life and a man’s life is different. How it has so become? What is the scientist’s reply? I don’t think the scientists can reply this. Or they can reply, “Evolutionary process.” How the evolutionary process is taking place? So that answer is also given in the Bhagavad-gita,

mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram hetunanena kaunteya jagad viparivartate [Bg. 9.10]

That… The developed human life is obtained by karma. Karmana daiva-netrena jantur dehopapattaye [SB 3.31.1]

We are working under the control of material nature, and we are infecting, contaminating different modes of material nature. Just like a person who has contaminated the smallpox infection, he must suffer from smallpox. That is medical science. Similarly, karanam guna-sango ’sya. There are three material modes of nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. So if you associate with goodness, then your next body becomes manifest in the modes of goodness, just like highly intelligent class of men or the brahmana. If you infect the modes of passion, then you become passionate; you get passionate body. And ignorance also.

urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha madhye tisthanti rajasah jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah [Bg. 14.18]

Every reply is there. As we are associating or contaminating different modes of material nature, we are manufacturing or giving chance to get a certain type of body, exactly if I infect the smallpox disease, I must suffer from it. This is the law of nature.

So when, after associating with the modes of goodness for many, many years—or not many, many years but many, many lives—then one can become very intelligent brahmana.

bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]

After many, many births of this kind of contaminated diseases and births and body, when by culture of knowledge, by austerities, by penances, by brahminical culture, one becomes very, very learned and wise, at that time he can understand what is God—not before that. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan [Bg. 7.19] Not the rascals and the fools can understand what is God. Only the jnanavan.

So as you are trying to become jnanavan for higher status of life, similarly, if you become jnanavan to understand God, then God consciousness will come. Not so easily.

manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]

So not only ordinary human being. What they can understand about God? Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. What is the perfection of life? One must know. The perfection of life is to understand that “I am not this body; I am spirit soul.” Aham brahmasmi. That is perfection of life, when one can understand.

brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]

So after becoming Brahman realized soul, when he is fully liberated from material contamination—goodness passion or ignorance— prasannatma, na socati na kanksati, he has no material hankering, neither he laments for any material loss. Samah sarvesu bhutesu, when he visions all living entities as spirit soul, mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54], at that time he is eligible to understand what is bhakti. And bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55] If you become bhakta, if you have got the opportunity to come to that platform, then you can understand God. Otherwise, God is not so easy to understand. (break—questions and answers)

Prabhupada: What is your duty? That is the first thing. Do you know what is your duty? You manufacture your duty, but you do not know what is your duty. Duty is: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That is your duty. Anything you manufacture duty, that is not duty; That is cheating. (applause) First of all, you learn what is your duty; then talk of duty. In your office if you go, if you say, “Anything I do, it is my duty,” no. You must know the particular work you are advised to act by the superintendent or the director, not that you can manufacture your duty. If you execute that duty, then you are dutiful. Otherwise, you are simply creating trouble. Just like a monkey. They create their duty, and wherever he goes, “Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out!” The monkey’s duty is no duty. A man must know what is duty, and he should execute. That is duty.

Indian man (1): As you have explained, Lord Krsna forbade(?) Arjuna to do this duty.

Prabhupada: Well, first of all you try to understand Krsna, what He says. Then, if you are dutiful, then you can say who is the other dutiful. Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. If you come to that stage of life, then you are dutiful. Otherwise, if you create your duties as monkey, that is not duty. Hare Krsna.

Indian man (2): (indistinct)

Prabhupada: So, our endeavor should be not to be implicated by the material modes of nature. Never mind what is the percentage. This material world is always mixed up—some goodness, some passion, some ignorance. Here you cannot possess the material quality in full, cent percent purity. No. That is not possible. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. One quality is overlapping the other quality. Our business is how to become transcendental to all these qualities, not to be touched by any of the qualities of material nature. That is our business. That should be our aim. Nirguna. That is called nirguna, no more contaminated by the material qualities. That is called nirguna.

And that is very simple thing. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,

mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]

Mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate. If one accepts this bhakti-yoga process—

sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23]

These are the different, nine items of bhakti-yoga. If you take all of them or some of them or at least one of them, you become transcendental to all these material qualities. Sa gunan samatityaitan [Bg. 14.26] All these material qualities one can transcend and remain in the Brahman platform. Brahma-bhuyaya kalpate. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati [Bg. 18.54]. This is the process. It is not that we shall possess this quality, certain percentage, that quality, certain percentage. No. Above all qualities. That should be the aim of life. Then we shall be in the Brahman platform or in the spiritual platform, and then our life will be successful. Otherwise, struggle for existence… Bhutva bhutva praliyate. We take one type of body according to the contamination of material modes of nature. We suffer or enjoy, then again we die, again we accept another body. In this way it continues, and we remain entangled in this material world.

Indian man (2): (indistinct)

Prabhupada: Yes. It is said in the sastra,

atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah [BRS. 1.2.234]

The Krsna, His form, His name, His quality, His pastimes, His paraphernalia cannot be experienced by these material senses. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234] He is beyond the indriyas. But if one is engaged in devotional service, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. That devotional service begins from jihva, tongue. This tongue means can be utilized in devotional service in two ways, namely by chanting the holy name of God and by tasting prasadam. If first of all one engages his jihva, means tongue, in devotional service by chanting the holy name, Hare Krsna maha-mantra, and tasting only krsna-prasadam, not anything else, then Krsna, being pleased by his devotional service, He manifests Himself, reveals Himself. That revelation is experienced, very highly advanced devotee.

So for advanced devotee everything is possible, as described by this gentleman. But that is not for everyone. That is not a common thing. Exceptional. For the common person, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised and as He has practically shown in His life, that is devotional service in separation: “Where is Krsna?” Sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me. “I am seeing everything vacant because I cannot see Krsna.” The same thing was followed by the Gosvamis. He radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah: “Where you are? O Radharani, O Krsna, O the gopis, where you are?” He radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah sri-govardhana-kalpa-padapa-tale kalindi-vane kutah. Govardhana-kalpa-padapa-tale: “Either on the valley of the Govardhana Hill or on the bank of the Ganges. Where you are, all?” Seeking. Ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair maha-vihvalau. One should be mad after seeking Krsna—“Where You are? Where You are?” Not that “I have seen.” That is not bhajana. Bhajana means how to become mad after Krsna. One who has once heard the tinkling sound of His anklebell, He’ll be mad after Him—“Where You are? Where You are? Where You are?” Not that hearing and becoming engaged in the family affairs. No. That is not possible. One who has seen, one who has heard, he’ll become mad—no more interest in this material affairs. That is the sign. We can say. Of course, if you are experienced devotee… But so far we see of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His immediate successors, Gosvamis, they are mad after Krsna. They never said that “We have seen Krsna.” This is called bhajana by separation, vipralambha-seva.

So if we become mad after Krsna, that is perfection, not that “We have seen Krsna.” We may see, but so far the Gosvamis are concerned, they are simply seeking. Ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair maha-vihvalau. Vihvalau means mad—“Where is Krsna? Where is Krsna? Where is Krsna? Where is Krsna?” That is self- realization.

Thank you very much. Chant Hare Krsna. (end)