Founder's Lecture - The Real Thing is Bhakti

Vṛndāvana, India—August 15, 1974

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Lord Kṛṣṅa tells us how He reveals Himself to us in many ways just to draw out our love for Him.

puṅyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu

"I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics." Bhagavad-gītā 7.9

Kṛṣṅa is describing in detail how He is spread everywhere. Before this verse, He has mentioned so many ways. We can see Kṛṣṅa at every step and every moment. If we practice seeing Kṛṣṅa, that is not difficult.

Whenever there is a fragrance—from a rose, for example—you can immediately remember Kṛṣṅa: "Here is Kṛṣṅa." You simply have to practice.

As soon as you remember Kṛṣṅa or you say or utter the word "Kṛṣṅa," Kṛṣṅa contacts you. You are in contact with Kṛṣṅa immediately. And if you remain constantly in contact with Kṛṣṅa by studying all the details He mentions here, then where is the lack of Kṛṣṅa consciousness? And if you remain always in that way, Kṛṣṅa conscious, then you are the topmost yogi. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ [Bhagavad-gītā 6.47]. Very easy. It is not at all difficult. You simply have to practice.

In another place it is said that the blooming flower is the smiling of Kṛṣṅa. So you can see Kṛṣṅa smiling as soon as you see a flower.

I do not know why people say, "Can you show me Kṛṣṅa?" Kṛṣṅa is showing Himself in so many ways. They will not accept that. It is not at all difficult to see Kṛṣṅa every moment, at every step, if we study what Kṛṣṅa says: "I am,""This is."

Punyo gandhah prthivyam ca: "I am the original fragrance of the earth." Now, within the earth, every stock is there. The flavor of the rose is there, and the flavor of some other flower is also there, but you cannot take it out by your so-called scientific chemical process. Take some lump of earth and extract from it the flavor of a rose. It is there. That is a fact. You sow the seed of a rose, and it will exact the rose flavor from the earth. That's a fact. Who can deny it? Otherwise, where is the flavor coming from?

Here Kṛṣṅa says, jivanam sarva-bhutesu: He's life. In the next verse He'll say, bijam mam sarva-bhutanam: "I am the original seed of all existences."Bija: the seed. The seed is so nicely made by Kṛṣṅa's brain that as soon as you put the seed within the earth and add some water, it will fructify and gradually grow and exact the flavor, the color, everything. This is a fact. Everybody knows it. Not only that, but Kṛṣṅa is within the small seed of the gigantic banyan tree. Otherwise how can this wonderful thing happen? How can a huge tree come from a small seed? And not only one tree—there are many millions of fruits on the tree, and in each fruit there are many millions of trees. This is the power of Kṛṣṅa's brain. You cannot do that. The so-called manufacturers can manufacture a very complicated watch, but from that watch many watches will not come. No, that is not possible.

But Kṛṣṅa is so powerful—omnipotent—that He has manufactured such a thing, because He is there in the seed. Bijam mam sarva-bhutanam [Bg 7.10]. Wherever He is, He can play in wonderful ways.

The Cause of All Causes

This is the study of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Where is the difficulty? Now, this electric lamp, it is brilliant and it has some heat. Where is it coming from? It is coming from Kṛṣṅa. That's a fact. He's the cause of all causes.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṅaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṅa-kāraṅam

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṅa, and He has a body of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. He has no beginning, for He is the beginning of everything. He is the cause of all causes." [Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1]

But we should not, like the Māyāvādī philosophers, make mistake of thinking that because the electric light is being caused by Kṛṣṅa, the electric light is Kṛṣṅa. No, not that. Kṛṣṅa is always separate from the electric light. The Māyāvādī says, "Because Kṛṣṅa is there in the electric lamp, or in the tree, or in the seed, or in the color, or in the flavor, Kṛṣṅa is finished. There is no more Kṛṣṅa. Because Kṛṣṅa has spread Himself in so many ways, Kṛṣṅa is finished." This consideration is material, not spiritual. If you take a piece of paper, tear it into small pieces, and throw it, then the original paper is lost. This is material.

But Kṛṣṅa is not like that. Kṛṣṅa is a person, and from His energies so many varieties of productions are coming out. But still, He is existing.

pūrṅasya pūrṅam ādāya pūrṅam evāvaśiṣyate [Īśopaniṣad Invocation].

He's pūrṅa, complete. Not that because so many things have been taken from Kṛṣṅa, He is finished. This misconception is part of material life. The Māyāvādīs cannot conceive of the omnipotence of God. They accept that God is omnipotent, but they cannot understand His omnipotence.

