Clase de Su Divina Gracia
AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Janmāṣṭamī
Día del advenimiento del Señor Kṛṣṇa
Montreal, 16 de agosto 1968
Devotos: govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
**.
Prabhupāda:
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu
kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
[Bs. 5.29]
(Repite govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi y los devotos responden)
veṇuṁ kvaṇantam
aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ
barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda sundarāṅgam
kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda sundarāṅgam
kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
[Bs. 5.30]
(govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi)
ālola-candraka-lasad
vanamālyavaṁsi
ratnāṅgadam praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam
śyāmaṁ tribhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
ratnāṅgadam praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam
śyāmaṁ tribhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
[Bs. 5.31]
(govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi)
aṅgāni
yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti
paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
ānanda-cin-māyā-saduj-jvala-vigrahasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
ānanda-cin-māyā-saduj-jvala-vigrahasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
[Bs. 5.32]
(govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi)
advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca
vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca
vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
[Bs. 5.33]
(govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi)
panthāstu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānāṁ
so 'pyasti yat prapada-sīmny-avicintya-tattve
vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānāṁ
so 'pyasti yat prapada-sīmny-avicintya-tattve
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi)
Hoy es el día de la ceremonia del cumpleaños
del advenimiento del Señor Kṛṣṇa. En el Bagavat-gītā
el señor dice
janma
karma me divyaṁ
yo jānāti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti kaunteya
yo jānāti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti kaunteya
“Mi querido Arjuna, toda persona que simplemente trata de entender acerca de Mi nacimiento trascendental o advenimiento y partida y actividades, janma karma...". La Personalidad de Dios no es niṣkriya, sin actividades. Quien pueda entender las actividades que realiza el Señor y el tipo de nacimiento que Él tiene, por el simple hecho de comprender esas dos cosas adquiere un resultado maravilloso. ¿Y en qué consiste? Tyaktvā deham. Al abandonar este cuerpo, tyaktvā deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9], no tiene que recibir ningún otro nacimiento en el mundo material. Tyaktvā deham punar janma naiti. Alguien puede pensar que punar janma naiti, significa que ha sido vencido. No. Punar janma naiti, pero mām eti, “Él no viene al mundo material sino que viene a Mí”. Mām eti. Mām eti significa, entonces… [Cortado] …donde podemos ir. Simplemente por entender la naturaleza de Su aparición y actividades.
Hoy es ese auspicioso día, Janmāṣṭamī,
el día en que advino el Señor Kṛṣṇa hace cinco mil años en India, Mathurā. Las damas y caballeros presentes, saben muy bien donde está Mathurā. Está a unos ciento veinte kilómetros al sur de Nueva Delhi. Mathurā existe todavía y existe eternamente.
Kṛṣṇa advino en Mathurā en casa de Su tío materno en una situación muy difícil. El lugar de Su
nacimiento, el lugar del nacimiento del Señor Kṛṣṇa ahora está muy bien
mantenido. Quien va a la India lo puede ver. Sea como sea, el señor Kṛṣṇa
advino en este planeta hace cinco mil años. Kṛṣṇa dice, janma karma me divyam divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Divyam significa “no ordinario”. No debemos entender que es como nuestro
nacimiento. Kṛṣṇa no nace como nosotros. Esto también se explica también en el Bagavat-gītā. Cuando Arjuna preguntó a Kṛṣṇa,
“Mi querido Kṛṣṇa, esto que estás hablando ya Lo has hablado antes, este
sistema de yoga del Bhagavad-gītā al dios-sol. Eso significa
que ya se Lo explicaste hace millones y trillones de años. ¿Cómo voy a creer eso?”.
Debido a que Kṛṣṇa era contemporáneo de Arjuna, él pensaba que “Kṛṣṇa es mi
amigo, es mi primo hermano. ¿Cómo es posible que Le hablase el yoga del Bhagavad–gītā al dios del sol?”. ¿Cuál fue la respuesta? La
respuesta fue esta, que “Tú has aparecido muchas, muchas veces; Yo también He
aparecido muchas, muchas veces. La diferencia es que Yo puedo recordarlo pero
tú no”.
