Bhagavad-gītā 4.14

Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [devotees repeat]

na māṁ karmāṅi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate [Bg 4.14]

[There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.]

[break] [01:41]

Prabhupāda:

...na me karma-phale spṛhā iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate [Bg 4.14]

So in another place Kṛṣṅa says, 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.]

Karma, every living entity is bound up by the resultant action of his own karma. But Kṛṣṅa is not like that. The..., in the English constitutional law it is said that "The king can no..., king can do no wrong." King can order punishment for the criminal, but the king is never criminal. King cannot be punished. Your President Nixon is fighting on this point. Although people wants to impeach him, he's fighting on this point, that "I am not wrong." Actually, that much facilities must be given to the head executive. If he becomes under the laws, then his position is not exalted. The... That is the principle of accepting in the highest order of life.

So in the material condition, that is not applicable perfectly, but so far spiritual condition is concerned, God must be given full freedom; otherwise, there is no meaning of God. If God is also under the, under your laws... Sometimes: "Why God has done like this?" They inquire like that. This question sometimes put. "Why God has put us into this condition?" These are foolish question. But the real conception of God is that He is free to do anything, whatever He likes. You cannot say, "Why God can... Will..., God will do this, will do not that." No. That is not the conception of God.

So here Kṛṣṅa says that na me karma-phale spṛhā. He is ātmārāma. Ātmārāma. Ātmārāma means He is fully satisfied in Himself. And He can create so many things. He is creator. So there is no question of desiring something. He can do anything, whatever He likes. But... That will be explained. He sets example. Just like in the previous verse, we have already discussed,

cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam [Bg 4.13]

[According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.]

Although He has set up the principle of varṅāśrama-dharma, but He's not within the varṅāśrama-dharma. Just like Kṛṣṅa takes the incarnation of becoming a pig, but that does not mean He is a pig. Ordinary conception of pig we have got. Or He takes the incarnation of a fish; but that does not mean He's ordinary fish. So similarly, He comes here as a human being, as son of Nanda Mahārāja, or husband of Rukmiṅī, or son of Vasudeva, but actually, He is nobody's son. He is everybody's father. He is the origin. Nobody can be cause of His creation. This idea should be understood. And if anyone understands that Kṛṣṅa, or God, is not under any rules and regulation and laws of this material world, then he understands Kṛṣṅa perfectly.

Just like Kṛṣṅa performed the rāsa dance. At the midnight many young girls came by hearing His flute, and He danced with them. This is, from Vedic standard, it is not very moral, because at dead of night, with others' wives or sisters or daughters, to dance—Kṛṣṅa was young—that is not very good example from Vedic principle. But He did it. So, so... And that is the highest understanding of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Gopī-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhuḥ. All the Gosvāmīs, even Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu... He was a sannyāsī. He was very strict about woman. No woman could come near Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as a sannyāsī. But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṅa yā kalpitā [Caitanya-mañjusā]:

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode, Vṛndāvana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopīs of Vṛndāvaṅa. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.]

"There is no better method of worshiping Kṛṣṅa than the method conceived by the gopīs."

And the Gosvāmīs also... Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī... Vande śrīla-rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. The six Gosvāmīs, they gave up their material opulence, tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śreṅīṁ sadā tucchavat [Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 4].

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who kicked off all association of aristocracy as insignificant. In order to deliver the poor conditioned souls, they accepted loincloths, treating themselves as mendicants, but they are always merged in the ecstatic ocean of the gopīs' love for Kṛṣṅa and bathe always and repeatedly in the waves of that ocean.]

They gave up their... They were ministers of the government, very exalted position. Their associates were most aristocratic persons. But he gave up everything. Tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śreṅīm. Maṅḍala-pati means leaders of the society, big, big men, zamindars, or government officers. So he gave up, tucchavat, considering them most insignificant. Tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śreṅīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṅeśakau karuṅayā. They have..., gave up their opulent family. He was also belonging to the aristocratic family; He gave up, and became a mendicant, beggar, madhukārī. They were asking one cāpāṭi from one gṛhastha. They would not accept three or four or..., cāpāṭis at a place. Only half, one, like that. All in this way. So, so much in the renounced order of life. But they lived—how? Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhuḥ. They were always thinking of the gopīs' dealing with Kṛṣṅa.

