Imperfect Senses

Bhagavad-gita 7.1
--London, March 9, 1975


Nitai: “Now hear, O son of Prtha (Arjuna), how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.”

Prabhupada:sri bhagavan uvacamayy asakta-manah parthayogam yunjan mad-asrayahasamsayam samagram mamyatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1]The Lord, Bhagavan... Bhagavan means the most powerful, almighty, with six opulences. That is Bhagavan. Bhaga means opulence, and van, this word, is used in the sense of possession.

Just like generally we say bhagyavan. We Indians, we know. Bhagyavan means fortunate. This word bhagya comes from bhaga. Bhaga, and in relationship with bhaga the word comes: bhagya. And van means “one who possesses.” Asty arthe vatup. The Sanskrit word, when the meaning is to possess, then one affix is added which is called vat, bhaga-vat. And the first word of the bhagavat-sabda is bhagavan.

So we are trying to understand Bhagavan, which is explained by Bhagavan Himself, Bhagavan, God. You cannot understand God, or Bhagavan, by your speculation. Any one of us, our senses are defective. Just like we are very much proud of our eyes to see. Sometimes some rascal says, “Can you show me God?” He does not think that how far his eyes are capable to see, but he wants to see God. Our senses are conditional. So long the electric light is there, we can see. If it is immediately dark, we cannot see. Then what is the value of this seeing? But we are very much proud of seeing. Similarly, we have our defective senses and we accept something which is not fact. That is called illusion. And we commit mistake, every one of us.

There is no man in the world who can say, “I did not commit any mistake in my life.” That is not possible. “To err is human,” it is said. So we have got four defects. We commit mistake, we are illusioned, bhrama-pramada... Just like we accept this body as myself. “I am this body.” “Who are you?” “I am Mr. such and such,” “I am Indian,” “I am American,” “I am Englishman,” “I am white,” “I am black,” “I am fat,” “I am thin.” In this way we give description of our body. But we do not know what I am. This is called illusion. And commit mistake, we have got experience. Many times we have committed mistake, blunder, in our life.

So bhrama-pramada-karanapatava. Karanapatava means... Karana means the senses through which we act. Just like we catch up through the hand. This is called karana. So karana, these are imperfect. I am catching with my hand, but if the hand is paralyzed... So long we are not paralyzed, our machine is going nicely, we can catch. Otherwise, we cannot catch. This is condition. We can catch under certain condition. So therefore our senses are imperfect. Karana apatu. Apatu means imperfect. Bhrama-pramada-karanapatava, and another defect is vancana, or cheating. I am so much defective; still, I want to impress others that I have got full knowledge.

How you can have full knowledge if you are so defective? Just like a diseased man. He cannot say, “I am perfect in health.” That is not possible. Similarly, if we are defective in so many ways, and if I want to become teacher or preacher to give you the truth, then how can I give? This is not possible. So we cannot hear from anyone who is defective. That is not pure knowledge, that is not perfect knowledge. If we hear from some defective, who theorize, “I think,” “In my opinion,” “Maybe,” “Perhaps...” These are nonsense speaking.

So almost everyone, the so-called scientists, philosophers, they simply theorize, “I think.” Who are you, you are thinking like that? You are imperfect.So we cannot accept the theories or the statement of some defective person. We should hear from the person who is not defective, perfect. Therefore our process of hearing or getting knowledge is from the perfect person. That is called Krsna consciousness. We are hearing Bhagavad-gita, we are getting knowledge from Bhagavad-gita, because Bhagavan Himself speaking. Therefore here it is said... Although it is said by Krsna... Everyone knows that Krsna spoke Bhagavad-gita, and Vyasadeva recorded it and then put it into the Mahabharata, this statement. But here Vyasadeva purposely says... One may not misunderstand that this knowledge is imperfect. Therefore he says, bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan uvaca means there is no defect. You can accept it as it is and you get the full knowledge. This is the meaning of bhagavan uvaca. Many times he has said. So bhagavan uvaca, and He is speaking about Himself, Bhagavan, Krsna, coming here.

Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam srjamy aham [Bg. 4.7].paritranaya sadhunamvinasaya ca duskrtamdharma-samsthapanarthayasambhavami yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8]Bhagavan comes for this purpose, to let people know what is Bhagavan, not this so-called rascal incarnation. Just try to understand what is Bhagavan. If Bhagavan... Bhagavan means the six opulences in full.aisvaryasya samagrasyaviryasya yasasah sriyahjnana-vairagyayos caivasannam bhaga itingana Aisvarya means wealth, riches. One who is the greatest rich man. Every one of us... There are so many rich men, we are present here. But nobody can say, “I am the richest in the world.” That is not possible. So one who can say and prove that he is the richest in the world, he can be accepted as Bhagavan, not these rascals, cheap Bhagavan. Cheap Bhagavan we don’t accept. We accept Bhagavan Ramacandra, Bhagavan Krsna, because They did something which is impossible to be done by any human being. We are not going to accept cheap Bhagavan.

So Bhagavan means who is the richest, who is the most famous, who is the most..., who is the strongest, who is the most beautiful, who is the most wise, and who is most renounced. Just like Krsna. Krsna says that bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the proprietor of all the lokas. Lokas means where the people or living entities live. So there are so many planets. Everywhere there are living entities. Om bhur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam. There are Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Satyaloka, Brahmaloka. Seven, fourteen planetary system. Then down: Tala, Atala, Vitala, Talatala, Patala, Rasatala. There are so many. This is only one universe. There are millions of universes.

Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti [Bs. 5.40]. Koti, we Indians understand, millions. There are millions of universes. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. And each and every universe there are millions of planets, and each planet is different from the other.Just like the moon planet. You are going to live there, but you cannot live there, because it is, the scientist says, two hundred degrees below zero, the temperature. So it is different atmosphere. Similarly, in the solar, the sun planet, you cannot go there. But Krsna can go there. That is Krsna, that is God. Because Krsna is not like us. Neither His body is like us.

Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. And He went to the sun planet. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter. He says, imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. Just like here Bhagavan says, mayy asakta-manah partha yogam. This is a yoga. Similarly, this yoga system was spoken to the sun-god. Mayy asakta-manah..., yogam, what is that?Pusta-krsna: Imam vivasvate...Prabhupada: Imam vivasvate yogam [Bg. 4.1]. Imam yogam, the same thing as Krsna is speaking to Arjuna, the same thing was spoken to sun-god. Imam vivasvate. Vivasvate: “unto Vivasvan.” Vivasvan.

The president of the sun planet is known as Vivasvan. His name is given. Just like we know who is the president of United States or India, similarly, those who are advanced in knowledge, they know who is the predominating deity or president of that planet. That requires knowledge. So Krsna said that “I spoke to the sun-god, Vivasvan.” So we cannot enter into the sun planet. That is not possible. It is so fiery. Temperature is so high. But Krsna can go. Otherwise how Krsna went and spoke to the sun-god? It is stated. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. We do not interpret the meaning that “Krsna, not this Krsna, that...,” and all, so many nonsense things. No. Simple meaning is that if Krsna instructed the sun-god, Vivasvan, then He went there as He comes here. That is natural conclusion. And because He entered the sun planet and He did not burn down into ashes, therefore His body is different. Because if we go, if we enter such high temperature, immediately we are finished. What to say about speaking.So Krsna spoke. These are natural, as it is, conclusion. You cannot interpret.

So therefore conclusion is: Krsna’s body is different from us. One who does not know, rascal, he thinks that Krsna is like ourself. Krsna, how He can be like ourself? If He entered the sun planet and spoke to the president of the sun planet, then His body is different. Therefore Krsna says, avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam: [Bg. 9.11] “Because I look just like a human being, the rascal think of Me, I am an ordinary man.” Therefore the conclusion is: one who thinks of Krsna as one of us, he is a fool, he is a rascal. Krsna’s body is explained in the sastra, Vedic. What is that body? Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1].ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhistabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutogovindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.37]These are the Vedic information.

So Krsna has body, but not a body like us. That is stated in the Vedas. Apani-pado javano grahita pasyaty acaksuh. Pasyaty acaksuh. He has no eyes, but He sees. Then what is that seeing power? That means He has got a different type of eyes, but He has got His eyes. He is not nirakara, but not akara like us. His body is sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Sat, cit, ananda. Sat means eternal, and cit means full of knowledge, and ananda means full of bliss. So His body is made of such qualities. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1].