Esta esa es la diferencia entre Dios
y una criatura viviente normal, que nosotros también tomamos nacimiento tras
nacimiento. Hay 8.400.000 especies de vida, y mientras permanezcamos en este
mundo material, seguimos este ciclo vida tras vida. Pero el nacimiento de Kṛṣṇa
no es así. Por eso Kṛṣṇa dice, janma
karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ [Bg. 4.9]. Tattvataḥ significa “verdadero”, no superficialmdente. Científicamente, el que sabe
puede alcanzar la liberación inmediatamente. Y ¿cómo no se pueden entender estas
mismas verdades? Esto también se explica en el Bhagavad–gītā. Bhaktyā
mām abhijānāti yāvan yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg. 18.55]. De nuevo lo mismo, tattvataḥ, verdadero.
Si alguien quiere conocer a Dios o Kṛṣṇa, verdaderamente, no superficialmente,
debe someterse al proceso de servicio devocional. Bhaktyā. En otra parte Kṛṣṇa dice, patraṁ puṣpaṁ
phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. “Toda persona que Me ofrezca un
poco de fruta, una pequeña flor, un poco de agua, pero con devoción, bhaktyā...". Esa es la única cualificación.
Kṛṣṇa dice, tayā bhaktyā upahṛtam aśnāmi.
“Debido a que él Me lo ofrece con devoción y con fe y con amor, Yo lo acepto”. Kṛṣṇa
lo come. Nosotros ofrecemos prasādam en el templo y Él lo come porque Él dice dice, “Yo lo como”. ¿Cómo puede
decir que Él no come? Unos señores me preguntaron que, “Swami, usted ofrece prasādam en el templo, pero ¿usted cree que Kṛṣṇa o Dios lo come?”. Y yo les respondí,
“Sí, ¿por qué no? Él dice, ‘Yo lo como’. ¿Cómo va usted a decir que Él no come?
Lo que usted no sabe es cómo Él come”. Debido al poco conocimiento, usted cree
que Dios no come. Él come…, Su proceso de comer es distinto. Esto está
respondido en el Brahma-saṁhitā. Brahma-saṁhitā,
se dice aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti
[Bs. 5.32]. Los sentidos de Dios, los sentidos de Kṛṣṇa son tan poderosos como los
otros sentidos. Yo por ejemplo puedo ver con los ojos, pero Kṛṣṇa además puede
comer con los ojos. Eso es… Aṅgāni
yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. Es como…
Hay muchos ejemplos. Kṛṣṇa o Viṣṇu, la primera creación se produce cuando
Garbhośāyī (Garbhodakaśāyī) Viṣṇu yace en el océano y Brahmā fue creado de Su ombligo. Del
abdomen del Señor creció un tallo de loto, y nació Brahmā. Lakṣmī, la diosa de
la fortuna, simplemente estaba sentada. Nosotros entendemos que para concebir
un hijo necesitamos la colaboración de la esposa, pero en este caso vemos que
la esposa estaba ahí sentada, pero fue Él quien engendró a Brahmā de Su ombligo.
Esto es llamado sarva-śaktimān. El no
necesita la ayuda de nadie. Él puede concebir hijos, no exactamente como
nosotros engendramos hijos. Por lo tanto, janma
karma me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Él está dentro de su corazón, está en todas partes, puede aparecer en cualquier
lugar. Tal como el sol que se eleva del lado oriental. Eso no significa que el lado
oriental es la madre del sol. Simplemente vemos que el sol sale por el lado
oriental. De este modo, si tratamos de entenderlo verdaderamente, podemos
entender quién es Dios. Si tratamos de entenderlo superficialmente con nuestro
conocimiento experimental, entonces es imposible entender a Dios.
panthāstu
koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānāṁ
so 'pyasti yat prapada-sīmny-avicintya-tattve
vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānāṁ
so 'pyasti yat prapada-sīmny-avicintya-tattve
govindam
ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
El Brahma-saṁhitā dice que si subimos al carruaje del aire y avanzamos
a la velocidad de la mente, aun así no podemos entender a Dios. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. No es posible entender por el simple hecho de estudiar
los Vedas. Traiguṇya viṣayā vedaḥ nistraiguṇyo
bhavārjuna
[Bg. 2.45].
