His Divine Grace Çréla Bhakti Rakñaka Çrédhara Deva Goswämé Mahäräj
Start of side B, 25.9.81
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : …comet coming within the vision of the scientist ... and again passing away so …you may have anything and everything.
[çré bhagavän uväca]
bahüni me vyatétäni , janmäni tava cärjuna
täny ahaà veda sarväëi , na tvaà vettha parantapa
[The Supreme Lord said: O Arjuna, chastiser of the enemy, both you and I have passed through many births previously. Due to My position as the supreme controller, I am able to remember all those births, whereas you, a living being of finite consciousness, cannot.]
[ Bhagavad-gétä , 4.5]
"I know everything, but you do not know Arjuna. I know everything. I am everywhere. I know everything. But it is not possible for you to come to My level and to know anything and everything." Bahüni me vyatétäni, janmäni tava cärjuna, täny ahaà veda sarväëi. I know everything. Na tvaà vettha parantapa. You may think that you can control so many enemies, but still you have got limitation. You don't know everything."
Nitäi. Nitäi.
"Infinite is in My own part. I transcend infinite. That is my position. I can transcend infinite." Viñöabhyäham idaà kåtsnam ekäàçena sthito jagat:
[athavä bahunaitena, kià jïätena tavärjjuna
viñöabhyäham idaà kåtsnam ekäàçena sthito jagat ]
["But Arjuna, what is the need of your understanding this elaborate knowledge of My almighty grandeur? By My fractional expansion as the Supreme Soul of material nature, Mahä-Viñëu (Käraëärëavaçäyé Viñëu), I remain supporting this entire universe of moving and stationary beings."] [ Bhagavad-gétä , 10.42]
"No limit can be imagined in My concern, consideration, don't, so, namanta eva jévanti, so namanta eva.
jïäne prayäsam udapäsya namanta eva
[jévanti san-mukharitäà bhavadéya-värtäm
sthäne sthitäù çruti-gatäà tanu-väì-manobhir
ye präyaço 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyäm ]
[Lord Brahmä said to the Supreme Lord Çré Kåñëa]: ["Oh Lord, Oh Unconquerable One, those devotees who, completely giving up all attempts on the path of jïäna of attaining the non-differentiated platform known as Brahma by hearing the transcendental narratives of Your pastimes (kathä), which emanates from the lotus mouths of the mahä-bhägavat sädhus and pass their lives by engaging their body, mind and words in pure devotion, easily conquer You (they easily get Your transcendental association), although You are the most difficult to attain in the three worlds."] [Çrémad-Bhägavatam, 10.14.3]
The enquiry must be stopped and only submission, submissiveness, that will help you most. You have been given your quota, your sphere. You utilise your energy there only. That will be the best production you will have.
Jïäne prayäsam udapäsya namanta eva . "You surmise towards infinite good, infinite good, as I transmit to you about the outside knowledge. Submit, accept that, and go on with your duty in your own sphere. You will make maximum benefit there. The maximum benefit you will get only if you confine within your limit, and placing confidence in Me, or in My saying, My statement. Jïäne prayäsam udapäsya. Hatefully, hatefully give up to measure anything and everything, to swallow everything to put in your own belly. It is impossible. Why you fight with your own shadow? It is a loss of energy, give up that impossible attempt. Submit, put faith, and go on with your duty. And then you will come in contact, calm, and you will feel My presence and that will satisfy you enough. Namanta eva jévanti san-mukharitäà bhavadéya-värtäm. Through the agent of Mine, try to be in My connection, and that will be the maximum attainment to yourself."
Don't forget that you are limited, and there may not be many unlimited, ha, ha. Unlimited is one. All limited. But that progress according to their submission means faith, çraddhä . Not by their audacious attempt to know anything and everything. In a particular sphere, that may work in the material sphere. But the sphere of souls, over souls, Supersoul, they have left, they cannot enter, they cannot enter even, cannot conceive even of such fine planes where so many wonderful things are existing. Impossible for them to guess, to imagine even, in the subjective, the higher plane, plane superseding the reason, we hear so many wonderful things.
You want to come, No, no, you will know, confined into this mundane, the material. Through the eye experience, ear experience, nose experience, and tongue experience, touch experience, in this jurisdiction you'll plod, in the clay, in the mud. You may make any progress you like there. But if you keep in your heart the existence of the higher types of world, region, subjective, super-subjective, super-super-subjective, ha, ha, your this method won't be of any action there. Can't even imagine. Only through submission you may get touch. That is the way.
