Pradyumna (leads chanting): Translation: "All of them, as they surrender unto Me, I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha."

Prabhupada:

ye yatha maṁ prapadyante
taṁs tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manuṣyaḥ; partha sarvasaḥ;
[Bg. 4.11]

Everyone is seeking to find out Krṣṇa. Directly or indirectly. Krṣṇa means the all-attractive. All-attractive. Bhagavan means the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. So indirectly or directly, everyone is seeking Krṣṇa, the all-attractive. Ananda-mayo 'bhyasat. The Supreme Bliss.

We can give an example. Just like we take care of our body. We want to keep body very fit, healthy and beautiful, very nicely kept. Why? Why we take care of our body? Because I, the spirit soul, part and parcel of Krṣṇa, I am living in this body. Therefore I take care of my body. Nobody takes care of the dead body. This is a fact. Either I take care of my body, or my family's body, or my wife's body, or my children's body.

Why? Because the part and parcel of Krṣṇa is there. The soul is there. And as soon as the soul is gone, the part and parcel is gone from the body, the body has no value. Throw it away. The same body. This is practical. Therefore I love my body because the part and parcel of Krṣṇa is there. Or you love your body. I love your body. Only for the reason, jivanaṁ sarva-bhutanam—the part and parcel of Krṣṇa is there. Then why the part and parcel of Krṣṇa is taken care of? Because it is part and parcel of Krṣṇa. Therefore ultimately, my love goes to Krṣṇa, all-attractive.

So everyone is seeking for happiness, but they are misled. Although they are trying to approach Krṣṇa, they are misled. One can directly come to Krṣṇa, but they do not want. They indirectly. So indirectly and directly, everyone is seeking Krṣṇa. Mama vartmanuvartante manuṣyaḥ; partha sarvasaḥ;. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
[SB 1.2.11]

The Absolute Truth, tattva, that is tattva. Vadanti tat tattva-vidaḥ;. Who can speak of tattva unless one is completely conversant with the tattva? Tattva means truth. So vadanti tat tattva-vidaḥ;. Those who are conversant with the Absolute Truth, they say. What do they say? Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñanam advayam [SB 1.2.11]. The Absolute Knowledge without any duality, advayam.

What is that? Now, Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. The Absolute Truth is described in different ways by different people according to angle of vision. But the object is the same. There may be different types of religious systems, but the object is Krṣṇa. Somewhere it is openly expressed, and somewhere it is covered. Just like Brahman, Brahman realization, impersonal realization, Brahman realization.

For the jñanis, those who are seeking out the Absolute Truth by speculative knowledge, they want to make these varieties of material world as void. The Buddha philosophy, sunyavadi. Because they are disgusted with these material varieties, therefore they want something opposite. That opposite is voidism, sunyavada. The sunyavada or, little more further, that is brahmavada, without any varieties, simply the light, brahmajyoti. This is also another realization. Sunyavada, to make this material world null and void, they come to the impersonal Brahman effulgence. This is Brahman realization.

And then, for the yogis, the localized aspect, Paramatma. Isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. By meditation. This is Paramatma realization. And then, ultimately, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Just like we general, people in general, we can see the sunshine, but everyone knows.... At least, scientists know that the sunshine is coming from the sun globe. If you have got power to go to the sun globe, you can see what actually the sun globe is. And if you go still further, penetrate into the sun globe, then you will see there is a sun god, sun god. His name is also described in the Bhagavad-gita: Vivasvan. In the beginning of this chapter, Fourth Chapter, Krṣṇa said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. So within the sun globe there is the person, the predominating deity whose name is Vivasvan. So it requires a little qualification, how to go to the sun planet. Sun planet is a fact. It is not fictitious. We are every day seeing. But we have no such power to go to the sun planet. Neither we have got the power to enter into the sun planet. That is inability.

Not that it is illusion. Krṣṇa is illusion or Krṣṇaloka is illusion. No, it is not illusion; it is fact. Goloka-namni nija-dhamni tale ca tasya [Bs. 5.43]. In the Vedic literature we find description of the planet of Goloka Vrndavana, the abode of Krṣṇa. It is stated, goloka-namni nija-dhamni. Nija-dhamni. Nija-dhamni means the personal abode. Krṣṇa is person. God is person.