También es necesario trascender la posición de los Vedas. Entonces podremos entender quién
es Dios, quién es Kṛṣṇa. Ese proceso está explicado en el Bhagavad-gītā, que bhaktyā
mām abhijānāti yāvan yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg. 18.55]. Este bhakti, servicio devocional
a Kṛṣṇa, es tan agradable. Y bajo esta categoría de bhakti, este Janmāṣṭamī… Por supuesto, esta ceremonia de Janmāṣṭamī
la observan todos los hindúes. Independientemente de ser vaiṣṇava o no, esta ceremonia se observa en la India en todos los
hogares. Del mismo modo que en sus países occidentales, la navidad se celebra
en todos los hogares, similarmente, Janmāṣṭamī se celebra en todos los hogares.
Hoy es un gran día ceremonial. Nuestro programa es, a las doce de la noche el Señor
nacerá y nosotros Le recibimos. Ahora mismo son las diez. Por dos horas nuestro
programa puede continuar en kīrtana. Kīrtana
significa a veces cantar con música y a veces hablar, ambas son kīrtana. Kīrtayati
iti kīrtanam. Siempre que
glorificamos al Señor, eso es llamado kīrtana.
La lectura del Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
también es kīrtana. Abhavad vaiyāsakī kīrtane. Vaiyāsakī, Śukadeva
Gosvāmī, alcanzó la perfección más elevada, la
liberación, simplemente por recitar el Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Śrī-viṣṇu-śravane parīkṣit. Parīkṣit Mahārāja, simplemente escuchó. Hay nueve procesos de servicio
devocional. Śravanaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. Cantar, escuchar. Primero
escuchar, luego cantar. Sin escuchar nadie puede cantar. Sravanam kīrtanaṁ. Y ¿qué clase de śravanaṁ kīrtanam? Viṣṇoḥ, de Viṣṇu. No de otra cosa.
śravanaṁ
kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātmā-nivedanam
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātmā-nivedanam
Estos son nueve procesos de
servicio devocional de los cuales śravanam, escuchar, es el más importante. Sin
escuchar, nadie puede entender la ciencia de Dios. Por eso los mantras Védicos reciben el nombre de śruti. Śruti significa que es para ser escuchado. No es algo que se experimenta en el
laboratorio. Simplemente para ser escuchado. Por eso es llamado śruti. Śravanaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam. Vandanaṁ, es ofrecer oraciones, también
nosotros ofrecemos oraciones. Otras sectas religiosas, como los cristianos,
también ofrecen oraciones; los musulmanes también ofrecen oraciones. De modo
que orar, ofrecer oraciones es uno de los elementos del bakthi. Cantar, escuchar, meditar, ofrecer oraciones, arcanaṁ, adorar a la Deidad en el templo, todos ellos juntos son servicio devocional.
De esos nueve… Si usted puede ejecutar los nueve procesos, es muy bueno. Pero
no es posible. Si incluso usted puede ejecutar uno de ellos, se vuelve
perfecto. Es tan bueno. Śrī viṣṇu
śravane parīkṣit. Así como Mahārāja Parīkṣit, simplemente
ejecutó la actividad de escuchar y alcanzó la perfección. Similarmente, abhavad vaiyāsakī kīrtane. Vaiyāsakī
significa Śukadeva Gosvāmī, simplemente glorificó al Señor. Prahlādaḥ smarane. Prahlāda Mahārāja, simplemente
meditó. Hay muchos ejemplos. Simplemente por seguir un principio de este
servicio devocional alcanzaron la perfección más elevada en la vida, la
liberación, de regreso al hogar, de vuelta a Dios.
Hoy vamos a invitar a nuestros
discípulos estudiantes a hablar acerca de Kṛṣṇa, así como a todos los miembros
aquí presentes. De modo que voy a pedir a Janārdana que nos diga algo acerca de
su comprensión de Kṛṣṇa. (Pausa) Está bien. Que hable.
(A continuación algunos
devotos hablan de su comprensión acerca de Kṛṣṇa. Esta parte no está traducida
al español. Incluimos el escrito en inglés por si alguien desea leer estas exposiciones.)
