Manifestation of Dharma in the Human Being

The word dharma translated into English as religion is not perfect. The exact meaning of dharma is characteristic. The living entity is constitutionally part and parcel of supreme personality of Godhead, Mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva bhutah sanatanah. . .(Bg. 15.17) as such, the characteristics of the Supreme personality of Godhead are present in the living entity as natural sequence. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead is vibhu or great, whereas the living entities are anu or the minute part. Therefore the characteristics of the living entities and the Lord, although qualitatively one, they are quantitatively different.

The characteristics of the Lord are present in unlimited quantity, where as the same are present in the living entity in very very minute quantity. In this connection, the example of the vast ocean water and a drop of it can be given. The taste of ocean water is salty. In the drop of ocean water this salt is present in minute quantity, whereas the amount of salt in the vast ocean is of unlimited quantity.

In English, religion means a kind of faith, but dharma does not mean a kind of faith, but it is a fact. A faith may be changed if the follower so desires, but dharma cannot be changed. When it is changed artificially, it becomes troublesome. therefore we learn from Srimad Bhagavatam that dharma is given to the living entities, especially the human being by God himself, and any other kind of dharma which is not given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is rejected. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, 6th Canto, 3rd Chapter verses 19-22, it is said,

dharmam tu saksad bhagavat pranitam na vai vidur rsayo napi devah na siddha-mukhya asura manusyah kuto nu vidyadhara-caranadayah (19) svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh prahlado janako bhismo balirvaiyasakirvayam (20) dvadasaiye vijanimo dharmam bhagavatam bhutah guhyam visuddham durbodham yam jnatva-mrtam asnute (21) etavan eva loke’smin pumsam dharmah parah smrtaha bhakti-yogo bhagavati tan-nama-grahanadibhih (22)

So dharma for the human society cannot be manufactured by any great saintly persons or the demigods or the sidhas or the asuras or the human beings and what to speak of others. The word “Hindu dharma” is not exactly derived from Vedic version, actually the dharma practised by the followers of the Vedas is called Varnasrama dharma.

Later on this Varnasrama dharma, as it was practised in India, was given the name “Hindu dharma” most probably by our neighboring Mohamedan countries. It is said that the people living on the other side of the river Sindhu, now flowing in Pakistan, were called hindus. So we cannot exactly follow what is the meaning of “Hindu dharma", but we can understand what is Varnasrama dharma. But this Varnasrama dharma can be applicable anywhere throughout the universe.

The whole universe or the material cosmic manifestations under the influence of the three gunas or material modes, as such the Supreme Personality of Godhead has given us the system of four Varnas-catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah (Bg 4.13) Therefore according to Visnu purana, every living entity or human being especially, has to follow this Varnasrama dharma. In the Varnasrama dharma, the principles are in terms of associating with the different modes of material nature. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad Gita, how a living entity gets a particular type of body by associating with the modes of material nature. As it is already described, every living entity being part and parcel of God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Krishna), is the original father of all living entities. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad gita as follows

sarva yonisu kaunteya
murtaya sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija pradah pita
(Bg 14.4)

The Lord says, ”My dear son of Kunti, all species of life in different forms are all my sons.” Now, here it is clearly stated that forms of the living entities (murtayah) are the sons of the Lord. The Lord also must have His transcendental form as it is described in the Brahma Samhita. Without the Supreme Father being the form, how can He have sons with forms?

isvarah paramah Krsnah
sac-cid-ananda vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sava karana karanam
(Bs 5.1)

So the original Father, (isvarah paramah krsnah) has His original form. His form is, however, different from the forms of His innumerable sons in the material condition. In the material conditions, the spiritual sparks, namely, the living entities, are differently presented in different material forms, but none of them are sac-cid ananda vigrahah. In other words, the living entities are begotten by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the supreme Father, and the seeds discharged within the womb of material nature and at the time of creation they come out in different forms of material bodies and then they are divided in different species of life. In the Bg. it is clearly stated that these living entities have different types of bodies and the cause is the living entities’ association with the different modes of material nature, karanam guan sango’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. (Bg 13.22) It is also stated in the Bg.:

Mama yonir mamad brahma

tasmin garbham dadhamy aham

sambhavah sarva bhutanam

tato bhavati bharatah

sarva yonisu kaunteya

murtayah sambhavanti yah

tasam brahma mahad yonir

aham bija pradah pita

(Bg 14.3-4)

The conclusion is that we are all sons of God, it doesn’t matter in what forms we are existing in at present. Our present existentional position is material concept of life. This material concept of life, namely thinking that I am not this body, is sheer ignorance or to remain in the modes of darkness. The whole world is now covered with darkness on account of this ignorance that I am this body. Anyone who is under such a concept of life that I am this body is called an animal.

yasyatma buddhir gunapetri dhatuke
sva dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijyadhih
yat tirtha buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva gokharah
(SB 10.84.13)

Go means cow and khara means ass. So this go-khara civilization thinking the body as the self, is very much strong at the present moment. Therefore combinedly, all intelligent persons throughout the world must try to awaken the real dharma or characteristic of all human beings. Everyone is under the bodily concept of live and is thinking that he is Indian, American, European, Hindu, Moslem, brahmana, ksatriya, or in greater conception, I am a human being, I am an animal, I am a bird, I am a beast, I am a tree, etc. Factually the living entities being in contact with material nature and born in different species of life, from the very beginning of creation, they are differently situated in different forms. Darwins theory of evolution is simply speculation and is therefore not correct. He has taken the idea from Vedic literature, but on account of his poor fund of knowledge, he could not explain the matter perfectly. He wanted to become a co-called scientist, independent of Vedic literature, and therefore he has missed the point and has misled the whole human society especially the Western world in the grossest way of material existence. The real evolutionary science is described in the Vedic literature, namely Brahma-Vaivarta Purana:

asitim caturas caiva laksan tan jiva jatisu
brahmadbhih purusaih prapyam manusyam janma paryayat
tad apy aphalatam jatam tesam atmabhimaninam
varakanam anasritya govinda carana dvayam

In the Padma Purana also, we get information that there are 8400000 different forms of life. Janma-paryaya means transmigration of the soul. The fact is that there are three material qualities, sattva, rajas and tamas, and when these three qualities are multiplied by three, they become nine qualities, and similarly nine multiplied by nine become a mixture of eighty-one qualities exactly like a color combination.

Originally there are three colors, red, blue and yellow,and if you mix them together, they become green, orange, pink and so many other colors. Similarly the combination of three qualities of material nature, sattva, rajas, and tamas, has created so many forms of living entities. Bg 14.5, it is clearly explained, sattvam rajas tama iti gunah prakriti sambhavah, the material nature consists of three modes, goodness, passion and ignorance.

When the living entity comes into contact with material nature he comes out in different forms of body. These forms of body are just like dream or likened to the forms of body in a dream. Sometimes the question is put forward as to when the living entity first contacted the material nature. There is no need of tracing the history of such contact as much as there is no need as tracing the history of dream. The SB says:

atma-mayam rte rajan
parasyanubhavatmanah
na ghatetartha sambandahah
svapna drastur ivanjasa
(SB 2.9.1)

So this atma maya means conditioned life. As soon as one forgets his constitutional position, he becomes illusioned by his own action, or in other words, as soon as the living entity forgets that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His son, he is supposed to be in a dream. Therefore real propagation of religion or dharma should be how to get out the pure soul or living being from the cluthes of maya or illusion. The whole world is suffering under this illusion and therefore the most important task before the human society is to educate every human being that he is not this body but he is spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All living entities are entrapped by this illusion and by the evolutionary process, namely by transmigration of the soul from one body to another. When the living entity comes to the status of the human being, it is the opportunity for his becoming free from this continued birth and death and again going back to home, back to Godhead. The matter is simplified in the statement of Bg.:

daivi hy esa gunamayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te
(Bg 7.14)

That is to say, that the modes of material nature, known as gunamayi maya are very strong and it is very difficult to get out of the entanglement. But the Lord gives the remedy at the same time that anyone who surrenders to Him, mameva ye prapadyante, or anyone who surrenders voluntarily unto Krsna (isvarah paramah Krsnah), he becomes out of the clutches of the material entanglement. The surrendering process is actually the human civilization and that is real dharma of the human society and that is the basic principle of the Vedic culture as it is confirmed by the statement of the Lord.

Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo (Bg. 15.15) This Vedic culture is now being propagated under the name of the Krsna consciousness movement. It is scientific, authorised and practical. We have got practical experience of this fact. Four or five years ago in the material world, nobody knew what is Krsna. Since many hundred of years, Bg. was known to the Western countries and almost all scholars and religionists are interested in reading the great book of knowledge Bhagavad Gita. But such Knowledge, being presented by the Mayavad School, Krsna as never been appriciated. At the Present movement, we are presenting Bhagavad Gita As it is, without any so called scholarly mal interpretation. And in all parts of the world, this movement is being accepted, especially by the younger generation, which means that this movement has a great future for been accepted by everyone. In the Bhagvatam it is recommended that dharma in its confidential and essential form should be preached as follows:

etavan eva loke’smin pumsam
dharmah parah smrtah
bhakti-yogo bhagavati
tan-nama-grahanadibhih
(Bhag. 6.3.22)

This is the first class way of preaching dharma, namely, bhaktiyogo bhagavati, which begins by chanting His holy name, tannama-grahanadibhih. The same thing is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita,

satatam kirtayanto mam
yatantas ca drdha-vratah
namasyantas ca mam bhaktya
nitya-yukto upasate
(Bg. 9.14)

So we are preaching the essence of dharma, namely chanting the holy names of the Lord, the mahamantra, ”Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.”