When the, yam evaiña vånute, when the higher existence will call for you, you will enter dancing, dancing you will enter, the call when comes for you, from that sphere. Yam evaiña vånute tena labhyas, [Katha-Upaniñad, 1.2.23]. You won't be able to know how you can go there, how you can climb up there. The whole sphere, the whole court comes to you, to your house. Or, you are crossing so many barriers of foolish protection, all these things, and you are passing there. You won't be able to conceive even if call comes from higher region. Your connection with them will be so easy, with no difficulty. And that can be done only through faith. So many qualities have been given in ordinary soul and the faith is the most qualified, or higher form of capacity, or bhakti.
Devotee : Medium?
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : Faith, the faith is the highest endowment in you through which you can come in connection with finer and finer type of endeavour. Mental speculation, or by engaging your reason, your reason only drawn from material experience. What more, if pressed, what more we can produce? But only faith, you are very much afraid that faith may be blind. But there is, in the infinite, it is impossible to have any blind faith. You may not conjecture even a point of that. So many things may exist there. So don't think that your faith will misguide you. And faith does not mean that ordinary credulity. Faith has got also its qualification definition, to accept, to understand, to feel, that there is one by whose connection everything can be connected. They come to have a conception of a central truth of the highest controller. That sort of faith. That is not only plural but one. There is one and many, not only many, but there's one also. That sort of faith, a general thing.
…
…innumerable absolutes cannot exist. Absolute must be one, and He must harmonise all these plurality, diversity. So to be conscious about the one, of oneness, and that must be central, that must be highest, it is automatically [limiting?] Kåñëa. Kåñëa, çraddhämayo 'yaà loka:
[sattvänurüpä sarvasya, çraddhä bhavati bhärata
çraddhämayo 'yaà puruño , yo yac chraddhaù sa eva saù]
["O Bhärata, all men have a particular type of faith according to their individual mentalities. The very nature of the living being is based on faith - their internal and external nature is modelled according to their faith. Therefore, their nature may be discerned according to the manner of worship or reverence in which they have faith."]
[ Bhagavad-gétä , 17.3]
Yam evaiña vånute tena labhyas , [Katha-Upaniñad, 1.2.23].
yasmin vijïäte sarvam evam vijïätam bhavati
yasmin präpte sarvam idam präptam bhavati
["By knowing Him, everything is known - by getting Him, everything is gained."]
Then:
asato mä sad gamayo tämaso mä
jyoti gamayo måtyor mä amåta gamayo
["I am mortal, make me eternal. I am ignorant, filled with nescience, take me to science, knowledge. And I am threatened with misery, guide me towards bliss."]
[Båhad Äraëyaka Upaniñad, 1 stAdhyaya, 3 rdBrähmaëa, 23 rdmantra ]
These should be the central points of our search, not disorganised anomaly. An endless search to go towards the centre. I am a part. I have got my connection with the whole. And what is that connection? I want to know for my own interest. Otherwise, I'm self-forgetful, self-negligent. I shall be of suicidal type existence I shall have to admit.
Hare Kåñëa. Gaura Hari bol!
Devotee : Gurudeva, the absolute within the relative.
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : The absolute must have some connection with the relative. Absolute and relative, the relative not outside absolute, is it not?
Devotee : It's part of the absolute.
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : When we say that it is absolute, then anything and everything must have got connection with the absolute. So a connection is there, it covers, absolute covers everything, nothing outside absolute, so some connection is there. A partial representation, it may be called so, of the absolute. Aàça , çväàça , vibhinnäàça, in this way, çväàça, vibhinnäàça, the shadow above of the absolute. Çväàça the avatära of the absolute. Vibhinnäàça jéva and the reflection is the world of the absolute. In this way it has been ……………? Hare Kåñëa. Hare Kåñëa.
Devotee : How can we relate to the absolute then, to the will of the absolute?
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : Our relation is through His agent. Through the agent of the absolute we can only have connection with Him. Once I went for preaching in Karachi and an Ärya Samäj leader came to me and told, "If finite can know infinite then He's no infinite." I also answered, If infinite cannot make Himself known to finite He's no infinite. Ha, ha.
Devotees : Ha, ha, ha.
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : He was unanswered. So that is our direction.
yam evaiña vånute tena labhyas , [Katha-Upaniñad, 1.2.23].
[Whoever He chooses to make Himself known to can know Him.
Otherwise, no one can know Him against His will.]
