661210 - Lecture CC Madhya 20.146, 149-51 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1966

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

661210CC.NY - December 10, 1966

Prabhupāda:

mukhya-gauṇa-vṛtti, kiṁvā anvaya-vyatireke

vedera pratijñā kevala kahaye kṛṣṇake

Lord Caitanya says: "You study Vedas in any way—directly, indirectly. In whatever way we like, you study Vedas, but the ultimate objective is Kṛṣṇa." Now Caitanya, Lord Caitanya, is describing about the various forms of Kṛṣṇa. This is very important subject. How Kṛṣṇa is all-pervading, He is describing.

kṛṣṇera svarūpa-ananta, vaibhava-apāra

cic-chakti, māyā-śakti, jīva-śakti āra

(CC Madhya 20.149)

Kṛṣṇera svarūpa ananta. The transcendental forms of Kṛṣṇa, innumerable, vaibhava, and His opulence, that is also innumerable. Nobody can estimate. How many forms are there of Kṛṣṇa or how much opulent He is, nobody can estimate—nobody can measure. This is inconceivable. The first proposition.

Cic-chakti māyā-śakti jīva-śakti āra. And His potencies are also unlimited, out of which, three potencies are generally accepted: cit-śakti, spiritual potency; material potency; and marginal potency. These three potencies I have described many times. Cit-śakti, the spiritual potency, is a manifestation of the spiritual world, and material potency is a manifestation of this material world, and the marginal potency, we are, we living entities. We are marginal potency.

Why it is marginal? Because although we belong to the spiritual potency, but we have got tendency to come into contact of this material potency. Therefore it is called marginal, "this way or that way." That slight independence which is there in every living entity, he can use that, and he may select either to live in the spiritual potency or in the material potency. Therefore the living entities are called marginal potency. So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8).

Although the energies of the Supreme Lord are innumerable—nobody can count or measure—but they are divided into three.

vaikuṇṭha, brahmāṇḍa-gaṇa-śakti-kārya haya

svarūpa-śakti śakti-kāryera-kṛṣṇa samāśraya

(CC Madhya 20.150)

Now, Lord Caitanya says, Vaikuṇṭha. Just like this universe is a jagad-aṇḍa, is a big round ball, aṇḍa. Aṇḍa means egg, egglike, just like egg is round. Therefore this . . . it is called brahmāṇḍa. Brahmāṇḍa. It is a round ball. Every planet is round, and the universe is also round, and the Vaikuṇṭhas are also round. All round. Vaikuṇṭha, brahmāṇḍa-gaṇa-śakti-kārya haya. So all these universes, the universe which you experience . . . there are innumerable universes that we cannot see. We can see only one universe, and in one universe there are innumerable planets. Similarly, there are innumerable universes, and in each universe there are innumerable planets. This information we get from Brahma-saṁhitā.

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-

koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam

tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs 5.40)

That brahma-jyoti, in that brahma-jyoti there are all these universes and Vaikuṇṭhas. All, they are resting in that brahma-jyoti. Just like in the sun . . . sunshine so many planets are resting, similarly, in the brahma-jyoti, the personal shining of Lord Kṛṣṇa, in that shining which is called brahma-jyoti, all the universes and Vaikuṇṭha planets or universes, they are all resting. And the universes, the material universes are only three fourth in quantity of the Vaikuṇṭha universes. All the universes taken together of this material world, it is only three fourth of the—in comparison to the other Vaikuṇṭha, or spiritual, universes.

Vaikuṇṭha, brahmāṇḍa-gaṇa-śakti-kārya haya. Now, these universes and the brahmāṇḍas, or the Vaikuṇṭhas, they are manifestation of the energy of the Supreme Lord. God is all-pervading. "God is all-pervading" does not mean God has lost His identification. This is the mistake of the impersonalist. "Because God is everywhere, God is all-pervading, therefore there should not be any particular existence of God." This is impersonalism. But this is material thought. They do not study Vedic literature properly.

In the Vedic literature it is said, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation).

