Text

Bombay, January 5, 1975

Purport

Prabhupada:

yad vidur hy aniruddhakhyaá¹
hrṣikaṇam adhisvaram
saradendivara-syamaá¹
saá¹radhyaá¹ yogibhiḥ; sanaiḥ;
[SB 3.26.28]

yaṠbrahma varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ; stunvanti divyaiḥ; stavair
vedaiḥ; saṅga-pada-kramopaniṣadair gayanti yaṠsama-gaḥ;
dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yaá¹ yogino
yasyantaṠna viduḥ; surasura-gaṇa devaya tasmai namaḥ;
[SB 12.13.1]

This is a mantra, Vedic mantra: "The Supreme Lord is worshiped by all the demigods." YaṠbrahma varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ; stunvanti divyaiḥ; stavaiḥ;. Varuṇa, Indra, and other demigods, even Lord Siva or Lord Brahma... Siva-viriñci-nutam: [SB 11.5.33] "He is worshiped by Siva and Viriñci." Viriñci means Lord Brahma. So the only Lord, master, is Krṣṇa. I have explained, ekale isvara krṣṇa [Cc. Adi 5.142]. Isvara, the supreme isvara, controller, is Krṣṇa. And He is worshiped by... YaṠbrahma varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ; stunvanti divyaiḥ; stavaiḥ;. He is the objective of worshiping.

So dhyanavasthita-manasa..., dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa yaṠpasyanti yoginaḥ;. Yogis, they are desirous of mystic power, eight kinds of mystic power. They also meditate on the Supreme Lord. And the feature of the Supreme Lord on which the yogis meditate by concentrating their mind is called Aniruddha. Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha..., Vasudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. So this is described. Aniruddha is the Deity of the mind, and mind is the central sense of all senses. Indriyaṇi paraṇy ahur indriyebhyaḥ; paraṠmanaḥ; [Bg. 3.42]. In the material conception of life the senses are very prominent. So long we are under the bodily concept of life, our objective is to satisfy the senses. But the master of the senses is the mind, and the controlling Deity of the mind is Aniruddha. Therefore God's another name is Hrṣikesa. And bhakti means to serve Hrṣikesa, because He is the proprietor of the senses.

Here it is said, yad vidur hy aniruddhakhyaṠhrṣikaṇam adhisvaram. Hrṣika. Hrṣika means senses. And another name of God or Krṣṇa or Aniruddha is Hrṣikesa. Senayor ubhayor madhye... The Hrṣikesa name is there in the Bhagavad-gita. Hrṣikesa means hrṣikaṇam adhisvaram. So practically, the senses which you are using, the real proprietor is Aniruddha, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You can utilize the instrument. Just like you hire some instrument to use it for some purpose, but the instrument belongs to somebody else, similarly, our the instrument, the karaṇa, the means of working, or instrument, as you say—the proprietor is Hrṣikesa, or Aniruddha. So we are now utilizing instruments without fulfilling the desire of Aniruddha, or the Hrṣikesa. That means we are using it for sense gratification unlawfully. Therefore we are becoming implicated in sinful activities. (aside:) Who is talking this side? Stop them. So, therefore, bhakti means that when you don't use the hrṣika, or the senses, for any other purpose than to serve the Hrṣikesa, that is called bhakti. Hrṣikeṇa hrṣikesa sevanaṠbhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Hrṣikaṇam adhisvaram.

Actually, the proprietor of the senses is Aniruddha, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference between Krṣṇa and His expansion.

advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam
adyaṠpuraṇa-puruṣaṠnava-yauvanaṠca
vedeá¹£u durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau
govindam adi-puruá¹£aá¹ tam ahaá¹ bhajami
[Bs. 5.33]

