Bhagavad-gītā 4.10

Prabhupāda:

vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ [Bg 4.10]

[Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.]

Bhāvam means nature also. Just like we call nature sva-bhāva, sva-bhāva. So mad-bhāvam... This is one nature, this material nature. This is also Kṛṣṅa's bhāvam, means Kṛṣṅa's nature. Nothing is beyond Kṛṣṅa, but this is external nature. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ... [Bg 7.4],

[Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies.]

bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. Bhinnā means separated energy. The energy is working. Although it is Kṛṣṅa's nature, still, it is separated nature. Just like I am speaking; it is being recorded. When it will be replayed, you will hear the same sound, but still, it is separated from me. Similarly, this material nature is also Kṛṣṅa's nature. Nothing is beyond Kṛṣṅa. There are two nature: the spiritual nature and material nature. So material nature means external energy, and spiritual nature means internal energy. And we, we are also spiritual nature, marginal. We can remain either in the material nature or in the spiritual nature. Therefore we are marginal nature. There are three natures: external, internal and marginal.

So, so long we are in the material nature, external nature, we are unhappy. This is the position. Just like a fish, when it is put into the land, it is unhappy, or death. Similarly, if you, the creature of the land, if you are put into the water, you are unhappy, and death. So because we belong to the spiritual nature... As it is explained by Kṛṣṅa, that this material nature is aparā. Aparā means inferior, not fit for us. Therefore we are unhappy. So long we shall remain in the material nature, we must be unhappy. Just like this body. This body is made of material nature, and we are within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā [Bg 2.13].

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

So long we have got this body, material body, we must be unhappy. First of all, we must try to understand why we are unhappy. We are unhappy because we are in this material body. And the... What is the unhappiness? It is ending in four principles: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi [Bg 13.9].

[Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.]

To take birth and again to die, and so long we live we must suffer from some disease and we must become old. Plain truth.

Therefore intelligent person must be aware of the miserable condition of this material existence and try to get out of it. Is there any doubt? Eh? This is the fact. So our only business is how to get out of this material existence. That is our only business—not that how we can adjust things here and become happy. That is called karmī, fools. It is a fact that so long you'll be here in this material world, however you may try to adjust things to become happy, it will be never possible. It will be never possible. They are trying to be materially happy in the Western world. They do not know actually what is happiness, but material happiness means sex life. So sex life they are every day enjoying. And still, they go to the naked dance to see if there is happiness. Why there will be happiness? There cannot be any happiness. But this is adjustment. They are trying this way or that way. That's all.

Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṅānām [SB 7.5.30].

[Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Kṛṣṅa are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both.]

In the Bhāgavata the answer is they..., they're all self-interested, but they do not know what is self-interest. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ [SB 7.5.31].

[Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṅu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.]

Bahir-artha. Bahir-artha means external energy, material energy. They are thinking by material adjustment they will be happy. But they do not know that self-interest is how to be again connected with Viṣṅu, svārtha-gatim. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅum. Or to become Vaiṣṅava. Viṣṅur asya devatā iti vaiṣṅava. Vaiṣṅava means one who has accepted Viṣṅu as everything. As Kṛṣṅa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66].

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

This is our business. But nobody is interested. Na te viduḥ. They do not know that this is the interest. This is the only interest, how to become reconnected with Kṛṣṅa or Viṣṅu. Na te viduḥ. They do not know. Therefore we have started this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. They do not know. Everyone, cent per cent, the whole population of the world, they do not know. So rascal, so fool, they do not know their interest. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅuṁ durāśayā [SB 7.5.31]. Durāśayā, with the hope against hope, which will be never fulfilled. Therefore it is called durāśayā. Why? Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are interested with this external energy.

So this is our problem. But the rascals, they do not know. Śāstra... Therefore we have to consult śāstra. What is our problem, we have to consult śāstra. And śāstra, how we can consult śāstra? Śāstra, we have to go somebody who knows śāstra. Therefore the Vedic injunction is, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet, śrotriyam [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

If you want to know what is your actual interest, then you have to approach a guru. And who is guru? Śrotriyam: who knows śāstra. Śrotriyam. And not only knows, but the result must be there: brahma-niṣṭham, means Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Brahma-niṣṭham means fully dependent on Kṛṣṅa. This is the process. We must know, we must find out guru who knows śāstra, the essence of śāstra, Vedic, Vedas. What is the essence of Vedas? Vedānta. Vedānta means to know Kṛṣṅa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg 15.15].

