Teachings of Lord Kapila - Prabhupada

TEACHINGS OFlORD l(t;PilAWHEREAS philosophy in the West germinates, mostoften, in the soil of intellectual curiosity and is highlytheoretical, being concerned with "knowledge for itsown sake," philosophy in the ancient Vedic traditionof India is very pointedly directed toward the avowedlypractical goal of human liberation. The conviction thathuman life is specifically meant for discovering and applyingthe proper means for the liberation of the selffrom matter is .the sine qua non of India's traditionalspiritual thought and culture.This book is based on a unique series of lectures onthe teachings of K.apila Muni (K.apiladeva), presentedin Bombay, India, in the spring of 197 4, by His DivineGrace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. KapilaMuni, a renowned sage of antiquity, is the author ofthe Sankhya philosophical system. Sankhya, whichforms an important part of India's ancient philosophicalheritage, is both a system of metaphysics and asystem of spiritual knowledge culminating in liberation.K.apila, however, is not an ordinary philosopheror sage. According to Vedic tradition, He is an avatara(incarnation) of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Lord SrlKna.Lord K.apila descended as the son of K.ardamaMuni and his wife, Devahiiti, both of whom were greatyogis and saints. After K.ardama Muni renounced theworld and went to the forest to attain spiritual perfection,Devahiiti, aware of the divinity of her son, approachedK.apila and implored Him to endow her withspiritual enlightenment. Pleased by His mother's sinceredesire for transcendental knowledge, Kapila spokeSankhya philosophy, the philosophy which leads oneto discriminate between matter and spirit and whichculminates in the ultimate liberation called bhakti,divine love.In this book, the author gives a brilliant expositionon the basic teachings of K.apila and thus illuminates amajor element in traditional Indian spirituality. Topicsdiscussed include the significance of the guru, the psychologyof consciousness, the characteristics of a selfrealizedperson, the science of meditation, the natureof transcendental knowledge, and the process of ultimateliberation.Through his voluminous writings, which constitutea veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion,literature and culture, Srlla Prabhupada has distinguishedhimself as the greatest contemporaryteacher of Vedic philosophy and religion. This volumerepresents another valuable contribution by SrllaPrabhupada to our increasing understanding of theprofound and universal principles of Vedic wisdom.

TEACHINGS OFlORD I

BOOKS byHis Divine GraceA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupadal}hagavad-gita As It Isrimad-Bhagavatam, Cantos 1-10 (50 Vols.)Sri Caitanya-caritam:rta (17 Vols.)Teachings of Lord CaitanyaThe Nectar of DevotionThe Nectar of Instruction .Sri IsopaniadEasy Journey to Other PlanetsKr1,1a Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga SystemKr1,1a, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (3 Vols.)Perfect Questions, Perfect AnswersDialectical Spiritualism-A Vedic View ofWestern PhilosophyTeachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of DevahutiTranscendental Teachings of Prahlad MaharajaKr1,1a, the Reservoir of PleasureLife Comes from LifeThe Perfection of YogaBeyond Birth and DeathOn the Way to Kr1,1aGeetar-gan (Bengali)Raja-vidya: The King of KnowledgeElevation to Kr1,1a ConsciousnessKrsna Consciousness: The Matchless GiftBk to Godhead Magazine (Founder)A complete catalog is available upon request.Bhaktivedanta Book Trust3764 Watseka AvenueLos Angeles, California 90034

'Readers interested in the subject matter of this bookare invited by the International Society for Krishna Consciousnessto correspond with its Secretary.International Society for Krishna Consciousness3764 Watseka AvenueLos Angeles, California 90034First Printing, 1977: 50,000 copies© 1977 Bhaktivedanta Book TrustAll Rights ReservedPrinted in the United States of AmericaLibrary of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data' .Puranas. Bhagavatapurana. English.Teachings of Lord Kapiladeva.Selections.i'Bibliography: p.Includes index.I. Bhaktivedanta Swami, A. C., 1986-Il. Title.BLll35.P7A22 1977 294.5'925 77-11077ISBN 0-89213-008-3

ForewordKapila Muni, a renowned sage of antiquity, is the author of the philosophicalsystem known as Sankhya, which forms an important part ofIndia's ancient philosophical heritage. Sankhya is both a system ofmetaphysics, dealing with the elemental principles of the physical universe,and a system of spiritual knowledge, with its own methodology,culminating in full consciousness of the Supreme Absolute. Kapila,however, is not an ordinary philosopher or sage. According to Vedic tradition,the tradition of India's ancient scriptural literature, He Himself isan avattira (incarnation) of the Supreme Absolute Truth.Kapila's teachings are originally inscribed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,or Bhagavata Purt'irJ-a, one of the most important scriptural documents ofVedic theism. Within the Bhagavatam, Kapila's teachings compriseChapters Twenty-five through Thirty-three of the Third Canto. Thisbook, Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti, is based on aunique series of lectures presented in Bombay, India, in the spring of1974, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupiida. Inthis series, Sri:la Prabhupiida spoke from the Twenty-fifth Chapter,which contains the beginning of Lord Kapila's teachings. Srlla Prabhupiidais the author of a celebrated multivolume translation and commentaryon the entire text of the Bhagavatam, and at the time of the Kapilalectures he had already completed his written commentary on the sectionof the Bhagavatam dealing with Kapiladeva's teachings. In these speciallectures, however, Sri:la Prabhupiida went into significantly greater detailin elucidating the verses and shed an even broader light upon thesefascinating teachings.The text begins with the words of Saunaka, the foremost of the sagesof Naimiaral).ya, the vastly learned sages to whom Srimad-Bhagavatamwas originally spoken some thousands of years ago. The sages havealready heard about Lord Kapiladeva from Siita Gosviimi:, an exaltedspiritual master, and it is clear from Saunaka's words that they acceptKapila Muni as being an incarnation of the Lord Himself and as thereforebeing the highest authority on yoga and transcendental knowledge. Inrecounting the history of Lord Kapila, Siita Gosviimi:, in accordance withVedic principles for presenting spiritual knowledge, refers to discoursevu

ContentsForewordvu1 I The Purpose of Lord Kapila's Advent 12 I The Transcendental Master and Supreme Yogi 133 I How to Understand the Lord's Activities 214 I Approaching a Bona Fide Guru 315 I Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother, Devahu.ti 416 I Devahuti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 517 I Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization 778 I Bhakti-yoga: The Supreme Yoga System 939 I Purifying the Mind for Self-realization 10510 I Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment 11911 I The Symptoms of a Sadhu 13512 I Associating With the Supreme Lord Through Hearing 15713 I Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender 17114 I Bhakti As Ultimate Liberation 18915 I Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Forms 20516 I The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences 22117 I Taking Shelter of K:rJa, the Supreme Controller 23718 I Devotional Service: The Final Perfection 249AppendixesThe Author 259References 263Glossary 265Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation 271Index to Sanskrit Verses 273General Index 277

vmTeachings of Lord Kapilaby great spiritual masters who have previously discussed this same subject.In this case, Suta Gosviimi refers to a discussion between Vidura andthe great sage Maitreya, who was a friend of Vyasadeva, the originalcompiler of the Vedic literature.As Suta Gosviimi has already described, Lord Kapila appeared in thisworld as the son of Kardama Muni, a master of mystic yoga, and his wife,Devahuti. Both Kardama Muni and Devahuti were aware of the divinityof their son. Indeed, even before Kapila's birth, Lord Brahmii himself,the chief created person in this universe, had appeared before Devahutiand revealed to her that her son was to be an incarnation of the SupremeLord and that this incarnation would enlighten her with spiritualknowledge.According to the Vedic social system, a man with a grown son may acceptthe order of sannyiisa, thus renouncing all connections with hisfamily and worldly life, and entrust his wife to the care of his son. KardamaMuni, of course, knew that his son was an incarnation of theSupreme Lord, yet to honor this Vedic system and emphasize its importance,he too eventually accepted sannyiisa, entrusting his wife,Devahuti, to the care of his divine son, Kapiladeva. Therefore, as SutaGosviimi begins to answer Saunaka's request to hear further about LordKapiladeva, the sages have already been informed of how Kardama Munideparted for the forest, leaving Kapiladeva behind with Devahuti.After Kardama Muni's departure, Devahuti, remembering theprophetic words of Lord Brahmii, approaches her divine son and humblyexpresses her desire for spiritual enlightenment: "My Lord, I have falleninto the abyss of ignorance. Your Lordship is my only means of gettingout of this darkest region of ignorance because You are my transcendentaleye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, manybirths .... Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion ... Youare the ax which can cut the tree of material existence. I therefore offermy obeisances to You, who are the greatest of all transcendentalists, and Iinquire from You as to the relationship between man and woman and betweenspirit and matter." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.7-11) Pleased byHis mother's pure desire for spiritual enlightenment, and feeling greatcompassion for her, Kapila begins to speak on the Sailkhya philosophy.Now, what is Sailkhya? Insofar as Sailkhya deals with the elementalcategories or principles of the physical universe, Sankhya is what

ForewordixWestern scholars generally refer to as "metaphysics." The term siirikhyaliterally means "to count." This name is used because Sankhya philosophyenumerates principles of cosmic evolution by rational analysis. Theetymological meaning of the word siirikhya is "that which explains verylucidly by analysis of material elements." Philosophically, this term isused because the Sankhya system expounds analytical knowledge thatenables one to distinguish between matter and spirit. This understandingculminates in bhakti, devotion for and service to the Supreme. It may besaid, therefore, that Sailkhya and bhakti form two aspects of the sameprocess, bhakti being the ultimate goal or ultimate aspect of Sankhya.It is interesting to note, at this point, that long after Lord Kapila's descent,an imitation Kapila appeared on the Indian subcontinent and propoundeda nontheistic Sankhya. That which is generally studied asSankhya in the contemporary academic context is actually this later, nontheistic,materialistic Sailkhya. The Sankhya philosophy, propounded bythe original Kapila, is practically unknown in the West. Teachings ofLord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti (along with Srila Prabhupada's completecommentary on Kapila's Sailkhya in his edition of Srimad­Bhagavatam) is probably the first major exposition in the Englishlanguage on the original, theistic Sailkhya. It should therefore be of considerableinterest to scholars in this field.Because the basic principle and the ultimate goal of Lord Kapiladeva'sSailkhya philosophy is bhakti, this is the subject with which LordKapiladeva begins His instructions to Devahuti. Consequently, becausethis volume, Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti, is SrilaPrabhupada's commentary on the beginning of Lord Kapila's teachings,it is chiefly concerned with the science of bhakti-yoga-the process oflinking with God (yoga means "linking") through bhakti (devotion).As the actual history begins, Devahuti approaches her son, Kapila, andwith deep humility expresses her sincere desire for spiritual enlightenment.In response, Lord Kapila delineates "the path of the transcendentalists,who are interested in self-realization." Concisely summarizingthe actual process of self-realization, Kapila defines consciousness in boththe conditioned and liberated states. He describes the psychology of pureconsciousness, delineates the symptoms and characteristics of a siidhu,holy person, and stresses the importance of siidhu-sariga, associationwith those who are saintly. Kapiladeva then explains that liberation is

XTeachings of Lord Kapilamerely a stage preliminary to the attainment of bhakti and that one whoattains bhakti automatically achieves liberation. One who engages inbhakti, devotional yoga, automatically transcends material desires andultimately crosses beyond birth and death.According to later descriptions in Srimad:Bhagavatam, Devahutiultimately attains full enlightenment in transcendental knowledge byhearing and understanding the sublime philosophical teachings of hergreat son.-The Publishers, '

..-....,., ......4".,His Divine GraceA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaFounder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

PLATE ONESome hundreds of thousands of years ago Lord Ki?a appeared asKapiladeva, the son of Devahuti and Kardama Muni. After Kapiladevagrew up, His father, according to the Vedic system, retired and left hometo cultivate spiritual life. At that time Devahuti approached LordKapiladeva and said, "My dear Kapila, I am very sick of the disturbanceof my material senses, for because of this sense disturbance, my Lord, Ihave fallen into the abyss of ignorance. You have come as my son, butYou are my guru because You can inform me how I can cross the ocean ofnescience, which is the material world. Your Lordship is my only meansof getting out of this darkest region of ignorance because You are mytranscendental eye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained aftermany, many births. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, theorigin and Supreme Lord of all living entities. You have arisen to disseminatethe rays of the sun in order to dissipate the darkness of ignoranceof the universe." After hearing of His mother's uncontaminateddesire for transcendental realization, the Lord thanked her within Himselffor her questions, and thus, His face smiling, He explained the pathof sarikhya-yoga for the transcendentalists, who are interested in selfrealization.Throughout the ages, Kapiladeva's Sankhya philosophy hasstood the test of time, and today anyone can learn the facts about materialnature, the soul, and the Supersoul by studying His teachings. (p. 58 ,P· 77).

PLATE TWOLord Qa resides in His own abode, Goloka V:rndavana, in the spiritualworld. But it is not that Qa is simply in Goloka V:rndavana andnowhere else. Actually, He is everywhere; He is even within the atom asthe Paramatma, or Supersoul. The Supersoul has four hands, carrying alotus, a wheel of a chariot, a conchshell and a club respectively. Hismouth expresses His happiness, His eyes are spread like lotus petals, andHis garments, bedecked with valuable jewels, are yellowish like thesaffron of the kadamba flower. His ornaments are all made of gold, setwith jewels, and He wears a glowing headdress and earrings. On Hischest He wears the Kaustubha jewel engraved with a beautiful calf, onHis shoulders He wears other jewels, and around His neck He wears agarland of fresh flowers. About His waist He wears an ornamentalwreath; on His fingers, rings studded with valuable jewels. His leglets,His bangles, His oiled hair curled with bluish tint, and His beautifulsmiling face are all very pleasing. (p. 34)

PLATE THREELord l).a is never alone in Goloka V:rndavana, His personal, spiritualabode. Like a king with his retinue, He is always enjoying happinessin the company of His associates-especially His cowherd boyfriends andgirl friends (gop is), His mother and His father. When l).a enters theforest with His elder brother, Balarama, one gopi will say to another,"My dear friend, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of K:rl).a andBalarama are certainly fortunate. As these two sons of King Nanda enterthe forest, surrounded by Their friends and driving the cows beforeThem, They glance lovingly upon the residents of V:rndavana. For thosewho have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision." (p. 84,p. 168)

PLATE FOURIn the supreme spiritual abode of Goloka V:rndavana, Lord K:rf?J).aplays on His flute and is accompanied by His personified pleasure potency,Srimati Radhariil).i. K:rt?J).a is very fond of Radhariil).i because Sherenders Him the best service. Once Srimati Radhariil).i revealed Her mindto one of Her gopi friends: "My dear friend, K:rt?J).a is My life and soul.K:rt?J).a is the treasure of My life. Indeed, K:rt?J).a is the very life of My life.I therefore keep Him always in My heart and try ·to please Him byrendering service. That is My constant meditation." (pp. 53-54,pp. 218-19)

PLATE FIVEBecause our eyes and other senses are imperfect, we cannot see Lordl(rQa present everywhere in His original, spiritual form. But sincel(rQa is omnipotent, out of His mercy He agrees to appear before us in astone form called the arca-vigraha, the Deity. Atheists think that theDeity is merely an idol, but devotees know that the Deity is l(rQa Himself.As seen here, Deity worship in Vedic times was very opulent. Thehighly elevated brahmary,as would perform the bathing ceremony for theDeities of Sri Sri Radha-K:rQa with all paraphernalia, and then theywould dress the Deities with fine clothing, ornaments, fragrant flowergarlands and other paraphernalia for worship. Finally, with attention anddevotion, a brahmary,a would formally worship the Deities as theassembled devotees sang songs glorifying the Lord and played musicalinstruments such as shenais, kettledrums and viry,ds. (p. 163)

PLATE SIXIn the beginning of creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead expandsHimself in the form of the pura incarnation Maha-Vi1,1u. Lyingin the Causal Ocean, Maha-Vi1,1u impregnates the living entities intomaterial nature by glancing over His unmanifest material energy (shownhere as the goddess Durga). The word durga means "prison," and it isgoddess Durga's function to see that all sinful souls are kept within theprison of this material world. For this purpose, Lord :Kr1,1a has givenDurga so much power that she can create, maintain and annihilate thecosmos. However, she cannot act independently of :Kr1,1a, for she is likeHis shadow. (p. 154)

PLATE SEVENLong ago, in the age of truth (Satya-yuga), Lord K:r!?l.la appeared asKapiladeva to teach the eightfold mystic yoga process for self-realization.But this process is much too difficult for the fallen souls of this age ofquarrel (Kali-yuga). So, just to give relief to the rotting, conditionedsouls of this Kali-yuga, Lord K:r!?l.la appeared five hundred years ago inHis most merciful incarnation of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. LordCaitanya taught the yoga process just suitable for this age of Kali-theprocess of saitkirtana, the congregational chanting of the Hare K:r!?l.lamantra. Here we see Lord Caitanya instructing His intimate disciplesabout the glories of saitkirtana: "Let there be all victory for the chantingof the holy name of Lord K:r!?l.la, which can cleanse the mirror of theheart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. Thechanting of the Hare K:r!?l.la mantra is the waxing moon that spreads thewhite lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul ofall education and expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. Itgives a cooling effect to everyone and enables everyone to taste full nectarat every step." (p. 97)

PLATE NINEFor material creation, Lord K:rI;ta's plenary expansion assumes theform of Maha-ViI;J.u, who lies down in the Causal Ocean. While Maha­ViI;J.U sleeps in that ocean, millions f universes are generated as He exhalesand annihilated when He inhales. To create diversities in each ofthese universes, Maha-ViI;J.U expands Himself as Garbhodakasayi ViI;J.u.Garbhodakasayi ViI;J.U lies on the bed of the thousand-headed serpentAnanta Sea-naga and is always served by the goddess of fortune,Lakmi. From the navel of Garbhodakasayi ViI;J.u grows a lotus flower,which is the birthplace of Brahma, who is the supreme creature andmanager of each universe. (p. 224)

PLATE TENIn the cpnditioned state the living entities are just like puppets in thehands of the three modes of material nature (goodness, passion and ignorance),which are in turn controlled by Lord KrQ.a. But the conditionedsouls have forgotten their helplessness, as Lord KrQ.a explains inthe Bhagavad-gita (3.27): "The bewildered spirit soul, under the influenceof the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to he thedoer of activities that are in actuality carried out by nature." The goal ofthe yoga system taught by Kapiladeva to His mother is to transcend theinfluence of the modes of nature and to come to that state by which one isdirectly influenced by Lord K:rQ.a Himself. As Kapiladeva explains,"The stage in which the consciousness of the living entity is attracted bythe three modes of material nature is called conditional life. But whenthat same consciousness is attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,one is situated in the consciousness of liberation." (p. 89)

PLATE ELEVENArjuna was a VaiI)ava-a devotee of Lord KrI)a-and because aVaiI)ava's natural instinct is not to do harm to anyone, in the beginningArjuna was unwilling to fight in the Battle of Kuruketra. However,when a VaiI)ava knows that _KrI)a wants a particular thing done, hedoes not care for his own considerations. So after KrI)a had spoken theBha g avad- g ita, Arjuna went forth into battle. The military strength ofthe Kauravas was invincible like an insurmountable ocean, but becauseof K:rI)a's friendship, Arjuna, seated on the chariot, was able to crossover it. Great generals like Bhima, Drol)a, Karl)a, Jayadratha andBahlika all directed their invincible weapons against Arjuna, but by Lord_KrI)a's grace they could not touch even a hair of his head. (p. 151)

.1I'

CHAPTER ONEThe Purposeof Lord Kapila's AdventTEXT 1saunaka uvacakapilas tattva-sankhyatabhagavan atma-mayayajatal;t svayam ajal;t salcyadatma-prajfiaptaye np;uimTRANSLATIONSri Saunaka said: Although He is unborn, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead took birth as Kapila Muni by His internalpotency. He descended to disseminate transcendental knowledgefor the benefit of the whole human race.PURPORTThe word atma-prajiiaptaye indicates that the Lord descends for thebenefit of the human race to give transcendental knowledge. Materialnecessities are quite sufficiently provided for in the knowledge given inthe Vedic literatures, which offer a program for good living and gradualelevation to the platform of sattva-gur;w, the mode of goodness. Once oneis situated in sattva-gur;w, one's knowledge expands. On the platform ofpassion there is no knowledge, for passion is an impetus to enjoy materialbenefits. On the platform of ignorance there is neither knowledge norenjoyment hut simply animalistic living.The Vedas are intended to elevate one from the mode of ignorance tothe platform of goodness. When one is situated in the mode of goodness,he is able to understand knowledge of the self, or transcendentalknowledge. Such knowledge cannot he appreciated by any ordinary man;1

2 Teachings of Lord Kapilatherefore a disciplic succession is required. This knowledge is expoundedeither by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself or by His bonafide devotee. Saunaka Muni also states here that Kapila, the incarnationof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, took birth or appeared simply todisseminate transcendental knowledge. To understand that one is notmatter but spirit soul (aham brahmasmi: "I am by nature Brahman") isnot sufficient for understanding the self and his activities. One must besituated in the activities of Brahman. Knowledge of those activities is explainedby the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Such transcendentalknowledge can be appreciated in human society but not in animalsociety ' as clearly indicated here by the word nroam, "for the humanbeings." Human beings are meant to lead a regulated life. By nature,there is regulation in animal life also, but that is not like the regulativelife described in the scriptures or by the Vedic authorities. Only whenone ' s life is regulated according to the Vedas can one understandtranscendental knowledge.For the propagation of this transcendental knowledge, Kapiladeva, theincarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gave instructions inSarikhya philosophy to His mother, Devahu.ti. Later, another Kapiladevaappeared who expounded atheistic Sarikhya philosophy, which dealt withthe twenty-four elements but gave no information about God. The originalKapila is called the Devahiiti-putra Kapila, and the other is called theatheist Kapila. Concerning Kapiladeva, Saunaka I:ti says, kapilas tattvasankhyiitii.Kapila is the Supreme Person; therefore He can explain theAbsolute Truth. Actually only Bhagaviin can know the true position ofthe ultimate truth. No one else can know it. Bhagaviin, K:r:Q.a or His incarnation,occasionally visits the earth to give humanity informationabout the aim of life. Thus the Supreme Lord descended as Kapiladeva,tattva-sankhyiitii. The word sankhyiitii means "expounder," and tattvameans "the Absolute Truth." The Absolute Truth is Bhagaviin Sri K:r:Q.aHimself. We cannot understand the Absolute Truth or the Supreme Personby mental speculation, especially when we are under the influenceof the three modes of material nature (sattva-gulJll, rajo-gulJll andtamo-gulJll). Only those who are situated in sattva-gu"{Ul (the mode ofgoodness) are fit to understand the Absolute Truth. According toBhagavad-gitii (18.42), those possessing brahminical qualifications aresituated in sattva-gulJll.

The Purpose of Lord Kapila's Advent3samo damas tapab saucamk$antir arjavam eva cajfidnam vijfidnam astikyambrahma-karma svabhavajam"Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom,knowledge and righteousness-these are the qualities by which thebrahmalJ-aS work."According to the Vedic conception, there must be men in society whoare factually brahma7J-as, capable of expounding the real truth. If everyonebecomes a sadra, the Absolute Truth cannot be understood. It is saidthat at the present moment in Kali-yuga everyone is a sadra (kalausadra-sambhava/:1,), and it is very difficult in this age to find qualifiedbrahma7J-as, for they are very rare. There is practically not a singlequalified brahmar:w- in this age.prayer,uilpay!L§a/:1. sabhyakalav asmin yuge janabmandai), sumanda-matayomanda-bhagya hy upadrutab"0 learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. Theyare quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed."(Bhag. 1.1.10) The people in this age are very short-lived andslow in understanding spiritual life. Actually human life is meant for understandingspiritual values, but because everyone in this age is a sadra,no one is interested. People have forgotten life's real purpose. The wordmanda means both slow and bad, and everyone in this age is either bador slow or a combination of both. People are unfortunate and disturbedby so many things. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam there will eventuallybe no rain and consequently a scarcity of food. The governmentswill also levy very heavy taxes. The characteristics of this age predictedby Srimad-Bhiigavatam are already being experienced to some degree.Since Kali-yuga is a very miserable age, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is,Sri KrIJ.a Himself, advises everyone simply to chant Hare K:rIJ.a.harer nama harer namaharer namaiva kevalam

4 Teachings of Lord Kapilakalau nasty eva nasty evanasty eva gatir anyathii"In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, thereis no alternative for spiritual progress than the holy name, the holy name,the holy name of the Lord." (Brhan-ndradiya Purd:t:ta) This process isnot Caitanya Mahaprabhu's invention, but is advised by the sastras, thePuriit:UJS. The process for this Kali-yuga is very simple. One need onlychant the Hare K:rt?Qa mahii-mantra. Since everyone in this age is anunintelligent, unfortunate and disturbed sadra, how can anyone understandthe Absolute Truth or the aim of life? As stated by the LordHimself in Bhagavad-gitii ( 4. 7) :yadii yadii hi dharmasyagldnir bhavati bhiirataabhyutthiinam adharmasyatadiitmiinam srjamy aham"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, 0 descendantof Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time Idescend Myself."Some hundreds and thousands of years ago Lord K:rt?Qa appeared asDevahiiti-putra Kapiladeva. His father's name was Kardama Muni. AfterKapiladeva grew up, His father, according to the Vedic system, retired,took sannyasa and left home to cultivate spiritual life. It is not that oneshould rot in this material world throughout one's whole life.Pancasordhvam vanam vrajet. According to the Vedic injunctions, thereare four asramas and four vart:UJS, and these used to be followed verystrictly. After his son grew up, Kardama Muni, being a strict follower ofthe Vedas, left home and put his wife in the charge of his grown son,Kapiladeva.It is said of Kapiladeva: kapilas tattva-saitkhyiitii bhagaviin. LordKapila is Bhagavan. Nowadays Bhagavan is taken very cheaply becausethe word is misused, but actually Bhagavan is not an ordinary man.Avajiinanti miim mUiJ,hiil},: because Bhagavan Sri K:r!?l).a appeared as ahuman being, fools and rascals (mUiJ,has) consider K:rt?Qa an -ordinaryhuman. As K:r!?l).a Himself states in Bhagavad-gitii (7.13):

The Purpose of Lord Kapila's Advent5tribhir guTJQ,mayair bhavairebhi/:l sarvam idarit jagatmohitarit niibhijdndtimdm ebhya param avyayam"Deluded by the three modes (goodness, passion and ignorance), the wholeworld does not know Me, who .am above the modes and inexhaustible."Yet there are mahatmas, great souls, who can understand KJ.la.Arjuna could understand that although J.la was playing the part of hisfriend, He was nonetheless the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Arjunawas in perfect knowledge, yet J.la instructed him for our benefit.Arjuna requested KJ.la's instructions, which are set forth for all humansociety. After hearing Bhagavad-gitd, Arjuna addressed J.la as pararitbrahma pararit dhdma, "the Supreme Brahman and supreme abode."Every person is actually Brahman, spirit soul. We are not actually thebody. Awareness of aharit brahmdsmi ("I am Brahman") is actual selfrealization.According to Vedic culture, one must understand that he isBrahman, not the body. We should not remain in ignorance like cats anddogs, thinking, "I am this body, I am American, I am Indian, I ambrahmary,a, I am /cyatriya, I am Hindu, I am Muslim," and so on. Theseare all bodily designations. When one comes to spiritual understanding,he understands aharit brahmdsmi, "I am Brahman." This is calledBrahman realization. It is not that we become Brahman by some practice.Gold is gold, even if it is covered with some dirt, which can certainly beremoved. Similarly, we are all Brahman, spirit soul, but somehow orother we have come in contact with these material elements (bhamir dpo'nalo vayuM, and we have acquired bodily coverings. Consequently wethink, "I am this body." This is ignorance, and unless one is enlightenedby spiritual knowledge, he remains animalistic.Understanding one's spiritual identity is called dharma. The ultimategoal of dharma is enunciated by Sri J.la Himself in Bhagavad-gitd(18.66) . Sarva-dharmdn parityajya mdm ekarit sarary,am vraja: "Abandonall varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." On this earth·we have created so many dharmas - Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma,Christian dharma. These are all manufactured dharmas, but realdharma is attained when we come to the conclusion that Sri Krsna iseverything. Again, in the words of Sri J.la in Bhagavad-gitd (7.. 19):

6 Teachings of Lord Kapilabahilnam janmaniim antejfiiinavan mam prapadyateviisudevab, sarvam itisa mahatma sudurlabhab,"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrendersunto Me, knowing Me to he the cause of all causes and all that is.Such a great soul is very rare.". The l(rQa consciousness movement is meant for the propagation ofthis message. We are not preaching a particular sectarian religioussystem hut a real religion, dharma. Dharmam tu sa/cyad bhagavatprar:rJtam:no one actually knows what dharma is, and no one canmanufacture dharma. Dharma is the order of the Supreme Being. Noone can manufacture state laws; they are given by the government. Thesimplest definition of dharma is that dharma is the order of the SupremeBeing. Since the Supreme Being, God, is one, His order must he one.How, then, can there he different dharmas? It is not possible. Differentdharmas are created due to ignorance, which causes people to thinkin terms of Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma, thisdharma or that dharma. No. Gold is gold. If a Christian possesses somegold, does it become Christian gold? Gold is gold whether possessed by aHindu, a Muslim or a Christian. According to the order of the SupremePerson_ality of Godhead, dharma means surrendering unto that SupremeBeing. This is bhagavata-dharma, and everyone should he taught how tosurrender unto God. God is one; there cannot he two Gods. When there iscompetition, there is no God. Presently there is a different God on everystreet, hut KtQa is not that kind of God. He is the Supreme God. Asl(rQa Himself states in Bhagavad-gitii ( 7. 7):mattab, parataram nan yatkiiicid asti dhananjayamayi sarvam idam protamsiUre mar:r-i-gar:tii iva"0 conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to Me.Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread."The purpose of this l(rQa consciousness movement is to inform

The Purpose of Lord Kapila's Advent 7everyone that no one is superior to !}.a, God. Because many youngAmericans and Europeans are fortunate and know nothing of anyhodgepodge god, they have taken this bona fide K1,1a consciousnessmovement seriously. Kr$1Ja5 tu bhagavan svayam: Bhagaviin, God,means Sri K1,1a. We have simply presented this information, saying,"Here is God. Sri J}.a." Because they have taken this seriously, manyyoung Americans and Europeans are advancing in K1,1a consciousness.Consequently many people are surprised to see how Americans andEuropeans have become such great devotees and are dancing in ecstasy.How is it they are so advanced? They have taken the informationseriously: kr$1Ja5 tu bhagavan svayam. Whether one touches fire blindlyor knowingly, fire will burn. It is not that because the fire is touched by achild, fire will not burn. These young Westerners have touched fire, andconsequently it is acting as fire.Acaryopasanam: this information (kr$1Ja5 tu bhagavan svayam) is notconcocted, but is accepted by the iicaryas in the disciplic succession.Although an impersonalist, Sankariiciirya has accepted Kl}.a as theSupreme Personality of Godhead. So have Ramiinujaciirya, Madhvaciirya,Vi1,1usvami, Nimbiirka and Sri Caitanya Mahiiprabhu and His followers.They all accept !}.a as the Supreme, just as Arjuna himself did. This isthe simplest method. There is no need to speculate, "What is God?Where is God?" Why foolishly go on searching? Here is God-KJ}.a.We may think that 1,1a cannot be seen, but Kl}.a can appear in theform of His energy. Of course, a stone is not God, but a stone is anotherone of God's energies. Heat and light are not fire, but without fire therecannot be heat or light. In that sense, heat and light are nondi:fferentfrom fire. This material world is like the heat and light of the supremefire.ekadesa-sthitasyagnerjyotsna vistari"{ti yathaparasya brahma"{ta/:t saktistathedam akhilam jagat"Just as a fire is situated in one place, but spreads illumination allaround, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, spreads Hisenergies throughout this universe." (Vi$7;tu Purii"{ta 1.22.53)The sun is situated in one place, and its light and heat expand

8 Teachings of Lord Kapilathroughout the entire solar system. As soon as we perceive light andheat, we can understand that the sun is there. Since light and heat can beperceived by everyone, Kra says in Bhagavad-gita (7.8), prabhasmisa.Si-silryayo/:1,: "I am the light of the sun and the moon." People are saying,"Can you show me God?" while not realizing that they are seeingGod daily at every moment. Because people are foolish in this age, theycannot understand that when we perceive the energy of the Lord, we canfeel the presence of the Lord.The young devotees in the K{a consciousness movement are presentlyworshiping K{a. What are the signs of a devotee? The actual signof a devotee is that he is no longer interested in material enjoyment:bhakti/:1, paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca (Bhiig. 11.2.42). Thedisciples of this K:ra consciousness movement do not go to cinemas,restaurants or clubs, and they do not smoke or drink. In European andAmerican countries all these things are available and are very cheap, butthese young people are not interested in them. They are simply interestedin sitting on the floor and learning about K{a consciousness.Why is this? They have actually rejected the material world. When onecomes to detest material enjoyment, one can understand that he has advancedspiritually. Spiritual life does not mean taking sannytisa and thensmoking or drinking tea. One must actually come to detest material life.One comes to lose interest in material activities and becomes interested·only in the understanding of God, the Supreme Being, and His service.As enjoined in Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.1):nayarit deho deha-bhajam nrlokeka$tan kaman arhate vic;l-bhujam ye"Of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in thisworld, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hardday and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even forthe dogs and hogs that eat stool." The word vic;l-bhujam means "stooleaters."Hogs work hard day and night simply eating stool, and becausestool contains chemicals, hydrophosphates, the hog gets strength,becomes very fat and enjoys sex. In any case, human life is meant not forimitating the life of a hog but for tapasya, austerity:

The Purpose of Lord Kapila ' s Advent 9tapo divyam putraka yena sattvamsuddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam"Rather, my dear boys, one should engage in penance and austerity to attainthe divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one'sheart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal,blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and whichcontinues forever." (Bhag. 5.5.1)This is the meaning of Vedic civilization. The society of van:tasramadharma-composed of brahmalJas, lcyatriyas, vaiSyas, sudras, grhasthas,vanaprasthas, brahmacaris and sannyasis -is meant to elevate peoplegradually to the perfect stage of understanding God. The whole aim ofthe different var1Jas and asramas is the worship of the Supreme Lord.One can attain this understanding through this social system, which admitsof gradations. When one goes to school, he begins with the firstgrade, then progresses to the second, third and so forth. In this way onemakes progress.When human society accepts varlJiiSrama-dharma, it can graduallycome to the understanding of Brahman. By birth, everyone is a sudra;therefore everyone has to be educated. The word dvija means "twiceborn."One is first born through the womb of a mother, and one's nextbirth is given by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. Vedicknowledge is the mother, and the spiritual master is the father. Whenone is twice-born (dvija), he receives a sacred thread from the spiritualmaster and begins to learn about spiritual life. He is then allowed to readthe Vedic literatures. In this way one becomes a son of Vedic literature.Nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam: Srimad-Bhagavatam is theessence of Vedic culture. It is a wish-fulfilling tree, and we can takewhatever we want from it. Vedic knowledge is perfect, and if we want tocome to know it, we must take shelter of a bona fide guru (tadvijnanarthamsa gurum evabhigacchet).Unfortunately, in this age everything is mismanaged. People forgetthe aim of life, and at such a time the Supreme Lord Himself comes. TheSupreme Lord descends out of compassion because He is more anxious tohave us return home, back to Godhead, than we are to go. Because we arein ignorance, we do not know anything about the kingdom of God. We

· He10 Teachings of Lord Kapilaknow nothing about how to get there or how to become happy. We haveforgotten all this. Therefore Kt![H,ta comes at intervals or sends His representative,the pure devotee. Sometimes He. comes personally, and sometimesHe sends His incarnation.Kapiladeva is an incarnation of the Supreme Person, KtQa. Thereforeit is stated: kapilas tattva-sarikhyiitii bhagaviin iitma-miiyayii. The wordmiiyii means not only "illusion," but also "affection" and "energy."When KtQa comes, all His energies also come. It is not that He is forcedto come. We have to accept a certain type ofbody because we are forcedto do so, but this is not the case with Sri KtQa. Presently I may have ahuman form, but in the future I cannot demand a human form. Wereceive bodies in the next life according to karma, not will. One cannotdemand to be a high-court judge unless one has been educated for thejob. First of all, one must become qualified. If one qualifies himself, onemay become a devatii, a demigod like Indra or Candra, or one can becomea dog or a cat. That depends on one's karma, or activities (karmadaiva-netreTJ-a). When KtQa or His incarnation come, they do notdepend on karma for their bodies. The Supreme Lord is above karmaand is fully independent. It is therefore said, iitma-miiyayii. TheSupreme Lord comes by His own energy, not by the external energy orby force. When the governor visits the prison, he is not forced to do so.is not to be considered a condemned person; rather, he goes by hisown good will just to see how things are going on. However, it is understoodthat when an ordinary person is placed in jail, he is sent there byforce because he has been proven a criminal. A criminal may think thathe and the governor are one, just as rascals and fools think that KtQa isone of them. Avajiinanti miim mi14hii miinU$irit tanum iiSritam. Aknowledgeable person knows that when KtQa or His incarnation descendsupon the material world, the Supreme Lord maintains His transcendentalposition. He is not an ordinary man, nor is He forced into thematerial world due to karma. The Supreme Lord comes by His own goodwill. Param bhiivam ajiinantab,. Rascals cannot understand what KtQais; therefore they think that KtQa is a human being. As KtQa Himselfstates in Bhagavad-gitii (7.3):manU$yii{tiim sahasre$ukaScid yatati siddhaye

The Purpose of Lord Kapila's Advent11yatatam api siddhanamka.Scin mdm vetti tattvata/:t"Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection,and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me intruth."Understanding 1,1a is therefore not so easy. As stated by 1,1a, outof many thousands one person may become a siddha, a self-realizedbeing. And out of many siddhas, one may be able to understand 1,1a. Itis our great fortune that Sri Caitanya Mahiiprabhu, 1,1a Himself, hasappeared and given us a very easy process by which we can understand1,1a. What is that process? We need only hear about 1,1a. That's all.We have therefore opened all these centers of K:rJ.la consciousnessthroughout the world.sr7Jvatam sva-katha/:t kr'Ja/:tpu1Jya-srava7Ja-kirtana/:thrdy anta/:t-stho hy abhadralJividhunoti suhrt satam,..."Sri 1,1a, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramiitmii[Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthfuldevotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of thedevotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are inthemselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted." (Bhag. 1.2.17)If we hear about K:rJ.la, we become purified. Hearing about 1,1ameans associating with 1,1a. In this way we may perfect our lives.

CHAPTER TWOThe Transcendental Masterand Supreme YogiTEXT2na hy asya var$ma pumsaritvarim sarva-yoginamviSrutau sruta-devasyabhilri trpyanti me 'savaTRANSLATIONSaunaka continued: There is no one who knows more than theLord Himself. No one is more worshipable or more mature a yogithan He. He is therefore the master of the Vedas, and to hear aboutHim always is the actual pleasure of the senses.PURPORTIn Bhagavad-gita it is stated that no one can be equal to or greaterthan the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in the Vedasalso: eko bahiinarit yo vidadhati kaman. He is the supreme living entityand is supplying the necessities of all other living entities. Thus all otherliving entities, both vi$r:tu-tattva and jiva-tattva, are subordinate to theSupreme Personality of Godhead, l(r:Q.a. The same concept is confirmedhere. Na hy asya var$ma pumsam: among living entities, no one cansurpass the Supreme. Person because no one is richer, more famous,stronger, more beautiful, wiser or more renounced than He. Thesequalifications make Him the Supreme Godhead, the cause of all causes.Yogis are very proud of performing wonderful feats, but no one can compareto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Anyone who is associated with the Supreme Lord is accepted as a firstclassyogi. Devotees may not be as powerful as the Supreme Lord, but by13

14 Teachings of Lord Kapilaconstant association with the Lord they become as good as the Lord Himself.Sometimes the devotees act more powerfully than the Lord. Ofcourse, that is the Lord's concession.Also used here is the word varimr:w. meaning the most worshipful ofall yogis. To hear from K:rI).a is the real pleasure of the senses; thereforehe is known as Govinda, for by His words, by His teachings, by His instruction-by everything connected with Him- He enlivens the senses.Whatever He instructs is from the transcendental platform, and His instructions,being absolute, are nondifferent from Him. Hearing fromKrI).a or His expansion or plenary expansion like Kapila is very pleasingto the senses. Bhagavad-gita can be read or heard many times, butbecause it gives great pleasure, the more one reads Bhagavad-gitii themore he wants to read and understand it, and each time he gets newenlightenment. That is the nature of the transcendental message.Similarly, we find that transcendental happiness in the Srimad­Bhagavatam. The more we hear and chant the glories of the Lord, themore we become happy.In the previous verse, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead as Devahiiti-putra Kapiladeva has been explained as bhagaviiniitma-miiyayii. The word bhaga means "opulence," and van means "onewho possesses." All the opulences of the creation are present mBhagavan. As stated in the Vedas (Ka!ha Upanad 2.2.13):nityo nityiiniim cetana§ cetaniiniimeko bahuniim yo vidadhati kamiinNitya, Bhagavan, is the singular, and nityiiniim are the plural jivas, orliving beings. Nityo nityiindm: we are many, but God is one. There is nolimit to the jivas; no one can count them. The word ananta means thatthey are without limit. All these jivas, living entities, are being maintainedby the Supreme One. We cannot conceive how many living entitiesare being maintained by the Supreme Lord. All the great elephants, allthe small ants, all the 8,400,000 species of life are maintained byBhagavan. Why do we worry that He will not-maintain us? Those whoare devotees of the Lord and have taken shelter at His lotus feet, leavingeverything aside simply to render service unto Him, will certainly becared for. In our KrI).a consciousness movement, we have over a

The Transcendental Master and Supreme Yogi 15hundred centers, and K{Qa is maintaining them all. None of ourdevotees are employed for independent incomes, yet they are all beingm_!lintained. In Bhagavad-gita, K{Qa never says, "Do this or that, and Iwill then maintain you." Rather, He states that not only will He maintainus, but He will also protect us from the results of sin, from sinful karma(Bg. 18.66). All of this assurance is there.Tasyaiva hetob, prayateta kovidab,. The word kovidab, means "intelligent."An intelligent person should try to attain shelter at the lotusfeet of K{Qa. Human life is actually meant for getting in touch with thelotus feet of K{Qa. That should be our only business. The word upari indicatesthe higher planetary systems. There are seven higher planetarysystems, and we are in the middle system, in Bhnrloka. Within this oneuniverse, there are fourteen planetary systems, and the living entitiesare wandering in different bodily forms on different planets. Accordingto karma, the living entity sometimes goes up and sometimes goes down.He wanders in this way, thinking how he can become materially happyand satisfy his senses. The siistras say that we should not do this, that weshould endeavor to understand K{Qa. We should not worry about eatingand sleeping, for the needs of the body are already arranged. We do nothave to work independently to maintain the body.tal labhyate dub,khavad anyatab, sukharhkalena sarvatra gabhira-rarhhasaOur actual endeavor should be to attain happiness; that is our real strugglefor existence. According to the siistras: tal labhyate dub,khavat. Theword dub,khavat indicates that although we do not want misery, miserycomes anyway. We don't have to endeavor separately for misery. No onesays, "Let there be a fire in my house" or "Let my child die." No oneaspires after these things, yet they happen. Everyone is thinking, "Maymy child live happily" or "May I get so much money." We do not ask orpray for catastrophes, yet they come without invitation. Similarly,whatever happiness is there for our enjoyment will also come withoutour asking for it. The conclusion is that we should not endeavor for socalledhappiness or distress, but should try to attain that positionwhereby we can understand K:rQa and get shelter at His lotus feet. Thisshould be the real human endeavor.

16 Teachings of Lord KapilaIt was Caitanya Mahiiprabhu who said to Rupa Gosviimi:brahmar:uJ,a bhramite kona bhagyavan fivaguru-kr$r:ta-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija"The living entity is wandering up and down, from one planet toanother, and he is very fortunate if by the mercy of the spiritual masterand K:rQ.a Himself he can get the seed of devotional service to K:rQ.a."(Cc. Madhya 19.151) The K:rQ.a consciousness movement is an attemptto make people fortunate. In this age, everyone is unfortunate (mandabhagyaM,but now we are trying to reverse the situation.Throughout the world there are problems everywhere. One countryhas one type of problem, and another country has another. There is strifewithin governments themselves, and even presidents are fraught withproblems. Sometimes we may think we are very fortunate, just as PresidentNixon was thinking, "I am very fortunate. I have become the presidentof the United States." Then he soon realized that he was mostunfortunate. Actually this is the situation for everyone. We should notthink that the only apprehended culprit is President Nixon and that weare safe. There is a Bengali proverb: Dry cow dung is used for fuel, andit is said that when the dry cow dung is being burned, the soft cow dung·is laughing, saying, "Oh, you are being burned, but I am safe." It doesnot know that when it dries out, it will be thrown into the fire too. Wemay laugh because President Nixon is in trouble, and we may think ourselvesvery safe because we have a big bank balance, but actually no oneis safe. Eventually everyone will dry up and be thrown in the fire. That isa fact. We may survive for a few years, but we cannot avoid death. Infact, it is said, "As sure as death." And what is the result of death? Oneloses everything-all honor, money, position and material life itself.K:rQ.a states in Bhagavad-gita (10.34), mrtyub, sarva-hara§ caham: "Iam all-devouring death." ·Q.a comes as death and plunders everything-bankbalance, skyscrapers, wife, children and whatever. Onecannot say, "My dear death, please give me some time to adjust." Thereis no adjustment; one must immediately get out.Foolish people are unaware of the miserable conditions of materiallife. K:rQ.a says in Bhagavad-gita (13.9), janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhidub,kha-dosanudarsanam.Real knowledge means knowing that however

The Transcendental Master and Supreme Yogi 17great one may be, the four principles of material life are present: birth,old age, disease and death. These exist in the highest planetary system(Brhmaloka) and in the lowest (Patalaloka).tasyaiva heto/:t prayateta kovidona labhyate yad bhramatiim upary adha/:ttal labhyate du/:tkhavad anyata/:t sukhamkalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasii"Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined shouldendeavor only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable even bywandering from the topmost planet down to the lowest planet. As far ashappiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can be obtainedautomatically in course of time, just as in course of time we obtain miserieseven though we do not desire them." (Bhag. 1.5.18)When Dharmaraja asked Maharaja Yudhithira what the most wonderfulthing in the world was, Maharaja Yudhithira replied: ahany ahanibhatani gacchantiha yamiilayam. "Every moment people are dying, butthose who are living are thinking, 'My friend has died, but I shall liveforever.'" (Mahiibhiirata, Vana-parva 313.116) Soft cow dung thinksthe same way. This is typical of conditioned beings.Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord, is not in this position. It is thereforesaid: bhagaviin iitma-mayayii. We come onto this planet to enjoy orsuffer life for a few days-fifty or a hundred years-but Bhagavan, theSupreme Personality of Godhead, does not come for that purpose (namiiril karmiiTJ-i limpanti). It is further stated, na hy asya varma7J-a/:t:"No one is greater than Him." No one is greater than Bhagavan orequal to Him. Everyone is inferior. According to Caitanya-caritamrta(Adi 5.142), ekale iSvara krTJ-a, iira saba bhrtya. There is only onemaster-K:rl).a. All others are subservient, beginning with LordBrahma, Vil).u, Mahesvara, lndra, Candra and all the demigods (thereare thirty-three million demigods) and the middle and lower species.Everyone is bhrtya, or servant. When K:rl).a orders, "My dear Mr. Soand-So,now please give up your place and leave," one must go.Therefore everyone is a servant. This is the position of Lord Brahma andthe ant as well. Yas tv indragopam athavendram aho sva-karma. From

18 Teachings of Lord KapilaLord lndra to indragopa, an insignificant insect, everyone is reaping theconsequences of his karma. We are creating our own karma, our nextbody, in this life. In this life we enjoy or suffer the results of our pastkarma, and in the same way we are creating further karma for our nextbody. Actually we should work in such a way that we will not get anothermaterial body. How can this be done? We simply have to try to understandl

The Transcendental Master and Supreme Yogi 19tato miim tattvato jfiiitviiviSate tad anantaram"One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotionalservice. And when one is in full consciousness of the SupremeLord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God."This process is actually very simple. One must first of all realize thatthe first problem is the conquest of death. Presently we consider deathcompulsory, but actually it is not. One may be put into prison, but actuallyprison is not compulsory. It is due to one's work that one becomesa criminal and is therefore put in jail. It is not compulsory for everyoneto go to jail. As living entities, we have our proper place inV aikul).thaloka.paras tasmiit tu bhavo 'nyo'vyakto 'vyaktiit saniitanat£yat£ sa sarveu bhuteuna§yatsu na vina§yatiavyakto ·ara ity uktastam iihut£ paramiim gatimyam priipya na nivartantetad dhiima paramam mama"There is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to thismanifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated.When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.That supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is thesupreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That isMy supreme abode." (Bg. 8.20-21)Everything is present in Vaikul).thaloka. There we can have an eternal,blissful life full of knowledge (sac-cid-iinanda). It is not compulsoryfor us to rot in this material world. The easiest way to go to theVaikul).thalokas is: janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatat£.Simply try to understand J(rJ).a. Why does He come? What are His activities?Where does He come from? Why does He come in the form of ahuman being? We only have to try to understand this and study J(rJ).a as

20 Teachings of Lord KapilaHe explains Himself in Bhagavad-gita. What is the difficulty? God personallyexplains Himself as He is, and if we accept Bhagavad-gita as it is,we shall no longer have to transmigrate. Tyaktva deham punar janmanaiti. We shall no longer have to endure birth and death, for we can attainour spiritual bodies (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha) and live happily ina's family. a is providing for us here, and He will also providefor us there. So we should know that our happiness is in returning home,back to Godhead, where we can eat, drink and be merry in a'scompany.

