660817BG-NEW YORK

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 19

Bhagavad-gétä 4.

37–40

August 17, 1966, New York

660817BG-NEW YORK [48:41 Minutes]

Audio

Prabhupäda:

yathaidhäàsi samiddho 'gnir


bhasmasät kurute 'rjuna
jïänägniù sarva-karmäëi
bhasmasät kurute tathä
[Bg 4.37]

[As the blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of
knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.]
Yathä, "as," as an edhäàsi. Edhäàsi means "fuel." Sammidho 'gniù, "blazing fire";
bhasmasät, "turns into ashes." Just like blazing fire, whatever you put into it,
any fuel, that becomes turned into ashes, similarly, jïänägniù, "when your fire
of knowledge will be ablazed, then sarva-karmäëi, all reaction of your work, will
turned into ashes."
Because the reaction of our karma, reaction of our work, is the cause of our
bondage. There are good work and bad work. Here it is stated, sarva-karmäëi.
Sarva-karmäëi means either good work or bad work. There are reaction of bad
work, and there is reaction of good work. But a, a person who is going to be
liberated from this material bondage, for him, both good work and bad work are

1
reprehensible.
There is no need of reaction of good work also. In this material world we are
attached to perform good work. Not all. Those who are in the modes of
goodness, they want to do some good work in the material estimation. And
those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance, they do work, bad work,
passionate work, work in ignorance. But those who are going to be Kåñëa
conscious, they have no need, either this good work or bad work.
Why? Now, either you enjoy the reaction of good work or bad work, your
material bondage is there. Suppose by bad work I am born... Because, according
to work, there are different position of life. Janmaiçvarya-çruta-çrébhir
edhamäna-madaù pumän [SB 1.8.26].
[My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who
are materially exhausted, because one who is on the path of [material] progress,
trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high
education and bodily beauty, cannot address You with sincere feeling.]
By good work we get good heritage, birth in a very good place, in a high family,
in rich family, aristocratic family. And with bad work we may get our birth
even in the animal kingdom or lower-graded family, poor family. These are
Vedic estimation of good work and bad work. But for a person who is going to
be Kåñëa conscious, he has no need either for good work or bad work, because
he has no need of bondage again.
Suppose I am born in a very aristocratic family, very rich family. That does not
mean that I am getting free from the material miseries. Just like we are sitting
here. Some of you are very well situated. Some of you coming from rich family
and some of you may not be so rich—from middle-class family. But the
temperature of this day is equally heating us. There is no consideration that
"Here is a person who is coming from rich family, so the temperature should be
lesser for him." No. Therefore, either we enjoy the reaction of good work,
either we enjoy the reaction of bad work, we have to accept this material body.

2
And as soon as we accept this material body, we have to undergo the material
miseries.
But our whole program is... Duùkhälayam açäçvatam. Lord Kåñëa says, mäm
upetya kaunteya duùkhälayam açäçvataà näpnuvanti [Bg 8.15].
[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogés in devotion, never return
to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained
the highest perfection.]
You'll find in the Tenth Chapter, the Lord says, "Anyone who comes to Me or
gets Me," mäm upetya, "gets Me..." We can get Kåñëa in this life also, by Kåñëa
consciousness. Just like you get into touch with government if you are engaged
in the government service, similarly, if you get into the transcendental service
of Kåñëa, then you get into Kåñëa. Kåñëa says, mäm upetya tu kaunteya.
Kaunteya means Arjuna. "O the son of Kunté, after attainment of Myself by a
person, the..." What is the result? The result is: mäm upetya tu kaunteya
duùkhälayam açäçvataà näpnuvanti [Bg 8.15]: "He does not get any more to this
place of miseries."
The whole thing is... Now, jïänägniù, knowledge, fire of knowledge. That fire
of knowledge does not burn in our mind. You see? Therefore we accept this
miserable life as happiness, because there is want of that knowledge. Just like a
dog or a hog cannot understand what sort of miserable life he's passing on. He
thinks that "I am all right. I am enjoying life very nicely." That is the... That is
called covering influence of material energy.
A person who is suffering... Just like you'll find in the Bowery Street there are
so many drunkards lying on the street. Oh, they're also thinking, "Oh, we are
enjoying life, enjoying life." But others, who are passing on cars, they are taking
sympathy on him, "Oh, how miserably they are living." So that is the way of
covering, covering influence of material nature. I am in miserable life, but I
accept it, "Oh, I am very happy. I am very happy." This is called ignorance.