So from this standpoint of view, the..., the dealings of the gopīs with Kṛṣṅa, that is not these ordinary human dealing. That is all spiritual. Without understanding the spiritual platform of Kṛṣṅa and the gopīs... Nobody try to understand it. Then they will be misled. So... Therefore Kṛṣṅa says people may not be misled. Sometimes He's seen to be acting against the social laws. Therefore Kṛṣṅa warns, na māṁ karmāṅi limpanti [Bg 4.14]:

[There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.]

"These social, political or religious laws do not apply to Me." Na māṁ karmāṅi limpanti. This question was raised by Parīkṣit Mahārāja when Śukadeva Gosvāmī described the rāsa-līlā. So that... "Kṛṣṅa appeared on this material world," dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, paritrāṅāya sādhūnām [Bg 4.8],

[In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.]

dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. "So why He violated these rules of dharma?" Violation because, according to Vedic civilization, nobody can mix with other's wife or other woman. Even in moral principle, as Cāṅakya Paṅḍita said, mātṛvat para-dāreṣu: "All women should be treated just like mother." Not like the present society. Formerly, every woman should be addressed as Mother, Mātājī. And now they have invented "Bahinjī." No. Woman should be addressed as Mother. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu.

So this question was put forward by Parīkṣit Mahārāja before Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "How Kṛṣṅa danced with others' wives and sisters, like that?" This is against principle of dharma. So just to clear the position of Kṛṣṅa... Kṛṣṅa is personally said..., personally saying also, and this is confirmed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya [SB 10.33.29]. Kṛṣṅa cannot be polluted. Because by chanting Kṛṣṅa's name one becomes purified, how Kṛṣṅa can be polluted? If, by chanting... Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam..., paraṁ vijayate kṛṣṅa..., śrī-kṛṣṅa-saṅkīrtanam [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.]

And in another place, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṅasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet [SB 12.3.51].

[My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.]

Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṅa, one becomes freed from all sinful activities. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṅasya. Especially. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṅasya mukta-saṅgaḥ. He becomes free from all contamination.

In material world we are simply becoming contaminated. Therefore karmāṅi limpanti. In the... We are becoming entangled by the reaction of our karma. Karmaṅā daiva-netreṅa jantur deha upapattaye [SB 3.31.1].

[The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body.]

By karma, the jantu, means living entity, is getting different types of body one after another, one after another. In this way he's wandering 8,400,000 forms of body. This is karma. Therefore to the living entities, as we are, we are bound up by the laws of karma. But Kṛṣṅa is not like that. Na māṁ karmāṅi limpanti. This is to be understood. Unless we understand Kṛṣṅa that He is not bound up by the material laws, then we do not understand Kṛṣṅa. And if anyone understands it perfectly, then what is the result? The result: iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate [Bg 4.14].

[There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.]

If one understands clearly that Kṛṣṅa is not under any material laws, then he also becomes not bound up by any material laws. Simply by knowing it. Karmāṅi nirdahati ca bhakti-bhājām.

In the Brahma-sūtra it is said... Brahma-saṁhitā: yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma... Indra, indra-gopa, and the king Indra, both are named as indra. Yas tu indra-gopam atha mahā-indra sva-karma-phala-bhuk. Everyone is enjoying the resultant action of his karma. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam ātanoti [Bs 5.54].

[I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who burns up to their roots all fruitive activities of those who are imbued with devotion and impartially ordains for each the due enjoyment of the fruits of one's activities, of all those who walk in the path of work, in accordance with the chain of their previously performed works, no less in the case of the tiny insect that bears the name of indragopa than in that of Indra, king of the devas.]

Everyone is enjoying or suffering the resultant action of his karma. Sva-karma-phala-bhuk. But karmāṅi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs 5.54]. But one who is in the devotional service, although he has to suffer the resultant action of his past karma, but that is reduced to the minimum—karmāṅi nirdahati—or practically no. For whom? Bhakti-bhājām, those who are devotees, who are devotees.