CHAPTER THREEHow to Understandthe Lord's ActivitiesTEXT3yad yad vidhatte bhagavansvacchandatmatma-mayayatani me sraddadhanasyakirtanyany anukirtayaTRANSLATIONTherefore please precisely describe all the activities andpastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is full of self-desireand who assumes all these activities by His internal potency.PURPORTThe word anukirtaya is very significant. Anukirtaya means "to followthe description"-not to create a concocted mental description, but.tofollow. Saunaka l,li requested Suta Gosvami to describe what he had actuallyheard from his spiritual master, Sukadeva Gosvami, about thetranscendental pastimes that the Lord manifested by His internal energy.Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no material body,but He can assume any kind of body by His supreme will. That is madepossible by His internal energy.We can understand the pastimes of the Lord by following one or someof the authorized devotional processes.sravar:tam kirtanam vi§{W/:1.smarar:tam pada-sevanam21

---"\.22Teachings of Lord Kapilaarcanam vandanam dasyamsakhyam atma-nivedanam"Hearing, chanting and remembering the holy name, form, pastimes,qualities and entourage of the Lord, offering service according to thetime, place and performer, worshiping the Deity, offering prayers, alwaysconsidering oneself the eternal servant of !).a, making friendswith Him and dedicating everything unto Him-these are the nine processesof devotional service." (Bhag. 7.5.23)There are nine basic processes of devotional service-hearing andchanting about the Supreme Lord, remembering Him, serving His lotusfeet, worshiping Him, offering prayers to the Lord, acting as His servant,becoming His friend, and surrendering everything to Him. The beginningis sravar:w-m kirtanam, hearing and chanting. One must be veryeager to hear and chant. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.14):satatam kirtayanto mamyatanta5 ca drt;lha-vratanamasyanta5 ca mam bhaktyanitya-yukta upasate"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination,bowing down before Me, the great souls perpetually worship Me withdevotion."We have to speak or chant about the holy activities of the SupremePersonality of Godhead, but first we have to hear about them. ThisSrimad-Bhagavatam was recited by Sukadeva Gosvami and heardby Parikit Maharaja, and we in turn have to hear about K:rQa and thenchant about Him (sravar:w-m kirtanam vtwM. When we speak of ViQu,we mean K:rQa. K:rQa is the origin of the v{tu-tattva-that is, ViQU isan expansion of K:rQa. When we speak of ViQu, we understand that theorigin of ViQU is !).a. As Sri K:rQa says in Bhagavad-gita (10.2),aham adir hi devanam: "I am the source of the demigods."The most important demigods (devas) are Brahma, Siva and ViQU. Inthe beginning of the creation there is Lord ViQu, and from Lord ViQu,Brahmii is born. From Lord Brahmii, Lord Siva is born, and these threegods take charge of the three modes of material nature. ViQu takes

How to Understand the Lord's Activities 23charge of sattva-gur;ta (the mode of goodness), Lord Brahma takes chargeof rajo-gur;ta (the mode of passion), and Lord Siva takes charge of tamogur;ta(the mode of ignorance). However, before the creation there wasno Brahma or Siva. There was only 1,1a. 1,1a therefore says, ahamiidir hi devanam. He is the creator of all demigods and all other livingentities. After the cosmic manifestation is created, the living entities areplaced in it. Therefore in the Vedas it is stated that in the beginningthere was neither Brahma nor Siva, but only Naraya1,1a (eko ndrayaQ.adsit). Naraya1,1a is also another plenary expansion of K:rJ.la.We have to learn from the scriptures that K:rJ.la is the origin of all.Kr$ tu bhagavan svayam: all the vi$Q.u-tattvas and incarnations arebut plenary expansions or expansions of the plenary expansions of1,1a. There are millions and millions of incarnations. They are asplentiful as waves in the ocean. There are saktyavesa-avataras, gur,taavatarasand svayam-avataras, and these are all described in Srimad­Bhagavatam. All these avataras, or incarnations, are svacchandatmd,free from care and anxiety. If we organize a business, we have manyanxieties. The managing director or proprietor of the business particularlyhas many anxieties. Although he sits in his office without disturbance,he is not very happy because he is al:ways thinking about how todo this or that, how to manage this affair or that. This is material nature,and therefore it is said that there is always anxiety in the material world.When Hira1,1yakasipu, the father of Prahlada Maharaja, asked his son,"My dear boy, what is the best thing you have learned from yourteachers?" Prahlada Maharaja immediately replied, tat siidhu manye'sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat (Bhag.7 .5.5). "I have learned that materialists have accepted the asad gur;ta."Asat means "that which is not." We should not remain on this platform,but should go to the platform of sat (om tat sat). This is the Vedic injunction.The material world is asad-vastu; it cannot possibly remain. In thematerial world, everything will ultimately be vanquished. Whatever existsin the material world exists only for some time. It is temporary. TheMayavadi philosophers say, brahma satyam jagan mithya: "TheSupreme Truth is real, whereas the world is false" -but Vai1,1avas donot use the word mithya (false), because God, the Supreme Brahman, istruth, and nothing false can emanate from the truth. If we prepare anearring from gold, the earring is also gold. We cannot say that the

I24 Teachings of Lord Kapilaearring is false. Yato imani bhutani jayante: the Supreme AbsoluteTruth is He from whom everything is emanating. If everything isemanating from the Absolute Truth, nothing can actually be false. TheVai1,1ava philosophers accept the world as temporary, but not false, asthe Mayavadi philosophers do.The world (jagat) has emanated from the Supreme; therefore it is notmithya, but it is temporary. That is also explained in Bhagavad-gita(8.19): bhatva bhutva praliyate. The material world comes into existence,remains for some time, and is then annihilated. It is not false, forit can be utilized to realize the Supreme Truth. This is Vai1,1ava philosophy.The world is temporary, but we must use it for spiritual purposes. Ifsomething is used for the ultimate truth, the Absolute Truth, it becomesintegral with the Absolute Truth. As stated by Srila Rupa Gosvami:anasaktasya vayanyatharham upayufijatanirbandha krr:m-sambandheyuktarh vairagyam ucyateprapaficikataya buddhyahari-sambandhi-vastunamumuubhi parityagovairagyarh phalgu kathyate(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.255-256)The word mumuubhi refers to those who aspire for mukti, liberation.When one becomes disgusted with material engagement, one wantsto destroy everything that has anything to do with the material world.However, the Vai1,1ava says, prapaficikataya buddhya hari-sambandhivastuna.Everything has some relationship with the Supreme Person,the Absolute Truth. For instance, a microphone is made of metal, butwhat is metal? It is another form of earth. In Bhagavad-gita (7.4) Sri!41,1a says:bhumir apo 'nalo vayukharh mano buddhir eva ca

How to Understand the Lord's Activities 25aharikara itiyam mebhinna prakrtir O-$tadhd"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego-alltogether these comprise My separated material energies." All of these are}a's energies, and if }a is the source of them, how can they beuntrue? They are not. A VaiJ}ava will never say that metal has no connectionwith J}a. It is a product of one of His energies, just as thismaterial world is a product of the sun. We cannot say that the sunshine isfalse and that the sun is true. If the sun is true, the sunshine is also true.Similarly, we do not say that the material universe is false. It may betemporary, but it is not false. Therefore the Gosvamis and }a Himselftell us that since everything belongs to I}.a, everything should beutilized for His purpose.This creation emanates from Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord, who iswithout anxiety. }a very pleasantly associates with His consortSrimati Radharal}i and enjoys playing His flute. If God is anxious, whatkind of God is He? Even Lord Brahma and other demigods are anxious.Lord Brahma is engaged in meditation, Lord Siva dances to annihilate theuniverse, the goddess Kali is engaged in killing with her sword, and soforth. The demigods have many activities, but }a is always peaceful.The K:rJ}a who engages in killing demons is Vasudeva KtJ}a, not theoriginal J}a. The original }a does not go anywhere; He never takesa step away from V:rndavana. The other activities performed by K:rJ}aare performed in the Vasudeva, Sankaral}a, Aniruddha or Pradyumnaforms. }a expands as Sankaral}a, Narayal}.a, ViJ}u, Maha-ViI}u,Garbhodakasayi ViJ}u and Kirodakasayi ViI].u. God can expand Himselfin many, many forms.advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupamadyam purar:w-purU{iam nava-yauvanam ca(Brahma-samhita 5.33)He is the adi-purU{ia, the original soul of all. Govindam adi-purU{iamtam aham bhajami: Lord Brahma says that he is not adi-purU{ia but thatGovinda, K:rJ}a, is the adi-purU{ia. This }a has many expansions

26 Teachings of Lord Kapila(advaitam acyutam anadim). He has no beginning, but He is the beginningof everything. He has expanded Himself in many forms. The vutattvaconsists of bhagavat-tattva-svamsa, the personal expansions. Weare also Qa's forms, but we are vibhinnamsa, separated expansions.We are the expansions of the energies. According to Qa in Bhagavadgita(7.5):apareyam itas tv anyamprakrtim viddhi me paramjiva-bhutam maha-bahoyayedam dharyate jagat"Besides the inferior nature, 0 mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superiorenergy of Mine, which consists of the living entities who are strugglingwith material nature and are sustaining the universe."Thus there are the jiva-prakrti, the pard prakrti expansions, whobelong to Qa's superior energy. In any case, Qa is always svacchandatma-without anxiety. Even if He is killing a demon, He experiencesno anxiety. That is also confirmed in the Vedas:na tasya karyam karam ca vidyatena tat-sama5 cabhyadhikaS ca drsyateparasya saktir vividhaiva sruyatesvabhaviki jiiana-bala-kriya ca"The Supreme Lord has nothing to do, for everything is done automaticallyby His various potencies. No one is seen to be equal to, orgreater than, Him." (Svetasvatara Upanad 6.8)Sri Qa has nothing to do personally. It is His energy that acts. Whenan important man wants to get something done, he simply tells his secretary,who does everything. The important man is quite confident thatbecause he has told his secretary, his desires will be carried out. The secretaryis a person, energy (sakti). If an ordinary man within this worldhas many energies in the form of secretaries, then we can hardly imaginethe energies possessed by Sri l).a. Sri K:rQa is jagad-iSvara, the controllerof the entire universe, and thus He is managing the entire

How to Understand the Lord's Activities 27universe. Foolish people say that there is no brain behind the universe,hut this is due to ignorance. By taking information from the sastras, thescriptures, we can understand who that brain is. According to Sri KnQ.ain Bhagavad-gitd (9.10):mayadhya/cyeTJ-a prakrti/:tsayate sa-caracaramhetunanena kaunteyajagad viparivartate"This material nature is working under My direction, 0 son of Kunti,and producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule thismanifestation is created and annihilated again and again." We see Hisenergies working in this material world all the time. There is thunderand rain, and from rain comes the food we enjoy. This process is outlinedin Bhagavad-gita (3.14):annad bhavanti bhataniparjanyad anna-sambhava/:tyajnad bhavati parjanyoyajna/:t karma-samudbhava/:t"All living beings subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains.Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna ishorn of prescribed duties." The origin of everything is the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. Through yajna, sacrifice, we have to satisfy theSupreme Person, and yajfLas can he executed when human society isregulated according to the van;asrama-dharma, the system of four socialorders (varTJ-aS) and four spiritual orders (asramas). There are fourvarlJ-aS (brahmaTJ-a, /cyatriya, vaiSya and sadra) and four asramas( brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sann yasa). These val'TJ-a.'! andasramas have their respective duties, and unless human society isdivided according to these eight scientific divisions and everyone acts accordingto his position, there can he no peace in the world.van:u'iSramacaravatapurelJ-a para/:t pumdn

28 Teachings of Lord Kapilavi§7Jur iiriidhyate panthiiniinyat tat-toa-kiira7Jam"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord ViQu, is worshiped by theproper execution of prescribed duties in the system of var7Ja and asrama.There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead."( Vi§TJU Purii1Ja 3.8.9)The ultimate goal of all activity is the satisfaction of the SupremeLord, ViQu. Na te vidu/:t sviirtha-gatirh hi vi§7Jum (Bhiig. 7.5.31).Foolish people do not know that their ultimate interest is the satisfactionof ViQu. Therefore, when there are dharmasya glani/:t, discrepancies indharma, "KTQa or His incarnation personally comes. It is therefore said:yad yad vidhatte bhagaviin. Although He comes, He has no anxiety. Hecomes by His internal potency, and He does not take help from anyone.He possesses a variety of energies, all of which work correctly and perfectly(pariisya saktir vividhaiva sruyate sviibhiiviki j iina-bala-kriyiica).Impersonalists cannot understand how everything is being carried outperfectly because they cannot understand the Supreme Personality ofGodhead: mohitarh niibhijiiniiti mam ebhya/:t param avyayam. As statedby KTQa in Bhagavad-gitii (7.14):daivi hy eii gu1Jamayimama maya duratyayiimiim eva ye prapadyantemiiyiim etiirh taranti te"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of materialnature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Mecan easily cross beyond it." Being covered by the three modes of materialnature, one cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.However, the Supreme Lord reveals Himself to His devotees.It is our business to understand KTQa in truth; then our lives will besuccessful. It is not that we can succeed by understanding KTQa superficially.It is therefore stated here: tiini me sraddadhiinasya kirtanyiinyanukirtaya. The word anukirtaya, as we have initially pointed out,means that we should not manufacture anything. The word anu means

How to Understand the Lord's Activities 29"to follow." Therefore the bhagavat-tattva, or Bhagavan, can he understoodonly by the parampara system, the system of disciplic succession.evaril parampara-praptamimam rajar$ayo vidu/:tsa kalaneha rnahatayoga TW$!a/:t parantapa"This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplicsuccession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in courseof time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appearsto he lost." (Bg. 4.2)Formerly the kings (rajas) were great saintly persons. They were notordinary people engaged in drinking and dancing. They were all r#s(sages), up to the time of Maharaja Parikit. They were trained in such away that they were not ordinary men -hut were called naradeva.Naradeva refers to Bhagavan in the form of a human being. The kingwas worshiped because he was a rajar$i, both a king and a sage. Sri K:rI).asays that if the king knows the purpose of life, he can rule well. If hedoes not, he thinks that eating, sleeping, sex and defense are all in all. Inthis case, his subjects live like animals. Today no one knows the object ofhuman life; therefore although the foolish people of this age are tryingto he happy, their hopes will never he fulfilled. Na te vidu/:t svarthagatimhi vi$r:turh durasaya/:t. People are trying to he happy in thismaterial world by accepting material objects, hut their plans will neverhe fulfilled. Therefore in world history we see that there have been manyleaders who have died working hard. They could not adjust things properly,despite all their hard efforts. There were Napoleon, Hitler,Gandhi, Nehru and many others, hut they could not ultimately prevail.This is durasaya. The ultimate goal of life is to understand ViI).u, yetpeople are going on blindly trying to satisfy their senses. If one blindman tries to lead another, what is the result? If both the leaders andfollowers are blind, they will all fall in a ditch, for they are all hound bytheir nature.Sravar:taril kirtanam, hearing and chanting, are the beginning ofbhakti, devotional service. Therefore it is said: tani me sraddadhanasyakirtanyany anukirtaya. The word anukirtaya means to follow the

30 Teachings of Lord Kapilaparamparii system. First of all we must receive the information fromauthorities; then we can speak the truth. One first has to learn how to describethe Absolute Truth, Bhagavan- His actions, His mercy and Hiscompassion upon all living beings. The Supreme Lord is more anxious togive us education and enlightenment than we are to receive them. Hegives us His literature, His devotees and the paramparii system, hut it isup to us to take advantage of these. The KtJ.la consciousness movementis intended to give society the proper understanding of the AbsoluteTruth. We are not presenting a manufactured, bogus philosophy. Whyshould we unnecessarily waste our time concocting some philosophy?There is so much to he learned that has already been given by thesupreme authority. All we have to do is take this Vedic literature, try tolearn it and distribute it. That is Caitanya Mahaprahhu's mission.bhiirata-bhamite haila manU{iya-janma yiirajanma siirthaka kari' kara para-upakiira(Cc. Adi 9.41)It is the duty of everyone, especially one horn in the land ofBharatavara, India, to make his life successful by taking advantage ofthis Vedic literature. Unfortunately, we are simply trying to learn technology,and that is our misfortune. Real education means solving all life'sproblems.Transcendental education means learning how to gain relief from theentanglement of material life. This is made possible by learning aboutthe Lord's transcendental activities.

CHAPTER FOURApproaching a Bona Fide GuruTEXT4sata uvacadvaipayana-sakhas tv evammaitreyo bhagavams tathiiprahedam viduram pr'itaanvilcyikyam pracodital;lTRANSLATIONSri Suta Gosviimi said: The most powerful sage Maitreya wasa friend of Vyasadeva's. Being encouraged and pleased by Vidura'sinquiry about transcendental knowledge, Maitreya spoke asfollows.PURPORT. Questions and answers are very satisfactorily dealt with when the inquireris bona fide and the speaker is also authorized. Here Maitreya isconsidered a powerful sage, and therefore he is also described asbhagaviin. This word can be used not only for the Supreme Personalityof Godhead but for anyone who is almost as powerful as the SupremeLord. Maitreya is addressed as bhagaviin because he was spiritually faradvanced. He was a personal friend of Dvaipayana Vyasadeva, a literaryincarnation of the Lord. Maitreya was very pleased with the inquiries ofVidura because they were the inquiries of a bona fide, advanced devotee.Thus Maitreya was encouraged to answer. When there are discourses ontranscendental topics between devotees of equal mentality, the questionsand answers are very fruitful and encouraging.This is the Vedic process for receiving knowledge. One must approachthe proper person, the guru, and submissively listen to him expound31

32 Teachings of Lord Kapilatranscendental knowledge. As Sri Kr!?:Q.a advises m(4.34):Bhagavad-gitatad viddhi prar:tipatenaparipra§nena sevayii"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquirefrom him submissively and render service unto him."Transcendental knowledge is not very difficult, but the process mustbe known. Sometimes a dictating machine or a typewriter may not work,but if we go to a technician who knows the machine, Q.e can immediatelyrepair it. The process must be known. If one goes to a ditchdigger to_repair a dictating machine, he cannot help. He may know how to digditches, but not repair a machine. Therefore the siistras enjoin that if onewants transcendental knowledge, one must approach the proper person.The word tad-vij iina refers to transcendental knowledge, not materialknowledge. A medical practitioner may have material knowledge of thebody, but he has no knowledge of the spirit soul within. He simplystudies the mechanical arrangement of the body, which is a machine(yantra) made by nature. The body is actually stated in Bhagavad-gitii(18.61) to be a machine:iSvara sarva-bhutiiniimhrd-dese 'rjuna tthatibhramayan sarva-bhutaniyantrariU;lhiini mayayii"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, 0 Arjuna, and isdirecting the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on amachine made of the material energy."For those who are attached to this bodily machine, the yoga system isrecommended. One who is overly attached to the bodily conception istaught to concentrate the mind by some physical gymnastics. Thus inhatha-yoga one undergoes various physical disciplines, but the real purposeis to understand Vi!?:Q.U, the Supreme. The various yoga systems aregiven for the machine of the body, but the process of bhakti is transcendentalto mechanical arrangements. It is therefore called tad-vij iina,

Approaching a Bona Fide Guru 33transcendental to material understanding. If one actually wants to understandspiritual life and spiritual knowledge, one has to approach a guru.The word guru means "heavy," heavy with knowledge. And what is thatknowledge? Tad-vijfiana. That heaviness is brahma-ntha-attachmentto Brahman and to Parahrahman, Bhagavan. That is the guru's qualification.Brahmar;ty upa.SamiiSrayam. According to Mw:u;laka Upanad(1.2.12), tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: "In order to understandthat transcendental science, one must approach a bona fidespiritual master." Similarly, as stated in Srtmad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21):tasmad gurum prapadyetajijnasub, sreya uttamam"Any person who seriously desires to achieve real happiness must seekout a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation."The Upanads inform us that the guru is one who has receivedknowledge by hearing the Vedas. Srotriyam brahma-ntham. The Vedasare called sruti, and the bona fide guru is in the line of hearing from thedisciplic succession. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (4.2), evam paramparapraptam.A bona fide guru does not impart some self-styled, concoctedknowledge; his knowledge is standard and received from the paramparasystem. He is also firmly fixed in the service of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead (brahma-ntham). These are his two qualifications: he musthave heard the Vedic knowledge through the disciplic succession, and he· must he established in service to the Supreme Lord. He does not have tohe a very learned scholar, hut he must have heard from the properauthority. God gives us the ears to hear, and simply by hearing we maybecome great preachers. We don't need Ph.D.'s or academic examinations.One may even remain in his position; no changes are necessary.For this purpose there is the varr;tii§rama-dharma, composed of fourvarr;tas and four asramas. Unless society is divided into these eightcategories, it is simply an animal civilization. There must he somesystematized, regulated arrangement. For instance, there are differentdivisions for the body: the head, the arms, the belly and the legs. Withoutthe four corresponding divisions, no society can he conducted verywell. There will simply he chaos. The words sthane sthitab, mean"remaining in the varr;tasrama-dharma." Even a sadra can understand

34 Teachings of Lord Kapilawhat is Brahman, and in that case he becomes a briihmar;ta automatically.It is necessary that one hear attentively. That is all.It is stated that Vidura heard from Maitreya l,{i, and that Maitreya l,{iwas very pleased. Unless one satisfies his guru, one cannot receive properknowledge. That is quite natural. If one receives his guru properly andseats him comfortably, and if the guru is pleased with one's behavior, theguru can speak very frankly and freely, and this will he very beneficialto the student. By going to a spiritual master and asking for his instructionsand then not following them, one simply wastes his time. Norshould one approach the spiritual master with a challenging spirit, hutshould go with the aim of rendering service. The word nipat means"to fall down," and pra means "without reservation." Transcendentalknowledge is based on prar;tipiita. Therefore _Kr:t;ta says: sarva-dharmiinparityajya miim ekam sarar;tarh vraja. "Just surrender unto Me." Just aswe surrender unto .i(rQa, we have to surrender unto His representative,the spiritual master. The guru is _Kr:t;ta's external representative, and theinternal guru is _Kr:t;ta Himself situated in everyone's heart. It is not that.Kr:t;ta is simply in Vaiku:t;ttha or Goloka V:rndavana. He is everywhere;He is even within the atom. Goloka eva nivasaty akhiliitma-bhata/:t(Bs. 5.37). That is the definition of Paramatma, the Supersoul. I amiitmii, a spiritual soul, and you are atma. We are all situated locally, youwithin your body and I within mine, hut the Paramatma is situated .everywhere. That is the difference between iitmii and Paramatma. Thosewho are mistaken say that there is no difference between them, hut thereis a difference. They are one in the sense that both are cognizant andboth are living entities (nityo nityiiniim cetana§ cetaniiniim), hut theyare different quantitatively. K:rQa states in Bhagavad-gitii (13.3):ksetrajnam ciipi miim viddhisarva-lcyetreu bhiirata"0 scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower inall bodies." Ketrajna is the proprietor of the lcyetra (the body). The individualsoul is actually not the proprietor hut the occupant. In a house,there is a tenant and a landlord. The tenant is the occupant, and the landlordis the proprietor. Similarly, the iitmii is simply the occupant of thebody; the proprietor is Paramatma. When the landlord tells the tenant to

Approaching a Bona Fide Guru 35leave the house, the tenant must do so. Similarly, when the Paramatmasays that we have to leave the body, we have to do so.To receive this Vedic knowledge, we must approach the proper guru.The guru's qualification is given in every siistra. In Srimad-Bhagavatam(11.3.21) it is said:tasmad gurum prapadyetajijiiiisu sreya uttamamOne should not accept a guru unless one is inquisitive to know the ultimategoal of life. An ordinary man interested in bodily comforts does notneed a guru. Unfortunately, at the present moment, the word guru refersto someone who can give bodily medicine. One approaches a Mahatmajiand says, "I am suffering from this disease. Please help me." And theMahatmaji says, "Yes, I have a mantra that will heal you and give yousuccess. Give me a little money and take it." This is not a real guru. Oneshould approach a guru to learn about tattva, the Absolute Truth. Oneshould not search out a guru to cure some material disease; rather, onerequires a doctor. Similarly, people think that if a person can make himsuccessful in business, that person is a guru. The siistras do not confirmthis either. A guru is one who knows the Vedas and the Vedic conclusion.The Vedic conclusion is the understanding of K:r1,1a. VedaiS ca sarvairaham eva vedya: "By all the Vedas, I am to be known." (Bg. 15.15)It is not that we have to understand K:r1,1a fully. That is not possible.We have no capacity to understand the unlimited. Advaitam acyutamaniidim ananta-rapam (Bs. 5.33). With our limited knowledge we cannotunderstand the unlimited; indeed, even K:r1,1a does not understandHimself. His attraction is unlimited, and to understand why He is so attractive,He became Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and took on the ecstaticemotions of Srimati Radhara1,1i (riidha-bhiiva-dyuti). If K:r1,1a cannotcomprehend the limit of His own attraction and bliss, it is certainly notpossible for us with our limited knowledge. If we can simply understandK:r1,1a in part, that is our perfection. Therefore K:r1,1a says: janma karmaca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvata. If we misunderstand K:r1,1a andtake Him to be a human being like us, we become mat;lhas, fools. K:r1,1a'sbody is not composed of material elements like ours, and if we think thisway, we are mistaken. The material nature belongs to K:r1,1a, and He is

36 Teachings of Lord Kapilaits controller. We are under the control of material nature, and that is thedifference.One who has real knowledge knows that prakrti, material nature, isworking under K:r1.1a's direction. It is not possible to understand how allthis is going on, but we can understand it in summary. ]anmddy asyayato 'nvayad itarata§ ca: everything emanates from the Supreme AbsoluteTruth, K:rJ)a. This much knowledge is sufficient. We can then increasethis knowledge to understand just how material nature is workingunder K:rl)a's direction. Modern scientists mistakenly think thatmaterial nature is working independently and that things evolve by somechemical process only. However, life does not merely come from life orsome chemical evolution. As K:r1.1a states in Bhagavad-gita (10.8):aham sarvasya prabhavomattab, sarvam pravartate"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanatesfrom Me." The same conclusion is also given in Vedanta-siltra,wherein it is stated, janmady asya yatab,: "Brahman is He from whomeverything emanates." "Everything" includes living entities and inertmatter. Both matter and the living entities come from K:rJ:.la. Indeed,the whole world is a combination of matter and spirit, prakrti and the livingentity.Material energy is inferior, and spiritual energy is superior. Why?Superior energy (jiva-bhilta), the living entity, is controlling materialnature. Actually he is not controlling, but is trying to utilize it. For instance,human beings are advanced living entities, and they have createdmodern civilization by utilizing dull, inert matter. This is oursuperiority. However, we are also prakrti as well as para prakrti. In thisway, we have to understand tattva-jnana.Srimad-Bhagavatam is a commentary on Vedanta-siltra. Vedantasiltraexplains that the Supreme is the source of everything, and thenature of that source is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam ( 1.1.1): janmadyasya yato 'nvayad itarata§ carthev abhijnab, svarat. That source isabhijna, cognizant. Matter is not cognizant; therefore the theory ofmodern science that life comes from matter is incorrect. The identity

Approaching a Bona Fide Guru 37from whom everything emanates is abhijfia, cognizant, which means Hecan understand. The Bhagavatam (1.1.1) also states, tene brahma hrdaya adi-kavaye: a instructed Lord Brahma in Vedic knowledge.Unless the ultimate source is a living entity, how can He impartknowledge? Srimad-Bhagavatam was compiled by Vyasadeva, who alsocompiled the Vedanta-sutra. Generally the ,Mayavadis emphsize thecommentary made on the Vedanta-sutra by Sailkariicarya, the Sarirakabhya,but that is not the original commentary on Vedanta-sutra. Theoriginal commentary is given by the author himself, Vyasadeva, in theform of Srimad-Bhagavatam. To understand the actual meaning of theVedanta-sutra, we must refer to the commentary made by the authorhimself. As stated by Sri J}a Himself in Bhagavad-gita (13.5):r$ibhir bahudha gitamchandobhir vividhai/:t prthakbrahma-sutra-padaiS caivahetumadbhir viniScitai/:1,"The knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activitiesis described by various sages in various Vedic writings-especially in theVedanta-sutra-and is presented with all reasoning as to cause andeffect."Transcendental knowledge is therefore very logical. According to theVedic system, the acarya must understand Vedanta-sutra (also calledBrahma-sutra) before he can be accepted as an acarya. Both theMayavada-sampradaya and the Vaiava-sampradaya have explained theVedanta-sutra. Without understanding Vedanta-sutra, one cannot understandBrahman. It is said that Vidura understood transcendentalknowledge from Maitreya, and it is stated that Maitreya is a friend ofVyasadeva's. This means that both Vidura and Maitreya know whatVyasadeva knows. We have to approach a spiritual master who is in thedisciplic succession from Vyasadeva. Everyone may claim to be followingVyasadeva, but one must actually follow him. Vyasadeva accepted Ktaas the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Arjuna also accepted Ktaas Parabrahman, the Supreme Person. One may say that because Arjunawas a friend of a's, he accepted Him in this way, but this is not thecase. Arjuna gave evidence that Vyasadeva also accepted a.

38 Teachings of Lord Kapilaparam brahma param dhamapavitram paramam bhavanpurU{iam sasvatam divyamiidi-devam ajam vibhumahus tvam rayab, sarvedevarir naradas tathaasito devalo vyasab,svayam caiva bravi me"Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supremeabode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person.You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unbornand all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita,Devala and Vyasa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaringit to me." (Bg. 10.12-13)Vyasadeva accepted K:rl).a as param brahma, and Vyasadeva beganhis commentary on Vedanta-sutra with the words om namo bhagavatevasudevaya. If we are actually interested in understanding, we must approacha representative of Vyasadeva like Maitreya. Maitreya is also addressedas bhagavan, although of course the Supreme Bhagaviin is K:rl).aHimself (km:ULS tu bhagavan svayam). But the word bhagavan alsorefers to other powerful persons like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Vyasadeva ··or Maitreya. The actual Bhagaviin is K:rl).a Himself, but these great personalitieshave attained as much knowledge of K:rl).a as possible. It is notpossible to have cent per cent knowledge of K:rl).a. Not even Nariiyal).aHimself is capable of that. Yet those who follow K:rl).a's instructions fullyare sometimes called Bhagaviin. There are many artificial Bhagaviin's,but a real Bhagaviin is one who knows what K:rl).a has taught. Vidurawas very eager to receive transcendental knowledge, and because of this,Maitreya was very pleased with him. One can please the spiritual mastersimply by surrendering to him and rendering service, saying, "Sir, I amyour most obedient servant. Please accept me and give me instructions."Although Arjuna was a very intimate friend of K:rl).a's, before receivingSrimad Bhagavad-gita he surrendered himself, saying, syas te 'hamsiidhi mam tvam prapannam: "Now I am Your disciple and a soul surrenderedunto You. Please instruct me." (Bg. 2. 7)

Approaching a Bona Fide Guru 39This is the proper way to ask for knowledge. One does not approachthe spiritual master with a challenging spirit. One should also be inquisitiveto understand the spiritual science. It is not that one considers himselfsuperior to the guru. One must first find a guru to whom one cansurrender, and if this is not possible, one shouldn't waste his time. Bysurrendering to the proper person, one can very quickly come to understandtranscendental knowledge.n·

CHAPTER FIVELord Kapila Takes Chargeof His Mother, DevahutiTEXTSmaitreya uvacapitari prasthite 'rar;tyammatu priya-cikirayatasmin bindusare 'vatsidbhagavan kapila kilaTRANSLATIONMaitreya said: When K.ardama left for the forest, Lord Kapilastayed on the strand of the Bindu-sarovara to please His mother,Devahuti.PURPORTIn the absence of the father it is the duty of the grown son to takecharge of his mother and serve her to the best of his ability so that shewill not feel separation from her husband. It is also the duty of the husbandto leave home as soon as there is a grown son to take charge of hiswife and family affairs. That is the Vedic system of household life. Oneshould not remain continually implicated in household affairs up to thetime of death. He must leave. Family affairs and the wife may be takencharge of by a grown son.Being a great yogi, Kardama Muni was not very interested in familylife. Nonetheless, he decided to marry, and Svayambhuva Manu broughthis daughter Devahuti to him to serve as a wife. Kardama Muni was ayogi living in a cottage, and Devahuti was a princess, a king's daughter.Not being used to work, she became very skinny, and Kardama Munitook compassion upon her, thinking, "This girl has come to me, but now41

42 Teachings of Lord Kapilashe is not in a very comfortable position." Therefore by his yogic powers,Kardama Muni created a large palace with many servants, gardens andother opulences. Not only that, but he also created a great spaceship aslarge as a small city. Modern airlines have prepared a 747, and althoughthese are very big, Kardama Muni, by his yogic powers, was able to createa spaceship wherein there were lakes, palaces and gardens. Thisspaceship could also travel all over the universe. Modern scientists laborvery hard to make a small spaceship to go to the moon, but KardamaMuni could create a great spaceship that could travel to all planets. Thisis possible by yogic powers.There are different siddhis, or yogic perfections-anima, lagima,prapti, and so on-and whatever yogis choose to do, they can do. That isthe real yoga system. It is not that one becomes a yogi simply by pressinghis nose and performing some gymnastics. One must actually attain theyogic siddhis. By these siddhis, the yogi can become very small or verylarge, very heavy or very light. Whatever he wants, he can immediatelyproduce in his hand, and he can travel wherever he desires. KardamaMuni was such a perfected siddhi-yogi. By his wife, Devahuti, he hadnine daughters, who were distributed to the Prajapatis like DakaMaharaja and many others. The only son of Kardama Muni wasKapiladeva, an incarnation of a. This Kapiladeva was one of themahajanas. The word mahajana means "authority," and according tothe Vedic sastras there are twelve authorities. These are Svayambhu,Narada, Sambhu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhima,Bali, Sukadeva Gosvami and Yamaraja. Svayambhu is Brahma, andSambhu is Lord Siva. These authorities should be followed if we want toapproach the Supreme Personality of Godhead and understand the purposeof religious life. Mahajano yena gata sa pantha. These mahajanasfollow the principles set forth by the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, K:ra, in Bhagavad-gita.We cannot very easily understand the actual truth of religioussystems, but if we follow these mahajanas, we can understand. KapilaMuni explained the glories of devotional service to His mother,Devahuti. If we follow Him, we may learn the truth of devotional service.According to the system of van:uisrama-dharma, one who is overfifty years of age must leave home, go to the forest and completely devotehis life to spiritual realization. This is the actual van.uiSrama-dharma

Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother, Devahuti 43system. It is not a Hindu system, for the word "Hindu" is a name givenby the Muslims and does not occur in any Vedic literature. However, thevarr:Wsrama-dharma is mentioned. Civilized human beings shouldstrictly follow the varr:W§rama institution. If one is born a brahmar;w, heis trained nicely as a brahmacari, and then he becomes a grhastha, ahouseholder. When he gives up his home, he is called a vanaprastha, andafter that he may take sannyasa. Being a yogi, Kardama Muni strictlyfollowed these principles; therefore as soon as Kapiladeva was grown,Devahuti was placed in His charge. Kardama Muni then left home. Asstated in this verse: pitari prasthite 'ra1Jyarh matutt priya-cikiraya.According to the Manu-samhita, a woman should never be givenfreedom. When she is not under the protection of her husband, she mustbe under the protection of her sons. Women cannot properly utilizefreedom, and it is better for them to remain dependent. A woman cannotbe happy if she is independent. That is a fact. In Western countries wehave seen many women very unhappy simply for the sake of independence.That independence is not recommended by the Vedic civilizationor by the var1Jii§rama-dharma. Consequently Devahuti was given to hergrown son, Kapiladeva, and Kapiladeva was fully aware that He had totake care of His mother. It is the duty of the father to protect hisdaughter until she attains puberty and is married to a suitable youngman. The husband then takes care of the wife. Generally a man shouldmarry at around twenty-five years of age, and a girl should marry nolater than sixteen. If this is the case, when the man is fifty years old, hiseldest son should be around twenty-five, old enough to take charge of themother. According to this calculation, Kapiladeva was about twenty-fiveyears old and was quite able to take charge of His mother, Devahuti. Heknew that because His father left His mother in His charge, He shouldtake care of her and always please her. Matutt priya-cikirsaya.Kapiladeva was not irresponsible, but was always ready to please Hismother. Kapiladeva was a brahmacari, and His mother took lessons fromHim. That is the prerogative of the male. As stated in Bhagavad-gita(9.32):marh hi partha vyapasrityaye 'pi syutt papa-yonayattstriyo vaiSyas tatha sudraste 'pi yanti pararh gatim

44 Teachings of Lord Kapila"0 son of P:rtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lowerbirth-women, vaiSyas [merchants] as well as siidras [workers]-canapproach the supreme destination." Women are considered on the sameplatform with sadras, and although a woman may be married to abrahmar;ta, she is not given the sacred thread. It is also said that theMahabharata was compiled by Vyasadeva because the direct Vedicknowledge could not be understood by women, siidras and dvijabandhus,those who are born in brahmar;ta families but are not qualifiedbrahmar;tas. Stri-siidra-dvijabandhanam trayi na sruti-gocara(Bhag. 1.4.25). Consequently Mahabharata is called the fifth Veda. Thefour preceding Vedas are the Sarna, Yajur, g and Atharva. The essenceof Vedic knowledge, Bhagavad-gita, is given within the Mahabharata.Women are inferior to men, and Vedic civilization is so perfect that menare given full charge of the women. It is therefore said: matu priyacikir§aya.The son is always ready to see that the mother is not unhappy.Kapiladeva was anxious that His mother not feel the absence of_ Hisfather, and He was ready to take the best care of her and give her knowledge.Because women are supposed to be less intelligent, they should begiven knowledge, and they should also follow this knowledge. Theyshould follow their father's instructions, their husband's instructionsand the instructions of their grown, scholarly sons like Kapiladeva. Inthis way, their lives can be perfect. In all cases, women should alwaysremain dependent.Tasmin bindusare 'vatsid bhagavan kapila kila. It is noteworthy thatin this verse Kapiladeva is referred to as Bhagavan, which indicates thatHe possesses all wealth, fame, knowledge, beauty, strength and renunciation.These six opulences are fully represented in K:ra; thereforeK:ra is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead (kr§r:tas tubhagavan svayam), and others are accepted as His expansions, or incarnations(vi§r;tu-tattva). In Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Riipa Gosvami hasanalyzed the characteristics of Bhagavan. The first Bhagavan is Sri K:raHimself, but some of His opulences are also bestowed upon LordBrahma. Lord Brahma is a jiva-tattva, a living being like us. If we becomespiritually powerful, we can also have the post of Lord Brahma.Superior to Lord Brahma is Lord Siva, and superior to Lord Siva isViu, or Lord Narayaa, and superior to all is K:r!?a. That is theanalysis of the Vedic sastras and Brahma-samhita. Even Sa:rikaracarya,

Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother, Devahuti 45the Mayavadi impersonalist philosopher, accepts _Kra as the SupremePersonality of Godhead (sa bhagaviin svayarh kr$7JaM. All the iiciiryas­Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Viusvami, Nimbarka and Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhu-also accept _Kra as the Supreme Lord.Kapiladeva is an incarnation of _Kra, and He gave instructions to Hismother, Devahiiti. We must distinguish between the two Kapilas. OneKapila is this Bhagavan Kapila, and the other Kapila is the atheist Kapila.Bhagavan Kapila is also known as Devahuti-putra Kapila. Both Kapilasexpounded Sankhya philosophy, but the atheist Kapila expounded itwithout understanding, perception or realization of God. On the bank ofthe Bindu-sarovara Lake, Kapiladeva personally expounded Sailkhyaphilosophy to His mother, Devahiiti, just as _Kra personally expoundedthe knowledge of Bhagavad-gitii to His friend Arjuna. Like Arjuna,Devahiiti was aware that she was before her spiritual master, as indicatedin the following verse. Indeed, Lord Brahma had informed her that herson was a powerful incarnation.TEXT6tam iisinam akarmiifJ,arhtattva-margagra-darsanamsva-sutarh devahaty ahadhatu/:t sarhsmarati vaca/:tTRANSLATIONWhen Kapila, who could show her the ultimate goal of the AbsoluteTruth, was sitting leisurely before her, Devahuti rememberedthe words Brahma had spoken to her, and she thereforebegan to question Kapila as follows.PURPORTThe ultimate goal of the Absolute Truth is _Kra consciousness, devotionalservice. The liberated stage is not final. If we simply understandthat we are not the body, that we are spirit soul, our knowledge is insufficient.We must also act as Brahman; then our position will be fixed.

46 Teachings of Lord Kapilabrahma-bhilta prasanndtmiina socati na kiiriatisama sarveu bhilteumad-bhaktim labhate param"One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the SupremeBrahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments nor desires to haveanything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attainspure devotional service unto Me." (Bg. 18.54) Bhakti is obtainablefor a liberated person; it is not for the conditioned soul. How is thispossible? In Bhagavad-gitii (14.26) l(r![H}.a says:miim ca yo 'vyabhicarer:tabhakti-yogena sevatesa gur:tan samatityaitiinbrahma-bhilyaya kalpate"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down inany circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature andthus comes to the level of Brahman."We must engage in the nine processes of devotional service, the first ofwhich is hearing (sravar:ta). Then, under the direction of the spiritualmaster and the siistras, one can immediately become a liberated person.One doesn't have to endeavor separately to become liberated if he immediatelyengages in devotional service. One must have a firm convictionthat he is engaged in K:rI}.a's service and is free from all material contamination.This is imperative. The words tattva-marga-darsanam areelucidated elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam: brahmeti paramiitmetibhagavan iti sabdyate. The Absolute Truth is understood differently accordingto the position of the student. Some understand the AbsoluteTruth as impersonal Brahman, some as localized Paramatma, and othersas the Supreme Personality of Godhead, l(rI}.a, or ViJ}.u. Brahman,Paramatma and Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are notdifferent. They are simply different aspects of the complete Godhead.Looking at a mountain from a distance, we may see a hazy cloud, and ifwe come nearer, we may see something green. If we actually climb themountain, we will find many houses, trees and animals. Our vision is of

Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother, Devahuti 47the same mountain, but due to our different positions we see haze, greeneryor variegatedness. In the final stage, there are varieties-trees,animals, men, houses, and so on. The Absolute Truth is not withoutvariety. Just as there is material variety, there is spiritual variety. Becausethe Mayavadi philosophers are seeing the Absolute Truth from adistance, they think that the Absolute Truth has no variety. They considervariety to be material, but this is a misunderstanding. The AbsoluteTruth is described as variegated in Brahma-samhita (5.29):cintamar;ti-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vralaavrteusurabhir abhipalayantamlami-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanamgovindam adi-puram tam aham bhajami"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tendingthe cows, fulfilling all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems andsurrounded by millions of desire trees. He is always served with greatreverence and affection by hundreds and thousands of goddesses offortune."There are V aikuQtha planets in the spiritual world, and there aredevotees who are all liberated. These devotees are aara, which meansthey do not fall down into the material world. They remain in the spiritualworld of the VaikuQthas. They are also persons like us, but they areeternal persons, complete with full knowledge and bliss. That is the differencebetween them and us. That is tattva-jfidna. Unless we understandthe variegatedness of the Absolute Truth, there is a chance that wewill fall down. It is not sufficient simply to stick to the indefinite, impersonalfeature of the Absolute Truth:aruhya krcchrer;ta param padam tata/:tpatanty adho 'nadrta-ymad-anghraya/:t(Bhag. 10.2.32)Because the impersonalists are not allowed to enter the VaikuQtha planets,they simply remain in the Brahman effulgence. Thus they fall' downagain into material variety. We have seen many impersonalist sannyasiswho first of all give up the world as false (Brahma satyam jagan

48 Teachings of Lord Kapilamithya). They consider themselves Brahman (aham brahmasmi), considerthe worll1 false (jagat is mithya), and, having nothing more to dowith the material world, finally say, "I have become Naraya1,1a." Thenthey come to the stage of daridra-ndrayaTJ-a (poor Naraya1,1a). They becomeNaraya1,1a, but for want of anything better to do, for want ofvariegatedness, they take up material humanitarian activities. Althoughthey consider their wives mithya (false), they return. "You have alreadyleft. Why do you come back again?" the wives ask. This means that theseso-called sannyasis have nothing to do. They undergo serious penancesand austerities to reach the platform of impersonal Brahman, but becausethere is no pleasure there, they again descend to enjoy materialvariety.We may build a nice spaceship and send it off into space, and theastronauts may go up there and fly in the impersonal sky, but eventuallythey will become tired and pray to God, "Please let us return to land."We have read that the Russian astronauts were simply missing Moscowwhile they were traveling in space. This impersonal traveling is actuallyvery agitating; similarly, impersonal realization of the Absolute Truthcannot be permanent because one wants variety. A falldown is inevitable.When one gentleman read my book Easy Journey to Other Planets, hebecame very enthusiastic about going to other planets. "Oh, yes," I said,"we can go with this book." "Yes," the gentleman said, "then I shallcome back." "Why return? You should remain there." "No, no," hesaid. "I don't want to remain. I just want to go and come back." This isthe "enjoying" mentality. Without variety, we cannot enjoy. Variety isthe mother of enjoyment, and Brahman realization or Paramatmarealization does not give us steady ananda, bliss. We want ananda.Anandamayo 'bhyasat. The living entities are Brahman; 1,1a isParabrahman. 1,1a is enjoying perpetual ananda, and, being part andparcel of KtJ.la, we also want ananda. Ananda cannot be impersonal orvoid; ananda entails variety. No one is simply interested in drinkingmilk and eating sugar, but with milk and sugar we can make a variety offoods-pera, barfi, /cyira, rabari, dahi, and so on. There are hundreds ofpreparations. In any case, variety is required for enjoyment.The last word of tattva-jiiana is to understand 1,1a, who is full ofvariety. Kapiladeva is tattva-margagra-darsanam. He is an incarnationof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He will explain to His

Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother, Devahuti 49mother what tattva is, how one can approach the tattva-jnana, and howone can actually enjoy tattva-jnana. This is not simply dry speculation.This :l

CHAPTER SIXDevahiiti DesiresTranscendental KnowledgeTEXT7devahutir uvacanirvi nitararil bhamannasad-indriya-tar$atyena sambhavyamanenaprapannandham tamaft prabhoTRANSLATIONDevahiiti said: I am very sick of the disturbance caused by mymaterial senses, for because of this sense disturbance, my Lord, Ihave fallen into the abyss of ignorance.PURPORTHere, at the beginning of Devahuti's questionings, the word asadindriya-tar$ais significant. Asat means "impermanent," "temporary,"indriya means "senses," and tar$at refers to agitation.Thus asad-indriya-tar$a means "from being agitated by the temporarilymanifest senses of the material body." We are evolving throughdifferent species of material bodily existence-sometimes in a humanbody, sometimes in an animal body-and therefore the engagements ofour material senses are also changing. Anything which changes is calledtemporary, or asat. We should know that beyond these temporary sensesare our permanent senses, which are now covered by the material body.The permanent senses, being contaminated by matter, are not actingproperly. Devotional service, therefore, involves freeing the senses fromthis contamination. When the contamination is completely removed andthe senses act in the purity of unalloyed 14'I}.a consciousness, we have51

52 Teachings of Lord Kapilathen attained sad-indriya, or eternal sense activities. Eternal sensoryactivities are called devotional service, whereas temporary sensory activitiesare called sense gratification. Unless one becomes tired of materialsense gratification, there is no opportuity to hear transcendentalmessages from a person like Kapila. Devahuti expressed that she wastired. Now that her husband had left home, she wanted to get relief byhearing the instructions of Lord Kapila.The Vedic literatures describe this material world as darkness. Actuallyit is dark, and therefore we require sunlight, moonlight andelectricity. If it were not by nature dark, why would we require so manyarrangements for artificial light? The Vedas enjoin that we should notremain in darkness: tamasi ma jyotir gama. We are instructed to go tothe light, and that light is the spiritual world, which is directly lighted bythe effulgence, or bodily rays, of r;ta. As stated in Brahma-samhita(5.40):yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aTJ{la-ko#­koti§v a.Se$a-vasudhadi-vibhati-bhinnamtad brahma ni$kalam anantam a.Se$a-bhatamgovindam adi-pun.L$arh tam aham bhajami"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with greatpower. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonalBrahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited and whichdisplays the varieties of countless planets, with their different opulences,in millions and millions of universes."Animals have no ability to know that they are in darkness, but humanbeings can know. Like Devahuti, an intelligent person should becomedisgusted with the darkness of ignorance. Na hanyate hanyamanesarire. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.20), there is neither birth nordeath for the soul. The soul is not destroyed when the body is annihilated.The soul puts bodies on and takes them off like clothes. This simpleknowledge is instructed in the beginning of Bhagavad-gita, yet thereare many big scholars and leaders who still cannot understand that thebody is different from the person. This is because they do not studyBhagavad-gita in the proper way. Consequently no one is fully aware orconvinced that the real person is not the body. This is called darkness,and when one is disgusted with this darkness, human life begins.