In the Brahma-saá¹hita we understand that the Lord is one, but He can expand Himself into multiforms. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Nava-yauvanaá¹ ca. This is... This expansion is going on from time immemorial. Still, the Lord is nava-yauvanam, very young, sixteen to twenty years old, that's all. Puraṇa. Although He is the adi, origin of all living entities, still He is young. And although He has expanded Himself into multiforms, still He is one. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Advaita. Advaita is one, not that because He has expanded Himself into many forms, therefore He has got many, He has become many. No. He is one still. Purṇasya purṇam adaya purṇam eva avasiá¹£yate [Iso Invocation]. That is absolute knowledge, that the Supreme Lord, if He expands Himself into supreme for..., er, unlimited forms, unlimited supreme forms, still He remains supreme. It is not material; material is supreme. If you take one lakh of rupees, if you take one lakh of rupees, then it becomes zero. But in the spiritual world the Absolute means you take the Supreme, the Supreme may expand Himself into many millions of Supreme form; still, the original Supreme remains. Purṇasya purṇam adaya purṇam eva avasiá¹£yate. These things are spiritual understanding.

So this Aniruddha is the objective of meditation for the yogis. Nowadays they have manufactured so many objective, but that is not authorized. The authorized is that you have to concentrate your mind upon the form of Viṣṇu known as Aniruddha. That is the real meditation. Viṣṇu has got many forms. "Many forms" means the Viṣṇu forms are all catur-bhuja, four-handed, and the symbolic representation of each hand is saá¹…kha-cakra-gada-padma: the conchshell, the disc, saá¹…kha-cakra, gada, the club, and the lotus flower. Now the Lord is differently named... Ordinarily, there are twenty-four names. So those names are there according to the situation of the symbolic representation. It begins from the right lower hand, and then it comes to the left lower hand, this saá¹…kha-cakra-gada-padma, differently situated. Just like begin, saá¹…kha, then cakra, then gada, then padma. Then begins cakra, gada, lotus flower, and conchshell. In this way there are different positions of the saá¹…kha-cakra-gada-padma, and according to that different position, the name is changed: Nrsiá¹ha, Vamana, Padmanabha, Narayaṇa, like that.

So there are innumerable forms and innumerable names, advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33], but they are all one. There is no difference, advaita. This is the conception of spiritual understanding, because these forms, each form, has got a separate planet. Just like here in this material world, each demigod has got a separate planet. The demigod Candradeva... He is also demigod. So he has got a separate planet which is called Candraloka. Similarly Suryaloka, Varuṇaloka, Vayuloka, Indraloka, many. There are hundreds and thousands of demigods, and they have got their different planets. Similarly, the Lord in the spiritual world has got multiforms, and the each and every form is the predominating Deity of the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The spiritual planets are called Vaikuṇṭha planets. The material planets, they are not Vaikuṇṭha; they are kuṇṭha. Here, in these planets, anyone living, he is always full of anxiety, kuṇṭha. In the Vaikuṇṭha planets there is no such thing as anxiety. That is the difference between the spiritual and material planets. Vaikuṇṭha planets means without any anxiety. Here everyone is full of anxiety, whatever he may be. He may be Lord Brahma or he may be Mr. Ant, small, very insignificant. Everyone is full of kuṇṭha. Sada samudvigna-dhiyam. Samudvigna, fully anxious, "What will happen next? What will happen next? How things will go on?" This anxiety. He may be very rich man or very poor man. The anxiety must be there. Why? Sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat: [SB 7.5.5] "Because they have accepted this material body."

So Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Saṅkarṣaṇa, or other Viṣṇu form, or the living entities who are living there in those Vaikuṇṭha planets, they have no anxiety. There is no anxiety, neither there is influence of this maya, neither there are the activities of the three modes of material nature. That is called spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭhaloka. They are free. Neither there is birth, death, old age, and disease. These things are absent. Everyone is full of transcendental bliss. Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). By nature they are anandamaya, always jolly. And here also, in this material world, when we become free from this material concept of life, bodily concept of life, when we are fully aware of the thing that "I am not this material body; I am spirit soul, ahaṠbrahmasmi," he also becomes jolly because he acquires the spiritual quality. Brahma-bhutaḥ; prasannatma. That is the sign. Prasannatma. Na soc... Prasannatma. What does it mean, prasannatma? Na socati na kaṅkṣati: [Bg. 18.54] "There is no hankering, and there is no lamentation." Then it is possible to see everyone on the equal level. Samaḥ; sarveṣu bhuteṣu.