So who can understand Kṛṣṅa is not under the laws of any material nature? Only the bhaktas. Bhaktas can understand. Who can understand Kṛṣṅa? Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

Only the bhaktas can understand Him. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to Arjuna, bhakto 'si, "You are My devotee." So Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's name, Kṛṣṅa's form, Kṛṣṅa's attributes, Kṛṣṅa's pastimes, they can be understood by the bhaktas only, not the nondevotees. Nondevotees cannot understand that na māṁ karmāṅi..., this process, that Kṛṣṅa is not bound up by any material laws. The example is given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya [SB 10.33.29]. Tejīyasām. Just like the sun. The sun is evaporating the urine from the street. But that does not mean sun is infected. Although sun is evaporating the urine, the stool, or any contaminated place... Rather, he is, sun is sterilizing that process. This is practical. If sunshine is anywhere, even the most contaminated place, the sun does not become contaminated, but the place becomes purified. Is it not a fact?

Similarly, Kṛṣṅa... Kṛṣṅa was very beautiful. So gopīs became attracted with Kṛṣṅa. As it is natural, a young boy is attracted with young woman or young girl is attracted... That is natural. Yuvatīnāṁ yathā yūvaḥ. [Vijñāpti-pañcaka] It is natural. So the gopīs, they were attracted by Kṛṣṅa's beauty. And therefore they went to Kṛṣṅa. But the result was that the gopīs became purified; Kṛṣṅa remained uncontaminated. This is understanding of Kṛṣṅa. Some way or other, if one reaches Kṛṣṅa, he becomes... Kamāt krodhād bhayāt. Either by lusty desire or by anger or bhayāt... Just like Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa was always thinking of Kṛṣṅa, that "Kṛṣṅa is coming. So how shall I kill Him? How shall I kill Him?" Bhayāt, out of fear. So he also got salvation. Kṛṣṅa killed him; he got salvation. So gopīs approached Kṛṣṅa out of lusty desire, but they became purified. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṅa yā kalpitā. So even one approaches Kṛṣṅa with impurity, he becomes purified.

Now, Kṛṣṅa does not become impure. Don't think like that. Therefore Kṛṣṅa said,

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṅaśyati [Bg 9.31]

[He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.]

So somehow or other, approach Kṛṣṅa. Then your life is perfect. Kṛṣṅa does not become imperfect. Kṛṣṅa is always... In the Īśopaniṣad: apāpa-viddham [Īśo mantra 8]. Description of God is there, apāpa-viddham, that Kṛṣṅa, or the Lord, is never contaminated by any so-called... For Him, there is nothing sinful. This is understanding of Kṛṣṅa. Na māṁ karmāṅi limpanti [Bg 4.14].

[There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.]

Why He should be? Therefore, if anyone understands, studies Kṛṣṅa perfectly, about His activities, about His birth, about His name, about His form, anything... He has got everything like us. He has got His form. He has got His activities. He has got His attributes. Everything is there. But they're all transcendental. Therefore His name is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṅaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs 5.1].

[Kṛṣṅa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.]

His vigraha is sac-cid-ānanda. His vigraha is not like us.

The Māyāvādīs, they mistake. Therefore they imitate Kṛṣṅa. The rascal Māyāvādī, they imitate Kṛṣṅa. "I am Kṛṣṅa. I can play flute like Him. I become Kṛṣṅa, by playing flute." This is all rascaldom. Kṛṣṅa's vigraha is different. You cannot imitate Kṛṣṅa. Even you imitate, that does not mean you become Kṛṣṅa. This is rascaldom. Kṛṣṅa is not... Na māṁ karmāṅi limpanti. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says this janma karma me divyam [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.]