Just like governor. The governor is a person, and he has got his personal place, the government house. Similarly, the Supreme Lord.... Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti [SB 1.2.11]. He is person, and He has got His abode. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhita.

goloka-namni nija-dhamni tale ca tasya
devi-mahesa-hari-dhamasu teṣu teṣu
te te prabhava-nicaya vihitas ca yena
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.43]

Goloka-namni, the planet.... We have given our picture of Goloka Vrndavana. As far as possible taking description from the sastra, we have given. The Goloka Vrndavana is described in the Brahma-saṁhita:

cintamaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrkṣa-
lakṣavrteṣu surabhir abhipalayantam
lakṣmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanaṁ
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami

So Govinda has got place. Goloka-namni. The place name is Goloka Vrndavana, goloka-namni. Nija-dhamni. That is His personal abode. Although every dhama, every planet, everywhere, all over the universe, all over the creation, that is Krṣṇa's dhama, God's place.... Bhoktaraṁ yajña-tapasaṁ sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the proprietor of everything. Isavasyam idaṁ sarvam [Iso mantra 1]. Everything, that is the property of Krṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord. This is Krṣṇa consciousness. This is Krṣṇa consciousness. One has to learn this, that everything belongs to Krṣṇa. Isavasyam idaṁ sarvam. This is Vedic instruction. We have created trouble because we have forgotten the real proprietor. We are trying to become proprietor individually and collectively. "This is India. This is our India." "This is America. It is our America." "It is Germany, our." Nothing our. Everything Krṣṇa's. This is Krṣṇa consciousness. Everything belongs to Krṣṇa.

And everyone has got the right.... Because everyone is the son of Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gita,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
murtayaḥ; sambhavanti yaḥ;
tasaṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bija-pradaḥ; pita
[Bg. 14.4]

As the sons have got right to enjoy the property of the father, similarly, we, all living entities, not only human beings, but trees, planets, animals, everyone, all living entities, sarva-yoniṣu, they are all sons of God, or Krṣṇa, and everyone has got right to live at the cost of Krṣṇa. And He's also feeding everyone. Eko yo bahunaṁ vidadhati kaman. All the necessities of life is being supplied by Krṣṇa. In Africa there are millions of elephants. They are also supplied food, at a time, forty kilos. And the ant is also, within the hole of your room... [break] ...according to law. Don't encroach upon others' property. Ma grdhaḥ; kasya svid dhanam. Tena tyaktena bhuñjitha [Iso mantra 1]. Whatever is allotted for you, that is... Everything is prescribed. Everything is there. But the... Why this arrangement is made? They do not know. The arrangement is made that mama vartmanuvartante manuṣyaḥ; partha... Of course, particularly the name of manuṣyaḥ; has been... Because in the human life God consciousness can be developed, not in the animal life. Therefore here particularly it is mentioned, mama vartmanuvartante manuṣyaḥ; partha sarvasaḥ;. "Everyone is trying to approach Me, but according to different angle of vision, according to capacity." The capacity is somebody's trying to go up to the Brahman effulgence, somebody's trying to understand the Supreme Paramatma within everyone's heart, and somebody's trying to understand and go directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Vaiṣṇavism is directly. Directly... Krṣṇa says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. If you go directly... Just like if you reach the sun planet or the predominating deity of, namely, the sun god, Vivasvan, then naturally you know what is sunshine and what is sun globe. Similarly, if you directly go, if you directly can understand what is Krṣṇa, then you understand what is impersonal Brahman and what is localized aspect, Paramatma. It is... Brahmaṇo 'haṁ pratiṣṭha. Krṣṇa says.