Janārdana:
nama oṁ
viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhūtale
śrīmate
bhaktivedānta svāmin iti nāmine
Kṛṣṇa, we know, is the ultimate Supreme Personality of Godhead. The name Kṛṣṇa has a meaning. The meaning of the name Kṛṣṇa is "the supreme attractive." Whatever there is that holds any attraction, that attraction is given by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa explains this Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā. So in our life in this material world, we have so many different attractions which we are pursuing in order to build what we think will be our happiness. All this attraction is the attraction of Kṛṣṇa's inferior energy. Kṛṣṇa's māyā holds a great attraction for all the conditioned souls. And by following this attraction of Kṛṣṇa's māyā, they are continuing in the circle of birth and death. We are born into this world because we desire to enjoy something, so Kṛṣṇa provides us with a body that is suitable for that enjoyment, and He provides us also the objects of the enjoyment that we desire. However, also to remind us of our highest possible potential, that of the spiritual, unconditioned existence, we have along with these material enjoyments various kinds of suffering. These material enjoyments, although they are temporarily real, come to an end, and then there is feeling of bereavement and regret.
So we are now enjoying the māyā of Kṛṣṇa's external potency in our
ordinary life. Unless we realize the personality of Kṛṣṇa Himself... We must
have personal realization, personal contact with Lord Kṛṣṇa. So long as we are
enjoying these objects of our senses and thinking that these objects belong to
us, and so long as we don't know to whom all these objects belong, to whom
belongs the land, the money, the foods that we eat, the clothes that we wear,
our families—so long as we do not know to whom all these belong, then we are
enjoying in a state of ignorance. Factually we are being thieves. We cannot be
happy in such a condition. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He provides us with all these
objects of enjoyment, as we like them. But we can achieve a far happier state,
not only for ourselves but for the whole human kind, if we realize that Kṛṣṇa,
who is the supreme source of all the attractive objects that we are enjoying,
is a person who is ready to receive as His loving servants the moment we want
to surrender all our false ideas of ownership and come back to the spiritual
platform.
So Lord Kṛṣṇa for this reason has appeared.
He wants to call the conditioned souls back to Godhead. He wants us to realize
that He is the source of the whole universe, He is the owner of the universe,
He is the supreme enjoyer, the supreme knower of everything, and that we are
always welcome to associate with Him by the grace of His devotees, by the grace
of a spiritual master. And so He has appeared, and we are now celebrating the
Janmāṣṭamī day, the day when Lord Kṛṣṇa came to this conditioned plane out of
His own transcendental power, with His full spiritual potency, in order to
reveal the supreme nature of sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1], eternal
knowledge, consciousness, and bliss, to all the conditioned souls so that they
might be attracted to Him, and so that they might come out of the miseries of
material existence and of ignorance. At this particular time in the world it is
very much necessary that all people hear about Kṛṣṇa and that they should
become attracted to chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa, to hearing about Kṛṣṇa's
wonderful pastimes. So that by this exquisite attraction for Kṛṣṇa they might
forget their lower desires, which are now leading everybody to a hellish
condition of life in which it seems inevitable there are going to be wars and
pestilences and starvation, diseases, all kinds of social injustice. All these
things are unavoidable so long as the world at large does not understand who
owns everything, who owns the land, who owns the money, who owns the food. So
long as they don't understand that Kṛṣṇa is the owner and enjoyer of
everything, so long as they don't understand that it is the highest enjoyment
for the living soul to serve Kṛṣṇa, it is the perfect harmony in this condition
to serve Kṛṣṇa, so long there will be fighting due to ignorance and deluded
cross purposes.
This International Society for Kṛṣṇa
Consciousness movement is meant for spreading the Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the
whole world so that people might realize their spiritual existence, and so that
the whole atmosphere of the world can become spiritualized by chanting the
names of Kṛṣṇa. So we welcome everybody who comes to this temple to inquire
about how to make your life perfect by tuning in to the desires of the Supreme
Lord Kṛṣṇa. You'll find that this is such a pleasant proposition, that all
insignificant lower desires will be forgotten. There will not be any need for
unnecessary fighting among the people of the world if they can only understand
the spiritual plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The way to realize Kṛṣṇa
consciousness is very simple. Simply chant
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
Chant this mahā-mantra under the guidance of the spiritual master and the results will be very quick. Thank you very much.
Prabhupāda:
Gaurasundara?