This movement is now known generally all over the world as the Hare Krsna movement. This is confirmed in the Brhan-Naradiya Purana:

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

So anyone who is serious to preach real this movement. It is being accepted in America, Europe, Japan, Australia, Africa, South America and even in Russia. If India wants to be glorified, she must take to her original spiritual culture, namely to know the goal of life. They are thinking that they can be happy by material adjustment. But it has been proved that they have never been happy in the past by such attempts and therefore it is to be concluded that they will never been happy in the future by such attempts. We are attempting to spread this Krsna Consciousness in our humble way and if one conditioned soul is delivered from the clutches of Maya, we shall think our movement is successful. We think therefore that all religious communities from all over the world should take part in this movement. If not easily, they can take advantage of our dozens of voluminous books, such as :

1.Bhagavad-gita As It Is
2.Srimad-Bhagavatam
3.Teachings of Lord Caitanya
4.Nectar of Devotion (Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu)
5.Krsna, the supreme Peronality of Godhead
6.Sri Isopanisad
7.Easy Journey to Other Planets
8.Krsna Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System,
etc, etc.

But our only request to all religious communities is to understand this movement and take part in it.

[This Appeared in Dharmaprakash, a Madhva Magazine Published in Madras]
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

International Institution for God Consciousness

Teaching all over the world the scientific education to all people in the matter of understanding one God, one religion, one scripture, one hymn and one function.  

A man cannot be free from Fear, Bereavement, Anxiety, and Diseases, unless and until he knows his actual position as a living entity. He must, therefore, be educated about his real constitutional position. In knowing such constitutional position one has to learn about the controller above him; why he is controlled, why the laws of nature are so stern for him, why he is subjected to threefold miseries of life, what is the nature of his controller, what is this material nature, who is controlling the laws of material nature, what is the duration of life of everything manifested and what are the activities which keep everybody busy throughout day and night. Without knowing all these things in right earnestness, a man remains an animal in spite of his high academic education.  

The Sanskrit word Dharma is translated into English as religion but by such translation the import of Dharma is not clear. In English religion is some kind of emotional faith in a particular system of rituals or moral conviction. But the word Dharma does not mean such emotional awakened sense without scientific value. Religion or faith can be changed but Dharma cannot be changed. You cannot change the liquidity of water nor you can change the heat and light of fire. Water means liquid substance and fire means heating agent. Such co-existence of water and liquidity, or fire and heat, is eternal; and similarly we mean religion is that which cannot be changed by the living entity. Faith can be changed but Dharma cannot be changed. Therefore, we mean by religion, in pursuance of the root meaning of the word Dharma, as eternal relationship or eternal quality. On this principle there is only one religion of the entire human society. In other words Dharma or eternal consciousness of creative energy and sense of enjoyment by lording it over the material energy, is the eternal religion of every living being and this perpetual quality of the living being is never changed like temporary faith or emotion. One may change his faith from one ism to another but one cannot change the consciousness of creative energy and the sense of domination over other.  

In the living being, however, the consciousness of creation and sense of domination is not supremely manifested. Every one is moved by these two natural instincts of living conditions but nobody is the supreme conscious being or supreme dominator. Everybody tries to know more than others and dominate more than others and thus there is a regular competition in the fields of creative energy and domination; but nobody has come to the stage of the supreme. The Supreme is Summum Bonum and nobody is equal or above the Supreme Conscious Being and the Supreme Controller. The Supreme Conscious Being Who possesses the supreme creative energy and thus the supreme power of domination over all, is called the Supreme Enjoyer. This Supreme Enjoyer is nomenclatured in Sanskrit by the word KRISHNA the symbol of greatest amount of pleasure. He is the Supreme Living Entity and all other living entities are eternally parts and parcels of the Supreme. Individual living entities are happy in cooperation with the supreme and not independently. The whole world is moving by cooperation of greater and lesser personalities. Therefore, perfection of life is attained by cooperation with the greatest and not otherwise. This cooperative sense and its awakening in every individual living being, is the eternal religion of the living entity. It is not a question of faith but it is eternally dormant in everyone and the process of awakening this consciousness by systematic activities, is perfect religion and it is One in every living being.  

The material nature or cosmic manifestation is one of the energies of the Supreme Being and is dependent on Him. We can very well understand that our material body is a product of our energy. The material body takes its shape larger and larger from the very beginning due to the spark of living energy which also is the superior energy of the Supreme Being. And combination of these two energies, namely the superior and inferior, is manifested as the cosmic creation or material nature. And these two energies are limited within eternal Time. Within the Time factors superior energy acts and reacts upon the inferior energy matter. Such actions and reactions being limited by the Time factor past present and future all such activities are temporary whereas the other factors namely the Supreme Living Being, the individual living beings, the inferior energy material nature and Time factor all are eternal. Perfection of activities is attained by transcendental position of the living entities in cooperation with the Supreme Being.  

All these factors are systematically explained in the Bhagwat Geeta which is meant for all human being. The human being can utilize this great book of transcendental knowledge according to the direction of the author Sri Krishna inculcated in the book itself. One cannot understand Bhagwat Geeta by imperfect interpretations as fashion study. One can derive benefit out of it by accepting the whole thing in pursuance of the original student Arjuna. One who follows Arjuna is the perfect student of the Bhagwat Geeta. In all circumstances, therefore, the Bhagwat Geeta is the One scripture for everyone.  


The world is very much anxious to have One religion, one God, One Scripture and one harmonized activity, and the International Institution for God Consciousness is meant for that. Here is the thing everyone is hankering after, and let everyone be a member of this institution as student and he will make his life a complete perfection.

Written By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1965)

World Pacifist and the Bhagavad-Gita

[Meeting with the Governor of Bihar, Jan. 7, 1968]

Sri Abhay Charanarvindo Bhaktivedanta who is now at Patna on a cultural and peace mission, met His Excellency the Governor of Bihar on the 18th January and discussed with him on the prime necessity of starting a spiritualising movement without infringing the principles of a secular state. He said that the world pacifists who are now trying to bring in an eternal peace in the world by spiritualism, will do well to understand the difference between spirit and matter. We have heard so many times the pacifists speaking of spiritualism as the basis of world peace and we think it is our duty to say something of spiritualism as we find it in the Bhagwat Gita and as it is practically demonstrated by Lord Chaitanya.

Sri Krishna, the author of the great Indian Philosophy Bhagwat Geeta, has elaborately discerned materialism from spiritualism. From Him we can learn that the material nature of which we are now made of, is different from the spiritual nature of which we are(?) actually the parts and parcels. He has stressed most vehemently in the beginning of the Bhagwat Gita that the living entity is eternal and does not annihilate on the annihilation of the outward coverings of the gross body and subtle mind.

To understand this we must know it well that the material nature is conducted under three modes namely material goodness, material passion and material ignorance. Matter being completely different from spirit, it will be a mistake on our part to accept material goodness as substitute for spiritualism. The three modes of nature (material) work sometimes jointly and sometimes separately.

Prevalence of material goodness is congenial to temporary peaceful atmosphere but we must know it for certain that this sort of material goodness is sure to be disturbed by the other two baser modes. The example of the playing children may be given here. The children while playing together sometimes quarrel with one another and fight. But after fighting for some time when they become tired of such fighting mode, they declare some sort of peace with one another and promise emphatically that thenceforward they shall play with peace and amity and shall cease to hurt one another.

We may tell the pacifists of the world that the peaceful atmosphere for which they are now so much anxious, cannot be achieved by the dual process of fighting and peace-making attempt of the children.

The goodness of Mahatma Gandhi should not be misunderstood as spiritualism. Gandhi's goodness exhibited as love for all, goodwill for all, tolerance for all and all such good and moral codes are not new to the world. There were institutions all over the world to preach all these pious qualities. Gandhi's success was not therefore due to all these pious wishes only but behind these good qualities was his spiritual strength. If we ignore his spiritual strength exhibited by his actions, mind and intelligence and simply take up outward activities, it will not be possible for us to adopt his means. We cannot accept one half of a thing without spoiling it.

Spiritualism, real and scientific can bestow on us eternal peace and happiness but that is not material goodness. The world is tired of fighting tendency as by the actual experience of the two great world wars. The people out of fear of the havocs of the war are now trying to take shelter of Gandhiji's material goodness of nonviolence but that is just like the fighting children's peacemaking attempt. Real spiritualism is transcendental. This transcendental process depends more on realization than on resolution. The other day Dr. P. C. Ghose in the pacifist's meeting said that unless they changed the whole outlook transcended the geographical boundaries and considered all people of the world as one there is very little hope for mankind.