[I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.]

Kṛṣṅa says. All... There are different types of Vedas: Sāma, Yajur, Ṛk, Atharva. Then hundred and eight Upaniṣads. Then Vedānta-sūtra. Then Purāṅas, Rāmāyaṅa, Mahābhārata. And the viṁśati, twenty kinds of dharma-śāstra, Manu-saṁhitā. So many things. So what is the purpose of all these śāstras? Kṛṣṅa says, "The purpose is to know Me." And in Vedānta, the Upaniṣad confirms it, yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3].

[If one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of all controllers, one can understand everything else.]

If you try to know Kṛṣṅa... If you try to know Kṛṣṅa, then... Or if you understand Kṛṣṅa, then you know everything. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. This is the knowledge, to understand Kṛṣṅa. And Kṛṣṅa also confirms this, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ [Bg 4.9]:

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

"Simply if one understands tattvataḥ, in truth, what I am, why I descend, why I become a child of Yaśodā, why I become son of Vasudeva, janma, and why I act, why I take part in the battlefield..." He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate, Veda says. The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Why He has to do? He's full, complete. He has nothing to do. He has nothing to aspire. There is nothing wanting. We are working for..., because we want so many things. But He has no want. He's ātma-tṛpta, fully complete. Thus He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate. This is description of God. He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8].

[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Nothing is equal to Him or greater than Him. He acts in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels, which are all simultaneously differently situated by His unlimited, variegated potencies. Each potency acts quite naturally in sequences, providing Him full knowledge, power and pastimes.]

There is nobody equal to Him, nobody is greater than Him. This is the Vedic description of God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate, na tat-sama... Sama means equal. And adhika. Adhika means greater. Here you will find somebody is equal to you, somebody is greater than you, somebody is lower than you. Three positions. Everyone. Nobody can say that "I am the final." Anybody, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant, everybody you'll find that somebody is equal to him, somebody is greater than him and somebody is lesser than him. But Kṛṣṅa, nobody is equal to Him, nobody is greater than Him, but every is lesser than Him. That's all. This is Kṛṣṅa. Everyone is lesser. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate.

Now you are in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, studying, of course, so many books. Have you found anyone who is greater than Kṛṣṅa or equal to Kṛṣṅa? No. We can find one greater than... Rādhārāṅī is greater than Kṛṣṅa. [laughter] Yes. That is out of love. Actually, Rādhārāṅī's also lesser than Kṛṣṅa. She's dāsī, maidservant. She's always thinking how She shall be perfect dāsī. She's not thinking that... Kṛṣṅa sometimes makes Rādhārāṅī greater than Him. That does not mean Rādhārāṅī thinks like that. Rādhārāṅī always thinks, "How I shall become perfect maidservant of Kṛṣṅa?" That is the real position, everyone. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta you'll find how everyone is thinking of servant of Kṛṣṅa. That is our real position.

But Kṛṣṅa sometimes elevates some of His devotees. Just like Mother Yaśodā. He's thinking, "Mother Yaśodā is greater than Me." Or He is making Rādhārāṅī, I mean Mother Yaśodā, feeling like that, that "I am protector of Kṛṣṅa. If I do not feed Kṛṣṅa nicely, He will die." This is called vātsalya-rasa, paternal feeling. So nobody is greater than Kṛṣṅa actually. And she is feeling greater than Kṛṣṅa as also maidservant, that "I must serve Kṛṣṅa. I must timely give Kṛṣṅa food. I must timely raise Kṛṣṅa." Always taking care, always anxious that "Kṛṣṅa may not be in danger. Kṛṣṅa is crawling—He may not go to the water. He may not be attacked by the monkey. He may not be..." So many. [S]he's always anxious. [S]he's doing his [her] household work, but [s]he's always anxious how to protect Kṛṣṅa. So she is thinking, she is thinking that "Unless I give protection to Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa may be facing with so many dangers." But Kṛṣṅa is doing His business. Rādhārāṅī..., uh, Mother Yaśodā, keeping Kṛṣṅa underneath the cart, and Kṛṣṅa is breaking the cart, killing the Śakaṭāsura. And Mother Yaśodā thinking Kṛṣṅa is saved. Then when the cart was broken, the utensils scattered and she became anxious. This is Kṛṣṅa's enjoyment, to deal with His devotees in different rasas and enjoy. Sākhya... Śānta, dāsya, sākhya, mādhurya, vātsalya. In this way Kṛṣṅa is always enjoying. He has no other business than enjoyment. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].