Gaurasundara:
oṁ
ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur-unmīlitaṁ
yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
[I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.]
So this mantra
is another form of obeisance to the spiritual master, and the meaning is that
I, who was standing in darkness with my eyes sealed, now offer my obeisances
unto my spiritual master, who has forced me to open my eyes. He has forced me
to open my eyes with this torchlight of knowledge which he is bearing. So
therefore my spiritual master is my master. He can give me this actual
knowledge of my position, my position as an existing entity. And that
perfection of understanding my position is understanding Kṛṣṇa, or the
supremely perfect entity. Kṛṣṇa is perfect existence, the perfect being, and as
such, His existence is the greatest certainty of all. In one syllogism or one
comparison that I can give, I could say that how can a shadow of my hand exist
unless my hand exists? The point is how can these individual entities exist
except as the shadow of the perfect entity, God? Of course, we can understand
from the Bhagavad-gītā or Vedic
literatures that living entities are atomic particles of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and as such they reflect the potencies of that Supreme
Person.
So because Kṛṣṇa has personality and because
Kṛṣṇa has individuality, we have individuality. Kṛṣṇa's existence, because He
is perfect, is the most certain. Imperfect existence has no meaning. Our
existence has no meaning except as reference, in reference to Kṛṣṇa's
existence. We haven't even got the power to conserve our own existence. Or in
other words, we can't understand how we're existing. We can understand in some
deluded manner that we're feeding our bodies and so on. We can have some sort
of knowledge of ritual. But we don't actually know what we are and what the
ritual is, why we're performing it.
So getting beneath the actual ritual of
daily life by this process of revealed or transcendental ritual taught by the
spiritual master, then we can realize the real...
Prabhupāda: (in
background:) Pradyumna. After he speaks they may...
Gaurasundara:
...importance or the real striking features of our own existence. Again I want
to come back to this point. Kṛṣṇa's existence is the most certain. Sometimes
people have the idea that they can debate whether Kṛṣṇa exists or not. They can
do that as long as they want to close their own eyes or keep their own brains,
their own minds clouded by so many extraneous factors. Actually, Kṛṣṇa's
existence is the most certain. We can go through many so-called proofs or
logical proofs. Simply because that fact is already established, I might give
one or two. We can understand in our mundane logic that if something exists,
that there's some reason for its existence, and similarly, if something does
not exist, that there's some reason for that. Just as we can say something
exists... For example, a harmonium exists because somebody has made that
harmonium. A circle exists on the wall because somebody has drawn that circle
on the wall. But on the other hand, a square circle does not exist because that
existence would involve a contradiction or that would be absurd.
So for anything which exists there must be a
reason, and for anything which does not exist, then there is a reason why it
does not exist. Now Kṛṣṇa's existence therefore is most certain because any reason
which could deny Kṛṣṇa's existence is impossible to be found. Kṛṣṇa means He is
the all-inclusive entity. Therefore any reason which could prevent Kṛṣṇa's
existence would have to be either external to His own divine nature or in His
own nature. Nothing can be outside of Kṛṣṇa's all-inclusiveness. Therefore no
external agent can prevent Kṛṣṇa's existence. And it is again
self-contradictory to attribute any imperfection to the perfect being.
Therefore the conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa necessarily exists because no one can
prevent His existence.