Kṛṣṅa's omnipotence means that so many things are being manifested by His energies, but Kṛṣṅa is not lost. Kṛṣṅa is there. We haven't got to worship so many things—pantheism. "Kṛṣṅa, or the Absolute Truth, has be-come divided in so many ways; there-fore everything combined together is the Absolute Truth." This is the theory of pantheism. But ours is the Vedic proposition: Kṛṣṅa is the cause of everything. Varieties of material and spiritual things are there, but Kṛṣṅa in His original identity is present in Vṛndāvana.

Kṛṣṅa is this electric lamp, and still, He's not the electric lamp. Kṛṣṅa is this pillow, but He's not the pillow.

Not Everything is Kṛṣṅa

In one big mission, the leaders say, "We accept anything as God." No. We do not say like that, nor does Kṛṣṅa. When Kṛṣṅa speaks of worshiping, He does not say that you should worship the electric light or something else. Mam ekam: "Me alone." That is the instruction. Not that "Kṛṣṅa has become everything; therefore everything has to be worshiped." No. That is wrong.

Our philosophy is acintya-bheda- abheda: simultaneous oneness and difference. We have to take shelter of Kṛṣṅa personally, not the varieties. Mam ekamsaranam vraja: "Surrender unto Me alone." You have to understand that varieties are dependent on Kṛṣṅa. Not that "Because there are varieties, Kṛṣṅa is finished." No, that is not the philosophy.

Here it is said, tapas casmi tapasvisu: "I am the penances of all ascetics."Tapasvi means those who seek eternal happiness. Karmīs, yogis—there are many tapasvis. But the real tapasvi is interested in tapah divyam. Divyam means transcendental. Just perform tapasya for realizing Kṛṣṅa.

The demon Hiraṅyakaśipu also performed tapasya. What was that tapasya? He performed severe tapasya, so much so that the whole universe became perturbed and Brahmaji came to see him.

"What do you want?" Brahmā asked Hiraṅyakaśipu.

"I am performing tapasya to become immortal. So if you make me immortal, it will be very kind of you."

Brahmā replied, "I am myself not immortal. How can I make you immortal? That is not possible."

So Hiraṅyakaśipu also performed tapasya, but that tapasya was for material gain. That is not real tapasya. Tapasya means to undergo voluntarily some bodily inconveniences. We are accustomed to enjoy bodily senses, so tapasya means voluntarily to give up the idea of sense gratification. That is tapasya.

Ekadasi one day of fasting each fortnight—is also tapasya. Or fasting on some other auspicious day. That tapasya is good, even for health, and what to speak of advancing in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. So we should accept this tapasya. There are many prescribed days for fasting. We should observe them. And the preliminary tapasya is no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, no meat-eating. There may be some inconvenience for those of us who were accustomed to these practices, but we'll have to accept this tapasya if we want to purify our existence.

At the present moment our existence is not purified; it is impure. Therefore we are suffering. When one's physiological condition becomes infected, he suffers from fever and other symptoms of disease. Similarly, we are suffering in this material world on account of this material body. If we want real happiness, then we must accept tapasya. Tapasya is required. If you think, "Without tapasya, I can get spiritual advancement simply by imagination," then you become a sahajiya, one who take things very cheaply. No. Tapasya is required.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa says tapas casmi tapasvisu. Tapasya is itself Kṛṣṅa. You associate with Kṛṣṅa. When you voluntarily give up meat-eating or intoxication, this giving-up process is Kṛṣṅa.

Kṛṣṅa Is So Kind

Tapasya means to accept voluntarily something as enjoined in the śāstra, the scripture. Whatever Kṛṣṅa says is śāstra. What is Veda? Veda means what Kṛṣṅa says. There is no other Veda. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, tene brahma hrda. Brahmā means Veda. Kṛṣṅa imparted the Vedas to Lord Brahmā through the heart. Kṛṣṅa is situated in everyone's heart. Lord Brahmā had no other spiritual master, but Kṛṣṅa is there within his heart. Kṛṣṅa's name is Caitya-guru, "The Guru in the Heart." Kṛṣṅa is so kind. He is the guru within, and when we are serious, He manifests Himself as a spiritual master. That is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

The guru helps from inside and outside. Kṛṣṅa is so kind; He manifests Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravarti Thakura says, saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastraih . . . : A pure devotee is empowered by Kṛṣṅa to act as the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master should be accepted as Kṛṣṅa's representative. Tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih: Those who are learned scholars, actual devotees—they accept the spiritual master as such.

But that does not mean that the guru is Kṛṣṅa. "Accept" means that you honor the spiritual master as being as good as Kṛṣṅa, because he's Kṛṣṅa's representative. That's not the same as the Māyāvāda philosophy, which says that the guru and Kṛṣṅa are the same. In fact, they are simultaneously one and different.

Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya: The guru is as good as Kṛṣṅa because he is very dear to Kṛṣṅa. Why is he dear? Because he's preaching on behalf of Kṛṣṅa. What Kṛṣṅa wants, he's doing that. Therefore he's very dear.

Kṛṣṅa wants everyone to surrender unto Him. A guru's business is to teach that. A guru does take the position of Kṛṣṅa. He simply teaches people, "Accept Kṛṣṅa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Surrender unto Him. Always think of Him. Always offer your obeisances. Become a pure devotee of Kṛṣṅa."

That is the guru's business. It is not very difficult. Anyone who is sincerely following Kṛṣṅa's instruction and instructing others to do that is an ācārya. Behave exactly as stated in the śāstra, as ordered by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as ordered by Kṛṣṅa. And teach all your disciples the same thing.

So ācārya, guru, representative—it is not difficult. One simply has to become very, very sincere. One must undergo the simple tapasyas as prescribed in the śāstras. By personal example, Lord Caitanya's associate Haridāsa Ṭhākura was preaching the glories of chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa; therefore he is accepted as a guru. In our line, all the Vaiṣṅavas, all the Gosvamis acted accordingly and preached. Therefore they are ācāryas.

Remembering Kṛṣṅa

In the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement we teach that one should always remember Kṛṣṅa. Now, because we are materially attached, we cannot think of Kṛṣṅa twenty-four hours a day. Remembering Kṛṣṅa is very pleasing, but because we are materially attached, we cannot do it. Therefore Kṛṣṅa is prescribing, "See the varieties of this material world and try to remember Me." These are the varieties: punyo gandhah prthivyam ca tejas casmi vibhavasau. "Study nature and see these important points. And there I am."

It is very scientific. You study nature and pick up some point and Kṛṣṅa says, "I am this." Where is the difficulty? This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. You drink water—you remember Kṛṣṅa. You see the light—remember Kṛṣṅa. You smell the aroma of a nice flower—immediately remember Kṛṣṅa. Practice this. It is not difficult.

Actually, we have to think of Kṛṣṅa always. Therefore we chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. That is the way to always think of Kṛṣṅa. And Kṛṣṅa is present before us in His form as the deity in the temple. Therefore we have to worship the deity. If we constantly worship the deity, then Kṛṣṅa's form is always impressed upon our minds. We will be able to see Kṛṣṅa any time. If I close my eyes, I will see Kṛṣṅa, how Kṛṣṅa is nicely dressed. I will see how Kṛṣṅa is very pleasingly eating what I have prepared with devotion, bhaktya.

The real thing is bhaktya, not simply official worship. Kṛṣṅa does not accept anything if it is not offered with bhakti and by the bhakta, the devotee. Why should He accept it? Is He hungry like me? No. He simply wants to see how you have learned to love Kṛṣṅa, how you are eager to serve Kṛṣṅa. Otherwise He does not require your service. He's always being served by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.

People pray to the goddess of fortune, "My mother, Goddess of Fortune, give me some fortune." But the goddess of fortune is afraid that Kṛṣṅa may reject her. For example, when Kṛṣṅa was joking with His wife Rukmiṅī, she thought, "Maybe Kṛṣṅa is going to leave me." Immediately she fainted.

The goddesses of fortune are humbly, fearfully engaged in Kṛṣṅa's service. What service can we give Kṛṣṅa in comparison? What are we compared to the goddesses of fortune? We are nothing. Insignificant. So why does Kṛṣṅa accept our service? Why does He come as the deity to accept our service? Just to induce us to serve Him with bhakti. That is wanted.

Therefore He says, "Give Me even a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water. It doesn't matter. But give Me with bhakti."

That is our real business. If you have no bhakti, if you offer something only officially, Kṛṣṅa does not touch it. Kṛṣṅa is not so poor.

Whatever you do, you should always be humble: "Kṛṣṅa, I am quite unfit. So whatever I could collect with my capacity, kindly accept it."

This is our only plea to Kṛṣṅa. Don't proudly think, "I am doing so much for Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa will be obliged to accept it."

The process is very easy, very sublime, but we have to learn it. And that is not very difficult. Here in this verse Kṛṣṅa is showing how to see Him in a variety of ways. Always think of Kṛṣṅa, and Kṛṣṅa will give you intelligence.

You cannot cheat Kṛṣṅa. That is not possible. Kṛṣṅa is within your heart. He sees everything—your intention, your purpose, your activities, everything. Upadrasta: He is the witness. You cannot cheat Kṛṣṅa. Be sincere, and try to serve Him. He'll accept your service. And He will give you intelligence. Your life will be successful.

Thank you very much.