Devahiiti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 53One who has become disgusted with material existence needs the instructionsof a guru. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijfiiisu sreya uttamam.Being the wife of a great yogi, Devahiiti understood her constitutionalposition; therefore she is placing her problem before her son,Kapiladeva, an incarnation of God. Although Kapiladeva is her son,Devahiiti does not hesitate to take instructions from Him. She does notsay, "Oh, He is my son. What can He tell me? I am His mother, and Ishall instruct Him." Instruction has to be taken from one who is inknowledge. It doesn't matter what his position is, whether he is a son, aboy, a sadra, brahmar;ta, sannyasi or grhastha. One should simply learnfrom one who knows. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction. AlthoughCaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself was a brahmar;ta and a sannyasi,He took instructions from Ramananda Raya, who was a sadra andgrhastha but nonetheless, very exalted spiritually. When Caitanya Mahaprabhusaw that Ramananda Raya was hesitant to give instructions, theLord said, "Why are you hesitating? Although you are a grhastha andare born in a sadra family, I am prepared to take lessons from you."kiba vipra, kiba nyiisi, sadra kene nayayei krr:ta-tattva-vetta, sei 'guru' haya(Cc. Madhya 8.128)This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching. Whoever is qualified in K:raconsciousness can become a guru. His family or material identity does notmatter. He simply must know the science. When we consult an engineer,a doctor or a lawyer, we do not ask whether he is a brahmar;ta or a sadra.If he is qualified, he can help with a particular subject. Similarly, if oneknows the science of K:ra, he can be a guru. Devahiiti was takinglessons from her son because He knew the science of K:ra. Even if goldis in a filthy place, we should take it. It is also stated in the Vedas that if agirl is highly qualified or beautiful, she can be accepted in marriage eventhough born in a lower family. Thus it is not birth that is important, butqualification. Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted everyone in India to knowthe science of K:ra and preach K:ra consciousness. This is very simple.We need only repeat what K:ra has said or what has been said aboutK:ra in the Vedic literatures.Human society cannot be happy without K:ra consciousness. K:ra is

54 Teachings of Lord Kapilathe supreme enjoyer, and we are His servants. The master is enjoying,and the servants are helping the master enjoy. We living entities areeternal servants of God, and our duty is to help our master enjoy. SrimatiRAdhArAI}.i is the topmost servant of l}.a, and Her business is always tokeep l}.a pleased. l}.a is very fond of RAdhArAI}.i because She rendersthe best service. Her sixty-four qualifications are mentioned in theVedic literatures. Unfortunately, in the material world we are busy tryingto enjoy our material senses. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (3.42):indriyar,ti parar,ty ahurindriyebhya param manamanasas tu para buddhiryo buddhe paratas tu sa1Il1"The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than thesenses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he (the soul) iseven higher than the intelligence." The soul is on the spiritual platform.On the material platform, we are interested in gratifying our senses. Inthis way we become implicated in the laws of nature. As stated in thesdstras:nanam pramatta kurute vikarmayad indriya-pritaya aprr,tatina sadhu manye yata atmano yamasann api klesada asa deha"When a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he certainlybecomes mad after materialistic living and· engages in all kinds of sinfulactivity. He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he has alreadyreceived a body which, although temporary, is the cause of his misery.Actually the living entity should not have taken on a material body, buthe has been awarded the material body for sense gratification. ThereforeI think it not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in theactivities of sense gratification by which he perpetually gets materialbodies one after another." (Bhag. 5.5.4)Living entities in this material world are very busy trying to grtifytheir senses. In the street we see many dogs assembled for sex. This mayseem very crude, but human beings are engaged in the same business,

Devahdti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 55perhaps in a more elaborate way. We should know that sense gratificationis meant for animals, and that sense control is for human beings. Bytapasya, penance, we can purify ourselves and regain our eternal life.Actually our material senses are not our real senses. They are covered,just as the body is covered by clothes. Our real body is within the materialbody. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe. The spiritual body is within thematerial body. The material body is changing, going through childhood,youth, then old age, and then it vanishes. Although this is not our realbody, we are engaged in sense gratification with it. However, for our ownultimate happiness, we should try to purify our senses. There is no questionof destroying the senses or becoming desireless. Desire is a materialactivity, and becoming desireless is not possible. The senses must bepurified in order for us to act through them transcendentally. Bhaktiyogadoes not require us to destroy our senses, but to purify them. Whenthe senses are purified, we can serve l(rJ}.a:sarvopadhi-vininnuktamtat-paratvena ninnalamhr$iker;ta hr$ikesasevanambhaktir ucyate"Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the serviceof the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of allthe senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, thereare two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and,simply by being employed in the service of the Lord, one's senses arepurified." (Narada-paficaratra)We can serve H:rikesa, the master of the senses, through the senses.We are part and parcel of l(rJ}.a, just as the hand is part and parcel of thebody. Similarly, our senses are also part and parcel of the spiritual bodyof l(rJ}.a. When we purify our sel)ses, we can act in our original constitutionalposition and serve l(rJ}.a. When we forget our position and try tosatisfy ourselves, we become conditioned materially. When we forgetthat our duty is to serve l(rJ}.a, we fall into the material world and becomeimplicated in personal sense gratification. As long as we continuetrying to satisfy our own senses, we have to accept another body. l(rJ}.a isso kind that if we want to become tigers, He will give us a tiger body. If

56 Teachings of Lord Kapilawe want to become devotees, He will give us the body of a devotee. Thislife is a P.reparation for the next, and if we want to enjoy our transcendentalsenses, we have to purify ourselves to return home, back toGodhead. For this purpose, Devahuti is submitting to her son just as adisciple submits to his master.TEXTStasya tvam tamaso 'ndhasyadparasyadya paragamsac-cak$ur janmandm antelabdham me tvad-anugrahatTRANSLATIONYour Lordship is my only means of getting out of this darkestregion of ignorance because You are my transcendental eye,which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, manybirths.PURPORTThis verse is very instructive, since it indicates the relationship betweenthe spiritual master and the disciple. The disciple or conditionedsoul is put into this darkest region of ignorance and therefore is entangledin the material existence of sense gratification. It is very difficultto get out of this entanglement and attain freedom, but if one is fortunateenough to get the association of a spiritual master like Kapila Muni or Hisrepresentative, then by his grace one can be delivered from the mire ofignorance. The spiritual master is therefore worshiped as one whodelivers the disciple from the mire of ignorance with the light of thetorch of knowledge. The word paragam is very significant. Paragamrefers to one who can take the disciple to the other side. This side is conditionedlife; the other side is the life of freedom. The spiritual mastertakes the disciple to the other side by opening his eyes with knowledge.We are suffering simply because of ignorance. By the instruction of thespiritual master, the darkness of ignorance is removed, and thus the discipleis enabled to go to the side of freedom. It is stated in Bhagavad-gitdthat after many, many births one surrenders to the Supreme Personality

Devahuti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 57of Godhead. Similarly, if, after many, many births, one is able to find abona fide spiritual master and surrender to such a bona fide representativeof l(rI].a, he can be taken to the side of light.The bona fide spiritual master is a true Vedlintist, for he actuallyknows VedAnta and the Vedas and understands the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, l(rI].a. The word veda means "knowledge," and anta means"last phase." There are different types of knowledge. We are interestedin ordinary knowledge for economic benefit,-but that is not actual knowledge.That is the art of livelihood. One may study to be an electrician andearn his livelihood by repairing electric lines. This kind of knowledge iscalled silpa-jfidna. Real knowledge, however, is Vedic knowledge, knowingoneself, what one is and what God is and understanding one's relationshipwith God, and one's duty.One who is searching after knowledge is called jfidnavan. Knowledgebegins with the inquiry athato brahma-jifnasa: "What is Brahman?"Knowledge also begins by understanding the threefold miseries of thematerial world -adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. We aresuffering from miseries caused by other living entities and acts of natureas well as from miseries arising from the body and mind themselves. Thesoul is aloof from the body and mind, but he suffers due to material contamination;We have no control over these threefold miseries. They arecontrolled by l(rI].a's maidservant, goddess Durgli, who is materialnature. She is not independent of l(rI].a. However, she is so powerfulthat she can create and maintain. Prakrti, nature, can be very unkind.Mother Durgli is often portrayed as chastising demons by piercing themwith a trident.Those who are learned and intelligent look to the mercy of theSupreme Personality of Godhead for relief from the threefold miseries ofmaterial existence. Although this material world is nothing but darkness,people are very proud of their eyes. They are always saying, "Can youshow me God?" The answer to that is: "Have you the eyes to see God?''Why is the emphasis placed on seeing? Certainly, God can be seen, asstated in Brahma-samhita (5.38), premaiijana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena:"Govinda [l(rI].a] is always seen by the devotee whose eyes areanointed by the pulp of love."If we are devotees, lovers of God, the ointment of love will clear oureyes. In order to see God, we have to cleanse our eyes by wiping away the

58 Teachings of Lord Kapilacataracts of material contamination. Although we may be eager to seeGod, we cannot see Him with these material eyes. Not only can we not seeHim, but we cannot understand Him, although His name is there. UnderstandingGod means first of all understanding His name. Therefore fromthe beginning we should chant the Hare KtI}.a maha-mantra. God is notdifferent from His name. KtI}.a's name and KtI}.a's person are the same."Absolute" means that KtI}.a's name, form, place, dress, pastimes andeverything are nondifferent from Him. KtI}.a is present in His name, butbecause we have no love for Him, we cannot see Him.Saniltana Gosvilmi was a great learned scholar, and he was called apa-r;u;lita, which indicates that he was a learned brahmar;w. WhenSaniitana Gosvilmi approached Sri Caitanya Mahiprabhu, he said, "Thepeople in my neighborhood are calling me a pa-r;u;lita,. and I am veryunhappy because of this." Caitanya Mahiiprabhu asked, "Why are youdissatisfied?" Saniltana Gosvilmi replied, "I am such a poor pa-r;u;lita thatI do not even know the goal of life. I do not even know what is beneficialfor me. I am simply being carried away by sense gratification." In thisway, Saniltana Gosvilmi approached Sri Caitanya Mahilprabhu. He did notapproach Him to get some gold or some medicine. He went to find out hisreal self-interest. This is the real purpose for approaching a guru.Devahuti approached Lord Kapiladeva in the same way. She said, "Mydear Kapila, You have come as my son, but You are my guru because Youcan inform me how I can cross the ocean of nescience, which is the materialworld." Thus one who feels the need to cross the dark ocean of nescience,which is material existence, requires a guru. It is not the guru'stask to supply gold and medicine. Now it has become a fashion to keep aguru as if he were a dog or a cat. This is of no use. We must inquire aboutthat portion of God's creation which is beyond this darkness. TheUpanads and Bhagavad-gita describe another world, beyond this materialnature. According to KtI}.a in Bhagavad-gita (15.6):na tad bhasayate suryona sa§anko na pavakab,yad gatva na nivartantetad dhama paramarh mama"That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor byelectricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world."

Devahftti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 59It is not possible for us to go to that paravyoma by material means. Itis impossible to penetrate the material universe unless one understandsl(rJ}.a. One can be enlightened by the mercy of God because l(rJ}.a Himselfcomes to give us information. If He does not come personally, Hesends His devotee, or He leaves behind Him Bhagavad-gitli. However,we are so foolish that we do not take advantage of them. We do not takeadvantage of His devotee, who hankers to give this knowledge, sacrificingeverything. Therefore Sri Caitanya MahAprabhu said:brahmti;TJ-c;la bhramite kona bhagyavan jivaguru-krrJ-a-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija"The fallen, conditioned living entity, trapped by the external energy,loiters in the material world, but if by good fortune he meets a bona fiderepresentative of the Lord, and if he takes advantage of such a guru, hereceives the seed of devotional service." (Cc. Madhya 19.151)The seed of devotional service is received by a most fortunate person.Those who are cultivating bhakti in the International Society for KrishnaConsciousness are the most fortunate people in the world. By l(rJ}.a'smercy one can receive the bhakti-lata-bija, the seed of devotional service.Unless one is free from the reactions of sin, one cannot understandbhakti or BhagavAn. Therefore we must act piously by giving up illicitsex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. If we lead a pious life, wecan understand God. This l(rJ}.a consciousness movement is engaged intraining people to this end so that their lives will be successful.TEXT9ya adyo bhagavan puril.samiSvaro vai bhavan kilalokasya tamasandhasyacau/:t surya ivodita/:tTRANSLATIONYou are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin andSupreme Lord of all living entities. You have arisen to disseminate

60 Teachings of Lord Kapilathe rays of the sun in order to dissipate the darkness of the ignoranceof the universe.PURPORTKapila Muni is accepted as an incarnation of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, l(rQ.a. Here the word adya means "the origin of all livingentities," and pumsam iSvara means "the Lord (iSvara) of the livingentities" (iSvara parama km:wM. Kapila Muni is the direct expansionof l(rQ.a, who is the sun of spiritual knowledge. The sun dissipates thedarkness of the universe, and when the light of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead comes down, it at once similarly dissipates the darkness ofmaya. We have our eyes, but without the light of the sun, our eyes are ofno value. Similarly, without the light of the Supreme Lord, or withoutthe divine grace of the spiritual master, one cannot see things as they are.In this verse, Devahuti also addresses her son as Bhagavan. Bhagavanis the Supreme Person. If we could just use a little common sense wecould understand that an organization requires a leader. Without aleader, we cannot organize anything. Foolish philosophers say that theuniverse automatically came into being by nature. They say that in thebeginning there was a chunk, and this cosmic manifestation came out ofthat chunk of matter. But where did this chunk come from? The fact isthat there must be a brain, a leader, behind anything organized. We haveinformation of this leader from the Vedas: nityo nityanam c etana.Scetaniinam. The Supreme Lord is eternal, and we are also eternal. Butthe Supreme Lord is one, and we are many. The Supreme Lord is verygreat, and we are very small. He is all-pervading and infinite, and we arefinite and infinitesimal. Even if we analyze the creation, we will find thatnot everyone is on the same level. One person is more intelligent or opulentthan another. If we analyze things in this way, we will come to thedemigods, and among them we will find that the most important demigodis Lord Brahma. He is the original creature within this universe, yet he isnot the most intelligent being. It is said that in the beginning, Brahmareceived knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Recently newspapers are reporting that faith in a personal God isdiminishing. This means that people are becoming more and morefoolish. This is natural in Kali-yuga, for as the age of Kali progresses,bodily strength, memory and mercy diminish. We actually see that the

Devahftti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 61present generation is not as strong as the previous. People also have shortmemories. We also understand that sometimes people are killed whileother people pass by, not caring. Thus mercy is also diminishing. Becauseeverything is diminishing, God consciousness is diminishing also;therefore it is natural to receive news that faith in a personal God isdiminishing. In Bhagavad-gita (7.15), one who does not accept a personalGod is described as a m'U4ha, a fool.na mam dkrtino mUt;lha/:1,prapadyante naradhama/:1,mayayapahrta-jfidnacisuram bhavam asrita/:1,"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind,whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheisticnature of demons, do not surrender unto Me."Actually, people today do not even know the meaning of God, so thereis no question of surrender. There are also those who are scholarly andwell educated, but their knowledge is taken away by maya, illusion. Althoughthey may superficially hold degrees, they have no real knowledge.They are also asuras, demons who simply defy God, saying, "I amGod, you are God. Why are you searching for God? There are many Godsloitering in the street. Take care of them." Therefore it is not surprisingthat newspapers report that faith in a personal God is decreasing. Nonetheless,God is a person. Ya adyo bhagavan. Lord Brahma also worshipsJ,la by saying, govindam adi-puram tam aham bhajami. He says, "Iworship that original person, Govinda." Adi-puram, 1,1a, has no onepreceding Him; therefore He is called original. It is said that J,la wasborn of Vasudeva, but this simply means that J,la accepted Vasudevaas His father. Sri J,la deals with His devotees in different relationships,or rasas-santa, dcisya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya.We all have some relationship with 1,1a, but presently that iscovered. Therefore we have to revive it. Simple appreciation of theSupreme is called santa-rasa. When one appreciates the Supreme fully,he wishes to render some service, and that is called dcisya. When one becomesmore intimate, he becomes a friend of 1,1a's, and that is calledsakhya. When one is more advanced, he wants to render service to J,la

62 Teachings of Lord Kapilaas a father or a mother, and this is vatsalya. Being a father or a mothermeans serving the son. The Christian conception of God as the SupremeFather is not very perfect because if we conceive of God as a father, ourposition will be to take things from Him. Everyone wants to take somethingfrom the father. One is always saying, "Father, give me this.Father, give me that." However, accepting the Supreme Lord as one'sson means rendering service. Yasodamayi got KrJ}.a as her son, and shewas always anxious that He not be in danger. Thus she was always protectingHim. Actually KrJ}.a protects the entire universe, but Yasoda wasgiving protection to KrJ}.a. This is VaiJ}.ava philosophy. Yasoda becamemad when she saw :KrJ}.a taken away by the T:rJ}.avarta demon. However,KrJ}.a became so heavy that the demon could not fly in the sky, and thusthe demon fell to the earth and died. Yasoda immediately said, "God hassaved my :KrJ}.a!" She then began to thank some other God, some devatci.She did not know that :KrJ}.a is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ifshe had thought of :KrJ}.a as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, therelationship between mother and son would have been destroyed.Therefore :KrJ}.a was playing just like an ordinary child, and motherYasoda was treating Him as her son. KrJ}.a's friends, the cowherd boys,did not consider Him the Supreme Lord either. The gopis even used tochastise KrJ}.a. If a devotee can have such a relationship with :KrJ}.a, whyshould he want to become one with God? It is better to be God's father,God's controller. This is bhakti-marga, the path of devotional service. Adevotee does not want to be equal to God or one with God. He simplywants to render service.In order to understand the Absolute Truth, we have to understand themeaning of Bhagavan. Devahiiti was not an ordinary woman. She was thewife of Kardama Muni, a great yogi. She had obviously learned somethingfrom her husband, for had she not been very exalted, how couldBhagavan Kapiladeva have become her son? Everyone should know whatis Bhagavan and take lessons from Bhagavan. Lord Kapila is Bhagavan,and He personally instructed His mother in Sailkhya philosophy. By thisknowledge we can develop or awaken our dormant love for God. Then wecan see God when our eyes are anointed with love for Him. Indeed, wecan see God everywhere and at all times. We will see God and nothingbut God. We will see God not only within our hearts. If we go to the

Devahtiti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 63ocean, we will see God. If one is a little thoughtful, he will see that thegreat ocean stays in its place. The ocean has received its orders not to gobeyond such and such a limit. Any intelligent man can see God whilewalking down the beach. However, this requires a little intelligence.People who are asses, miil)has, duskrtis, cannot see God, but those whoare intelligent can see God everywhere because God is omnipresent. He iswithin the universe and within our heart, and He is even within theatom. Why are we saying that we cannot see Him? God says, "Try to seeMe in this way, but if you are too dull, then try to see Me another way."What is the easy way? J}.a says in Bhagavad-gita, "I am the taste ofwater." Is there anyone who has not tasted water? He also says, "I amthe light of the sun." Is there anyone who has not seen sunshine? Thenwhy are people saying, "I have not seen God"? First of all we have to tryto see God. It is as easy as ABCD. When we see God everywhere, we willsee the personal God. Then we will understand.Bhagavan pumsam iSvarab,. Bhagavan is iSvara, the controller. We arenot independent. No one can actually say, "I am independent." We arebound tightly by the modes of material nature, and yet we are thinkingthat we are independent. This is simply foolishness. Therefore it is saidthat all the people in the material world are blinded by the darkness ofignorance. When people are blind, out of their ignorance they say,"There is no God. I cannot see God." Then God comes as J}.a orKapiladeva and says, "Here I am. See My features. I am a person. I playthe flute and enjoy Myself in V\"ndavana. Why can't you see Me?" ThusGod comes, explains Himself and leaves behind His instruction,Bhagavad-gitti. Still, people are so foolish that they claim not to understandGod. If we try to see God through the instructions given toDevahuti by Lord Kapila, our lives will be successful.TEXT 10atha me eleva sammohamapakrtum tvam arhasiyo 'vagraho 'ham mametityetasmin yojitas tvaya

64 Teachings of Lord KapilaTRANSLATIONNow be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion. Due tomy feeling of false ego, I have been engaged by Your miiyii andhave identified myself with the body and consequent bodilyrelations.PURPORTMaya is the false ego of identifying one's body with one's self and ofclaiming things possessed in relationship with the body. In Bhagavadgitii,Fifteenth Chapter, the Lord says, "I am sitting in everyone's heart,and from Me comes everyone's remembrance and forgetfulness."Devaho.ti has stated that false identification of the body with the self andattachment for bodily possessions are also under the direction of theLord. Does this mean that the Lord discriminates by engaging one in Hisdevotional service and another in sense gratification? If that were true, itwould be an incongruity on the part of the Supreme Lord, but that is notthe actual fact. As soon as the living entity forgets his real constitutionalposition of eternal servitorship to the Lord and wants instead to enjoyhimself by sense gratification, he is captured by maya. This capture leadsto the consciousness of false identification with the body and attachmentfor the possessions of the body. These are the activities of maya, andsince maya is also an agent of the Lord, it is indirectly the action of theLord. The Lord is merciful; if anyone wants to forget Him and enjoy thismaterial world, He gives him full facility, not directly but through theagency of His material potency. Therefore, since the material potency isthe Lord's energy, indirectly it is the Lord who gives the facility to forgetHim. Devahuti therefore said, "My engagement in sense gratificationwas also due to You. Now kindly get me free from this entanglement."By the grace of the Lord one is allowed to enjoy this material world,but when one is disgusted with material enjoyment and is frustrated, andwhen one sincerely surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord, then theLord is so kind that He frees one from entanglement. Krl}.a says,therefore, in Bhagavad-gitii, "First of all surrender, and then I will takecharge of you and free you from all reactions of sinful activities." Sinfulactivities are those activities performed in forgetfulness of our relationshipwith the Lord. In this material world, activities for material enjoymentthat are considered pious are also sinful. For example, one

Devahiiti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 65sometimes gives money in charity to a needy person with a view to getback the money four times increased. Giving with the purpose of gainingsomething is called charity in the mode of passion. Everything done hereis done in the modes of material nature, and therefore all activities butservice to the Lord are sinful. Because of sinful activities we become attractedby the illusion of material attachment, and we think, "I am thisbody." I think of the body as myself and of bodily possessions as "mine."Devahliti requested Lord Kapila to free her from that entanglement offalse identification and false possession.In asking this, Devahuti is accepting her son, Kapila, as her guru. Heconsequently tells her how to solve all material problems. Material lifeis nothing but sex attraction. PumsaiJ, striya mithuni-bhavam etam(Bhag. 5.5.8). Material life means that men are after women and womenare after men. We find this not only in human society but in bird, dog,cat and demigod society. As soon as people join to satisfy their sex desire,the attraction becomes greater and greater. An apartment is needed forprivacy, and then one has to earn a livelihood and acquire some land.Without children, married life is frustrated, and of course the childrenhave to be educated. Thus one becomes entangled in material life by creatingso many situations, but at the time of death I;J.a comes and takesaway everything-house, land, wife, children, friends, reputation andwhatever. Then we have to begin another life. It is not that we simply dieand finish everything. We are living eternally; the body is finished, butwe have to accept another body out of the 8,400,000 forms. In this way,our life is going on, but we are thinking in terms of wife, children, andso forth. This is all illusion.In any case, we will not be allowed to stay here, and although we areattached to all this, everything will be taken away at death. Whateverpost we are occupying-be it president or Lord BrahmA-we are occupyingtemporarily. We may be here five years, ten years, one hundredyears or five million years. Whatever, our position is limited. Our positionin the material world is not eternal, but we are eternal. Why, then,should we be illusioned by the noneternal? By nature we are part andparcel of I;J.a, and I;J.a is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. In order to transcendthe darkness of material life and go to the world of light, we needto approach a guru. It is for this reason that Devahuti is approachingLord Kapiladeva.

66 Teachings of Lord KapilaIn the morning, when the sun arises, the darkness of night im- ·mediately goes away. Similarly, when God or His incarnation comes, thedarkness of material life is dissipated. When l(rI}.a, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, came, Arjuna's illusion was dispelled. He wasthinking, "Why should I fight with my relatives?" Actually the wholeworld is going on under this conception of "my" and "mine." There arefights between nations, societies, communities and families. People arethinking, "Why are you interfering with my business?" Then there is afight. Because of illusion, we do not consider these situations temporary.On a train, people may argue and fight over a seat, hut one who knowsthat he will only he on the train for two or three hours thinks, "Why· should I fight? I shall only he here for a short while." One person thinksin this way, and the other person is ready to fight, thinking that his seatis permanent. No one will he allowed to stay within this material world;everyone will have to change his body and position, and as long as oneremains here, he will have to fight and struggle for existence. This is theway of material life. We may temporarily make some compromises, hutultimately the material world is full of misery.We are very much attached to this material world, hut according to theVedic system, renunciation is compulsory, for when one reaches the ageof fifty, he renounces his family life. Nature gives warning, "You arenow past fifty. That's all right. You have fought in this material world.Now stop this business." Children play on the beach and make housesout of sand, hut after a while the father comes and says, "Now, my dearchildren, time is up. Stop this business and come home." This is thebusiness of the guru-to teach his disciples detachment. The world is notour place; our place is Vaikul}.thaloka. l(rI}.a also comes to remind us ofthis. The dharma, or order, of the Supreme Person is to become Hisdevotee and always think of Him. l(rI}.a says:man-mana bhava mad-bhaktomad-yaji mam namaskuru"Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worshipMe." (Bg. 9.34)In this way, l(rI}.a opens the door, hut we unfortunately do not acceptHim. l(rI}.a tells. Arjuna, "Because you are My friend, I am revealing to

Devahuti Desires Transcendental Knowledge67you the most confidential dharma." What is that? "Simply surrenderunto Me." This is the dharma taught by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,and I;!Qa' s incarnation and His devotee will teach the samedharma.We are all after happiness, but we do not know how to enjoy happiness.We want to enjoy our senses, but it is not possible with thesecovered false senses. The senses must be opened, and that is the processof purification. We are thinking of ourselves according to so many falsematerial identifications, but we should take Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu'sadvice: jivera 'svarapa' haya- krry,era 'nitya-dasa. 'We must come tounderstand, "I am the eternal servant of ;Qa." After all, our sensesare employed for the satisfaction of somebody-either for ourselves orfor someone else. That is kama, krodha, lobha and matsara-illusion. Ifwe are not serving our own lusty desires (kama), we are serving anger(krodha). If I am the master of anger, I can control my anger, and if I amthe master of my desires, I can control my desires. In any case, I am aservant, and my service should be transferred to K:r;Qa. That is theperfection of life.If we are situated in the transcendental position (bhakti), we canunderstand ;Qa. ;Qa cannot be understood by mental speculation;otherwise He would have said that He could be understood by jfiiina,karma or yoga. However, He clearly says, bhaktya mam abhijanati:"Only by devotional service can I be understood." If we want to knowI;!Qa as He is, we have to accept the process of bhakti. It is this bhaktiprocess that Kapiladeva will reveal to Devahiiti.TEXT 11tam tva gataham sarar;tarh saraJJyamsva-bhrtya-sarhsara-taro kutharamjijfiiisayaham prakrte parasyanamami sad-dharma-vidam var!hamTRANSLATIONDevahuti continued: I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet becauseYou are the only person of whom to take shelter. You are the

68 Teachings of Lord Kapilaax which can cut the tree of material existence. I therefore offermy obeisances unto You, who are the greatest of all transcendentalists,and I inquire from You as to the relationship between manand woman and between spirit and matter.PURPORTSiiiikhya philosophy, as is well known, deals with prakrti and puna.Purra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead or anyone who imitatesthe Supreme Personality of Godhead as an enjoyer, and prakrti is nature.In this material world, material nature is being exploited by the puras,or the living entities. The intricacies in the material world of the relationshipof the prakrti and pua, or the enjoyed and the enjoyer, giverise to samsara, or material entanglement. Devahiiti wanted to cut thetree of material entanglement, and she found the suitable weapon inKapila Muni. The tree of material existence is explained in the FifteenthChapter of Bhagavad-gita as an a§vattha tree whose root is upward andwhose branches are downward. It is recommended there that one has tocut the root of this material existential tree with the ax of detachment.What is the attachment? The attachment involves prakrti and pura.The living entities are trying to lord it over material nature. Since theconditioned soul takes material nature to be the object of his enjoyment,and he takes the position of the enjoyer, he is therefore called pura.Devahiiti questioned Kapila Muni, for she knew that only He could cuther attachment to this material world. The living entities, in the guises ofmen and women, are trying to enjoy the material energy; therefore inone sense everyone is pua because pura means "enjoyer," andprakrti means "enjoyed." In this material world both so-called men andwomen are imitating the real pua; the Supreme Personality of Godheadis actually the enjoyer in the transcendental sense, whereas allothers are prakrti.In Bhagavad-gita, matter is analyzed as apara, or inferior nature,whereas beyond this inferior nature there is another, superior naturetheliving entities. Living entities are also prakrti, or enjoyed, but underthe spell of maya, the living entities are falsely trying to take the positionof enjoyers. That is the cause of samsara-bandha, or conditional life.Devahiiti wanted to get out of conditional life and place herself in full

Devah'iiti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 69surrender. The Lord is sara"{tya, which means "the only worthy personalityto whom one can fully surrender," because He is full of all opulences.If anyone actually wants relief, the best course is to surrenderunto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is also describedhere as sad-dharma-viddm var4!ham. This indicates that of all transcendentaloccupations, the best is eternal loving service unto the SupremePersonality of Godhead. Dharma is sometimes translated as "religion,"but that is not exactly the meaning. Dharma actually means "that whichone cannot give up," "that which is inseparable from oneself." Thewarmth of fire is inseparable from fire; therefore warmth is called thedharma, or nature, of fire. Similarly, sad-dharma means "eternal occupation."That eternal occupation is engagement in the transcendentalloving service of the Lord. The purpose of Kapiladeva's Sailkhya philosophyis to propagate pure, uncontaminated devotional service, andtherefore He is addressed here as the most important personality amongthose who know the transcendental occupation of the living entity.As pointed out before, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,is everyone's real shelter (sara"{tam sara"{tyam). Everyone is seekingshelter because we are all constitutionally servants. Originally we areservants of God; therefore it is our nature to take His shelter. Some seekan occupation or the service of a great man; others seek the service of thegovernment or whatever. In any case, the ultimate shelter is Krt;ta, theSupreme Personality of Godhead. Being Krt;ta's incarnation, Kapiladevais also a shelter. Krt;ta has unlimited forms and unlimited incarnations.It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam that His incarnations are expandingcontinuously, like waves in the ocean. Indeed, ·we cannot even countthem. In Brahma-samhita it is said: Advaitam acyutam anadim anantarapam.In India there are many thousands of temples, and within thesetemples there are arca-vigrahas, Deities. All these Krt;tas are nondifferent;they are one. Krt;ta resides in Vaikut;ttha and also in the temple.The Krt;tas are not different, although they are ananta, unlimited.Krt;ta is also the witness within everyone's heart, and He is seeing all ofour activities. We cannot hide anything from Him, and we receive theresults of our karma because the witness is Krt;ta Himself within theheart. How, then, can we avoid Him? Without Krt;ta's permission, wecannot do anything. Why does Krt;ta give us permission to do somethingwrong? He does so because we persist. Actually He does not tell us to do

70 Teachings of Lord Kapilaanything other than surrender unto Him. We want to do something, and.i(r:Q.a may sanction it, hut we go ahead and do it at our own risk . .i(r:Q.ais not responsible. However, we should know that without the sanction of.i(r:Q.a, we cannot do anything. That is a fact. Actually we are constitutionallyservants of .i(r:Q.a. Even though we may declare ourselves independent,we are not. Rather, we are servants falsely declaring that we areindependent. Self-realization is understanding that we are dependent onthe Supreme Personality of Godhead. As Caitanya Mahaprahhu says:ayi nanda-tanuja kinkararhpcititarh marh vame bhavambudhaukrpaya tava pada-pankajasthita-dhali-sadrsarhvicintaya"My dear Lord .i(r:Q.a, son of Maharaja Nanda, I am Your eternal servant,hut somehow or other I have fallen into this ocean of nescience. Pleasepick Me up from this ocean of death and place Me as one of the atoms atYour lotus feet." (Si1aka 5) Because we are under illusion, Devahiitisays: sva-bhrtya-sarhsara-tarolt ku1haram. In Bhagavad-gita (15.1-4),material existence is likened unto a banyan tree with its roots upwardand its branches below. The roots of this banyan tree are very strong, hutthey can he cut with an ax (ku1haram). By taking shelter of .i(r:Q.a's lotusfeet, we can cut the strong root of material existence. Because we havegiven up .i(r:Q.a's service, we have become servants of so many things.We are obliged to serve our parents, wife, children, country and so forth.We are indebted to many people and to the demigods who give heat andlight. Although we are not paying the hill, we are taking advantage of thesunlight and the sun's heat. If we take advantage of electricity, we haveto pay the hill, hut we don't pay the sun hill. This means that we are actuallyindebted to the sun-god, Vivasvan. Similarly, the King of heaven,lndra, is supplying water in the form of rain. Rascals say that all thiscomes about by nature, hut they do not know that nature is controlled. Ifwe don't pay our debts by performing sacrifices, there will certainly he ascarcity. All of these things are coming from the Supreme Father, theSupreme Personality of Godhead, hut we are thinking that they are comingfrom nature, and we are utilizing them without caring whether wepay the hill or not. It is all right to use our father's property, hut at the

Devahiiti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 71present moment we are not acting as our Father's sons; we are maya'ssons. We do not care for our Father; however, nature is nonethelessworking under His direction. If we do not care for Him, nature willreduce her supply, for nature will not allow demons to flourish. AB statedin Bhagavad-gita (16.19):tan aham dvata/.t kraransarilsareu naradhamanipamy ajasram a.Subhanasurv eva yonu.,_"Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest amongmen, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into variousdemoniac species of life."Demons are always subject to be punished, and great demons likeRavaQa and Hiral}.yakasipu are personally punished by the Lord. Otherwise,ordinary demons are punished by the laws of material nature.l(ri[II}.a does not need to come to punish the petty demons, but when thereare great demons like Raval}.a, Hiral}.yakasipu and Kamsa, the Lordcomes as Lord RAmacandra, Lord N:rsimhadeva or Sri l(ri[II}.a to punishthem. If we do not want to be punished, we have to follow the rules andregulations (sad-dharma). Dharma means "the laws given by God."Dharmam tu saad bhagavat-prar:titam. The laws are given byBhagaviin and are written in books like Manu-samhita and other Vedicliteratures. According to the law, we have to obey the government, and"according to dharma, we have to obey l(ri[II}.a, God. We cannot manufactureour laws at home, and we cannot manufacture dharma. If one tries,he is simply cheating the public. Such false dharmas are kicked out ofSrimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.2): dharma/.t projjhita. The real dharma is setforth by Sri l(ri[II}.a when He says: sarva-dharman parityajya roam ekamsarar:taril vraja (Bg. 18.66). All other dharmas are simply forms of cheating.We must accept the principles of Bhagavad-gita, which constitutethe ABC's of dharma. Actually, we only have to accept the principle ofsurrender unto l(ri[II}.a, but this acceptance comes after many, manybirths. It is not very easy, for only after many births of struggle does onecome to his real perfection and surrender mito l(ri[II}.a. At this time heunderstands perfectly that VAsudeva, l(ri[II}.a, is everything. This is the

72 Teachings of Lord Kapilagreatest lesson of Bhagavad-gitii.Everything is KrJ.la' s energy, andwhatever we see is but an exhibition of two types of energy. Everyoneknows that the sun has two types of energy-heat and light. Similarly,KrJ.la has an external energy and an internal energy, and He also has amarginal energy, which is a mixture of the other two. The external energyis this material world, the internal energy is the spiritual world, andthe marginal energy is the living entity. The living entity is marginal becausehe can remain in the material world or the spiritual world.Bhagavad-gita describes two types of living entities, /cyara and a/cyara,those living in the material world and those in the spiritual world. Thosewho have fallen into the material world are attracted by the tree of samsara,the banyan tree of material existence described in Bhagavad-gita(Fifteenth Chapter).It is essential that we disassociate ourselves from this tree by detachment.Cutting down this tree is very difficult, but it is possible with theweapon of detachment. There is a Bengali proverb that states: "I'll catchthe fish, but I will not touch the water." That type of intelligence is required.In America we see many old men on the beach who have retiredfrom their business to waste their time trying to catch fish. They are notvery cautious, and they touch the water. However, we have to live in thismaterial world in such a way that we do everything for KrJ.la but do nottouch the water of the material world. In this way, we will have no attachmentto things of this material world. We may have many great temples,but we should not be attached to them. It is for KrJ.la's sake that weconstruct temples, but we must understand that the temples are KrJ.la'sproperty. Our mission is to teach people that everything belongs toKrJ.la. Only a thief will occupy something belonging to another andclaim it to be his.The KrJ.la consciousness movement preaches that everything belongsto KrJ.la and that everything should be utilized for KrJ.la's benefit. He isthe beneficiary of everything, and it is to our benefit that we come to thisknowledge. Isavasyam idam sarvam. If one realizes that everythingbelongs to KrJ.la, one becomes the greatest mahatma. Being a mahatmadoes not mean that one wears a big beard and a particular type of dress.No, this awareness must be there. Whatever we have should be offered toKrJ.la· If we have first-class food, we should offer it to Him. If we havenothing, we can offer Him a leaf, a flower, a little water or fruit. This can

Devahftti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 73be collected by anyone anywhere without having to pay money. As SriQa states in Bhagavad-gita (9.26):patrarh pparh phalam toyarhyo me bhaktya prayacchatitad aham bhakty-upahrtama.Snami prayatatmanal;t"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, Iwill accept it."The point is that we should offer something to Qa with devotion. Itis not that Qa is hungry and is asking for food. No, He is feedingeveryone, supplying everyone with all the necessities: eko bahanam yovidadhati kaman (Ka!ha Upanad 2.2.13). What, then, is He requesting?He is asking for bhakti, devotion, because He wants us to love Him.We are suffering in this material world, entangled in the tree of materialexistence, moving from one branch to another, and because of this weare suffering. Qa does not want us to suffer, jumping like monkeysfrom branch to branch. We must come to Him and surrender to Him.When we come to this knowledge, we become perfect in knowledge.When we take shelter at the lotus feet of Qa, we are no longer debtorsto anyone. Na kirikaro nayam roi (Bhag. 11.5.41). Qa assures us,aharh tvarh sarva-papebhyo moafo.yami: "I'll give you all relief."(Bg. 18.66) This is what we actually want. Therefore Devahiiti hereintakes shelter of Kapiladeva and tells Him, "You are the ax capable ofmaking me detached." When our attachment to the material world issevered, we become free. Bhakti is the means by which we can developthis detachment. Vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga is thescience of detachment. This verse was composed by SArvabhaumaBhanAwya when he understood that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahliprabhu wasthe Supreme Personality of Godhead. Slirvabhauma Bhatclirya was agreat logician, and he composed a hundred verses to Caitanya Mahliprabhu,wherein he tells the Lord:vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yogasiarthamekal;t pual;t purar;wl;t

74 Teachings of Lord Kapilasri-kmw-caitanya-sarira-dhtlrikrpflmbudhir yas tam aham prapadye"Let me take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri KtI}.a,who has descended in the form of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu to teach usreal knowledge, His devotional service, and detachment from whateverdoes not foster KtI}.a consciousness. He has descended because He is anocean of transcendental mercy. Let me surrender unto His lotus feet."(Cc. Madhya 6.254)When a person advances in bhakti-yoga, he· will automatically becomedetached from material attractions. There are many American and Europeanboys and girls in this Ktll!I}.a consciousness movement who havebeen born in countries where they can enjoy a good deal of materialaffiuence, but they consider this material happiness and affiuence likegarbage in the street. Because they are devotees of VAsudeva, they are nolonger attached to these material things. This is the result of bhaktiyoga,which enables one to be detached from material enjoyment. Thatdetachment is the sign that one is advancing in bhakti-yoga. Bhaktib,paresflnubhavo viraktir anyatra ca (Bhtig. 11.2.42). That is the test ofadvancing in bhakti. If we are advanced, we are no longer attached tomaterial enjoyment. It is not that we think ourselves great devotees andthen go ahead and enjoy material things. As stated in Bhagavad-gita(5.22):ye hi sarhsparsaja bhogadub,kha-yonaya eva teady-antavantab, kaunteyana teu ramate budhab,"An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, whichare due to contact with the material senses. 0 son of Kunti, suchpleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does notdelight in them." When one sees something superior, he immediately rejectsthat which is inferior. Actually we cannot bring all this about by ourown endeavor; therefore we have to take shelter of KtI}.a, and He willhelp. Since our only business is to take shelter of KtI}.a, Devahiiti says,"I am taking shelter of You so that You can cut my attachment to this materiallife. Why should You do this? Because I am Your eternal servant."

Devahiiti Desires Transcendental Knowledge 75Bhaktivinoda ThAkura says, aru2di karama-phale, pac#' bhavan:uwajale,taribdre n4 dekhi upaya. If we are thrown into the ocean, there is agreat struggle, even if we may be very great swimmers. There is no peacein this material world, however expert we may be in dealing with it.There is nothing but struggle. We cannot live here peacefully. It is notpossible. Even if we are nonviolent and hurt no one, there will be trouble.However, if somehow or other we manage to reach the shore, we willfind peace. There is peace even if we are an inch out of the water. Tavapdda-pankaja-sthita-dhali sadrsam vicintaya (Si1aka 5).1£ somehowor other we become one of the particles of dust at Knr.1a's lotus feet, wewill be liberated.We may be a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian for fifty or sixty years,or at the utmost one hundred, but again we have to take birth and besomething else. We are thinking in terms of these religious designations,which are called asad-dharma, meaning that they may change at anymoment. But what is our real dharma? Real dharma is sad-dharma, thatwhich will not change, and this sad-dharma necessitates surrenderingunto Kr1,1a. This dharma will continue eternally. There are many propoundersof sad-dharma, but actually the Supreme Personality of Godheadis the best propounder because He knows the reality. It is thereforesaid of the GosvAmis: n4n4-s4stra-vicara'{Ulika-nipur;tau sad-dharmasamsthdpakau.Sri Caitanya MahAprabhu's direct disciples, theGosvAmis, tried to establish sad-dharma, and we are trying to follow intheir footsteps by establishing real dharma throughout the world withthis Kr1.1a consciousness movement.

CHAPTER SEVENLord Kapila Beginsto Explain Self -realizationTEXT 12maitreya uvacaiti sva-matur niravadyam ipsitamniSamya pumsam apavarga-vardhanamdhiyabhinandyatmavatam satam gatirbabhi4a at-smita-sobhitanana/:tTRANSLATIONAfter hearing of His mother's uncontaminated desire for transcendentalrealization, the Lord thanked her within Himself forher questions, and thus, His face smiling, He explained the path ofthe transcendentalists, who are interested in self-realization.PURPORTDevahuti has surrendered her confession of material entanglementand her desire to gain release. Her questions to Lord Kapila are very interestingfor persons who are actually trying to get liberation from materialentanglement and attain perfection. Unless one is interested inunderstanding his spiritual life, or his constitutional position, and unlesshe also feels inconvenience in material existence, his human form of lifeis spoiled. Only a foolish man does not care for the transcendentalnecessities of life and simply engages like an animal in eating, sleeping,defending and mating. Lord Kapila was very much satisfied by Hismother's questions because the answers stimulate one's desire for liberationfrom the conditional life of material existence. Such questions arecalled apavarga-vardhanam. Those who are actually spiritually interestedare called sat, or devotees. Satam prasarigat. Sat means "that77

78 Teachings of Lord Kapilawhich eternally exists," and asat means "that which is not eternal." Unlessone is situated on the spiritual platform, he is not sat; he is asat. Theasat stands on a platform which will not exist, but anyone who stands onthe spiritual platform will exist eternally. As spirit soul, everyone existseternally, but the asat has accepted the material world as his shelter, andtherefore he is full of anxiety. Asad-grahan, the desire to enjoy matter,is the cause of the soul's being asat. Actually, the spirit soul is not asat.As soon as one is conscious of this fact and takes to a consciousness,he becomes sat. Satam gatil), the path of the eternal, is very interestingto persons who are after liberation, and His Lordship Kapila began tospeak about that path.Those who are sat are thus transcendentalists advanced in spirituallife, and when they hear questions from those who want to understandspiritual life, they become very happy. Transcendentalists are not interestedin worldly talks. Indeed, worldly talks are very disgusting tothem, and they avoid the company of those who talk about nonsensicalworldly affairs. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised His disciples: gramyakathand sunibe. The word gramya refers to that pertaining to one'svillage, society or neighborhood. People are interested in talking aboutgramya-katha. Newspapers, for instance, are filled with gramya-katha.There is no spiritual understanding in them. In the United States thereare many newspapers, and simply to publish the New York Times manytrees have to be killed. Now there is a paper scarcity. Why are theyuselessly killing trees just for gramya-katha? They are only interestedin making a profit.There is, however, another kind of katha-kmr.a-katha. There areliteratures which may be nicely presented from the literary point ofview, but if there is no glorification of the Supreme Lord, they areuseless.na yad vaca§ citra-padam harer ya§ojagat-pavitram pragro-ita karhicittad vayasam tirtham u§anti manasana yatra harilsa niramanty u§k$ayal)"Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alonecan sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization 79saintly persons to be like unto a pilgrimage for crows. Since the allperfectpersons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do notderive any pleasure there." (Bhag. 1.5.10)Worldly literatures are like places where crows take pleasure. In thebird society, there are crows and swans, and crows are interested inplaces where filthy things are thrown. However, swans prefer nice clearwater with lotus flowers, and it is in such places that they take theirpleasure. Similarly, there are men who are like crows and men likeswans. That is a natural division. According to an old English proverb,Birds of a feather flock together. Crows mix with crows, and swans mixwith swans. Since devotees are like swans (hamsas), a most 'advanceddevotee is called paramahamsa. The paramahamsas are not interested insubjects fit for crows. A person who is interested in inquiring about transcendentalsubjects, kr$7J-a-kathii, makes a paramahamsa very glad.Therefore Kapiladeva was very glad to hear that His mother was eager toreceive information on how to be delivered from material bondage:atha me deva sammohamapakrturh tvam arhasiyo 'vagraho 'ham mametityetasmin yojitas tvaya"Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion. Due to my feelingof false ego, I have been engaged by Your maya and have identifiedmyself with the body and consequent bodily relations." (Bhag. 3.25.10)Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised His disciples never to eat palatablefood, never to talk about village topics and never to read ordinarynovels, poems and newspapers. One may ask, "How is it that in themodern age these Europeans and Americans of the Q.a consciousnessmovement do not take interest in newspapers?" Newspapers are verypopular in the West. Each day the papers are published in three or foureditions, and they are all selling. However, these American boys and girlswho have come to K:rQ.a consciousness have stopped reading newspapers.They do not know what is happening from day to day, and it does notmatter. All of this is a waste of time. It is better that they read literatureslike Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Why waste one's valuabletime?

80 Teachings of Lord KapilaKapiladeva was very glad that His mother was interested only in spiritualadvancement. This material world is called pavarga, and to nullify itis called apavarga. In this material world, people are laboring very hardsimply to earn some money. This creates a hellish situation, and this isthe way of material life. People have become so dull that they do notunderstand the meaning of liberation. They have become just likeanimals. If an animal is informed that there is such a thing as liberation,how will he understand it? It is not possible. Similarly, at the presentmoment, human beings have become exactly like animals. They do notknow the meaning of apavarga, liberation. Yet there was a time whenpeople understood that human life was meant for apavarga. The questionsare raised by Devahuti, and the answers are given by Kapiladeva.That is apavarga-vardhanam. As far as material maintenance is concerned,the siistras never stress it. Rather, they say that one's maintenancewill come automatically. God gives food to animals, birds andaquatics. Why should He not give it to one who is interested inapavarga? Unfortunately people have no faith, and therefore goodassociation is required.People should not waste their time associating with crows; they shouldassociate with swans. When garbage is thrown out, crows and dogs cometo see what is there, but no sane man will go. Those who are interested intrying to get pleasure out of this material world are actually chewing thechewed. Puna/:!, puna§ carvita-carvar:u'indm (Bhag. 7.5.30). If one picksup a piece of sugarcane which has already been chewed, he is a fool. Wemust know that the juice has already been taken out of that sugarcane.What will one get by chewing it? However, there are animals who aresimply interested in chewing the chewed. Material life means chewingthe chewed. A father educates his son to earn a livelihood, get marriedand settle down, but he himself already knows that by doing this he hasnot become satisfied. Why, then, is he engaging his son in this same business?A real father is one who does not allow his son to chew the chewed.Pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat ... na mocayed ya/:1, samupeta-mrtyum:one should not become a father or a mother unless one is able to save hischildren from the impending clutches of death. (Bhag. 5.5.18) That isthe duty of the father and mother. How can this be done? A father andmother should educate their son in J;Ia consciousness. Then he can besaved. They should educate the son in such a way that there is no

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization 81pavarga. If we do not go forward to liberation, we promote a civilizationof cats and dogs. Eating, sleeping, mating, defending, fearing and dyingare all experienced by cats and dogs, hut human life is meant for anotherpurpose. Of course we have to maintain the body; it is not that we shouldneglect it. But we should not unnecessarily engage in the maintenance ofthe body.yasyatma-buddh* kuT)llpe tri-dhatukesva-dhib, kalatradu bhauma ijya-dhib,yat tirtha-buddh* salile na karhicijjane$V abhijfie$U sa eva go-kharab,"A human being who identifies this body made of three elements as theself, who considers the by-products of the body to he his kinsmen, whoconsiders the land of his birth as worshipahle, and who goes to a place ofpilgrimage simply to take a hath rather than meet men of transcendentalknowledge there, is to he considered like a cow or an ass."(Biuig. 10.84.13)From the Vedas we can receive education of all kinds. On a mangotree, there are ripened mangoes and green mangoes. The Srimad­Biuigavatam is the ripened mango of the desire tree of Vedic knowledge:nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam. If the mango is tasted by the parrot,it becomes doubly tasty. The word suka means parrot, and SukadevaGosviimi spoke Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is therefore more relishable fromhis lips.nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalamsuka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutampibata bhagavatam rasam alayammuhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukab,"0 expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the maturefruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips ofSri Sukadeva Gosviimi. Therefore this fruit has become even moretasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, includingliberated souls." (Bhag. 1.1.3) It is regrettable that in India,where these literatures are available, pele are not interested. They areinterested in Marxist literature hut not Srimad-Biuigavatam, and this isIndia's misfortune.