This consciousness of oneness is possible by spiritual realization. In the Bhagwat Gita it is said that only the genuine learned person can see equally on a learned Brahmin, a cow, a dog or a Candala as one. We should not only change our outlook on all human being as one but we shall have to change our outlook on all living entities irrespective of the material coverings. The clear conception of changing such outlook is inculcated in the Bhagwat Gita. It is said that the Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna is the life-giving force and thus the Universal Father of all living entities and the material nature is the body and mind giving Universal Mother. If we want to change our outlook, therefore, for transcending the geographical as well as corporal boundaries then we have to do that by spiritual process and not by any amount material goodness. This spiritual process only saved India so long from the poison of provincialism and in the absence of that spiritual process India have now began to think in terms of provinces. This cannot be counteracted by any amount of goodness without spiritual activities.

Nonviolence is therefore a process of material goodness against the (?) violence. Violence is a product of the modes of passion and ignorance whereas nonviolence is a product of material goodness. Nonviolence and violence are therefore co-relative terms under the modes of the same material nature. Spiritualism is the process of invoking(?) the lost relation with the Universal Father. If we stick to materialism and its different modes of goodness passion and ignorance, it is not possible to attain spiritualism.

Lord Chaitanya practically taught all people of this process of spiritualism by His novel and yet original method of chanting the Holy Name of the Lord as is AUM in the Vedas. His philosophy is a combination of monism and dualism simultaneously i.e. He gave the finishing touch to the philosophies of all other previous Acaryas by the exposition of His philosophy of acintya bheda-bheda tattva or inconceivable one and different simultaneously. By this philosophy He actually confirmed the direct teachings of Bhagwat Gita and made it easy and practical for even by the common man without any mundane education. He represented Himself for the mass of uneducated people particularly of the present age although He was personally the most erudite scholar of His time.

Spiritual realization through the studies of Vedanta and allied scriptures, is very difficult nowadays. But yet the supreme realization is possible by the transcendental chanting process in this age. That is the recommendations of Lord Chaitanya in accordance with the Vedic principles.

Gandhiji in the latter part of his life began this transcendental chanting of the Name of the Lord and his famous chorus singing of RAGHUPATI RAGHAVA RAJA RAMA is quite well known to us. Lord Chaitanya did not put any barrier to any caste, creed or color for joining this transcendental chorus of chanting the Lord's name and he blesses all men to achieve the highest spiritual realization by this simple method. By this method of chanting every one will attain to the plane of pure consciousness. They shall be relieved of the pangs of a mechanical life of repeated birth, death, old age and disease. By this method of realization the supreme life of perfection by realizing God as He is, will usher in.

Mahatma Gandhi's preliminary attempt in the following four ways namely:—

1) Daily prayer and Sankirtana (chanting of God's Names) meetings followed by the recitation of Bhagwat Gita,

2) Reorganization fo the temple worship movements,

3) Upliftment of the falled people by the 'Harijan' movement.

4) Reorganization of the Caste-system movement, may be taken up immediately by the leaders of India.

These movements if systematically carried on will help very much in the spiritualizing process. They can be given a real spiritual shape in accordance with the principles of Bhagwat Gita and other authentic scriptures. And by doing so India's original culture will not only be revived and re-established but also will foster India's indigenous culture in other parts of the world. That will be a sort of cultural conquest of all world by India. By such conquest the people of the world will get relieved of the so-called material prosperity terrorized by atomic bombs.

(Fragment of an essay explaining the Yoga System.)

Krishna Consciousness movement is the highest yoga performance by trained devotional yogis. The yoga system, as stated in the standard yoga practice formulas given by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita or what is recommended in the Patanjali yoga practice, is different from the nowadays practice of hatha-yoga as generally understood in the Western countries.

Real yoga practice means to control the senses and after such control concentrate the mind on the Narayana Form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna. Lord Krishna is the original Absolute Personality of Godhead and all other Vishnu Forms with four hands decorated with conch, lotus, disk and wheel are plenary expansions of Krishna. In the Bhagavad-gita it is recommended that one should meditate upon the form of the Lord. For pracitsing the concentration of the mind one has to sit down in a secluded place sanctified by sacred atmosphere and yogi should observe the rules and regulation of becoming a Brahmacari who lives strictly a life of self-restraint and celibacy. Nobody can practice yuoga in a congested city and living a life of extravagancy including unrestricted sex indulgence and adultry of the tongue. As we have already stated that yoga practice means controlling the senses, so the beginning of controlling the sense is to control the tongue. You cannot allow the tongue to taste all kins of forbidden food and drink and at the same time improve in the practice of yoga. It is very regretable a fact that many unauthorized and stray so-called yogis came in this country to exploit the leaning of the people for yoga practice. Such unauthorized yogis even dare to say publicly that one can indulge in drinking habit and at the same practice meditation.

Five thousand years before Lord Krishna recommended yoga practice to Arjuna but Arjuna flatly expressed his inability to follow the stringent rules and regulation of yoga practice. One should be very practical in every field of activity. One should not waste one's valuable time in practising some gymnastic feats in the name of yoga. Real yoga practice is to search out the four-handed Supersoul within one's heart and see Him perpetually in meditation. Such continued meditation is called samadhi. If somebody wants to meditate upon something void or impersonal, it will take very long time for achieving success in the yoga practice. We cannot concentrate our mind on something which is voidness or impersonal. Real yoga practice is to fix up the mind on the Person of four handed Narayana in the heart of everyone.

Sometimes it is said that by meditation one will understand that God is seated within one's heart. Even one does not know it still God is seated within the heart of everyone. He is not only seated in the heart of a human being but He is there within the heart of cats and dogs also. The Bhagavat Gītā confirms this by declaration of the Lord. Iswara the Supreme Controller Lord is seated in everyone's heart. He is not only in everyone's heart but he is also present within the atoms also. No place is vacant without the presence of the Lord. The feature of the Lord by which He is present everywhere is called the Paramatma. Atma means the individual soul and Paramatma means the individual Supersoul. Both Atma and Paramatma are individual persons. The difference between Atma and Paramatma is that the Atma or the soul is present only in a particular place whereas the Paramatma is present everywhere. In this connection the example of the sun is very nice. Individual person may [be] situated in one place but the sun, even though a similar individual entity, is present on the head of every individual person. In the Bhagavat Gītā this is very nicely explained. Therefore, even though the quality of all entities including the Lord is equal, the Supersoul is different from the individual soul by quantity. The Supersoul being seated in everyone's heart, He can witness everyone's activity past, present and future. In the Upanisads the Supersoul is stated as sitting with the individual soul as a friend or witness. As a friend the Lord is always anxious to get back His friend the individual soul back to home back to Godhead and as witness He is endower of all results of actions done by the individual soul. The Supersoul gives all facility to the individual soul for achieving whatever he may desire. But He instructs his friend and son that he may give up all other engagements and may simply surrender unto Him for perpetual bliss and eternal life full of knowledge. This is the last instruction of the Bhagavat Gītā, the most authorised and widely read book on all kinds of yoga system. The last word of the BG as stated above is the last word in the matter of perfect yoga system. It is further stated in the BG that a person who is always absorbed in Krishna Consciousness is the topmost yogi. What is this Krishna Consciousness? As individual soul is present by his consciousness throughout the whole body, similarly the Supersoul or Paramatma is present throughout the whole creation by super consciousness. This super consciousness cannot be imitated by the individual soul who has got limited consciousness. I can understand what is going on within my limited body but I cannot feel what is going on in other's body. I am present all over my body by my consciousness, but I am not present in other's body by my consciousness. The Supersoul or Paramatma being present with everyone and everywhere, He is also conscious of everybody's existence. The theory that the soul and the Supersoul is one is not acceptable because the individual soul's consciousness cannot act in super consciousness. This super consciousness can be achieved by dovetailing individual consciousness with super consciousness and this dovetailing process is called surrender or Krishna Consciousness. From the teachings of Bhag. Gītā we learn it very clearly that Arjuna in the beginning did not like to fight with his brothers and relations but after understanding the Bhag. Gītā, when he dovetailed his consciousness with the super consciousness of Krishna it was Krishna Consciousness. A person in full Krishna Consciousness acts by the dictation of Krishna. In the beginning of Krishna Consciousness this dictation is received through the transparent medium of spiritual master. When one is sufficiently trained and acts in submissive faith and love for Krishna, under the direction of the bonafide spiritual master, the dovetailing process becomes more firm and accurate. At this stage of the devotee in Krishna Consciousness, Krishna dictates from within. From without the devotee is helped by the spiritual master, the bonafide representative of Krishna, and from within He helps the devotee as Chaitya Guru because He is seated within the heart of everyone. To understand therefore that God is seated in everyone's heart is not perfection. One has to be acquainted with God both from within and without and has to take dictation both from within and without to act in Krishna Consciousness. This is the highest perfectional stage of human form of life or the topmost stage of all kinds of yoga systems. For a perfect yogi there are 8 kinds of super-achievements—one can become the smallest than an atom, one can become the biggest than the mountain, one can become lightest than the air, one can achieve whatever he likes, one can control over others like the Lord, and so on. But when one rises to the perfectional stage of receiving dictation from the Lord, that stage is more than the stage of material achievements as above mentioned. The breathing exercise of yoga system which is generally practiced is just the beginning of the system, meditation on the Supersoul is just a step forward, achievement of wonderful material success is also a step forward, but to attain direct contact with the Supersoul and take dictation from Him is the highest perfectional stage. The breathing exercise or meditation practices of yoga are very difficult in this age. Not to speak of this age, it was difficult even 5,000 years ago. Otherwise Arjuna would not have rejected the proposal of Krishna. This age of Kali is called the fallen age. At the present moment people in general are short living, very slow in understanding self-realization [several words illegible]. They are mostly unfortunate and as such if somebody is a little bit interested in self-realization he is misguided by so many rascals. The only way of realization of perfect stage of yoga practice is to follow the principles of Bhag. Gītā as practiced by Lord Chaitanya. It is the simplest and highest perfection of yoga practice. Lord Chaitanya practically demonstrated this practice of K. C. yoga simply by chanting the holy name of Krishna as they are mentioned in the Vedanta, S.B., and many important Puranas. The largest number of Indian follow this yoga practice and in U.S.A. also it is gradually getting ground in many cities like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sante Fe, Boston and Montreal. It is very easy and practical for this age specially for those who are serious about yoga success. No other process of yoga practice can be successful in this age. The meditation process in right earnest was possible in the golden age of Satya Yuga because the people in that age used to live for hundreds of thousands of years. If you want therefore success in practical yoga practice take to the chanting of Hare Krishna. . . . . .Hare and feel practically how you are making progress. One can know for himself how much he is making progress in practical yoga practice. In the Bhagwat Gītā this practice of Krishna Consciousness is described as Rajvidya or the king of all erudition, Rajaguhyam or the most confidential system of spiritual realisation, Pavitra or the purest of all pure, Susakham very happily performed and Avyam or inexhaustible. Those who have taken to this most sublime Bhakti Yoga system or practice of devotional service in transcendental love of Krishna can testify how they are nicely feeling about its happy and easy execution. Yoga means controlling the senses and Bhakti Yoga means [several words illegible]. We think in Krishna, we chant in Krishna, we live in Krishna, we eat in Krishna, we talk in Krishna, we hope in Krishna, we sustain [in] Krishna and we return to Krishna without any doubt and this is the substance of "Krishna Consciousness."