What is this Brahman? Just like the sunshine is situated on the sun globe. Sunshine, although it is very big, it is covering the whole universe, but it is coming from the sun globe. So similarly, the Brahman effulgence may be very, very great, but it is coming as the bodily effulgence of Krṣṇa. That we get information from Brahma-saṁhita:

yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
koṭiṣv aseṣa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam
tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aseṣa-bhutaṁ
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.40]

So actually, either you try to realize impersonal Brahman, or by yogic process, the localized Paramatma, or directly you want to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are all the same. All the same. But this differentiation is due to my angle of vision. Therefore Krṣṇa says, ye yatha maṁ prapadyante taṁs tathaiva bhajamy aham [Bg. 4.11]. If you want to realize only the Brahman effulgence, all right, you can do that. Or if you want to realize Paramatma by yogic principle, by meditation, all right, Krṣṇa says, it is also all right. And if you want to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead in directly contact with Him, directly playing with Him as cowherds boy, directly dancing with Him like the gopis, directly treating Him as your son like Yasoda-mata, you can do also.

Krṣṇa is open to everyone, and you can approach Krṣṇa in any capacity—as Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But it is up to you to relish which one is relishable for you. That is up to you. But Krṣṇa is prepared to accept you in any way you like. So Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan, they are the same one truth, but it is difference of realization.

Just like you see one big mountain from a distant place. You'll see just like something, hazy cloud. If you go still further, you'll find something greenish. But if you go actually to the mountain, you'll find so many varieties. So many varieties. There are houses, there are trees, there are men, there are animals. Similarly, to the spiritual world. First of all, this material world becomes...

Just like Lord Buddha, he did not say anything further than making this material world as void, sunyavada. That is a fact. If you are...

In the previous verse it has been stated, vita-raga-bhaya-krodhaḥ; [Bg. 2.56]. If you are attached to these material varieties, then you cannot enter into the spiritual varieties, or in the spiritual world. Krṣṇa is so kind. If you have got a pinch of desire to enjoy this material world, then you'll have to remain here as, either as Lord Brahma or as a small ant, according to your karma. But when you completely become free from material attachment, then the spiritual world is... So when the Buddha philosophy says sunyavada, nirvaṇa, nirvaṇa, it means the same thing, vita-raga, you have to become detached. You have to make this material enjoyment zero.

The bhakti also says, bhakti formula, anyabhilaṣita-sunyam: [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11] "You have to make your heart cleansed of all material desire." Then spiritual life will begin.

yeṣaṁ (tv) anta-gataṁ papaṁ
jananaṁ puṇya-karmaṇam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante maṁ drḍha-vrataḥ;
[Bg. 7.28]

This is the process. So artificially, the Buddha philosophy or Saṅkara philosophy, they, artificially if you want to make it nirvaṇa, zero, that is not possible. Avyaktasakta-cetasam... Te..., kleso 'dhikataras teṣam avyaktasakta-cetasam [Bg. 12.5]. Avyakta means zero, impersonal. If you become attached to simply making zero, or impersonal, that is not possible. Because we are accustomed. We are... As living beings, we want varieties. Variety is the mother of enjoyment. We cannot remain in the zero position.

You have got experience. Just like when you fly on the plane, after some hours, four, five hours, you become disgusted. You want to come down. Everyone has got this experience. Because the sky is zero, we cannot remain there more than four or five hours or six hours. We must come down. In the sea also. We have got all these experience. If you remain on the ocean for three, four days... Because it runs on. When I first went to America, I went by ship. So thirty-five days. So after four, five days, it was disgusting. As soon as we saw one island, then we became relieved. (Laughter) You see?

So the sunyavada philosophy will not give you happiness. After sunya, after making this sunya... Suppose you are passing through the sky, sunya, if you get another, if you go the moon planet or other planet, then you become happy. Then you become happy. But if you don't get any planet, then you have to come back again on this planet. Similarly, the sunyavada philosophy will not make you happy unless you...

Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated,

ye 'nye 'ravindakṣa vimukta-maninas
tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayaḥ;
aruhya krcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ;
patanty adho 'nadrta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ;
[SB 10.2.32]

The meaning is that "My Lord, Aravindakṣa..." Krṣṇa is addressed... Because His eyes are just like the petals of lotus flower, He's called Aravinda, and Aravindakṣa. Barhavataṁsa, aravindakṣa. So "My dear Aravindakṣa, lotus-eyed Krṣṇa, "Ye 'nye 'ravindakṣa. "The persons who are thinking that they have become liberated, now they have become Narayaṇa..." Oh. Ye 'nye 'ravindakṣa vimukta-maninaḥ;. They are thinking like that. Maninaḥ; means falsely thinking. Ye 'nye 'ravindakṣa vimukta-maninas tvayy asta-bhavad... "They have no information of Your lotus feet or You. They do not accept Your personality." Tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayaḥ; [SB 10.2.32]. "Their intelligence is not clear." Avisuddha. It is still impure. Because they could not understand.

