Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.7.25-28 Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) buddher jagaranam svapnah susuptir iti vrttayah ta yenaivanubhuyante so ’dhyaksah purusah parah This verse we have been discussing in our last meeting, that it is very easy to understand what I am. Take the… The description is that buddher jagaranam. When we are, I mean to say, awakened, and we are acting with our intelligence, this is one stage. Then the another stage, that we are sleeping, dreaming. Another stage is that we are in deep sleep, forgetting everything. That is susuptih, or deep sleep. Sometimes we want to forget ourself by transferring ourself into that deep sleep, forgetting everything. Actually, that is our natural tendency. When we are too much afflicted with these material activities, anxieties… Because material life means full of anxieties. That is material life. That is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: tat sadhu manye ’sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat. Prahlada Maharaja was asked by his father, “My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers? Will you kindly explain?” So he answered immediately, tat sadhu manye: “To my opinion, my dear father, that is very nice thing.” What is that? Tat sadhu manye ’sura-varya dehinam asad-grahat sada samudvigna-dhiyam. Dehinam means those who have accepted this material body. There are many millions and millions, unlimited number of liberated souls in the spiritual world. They have not accepted this material body. We are conditioned souls. So Prahlada Maharaja recommends that “For those who have accepted this material body, and due to acceptance of this material body, they are always full of anxiety…” Nobody can say that “I am freed from all anxiety,” beginning from a person lying on the street, up to…, go to the President Johnson. Ask everybody, “Are you free from material anxiety?” Everyone says, “No.” Everyone has got some problem. That is material existence. So sometimes, when we are disgusted with this material life, we want to forget, forget all the things. Sometimes a man takes to drinking: “Oh, business anxiety, so many worries, cannot solve. Let me drink. Annh.” So sometimes we take to LSD or other intoxicants, ganja, pan. So this is… There is a tendency for susuptih, going to the stage of susuptih. Sometimes they take injection to sleep soundly. Now there are sleeping pills also, so many things. So actually, as pure spirit soul, I want to forget, but because I do not accept the real path, how to get out of this material existence, therefore we have to accept something, concocted means. That will not save us. That will not save us. Prahlada Maharaja says, sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat hitvatma-ghatam grham andha-kupam vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. Prahlada Maharaja said to his father, “My dear father, if somebody quits this scene of grham andha-kupam, a dark well of this material life, and goes to the forest and takes shelter of Krsna, oh, that is very nice thing.” That was the beginning of misunderstanding between the father and mother…, father and the son. The father expected that Prahlada Maharaja will explain something diplomacy, politics, technology, something like that. “Oh, what is this foolish boy is explaining, that one should go away from the scene and take shelter of Krsna consciousness? Oh. The teacher has taught them all nonsense.” So he became angry, and the misunderstanding between the father and the son began from that point. But he was devotee, fully Krsna consciousness. So he told the plain thing, “Yes, unless one comes to this platform, that that platform, the material platform to the spiritual platform, there is no question of peace and prosperity.” It is simply, I mean to say, artificial trying to forget this full of anxious life. It is not possible. When one becomes fully Krsna conscious, automatically he forgets this nonsense. Just like I have several times given you the example: You have got a glass. If you fill it up with milk, then there is no possibility of its being filled up with ink. But so long it is filled up with ink, there is no possibility of its being filled up with milk. So Krsna consciousness is milk, and material consciousness is ink. So if you want to black milk, then let us remain. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu suggests Or accepts, not suggests. It is already there in the Vedic literature, that sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. (children yelling outside, devotee chases away) (aside:) That’s all right. Don’t take much. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He talked with Ramananda Raya, there was many forms of discussions, how to make oneself perfect. So he recommended so many things. But when he recommended, Ramananda Raya, that sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. We should always remember that this material life is our diseased condition. It is not our healthy life. Because as spirit soul, we are healthy. Anandamayo ’bhyasat. By nature we are joyful. There is no question of our being morose, unhappy, diseased. No. Spiritual life, spirit as it is, it is The constitution is blissful, full of knowledge and eternal. That is spiritual life, actual, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1] So we are not actually, I mean to say, constitutionally, we are unhappy. Our happiness is our life. Anandamayo ’bhyasat. In the Vedanta-sutra, you’ll find that this verse, anandamayo ’bhyasat. As God is full of joy, similarly, we are also part and parcel of God; we are also full of joy. So we have to treat ourself, how to go that platform of joyfulness. That is explained in the Srimad Bhagavad-gita: brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati [Bg. 18.54]. You can simply become joyful, without any anxiety. When? Brahma-bhutah: when you understand yourself, when you understand your spiritual existence. That is Brahman Prahlada Maharaja analytically, self-analysis. So that spiritual existence—Prahlada Maharaja, he is giving hint here that “We have got three stages of our existence. Sometimes we are active, sometimes we are sleeping, and sometimes we are deeply sleeping. But within these three stages of our existence, I am there.” When I am active, I am there. When I am sleeping, I am dreaming, I am there. And when I am in deep sleep, I am there. And when again, I am awakened, I am there. In no case I am not there. I am there always. So buddher jagaranam. So one has to apply his good intelligence. Then this “I am,” which is existing in all the stages, that is “I am spirit soul.” Ta yenaivanubhuyante. I am… I am perceiving that “Oh, yesterday I was sleeping.” That sleeping condition is passed, but I am here. I am thinking, “Oh, I was sleeping yesterday like this. I was dreaming like this.” Therefore, I am the chief, adhyaksah. I am the chief controller. So I am… This “I am,” it is very easy to understand. Any intelligent man can understand. So there are so many yogis. They are trying to understand, “What I am?” This is “I am.” It can be understood in a few seconds if you are intelligent enough. There is no question of prolonging simply to understand “What I am?” You are this. So only to understand that if I am not this body, which is dreaming, which is awakened, which is sleeping, so many conditions… It is changing from boyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. So then I have to understand that “If I am eternal then what is my eternal business? Now I am engaged with this temporary business. Because I am born in this land, America, so America has become my country. So I am called for going to Vietnam. Because I am born American, I have to go. But if I am not this body, I am something else, eternal, then what is my eternal engagement? This is my bodily engagement.” Everything is our bodily engagement. So Cai… Prahlada Maharaja asking us, ta yenaivanubhuyante so ’dhyaksah purusah parah. That purusa, that personality, is transcendental. ebhis tri-varnaih paryastair buddhi-bhedaih kriyodbhavaih svarupam atmano budhyed gandhair vayum ivanvayat So this atma is being transferred from one body to another. How it is being transferred? Just like air is passing from one field to another. Air is passing from this field to another field, another field, another field, and, as he’s passing, as he’s associating, the air, if it is passing over the nice, fragrant garden, it is, I mean to say, taking with him, with it, the nice flavor, and if it is passing in nasty place, then it is taking the bad smell. Similarly, we are passing from one body to another, and according to the atmosphere we are creating here in this body, we are taking again, transferring ourself to another body. etad dvaro hi samsaro guna-karma-nibandhanah ajnana-mulah apartho ’pi pumsah svapna ivarpyate So Prahlada Maharaja says, etad dvarah hi samsarah. Material existence means we are passing on, I mean to say, do not know how long we are passing. They say, “We cannot remember,” “Time immemorial.” This is called samsara. This is called material existence. Etad dvaro hi samsaro guna-karma-nibandhanah. And this material body is there due to my material qualities and according to the quality, my work; and these two things are binding me. Guna-karma-vibhaga. So here the caste system, according to guna, according to quality, and karma, according to work. Now Arjuna was advised by Krsna that nistraigunyo bhavarjuna. Trai-gunya-visaya-veda nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna: “My dear Arjuna, this world is moving on the platform of these material modes: goodness, passion and ignorance. And the whole Vedic literature, or scriptures, they are meant for transcendenting one from this platform to the spiritual platform.” So Arjuna was advised, nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna: “Just get out of yourself, get out yourself from this entanglement of three gunas and their work.” So Prahlada Maharaja is similarly advising, “This is samsara. This is material existence.” And what is the basic principle of this material existence? Ajnana, ignorance, because I have forgotten that I am part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. This is ajnana. Ajnana-mulah apartho ’pi pumsah svapna ivarpyate. Although it is just like dream, say, ten years before or twenty years before, oh, I was in India. I was a family man. I was sitting with my wife and children and doing something else. Now that thing is now dream. So we are passing… Just like at night we dream something, so this is also another kind of dream, because this is concrete dream, and at night we see abstract dream. The quality is dream. Sometimes we are in abstract dream, and sometimes we are in concrete dream. This is also dream. We do not know how many lives we have passed before this, hundreds and thousands and millions. “Oh, sometimes I have been a cat.” Oh, that is now dream. Sometimes I might have been a dog. Not might have been, because the evolution is there. We are coming by evolutionary process from aquatics to vegetable life, from vegetable to, I mean to say, reptile life, then, from bird’s life, then beast’s life, then uncivilized life. Then we have come to the civilized form of life under the grip of nature. So we have passed so many status of life. So they have become now dream. If somebody says, “Oh, forty millions of years before, you were a tree,” so will you believe it? It is dream. But actually I was, by nature’s law. So we have got this opportunity, this human form of life with sense so that we can understand the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, or Bible or Koran. These are meant for civilized human society. So if we don’t take care of these things and simply pass on in this dreaming… Just like animals. They have no sense, simply eating, mating, sleeping and defending. “Gow! Gow! Gow!” As soon as another dog comes, oh, he at once barks, “Gow! Gow! Gow!” So this is dog’s qualification. So this defending is also like that. It is defending in its own way. We are defending in our own way. So we must be above this, transcendental, as advised by Krsna. Nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna: “Just become transcendental to these qualitative activities.” And what is that unqualitative, uncontaminated activity? Oh, that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita, mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26] “Anyone who takes to this business of Krsna consciousness…” Mam ca yo avyabhicareni bhakti. Avyabhicareni means without any material contamination, pure devotional service: “The Supreme Lord is my Lord. I am His eternal servant. My business is to serve Him, nothing more.” This is called pure devotion. Either you call Krsna or jehovah, or whatever name you like, you give, but God is one. So if you simply become to this consciousness, that “I am eternal servant of God, and my business is to serve God…” And in relationship with Krsna, or God, there is other service. Just like we are giving this service. Krsna consciousness we are spreading, why? It is not a business. But because we have established our relationship with Krsna, or God, we want to propagate it. Therefore Krsna consciousness does not mean to be aloof from this material world, but his activities are different. He is not in that activity which will create anxiety. Here we are preaching Krsna consciousness. Oh, there is no business. We don’t expect anything from you. But if you accept it, then our mission is nice. If you don’t accept it, so there is no anxiety. We are executing the will of Krsna. Krsna says that “Anyone who takes up this responsibility of spreading Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness, he is very dear to Me.” Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ sarva desa. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is also Krsna in the form of devotee. He said that “By My order, you become a spiritual master.” “Oh, I have to become a spiritual master? What I have to do? Oh, I have no qualification.” “Oh, you don’t require any qualification.” “Then what is to do?” Yare dekha tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa: [Cc. Madhya 7.128] “Whomever you meet, you just try to give him some instruction of Krsna.” This is Krsna consciousness. If you cannot do, if you cannot speak on Bhagavad-gita or Bhagavata or Bible or Koran—they’re all books of knowledge, of Krsna consciousness—you can simply say, “My dear friend, I’ve got one request to you.” “What is that?” “Oh, please chant Hare Krsna. That’s all. Please chant Hare Krsna.” Is it very difficult? But this is very difficult also, because people will take it very lightly: “Oh, what is there, Hare Krsna?” because he does not know that the Hare Krsna has so much potency that one day you can catch the Supreme Personality of Godhead within your grip. It is got so potency, so much. But he will say, “Oh, what is this nonsense, Hare Krsna? You chant. I don’t like it.” But it is your duty. He may take it or not take it. If you ask somebody, “My dear friend, please once chant Hare Krsna,” that is your duty finished. He may accept or not accept—that doesn’t matter. You have finished your spiritual mastership. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ sarva desa. Yare dekha tare kaha… There is no question of who he is, what he is, where he is born, whether he is civilized, uncivilized, capitalist, communist or this or that, Indian, American, African. Never mind. Whatever he is, simply request him, “Oh, please chant Hare Krsna.” Do yourself, chanting, and this will make you advanced, and the friend you meet, oh, he’ll someday, because the, if he takes Even if he does not say, if he simply understands that “Here is something,” and says, “Yes, it is very nice. It is very nice,” then also, he gets the result. tasmad bhavadbhih kartavyam karmanam tri-gunatmanam bija-nirharanam yogah pravahoparamo dhiyah If you… Always remember that Prahlada Maharaja was talking with his child friends. So he says, tasmad bhavadbhih kartavyam: “My dear friends, therefore it is your duty…” Kartavyam karmanam tri-gunatmanam, tri-gunatmanam… “Now, these activities of three material qualities, or material activities,” bija-nirharanam, “the seed of these material activities, you should crush it.” Seed. There is a seed. Just like there is a seed, and so along the seed will remain… Just like you have seen in the fall season, so many creepers, they appear to be dried. There is no leaf. It almost dead. But as soon as the spring comes, oh, there is green leaf again. Why? The seed is there. Sometimes in India they set fire because it is very hot climate, so when there is no rainy season and by…, the sun is always bright there, so all these small plants, except big trees, they become dried up, and the cultivators, they set fire, and it becomes manure. But what is the fire? In the fire the outer portion is burned, but the seed is there. The next rainy season, again they awaken. Again there is, again green, again dry, again set fire, again green. Why? Now, seed is there. Seed is there. What is that seed? Bija-nirharanam yogah. You are trying to practice yoga, but you do not know how to crush the seed of material life. That is… This is bija-nirharanam yogah, this Krsna consciousness. The more you become Krsna conscious, that seed, that material… What is that material seed? The material seed that “I want to lord it over everything, all resources.” This is struggle. Everyone is trying. What is economic development or, what is called, the exact technical word? In a country… Undeveloped. Undeveloped country, and to develop. So what is this development? Development means to lord it over these material resources. That is the seed. That is the seed. Everyone is thinking that “I am the monarch of all I survey. Whatever I am seeing, I shall be the monarch. I shall be a Rockefeller. I shall be a Ford. I shall be this. I shall be that.” But what is this “I shall be”? For few years I shall be like this, and then, according to my karma, according to my work, I’ll leave this body here. I take another body, the “I shall be” finished. So therefore we are simply wasting our time, simply wasting, asat, simply wasting our time. So Prahlada Maharaja says that “It is your duty, my dear boys.” Bija-nirharanam yogah pravahoparamo dhiyah: “So you just kill, destroy the seed and…, so that no more it will become green after getting some water.” There are another example. They are called in India moya carpaka(?). Carpaka means bed bug. And I do not know what is the condition here. In India, the bed bug, they, during the winter season, you’ll find just like a simple skin only, nothing. There is nothing. But as soon as the summer season comes, oh, they bite the bodies and become red, fatty, immediately. So similarly, sometimes we may become just like a skin, and as soon as there is a drop of water and a little impetus for material enjoyment, oh, we become immediately… So this is seed. So seed should be destroyed. What is that seed? How it can be destroyed? Now, I am thinking that “I am master.” I have to think that “I am servant.” That’s all. I am thinking, “I am master of this material world.” I have to think that “I am servant of Krsna.” That’s all; nothing