This is the preliminary condition of becoming a devotee, when one has attained this stage, prasanna-manasaḥ;. Evaá¹ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ; [SB 1.2.20]. This stage can be attained by bhakti-yoga, the simple method. Bhakti-yoga means hearing and chanting: chant Hare Krṣṇa and hear Srimad-Bhagavatam. That's all. Sit down together, all the family members, and chant Hare Krṣṇa and read some passages from Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is bhakti-yoga. If possible, install Deity, worship it properly. There is no need of going to cinema, restaurant, eating all nonsense. This will be automatically finished. Anartha. These are anartha, unwanted things. Anartha-nivrttiḥ; syat. If you take to this devotional service, bhakti-yoga, the anarthas, unnecessarily nonsense things—smoking biá¸i, cigarette, drinking tea, going to the cinema, restaurant, and so many other—they are not required. What is the necessity of these things? If you say there is some ananda, that is not ananda. Ananda is here, to hear about the Supreme Lord. Sravaṇaá¹ kirtanaá¹ viṣṇoḥ; [SB 7.5.23]—that is ananda. This is not ananda. This is false ananda. But we are accustomed to this. That is our misfortune. Anartha. So (to) come to the bhakti platform, one has to become free form the anarthas. Otherwise bhakti will not be substantial. Anartha-nivrttiḥ; syat. Tato niṣṭha. When anarthas are finished, no more attraction... Bhaktiḥ; paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42]. If one is really devotee, then he will be detached to the anarthas, unwanted things. That is the test of bhakti. And "I am devotee; also I am devotee of biá¸i," that is not devotee. "I am smoking, also chanting." In the Bengal it is said, ami dugha khai tamogha khai.(?) No, not like that.

So that is the test who is a devotee. Simply by advertising himself, advertisements will not do. How much you are freed from the anarthas. Viraktir anyatra syat. Bhaktiḥ; paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42]. The example is given: just like if you are hungry, you are hankering after food, but when sufficient food is supplied to you, then the next stage will be: "No, no, I don't want any more. That's all right." "No, no, take more." "No, no, no, no. I am not..." He is satisfied, fully satisfied. Just like Prahlada Maharaja: he took advantage of bhakti for some material... Not Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva Maharaja. I am sorry. So when actually saw Krṣṇa, Viṣṇu, who came to satisfy him, being pleased upon his austerities, little boy of five years, at that time, when he saw Krṣṇa, he said, "No, no, I don't want anything." Svamin krtartho 'smi varaṠna yace: [Cc. Madhya 22.42] "Svamin, my Lord, I am fully satisfied. I have no more demand."

That is the bhakti stage—no more demand. The karmis, the jñanis, the yogis, they have got demand. They want something. The karmis, they want promotion to the higher planets for sensual satisfaction, for higher standard of material living condition, karmis. The more you are karmis, you can live very high standard of life just like Europeans, Americans. They are big, big karmis, big, big manufacture of machine, wonderful machine, and they get money-cost one dollar and they are charging five hundred dollars. You get money and good opportunity for sense gratification. So that is the idea of karmis. They want higher standard of sense gratification, scientific method of sense gratification. They have got machine even for shaving, even for tooth brushing. So everything machine. The idea is sense gratification. This is karmi. And jñanis, they have also demand: "I shall become one with God." Ekatvena. But the bhaktas, they don't want ekatvam. That is jñani. And yogis, they want mystic powers. Because if they can manifest some mystic power, immediately so many foolish person will be followers, and they will get some material reputation, position. So there is demand. And when there will be no demand, that is bhakta stage. Svamin krtartho 'smi varaṠna yace: [Cc. Madhya 22.42] "No more varam, Sir. I have taken much varam."