The full knowledge is brahmeti bhagavan iti, brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti [SB 1.2.11]. The three things one must know. That is full knowledge. But if you understand partially, either Brahman or Paramatma... But if you understand Bhagavan... Kasmin tu bhagavo vijñate sarvam idaṁ vijñataṁ bhavati. This is Vedic injunction. If you understand Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you understand Brahman and Paramatma. But if you simply understand Brahman or Paramatma, you do not understand Krṣṇa. Therefore it is said avisuddha-buddhayaḥ;, intelligence is not yet pure. Ye 'nye 'ravindakṣa vimukta-maninas tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayaḥ;, aruhya krcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ; [SB 10.2.32]. They, after undergoing severe penances and austerities, they approach the Brahman effulgence, param... Patanty adhaḥ;. Again falls down.

The same example. You may go very high. Just like nowadays, the attempt is being made. They are going to the moon planet or Venus planet. We do not know whether they are going or not, but we hear from the advertisement. So because they do not get any shelter, they come back. Aruhya krcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ; patanty adhaḥ; anadrta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ; [SB 10.2.32]. Because they do not get any shelter, the shelter of lotus feet of Krṣṇa, from this impersonal conception of philosophy, they again come to this material world.

Therefore you'll find there are so many big, big swamis. First of all they give up this world. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithya. "This world is mithya. Let us take to Brahman. Let us become Brahman." But after keeping in, some days in so-called Brahman, they again come back to open hospital, school. Because there they could not get anything. Therefore something must be done, profession. So open hospital and raise fund. That's all.

So unless you get shelter on the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, you'll be attracted by these material activities. But when you are attracted by the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, then vita-raga-bhaya-soka... Then, as we... Vita-raga-bhaya-krodha man-maya mam upasritaḥ; [Bg. 4.10]. Mam upasritaḥ;. When you take shelter at the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, then you become vita-raga-bhaya-krodhaḥ; [Bg. 2.56]. Otherwise, you'll be attacked by, attracted by this material world. So therefore, artificial sunyavada philosophy, it may be, for the time being, necessity, sunyavada...

Just like Lord Buddha preached his philosophy, sunyavada philosophy, nirvaṇa philosophy, because it was needed at that time. It is not permanent philosophy. Any philosophy except Krṣṇa philosophy... Nothing is permanent. They are temporary. They have got temporary use. The real use is Krṣṇa philosophy. Real use, Krṣṇa philosophy. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam... [Bg. 18.66].

So when there was... People may question that "Lord Buddha is accepted as an incarnation of Lord Krṣṇa." Kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira jaya jagadisa hare. "Then why he preached atheistic philosophy?" He preached, "There is no God." Sunyavada. But there was necessity at that time. Why? That is explained by Jayadeva Gosvami:

nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha sruti-jataṁ
sadaya-hrdaya darsita-pasu-ghatam
kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira jaya jagadisa hare

At that time, people were killing animals like anything in the name of yajña. In the Vedas there are prescriptions that in the yajña a pasu can be, an animal can be slaughtered. In some yajña, not all. Tamasika-yajña.

Anyway, Vedic injunction is there. So when Lord Buddha started this nonviolence, ahiṁsa paramo dharmaḥ;, the Vedic scholars approached him that "How you can prescribe this ahiṁsa? There is already sanction in the Vedas, pasavo vadhaya srṣṭaḥ;... How you can stop it?" So Lord Buddha said, "I don't care for your Vedas." Therefore he is considered as atheist. Anyone who doesn't care for Vedas, they are technically called as atheist. Veda na maniya bauddha haila nastika. Nastika means atheist.