82 Teachings of Lord KapilaWhen a student hears spiritual subjects attentively, the spiritualmaster becomes very happy. Kapiladeva was very happy to see, Hismother eager to understand spiritual subject matters. He thereforethanked His mother for her inquiry.Generally people are interested in things that give immediate pleasure.We want to taste something tasty to the tongue, regardless of whether itis edible or not. Hogs very readily eat stool, and they do so without discrimination.They have no idea of tapasya, penance. When one engagesin spiritual realization, one has to undergo tapasya. However, this hasbeen made very easy by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Ceto-darpa"{UL-mdrjanambhava-maha-davagni-nirvapa1J-am. All we have to do is spare a littletime and chant Hare K:rI).a, but we are not even ready for this muchtapasya. K:rI).a is more interested in leading us down the path of liberationthan we are in going. He has given us a very simple method: harernama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. We need only chant HareK:rI).a. To perfect this chanting of Hare K:rI).a, there is no hard-and-fastrule. Simply by chanting, we will attain perfection. Being contaminatedby Kali-yuga, however, we are unfortunate and therefore we have no attractionto the holy names of K:rI).a. Thus when Kapiladeva or His representativesees someone a little interested, he becomes very glad andthanks him. When Kapiladeva saw His mother interested, He thankedher from within, not openly.Kapiladeva was very glad, and He began to speak. Kapiladeva was anincarnation of God and was a young boy; therefore His face was verybeautiful. When He answered this question, He became even morebeautiful, and He smiled because He was pleased at His mother's question.K:rI).a is also very beautiful, but when a devotee serves Him andcomes to Him, He becomes even more beautiful. When a devotee with allhis heart and soul serves K:rI).a, dresses Him in nice garments and givesHim a flower, K:rI).a smiles. If you can get K:rI).a to smile upon you justonce, your life's goal is fulfilled.Thus smiling, Kapiladeva began to enlighten His mother.TEXT 13sri-bhagavan uvdcayoga adhyatmika/:t puritsam

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization 83mato nib.§reyasaya meatyantoparatir yatradukhasya ca sukhasya caTRANSLATIONThe Personality of Godhead answered: That yoga system whichrelates to the Lord and the individual soul, which is meant for theultimate benefit of the living entity, and which causes detachmentfrom all happiness and distress in the material world, is the highestyoga system.PURPORTIn the material world, everyone is striving for some material happiness,but as soon as we get some material happiness, there is also materialdistress. In the material world one cannot have unadulterated happiness.Any kind of happiness one has is contaminated by distress also. For example,if we want to drink milk, we have to bother to maintain a cow andkeep her fit to supply milk. Drinking milk is very nice; it is alsopleasure. But for the sake of drinking milk one has to accept so muchtrouble. The yoga system, as here stated by the Lord, is meant to end allmaterial happiness and material distress. The best yoga, as taught inBhagavad-gita by l(rl}.a, is bhakti-yoga. It is also mentioned in the Gitiithat one should try to be tolerant and not be disturbed by material happinessor distress. Of course, one may say that he is not disturbed by materialhappiness, but he does not know that just after one enjoys so-calledmaterial happiness, material distress will follow. This is the law of thematerial world. Lord Kapila states that the yoga system is the science ofthe spirit. One practices yoga in order to attain perfection on the spiritualplatform. There is no question of material happiness or distress. It istranscendental. Lord Kapila will eventually explain how it is transcendental,but the preliminary introduction is given here.The attempt in this material world to maximize happiness and minimizedistress is called the struggle for existence. Generally yoga is practicedto acquire some material profit. There are eight kinds of yogicperfection (siddhis): aQ-imii, laghima, prapti, iSitva, va§itva, mahimii,prakamya and kamavasayita. A real yogi can become smaller than the

84 Teachings of Lord Kapilasmallest, lighter than the lightest and bigger than the biggest. Whateverhe wants he can produce immediately in his hand. He can even create aplanet. These are some of the yoga-siddhis, but here it is stated that thesupreme yoga system does not aim at material happiness or relief fromdistresses caused by material inconvenience. Everyone is trying to get outof material distress and gain some happiness. In any case, when somethingis material, there is only so-called happiness and so-called distress.For instance, there may be fireworks going on, and this may be happinessfor someone but distress for us. Some people are thinking that these :fireworksare very enjoyable, and we are thinking that they are very inconvenient.That is the material world. On one side there is happiness, andon the other side there is distress. Both happiness and distress are actuallyillusions. In summer, water is happiness, but in winter it is distress.The water is the same, but at one time it brings happiness and atanother time it brings distress. When a son is born, he brings happiness,but when he dies, he brings distress. In either case, the son is the same.This material world is the world of duality, and we cannot understandhappiness without distress or distress without happiness. This istherefore called the relative world. Spiritual happiness is above thesedualities, and that spiritual happiness is the perfection of yoga. Yogaadhyatmika/:t. Yoga is the happiness of the soul, and the individual soulcan be happy when it is with the Supersoul, the Supreme Soul. Nityonityanam cetana§ cetananam. There is the Supreme Soul, or thesupreme living being, and there are many individual souls, individualbeings. We are many, but the principal living being is one, J}.a. He isthe :fire, and we are the sparks from that fire. The sparks are illuminatedwhen they are with the original fire, but if the sparks no longer associatewith the original fire, they are extinguished. Similarly, our real happinessis in enjoying with the Supreme Being. Happiness is being in Hiscompany. I}.a is not alone, but is always with His friends, either thegopis or the cowherd boys, or with His mother and father. We never findI}.a alone. He may be with Radharal}.i or with His devotees. He is like aking or president. When one says that the king or president is coming, itis understood that he is not coming alone. He comes with His secretaries,ministers and many others.The word yoga means "connection," and atma means "soul" andsometimes "mind" or "body." The material body has nothing to do

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization 85with the Supreme Being because the Supreme Being is completely spiritual.He has no material covering. One who thinks that 1,1a, theSupreme Being, has a material covering is himself covered by maya.I,la does not say that He comes as an ordinary living being. Rather, Hisadvent is totally transcendental. ]anma karma ca me divyam evam yovetti tattvata/:t (Bg. 4.4). We therefore have to learn how 1,1a takes Hisbirth, which is not ordinary. If it were ordinary, why should we observethe Janmatami ceremony? His birth is divyam, divine. Everythingahut 1,1a is divine, and if we think that 1,1a is like us, we immediatelybecome miil)has, fools. In the words of Bhagavad-gita (9.11):avajananti roam mul},hamanim tanum asritamparam bhavam ajanantomama bhuta-mahesvaram"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not knowMy transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that he."Actually K:r1,1a is the original Supreme Being, the original spirit soul.We are simply minute parts and parcels of K:r1,1a. If we connect with1,1a, we are illuminated just as 1,1a is illuminated. If we fall downfrom 1,1a, our spiritual power and illumination are extinguished.The word yoga means connecting or linking with that original source.Yoga is the Sanskrit word meaning "connection," and viyoga means"disconnection."Kapiladeva is referred o as Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. Bhagavan makes no mistakes. Narayar:ta/:t paro 'vyaktat: evenSailkaracarya says that "Bhagavan, Naraya1,1a, does not belong to thismaterial world." When we speak of Bhagavan, or when the siistras referto Bhagavan, we refer to Him who is above material understanding. Asstated here, sri-bhagavan uvaca. It does not say vyiisadeva uvaca orkapiladeva uvaca. Similarly, in Bhagavad-gita, Vyasadeva says, sribhagavanuvaca. Bhagavan refers to Him who is above the defects ofthis material world. Bhagavan is not subject to the four deficiencies ofthe living entities. Being imperfect, living entities are illusioned andsubject to commit mistakes. They also have the tendency to cheat others.When one who has no knowledge tries to become a teacher or preacher,

86 Teachings of Lord Kapilahe is actually cheating others. Since we ourselves do not possess perfectknowledge, we simply try to teach what Sri Bhagavan says. We do notmanufacture our own teachings. So-called scholars and learned menmanufacture their own teachings and give their opinions. In the West especially,we find much philosophical speculation and mental gymnastics,but such philosophy can never be perfect. We have to take our ideasfrom Bhagavan; then they will be perfect. We read Bhagavad-gita becauseit is perfect. There is no mistake in it; there is no illusion in it;there is no cheating in it. Nor is it delivered by one whose senses are imperfect.J.la says in Bhagavad-gita (7.26):vedaham samatitanivartamiinani carjunabhavyar:ti ca bhutanimiim tu veda na kaScana"0 Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everythingthat has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and allthings that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no oneknows."God knows everything, but we do not know what is God. That is ourposition. Our position is not knowing. Isvara/:1, sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese'rjuna tthati (Bg. 18.61). Isvara, God, K:rJ.la, is situated in everyone'sheart. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivta/:1,: "I have entered into everyone'sheart." (Bg. 15.15) The Supreme Lord refers not only to the hearts ofhuman beings but to those Qf animals and everything else.ar:u;lantara-stha-paramar:tu-cayantara-sthamgovindam adi-purU$arh tam aham bhajami(Brahma-samhita 5.35)The Supreme Lord is within the atom as Paramatma, and therefore He isalso within the individual soul. Being within everything, He knowseverything. Since He knows everything, we have to take lessons fromHim. If we take what Bhagavan says as perfect knowledge, we receiveperfect knowledge. For receiving this knowledge, there is a disciplic succession(parampara), which is described in Bhagavad-gita (4.2):

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization 87evam parampara-praptamimam rajar$ayo vidub,"This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplicsuccession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way." This K:r:Q.aconsciousness philosophy is very easy because we do not manufactureideas. We take the ideas and the words delivered by the Supreme Person,K:r:Q.a, or His incarnation or representative. His representative does notsay anything which K{I.la Himself does not say. It is very easy to be arepresentative, but one cannot be a representative of K:r:Q.a if one tries tointerpret K:r:Q.a's words in a whimsical way.There is no authority superior to Sri K:r:Q.a, and if we stick to thisprinciple, we can become gurus. We don't need to change our position tobecome a guru. All we have to do is follow in the disciplic successionstemming from Sri K:rQa. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised: amiiraajfiiiya guru haiia tara' ei desa (Cc. Madhya 7.128). Caitanya Mahaprabhuinstructed people to learn from Him and then go teach peoplewithin their own villages. One may think, "I am illiterate and have noeducation. I was not born in a very high family. How can I become aguru?" Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that it is not very difficult. Yaredekha, tare kaha 'kr$r:ta'-upadesa: "Simply speak whatever K:rQaspeaks. Then you become a guru." Whoever speaks what K:rQa has notspoken is not a guru but a rascal. A guru only speaks what K:rQa hasspoken. This is the sastric injunction.$at-karma-nipu1JO vipromantra-tantra-viSaradab,avai$r:tavo gurur na syadvai$r:tavab, sva-paco gurub,"A scholarly brahmar:ta expert in all subjects of Vedic knowledge is unfitto become a spiritual master without being a VaiQava, but a person bornin a family of a lower class can become a spiritual master if he is aVaiQava." (Padma Purar:ta)People are in darkness, and they have to be enlightened. We havefinally come from the animal kingdom to the human form, and now thishuman form gives us the opportunity to get out of the cycle of birth and

88 Teachings of Lord Kapiladeath. The mission of this :Q.a consciousness society is to awakenpeople to their original consciousness. ]iva jaga, fiva jaga, gordcandabale. The word goracanda refers to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who tells theliving entity, "Get up! Get up! How long will you continue to sleep?"Kata nidra yao maya-piSacira kole. The same is stated here. It is theprime business of human beings to connect again with the Supreme Soul.The purpose of yoga is to awaken to :Q.a consciousness and connectoneself again with :Q.a. That is adhyatmika-yoga. Yoga does not meanshowing some mystic magic. The supreme yogi is described by Sri QaHimself in Bhagavad-gita (6.47):yoginam api sarve$dritmad-gatenantaratmanasraddhavan bhajate yo mamsa me yuktatamo matalt"And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshipingMe in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united withMe in yoga and is the highest of all."There are many yogis and many different types of yoga systems, andall of these are discussed in Bhagavad-gita. There is hatha-yoga, karmayoga,j iina-yoga and raja-yoga; however, the real yoga system is meantfor reviving our connection with K:rQa. Here it is said: yoga adhyatmikaltpurilsam. Adhyatmikalt: we are living entities, souls. It is not thatwe are disconnected from Qa, but we have simply forgotten Him. It isnot possible to be disconnected, but it is possible to be covered. In thewords of Qa in Bhagavad-gita (7.25):naham prakasalt sarvasyayogamaya-samavrtaltmii{lho yam nabhijanatiloko mdm ajam avyayam"I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I amcovered by My eternal creative potency [yogamaya]; and so the deludedworld knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible."

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization 89There is yoga, and there is yogamaya. Yogamaya means forgetfulness.First of all we have to understand what is the soul. At the presentmoment, people are in such darkness that they do not even understandthe soul. Therefore Bhagavad-gita (2.13) first of all teaches what thesoul is:dehino 'smin yatha dehekaumaram yauvanam jaratatha dehantara-praptirdhiras tatra na muhyati"As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood toyouth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. Theself-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." The word dehimeans "the proprietor of the body." We are thinking, "I am this body,"but actually this is not so. We are the proprietors of the body, and that isthe real understanding of the self. We do not say, "I am this finger" or"I am this hand." Rather, we say, "This is my finger, this is my head,this is my leg, etc." Similarly, the same can be said about the entire body."This is my body." This means that I am the proprietor of this body. Thebody has been given by maya, the material energy.prakrteb, kriyama¢niguib, karma'{ti sarva5ab,ahankara-vimill;lhatmakartaham iti manyate"The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes ofmaterial nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities that are in actualitycarried out by nature." (Bg. 3.27)The living entity receives different types of bodies according tokarma. One living entity may receive a cat body, another a dog body, andso forth. Why are there so many different bodies? Why not one kind ofbody? The answer to this is also given in Bhagavad-gita (13.22):karam gu-sa1igo 'syasad-asad-yoni-janmasu

90 Teachings of Lord Kapila"It is due to his association with the modes of material nature. Thus hemeets with good and evil among various species."Because the soul within the body associates with the three modes ofmaterial nature (goodness, passion and ignorance), he receives differenttypes of bodies. One doesn't have to aspire for his next body; one needonly rest assured that it will be a different body. On the other hand,l(rJ}.a does not say what kind of body one will be awarded. That dependson qualification. If one associates with the mode of goodness, he is elevatedto the higher planetary systems. If he associates with the mode ofpassion, he remains here. And if one associates with the mode of ignoranceand darkness, he goes down to lower life forms-animals, treesand plants. This is the proclamation of Sri l(rJ}.a in Bhagavad-gita(14.18):urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthamadhye tthanti rajasa}J,jaghanya-guTJa-vrtti-sthaadho gacchanti tamasa}J,"Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to thehigher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets;and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds."There are 8,400,000 species of life, and all of these arise from one'sassociation with the modes of nature (kara1Jarh guTJa-sarigo 'sya). And,according to the body, one undergoes distress and happiness. One cannotexpect a dog to enjoy the same happiness that a king or rich man enjoys.Whether one enjoys this or that happiness or suffers this or that distress,both distress and happiness are due to the material body. Yoga meanstranscending the distress or happiness of the material body. If we connectourselves with l(rJ}.a through the supreme yoga, we can get rid ofmaterial happiness and distress arising from the body. Reconnecting withl(rJ}.a is called bhakti-yoga, and l(rJ}.a comes to instruct us in thissupreme yoga. In essence, He says, "Just revive your connection withMe, you rascal. Give up all these manufactured yogas and religions andjust surrender unto Me." That is l(rJ).a's instruction, and l(rJ).a's representative,the incarnation or the guru, says the same thing. AlthoughKapiladeva is an incarnation of KrJ}.a, He acts as the representative of

Lord Kapila Begins to Explain Self-realization 91KtJ).a, the guru. If we just accept the principle of surrender unto KtJ).a,we will become actually transcendental to so-called material happiness.We should not be captivated by material happiness or aggrieved by materialdistress. These are causes for bondage. Material happiness is notactual happiness. It is actually distress. We try to be happy by obtainingmoney, but money is not very easily obtained, and we have to undergo agreat deal of distress to get it. However, we accept this distress with thehope of getting some false happiness. If we purify our senses, on theother hand, we can come to the spiritual platform. Real happiness lies inengaging our senses to satisfy the senses of KtJ).a. In this way our sensesare spiritualized, and this is called oohyatmika-yoga or bhakti-yoga..This is the yoga that Lord Kapiladeva is herein expounding.

CHAPTER EIGHTBhakti-yoga:The Supreme Yoga SystemTEXT 14tam imam te pravayamiyam avocarit puranagher$il;Uirit srotu-kamanamyogam sarvanga-naipur:tamTRANSLATION0 most pious mother, I shall now explain unto you the ancientyoga system, which I explained formerly to the great sages. It isserviceable and practical in every way.PURPORTThe Lord does not manufacture a new system of yoga. Sometimes it isclaimed that someone has become an incarnation of God and is expoundinga new theological aspect of the Absolute Truth. But here we find thatalthough Kapila Muni is the Lord Himself and is capable of manufacturinga new doctrine for His mother, He nevertheless says, "I shall just explainthe ancient system that I once explained to the great sages becausethey were also anxious to hear about it." When we have a superexcellentprocess already present in Vedic scriptures, there is no need to concoct anew system, to mislead the innocent public. At present it has become afashion to reject the standard system and present something bogus in thename of a newly invented process of yoga.The supreme ancient system of yoga pertains to the soul. Presently, inAmerica especially, hatha-yoga is very popular. It appeals to fat ladieswho go to the classes to reduce and keep their digestive systems regular.93

.94 Teachings of Lord K.apilaMany people are interested in this kind of gymnastic yoga, but real yogais iidhyatmika. Adhyatmika means to awaken the soul to his proper position.The soul is purU$a, spirit, and his business is to reconnect his lostrelationship with 1,1a.Herein Kapiladeva says that He previously delivered this yoga systemto the great ris, the great sages. This is the process of sravary,a, hearing.One must be very eager to hear, for spiritual life begins with hearing.ata sri-krr:w-namadina bhaved grahyam indriyaisevonmukhe hi jihvadausvayam eva sphuraty ada(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu 1.2.234)It is thus stated in the sastras that it is not possible to appreciate orunderstand 1,1a with our blunt material senses. 1,1a's name, form,qualities, pastimes, paraphernalia and abode are all part and parcel of1,1a. However, understanding I,la begins with hearing and chantingHis name. Then there is His form. Generally, for the neophyte, theseitems are essential-to hear His name and qualities and see and worshipHis form. That is 1,1a's personal instruction:man-mana bhava mad-bhaktomad-yaji mam namaskuru"Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worshipMe." (B g . 9.34)Bhagavan Sri 1,1a is present in the temple Deity, and even if a childcomes to offer his respects, he is counted as a devotee. A small child maynot know anything, but simply by seeing the Deity, chanting and dancing,he is benefited. Temples are meant to give everyone a chance to advancein 1,1a consciousness one step at a time.svalpam apy asya dharmasyatrayate mahato bhayat

Bhakti-yoga: The Supreme Yoga System 95"A little advancement on this path can protect one from the mostdangerous type of fear." (Bg. 2.40) Even if we do a little on the path ofbhakti, it goes to our account. For instance, if we deposit only two dollarsin a savings bank, it is kept in our account, and it will increase with interest.Similarly, if one performs even a little devotional service, it is notlost. One may come and join this }(rI,la consciousness movement, rendersome service and after a while fall down. However, whatever service hasbeen rendered is to one's permanent credit. That will never be lost.When one begins again, he begins at the point where he has left off. Thisis the instruction of Bhagavad-gitii (6.41):suciniirh srimatiirh geheyoga-bhra{ito 'bhijiiyate"The unsuccessful yogi is born into a family of righteous people or into afamily of rich aristocracy." Thus if one fails to perfect his bhakti-yoga,he is given another chance in the next life. According to a Bengali poem:suci haya muci haya yadi km:ta tyiijemuci haya suci haya yadi krJ:ta-bhajeIf one takes to l(rI).a consciousness, even if he is born in a family of acobbler (muci), he becomes greater than a briihmaT;ta (suci). However, ifone is born in a briihmaT;ta family and gives up }(rI).a consciousness, hebecomes a muci, a cobbler. Thus the door of devotion is open to everyone,whoever he may be. }(rI).a Himself says that regardless of one'sposition, if one takes shelter of Him, one can approach the supremedestination.miirh hi piirtha vyapasrityaye 'pi syub, piipa-yonayab,striyo vaiSyiis tathii sadriiste 'pi yanti pariirh gatirh"0 son of P:rtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lowerbirth-women, vaiSyas [merchants], as well as sadras [workers]-can

96 Teachings of Lord Kapilaapproach the supreme destination." (Bg. 9.32) And Sukadeva Gosvamisays:kirata-har:tandhra-pulinda-pulkaSaabhira-sumbha yavana/:t khasadaya/:tye 'nye ca papa yad-apasrayasraya/:1.sudhyanti tasmai prabhavi$r:tave nama/:t"Kirata, Hua, Andhra, Pulinda, Pulkasa, Ahhira, Sumhha, Yavana andthe Khasa races and even others who are addicted to sinful acts canhe· purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to Hisbeing the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances untoHim." (Bhiig. 2.4.18) Kra consciousness is so 'complete that it is allembracing.Everyone has an occupational duty as a brahmar:ta, k§atriya,vaiSya or sadra, hut one does not have to give up his occupational duty totake to Kra consciousness. And if one takes to Kra consciousness hutdoes not succeed, what has he lost? Even if he falls down, there is no loss.On the other hand, if a man perfectly performs his own duties (svadharma)hut is not Kra conscious, what does he gain? There is actuallyno gain. Kapiladeva explains that once one takes to the path of bhaktiyoga,one never actually falls down. Once begun, bhakti-yoga continues,even if one temporarily falls down. One is given another chance by takingbirth in a good family, either in a wealthy family, a learned family ora brahmar:ta family. If one executes his duties as a brahmar:ta, Viu willhe very pleased, and if one executes his duties perfectly as a k§atriya orsadra, Viu will also he very pleased. One does not have to change one'sposition. In Bhagavad-gita (18.46) Sri Kra says that every man can hecomeperfect by following his qualities of work:yata/:t pravrttir bhatanamyena sarvam idam tatamsva-karmaTJ-d tam abhyarcyasiddhim vindati manava/:t"By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is allpervading,man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection."Thus if one executes his duties as a perfect k§atriya, vaiSya, sadraor whatever, Viu will he pleased. The purpose of work is to please

Bhakti-yoga: The Supreme Yoga System 97ViJ)U. Unfortunately, people have forgotten this. Van,ul§rama-dharma,the Vedic system of society, is therefore very important in that it ismeant to give human beings a chance to perfect their lives by pleasingKrJ)a. Unfortunately, the varl)iiSrama-dharma has been lost in this age.Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu, just to give relief to the rotting, conditionedsouls of this age of Kali-yuga, has given us the maha-mantra.harer nama harer namaharer namaiva kevalamkalau nasty eva nasty evanasty eva gatir anyatha"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance ischanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is noother way. There is no other way." (Brhan-naradiya Purar;ta) Althoughwe may try to revive the perfect varl)iiSrama system, it is not possible inthis age. People are fallen, disturbed and unfortunate:prayelpaya sabhyakalav asmin yuge janamanda sumanda-matayomanda-bhagya hy upadruta"0 learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. Theyare quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed."(Bhag. 1.1.10) In this age, there will be insufficient rainfall andfood, and the government will plunder one's income by heavy taxation.All of these characteristics of Kali-yuga are described in Srimad­Bhagavatam. People will become so disgusted that they will suddenlyleave their wife and children and go to the forest. How can the peacefulvarl)iiSrama-dharma be revived when people are so harassed in this age?It is virtually impossible. Therefore the system of bhakti-yoga, thechanting of the Hare KrJ)a maha-mantra, should be adopted. The wholeaim of bhakti-yoga is to satisfy ViQu. Yajfia* sarikirtana-prayai:ViQu, KrQa, came Himself as Caitanya Mahliprabhu to teach us the wayof sarikirtana. Presently it has become fashionable to manufacture a newsystem of religion, but Kapiladeva, like KrQa, does not manufacture

98 Teachings of Lord Kapilaanything new. This system is not new, but very old (pura). KrI)a alsosays the same in Bhagavad-gita (4.2), evam parampara-prdptam imamrajar$ayo vidu/:1: "This supreme science was thus received through thechain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in thatway." Thus KrI)a and Kapiladeva are not teaching anything new. Theyare simply repeating the same message because, in the course of time, theknowledge has been lost. Arjuna asks, "Why are you telling me? Whynot another?" Sri KrI)a answers, bhakto 'si me sakha ceti: "Because youare My devotee as well as My friend." (Bg. 4.3)Thus without being a bhakta, a devotee of KrQa's, one cannot actuallyunderstand the science of bhakti-yoga. Understanding Bhagavad-gitdmeans understanding KrI)a. All this information is explained only in thebhakti-sampradaya, not in any other school. Therefore KrI)a says at theconclusion of Bhagavad-gitd (18.55), bhaktya mam abhijanati: if oneactually wants to understand K:rI)a and one's relationship with Him, onemust take to this process of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga as explained byLord Kapiladeva is sankhya-yoga.Lord Kapiladeva states here:tam imam te pravak$yamiyam avocam puranagheThe word anaghe refers to one without sin. The word agha refers to pastsins, and an means "without." Therefore one cannot understand KrI)aconsciousness unless he is free from sin. Ye$dm tv anta-gatam papam:one can stick to KrI)a consciousness only when one is completely freefrom all sinful reactions. One may say, "That will take some time. I cannotget free from sinful reactions overnight." However, KrI)a says, "No,no. This can be done immediately. Simply surrender unto Me, and I willabsolve you from all sin." Thus by simply surrendering unto l(:rQa, ourspiritual life begins.We have to understand that we receive different bodies due to our sinfulactions. Now we are given a chance to execute our duty in the humanform. Bahundm janmandm ante. We have received this body throughthe evolutionary processes, and this human form is a great opportunity.Narottama dasa Thakura sings: hari hari viphale janama gonainu: "Mydear Lord KrI)a, I have simply wasted my time." Why?

Bhakti-yoga: The Supreme Yoga System 99manya-janama paiyci,janiya suniya va khiiinuriidhii-krr:w nd bhajiya,"Because I have received the human form of life, which is meant forunderstanding KrQa, yet I have simply wasted my time by not takingadvantage of this opportunity. I have done everything but worshipRadha-KrQa. Therefore I have taken poison knowingly." When onetakes poison knowingly, he commits suicide, and not taking advantage ofthe human form is something like that. If we do not understand :KrQa inthis life, we are knowingly taking poison. This material life is just like ablazing forest fire. Eating, sleeping, enjoying sex and defending are themain material activities. When we are engaged simply in these things,our hearts are always burning as if we had taken poison. How can we becured?golokera prema-dhana, hari-ndma-sankirtana,rati nii janmila kene taya"My dear Lord, You have given us the medicine of hari-namasankirtana,the chanting of Hare KrQa. Unfortunately, I have no attractionfor Your holy names." It is also stated:vrajendra-nandana yei,balarama haila nitaisaci-suta haila sei,"KrQa has now come as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the son of motherSaci. And Balarama has come as Lord Nityananda." What is Their business?They are delivering all kinds of sinful men simply by chantingHare KrQa. And what is the evidence of this? The evidence is that SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu delivered the sinful Jagaiand Madhai. At the present moment everyone is like Jagai and Madhai,for everyone is intoxicated and mad after sex. Now, by the grace ofCaitanya Mahaprabhu, thousands of Jagais and Madhais are beingdelivered. It is this active medicine, this Hare KrQa mahii-mantra, thatis doing it. It is the perfect yoga system. This process is not manufactured,and we have not concocted anything. Our business is simply to acceptthe words of :KrQa as they are. Sri KrQa Himself characterizes Hisdevotee in this way:

100 Teachings of Lord Kapilasatatam kirtayanto miimyatanta5 ca drr,lha-vratal],namasyanta5 ca miim bhaktyanitya-yuktii upiisate"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination,bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me withdevotion." (Bg. 9.14)We do not need to be very learned. Our only requirement is that wereceive the blessings -of the Lord. The Lord's blessings will enable us tobecome learned and follow His instructions. We only need to stick to thisK{Q.a consciousness movement on the basis of Bhagavad-gitii. When weare a little further advanced, we can read Srimad-Bhagavatam. CaitanyaMahaprabhu Himself has opened the way with this sarikirtana movement.The entire world is in darkness without K{Q.a consciousness, andin this age people are so dull that they do not even know the differencebetween mukti (liberation) and bandha (bondage). If a human beingdoes not know this difference, he is no better than an animal.Presently we are under the sway of the three gur:ws, the modes of materialnature -sattva-guJJa, rajo-guJJa and tamo-guJJa. Out of these threegur:ws, sattva-guJJa, the mode of goodness, is the best. A briihmaJJa,characterized by the mode of goodness, is truthful and self-controlled.He controls his mind and senses, and he is very tolerant and simple. Hehas full knowledge, and he knows how to apply knowledge in life. He hasfull faith in the authority of the Vedas, a quality called iistikyam.Caitanya Mahaprabhu has explained the difference between niistikyamand iistikyam. According to Vedic understanding, one who does notbelieve in the Vedas is called niistika. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: vedanii miiniya bauddha haya ta' niistika (Cc. Madhya 6.168). Lord Buddhadefied Vedic authority, but His mission was to stop animal killing. In theVedas there are recommendations for animal sacrifice, and therefore toprevent the killing of animals, Lord Buddha rejected the Vedas. Suchsacrifice is not possible in this age because ther€? is no brahmar;taqualified to carry it out. Those who are intelligent know that such asacrifice cannot be successful in this age because no one knows theproper mantras capable of giving an old animal the body of a newanimal. When an animal sacrifice is properly conducted, an old animal is

Bhakti-yoga: The Supreme Yoga System 101sacrificed, and it emerges from the fire in a new body. This is not possiblein this age, but what is possible is sankirtana-yajiia, the chanting ofthe Hare 1,1a maha-mantra. This is the yajiia, or sacrifice, especiallyintended for this age. We need only chant Hare 1,1a, Hare 1,1a,1,1a 1,1a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, HareHare. By performing this yajiia, the results will be ceto-darpar:wmarjanam-the mirror of the mind will be cleansed. When the mirror ofthe mind is cleansed, one is automatically liberated.Consciousness is the main principle, either for conditional life or forliberated life. We are therefore proposing 1,1a consciousness, whichmeans liberation from the repetition of birth and death. Unfortunately,people are so dull in this age that they have no idea how birth and deathcan be stopped. They think that birth and death cannot be stopped; evenfamous scientists admit this. However, in Bhagavad-gita Sri 1,1a saysthat we should always keep in mind the four miserable conditions. Theseare birth, old age, disease and death. When we are able to put an end tothese, we are liberated. This simply requires that we clear our consciousnessby thinking of 1,1a. The purpose of this 1,1a consciousnessmovement is to keep our minds constantly on 1,1a. 1,1a is theSupreme Personality of Godhead, and He is a person. When He wasrealized by Arjuna, He was addressed as purU$am. God is purU$a, male,not female. PurU$a means "the enjoyer," and prakrti means "the enjoyed."Everything is enjoyed by the supreme purU$a. It is also statedthat we are actually prakrti, not purU$a. The human dress is simplymaya, illusion. We are thinking that we are purU$a, the enjoyer, but actuallywe are the enjoyed. A man, thinking of enjoying himself, tries toimitate purU$a, but actually he is prakrti. As a consequence, he is castinto this material world. Because the living entity wants to enjoy the materialworld and is attached to the three gurJas, he receives differenttypes of bodies. One who is in the mode of goodness receives the body ofa learned brahmar:w. This is somewhat elevated, for he can graduallyunderstand what is God. In the modes of passion and ignorance, no onecan understand God. Also, from the material point of view, if one is situatedin the mode of goodness, he can be elevated to higher planetarysystems. Nonetheless, even if one goes to Brahmaloka, the highest planetin the material atmosphere, one is not actually perfectly situated. Thereis really no benefit because even on Brahmaloka the four miseries of

102 Teachings of Lord Kapilamaterial existence are found: birth, old age, disease and death. LordBrahma also dies and takes birth. From Vedic literatures we understandthat Lord Brahma took birth from the lotus flower generated from thenavel of Viu. Thus he had his birth, and when Lord Brahma dies, theentire material cosmic manifestation will be finished. Just as LordBrahma undergoes birth, old age, disease and death, so also a small ant orinsect undergoes the same process. The point is that the living entity hasto be free from this bondage because he is by nature eternal. Accordingto Bhagavad-gita, the living entity never actually takes birth, and henever actually dies. Na jayate mriyate va kadacit: "For the soul there isnever birth nor death." (Bg. 2.20)It is the body that is destined to die, whether the body be that of LordBrahma or of a small ant. One should not think that one is liberated becauseone can live millions and millions of years. The life of LordBrahma covers millions of earth years, yet he is also subjected to birthand death. That is the way of conditional life. We should take advantageof the perfect knowledge given by Vedic literatures, by the great r§is and· Bhagavan Kapiladeva, as well as by Bhagavan Sri Kta, in order to attainliberation from the cycle of birth and death.Receiving Kta consciousness means receiving light. People are exhaustedwith the materialistic way of life, especially in the West. Now theKt consciousness movement is giving new life to Western society. Bynature, we living entities are liberated. There is actually no question ofbirth, death, old age and disease. Since we are part and parcel of K:ra,the Supreme Lord, how can there be a question of these things? Kta issac-cid-ananda-vigraha, and being part and parcel of Kta, we are alsoof the same nature. We are equal in quality, although not in quantity.Why, then, should we suffer the pangs of death? Therefore in the previousverse Kapiladeva instructed: yoga adhyatmika/:t pumsam matoni/:!Sreyasaya. The soul is entrapped in the body, and the process of perfectyoga is the process of saving the soul from bodily confinement andthe four miseries that plague the body. How can this perfect yoga be attained?That is explained by Lord Kapila in the next verse: ratam vapumsi muktaye. If our consciousness is simply attached to Kta, we willbe liberated.The great souls are always chanting about Kta. Hare Kta, HareKta, Kta Kta, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,

Bhakti-yoga: The Supreme Yoga System 103'----Hare Hare. They are also endeavoring with great determination in theirdevotional service. For instance, in the Kf?I).a consciousness temples thedevotees rise early in the morning, at 4:00 A,M,, and they immediatelybathe. Then they go to marigala-arati at 4:30, and after mmigala-aratithey study the Vedic literatures. These are the processes by which we canawaken our dormant love for f?I).a. Because we are part and parcel off?I).a-just as a son is part and parcel of his father-there is a naturallove between us. However, somehow or other the son leaves home andforgets his father. The father, of course, never forgets his son. Hethinks, "Oh, my son has left. If he would only come back!" f?I).a thinksin this way. We are all sons of f?I).a, and f?I).a is more anxious to get usback home, back to Godhead, than we are to go. Therefore f?I).a comesand says, "You rascal! Give up all this nonsensical material engagement.You have manufactured so many religions and dharmas. Just give themall up and simply surrender unto Me." f?I).a comes Himself and leavesbehind His words. His words are also Himself because His words are absolute.Presently we do not see f?I).a, but if we actually advance, we willsee Him. When we see the Deity in the temple, we think, "Oh, this is anidol. It is not f?I).a." If we think in this way, we have not seen f?I).a.f?I).a is also present in His words, in Bhagavad-gita. That is kmw-vary,i,the message of f?I).a. The stage of awareness of f?I).a can be attainedwhen one is advanced in f?I).a consciousness. Then one can understandthat f?I).a is present in the Deity, in Bhagavad-gita, in the taste ofwater, in the sunshine, in the moonshine and in all sound. f?I).a is presenteverywhere, but one has to acquire knowledge in order to know howto see f?I).a. That is mukti, liberation. That is f?I).a consciousness. Thatis also the process of bhakti-yoga-sravary,am kirtanam vry,ob,smarary,am .... Deity worship is arcanam, chanting is vandanam, anddasyam is working for f?I).a and spreading this f?I).a consciousnessmovement.Generally we experience that people are primarily interested in seeingf?I).a, but why is the emphasis on seeing? Let us hear about Him. Wemust come with a little faith, and as we hear, that faith will increase. Oneshould come to the temple, listen to talks about f?I).a, and then, aftersome time, officially take initiation into the service of the Lord. That iscalled bhajana-kriya. At that time one has to abandon illicit sex, intoxication,meat-eating and gambling. If one is still attached to all these

104 Teachings of Lord Kapilahabits, he should know that he is not making progress. When one is actuallyadvanced in bhajana-kriyii, all these anarthas (unwanted things)will be finished. Param dmva nivartate. When one appreciates somethingbetter, he rejects all kinds of nonsense. Once one gets a taste of.i(rI}.a consciusness, he cannot remain without it. A drunkard cannotremain without a drink, but a devotee is drunk with .i(rI}.a consciousness.The immunization against all material diseases is this .i(rI}.a consciousness.To be immuned to the infection of the gur:ws, we have toengage in bhakti-yoga. Once we attain the perfectional stage, we attainecstatic love of Godhead. In that state we cannot remain without .i(rI}.afor a moment. That is called bhava, and that bhava may increase tomaha-bhdva. This is not possible for ordinary human beings, but it waspossible for the gopis and Radharal).i. Indeed, they could not live without.i(rI).a. This is the highest stage of liberation.

CHAPTER NINEPurifying the Mind for SeH-realizationTEXT 15ceta/:t khalv asya bandhayamuktaye cdtmano matamgu"{le$U saktam bandhayaratam va pumsi muktayeTRANSLATIONThe stage in which the consciousness of the living entity is attractedby the three modes of material nature is called conditional·life. But when that same consciousness is attached to the SupremePersonality of Godhead, one is situated in the consciousness ofliberation.PURPORTThere is a distinction here between 1,1a consciousness and mayaconsciousness. Gu"{le$U, or maya consciousness, involves attachment tothe three material modes of nature, under which one works sometimes ingoodness and knowledge, sometimes in passion and sometimes iii ignorance.These different qualitative activities, with the central attachmentfor material enjoyment, are the cause of one's conditional life.When the same ceta/:t, or consciousness, is transferred to the SupremePersonality of Godhead, 1,1a, or when one becomes 1,1a conscious,he is on the path of liberation.TEXT 16aham-mamabhimanotthai/:tkama-lobhadibhir malai/:t105

106 Teachings of Lord Kapilavitam yadd mana}:!, suddhamadu}J,kham asukham samamTRANSLATIONWhen one is completely cleansed of the impurities of lust andgreed produced from the false identification of the body as "I"and bodily possessions as "mine," one's mind becomes purified.In that pure state he transcends the stage of material happiness anddistress.PURPORTKama and lobha are the symptoms of material existence. Everyone alwaysdesires to possess something. It is said here that desire and greedare the products of false identification of oneself with the body. Whenone becomes free from this contamination, his mind and consciousnessalso become freed and attain their original state. Mind, consciousness andthe living entity exist. Whenever we speak of the living entity, this includesthe mind and consciousness. The difference between conditionallife and liberated life occurs when we purify the mind and the consciousness.When they are purified, one becomes transcendental to materialhappiness and distress.In the beginning Lord Kapila has said that perfect yoga enables one totranscend the platform of material distress and happiness. How this canbe done is explained here: one has to purify his mind and consciousness.This can be done by the bhakti-yoga system. As explained in theNarada-paficaratra, one's mind and senses should be purified (tatparatvenanirmalam). One's senses must be engaged in devotionalservice of the Lord. That is the process. The mind must have someengagement. One cannot make the mind vacant. Of course there aresome foolish attempts to try to make the mind vacant or void, but that isnot possible. The only process that will purify the mind is to engage it inJ.la. The mind must be engaged. If we engage our mind in KtJ.la,naturally the consciousness becomes fully purified, and there is nochance that material desire and greed will enter.Our mind is our friend, and our mind is our enemy. If it is cleansed, itis a friend, and if it is dirty, we contact material diseases. If we keep our-

Purifying the Mind for Self-realization 107selves clean, pure, we will not he contaminated. According to Vediccivilization, one has to cleanse himself externally three times daily-oncein the morning, again at noon, and again in the evening. Those whostrictly follow the hrahminical rules and regulations follow this process.Cleanliness is next to godliness. Conditional life means that the mind iscovered with dirty things, and this is our disease. When we are in thelower modes of tamo-guT;ta and rajo-gur;ta, these dirty things are veryprominent. One has to raise himself to the mode of sattva (goodness) bythe process of sarikirtana and srava7J-a. One has to hear krT;ta-kathd.J.la is within everyone's heart. The individual soul is part and parcelof J.la, and J.la wants the individual soul to turn to Him. Unfortunatelythe conditioned soul is attached to material enjoyment, and thisis the cause of his bondage to birth, death, old age and disease. He is sofoolish that he does not take into consideration that these miseries are repeated.He is like an ass that belongs to a washerman who loads himdown with heavy clothes. For a few morsels of grass, the ass has to carryheavy loads all day, although not a single piece of clothing belongs tohim. This is the way of the karmis. They may become bigmultimillionaires, hut they are just like asses, working hard day andnight. Regardless of how much money they may have, their stomachs canonly hold so much. And they require only six feet of space to sleep.Nonetheless, these big karmis are thinking themselves very important.They think, "Without me, all the members of my nation will die. Let mework day and night to the point of death." People are thinking, "I belongto this family, this nation, this community. I have this duty or thatduty," and so on. People do not know that these are all false designations.Sri Caitanya Mahaprahhu therefore enjoins, fivera 'svarupa' hayakrr;tera'nitya-ddsa ': our actual position is that of eternal servants ofJ.la. We are mistakenly thinking that we are servants of a family ornation, hut this is due to ignorance, tamo-guTJ-a. However, we can attainthe platform of sattva-guT;ta by following the instructions given inBhagavad-gita. Hearing krr:ta-katha, topics about J.la, clears all thedirty things from the mind. Also, if we chant and dance, these dirtythings will he wiped away. The mind is the cause of bondage, and themind is the cause of liberation. When it is dirty, it brings about bondage.In conditional life, we take birth, remain for some time, and enjoyor suffer. But really there is no question of enjoyment. There is only

108 Teachings of Lord Kapilasuffering. When we die, we have to give up the body and then take onanother body. We immediately enter the womb of another mother, stayfor nine months or so, and then come out. Then a new chapter of lifebegins. This is conditioned life, and it goes on again and again and again.In this way we undergo the tribulations of birth, old age, disease anddeath. The dogs and cats cannot understand this process, but we canunderstand it in human life through the Vedic literatures. If we don'ttake advantage of these literatures, all our education is for nothing.People actually waste their time talking politics, sociology, anthropology,and so on. They read many literatures that do not glorify theSupreme Lord Hari, and thus they waste their time. This K{Qa consciousnessmovement is giving everyone a chance to become pious.Pur:tya-sravar:w-kirtana/:t. It is not necessary to give money or bathe inthe Ganges. There are many pious activities and many processes recommendedin the sastras for becoming pious. However, in Kali-yuga peoplehave lost all their stamina. They are so sinful that there is no question ofbecoming pious through all these prescribed methods. The only means ishearing about K{Qa and chanting His names. KtQa has given us ears tohear and a tongue to speak. We can hear from a realized soul and thusperfect our lives. In this way we are given a chance to purify ourselves.Unless we are purified, we cannot become devotees. Human life is meantfor purification. Unfortunately in this age people are not interested inK{Qa, and they suffer through material existence one life after anotherafter another. In one life they may be very opulent. Then they don't careabout the next life. They think, "Let me eat, drink and be merry." Thisis going on all over the world, but the sastras say that people are makingmistakes in this way. Nanam pramatta/:t kurute vikarma/:t (Bhag. 5.5.4):people have become mad with sense gratification, and therefore theyengage in all sorts of forbidden things. Karma means regulated work,and vikarma means just the opposite-unlawful, forbidden activities.The word akarma means that one is not affected by the results of work.As stated in Bhagavad-gita (3.9):yajnarthat karmar:w 'nyatraloko 'yam karma-bandhana/:ttad-artham karma kaunteyamukta-sariga/:t samacara

Purifying the Mind for Self-realization 109"Work done as a sacrifice for Vi1,1u has to be performed, otherwise workbinds one to this material world. Therefore, 0 son of Kunti, performyour prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will alwaysremain unattached and free from bondage."When people are in the modes of passion and ignorance, they performvikarma. They do not care for their future lives, and they are habituatedto eating anything and everything, just like hogs. They do not care forthe sastric injunctions, and they are totally irresponsible. They are justlike street boys who have no education and do not care for anything.Such urchins do whatever they like, for their fathers and mothers do notcare for them. Life in ignorance, tamo-gu, is such a careless life.People simply act unlawfully, not considering the results of their actions.They act for sense gratification, and actually they take pleasure in committingsins. In Calcutta I have seen people taking pleasure in cutting thethroats of chickens and laughing when the chicken jumps and flapsabout. Sometimes in Western countries students are taken toslaughterhouses just to see how the cows are butchered. In this age,people take pleasure in committing all kinds of sins. They have no brainsto see that this body is temporary and full of suffering. They are completelyin the mode of darkness, just like the animals they slaughter.There may be many animals in a pasture, and if one takes an animalaside and cuts its throat, the other animals will simply stand, look, andcontinue eating grass. They do not realize that the next time they may beslaughtered. The people in Kali-yuga are in the same situation, but theKr1,1a consciousness movement is trying to give these rascals a littlesense. We are saying, "Don't remain animals. Become human beings."In the words of Caitanya Mahaprabhu:kr bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukhaataeva maya tare deya samsara-dub,kha"Forgetting Kr!?I,la, the living entity has been attracted by theexternal feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy(maya) gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence.(Cc. Madhya 20.117) When one forgets his relationship with :l

110 Teachings of Lord Kapilamaya-mugdha jivera nahi svatab, krTJa-jnanajivere krpaya kaila krTJa veda-purdJa"The conditioned soul cannot revive his K:r1,1a consciousness by his owneffort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord K:r1,1a compiled the Vedicliterature and its supplements, the Purd1Jas." (Cc. Madhya 20.122)The Vedic literatures-the Vedanta, Upan4ads, RamayarJa, Mahabharataand many others-should be utilized if we wish to become freefrom the contamination of tamo-guJa and rajo-gu1Ja. The whole world isrevolving due to kama and lobha. Kama means "lusty desire," andlobha means "greed." People cannot have enough sex or money, and becauseof this, their hearts are filled with contaminations, which have tobe cleansed by hearing, repeating and chanting. Human life is meant toget rid of anarthas, unwanted things, but where is the university or collegewhere this science of purification is taught? The only institution isthis K:r1,1a consciousness society. K:r1,1a is within the heart, and the contaminationsare also there, but K:r1,1a will help us cleanse them. Ntaprayevabhadreu nityam bhagavata-sevaya (Bhag. 1.2.18). We mustregularly hear Srimad-Bhagavatam and chant Hare K:r1,1a; these are thetwo processes recommended by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Haridasa 'fhakurawas chanting three hundred thousand holy names a day, but we havefixed the number at sixteen rounds. Nonetheless, we are so unfortunateand fallen that we cannot even perform them. We should not waste ourtime reading and talking nonsense, but should engage in the study ofSrimad-Bhagavatam. Our time is very valuable, and we should not wasteit. Ca1,1akya Pa1,1ita has said: ayab, aJa eko 'pi na labhyab, svarJakofibhib,.We may live for a hundred years, but not one moment of thesehundred years can be returned, not even if we are prepared to paymillions of dollars. We cannot add a moment, nor can we get a momentback. If time is money, we should just consider how much money wehave lost. However, time is even more precious because it cannot beregained. Therefore not a single moment should be lost. Human lifeshould be utilized only for chanting and reading Vedic literatures. TheInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness is publishing manybooks so that people can utilize their time properly by reading them andmake their lives successful. Not only should we read Srimad­Bhiigavatam, but we should also serve the person bhiigavata, one whose

Purifying the Mind for Self-realizationIlllife is nothing but Srimad-Bhagavatam. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Bythis process we can attain the stage of bhagavad-bhakti, but first we mustget rid of all these anarthas, unwanted things. Presently we are wastingour time thinking, "This is my country. This is my nation. This is mybody and my family," and so on. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. We canvanquish all these false conceptions when we come to the platform ofsattva-gur:w-. Then we will not be disturbed by tamo-gur:w- or rajo-gur:w-,nor by kama or lobha (lust and greed). This is the vasudeva platform.Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya.Lord Kapiladeva, in the next verse, points out the results that followthe successful completion of this purificatory process.TEXT 17tadd purua atmdnamkevalam prakrte/:t paramnirantaram svayam-jyotirary,imanam akhary,l},itamTRANSLATIONAt that time the soul can see himself to be transcendental to materialexistence and always self-effulgent, never fragmented, althoughvery minute in,size.PURPORTIn the state of pure consciousness, or 1,1a consciousness, one can seehimself as a minute particle nondiflerent from the Supreme Lord. Asstated in Bhagavad-gitd, the jiva, or the individual soul, is eternally partand parcel of the Supreme Lord. Just as the sun's rays are minute particlesof the brilliant sun, so a living entity is a minute particle of theSupreme Spirit. The individual soul and the Supreme Lord are not separatedas in material differentiation. The individual soul is a particle fromthe very beginning. One should not think that because the individualsoul is a particle, it is fragmented from the whole spirit. Mayavada philosophyenunciates that the whole spirit exists, but a part of it, which is

112 Teachings of Lord Kapilacalled the jiva, is entrapped by illusion. This philosophy, however, isunacceptable because spirit cannot be divided like a fragment of matter.That part, the jiva, is eternally a part. As long as the Supreme Spirit exists,His part and parcel also exists. As long as the sun exists, themolecules of the sun's rays also exist.The jiva particle is estimated in the Vedic literature to be oneten-thousandth the size of the upper portion of a hair. He is therefore infinitesimal.The Supreme Spirit is infinite, but the living entity, or individualsoul, is infinitesimal, although he is not different in qualityfrom the Supreme Spirit.Two words in this verse are to be particularly noted. One isnirantaram, which means "nondifferent" or "of the same quality." Theindividual soul is also expressed here as alJ-imiinam. ATJ-imiinam means"infinitesimal." The Supreme Spirit is all-pervading, but the very smallspirit is the individual soul. Akhar:u;litam means not exactly "fragmented"but "constitutionally always infinitesimal." No one can separatethe molecular parts of the sunshine from the sun, but at the same timethe molecular part of the sunshine is not as expansive as the sun itself.Similarly, the living entity, by his constitutional position, is qualitativelythe same as the Supreme Spirit, but he is infinitesimal.Self-realization means seeing one's proper identity as the infinitesimaljiva. At the present moment, we are seeing the body, but this is not ourproper identity. We have no vision of the real person occupying the body.The first lesson we receive from Bhagavad-gitii (2.13) informs us thatthe body and the owner of the body are different. When we can understandthat we are not the body, that is the beginning of self-realization,and that is called the brahma-bhata stage. Aham brahmiismi. I am notthis material body, but spirit soul. And what are the characteristics of thejiva, the soul? First of all, he is alJ-imiinam, very minute, infinitesimal.We are also jyoti, effulgent, like God, but God is brahma-jyoti, allpervadingand infinite. According to the Mayavada theory, we are thesame as that brahmajyoti. Mayavadis give the example of a pot and thesky. Outside the pot there is sky, and within the pot there is sky. Theseparation is only due to the wall of the pot. When the pot is broken, theinside and outside become one. However, this example does not properlyapply to the soul, as it is described in Bhagavad-gitii (2.24):

Purifying the Mind for Self-realization113acchedyo yam adahyo yamakledyo 'soya eva canitya sarva-gata sthar:turacalo yam sandtana"This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neitherburned nor dried. He is everlasting, all-pervading, unchangeable, immovableand eternally the same." The Soul cannot be cut in pieces orsegmented. This means that the soul is eternally, p erpetually minute. Weare the eternal parts and parcels of Sri a. As Sri a Himself statesin Bhagavad-g'itii (15.7):mamaiviimso jiva-lokejiva-bhuta saniitana"The living entities in the conditioned world are My eternal, fragmentalparts." The word sandtana means "eternal," and the word amsa means"particles." God, a, is very great. No one is equal to Him or greaterthan Him. It is said that God is great, but we do not actually realize howgreat God is. He is so great that millions of universes are emanating fromthe pores of His body.yasyaika-niSvasita-kiilam athavalambyajivanti loma-vilaja jagad-ar:tt;la-nathiivr:tur mahan sa iha yasya kalii-viSeogovindam iidi-puram tam aham bhajami"The Brahmas and other lords of the mundane worlds appear from thepores of the Maha-Viu and remain alive for the duration of His one exhalation.I adore the primeval Lord, Govinda, for Maha-Viu is a portionof His plenary portion." (Brahma-samhitii 5.48)Millions of universes emanate from the breathing of the Maha-Viu.In the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gitii, a gives Arjuna some indicationof His infinite glory, and He concludes His descriptions with thefollowing statement (Bg. l 0.42):

114 Teachings of Lord Kapilaathava bahunaitenakim jiiatena tavarjunavi§tabhyaham idam krtsnamekamsena sthito jagat"But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With asingle fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe."This universe {jagat) is situated on the strength of one part of KTQ.a'syogic powers. In this way we must understand the greatness of God andour own identity as minute particles. It is stated in the Purar;ws that theindividual soul is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair. If we couldsomehow divide the tip of a hair into ten thousand parts, we might beginto understand how the soul is invisible. Self-realization means knowingour identity as small particles. The small particle of spirit soul is withinevery one of us, but it is not possible to see with material eyes. There isno instrument existing in the material universe by which one can actuallysee the soul. Because of our inability to perceive the soul, we say itis nirakara, formless. We cannot even calculate its dimension (iikara).Although we cannot calculate it, it is there nonetheless. The living entityhas full form. There are small microbes and insects we can barely see,but they have an anatomy consisting of many working parts. Within asmall insect there is also the spirit soul, and that spirit soul also existswithin the elephant and other big animals.When we actually realize our identity as Brahman, our life becomessuccessful. Presently we are identifying with the body, hut as long as wedo so, we are no better than cats and dogs, although we may have a considerableamount of scientific knowledge. Conditioned souls consider thebody to he the self, and because of this the jivas identify themselves asAmerican, Indian, brahmar:w, k$atriya, man, woman, elephant and soforth. Thinking in these bodily terms, people consider their wives andchildren to he theirs and the land of their birth to he worshipahle.Thinking thus, people are willing to fight and die for their country. Presentlyeveryone is laboring under this delusion, hut in order to understandour spiritual identity, we must find the proper guru.Realizing our identity means realizing that we are KTQ.a's eternalparts and parcels, that we are very minute, infinitesimal, and that we

Purifying the Mind for Self-realizationliShave a perpetual and eternal relationship with Qa, just as a part hasits relationship to the whole. At no time can we be as great as I,la, althoughwe are the same qualitatively. No one is equal to God, and no oneis greater than Him. If someone claims to be God, he has to prove that noone is equal to him and that no one is greater. If he can do this, he is God.This is a very simple definition. Brahma-sarhhitii (5.1) also verifies thisstatement: iSvarab, paramab, kr$TJ-ab-. The word iSvara means "controller,"and the word parama means "supreme." We small living entitiesare controllers to a degree. We can control, at times, our familymembers, wives, children and so forth. Or we can control our office,factory, country or whatever. There are small controllers and larger controllers.If we go to Brahma, we see that he is controlling the entire universe,but he is not the supreme controller. It is stated in the siistras thatBrahma, the greatest living being within this universe, is also meditatingin order to learn how to control. Tene brahma hrdii ya iidi-kavaye(Bhag. 1.1.1).First of all, Brahma learned to control the universe; then he becamequalified as Brahma. Although he was born Brahma, he still had to beeducated. If he was the first living being in the universe, who educatedhim? Qa. Sri I,la says in Bhagavad-gitii (10.2), aham iidir hideviiniim: "I am the source of the demigods."The original demigods are Brahma, ViQu and Siva. Lord I,la isViQu, but He is the instructor of Brahma and Siva. Therefore it is saidthat Lord I,la is the source of all the demigods.We should not foolishly claim that we are as great as the Supreme God.We should understand that we are like sparks of the original fire. Thespark is also fire, but if it falls from the original flame, it will go out. Oneshould not think that because he is qualitatively one with God, he is God.One may be an iSvara, a controller, but one cannot be iSvarab, paramab,,the supreme controller. It is very fashionable nowadays to claim to havebecome Naraya1,1a, God. The Mayavadis address one another as Naraya1,1a,and thus everyone supposedly becomes Naraya1,1a. In this way we areovercrowded with Naraya1,1as here and there. But how can everyone becomeNaraya1,1a? Naraya1,1a is one, and the siistras warn:yas tu niiriiyaTJ-Q,rh devarhbrahma-rudriidi-devataib,

ll6Teachings of Lord Kapilasamatvenaiva vietasa par:uJ,i bhaved dhruvam"Whoever thinks Lord Vi1,1u and the demigods are on the same level isto be immediately considered a rogue as far as spiritual understanding isconcerned." If one compares Naraya1,1a to the demigods, he simplyreveals his lack of intelligence. It is also fashionable to speak of daridranaraya,poor Naraya1,1a, claiming that the poor man in the street isNaraya1,1a. But what is this nonsense? Naraya1,1a is the exalted SupremePersonality of Godhead. Even Sailkariicarya says: narayab- paro 'vyaktat.Naraya1,1a is beyond this universe. Avyaktad ar:u;la-sambhavab,: theentire universe is a product of this avyakta. We should not compareNaraya1,1a to anyone, what to speak of the poor man in the street(daridra). This is all foolishness. Naraya1,1a is Lakmipati, the husbandand controller of the goddess of fortune. How, then, can He be daridra?This is all due to misunderstanding. Therefore the sastras warn that ifone thinks that the demigods are equal to Naraya1,1a, one is a par:u;li, anatheist. We should not think that because we have become liberated, wehave attained the position of Naraya1,1a. By severe austerity and penanceone may elevate himself to the position of Brahman, but this is notthe position of Parabrahman. Aruhya krcchrer:ta param padam tatab,(Bhag. 10.2.32). Although one rises to the platform of Brahman, oneagain falls down to the material position if he neglects to worship thelotus feet of 1,1a. One may rise to the Brahma effulgence, but becausethere is no shelter there one will return to the material atmosphere. Onemay go to Brahmaloka, the highest planet in the material sky, but one'sposition there is temporary. However, in the paravyoma, the spiritualsky, there are many spiritual planets, called Vaiku1,1thalokas. There aremillions of these gigantic planets, and unless we take shelter of one ofthem, we will fall down again into the material atmosphere.It is not sufficient to rise to the platform of Brahman. Brahman is sat(being), and a partial realization of the Absolute Truth. We are actuallyafter ananda. Sac-cid-ananda: cit means "knowledge," and that is alsopartial. We must add ananda (bliss) in order to have complete realization.If we simply fly in the sky, we can't have ananda. We have todescend to an airport at some time or another. If we simply rise to theBrahman effulgence, we do not exprience ananda. Ananda is ex-

-Purifying the Mind for Self-realization 117perienced when we enter the spiritual planets, where NarayaJ).a, K:rJ,la,is present. Paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatana(Bg. 8.20). We have to enter the eternal planets and associate with theSupreme Personality of Godhead in order to be happy. If we do not attainthis position, we will return to the material world. And how can this positionbe attained? We simply have to try to understand K:rJ,la. Why doesHe come? What is His business? What is His form?The purpose of this K:rJ,la consciousness movement is to teach peoplehow to understand K:rJ,la. If one is fortunate in understanding Him,one's life is successful. As long as we have lusty desires and greed, wecannot come to this understanding. The bhakti-yoga process is the processof purification whereby we can become free from kama and lobha,lust and greed, and the influence of the lower gu7Jas, tamo-gulJa andrajo-gu7Ja, ignorance and passion. As soon as we engage in devotionalservice, we immediately become freed from the influence of the gulJas.Because we are not expert in approaching the Supreme Lord, we have tofollow the principles of bhakti-yoga enunciated by the dcaryas. When aboy goes to school, he has to follow the rules and regulations, but after awhile he becomes accustomed to them and does not have to be taught. Inother words, he learns automatically to come to school at a certain time,take his seat and study nicely. Similarly, in this K:rJ,la consciousnessmovement, we have certain rules and regulations. We must rise early inthe morning for mangala-arati, chant sixteen rounds of Hare K:rJ,ladaily, and execute all the functions of bhakti-yoga. In this way, we becomeattached to rendering service to K:rJ,la, and we become practiced inthis science. When we attain this stage, we immediately becomeself-realized.