more. So this Krsna consciousness, this chanting of Krsna consciousness, being engaged fully in the service of Krsna, will gradually revive your pure consciousness, and you’ll know, and you’ll feel jolly. You’ll feel jolly. Now we are serving. We are already serving. Now we are serving the cats and dogs and motorcar and this and that, so many things. Servant we are, because constitutionally I am servant. And because I am not servant of God or servant of Krsna, that I have become servant of my dog. In the morning I go with my dog. The dog says, “Yes, stand up here.” “Yes, I am standing.” “Let me pass my stool.” “Yes, my dear sir. It is very nice.” So I am servant. But I have no shame that I have become servant of dog and I’m refuse to (be) servant of God. Such a foolish we are. You see? So Prahlada Maharaja says, “Just change this kindly. Don’t become any more servant of…” Servant of dog means servant of your senses. That’s all. We are here all servant of senses. That’s all. A swami means master of the senses. “Oh, sense wants? Oh, my tongue wants immediately to smoke? There is some sensation. Oh, I must say, ‘No. There is no smoking. Stop.’ ” Then you are master. And if you have become servant, “Oh, I want. Will you kindly give me a cigarette?” Because I am servant of cigarette. So you have to train yourself to become swami, master of your senses. Then everything is all right. Don’t be servant of your senses. Servant you are. Just change your servitorship. Instead of becoming servant of senses, just become the servant of the master of the senses. The master of senses is Krsna. Therefore He is called Hrsikesa. And Krsna consciousness means hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170] Devotional service means to serve the master of the senses with your purified senses. That’s all. You haven’t got to stop your sensual activities, but now you are serving the senses by the dictation of the senses. Now, while you will serve the master of the senses, then your perfection will come. So Prahlada Maharaja is advising, “My dear boyfriends,” tad bija-nirharanam yogah, “you practice yoga just to become master of your senses.” Not that officially I sit down, fifteen minutes’ meditation, and next moment I am master of my senses. This is not yoga. Here it is called bija-nirharanam yogah. Just practice such kind of yoga by which you can kill the seed of your servant of this material world. Thank you very much. Any questions? Guest (1): What are the activities of the soul when it unites with God? Does it simply enjoy everything or does it still…? Prabhupada: You can perceive the activities of the soul even in your present state. That I am explaining, that the soul’s activities is to serve. So we are serving dog. We have to serve God. That is soul’s activities, real. Simply the difference is that instead of dog, we have to change the word—“God.” The service is already there. Your activities are already there. You are not stopped. It is not a new thing. Service is already there. Just like India has become independent, or you have become independent. Now, there were government servants. Before independence declared, they were servant in the same office. And now the Britishers have gone away, Indians are controlling their own management. The same servant is there. Now he’s thinking, “I am independent.” And what independence? You are serving here still. In the British period, you also served, and you are serving. What is your independence? “Oh, now I am serving my own country.” That’s all, rubberstamp change. For imperial government, “His Majesty,” now the rubber is “India government.” The rubber stamp is changed. So you have to change your rubber stamp. Instead of serving dog, you have to serve God. That’s all. Change your rubber stamp. Is it very difficult? So please try to change your rubber stamp. That’s all. Yes. Guest (2): I have a question. Prabhupada: Yes? Guest (2): What’s the purpose of deep sleep as one of the bases of our life? Prabhupada: Deep sleep is forgetfulness. That’s all. Guest (2): Forgetfulness when I sleep, but… Prabhupada: Yes, when you become tired, you, or by intoxication, you sleep deep. This is material existence. Either this material activity or material dreaming or material deep sleep, they’re all material. In spiritual life, oh, there is no sleep. There is no deep sleep or slight sleep or dream. That is everything actual. (pause) Any other questions? Guest (1): When you’re actually Krsna conscious, what… My question before, I meant, when you’re actually Krsna conscious, do you just exist and know all and enjoy all, or do you have any activities at that time? Prabhupada: Well, unless you have got enjoyment, how can you continue your activities? Do you think that in any activity which you, in which you do not feel happy or enjoy, can you continue that