Anyway... Then Saṅkaracarya came. Saṅkaracarya wanted... Because by the propagation of Lord Buddha, whole India became Buddhist. And Saṅkaracarya wanted to establish Vedas again. So they were temporary necessities, for certain reason. Because people were addicted so much in violence, in killing the animals, therefore Buddha philosophy was needed. Again, this Buddha philosophy was driven out. The Saṅkara, impersonal philosophy was established. But again, the acaryas, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya and other Vaiṣṇava acaryas.. . At last, Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They established that brahma satyam means brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. Both, three, Absolute Truth.

So these are the philosophical development. So Krṣṇa is summarizing this philosophical development here in this one line, that mama vartmanuvartante manuṣyaḥ; partha sarvasaḥ;. Either you follow Buddha philosophy or Saṅkara philosophy or Vaiṣṇava philosophy, the ultimate goal is Krṣṇa. Mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg. 7.7]. So you have to approach Krṣṇa through these different types of philosophy. They are partial realization. Just like Brahman realization means eternity realization. Paramatma realization means eternity and knowledge. And Bhagavan realization means eternity, knowledge and blissfulness. Sac-cid-ananda. Isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. If you realize Krṣṇa, then you realize simultaneously... Kasmin tu bhagavo vijñate sarvam idaṁ vijñataṁ bhavati. You realize Brahman, you realize Paramatma, and you realize Bhagavan.

That is our duty. Therefore Krṣṇa says, bahunaṁ janmanam ante jñanavan maṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Because ultimately Krṣṇa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ; sarvaṁ pravartate, ahaṁ sarvasya.. [Bg. 10.8]. And Krṣṇa says... Vedanta says also, janmady asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1]. Brahman, Paramatma, they are expansion of Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa is the original. Mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg. 7.7]. This is the truth. Therefore Krṣṇa says that either you follow the Brahman path or Paramatma path, either as a jñani or yogi or as a bhakta...

Therefore Krṣṇa says, mama vartmanuvartante manuṣyaḥ; partha... Anyone actually who is seeking after self-realization, there are three divisions. Either you have to realize as impersonal Brahman or as localized Paramatma or as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But if you realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then automatically you realize impersonal Brahman and Paramatma also. Just like if you have got one crore of rupees, then one hundred rupees, ten rupees or one thousand rupees or one lakh of rupees, they're all included, similarly, if you realize Krṣṇa...

Therefore Krṣṇa says, bahunaṁ janmanam ante jñanavan maṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. That everyone is trying to realize the Absolute Truth. Either in the shape of Brahman or Paramatma or nullifying these material varieties, sunyavada, they are trying to approach Krṣṇa. So Krṣṇa is so kind that He's giving direct opportunity, direct opportunity that "You can surrender unto Me, and I'll take charge of you." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja, ahaṁ tvaṁ sarva-papebhyo mokṣayiṣyami [Bg. 18.66].

So why not take this opportunity. Our Krṣṇa consciousness movement is to preach or to train people how to approach directly. It is possible. One may say that "If it is so difficult subject matter, how one can approach Krṣṇa directly?" No. That is Krṣṇa's grace. You can... Just like in a building, high building, there are two ways. The staircase is there and the lift is there. You can take either of them. If you go to the topmost flat step by step, you can go. But if... Why don't you take this opportunity of taking the lift and go immediately, within a minute?

So Krṣṇa consciousness is that. If you are actually serious to go to the spiritual world, take the bhakti-yoga process. Therefore Krṣṇa is preaching personally bhakti-yoga. Mayy asakta-manaḥ; partha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-asrayaḥ;. So take opportunity of this Krṣṇa consciousness movement. It is very, very easy. And anyone can take it. You have seen that our process, chanting, this process is accepted even by a small child. He also dancing, he's also chanting. Don't think that these things will go in vain. The small child who is dancing and chanting, it will be recorded in his history. Puñji-budha. Krta-puṇya-puñjaḥ; [SB 10.12.11]. This is called ajñata-sukrti. The center is open to give chance people to hear about Krṣṇa, to chant about Krṣṇa, to see Krṣṇa, to take prasadam of Krṣṇa. So we request, take advantage of these facilities and be fully Krṣṇa conscious and make your life successful. Thank you very much. (end)

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