Om tat sat.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami [words illegible]

Jan. 7, 1968

[lines written on left margins on pages 2 and 4 of handwritten copy]

Page 2: Just think of Me, just become a devotee of Me, just worship Me, just offer obeisances unto Me.

Page 4: 'Krishna Consciousness' is not manufactured by any man by mental speculation but it is the injunction of B.G. which says "man mana bhava mat bhakta mad yaji mam namaskuru.'

The Teachings of Prahlāda Mahārāja

Today I shall speak to you of the history of a boy devotee named Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was born in a family that was stubbornly atheistic. There are two kinds of men in this world: the demons and the demigods. What is the difference between them? The main difference is that the demigods, or godly persons, are devoted to the Supreme Lord, whereas the demons are atheistic. They do not believe in God because they are materialists. These two classes of men always exist in this world. At the present moment, due to the Age of Kali (Age of Quarrel), the number of demons has increased, but the classification has existed since the beginning of creation. The incident I am narrating to you occurred very, very long ago, a few million years after the time of creation.

Prahlāda Mahārāja was the son of the most atheistic person and the most materially powerful as well. Because the society was materialistic, this boy had no opportunity to glorify the Supreme Lord. The characteristic of a great soul is that he is very eager to broadcast glorification of the Supreme Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, for example, was very eager to broadcast the glorification of God, but demoniac people misunderstood him and crucified him.

When Prahlāda Mahārāja was a five-year-old boy, he was sent to school. As soon as there was a recreation period, when the teacher was away, he would say to his friends, “My dear friends, come on. We shall speak about Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” This scene is related in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Seventh Canto, Sixth Chapter. The devotee Prahlāda says, “My dear friends, this is the time, in this young age, to prosecute Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”

His little friends reply, “Oh, we shall now play. Why take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness?”

In answer to this, Prahlāda Mahārāja says, “If you are intelligent, then you must begin bhāgavata-dharma from childhood.”

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam offers bhāgavata-dharma, or the process leading to scientific knowledge about God. Bhāgavata means “the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” and dharma means “regulative principles.” This human form of life is very rare. It is a great opportunity. Therefore Prahlāda says, “My dear friends, you are born as civilized human beings, so although your human body is temporary, it is the greatest opportunity.” No one knows the length of his life. It is calculated that in this age the human body may live up to a hundred years. But as the Age of Kali advances, duration of life, memory, mercy, religiousness, and all other such assets decrease. So no one has any assurance of long life in this age.

Still, although the human form is temporary, you can achieve the highest perfection of life while in this human form. What is that perfection? To understand the all-pervading Supreme Lord. For other life forms this is not possible. By the gradual evolutionary process we come to this human form, so it is a rare opportunity. By nature’s law, a human body is ultimately given to you so that you can promote yourself in spiritual life and go back home, back to Godhead.

The ultimate goal of life is Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In a later verse Prahlāda Mahārāja will say, “People in this material world who are enamored with the material energy do not know what the goal of human life is. Why? Because they have been enchanted by the Lord’s glaring external energy. They have forgotten that life is an opportunity to understand the ultimate goal of perfection, Viṣṇu.” Why should we be very anxious to know Viṣṇu, or God? Prahlāda Mahārāja gives a reason: “Viṣṇu is the dearmost person. That we have forgotten.” We all seek some dear friend—everyone searches in this way. A man searches for dear friendship with a woman, and a woman searches for dear friendship with a man. Or else a man searches out a man, and a woman searches out a woman. Everyone searches after some dear friend, some sweet friend. Why? We want the cooperation of a dear friend who will help us. This is part of the struggle for existence, and this is natural. But we do not know that our dearest friend is Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Those who have read the Bhagavad-gītā will find this nice verse in the Fifth Chapter: “If you want peace, then you must understand perfectly that everything in this world and other worlds is the property of Kṛṣṇa, that He is the enjoyer of everything, and that He is the supreme friend of everyone.” Why perform austerity? Why perform religious rituals? Why give in charity? All these activities are meant for pleasing the Supreme Lord, and nothing more. And when the Supreme Lord is pleased, you will get the result. Whether you want to gain higher material happiness or spiritual happiness, whether you want to live a better life on this planet or on other planets—whatever you want you will get if you please the Supreme Lord. Therefore He is the most sincere friend. Whatever you want from Him, you can get. But the intelligent man does not want anything that is materially contaminated.

In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says that by pious activities one can elevate oneself to the highest material planet, known as Brahmaloka, where the duration of life is millions and millions of years. You cannot figure the duration of life there; your arithmetic will be ineffective. The statement in the Bhagavad-gītā is that the life of Brahmā is so long that 4,320,000,000 of our years are only twelve hours to him. Kṛṣṇa says, “Whatever position you want, beginning from the ant right up to Brahmā, you can have. But the repetition of birth and death will be there. However, if by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness you come to Me, then you don’t have to come back to this miserable material condition.”

Prahlāda Mahārāja says the same thing: We should search for our dearmost friend, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. Why is He our dearmost friend? By nature He is dear. Now, what do you consider the dearmost thing? Have you analyzed? You yourself are the dearmost thing. I am sitting here, but if there is a fire alarm I shall at once take care of myself: “How can I save myself?” We forget our friends and even our relatives: “Let me first of all save myself.” Self-preservation is the first law of nature.

In the grossest sense, the word ātmā—“self”—refers to the body. In the subtler sphere the mind or intelligence is the ātmā, and in the real sense ātmā means the soul. In the gross stage we are very fond of protecting and satisfying the body, and in a subtler stage we are very fond of satisfying the mind and intelligence. But above the mental and intellectual planes, where the atmosphere is spiritualized, we can understand, “I am not this mind, intellect, or body. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi—I am spirit, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.” That is the platform of real understanding.

Prahlāda Mahārāja says that of all living entities, Viṣṇu is the supreme well-wisher. Therefore we are all searching for Him. When a child cries, what does he long for? His mother. But he has no language to express this. By nature he has his body, born of his mother’s body, so there is an intimate relationship with the mother’s body. The child won’t like any other woman. The child cries, but when the woman who is the child’s mother comes and picks him up, at once he is pacified. He has no language to express all this, but his relationship with his mother is a law of nature. Similarly, by nature we try to protect the body. This is self-preservation. It is a natural law of the living entity, just as eating is a natural law and sleeping is a natural law. Why do I protect the body? Because within the body is the soul.