What is that varam? Everything is supplied by Krṣṇa. Why the devotee should be anxious for varam, for benediction? Krṣṇa says, yoga-kṣemaṠvahamy aham [Bg. 9.22]. TeṣaṠnityabhiyuktanam. Those who are constantly engaged in the service of the Lord, all that is required by him, that is carried by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself to supply him. He says, yoga-kṣemaṠvahamy aham. What you have got, He will give protection, and what you have not got, He will supply you—for the devotees. The devotees do not want, but Krṣṇa... Just like a child, dependent on the parents. He does not want anything, but the parents are very much anxious, "What my child needs?" The bhakta, devotee, wants how to keep satisfied the Lord, how to keep Him in comfortable position. Just like here the devotees, they are always dressing and giving flower garland and sandalwood pulp and tulasi and cleansing the... Tan-mandira-marjanadau. What is the idea? That Krṣṇa may sit down here very pleasingly. This is bhakta's activity. And Krṣṇa's anxiety is "How My devotees will remain without any want." This business is going on, without any difficulty. So the bhaktas, they will not want anything. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction. Na dhanaṠna janaṠna sundariṠkavitaṠva jagadisa kamaye [Cc. Antya 20.29, Sikṣaṣṭaka 4].

So the Aniruddha, He is the master of the senses, as it is stated here, hrṣikaṇam adhisvaram, adhisvaram, master, proprietor. So the common sense is that if my hand is the property of Krṣṇa, why it should be used for me? It should be used for Krṣṇa. This is good sense. Suppose something belongs to somebody else. If you use it for your purpose, that is illegal, not lawful. This is my watch. If you take away this watch and use for your purpose, then it is criminal. You cannot say the watch is being used either by him or by... It is being used, that's all. No. You cannot use it. You can use it only by the permission of the proprietor. Without permission of the proprietor, if you use it, then you are criminal or you are sinful. Similarly, we have got all the senses. The senses are meant for working. The eyes are meant for seeing, the ears are meant for hearing, the nose is meant for smelling, the hand is meant for touching, the leg is meant for going, the stomach is meant for eating—so many, we have got, different senses. They are meant for different purpose. But if the purpose is for your sense gratification, then you are criminal because you are not proprietor. This is to understand bhakti. If you do not use all the senses for Krṣṇa's purpose, then it is criminal. That is called papa.

So you are doing that. Every one of us, who is doing for Krṣṇa? Nobody is doing for Krṣṇa. Everyone is doing for his own purpose. He is taking one flower. The devotee is bringing the flower: "Oh, very nice flower. Let me take it to the temple and offer it to Krṣṇa." That is devotion. The same flower, "Oh, it is very nice flower. Oh, let me pin it on my bunch of hair." That is papa. The same thing. You must know how to utilize it. That is called bhakti. Everything can be utilized. Nirbandhaḥ; krṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṠvairagyam ucyate. That art we have to learn. Anasaktasya viṣayan. Viṣayan means objectives for sense gratification, viṣayan. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunaṠca. These are called viṣaya-eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Viṣaya.

So we are viṣaya. Everyone are. We are eating. Everyone is eating. Who can say, "I am not eating"? So viṣaya. So our business should be not to be attached for eating. Then shall I starve and die? No, you eat Krṣṇa prasadam. Eating is not stopped. Eating is not stopped. Eating means as you are cooking for yourself at home, the same cooking, do it for Krṣṇa and offer it to Krṣṇa and eat it. That's all. The mode of life should be changed. That is Krṣṇa consciousness. It is not that you shall give up eating. No, how can I give you that? No, it is not possible. Neither Krṣṇa says, "Just give up eating." Never you will find in the Bhagavad... Yuktahara-viharasya. You must eat what you need. Yuktahara-viharasya yogo bhavati duḥ;kha-ha. Krṣṇa never says that "Unnecessarily you starve." You never find in the Bhagavad-gita; neither any acarya will say. Rather, you offer to Krṣṇa first-class foodstuff because He is the enjoyer, and Krṣṇa is so kind, He will leave everything for you for taking prasadam. So automatically you can satisfy your tongue. You offer to Krṣṇa first-class food, and Krṣṇa is so kind that He will eat; at the same time, He will keep it for you. Purṇasya purṇam adaya purṇam eva avasiṣyate [Iso Invocation]. Krṣṇa's eating is not like that: because you have given Him very nice foodstuff, He will eat everything and nothing for you. (laughter) That is not Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa eats everything, He accepts your service, and keeps everything for you.