Then you can compare your body. If we compare, if I think of my body, it is not sat. Sat means eternal. This body will be finished. So it is not sat. It is asat. Sat means which exists, and asat means which does not exist. Therefore, how you can say Krsna’s body and my body is the same? No.Then cit. Cit means knowledge, and our body is full of ignorance. We cannot understand knowledge. We have no knowledge immediately what is beyond this wall. If you ask me what is beyond this wall, then I will have to ask some of my disciples, “What is there beyond this wall?” Therefore it is not cit, not full of knowledge. But Krsna knows, He says in the Bha..., vedaham samatitani: “I know everything past, present, and future.” When Arjuna enquired... Krsna, Arjuna, he is also playing just like Krsna’s friend. So he enquired for dissipation of the ignorance that “My dear Krsna, You are saying that You spoke this philosophy, Bhagavad-gita, formerly to the sun-god.” Without asking Him, “How did You go? How did You return?” he simply asked that “Krsna, I know that You are my contemporary. We are of the same age. And how can I believe that millions and trillions of years ago You spoke to sun-god?”

So the answer was that “My dear Arjuna, at that time because you are My friend, you were also there, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten.” Therefore He is full of knowledge. We cannot say what we did in our childhood. We have forgotten. This is one of our qualification, forgetfulness. But Krsna says that “You have forgotten. Because you are living being, your nature is to forget. But because I am the Supreme Lord, I have not forgotten.” Therefore His knowledge is perfect.And then ananda. Ananda means pleasure, blissfulness. He is always... Krsna, while He was present on this planet, He showed how to dance with the gopis. He was always full of ananda. Here we have got Krsna. He is ananda-murti. He is not nirananda, without blissfulness. He is always with His consort, Srimati Radharani. And He is playing flute and Radharani is dancing. This is ananda.

So where is our ananda? We imitate Krsna, but we are not able to enjoy because we are in this material body. In this way from Bhagavad-gita, if we study Bhagavad-gita nicely, then we can understand what is God. Otherwise you can go on speculating for millions of years or for many, many births, you cannot understand what is God. There are so many societies, theological societies, this, theosophical societies, but what do they know about God? They do not know, neither can know. It is not possible, because they are thinking with their imperfect senses?

How you can have the idea of the perfect, of the unlimited, by your imperfect speculation? That is not possible.Therefore the sastra says, athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi, janati tattvam. Tattva means the Absolute Truth. “You are Absolute Truth. Who can understand the Absolute Truth without Your mercy?” Therefore Krsna is merciful to Arjuna, and therefore He said... Sri bhagavan uvaca, mayy asakta-manah partha: “My dear Arjuna, if you simply concentrate or meditate upon Me, Krsna...” Mayy asakta. Mayi asakta. Mayi means “unto Me, Krsna.” Mayy asakta-manah, “Those who are attached to Me, that is perfect yoga.” That is yoga. The yogis... You have heard the names of so many yogis, meditation. The meditation is good, but most of them do not know what is meditation. Most of them. How? Now, they do not meditate upon Krsna. Meditation means to fix up one’s mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. First of all they do not know who is the Personality of Godhead. But the yoga practice, according to sastra, is that. Here it is: mayy asakta-manah partha yogam. This is yoga. In other Vedic literature that is also stated, the same thing.

Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. Yogi means who meditates. It is the business of the yogis to meditate. But if you do not know upon whom to meditate, then what is the meaning of your yoga? Therefore I have seen practically in America. There are so many yoga societies. They close their eyes, and I do not know what they are meditating, but I have seen, they are snoring. (laughter) And what they will do? (makes snoring sound) (laughter) This is yoga system. So don’t be misled by these bluffers’ yoga system. Don’t be misled. Here is yoga, Krsna, because yoga means to meditate upon the Supreme, dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa, mind fully absorbed, and they see Krsna or Narayana, the same thing. Soyam brahma varunendra-rudra-marutah stunvanti divyaih stavairvedaih sanga-pada-kramopanisadair gayanti yam sama-gahdhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginoyasyantam na viduh surasura-gana devaya tasmai namahThis is Vedic mantra. So yoga means to think of Krsna. That is yoga. So it is also confirmed in the Sixth Chapter. We are reading Seventh Chapter. Krsna says... Krsna taught Arjuna how to practice yoga. Then He concluded His teaching on the yoga that,yoginam api sarvesammad-gatenantar-atmanasraddhavan bhajate yo mamsa me yuktatamo matah [Bg. 6.47]Who is the first-class yogi? There are many different types of yogi. But who is the topmost yogi? Yoginam api sarvesam. Who is that? Mad-gatena antar-atmana: “One who is thinking of Me always.” That is perfect yoga.