What is this soul? The soul is a part of the Supreme Lord. As we want to protect the hand or the finger because it is a part of the whole body, similarly we try to save ourselves because this is the defending process of the Supreme. The Supreme does not need defense, but this is a manifestation of our love toward Him, which is now perverted. The finger and the hand are meant to act in the interests of the whole body; as soon as I want the hand to come here, it comes, and as soon as I want the finger to play on the drum, it plays. This is the natural position. Similarly, we are searching for God, to dovetail our energy in the service of the Supreme, but under the spell of the illusory energy we do not know it. That is our mistake. Now, in human life, we have an opportunity to understand our actual position. Only because you are human beings have you all come here to learn about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, about the real goal of your life. I cannot invite cats and dogs to sit down here. That is the difference between human beings and cats and dogs. A human being can understand the necessity of pursuing the real goal of life. But if he loses the opportunity, it is a great catastrophe.

Prahlāda Mahārāja says, “God is the dearmost personality of all. We have to search for God.” Then what about the material necessities of life? Prahlāda Mahārāja replies, “You are after sense gratification, but sense gratification is automatically achieved by contact with this body.” Because a hog has a certain type of body, his sense gratification comes from eating stool, the very thing that is most obnoxious to you. At once, after evacuating, you leave to get free from the bad smell—but the hog is waiting. As soon as you evacuate, he will at once enjoy. So there are different types of sense gratification according to different types of body. Everyone who has a material body receives sense gratification. Don’t think that the hogs eating stool are unhappy. No, they are getting fat in that way. They are very happy.

Another example is the camel. The camel is very fond of thorny twigs. Why? Because when he eats thorny twigs, the twigs cut his tongue, blood oozes out, and he tastes his own blood. Then he thinks, “I am enjoying.” This is sense gratification. Sex life is also like that. We taste our own blood, and we think we are enjoying. This is our foolishness.

The living entity in this material world is a spiritual being, but because he has a tendency to enjoy, to exploit the material energy, he has contacted a body. There are 8,400,000 species of living entities, each with a different body, and according to the body, they have particular senses with which they enjoy a particular type of pleasure. Suppose you are given thorny twigs to eat: “Ladies and gentlemen, here is very nice food. It is certified by the camels. It is very good.” Would you like to take it? “No! What nonsense are you offering me?” Because you have a different body from the camel, you have no taste for thorny twigs. But if you offer them to a camel, he will think it is a very nice meal.

Now, if the hogs and camels can enjoy sense gratification without great struggle, why not we human beings? We can—but that is not our ultimate achievement. The facilities to enjoy sense gratification are offered by nature, whether one be a hog, a camel, or a human being. So why should you labor for facilities that you are destined to receive anyway, by nature’s law? In every form of life the bodily demands are satisfied by the arrangement of nature. This gratification is arranged, just as there is an arrangement for distress. Do you like fever? No. Why does it come? I do not know. But it does come, does it not? Yes. Did you try for it? No. So how does it come? By nature. That is the only answer. And if your misery comes by nature, your happiness will also come by nature. Don’t bother about it. That is the instruction of Prahlāda Mahārāja. If you receive the miseries of life without effort, you will similarly achieve happiness without effort.

Then what is the real purpose of the human form of life? Cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other things will be obtained by nature’s law, which is ultimately God’s law. Even if I don’t try, I will be supplied with whatever I am to achieve because of my past work and my particular type of body. Your real concern, therefore, should be to seek out the higher goal of human life.

[From Transcendental Teachings of Prahlada Maharaja. "Chapter One: The Dear Most Person" By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]

Nationalism of Pure Consciousness

When a man enters into the sitting room of a friend, the friend receives the man with all cordiality and offers him the best couches for his comfortable rest. The friend accepts this friendly welcome and sits along with his host in all security. Does this mean that the man who has entered the house of his friend will consider the sitting room his own property? Certainly he will not think like that unless he has turned to be a mad man. His consciousness of the fact that none of the paraphernalias of the friend's sitting room do belong to him does not disturb him in the least to sit down there tightly and securely and with this pure consciousness of his position, he is allowed equal facility along with his friend who is actually the proprietor of the sitting room.
   
But if the man after some time madly thinks that because he was allowed to enter into the parlour of his friend to sit down there comfortably he has thereof become the proprietor of the room and all the furnitures in that room, then what will become the lot of the mad man? The natural consequence of this unlawful desire of the intruding friend will meet with police action by the real proprietor of the room and trouble will begin to disturb the friendly relation.
   
And if the man leaves the room without being able to occupy it as his own property and impertinently tells his friend that he is renouncing the right of proprietorship in disgust, certainly the proprietor friend will laugh at him thinking as to when and how the proprietorship of the room was awarded to him.
   
This is the real position of the conditioned soul who enters a stage of life in the cycle of birth and death. The living entity is unborn and eternal. The living entity simply changes his dress according to the price of the dress he has paid for. In the shop of the material nature there are eighty-four lacs of different dresses and the living entity is allowed to put on any one of them according to the price he is able to pay. Leaving aside all other dresses let us consider about the dress of the human body. Because in the dress of the human body a living entity is more puzzled than in the dress of the beast due to the gorgeousness of the particular garment. The dress of the human body is also exhibited in varieties of four lacs of species. There are different dresses of humanity in the form of Kirata, Huna, Andhro, Pulinda, Pukkasa, Abhira, Sumbha, Yananu, Khasadaya etc. and almost all of them are no more civilized than the jungle beasts. As such they have very little idea of civilized form of national feeling. Out of the eighty-four lacs of different dresses exhibited by the living entities, only the highest civilized human being is conscious of national feeling. This national feeling has created different civilized nations of the world but because almost every one of them is guided by sense of nationalism of impure consciousness, all of them are always busy in making pacts and blocks for security of everyone's national position.
   
The impure consciousness of nationalism has kept all the big heads of world nations always active for an adjustment of everyone's national interest. They have now made a united nation's security council and trying in vain to make a right adjustment. Impure consciousness of every nation has made it impossible to come to the safety point and it is needed therefore to awaken their pure consciousness by the propagation of spiritual education back to Godhead undertaken by the Lord Himself in the form of Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
   
What is that pure consciousness? The idea of pure consciousness is specifically described in the Ishopanishad and it is said there as follows:-
   
Wordings: Isha, Abasya, Idam, Sarbam, Jat, Kimchit, Jagatyam, Jagat, Tena, Taktena, Bhunjeetha, Ma, Gridha, Kashyachit, Dhanam.
   
Synonyms: Isha-The Lord, Abasya-Domain, Idam-All, Sarbam-These, Jat-Whatever, Kimchit-Anything and everything, Jagatyam-In the world, Jagat-Material things, Tena-By Him, Taktena-By His offer, Bhunjeetha-You can enjoy, Ma-Do not, Gridha-Accept, Kashyachit-Anyone's, Dhanam-Property.
   
Translation
   
Everything that we see in this material world or in the matter, all belong to the domain of the Supreme Lord. You can therefore enjoy what has been offered to you by Him and you must not accept any others property and enjoy it.
   
Purport
   
The living entity in either of the above mentioned eighty varieties of dresses enter into four lacs the domain of the Lord. The agent of the Lord material nature gives him all facilities to live in that domain provided with all comforts of air, light, shelter, food, drink, residence, and all the facilities of acquiring knowledge. The lower grade living beings such as the aquatics, the plants and trees, the reptiles, the birds and beasts and the beastly human beings living in the jungle-do take all the facilities offered by nature and make progressive evolution by a gradual process from the aquatics to the plants, from the plants to the reptiles, from the reptiles to the birds and from the birds to the beasts. The human form of life is evolved out of the life of the beast in the three modes of nature. As guests of the material nature all these non-human living entities do not bother much about conventional civilization to mishandle the products of material nature. But the civilized man, because of his developed consciousness, mishandles the laws of nature, thinks on terms of proprietorship of the particular place of appearance and thus become entangled in the matter of designations. The civilized man thus creates a bungle in the name of advanced civilization.
   
These civilized nations forget completely that the particular places offered to them for residential purpose-all belong to the proprietorship right of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all the 'Lokas' or planets. In the Bhagwat Geeta [Bg. 5.29] it is said like this.
   
Wordings: Bhoktaram, Yajna, Tapasam, Sarba, Loka, Moheswaram, Suhridam, Sarbabhutanam, Jnatya, Mam, Shantim, Richhati.
   
Synonyms: Bhoktaram-The beneficiary, Yajna-Sacrifice, Tapasam-Penances, Sarba-All, Loka-Planets, Moheswaram-The Supreme Lord, Suhridam-Benevolent friend, Sarba-Of all, Bhutanam-Living entities, Jnatya-Knowing, Mam-Me, Shantim-Peace, Richhati-Is able to enjoy.
   
Translation
   
I am the beneficiary of all sacrifices and penances and I am the Supreme Lord of all the planets and universes. I am the benevolent friend of all living being and knowing this one can enjoy perfect peace.
 