That is all transcendental. Kṛṣṅa's body... Just like sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs 5.1]. Kṛṣṅa's body is eternal. My body is not eternal, so how can I imitate Kṛṣṅa? Kṛṣṅa's body is eternal, sat. Kṛṣṅa's body is full of knowledge. And I am full of ignorance, my body. I do not know, if there is some disease in the finger. But... Just like the other day, there was some trouble. Now automatically, the skin is being purified. So I do not know how it is being done. Therefore full of ignorance. But Kṛṣṅa is not like that. Sat cit. Cit means knowledge. He knows everything. Not only Himself; He knows everything. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni [Bg 7.26]. Kṛṣṅa says, "I know everything." In the Bhāgavata it is said, janmādy asya anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ [SB 1.1.1]. Kṛṣṅa knows everything. But I do not know. I do not know how many hairs are here. And still I am claiming I am Kṛṣṅa.

So do not compare Kṛṣṅa with any human body. No. That is great offense. To think of Kṛṣṅa as ordinary human being and as equal, or a human being is Kṛṣṅa, these are, two things are offensive. Aparādha. Māyāvādī haya kṛṣṅe aparādhī. That is the statement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Māyāvādī, those who think that "Kṛṣṅa is like us," Māyāvādīs, they are aparādhī, they are offender to Kṛṣṅa. They are punishable. They are punishable, offender. Therefore we should rightly understand Kṛṣṅa. His activities we should not imitate. Kṛṣṅa's activities are worshipable. We cannot imitate Kṛṣṅa's activities. Janma karma me... His activities are transcendental. You cannot... How you can imitate? Can you imitate to lift a mountain as Kṛṣṅa did? You can imitate falsely Kṛṣṅa's rāsa-līlā. That is very easy. But can you imitate Kṛṣṅa to lift up the mountain? Then how you are Kṛṣṅa, equal with Kṛṣṅa? This is all rascaldom. Kṛṣṅa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs 5.1], and you have got this rotten material body.

[Kṛṣṅa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.]

Therefore cannot be compared with Kṛṣṅa. This rotten material body is subjected to the material laws. But Kṛṣṅa is not under the material laws. That is real understanding of Kṛṣṅa. Janma...

And if you really understand... That is stated here: iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti. In this way if one understands Kṛṣṅa, karmabhir na sa badhyate, he does not become entangled with the karma. In another place it is also confirmed: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. If one understands Kṛṣṅa's activities, Kṛṣṅa's birth and Kṛṣṅa's form, Kṛṣṅa's attributes, if one can understand tattvataḥ, in truth, not by mental speculation—in truth, as it is—then what happens? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [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.]

He does not get any more material body after leaving this body.

So try to understand Kṛṣṅa on this principle, as Kṛṣṅa says. Don't imagine; don't speculate. Then your life will be perfect.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! [break]

Devotee: ...Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is one śloka which describes that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and his younger brothers all attained the spiritual world in the self-same body. Does this mean that they had their spiritual bodies while they were on the earth?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is possible. They went to heaven, heavenly planet? No? No, where? Where it is?

Devotee: Bhāgavatam, they are..., you described that they were going to the Kṛṣṅaloka planet.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So that's all right. But not this body. With their spiritual body. Yes.

Brahmānanda: In your lecture you quoted Cāṅakya Paṅḍita that a man must see every woman other than his own wife as mother. How should a woman see other men?

Prabhupāda: As son. [laughter]

Brahmānanda: That was my idea.

Prabhupāda: Yes. If I see woman as mother, she must see me as son. That's all. That is the system. The brahmacārī, the sannyāsīs go to beg alms from door to door: "Mother, give me some bhikṣā, alms." And it is the duty of the gṛhastha to treat brahmacārī and sannyāsī as their son. As they maintain their children with food, shelter, cloth, similarly the brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs, they are dependent on the society. They should be treated as the sons of the society. And they must supply their necessities, bare necessities. A sannyāsī, brahmacārī, does not want more than what they need. They should not collect more than what they need. Bhikṣā nirvāhana [Cc Ādi 7.46]. Not collect more and enjoy at others' cost. No. That is not the business of sannyāsī. They can collect so much as they need, that's all.

Devotee: When you address a woman, do you...

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Devotee: When you address a woman do you use the word "Mātājī"? Is that the right, proper word for her?

Prabhupāda: Mātājī. Yes, very good. "Mother." All right. Chant. [end]