Nitai: Translation: "Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy, You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized."

Prabhupada:

maya-javanikacchannam
ajñadhokṣajam avyayam
na lakṣyase muḍha-drsa
naṭo naṭyadharo yatha
[SB 1.8.19]

So one side is maya-javanikacchannam. Maya, this illusory energy, is covering with the curtain. Just like we are seeing the Deity, but if there is a curtain, we cannot see. Similarly, there is a curtain which is illusory energy, maya. Big, big scientists, they cannot see what is behind this material nature. They cannot understand. Because the maya, this wonderful material energy, is acting in such a big curtain, they cannot understand that beyond this there is something else. They cannot understand. Maya-javanika acchannam. Illusory energy. They are thinking this material energy working, that is everything. Nothing beyond this. The whole world is covered. This is one side. And the other side: ajña.

Maya-javanikacchannam ajña... These materialistic persons, they are ajña, means they have no sufficient knowledge. Unless one develops the light of knowledge, sattva-guṇa... Sattva-guṇa is the light of knowledge. Rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa is darkness. Ignorance and passion. In this stage one cannot understand what is Krṣṇa, what is God. Ajña. Rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ; [SB 1.2.19]. As we have discussed in Bhagavad, Srimad-Bhagavatam, rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ;, those who are infected with the two kinds of material modes, means rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, they are simply busy, kama and lobha. They are busy only... Those who are passionate, they are simply busy for sense gratification, and those who are in ignorance, in darkness, they have no eyes to see.

So these two classes of men... Mostly people are infected with these two kinds of modes of material nature. Rajas-tamas. The whole world. At the present moment, especially, mostly ignorance, and some of them are passionate. That passionate tendency is engaging them for so many industries and very, very strong work, ugra-karma. Ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means very strong...? What is, should be the English word? Ugra... Ugra, just like chili, pungent. There are many things. They are very strong in taste. So ugra-karma, these... Just like they are building hundred-and-fifty-story building. People can live comfortably in a small cottage or one-storied house or little more. But no, they're increasing. Their passionate activities are increasing. Just like in your country, in New York, now there is hundred-and-four-storied building, or more than that. Some building?

Brahmananda: Hundred and ten.

Prabhupada: Hundred and ten.

Brahmananda: Two of them.

Prabhupada: Two of them. They're increasing. They are thinking by increasing the stories more and more, that is advancement of civili... But how long you will increase? If you make million stories, still, it is unlimited. That we can see. So many airplanes are running in the sky. What is that? Still, it is vast. So many sputniks are running in the sky. Still, it is vast. So it is simply desire, that "If I make a hundred-and-fifty-storied house, then my life is successful." So in this way, instead of not wasting valuable time of this human life, they are simply wasting time in this way. That is also explained in the Ramayaṇa. Just the Ravaṇa. He wanted to make a staircase up to the heavenly planet. It is like that. Ugra-karma. Why they are doing so? Ajña, ajña. Foolish people.

Now, if we say that "You are all foolish, rascal people. You are wasting your time in this way," they will think us crazy. And they think us like that, that we do not recommend these things. So it is very, very difficult to understand Krṣṇa in this condition, in this situation. Maya-javanikacchannam and ajña, foolish people. Ajña. And the other, other side, Krṣṇa is adhokṣaja. Even one is advanced in knowledge... Knowledge means, our knowledge means we manufacture words or syllables from A to Z. That's all. ABCD. We compose words with these twenty-six, or how many? A to Z?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is... And in Sanskrit, as in English it is A to Z, similarly in Sanskrit, a, a, i, u, and the end is kṣa. So a and kṣa, that is called akṣa. Akṣa-ja. And ja means generated. So we also compose words, those who are Sanskrit scholars, they compose words from a to akṣa, just like English they compose words from A to Z.

So our mental speculation and advancement of education is limited between this a and kṣa, akṣa. Akṣa-ja. But Krṣṇa is adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means where these kinds of speculation, beginning from a to kṣa, will not act. Therefore His name is Adhokṣaja. Adhaḥ; krta, cut down. (aside:) Why they are going? They are busy in some other work? Eh? Ugra-karma. Without hearing, what he will do, nonsense? Sravaṇaṁ kirtanam, this is our main business. Sravaṇam. If you don't hear, what you will do? You will do simply sense gratification. That's all.