Just like I have several times explained before you that in the spiritual absolute identity, one minus one equal to one and one plus one equal to one. So although innumerable energies are coming out of the supreme body of the Supreme Lord, still He is full. There is no loss of energy. Just like we can . . . we can have some material example: the sun. We do not know for how many millions of years the sunshine and temperature is coming out of the sun planet, but still the sun is the same. There is no loss of temperature.

So if in a material object this is possible, that in spite of distributing heat and light from the sun disc for millions and millions of years, the sun disc is still of the same temperature, there is no loss of temperature—this is a material thing—so why in the spiritual body of the Supreme there will be any loss? But this is the material idea, that "Because God has become all-pervading, therefore He has lost Himself." Why He should lose, I mean lose His identity? This is confirmed in the Vedic literature: pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evavaśiṣyate. If you take from the . . . He is so full that if you take the whole thing from Him, still, He is whole. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate.

So as described here, kṛṣṇa svarūpa ananta vaibhava apāra. So although He is transmitting innumerable energies, and although He is expanding Himself in innumerable forms, still, He is one. Still, He is the same and one. That is the spiritual conception, or absolute conception. Absolute is not relative. "Because something has being taken away, therefore it is something less"—it is relative. It is not absolute. This idea is relative. I have got in my pocket ten dollars. So I have taken two dollars. Now it is eight dollars. This is relative truth. This is not absolute idea. Absolute idea is that pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate. Avaśiṣyate means the balance is still full. Whatever you may take, the balance is still.

daśame daśamaṁ lakṣyam

āśritāśraya-vigraham

śrī-kṛṣṇākhyaṁ paraṁ dhāma

jagad-dhāma namāmi tat

(CC Madhya 20.151)

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are twelve cantos. In the Tenth Canto the appearance of Kṛṣṇa and His activities are mentioned. In the Tenth Canto. And before Lord Kṛṣṇa's activities and life is mentioned, there are nine cantos. So why? Now, daśame daśamaṁ lakṣyam āśritāśraya-vigraham. Now, to understand Kṛṣṇa, we have to understand what is this creation, how this creation is going on, what are the activities, what are spiritual knowledge, what is philosophy, what is renunciation, what is liberation. All these things we have to learn very nicely. After learning these perfectly, then you can understand Kṛṣṇa.

So in the nine cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, all these different nine manifestation of His energies are described. If we can understand . . . just like if we can study the sunshine, the energy of the sun, then we can estimate the value of sun, "Oh, what sort of temperature is there." So if you want to study God, if you want to know God, then you must first of all study His energies. God is all-pervading by His energy. You study. Just the scientist, what they are studying? They are studying a portion of the energy of God; only a portion of the energy of God. That is also not perfectly. So the energy is so vast and immense that one cannot study even the energy.

Therefore those who are studying about God, after finishing the study of the energies, they, I mean to say, they are at . . . at a loss to understand how so much energy can be emanated from the person. Therefore they cannot conceive any personal idea of God. The energy is so vast and immense that they are bewildered in the energy. And how such great amount of energy can emanate from a person they cannot conceive, because they compare with their own energy. Because I am limited. I have got this body, I have got my personality, but my energy . . . energies are limited. But we cannot understand that the Unlimited has got unlimited energy.

So this impersonal idea of God is for the less intelligent person, not for the intelligent person. Those who are, I mean to say, favored with poor fund of knowledge, they cannot conceive about the Personality of Godhead. Therefore we have to approach authorities just like Lord Caitanya. He is putting something before us. Even in Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa also says that, "I am person." "I am person." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). And it is confirmed by Arjuna. What is that? Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. (BG 10.12).

So . . . so this . . . the Bhagavad-gītā, the speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā, establishing Himself that, "I am person," and the student of the Bhagavad-gītā, I mean to say, Arjuna, he is accepting, "Yes, You are person. I accept it." I do not know why these fools explain, from Bhagavad-gītā, impersonalism. Where is the chance of explaining impersonal about conception of God from Bhagavad-gītā? Now, how they can surpass the speaker and the student? The student is Arjuna. He is accepting that "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead." And the speaker, Kṛṣṇa, He is also establishing Himself that, "I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Now, wherefrom these fools take impersonal idea, I do not know. How they can? There is no chance. But still, they will poke their nose in that way. It is very sorry plight. You see? They are simply misleading persons.