3
So when one is awakened to the full knowledge, he understands, "Oh, I am not
happy. Oh, I want freedom. Oh, there is no freedom. I don't want to die, but
there is death. I don't want to become old man. Oh, there is old age. I don't
want diseases. Oh, there are diseases." These are the problems. But due to our
ignorance we set aside all these big questions of human problems. We take a
small problems as very important.
We take economic development as the most important thing, forgetting that
how long I shall live here in this material world. So fifty or sixty or hundred
years. So economic development or no economic development, my life will be
finished. Suppose I develop my economic life in a very..., I accumulate millions
of dollars. But when I leave this body I'll leave everything. Then again I take
my birth according to my reaction, either in poor family or old, I mean to say,
rich family or even animal life. There is no guarantee.
This is knowledge. One has to acquire this knowledge. So unless this
knowledge is awakened in our mind or in our consciousness, then whatever we
are doing we must consider that we are being defeated, defeated by the
influence of material nature. So here Kåñëa says, jïänägniù sarva-karmäëi
bhasmasät kurute tathä. As soon as I understand my position, that I want
freedom... We are trying to go to the moon planet, but because there is no
freedom, oh, we are failing in every step, although we are advertising in the
paper, "Now it is two years more, two years more." The Russians began to sell
land in the moon planet, that "In 1965 we shall go there." But 1965... Now it is
going to 1967. Now they are silent about selling land in moon planet.
The thing is that we want. That is our nature. We want to travel. People are
coming from India to America, from America to India. So we want to travel
freely. That is my right, because as spirit soul, there is a word... You'll find in
the Bhagavad-gétä, sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means a spirit soul has the potency of
going anywhere he likes. Anywhere he likes. There are... Actually, those who
have attained perfection in yoga... Of course, that is not the highest perfection.

4
Even persons, those who have attained perfection in yoga, they can travel in
any planet.
And the perfection of yoga is indicated like this, that a yogé dies according to
his own will. He is not, I mean to..., pressed to leave this body just like ordinary
people, they leave this body under the pressure of nature's law. So they get so
much power. When they find that "Now I shall leave this body," they fix up in
which planet they will go, and they transfer their soul into that planet. That is
the highest yogic perfection. And hardly you'll find such a yogé.
So my point is that the living entity has got the tendency to move freely. To
move freely. There are living entities in other, higher planets which is called
Siddhaloka. We get this information from Çrémad-Bhägavatam. In the
Siddhaloka planet there are also living entities, or human being like us. But
they are so powerful that, without any help of airplane or without any help of
sputnik, they can travel from one planet to another. We have got this
information.
So our... When we are free from this material bondage we have no information
how much powerful we are. We are satisfied here by manufacturing something,
sputnik, that we are very much satisfied that we have advanced so much in
material science without knowing that without any help of this sputnik and
aeroplane, I can travel all planets. That potency I have got. Now, how that
potency we can have? That is the thing we should culture. Jïänägniù. And that
can be achieved by jïäna, by knowledge.
The knowledge... The knowledge... For knowledge, everything is there. We
have to accept that. That... Therefore, formerly people used to observe
penances and austerity to attain perfection. Now here, in this age, oh, that...,
such austerities and penances are not possible. Are not possible. Because our
life is very short, and we are always disturbed. Präyeëälpäyuñaù kalau asmin
yuge janäù. Kalau. Kalau means this age, the age of quarrel and insufficiency.
This age is called Kali. Kali means "the age of quarreling." We fight. On