So this is difficulty, that we are not very much interested in hearing. And that is the main business. Our bhakti begins: sravaṇaṁ kirtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ; [SB 7.5.23]. We have to hear and we have to speak. But if we are not interested in hearing and speak, then it will be the same ṭhakura-bari(?), simply formula. That's all. And gradually it will be stopped. Unless there is life of sravaṇaṁ kirtanam, these big, big buildings, temples, will become burden. So if we are, if we want to create burden for future, then we may give up this hearing and chanting and sleep very nicely. It will be burden. Galagraha. Not sri-vigraha, but galagraha. Galagraha. Sri-vigraha means worshipable Deity. So if we give up this sravaṇaṁ kirtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ;, then it will be thought that "Our Guru Maharaja has given a burden in the neck, galagraha." This is the danger. So we must be very much alert in sravaṇaṁ kirtanam. Otherwise all this labor will be futile. This building will be only the nest, nest for the doves and the pigeons. That is the danger. That is being done. Nobody is interested. Such, such things...

Now, who is, who can understand Krṣṇa? There are so many impediments. One side, there is curtain of maya; another side, everyone is a rascal and fool; and another side, Krṣṇa is beyond your sense perception. This is the position. How much one must be alert. Then one can understand. Just like the Gosvamis. Is Krṣṇa is so easy thing to be understood? But there is process. So if we do not adopt the process, then how we can understand Krṣṇa? These are the so many difficult things. One side, one thing is the maya is checking. Maya is trying to put stumbling block for your advancement of spiritual life. Maya-javanikacchannam. And the other side, we are all fools and rascals. And the, again, Krṣṇa is adhokṣaja, beyond the range of sense perception. This is the position.

So unless we become very serious to understand Krṣṇa, it is very, very difficult to understand Krṣṇa. Maya-javanikacchannam. On the one side, Kunti says, antar bahir avasthitam: "Krṣṇa, You are within..." Isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese [Bg. 18.61]. Krṣṇa is not far away. Krṣṇa is always with you. He, He's so friendly that just like two birds... It is said in the Upaniṣads: the one bird is eating the fruit of the tree; another bird is simply guiding and seeing. Because this material world, living entity wanted to enjoy. Just like you have seen that the dog and the master. The master is so friendly to the dog out of love. It is a dog, but when it is passing stool, he's waiting. Why? Is the duty of the master to wait because the dog is passing stool? No. Out of love. Out of love. We can see from practical example. Similarly... The master may be a great millionaire, but still, he loves the dog so much that on the morning walk he takes his dog and the dog is passing urine... What, what business dog has got? To pass urine and stool and go this way and that way. But the master is attending. Similarly, God, or Krṣṇa, is so affectionate that we have come here in this material world simply to pass stool and urine, still He's attending. Still, He's attending. Just imagine what merciful is Krṣṇa.

In the Upaniṣads it is said that two birds... The one bird is Paramatma. Krṣṇa has become Paramatma. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that kṣetra-kṣetrajña. There are two things. One is this kṣetra, this body. Kṣetra, just the field. Just like we are tilling the field. And the tiller, the krṣaṇa. Similarly, we are, we have got this field, and we are growing our own, harvesting our own grains. Just like you are doing. So according to our labor, according to our attempt, we are getting food grains. Similarly, we have got this body, and I am, the spirit soul is the tiller. So according to my karma, I am getting the result. So similarly... Not only I am there, but Krṣṇa is also there. He's seeing what you are doing, what you are doing, what you want more. Sarvasya cahaṁ hrdi sanniviṣṭaḥ; [Bg. 15.15]. Krṣṇa says, "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Why? "Just to give him the facilities. This rascal living being has come to the material world to till the field to get some result. All right. Let him do that." Just like children play on the beach, do all nonsense, and the father sees, "All right, you have finished your business? Come on." So Krṣṇa is like that. He is simply seeing. We are acting so nonsensically, and Krṣṇa is giving us... The same way, a dog passing stool and urine, the master is attending. Or the father is seeing. The children are playing on the beach. They're making big, big house on the sand, and it has nothing, no value, but Krṣ..., the father is giving the opportunity, "All right, do it."

