Pradyumna: Translation: "Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth."

Prabhupada:

manuṣyaṇaṁ sahasreṣu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanaṁ
kascin maṁ vetti tattvataḥ;
[Bg. 7.3]

To understand Krṣṇa in truth, not superficially, but in fact, that we can understand, as Krṣṇa says in the beginning of this chapter,

mayy asakta-manaḥ; partha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-asrayaḥ;
asaṁsayaṁ samagraṁ maṁ
yatha jñasyasi tac chrṇu
[Bg. 7.1]

How Krṣṇa is truth, the Absolute Truth, although the Absolute Truth is described in three phases in the Srimad-Bhagavatam... Just like vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam [SB 1.2.11]. This tattva. Here it is said, tattvataḥ;. The truth, Absolute Truth, is called tattva. So vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam [SB 1.2.11]. Tattva-vid. Vid means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jñane. One who has got complete knowledge, he is called vid, tattva-vid. So tattva-vid, they ascertain the tattva, the truth, in three ways. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñanam advayam [SB 1.2.11]. So knowledge of the truth is nondual. Absolute means nondual, no relative, absolute, advaya-jñana. So what is that advaya-jñana? Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. So to approach Krṣṇa, to understand, one has to go through the brahma-jñana, brahmeti, then Paramatma, paramatma-jñana. Then krṣṇa-jñana. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. So generally, those who are inquiring about the Absolute Truth, they come to the point of brahma-jñana, brahma-jñana. Then, if one makes further advance, then he can understand paramatma-jñana. Paramatma-jñana means the all-pervasive Personality of Godhead, localized aspect. Isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese arjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. That is paramatma-jñana. First of all, brahma-jñana, then paramatma-jñana, then bhagavad-jñana.

Bhagavan iti sabdyate. That bhagavan is Krṣṇa. Krṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Bhagavan means opulent.

aisvaryasya samagrasya
viryasya yasasaḥ; sriyaḥ;
jñana-vairagyayos caiva
ṣaṇṇaṁ bhaga itiṅgana
(Viṣṇu Puraṇa 6.5.47)

One who has complete, in possession, all wealth, aisvarya, samagrasya, all, samagrasya... So that is the one of the items of becoming Bhagavan. Nowadays there are so many bhagavans, so-called bhagavan, but this is the first step, aisvaryasya samagrasya, whether you possess all the wealth. Who can say so? There are... A person, he is living by begging, and he's claiming to become Bhagavan. So that is not the definition of Bhagavan. Bhagavan must possess all the wealth. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, bhoktaraṁ yajña-tapasaṁ sarva-loka-mahesvaram: [Bg. 5.29] "I am the proprietor of the all the planetary systems, all the lokas, all the universes." Actually that is the fact. So one who is begging for his livelihood, he is claiming, "I am Bhagavan." Just see.

They do not know what is Bhagavan. These rascals who unnecessarily, unceremoniously claiming to become Bhagavan, they do not know what is Bhagavan. Bhagavan is described in the Brahma-saṁhita:

yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya
jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-aṇḍa-nathaḥ;
viṣṇur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseṣo
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.48]

This is one of the description of Bhagavan, Govinda. Krṣṇa is Govinda. So govindam adi-puruṣam. He's the original, primal Lord.

isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ;
sac-cid-ananda vigrahaḥ;
anadir adir govindaḥ;
sarva-karaṇa-karaṇam
[Bs. 5.1]

So these Bhagavans... There are expansion of Bhagavan. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Bhagavan has got unlimited number of expansions. It is stated, "Just like you cannot count in the river how many waves are flowing, similarly, you cannot count even how many expansions are there of Bhagavan."

So one of the expansions of Bhagavan is Maha-Viṣṇu. Yasya kala-viseṣo viṣṇur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseṣaḥ;. Kala-viseṣaḥ; means... Kala means part of the expansion, not direct expansion, but part of the expansion. That is called kala. Aṁsa-kala. Aṁsa means direct expansion, and kala means expansion of the aṁsa. So the Maha-Viṣṇu is described as kala-viseṣaḥ;, an expansion of the aṁsa, secondary. And what is that Maha-Viṣṇu? Now, yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-aṇḍa-nathaḥ; [Bs. 5.48]. Jagad-aṇḍa means this universe. There are millions and millions of universes. This is only one universe. This universe, what you are seeing, this is only one. There are millions. (aside:) What is that? This is... This information we get also from the Vedic literature,