5
insignificant questions we fight. Therefore this is called Kali-yuga. So in this
yuga we have got very short period of life.
That day I was reading from the Twelfth Chapter, er, Twelfth Canto of
Çrémad-Bhägavatam—perhaps some of you who were present—that in this age
the life will be reduced from twenty to thirty years. We have to wait for that
time. So gradually, things will deteriorate. Therefore in the Kali-yuga, the yoga
practice or the sacrifice or, I mean to say, very pompous worship of God, oh,
that is not possible. People are..., have got short life, they are always disturbed.
They are disturbed with material disturbances, diseases, and they are
unfortunate also. They are not very fortunate. So mandäù sumanda-matayo
manda-bhägyä hy upadrutäù [SB 1.1.10].
[O learned one, in this iron Age of Kali men almost always have but short
lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always
disturbed.]
Mandäù. They are very slow, and also unfortunate. This very word is used in
the Bhägavata. So therefore, in the Kali-yuga, if we want to get all this
advantage of knowledge, then the only way is to become Kåñëa conscious. To
become Kåñëa conscious. That will help us. If that Kåñëa consciousness is
ablaze... That... Bahünäà janmanäm ante jïänavän mäà prapadyate [Bg 7.19].
[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders
unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great
soul is very rare.]
If we can surrender unto Kåñëa and fully become Kåñëa conscious—just the
example Arjuna showed; he became Kåñëa conscious—then our knowledge will
be ablaze, and all the reaction of our good work or bad work will be turned into
ashes. We shall be purified. Na hi jïänena sadåçaà pavitram iha vidyate [Bg
4.38].
[In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental
knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who
6
has achieved this enjoys the self within himself in due course of time.]
The Lord says again, "There is nothing purified things in this material world
except jïäna, or knowledge." What is that knowledge? That knowledge is that,
that "I am part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore my business is to
dovetail myself with the supreme consciousness. I am individual consciousness,
and I shall be dovetailed with the supreme consciousness." That is jïäna.
This is the purest thing in this material world. Everything is contaminated
here by some modes of material nature. Even the modes of material nature of
goodness, that is also another kind of contamination. And what to speak of the
modes of passion and ignorance. Even goodness... In goodness, one becomes
enlightened. He becomes enlightened about his position, about this matter,
about transcendental subject. But the defect is there: "Oh, now I have
understood everything, I am all right." He wants to stay here. That means a
first-class prisoner. And... He's offered all kinds of facilities in the prison house.
Oh, he thinks, "Oh, now I am all right."
So even the modes of goodness, that is also a cause of our bondage. Therefore
we have to transcend even the quality of goodness. Even the quality of
goodness we have to transcend. That transcendental position is Kåñëa
consciousness. The transcendental position is, also begins, ahaà brahmäsmi: "I
am Brahman. I am not this matter." But that position is also unsettled. Because,

brahma-bhütaù prasannätmä
na çocati na käìkñati
samaù sarveñu bhüteñu
mad-bhaktià labhate paräm
[Bg 18.54]

[And of all yogés, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping
Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga
and is the highest of all.]

7
Now, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, in the brahma-bhütaù stage...
Brahma-bhütaù stage means self-realization of transcendental position, that "I
am not this matter; I am spirit soul." This realization is called brahma-bhütaù.
We are Brahman. We are not matter. But some way or other we have been in
contact with the mäyä, matter. Therefore, out of ignorance I am identifying
myself with this material body. But actually, we are not matter. That we can
understand. If I had been matter, then as soon as my, my dead body is there,
oh, no matter can revive the life.
Now they have made so much scientific improvement, material scientific
improvement. Now, suppose there is a body, dead body. Now, if the living force
was something material, then bring something material and inject in that dead
body and get him up again. No, that is not possible, because that spiritual thing
is gone, and we have no control over the spiritual matt..., spiritual thing. The
spirit soul, that is a superior nature. We have been simply informed in
Bhagavad-gétä, that is a superior nature. This is inferior nature. So this inferior
nature is my bondage. I am not this inferior nature.
So Kåñëa says, na hi jïänena sadåçaà pavitram iha... [Bg 4.38].
[In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental
knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who
has achieved this enjoys the self within himself in due course of time.]
So as soon as we become, I mean to say, revived to our position, brahma-bhütaù,
then our first symptom will be prasannätmä. Prasannätmä—we shall be joyful.
Prasannätmä na çocati na käìkñati. [Bg 18.54]
[And of all yogés, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping
Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga
and is the highest of all.]
There will be no lamentation and no hankering. But the difficulty is that even
if we rise up to the brahma-bhütaù stage and if we do not take to the service of