[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]

He's by nature simply enjoying. Enjoying. That is Kṛṣṅa.

So we are also Kṛṣṅa's part and parcel. Therefore in minute quantity we have got the same propensities how to enjoy life. This is... Because we are Kṛṣṅa's part and parcel, the same... Just like the drop of sea water has the same chemical composition. Analyze. The same percentage of salt, proportionately. Just like two upon fifty proportion, what is called, ratio. The ratio is the same, only in small quantity. Otherwise the percentage is the same, only in small quantity.

So we are ānandamaya. Our nature is to remain always jubilant in pleasure. But because we are in this material contact, we are not jubilant. This is our problem. That Kṛṣṅa is suggesting here, how to solve your problem. He says, vīta-rāga. "Give up this attachment, sense attachment." Rāga. Rāga means attachment. Vīta-rāga-bhaya. And here we have got one quality, that fear, always fearing. Just like we are having these railings, why? We are afraid, we may not be attacked. The material life means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca [Hitopadeśa 25].

[Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.]

We must eat, we must sleep, and we must be afraid of, and we must have sex. This is material life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. And spiritual life means minus this: no more fear, no more attachment, no more sex life.

Just like in the life of the Gosvāmīs. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Conquered. Conquered over these things, material necessities. So this is called penance. Here it is said. Bahavo jñāna-tapasā. First of all jñāna, understanding our position. This is called jñāna. And then practice tapasya. Tapasya means make these things, material necessities, zero. That is called tapasya. Tapasya. Because we are accustomed to all these things—eating, sleeping, mating and fearing. So to give up, it is not possible all of a sudden. That is not possible. Because we are accustomed. Just like the fan is rotating. You stop the switch, it will rotate, at least, for some time, because the force is there. Similarly, even if we accept that these things should be stopped—no more eating, no more sleeping, no more sex, no more fearing—that should be... There must be determination. But it may go around, because we are practiced to this. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ [Bg 9.30].

[Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.]

If we take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness full, even due to our past habits we are attached to all things, Kṛṣṅa says it doesn't matter. But you keep yourself always in Kṛṣṅa consciousness.

What is that? Kṛṣṅa consciousness? Chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. That will keep your Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk [Bg 9.30]. He does not forget to worship Kṛṣṅa by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra. If you do that, that... But don't be attached to all these eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But be detached, that "These things I do not require as spirit soul, but because I am in material condition, because I have got this body, to keep this body fit, I require these things. So minimize it. Minimize, it. Just like I am sannyāsī, somebody is sannyāsī. So sannyāsī, what is that sannyāsī? We are also eating, we are also sleeping. But there is no mating, no sex life. So one item dropped, at least. The very important item. So that is called vīta-rāga. And there is no fear. Vīta-rāga. Everything can be practiced. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā [Bg 8.8].

[He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Pārtha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.]

If we practice, then things will be all right.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa says that bahavaḥ, not one. Bahavaḥ. Kṛṣṅa says "many," many persons. We have got many instances in the śāstras, by tapasya, brahmacaryeṅa, tapasā, jñānena, yamena, niyamena, tyāgena. These are the different items. But either you practice the different items or simply take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, all these practices will be automatically done. Kecit kevala bhakti-yogena. Vāsudeva-parāyaṅāḥ [SB 6.1.15]. If you become vāsudeva-parāyaṅa, then these things will be practiced. Just like everyone in this country... In the morning the manager of the Central Bank came. He was very much praising that how these European, American boys have become so nice. Because they have taken to bhakti-yoga. It is compared: nīhām..., nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. Nīhāram iva bhās... Nīhāram means... What is called? Mist or frost? The...? In the morning sometimes?

Devotees: Mist? Fog? Mist? Fog?

Prabhupāda: Fog. Fog, yes. The fog... We have got experience. When there is fog... I was, when I was going to your country, USA, I was on the ship. So there was all of a sudden fog cover, all over the sea. Anyone who has traveled in the sea, they have got experience. So you cannot go. Immediately the ship stops and horns, so that other ship may not collide. It becomes... So this fog... Now, you have no instrument to drive away the fog. But as soon as the sun rises a little with strength, immediately fog is gone. So strong, but due to the sunshine, immediately it will go. Nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. This example is given.