So Krṣṇa is giving us all the facilities, but we are so fool that we cannot understand that Krṣṇa is so friendly. That is... It is said, na lakṣyase muḍha-drsa [SB 1.8.19]. They cannot see. Because muḍha-drsa. Muḍha means rascal, and drsa... Drsa means seeing. They have no power to see. A muḍha cannot see. Rascals, they cannot see. They are very much proud: "Can you show me God?" But they do not think, "Whether I am qualified to see?" They are very much proud of these eyes. What is the value of this eye? Therefore Krṣṇa says, "Yes, you can see Me, but according to My direction. You see Me: raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg. 7.8]. You can see. It is very easy for you. You see Me in the water. While you taste, while you drink water, you see Me. I am the taste." So you are, everyone drinks water, and we get some taste. Otherwise why he's drinking water. So that taste, if you remember that "Here is Krṣṇa," simply by tasting water, simply by drinking water, if you follow Krṣṇa's instruction, one day you'll be a devotee. Krṣṇa is so kind. Simply by drinking water. Simply we have to know how to see Krṣṇa.

Therefore Kuntidevi says, na lakṣyase muḍha-drsa [SB 1.8.19]. The muḍha, the rascal, is so foolish... Krṣṇa says that "You see Me in the taste of water," but these rascals: "Hah! This is humbug. This is humbug. How, in the taste, Krṣṇa is there? I want to see in my own eyes." But you haven't got that eyes. Just develop your eyes gradually. Just like one is suffering from some eye disease. So take some medicine, then gradually, your eyesight will be improved. Take the spectacle, some power, then more power, more power. So... But they'll not take the instruction of Krṣṇa, the instruction of spiritual master. So they want to remain muḍha-drsa, rascal and fool. And still they want to see Krṣṇa. This is the difficulty. Na lakṣyase muḍha-drsa [SB 1.8.19]. If you do not improve your eyes according to the direction of sastra..., sadhu-sastra-guru, these three things, then how you'll see Krṣṇa? Krṣṇa is saying. That is sastra. Sastra means what is said by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is sastra. And guru. Guru says the same thing. And sadhu says the same thing.

Sadhu-guru test means they do not change the words of Krṣṇa. They do not say, "Now I have manufactured something. Krṣṇa says that 'You can see Me in the taste of water.' I can say that you can see in this way: 'You see me and you will see Krṣṇa.' " Just (as) the Mayavadi says, "You think of me." In the Aurobindo Ashram, there they have no other business. The disciples are advised that "Whatever you like, you can do. You should always think of Aurobindo." Just like Krṣṇa says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji maṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. I inquired from the inmates of the Aurobindo Ashram. So I (inquired,) "What do you do?" "That we think of Aurobindo." They are... Because Aurobindo thinks that he is Krṣṇa. As Krṣṇa says, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktaḥ;, so they advise that "You think of me." So the inmates, they think and smoke biḍi and cigarette. That's all. I have seen it. So these things are going on. Muḍha-drsa. If we want to remain muḍha-drsa, then it will be difficult for us to see Krṣṇa. We have dedicated our life to see Krṣṇa, to talk with Krṣṇa, to play with Krṣṇa, to have Krṣṇa as our son, to have Krṣṇa as our friend, to Krṣṇa as our lover. If this is our ambition, then we should not remain a muḍha-drsa, foolishly...