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 yasyaika, yasya prabha. This brahmajyoti, brahma-jñana, is just like the rays. As the sunshine is the rays of the sun globe, similarly, the rays of the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is brahmajyoti. And within that brahmajyoti, there are innumerable universes. So in each universe... We have given the picture in our title cover of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So in each universe there are innumerable planets. In this way, this is a partial expansion, partial exhibition of Krṣṇa. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

athava bahunaitena
kiṁ jñatena tavarjuna
viṣṭabhyaham idaṁ krtsnam
ekaṁsena sthito jagat
[Bg. 10.42]

Ekaṁsena. This whole, all the universes, they are simply partial exhibition of the partial expansion of Krṣṇa. Yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalam... [Bs. 5.48].

In this way you have to study Krṣṇa, not that "Krṣṇa was born in His maternal uncle's house at Mathura, and He played with the gopis or the cowherd boys." That is actual fact, but one should understand Krṣṇa—how great He is. That is called tattvataḥ;.

manuṣyaṇaṁ sahasreṣu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanaṁ
kascin maṁ vetti tattvataḥ;
[Bg. 7.3]

They simply superficially study Krṣṇa. Therefore they cannot understand how great is Krṣṇa. In the Western world they say "God is great." But one should understand how great He is. That is tattvataḥ;. Otherwise, we shall be misled. We cannot understand Krṣṇa. Avajananti maṁ muḍha manuṣiṁ tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. The rascals, fools, asses... Muḍhaḥ; means asses. They deride Krṣṇa, "Oh, Krṣṇa I understand. What is that Krṣṇa?" Not like that. Therefore Krṣṇa says, manuṣyaṇaṁ sahasreṣu: [Bg. 7.3] "Out of many, many millions of persons..." First of all let him become siddha. Siddha means perfect. Everyone is imperfect. Everyone commits mistake. This is imperfection. Everyone commits mistake, everyone becomes illusioned, everyone's sense perception are all imperfect, and everyone is a cheater. These are the deficiency of the conditioned soul. One does not know what is Krṣṇa, and he wants to become Krṣṇa: "I am God. I am Krṣṇa."

So this is cheating. Bhrama, pramada, vipralipsa, karaṇa-paṭava. One should understand Krṣṇa, what is Krṣṇa. There are so many Vedic literatures to understand... Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ; [Bg. 15.15]. If you are studying Vedas, if you are Vedantist, then ultimate knowledge will depend how you have understood Krṣṇa. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ; [Bg. 15.15]. If you do not understand Krṣṇa, what is the use of your studying Vedanta and Vedas? It is useless. Srama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]. So don't try to understand Krṣṇa in that way. Generally, they understand Krṣṇa very easily—they are called sahajiyas—that "Krṣṇa was a young boy, and He was joking with the gopis and dancing with the gopis, and that is Krṣṇa. We can imitate also. We can do also." This kind of understanding means he's a rascal; he's a fool. That is, of course, Krṣṇa's, one of the pastimes. But that is not this ordinary young boy and young girl's pastime. That is cinmaya. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. That is ananda-cinmaya-rasa.

We have no understanding what is ananda-cinmaya-rasa. We are accustomed to taste this material ananda, sense gratification. There are... Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Here, in this material world, the ananda is sex gratification, sex intercourse. Maithuna. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. This is the most abominable ananda. This is not ananda. Although the whole world is mohita... Tribhir guṇamayair bhavair mohitam. This is the ananda. In the Western world we have seen even old men, seventy-five years old, eighty years old, they are going to the naked dance club, the sex ananda. Because in the material world there is no ananda except this. But in the Bhagavad-gita you'll find, sukham atyantikaṁ yat tad atindriya-grahyam [Bg. 6.21]. What is real ananda, that you have to taste by your transcendental senses, not these senses, blunt senses. This is blunt senses, covered senses. There is no question of tasting ananda with these senses. There is no possibility. Ananda is described. Just like it is said, ramante yoginaḥ; anante. [Cc. Madhya 9.29] Yoginaḥ;, those who are transcendentalists, above this material world, they also seeking after ananda or tasting ananda. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. That is satyananda. That is real ananda. Ramante yoginaḥ; anante. And there is no end of that ananda. Nityaṁ nava-navayamanam.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has described, ceto-darpaṇa-marjanaṁ bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapaṇaṁ sreyaḥ;-kairava-candrika-vitaraṇaṁ vidya-vadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Anandambudhi... We have no experience that ambudhi... Ambudhi means the ocean. And anandambudhi, the ocean of ananda, vardhanam, it is increasing. It is increasing. We have no experience that the sea or the ocean is increasing. It is decreasing. So this is ananda. Ramante yoginaḥ; anante. That is ananta ananda. Ramante yoginaḥ; anante satyanande cid-atmani. That is not jaḍatma. Here this ananda is jaḍa, dull. It is not ananda, material, but cid-atmani. Iti rama-padenasau paraṁ brahmabhidhiyate [Cc. Madhya 9.29]. These are the description. Rama means one who takes ananda in the reality, not in the false. So this is the way of understanding Krṣṇa. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said,

siddhanta baliya citte na kara alasa
iha haite krṣṇe lage sudrḍha manasa
[Adi 2.117]

"To understand Krṣṇa in truth, do not be lazy." "Oh, now I have understood Krṣṇa." What you have understood Krṣṇa? Therefore we fall down.

One should understand... Therefore, to understand Krṣṇa in truth, one has to devote, studying Srimad-Bhagavatam nine cantos. In the Tenth Canto Krṣṇa is described because... Try. First of all become fit to understand Krṣṇa. That is called tattvataḥ;. So Srimad-Bhagavatam is there. Oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya, janmady asya yataḥ; anvayat itaratas ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ; svaraṭ [SB 1.1.1]. Try to understand Krṣṇa in truth, not superficially. Of course, the ultimate goal is to understand Krṣṇa's pastimes in Vrndavana. Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi... But that... First of all, you become siddha. Without becoming siddha, you cannot understand. So long you are asiddha, imperfect, you cannot understand Krṣṇa. But if you try, if you associate with the siddhas... Sataṁ prasaṅgan mama virya-saṁvido bhavanti hrt-karṇa-rasayanaḥ; kathaḥ; [SB 3.25.25]. You have to associate... Just like in the morning: munibhir mahatmabhiḥ;. You have to understand Krṣṇa in the association of mahatmas. And who is mahatma? Mahatmanas tu maṁ partha daiviṁ prakrtim asritaḥ; [Bg. 9.13]. Mahatma is not in this material world. He is in the spiritual world. Daiviṁ prakrtim asritaḥ;. Bhajanti. And the result is: always engaged in devotional service of Krṣṇa. That is mahatma.

So Krṣṇa says that it is not very easy to understand Krṣṇa. People understand Krṣṇa very easily; therefore they are called sahajiyas. Everything, takes very easily. So manuṣyaṇaṁ sahasreṣu [Bg. 7.3]. Manuṣyaṇam. There are 400,000 species of manuṣya, 400,000. Catur-lakṣaṇi manuṣaḥ;. Jalaja nava-lakṣaṇi sthavara lakṣa-viṁsati, krmayo rudra-saṅkhyakaḥ;. There are statements in the Padma Puraṇa how many living entities, forms are there. So out of 8,400,000 different forms and species, there are 400,000 species of manuṣya. So out of them, one who is born in India, he is first-class manuṣya. That is a fact. Unfortunately, we are missing the chance. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, bharata-bhumite haila manuṣya-janma yara [Cc. Adi 9.41]. So those who are Indians present here should know that after many pious activities, one gets birth in India, bharata-bhumite. They should try to understand Krṣṇa. There is facility. There are sastras. Krṣṇa personally speaks Bhagavad-gita. Vyasadeva speaks about Krṣṇa in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. We are neglecting, we have become so rascal and fools. This is not India's business, to imitate how economic development: "Money, money, money, money, money." This is not India's business. India's business is to understand Krṣṇa. Athato brahma jijñasa. That is India's business. These Americans and Europeans have come here not to see how much you are economically developed, industrially developed. They have got enough of this, enough, more than enough. They don't care for it. The modern young men, they do not like. They are fed up. They have come here to understand Krṣṇa. They come here to understand Krṣṇa. Manuṣyaṇaṁ sahasreṣu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3].

Therefore we have... We are trying to construct this center. Let everyone come, all over the world. And it is the India's business to understand what is Krṣṇa and help them. That is India's business. It is very serious movement, Krṣṇa consciousness movement. On this platform, the whole world can be united. It is not ordinary movement, only on the basis of Krṣṇa consciousness. Try to understand Krṣṇa.

Thank you very much. (end)

750311BG.LON