8
Kåñëa, then there is possibility of falling down again. That information we
have got. Äruhya kåcchreëa paraà padaà tataù patanty adhaù
anädåta-yuñmad-aìghrayaù [SB 10.2.32].
[[Someone may say that aside from devotees, who always seek shelter at the
Lord's lotus feet, there are those who are not devotees but who have accepted
different processes for attaining salvation. What happens to them? In answer
to this question, Lord Brahmä and the other demigods said:] O lotus-eyed Lord,
although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve
the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is
impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because
they have no regard for Your lotus feet.]
Just like you may rise very high in the sky, but if you have no shelter there, if
your aeroplane or sputnik fails, then you again you fall down. Again you fall
down. So if you rise up to that stage that you can attain some planet and take
your rest there, so then there is no possibility of falling down. But so long you
are in the sky, oh, there is every chance of falling down, every chance.
Similarly, simple understanding of brahma-bhütaù stage will not help me unless
I take shelter unto Kåñëa. As soon as I get shelter unto Kåñëa, as soon as I
engage myself in the service of Kåñëa, then there is no chance of falling down
again into this material world. Because there is engagement. Our nature is such
that we want some engagement. Paraà dåñövä nivartate [Bg 2.59].
[The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the
taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing
a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.]
Just like a child. Child is playing all day and doing mischief in the house, and...
So he cannot be stopped mischief-doing. He must be given some engagement.
If he's given some engagement, some playthings, and if his attention is diverted
there, then he'll stop mischief-making in the house. Otherwise, idle brain,
devil's workshop. He will go on, go on. So therefore we must have spiritual

9
engagement. Simple understanding that "I am spirit soul" will not help me.
Brahma-bhütaù prasannätmä [Bg 18.54].
[And of all yogés, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping
Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga
and is the highest of all.]
The brahma-bhütaù stage, situation, is that "I am not matter; I am spirit." That's
all right. But we have to sustain the spirit. How you can sustain? You can
sustain when there is spiritual engagement. Otherwise, it is not possible.
Otherwise, I may continue for some time, but there is chance of falling down.
Because we have got this information and a practical experience also: great,
great, I mean to say, yogés and jïänés, they again come.
We have some practical experience. Sometimes we find a person leaves all
worldly engagements, leaves his family, gives up his family connection,
becomes a renounced order, sannyäsé, and highest order, and then, after some
time, he becomes engaged in opening hospitals and philanthropic work and in
politics. We have seen it. Oh, why? You have renounced the world. Why you
are hospital-making business? Hospital-making business is there, going on by
the government, by the state. You are not meant for making hospitals. You
have to make hospitals how people can get rid of this material body. That is
spiritual activity.
We also require to open hospital. And what is that hospital? To cure this
material disease, not this temporary disease. Again we may be attacked. The
complete cure of material disea... That sort of hospital will be required. That
hospital is this Kåñëa consciousness Society. If we take treatment under this
Kåñëa consciousness Society, then we shall be cured of this material disease.
Otherwise, we shall be again attacked with some kind of body.
Väsäàsi jérëäni yathä vihäya [Bg 2.22].
[As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul

10
accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.]
Just like we change our dresses from one dress to another, similarly, this body to
another body, transmigration of the soul. But we are meant for now completely
ceasing to have any material body in the next life. That should be our aim of
life. That is called... That knowledge is called the purest knowledge. Na hi
jïänena sadåçaà pavitram iha... That knowledge is the purest knowledge.
Tat svayaà yoga-saàsiddhaù kälena ätmani vindati [Bg 4.38].
[In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental
knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who
has achieved this enjoys the self within himself in due course of time.]
Now, by becoming Kåñëa consciousness, by this yoga, bhakti-yoga, you can be
successful. Yoga-saàsiddhaù. And, in due course of time, you'll understand that
"Yes, I am in right path. Oh." In due course of... Immediately you may be very
doubtful, "Whether I have accepted the right path or not?" But in kälena, in
due course, in due course of time, if you continue the process...
Therefore in the next verse it is stated, çraddhävän labhate jïänam [Bg 4.39].
[A faithful man who is absorbed in transcendental knowledge and who
subdues his senses quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.]
Çraddhävän, one who is faithful, he can take up this knowledge. Faithful. Those
who are hesitating, those who have no faith, oh, it is very difficult for them.
We have to accept. Because the method is standard, and it is given by the
highest authority, Kåñëa, so we must have such faith, "Oh, here is a thing,
authoritative." Just like faith in any transaction we have. We must have some
faith.
Now, suppose if I go to California from here, from New York, now, I have
purchased the ticket by, going by air. Now, I have got this faith that "This
company, this aeroplane company, will take me to there." Maybe there may be