So that statement, that “One who is thinking of Me always, he is perfect yogi,” so that is now being explained. It is the conclusion of the Sixth Chapter, and in Seventh Chapter Krsna explains how you can think of Krsna twenty-four hours. This is being explained. Therefore He says, mayy asakta-manah partha. How you can think of somebody else unless you are very much attached to him? Just like a boy is attached to some girl or a girl is attached to some... That is natural. So when he becomes too much attached, he always or she thinks always. Otherwise it is not possible. To come to this attachment platform you have to learn how to love Krsna. Otherwise how it is possible?

Unless you love somebody, how can you think of him twenty-four hours? That is not possible.So this mayy asakta, Krsna is summarily... But the acaryas, they have defined how we can... We have got attachment. Every one of us got this propensity or the quality of attachment to others. The wife is attached to husband; husband is attached to wife. The son is attached to the father; father is attached to the son. Everyone. That attached you increase, then to your family, to your community, to your society, to your country, to your nation. The attachment is there. You cannot say that “I have no attachment for anything.” That is not possible. When... Sannyasi.

Sannyasi mean sat nyasi. One who has given up attachment for this false material world... That is the philosophy of Sankaracarya. He says, brahma satyam jagan mithya. Therefore he is advising that “You have got attachment for this material world. This is false.” Brahma satyam. Jagan mithya. He simply explains the negative side. But brahma satyam: “Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth, is truth.” So attachment for that. You cannot give up the attachment spirit, but you have to change the attachment. That is freedom. We have got so many attachments for this material world. You have to transfer that attachment for Krsna. Therefore Krsna says mayy asakta-manah partha. He doesn’t say that “You give up your attachment.” How you can give up your attachment? That is not possible. He says, “Just transfer the attachment to Me.”So all of a sudden to transfer the attachment to Krsna and give up our all attachment for this material world, that is called renounced order of life. But Krsna says, “You do this,” but it is not so easy. It is not so easy. Therefore we have to go to the person... Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. This is the sast..., Vedic injunction, that in order to learn that art, how to transfer your attachment to Krsna, you must approach to guru. He will teach you.

So this Krsna consciousness movement means that we are teaching people how to give up this material attachment and become attached to Krsna. Attachment cannot be given up. That is not possible. Attachment should be purified. That is wanted. That is... Therefore the bhakti definition is, given by Narada Muni,sarvopadhi-vinirmuktamtat-paratvena nirmalamhrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]Now, our attachment is on account of these designation. What is that designation? “I am American,” “I am Englishman,” “I am Indian.” These are all designation because the soul is neither Indian nor American nor this nor that. Soul is pure. Pure spirit soul. These are material designation, according to the body.

So if we become purified, sarva upadhi-vinirmuktam, that is called mukti. Mukti, the definition of mukti, means hitva anyatha rupam svarupena vyavasthitih. Because we are staying at the present moment in this material state, we have got so many material attachments. That is, we are staying in a different way. We are living in the bodily concept of life, and in relationship with this body we have got so many different attachments. So mukti means when you do not stay in the bodily concept of life, you stay in your original state of life, that is called mukti. Mukti does not means that one has to acquire so many hands, so many legs. No. It is the change of consciousness. That is mukti.Just like Arjuna did. He was conscious... In the beginning of the fight he was conscious of his relatives, of his family, means bodily. But when he understood Bhagavad-gita from Krsna, he said, “Yes,” karisye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73]. In the beginning he denied to fight, but when he understood Bhagavad-gita, he agreed, “Yes, I shall fight.” Karisye vacanam tava. “I am now full conscious.” Nasto mohah: “This attachment, bodily attachment, is now finished. Krsna, it is now finished.” Nasto mohah smrtir labdha. Because we forgot, I have already said that we are forgetful. This is our another nature. “Now my forgetfulness is gone,” tvat-prasadat, “by Your mercy. You have taught me Bhagavad-gita, so by Your mercy my two things—that bodily attachment and misconception of life—is now gone. Now I know that I am Your servant. I am Your eternal servant, and it is my duty to carry out Your order. Therefore I agree.” Karisye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73]. “I shall now execute. You want me to fight, no consideration of my relatives or family. I shall fight with them.” This is the conclusion of Arjuna.So similarly, if you want actual life, this is a... This is a bhrama, or mithya life, this material concept of life, that “I am this body, and this family is mine, this country is mine, the community is mine. I have got to do for my family, I have got to do this, I have to got...,” so many. This is due to attachment, and this is all false attachment. Therefore we have to transfer the attachment to Krsna. That is called mayy asakta-manah partha. This is yoga system, how to transfer this attachment to attachment to Krsna. This is called bhakti-yoga. And this is the first-class yoga. (aside:) You sit down there or stand there. Mayy asakta-manah partha. This is to be practiced.