CHAPTER TENSpiritual Attachmentand Material DetachmentTEXT 18jnana-vairagya-yuktenabhakti-yuktena catmaniiparipa5yaty udasinamprakrtim ca hataujasamTRANSLATIONIn that position of self-realization, by practice of knowledge andrenunciation in devotional service, one sees everything in theright perspective; he becomes indifferent to material existence,and the material influence acts less powerfully upon him.PURPORTAs the contamination of the germs of a particular disease can influencea weaker person, similarly the influence of material nature, or illusoryenergy, can act on the weaker, or conditioned, soul but not on the liberatedsoul. Self-realization is the position of the liberated state. Oneunderstands his constitutional position by knowledge and vairiigya,renunciation. Without knowledge, one cannot have realization. Therealization that one is the infinitesimal part and parcel of the SupremeSpirit makes one unattached to material, conditional life. That is thebeginning of devotional service. Unless one is liberated from materialcontamination, one cannot engage in the devotional service of the Lord.In this verse, therefore, it is stated, jnana-vairiigya-yuktena: when oneis in full knowledge of one's constitutional position and is in the119

120 Teachings of Lord Kapilarenounced order of life, detached from material attraction, then, by puredevotional service, bhakti-yuktena, he can engage himself as a lovingservant of the Lord. Paripa.Syati means that he can see everything in itsright perspective. Then the influence of material nature becomes almostnil. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. Brahma-bhata prasannatma:when one is self-realized he becomes happy and free from the influenceof material nature, and at that time he is freed from lamentationand hankering. The Lord states that position as mad-bhaktim labhateparam, the real beginning of devotional service. Similarly, it is confirmedin the Narada-paficaratra that when the senses are purified, theycan then be engaged in the devotional.service of the Lord. One who is attachedto material contamination cannot be a devotee.In the conditional state, we are influenced by material nature. We havealready discussed how we are conditioned by the three modes of materialnature-ignorance, passion and goodness. Goodness is superior to ignoranceand passion because from the platform of goodness we can cometo understand K:.;a and thereby transcend the modes altogether. In thisage, people are generally influenced by the lower modes, the modes of ignoranceand passion. In these modes, we are not able to serve K:.;a. It isour constitutional position to serve someone, but when we do not serveK:.;a, we serve maya. In any case, we cannot become master. Who cansay that he is a master, that he is not serving anyone? We may serve ourfamily, society, country, business, automobile or whatever. If one cannotfind anything to serve, he goes and buys a cat or dog and serves it. Whyis this? It is because service is our nature. We are simply lacking theknowledge of where to direct the service. Service is meant to be renderedto K:.;a. In the material world we are serving our lusty desires, notK:.;a, and we are deriving no pleasure from this. We are also serving inan office or in some employment in order to get some money. In this case,we are serving money, not the person. Thus in the material world weserve the senses and money. In any case, service is there. We must serve.Actually the only master is K:.;a. Ekale iSvara kmw, ara saba bhrtya(Cc. Adi 5.142). All the demigods, human beings, animals, trees andeverything else are servants. Self-realization is realizing that one is theeternal servant of K:.;a and that one's duty is to serve Him. Selfrealizationis not thinking aham brahmasmi, "I have become Brahman,Bhagavlin." How can we become Bhagavlin? If we are Bhagavlin, we are

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment 121actually the supreme powerful one. If this is the case, why are we in amiserable condition? Why are we under the influence of maya? DoesBhagavan come under the influence of maya? No . .Kt!?Qa says specificallyin Bhagavad-gita that prakrti, maya, is working under His directions.Maya is the maidservant of Kt!?Qa, and if we are the servants of maya,how can we be .Kt!?Qa, Bhagavan? When we come to our spiritual senses,we can understand that we are erroneously engaged in maya's serviceand that our duty is to engage in l

122 Teachings of Lord Kapilaservice because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead,original and inexhaustible." (Bg. 9.13)A mahatma cannot be manufactured. He is under the daivi prakrti,the divine nature. There are two kinds of prakrti-para prakrti andapara prakrti. Apara prakrti is the material world, and daivi prakrti isthe spiritual world. As soon as one understands that he is uselessly servingmaya in the material world in the form of society, friends, countryand so forth, one reaches the stage called jiiana, knowledge. As soon asone attains this knowledge, he reaches the brahma-bhata stage, Brahmanrealization, and he becomes prasannatma, happy. One may ask,"Why should I serve KJ}.a?" We have already explained that being apart means serving the whole. The whole is KJ}.a, and the individualsare meant for J}.a's satisfaction. Isavasyam idam sarvam.There are many iSvaras, controllers, but the supreme iSvara is KJ}.a.As soon as one attains this realization, he has attained perfect knowledge,and he renders service in bhakti-yoga. Foolish people say that bhakti ismeant for ajnanis, unintelligent people, but this is not the case. InBhagavad-gita J}.a indicates that after many births, the jiiani, theman in knowledge, surrenders unto Him.As long as we do not understand J}.a, Vasudeva, we should understandthat we are still fools. We may advertise ourselves as very greatjiianis, learned personalities, but we are actually fools. That is the sastricconclusion. If we are actually jnanis, we should surrender unto J}.a.There are many dharmas, or activities. Some are pious and some impious,but KJ}.a tells us to give up both. Arjuna was thinking that it wasimpious to fight with his relatives, but J}.a was insisting that he fight.How could Arjuna act impiously? He could not, because J}.a's serviceis transcendental to pious and impious activity. At midnight, when thegopis heard the sound of J}.a's flute, they ran to the forest to join Him.According to the sastras, it is immoral for young girls to go see a youngboy in a forest in the dead of night. But this was not an impious activitybecause the gopis did this for J}.a. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was sostrict that no woman could even come near Him to offer respects, actuallysaid: ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadha-vargeT;UL ya kalpitii. "Whatcould be more wonderful than that worship conceived by the gopis?" Althoughit actually appeared immoral for the gopis to dance with KJ}.a,Caitanya Mahaprabhu states that their relation with J}.a is the highest

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment 123form of worship. This is actually transcendental knowledge. One becomestranscendental to all pious and impious activities when one servesK.r1,1a. Mter all, piety and impiety are within the material modes.K.r1,1a's service is transcendental to good and bad, pious and impious.Bhakti-yoga begins when jfiiina and vairagya are complete. ]fiiina isknowledge, and vairagya is detachment from matter and engagement ofthe mind in spirit. Both of these are automatically attained when weengage in devotional service to K.r1,1a.TEXT 19na yujyamanaya bhaktyabhagavaty akhiliitmanisadrso 'sti siva panthiiyoginam brahma-siddhayeTRANSLATIONPerfection in self-realization cannot be attained by any kind ofyogi unless he engages in devotional service to the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, for that is the only auspicious path.PURPORTThat knowledge and renunciation are never perfect unless joined bydevotional service is explicitly explained here. Na yujyamiinaya means"without being dovetailed." When there is devotional service, the questionarises where to offer that service. Devotional service is to be offeredto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul of everything,for that is the only reliable path of self-realization, or Brahmanrealization. The word brahma-siddhaye means to understand oneself tobe different from matter, to understand oneself to be Brahman. TheVedic words are aham brahmiismi. Brahma-siddhi means that oneshould know that he is not matter; he is pure soul. There are differentkinds of yogis, but every yogi is supposed to have attained selfrealization,or Brahman realization. It is clearly stated here that unlessone is fully engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, one cannot easily approach the path of brahma-siddhi.

124 Teachings of Lord KapilaIn the beginning of the Second Chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam it isstated that when one engages in the devotional service of Vasudeva,spiritual knowledge and renunciation of the material world are automaticallymanifest. Thus a devotee does not have to strive separately forrenunciation or knowledge. Devotional service itself is so powerful thatby one's service, everything is revealed. It is stated here, siva pantha:this is the only auspicious path for self-realization. The path of devotionalservice is the most confidential means for attaining Brahmanrealization. That perfection in Brahman realization is attained throughthe auspicious path of devotional service indicates that the so-calledBrahman realization, or realization of the brahmajyoti effulgence, is notbrahma-siddhi. Beyond that brahmajyoti there is the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. In the Upan4ads a devotee prays to the Lord tokindly put aside the effulgence, brahmajyoti, so that the devotee may see, within the brahmajyoti the actual eternal form of the Lord. Unless oneattains realization of the transcendental form of the Lord, there is noquestion of bhakti. Bhakti necessitates the existence of the recipient ofdevotional service and the devotee who renders devotional service.Brahma-siddhi through devotional service is realization of the SupremePersonality of Godhead. The understanding of the effulgent rays of thebody of the Supreme Godhead is not the perfect stage of brahma-siddhi,or Brahman realization. Nor is the realization of the Paramatma featureof the Supreme Person perfect because Bhagavan, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, is akhilatma-He is the Supersoul. One who realizesthe Supreme Personality realizes the other features, namely theParamatma feature and the Brahman feature, and that total realization isbrahma-siddhi.Ai, stated before, tqe word yoga means "to connect." Brahmasiddhayemeans "self-realization," and aham brahmasmi means "I amspirit soul." Actually, realizing oneself to be spirit is not sufficient. Onehas to progress further. One's fever may be cured, but one must alsoregain his strength and appetite in order to be totally cured. Then onecan have a normal, healthy life, free of disease. Similarly, simply realizingthat one is spirit soul is not sufficient. One has to engage in spiritualactivity, and that spiritual activity is bhakti. Mayavadi philosophersthink that it is sufficient to stop all material activity, and the Buddhistphilosophers advocate nirvar:w, cessation of material life. Neither give

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment 125more information. Actually we are sufferin g due to this material combination,and that is a fact. This body is composed of earth, water, fire,air, ether, mind, intelli g ence and e g o. The Buddhists and Mii.yii.vii.dis advocatethe annihilation of the components. They say, "Let the earth g o toearth, let the water g o to water, let the fire g o to fire and become zero." Ifwe dismantle the house of the material body and become zero, we attainnirvd7Ja. NirvdrJ-a means the cessation of pleasure and pain. TheMayii.vii.dis and Buddhists claim that if we fill an empty pitcher, the waterwill make some sound as lon g as the pitcher is not completely filled.When the pitcher is filled, there will no lon g er be any sound. Thus theyclaim that all the Vedic mantras and hymns stop when one is completelyBrahman-realized. In other words, the Buddhists and Mayii.vii.dis claimthat the material world is false, mithya, and that we should somehow orother make it zero. However, simply realizin g Brahman, realizin g one'sidentity as spirit soul, is insufficient. We must realize that Bha g avii.n iseverywhere:eko 'py asau racayiturit jagad-ar:u;la-kotirityac-chaktir asti jagad-ar:u;la-caya yad-anta/:taJl,lantara-stha-paramdrJ-u-cayantara-stharitgovindam adi-purarit tam aharit bhajami"I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who, by one of Hisplenary portions, enters the existence of every universe and every atomicparticle and thus unlimitedly manifests His infinite ener g y all over thematerial creation." (Brahma-sarithita 5.35)Sri Bha g avii.n is not alone. He is not only localized, but is everywhere.Althou g h KQa has a particular place, He is everywhere. It is not thatbecause Qa is in one place, He cannot be in others. Since we are conditioned,when we sit in our office we cannot be at home. Qa is not likethis. Goloka eva nivasaty akhiliitma-bhata/:t. Qa is always in GolokaVndii.vana, yet He is aJl,lantara-stha-paramarJ-u-cayantara-stham. Heis within every atom of this universe. This universe is existin g due to theGarbhodakasii.yi ViQu. There is not only one universe, but there aremany millions, and they are all workin g very nicely because the Garbhodakasii.yiViQU is present. We _should not think that all these planets arefloatin g in space without any arran g ement havin g been made. There isdefinitely an arran g ement.

126 Teachings of Lord KapilaIn order to be completely free of the material modes, one has to comenot only to the platform of jfidna and vairagya, but to bhakti also. Whenwe mention bhakti, some people say, "I render bhakti to my wife. I loveher very much and take care of her. If I do not see her, I become mad."Thus people have bhakti for their family, country, goddess Durga, otherdemigods and so on. However, that kind of bhakti will not do. Thereforeit is said, bhaktir bhagavati. Bhakti must be rendered unto the Supreme.It is not that one should render bhakti unto an imitation Bhagavan. If onesays that he is Bhagavan, we should ask, "Are you present in everyone'sheart? Can you tell me what I am thinking now?" If one is Bhagavan, hemust be akhilatma. If one is iSvara, he must be present in everyone'sheart. l(rl).a is present in everyone's heart (sarvasya caham hrdi sanniv4taM.All this should be scrutinizingly studied. It is not that oneshould accept this rascal or that rascal as Bhagavan. Nor should onerender bhakti to this demigod or that demigod, to one's family, country,society, wife, cat, dog or whatever. All this is not really bhakti but imitationbhakti. It is actually lustful desire. If we can develop bhakti forl(rl).a, l(rl).a consciousness, our lives will be successful. Actually there isno alternative. As stated in this verse, sadrso 'sti siva) pantha. Parabrahmanis l(rl).a, and brahma-siddhaye means understanding our relationshipwith l(rJ).a. It is all right for one to understand oneself as Brahman(aham brahmasmi), but what is our relationship with the Parabrahman?There are always two: Brahman and Parabrahman, dtmii andParamatma, iSvara and Paramesvara, the individual living being and thesupreme living being, nitya and nityanam, cetana§ and cetananam.There are always two present, and two means a relationship. We shouldtherefore understand our relationship with the Supreme, with Parabrahman.Understanding that relationship is brahma-siddhaye.We are qualitatively one with Parabrahman, but Parabrahman is verygreat whereas we are very small. Parabrahman is one (kaivalya). Thereis no alternative and no duplicate. There is no one equal to Him orgreater than Him. That is the meaning of kaivalya. Human life is meantfor inquiring about Parabrahman and one's relationship with Him. Unfortunately,people are not asking questions about Parabrahman. Everyoneis asking about the news and the morning paper, and everyone isconcerned with going to the market and purchasing so many goods for

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment 127cheaper prices. All this is going on in human society and in cat and dogsociety also.This world is full of darkness and ignorance, but Qa consciousnessis transcendental to this material world. In Qa consciousness, there isno darkness but simply light. If we try to find things at night, it becomesvery difficult; however, in the daytime, there is no difficulty. The siistrasenjoin that we leave this darkness and come to light. This light is givenby the guru.om ajfidna timirandhasyajnananjana-salakayacaur unmilitarh yenatasmai sri-gurave nama/:£"I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened myeyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances untoh. lm. "It is the guru's business to give light by knowledge. The guru has completelyassimilated the Vedic essence of life. Sruti, knowledge, is receivedby hearing. It is not experimental. We cannot understand that which isbeyond our sense perception by experiment. We cannot understand whoour father is by experimental knowledge. One cannot say, "Let me findout who my father is by experiment." Our father was existing before wewere existing, and it is not possible to understand by experimentalknowledge that this or that man is my father. The real authority is themother; therefore Vedic knowledge has been likened to the mother andthe Purd7J-as to the sisters. We should understand from the Vedas whatultimate knowledge really is. The ultimate knowable objective is Qa,and simply by understanding Qa, we can understand everything. Wedo not have to understand things separately. Qa is within our hearts.He is not far away; rather, He is everywhere. If Qa sees that we areattached to Him, He becomes our friend. He is a friend to everyone, butHe is especially a friend to His devotees. As Qa Himself says inBhagavad-gitd (10.11):tedm evdnukampdrthamaham ajnanajam tama/:£

128 Teachings of Lord Kapilanasayamy atma-bhava-sthojMna-dipena bhasvata"Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy withthe shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance."]nana is there, it is simply covered with the curtain of ignorance.Light is there, and darkness is there, but when we are in darkness wecannot see things as they are. l(rQa says that as one devotes himself torendering service, He Himself dispels the darkness of ignorance. If weactually want to become perfect in this life, we only need to engage in devotionalservice to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan. It isnot that Bhagavan is difficult to find. Bhagavan is within the heart.Isvara sarva bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tthati (Bg. 18.61). That is thereal Bhagavan, within the hearts of all. That Bhagavan is always active.He instructed Brahma, the lord of the universe, and Brahma, havingreceived Kr1.1a's instructions, created the entire universe. l(rQa will alsogive instructions to us if we simply take to devotional service.TEXT 20prasangam ajaram pasamatmana kavayo vidusa eva sadhU$u krtomoa-dvaram apavrtamTRANSLATIONEvery learned man knows very well that attachment for the materialis the greatest entanglement of the spirit soul. But that sameattachment, when applied to self-realized devotees, opens the doorof liberation.PURPORTHere it is clearly stated that attachment for one thing is the cause ofbondage in conditioned life, and the same attachment, when applied tosomething else, opens the door of liberation. Attachment cannot bekilled; it has simply to be transferred. Attachment for material things is

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment 129called material consciousness, and attachment for Knr,1a or His devotee iscalled K.r!?:Q.a consciousness. Consciousness, therefore, is the platform ofattachment. It is clearly stated here that when we simply purify the consciousnessfrom material consciousness to l

130 Teachings of Lord Kapilahim to give us instructions on how to improve our material condition, buthe will instruct us how to cut the knot of the contamination of materialattraction and how to elevate ourselves in devotional service. That is theresult of associating with a sadhu. Kapila Muni first of all instructs thatthe path of liberation begins with such association.According to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:'sadhu-saitga ', 'sadhu-saitga '-sarva-sdstre kayalava-mdtra sadhu-saitge sarva-siddhi haya"The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment'sassociation with a pure devotee, one can attain all success."Madhya 22.54)(Cc.It is said that man is a social animal, and, according to our association,we can mold our character. Businessmen associate with one another todevelop their business capabilities. There are many different types ofassociation, and association brings about bondage to a particular thing. Ifone associates with materialistic people, one's bondage to sense gratificationtightens. Woman is the symbol of sense gratification; therefore anythingdealing with sense gratification is called yo$it-saftga. This materialworld is filled with yo$it-saftga because everyone is interested in sensegratification. As stated in Bhagavad-gitd (2.44):bhogaiSvarya-prasaktdndmtaydpahrta-cetasdmvyavasdydtmika buddhi/:tsamadhau na vidhiyate"In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and materialopulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolutedetermination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not takeplace." The word bhoga means "sense gratification." BhogaiSvarya:Those who are overly attached to opulence and sense gratification cannotunderstand spiritual life, and they are very slow to take to it. At the presentmoment people are manda, very slow. They do not take this K:rQaconsciousness movement very seriously because they have been taughtby modern civilization simply to enjoy life for sense gratification. In theWestern countries, especially, there are many implements for sense

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment 131gratification. There are even machines for shaving, although formerly anordinary razor would do. Now, thanks to the machine, one does not evenhave to move his hand. So this is considered progress. However, we learnfrom the sdstras that human life is not meant for sense enjoyment but fortapasya. That is Vedic civilization. First of all, one must be trained in thebrahmacari system and learn how to deny the senses. A brahmacarishould be trained in tapasya, not in enjoyment. Formerly, brahmacariswould have to go from door to door to beg alms for the asrama, and theywere trained from the very beginning to address every woman asmother.Presently, people are in such a miserable condition that they are saying,"Let us die. Let us die." However, }(rI).a in Bhagavad-gita says,"Why should you die?" People want to die in order to put an end to thethreefold miseries of material nature, but who is making research onhow to stop death? From Bhagavad-gitii we learn that death is not reallynatural for us. It is artificially imposed upon us, and we have to becomedeathless again. That is the perfection of human life, but no one caresabout it. We have become so dull that we cannot avoid birth, old age, diseaseand death. We are actually experiencing them because we are notalert. For this reason, when Sanatana Gosvami approached CaitanyaMahaprabhu, he said, "My dear Lord, somehow or other You havedragged me to Your lotus feet. I am now asking You what my actual positionis. Why am I forced to suffer the threefold miseries of materiallife?" No one is interested in inquiring about this matter. Mok$a, liberation,means getting free from the threefold miseries of life as well asbirth, old age, disease and death. Sometimes, when people are a little interested,they take to a path that is not even approved, or they inventsomething. But nothing need be invented. By this J(rI).a consciousnessprocess, everyone can be elevated. Everyone can be delivered, regardlessof his situation or culture. We have spread this J(rI).a consciousnessmovement throughout the world, and people are becoming happy becauseof it.According to Bhagavad-gitii (9.32), anyone can take shelter of J(rI).a.J(rI).a never denies anyone, and similarly, J(rI).a's devotee never deniesanyone. That is this J(rI).a consciousness movement. We tell everyone,"Yes, you are welcome. Take this education and spiritual life and becomea devotee of J(rI).a." Sometimes we are criticized because of this, but

132 Teachings of Lord KapilaK{1,1a specifically says in Bhagavad-gitii that even those who arelowborn can take shelter of Him and become elevated for liberation.What, then, to speak of pious people born in brahminical families? Unfortunately,in this age people born in rich or brahminical families oftendon't care for spiritual realization. They misuse their chance and exhaustthe results of their pious activities. Society needs first-class sadhus inorder to improve. If everyone is a sudra and debauchee, how can societybe peaceful? Therefore in order to organize society, K{1,1a recommendsthe van;tasrama-dharma. There must be ideal brahmar:r-as, /cyatriyas,vaiSyas and sadras. However, no one cares about this now.One may ask, "What is a sadhu?" A sadhu is one who serves K:r1,1aand engages in K{1,1a consciousness without reservation. In Bhagavadgitii(9.30), Sri K{1,1a says:api cet suduriicarobhajate miim ananya-bhaksadhur eva sa mantavyasamyag vyavasito hi sa"Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged indevotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properlysituated."It is the sadhu 's business to be very tolerant. When one becomes adevotee, many people become one's enemy, because in this age people areasuric, demoniac. Even one's father may turn into an enemy likeHira1,1yakasipu, the father of Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada was only fiveyears old and was chanting Hare K{1,1a, but his father was prepared tokill him because he was a devotee. Hira1,1yakasipu was saying, "Why areyou chanting Hare K{1,1a? Why are you speaking of a separate God? I amGod." That is the meaning of asuric, demoniac. Rascals who claim to beGod themselves are simply demons. Although Prahlada's father was insistingthat he was God, Prahlada Maharaja could not accept this. Hesimply accepted his father as an asura, and consequently there was aquarrel between them. When Hira1,1yakasipu asked Prahlada Maharaja,"What is the best thing you have learned from your teachers?" Prahladareplied, "0 best of the asuras, as far as I can understand, because wehave accepted this material body, we have to accept death. But this is not

Spiritual Attachment and Material Detachment 133the object of human life. Human life is meant for moa, liberation."Unfortunately, foolish people do not understand this. l).a says, mrtyul;tsarva-hara§ caham: "I am death, and I will take away everything youpossess." (Bg. 10.34) Hiral).yakasipu was such a powerful demon thateven the demigods were afraid of him, but l).a took everything awayin a second. Hiral).yakasipu was looking for security, and he was thinking,"I will not die in this way, and I will not die in that way." But he didnot think that he would be killed by the Lord in the form of Ntsimha.However intelligent we may be, and however much we may try to cheatl).a, l).a is always more intelligent. When mother Yasoda tried tobind l).a with a rope, she found that the rope was always two inchestoo short. Our intelligence is like that. We want to cheat God and surpassHim, but this is not possible. People think themselves very advanced inknowledge, but actually, due to their pride, their knowledge is takenaway by maya. l).a actually takes the knowledge away from atheistic,demoniac people like Hiral).yakasipu. Atheists do not know that l).a'sintelligence is always at least two inches greater than anyone else's.In material life, we simply struggle for existence. We want to exist,and we do not want to die. Nor do we want to undergo the pains of birth,catch diseases or grow old. There are so many miseries in material lifethat we do not want, but they are forced upon us. Unfortunately, we arenot intelligent enough to make a solution to all these problems. Weshould be inquiring like Sanatana Gosvami about how to put an end tothem all. Instead, we are working in such a way that we have to acceptanother material body. We are experiencing the difficulties arising fromthis material body, but we are not working in a way to become free. Thisl).a consciousness movement is giving information on how to becomeliberated.Those who are mahatmas are always engaged in chanting Hare l).a,Hare l).a, l).a l).a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, RamaRama, Hare Hare. Bhajana is the chanting of Hare l).a. If we serve amahatma like Haridasa 'fhakura, who was always engaged in chantingHare l).a, our path of liberation is opened. However, if we associatewith materialistic people, who are simply mad for sense gratification, wetake the way of darkness. Tamo-dvaram yo$itam sarigi-sangam. TheVedas enjoin that we not remain in darkness but that we go to the light.We have accepted a body, but we will not be allowed to remain in that

134 Teachings of Lord Kapilabody permanently. We will have to give it up and accept another, andthen another and another. What is this business? The material world isin such darkness, and people are taking on one body after another. The.i(rQa consciousness movement is therefore here to give enlightenmentand liberation, and it is offering not only the simplest process of chantingHare .i(rQa but also the most sublime philosophy.

CHAPTER ELEVENThe Symptoms of a SadhuTEXT 21titiava/:t kiirur:tikii/:tsuhrda/:t sarva-dehinamajata-satrava/:t santa/:tsadhava/:t sadhu-bhar:ta/:tTRANSLATIONThe symptoms of a siidhu are that he is tolerant, merciful andfriendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, heabides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.PURPORTA sadhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord. His concern,therefore, is to enlighten people in devotional service; that is his mercy.He knows that without devotional service, human life is spoiled. A devo-"---- . tee travels all over the country, from door to door, preaching, "Be KtI].aconscious. Be a devotee of Lord KtJ].a. Don't spoil your life in simplyfulfilling your animal propensities. Human life is meant for selfrealization,or KtI].a consciousness." These are the preachings of asadhu. He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks aboutothers. He is the most compassionate personality toward all fallen souls.One of his qualifications, therefore, is kiirur:tika, great mercy to the fallensouls. While engaged in preaching work, he has to meet with so many opposingelements, and therefore the sadhu has to be very tolerant. Someonemay ill-treat him because the conditioned souls are not prepared toreceive the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. They don't135

136 Teachings of Lord Kapilalike it; that is their disease. The siidhu has the thankless task of impressingupon them the importance of devotional service. Sometimes devoteesare personally attacked with violence. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified,Haridasa Thakura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and LordCaitanya's principal assistant, Nityananda, was violently attacked byJagai and Madhai. But still they were tolerant because their mission wasto deliver fallen souls. A sadhu is merciful because he is the well-wisherof all living entities. He is not only a well-wisher of human society, but awell-wisher of animal society as well. The word sarva'-dehinam refers toall living entities who have accepted material bodies. Not only does thehuman being have a material body, but other living entities as well. Thedevotee of the Lord is merciful to everyone-cats, dogs, trees, etc. Hetreats all living entities in such a way that they can ultimately get salvationfrom this material entanglement. Sivananda Sena, one of the disciplesof Lord Caitanya, gave liberation to a dog by treating the dogtranscendentally. There are many instances where a dog got salvation byassociation with a siidhu, because a siidhu engages in the highestphilanthropic activities for the benediction of all living entities. Yet althougha siidhu is not inimical toward anyone, the world is so ungratefulthat even a siidhu has many enemies.What is the difference between an enemy and a friend? It is a differencein behavior. A sadhu behaves with all conditioned souls for theirultimate relief from material entanglement. Therefore, no one can bemore friendly than a sadhu in relieving a conditioned soul. A siidhu iscalm, and he quietly and peacefully follows the principles of scripture. Asiidhu is also one who follows the principles of scripture and at the sametime is a devotee of the Lord. One who actually follows the principles ofscripture must be a devotee of God because all the sastras instruct us toobey the orders of the Personality of Godhead. A siidhu, therefore, is afollower of the scriptural injunctions and a devotee of the Lord. All goodcharacteristics are prominent in a devotee, and he develops all the goodqualities of the demigods, whereas a nondevotee, even thoughacademically qualified, has no good qualifications or good characteristicsaccording to the standard of transcendental realization.There are 8,400,000 life forms according to the Padma Purar:w, andthe atmii is the same in all of them. The siidhu can understand this, asBhagavad-gita (5.18) indicates:

The Symptoms of a Sidhu137vidya-vinaya-sampannebrahmaTJ£ gavi hastinisuni caiva svapake capalJ(iita/:1, sama-darsina/:1,"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision alearned and gentle brahmar:w, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater[outcaste]."It is not that a brahmar:w is the same as a dog, but that the brahmar:wis a spirit soul, and the dog is also a spirit soul. We are conditioned accordingto our different bodies, which are given by superior forces.Yamaraja offers the living entity a body according to his karma. Kar- ,ma daiva-netrer:w. We have already discussed the point that bodies areawarded according to one's qualifications. If we acquire the qualities of abrahmar:w and work as a brahmar:w, we become a brahmar:w. If we act asa dog and do the work of a dog, we become a dog. Nor should one thinkthat simply because one is born as a brahma1Ja, one is automatically abrahmar:w. There are characteristics mentioned in Bhagavad-gita by ,which one can tell to which caste one belongs. Sridhara Svami has alsonoted that birth is not everything. One has to acquire the qualities.Whatever body we may have, our position is temporary. We cannotremain in any position indefinitely. We may think that at present we areAmericans and are very happy, and that's all right. We may chalk outour plans for continued happiness, but nature will not allow us to stay indefinitely.As soon as nature calls, we die and give up our post. Then wehave to take the post of a dog, a cat, a demigod, a human being or whatever.We are now given a most exalted life form, that of a human being,but if we do not act accordingly, we have to take a lower body. This iskarma daiva-netre1Ja.We should therefore be very careful in this human form that our aimis to become devotees of Lord KrQa. That is the path of liberation. Previously,great personalities in India used to go to the forest in order tomeditate to stop the repetition of birth and death. That is the highest occupationfor man, and actually every man is meant for that. Unless weconquer repeated birth and death, we simply waste our lives likeanimals-eating, sleeping, defending and mating. People in this age especiallycannot distinguish between animal life and human life. They

138 Teachings of Lord Kapilathink the difference is that animals sleep in the street and human beingssleep in nice apartments. However, the sastras do not define civilizationin this way. Whether one sleeps in the street or in an apartment, the activityis the same. A dog may eat out of a garbage can, and a human beingmay eat on a golden plate, but this does not mean that they are engagedin different activities. In either case, both the dog and the man are takingfood into their bodies. A dog may have sex in the street, and a humanbeing may have sex in a very nice bed in a secluded place, but that doesnot change the activity. People are thinking that advancement of civilizationmeans improving eating, sleeping, mating and defending, but actuallythese activities have nothing to do with civilization. They simplytighten our bondage to material life.Human life is meant for yajiia, sacrifice for the satisfaction of theSupreme Person. We may perfect our activities, but our success lies insatisfying KrQa by our talents. Presently we may be attached to materialactivity, but we should transfer that attachment to a siidhu. Then ourlives will be successful. Presently we are attached to money, women, nicehouses, country, society, friends, family and so forth. This attachment iscalled arjanarh piiSu. The word piiSu means "rope." When we are boundwith a rope, we are helpless, and now we are bound by the gury,as, or thethree modes of material nature. The word gu also means "rope." Wecannot free ourselves, for we are conditioned. We cannot move freelywithout the sanction of the supreme authority. It is generally said thatnot a blade of grass moves without God's sanction. Similarly, we cannotdo anything without the supervision of a superior authority.It is not that God has to take personal supervision of this. Pariisya saktirvividhaiva sruyate ... na tasya kiiryarh kararh ca vidyate: in theSvetiiSvatara Upani$ad (6.8), it is thus stated that the Supreme Lord doesnot have to act personally. He has many agents to perform everything forHim. We are so controlled that we are not even free to blink our eyes. Wemay be moving our hands very freely, but at any moment they can beimmediately paralyzed. Presently I am claiming, "This is my hand." Butwhat is this? The hand could be paralyzed immediately. This is conditionedlife, and how can we improve it? Our business is to become liberatedfrom all this conditioning. How is this possible? Sa eva siidhu krtomok$a-dviiram apavrtam (Bhiig. 3.25.20). We have to turn our attachmentfrom material things to a siidhu. 'Sadhu-sariga ', 'siidhu-sariga '-

The Symptoms of a Siidhu 139sarva-sastre kaya: this is the advice of Sri Caitanya Mahaprahhu. Allsastras advise us to associate with a sadhu. Even CaQakya PaQQita, thegreat politician, recommended: tyaja durjana-samsargam bhaja sadhusamagamam.One Vait?Qava householder ,asked Caitanya Mahaprahhuwhat the duty of a householder is, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprahhu immediatelyreplied, asat-sanga-tyaga, -ei var;ava-acara: "Don't associatewith nondevotees, hut search out a sadhu." (Cc. Madhya 22.87)At the present moment it is very difficult to avoid the company ofasadhus, those who are not sadhus. It is very difficult to find a sadhu forassociation. We have therefore started this t?Qa consciousness movementto create an association of sadhus so that people may take advantageand become liberated. There is no other purpose for this society.t?Qa states in Bhagavad-gita (6.47) that the first-class sadhu is onewho is always thinking of Him. This process is not very difficult. Weshould always think of t?Qa, hut how is this possible? We think of ourbusiness, our dog, our family, our lovable object and so many otherthings. We have to think of something; without thinking, we cannotremain. We simply have to divert our thoughts to t?Qa. It is the sadhu 'sbusiness to teach this, and one can learn this in the association of asadhu. Actually a sadhu will not teach anything else. Adau sraddha tata/:tsadhu-sanga/:t (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.4.15). This is the way to makespiritual advancement. One has to associate with a sadhu. Often thesadhu 's task is a thankless one, hut he has to he tolerant. Despite all thetrouble a sadhu may encounter, he is very merciful upon fallen conditionedsouls. He sees that people are suffering due to a lack of t?Qa consciousness,and because he is always thinking of the welfare of others, heis suhrt. Other people are always envious, hut the sadhu is always thinkinghow to save others from the clutches of maya. A sadhu is kind notonly to human beings hut to cats, dogs, trees, plants and insects; he willhesitate even to kill one mosquito. He does not simply think, "I shall justtake care of my brother." He looks on all living beings as his brothers hecauset?Qa says that He is the father of all living entities.Because a sadhu lives in this way, he does not create enemies. If thereare enemies, they become enemies out of their own character, not out ofany provocation on the part of a sadhu. A sadhu simply teaches, "Mydear human being, my dear friend, just surrender to t?Qa." Enemiesarise due to man's envious nature. CaQakya PaQQita says that there are

140 Teachings of Lord Kapilatwo envious animals-serpents and men. Although you may be faultless,either may kill you. Of the two, Car,akya Par,l}.ita says that the enviousman is more dangerous because a serpent can be subdued by chanting amantra or by some herbs, but an envious man cannot be so subdued. InKali-yuga, practically everyone is envious, but we have to tolerate this.Envious people create many impediments to the Qa consciousnessmovement, but we have to tolerate them. There is no alternative. Onemust be peaceful and depend on Qa in all circumstances. These arethe ornaments of a sadhu. We should find a sadhu and associate withhim. Then our path of liberation will be open.In the next verse, Lord Kapila further explains the activities of asadhu.TEXT 22mayy ananyena bhavenabhaktim kurvanti ye drt;lhammat-krte tyakta-karmd1Jastyakta-svajana-bandhaval),TRANSLATIONSuch a siidhu engages in staunch devotional service to the Lordwithout deviation. For the sake of the Lord he renounces all otherconnections, such as family relationships and friendly acquaintanceswithin the world.PURPORTA person in the renounced order of life, a sannyasi, is also called asadhu because he renounces everything-his home, his comfort, hisfriends, his relatives and his duties to friends and to family. Herenounces everything for the sake of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.A sannydsi is generally in the renounced order of life, but hisrenunciation will be successful only when his energy is employed in theservice of the Lord with great austerity. It is said here, therefore, bhaktimkurvanti ye drt;lham. A person who seriously engages in the serviceof the Lord and is in the renounced order of life is a sadhu. A sadhu is

The Symptoms of a Sadhu 141one who has given up all responsibility to society, family and worldlyhumanitarianism, simply for the service of the Lord. As soon as he takeshis birth in the world, a person has many responsibilities and obligations-tothe public, demigods, great sages, general living beings,parents, forefathers and many others. When he gives up all theseobligations for the service of the Supreme Lord, he is not punished forhis renunciation. But if for sense gratification a person renounces theseobligations, he is punished by the law of nature.K{1,1a and all the siistras say that our only obligation is to the SupremePersonality of Godhead. If we take to His service, we are no longerobliged to anyone. We are free. How is this possible? By almighty God'spower. A man may be condemned to death, but if a president or a kingexcuses him, he is saved. K{1,1a's final instruction in Bhagavad-gitd is tosurrender everything to Him. We can sacrifice our life, wealth and intelligence,. and this is called yajiia. Everyone has some intelligence, andeveryone uses his intelligence in one way or another. Generally peopleuse their intelligence in trying to gratify their senses, but even an ant cando this. We should try to gratify not our senses but K{1,1a's senses. Thenwe become perfect.We have to learn this purificatory process from a sadhu. Inasmuch aswe try to gratify our senses, we become attached to the material world.We may render service to the sadhu or to K{Qa. The sadhu is the representativeof K{1,1a. He will never say, "Serve me," but will say, "ServeK{1,1a." Therefore we have to approach K:r1,1a through the sadhu. This isconfirmed by the Vai1,1ava dcarya Narottama dasa Thakura: chtu;liyava4va-seva nistara payee he keba. We cannot directly approach K{1,1a;we have to go through the transparent via media, K{1,1a's representative.Those who are after material concessions go to different demigods.They take something from Siva, Durgii, Kali, Ga1,1esa, Sfirya andwhomever. However, it was the goddess Parvati who asked Lord Siva,"What is the best type of worship?" Lord Siva advised, aradhanandmsarveam v4r:wr aradhanam param (Padma Pura). "My dear Parvati,of all kinds of worship, worship of Lord Vi1,1u is the best." Then headded: tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarcanam. "And even betterthan the worship of Lord Vi1,1u is the worship of a Vai1,1ava, adevotee."Spiritual life begins with the association of a devotee, a sadhu. One

142 Teachings of Lord Kapilacannot progress an inch without the mercy of a sadhu. PrahladaMaharaja has also indicated this:naiim matis tavad urukramiirighrimsprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthal;,mahiyasiim piida-rajo- 'bhekamnkiiicaniiniim na vr"{tita yavat"Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of aVaiJ).ava completely freed from material contamination, persons verymuch inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotusfeet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only bybecoming K:rJ).a conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lordin this way can one be freed from material contamination."(Bhag. 7.5.32) Hiral).yakasipu asked Prahlada Maharaja, "My dear sonPrahlada, how have you become so advanced in K:rJ).a consciousness?"Although Hiral).yakasipu was a demon, he was nonetheless inquisitive.Prahlada Maharaja replied, "My dear father, 0 best of the asuras, onecan receive K:rJ).a consciousness only from the instructions of a guru.One cannot attain it simply by speculating. Ordinary men do not knowthat their ultimate destination is to return to ViJ).u." In the materialworld, people are always hoping for something. They hope against hope,yet their hopes will never be fulfilled. People are trying to become happyby adjusting the external energy, but they do not know that happinesscannot be achieved without approaching God. People are thinking, "Imust first of all see to my own interest." That's all right, but what is thatinterest? That they do not know. People are thinking that by adjustingthe material energy they will be happy, and everyone is trying this individually,collectively or nationally. In any case, it is not possible.People will ultimately be frustrated. Why attempt a process that willultimately meet with frustration? It is therefore said: adanta-gobhirviSatiim tamisram punal;, puna§ carvita-carva"{tiiniim (Bhag. 7.5.30).People are being baffied in so many ways because they cannot controltheir senses. Their only possibility of rescue is K:rJ).a. Therefore in thisverse it is said: mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drr;lham.Prahlada Maharaja simply thought of K:rJ).a. Because of this, he had toundergo a great deal of trouble given by his father. Material nature willnot give us freedom very easily. If we become strong enough to try to

The Symptoms of a Sadhu 143capture the lotus feet of !)a, maya will try to keep us under herclutches. However, if one gives up everything for !)a's sake, mayacan have no effect. The most excellent example of this is the gopis. Theygave up everything-family, prestige and honor-just to follow !)a.That is the highest perfection, but that is not possible for ordinary livingentities. We should, however, follow the Gosvamis in their determinationto worship !)a.Sanatana Gosvami was an important minister in the government ofHussain Shah, but he gave up everything to follow Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.He adopted the life of a mendicant and lived under a differenttree every night. One may ask, "After giving up material enjoyment,how can one live?" The Gosvamis lived by dipping into the ocean of thetranscendental loving affairs between !)a and the gopis. Since that wastheir asset, they could live very peacefully. We cannot simply give upeverything. We will become mad if we try to give up everything withouthaving staunch faith in !)a. Yet if we find !)a's association, we caneasily give up our opulent positions-our family, business and everything.However, that requires sadhu-sanga, association with a sadhu, adevotee. When we associate with a devotee, the day will eventually comewhen we can give up everything and become liberated persons, fit toreturn home, back to Godhead.Presently we are attached to material enjoyment, and !)a even givesus a chance to gratify our senses. He lets us enjoy ourselves to the fullestextent because we have come to this material world to enjoy sense gratification.However, this is called maya, illusion. It is not really enjoyment,but simply struggle. When one realizes that he is simply struggling lifeafter life, that there is actually no real enjoyment in the material world,one becomes a devotee of K:rl)a. That realization requires knowledge,and that knowledge can be acquired by association with a sadhu, adevotee.Freedom from this struggle with material existence is further explainedby Lord Kapila in the next verse.TEXT 23mad-asraya/:r, kathii mmaiJsrr,tvanti kathayanti ca

144 Teachings of Lord Kapilatapanti vividhas tapanaitiin. mad-gata-cetasab,TRANSLATIONEngaged constantly in chanting and hearing about Me, theSupreme Personality of Godhead, the sadhus do not suffer frommaterial miseries because they are always filled with thoughts ofMy pastimes and activities.PURPORTThere are multifarious miseries in material existence-those pertainingto the body and the mind, those imposed by other living entities andthose imposed by natural disturbances. But a siidhu is not disturbed bysuch miserable conditions because his mind is always filled with K:r1,1aconsciousness, and thus he does not like to talk about anything but theactivities of the Lord. Maharaja Ambaria did not speak of anything butthe pastimes of the Lord. V aciimsi vaikur:ttha-gur:Wnuvar1Jllne. Heengaged his words only in glorification of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. Ordinary conditioned souls, being forgetful of the activities ofthe Lord, are always full of anxieties and material tribulations. On theother hand, since the devotees always engage in the topics of the Lord,they are forgetful of the miseries of material existence. Thus they differfrom other living entities, who are simply suffering.There is no one in the world materially engaged who can boldly say, "Iam not suffering." I challenge anyone to say this. Everyone in the materialworld is suffering in some way or another. If not, why are so manydrugs being advertised? On the television they are always advertisingtranquilizers and pain killers, and in America and in other Westerncountries they are so advanced that there are dozens of tablets for variouspains. Therefore there must be some suffering. Actually, anyone who hasa material body has to accept suffering. There are three types of sufferingin the material world: iidhyiitmika, iidhibhautika and iidhidaivika.Adhyatmika refers to the body and mind. Today I have a headache orsome pain in my back, or my mind is not very quiet. These are sufferingscalled iidhyiitmika. There are other forms of suffering callediidhibhautika, which are sufferings imposed by other living entities.

