Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)
- asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānāṁ
- jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena
- yogena mayy arpitayā ca bhaktyā
- māṁ pratyag-ātmānam ihāvarundhe
- (SB 3.25.27)
"Thus by not engaging in the service of the modes of material nature, but by developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, knowledge and renunciation, and by practicing yoga in which the mind is always fixed in devotional service under the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one achieves My association in this very life, for I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth."
- asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānāṁ
- jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena
- yogena mayy arpitayā ca bhaktyā
- māṁ pratyag-ātmānam ihāvarundhe
So, asevayā ayam. What is our business at the present moment? We are serving māyā in different varieties. So māyā has got three modes—sattva, rajas, tamas, or mixed. Just like the color displayer, very expert in mixing color. Actually there are three colors: blue, red and yellow. This blue, red, yellow, the color display of the mix—three into three equal to nine; nine into nine, it becomes eighty-one. So in this material world we, living entities, we are colored in this way. Three into three—sattva, raja, tamo-guṇa. Three into three equal to nine, and nine multiplied by nine, eighty-one. So there eighty-one colorful living entities are there. Somebody is human being; somebody is demigod; somebody is cat; somebody is dog; somebody is servant; somebody is tree; somebody is plant... There are 8,400,000's of forms of life. And that is our service. (dog barking in background) Just like the dog is barking. He's thinking that he is dog, so his business is barking. That means serving the laws of material nature. Similarly, somebody is serving, somebody is serving in some way, somebody—varieties.
Because we are not meant for this service. We are, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108-109). Our main business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. In Vṛndāvana, in Goloka Vṛndāvana, somebody is serving Kṛṣṇa as His friend, cowherd boy. Somebody is serving Kṛṣṇa as gopī, as lover. Somebody is serving Kṛṣṇa as father and mother, Mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja. Somebody is Kṛṣṇa's friend as servant, as tree, as water, as flower, as land, as cows, as calf. So many ways. This is our business. But somehow or other we did not like to serve Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have been put into the service of māyā in three modes of nature. Just like a criminal. A criminal does not like to obey the laws of the state; therefore a criminal is put into the prison house and he's forced to abide by the law of the state. The state laws are there—either outside the prison house or inside the prison house. But one who does not obey ordinarily outside the jail the orders or the laws of the state, he is put into the prison house. But he cannot avoid the laws of the state. That is not possible. Because a citizen means he must abide by the laws of the state.
Similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). I have explained many times. So as soon as we deny to render service to Kṛṣṇa, immediately the māyā is there, captures, "All right. Come here. You serve me." This is the position. Artificially you cannot become master. That is not our nature, and that will not be happy service for us—artificial. Artificial... I have given this example: Suppose with this finger I capture some very nice foodstuff, rasagullā, and if the finger think that "I have captured the rasagullā. I shall eat." No. You cannot eat. You must put here. And then you get the benefit. And if you spoil the rasagullā in your hand and don't put into the mouth, then everything is spoiled. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Our business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Eka bahu syāma. The Vedas, we understand God has become many. Many... In many ways we are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. There are two kinds of manys. One many is called svāṁśa. Svāṁśa means personal expansion. And another expansion is differential expansion. The differential expansion are we, the living entities. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. And the viṣṇu-tattva, They are personal expansions. But all of them are meant for serving Kṛṣṇa.
That is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Kṛṣṇa has expanded. The demigods, they are also living entities like us, but they have got better position. Just like here also in the government. Ordinary living... Everyone is citizen, but somebody has got better position as the minister, as the president or some big officer. Similarly, the demigods, they are also living entities, the same thing as we are, but different body. Different... The dog has got the dog's body. He's hungry or there is some company, barking. And somebody has got minister body, he's ordering. He's in better position. And better than him somebody else, better than him somebody else, better than him somebody else. In this way you go up to Brahmā, Lord Brahmā. He also servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is the position.
So we, living entities, we are servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is our nature. That is our nature. Simply we are trying to avoid Kṛṣṇa's service. Therefore we are engaged in this māyā's service, or material nature's, under different bodies.