By definition, God is the perfect entity. So
just as we've seen that existence of Kṛṣṇa cannot be checked... And actually
nobody can prove that Kṛṣṇa does not exist, neither can they prevent Him from
existing. This is sort of an indirect way to prod you to think about the
position that you're in now. People become very proud because they have some
material opulence or material knowledge, and they tend to think that they are
self-sufficient. But actually, we're dependent on so many things. For example,
we are just taking it for granted that our bodies will remain unmutilated by
various forces in nature, when actually at any moment the bodies could be
totally destroyed. And, even granted that our bodies will be with us for some
time in operable condition, this field of our activities has many laws which
we're dependent upon. Just as the other day we were discussing the law of
gravity. This idea of laws in nature necessarily implies the existence of the
lawmaker. And this can be demonstrated very easily in many, many ways. We'll
take the law of gravity again. If some object in nature which has no
consciousness behaves in a regulated manner, then it's obvious that it's under
the control of a law. We call it a law. For example, if an apple drops from a
tree, the apple is obeying the law of gravity. The apple does not know the law
of gravity; therefore that law is being enforced by some superior entity. In
our dealings in society, people know laws. Still, they don't obey them. They
have to be forced to obey the laws, and still, people disobey the law. But the
laws of nature are so perfectly enforced that nobody can disobey. Just a little
thought will make this a little bit more clear to anyone. So there are twofold
implications, namely the law proceeds from lawmaker, law enforcement proceeds
from law enforcer. Man has tried so hard to establish law and order. Law and
order is already there in this existence which he's now facing. I think that we
don't need to consider any more on these points just now. The main point or the
main information which we're considering now is that by understanding Kṛṣṇa's
existence, understanding Kṛṣṇa's appearance before the perception of ourselves,
that we can terminate this material existence which we now face. This life
we're now conscious of through these bodies which were born... Now these bodies
were very small. They develop into impressive size. The bodies will dwindle and
the bodies will be gone ultimately, lost. But all these living entities here in
the room will go on existing. This process of birth and death we should
understand. And we should especially understand how Kṛṣṇa appears before us who
are trapped by birth and death. If we understand that Kṛṣṇa's appearance is not
like ours, because He's perfect and because He's appearing for our benefit,
then we may be able to reach out and grab hold of the lifeline that can...
[break] ...of our own suicidal bogs.
So anyway, everybody has been coming here
knows that we're recommending, simply associate with us, chant with us and
listen to the teachings of our spiritual master. Put questions to us. Any
question. And at this point I'd also like to invite questions. Is there any
question?
Prabhupāda: Let him
speak. Mukunda.
Gaurasundara: Mukunda
prabhu will speak now.
Mukunda: Let me
offer my respectful obeisances to our spiritual master, Swami Bhaktivedanta,
who is dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter unto His lotus feet. The Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement is intended to make a solution to our everyday problems.
It's not a kind of place where people just come because there's some religious
rites being performed. But everyone in this age is thinking that "I am
free," and actually I am not free. I am very bound up. We're strictly
bound up by the stringent laws of nature. In every status of life I have to
serve somebody or something or my own body. In every status of life I have to
serve my wife or I have to serve my children, I have to serve my pet, I have to
serve my work, my boss, my associates. If I'm very wealthy, very elevated, or
very beautiful physically, I am born in an aristocratic family, I always have
to serve somebody. If nothing else, one has to serve one's own stomach. I have
to eat. I have to get food. I have to serve my stomach. So I am not free at
all. I have to do these things. There's no way I can stop. If I don't eat, I
will die.
So our natural position as a living entity
is that we have to serve something. Every living entity has to serve. That's
our natural position. If something is wrong with my hand and I want to be
cured, I don't grab onto some foodstuffs or some medicine, some herbs, and
squeeze it with the hand and think that this hand is going to be cured. I take
the medicine or the food through my mouth, and then it circulates through the
digestive system and through the veins and finally comes to the hand and can
work its cure. So the hand, unless it's serving its source, then it's useless.
The servant must serve its master or the part must serve the whole. And our
relationship with God is the same. Just like the hand is made out of bile,
blood and air, flesh and bone, as all the body is. So similarly we're made out
of spirit. Qualitatively the same as Kṛṣṇa, but quantitatively many millions of
times less. Qualitatively the same, quantitatively different. Fragmental
portion. So if we fragmental portions, separated parts and parcels, can serve
the source or the whole, then we can be cured of this material disease which is
rampant nowadays. And this is possible only by mercy. By mercy alone we can
transcend this material existence and know that I am part and parcel of the
Supreme, Kṛṣṇa, or God, and I can erase all of my karma and situate myself in
pure consciousness. But this consciousness cannot be purified unless there is
mercy. And in this age, Kali-yuga, as we know, mercy is diminished to being
almost nonexistent. And Kali-yuga is just beginning.