This yoga should be practiced, how to increase attachment for Krsna. Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan.You have to practice this yoga. How? Mad-asrayah: “Under Me. Or under My representative.” Mad-asrayah. Mat means “Me,” and asrayah means “taking shelter of.” So either... But if you say, “Where is Krsna?” No. Mad-asrayah means another thing: “One who has taken of My shelter.” That is devotee, mad-asrayah. So either you take... That is not possible because Krsna is not here present. He is present, but we have no eyes to see. Although He is present here in this Deity, He is present here, but because we have no eyes to see, we are thinking, “This is made of stone,” and some rascal will say that “They are going to see some stone.” Because we have no eyes to see. So we have to learn the art, how to see Krsna, how to see Krsna.

So that practice, mad-asrayah, if we want to learn this art, we have to take the shelter of the Gosvamis or the devotees.So Rupa Gosvami says how this asakti can be increased. He gives formula. Mad-asrayah. Krsna said, “Either you take shelter of Me directly or to a person who has taken shelter of Me.” Just like electric power. Electric house, powerhouse, may be long away, but if the electricity is coming through some wire, and if you touch, immediately you will..., immediately in touch with the powerhouse.

So either you touch the powerhouse or an wire, insig..., who is empowered by the powerhouse, you touch, you get the electricity. This is called parampara system. Mad-asrayah. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2], yogo nastah paran... These are all explained. So mad-asrayah. As soon as we... Because Krsna is not visible at the present moment. He is visible, but we cannot see. So we take asrayah, shelter of His devotee.

Therefore Srila Rupa Gosvami gives his formula how to become attached to Krsna. First he says, adau sraddha. First of all, faith, the beginning. Just like you have come very kindly to this temple with some faith that “Here is the Krsna consciousness movement. Let us go there and see what they are doing,” out of inquisitiveness or something. So this is little faith. Now you have to increase this faith. This is required. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. How you can increase the faith? Those who are actually engaged in Krsna consciousness, in devotional service, associate with them. Don’t think that at home you will be perfect. That is not possible. At home there is no such facilities. Here you will get the facilities. Here the devotees, they are actually following the instruction of mad-asrayah, one who has taken the shelter. They are rising early in the morning. And at home you will think, “Oh, what is early in the morning?” (laughter) “Let me enjoy sleep.”

So there is no such facilities at home. Therefore this institution is started. If you are serious about Krsna consciousness, if you are serious about increasing attachment for Krsna, then you should come and live with the devotees. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. And atha bhajana-kriya. The sadhu-sanga... Now they are chanting, they are having mangala-arati, they are decorating the Deity, and so many things. Everyone who will associate, you will see. And then he will be inclined to be initiated.

This is our practical experience. They will submit, “Please let me be initiated.” This is called bhajana-kriya. Bhajana-kriya means if he is serious about bhajana-kriya, how to worship, then anartha-nivrttih syat. Anartha means we have learned so many nonsense things. They can be summarized in four items: illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, and meat-eating. So anartha-nivrttih syat. If you accept bhajana-kriya, the activities of devotional service, then these things will be vanished. Then, when you are purified, as I have said, that sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], when he is free from all these material bad habits, he is mukta. He is liberated. Then adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango ’tha bhajana-kriya, tato ’nartha-nivrt..., tato nistha. Then your faith... Beginning was the faith. This faith becomes established. You can... Nobody can move you. Tato nistha. Tato rucih. Then you get some taste, how Krsna consciousness is sweet. Tato nistha rucis tatah, athasaktih. Then attachment. Unless you get taste, how you can be attached to Krsna?So these are the processes.

So Krsna is saying, summarized. They are explained by the mad-asrayah, those who are devotees. So in this way we have to increase our attachment for Krsna. And when we increase our attachment for Krsna, then Krsna says, asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1]. Now everyone has got some doubt, whether there is God or not, whether God is person or imperson, whether He is something... He has no idea. In any religion you take, ask him, “What do you know about God?” That he cannot explain. Because he is not in the platform, how he can be understand God? That is not possible. It is not... But we are confident what is God, what is His father’s name, what is His name, what is His address, everything. No samsaya, no doubt. Everything complete. Asamsayam. We are confident that we are going to Krsna, back to home, back to Godhead. There is no doubt, asamsayam and samagram. Sama means full. What is God meant? Asamsayam... (end)