We cannot approach but He can come down, we cannot go up but He can come down and take me up. That is the principle underlying the path of devotion. The main idea is that. He loves me, He may take me into that domain, but I can't go, independent of Him. That is the idea, to be maintained always, that vow, everything within His hand, what He says, that, "He's my guardian, He's my friend."
ahaà hi sarva-yajïänäà , bhoktä ca prabhur eva ca
[na tu mäm abhijänanti, tattvenätaç cyavanti te]
["-Because I alone am the enjoyer and rewarder of all sacrifices. But since they cannot know Me in this way, they again undergo birth, disease, infirmity, and death."]
[ Bhagavad-gétä , 9.24]
And then,
bhoktäraà yajïa-tapasäà , sarva-loka-maheçvaram
suhådaà sarvva-bhütänäà , [jïätvä mäà çäntim åcchati]
["I am the enjoyer of the results of sacrifice performed by the fruit-hunter, as well as the results of austerity performed by the liberation-seeker - I am their only worshippable object; I am Näräyaëa, the indwelling monitor of all planes of life, and the Supreme Worshippable Personality who awards liberation. And I am the well-wisher of all - I am Kåñëa, the devotee's most adorable friend. The soul who thus knows My true identity attains the ecstasy of knowing his own original divine identity."] [ Bhagavad-gétä , 5.29]
"I am friendly to everyone, to anyone and everyone I am friendly relation, so don't apprehend your how from My side, you can have faith in Me." That is the direction, general direction. "I'm not your enemy, nor your antagonistic, nor your extinguisher, but your well-wisher." You take it, then you'll find peace. Wherever you'll be, my guardian is presented in the highest quarter of the administration. He will look after my interest so I have got no trouble in my life. He's there, everything is with Him, and He's my friend, so I should not apprehend for anything wrong about me. I can go on cheerfully discharging the duty.
yataù pravåttir bhütänäà , yena sarvvam idaà tatam
svakarmmaëä tam abhyarccya , siddhià vindati mänavaù
["A man achieves perfection by the performance of the appropriate duties prescribed for him according to his qualification. By the execution of his duties, he worships the Supreme Lord from whom the generation and impetus of all beings arises, and who permeates and pervades this entire universe (exercising His Supreme qualification of Lordship over one and all."] [ Bhagavad-gétä , 18.46]
By gradual process I will make progress, towards the light, towards the truth. Then one day I'll feel within me, sarva-dharmän parityajya.
[sarva-dharmän parityajya, mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo , mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù]
["Totally abandoning all kinds of religion, surrender exclusively unto Me. I will liberate you from all kinds of sins, so do not despair."] [ Bhagavad-gétä , 18.66]
I'm very eager to meet Him. He's so near. He's so great, He's so loving. I can't wait but to be united. "Give up all your duties and surrender towards Me. And I am everywhere. I shall trace that sort of mentality in you. I'll come down to your help, I'll send some agent to take you up towards Me." That is his attitude declaration. Gaura Hari bol! I feel tired now.
……..
Pratyakña , parokña, aparokña, adhokñaja, and aprakåta. Knowledge of experience, sense experience, of ones own. Then the knowledge got by experience, not by own but by other's senses - parokña - knowledge recorded from the experience of others than the person who is concerned, parokña-jïäna. There is war, the atomic energy, all these things, by, through newspaper we come to understand many things which is not our direct sense experience but the sense experience of others, than ourselves, second class. Third class - aparokña. Just as in sound sleep, sound sleep, almost no experience but still, a sort of experience is there. When one comes down from that stage he says that, "I slept very happily."
suka mam ma satyam?
In Upaniñad, "I slept happily." So, a sort of experience gathered from that region, [aparokña anovrti ?] The yogé and the jïäné when they enter into samädhi they also have similar experience - vague, non-differentiated, unascertainable, this sort of experience, very, very vague. But still, that is a sort of experience which has been recorded in the Upaniñad. [aparokña anovrti ?] Neither the product of ones own sense experience, nor the product of any other sense experience, independent of sense experience. Çaìkara school says that here is the limit of knowledge, not beyond that.
But Rämänujäcärya says that, "No, there is the fourth, the turiya, the knowledge of the fourth plane is possible - adhokñaja realm, is the realm, super-subjective. We cannot be a subject in that plane, but when the subject has got some experience on me, I can feel that a higher type of knowledge has descended in me, in my conscious area, and I can feel some strange feeling which cannot be experienced in this world. A new type of knowledge we come in connection with.