- (BG 3.27)
In the Bhagavad-gītā. Prakṛteḥ. You have been put under the clutches of māyā. He's giving you as you are desiring because you are desiring, bhoga vāñchā kare. Sometimes I used to enjoy like this, enjoy like... Everyone is trying to enjoy. But enjoy means we are becoming entangled. Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). If you want to enjoy with Kṛṣṇa, that is your natural propensity, and if you en..., want to enjoy life without Kṛṣṇa, that is māyā. That is māyā.
So we are trying to enjoy. Enjoyment is our business. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānanda. Kṛṣṇa is ānandamaya, and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We are also ānandamaya. But we are seeking ānanda in different atmosphere. Just like any man can become very honest citizen, do business honestly, earn money and live very honorably. But no, somebody has learned how to steal. The government does not say that you becomes thief and go to the prison house. The government does not say. But you have selected to become a thief. That is it, because we have got little independence, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is fully independent; therefore we have got the quality of independence. But because we are very small, minute particle, we have got minute particle of independence. Minute...
So this is the philosophy to understand, that asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānām. We have to learn how to forget to serve this material nature. That is bhakti-mārga. It is forced, because we have... Kṛṣṇa-bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. Some way or other we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa and trying to enjoy this material world under different position. That we have to forget. This is not my business. This is... When we understand this position, that is called self-realization, that "I am not servant of anyone. I am not servant of my country, of my society, of my friend, of my dress, of my cat, of my dog. I am nobody's servant. I am servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is self-realization. That is self-realization, asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānāṁ jñānena, when one comes to this understanding—not by sentiment, but by real knowledge, jñānena.
So when one becomes devotee, he's not a fool. Pure devotee is full knowledge. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). After many, many births, when one is actually jñānavān, actually wise, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. How? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). He surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa, I forgot You so long. Now I understand that You are everything." That is knowledge. That is real knowledge. Therefore it is said, jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena. This jñāna means vairāgya—no more attachment for serving the so-called society, friendship, love, country. These are all foolishly engagement. But people will not understand that. They'll think that "This is my first service. This is my first..." How long you'll serve, my dear sir? But if you serve Kṛṣṇa, this service automatically becomes possible.
Just like we are giving prasādam every week on Sunday, distributing prasādam. That is the bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means that sympathetic to persons who are not devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Devotee or not devotee, by eating kṛṣṇa-prasādam, he'll gradually become devotee. As yesterday I explained that kṛṣṇa-bhakti begins from the tongue, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). If you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then Lord manifests. He reveals Himself. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. How it is possible that jihvādau, beginning from the tongue? This is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Jihvādau, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare (devotees join in). Very easy. You can begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness simply by chanting. And as soon as you chant, go on chanting, then ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam means cleansing the heart. Because all congestion, all dirty things within the heart—"I am this. I am that. I am this. I am that"—then if you chant, then gradually you'll understand that you are spirit soul; you are not Indian, nor American, nor this, nor that, nor that. This is self-realization.
Because the whole world is going on under this misunderstanding. I am thinking, "I am Indian and you are American. Why you have come in our country? You must be CIA. You must be CIA. Why you have come to our country? Formerly the Britishers also sent missionaries, and then gradually conquered, got hold of the government. Similarly, these Americans, they have also come as devotee, as CIA, and therefore their business is how to capture the government. So get out." Why this misunderstanding? Because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness any gentleman, any sane man can understand that if these people are CIA, they have taken this Vaiṣṇava religion—they're practically having no comfort, and everything is denied, and no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no drinking, no intoxication, no gam... All no's, and accepting all no's, and they have come here as CIA? They have got no intelligence even, common intelligence. And they are trying to put all impediments: "Oh, they cannot construct this temple. They must be refused." All planning. It was raised in the Parliament that "What is these people, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement? Why... Wherefrom they are getting money, and what... They are understood to be CIA. What government is going to take action against them?"
