661203 - Lecture CC Madhya 20.121-124 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1966

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

661203CC.NY - December 03, 1966

Prabhupāda:

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

(CC Madhya 20.121)

So Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that this is the condition, suffering condition of the living entity, and he can be rescued by the mercy of sādhu, saintly persons, the scriptures and the spiritual master. They are prepared to bestow their mercy upon everyone, provided people like to take their instruction and mercy. That is the solution.

And in the Bhagavad-gītā the same thing is confirmed in the Seventh Chapter: daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).

The influx of the disturbances created by this material nature under different forms is very stringent. So anyone who wants to be rescued from these miseries, he should surrender unto the Supreme Lord. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te.

This māyā has got two kinds of influence: prakṣepātmikā, āvaraṇātmikā. Āvaraṇātmikā means we are already covered by the illusion. Although we are suffering in every step, we are thinking that we are happy. Just, just the day before yesterday the lady, she said that "Oh, the temperature was so high that I could not tolerate it. I could not . . ." The next moment she said, "Oh, I don't feeling any, any unhappiness." This is called prakṣepātmikā.

First things is that I am so much illusioned that I . . . just like the animals. They are suffering so much, but they have no knowledge that they are suffering. But human being, who are above them, they can understand that what sort of suffering there is. Animal, he's, he's being taken to the slaughterhouse, but it does not know, due to ignorance. So this is called āvaraṇātmikā, covering influence of the material nature. And there is another influence. Suppose one is trying to come out of the covering. Prakṣepātmikā. It throws: "Oh, why you are trying for this? You are very happy. Why do you think . . . why you are so much pessimistic of this life? Just work hard and enjoy life. That's all."

So these things are going on. Actually, we are suffering and we are in dangerous position step by step. But by the influence of this material, external energy, we are covered, illusioned. We are thinking, "Yes, I am very happy." And if somebody tries to come out of it, then he is also advised by the material nature, "Oh, why you are doing all this nonsense? You are very happy."

Yavaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. The atheistic theory . . . the atheist . . . nowadays there are atheist, not that . . . atheist class of men there are always. Maybe number of the atheist are now greater than before, but there was great atheist in India. There are six kinds of philosophical theses. Out of those, atheism is also one of them. So that atheism . . . Cārvāka Muni. He was, Cārvāka, the leader of the atheists. His theory was that ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet: "Just beg, borrow or steal. You must eat butter. Never mind." Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet, yāvan jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet: "So long you shall live, you must live very comfortably." Then one may say, "Oh, beg, borrow, steal, and who will suffer the sins? If I borrow, if I cannot pay? If I commit sins? If I commit burglary? Oh."

The Cāṇakya . . . the Cārvāka Muni replied, bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya kutaḥ punar-āgamano bhavet: "Well, when your body will be burnt into ashes, who is coming here and who is going to be responsible? Don't think all this."

So this is atheistic theory. They don't believe that there is transmigration of the soul. He has to take another body and he has to take body according to his work, and there are 8,400,000's of different kinds of bodies, and human body is the most benefactory. So they do not know all these things. So this is called āvaraṇātmikā, covering influence.

So covering influence and throwing influence. Out of these two influences, one can come out if he agrees to surrender unto the Supreme Lord. Otherwise there is no other way. He'll be . . . he'll be always covered or be thrown again.

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

(BG 7.14)

Lord Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Anyone who surrenders unto Me fully, he, he alone can get rid of these two kinds of influence of māyā. Others cannot."

māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna

jīvere kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa

(CC Madhya 20.122)

These, I mean to say, illusioned, māyā-mugdha, illusioned living entity, they have forgotten. They have forgotten their relationship with the Supreme Lord. Mostly: "Oh, what is God?" Somebody says, "God is dead." So these things are going on. Not now; now the number has increased. It is always. So long the world is there, the material world is there, this sort of thing is going on. So māyā-mugdha, illusioned by this external energy, they have no memory that how they are connected with the Supreme Lord. They have no memory. They have forgotten. That there is something like God, altogether they have forgotten by the illusion. Yes.

Māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi kṛṣṇa smṛti-jñāna. And just to revive their memory, Kṛṣṇa . . . jīvere kṛpāya kaila kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa. Veda-purāṇa. Veda means the Vedic literatures. Veda, real literal meaning is, veda means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jñāne. There is a Sanskrit root, vid-dhātu. From that vid-dhātu, veda. Veda means knowledge. And purāṇa, purāṇa means supplementary; Vedic instruction described in story form. That is called purāṇa, story. This Bhāgavata is also one of the Mahā-purāṇa. Mahā-purāṇa means the science of Kṛṣṇa is described in story form. This is called purāṇa. People better understands in stories, in history.