The Symptoms of a Sidhu 145Apart from this, there are sufferings called adhidaivika, over which wehave no control whatsoever. These are caused by the demigods or acts ofnature, and include famine, pestilence, flood, excessive heat or excessivecold, earthquakes, fire and so on. Nonetheless, we are thinking that we·are very happy within this material world, although in addition to thesethreefold miseries there is also birth, old age, disease and death. Sowhere is our happiness? Because we are under the spell of maya, we arethinking that our position is very secure. We are thinking, "Let us enjoylife," hut what kind of enjoyment is this?Obviously we have to tolerate suffering. One of the characteristics of asadhu is tolerance. Everyone is tolerant to a degree, hut a sadhu 'stolerance and an ordinary man's tolerance are different. This is because asadhu knows that he is not the body. According to a Bengali VaiJ}.avasong: deha-smrti nahi yara saritsara-bandhana kaha/:t tara.If we properly understand that we are not the body, although we maysuffer, we will not feel the suffering as acutely. For instance, if onethinks, "This is my car," and is very attached to it, he suffers more whenit is wrecked than a person who thinks, "It can he repaired, or I can leaveit." It is a question of mental absorption. Because he is more like ananimal, a materialist suffers more. The devotee, on the other hand, takes1\rJ}.a's advice in Bhagavad-gita (2.14):mdtra-sparsas tu kaunteyasitor:w-sukha-du/:tkha-da/:tagamapayino 'nityastarits titiasva bharata"0 son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distressand their disappearance in due course are like the appearance and disappearanceof winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception,0 scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them withoutbeing disturbed."In summer we suffer, and in winter we suffer. In the summer, firebrings suffering, and in the winter the same fire is pleasing. Similarly, inthe winter, water is suffering, hut in the summer it is pleasing. Thewater and the fire are the same, hut sometimes they are pleasing, sometimesthey are not. This is due to the touch of the skin. We all have some

146 Teachings of Lord Kapila"skin disease," which is the body, and therefore we are suffering. Becausewe have become such rascals, we are thinking, "I am this body."According to the Ayur-vedic system, the body is composed of three materialelements: kapha-pitta-viiyu. The more we are in the bodily conception,the more we suffer.Presently so many "ism's" are being developed according to the bodilyconception-nationalism, communism, socialism, communalism and soon. In Calcutta during the 1947 Hindu-Muslim riots, there was moresuffering because everyone was thinking, "I am a Hindu" or "I am aMuslim." But, if one is advanced in :.:ta consciousness, he will notfight according to such conceptions. A :.:ta conscious person knows thathe is neither Hindu nor Muslim but the eternal servant of :.:ta. Becausepeople are being educated to become more body conscious, theirsufferings are increasing. If we reduce the bodily conception, sufferingwill also be reduced. Those who are :.:ta conscious, who are alwaysthinking of :.:ta within their minds and within their hearts, are notsuffering as much because they know that whatever they might suffer isdue to :.:ta's desire. Therefore they welcome suffering. For instance,when :.:ta was leaving, Queen Kunti said, "My dear :.:ta, when wewere in a dangerous situation, You were always present as our friend andadviser. Now we are well situated with our kingdom, and now You areleaving for Dvaraka. This is not good. It is better that we again suffer sothat we can always remember You." Thus the devotee sometimeswelcomes suffering as an opportunity to remember :.:ta constantly.When a devotee suffers, he thinks, "This is due to my past misdeeds. ActuallyI should be suffering a great deal, but due to K:r:.:ta's grace I amsuffering just a little. After all, suffering and enjoyment are in themind." In this way, a devotee is not greatly affected by suffering, andthis is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee.Prahlada Maharaja, a five-year-old boy, had to undergo a great deal ofsuffering at the hands of his father, who was torturing him for being adevotee. The boy was trampled by elephants, thrown from a mountain,placed in burning oil and thrown into a snake pit, yet he was silent duringthis whole ordeal. Similarly, Haridasa Thakura, a Muhammadan bybirth, was a very great devotee and was always chanting Hare K:r:.:ta.That was his only fault. However, the Muslim Kazi called him forth andsaid, "You are a Muhammadan, born in a great Muhammadan family, yet

The Symptoms of a Sadhu 147you are chanting this Hindu Hare 1,1a mantra. What is this?"Haridasa Thakur a mildly replied, "My dear sir, there are many Hinduswho have become Muhammadans. Suppose I have become a Hindu?What is wrong with this?" The Kazi became very angry and orderedHaridasa Thakura to be whipped in twenty-two bazaars. This essentiallymeant that he was to be beaten to death, but because he was such a greatdevotee he did not actually feel the pain. Although a devotee may sometimeshave to suffer, he tolerates the suffering. At the same time, he isvery kind to conditioned souls and tries to elevate them to 1,1a consciousness.This is one of the primary features of a devotee's life. Peopleare always putting a sadhu into difficulties, but he does not give up hisjob, which is to spread 1,1a consciousness so that others may becomehappy. It was Prahlada Maharaja who said: "My Lord, I am not suffering,for I know the art of being happy." How is this? "Simply by hearingabout You and chanting about You I am happy." This is the business of adevotee-hearing and chanting about the Lord. This is sravar;wmkirtanam vr:w/:t smaraam. Now this sravar;wm kirtanam is taking placeall over the world through the 1,1a consciousness movement.Even in ordinary life it is possible for the mind to be absorbed in sucha way that even a surgical operation may not disturb a man. Years ago,when Stalin had to undergo a surgical operation, he refused the use ofchloroform. If this is possible even in an ordinary materialistic life, whatto speak of spiritual life? One's mind should always be absorbed in1,1a consciousness, in thinking of 1,1a. It is 1,1a's injunction,"Always think of Me." The European and American youths in the 1,1aconsciousness movement have been accustomed to many bad habits sincebirth, but now they have given these up. Many people think that it is impossibleto live without illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling.One famous Marquess told one of my Godbrothers, "Please makeme a brahmar;w." My Godbrother said, "Yes, it is not a very difficultthing. Simply give up these bad habits-intoxication, illicit sex, meateatingand gambling. Then you can become a brahmar;w. "The Marquessthen said, "Impossible! This is our life." Actually we have seen that inWestern countries older men cannot give up these habits, and because ofthis they are suffering, yet many young boys and girls have given themup, and there is no suffering. This is due to 1,1a consciousness.This process is open to everyone. Everyone has heard of the

148 Teachings of Lord KapilaBhagcivad-gitii. We can attain perfection simply by following the instructionsgiven in this hook. It is not necessary to abandon our responsibilities.Maharaja Amharif?a was a great emperor administering to hiskingdom, yet at the same time he spoke only of !?Qa. Caitanya Mahaprahhurequested that His devotees only talk about !?Qa. If we simplytalk about K:r?Qa and hear about Him, the stage will come when we willno longer suffer. This is called iinandamayo 'bhyasat in the VedantasatTa.The living entity and !?Qa are both iinandamaya, transcendentallyblissful. On that platform, there is no possibility of material suffering.It is not a question of displaying some magical feats. The greatestmagic is freedom from suffering, and this is the freedom of a devotee.When we feel pleasure from hearing about !?Qa and talking about Him,we should know that we are making progress on the path of perfection.At that time, material suffering will not he felt at all. This is the practicaleffect of rendering devotional service, which Lord Kapila is pointing outto His mother.TEXT 24ta ete sadhava/:t sadhvisarva-sanga-vivarjita/:tsangas tev atha te priirthya/:tsariga-doa-harii hi teTRANSLATION0 My mother, 0 virtuous lady, these are the qualities of greatdevotees who are free from all attachment. You must seek attachmentto such holy men, for this counteracts the pernicious effectsof material attachment.PURPORTKapila Muni herein advises His mother, Devahliti, that if she wants tohe free from material attachment, she should increase her attachment forthe sadhus, or devotees who are completely freed from all materialattachment. In Bhagavad-gitii (15.5) it is stated, nirmiina-moha jitasanga-doii/:t.This refers to one who is completely freed from the puffed-

The Symptoms of a Siidhu149up condition of material possessiveness. A person may be materially veryrich or respectable, but if he at all wants to transfer himself to the spiritualkingdom, back home, back to Godhead, he has to be freed from materialpossessiveness because that is a false position.The word moha used here means the false understanding that one isrich or poor. In this material world, the conception that one is very richor very poor-or any such consciousness in connection with material existence-isfalse, because this body itself is temporary. A pure soul whois prepared to be freed from this material entanglement must first befree from the association of the three modes of nature. Our consciousnessat the present moment is polluted because of association with the threemodes of nature; therefore in Bhagavad-gita the same principle isstated. It is advised, jita-sanga-doal;,: one should be freed from the contaminatedassociation of the three modes. Here also, in the Srimad­Bhagavatam, this is confirmed: a pure devotee, who is preparing totransfer himself to the spiritual kingdom, is also freed from the associationof the three modes. We have to seek the association of such devotees.For this reason we have begun the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.There are many mercantile and scientific associations inhuman society established to develop a particular type of education orconsciousness, but there is no association which helps one to get freefrom all material association. If anyone wishes to become free from thismaterial contamination, he has to seek the association of devotees,wherein l(rl).a consciousness is exclusively cultured.Because a devotee is freed from all contaminated material association,he is not affected by the miseries of material existence, even though heappears to be in the material world. How is it possible? A cat carries herkittens in her mouth, and when she kills a rat, she also carries the bootyin her mouth. Thus bot are carried in the mouth of the cat, but they arein different conditions. The kitten feels comfort in the mouth of themother, whereas when the rat is carried in the mouth of the cat, the ratfeels the blows of death. Similarly, those who are sadhus, or devoteesengaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, do not feel the contaminationof material miseries, whereas those who are not devotees inl(rl).a consciousness actually feel the miseries of material existence. Oneshould therefore give up the association of materialistic persons andseek the association of those engaged in l(rl).a consciousness. By such

"150 Teachings of Lord Kapilaassoc1ation one will he benefited by spiritual advancement. By theirwords and instructions, one will he able to cut off his attachment to materialexistence.In this Kali-yuga, the present age, the dangerous modes of rajo-gur:wand tamo-gur:w, passion and ignorance, are especially prominent. Practicallyeveryone in this age is contaminated by lusty desire, greed and ignorance.It is said in the sastras that in this age of Kali, sattva-gur:ta, themode of goodness, is practically nonexistent.The Fourteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita nicely explains how onecan free oneself of contamination by the material modes. NowKapiladeva advises, "Mother, if you want to get rid of the contaminationof material nature, you should associate with a sadhu." Attachment tothe material modes brings about our bondage. If we want to he free fromthis bondage, we have to transfer our attachment to a sadhu.Actually everyone is attached to something. No one can say that he isfree from attachment. The Mayavada and Buddhist philosophies tell us tobecome detached, hut this in itself is not possible. A child is attached toplaying in so many ways, hut gradually his attachments should hetransferred to reading and going to school to acquire an education. It is aquestion not of stopping attachment hut of transferring it. If one simplytries to put an end to attachment, he will become mad. Something musthe given in the place of attachment. For instance, we tell our disciples tostop eating meat, hut how is this meat-eating stopped? In the place ofmeat, we are supplying kacauris, rasagulla and many other palatablethings. In this way, detachment is possible. First of all, nullify the inferiorattachment, and then supply a better attachment. There is noquestion of forcing a living entity. This must he done gradually. A childmay have some attachment, hut by the system of replacing attachment,his attachment is overturned. Similarly, our consciousness has somehowor other become contaminated. Now it has to he purified. Then l(r1,1aconsciousness will automatically arise and awaken.l(r1,1a consciousness is our original consciousness, hut somehow orother it has become covered by material attachment. The question is howto give up material attachment and become attached to l(r1,1a. The processis sadhu-sariga, association with a sadhu. We have many attachmentsin this material world, hut we cannot make these attachmentsvoid. We simply have to purify them. Some say that if the eye is diseased,

·The Symptoms of a Sadhu 151it should be plucked out, but that is not treatment. Treatment is removingthe disease. Somehow or other there is a cataract, and if the cataractis removed, one's eyesight will be revived. We have many desires, but wehave to divert these desires to Knn:.ta's service. For instance, we may bevery attached to making money; therefore .Kr1.1a says, "Yes, go aheadand conduct your business. There is no harm. Simply give Me theresults." As stated in Bhagavad-gitd (9.27):yat karoi yad a.Snasiyaj juhoi dadasi yatyat tapasyasi kaunteyatat kurva mad-arpar:tam"0 son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer andgive away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be doneas an offering unto Me."This is the beginning of bhakti-yoga. If we conduct business and earnmoney, we should spend it for .Kr1.1a. This is a form of bhakti. Anothervivid example is Arjuna, who was a fighter. By fighting, he became adevotee. He did not become a devotee by chanting Hare .Kr1.1a but byfighting in the Battle of Kuruketra . .Kr1.1a advised him to fight, but becauseArjuna was a VaiQava, in the beginning he was unwilling. AVai1.1ava does not like to kill anything, but if .Kr1.1a orders him, he mustfight. He does not fight out of his own will, because a Vai1.1ava's naturalinstinct is not to do harm to anyone. However, when a VaiQava knowsthat .Kr1.1a wants a particular thing done, he does not care for his ownconsiderations. In any case, everyone has some particular type of duty,an occupation. If we perform our occupation in the worship of .Kr1.1a, ourlife will be perfect. This is also the instruction given in Srimad­Bhagavatam (1.2.13):ata/:1, pumbhir dvija-srethavarr:tasrama-vibhaga.Sa/:1,svanthitasya dharmasyasarhsiddhir hari-toar:tarri

152 Teachings of Lord Kapila"0 best of the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfectionone can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one'sown occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to pleasethe Personality of Godhead."Formerly, the van:rlisrama-dharma was prominent, and everyone hada particular duty according to his position in society. Now the occupationalduties have expanded, but it doesn't matter whether one is anengineer, a doctor or whatever. Simply try to serve J.la by the resultsof work. That is bhakti. It is not the philosophy of this J.la consciousnessmovement to disengage people from their activities. One shouldengage in his occupation, but one should never forget J.la. J.la advisesus to always become K:rJ.la conscious, and we should always thinkthat we are acting for J.la. Of course, we should work by the order ofJ.la or His representative, not whimsically. If we perform some nonsensicalaction and think, "I am doing this for J.la," that will not beaccepted. The work must be verified by K:r1.1a's acceptance or by the acceptanceof 1.1a's representative. Arjuna did not fight without 1.1a'sorder; therefore we must receive our orders also. We may say, "I cannotfind J.la. How can I follow His order?" It is the role of the sadhu toimpart J.la's orders. Since J.la's representative is the sadhu,Kapiladeva advises His mother to associate with sadhus.We have described the symptoms of a sadhu, and we have stated that asadhu should be accepted by his characteristics. It is not that we acceptanyone who comes along and says, "I am a sadhu. "The characteristics ofa sadhu have to be present. Similarly, it is not that anyone is acceptedwho comes along and says, "I am an incarnation of God." There arecharacteristics of God given in the sastras. Sadhu-smiga, association witha sadhu, is very essential in J.la consciousness. People are sufferingdue to contamination by tamo-gur:w and rajo-gur:w. The sadhu teachesone how to remain purely in sattva-gur:w by truthfulness, cleanliness,mind control, sense control, simplicity, tolerance, and full faith andknowledge. These are some of the characteristics of sattva-gur:w.Instead of thinking, "Unless I have a drink, I will go mad," oneshould think, "Unless I associate with a sadhu, I will go mad." When wecan think in this way, we will become liberated. Caitanya Mahiiprabhuhas stated that He wants every village in the entire world to be a centerfor J.la consciousness so that people can take advantage of sadhus and

The Symptoms of a Sidhu 153in turn become sadhus. This is the mission of this Qa consciousnessmovement. We simply have to voluntarily undergo some penance in thebeginning. It may be a little painful in the beginning to refrain from illicitsex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, but one has to betolerant. To be cured of a disease, we may have to agree to undergo somesurgical operation. Although the operation may be very painful, we haveto tolerate it. This is called titiavatJ,. At the same time, we have to bekaruikatJ,-that is, we have to take compassion upon fallen souls bygoing from town to town to enlighten others in Qa consciousness. Thisis a sadhu's duty. Those who are preachers are superior to those who goto the Himalayas to meditate. It is good to go to the Himalayas to meditatefor one's personal benefit, but those who undergo many difficulties inorder to preach are superior. They are actually fighting for Qa's sake,and they are certainly more compassionate. Those sadhus who leaveV:rndavana to go fight in the world, to spread Qa consciousness, aresuperior sadhus. This is the opinion of Qa in Bhagavad-gitd(18.68-69):ya idam paramam guhyammad-bhakte$V abhidhdsyatibhaktirh mayi pardrh krtvamam evai$yaty asamsayatJ,na ca tasman manU$ye$UkaScin me priya-krttamatJ,bhavita na ca me tasmddanyatJ, priyataro bhuvi"For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotionalservice is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is noservant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be onemore dear."If we want to be quickly recognized by Qa, we should becomepreachers. This is also the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is notthat one should remain in India; rather, one should travel all over theworld to preach Qa consciousness. The sadhu is suhrt; he is the wellwisherof everyone. This does not mean that he is a well-wisher for an

154 Teachings of Lord KapilaIndian nationalist or whatever. No, he is a well-wisher even of cats anddogs. A devotee even wishes to benefit cats and dogs by giving themprasiida. Once, when devotees from Bengal were going to see CaitanyaMahaprabhu, a dog began to follow them, and the leader of the party,Sivananda Sena, was giving prasiida to the dog. When they had to cross ariver, the boatman would not take the dog, but Sivananda Sena paid himmore money and said, "Please take this dog. He is a Vaif?I,lava, for he hasjoined our company. How can we leave him behind?" Caitanya MahaprabhuHimself actually threw some of His food to the dog, and in thisway the dog attained V aiku1,1tha.Not only is a sadhu everyone's well-wisher, but he is not an enemy ofanyone. He is also santa, peaceful. These are the preliminary characteristicsof a sadhu. He is also attached to no one but I?I,la. Mayyananyena bhdvena. These are the external and internal symptoms of adevotee. A devotee also respects the demigods because he knows theirposition in relation to !?I,la. In Brahma-sarhhita (5.44), the goddessDurga is worshiped as the external energy, or potency, of f?I,la.sr#-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir ekdchayeva yasya bhuvandni bibharti durgaicchanurapam api yasya ca cetate sagovindam adi-purarh tam aharh bhajami"The external potency, maya, who is of the nature of the shadow of thecit, spiritual, potency, is worshiped by all people as Durga, the creating,preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore theprimeval Lord Govinda, in accordance with whose will Durga conductsherself."The goddess Durga is so powerful that she can create, maintain andannihilate. However, she cannot act independent of I?I,la. She is like ashadow of I?I,la. A sadhu knows that prakrti, nature, is working under!?I,la's direction. Similarly, a policeman knows that he is not workingindependently but under government orders. This knowledge is requiredin order that the policeman, who has some power, will not think that hehas become God. No, God is not so cheap. God has multienergies, and oneof these energies is Durga. It is not that she is all and all, for there aremany millions of Durgas, just as there are many millions of Sivas and

The Symptoms of a Sadhu 155millions of universes. Although there are millions of demigods, God isone. It is not that there are a million Gods. Of course, God can expand inmillions of forms, but that is different. A devotee offers respects to thedemigods as the assistants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not asthe supreme power. One who does not know God as He is considers thedemigods to be supreme. Such people are less intelligent. A devoteeoffers respects to the demigods, but he knows that the Supreme Lord isKrI).a. Kr$7J.aS tu bhagaviin svayam. Actually a siidhu, a VaiI).ava, offersrespects to everyone, and he is ready to give up relatives and everythingelse for KrI).a's sake. A siidhu simply takes pleasure in hearing aboutKrI).a and talking about Him.There are many pastimes enacted by KrI).a. He fights and killsdemons, and He performs His pastimes with the gopis. He plays as acowherd boy in V:rndii.vana and as King of Dvii.rakii.. There are manybooks about KrI).a, kmta-kathii, and this KrI).a consciousness movementhas already published many of them. Apart from Bhagavad-gitii,which is spoken by KrI).a, we can read these other books. In this way,one can learn the art of becoming a siidhu. Simply by hearing aboutKrI).a and speaking about Him, we will be immediately relieved from thesuffering of this material condition.As stated in this verse:ta ete siidhaval;t siidhvisarva-sariga-vivarjital;tThese symptoms are visible when one no longer has material attachment.A siidhu does not think himself Hindu, Muslim, Christian, American, Indianor whatever. A siidhu simply thinks, "I am the servant of KrI).a."Sri Caitanya Mahii.prabhu has said, "I am not a brahmar;ta, k$atriya,vaiSya, sadra, brahmaciiri or whatever. I am simply the servant of theservant of the servant of KrI).a." One need only learn this process inorder to render the best service to humanity.

CHAPTER TWELVEAssociation With the Supreme LordThrough HearingTEXTS 25-26satam prasangan mama virya-samvidobhavanti hrt-kan:r-a-rasayanal), kathal),taj-joar:tad asv apavarga-vartmanisraddha ratir bhaktir anukram4yatibhaktya pumafi jata-viraga aindriyaddma-srutan mad-racananucintayacittasya yatto grahar:te yoga-yuktoyat4yate rjubhir yoga-margai/:tTRANSLATIONIn the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimesand activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasingand satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating suchknowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation,and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed.Then real devotion and devotional service begin.Thus consciously engaged in devotional service in the associationof devotees, a person gains distaste for sense gratification,both in this world and in the next, by constantly thinking aboutthe activities of the Lord. This process of :Kt!i!J.la consciousness isthe easiest process of mystic power; when one is actually situatedon that path of devotional service, he is able to control the mind •..PURPORTThe process of advancing in 1,1a consciousness and devotionalservice is described here. The first point is that one must seek the157

158 Teachings of Lord Kapilaassociation of persons who are Kr1,1a conscious and who engage in devotionalservice. Without such association one cannot advance. Simply bytheoretical knowledge or study one cannot make any appreciable advancement.One must give up the association of materialistic persons andseek the association of devotees because without such association onecannot understand the activities of the Lord. Generally, people are convincedof the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. Because they donot associate with devotees, they cannot understand that the AbsoluteTruth can be a person and have personal activities. This is a very difficultsubject matter, and unless one has personal understanding of the AbsoluteTruth, there is no meaning to devotion. Service or devotion cannotbe offered to anything impersonal. Service must be offered to a person.Nondevotees cannot appreciate Kr1,1a consciousness by reading theSrimad-Bhagavatam or any other Vedic literature wherein the activitiesof the Lord are described; they think that these activities are fictional,because spiritual life is not explained to them in the proper mood. Tounderstand the personal activities of the Lord, one has to seek theassociation of devotees, and by such association, when one contemplatesand tries to understand the transcendental activities of the Lord, the pathto liberation is open, and he is freed. One who has firm faith in theSupreme Personality of Godhead becomes fixed, and his attraction forassociation with the Lord and the devotees increases. Association withdevotees means association with the Lord. The devotee who makes thisassociation develops the consciousness for rendering service to the Lord,and then, being situated in the transcendental position of devotional service,he gradually becomes perfect.In all scriptures people are encouraged to act in a pious way so thatthey can enjoy sense gratification not only in this life but also in the next.For example, one is promised promotion to the heavenly kingdom ofhigher planets by pious fruitive activities. But a devotee in the associationof devotees prefers to contemplate the activities of the Lord-howHe has created this universe, how He is maintaining it, how the creationdissolves, and how in the spiritual kingdom the Lord's pastimes areenacted. There are full literatur,.es des s ribing these activities, especiallyBhagavad-gita, Brahma-samhita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. The sinceredevotee who associates with devotees gets the opportunity to hear andcontemplate these subjects, and the result is that he feels distaste for so-

Association With the Supreme Lord Through Hearing 159called happiness in this or that world, in heaven or on other planets. Thedevotees are simply interested in being transferred to the personalassociation of the Lord; they are no longer attracted to temporary socalledhappiness. That is the position of one who is yoga-yukta. One whois fixed in mystic power is not disturbed by the allurement of this worldor that world; he is interested in spiritual understanding. This is veryeasily attained by the easiest process, bhakti-yoga. ]J.jubhir yogamdrgai/:t.A very suitable word used here is rjubhi/:t, or "very easy."There are different processes of yoga-marga, attaining yoga perfection,but this process, devotional service to the Lord, is the easiest. Not only isit the easiest process, but the result is sublime. Everyone, therefore,should try this process of K{1,1a consciousness and reach the highestperfection.Sat means "existence," and asat means "that which does not exist,"that which is temporary. The material world is asat; therefore the Vedasenjoin: asato ma sad gama: "Do not remain within this material world."Those who are interested in materialistic life are also called asat.When asked how a Vai!?Qava behaves, Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied,asat-sanga-tyaga, - ei varJava-iicara: "A devotee first of all avoidsthe company of asat, those who are materially interested." (Cc.Madhya 22.87) We have established this K:r!?Qa consciousness movementin order to avoid asat-sariga, association with those who are interested inmaterial things. Because we are associating with K{!?Qa, we do not wish totalk about anything but K{?Qa. Everyone is interested in this business orthat, and we are exclusively interested in our K:r!?Qa consciousness business.Those who are asat are very much attached to sense gratification,and the culmination of sense gratification is sex.In addition, Sri Sanatana Gosvami in his Hari-bhakti-vilasa recommendsthat one should not hear Bhagavad-gita, the Purt'i7Jas, theSrimad-Bhagavatam or any hari-katha from anyone who is not aVai!?Qava in his actions. That means that we should not hear these Vedicliteratures from the Mayavadis, who actually do not accept K{1,1a as theSupreme Personality of Godhead. How can one not accept K{?Qa as theSupreme Lord and yet dare to speak on Bhagavad-gita? We will neverderive any benefit from listening to the commentaries of such people.Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhiigavatam should be heard from the devotees.We can hear Bhagavad-gita from Mayavadis for hundreds of years

160 Teachings of Lord Kapilaand yet never understand J(rJ).a. It is therefore forbidden for VaiJ).avas'to hear talks given by Mayavlidis.Hari-kathii, talks about Sri Hari, or J(rJ).a, are amrta, nectar. If onehears them from the right source, he attains amrta (so 'mrtatvaya kalpate).Mrta means "birth and death," and amrta means "the cessation ofbirth and death." Spiritual life means putting an end to birth, old age,disease and death. Getting amrta, nectar, means getting relief from birthand death, and that is the real aim of spiritual life. Lord J(rJ).a says inBhagavad-gita (7.16) that spiritual life begins when one is pious:catur-vidha bhajante mamjana/:t sukrtino 'rjunaarto jijnasur artharthijnani ca bharatarabha"0 best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men renderdevotional service unto Me-the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquiitive,and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute."If we actually want to become pious and develop our devotional life,we have to associate unflinchingly with a sadhu. Then we can acquiresome taste for J(rJ).a. When we discuss K:rJ).a with a sadhu, the discussionbecomes very pleasing, and we develop some taste, which is calledrasa, or mellow. Rasa is the enjoyment we derive from drinking somethingvery nice when we are thirsty. J(rJ).a has instructed us to think ofHim when drinking water. This is not very difficult. J(rJ).a also tells us tothink of Him when we see sunlight in the morning. Why do we say, "Canyou show me God?" God is showing us Himself. Why do we close oureyes to try to see Him? He says, "I am this, and I am that." It is not thatsuddenly we can expect to see God, but we can become qualified to seeGod through the association of a sadhu. Presently many people areinterested in receiving degrees from big universities, but education withoutGod consciousness is simply an expansion of maya's influence. Becauseknowledge is taken away by illusion, the universities are simplypresenting impediments on the path of God consciousness. The living entityis already illusioned when he comes into the material world, and socalledadvanced education simply increases his illusion. Trying to become

Association With the Supreme Lord Through Hearing 161happy in this temporary, material life, the living entity has forgotten thathe is the eternal servant of f?a. Even if one becomes happy in thistemporary life, his happiness is an illusion because no one is allowed tostay and enjoy his happiness. These points have to be understood in theassociation of devotees. A devotee knows everything because he has seenthe Supreme Absolute Truth, l

162 Teachings of Lord Kapilain the morning to attend marigala-arati, study Vedic literature, takeprasada and preach KtI)a consciousness.Maya is very strong, and to begin devotional service is to declare waragainst maya. Some of the devotees in this KtQa consciousness movementmay fall down, but whatever is done sincerely is to their permanentcredit. This is confirmed in Bhagavqd-gita. If one renders a little devotionalservice, he does not fall down into the lower species but again attainsa human form. There are 8,400,000 species, but the fallen devoteeis guaranteed a human life. If one becomes KtI)a conscious, he isassured of a good birth in the next life. However, if one completes hisKtI)a consciousness in this life, he will not take birth again but will go toKtI)a. This is what is actually wanted. Why take the chance of beingborn into a rich family or a brahmar;ta family? Actually, such a birth isquite risky because there is really no guarantee. Generally, those who arerich don't care at all for KtI)a consciousness, and those who are born inbrahmar;ta families generally become puffed-up, thinking, "I am abrahmar;ta. I am born in a very high family." Thinking this brings abouttheir falldown. It is said that pride precedes a fall. A VaiI)ava is bynature very humble.These are the chances one takes when one becomes a human being.KtQa is personally advising us to take up the opportunities offered bythe KtQa consciousness movement. We should take them and not runthe risk of committing spiritual suicide.This is the process for understanding the Absolute Truth, theSupreme Person, the Supreme Being. In the Absolute, there are no contradictions.KtI)a's name, form, activities, paraphernalia and attributesare identical with KtQa. This is the meaning of absolute. There is no differencebetween KtI)a's form and KtI)a. KtI)a's hands and KtQa'slegs are nondifferent. In the material world, there is a difference betweenour left hand and our right hand, between the nose and the ear,but these dualities do not exist in KtI)a. This is the meaning of absolute.As stated in Brahma-samhita (5.32):angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimantipa.Syanti panti kalayanti ciram jagantiananda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasyagovindam adi-puram tam aham bhajami

Association With the Supreme Lord Through Hearing 163"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form isfull of bliss, truth and substantiality, and is thus full of the most dazzlingsplendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses, inHimself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees,maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane."The different parts of our bodies serve different purposes, butany limb of l(r;J}.a's body can serve any purpose. l(r;J}.a can eat throughHis eyes, or l(r;J}.a can go somewhere simply by thinking. The Absoluteis advaita. There is no duality in the Absolute. Everything is one.Our material disease lies in wanting to satisfy our senses. We havestated before that advancement of civilization means advancement ofsense gratification, but bhakti means just the opposite. As long as we areinterested in sense gratification, there is no question of bhakti. We haveto reduce our tendency for sense gratification and increase our devotionalactivities. We have also stated that material bondage means accepting onebody and creating another. l(r;J}.a, through nature, will give us fullfacility to enjoy our senses. Presently in the Western countries it has becomefashionable to run around naked. Therefore nature will give thesepeople an opportunity to stand naked like trees for many years. Why arewe receiving different bodies? Because we have different tendencies forsense gratification. We actually have to come to detest sense gratificationbefore our spiritual life begins. This is made possible through bhakti.Although Kt;J}.a is beyond our vision, He has agreed to be seen by usthrough the arca-vigraha, the Deity. We should not think that the Deityis made of stone. Even if it is stone, we should think that l(r;J}.a has madeHimself visible before us like a stone because we cannot see beyondstone. That is l(r;J}.a's mercy. Because our eyes and other senses are imperfect,we cannot see l(r;J}.a present everywhere in His original spiritualform. Because we are imperfect, we see the difference between thingsspiritual and material, but l(r;J}.a, being absolute, knows no such distinctions.He can become spiritual or material, however He likes, and it doesnot make any difference to Him. Being almighty and omnipotent, l(r;J}.acan change matter into spirit and spirit into matter. Therefore we shouldnot think, as the atheists do, that we are worshiping idols. Even if it is anidol, it is still l(r;J).a. That is the absolute nature of l(r;J).a. Even if wethink that the Deity is a stone, or a piece of metal or some wood, He isstill l(r;J}.a. The understanding of this requires bhakti on our part. If we

164 Teachings of Lord Kapilaare a little thoughtful and philosophical, and if we are at all inclinedtoward bhakti, we can understand that Knr,1a is present in stone.Actually, nothing is different from :Kr!?I)a because everything is:Kr!?I)a's energy. The Mayavadi philosophers say that since everything isGod, the personality of :Kr!?I)a is finished. But actually :Kr!?I)a is :Kr!?I)a,and at the same time He is everything. We can understand this by bhakti,but not by any other process. When a bhakta sees a tree, he sees K:r?Qa.As explained in Caitanya-caritamra (Madhya 8.27 4):sthdvara-jaitgama dekhe, nd dekhe tara murtisarvatra haya nija ta-deva-sphurtiThe advanced devotee does not see living entities as moving and notmoving. He sees :Kr!?Qa. This is also stated in the Brahma-samhitd(5.38):premdnjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanenasantaJ:r, sadaiva hrdayeu vilokayantiBecause his eyes are always smeared with the ointment of devotion, thedevotee always sees :Kr!?Qa and nothing else. ' He sees :Kr!?Qa and :Kr!?I)a'senergy everywhere. For instance, if you love your child, when you seeyour child's shoe, you immediately see your child. Or if you see yourchild's toy, you immediately see your child and hear his voice. Similarly,if we have actually developed love of :Kr!?Qa, nothing exists but K:r!?I)a.When our love for :Kr!?I)a is actually developed, whatever we see, we willsee :Kr!?I)a.Unless one is advanced in kmw-premd, love of :Kr!?Qa, he cannot seeor understand. By the blunt material senses, we cannot even understandthe name of :Kr!?I)a. People are always asking, "Why are these peoplechanting Hare :Kr!?Qa?" They cannot understand, although K:r!?Qarealization begins with the name. The name of :Kr!?Qa and :Kr!?Qa are nondifferent,but we cannot realize this intellectually. We have to practicechanting Hare :Kr!?I)a to realize it. When we actually advance in devotionalservice and chant the Hare :Kr!?Qa mahd-mantra offenselessly, wewill realize that :KrI)a and His name are nondifferent. Thus krrJ.a-bhakti

Association With the Supreme Lord ThrC:.ugh Hearing 165begins with the tongue, for we can utilize the tongue to chant, and totaste kr$1Ja-prasada. In this way we can become a Kra bhakta.When we see the Deity of Kra in the temple, we should think thatthe Deity is Kra. In this way Kra has agreed to be seen by us andeven dressed by us. However, if we think of Kra's vird!-rllpa, His universalform, what can we do? How can we dress the virat-rupa? Hismany heads cover the sky, and we cannot even conceive of Him. K:racan become bigger than the biggest and smaller than the smallest.Therefore this verse states: bhaktya pumafi jata-viraga aindriyat. Themore we serve Kra, give Him things to eat and dress Him nicely, theless we become interested in our own bodies. In the material worldeveryone is very busy dressing himself very nicely in order to be sexuallyattractive, but if we try to dress Kra nicely, we will forget ourown material dress. If we feed Kra nice food, we will forget to satisfyour own tongue by going to this or that restaurant.Kra was teaching Bhagavad-gitd, and Arjuna was seeing Him faceto face, but seeing Kra and reading Bhagavad-gita are the same. Somepeople say that Arjuna was fortunate to have seen Kra face to face andtake instructions from Him, but Kra can be seen immediately,provided one has the eyes to see. There is the example in Caitanyacaritamrtaof a brahma"{Ul in South India who was reading Bhagavadgitd,although he was illiterate. The people in the neighborhood knewthat he was illiterate, and they made jokes, asking him, "Well, how is ityou are reading Bhagavad-gita?" One day Caitanya Mahaprabhu happenedto be in a temple nearby, and He could understand that this manwas a devotee. He therefore approached him and asked, "My dearbrahma"{Ul, what are you reading?" The brahma"{Ul replied, "I am readingBhagavad-gita, or, rather, I am trying to read Bhagavad-gitd. I happento be illiterate, but my guru-maharaja has said that I must read theeighteen chapters of Bhagavad-gitd daily. I am simply trying to carry outhis order, and therefore I am opening and closing the pages." CaitanyaMahaprabhu then said, "I see that you are crying sometimes. Why isthis?" The brahma"{Ul replied, "Yes, I am crying because when I take upthis book, I see a picture of K:ra driving Arjuna's chariot. Sri Kra isso kind that He has accepted the position of a servant to His devotee.Therefore when I see this picture, I weep." Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

,)166 Teachings of Lord Kapilathen immediately embraced the brahmar:ta and said, "You have actuallyread Bhagavad-gita. "It is not that a wealth of education is required. One does not even haveto understand the language. The only ingredient needed is bhakti, love.If one becomes a pure bhakta, he will forget all material sense enjoyment.Being a bhakta doesn't simply mean wearing tilaka and robes. Oneis not a bhakta if he has a taste for material sense enjoyment. A truebhakta wants to satisfy not his senses but the senses of .KrQa. That is thespiritual world. In the spiritual world, V:rndavana, everyone-motherYasoda, Nanda Maharaja, Srimati RadharaQi, the gopis, the cowherdboys, Sridamii, Sudiimii, the land, the water, the trees, the birds-aU aretrying to satisfy .KrQa. That is the real meaning of V:rndiivana. When.KrQa left V:rndavana for Mathura, everyone in V:rndiivana fell dead outof separation from Him. Similarly, we can always live in V:rndiivana, inVaikuQtha, if we are mad after .KrQa. This is the teaching of CaitanyaMahaprabhu, and He illustrated this by His very life. When He was inJaganniitha Puri, He was always mad after .KrQa day and night. The lasttwelve years of His life were passed in madness. Sometimes He threwHimself into the ocean, and He wandered about like a madman. Ofcourse, this is not possible for ordinary living entities. However, if webecome bhaktas, we will find intelligence behind everything in the creation.If we take a flower and see its constitution, how it is made and howits colors are displayed and how it comes into existence, we can see.KrQa. We can see how .KrQa has created such a beautiful thing so intelligently.We should not consider like rascals that such a thing has comeinto being automatically. Fools cannot see, but those who are intelligentcan see that the hand of the Supreme Lord is in everything within thecreation. lsavasyam idam sarvam.Actually, nothing comes about automatically. Everything comes aboutthrough the intelligence of .KrQa, through His fine and accurate powers.If we paint a picture of a flower, we have to arrange many facets, and stillthe picture will not be absolutely perfect. Yet the flower created by K:rQa ,has come out perfectly. What rascal can say that there is no brain behindit? .KrQa specifically says that we should not think that prakrti, nature,is working automatically. He says, "Nature is working under My direction."One simply has to develop the eyes to see how these things aregoing on. This is possible if we engage the senses in the service of K:rQa.

Association With the Supreme Lord Through Hearing 167We first of all must engage the tongue in chanting Hare J,la and in eatingbhagavat-prasada. Nothing else is required. Therefore the 1,1aconsciousness movement is distributing prasada and engaging people inchanting the Hare J,la maha-mantra.TEXT 27asevayayam prakrter gur:tanarhjnanena vairagya-vijrmbhitenayogena mayy arpitaya ca bhaktyamaTh pratyag-atmanam ihavarundheTRANSLATIONThus by not engaging in the service of the modes of materialnature but by developing a consciousness, knowledge inrenunciation, and by practicing yoga, in which the mind is alwaysfixed in devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead,one achieves My association in this very life, for I am theSupreme Personality, the Absolute Truth.PURPORTWhen one engages in the nine different processes of bhakti-yogaenunciated in authoritative scriptures, such as hearing (sravar:tam),chanting (kirtanam), remembering, worshiping, praying and offeringpersonal service-either in one of them or two or three or all of themhenaturally has no opportunity to engage in the service of the threemodes of material nature. Unless one has good engagements in spiritualservice, it is not possible to become detached from material service.Those who are not devotees, therefore, are interested in so-calledhumanitarian or philanthropic work, such as opening a hospital orcharitable institution. These are undoubtedly good works in the sensethat they are pious activities, and the performer may get some opportunitiesfor sense gratification, either in this life or in the next. Devotionalservice, however, is beyond the boundary of sense gratification. Itis a completely spiritual activity. When one engages in the spiritual

168 Teachings of Lord Kapilaactivities of devotional service, he does not engage in sense gratificatoryactivities. Kr!?J.la conscious activities are performed not blindly but withthe perfect understanding of knowledge and renunciation. This kind ofyoga practice, in which the mind is always fixed upon the Supreme Personalityof Godhead in devotion, results in liberation in this very life.The person who performs such acts gets in touch with the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. Lord Caitanya, therefore, approved the process ofhearing from realized devotees about the pastimes of the Lord. It doesnot matter to what mundane category the audience belongs. If onemeekly and submissively hears about the activities of the Lord from arealized soul, he will be able to conquer the Supreme Personality of Godhead,who is unconquerable by any other process. Hearing and associatingwith devotees are the most important functions for self-realization.In Goloka V:rndavana, the living entities are serving Kr!?J.la as friends,cowherd boys, gopis, lovers, fathers, mothers and so on. Even the trees,water, flowers, land, calves and cows serve Kr!?J.la in Goloka V:rndavana.This is also our business, but somehow or other we do not like to serveKr!?l.ta; therefore we have been put into the service of maya, in the threemodes of material nature. When a criminal does not like to obey the lawsof the state, he is placed into prison and forced to abide by the laws. Ourconstitutional position is to render service to Kr!?J.la as His part andparcel, and as soon as we refuse to render Him service, maya is immediatelythere to capture us and say, "Serve me." It is not our nature tobecome master. Even if we become master, we will not be happy, becausethat is artificial. For instance, if the hand thinks, "Oh, now I have somenice sweets. Now I can eat," the hand will ultimately be frustrated. It isthe duty and nature of the hand to place the food in the mouth. In thisway the hand is nourished; otherwise everything is spoiled. Similarly, weare part and parcel of Kr!?J.la, and our business is to satisfy Kr!?J.la. Fromthe Vedas we understand that God, who is one, has become many. We arethe many parts and parcels of Kr!?J.la. Svamsas are His personal expansions,and we are His differential expansions, vibhinnamsas. In any case,all expansions are meant to serve Kr!?J.la. This is explained in theCaitanya-caritamrta (Adi 5.142): ekale iSvara kmw, ara saba bhrtya."Lord Kr!?J.la alone is the supreme controller, and all others are Hisservants."

Association With the Supreme Lord Through Hearing 169It is our natural propensity to enjoy ourselves with !?Qa. As statedbefore, !?Qa is ananda-maya, and, being part and parcel of Qa, weare also ananda-maya. Now we are seeking ananda (bliss) in differentatmospheres. Because we have a little independence, we have decided togo to the prison house of material nature and try to serve our senses insteadof !?Qa. Now we have to learn how to forget to serve this materialnature, and that process is bhakti-marga, the path of devotional service.When we come to the understanding that we are actually no one's servantbut Qa's, we attain self-realization. We must come to this understandingnot by sentiment but by real knowledge. After many births anddeaths, when one realizes that viisudeva}:t sarvam iti-Vasudeva is allhesurrenders unto Qa. This is real knowledge-jnana and vairagya,knowledge and detachment from material things.Once one engages fully in K{Qa's service, he comes to the brahmabhataplatform. Presently we are on the maya-bhata platform, identifyingourselves with maya and working according to the modes of materialnature. However, when one comes to the realization that he is spirit(aham brahmiismi), he will immediately become happy.Under the modes of material nature, we are being carried away by thewaves of material nature, and we have no control over where we aregoing. Bhaktivinoda 'fhakura has stated: mayara va§e, yaccha bhese',khaccha habuc)ubu, bhai. We are like straws on the waves of the ocean,and we are fully under the control of the waves. Atheists shudder whenthey think that there is a next life, because their lives are sinful and theyfear punishment in the next. There is a Bengali proverb about a personwho thought, "I have committed so many sinful acts that Yamaraja willcome and punish me. How can I avoid him?" Thinking about this sometime, he decided, "Let me smear my body with stool. Then Yamaraja willnot touch me." However, this is simply foolishness. We are under thecontrol of maya, material nature, and it is not possible to avoid it. Wehave become infected by the disease of material nature, and no artificialmeans will save us. There is no way out other than surrender to Qa.!?Qa says that He will save us, even though we are very sinful.If we turn our attention to K{Qa's service, to bhakti-yoga, we canforce ourselves to give up all anarthas, unwanted things. We should getup early in the morning and engage ourselves in the service of Qa;

170 Teachings of Lord Kapilathen gradually we will forget the service of maya. Bhakti-yoga is sostrong that if we engage in it, maya's service will automatically be negated.This is called vairagya.Kp;n,1a is the original pu11L$a, the original spirit, the original person.Everything has come from I].a, and therefore He is pura7Ja, the oldest.No one is older than I].a, but He is always young. That is Bhagavan.He is adi, the original source, the cause of all causes. Yet we never seeI].a as an old man. He is always fresh and youthful. Although K:rI].awas a great-grandfather at the Battle of Kuruketra, He did not appearany older than a young man of twenty. I].a is always a young boy, andthose living entities in the spiritual universe also have spiritual bodiesthe same as I].a's. In the Sixth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam we readthat when the Vaikul].tha-diitas came to take Ajamila, they were fourhandedand very beautiful. In the spiritual world, there are four-handedliving' entities, and they are all nitya-mukta, eternally liberated.Unfortunately, we are now prisoners in this material world, and wepresently have material bodies. These bodies are changing. Sometimesthey are young and sometimes old. However, if we become I].a conscious,we will not get another material body after leaving this body. Wewill go home, back to Godhead, and attain our original, spiritual body,which is the same kind of beautiful body that I].a, Narayai].a, has. Weshould take this opportunity to become devotees of I].a by followingthe processes of bhakti-yoga-srava7Jarh kirtanam VTJ-0 smara7Jarhpada-sevanam arcanam. We can take one or all of the nine processes ofdevotional service and make our lives successful. Caitanya Mahaprabhuhas prescribed the most important process-srava7Jam. We need onlyhear, and that will make our lives successful.

CHAPTER THIRTEENPerfect Knowledge Through SurrenderTEXT 28devahutir uvacakacit tvayy ucita bhakt*kidrsi mama gocarayaya padam te nirvar;wmafijasanvasnava ahamTRANSLATIONOn hearing this statement of the Lord, Devahuti inquired: Whatkind of devotional service is worth developing and practicing tohelp me easily and immediately attain the service of Your lotusfeet?PURPORTIt is stated in Bhagavad-gita that no one is barred from rendering serviceto the Lord. Whether one is a woman or a laborer or a merchant, ifhe engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord, he is promotedto the highest perfectional state and goes back home, back to Godhead.The devotional service most suitable for different types of devotees isdetermined and fixed by the mercy of the spiritual master. Therefore inorder to become free from the miseries of material nature, one shouldapproach a bona fide spiritual master inquisitively and submissively.When Arjuna submitted to l(rJ).a, he said, "My dear l(rJ).a, now I nolonger care to talk to You as a friend because friendly talks will notbenefit me now." Generally we talk to a friend just to spend time, butwhen we approach a spiritual master, we should be submissive. Friendsapproach one another on an equal basis, but this is not the way to approacha spiritual master. Unless one is submissive, one cannot accept171

172 Teachings of Lord Kapilasublime instructions. Arjuna teaches us submission by giving up hisfriendly relationship with l(rl).a, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.He says, "I have now become Your disciple. Please instruct me."We can speculate for many births, for many years, and yet not be ableto understand the ultimate goal of life. Therefore the sdstras all advisethat we search out a guru. The word guru means "heavy" or "weighty."One who has much knowledge is heavy with knowledge. One should considerthe bona fide guru in this way, and one should not think, "I knoweverything. Who can teach me?" No one can say such a thing, for everyoneneeds instruction.According to the Vedic system, a child is sent to a guru-kula to learn·spiritual knowledge from the very beginning. When a child goes to aguru-kula, he becomes a brahmacari and works like a menial servant.He may be the son of a great brahmar;ta or a great king; it doesn't matter.When one goes to a guru-kula, he immediately becomes the menial servantof the guru. If the guru orders him to perform some lowly service,he is prepared to do it. This is the business of a brahmacari. Even Ktl).awent to a guru-kula to teach us. There was no need for l(rl).a, theSupreme Personality of Godhead, to go to a guru-kula, but He did thissimply to set an example. Caitanya Mahiiprabhu also accepted a guru.Prakiisiinanda Sarasvati was a very learned scholar, and he knew thatCaitanya Mahiiprabhu was also a great scholar, yet he criticized CaitanyaMahiiprabhu for chanting and dancing, for Prakiisiinanda Sarasvati feltthat a sannyasi should devote his entire attention to the reading ofVedanta. He therefore considered Caitanya Mahiiprabhu a sentimentalist,not a bona fide sannyasi. Prakiisiinanda Sarasvati inquired, "Whyaren't you reading Vedanta-sutra? Why are you chanting and dancing?"Caitanya Mahiiprabhu replied:prabhu kahe-suna, sripada, ihara karar;taguru more murkha dekhi' karila sdsana"Actually, I am not very learned, and my guru has stated that I am foolnumber one. He said that because of this I cannot possibly read Vedantasutra,for Vedanta-sutra is not meant for an ordinary person. My gurutherefore advised me to chant this Hare l(rl).a maha-mantra, and now Iam doing this and getting the results." (Cc. Adi 7.71)

Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender 173At the present moment in Kali-yuga, people are not well educated.They are simply engaged in earning money to fill the belly. Vedanta philosophyis not meant for an ordinary person, nor even for an ordinarylearned person. It requires great knowledge of Sanskrit and philosophy.Of course Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead,knew all things, but at that moment He had assumed the role of anordinary person in order to instruct an illiterate, ignorant society. In thisage people are not even interested in reading Vediinta-sutra. People areso badly infected by the influence of maya that they do not even care tounderstand that there is life after death or that there are 8,400,000 lifeforms. Sometimes if people hear that by acting in such a way they willbecome a tree, a dog, a cat, an insect or even a human being, they saythat they do not even care to know this. Sometimes they say, "Nevermind if I become a dog. What's wrong with that? I will simply forgeteverything." Many university students in the Western countries speakthis way. They have become so ignorant that they are described asmanda. Previously, in India, the brahma{WS were interested in understandingBrahman. Athato brahma-jijiiasd. However, at the presentmoment everyone is a sadra, and no one is interested in understandingBrahman. People are simply interested in getting more money and goingto the cinemas.Human life is meant for understanding our situation, and we shouldtake instructions from Bhagavad-gitd. Arjuna is personally teaching usby accepting Kra as his guru. He asks l(ra to become his spiritualmaster and teach him. The lessons given by Sri l(ra are not simplymeant for Arjuna but for everyone. l(ra tells us in Bhagavad-gita thatwe should search out a guru. The first guru is Sri K:ra Himself, andwhoever represents Sri l(ra is also a guru. If I am a businessman, andsomeone goes to canvass for my business and take orders for me, he ismy representative. If he simply says that he is my representative and yettakes some orders but uses the money for something else, he is not reallymy representative.l(ra's representative does not say, "I have become l(ra." Such aperson is neither a representative nor a guru. He is simply a cheater.Kra's representative is one who canvasses for K:ra. l(ra says, "Giveup everything and surrender unto Me." l(ra's representative says,"Give up everything and simply surrender unto l(ra." This is

174 Teachings of Lord K.apilacertainly not very difficult to understand. Anyone can become Qa'srepresentative. Nonetheless, for the past two hundred years, many yogisand svamis have gone to foreign countries, but no one has spoken about"Kr!?I.J.a. They have simply presented a hodgepodge of Indian philosophy.No one has actually presented Vedic culture as it is.We should read Bhagavad-gitii as it is and understand the philosophyas Arjuna understood it. Arjuna was a friend of l(rQa's. He was sittingwith l(rQa and speaking to Him as a friend speaks to a friend. In theEleventh Chapter, after having seen the universal form, Arjuna tells"Kr!?I.J.a: "I have in the past addressed You as '0 l(rQa,' '0 Yadava,' '0 myfriend,' without knowing Your glories. Please forgive whatever I mayhave done in madness or in love."Arjuna understood that although "Krt?I.J.a was his friend, He was theSupreme Personality of Godhead and therefore the proper person to behis guru. He therefore told l(rQa at the beginning of Bhagavad-gita(2.7), s4yas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam: "Now I am Your discipleand a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me."These are the instructions we get from Bhagavad-gita, and whoeverreads Bhagavad-gita has to accept "Kr!?I.J.a as the guru. We have to renderservice to a guru and surrender ourselves. It is not that one should acceptjust any person as a guru. The guru must be the representative of l(rQa;then one can surrender oneself. Surrender means that one will acceptwhatever the guru says. It is not that one thinks, "I do not care for myguru's order. Still I am a disciple." That is not actually accepting a guru.Of course, it has become a fashion to accept a guru in this way, but thiswill not help anyone. As soon as l(rQa became Arjuna's guru, l(rQa immediatelychastised him. Sri l(rQa told him:a§ocyan anva§ocas tvaritpraj ii-vadams ca basegatasan agatasams cananu§ocanti par:u;lita/:t"While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthyof grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor thedead." (Bg. 2.11)In this way KrI.J.a essentially told Arjuna that he was fool number one

Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender 175for lamenting for those things for which one should not lament. Arjunawas lamenting for the body, thinking that it was horrible that his relativeswould be killed in war. This was not the proper subject matter forhim to be contemplating. The real subject matter for a wise man to contemplateis the salvation of the soul. Therefore Sri J(r1,1a first explainedthe distinction between the body and the soul.This J(r1,1a consciousness movement is also concerned with the soul,and therefore we have used the word "consciousness" because consciousnessbelongs to the soul. Consciousness is the symptom of the soul's presence.Because the soul is in the body, the body feels pleasure and pain.When the soul leaves the body, the body can be hacked to pieces, and yetit will not protest. This is because the consciousness is gone. We feelpleasure and pain because consciousness is present, and J(r1,1a advises usthat it is this consciousness that is eternal, not the body. We have topurify our consciousness in order to understand that consciousness iseternal. If we can do this, our lives will be successful. At the time ofdeath, our consciousness carries us into another body. There are themind, the intelligence and the ego, which constitute the subtle body, andthere is also the spirit soul, which is even more subtle. We know that wepossess a mind, although we cannot see it. Nor can we see the intelligence,the ego or the soul. We can only see the gross material body, andwhen this gross material body ends, we say that everything is finished. Inorder to understand these things, we have to approach a guru, just as Arjunaapproached Sri J(r1,1a.Sri J(r1,1a told Arjuna in very gentlemanly language that he was not alearned man. In essence, He said, "You are not a pa1J4,ita. Just try tounderstand that the real life is the life of the soul." Vedic educationmeans taking care of the soul. Presently the soul is encaged, embodied,entangled in material affairs. The soul is suffering, and it is to ourbenefit to rescue him from these material clutches. This is real education.To receive this education, one has to approach a proper guru. The guru isthere-J(r1,1a. The guru is also there as Kapiladeva, the incarnation ofJ(r1,1a. J(r1,1a informs us that He is the owner of the body, and He has explainedthis in many different ways. He has stated that the soul can neverbe cut to pieces, burned by fire, moistened by water nor withered by thewind. Matter interacts with matter, but the soul does not belong to thematerial world. This means that the soul is above material action and

176 Teachings of Lord Kapilareaction. In the material world even iron and stone can be melted, butthe laws of material nature do not apply to the spirit soul.To understand these subjects, we should be careful to approachQ.a's representative. We should not approach a bogus guru, who islike a blind man trying to lead other blind men. We must go to one whohas open eyes, to one who has seen the Absolute Truth. The AbsoluteTruth is there, just as the sun is there for everyone to see. The sun doesnot hide, but a person can try to hide from the sun by closing his door.One must open the door in order to see the sun. Similarly, Q.a is there,God is there, and we have to come to Q.a and take the lessons ofBhagavad-gita to learn who and what God is. Rascals will not do this, butwill simply manufacture some philosophy or other. There is actually nodifficulty because Q.a's instructions are there, and Q.a Himself isthere. Q.a is so kind that He says, "All right, if you cannot understandMe in this way, just see Me in water. Come on, if you do not understandMe in that way, just see Me in the sunshine." Is this very difficult? Thereis nothing difficult about it, but we are very obstinate. Maya is also verystrong, and as soon as we try to accept Q.a as the Supreme Lord, mayawill whisper in our ear, "No, no. There are many gods. Why are you acceptingK:rQ.a?" However, the siistras say, kmws tu bhagavansvayam ... iSvaratt paramatt kmwtt. "Q.a is the Supreme Personalityof Godhead." We should take our lessons from the iicaryas and thesiistras. At least in India there are many great acaryas-Ramanujacarya,Madhvacarya, ViQ.usviimi, and even Sailkariicarya and Guru Nanak. Allof these have accepted Q.a as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Why, then, should we reject Him? Why should we accept a competitor?We should not simply engage in mental speculation but should acceptQ.a in full consciousness and be happy. This is made possible by thehelp of the guru; therefore Devahliti is further questioning her son,Kapiladeva.TEXT 29yo yogo bhagavad-bar;wnirvar;uitmams tvayoditattkidrsatt kati cariganiyatas tattvavabodhanam

Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender 177TRANSLATIONThe mystic yoga system, as you have explained, aims at theSupreme Personality of Godhead and is meant for completely endingmaterial existence. Please let me know the nature of that yogasystem. How many ways are there by which one can understand intruth that sublime yoga?PURPORTThere are different kinds of mystic yoga systems aiming for differentphases of the Absolute Truth. The jnana-yoga system aims at the impersonalBrahman effulgence, and the hatha-yoga system aims at thelocalized personal aspect, the Paramatma feature of the Absolute Truth,whereas bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, which is executed in ninedifferent ways, headed by hearing and chanting, aims at completerealization of the Supreme Lord. There are different methods of selfrealization.But here Devahiiti especially refers to the bhakti-yogasystem, which has already been primarily explained by the Lord. Thedifferent processes of the bhakti-yoga system are hearing, chanting,remembering, offering prayers, worshiping the Lord in the temple, acceptingservice to Him, carrying out His orders, making friends withHim and ultimately surrendering everything for His service.The word nirvdl)dtman is very significant in this verse. Unless one acceptsthe process of devotional service, one cannot end the continuationof material existence. As far as jiidnis are concerned, they are interestedin jnana-yoga, but even if one elevates oneself, after a great performanceof austerity, to the Brahman effulgence, there is a chance of fallingdown agail) to the material world. Therefore, jnana-yoga does notactually end material existence. Similarly, regarding the hatha-yogasystem, which aims at the localized aspect of the Lord, Paramatma, it hasbeen experienced that many yogis, such as Visvamitra, fall down. Butbhakti-yogis, once approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead,never come back to this material world, as confirmed in the Bhagavadgitd.Yad gatvd na nivartante: upon going, one never comes back.Tyaktvd de ham punar janma naiti: after giving up this body, he nevercomes back again to accept a material body. Nirvar:w does not finish theexistence of the soul. The soul is everexisting. Therefore nirvar:w means