So the reply was there by the Home Member that "We have no information that they are CIA people. Therefore there is no question of action. And their money, they are selling literature, books. They're getting money and some public contribution for foreign exchange." So the reply was that still people will accuse us in this way. So why this is possible? Because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because they're servant of this māyā they're thinking like that. Therefore the first condition is asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānām. They are dictated by the tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, modes of material nature, and thinking like that. Everyone is that. This whole world is like that. They're servant of māyā, this tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, and manufacturing their own way of enjoyment.
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means completely become purified from the infection of māyā, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). That is stated by Kṛṣṇa. One who is a devotee, fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service... So what is his position? The position is sa guṇān..., sa guṇān etān, this prakṛter guṇān. Here it is said, prakṛter guṇānām. There are three guṇas—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa... So if one is engaged in devotional service, immediately he becomes transcendental to all these guṇas. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Then he becomes again in his transcendental position, Brahman. Brahma-jñāna, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is... This position he comes. And as soon as one comes to this position, brahma-jñāna, brahma-bhūta... (SB 4.30.20). Now we are māyā-bhūta, identifying with ourself with this māyā, this prakṛti-guṇa, the modes of material nature: "I am this," "I am that," "I am this," "I am that," "I am that." But when he becomes brahma-bhūta—"I don't belong to these prakṛti-guṇās, these nature's..., these modes of material nature. I belong to the spirit soul, Supreme. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi"—this brahma-jñāna will immediately make him happy.
That is the symptom of a person who has attained brahma-jñāna.
That is the basic principle of bhakti. So here the same thing is explained, jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena. Jñānena. Therefore this class is held to awaken, jñānena. Either you read these books, hear from realized soul—that will awaken your jñāna, knowledge. Or otherwise, if you cannot do this... Both things should be done. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Very simple thing.
And in the previous verse we have discussed ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ (SB 3.25.26). Ṛju, very simple method. Ṛju means very simple. Everyone can perform it. Susukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2), in the Bhagavad-gītā. Very happy. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and dance, it is very happy thing. And by dancing, dancing, as soon as you become hungry, take prasādam, ready. So where is the trouble? Therefore it is ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice there is no trouble only. And another thing is that there is great hope. Everything we are doing under the spell of māyā, we do not know where we are going, what is the ultimate aim. We do not know. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. We are under the spell of māyā, driven by the guṇas. You must accept. If you don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and give it ourselves on the waves of māyā, then we do not know where we are going. The Caitanya..., Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Just like a straw in the waves of the ocean or the river, it is fully under the control of the waves—sometimes diving, sometimes coming out, sometimes going this way, going that. Our position is like that. We do not know that prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Under the material nature we are being carried by the waves of material nature, and you do not know where you are going, because you have no control.
So if you want controlling the material nature, then you have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is stated, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Otherwise you are carried by māyā. You may be very big prime minister or anything, but as soon as māyā will dictate, "Please vacate your post and go away," you become a dog. You have to become. How you can challenge prakṛti? That is not possible. Because karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Your next body will be offered to you. Therefore the atheist class man, this shudder(?), there is next life. Because his life is sinful, if there is next life, he will be punished, he will be put into abominable condition of life. He does not like to think like that, but that does not mean that he escape. There is a Bengali proverb that gaye gumakhale (indistinct), that one body, one person, he thought that "I have done so much sinful activities that Yamarāja will come and capture me and punish me. So what is the way to avoid him?" So he thought that "Let me smear over my body stool so he'll not touch me." (laughing)
So that is not possible, sir. You are under the control of māyā, material nature. You try to avoid it some way or other, but it is not possible. It is not possible. According to the infection... Just like if you have infected some disease, artificial means will not save you. You must develop that disease and must suffer. There is no way out. Simply way out is that if you take precaution, some vaccine, some injection, then you may avoid. Similarly, cannot... It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot avoid the hands of māyā upon you, or material nature. We call "māyā," and the modern scientific word is "material nature." Completely under. You cannot avoid it. But mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa... "Well, Kṛṣṇa will save me? I am so much sinful?" Yes. Kṛṣṇa can do that. Kṛṣṇa says,
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ...