11
some accident, but on faith I accept it, "Yes, it will take me there." When we go
to the barber shop, on faith we stretch our neck and the razor is going on. He
may at once put into the neck. But you keep the faith, "Yes, we have got the
faith he will not do that."
So without faith, we cannot make progress. If in ordinary dealings we have to
accept faithfully something... Who knows that this aeroplane will take me to
California? It may go down to hell, in the oil[?]. The, in the bus there may be
some accident. In the railway there may be some accident. There is possibility.
But on faith we accept. So if we want to make progress we must have faith.
And where to keep our faith? In the authority. We are not going to book our
ticket in an authorized..., unauthorized company. Those who are acknowledged
company, we purchase their ticket to go to California. Similarly, here we must
have faith in Kåñëa. If you have got this faith in Kåñëa or Lord Jesus Christ or
whatever you may have, full of... Without faith, we cannot make progress. That
is called faithful. And those who have no faith, they are called faithless. So
here it is clearly stated, çraddhävän labhate jïänam: "Those who are faithful,
they can make progress in this knowledge of spiritual advancement." Tat-paraù
saàyatendriyaù.
And faith, how we become faithful? Now, saàyata indriya. You have to control
the senses. The whole thing is, our material existence is here because we want
to gratify senses. That is the whole disease. So this faith of spiritual
advancement can be, I mean to say, enhanced when we agree; at the same time,
saàyata indriya. Just like if you are taking treatment of a physician, you have
faith, "All right." But the physician says, "Don't do this," and if you do this,
then what kind of faith you have got?
Physician, when he treats some patient, he prescribes something, "don't do this"
and "do this"; some "do-nots," some "do." Now, if I say, "My dear physician, I
have got all faith in you. Very good. But I cannot follow your instruction. You
say, 'Do not.' I do it," oh, how you can? How you are faithful? How you are

12
faithful? So çraddhävän labhate jïänaà tat-paraù saàyatendriyaù. You have to
follow the instruction with faith. Then you get. You have to follow the
instruction with faith.

çraddhäväl labhate jïänaà


tat-paraù saàyatendriyaù
jïänaà labdhvä paräà çäntim
acireëädhigacchati
[Bg 4.39]

[A faithful man who is absorbed in transcendental knowledge and who


subdues his senses quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.]
And when the formula is properly executed and he attains to the stage of
knowledge, then his profit is, jïänaà labdhvä paräà çäntim: he gets complete
peace, paräà çäntim, complete peace. Acireëa. And that peace is very near to
you. In the near future you'll have, if you faithfully follow. Very near, not very
long. Acireëa. Acireëa means "very near." Very near. Çraddhävän labhate
jïänaà tat-paraù saàyatendriyaù, jïänaà labdhvä. And when that stage you'll
achieve, then you'll feel, "Oh, there is no happiest man in the world like me."
That stage you will have.
Just like when the disease is cured, when disease is... Just like you have got some
boil, in the boil, in the hand or some part of your body, and the physician says,
"It is... It has to be surgically operated," now, with faith you undergo the
surgical operation, and during the operation it may seem very severe. You may
be feeling very severely. But when the pusses are out and it is bandaged, oh,
you'll feel relief: "Oh, my dear physician, you have done a great deal of progress.
You are [indistinct]." But when the operation was going on, he was at hell.
So this is the thing. With faith, we have to accept the formula, and we have to
execute it. But if you do it... Because the authority is there. We are keeping our
faith not to a third-class person. To the supreme authority, Kåñëa. We have to