178 Teachings of Lord Kapilato end one's material existence, and to end material existence means to goback home, back to Godhead.Sometimes it is asked how the living entity falls down from the spiritualworld to the material world. Here is the answer. Unless one is elevatedto the Vaikmtha planets and is directly in touch with the SupremePersonality of Godhead, he is prone to fall down, either from the impersonalBrahman realization or from an ecstatic trance of meditation.Another word in this verse, bhagavad-bar;tab,, is very significant. Bar;tab,means "arrow." The bhakti-yoga system is just like an arrow aiming upto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The bhakti-yoga system neverurges one toward the impersonal Brahman effulgence or to the point ofParamlitma realization. This bar;tab,, or arrow, is so sharp and swift that itgoes directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, penetrating theregions of impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma.We must understand the Supreme Person, tattvatab,, in truth.Generally people are not interested in knowing about God or theirrelationship with Him. However, the entire Vedic instruction is for thispurpose. First of all we have to know God, then we have to know ourrelationship with God. The next step is acting on the basis of that relationship.K:r:r,.a states that out of many millions of people, one may be interestedin knowing the purpose of life. Human life is meant for this end,and if one does not come to this understanding, he is no better than ananimal. We not only have to understand God and our relationship withHim but also how to act in that relationship. In this way we can perfectour lives. When one is a siddha, one understands himself-that is, oneunderstands, aham brahmasmi: "I am not this body." This is Brahmanrealization, the brahma-bhata platform. When one attains this stage, hebecomes very happy. However, we must progress beyond this and cometo the platform of bhakti-yoga. On that platform, there is variety andananda, bliss. As stated previously, we are seeking spiritual variety, andif we do not enter the spiritual world, we will again fall down into thematerial atmosphere.The varieties of the spiritual world are mentioned in the Brahmasamhita(5.29-30):cintamar;ti prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vr/cyala/cyavrteusurabhir abhipalayantam

Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender179lami-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanamgovindam adi-puam tam aham bhajamiveum kvantam aravinda-dalayataambarhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangamkandarpa-ko#-kamaniya-viSe$a-sobhamgovindam adi-puam tam aham bhajami"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tendingthe cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems andsurrounded by millions of purpose trees. He is always served with greatreverence and affection by hundreds and thousands of goddesses offortune."I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on Hisflute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals, with head decked withpeacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blueclouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids."We should not consider !?I;ta's form to be imagined by some artist.He is described in the Vedas as veum kvantam aravinda-dalayatak­$am. He plays a flute, and His eyes are like the petals of a lotus flower. Hewears a peacock feather, and His complexion is very beautiful, like adark cloud. He is so beautiful that He attracts many hundreds of thousandsof Cupids (kandarpa-ko#-kamaniya-viSe$a-sobham). These aredescriptions of Govinda found in the sastras.In the material world we are simply chewing the chewed, throwing itaway, picking it up and then chewing it again. Spiritual variety is not likethis. Spiritual variety is anandambudhi-vardhanam: it is constantly increasing.It is even greater than the ocean, because the ocean does not increase.The shores of the ocean are set; they have certain limits.However, the ocean of bliss is constantly increasing. The more we enterinto that spiritual bliss, the more we become joyful.The young people in the Hare !?I;ta movement chant the Hare !?I}.amantra all the time. If this mantra were material, how long would theychant it? It is not possible to chant a material name for very long becausethe chanting would become hackneyed and very tiresome. No one couldbe satisfied simply by chanting Hare !?I}.a unless Hare !?I}.a itself werespiritual. We may chant, "Mr. John, Mr. John, Mr. John," but after an

180 Teachings of Lord Kapilahour we will be fed up. However, the more we become spiritually advanced,the more bliss we will derive from chanting Hare 'KrJ.la.We can experience iinanda perfectly in the association of 'KrJ.la. Wecan associate with 'KrJ.la as a servant, a friend, a father, a mother or aconjugal lover. There are five basic rasas-siinta, dasya, sakhya, viitsalyaand miidhurya. In this material world, we experience the samerasas, or relationships. We are related to someone as a father, a son, alover, a beloved, a master, a servant or whatever. These are pervertedreflections of the relationship with 'KrJ.la found in the spiritual world.Today in the material world I may be relishing my love for my son, buttomorrow my son may be my greatest enemy. There is no eternity in thiskind of love. Or, if my son does not become my enemy, he may die.Today I may love some man or woman, but tomorrow we may break up.All of this is due to the defects of the material world. However, in thespiritual world these relationships never break up. They simply increaseand increase, and this is called perfection.'KrJ.la is very fond of tending surabhi cows, but the Mayavadis cannotunderstand this. They say, "What is this 'KrJ.la?" Even Lord Brahmawas bewildered. He said, "How is it that this 'KrJ.la, this boy ofV:rndavana, is being worshiped? He is called the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. How is that?" Lord lndra was also bewildered. Therefore if wedo not wish to be bewildered we have to understand 'KrJ.la in truth from'KrJ.la Himself or His bona fide representative.The activities of 'KrJ.la are not ordinary but divine. If we can understandthis, we immediately become liberated. We need only understandthe pastimes of 'KrJ.la with the gopis. These pastimes are not ordinary. Inthe material world, a young man wants to dance with many young girls,but 'KrJ.la's dancing with the gopis is different. Because people cannotunderstand 'KrJ.la, when they hear about K:rJ.la's dancing with the gopis,they take this as some kind of concession, and say, "Now let us dancewith young girls." In this way they go to hell. Therefore we have to learnfrom the proper person about 'KrJ.la's activities. We should not immediatelytry to understand K:rJ.la's dealings with the gopis, for they arevery confidential. These dealings are given in the Tenth Canto ofSrimad-Bhagavatam, and this indicates that we have to understand'KrJ.la as He is by first reading the preceding nine cantos. When we have

Perfect Knowled g e Throu g h Surrender 181understood these nine cantos, we can go on to the tenth. In this way wecan understand that K{1,1a's activities are not ordinary but divine, andwe can immediately become liberated.We may either hear about K.rJ.la, chant His names, worship Him oroffer prayers. In any case, we should work under the directions of ourspiritual master or Sri K.rJ.la Himself. For instance, Hanuman simplycarried out Lord Ramacandra's orders. Hanuman apparently had noeducation, and he was not capable of teaching Vedanta, but he simplycarried out the orders of Lord Ramacandra and attained perfection.Arjuna, on the other hand, took K.rJ.la as his most intimate friend. Arjunawas not a Vedantist but a fighter, a warrior. He had no time to studyVedanta because he had to deal with war and politics, but still he was thegreatest devotee. People may say, "Oh, Arjuna was not a Vedantist, noreven a brahmar:w or a sannyasi. How could K.rJ.la accept him as a devotee?"Nonetheless, in Bhagavad-gita (4.3), K.rJ.la says that Arjuna isHisvery dear friend and devotee: bhakto 'si me sakha ceti. If one becomes adevotee, there is no material impediment.Actually bhakti should be automatic and spontaneous. There should beno motive in serving K:rJ.la, but even if there is a motive, service renderedunto K.rJ.la is good. Even if one approaches K.rJ.la with someulterior motive, one is considered pious. For instance, Dhruva Maharajainitially worshiped K.rJ.la with a motive, but after attaining perfection indevotional service, his ulterior motive vanished. When he actually sawK.rJ.la, he said, "I do not want anything from You. I don't want anybenediction other than Your service." After hearing about the manytranscendental qualities of K{1,1a, if we somehow or other become attractedto K.rJ.la consciousness, our lives will be successful. Tasmatkenapy upayena manatt krr:te nivesayet: "Somehow or other we have toattach our minds to K.rJ.la consciousness." (Bhag. 7.1.32) Then K{1,1awill help us and give us intelligence from within, as He indicates inBhagavad-gita ( 10.10):team satata-yuktanambhajatam priti-parvakamdadami buddhi-yogam tamyena mam upayanti te

182 Teachings of Lord Kapila"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I givethe understanding by which they can come to Me." This is actual buddhiyoga.Bhakti-yoga means buddhi-yoga, because one who is highly intelligentdecides to take to Kr1,1a consciousness. In this way, one can perfecthis life by engaging in devotional service under the directions of thesastras and the spiritual master. Devahuti understands this and is thussubmitting to her son just as Arjuna submitted to Sri Kr1,1a on thebattlefield.TEXT 30tad etan me vijanihiyathaham manda-dhir haresukham buddhyeya durbodhamyo$d bhavad-anugrahatTRANSLATIONMy dear son, Kapila, after all, I am a woman. It is very difficultfor me to understand the Absolute Truth because my intelligenceis not very great. But if You will kindly explain it to me, eventhough I am not very intelligent, I can understand it and therebyfeel transcendental happiness.':iPURPORTKnowledge of the Absolute Truth is not very easily understood byordinary, less intelligent men; but if the spiritual master is kind enoughto the disciple, however unintelligent he may be, then by the divinegrace of the spiritual master everything is revealed. VisvanathaCakravarti Thakura therefore says, yasya prasadad, by the mercy of thespiritual master, the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,bhagavat-prasada/:t, is revealed. Devahuti requested her great son to bemerciful toward her because she was a less intelligent woman and alsoHis mother. By the grace of Kapiladeva it was quite possible for her tounderstand the Absolute Truth, even though the subject matter is verydifficult for ordinary persons, especially women.In this verse Devahu.ti shows us the process for understanding tran-

Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender 183scendental subject matters. It is not by challenge but by submission. Theentire bhakti process is a process of submission. That is also CaitanyaMahaprabhu's teaching:trr:liid api sunicenataror iva sahTJ.undamanina manadenakirtaniya/:t sada hari/:t(Sitaka 3)If one is interested in advancing in chanting Hare l(r:Q.a, Caitanya Mahaprabhuadvises that one be humbler than the grass and more tolerantthan the trees. One should not be very proud of his intelligence butshould give all respect to others. In this way, one can chant Hare K:r:Q.aoffenselessly. Although Devahuti was the mother of Kapiladeva, she presentedherself as a humble woman. It was not that she considered herselfsuperior because she was His mother.We have to please the spirtiual master by service, and the entirebhakti process depends on the attitude of service. The transcendentalnature of l(r:Q.a is not possible to understand with our blunt materialsenses. l(r:Q.a's name, form, qualities and pastimes are all divya, divine.Our present material senses have to be purified by engagement in theLord's service, and our first engagement begins with the tongue. It iswith the tongue that we can chant the transcendental names of the Lord.This is not very difficult, and this path is open to everyone-evenwomen, vaiSyas and sadras. After describing all the faults of Kali-yuga,Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.51) states: .kaler do§a-nidhe rajannasti hy eko mahan guTJ.a/:tkirtaniid eva kr§TJ.asyamukta-sanga/:t param vrajet"There is one special advantage about this age of Kali-yuga, and that isthat people can attain liberation and return home, back to Godhead,simply by chanting the Hare l(r:Q.a maha-mantra." Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhusaid:

184 Teachings of Lord Kapilaharer nama harer namaharer ndmaiva kevalamkalau nasty eva nasty evanasty eva gatir anyatha"Chant Hare KtQa, chant Hare KtlJ.a. There is no other way, no otherway at all in Kali-yuga."We should try to avoid the ten offenses in chanting the holy name, butanyone who chants Hare KtQa sincerely is p urified. Ceto-darpaJamarjanambhava-maha-davagni-nirvapaJam (Sitaka 1). This is theeasiest process by which the mirror of the mind can be cleansed. If Ktl).asees that someone is sincerely chanting Hare _KrQa, He will help. He iswithin everyone, and He can understand whether one is sincere or not.Ktl).a helps a sincere devotee internally and externally. Internally Hehelps as Paramiitmii by giving intelligence from within. Dadami buddhiyogamtam. Externally He helps as His representative, the spiritualmaster. Therefore Caitanya Mahiiprabhu says: guru-kr§Ja-prasade payabhakti-lata-bija. "By the grace of _Krl).a, one gets a bona fide guru, andby the grace of the guru, one gets K:rlJ.a." (Cc. Madhya 19.151) Thusthe sdstras have given us a very easy way to appreciate our transcendentallife. That is the Ktl).a consciousness movement.Devahfiti has submissively accepted her son as her guru. She wants tounderstand Ktl).a perfectly, by the grace of Kapiladeva. It is very importantto receive the causeless mercy of Ktl).a and the spiritual master.By Ktl).a's mercy, we receive a spiritual master, and by the spiritualmaster's mercy, we receive K:rlJ.a.Srila Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura has greatly stressed the mercy ofthe guru, and it is an actual fact that if we satisfy the guru by our service,he will give us his blessings. This is a very great opportunity, for theguru is the confidential servant of Ktl).a. The guru never claims that heis KtQa, although he is worshiped as Ktl).a: saad dharitvena samastasdstrairuktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhi/:t ( Gurv-a§taka 7).All the sdstras describe the guru as being on an equal basis with K:rQa,for he is the representative of _Krl).a. Therefore he is worshiped as '_Krl).a. Being the most confidential servant of KtQa, the guru is verydear to KtQa; therefore if he recommends someone to KtQa, _KrQa acceptsthe person. The guru is the confidential servant of Ktl).a because

Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender 185he canvasses from door to door, saying, "Please become 1,1a consciousand surrender unto 1,1a." KtI,la tells Arjuna that such a person is verydear to Him. The bona fide guru tells people to surrender not unto himbut unto KtI,la. Thus one has to surrender unto 1,1a through the viamedia of the guru, not directly. This is the process. The guru does not acceptrespect from his disciple for his personal self but conveys thisrespect to 1,1a. If we cannot receive the mercy of the guru, 1,1a isvery difficult to approach directly.It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that knowledge of 1,1a is receivedthrough the parampara, the disciplic succession. Evam paramparapraptam.The guru offers the same respects to his guru, and his guruoffers respects to his, and so it goes all the way to 1,1a. Thus the mercyof 1,1a comes down through the parampara system, and the respectoffered to 1,1a is offered up through the parampara system. One has tolearn to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this way. Thusif we want to approach God, we have to take shelter of the guru in thebeginning. Devahuti is begging the mercy of Kapiladeva in order tounderstand the way to approach 1,1a. She approaches Him very humblysaying, "My dear Kapila, You are the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, but I am a woman, and my intelligence is not very sharp.Nonetheless, I want to understand these sublime transcendental subjectsfrom You. It is possible by Your mercy."The process of approaching and understanding the Supreme Personalityof Godhead was also discussed between Ramiinanda Raya andCaitanya Mahiiprabhu. First, Riimiinanda Raya explained the process interms of varl)li.Srama-dharma. He said first of all that human life ismeant for approaching Lord Vi1,1u through the rules and regulationsgoverning varl)li.Srama-dharma. Caitanya Mahiiprabhu replied that it isvery difficult in this age to execute the rules and regulations ofvarl)li.Srama-dharma. It is very difficult to be a brahma"{UL in this age,and it is practically impossible to revive the old varl)li.Srama-dharmaculture. Caitanya Mahiiprabhu therefore said that this method is not verypractical. Caitanya Mahiiprabhu has been called by Srila Rupa Gosviimi"the most munificent avatara" because He distributes love of 1,1a freeof charge. First of all, we cannot even understand 1,1a; therefore thereis no question of loving Him. If we do not understand someone, how canwe love him? The love is very far away, but Caitanya Mahiiprabhu is so

186 Teachings of Lord Kapilakind that He distributes kr$1Ja-prmii, love of :Q.a, to whomever willtake it. In His life, Caitanya Mahaprabhu cried for J;la and showedhow one should be mad after Him.yugayitam nime$e1Jacak$U$d pravr$ayitamsilnyayitam jagat sarvamgovinda-virahe"{ta me"0 Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to belike twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrentsof rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence."(Sik$d$taka 7)Without :Q.a, one should see everything as vacant. This isRadhara:Q.i's frame of mind, but this is not possible for an rdinary livingbeing. It was possible for Caitanya Mahaprabhu and a few devotees, Hisimmediate disciples like the six Gosvamis, who were following in Hisfootsteps. They worshiped Qa in separation and sought K:rQaeverywhere.he radhe vraja-devike_ ca Zalite he nanda-silno kutasri-govardhana-kalpa-padapa-tale kalindi-vanye kutagho$antav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair maha-vihvalauvande rilpa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau"I offer my respectful obeisances to the six Gosvamis, namely S ri RiipaGosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Bhana Gosvami, SriRaghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sri ]iva Gosvami and Sri Gopala BhanaGosvami, who were chanting very loudly everywhere in V:rndavana,shouting, 'Queen of V:rndavana, RadharaQi! 0 Lalita! 0 son of NandaMaharaja! Where are you all now? Are you just on the hill ofGovardhana, or are you under the trees on the bank of the Yamuna?Where are you?' These were their moods in executing Qa consciousness."($cu)-gosvamy-taka 8)The Gosvamis never said, "We have seen Qa." This is the recommendedprocess-worship in separation. We should awaken our lost

Perfect Knowledge Through Surrender 187Kr1,1a consciousness in this way and become mad after Kr1,1a in ourseparation from Him. This is called kr$T;ta-prema, and this love was distributedby Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We should not try to understandKr1,1a by our small knowledge. Since we are imperfect, how can wespeculate on Kr1,1a? There are many people like jfidnis and theosophistswho try to understand the Absolute Truth by speculation, but this is notpossible.athapi te deva padambuja-dvayaprasada-lesanugrhitaeva hijanati tattvarh bhagavan-mahimnona canya eko 'pi cirarh vicinvan"My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Yourlotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But thosewho speculate in order to understand the Supreme Personality of Godheadare unable to know You, even though they continue to study theVedas for many years." (Bhag. 10.14.29) Even if one speculates formany years, he cannot understand Kr1,1a. One has to receive the mercyof Kr1,1a through the spiritual master, and this is the path recommendedby Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sthane-sthital;t sruti-gatal;t tanu-vanmanobhil;t(Bhag. 10.14.3). Another name for Kr1,1a is Ajita. No one canconquer Kr1,1a, but l

CHAPTER FOURTEENBhakti as Ultimate LiberationTEXT 31maitreya uvacaviditvartham kapilo matur itthamjata-sneho yatra tanvabhijata/:ttattvamnayarh yat pravadanti sankhyarhprovaca vai bhakti-vitana-yogamTRANSLATIONSri Maitreya said: After hearing His mother's statement, Kapilacould understand her purpose, and He became compassionatetoward her because of having been born from her body. He thendescribed the Sarikhya system of philosophy, which is a combinationof devotional service and mystic realization, as received bydisciplic succession.PURPORTThe philosophy propounded by the atheist Kapila is an analysis of the ·material elements and is very much appreciated by Western philosophers.The sankhya-yoga explained by Lord Kapiladeva, the son ofDevahuti, is practically unknown in the West. The sankhya-yoga propoundedherein is actually bhakti. It is stated here that the proper way toreceive this knowledge is by disciplic succession, not by philosophicalspeculation. Speculation is an improper way to understand the AbsoluteTruth. Generally Western philosophers try to understand the AbsoluteTruth by the ascending process of mental speculation. This is the processof inductive logic. The other process is the descending process, and this isthe parampara process. By this method, knowledge descends from ahigher source.189

190 Teachings of Lord KapilaIn Bhagavad-gitii, many yoga systems are explained, but the bhaktiyogasystem is considered highest of all. Ultimately, all yogas end inbhakti-yoga. The ultimate conclusion of jiiiina-yoga and hatha-yoga isbhakti-yoga. In the' Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gitii, the ha!ha-yogasystem of meditation is explained, and Arjuna, who was highly elevated,said that he could not concentrate his mind in this way. If the ha!ha-yogasystem was so difficult five thousand years ago for a person so elevatedthat he was .Kr1.1a's friend, how is it possible today? Arjuna frankly saidthat this system of yoga was impossible to execute because the mind is asdifficult to control as the wind.The ha!ha-yoga system is basically meant for those who are overly attachedto the body; otherwise, the preferred yoga is siinkhya-yoga orbhakti-yoga. When Arjuna told Sri .KrJ.la that the ha!ha-yoga systemwas too difficult to execute, the Lord pacified him by saying that the firstclassyogi is one "who is always thinking of Me." (Bg. 6.47) Arjuna didnot know anything but .KrJ.la, and Arjuna requested that .KrJ.la be presenton his side in the battle. When Duryodhana approached .KrJ.la withArjuna and requested Him to take sides, KrJ.la said, "I have eighteenmilitary divisions. These divisions will take one side, and I personallywill take another. However, I will not fight in this battle." At first Arjunathought it wise to take the eighteen divisions with their many thousandsof elephants and horses, but then he considered that if he simply had.KrJ.la on his side, that would be sufficient. He would not need ordinarysoldiers. Duryodhana, on the other hand, decided to take .Kr1.1a'ssoldiers. Thus in order to pacify Arjuna, .KrJ.la told him not to worry, althoughhe could not execute the O-$!iiriga-yoga system."The first-class yogi is he who always thinks of Me." One should alwaysremember that .KrJ.la is within his heart and think of Him. This isthe proper system of meditation. If we always chant the Hare K:rJ.lamahii-mantra, we will always remember .KrJ.la, and immediately theform of .KrJ.la will be awakened within our hearts. The process of alwaysthinking of .KrJ.la is the process of .KrJ.la consciousness. The first-classyogi is he who is always conscious of .KrJ.la. One can be conscious of.KrJ.la by hearing about Him submissively.We have to accept .KrJ.la through the disciplic succession. There arefour sampradiiyas, disciplic successions. One comes from Lord Brahmii(the Brahma-sampradiiya), and another comes from Lakmi, the goddess

Bhak.ti as Ultimate Liberation 191of fortune, (the Sri-sampradaya). There are also the KUIIlfu'a-sampradayaand the Rudra-sampradaya. At the present moment, the Brahmasampradayais represented by the Madhva-sampradaya, and we belong tothe Madhva-gau

192 Teachings of Lord Kapilaprahliido janako bhmobalir vaiyasakir vayamAno_ther name for Lord Brahma is Svayambhu because he was born froma lotus flower emanating from the navel of Lord ViQu. Since he was notborn of a father and mother, he is therefore called Svayambhu. NaradaMuni is also a mahajana, and Sambhu is Lord Siva. Kumara refers to thefour Kumaras-Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanat-kumara. Thereare twelve authorities following the Siinkhya philosophy, or bhakti-yoga,and these include Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Kapiladeva, Manu,Bhimadeva, Janaka Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami and PrahladaMaharaja. If we simply accept one of these mahajanas, we will be successfulin understanding the Absolute Truth, but if we try to understandthe Absolute Truth by logic and argument, we will ultimately be frustrated.One philosopher may be a better logician than another, and onephilosophical argument may counteract another, but this process goes onand on. It is simply a useless waste of time. Even if we approach Vedicscriptures, there are difficultie. There are so many scriptures- YajurVeda, g Veda, Sarna Veda, Atharva Veda, the Upanads, the Puriir:tas,Brahma-siltra, Ramayar:ta, Mahabharata and so forth. Different peopleread them and arrive at different conclusions. There are also the Bibleand the Koran. According to so many different men, there are so manyinterpretations. One philosopher defeats another philosopher on the basisof scripture. It is even stated that one cannot become a r$i, a philosopher,unless one propounds a different system of philosophy. Nasav f$ir yasyamatam na bhinnam. Thus the truth of spiritual life is very complicatedand difficult to understand. The conclusion is that one should follow oneof these twelve mahajanas in order to be successful. KrQa is the originalmahajana, and He instructed Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma is also amahajana. Actually, KrQa instructed everyone in Bhagavad-gita, andthus everyone has learned from KrQa.In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.1) it is also stated: tene brahma hrdaya iidi-kavaye. Thus KrQa gives His personal instructions just asKapiladeva gave His personal instructions. There is no contradiction betweenK{Qa's philosophy in Bhagavad-gita and Kapiladeva's philosophy.We need only receive the transcendental knowledge through themahajanas, and the results will be beneficial. Kapiladeva explained this

Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation 193Sailkhya philosophy to His mother, and although He had a natural affectionfor His mother, we should not think that Devahiiti was an ordinarywoman. She was very submissive, and when Kapiladeva saw this, He becamevery compassionate. He saw that she was eager to know about theAbsolute Truth, and He considered that, after all, He had received Hisbody from her. Therefore He concluded that He should try to give herthe ultimate conclusion of philosophical knowledge, which is thisSailkhya philosophy.TEXT 32sri-bhagaviin uviicadeviiniim gu-li1igiiniimiinu5ravika-karmary,iimsattva evaika-manasovrttib. sviibhiiviki tu yiianimittii bhagavatibhaktib siddher gariyasiTRANSLATIONLord Kapila said: The senses are symbolic representations of thedemigods, and their natural inclination is to work under the directionof the Vedic injunctions. As the senses are representatives ofthe demigods, so the mind is the representative of the SupremePersonality of Godhead. The mind's natural duty is to serve. Whenthat spirit of service is engaged in devotion to the Personality ofGodhead, without any motive, that is far better than salvation.PURPORTThe senses of the living entity are always engaged in some occupation,either in activities prescribed in the Vedic injunctions or in material activities.The natural inclination of the senses is to work for something,and the mind is the center of the senses. The mind is actually the leaderof the senses; therefore it is called sattva. Similarly, the leader of all thedemigods who are engaged in the activities of this material world-inmanaging the sun, moon, etc.-is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

194 Teachings of Lord KapilaIt is stated in the Vedic literature that the demigods are different limbsof the universal body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Our sensesare also controlled by different demigods; our senses are representationsof various demigods, and the mind is the representation of the SupremePersonality of Godhead. The senses, led by the mind, act under the influenceof the demigods. When the service is ultimately aimed at theSupreme Personality of Godhead, the senses are in their natural position.The Lord is called H:r?ikesa, for He is actually the proprietor and ultimatemaster of the senses. The senses and the mind are naturally inclinedto work, but when they are materially contaminated, they workfor some material benefit or for the service of the demigods, although actuallythey are meant to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thesenses are called hrika, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead iscalled H:r?ikesa. Indirectly, all the senses are naturally inclined to servethe Supreme Lord. That is called bhakti.Kapiladeva said that in devotional service the senses, without desirefor material profit or other selfish motives, are engaged in the service ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead. That spirit of service is far betterthan siddhi, salvation. Bhakti, the inclination to serve the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, is in a transcendental position far superior to mukti,or liberation. Thus bhakti is the stage after liberation. Unless one isliberated, one cannot engage the senses in the service of the Lord. Whenthe senses are engaged either in material activities of sense gratificationor in the activities of the Vedic injunctions, there is some motive, butwhen the same senses are engaged in the service of the Lord withoutulterior motive, that is called animitta and is the natural inclination ofthe mind. The conclusion is that when the mind, undeviated either byVedic injunctions or by material activities, is fully engaged in K:r!?:Q.a consciousness,or devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,one is situated far above mere liberation from material entanglement.Bhakti, devotional service, is transcendental even to mukti, liberation.Generally people are concerned with dharma, artha, kama and moa.In the beginning, there is dharma (religion), then artha (economicdevelopment), kama (sense gratification), then moa (merging into theSupreme One). However, bhakti is above all these. Mukti is not very importantfor a bhakta. In the words of Bilvamailgala 'fhakura: mukti/:t

Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation 195svayam mukulitafijali sevate 'smat. "Mukti herself is standing withfolded hands, waiting to serve the devotee." (Kmta-kan;tamrta 107)This is the experience of Bilvamailgala 'fhakura, who was a very richSouth Indian brahmar;ta. Due to bad association, Bilvamailgala 'fhakurabecame a very staunch prostitute hunter, and. he spent all his money on aprostitute named Cintamal).i. One night, during a terrible rainstorm,Bilvamailgala went to see Cintamal).i, but the prostitute was thinking,"Surely tonight Bilvamailgala will not come. This is a terrible storm."Nonetheless, Bilvamailgala came, despite all difficulties. Somehow hemanaged to cross the raging river, and when he saw the gates ofCintamal).i's house closed, he somehow managed to jump over them.Despite all the dangers, he reached Cintamal).i's house, and theprostitute, being very astonished, said, "How is it you have cometonight? Oh, you are so attracted to this skin! If you just had this muchattraction for K{I).a, it would certainly be to your benefit." Bilvamailgalathen immediately left the prostitute's house and went to V:rndavana. Thefact was that in his previous life he had executed devotional service up tobhava-bhakti. Thus the prostitute Cintamal).i actually became his guru.While in V:rnd vana, Bilvamailgala 'fhakura wrote a book named r;takarr,ulmrta,whtch has been recommended by Sri Cattanya . Mahapr.In that book, Bilvamailgala 'fhakura writes: "If we have devotion fixedon You, My Lord Bhagavan, then we can easily see Your divine form askaiSora-milrti, a young boy."Another name for K{I).a is Kaisora. The word kaiSora refers to the agebefore marriage-that is, it refers to a boy between the ages of elevenand sixteen. Sri K{I).a is always kaiSora-milrti. By devotional service, onecan see the kaiSora-milrti of K{I).a very easily.When Bilvamailgala 'fhakura was going to V:rndavana, he was still attractedto ·women. One night he stayed at the house of a very richmerchant, and the merchant's wife told her husband that Bilvamailgala'fhakura was attracted to her. She asked her husband what to do, and themerchant simply said, "Serve him." Finally Bilvamailgala 'fhakura cameto his senses, and he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." When thebeautiful woman approached him, Bilvamailgala 'fhakura said, "Mother,please give me the pins out of your hair. I am very mad after the beautyof women. So let me pluck out my eyes." In this way, he blinded himself.

196 Teachings of Lord KapilaAlthough he could not see, in V:rndavana he was supplied milk by K:r1,1aHimself. Thus he personally realized K:r1,1a through bhakti and wrote ofhis personal experience. He wrote, "Mukti is not a very important thing.She is always at my service with folded hands, saying, 'My dear sir, whatcan I do for you?' " Thus a devotee is not very anxious for mukti becausehe is already liberated. If a man has a million dollars, why should hehanker after ten rupees?Bhakti should be animitta, without motive. Actually K:r1,1a can fulfillall of our wishes without difficulty because He is almighty and full of allopulences. If we want material happiness from K:r1,1a, it is certainly notdifficult for Him to grant it. He can also give us mukti, liberation, but itis foolishness to ask anything from K:r1,1a except bhakti. Srila BhaktisiddhantaSarasvati Thakura used to say that asking God for mukti oranything else other than bhakti is like going to a rich man and asking forashes. There is another story, about an old woman who was carrying abundle of dry wood through the forest. Somehow or other the bundle,which was very heavy, fell to the ground. The old woman became verydisturbed, and thought, "Who will help put this bundle back on myhead?" She then began to call on God, saying, "God help me." SuddenlyGod appeared and said, "What do you want?" She said, "Please help meput this bundle back on my head." So this is our foolishness. When Godcomes to give us some benediction, we simply ask Him to load us downagain with all these material bundles. We ask Him for more materialthings, for a happy family, for a large amount of money, for a new car orwhatever.Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us that we should only beg God for Hisservice life after life. This is the actual meaning of the Hare K:r1,1amahd-mantra. When we are chanting Hare l(:r1,1a, Hare K:r1,1a, K:r1,1aK:r1,1a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare, weare actually addressing God and His energy, Hara. Hara is K:r1,1a's internalpotency, Srimati Radhara1,1i or Lakmi. ]aya radhe! This is daiviprakrti, and the devotees take shelter of the daivi prakrti, SrimatiRadharii.1,1i. Thus the Vai1,1avas worship Radha-l(:rl,la, Lakmi-Naraya1,1aand Sita-Rama. In the beginning of the Hare K:r1,1a mahd-mantra wefirst address the internal energy of l(:r1,1a, Hare. Thus we say, "0Radharii.1,1i! 0 Hare! 0 energy of the Lord!" When we address someone inthis way, he usually says, "Yes, what do you want?" The answer is,

Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation 197"Please engage me in Your service." This should be our prayer. Weshould not say, "0 energy of the Lord, 0 f?l).a, please give me money.Please give me a beautiful wife. Please give me many followers. Pleasegive me some prestigious position. Please give me the presidency." Theseare all material hankerings, which should be avoided. Lord Buddha advocatedthat we give up all material desires. It is not possible to becomedesireless, but it is possible to give up material desires. It is the nature ofthe living entity to desire; it is not possible to be desireless. If one isdesireless, he is dead. Desirelessness means purifying one's desire, anddesire is purified when we only desire the service of ![il).a.Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches:na dhanam na janam na sundarimkavitam vii jagad-iSa kiimayemama janmani janmaniSvarebhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi"0 almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desirebeautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only wantYour causeless devotional service birth after birth." (Sik$(4taka 4) Herequests Lord ![il).a's service birth after birth. It is not that He is seekingsalvation; rather, He simply wants to serve ![il).a one life afteranother. The devotees are not anxious to merge into the existence of theSupreme. The Buddhist philosophy advocates nirva, the negation of allmaterial desires. Buddha does not offer more than this. Sankaracaryagives a little more, saying that we should become desireless in this materialworld and then enter into the Brahman effulgence. This is calledbrahma-nirva. According to the Vai![il).ava philosophy, however, weshould negate material desires and be situated on the Brahman platform,but in addition we should engage in the devotional serY\ce of the Lord.This is called bhakti. Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand this, but![il).a says that this devotional service is on the transcendental platform.The Sankhya philosophy of the atheist Kapila, which is a material philosophy,is simply the study of the twenty-four elements. However, thereal Sankhya philosophy, propounded by Kapiladeva, is transcendental tothe twenty-four elements and material activity. Thus in this Sankhyaphilosophy, which is actually bhakti-yoga, there is no desire for material

198 Teachings of Lord Kapilabenefits. On the material platform, a person works for his own personalsense gratification or for some expanded sense gratification. One maywork for himself, family, wife, children, society, community, nation orhumanity at large. This is simply expanded sense gratification. Whetherone steals for himself, family, community or whatever, the fact remainsthat he is a thief. It is said that when Alexander the Great arrested a commonthief, the thief told Alexander, "What is the difference between us?I am a small plunderer, and you are a great plunderer." Being very sensible,Alexander released him, saying, "Yes, there is no difference."Regardless whether the sense gratification is for oneself, one's family,one's nation or whatever, it is, after all, sense gratification. The qualitychanges only when we work for the sense gratification of KtQa.It is noteworthy that Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam neverstates that krr:w uviica ("KtI.la says") or kapiladeva uviica ("Kapiladevasays"). Rather, it states bhagaviin uvaca ("the Supreme Personalityof Godhead says"). This means that the version is perfect. Ifwe receive knowledge from an ordinary man, there will be many defects.An ordinary person is subject to illusion, and he also has the tendency tocheat. Although an ordinary person may be a very advanced scholar, hedoes not possess perfect knowledge. Perfection is something totally differentfrom what we find in the material world. Perfection means thatthere is no mistake, no illusion, no cheating, no imperfection. Thereforeit is stated bhagaviin uviica, for Bhagavan is all-perfect. We shouldtherefore take knowledge from Bhagavan or from one who speaks accordingto the version of Bhagavan.The Kt1.1a consciousness movement is based on this principle. We arenot presenting anything that we ourselves could manufacture. Whateverwe manufacture is sure to be defective or deficient. What is the value ofmy philosophy? What is the value of my thought? Generally, people say,"In my opinion," thinking that "my opinion" really means something.People do not think, "I am simply a rascal." People value their opinion,thinking it something very big. Everyone in this material world has imperfectsenses; therefore whatever knowledge has been gatheredthrough the senses is necessarily imperfect. As we have stressed over andover, we have to receive knowledge from the disciplic succession. Knowledgehas to be received from Bhagavan, the perfect one. If we simplyfollow this system, we can become a guru for the whole world.

Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation 199The devotee never thinks that he is a great bhakta. :Q.adasaKaviraja Gosvami, the author of Caitanya-caritamrta, has stated,pu1"4era kita haite muiii se laghtha: "I am lower than the worms instool." (Adi 5.205) This is the Vai:Q.ava conception. A Vai:Q.ava is bynature very humble. He never says, "I am the Supreme; I have becomeGod." :Q.a says, "I am God. Worship Me." The Vai:Q.ava says, ":Q.ais God. Worship :Q.a." It is not difficult to become a guru, providedthat we repeat what :Q.a says. Whatever :Q.a states in Bhagavad-gitdis dharma. Dharma is one. It cannot be different. Dharma means abidingby the orders of God. However, if we do not know God or His orders, wecan only set about manufacturing some rubbish and fighting among ourselves.This is not dharma but philosophical speculation. All of thisspeculation and manufactured dharma has been kicked out of Srimad­Bhagavatam because it is all cheating. Bhagavata-dharma is not cheating,for it is related to the Supreme Lord. Bhakti can be applied only toBhagavan, and if there is no Bhagavan, there is no bhakti. If Bhagavan iszero, where is bhakti? Bhakti is the transaction between Bhagavan andthe bhakta. Bhagavan is there, and the bhaktas are there, and the bhaktasaddress Bhag.avan, feed Bhagavan, chant Bhagavan's names, invokepeople to hear about Bhagavan, publish books about Bhagavan and worshipBhagavan, and in this way they are constantly absorbed inBhagavan. This is the process of bhakti.TEXT 33jarayaty asu ya kosarhnigin;tam analo yathaTRANSLATIONBhakti, devotional service, dissolves the subtle body of the livingentity without separate effort, just as fire in the stomachdigests all that we eat.PURPORTBhakti is in a far higher position than mukti because a person's endeavorfor liberation from the material encagement is automatically

200 Teachings of Lord Kapilarealized in devotional service. If the digestive power is sufficient, thenwhatever we eat will be digested by the fire in the stomach. Similarly, adevotee doesn't have to try separately to attain liberation. That very serviceto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the process of liberationbecause to engage in the service of the Lord is to liberate oneself frommaterial entanglement.For a devotee, liberation is no problem at all. Liberation takes placewithout separate endeavor. Bhakti, therefore, is far better than mukti orthe impersonalist position. The impersonalists undergo severe penancesand austerities to attain mukti, but the bhakta, simply by engaging in thebhakti process, especially in chanting Hare l(rl,la, Hare l(rl,la, l(r1,1al(rl,la, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, immediatelydevelops control over the tongue by chanting, and accepting theremnants of foodstuff offered to the Personality of Godhead. As soon asthe tongue is controlled, all other senses are controlled automatically.Sense control is the perfection of the yoga principle, and one's liberationbegins immediately as soon as he engages in the service of the Lord. It isconfirmed by Kapiladeva that bhakti, or devotional service, is gariyasi,more glorious than siddhi, liberation.It is stated in this verse that bhakti dissolves the subtle body. Thespirit soul has two coverings-subtle and gross. The gross body is composedof earth, water, fire, air and ether. The subtle body is composed ofmind, intelligence and ego. Of the eight material elements, five are grossand three are subtle. We cannot see the subtle, and the soul is even moresubtle. Anyone with eyes can see the body, but not everyone can perceivethe soul, the actual person. When we understand that the soul, or theperson, has left the body, we cry, "Oh, my friend has left." We can perceivethat the body is there, but something is obviously missing. Thusone's friend is actually different from the body. At the present momentwhen we say, "This is my friend," we refer to the body, but that issimply the vision of an animal. Animals think, "This is my dog friend,and this is my mother dog." They cannot see beyond the gross body.Similarly, we cannot see the soul, and if we cannot see the minute soul,how can we hope to see God with these blunt eyes? We cannot actuallysee one another. How, then, can we hope to see God? It is stated: ata/:l srikm;w-namadina bhaved grahyam indriyail;. "Material senses cannotappreciate l(r1,1a's holy name, form, qualities and pastimes."

Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation 201Our present senses are incapable of seeing God. Generally, at death wecan understand that something has gone. We understand that what wewere seeing was not actually our friend but a lump of matter. This isknowledge. However, one who understands before death that the body issimply a lump of matter is called a wise man. He sees the soul throughthe eyes of knowledge. Those who are on the gross platform, who are likeanimals, can see neither the soul nor Bhagavan. The karmis, the grossfruitive workers, do not understand the distinction between the body andthe soul. Out of many millions of karmis, there may be one jfliini, onewise man who can understand. The jfliini knows that he is not the body,and out of many millions of jfliinis, one may be actually liberated. TheMayavadis think that because they are spirit soul, they are one with theSupreme. Being equal in quality does not mean that one is the SupremeSoul. Because the Mayavadis think that they have become one withNaraya1,1a, they address one another as Naraya1,1a. They say, "You areNaraya1,1a, I am Naraya1,1a, everyone is Naraya1,1a." From this misconception,the idea of daridra-naraya"(UL (poor Naraya1,1a) arises. The devoteesfully engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord do notthink in this way. They think, "If I am one with the Supreme, how is it Ihave fallen into this condition?" They know that a drop of seawater isone in quality with the vast ocean, but they also know that a drop ofwater is never equal to the ocean itself.Sometimes the Mayavadis worship Lord Vi1,1u, but they do not actuallybelieve in the form of Lord Vi1,1u. They consider His image to besome imaginary form to utilize as a means for self-realization. Mayavadissay that the Absolute Truth has no rapa, no form, but it is stated:iSvarab, paramab, kmwb. sac-cid-iinanda-vigrahab,. "1,1a, who isknown as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal, blissful,spiritual body."The word vigraha refers to the supreme form, but the Mayavadis donot understad this. There are also many so-called Vai1,1avas who worshipLord Vi1,1u with an aim of becoming one with the Supreme. Theysometimes give the example of a drop of water merging into the greatocean itself. This is simply nonsense. The ocean is a combination ofcountless molecules of water, and it is impossible for one molecule tomerge into the totality. The sunshine is a combination of countlesstrillions of small shining particles, and each particle has its individual

202 Teachings of Lord Kapilaidentity as an atom. Because we do not have the eyes to see the smallatomic divisions, we think that they are one, but actually they are nothomogeneous. Similarly, although we are very small particles of theSupreme Personality of Godhead, we all have different identities. InBhagavad-gita (2.12) Sri .Kra says:na tv evaham jatu nasamna tvam neme janadhipa/:tna caiva na bhavyama/:tsarve vayam ata/:t param"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all thesekings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.".Kra never says that He, Arjuna, and all the soldiers shall eventuallybecome one. Rather, He says that everyone will retain his ownindividuality.Those who have complete knowledge never think that in the futurethey will become one with the Supreme. They simply want to remain intheir constitutional position as part and parcel of _Kra. Although we arenow covered by the material body, the material body can be easily dissolvedby the process of bhakti-yoga. If we are strong in bhakti-yoga, weactually no longer have a material body but a spiritual one. We are free.When we are baffied, we want to become the husband of goddessLakmi. The husband of goddess Lakmi is Narayaa, God Himself. Inthis material world, we are hankering after Lakmi, the goddess of fortune,but we are frustrated in our attempts. We think, "Now let me becomethe husband of Lakmi." Actually, no one can enjoy Lakmi butNarayaa. Even exalted demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva areinferior to Lord Narayaa, but we are so foolish that we are thinking ofassuming Narayaa's position, or making Narayaa into daridranaraya,the poor man in the street. The sastras never equalizeNarayaa with anyone, not even Lord Brahma or Lord Siva, what tospeak of foolish rascals.One may ask why Narayaa has created us, why it is we are part andparcel of Narayaa. Eko bahu-syam. Why has Narayaa become many?He has created us for enjoyment. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. He has createdus in the same way a gentleman accepts a wife. If one takes on a wife, he

Bhak.ti as Ultimate Liberation 203will beget children. A man takes on the responsibility of maintaining awife and children because he thinks that through them he will enjoy life.In the material world we see that during the evening a man tries to enjoylife with his wife, children and friends. Therefore he takes on so manyresponsibilities. This is supposed to be ananda, bliss, but because it takesplace in the material world, the ananda is converted into something distasteful.However, we can enjoy this ananda when we are with ourSupreme Father, l).a. We are all children of the Supreme Father, andin Bhagavad-gita (14.4) I}.a claims all species of life as His children:sarva-yoni$u kaunteyamurtaya/:t sambhavanti ya/:ttdsam brahma mahad yoniraham bija-prada/:t pita"It should be understood that all species of life, 0 son of Kunti, are madepossible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-givingfather."The Supreme Father, Sri I}.a, has created us for His enjoyment, notto create distress. Although we are l).a's children, we have given upour Supreme Father because we wish to enjoy ourselves independently.Consequently we are suffering. If a rich man's son gives up his home totry to enjoy life independently, he simply suffers. It is to our benefit toreturn home, back to Godhead, to enjoy ourselves with our originalfather, l).a. This will give us happiness. I}.a is full of all opulence.He possesses in totality wealth, strength, beauty, fame, knowledge andrenunciation. He possesses everything in unlimited quantity. If wereturn to our original father, we can enjoy ourselves with Him unlimitedly.It is not that we can enjoy ourselves independent of l).a. Norcan we say that to enjoy ourselves we have to become one with l).a. Inthe material world, our father gives us our birth, and we are an entityseparate from him. If we are suffering, do we say, "My dear father, I amsuffering. Will you please once again make me one with you?" Is this avery good proposal? A father says, "I have begotten you separately to enjoyyourself. You remain separate, and I remain separate, and in this waywe will enjoy. Now you are asking to become one with me. What is thisnonsense?"

204 Teachings of Lord KapilaThe Mayavadis want to become one with the Supreme because they aresuffering in the material world. KTQa has created us to enjoy ourselvesin His company, but due to our desire for independent enjoyment, we arenot doing that. Consequently we are suffering in this material world, andbecause we are suffering we are thinking of becoming one with ourfather. It is maya's business to try to build up the living entity, to puffhim up, and maya's last snare is to make the living entity think that hecan become one with God. Mayavadis think that becoming one with theSupreme is the highest perfection, but this is not perfection because ouroriginal constitutional position is to enjoy the company of KTQa. Friendssit together in a room and enjoy one another's company. What enjoymentcan one have by himself? Variety is the mother of enjoyment, and realenjoyment is being in KTQa's company. Therefore devotees never desireto become one with the Supreme. It is Caitanya Mahaprabhu who says:mama janmani janmaniSvarebhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi"My dear Lord, I do not want to put an end to the process of birth anddeath. I am not anxious for mukti. Let Me go ahead and take one birthafter another. It doesn't matter. Simply let Me engage in Your servicebirth after birth." (Si/cytaka 4) This is real ananda. Unless we arefully qualified devotees, we cannot enter into the VaikuQtha planets. Wehave to live outside in the brahmajyoti. If we desire this, KTQa will giveus the opportunity. After all, KTQa is everything. He is brahmajyoti andParamatma also. If we want to become one with the Supreme, we will beallowed to live outside the VaikuQtha planets, in the brahrnajyoti.However, that position is not eternal. As we have explained before, wecannot live eternally in the brahmajyoti because we want variety. Withoutvariety, there is no enjoyment.In all conditions, the pure devotee is liberated. He may engage in someoccupation or business, but he is always thinking of how to serve KQa,and in this way he is automatically liberated. It is not that he thinks ofbecoming one with the Supreme and attaining liberation. Rather, hisliberation lies in his personal relationship with the Supreme LordHimself.