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- (BG 18.66)
So why don't you do that? Why you are so much eager to serve the modes of material nature? Why not serve Kṛṣṇa? Here is Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? No difficulty at all. Just there's Kṛṣṇa. Just give Kṛṣṇa nice foodstuff. Just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. You eat sumptuously and keep your health very good, nicely. Where is the difficulty? Mām eva ye... This is very difficult? The only difficulty is that I cannot give up all these sinful activities. I cannot give up smoking. I cannot give up drinking. I cannot give up meat-eating. I cannot give up gambling. I cannot give up illicit sex. That is difficulty. Otherwise, to serve Kṛṣṇa is not at all difficult. There is no difficulty. But I cannot give up the service of my sinful activities.
Therefore here it is said, asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṇānām. That you have to learn. That you can learn very easily if you turn your attention to the service... Therefore this bhakti-yoga service. We are simply insisting: get up early in the morning, do this service, do that... In this way, if we engage ourselves in the service of Kṛṣṇa, gradually we shall forget the service of māyā. The service of māyā means sinful activities, that's all. So, so long we are in the service of māyā, duṣkṛtinām, engaged in sinful activities, it is not possible. But if you engage the positive and the negative... The Māyāvādī, they are simply trying to be negative. There is no positive engagement. But here in the bhakti-yoga, negative is there and positive is there. Therefore there is electric light bulb, negative and positive. Therefore there is enlightenment. Simply negative will not help you. And if you don't care of the negative sides, simply positive also will not. But bhakti-yoga is so strong, if you take to the positive side of service of Kṛṣṇa, the material service, or māyā's service, will automatically become negative. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). That is called vairāgya. The bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-yoga.
Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. This was composed by Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When he understood Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he wrote this verse, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ (CC Madhya 6.254). Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is that purāṇa-puruṣa, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the original. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravar... (BG 10.8). Everything has come from Kṛṣṇa; therefore He's purāṇa, the oldest. Oldest. Nobody can be older than Kṛṣṇa, but He's always young. That is Bhagavān. Advaitam acyutam anādi. Anādi. He has no ādi. He's ādi. Ādi means the original.
He's the cause of all causes. So this purāṇa-puruṣa, Kṛṣṇa, He's the oldest. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). That is Kṛṣṇa. You'll never see Kṛṣṇa's picture as old man. No. Has anyone seen Kṛṣṇa as old man? No. Nava-yauvanam ca, always fresh, youthful life. The same. You have seen the picture of Kurukṣetra battle. Kṛṣṇa was sitting... At that time He was great-grandfather, but He was looking like twenty years old, young boy. That is Kṛṣṇa.
So we also become like Kṛṣṇa. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the inhabitants, there are also living entities. Just like in this, within this universe, material universe, there are living entities—there are also living entities, but they are in spiritual body, the same form of body as Kṛṣṇa. You have... You will read in the Sixth Canto of Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Ajāmila, the vaikuṇṭha-dūta came from Ajāmila..., er, to take Ajāmila. They are also four-handed, very beautiful body. That is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. But in Kṛṣṇaloka they are two-handed. So in the spiritual world there are so many varieties—four-handed, two-handed living entity. They're all nitya-mukta. They're everlastingly liberated. So we have been just like a prisoner is. Although he's a prisoner, he can be also good citizen. There is no hopelessness. Similarly, we are now prisoner in this material world, and we have got this material body. Therefore we are changing: sometimes young, sometimes old, sometimes these boys, sometimes... But tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then, after leaving this body, you're not any more getting this material body. That is stated. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti. Then what happens? Mām eti: he comes to back to home, back to Godhead. And as soon as you go, you get your original, spiritual body, same beautiful body as Kṛṣṇa has, as Nārāyaṇa has. This is the opportunity.
So why should we not take this opportunity of human life, take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become devotee of Kṛṣṇa and make our life? Therefore it is said here, pratyag-ātmānam ihāvarundhate. In this life you can get this opportunity simply by following the bhakti-yoga process. Yogena mayy arpitayā ca bhaktyā. That is required. You learn how to become a bhakta. Simply practicing śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanam... (SB 7.5.23), any of them. Either this nine processes or eight or seven or six or five or four. Take at least one, and make your life successful. Everyone can... Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore prescribed the most important one—śravaṇam, simply hear. That's all. That will make your life successful.