Similarly, we may have so many bad habits, rāga, attachment. If you simply take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, this will go, just like the fog—immediately. Immediately. So take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness very rigidly. That is called vīta-rāga. Simply by... This is the gift of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṅa-saṅkīrtanam. Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam. Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam [Cc Antya 20.12]

[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]

means to drive away the fog in the mind. That's all. Because we are covered by the fog in so many ways, and it is very difficult to drive away. But you keep yourself in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, it will be driven away. It will be driven away. There is no doubt about it.

So Kṛṣṅa is suggesting that first of all jñāna. The rascals have no knowledge how to become happy. They are thinking, "We shall...," they will be happy by drinking wine and eating meat and having sex life unlimitedly. They're thinking like that, so rascal. The whole civilization is condemned. They do not know how to become happy. They do not know how to become happy. Mūḍha. They do not know. The happiness is only in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. This is the fact. Kṛṣṅa assures that, that bahavaḥ, many; jñāna-tapasā... First of all, one must know that the way in which you are finding out, trying to..., trying to find out happiness, that is nonsense. That is not possible. We have to give up all these things. That is tapasya. Voluntarily give up all these things. The more we are advanced means more we have given up all these things—eating, sleeping, mating and defending. This is the position.

So vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ... [Bg 2.56].

[One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.]

So how it is possible? How to become detached? Man-mayā: "Always be absorbed in My thought." Or man-mayā means... Man means "mine"; mayā, "of Me," "Thinking of Me." That is recommended. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

This is the process. Always think of Kṛṣṅa, man-manāḥ. This is easy. Just like you love somebody. So if you chant his name, if you think of him, then you'll always remember. Similarly, if you simply think of Kṛṣṅa, if you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṅa name, then you remain man-mayā. So vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ [Bg 4.10].

[Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.]

You should take shelter of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa advises, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]:

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

"You take My shelter." So of course, those who are thinking of Kṛṣṅa, it is understood that he has taken shelter of Kṛṣṅa. Man-mayā. Man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ...

So if you do these things... Not only you; there are... There are many examples. Bahavaḥ. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja and Dhruva Mahārāja, all big, big stalwart devotees. Nārada Muni, Brahmā, Svayambhū... Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kumāraḥ kapilaḥ, prahlādaḥ bhīṣmaḥ... [SB 6.3.20].

[Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.]

There are big, big personalities. To follow them, how? Prahlāda Mahārāja was being chastised by his father, five years old, but he did not know how to protest. He was suffering and chanting, "Hare Kṛṣṅa," "Nārāyaṅa." What can be done? What can be done? He was completely dependent on his father. And father had no mercy. The only fault was he, Kṛṣṅa..., turned Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is the fault. And he was being punished. He was punished, punished. This is the world. Even father will be enemy, what to speak of others. If you become Kṛṣṅa conscious, the whole world will be your enemy. You must be prepared for that.

So therefore you require tapasya. Tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily agree to suffer. That is called tapasya. Voluntarily. Suffering is there, but why not suffer for Kṛṣṅa? Everyone is unhappy. Everyone is in suffering condition. Who is not suffering? Everyone is suffering. Tri-tāpa-yatana. Adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Three kinds of sufferings are always going on. Why you are running fan? Because suffering; there is heat. So where is no suffering? This is called adhidaivika, the scorching heat, scorching, I mean, severe cold. There must be always. We are suffering now due to scorching heat, and when the... We are thinking, "If it is become cooler..." And when it is cool, then also we suffering. Then we think, "If there is some heat." When there is winter, we are hankering after heat, and when there is summer, we are hankering after cooling.

So this is going on. We cannot be happy. First of all we must know that. There is no question of happiness here. We are simply hankering, "If it would have been very nicely cool." And when it is cool, then you'll think, "If it had been nicely hot..." The same thing. Carvita-carvaṅānām. Carvita-carvaṅānām means chewing the chewed. We have tasted heat and cold both, but we are desiring, "If it would have been like this, if it had been like that, if it..." But never come to the conclusion that either heat or cool, we have to suffer. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya. That is explained by Kṛṣṅa. So long you have got this, this material skin, then this heat and cold you'll have to suffer. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṅa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ [Bg 2.14]. The śīta, the summer, the winter, or the summer season, neither of them are sources of happiness. But you are thinking like that. "If it would have been like this, if it would have been like this."