So we have to follow the mahajano yena gataḥ;... As Kunti's advising. Kunti is, she knows how to see Krṣṇa. She knows, "Here is Krṣṇa. Although He's playing the part of my brother's son, nephew, but actually, He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Just like Arjuna. Arjuna, he was talking like friend, but when he saw that "It is impossible to solve this problem... I am inclined not to fight and kill my relatives, but the duty is to kill them..." It is a very perplexed position. So therefore he accepted Krṣṇa as guru. He said that "I do not find anyone else who can solve my, this problem. Therefore Krṣṇa, I am surrendering unto You." Siṣyas te 'haṁ sadhi maṁ prapannam [Bg. 2.7]. "Now we are not talking as friends. I accept You as guru." When one accepts somebody as guru, he cannot argue. That is the condition. Praṇipatena, sampurṇa, fully surrendered. Otherwise there is no meaning of making a guru. It is not like that, a pet dog, that "Everyone makes guru, and let me guru, let me have a guru." But that is not the... Guru means first of all the condition is praṇipata, fully surrendered. Not that "If I like, then I shall carry your order. And if I don't like, then I shall not do it." That is not acceptance of guru. Praṇipata. First of all, we must agree. So because friends and friends talking... A friend may agree with his friend. He may not agree with... That is friendly talk. But Arjuna became siṣyas te 'ham: "I am now Your siṣya, disciple. Now there is no question of disagreeing with You. Whatever You'll say, I will accept." So at last Krṣṇa said, "Surrender unto Me." And Arjuna did it. That is the whole purpose of Bhagavad-gita. He changed his decision. He changed. He did not want to fight. That was his decision. But when he accepted Krṣṇa as guru and He said that "You must fight. It is my desire. Even you don't find these people are not going back home, they will be killed here, that is my already plan..."

So these things are discussed in the Bhagavad-gita. So if we remain muḍha-drsa, in spite of opening our eyes in so many ways by Krṣṇa, by guru, by sastra, if still, if we remain muḍha-drsa, then how we can see Krṣṇa? That is not possible. Therefore it is said, na lakṣyase muḍha-drsa: [SB 1.8.19] "If we keep our eyes still muḍha, illusioned, then we cannot see You." How? Naṭo naṭyadharo yatha. Exactly... Krṣṇa... Just like one of my relatives, he is playing before me, but because I am muḍha-drsa, my eyesight or my intelligence is not correct, I am seeing that somebody else... I see that my relative, my brother or father or friend, is dancing on the stage, but he is dressed in such a way that in spite of being present in my front, I cannot recognize. So if we remain muḍha-drsa, then we cannot see Krṣṇa. Otherwise Krṣṇa is everywhere. Akhilatma-bhutaḥ;. In the Brahma-saṁhita it said, goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutaḥ; [Bs. 5.37]. Although He's living in Goloka Vrndavana, He's everywhere. Then how can I see? Premañjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ; sadaiva hrdayeṣu vilokayanti [Bs. 5.38]. Those who have developed love for Krṣṇa, they can see always, twenty-four hours, Krṣṇa and nothing but Krṣṇa. This is the process.

So we have to increase our attachment, our love for Krṣṇa. Mayy asakta-manaḥ; partha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-asrayaḥ;. The... This is also explained. Everything is there. Mayy asakta. We have to increase our attachment for Krṣṇa, our love of Krṣṇa. Then we shall see Krṣṇa always.

premañjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ; sadaiva hrdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ syamasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarupaṁ
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.38]

These are the practical experience of mahajana, Brahma. The Brahma-saṁhita is written by Brahma. He's mahajana. Mahajana means the person who knows Krṣṇa. The mahajanas are described, you know. Twelve mahajanas. Naradaḥ; svayambhuḥ; sambhuḥ;. Narada is mahajana, and Brahma is mahajana, Svayambhu. And Lord Siva is mahajana. Kapilaḥ; kumaro manuḥ; prahlado bhiṣmaḥ;. The mahajanas are there. So we have to follow. Mahajano yena gataḥ; sa panthaḥ; [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. We should not remain muḍha-drsa. We should follow the mahajanas and the sadhus, sastra. And they recommend... The most important process is sravaṇam. Srṇvataṁ sva-kathaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; puṇya-sravaṇa-kirtanaḥ; [SB 1.2.17]. If we don't hear about Krṣṇa, then how we'll make advance? We have to hear. My Guru Maharaja was very kind upon me because I was very much interested to hear him. That you know. I hear him. I did not understand him, actually. In the beginning I could not understand him. He was speaking in so high philosophical way that it was not... Still, I wanted to hear him. That was my only qualification.

So the... It is the process. During lecture time, if we don't care to hear or we do other things or take rest, that is not very good sign. We should be very much careful. Then we shall remain muḍha-drsa. Naṭo naṭyadharo yatha. We have taken the vow to see Krṣṇa or to understand Krṣṇa. We should be very, very serious and do the needful. Then our life will be successful.

Thank you very much. Hare Krṣṇa. (end)

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