So Lord Caitanya says: "Because people in general, by the influence of the illusory energy, they have forgotten their eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, therefore the Lord Himself, as Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa . . ." Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa is considered to be a powerful incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Unless he was a, he was an incarnation, it was not possible to write so many books. There are eighteen Purāṇas and four Vedas and 108 Upaniṣads, and Vedānta, then Mahābhārata, then Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Each of them contains thousands and thousands and millions of verses. So we cannot imagine that a man can write in that way. You see?

So Veda-vyāsa is considered to be incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, and he was very powerful in writing. In the Mahābhārata itself is so many, so big book. And there are . . . each Purāṇa contains thousands and thousands of verses. So these are his gifts. So Kṛṣṇa, means Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa, he . . . because sādhu, sādhu, those who are saintly persons, they're always thinking of the miseries of the people in general. They are not meditating for their own purpose. They are writing books. They are thinking how to establish them in such a way so that they can properly utilize the human form of life. That is their business, sādhu. Sādhu means that they are always compassionate with the sufferings of the people in general. That is sādhu. Because they are devotees.

The Lord comes . . . yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7).

Whenever there is . . . the nature's law is so stringent that if you violate a little, then you have to suffer. There is no mercy. There is no mercy. So as you go on violating the laws of nature, the nature law is so made that the nature is giving you chance to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the whole program. And as soon as you deviate from that law, then you are put into trouble. So we are passing in that way.

So the sādhu and the pious and the devotees of the Lord, out of their compassion, they write books what they have heard in the disciplic succession. They do not manufacture. These Vedas, what is written by Vyāsadeva, you don't think that he has manufactured something. No. Formerly, the Vedic knowledge was simply spoken by the spiritual master, and the disciple simply heard it. Therefore the Veda is known as śruti. There was no need of books. They were so, I mean to say, their memory was so sharp that once heard, they can remember, they could remember. The life was so nice that . . .

In the advancement of Kali-yuga, as I have several times described, that this memory will be decreased. People will be less, less memorious. Their memory will be very shortened. They'll forget. Just like the lady was angry. At once forgets. One moment she says that "Oh, it was terrible heat," and next moment says, "Oh, I don't feel any unhappiness." So that is forgetfulness. So memory will be so short that people will forget. Just like the animals: they forget. There is no memory. In some of the animals there is no mind. That is also analyzed in the Bhagavad-gītā, er, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So memory shortened. Shortened.

So just to give us remembrance again, the books are . . . Vyāsadeva, he wrote those Vedic tradition into books. Vyāsadeva is the first man who wrote this Vedic knowledge into writing. Before that, there was no writing. Only by hearing, by memory, the students will grasp the whole thing, and coming down, tradition, tradition. Yes. Śruti, by hearing. So, jīvere kṛpāya kaila kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa.

'sādhu-guru-ātma'-rūpe āpanāre jānāna

'kṛṣṇa mora prabhu, trātā'-jīvera haya jñāna

(CC Madhya 20.123)

So what is the utility of this Vedic knowledge? Now, by understanding, by hearing from authorized sources or by reading from authorized sources, the forgetful living entities will come to his senses. That is the purpose. He will come to his sense: "Oh, my position is this, and I am suffering in this way." So śāstra-guru-ātma-rūpe āpanāre jānāna. So Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, is always anxious to revive the memory of these forgotten souls, conditioned souls.

Now, how He revives? He revives in śāstra. Śāstra means scripture. Śāstra, guru, spiritual master. Śāstra, guru, ātma-rūpe. And sometimes He comes Himself or as Paramātmā, or the Supersoul. He is giving you instruction from within as Paramātmā, He's sending you suitable spiritual master so can . . . you can have instruction without, and the books are, the scriptures are there. So many facilities the Lord has created. And therefore the human form of life is meant for utilizing all these facilities.

In the animal form of life there is no facility. They cannot read śāstra. They cannot understand scripture. They cannot take the advantage of a bona fide spiritual master. They cannot consult within with God. They have no this capacity. Their consciousness is so undeveloped that it is not possible to have . . . utilize all these facilities. But in human form of life we can utilize all these facilities. The śāstras are there, the Vedas are there, scriptures are there. And still, although it is the age of Kali, still, those who are following the disciplic succession, there is bona fide spiritual master also. Śāstra, guru and ātmā.

And over all, the Paramātmā. The Paramātmā, the Supersoul, Kṛṣṇa as Supersoul, is sitting within your heart along with you. And as soon as, by the instruction of the scripture and direction of the spiritual master, you begin sincerely something, the Paramātmā, from within you, He'll speak, "Yes, now you are right." He'll speak to you. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly:

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ

bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam

dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ

yena mām upayānti te

(BG 10.10)

Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. Those . . . the spiritual master's duty is to lead a person, a forgotten soul, to the right way in terms of the śāstra and scripture, and when he begins sincerely and with love and seriously, then the next stage is that God within, who is sitting within you, He'll dictate, "Yes, you do like this. You do like this." So in every respect the Lord is trying to help us. But we are so much stubborn, we don't like to take advantage of this position. Oh, he says, "Oh, why shall I take all this? I am very happy."