When that withdraws, the finer subjective experience, that is withdrawn, we are nowhere, can't help - that is adhokñaja, Vaikuëöha jïäna. That can descend in our area of knowledge, and that can withdraw, of its own accord. So, we cannot but admit possibility of such knowledge that is transcendental knowledge. Transcendental means not non-differentiated always, but it is a knowledge of differentiated character, but it supersedes all our efforts. According to its sweet will it can come down to be knowledge of our area and then it withdraws. Very subtle, very fine, very independent in its nature, but still, it is there. It is a part of the truth. We can't deny that. So, that is adhokñaja.
And Çré Caitanyadeva, from Bhägavatam, says there is a fifth class, ha, ha, fifth plane - that is aprakåta. This adhokñaja, this, its character is grand and wonderful, not similar to the knowledge of this world of our experience. It has got many peculiar dignified positions, the master of the movement, and showing many astonishing symptoms and independent symptoms of its own. But aprakåta is very similar to this mundane, but still above that, that fourth dimension. Vaikuëöha, Paravyoma, the power, show, grandeur, awe, reverence, such dignified movement is not there. But very similar to this mundane knowledge, but that is the supreme most quarter.
avajänanti mäà müòhä , mänuñéà tanum äçritam
paraà bhävam ajänanto , mama bhüta-maheçvaram
[Unable to comprehend My super excellent divine form of human features, ignorant men blaspheme Me - the Supreme Lord of all beings - by considering Me a mere human being.] [ Bhagavad-gétä , 9.11]
Aprakåta , that is found in Våndävana, humanly, the lélä of the Lord, Kåñëa is yateka khelä sarvottama nara-lélä nara-vapu tähära svarüpa.
[kåñëera yateka khelä sarvottama nara-lélä, nara-vapu tähära svarüpa
gope-veça , veëu-kara nava kiçora, nata-vara, nara lélära haya anurüpa]
["Lord Kåñëa has many pastimes, of which His pastimes as a human being are the best. His form as a human being is the Supreme Transcendental Form. In this form, He is a cowherd boy. He carries a flute in His hand, and His youth is new. He is also an expert dancer. All this is just suitable for His pastimes as a human being."]
[Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä, 21.101]
And the human section has been created only after that ideal. That is the highest quarter. Very simple and very plain, and no dignity, awe, reverence, power showing, all these, command. That is the highest position of the world. From that position the whole movement is commanded. That is love and beauty, beauty, no grandeur, no awe, reverence, no forcing, or rules, regulations, all these. Very similar to this human life, aprakåta, and the process to attain that, that is also very simple, only attachment, only greed for that, only want within us for that, hankering, earnestness. That is necessary only to have that position.
laukiki laman pai utiki kurvani jai?
Only genuine search, genuine earnestness, that we want that, only qualification. That is çraddhä. What is very difficult on one side to put our faith that that is the highest position, jïäna-sunya-bhakti. No grandeur of the constructive world, nor subtle vanity for the renunciationist, but very plain, friendly, homely. Only living ordinary life of ordinary style, ordinary style, only the viewpoint is just the opposite, is changed, from the order to oppose it. Sense centred and that is centre centred, God centred interest. Interest is different. Central interest and extremity interest, that is the difference, it is opposite. Everything always is very plain, simple thing.
So, kåñëera yateka khelä sarvottama nara-lélä nara-vapu tähära svarüpa . To understand this, to have real attraction for this, it is very rare we can have faith in such things. Awe, reverence, grandeur, power, it is easy to put our faith there. But ordinary simple things, to put faith there it is difficult, aprakåta. Keval ä bharsad, keval ä , keval ä means non-differentiated. Differentiation and non-differentiation, keval ä .
That knowledge is so spacious that everything is harmonised there. That can, that understanding can work at every corner, everywhere. Just as gold may have its value in every country, every province, something like that. In all details, even stealing, and fighting, snatching, all these things are also harmonised with the highest purity, with the highest purity everything can be added. Not only selflessness is there - in a play it is a show, the selfish object is not present there, in one side. In the positive, the God, the absolute interest is to be traced everywhere. That is the only difference. So dearth is not in the form, but all filth, filthiness, is in the spirit, in the object. The form is not to be blamed. The form of our movement is not to be blamed. Only the object is to be blamed. If the object is pure, is all-pervading nature, then the form is also, must, cannot but be pure. Stealing is bad because one party is becoming loser and another party becoming gainer, apparently. So it is bad. But if stealing is for the interest of the whole then the poison is removed. So every action, bad or good or bad in our consideration in the standard of our present calculation, that is eliminated. Whatever is done, if that is for the benefit of the whole, and if possible, more than that, then all the activities are stingless, no poison there, no suffering, no reaction. But still, the whole detailed characteristic of every movement is maintained, aprakåta , aprakåta.
