12 March 1976 — Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.34

Śāstrījī: (Chants slokas) Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (chants mantras; chants verse word by word; devotees respond; chants verse)

tat-sambhavaḥ kavir ato ‘nyad apaśyamānas

tvāṁ bījam ātmāni tataṁ sa bahir vicintya

nāvindad abda-śatam apsu nimajjamānaḥ

jāte ‘ṅkure katham uhopalabheta bījam

(SB 7.9.34)

Prabhupāda: Read, somebody. Why the signboard was not . . .? What is this management, so many deviations?

Hṛdayānanda: (chants verse)

Prabhupāda: Anyone more? Go on.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: (chants synonyms) (break)

Translation: (04:32) “From that great lotus flower from which Brahmā is generated, certainly Brahmā could not see anything else except the big lotus flower. Therefore Lord Brahmā, diving within the water, executed austerity and penance for one hundred years but still could not get any trace of You. The reason is that when a seed is fructified, the original seed cannot be seen.”

Prabhupāda:

tat-sambhavaḥ kavir ato ‘nyad apaśyamānas

tvāṁ bījam ātmāni tataṁ sa bahir vicintya

nāvindad abda-śatam apsu nimajjamānaḥ

jāte ‘ṅkure katham uhopalabheta bījam

(SB 7.9.34)

So from the beginning of the creation the same illusion is continued. Brahma, when he was born, created, he was created not by ordinary father and mother, but he was created on a lotus flower stem which grew from the navel of Maha Viṣṇu, er, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Therefore Brahmā’s another name is Aja. He’s not born like ordinary human being. Svayambhū. He’s also known as Svayambhū. Everyone is born by father and mother, but he was born . . . of course, father was there, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, but he did not come through the womb of mother. This is omnipotency. Lord Viṣṇu is lying on the Śeṣa bed, and Lakṣmījī is engaged in the service of massaging the lotus feet of Viṣṇu, but Viṣṇu did not take the help of Lakṣmījī to beget Brahmā. He personally begot from the navel. Therefore we should understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can perform anything he likes from any part of His body. That we chant always, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti (BS 5.32). We have got knowledge, experience, that when a child is born it has got a different source of being born, but Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu wanted the child be born from the navel and not from the mother of the navel—there was no mother—but the father Himself. This is called aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti.

Every part of the body, every limb, has got the potency to act like other parts of the body. We can see only with the eyes, but God can see with His finger. That is God. We can eat through mouth, but God can eat from any part of His body. If He simply touches His toe, He can eat. If He simply glances over the foodstuff offered to Him, He has eaten it. That we do not know. Therefore we’re sometimes surprised that “How He has eaten?” that “You are offering so many nice things. It is lying down there. How I shall understand that He has eaten?” Yes, He has eaten. Simply by seeing, He has eaten. And because He’s nija-lābha-pūrṇa, He’s satisfied by His own self; therefore by simply glancing He has eaten, and it has become prasādam. You can take it. This is the meaning of aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti.

So those who cannot understand the omnipotency . . . they speak of omnipotency, but they do not know what is that omnipotency. They describe sometimes, “God is omnipotent,” but they do not know how the omnipotency acts. Here are some of the examples. Those who are devotee, they can understand. Nondevotees, they call—what is?—”mythology.” This is not mythology; it is all fact. But foolish people who do not know how Kṛṣṇa or His confidential devotees act, they do not know it. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that ye bhaje sei baḍa abhakta hīna chāra: “One who is devotee, he is exalted. And those who are not devotees, they are low grade,” hīna, chāra, “condemned.”

So nobody can be exalted personality without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not possible. This is the verdict of the Vedic knowledge. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā mano-rathena āsato dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12): “Those who are not devotees of the Lord, they cannot have any good qualities.” That is not possible. “Why? There are so many big, big men, doctors, doctorate, having so big, big title from university.” No. The śāstra says, “Yes.” Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā. Why they have no good qualities? Because mano-rathena: “They are hovering over the mental platform.” They have no realization of the spiritual platform. Therefore you’ll find all these great scientists, philosophers, they are simply concocting with mind. The mind has no value. With mind you cannot reach spiritual platform, because it is material. With material instrument you cannot go to the spiritual platform. It is not possible. God can be understood. God is all-spirit, and He can be understood by spiritual method, not material method. Material method means up to the standard of mental speculation and mental concoction. That is not the way. Mano-rathena āsato dhāvato bahiḥ. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is also said,

panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo

vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām

so ‘py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(BS 5.34)

By mental speculation, mental speed, you cannot reach the spiritual world. Mental speed is very strong. Everyone, we have got experience—you are sitting here; immediately, within a second, you can go to our London temple by the mental speed. So even by the mental speed for many, many years, if we run over the space, still, we cannot reach the spiritual world. That is not possible.

But Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Kṛṣṇa . . . aṇḍāntara-stha paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (BS 5.35). As Kṛṣṇa is being described, Viṣṇu, within this universe, so He is not only within the universe as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; He is within your heart also. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). And not only within your heart, but as many atoms are there, the composition of your body, in each atom He is there. Aṇḍāntara-stha paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham.

So Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. But why you cannot see? Antar-bahir-avasthitam (SB 1.8.18). Kṛṣṇa is within and without. If He is within every atom, then atoms are there, outside and inside. So antar-bahiḥ, He is situated. Anyone can see Him, but He cannot be seen to the undevotee, not devotee. He cannot be seen. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). He is not exposed to everyone. He is simply exposed to the devotee. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayan . . . (BS 5.38). The nondevotee cannot see. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya. Unless Kṛṣṇa agrees to be seen, you cannot see. It is not possible. You cannot force Him to be seen by You. No, that is not possible. Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). He . . . when He likes, He’ll be seen by you, not that you can force Him. You cannot say that “Now I am qualified. Kṛṣṇa must come, and I’ll see Him.” That is not possible. We are never qualified unless Kṛṣṇa agrees to be seen by you. This is the . . . Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25): “Everyone cannot see Me.” Yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ: “I am covered, I am veiled, by the yoga-māyā.” Yoga-māyā will not allow you to see, unless you are devotee.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa confirms this fact: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, God, as He is, then you must practice devotional life. Then He’ll be seen. Bhaktyā mām . . . yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. To know Kṛṣṇa ordinarily—”Oh, Kṛṣṇa was born in India, in Mathurā. He’s the son of such and such, and He was very big man”—that is not tattvataḥ. Tattvataḥ means as He is, sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ (BS 5.1). Anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam.

So for . . . to know Kṛṣṇa, there are so many Vedic literatures. So we have to know through the mercy of the spiritual master. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Everything is there, just like Kṛṣṇa is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, but people could not understand Kṛṣṇa. Now we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as it is, people are understanding. They are becoming devotee. So we have to go through the right channel. Then we’ll know Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you know Kṛṣṇa as He is, your life is successful. That is the aim and object of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—simply to help the people to know Kṛṣṇa. This is the only business.

Because as soon as you know Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful in which way? Eh? The success is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). This is success. This body should be the last acceptance of material body. That is success. Otherwise, if you continue, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ . . . (BG 2.13). These foolish people, they do not know that dehāntara, there is change of body. Change of body is there already; you are experiencing. But they do not believe that after death there is body. Why not? If you have got experience in this life—”I have passed through so many changes of body, from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youth-hood, then middle age and old body”—then what is next? Why do you finish here? It is common logic. Why should you finish here? There must be body. This is real reasoning.

And Kṛṣṇa confirms it. Not only your contemplation; Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13): “In this way you’ll have another body.” The Kṛṣṇa, the great authority, He says, from whom Brahmā, the first creature, he learned. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva—oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya—He . . . tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. He taught this Vedic literature to the heart of Brahmā. He can teach you through the heart also, because He is sitting there. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61). A particularly mention, hṛd-deśe, “within the core of the heart.” He doesn’t say that “Īśvara is situated on your finger.” No. Within the heart. The particular place is mentioned.

Therefore the yogīs’ practice, real yoga practice, means to find out Kṛṣṇa within the heart. That is real yoga. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). This is yogī. Yogīs meditate. What for meditation? To find out Kṛṣṇa within the heart. That is yoga, not to show magic and gymnastic. No, that is not. That gymnastic yoga, that is not yoga. Real yoga is to find out Kṛṣṇa within one’s own heart. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti . . . that yoga means you have to come to the platform of prema, love, not that simply official practice, you can see. You have to come to the platform . . . without having love connection with Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible to see Him. You may practice this haṭha-yoga or gymnastic yoga for many, many births—you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can be seen when you smear with love ointment in your eyes. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (BS 5.38). And that is possible: bhakti, through bhakti.

Therefore, why not practice bhakti-yoga from the beginning if you want to see Kṛṣṇa? And that is recommended by Kṛṣṇa:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gata āntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

Kṛṣṇa says, “He’s first-class yogī.” Who? “Who is always trying to see Kṛṣṇa within the heart.” So is it very difficult task? In our bhakti-yoga we can teach this art of seeing Kṛṣṇa within the core of the heart in one minute. It is so simple. You are seeing Kṛṣṇa here. You must have impression and try to keep that impression within your heart always. Then you become first-class yogī. Why so much gymnastic and pressing the nose? (laughter) No. Take directly. If you are engaged twenty-four hours in the service of the Deity, you cannot see except the Deity. This bhakti-yoga practice is so simple. Therefore kaniṣṭha adhikārī, those who are neophyte, they must take to Deity worship. By Deity worship he is elevated to the position of seeing the Lord within the heart. This is very important thing. You can see—He is there—but you have no knowledge, or even if you have knowledge, you are not competent to see Him. But if you practice Deity worship . . .

Therefore it is the duty of guru to engage the neophyte devotee always in Deity worship.

śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-

śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau

yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato ‘pi

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(Gurvastaka 3)

It is the duty of the guru to engage his disciple in Deity worship, in cleansing the temple, dressing the Deity, decorating the Deity—so many engagements. So everyone should be engaged. If one is not competent to dress the Deity—everyone is competent—he can simply wash the temple and cleanse it. That will also help. There is no difference, that one who is cleansing the floor of the temple and one who is engaged directly in the Deity worship . . . there is no difference. They are all the same. Don’t think that “I am engaged in cleansing the floor of the temple, and he is engaged in decorating the temple. I should be envious.” No. There is no question of. Any kind of duty you are engaged . . . sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). If you cannot do something which is hard for you, you do anything for Kṛṣṇa under the direction of spiritual master, you’ll get perfection. It is not that “I have to do this. I have to do that.” No. Kṛṣṇa’s service is manifold. If one is unable to take one kind of service, the spiritual master can give him another kind of service. But both the services are accepted by Kṛṣṇa.

Thank you very much. (end)