13
understand first. Therefore we have discussed this point. Tad-vijïänärtham...,
tad viddhi praëipätena [Bg 4.34].
[Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from
him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can
impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.]
For attain, attainment of knowledge, we have to approach such a person where
we can keep our faith. If we are faithless, if you keep..., if we go somewhere
where we cannot keep our faith... That is also necessary. We must find out such
a person who is actually worth for keeping my faith. If we find out a third-class
person and keep my faith, then there may be dangerous thing.
So here, Kåñëa is the most authorized personality. Now, anyone who is actually
Kåñëa conscious, Kåñëa conscious, then you can accept him as the same as
Kåñëa. Because a person who is fully in Kåñëa consciousness, he is the bona fide
representative of Kåñëa. He's the bona fide representative of Kåñëa. So keeping
faith on Kåñëa or to His bona fide representative is the same thing. So that
çraddhävän, if you follow, saàyatendriya, with controlled senses, then your
result is guaranteed, and you'll feel it.
How you'll feel it? Just like you are hungry and if you are given some food,
foodstuff and you eat it, and as you eat it, you feel that "Yes, I am feeling
satisfaction," so you'll feel it. You won't have to ask anybody that "Whether I
am making progress nor not?" You yourself will feel it. Acireëa. Acireëa çäntim
adhi... You will feel full peace, acireëa, very soon.
Then ajïaç cäçraddadhänaç ca saàçayätmä vinaçyati. And those who are
faithless or hesitating, oh, they have no chance. They have no chance. Ajïaç
ca. That hesitation is due to also ignorance. Ajïaç ca açraddadhänaù. And
ignorant and faithless. Saàçayätmä, hesitating. Vinaçyati: "He is hopeless."
Näyaà lokaù asti na paraù na sukhaà saàçayätmanaù [Bg 4.40]:
[But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not

14
attain God consciousness; they fall down. For the doubting soul there is
happiness neither in this world nor in the next.]
"Anyone who is hesitating in accepting this principle of knowledge, or Kåñëa
consciousness, for him," näyaà loko 'sti, "not even this material world will be
happy. And what to speak of his next life." If he has no faith, then even in this
material world he'll be unhappy. The material world is unhappy. It is all already
miserable. It will be more miserable. He'll feel always disturbed, miserable,
faithless. So for a faithless, the situation is very precarious.
So here is an authoritative version in the authoritative book, Bhagavad-gétä.
And spoken by the Lord Himself, Çré Kåñëa. And if we accept faithfully, with
confidence, that "Here is an authority..." Just the same way that when I am
purchasing a ticket from a recognized company... Just like I am keeping my
money in some bank, thousands of dollars. Why? With faith. With faith. They
have created some faith. Otherwise, thousands and thousands of dollars are
coming in the bank. Why? There is faith. Who knows? The bank may fail or
may not pay. Because the money's out of my hand, now they may not pay it. It
may be. But because I have faith, I am putting my money there. So faith is
required.
Where? Authority. Here is authority. Why are you putting our money in the
bank? Because you have got faith. We have confidence that "This bank will not
fail." Similarly, if we can keep our faith in an ordinary bank or a traveling
agent, can we not keep our faith Kåñëa, who is accepted as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by all other big authorities, even by Çaìkaräcärya,
Rämänujäcärya, Lord Caitanya and all these?
So we have to follow the footprints of great authorities. Mahäjano yena gataù sa
panthäù [Cc Madhya 17.186].
[Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu continued, ”’Dry arguments are inconclusive. A
great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a
great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot

15
come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid
truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated,
self-realized person. Consequently, as the çästras confirm, one should accept
whatever progressive path the mahäjanas advocate.’]
He'll be situat... Just like we also follow others. Just like if I put some money in a
bank, I see, "So many people are keeping their money. So I may also keep." So if
Kåñëa has been accepted as the supreme authority by so many big, big men,
why should we not keep our faith in Kåñëa? Or Jesus Christ? That's all right.
We must keep our faith, and faithfully we shall discharge our duties. And if we
follow that principle, the result is guaranteed.
Thank you very much. Any question, you can ask.
Why the door is closed? [indistinct comment by guest] Come here. Eh?
Guest: I have got to know the different books before I come here. [indistinct]
When I come in here there is a sound and movement and odor. [indistinct].
Prabhupäda: Yes. This transcendental sound is a process of cleansing our mind.
This is also transcendental sound. This is not ordinary sound.
Ceto-darpaëa-märjanam [Cc Antya 20.12].
[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kåñëa,
which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing
fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the
white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all
education. The chanting of the holy name of Kåñëa expands the blissful ocean
of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to
taste full nectar at every step.]
The whole thing is due to our unclean mind. So this transcendental sound is
the process of cleaning the mouth[?], and in clean..., in clean mind, we can
accept transcendental subject. Otherwise it is sometimes disturbing. So this...

16
Guest: Cleanse the mind.
Prabhupäda: Yes. Yes?
Devotee: In other words, you don't want to negate the senses?
Prabhupäda: Eh?
Devotee: In other words, there's no negation of the senses?
Prabhupäda: No negation?
Devotee: Of the senses.
Prabhupäda: Senses. Yes. Here... Senses... We have got our transcendental
senses. Now it is covered. Just like in our diseased condition, the same hand,
the same nose, same ear are there, but we feel something extraordinary. "Oh,
my..., there is headache. Oh, my hand is burning, burning. Oh!" But when the
disease is cured, then you don't feel that sensation. So senses we have got. That
is our spiritual senses. So we have to revive our spiritual senses.
We are not senseless. As spirit soul, we have got our original senses, but that
senses are now covered by this material contamination. Just like my senses, my
hand burns during fever, due to the fever. But when the fever is moved,
removed, when I get free from the fever attack, then I feel nice. Similarly, we
have got our senses; when we are freed from this material contamination, then
we have got our proper use of the sense and enjoyment. We have to wait for
that purpose. And if our... If we, in our diseased condition, we go on satisfying
the senses, then the disease will be aggravated.
For the present, we have to control the senses, saàyatendriya, just to get us
cured from this material disease. That is the way. You have not to kill your
senses. That is not given. Because your hand is burning due to some disease, oh,
if the physician says, "All right, cut off this hand," oh, that is not treatment.
The treatment is that sensation, that burning sensation, should be cured. Hand

17
should live as it is.
So we are..., we have got all desires, we have got all senses, spiritually. And we
have to revive that. And that Kåñëa consciousness will help us to revive our
original status of senses. And that original status of senses, that sense of
enjoyment, will be spiritual enjoyment. That will give us real... Sukham
atyantikaà yat aténdriya-grähyam [Bg 6.21].
[The stage of perfection is called trance, or samädhi, when one's mind is
completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This
is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish
and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless
transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses.
Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he
thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never
shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom
from all miseries arising from material contact.]
You'll find in the Bhagavad-gétä that happiness, happiness perceived by the
senses, is beyond these material senses.
And in the Närada-bhakti-sütra also you'll find that håñékeëa håñékeça-sevanaà
bhaktir ucyate. Sarvopädhi-vinirmuktaà tat-paratvena nirmalam
[Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu 1.1.12, Cc. Madhya 19.170].
[Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service
of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses.
When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side
effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are
purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.]
When our senses are freed from all designation... Just like due to fever I am
feeling some extra sensation in my hand. That is a designation. When that
designation is freed, then I come to my normal state.

18
Similarly, at the present moment, due to this covering of material body, I have
got different designative sensation. Designative sensation. I am feeling I am, I
am just using my senses under some designation. So we have to get free from
this designation. That is the whole spiritual process. You haven't got to kill
your senses. That will help you when you are in Kåñëa consciousness.
[break] ...which are beyond the topics. Just like we also talk something on some
subject matter, Kåñëa consciousness is the highest knowledge. So we have
heard so many things about this. If there is any doubt about that, I mean to say,
statement you can ask me. That was my point. Otherwise, any question...
Devotee: That's what I... That's what I was talking about.
Prabhupäda: Eh? So you can ask any question on the topics which you have
already finished. [end]

19

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy