Text

Vrndavana, March 15, 1974

Purport

Pradyumna: Translation: "Lord Sri Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme enjoyer in the rasa dance. He is the leader of the damsels of Vraja, and all others are simply His associates." [Cc. Adi 7.8]

Prabhupada: Before this verse, the author of Caitanya-caritamrta has described:

svayaṁ bhagavan krṣṇa ekale isvara
advitiya, nandatmaja, rasika-sekhara
[Cc. Adi 7.7]

Krṣṇa has got many, unlimited forms. Advaita-acyuta-anadi-ananta-rupam. Svaṁsa-vibhinnaṁsa. Some of the forms are called svaṁsa. Svaṁsa means God, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu-tattva. Viṣṇu-tattva, They have expanded in so many ways. So all the Viṣṇu-tattvas, They are called svaṁsa, personal expansions. And others, they are called vibhinnaṁsa. The demigods, the inhabitants of the higher planetary systems within this material world, or the devotees in the spiritual world, we also, we are, although conditioned souls, we are vibhinnaṁsa. We are also expansion of Krṣṇa, but we are not equal to the Viṣṇu-tattva. We are fragment fires. The example is given, just like the big fire and the spark fire. So we living entities, we are spark fire. We are also fire, because we are part and parcel of Krṣṇa, vibhinnaṁsa... Aṁsa means part and parcel. So Krṣṇa is the Supreme Spirit, and we are part and parcel. We are also spirit, but we are not supreme. That is the difference. Svayaṁ bhagavan krṣṇa ekale isvara. So actually, isvara means the controller. The supreme controller is Krṣṇa.

So in the next verse the Krṣṇa's business is rasadi-vilasa. He's busy in dancing with the gopis. He has no other business. Just like we try to imitate Krṣṇa. Big, big rich men, they go to the ball dance. Especially in your country, at night, big, big businessmen, politicians, they go to the night club for dancing. You know that. And they pay fifty dollars for entrance fee. I have seen in France, Paris. And then other fees for dancing with particular girls, and other things. So wherefrom this propensity comes, dancing? That comes from the Supreme Lord. Rasadi-vilasa. Because Krṣṇa has the business of dancing and we are part and parcel of Krṣṇa, so we have got the same spirit of dancing. But because we are in the material world, the material covering has perverted the dancing propensity. Otherwise, wherefrom we get the idea of dancing? Janmady asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1]. The Vedanta-sutra says that everything is born of the Absolute Truth. So unless the Absolute Truth has got this dancing propensity, wherefrom we get it? This is the logic. We cannot have anything without that thing being present in the Supreme Absolute Truth. That is the meaning of janmady asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1]. But this dancing, our dancing, ball dancing, and that dancing is not the same. This is perverted reflection with inebrieties, dissatisfaction, frustration. But in the dancing of Krṣṇa there is no such things. No inebrieties, no frustration. Because that is not false; that is real.

So in the Vedas we understand the nature of the Absolute Truth as anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). He's anandamaya, always in pleasure potency. So when Krṣṇa, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, wants to enjoy ananda, so He expands His ahladini-sakti. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. This is Vedic injunction. He has got multipotencies. So when He wants to enjoy, He expands His internal potency, ahladini-sakti. That is Srimati Radharaṇi. Don't think Srimati Radharaṇi a ordinary girl. No. Then you will mistake. How Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can dance with ordinary girl? No. That is not possible. Cid-vilasi. He is enjoyer of the internal potency. That is described by Srila Svarupa Damodara.

radha-krṣṇa-praṇaya-vikrtir ahladini saktir asmad
ekatmanav api (bhuvi pura) deha-bhedaᚁ gatau tau
sri-caitanyakhyaᚁ prakaᚭam adhuna tad-dvayaᚁ caikyam
aptaᚁ radha-bhava-dyuti...

Caitanyakhyam, krṣṇakhyam, like that. So radha-krṣṇa-praṇaya, the loving affairs of Radha and Krṣṇa, that is the expansion of Krṣṇa's ahladini-sakti. Sandhini-sakti and ahladini-sakti... There are many potencies of Krṣṇa.

So Krṣṇa is Paraṁ Brahman. Paraṁ Brahman. He is accepted as Paraṁ Brahman in the Bhagavad-gita by Arjuna: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhama pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. He's Paraṁ Brahman, Supreme Brahman. The Mayavadis, they cannot understand the Supreme Brahman, or the Supreme Atma, Paramatma. These words are there, atma, paramatma; brahma, paraṁ brahma; isvara, paramesvara. These words are there. But they, on account of their poor fund of knowledge, they think atma and Paramatma the same, or isvara or Paramesvara is the same, or Brahman or Paraṁ Brahman is the same. That is poor fund of knowledge. There cannot be any competition of the Paramesvara or Paraṁ Brahman or Paramatma. Therefore in this verse it is said, svayaṁ bhagavan krṣṇa ekale isvara. Isvara, or the Supreme Absolute Truth, cannot have any competitor. Asamaurdhva. These words are there. Asama. Asama means there is no equal. And aurdhva, and nobody is greater. Asamaurdhva. Nobody is greater than Krṣṇa, and nobody is equal to Krṣṇa. The Mayavadi philosophy that everyone is God, everyone is Krṣṇa, that is not substantiated by the Vedic literature. Isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. Therefore Krṣṇa's name is used there. The Paramesvara, Paraṁ Brahman, Paramatma, that is Krṣṇa. Not we are. We are very fragmental portion of Krṣṇa. Very, very small, spiritual spark. So as the sparks from the fire falls down, it loses its original sparking capacity or fire elements. We have seen it. When the spark falls down from the big fire, then it is extinguished. No more fire. It is carbon. Similarly, when we are detached from Krṣṇa, we are jiva-bhuta. Then, gradually, if by good association, by the mercy of Krṣṇa and spiritual master, we gradually come to the spiritual position, then we become brahma-bhuta [SB 4.30.20].

At the present moment, being materially absorbed, accepting ourself as one of the products of this matter... Yasyatma-buddhiḥ; kuṇape tri-dhatuke sva-dhiḥ; kalatradiṣu bhauma-ijya-dhiḥ; [SB 10.84.13]. I am thinking that "I am product of this material world." "I am product of India," "I am product of brahmaṇa," "I am product of this family, that family." So this is called jiva-bhuta. And when one understands that "I am not product of this material world. I am not American. I am not Indian. I am not brahmaṇa. I am not sudra. I am servant of Krṣṇa," that is called brahma-bhuta. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He said that "I am not brahmaṇa. I am not sannyasi. I am not kṣatriya. I am not householder. I am not brahmacari. I am not sannyasi. I am not... I am...," This is definition by negation. He said positive definition: gopi-bhartuḥ; pada-kamalayor dasa-dasa-dasanudasaḥ; [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. "That is my identification. I do not belong to these material categories. I am eternal servant of Krṣṇa, who provides, who maintains the gopis." Therefore it is said, rasadi-vilasi, vrajalalana-nagara. Vrajalalana-nagara: He is the leader of the Vrajalalana, damsels of Vrajabhumi. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhiḥ; [Bs. 5.37]. These gopis, vrajalalana, they are not ordinary girls. Then you will mistake. They are ananda-cinmaya-rasa, Krṣṇa's pleasure potency, expansion of pleasure potency. Srimati Radharaṇi is the direct pleasure potency, and the all the gopis, they are expansion of Srimati Radharaṇi. Therefore He is called vrajalalana-nagara. So don't think... You have come to Vrndavana. Don't think that Krṣṇa had rasa dance with ordinary girls or Krṣṇa was ordinary man. As Krṣṇa was not man, He's God, similarly, the gopis and Srimati Radharaṇi, they're internal potency of God, or Krṣṇa. This is... This should be understood. Avajananti maṁ muḍha manuṣiṁ tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. Krṣṇa says, "Muḍhas, rascals, they think that I am a human being, ordinary human being." And therefore they imitate. Sometimes the rascals imitate rasa dance. "Krṣṇa had rasa dance; then we can have also rasa..." But they do not understand that Krṣṇa's rasa dance is not ordinary ball dance like that. No. It is an imitation, perverted imitation. Because the tendency's there in Krṣṇa, therefore we have also got the tendency. But we do not know how to enjoy that dancing spirit. That is our illusion. We think this ordinary dance and Krṣṇa's dance is the same thing. No. That dancing, to take part in that dancing, it requires many, many millions of years tapasya. It is not ordinary thing. Itthaṁ brahma-bhuta... There is a verse that krta-puṇya-puñjaḥ;, sakaṁ vijahruḥ; krta-puṇya-puñjaḥ; [SB 10.12.11]. To join with the rasa dance of Krṣṇa, or to play with Krṣṇa as cowherd boy, it requires krta-puṇya-puñjaḥ;, many, many millions of births' pious activities.

So Krṣṇa's pastimes in Vrndavana with the cowherds boys and with the gopis, they are all spiritual. They are not material. But Krṣṇa manifests, exhibits the lila, coming here personally so that you may hear about Krṣṇa and you may be attracted: "So how I can go and play with Krṣṇa? How I can go and dance with Krṣṇa?" Or "How I can become a, in paternal affection with Krṣṇa? How I can become a tree, a grass, in Vrndavana, so that Krṣṇa may trample over me?" This is called Krṣṇa-prema. So Krṣṇa practically demonstrates, for the facility of the conditioned soul.

yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanaᚁ srjamy aham
[Bg. 4.7]

Krṣṇa is so kind that He comes here, exhibits Himself, how He is dealing in His spiritual abode. Cintamaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrkṣa-lakṣavrteṣu surabhir abhipalayantam [Bs. 5.29]. Krṣṇa, in the spiritual world, Goloka Vrndavana, is engaged in tending the cows, surabhir abhipalayantam [Bs. 5.29]. So when He comes on this planet, in this universe... Krṣṇa rotates His touring. There are innumerable universes, and in every moment there is Krṣṇa-lila is going on. That is called nitya-lila. The example, I have given several times. Just like the sun is rotating within the orbit. Now it is, say, eight o'clock at night. But at this time, there is six o'clock, seven o'clock, nine o'clock, ten o'clock—everything is there. Similarly, every moment, Krṣṇa's lila is going in some of the universes. There are innumerable universes. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi [Bs. 5.40]. So in each universe, Krṣṇa-lila is going on. And in rotation, after some lakhs of years, again Krṣṇa comes on this planet. This is... Therefore Krṣṇa's lila is nitya-lila. So just to attract us, that "You are fond of dancing. Why don't you come back to Me and dance with Me?" this is Krṣṇa's business. "Why you are rotting in this rotting dance? You want association. You want sporting. Why don't you come to Me and take part in My sporting with the cowherds boys?" This is invitation of Krṣṇa.

So one who has got intelligence, they will try to enter into the pastimes, transcendental pastimes of the Lord, either as a cowherd boy or as a servant or as a flower, as a tree, or the water of Yamuna, or the land, or the father and the mother and the conjugal lover. Or it may be as enemy, as Aghasura, Bakasura, Putana. They are also blessed because they are acting with Krṣṇa. This is the sum and substance of Vrndavana lila. Krṣṇa comes, He exhibits His lila in Vrndavana to attract the conditioned souls, who are engaged in false lila, temporary lila, or hellish lila. Krṣṇa wants to save us. The propensity is there. Krṣṇa says, "Not here. Not in this material world. This is perverted. You come to Me." But the Mayavadis, because they have poor fund of knowledge, they think that "If again there is lila, there is sporting, there is dancing, so that is here. Then it is maya." In their poor fund of knowledge, brain cannot accommodate that Krṣṇa's lila and this lila are not the same. Not the same. They think when there is lila, then it must be maya; therefore they are called Mayavadi. Their idea is that liberation means minus this lila, no more lila, simply stop everything. Or voidism.

But that is not the fact.... The fact... Just like a diseased man. He is always drinking bitter medicine, lying on the bed and passing stool in the bed. Very miserable condition. So he wants to commit suicide. So he cannot understand that after being cured from the disease, he will eat very nicely, he will lie down on the bed very nicely, he will no..., have no miserable condition of life. He cannot understand. He says, "Again lying down on the bed and again eating? Oh, this is maya." They do not know that. Therefore they are called poor fund of knowledge. They think that by avoiding this lila, making minus, making void, making zero, we become liberated. No, that is not liberated. That is a disgusted negation only. And as soon as I am disgusted with something, I want to make it "No." Just like sometimes a man commits suicide. He thinks that "This life is simply disgusting. So finish this life." So Mayavadi philosophy is like that. They want to finish this. But finishing, then what you are accepting? That they do not know. Therefore they are Sunyavadi, Nirviseᚣavadi. If there is life... Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Simply by committing suicide, how you'll be happy? Because tatha dehantara-praptiḼ; [Bg. 2.13]. You'll have to accept another body. Either you commit suicide or die naturally, you have to accept. But if you accept natural death and natural body, then your karma kᚣaya, you annihilate your karma, but if you commit suicide, then you become ghost. Because nature's punishment. You got a body and you neglected it, so you now you become, remain without body. That is ghost. Ghost means who does not possess this material body, but he has got the subtle body. That is ghost.

So without knowledge what is the aim of life, what is the actual life, if something is, somebody is misguided by so-called guides or guru, then his life is spoiled. Therefore Vedas gives us direction,

tad-vijùanarthaᚁ sa gurum evabhigacchet
samit-paṇiḥ; srotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
[MU 1.2.12]

tasmad guruᚁ prapadyeta
jijùasuḼ; sreya uttamam
sabde pare ca niṣṇataṁ
brahmaṇy upasamasrayam
[SB 11.3.21]

These are the definitions.

tad viddhi praṇipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadekᚣyanti tad jùanaᚁ
jùaninas tattva-darsinaḼ;
[Bg. 4.34]

Evaṁ parampara-praptam imaṁ rajarṣayo viduḥ; [Bg. 4.2]. So we have to approach the right spiritual master. That is our system, everyone's system. Adau gurvasrayaṁ sad-dharma-prcchat. This is the direction of Srila Rupa Gosvami. So we have to accept the bona fide spiritual master. Who is spiritual master? Now, evam parampara-praptam imaṁ rajarṣayo viduḥ; [Bg. 4.2]. By the parampara system, one who has got the knowledge, he's a spiritual master, and the proof is—how one is spiritual master—that means parampara, as Krṣṇa says. He does not change the words of Krṣṇa, but he follows the words of Krṣṇa and preaches the words of Krṣṇa. That is the proof of spiritual master. That's all. Brahmaṇy upasamasrayam. Firm faith, unflinching devotion at the lotus feet of the Lord, and speaking what the Lord spoke. No manufacturing. That is bona fide spiritual master. Otherwise, we shall be misguided, bogus. Bogus are described in the Bhagavatam: mandaḥ; sumanda-matayo. Sumanda-matayo [SB 1.1.10]. They have manufactured their own ideas. That will take time. But if we approach the real spiritual master, bona fide spiritual master, then our material disease will be cured even in this life. Then material disease will be cured when we develop our dormant love for Krṣṇa. Tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. Simply by understanding Krṣṇa.

So here the author of Caitanya-caritamrta is describing about Krṣṇa. Here it is: svayaṁ bhagavan krṣṇa ekale isvara. Isvara, Bhagavan, is Krṣṇa. Don't accept these humbug, bogus Krṣṇa and bogus Bhagavan. Then you'll be misled. And nowadays, especially India, there are so many gods. No! Here it is said, svayaṁ bhagavan krṣṇa ekale isvara. If you accept this, then you understand what is Krṣṇa. And if you manufacture another dini Krṣṇa, no, that will not help you. Krṣṇa is one, but He has got many expansions. Therefore the expansions are called ara yata saba dekha. There are... Just like Krṣṇa, Balarama, Viṣṇu, Karaṇarṇavasayi Viṣṇu, Garbhodakasayi Viṣṇu, Narayaṇa, Catur-vyuha Narayaṇa. There are hundreds and thousands of Viṣṇu-tattvas. So ara saba yata dekha taṅra parikara, expansions. Real, original Krṣṇa, the Bhagavan, is Krṣṇa. Krṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam. Ete caṁsa-kalaḥ; puṁsaḥ; krṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28].

ramadi-murtiᚣu-kala-niyamena-tiᚣᚭhan
nanavataram akarod bhuvaneᚣu kintu
krṣṇaḥ; svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ; puman yo
govindam adi-puruᚣaᚁ tam ahaᚁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.39]

So if you understand Krṣṇa, then your life is successful. So those who have come to Vrndavana, they should try to understand Krṣṇa. That is the business. And unfortunately, they are busy in some other business. And if I criticize them, they become angry. So what can I do? I have to speak the truth. I cannot, I mean to say, amalgamate real and nonreal. That is not possible. So Krṣṇa... Try to understand. Here it is said that svayaṁ bhagavan krṣṇa ekale isvara. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krṣṇa also says. Mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat: [Bg. 7.7] "Nobody is superior than Me." And how these rascals, they think that "I am equal to Krṣṇa"? Krṣṇa cannot be two. Krṣṇa is one. But He can expand. Ramadi-murtiṣu-kala-niyamena-tiṣṭhan [Bs. 5.39]. Kala, aṁsa-kala, avatara. There are description in the sastra. So we have to understand how Krṣṇa expands. There are expansion. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Ananta-rupam. Just like Krṣṇa... Isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese 'rjuna... [Bg. 18.61]. Krṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart, innumerable living entities. And not only that. Aṇḍantara-sthaṁ-paramaṇu-cayantara-stham. Aṇḍantara-stham. Krṣṇa, as Garbhodakasayi Viṣṇu, is within this universe. Not only within this universe, but within the atom, every atom. Aṇḍantara-sthaṁ-paramaṇu-cayantara. So Krṣṇa is so all-pervasive. But that does not mean everything Krṣṇa. [break] The dogs and hogs of Vrndavana, they are also fortunate because they are in Vrndavana. So one life of dogs and hogs, then they will be liberated. But why should we take the risk of becoming dogs and hogs? Finish this business of understanding Krṣṇa in this life by chanting Hare Krṣṇa mantra. Remain pure, observing the rules and regulations. Then your life is successful. At the end: tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. This is the highest success of life.

Thank you very much. (end)

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