There is a story in the Bhāgavata that once Indra, the king of heaven, he was condemned by his spiritual master, Bṛhaspati that, "You are so foolish, you should have become a hog." So he became a hog. So after some days, when the throne of the heavenly kingdom was vacant, Brahmā went to reclaim this hog, Indra that, "Come to your place."

So when the hog was requested that, "You are Indra. Why you are suffering? Now you come. I have come . . ." so the hog says, "Oh! I do not know what I am, Indra. I have got my responsibility. I cannot leave this place." Just see. Even the hog—you can just imagine what is the standard of his living—he thinks also that "I am very happy. I am very happy." The stool-eating and this nasty place, and "Oh, I have got a very comfortable life." So this is the, I mean to say, prakṣepātmikā.

So the sādhu-śāstra, the God Himself comes, He sends His confidential servant, He sends His son to reclaim us, and we should take advantage of these facilities and make our life successful. That should be the aim of human life.

Thank you very much. Oh, no, there is time.

veda-śāstra kahe-'sambandha', 'abhidheya', 'prayojana',

kṛṣṇa'-prāpya sambandha, 'bhakti'-prāptyera sādhana

(CC Madhya 20.124)

Now, what is the subject matter of these Vedic scriptures? That is summarily summarized, summarized by Lord Caitanya. Veda-śāstra kahe-'sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. There are three things in the Vedic scriptures. What is that? The first thing is, "What is my relationship with God?" Or "What is my relationship with this world?" Or "What is my relationship with this nature?" These three is described.

Then, as soon as you understand your relationship, then your action begins according to . . . just like two businessmen. Two . . . they want to do some business. They wanted to do . . . mutually, they want to do some business. And what is the aim of business? To make some profit. Both of them are interested in making some profit. Without profit, there is no question of business. So first, if the profit is aim, then the two business first come to a contract, or agreement. This is called sambandha, relationship. "Yes, you are supplier; I am purchaser. And you shall supply in this way, and I shall purchase in this way." The agreement. This is called relationship.

And after the sign of the agreement, when actually the activities begin, supply and purchase, that is called abhidheya. And abhidheya means why they are doing this business? Now, some profit. So the profit there must be. Otherwise nobody's interested. Same thing is there also in the Vedas. First of all you have to understand, "What is my relationship with God, or with this world, or the nature?" We must understand first this. And when we understand this, "This is my relationship," then my actual work will begin. That is abhidheya. And after executing that prescribed duty, the result is that I'll get my relationship with the Supreme Lord revived. These three things are described in the Vedas. There is no other thing.

So there are different kinds of knowledge in the Vedas. Veda is a vast knowledge. Even how we shall live in this material world, that is also described. Even medicine, medicine, the science of medicine is also described in Vedas. That is called Āyur-veda. The science of military science also described there in the Vedas. That is called Dhanur-veda. Yajur-veda . . . so many Vedas there are. And ultimately the knowledge is there, how to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth and how to get yourself liberated. That is . . . these are the subject matter of Vedas.

So in the Bhagavad-gītā also the Lord says, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15): "The ultimate purpose of Veda is to understand Kṛṣṇa." Ultimate. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam. So Kṛṣṇa or the sādhu and śāstra does not stop your material activities. Because you have to act materially so long you have got this material body, so they give regulation how you should act, so that ultimately you can reach to Kṛṣṇa.

So if we follow the regulation given in the Vedas, then automatically we reach to the highest stage of perfection. That is the purpose of Vedas. Therefore you'll find different subject matter dealt in Vedas, and unless we have a bona fide teacher of the Vedas, it is very difficult to understand Vedic language and take advantage of it.

Therefore Lord Caitanya says that "The subject matter of the Vedas we must understand." And what is that subject matter? That we must know our relationship with God, or with each other, or with this nature, or this world—then what is our action, regulated action—then the prayojana, the ultimate goal of life is reached. 'Kṛṣṇa'-prāpya sambandha, 'bhakti'-prāptyera sādhana. The ultimate end is to reach Kṛṣṇa, or to get Kṛṣṇa. Ultimate end. And that is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). The ultimate purpose of the Vedas is to reach Kṛṣṇa. That's all. So this is the ultimate goal of life, and Vedas describes this, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu is describing also. We shall come to this point gradually.

Thank you very much. Any question? (end)