So this is bhakti-marga. It is very nice. Simply you have to learn how to engage your senses. Hrṣikeṇa hrṣikesa-sevanaṠbhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Your senses are property of Hrṣikesa. As it is said here, hrṣikesa adhisvaram. Hrṣikesa adhisvaram. He is adhisvaram. He is the proprietor. So you must use it. It is not that you stop your senses. That is not required. That is not bhakti. Bhakti means you must engage your senses fully with more enthusiasm, but it should be for Krṣṇa. That's all. If you want to do business, do it very nicely, but give the profit to Krṣṇa. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad asnasi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam [Bg. 9.27]. Krṣṇa says, "Give it to Me." That is bhakti. Nothing is stopped, but you cannot do any unlawful. Bhakti does not mean you can do anything unlawful. But ultimate issue: whatever you do, if it is for Krṣṇa, that is rightful. Just like materially, Arjuna was trying to become very gentleman, nonviolent, Arjuna: "Krṣṇa, I am not going to fight." People very much appreciate, "Just see, Arjuna is so gentle, he is trying to become nonviolent, and Krṣṇa is inducing him to become violent." This is the vision of the demons. They do not know, whatever Krṣṇa desires, that is rightful. Krṣṇa wanted Arjuna to fight. That is rightful. And Arjuna wanted to become nonviolent. That is not rightful. Therefore Krṣṇa chastised him, kutas tva kasmalam idaṠviṣame samupasthitam: "Why you are talking like anarya?" Anarya-juṣṭam: "This kind of talking... You are kṣatriya, and you are not willing to fight. What is this? This kind of proposal is made by the anarya, uncivilized. You are a kṣatriya. Your duty is to fight, and you are trying to refrain from the fight? You have become so ignorant? Oh, this is not good." Then, when Arjuna understood that he was not in the right point, declining the fight, karpaṇya-doṣa upahata-svabhavaḥ;, karpaṇya-doṣa. "I am not doing my duty. I can understand. All right. But I am perplexed. Therefore I become Your student." Siṣyas te 'haṠsadhi maṠprapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "I surrender unto You as siṣya, as Your disciple. Now correct me." And he was, when he was corrected, the same Arjuna said, "Yes." Kariṣye vacanaṠtava [Bg. 18.73]: "Yes, I will fight."

This is Krṣṇa consciousness. You have to act by the desires of Krṣṇa. That is the proper use of your senses. You cannot use for your purpose. Anything... Just like you are working in some establishment. Anything in that establishment, you can use for the proprietor's business. You cannot use it. Just like in hospital there are blankets. It is written there, "Hospital Property." So long you are in the hospital, you can use it. But you cannot take it outside. Then you are criminal. Similarly, everything... Isavasyam idaṠsarvam [Iso mantra 1]. Everything belongs to God, and you can use it for the service of God. Tena tyaktena bhuñjitha ma grdhaḥ; kasya svid dhanam. This is the instruction, Vedic instruction. You can use it as prasadam, but everything should be offered to the Supreme. Yajñarthe karmaṇaḥ; loko 'yaṠkarma-bandhanaḥ; [Bg. 3.9]. If you do not do that, if you engage yourself always in good activities, as the karmis they do, and earn money and use it for your own sense gratification, that is papa activity.

yajña-siṣṭasinaḥ; santo
mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ;
bhuñjate te tv aghaṠpapa
ye pacanty atma-karaṇat
[Bg. 3.13]

"Those who are cooking in the kitchen very palatable dishes for satisfying the tongue, they are simply eating sinful things." Ye pacanty atma-karaṇat.

So therefore, if we become sinful every moment, how we can become happy? It is not possible. If you want to become happy, you have to become pious. And the standard of piety is to become Krṣṇa conscious, devotee of Krṣṇa. That is the highest perfection of life.

Thank you very much. (end)

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