So Kåñëa, He's stealing, He's doing so many things which is apparently objectionable to the social law [to be entered into this danger?] But that is not only not bad, but that is the best thing for all to understand that. That is Vraja lélä, Kåñëa lélä, to enter into Vraja lélä, to be accommodated with this sort of knowledge, and spirit, and habit, and aspiration. If we can adjust with that, then we are fit to have entrance into Vraja lélä, Vraja lélä. Otherwise laboured imitation, that will bring its reaction, reaction, aparädha .
laikiké vaidiké väpi yäkriyäkriyate mune
hari-sevänukulaiva sä kärya bhaktim-icchätä
[O great sage! If one aspires for devotional service one should perform all one's activities, whether they are mundane or Vedic, in such a way that it is favourable for the service of Çré Hari.] [Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu, Pürva-vibhäga 2.93, from Närada-Païcarätra.]
It does not matter what type of work I am doing. Every work may be for the service of the Lord, everything, everything may be utilised. Only the standpoint, such heart, a central gain, feeling is for service is what is necessary, through çraddhä , faith. And to throw oneself into that sort of wave, not knowledge, Vraja lélä.
sarva-dharmän parityajya , [mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo , mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù]
["Totally abandoning all kinds of religion, surrender exclusively unto Me. I will liberate you from all kinds of sins, so do not despair."] [ Bhagavad-gétä , 18.66]
We are very busy with rules and regulations and generally that is calculated on the limited consciousness, limited experience of good and bad, of some extended area. Laws and rules, they're the product of our local experience, a little less or a little extended, basis, but not absolute, not absolute. Hare Kåñëa.
Laikiké vaidiké väpi , by form calculation it may be a çästric activity as acanam, vandanam, all these things. Or, laikiké, to deal with another person, to purchase a thing, and so many troubles on the way may come. Some quarrel with rickshaw-wallah, and quarrel with the sevä, everything may be recorded in the jurisdiction of devotion, everything.
It has been said, a mahä-bhägavat , he's passing urine, passing stools, that is also bhajan within. That is also not waste of time. It is possible, it is possible. The wholly harmonised person, whatever he does, that as got relation to best bhajan. Taking food, taking food, why? To make him fit for service. And going regularly to the latrine, that also will be helping as it has contribution to the health that will be utilised in the service cent per cent. In this way everything, no loss of time, no loss of energy. Cent per cent on His account it may be possible. Not to reject a portion and dedicate another portion to the God and some kept for him or others, not that. Wholesale conversion, cent per cent time utilised in service, laikiké vaidiké väpi yäkriyäkriyate mune
iha vasya hari dasya karmana manasa viha
nisaraj utparestya si jivan mukta sarutya te?
Then he's no longer in bondage, all the efforts of him done only to satisfy Him.
Gaura Sundara. Gaura Sundara. Gaura Sundara.
Devotee : Mahäräj, you said, one the spiritual plane that jïäna plays a more, as in a back hand, in the background, jïäna, so is it there's no calculation…
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : Jïäna means where it is automatic, sambandha-jïäna. A child when he's dealing with his father or mother, he does not always bring the knowledge that, "She is my mother because she's feeding me. I came from her womb." All these calculations are not present. It is in the background, and as a result of that background he's treating with his mother in a particular way, and brother in another way, father in another way, the sambandha-jïäna. Not to calculate that moment, it is already adjusted in such a way, the result of adjustment. The knowledge is in the background and actuated by knowledge his dealings are being conducted, sambandha-jïäna. Jïäna not every moment that he's calculating, it is left in the background, and his position in the, rather in an intuitive position. Just as the digestion, we are not conscious of the stomach affairs, how it does it, the heart affairs, they are going on with their work within the background. And in the forefront so many other things are to be thought and done. So sambandha-jïäna - what is what. What is what, and accordingly the function between them will work automatically, automatic. Automatic knowledge will back the activity, the movement, spontaneous.
Nitäi Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol!
Yaçodä, she is showing her child, seeing her child, a small. So many åñis and gods, demigods, she is seeing, looking with great veneration, greater veneration, and asking many things from them so that her child may not be in danger in any form, in this way. But the centre of her affection, the whole affection is concentrated to the child, and that is the valuable thing. Not that the respect is going, giving to Çiva, to so many ascetic, give some grace so that my child go on, may live long, may have good health. So they're bigger, they're so many gods, they're so many sädhus , she gets, collects benediction from them for the good of her child. But that [big?] conception that they're bigger than my child, they're holding bigger position than my child…
End of recording, 25.9.81
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