activity? No. Therefore Krsna consciousness means the more you become active in Krsna conscious, the more you become joyful. Anandamayo ’bhyasat. That means your real life becomes revealed, joyful life. And as you become joyful, so you are more energetic to work for Krsna. That will give you impetus. It is not a dead, stereotyped thing. It is dynamic force. The more you work for Krsna, the more you feel energetic, the more you feel light. It is practical. Ask so many students. They are feeling, yes, joyful. There are so many attraction of material life. Oh, how they can forget? How they can forget? Especially in your country, there are so many facilities of material enjoyment, and how they can forget all these unless they have got some enjoyment? So it is practical. The more you engage yourself in Krsna consciousness, the more you feel joy, joyer. That is joyful life. In the Caitanya-cari…, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, anandambudhi-vardhanam. Anandambudhi-vardhanam means there is an ocean of joy. Now this ocean is stagnant; it does not increase. But that anandambudhi, the ocean of joy, transcendental bliss, that increases, increases. And there is unlimited space also to allow that increment. Anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam: “In every step you’ll feel, oh, that spiritual bliss.” Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam: “All glories to Sri Krsna Sankirtana.” Just like in the morning lecture, we were, er, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is explaining His practical experience, how He’s feeling joyful. So this is practical. There is nothing theoretical. This is standard, practical and easy. This is the beauty of this movement. Yes? Bhaktijana: If you become a, you become a servant of Krsna, will He provide a way for you to meet your physical needs? Prabhupada: Well, you are, if you become Krsna…, servant of Krsna… It is! Not to become. You are already. Just like a person, a citizen of United States, he’s under, already under the obligation of the state. If he thinks that “I am not under obligation,” that is his madness. Similarly, you are already servant of Krsna, but you are declaring yourself that “No, I am not servant of God. I am servant of dog.” So that is your madness. The sooner you give up your madness, it is better. There is no question… If you becoming a servant of dog, your everything is supplied by somebody, but do you think that becoming servant of God, nothing will be supplied to you? If God is so poor that if He can supply the necessities of a servant of dog, and He’ll not supply the necessities of a servant of God? Why do you think like that? You see, in our Society, we are all servants of God. Do you think we have got any want? We have got everything full. This Kirtanananda, he has gone to Montreal. He is spending five hundred dollars every month, and he went from here without a farthing. Here is the practical example. So don’t think like that. God is not so poor. Everything belongs to God. So, if you are sincere, oh, God will supply you everything. Yoga-ksemam vahamy aham [Bg. 9.22]. Lord Krsna says, “One is engaged in My service, yoga-ksema, for his necessities.” Yoga-ksema means “Whatever he has got, for protecting those things, and whatever he has not got, to supply those things, I am responsible.” So it is the question of belief and practical engagement. The more you become faithful, the more you become convinced, “Yes, God is my master. Yes, Krsna is my master. He’s supplying everything.” But he cannot be your servant. Mind that. If you make God your order-supplier—“My dear God, I am in need of something for my sense enjoyment. Please supply”—that He will not agree. Therefore those who go to God for sense enjoyment and become frustrated, they say, “There is no God.” This atheism and declaration that there is no God, it is a question of sense gratification. So God is not meant for satisfying your senses. You are meant for satisfying God’s senses. This is Krsna consciousness. And because the atheist class, they do not want to serve the senses of God, therefore they make imperson. As soon as we make God impersonal, there is no sense that “I have now to supply.” And here to see the picture: God is eating. God is eating. He has become so dependent on His devotee that, if the devotee will give Him something to eat, then He will eat. So that is the position. There is a position like that. By love, God will be… Instead of yourself becoming dependent on God, God will become dependent on you. There is such a stage. God will ask you, “My dear father, will you give Me something to eat?” There is stage like that. It is stage, a platform of love. By love everything is possible. All right, let us have sankirtana. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
San Francisco, March 13, 1967