Purport
   
The so-called civilized nations have forgotten the fact that the place of residences particularly specified for them by the Supreme Lord do not belong to them but it is the property of the Supreme Lord. He has given the nations particular places of residence and comfortable life making progress in the matter of pure consciousness. The Lord has not allowed us to remain in such places of residence to create a hell of it by developing a denching ground for the hooligans, ruffians, demons and unbelievers. He is the Supreme Friend of all living entities and therefore He has made the codes of scriptures like Vedas and Purans to guide the civilized nations so that they are not illusioned by the influence of Maya or impure consciousness and consider the place of their appearance as their property.
   
The particular place of residence allotted to us must be protected from the disturbing forces of demons and non-believers,-not as proprietor of the land but with full consciousness of servitorship of the Supreme Lord.
   
Out of an impure consciousness Shri Arjuna declined to fight in the battlefield of Kurukshetra as a proprietor. He forgot for the time being that he was not the proprietor. The Supreme proprietor is Shri Krishna and Arjuna is a servitor only. This fact was explained in the Bhagwat Geeta from different angles of vision and ultimately when the illusion of proprietorship was dissipated-pure consciousness of Arjuna was awakened by the mercy of the Lord and Arjuna agreed to abide by the order of the Supreme Lord. His attitude of non-violence adulterated with a sense of proprietorship right was condemned by Shri Krishna in the very inception of the idea. It is sheer nonsense to think that devotees of Godhead are so many inertia element of society. Real devotees of the Lord like Shree Bajrangajee Hanuman and that like Arjuna-both of them fought out the two celebrated battles of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The devotees are neither violent nor non-violent on their own account but they are both violent and non-violent on account of the Lord. That is the criterion of pure consciousness.
   
 Nationalism in pure consciousness as it was exemplified by Shree Arjuna or Bajrangaji brings in real peace of the world. Such pure consciousness is aroused by devotional activities. Unbelievers in the Supremacy of the Absolute Lord cannot have pure consciousness. Nationalism, guided by the principles of devotional activities of which Shri Arjuna is the typical example, is the goal of our life.

[Written By A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada for "Back to Godhead Magazine": June 29, 1956]

How to Broadcast the Teachings of Bhagavad-Gita (Part 2)

(Cont'd. from "How to Broadcast The Teachings of The Bhagavad-gita")

The Bhagwat Geeta supports such scientific caste system in the following words viz.

Chatur, Varnya, Maya, Sristam, Guna, Karma, Bivagasha, Tasya, Kartaram, Api, Mam Biddhi, Akartaram, Abyayam. (Bg. 4.13)

Sama, Dama, Soucham, Khanti Arjabam Eba, Cha, Jnanam, Bijnanam, Astikyam, Brahma, Karma, Swabhabajam.(Bg. 18.42)

Sourjam, Teja, Dhriti, Dahkyam, Juddhe, Cha, Apalayanam, Danam, Jswarabham, Cha, Khatra, Karma, Swabhabajam.(Bg. 18.43).

Krishi, Gorakshya, Banijyam, Vaishya, Karma, Swabhabajam, Paricharyya, Atmakam, Karma, Sudrasya, Api, Swabhabajam. (Bg. 18.44)

There are three modes of Nature current all over the world and they are called the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. And every man or every animal is under the influence of either of the above mentioned three modes of Nature. As such it is mistake to calculate that the modes of Nature are working within the boundaries of India only but it is quite reasonable that such natural laws are working in other parts of the world. In the human society there are undoubtedly men of such different qualities namely men under the influence of the mode of goodness called the qualified Brahmins, those who are in the mode of passion called the Kshatriyas, those who are under the influence of the mode of passion cum ignorance are called the Vaisyas and last of all, men under the influence of the mode of ignorance are called the Sudras. The mode of ignorance as it goes down by degrees it produces men of such qualities as are called Javana, Mlechhas, Kirats, Huns, Andhras, Pulindas, Pukkasas, Aviras, Sumbhas, Khasadayas etc. and there are four lakh kinds of men all over the universe.

From Geeta Nagari this universal Truth must be propagated systematically so that real human society may be reestablished for the benefit of all, dividing men according to natural mode by such approved processes as are called practical psychology or anything else. Such social order all over the world will be known as the Institution of quality caste system and every human being will have the right to qualify himself by education and culture to enter into the higher status of life in the same manner as the varsity of different states offers the facility to anyone. Casteless society will never allow of course to place on the same category a High Court judge and a labourer of the mill unless such society has gone into madness. On the contrary by establishment of such casteless society as it is said in the Bhagwat Geeta nobody will be grudging if anyone is recognised as qualified Brahmin on his merit only. Such casteless society is reasonable and acceptable.

E. The Geeta Nagari may properly utilise the huge fund collected to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi in the manner as above mentioned in four principal heads because Gandhi's memory can only be preserved by his exemplary activities and not by simply erecting some big buildings or statues as we see the general tendency. The Bhagwat Geeta asks every big man perfect his life with the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta and then set himself as an example for the benefit of the people in general. It is said there Jat, Jat, Acharati, Shrestha, Sat, Tat, Eba, Itarey, Jana, Sa, Jat, Pramanam, Kurute, Loka, Tat, Anubartate.

It is foolish to follow the proverbial principle of putting a cart before a horse or putting old wine into new bottle. It shall be the duty of Geeta Nagari to agitate against the Gandhi Memorial Fund being utilised otherwise than in the manner befitting the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta and as approved by Mahatma Gandhi.

(To be continued)

How to Broadcast the Teachings of Bhagavad-Gita

[This is the first part of the Gita Nagari series: written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada for "Back to Godhead Magazine", dated  May 20, 1956]  

1. The Personality of Godhead Sree Krishna appears Himself in this mortal world by dint of his Internal Potency in order to be visible to the conditioned souls and specially to human being, although in essence He is eternally unchangeable Supreme Truth and Absolute Lord of the visible and invisible worlds. He is ever existent prior to the creation of the manifested world. The Vedas are known to be transcendental because they were impregnated in the heart of Brahma by Sree Krishna after creation of the universes and as such Vedic knowledge has descended in a transcendental process of aural reception from Sree Brahma to Narada, from Narada to Vyasa, from Vyasa to Sree Sukhdeva Goswami and Sree Sukhdeva Goswami to other disciples by succession. The Vedic knowledge is famous as Sruti because it has descended in the above process of hearing only. But the original Teacher of such knowledge is nobody else than Sree Krishna Himself.
   
2. Sreemad Bhagwat Geeta and the transcendental knowledge thereof has also descended in the above process of aural reception from Vaivaswata Manu but when the chain of disciplic succession was broken at the beginning of the Kali Yuga by the influence of the External Energy of the Personality of Godhead known as Maya, it was again reincarnated by the Supreme Authority of Sree Krishna Himself at the battlefield of the sacred place of Kurukshetra in the presence of His most beloved friend and devotee Sree Arjuna. He summarised the full text of the Vedas and Upanishads in the teachings of Sree Bhagwat Geeta in order to give facility to the people of the present age, who are mostly affected by the influence of Kali Yuga or the age of quarrel and disagreement.
   
3. The summumbonum teaching of Sreemad Bhagwat Geeta is that RELIGION means the art and science of learning the transcendental process of surrendering unto the Lotus Feet of the Absolute Personality of Godhead Sree Krishna. The purity of such religious knowledge becomes polluted when conditioned souls become too much influenced by the External Energy of Godhead as they forget their eternal relation with Him and thereby become too much addicted to the material process of sense gratification which is the lowest and crude form of human existence. When such irreligious life of the people in general flourished by the influence of External Energy of Godhead, the world at large suffers terribly in all directions in the way of challenging the very existence of Godhead.
   
4. The Personality of Godhead and His transcendental utterances as sounded in the Bhagwat Geeta are identical. Sreemad Bhagwat Geeta is therefore eternally the Personality of Godhead Himself with full potency and therefore when the transcendental knowledge of Bhagwat Geeta is received in the manner as it was received by Sree Arjuna we can be equally enlightened as Arjuna was. When the law-abiding devotees of Godhead become disturbed by the unlawful activities of the Ashuras i.e. those who are averse to acknowledge the Supreme Authority of Godhead, at such critical time either the Personality of Godhead or His counterpart Form of transcendental Sound appears in this mortal world in order to save the faithful and annihilate the unbelievers. As such Bhagwat Geeta descended directly from the utterances of the Personality of Godhead in order to save the faithful and to annihilate the unbelievers at the juncture of disappearance of the Dwapara Yuga and appearance of the Kali Yuga in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, which was fought between two rival political parties namely the Kurus and the Pandavas.
   