So if we can get some information about what
I am, what is my position, and what is God and how am I related to God, what is
this world, then we're very fortunate. So by the mercy of the spiritual master
we can free ourselves from these stringent laws of nature, and these
unbreakable bonds. And only in this way. We can't free ourselves superficially
or by our own mental invention. We can't sit, just go out and sit and think and
free ourselves from this material existence. We must be subject to our own
body, bodily discomforts and our own mind, and we must be subject to the
actions upon us of other living entities, and we must be subject to the laws of
nature, to providence, to pestilence, famine, catastrophe. But if we can accept
and hear submissively this teaching of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
and Bhagavad-gītā from the bona fide
spiritual master, then we are free immediately. We are in Vaikuṇṭha.
So we're very shocked and astonished that so
many people are coming to the West, to the United States, and posing as holy
men and simply making business, charging money, and giving somebody some
magical formula whereby they can become God in half of a year. And so many
people who are sincere seekers are being deluded, and this is very unfortunate.
There is said to be two classes of men. One class of men is satisfied with his
existence. He goes from one pleasure to another. From the cinema to the restaurant
to sports, from one to the other. "I can't wait to finish one to go to the
next," and still he's saying, "I'm happy. I'm satisfied." And
there's another class of men that is not satisfied. These men are searching,
that there is always something on his mind. He is thinking, "There must be
something behind all of this. That I can look at all of this as a unified
whole." So this first class of men will not want to take to spiritual
knowledge, but the person who is inquisitive and is not satisfied with this
material life, he can hear this knowledge submissively and derive great benefit
from it. The symptom of the human being is that he is not satisfied. He's
disgusted, he's searching. The symptom of animal life is that he is satisfied
taking everything, "That's very nice. Everything is fine." Like a
hog, hog eating stool. He's thinking, "Oh, it's very nice." But the
human being will not accept such awful things. The human being has the chance
to get out of this shackle of continued, repeated births and deaths.
So simply by hearing the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā, and the names of Kṛṣṇa
diligently, submissively, and from a bona fide source, we can immediately get
some relief from this material existence. Just like when we were chanting here
you could feel some ecstasy. Well, this ecstasy goes unlimitedly and
infinitely, eternally, if one takes to it. It's not as if you reach some point
of enlightenment and then you're enlightened. No. But it's always eternal, ever
increasing. Just like the relationship between ourselves and our spiritual
master is eternal and ever increasing, our relationship with God is the same.
So please try to realize that this is a very serious movement, and we're not
asking you to sign up or pay us anything, but simply to sincerely try it and
you'll immediately feel some benefit. Thank you.
Prabhupāda: Yamunā?
Yamunā.
Yamunā:
nama oṁ
viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhutale
śrīmate
bhaktivedānta svāmin iti nāmine
I am offering my repeated, humble obeisances unto my spiritual preceptor, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Please try to understand that everything that we are learning here in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is received through the ears. And unless one does not listen submissively, one cannot hear transcendental message. This is the opening of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It states that at the reading of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, the forest of Naimiśāraṇya, many sages were present, and it was so quiet that the dropping of a pin could be heard on the sand. So the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness must be received submissively. Our spiritual preceptor has brought Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the Western world, in the hopes that the people here will sincerely take to this process of practicing bhakti-yoga, or the yoga of devotional service and love unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This is not a sect. This is for people of the world who understand one premise, that "I am not this body; I am pure spirit soul," that this body is simply a dress. Just like you wear clothes. But what is it that keeps you alive that is eternal? This is spirit soul. This is so simple that even a child at the age of five years can understand this. If it's from a bona fide source, he can understand this.
We are requesting to you that you please
come to the practices of Bhāgavata.
Come to kīrtana. By chanting
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
you at once are elevated into the spiritual platform, and our contaminated material senses may become purified simply because of this association of the names of God. These names are absolute. They are not material. If you chant "water, water, water, water," your thirst will not be quenched. But if you cry "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa," you may find your position in this world, where you came from, why are you here, what are you doing, where are you going. These questions man must answer, or he's not making use of his ability of man. He's simply living an animal life, eating, sleeping, mating, defending. It does not matter if you are man, you are woman, you are a child, you are Indian, you are American. You simply must ask these questions. And when one comes upon a bona fide source one must take advantage of that source and not pass it up. Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or the practice of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, are open to all, and we invite you to please come. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Feel the sublime ecstasy. Thank you very much. Are there any questions?
Prabhupāda:
Pradyumna? So Hans, you can speak.
Transcripción: Bhaktin Janet Paniagua - Chile