So God is person. God, so far Vedic literature is concerned, God is person and accepted by the ācāryas. We have to follow the ācāryas; otherwise we cannot . . . our own interpretation, our own tiny brain, we cannot conceive. We have to follow. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2).

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna, and from Arjuna there are paramparā. There are disciplic succession. We have to follow that way. Now here Lord Caitanya, although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, still, He is in that paramparā, in that disciplic succession. He says that "In order to understand Kṛṣṇa, you have to study His energies. He is person. His energies are imperson."

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavata also it is said:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

(SB 1.2.11)

"The Absolute Truth, those who know about Absolute Truth, they say . . ." Bhāgavat er Śrīmad-Bhāgavata describes about the Absolute Truth, vadanti tat tattva-vidaḥ. Tattva-vidaḥ means "those who are in the knowledge of the Absolute Truth." Vadanti tat: "They describe that thing as Absolute Truth." What is that? Advaya-jñāna: "There is no duality of knowledge." That is Absolute Truth. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yad advaya-jñānam (SB 1.2.11).

Advaya-jñānam means just like you are Mr. Such-and-such, and when you are not present, if I ask, "Mr. Such-and-such, please help me this way," but you are not present; you cannot help. Therefore it is duality. Your name and you, person—duality. And advaya-jñāna means, nonduality means, the person and the name is the same. Otherwise what is the use of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare? Then in that way I can chant anyone's name? No. This Kṛṣṇa name and Kṛṣṇa is Absolute Truth, advaya-jñāna, nonduality. Nonduality.

So vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam, brahmeti. That Absolute Truth is manifested in three phases. What is that? Brahman. Brahman is impersonal, Brahman conception. Then Paramātmā, localized conception. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61): "Īśvara, the Lord, is sitting in everyone's heart." This is Paramātmā conception. And Bhagavān. Bhagavān means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So Bhagavān and Paramātmā and Brahman, they are not different.

Simply according to my realization, the different names are there. According to my different realization. Somebody is realizing only the impersonal manifestation, energies, and somebody is experiencing the . . . because God is everywhere. So I experience this way; you experience in that way. Therefore the name, Absolute Truth, is differently named. Otherwise there is no difference. It is my realization.

So we . . . if somebody argues, "The sunshine is sun," well, that can be accepted. Why not? Sunshine is sun. But if somebody says: "No, sunshine is not sun," that is also accepted, because sunshine is not sun also. Somebody says that "Sunshine is sun," that is accepted. And somebody says: "Sunshine is not sun," that is also accepted. Because there is no difference between sun and the sunshine. Similarly . . . but by comparative study, one who is studying the sun as it is, he is studying everything, or he knows everything. Similarly, one who knows Kṛṣṇa, he knows everything. He knows Paramātmā, he knows Brahman, he knows māyā—everything. Yes. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam eva vijñātaṁ bhavanti (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). The Vedic literature says, "The understanding of that one is the understanding of everything."

So Lord Caitanya says that in order to understand that one Kṛṣṇa, there are nine cantos in the Bhagavad-gītā (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam). Yes. Daśamasya viśuddhaye. Unless we study these nine cantos perfectly, we cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that:

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

"Out of millions and millions person, some persons are interested in self-realization; not all." That we can see. Some of you . . . there are thousands and thousands of persons. Some of you are interested to understand this, so you kindly come here. Therefore manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu: "Out of millions and millions person, somebody becomes interested in self-realization." Then, yatatām api siddhānām: "Now, out of those persons who are trying to realize self, out of such millions and millions of person, somebody may know what is God."

So it is not very easy, but it is easy also. For whom? Who at once surrenders to God. Then God reveals to him. And one who does not reveal . . . er, surrender, oh, it is very difficult for him. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs 5.33).

You cannot find out God by simply reading and philosophizing all the scriptures and books. No. If you want to know God, then you must be in confidence. You must be a devotee, a lover of God. Then you can understand God. Otherwise it is not possible.

Thank you very much. Any quest . . . ? (break) (end)