At the present age the same fight between two rival parties of politicians without any guidance of the transcendental direction of Godhead is merrily going on at the expense of the innocent poor people of the world and as such Sree Krishna has descended again in the shape of Geeta Nagari with the same purposes of saving the faithful and annihilating the unbelievers as He did in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
   
5. The Geeta Nagari will therefore be the main preaching centre of the Supreme Authority of Sree Krishna the Personality of Godhead. It shall be proclaimed from that place that Sree Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the Absolute Enjoyer of all benefits derived from all kinds of work, sacrifice, cultivation of knowledge; that He is the Absolute Proprietor of all the manifested universes and that He is the unalloyed friend and philosopher of all living entities namely the gods or rulers, the general people, the beasts, the birds, the reptiles, the plants and trees or the aquatic animals residing in every nook and corner of the great universe. When such knowledge will be fostered from the vantage of Sree Geeta Nagari, at that time only, real peace and prosperity will usher in the world so anxiously awaited by all kinds of people. Unfortunately the present trend of human civilization is conducted just on the opposite direction of the above views. The human being has declared himself as the supreme enjoyer of everything and the proprietor of the world. He has declared himself foolishly as the friend and philosopher of the people in general enamoured by material power and wealth, which is bringing in ruination for himself and his followers. Every human being is imagining himself as an independant God (?) and foolishly trying to guide the activities of his so-called followers without knowing the art and science of such leadership business. Such leadership for the actual benefit of the people in general can effectively be conducted when the leaders themselves will know the art and science of surrendering unto the lotus feet of Sree Krishna and shall be able to convince their followers that God alone has the absolute prerogative in the above-mentioned three main functions.
  
On the other hand the natives of India only have the prerogative to understand this position of Godhead from the pages of Bhagwat Geeta and they are alone able to preach this truth throughout the whole world. It is therefore desired that the authorities who shall guide the activities of the Geeta Nagari may make such organised effort as will help this mission of the Geeta Nagari on a permanent basis.
   
The pangs of a demoralised type of civilization designed by the demoniac principled leaders are being felt keenly by the people in general and to save them from that untold miseries of life is to take shelter of the transcendental message of Bhagwat Geeta.
   
A vivid picture of the demoniac principled leader is given in the pages of Bhagwat Geeta in the sixteenth chapter as follows:
   
We can know the real heart of an 'Ashura' in the statement of Bhagwat Geeta. At the present moment practically every man is infected with a sense of false prestige, pride, anger, vanity, cruelty and similar qualities born of poor fund of knowledge. There area always two classes of men of which the one is known as the Devas or the gods and the other is known as the Ashuras or the demons. The Ashuras are unable to realise what should be done or what should not be done in the human form of life. Those who are qualified with godly qualities generally do perform charities, possess controlling power of the sense organs, perform sacrifices, practice penance and non-violence, love, truth, learn toleration, remains peaceful, refrain from speaking ill of others, become kindly in behaviour, eradicate lust and hankering, practice patience and purify habits. These are some of the many godly qualities of men known as gods. But unfortunately these godly qualities are rarely experienced in the character of the present generation and in most cases the qualities of the demons are vivid in all directions. Such men of demoniac principle are generally unclean in habits. They do not believe in the Supreme authority of God and they think without any reason that desire or necessity is the ultimate cause of creations, without knowing that disposal is more important cause than desire. The demoniac observations are always imperfect in fact and practice.
   
People addicted to demoniac principles, devoid of transcendental knowledge, imperfectly educated and inventors of violent work leading to miseries and destruction of the world have greatly developed in this age. Although these people indirectly realise that their mode of activities had already diminished the duration of life of the people in general, yet they consider the advancement of material knowledge as progress of life, dictated by a strong sense of vanity under the cover of unclean habits. The effect of this pernicious type of material civilization is that people have almost forgotten the question of life after death and thus have taken to an irresponsible way of life leading to untold miseries and distress of material existence. The demoniac way of thinking has covered their unsatiated desire for work and enjoyment till the end of material existence. These people are embarrassed with such thousand and one desires enlarging the circle of exploiting habits in greater and greater circumference. They have now become mad so to say for such enlarged activities of material civilization. Such people think unrestrictedly and at all times like this. "I have accumulated so much wealth just now and in the next I am going to accumulate more wealth. I am god (?) and nobody is equal to my position."
   
"I have killed this enemy and I am arranging to kill the other one. I am god and I am the enjoyer of everything. I am happy and I am perfect. I do not think anybody else is richer than me. I can perform all sorts of sacrifices and by doing so I can purchase all virtues." The Ashuras therefore exhibit a feat of their unalloyed foolishness by such contemplations as above mentioned.
   
Saintly politicians of modern age like Mahatma Gandhi and others inspired by the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta, although imperfectly, have tried to lead such politicians of demoniac principle, as they may be influenced by the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta. Mahatma Gandhi's movement in the political field such as non-violence, non-cooperation, truthfulness, sacrifice etc. are some of the brilliant examples for subduing the demoniac tendency of the people in general. Such example in the life of Mahatma Gandhi made him well recognised all over the world in spite of their being temporary measures and it may safely be concluded that Mahatma Gandhi's success in such movements was solely and wholly dependant on the inspiration of Bhagwat Geeta. Leaving aside his all other activities in the political field, the four following principles which he adopted sincerely in his mature old age are in essence derived from the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta for practical application for social and spiritual upliftment in the present order of things. They are as follows:-
   
A. Leaders and politicians may take lessons from the life of Mahatma Gandhi, who was undoubtedly a great and busy politician, in respect of his daily evening prayer meetings and regular recitation of Bhagwat Geeta. He followed this principle of life most faithfully even up to the last moment of his lamented life. People in general and the leaders in particular may follow this footprints of Mahatma Gandhi if they at all want to do some good to their followers. Such regular habit of reciting the readings of Bhagwat Geeta makes one able to get rid of the demoniac way of life and gradually rising up to the plane of pure devotional life of the gods. When such devotional life is enriched by recitation of the readings of Bhagwat Geeta, all the good qualities of the saints and gods automatically overcome the reciter without any extraneous effort on his part. And a person however qualified he may be in the mundane sense of the term, if he is devoid of the principles of devotional life as above mentioned, he shall surely hover in the mental plane of uncertainty and as such will always fail to enter into the noumenon existence of life. Those who have developed such noumenon existence of life generally known as spiritual life are called Mahatmas in the language of Bhagwat Geeta. The definition of real Mahatmas are given below from the reading of Bhagwat Geeta.
   
B. The temple entry movement of Mahatma Gandhi is another attempt to deliver people in general from spiritual degradation and by such movement the mass of people can be saved from gliding down to the lowest status of demoniac life. Even when he was at Noakhali (Pakistan) during the dark hours of the partition days, he never hesitated to reinstall the deities of Sree Sree Radha Govinda Sreemurties there and by such examples he had done immense good for the people in general. Leaders and politicians may take lessons from this particular incidence of his life. It may be said in this connection that there are thousands and thousands of Vishnu temples or other temples all over India. And these temples were originally the centres of spiritual enlightenment which helped subduing the demoniac way of life of the people in general and thereby they would live in peace and prosperity. At the present moment in most cases those spiritual educational centres have been rendered into rendezvous of demoniac dance for want of culture of the teachings Bhagwat Geeta. They have become on the contrary so many plague spots for preaching atheism and advancement of demoniac principles for want of proper and regular spiritual propaganda under able leadership. The mission of Geeta Nagari must have its aim amongst others to rectify the anomalies that have entered into the life of these centres of spiritual education and regenerate them to the sense of spiritual life through the exemplary life of devotees that may be created from the practical life of Sree Geeta Nagari. The Bhagwat Geeta [Bg. 9.25] encourages us in such spiritual culture as follows:-
   
Janti Devabrata Devan,
Pitrin Janti Pitribrata
Bhutani, Janti Bhutejya,
Janti Madjajina, Api, mam.
   
C. Mahatma Gandhi started the Harijan movement in order to raise the status of the fallen people either by social injustice or otherwise. But such movement may not be restricted only amongst the Bhangis and Chamars who are proclaimed as such by social injustice but such movement may be extended amongst those also are passing in the society as Brahmins and Kshatriyas etc. but in practice their mentality is more degraded than the lowest of the Bhangis and Chamars. Harijan means the associate of God himself. Chamars and Bhangis or for the matter of that, people of the mentality of the Chamars and Bhangis, can never be promoted to the position of the Harijan, unless and until such persons are helped to go up to the place of the Harijan by methods approved by the Harijans such as Arjuna, Prahlad, Dhrubamoharaj, Yamaraj, Bhisma, Janaka, Narada, Vyasa etc. There is no bar for anyone to rise up to that position of Harijans as it is stated in the Bhagwat Geeta in the following lines:-[Bg. 9.32]
   
Mam, Hi, Partha, Byapashritya, Jey, Api, Syu, Papa, Yonaya, Striya, Vaishya, Tatha, Sudra, Te, Api, Janti, Param, Gati.
   
Mahatma Gandhi did not approve of the present system of castes as is prevailing in India and there is ample support of this movement of casteless society in the Bhagwat Geeta in its own way. Casteless society does not mean that there will remain no section or subsection of social division because without that no society can exist; but there may not be any caste simply for the sake of birthright accidents. Bhagwat Geeta approves of the caste system in terms of mundane quality acquired but not in terms of accidents of birth. (To be continued.)

