Ivabhati - as if it has got a body

Prabhupada:

bahu-rupa ivabhati
mayaya bahu-rupaya
ramamano gunesv asya
mamaham iti manyate

Bahu-rupa means varieties of forms, 8,400,000s of forms. Ivabhati: “It appears like that.” Therefore, when one is advanced in spiritual consciousness, he does not see the varieties of form because these varieties of form are not real. Anyone can understand that. Any form Today we have got a form. Take a photograph of it, and few hours after, the form has changed. So that is not permanent form. It is changing. Just like you see in the cloud. From airplane you can experience. The cloud You are running. You are seeing one form. After few minutes, that form is changing to different form. Therefore it is called ivabhati. You immediately see a cloud just like big elephant, but after a few minutes you see the cloud, the same cloud, is changed into just like a big hill, another, a big tree. So this is going on. Today I am Indian, you are American, but next birth or after few years, although American, the body is changing. Body is changing. Therefore it is written there, ivabhati: “as if it has got a body.” As if. Ivabhati: “It appears.” But maya is so strong Bahu-rupa ivabhati... What is the next word? Mayaya?

Bali-mardana: Mayaya bahu-rupaya.

Prabhupada: Bahu-rupaya. These bahu-rupa, these varieties of rupa, form, is given by maya. So this is intelligence. Just like mother, or like a small child, dressing morning in some way, in the evening another way, changing dresses. Maya is our mother, and she is giving us a different type of dresses, mayaya bahu-rupaya, and therefore we are changing into bahu-rupa. But because we are attached to the dress, so according to the form, we are forming our consciousness. Now I have got a different body, different form, so I have got a different consciousness. You have got a different body; you have got a different consciousness. So everyone, all living entities The dog is thinking Because he has got a dog’s body, he thinks, “I am dog.” “I am American,” the same way. This is all maya. Bahu-rupa ivabhati mayaya bahu-rupaya. Then next?

Bali-mardana: Ramamano.

Prabhupada: Ramamana.

Bali-mardana: Ramamano gunesva...

Prabhupada: Gunesu. And according to the body, he is enjoying different variety of enjoyment. So when I have got a tiger’s body, so my taste for food will be most abominable, fresh blood, like that. And if I have got a hog’s body, then I shall feel pleasure by eating stool. And when I am a Vaisnava Vaisnava’s also transcendental. Or a brahmana’s body. Then I will be pleased with nice foodstuff, sattvic, sattvic foodstuff. Sattvic foodstuff means rice, wheat, and vegetables, fruits, milk products, and sugar. These are foodstuffs in goodness. Similarly, foodstuff in passion, foodstuff in ignorance. These are described in the Bhagavad-gita Eighteenth Chapter. In Hong Kong I saw from the garbage one Chinese woman was finding out rejected serpent-like preparations or something. First of all, it is rejected. It is thrown in the garbage. And from the garbage, according to her taste, she is finding out some nice foodstuff. You see? Just see. Kadarya bhaksana kare, nana yoni... So according to the body. Dehinam Deha yogena dehisu. According to the body, we get different taste of enjoyment. Somebody is enjoying most abominable things, somebody is enjoying very nice, but according to the body.
Therefore, if you become transcendental to your body, then your taste will be transcendental. If your taste is As the body is changing, ramamana, you cannot enjoy. If you are in the transcendental position, you cannot enjoy like the woman in Hong Kong, finding out in the garbage. You see? So people are trying to give service to the humanity. What service they can take, give? I have got a taste for a certain thing. How you can change my taste? Ramamana. I want to enjoy because I am under the grips of material nature. So I have got a certain type of taste. You cannot change it. If I say, “Don’t drink,” unless you are in Krsna consciousness, it is impossible to give up this drinking. That has already been tested. The American government, they are trying. They are spending so much money to stop these intoxication habits of the young men. They cannot because they are ramamana mayaya. They are pulled by the ear of the person: “You must drink this.” Prakrteh kriyamanani. Prakrti, nature, material nature is pulling you: “You must drink.” So unless one is free from the management of the prakrti, prakrteh kriyamanani, it is impossible. So they are trying to give lesson that “Don’t drink.” “Vegetarians.” There are so many societies. In Hong Kong I saw so many societies. Hong Kong or where I saw?

Devotee: Australia.

Prabhupada: Australia. Yes. There are so many societies, vegetarian societies, nondrinking societies. That is nice, but they cannot stay. By forming ordinary society or imposing some law by the state, you cannot stop. You have many laws to stop stealing, still there are thieves. That is not possible. You have so many laws not to do something. But because everyone is under the grip of prakrti, material nature, how he can change? It is not possible. So that is the mistake of the modern civilization. They do not know that by passing laws or giving some moral instruction, we cannot change the habits. Prakrti is very strong, material nature. The only solution is Krsna consciousness. Unless one comes to the Krsna consciousness platform, he cannot give up his habits. It is not possible. So if you want to Therefore it is purificatory process. The more you advance in Krsna consciousness, you become purified from all this influence of maya, because it is acting by mayaya bahu-rupaya. And as soon as you come to Krsna consciousness, even if you have got a different form, a different bodily form, because you are aloof from that, your, you are not affected by the influence of maya.

Just like anyone who is coming to Krsna consciousness in any country, they are forgetting their bodily consciousness. Just like in our society we have got members from different parts of the world. Especially in Africa we have seen. There is very much distinction between white and black. But in our society there is no such distinction. The Indians there, they hated with the Because the Africans are working as servant to Indians. So now this time they agreed to take prasadam, all in the same line. The Europeans, Americans, Indians, Africans, even brahmanas, high caste, all. I also. We sat down to take prasadam. In our Mayapur they are distributing prasadam. Perhaps it is for the first time that Hindus and Muslims are taking prasadam in the one line.

Devotee: All glories to you Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Yes. It is for the first, at least the first time. And Congress arranged during Congress session, Hindus and Muslims But that was not with heart. And after the Congress meeting was finished, they But here they daily, they are daily coming, taking prasadam. Why not? Prasadam is Krsna’s prasadam. So actually, the United Nations or united people can be possible only in Krsna consciousness. Otherwise it is not possible. The maya. Everyone is under the influence of maya, bahu-rupaya. So long he is under the influence of maya, he must think in terms of his own form. That is temporary, but he is attached to that temporary form. He must think that “I am this, I am that, I am...” So it is a very important verse. . . ."

[Excerpt from: Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.2 Lecture By Srila Prabhupada, Melbourne, April 4, 1972]