Therefore kāṅkṣa, akāṅkṣa. So if you become transcendentally situated, brahma-bhūta, there will be no more akāṅkṣa. There will be no more hankering either for this or that, because he knows... That is called jñāna. So after jñāna... That is required. Jñāna, in the human form of life, this knowledge is required. The animals cannot have jñāna. The human beings can have jñāna. This is knowledge, that "So long I'll possess this material body, I'll have to suffer. I'll have to suffer." Unless you come to this conclusion, there is no progress. If we remain attached to these bodily pains and pleasure... Of course, nobody wants pains, but for pleasure you take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Of course, gradually you'll come to knowledge.

That is not our aim. Our aim is that the pains and pleasure, so-called pleasure—actually pain—this will continue so long we have got this body. Therefore we have to practice tapasya, penance. Simple thing: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. This is tapasya, voluntarily accepting... Those who are practiced to all these bad habits, so they will feel some pain, but you accept that pain. Then this pain will be over, this material pain. Just like sometimes for curing some disease the doctor says that injection or surgical operation. That is painful, but to cure the disease we should accept that thing. Similarly, if you want to become free from this material body, then you should accept, accept this pain. This is not pain; it is simply imagination. Actually, it is pleasure. So... Because we have no knowledge, therefore jñāna-tapasā. And if there is knowledge and if there is tapasya, penance, then pūtā, purified. You become purified. Therefore it is said, bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ [Bg 4.10].

[Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.]

Then you come back to home, back to Godhead.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is for teaching how one can be detached from this material existence and voluntarily accepting some so-called, I mean to say, sufferings. We should be steady. But actually, there is no suffering. It is simply imagination. Just like there are many meat-eaters. We do not eat meat. What is our suffering? It is simply imagination. If you ask the meat-eater that "Don't eat meat," he'll think, "Oh, it is horrible." He'll say "Horrible." Yes, actually they say. Even big, big man, the Lord Zetland, he also said, "Oh, no, no, this cannot be done. This is our life." Lord Zetland to some of our Godbrothers, he said, "Can you make me brāhmaṅa?" "Yes, we can make you brāhmaṅa. You give up these..." "No, no. This is not possible. Horrible."

It appears to be horri... Because we are so much absorbed in māyā, as soon as you ask anybody that "You cannot eat meat," he'll think it, "Oh, it is horrible." As soon as you say, "You cannot drink, you cannot have any intoxication," he thinks, "This is horrible." But actually it is not... This is māyā. It is not horrible, but we are thinking horrible. We are not eating meat. Are you dying? No. We have got so many nice foodstuff. Why shall I eat meat? So paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate [Bg 2.59].

[The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.]

So our philosophy, our Vaiṣṅava philosophy, we do not say only that "Don't eat this," but "Eat this." We do not enjoy this, but enjoy this. We give one alternative. We are not simply zero. The Māyāvādī philosophy is zero. We say that "Make this side zero, and take this positive side." Just like here,

vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ [Bg 4.10]

[Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.]

He gave up this, but that does not mean he became zero. Zero is śūnyavādi, voidism. No, you cannot remain in zero. That is not possible. If you accept this void philosophy, to make everything zero, that is artificial. Then again you'll fall down. Because you cannot remain in zero. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they want to... Or the Buddhist philosopher, they want to make things zero. That is not possible. You cannot remain in zero, because you are ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].

[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]

You want ānanda, pleasure. Pleasure cannot be in zero. That is not possible. Is it possible? To make things zero and you'll enjoy? No, that is not possible.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa says that paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. You can make zero automatically when you find better engagement. So we have to give better engagement. Then things will be zero. Because you have got better engagement, you are not interested to go to the hotel. There is hotel also, cinema also in Vṛndāvana. But will you go there? So if you become attached to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, this hotel, restaurants and..., and dancing, and this and that, they'll be zero. Automatically. But if you simply try to make it zero, that is not possible. That is not possible. Therefore paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate [Bg 2.59].

[The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.]

If you get better engagement, to try to engage yourself always in the better engagement, then these material activities will be zero. But zero is not our philosophy. Positive, not negative. They simply make negative. Negative will not help us.

Negative, there is of requisition negativeness. But here it is said that... "One is vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ [Bg 2.56],

[One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.]

or you have to be detached from all these nonsense things, but the result will be, by jñāna-tapasā, by knowledge and penance and austerities, when you'll be purified, then you'll come back to Me." This is positive. This positive... Our philosophy's positive, not negative. Negative is, I mean to say, that is... What is called? Anya-vyatireka... Sanskrit. Direct and indirect. This is indirect method. And direct method is positive. So you be positively engaged in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, in Kṛṣṅa's service, then you'll always remain on the transcendental platform, making the material activities zero. That is wanted.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]