Immortality

Prabhupada:. . .Now Krsna is giving a practical way of understanding the presence of soul. He says, yena sarvam idam tatam: "One thing, which is spread all over the body, that is avinasi." That means immortal. So what is that which is spread all over the body? It is not the skin, not the... This is also spread over the body. The skin, the bone, the marrow, the blood—they are also spread over the body, but Krsna is not meaning this material things. The actual active principle within this body is the spirit soul. Now, in medical science, bones are being replaced; flesh also being replaced; blood is also being replaced by injection. So everything can be replaced materially by scientific improvement. But when that things which is immortal, that is gone, it cannot be replaced. Even nowadays the heart is being replaced, but no medical science or any science has ever been able to replace the life. So he's giving the example that that presence of the soul is perceived by consciousness. So the flesh is there, the bone is there, the blood is also there, but when the consciousness is not there, that means it is finished. Because the consciousness is there, therefore any part of the body, if we pinch, we can feel pains and pleasure. And when the consciousness is not there, when the man is dead, the flesh is there, the blood is there and other ingredients are there, but there is no more life because it is useless now.

Therefore Krsna says that avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. The tatam means spread. The consciousness is spread. If we pinch in this part, by consciousness you'll feel pain, or this part or any part of the body, because the consciousness is there, you feel pains and pleasure.

So Krsna points out that this consciousness is immortal, avyaya. Avyaya means which is never annihilated, avyaya. Vyaya means there is whole thing, and you can take out part of it, but avyaya means you cannot take a part of it also; it is always wholesome. So this consciousness is avyaya, means never annihilated, and avinasi means immortal. So when this consciousness is transferred from this body to another body, that is called transmigration of the soul. But one thing we must know it, that as there is consciousness in my body, as there is consciousness in your body, similarly, there is consciousness in the whole universe. So long the consciousness is there in my body and the consciousness is there in your body or everyone's body, the body is very nice, very fresh, everything is going nicely. So as soon as the consciousness is gone, immediately this lump of matter begins to decompose.

Similarly, this material cosmic manifestation is working very nicely—the sun is rising; the moon is rising; the seasons have changes; the air is blowing; the light is there; heat is there—why? Because there is big consciousness. And that small consciousness in your body and my body, keeping this body fit, similarly, there is another, greater consciousness which is keeping this material world fit and working order. So what is this consciousness? This consciousness is the spread of the soul. Just like example: you take a small grain of arsenic acid, or potassium cyanide, you put in your tongue, immediately it spreads all over your body and you die. So you can just understand the potency of a small grain of material thing. So how much potency is there of the spiritual thing? Because, we have already discussed, material things are inferior and spiritual identity is superior. So you study these material things, a small grain of poison or the sun, how much powerful they are. A small grain of poison immediately can finish the body, and the small disk, although it is not small... It looks... We can see. The sun globe is spreading the light and heat all over the universe. Similarly, the potency of the soul is so powerful that it is maintaining the whole body. Similarly, the potency of God is maintaining the whole universe. Just like on account of the presence of the soul the body is maintained, similarly, on account of presence of God the whole universe or the cosmic manifestation is maintained. As I am, a small particle of spiritual identity, I am maintaining this body so sound and healthy, similarly, the presence of the Supreme Soul Krsna, or God, is maintaining the whole material cosmic manifestation. Every one of us can perceive the presence of the soul and presence of God.

Another feature is that your consciousness and my consciousness is different. Therefore we are all individual. Similarly, God is also individual. That has been explained in the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says that "Arjuna, you, Me, and all these people who have assembled in this battlefield, they were individual in the past, individual at present, and they'll continue, individual, after death also." Now, that individuality... God is great because His consciousness is big. He is maintaining the whole cosmic manifestation. And I am very small. Therefore my consciousness is also limited, and I am spreading all over this body. So any sensible man, intelligent man, can understand the presence of God by seeing this cosmic manifestation in orderly being maintained. It is said in the Visnu Purana, just like fire remaining in one place spreads the heat and light, similarly, the soul also, being present in some part of our body—it is said in the heart—it spreads his heat and light, the consciousness. Similarly, God is also present. He spreads heat and light, and therefore we find so many varieties of manifestation. Just like... This example is very perfect. Just like the light is here, it is localized, but it is spreading its illumination all over this room. The light is situated in one place. Similarly, God is situated in His kingdom or in His place; still, He is present everywhere. He is present within your heart. He is present even within the atom. Andantara-stha-paramanu-ca

yantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.35] **. He is present in His abode, and He is present everywhere. He is present within the atom. He is present within your heart. This is called parinama-vada, or the presence of the energy of God. Every one of us, we are also energy of God.

There are three kinds of energies. He has got multi-energies—parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]—but they have been summarized into three. The one energy is called spiritual energy, the other is called material energy, and the third is called marginal energy. The spiritual and material we can understand. At least we can feel when the, a living man and a dead man... A living man means spirit and matter combined. And a dead man means the matter is there; spirit is gone. So you can distinguish what is spirit and what is matter. So similarly, there is, as this is material world, there is another spiritual world. We living entities, we, by nature, we are spiritual, but because we have got the potency either to live in this material world or in the spiritual world, therefore we are called marginal. The real position is, because we are spiritual, we should live in the spiritual world. At the present moment we have lost our spiritual constitutional position; therefore we are in this material world. Just like a man is generally healthy, but sometimes he falls sick, so at the present moment our condition is sick. It is called bhava-roga. Bhava-roga. Bhava means to become, and roga means disease. What is that bhava-roga? We are appearing, taking birth in the material world. This is called bhava: "You become." And after sometimes you become finished, means death. This is called disease. Bhava-roga. Yes. We have to cure this disease and come to our healthy standard of life. That opportunity is here in this human form of life. If you want to cure this material disease and revive your healthy condition of eternal spiritual life, the opportunity is here. Therefore our only business in this human form of life is to cure this material disease, not to aggravate it. Disease should be cured, not to increase it. But at the present moment we are mad after increasing the disease. We are acting in such a way that we have to accept another body. That means material disease will continue.

So to live irresponsibly like cats and dogs is very risky life. Because so long we shall be engaged in the matter of sense gratification—material life means sense gratification—we shall increase our prolongation of repetition of birth and death. So this irresponsible life of eating, sleeping, sex life and defense like cats and dogs will not help us. Therefore... Because this kind of activities will oblige me to accept another body, and as soon as we accept another material body we become subjected to the stringent laws of material nature. And the material miserable conditions are summarized into four items: birth, death, old age and disease. So those who are not in knowledge of the spirit soul, they are very irresponsibly prolonging his life in material activities. Material science could not find out the spirit soul within the body because the magnitude, the dimension of the spirit soul, is very, very small. That is stated in Padma Purana,
balagra-sata-bhagasya
satadha kalpitasya ca
bhago jivah sa vijseyah
sa canantyaya kalpate

Balagra means the tip of your hair. Divide into ten thousand parts. That one part is the dimension of the soul. That is there within the body. So material science has no such instrument or perfection of study that they can see such a small particle. Therefore these foolish people say there is no soul, but the practical application—the soul is there; therefore the consciousness is there; therefore the body is working in order. The soul is minus, the consciousness is minus—this body is a lump of matter.
So we have to study this very intelligently. Then we'll understand that what is soul, what is the business of the soul, why the soul is entrapped in this bodily, material body, why there are so many varieties, body. This is a great science, and that science is explained in this Bhagavad-gita. Actually, at the present moment there is no education, because education means to understand my identity. The so-called education which is going on, that is called art. Of course, they also say, "B.A., M.A., Bachelor of Art, Master of Art." It is just learning an art only; it is not education. Just like an electrical electrician. He knows the art how to put the negative and positive wire and bring electricity. That is an art. But that electrician does not know what is the science of understanding soul. The modern education, they are simply giving lessons on some art, generally known as technology. So by that advancement of knowledge we can construct high skyscraper building, nice motorcar, nice airplane, nice machine. That is art. But we do not know what is going to happen next life, my soul. That we do not.

So this is the distinction between avidya and vidya. Vidya means knowledge, and avidya means ignorance. Suppose you construct a very nice skyscraper building and next life you become something—you remain a rat in that house—then what is your benefit? The soul has to accept a body according to his karma. If by karma he has to accept the body of a rat, it will not be excused by nature that "You have constructed skyscraper building; therefore you'll again come and live there." No, that is not possible. If by karma you are fit for becoming a rat or cat, nature will give you that body. On account of your high attraction of the skyscraper building you can remain there, a rat and cat, but you cannot enjoy anymore. Therefore every human being should be very intelligent that "What is going to happen, my next life?" and prepare for that because it is said..., avinasi tu tad viddhi: "That small particle is avinasi," means it is not going to die; the body is going to finish. Then if my next life, next body, becomes rat and cat, then what is the benefit I get by this skyscraper building I have constructed with so hard labor and perseverance? This is knowledge. If you simply become interested on this small span of life, say, fifty or sixty or hundred years, utmost, but if you neglect your eternal existence, is that intelligence? We are teaching that science, and the Bhagavad-gita is there. Take advantage of it.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.

 

[ SRILA PRABHUPADA, Bhagavad-gita 2.17 -- Mexico, February 17, 1975]