CHAPTER FIFTEENMeditation on the Lord'sTranscendental FormsTEXT 34naikatmatam me sprhayanti kecinmat-piida-sevabhiratd mad-ihal;tye 'nyonyato bhiigavatal;t prasajyasabhajayante mama paurU{idr:tiTRANSLATIONA pure devotee who is attached to the activities of devotionalservice and who always engages in the service of My lotus feetnever desires to become one with Me. Such a devotee, who isunflinchingly engaged, always glorifies My pastimes and activities.PURPORTThere are five kinds of liberation stated in the scriptures. One is tobecome one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or to forsakeone's individuality and merge into the Supreme Spirit. This is calledekatmatdm. A devotee never accepts this kind of liberation. The otherfour liberations are: to be promoted to the same planet as God(Vaikul,ltha), to associate personally with the Supreme Lord, to achievethe same opulence as the Lord and to attain His same bodily features. Apure devotee, as Kapila Muni will explain, does not aspire for any of thefive liberations. He especially despises the attempt to become one withthe Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati, agreat devotee of Lord Caitanya, said, kaivalyam narakayate: "The happinessof becoming one with the Supreme Lord, which is the aspiration ofthe Mayavadis, is considered hellish." That oneness is not for puredevotees.205

206 Teachings of Lord KapilaThere are many so-called devotees who think that in the conditionedstate we may worship the Personality of Godhead but that ultimatelythere is no personality; they say that since the Absolute Truth is impersonal,one can imagine a personal form of the impersonal Absolute Truthfor the time being, but as soon as one becomes liberated, the worshipstops. That is the theory put forward by Mayavada philosophy. Actuallythe impersonalists do not merge into the existence of the Supreme Personbut into His personal bodily luster, which is called brahmajyoti.Although that brahmajyoti is not different from His personal body, thatsort of oneness (merging into the bodily luster of the Personality ofGodhead) is not accepted by a pure devotee because the devotees engagein greater pleasure than merging into His existence. The greatestpleasure is to serve the Lord. Devotees are always thinking about how toserve Him; they are always designing ways and means to serve theSupreme Lord, even in the midst of the greatest material obstacles.Mayavadis accept the description of the pastimes of the Lord as myths,but actually they are not; they are historical facts. Pure devotees acceptthe narrations of the pastimes of the Lord as Absolute Truth. The wordsmama pauruiir:ti (My glorious activities) are significant. Devotees arevery much attached to glorifying the activities of the Lord, whereasMayavadis cannot even think of these activities. According to them, theAbsolute Truth is impersonal, but without personal existence, how canthere be activity? Because impersonalists take the activities mentioned inthe Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gitii and other Vedic literatures asfictitious stories, they interpret them most mischievously. They have noidea of the Personality of Godhead. They unnecessarily poke their nosesinto the scripture and interpret it in a deceptive way in order to misleadthe innocent public. The activities of Mayavada philosophy are verydangerous to the public, and therefore Lord Caitanya warned His disciplesnever to hear from any Mayavadi about any scripture. Mayavadiswill spoil the entire process, and the person hearing them will never beable to come to the path of devotional service to attain the highest perfection.He only may be able to do so after a very long time.It is clearly stated by Kapila Muni that bhakti activities are transcendentalto mukti. This is called paficama-puiirtha. Generally, peopleengage in the activities of religion, economic development and sensegratification, and ultimately they work with an idea that they are going to

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Forms 207become one with the Supreme Lord (mukti). But bhakti is transcendentalto all these activities. The Srimad-Bhagavatam, therefore, begins bystating that all kinds of pretentious religiosity is completely eradicatedfrom the Bhagavatam. Ritualistic activities for economic developmentand sense gratification and, after frustration in sense gratification, thedesire to become one with the Supreme Lord, are all completely rejectedin the Bhiigavatam. The Bhiigavatam is especially meant for the puredevotees, who always engage in l

208 Teachings of Lord Kapilais freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion anddevotional service begin." (Bhag. 3.25.25)God is eternal, and His instructions and followers are also eternal. InBhagavad-gita (4.1) K:rl).a tells Arjuna that millions of years ago Hespoke Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god. Bhagavad-gita was spoken toArjuna five thousand years ago, and if we read it today we will still findthat it is fresh. Bhagavad-gita and K:rl).a are never old. Although K:rl).ais the most ancient one, the oldest of all, He always remains like a youngboy in His teens. He never appears older than twenty. K:rl).a's words areabsolute, as well as His form, qualities and activities. They are alwaysfresh and new. If they were not, how could the devotees glorify them dayafter day with greater enthusiasm? The more one glorifies K:rl).a, themore enthusiastic one becomes in glorifying, glorifying, glorifying. Thisis the meaning of spiritual. In the material world, if we repeat somethingonce, twice, thrice or four times, it finally becomes hackneyed and disgusting.However, this Hare K:rl).a maha-mantra can be chanted twentyfourhours daily, and one will still feel fresh and enthusiastic. It is not amaterial sound like the sounds we hear on the radio. It is a spiritualsound that comes from the spiritual world. Even in the material world wecan release a sound from one place, and it can be heard thousands ofmiles away. A spiritual sound can be released from many trillions ofmiles away, and it can be heard, provided that one has the machine tocapture it. That machine is bhagavat prema. Those who have developedlove of Godhead can hear it.Arjuna was neither a Vedantist nor a sannyasi, nor was he particularlyadvanced in spiritual understanding. However, he heard Bhagavad-gitabecause he was a bhakta. Atheistic scholars and politicians cannot understandthe transcendental vibration. They can only lick at the honeybottle. Fools and rascals eat and drink everything without restriction,thinking that they are doing so in the name of religion. There are manyso-called svamis and yogis who tell their disciples that they can do anythingand still advance spiritually, but this is not possible. One has to becomea pure brahmar;ta, control the mind and senses and discuss theSupreme Personality of· Godhead among sadhus. This may sound verydifficult, but one can become a sat, a saintly person, within a second. Ifone is eager, one can immediately surrender to K:rl).a.When one approaches K:rl).a, one should say, "My dear K:rl).a, I have

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Forms 209forgotten You. Now I am fully surrendered unto You. You may kill me asYou like or, if You like, You can give me protection." When Prahlada wasasked by the Supreme Lord what benediction he desired, PrahladaMaharaja replied, "My dear Lord, why should I ask for some benedictionsimply because I have suffered for You? You are supremely powerful,and whatever I get, I get from You. I was horn into a family of demonsand was inclined toward material enjoyment. I have seen my powerfulfather, who was feared even by the demigods, annihilated within a second.Why should I ask for anything? Please engage me in the service ofYour servant. This is all I want. I do not want anything else." In this waya devotee never asks for anything material from the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. The devotees are simply satisfied in glorifying the Lord.This is the way of bhakti-yoga.I).a descends to please His devotees and destroy the demons. Fromthe very beginning of K:r1,1a's birth, demons were present. Kaxhsa advisedhis constables, "As soon as I).a is horn, tell me. I shall immediatelykill Him." He was always thinking of I).a in this way,negatively. Similarly, we will :find so many so-called religionists whoseonly purpose is to kill I).a. Somehow or other they try to take I).aout of Bhagavad-gita. They will comment on Bhagavad-gita, hut in theircommentaries there will never he mention of I).a. They will never saythat I).a is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that He should heworshiped. This means that they are asuras, demons, although they maypresent themselves as big scholars. Somehow or other they try to evadekm:w-bhakti, and their entire propaganda is aimed toward this.TEXT 35pa5yanti te me rucirar;ty amba santa/:tprasanna-vaktrarur;ta-locananirupar;ti divyani vara-pradanisakam vacam sprhar;tiyam vadantiTRANSLATION0 My mother, My devotees always see the smiling face of Myform, with eyes like the rising morning sun. They like to see My

210 Teachings of Lord Kapilavarious transcendental forms, which are all benevolent, and theyalso talk favorably with Me.PURPORTMayavadis and atheists accept the forms of the Deities in the temple ofthe Lord as idols, but devotees do not worship idols. They directly worshipthe Personality of Godhead in His area incarnation. Area refers tothe form we can worship in our present condition. Actually in our presentstate it is not possible to see God in His spiritual form because ourmaterial eyes and senses cannot conceive of a spiritual form. We cannoteven see the spiritual form of the individual soul. When a man dies wecannot see how the spiritual form leaves the body. That is the defect ofour material senses. In order to be seen by our material senses, theSupreme Personality of Godhead accepts a favorable form which is calledarea-vigraha. This area-vigraha, sometimes called the area incarnation,is not different from Him. Just as the Supreme Personality of Godheadaccepts various incarnations, He takes on forms made out of matterclay,wood, metal, jewels, etc.There are many sastric injunctions which give instructions for carvingforms of the Lord. These forms are not material. If God is all-pervading,He is also in the material elements. There is no doubt about it. But theatheists think otherwise. Although they preach that everything is God,when they go to the temple and see the form of the Lord, they deny thatHe is God. According to their own theory, everything is God. Then whyis the Deity not God? Actually, they have no conception of God. Thedevotees' vision, however, is different; their vision is smeared with loveof God. As soon as they see the Lord in His different forms, the devoteesbecome saturated with love, for they do not find any difference betweenthe Lord and His form in the temple, as do the atheists. The smiling faceof the Deity in the temple is beheld by the devotees as transcendental andspiritual, and the decorations on the body of the Lord are very much appreciatedby the devotees. It is the duty of the spiritual master to teachhis devotees how to decorate the Deity in the temple, how to cleanse thetemple and how to worship the Deity. There are different procedures,rules and regulations followed in temples of Vi1,1u, and devotees go thereand see the Deity, the vigraha, and spiritually enjoy the form, because allof the Deities are benevolent. The devotees express their minds before

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Forms 211the Deity, and in many instances the Deity also gives answers. But onemust be a very elevated devotee in order to be able to speak with theSupreme Lord. Sometimes the Lord informs the devotee through dreams.These exchanges between the Deity and the devotee are not understandableby atheists, but actually the devotee enjoys them.Clearly, those who have the eyes to see l).a will see Him. WhenCaitanya Mahaprabhu entered the temple of Jagannatha, He immediatelyfainted upon seeing the Deity. He said, "Oh, here is My Lord! Here is MyLord!" In order to see, one has to become santa, and one becomes santaby culture. When we develop love of l).a, we will immediately seel).a and faint, saying, "Oh, here is my Lord!" However, those with nofaith, those who are always trying to deny l).a, will simply say, "Oh,this is an idol. This is simply a piece of stone."We must be eager to see l).a and talk with Him. He is actually waitingto see whether we are interested in talking with Him. In Bhagavadgitii(10.10) Sri K:rIJ.a says:teiiril satata-yuktiiniirilbhajatiiril priti-purvakamdadiimi buddhi-yogam tamyena mdm upayiinti te"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I givethe understanding by which they can come to Me."If we want to talk to some important man, we must have somequalification. It is not that we can immediately talk to presidents or evento senators just because we want to talk to them. Somehow or other wemust comply with certain rules and regulations. l).a is ready to talk tous, and for this purpose He has descended in the arcii-murti, the Deity,in order to be seen. We simply have to qualify ourselves to talk withHim. The nondevotees, Mayavadis, who are interested in denying K:rIJ.a,say that God has no eyes, no legs, no hands, no ears and so on. This is indirectlysaying that God is blind and deaf and that He cannot do this orthat. In this way, they are indirectly insulting God. This is blasphemy.God does not want to hear such nonsense. Therefore it is said in thisverse: siikaril viicaril sprhaTJiyiiril vadanti. By saying that l).a is blind,· that He has no eyes, no hands, no nothing, we are indirectly saying that

212 Teachings of Lord KapilaKn1,13 does not exist. This is certainly not a favorable way to talk about1\ra. If we want to talk about 1\ra, we must consult the Vedicliteratures. Then we can understand how 1\ra should be worshiped.In Brahma-samhita (5.29) it is stated: "Sri K:ra is playing on Hisflute, and His eyes are as beautiful as the petals of a lotus flower. Hewears a peacock feather in His hair, and His form is very beautiful." TheMayavadis say, "Just imagine some form of God." But God's form cannotbe imagined. God's form is not imaginary but factual. This factual informationwe receive from the Vedas. When K:ra was present on thisearth, He exhibited His form and activities; All of these are divine, notmaterial. K:ra's body is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. It has nothing to dowith anything material. He descends as a favor to His devotees, who arealways anxious to see Him. His first business is to give pleasure to Hisdevotees, and His second business is to kill the demons, who are alwaysgiving the devotees trouble. It is the nature of demons to give devoteestrouble, just as in the West, Lord Jesus Christ was crucified because hewas preaching God consciousness. Similarly, Hirayakasipu tried to killhis five-year-old boy Prahlada Maharaja because his son was talkingabout 1\ra. There were many demons who tried to kill K:ra Himself,great demons like Plitana, Aghasura, Bakasura and Karilsa. Nonetheless,K:ra destroys them all by His omnipotence.Actually everyone in the material world is more or less an asura, anatheist. If one preaches, one has to learn to tolerate the asuras and speakin such a way that they can also become devotees. We should alwaysspeak of K:ra in a pleasing way; then we will be benefited. Anothername for K:ra is Uttamasloka, which indicates that He is worshiped bythe best selected words. It is not that we should use any words we choose.There are many prayers in the Vedic scriptures and also in the Bible andKoran. Although the Christians and Muhammadans do not worship theDeity, they offer prayers to the Lord, and that is also bhakti. Arcanamvandanam.There are nine different processes for worshiping the Lord, and onemay accept one or all of them. We should use very selected words andsurrender unto K:ra, but we should not say things which do not pleaseHim. We should not claim that God is formless and that He has no eyes,no head or whatever. Actually it is stated in the Vedas that K:ra has nohand but that He can accept our offering. This means that He has no rna-

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Forms 213terial hand. If He actually has no hand, how can He extend His handmillions of miles to accept an offering? Goloka V:rndavana is manytrillions and trillions of miles away, but K:rIJ.a can accept whatever weoffer. When the Vedas say that God has no hands, it is meant that He hasno material hands. His hands are sac-cid-iinanda-vigraha. If we canunderstand K:rIJ.a's activities, form, qualities and pastimes in this way,we become :fit to return home, back to Godhead.TEXT 36tair darsaniyiivayavair udiiraviliisa-hiise/cyita-viima-suktai/:thrtatmano hrta-priir:tiims ca bhaktiranicchato me gatim ar:r-vim praywikteTRANSLATIONUpon seeing the charming forms of the Lord, smiling and attractive,and hearing His very pleasing words, the pure devoteealmost ·loses all other consciousness. His senses are freed from allother engagements, and he becomes absorbed in devotional service.Thus in spite of his unwillingness, he attains liberationwithout separate endeavor.PURPORTThere are three divis\ons of devotees-first-class, second-class andthird-class. Even the third-class devotees are liberated souls. It is explainedin this verse that although they do not have knowledge, simplyby seeing the beautiful decoration of the Deity in the temple, they are absorbedin thought of Him and lose all other consciousness. By fixingoneself in K:rIJ.a consciousness, engaging the senses in the service of theLord, one is imperceptibly liberated. This is also confirmed in Bhagavadgitii.Simply by discharging uncontaminated devotional service asprescribed in the scriptures, one becomes equal to Brahman. InBhagavad-gitii it is said, brahma-bhuyaya kalpate. This means that theliving entity in his original state is Brahman because he is part and parcelof the Supreme Brahman. Because of his forgetfulness of his real natureas an eternal servitor of the Lord, he is overwhelmed and captured by

214 Teachings of Lord Kapilamaya. His forgetfulness of his real constitutional position is maya.Otherwise he is eternally Brahman.When one is trained to become conscious of his position, he understandsthat he is the servitor of the Lord. "Brahman" refers to a state ofself-realization. Even the third-class devotee-who is not advanced inknowledge of the Absolute Truth but who offers obeisances with greatdevotion, thinks of the Lord, sees the Lord in the temple and brings forthflowers and fruits to offer to the Deity-becomes imperceptibly liberated.Sraddhayanvita/:t: with great devotion the devotees offer worshipfulrespects and paraphernalia to the Deity. The Deities of Radha andKtJ,la, Lakmi and NiiriiyaJ,la, and Riima and Sitii, are very attractive todevotees, so much so that when they see the Deity decorated in thetemple, they become fully absorbed in thinking of the Lord. That isliberation. In other words, it is confirmed herein that even a third-classdevotee is in the transcendental position, above those who are strivingfor liberation by speculation or other methods. Even great impersonalistslike Sukadeva Gosviimi and the four Kumiiras were attracted by thebeauty of the Deities in the temple, by the decorations and by the aromaof tulasioffered to the Lord, and they became devotees. Even thoughthey were in the liberated state, instead of remaining impersonalists theywere attracted by the beauty of the Lord and became devotees.Here the word vila.sa is very important. Vilasa refers to the activitiesor pastimes of the Lord. It is a prescribed duty in temple worship that notonly should one visit the temple to see the Deity nicely decorated, but atthe same time he should hear .the recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam,Bhagavad-gita or some similar literature, which is regularly recited inthe temple. In Vrndiivana, in every temple, there is recitation of thesdstras. Even third-class devotees who have no literary knowledge or notime to read Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita have the opportunityto hear about the pastimes of the Lord. In this way their mindsmay remain always absorbed in the thought of the Lord-His form, Hisactivities and His transcendental nature. This state of l

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Forms 215Bhtigavatam, (4) to see the decorated temple and the Deity and, if possible,(5) to live in a place like V:rndavana or Mathura. These five itemsalone can help a devotee achieve the highest perfe tional stage. T4is isconfirmed in Bhagavad-gita and in this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam.That third-class devotees can also imperceptibly achieve liberation is acceptedin all Vedic literatures.As far as meditation on the arca-vigraha form of the Lord is concerned,we have to look at the Deity beginning with His lotus feet. It isnot that we immediately look at His smiling face. We should first try tosee the lotus feet of K:rQ.a, and when we are practiced in this way, we canlook at His thighs, His waist and His chest. Then we can reach His smilingface. In this manner we should meditate on K:rQ.a's form, and thuswe can associate with K:rQ.a by meditating on His smiling face, His flute,His hands, His dress, His consort Srimati RadhariiQ.i and the other gop'issurrounding Him. Thus we should practice observing the Supreme Lord,and to this end He has appeared before us as the arca-vigraha.There are three kinds of devotee: kan4tha-adhikari, madhyamaadhikariand uttama-adhikari. The uttamaadhikar'i is the most advanced;the madhyama-adhikar'i is in the middle stage; and thekan4tha-adhikar'i is the neophyte. It is recommended that the neophytemeditate on the Deity daily. He should begin by meditating on the lotusfeet, and then when he is practiced, he should turn his gaze towardK:rQ.a's smiling face. The neophyte should also read and hear Bhagavadgitiiand Srimad-Bhtigavatam. If we simply try to see and don't listen,the results will not be permanent. In some temples there are Deities butno discussion about K:rQ.a. People attend for some time, but after awhile they lose interest. Thus there must be two activities. The Deitiesmust be worshiped, and this is called pancaratriki-vidhi. There mustalso be bhagavata-vidhi, reading Srimad Bhagavad-gita and Srimad­Bhtigavatam. Pancaratriki-vidhi and bhtigavata-vidhi go hand in hand.By participating in these two processes, the neophyte can gradually attainthe intermediate stage.The spiritual master is supposed to be in the most advanced stage, butfor preaching purposes he descends to the intermediate stage. Theuttama-adhikari, the most advanced devotee, does not discriminate betweendevotees and nondevotees. He sees everyone but himself as a devotee.The truly advanced devotee sees that he is not a devotee but thatlo.

216 Teachings of Lord Kapilaeveryone else is a devotee. The kantha-adhikiin, the neophyte, simplyconcentrates on the Deity, and that is required in the beginning:arcayam eva harayepujam yab, sraddhayehatena tad-bhakteu canyeusa bhaktab, prakrtab, smrtab,"A person who is very faithfully engaged in the worship of the Deity inthe temple, but who does not know how to behave toward devotees orpeople in general is called a prakrta-bhakta, or kan!ha-adhikiiri. "(Bhag. 11.2.47) According to the prescribed duties mentioned in the·scriptures, one must care for the Deity, but when one is a little furtheradvanced, he considers his functions with others. When one attains themadhyama-adhikiiri stage, his vision is described thus:iSvare tad-adhineubaliSeu dvatsu caprema-maitn-krpopeayab, karoti sa madhyamab,"The madhyama-adhikari is a devotee who worships the Supreme Personalityof Godhead as the highest object of love, makes friends with theLord's devotees, is merciful to the ignorant and avoids those who areenvious by nature." (Bhag. 11.2.46)The madhyama-adhikiiri is not only interested in the Deity, but hecan also discern between devotees and nondevotees. He can also understandthat this man is innocent and that this man is not. The innocent donot know what is to be done, and they do not know anything about God.They are not actually offenders, but there are others who are offenders.The offenders become immediately envious as soon as they hear aboutGod or His devotees.The madhyama-adhikiiri knows that .KrJ}.a is God: krr.ws tubhagavan svayam. He wants to develop his love for .KrJ}.a. He also wantsto see that not a moment is wasted without engagement in .KrJ}.a consciousness.He is always careful not to spoil life's valuable time. That isthe first qualification of a madhyama-adhikiin. We have a very short

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Forms 217period to live, and we never know when we are going to die. There is nocertainty. Foolish people think that they will go on living forever, hutthat is simply foolishness. Life is transient; therefore the devotee wantsto utilize every moment for the advancement of I}.a consciousness.The madhyama-adhikari also has a special taste for chanting the HareI}.a mantra. He is also very anxious to live in places like V:rndavana,Dvaraka and Mathura, places where I}.a lived. Of course it is a factthat I}.a, being God, has His residence everywhere. He even resideswithin every atom. Ar;u,lantara-stha-paramcltJ,u-cayiintara-stham. Nonetheless,He has special places of residence like V:rndavana, Dvarakaand Mathura; therefore a devotee is anxious to live in those places.Increasing one's love for God is a gradual process, and the first ingredientis faith. Without faith, there is no question of progress in I}.aconsciousness. That faith is created after reading Bhagavad-gitiicarefully and actually understanding it as it is. Unless one readsBhagavad-gitii, there is no question of faith in I}.a. One must havefaith in the words of I}.a, particularly when I}.a says, "Abandon alldharmas and surrender to Me. I will give you all protection." If we studyBhagavad-gitii as a literary treatise and then throw it away, that is notfaith. Faith is explained by I}.adasa Kaviraja Gosvami thus:'sraddhii'-sabde-viSviisa kahe sudr{lha niScayakme bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya"By rendering transcendental loving service to I}.a, one automaticallyperforms all subsidiary activities. This confident, firm faith, favorableto the discharge of devotional service, is called sraddha." (Cc.Madhya 22.62)In Bhagavad-gitii I}.a says that He is not only a person but theSupreme Personality of Godhead as well. He also says that there is no onesuperior to Him. If one believes these words, then one will have faith.lmpersonalists read Bhagavad-gitii, but they do not accept I}.a as aperson. In the Twelfth Chapter of Bhagavad-gitii, I}.a says that theimpersonalist takes more trouble to come to Him. He will come later, butit will take some time. This is because impersonal understanding of theSupreme Absolute Truth is partial understanding. As I}.a states:

218 Teachings of Lord Kapilakle§o 'dhikataras teamavyaktasakta-cetasamavyakta hi gatir dub,khamdehavadbhir avapyate"For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonalfeature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To makeprogress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied."(Bg. 12.5)We have often given the example of impersonal understanding beinglike the understanding of the sunshine. One may see the sunshine enteringthrough a window into his room, but this does not mean that oneknows everything about the sun. Impersonal understanding of the AbsoluteTruth is like that. The sunshine is impersonal (Brahman), the sunitself is localized (Paramatma) and the sun-god residing within the sun isa person (Bhagavan). Just as one can understand the three aspects of thesun-the sunshine, the sun itself and the sun-god-one can also understandthe three aspects of the Supreme Absolute Truth-Brahman,Paramatma and Bhagavan.lmpersonalists maintain that the sun is simply a fiery globe andnothing else, but in Bhagavad-gita I)a specifically states that Hespoke Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god Vivasvan. Of course we can hardlyimagine how the sun-god can be a person. The sun is a great fiery globe,and we think that it is impossible for anyone to live there, but this thinkingis simply shortsighted. It does not follow that no one can live in firejust because we cannot live there. We cannot live in water, yet there areaquatics living there. We live on this planet, which is basically composedof earth, and our bodies are basically composed of earth in order to livehere. Bodies are made in such a way that they can live in their environment.Similarly, the sun-god has a body capable of living in fire.I)a is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, being, knowledge and bliss, withform. Impersonal understanding is understanding of the sat feature.Understanding K:rI)a in full is understanding all of His features. Theananda feature is realized in Bhagavan. I)a plays on His flute and isaccompanied by His pleasure potency, hlddini sakti, Srimati Radharal)i.Of !)a's many potencies, the hlddini sakti is His pleasure-givingpotency. That is ananda. Although K:rI)a is full in Himself, He expands

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Forms 219Himself when He wants to enjoy. That expansion is His pleasure potency,Radhara1,1i. The gopi.s are the expansions of Radhariil,li, and the variousforms of 1,1a are manifest just to taste the mellow of transcendentalbliss. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. Thus Brahman realization is realization ofthe sat portion, Paramatma realization is realization of the cit portion,and Bhagavan realization is the realization of the iinanda portion. In theVediinta-sutra it is said that the Absolute Truth is iinandamayo'bhyiisiit. 1,1a's lila is always full of transcendental bliss-especially inV:rndavana, His original residence. It is in V:rndavana that I,la playswith His cowherd boy friends and dances with the gopi.s. It is also inV:rndavana that 1,1a steals mother Yasoda's butter. All His activitiesthere are filled with transcendental bliss.We can begin to experience this bliss by following the prescribedmethods of devotional service. When we see the Deity, we can graduallyrealize how I,la is smiling, playing on His flute and enjoying the companyof Srimati Radhara1,1i. Then we also have to hear about 1,1a.These two processes will increase in such a way that we will automaticallybecome great devotees. Anicchato me gatim ar;tvim prayurikte. This is actuallya scientific method. It is not imagination. People think that this isidol worship and imagination, but this method is prescribed in all thestras for developing God consciousness. It is an actual science.sri-bhagaviin uviicajfianam parama-guhyam meyad vijfu'ina-samanvitamsa-rahasyam tad-arigam cagrhar;ta gaditam maya"The Personality of Godhead said: Knowledge about Me as described inthe scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunctionwith devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process isbeing explained by Me. You may take it up carefully." (Bhag. 2.9.31)In Bhagavad-gitii 1,1a tells Arjuna that He has revealed this mostconfidential knowledge to him because Arjuna is His very dear friend.That confidential knowledge is, sarva-dharmiin parityajya miim ekamsarar;tam vraja: "Just surrender unto Me." (Bg. 18.66) Brahman realizationis certainly confidential, and Paramatma realization is still more

220 Teachings of Lord Kapilaconfidential, but understanding KtQa as He is, is the most confidentialknowledge of all.If one's mind and senses are completely absorbed in KtQa consciousness,one is experiencing bhakti. Bhakti is not a sentiment but a practicalscience. One may engage in many activities, but in all cases, one's mindmust be fully absorbed in KtQa. Although a housewife is always busyworking around the house, she always takes care that her hair is nicelycombed. Regardless of her engagements, she never forgets to arrange herhair in an attractive way. Similarly, a devotee engages in many activities,but he never forgets KtQa's transcendental form. This is the meaning ofperfection.

CHAPTER SIXTEENThe Pure Devotees' Spiritual OpulencesTEXT 37atho vibhutim mama mayavinas tamaiSvaryam tarigam anupravrttamsriyam bhagavatim vasprhayanti bhadramprasya me te 'snuvate tu lokeTRANSLATIONThus because he is completely absorbed in meditation upon Me,the devotee does not desire even the highest benediction obtainablein the upper planetary systems, including Satyaloka. He doesnot desire the eight material perfections obtained from mysticyoga, nor does he desire to be elevated to the kingdom of God. Yeteven without desiring them, the devotee enjoys, even in this life,all the offered benedictions.PURPORTThe vibhuti, or opulences, offered by maya are of many varieties. Weexperience different varieties of material enjoyment even on this planet,but if one is able to promote himself to higher planets like Candraloka,the sun or, still higher, Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka, or evenultimately the highest planet, which is inhabited by Brahma and is calledSatyaloka, one will find immense possibilities for material enjoyment.For example, the duration of life on higher planets is far, far greaterthan on this planet. It is said that on the moon the duration of life is suchthat our six months are equal to one day. We cannot even imagine theduration of life on the highest planet. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita thatBrahma's twelve hours are inconceivable even to our mathematicians.These are all desctiptions of the external energy of the Lord, or maya.221

222 Teachings of Lord KapilaBesides these, there are other opulences which the yogis can achieve bytheir mystic power. They are also material. A devotee does not aspire forall these material pleasures, although they are available to him simply bywishing. By the grace of the Lord, a devotee can achieve wonderful materialsuccess simply by willing, but a real devotee does not do so. LordCaitanya Mahaprabhu has taught that one should not desire materialopulence or material reputation, nor should one try to enjoy materialbeauty; he should only aspire to be absorbed in the devotional service ofthe Lord, even if he does not get liberation but has to continue the processof birth and death unlimitedly. Actually, however, to one whoengages in ![H.J.a consciousness, liberation is already guaranteed. Devoteesenjoy all the benefits of the higher planets and the Vaikmgha planetsalso. It is especially mentioned here, bhdgavatim bhadram. In theV aiku:Q.tha planets everything is eternally peaceful, yet a pure devoteedoes not even aspire to be promoted there. But still he gets that advantage;he enjoys all the facilities of the material and spiritual worlds, evenduring the present life span.According to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Riipa Gosvami in his Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu,Narada Muni in the Narada-pancaratra and BhagavanSri f?:Q.a in Bhagavad-gita, a pure devotee never wants anything fromthe Lord. He does not even want liberation, to say nothing of materialthings. Generally, people want dharma, artha, kama and molcya, in thatorder. First of all, people want to become religious (dharma) in order toattain material opulence (artha). People want material opulence in orderto gratify their senses (kama), and when they are frustrated in their attemptto gratify their senses, they want liberation (mo/cya). In this way,dharma, artha, kama and molcya are going on. However, a devotee is notinterested in any of these. In the Christian religion, people pray, "Giveus this day our daily bread," but a pure bhakta does not even ask for hisdaily bread. A pure devotee is kept in the hand of f?:Q.a just like a veryprecious jewel. When you hold something precious in your hand, you arevery careful, and similarly, f?:Q.a holds the devotee and takes care ofhim.One can just imagine his position if a very rich man says, "Don'tworry. I will take care of everything for you." f?:Q.a, the Supreme Lord,is the proprietor of all opulence. There is no one more opulent than

The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences 223!?I,la; therefore if K:r!?I.la says that He will take care of His devotee,there is no question of poverty. Most people want material opulence, hutthey do not know that !?I,la is the proprietor of all opulence. That istheir misfortune. Although the proprietor of all opulence says, "Just surrenderunto Me, and I will take care of you," people do not do it. Instead,they say, "I will take care of my own business. I will maintain myself. Iwill take care of myself, my family, my friends and my country." Arjunawas very intelligent because he simply chose !?I,la, whereasDuryodhana took !?I,la's soldiers. It is not possible to conquer !?I,la,hut the devotee can capture K:r?I.la with bhakti, love.It is impossible for people to understand the great opulence of Sri!?I,la. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprahhu tells us to abandon speculatingabout God. There is a story of a frog in a well being approached by afriend who says, "My deilr frog, I have just seen a huge body of water.""What is that water?" the frog asks. "The Atlantic Ocean," the friendreplies. "Oh, the Atlantic Ocean! Is it bigger than this well? Is it fourfeet? Ten feet?"Our attempt to speculate about God is very much like this. If we wantto understand God, we have to try to understand from God Himself. Wemay have a neighbor who is very wealthy, influential, wise, strong andbeautiful, and we may speculate about his opulence, hut if we makefriends with him, we can understand his position by listening to himspeak about himself. God cannot he subjected to our imagination. Ourimagination is limited, and our senses are imperfect. The process ofbhakti-marga is the process of submission. There is no question of subjectingGod to our imagination. We simply have to become very humbleand submissive and pray to !?I,la sincerely, "!?I,la, it is not possible forme to know You. Kindly explain how it is I can know You, and then it willhe possible." This is the way Arjuna approached !?I,la in the EleventhChapter of Bhagavad-gitd.We can hardly understand or comprehend the innumerable universes.The word jagat refers to this universe, hut there is more than one universe.Although we are seeing only one universe, there are millions ofuniverses, and !?I,la is supporting all these millions of universes with asingle fragment of Himself. This is also confirmed in many other Vedicliteratures:

224 Teachings of Lord Kapilayasyaika-niSvasita-kdlam athiivalambyaJivanti loma-vilajii jagad-ar:u)a-niithiivi§ry,ur mahan sa iha yasya kalii-viSeogovindam iidi-puram tam aham bhajami"Brahma and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from thepores of hair of Maha-Vi1;1u, remain alive as long as the duration of Hisone exhalation. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, of whose subjectivepersonality Maha-Vi1;1u is the portion of a portion." (Brahmasamhita5.48)This is the information given in Brahma-samhitii, the prayers offeredby Lord Brahma. This Brahma-samhitii was accepted by Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhu, who copied it when He toured South India. Formerly therewere no presses to print these literatures, and these important Vedicwritings were written by hand. These literatures were not very cheap,and only highly qualified briihmary,as were able to keep them. They wereworshiped in the temple as the siistra Deity. It is not that they wereavailable everywhere. Now, of course, the printing press has changed allthis, but nonetheless we should always understand that the granthas, thescriptures, should be worshiped as God because they are the sound incarnationof God. One should not consider Bhagavad-gitii or Srimad­Bhiigavatam to be ordinary books, and one should take care of them justas carefully as one takes care of the Deity.At any rate, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned from South Indiawith a copy of Brahma-samhitii, He gave it to His disciples and toldthem that it was a summary of the Vedanta and the Srimad­Bhiigavatam. We therefore accept Brahma-amhitii as authorizedscripture, for it was authorized by the Supreme Person, Caitanya Mahaprabhu.Just as Sri l(r1;1a explains in Bhagavad-gitii in so many waysthat the entire material creation is resting on one of His portions,Brahma-samhitii explains the same subject. It is stated that from theskin pores of the Maha-Vi1;1u, all the universes are emanating. In eachuniverse there is a Brahma, a supervisor, who is the supreme creatureand manager. These managers live only as long as the Maha-Vi1;1u exhales.When He exhales, all the universes are created, and when He inhales,they all return into His body. In this way so many universes andBrahmas are coming and going. The durations of these breaths, which

The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences 225constitute a life of a Brahma, are described in Bhagavad-gitd as manytrillions of earth years. One may say that this is all fictitious and imaginary,but unless one believes it, one has no right to touch Bhagavad-gita.Generally people are interested in going to the higher planetarysystems in order to become more opulent. This is the process of karmaktlr;u;liya,and people perform yajrias and pious activities in order to beelevated to higher planets. The idea is that one will be able to enjoy himselfmore, have a longer life span, more opulence, more beautifulwomen, nice gardens and so on. Actually this is the case, but a devotee isnt at all interested in these things because he accepts I].a. InBhagavad-gita (8.16) Sri K:rI].a says, abrahma-bhuvanal loka punaravartino 'rjuna: "From the highest planet in the material world down tothe lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death takeplace."Even if we are promoted to the highest planet, Brahmaloka, the planetwhere Lord Brahma lives, our situation there is still not eternal. So whyshould a devotee be interested in such a place? A devotee is simply interestedin the supreme eternal, Sri I].a. The Supreme Lord is thesupreme leader of the nityas, the eternal living entities. We are allnityas, eternal, and I].a guides and plays with us. In the spiritualworld, I].a and His devotees are friends, and they play together ascowherd boys. They are not interested in Brahmaloka or Candraloka, forthese planets will ultimately be annihilated. There are some living entitiesthat live only a few seconds, or, at most, a night. By the morning,they are all dead. Any life in the material world is comparable to that.Brahma may live millions of years, but he ultimately has to die. Whetherwe go to the highest planet or the lowest planet, whether we are in thebody of a Brahma or a cat, we ultimately have to die. I].a presentsHimself to atheists as death. He appeared in this way beforeHiral}.yakasipu, who said, "I am God. All the demigods are afraid of me. Iam very powerful." I].a comes before such atheists as death and takeseverything away-all power, opulence, money-everything. The theistsworship God while they are living, and their only business in this life isserving God. Mter death, they render the same service; thus there is nodifference between Vaikui].tha and a temple, for a devotee. In either case,his business is the same. Why, then, should he aspire to go toVaikui].tha?

226 Teachings of Lord KapilaIn the VaikmHha planets one attains opulence like l(rQ.a or NarayaQ.a.There are five kinds of mukti, liberation, and one is stir$#· This kind ofliberation brings one opulence equal to the Lord. In the VaikmHha planets,everyone is four-handed like NarayaQ.a, and everyone is equally opulent.In Goloka V:rndii.vana, l(:rQ.a and the cowherd boys are equallyopulent. In V:rndii.vana, the cowherd boys do not know that l(:rQ.a is God.They look on l(:rQ.a as an equal. This is the opulence of their devotionalposition.Nonetheless, the devotees do not aspire for all this opulence. Theironly aspiration is to engage in the service of the Lord. In this way, theyget everything. Nor are the devotees interested in attaining the mysticyoga siddhis. They do not need to be able to create a planet, for they cancreate VaikuQ.tha by worshiping l(:rQ.a in the temple. The temple isnirgu7Ja, transcendental to the gulJaS. In the siistras it is said that theforest is characterized by sattva-gu"{Ul, goodness, and the city is characterizedby rajo-gu7Ja, passion, because in the city there is a great deal ofillicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. Formerly, whenpeople were aspiring for spiritual realization, they left the cities and wentto the forests. That was the viinaprastha stage. The word vana means"forest." Before taking sannyiisa, a man would leave his family and goto the forest to begin practicing austerities. V anam gato yad dharimasrayeta.Actually, superior to living in the forest is living in the temple becausethe temple is nirgu"{Ul, above all the gulJaS, even sattva-gu7Ja. The inhabitantsof the temple are actually in VaikuQ.tha.Lord Kapiladeva next explains the nature of the special opulences ofthe devotees.TEXT 38na karhicin mat-para siinta-rupenarik$yanti no me 'nimi$o ler;lhi hetiye$iim aham priya iitmii suta§ casakha guru suhrdo daivam i$tamTRANSLATIONThe Lord continued: My dear mother, devotees who receivesuch transcendental opulences are never bereft of them; neither

The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences 227weapons nor the change of time can destroy such opulences. Becausethe devotees accept Me as their friend, relative, son, preceptor,benefactor and Supreme Deity, they cannot be deprived oftheir possessions at any time.PURPORTIt is stated in Bhagavad-gita that one may elevate himself to thehigher planetary systems, even up to Brahmaloka, by dint of pious activities,hut when the effects of such pious activities are finished, oneagain comes hack to this earth to begin a new life of activities. Thus eventhough one is promoted to the higher planetary system for enjoymentand a long duration of life, still that is not a permanent settlement. But asfar as the devotees are concerned, their assets-the achievement of devotionalservice and the consequent op'!llence of Vaikul).tha, even on thisplanet-are never destroyed. In this verse Kapiladeva addresses Hismother as santa-rupa, indicating that the opulences of devotees are fixedbecause devotees are eternally fixed in the Vaikul).tha atmosphere, whichis called santa-rupa because it is in the mode of pure goodness, undisturbedby the modes of passion and ignorance. Once one is fixed in thedevotional service of the Lord, his position of transcendental service cannothe destroyed, and the pleasure and service simply increase unlimitedly.For the devotees engaged in I).a consciousness, in theVaikul).tha atmosphere, there is no influence of time. In the materialworld the influence of time destroys everything, hut in the Vaikul).tha atmospherethere is no influence of time or of the demigods because thereare no demigods in the Vaikul).tha planets. Here our activities are controlledby different demigods; even if we 'ffiove our hand and leg, the actionis controlled by the demigods. But in the Vaikul).tha atmospherethere is no influence of the demigods or of time; therefore there is noquestion of destruction. When the time element is present, there is thecertainty of destruction, hut when there is no time element-past, presentor future-then everything is eternal. Therefore this verse uses thewords nari/cyyanti no, indicating that the transcendental opulences willnever he destroyed.The reason for freedom from destruction is also described. The devoteesaccept the Supreme Lord as the most dear personality and reciprocatewith Him in different relationships. They accept the Supreme

228 Teachings of Lord KapilaPersonality of Godhead as a dearmost friend, relative, son, preceptor,well-wisher or Deity. The Lord is eternal; therefore any relationship inwhich we accept Him is also eternal. It is clearly confirmed herein thatthe relationships cannot be destroyed, and therefore the opulences ofthose relationships are never destroyed. Every living entity has the propensityto love someone. We can see that if someone has no object of love,he generally directs his love to a pet animal like a cat or a dog. Thus theeternal propensity for love in all living entities is always searching for aplace to reside. Fr9m this verse we can learn that we can love theSupreme Personality of Godhead as our dearmost object-as a friend, asa son, as a preceptor or as a well-wisher-and there will be no cheatingand no end to such love. We shall eternally enjoy the relationship withthe Supreme Lord in different aspects. A special feature of this verse isthe acceptance of the Supreme Lord as the supreme preceptor.Bhagavad-gita is spoken directly by the Supreme Lord, and Arjuna acceptedK:rI}.a as his guru, or spiritual master. Similarly, we should acceptonly K:rI}.a as the supreme spiritual master.When we speak of K:rI}.a, we include His confidential devotees; K:rI}.ais not alone. K:rI}.a ineludes His name, His form, His qualities, His abode,His associates, etc. For example, a king is always associated with hissecretary, his commander, his servant and so much paraphernalia. Assoon as we accept K:rI}.a and His associates as our preceptors, no ill effectscan destroy our knowledge. In the material world the knowledge we acquiremay change because of the influence of time, but nevertheless theconclusions received from Bhagavad-gita, directly from the speeches ofthe Supreme Lord K:rI}.a, can never change. There is no use interpretingBhagavad-gitii; it is eternal.K:rI}.a, the Supreme Lord, should be accepted as one's best friend. Hewill never cheat. He will always give His friendly advice and protectionto the devotee. If K:rI}.a is accepted as a son, He will never die. Here wemay have a very loving son or child, but the father and mother, or thosewho are affectionate toward him, always hope, "May my son not die."But K:rI}.a actually never will die. Therefore those who accept K:rI}.a, orthe Supreme Lord, as their son will never be bereft of their son. In manyinstances devotees have accepted the Deity as a son. In Bengal there aremany such instances, and even after the death of the devotee, the Deity

The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences 229performs the sriiddha ceremony for the father. The relationship is neverdestroyed. People are accustomed to worship different forms ofdemigods, but in Bhagavad-gitd such a mentality is condemned;therefore one should be intelligent enough to worship only the SupremePersonality of Godhead in His different forms such as Lakmi-Narayal)a,Sita-Rama and Radha-KtI)a. Thus one will never be cheated. Byworshiping the demigods, one may elevate himself to the higher planets,but during the dissolution of the material world, the deity and his abodewill be destroyed. But one who worships the Supreme Personality ofGodhead is promoted to the V aikul)tha planet, where there is no time,destruction or annihilation. The conclusion is that time cannot act upondevotees who have accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead aseverything.Spiritual life is eternal; it cannot be destroyed. Whatever we have herein the material world is subject to destruction. In this material world weaspire for a nice house, good property, children, friends and riches, butultimately all of these will be destroyed, including ourselves. Nothinghere is permanent; therefore everything is called illusory. Actually wedo not understand this; we take all this as permanent. The fact is,however, that only Knwa is permanent. KtI)a's material energy is notpermanent.Mayavadis think that in the spiritual world there are no relationships.However, in the sdstras it is stated that in the spiritual world there is reallife. Life in this material world is simply a shadow of that life. In the FifteenthChapter of Bhagavad-gitd this material world is likened to abanyan tree with its roots above and branches below. This means that itis like a shadow. When we stand beside a reservoir of water, we see thetree reflected upside down. We also have the experience of a mirage inthe material world. We think that there is water, but actually there isnone. Sometimes sailors at sea think they see land, but actually this is amirage in the water. This material world is like that. In our lives wethink we are enjoying some rasa, some relationship. Our children arecalling us father, and we are enjoying our relationship with our wife, butall of these relationships are like shadows, although people have no informationof this. The true enjoyment derived from these relationshipscan be attained in the spiritual world with KtI)a. KtI)a therefore comes

230 Teachings of Lord Kapilain person to teach us that we can enjoy the same relationship with Him.We can enjoy Him as our master, our friend, our son, our father or ourlover.The Mayavadi philosophers say that if J(r1,1a has become everything,there is no question of J(r1,1a as an entity or a person. This is a materialisticidea. If we tear up a piece of paper into small pieces and throwit away, the paper no longer has an existence. However, J(r1,1a is not likethat.advaitam acyutam anddim ananta-rapamiidyam purar:w-purU§am nava-yauvanam ca"I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [J(rI,la], whois the original person-absolute, infallible, without beginning, althoughexpanded into unlimited forms, still the same original, the oldest, andthe person always appearing as a fresh youth." (Brahma-samhitii 5.33)J(r1,1a has many millions of expansions, and He is also situated in everyone'sheart. He is not only within human beings but within animals,trees, plants-, aquatics and so forth. It is materialistic to think that J(r1,1ahas no individual existence if He has entered into so many millions ofhearts. Even though J(r1,1a has distributed Himself in many millions ofparts, He is still present in the same strength. J(r1,1a is sarvaiSvaryapurr:w.He is never diminished.There is an interesting story of a poor boy who was a student in school.During an annual Father's Day ceremony, the teacher requested the studentsto give some kind of a contribution. Formerly teachers would notearn a salary but would receive whatever the students would bring fromtheir parents' homes or by begging. Generally the briihmar:ws wereteachers, and they could not charge anything. Thus some studentsbrought the teacher rice, and some students brought other crops. Thisone student was so poor that he could think of nothing to bring;therefore he told his teacher that he would speak to his mother first.Mter school, the student told his mother, "My dear mother, all my classmateshave promised to contribute something to the teacher. What shall Icontribute?" The mother replied, "My dear son, we are so poor that wecannot give anything. However, J(r1,1a is the friend of the poor. If He

The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences 231gives you something, you can promise it to your teacher." "Oh, where is}(rr;ta?" the little boy asked. "Well, I understand that He is in theforest," the mother said. Therefore the little boy went to the forest andcalled for K:rr;ta. He then began to cry, and finally }(rr;ta came. When adevotee is very eager to see }(rr;ta, }(rr;ta is so kind that He comes. "So,what are you asking?" }(rr;ta said to the little boy. "You are the friend ofthe poor," the little boy said. "I am very poor, and what can I promisemy teacher?" }(rr;ta then told him, "You can tell him that you will supplyhim some yogurt, some dahi." The little boy was very satisfied withthis, and the next day he went to his teacher and said, "I will supply youas much yogurt as you need." The teacher felt that this was very nice,and he was pleased with the boy. On the day of the ceremony, the boyagain went to the forest and called for }(rr;ta. }(rr;ta appeared and gavehim a quart of yogurt. The little boy took this yogurt to his teacher andsaid, "This is my contribution, sir." The teacher looked at the quart andsaid, "What is this? Hundreds of people will be coming, and you haveonly given this much yogurt?" The teacher became so angry that hespilled the yogurt out of the container. When he bent down to pick it up,he saw that the container was again full. He dropped it again, and it wasagain full. He could then understand that it was spiritual.This is the nature of }(rr;ta. One can take everything, and yet the samewill remain. In the material world, one minus one equals zero, but in thespiritual world, one minus one equals one. That is called advaya-jfiana.There is no duality in the spiritual world. One plus one equals one, andone minus one equals one. If we love }(rr;ta, that love will not bedestroyed as love is in the material world. In the material world, a servantserves the master as long as the servant is pleased and as long as themaster is pleased. The servant is pleased as long as the master pays, andthe master is pleased as long as the servant renders good service.However, in the spiritual world, if the servant cannot serve under certainconditions, the master is still pleased. And if the master does notpay, the servant is also pleased. That is called oneness, absolute. A gurumay have hundreds of disciples, hundreds of servants, but he doesn'thave to pay them. They are serving out of spiritual love, and the guru isteaching without receiving a salary. This is a spiritual relationship. Thereare no cheaters and cheated in such a relationship. If we accept }(rr;ta as

232 Teachings of Lord Kapilaour son, friend or lover, we will never be cheated. However, we have togive up the false, illusory servant, son, father or lover, for they willsurely cheat us. We may love our son with our heart and soul, but thatvery son may some day be our enemy. We may love our wife very much,but some day that wife may be such an enemy that she will kill us for herown interests. There are many instances of this in history. Mayavadi philosophersare afraid of having such relationships because they have bitterexperience with these relationships in the material world. Theytherefore want to negate all relationships, and therefore they say no moreson, daughter, lover, master or whatever. Being disgusted with thesethings, they try to make everything void. Yet if we have the same relationshipwith KrJ.la, we will never be cheated or disappointed. Our enthusiasmwill increase more and more. Therefore KrJ.la encourages us toaccept Him as our son, as our friend and as our master. Then we will behappy.TEXTS 39-40imam lOkam tathaivamumatmanam ubhayayinamatmanam anu ye cehaye rayab- pa5avo grhabvisrjyasarvan anyams camam evam viSvato-mukhambhajanty ananyaya bhaktyatan mrtyor atiparayeTRANSLATIONThus the devotee who worships Me, the all-pervading Lord ofthe universe, with unflinching devotional service, gives up allaspirations for promotion to heavenly planets or happiness in thisworld with wealth, children, cows, home or anything in relationshipwith the body. I take him to the other side of birth and death.

The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences 233PURPORTUnflinching devotional service, as described in these two verses,means engaging oneself in full 1,1a consciousness, or devotional service,accepting the Supreme Lord as all in all. Since the Supreme Lord isall-inclusive, if anyone worships Him with unflinching faith, one hasautomatically achieved all other opulences and performed all otherduties. The Lord promises herein that He takes His devotee to the otherside of birth and death. Lord Caitanya, therefore, recommended that onewho aspires to go beyond birth and death should have no material possessions.This means that one should not try to be happy in this world or tobe promoted to the heavenly world, nor should he strive for materialwealth, children, houses or cows.How liberation is imperceptibly achieved by a pure devotee and whatthe symptoms are have been explained. The situation with a conditionedsoul is different, however. If he is in the mode of goodness, he may bepreparing for promotion to the higher planets; if he is in the mode ofpassion, he will remain here in a society where activity is very prominent,and if he is in the mode of ignorance, he may be degraded toanimal life or a lower grade of human life. But for a devotee there is noconcern for this life or the next life because in any life he does not desirematerial elevation. He prays to the Lord, "My dear Lord, it does not matterwhere I am born, but let me be born, even as an ant, in the house of adevotee." A pure devotee does not pray to the Lord for liberation fromthis material bondage. Actually, the pure devotee never thinks that he isfit for liberation. Considering his past life and his mischievous activities,he thinks that he is fit to be sent to the lowest region of hell. If in this lifeI am trying to become a devotee, this does not mean that in my many pastlives I was one hundred percent pious. That is not possible. A devotee,therefore, is always conscious of his real position. Only by his full surrenderto the Lord, by the Lord's grace, are his sufferings mitigated. Asstated in Bhagavad-gita, "Surrender unto Me, and I will give you protectionfrom all kinds of sinful reaction." That is His mercy. But this doesnot mean that one who has surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord hascommitted no misdeeds in his past life. A devotee always prays, "For mymisdeeds, may I be born again and again, but my only prayer is that Imay not forget Your service." The devotee has such mental strength, and

234 Teachings of Lord Kapilahe prays to the Lord: "May I be born again and again, but let me be bornin the home of Your pure devotee so that I may again get a chance todevelop my spiritual life."A pure devotee is not anxious to elevate himself in his next birth. Hehas already given up that sort of hope. In any life in which one is born, asa householder, or even as an animal, he must have some children, someresources or some possessions, but a devotee is not anxious to possessanything. He is satisfied with whatever is obtainable by God's grace. Heis not at all attached to improving his social status or the education of hischildren. He is not neglectful-he is dutiful-but he does not spend toomuch time on the improvement of temporary household or social life. Hefully engages in the service of the Lord, and for other affairs he simplyspares as much time as absolutely necessary (yathartham upayuiijatal;t).Such a pure devotee does not care what is going to happen in the next lifeor in this life; he does not care even for family, children or society. Hefully engages in the service of the Lord in I).a consciousness. It isstated in Bhagavad-gita that without the knowledge of the devotee, theLord arranges for His devotee to be immediately transferred to His transcendentalabode just after leaving his body. After quitting his body hedoes not go into the womb of another mother. The ordinary common livingentity, after death, is transferred to the womb of another mother, accordingto his karma, or activities, to take another type of body. But asfar as the devotee is concerned, he is at once transferred to the spiritualworld in the association of the Lord. That is the Lord's special mercy. BecauseHe is all-powerful, the Lord can do anything and everything. Hecan excuse all sinful reactions. He can immediately transfer a person toVaikul).thaloka. That is the inconceivable power of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, who is favorably disposed to the pure devotees.In these verses, Kapiladeva is describing the devotee's acceptance ofI).a, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the most dear to us. If wewant to love I).a as a son, K:rI).a is prepared to be our son. Arjuna acceptedK:rI).a as his friend, and I).a was his best friend. Everyone canaccept I).a in so many ways. We can love I).a as Arjuna did, or asmother Yasoda did. Similarly, Parikit Maharaja simply heard aboutI).a and developed love. The first-class yogi takes I).a as everything-priya,suta, sakha, guru, everything. This is real bhakti. If wewant a son, I).a is prepared to be our son. If we want a lover, He is pre-

The Pure Devotees' Spiritual Opulences 235p ared to be our lover. If we want a friend, He is p re pared to be ourfriend. Whatever relationshi p we want in the material world, we canhave with Kt!?I)a. We all have some loving p ro p ensity, and K:r!?I)a is p repared to fulfill this p ro p ensity. K:r!?I)a is not a person like ourselves. Weoccu p y one body, but K:r!?I)a is the owner of all bodies. The body is amachine given by K:r!?I)a. In the material world, a father may give his sona car. Similarly, K:r!?I)a gives the living entities bodies, 8,400,000 differentty p es of bodies. The living entity gets into the body just as a p ersongets into a car, and he goes this way and that. We can drive thismachine called the body for so many years; then it becomes old, and wehve to change it for another machine. This is the p rocess of birth anddeath. We drive one car for a while, and the car is finally broken, or it issmashed. We may have an accident or not, but eventually the car has togo to the junk yard. Then we have to get another car.Actually our p osition is that we never take birth and never die, butwhy have we been p ut into this p osition of acce p ting these machines?This is our real problem. What is the cause of this? We want to enjoy thismaterial world with its wealth and p ossessions. As long as we are aftermaterial p ossessions, we cannot transcend the cycle of birth and death.However, we have to give u p all this and take shelter of K:r!?I)a, theSu p reme Personality of Godhead, and worshi p Him. Nor can we worshi pHim whimsically, but as He desires. If Kt!?I)a says, "I want a glass ofwater," we must bring Him water. We cannot say, "Milk is better thanwater. I think I will bring Him milk." This is not favorable service. Someso-called bhaktas say, "I can worshi p the Lord in my own way." This issim p ly imagination. The Mayavadis say that Brahman has no rupa, noform, and they suggest that we imagine some form. This is not the casewith K:r!?I)a. K:r!?I)a is p resent in His original form, and He is described inVedic literatures. We have recounted these descri p tions before. If wewant to attain a body like Brahma's, we can get it. If we want a body likea worm in stool, we can get it. Or, if we want a body like K:r!?I)a's, we canget that also. That is our real body of sac-cid-iinanda. We can also get abody like a demigod's and go to the heavenly p lanets. Or we can remainhere in the middle p lanetary system. Our destination is our own choice.We are given full freedom through our activities. By p ious activities, wego to the heavenly p lanets, and by K:r!?I)a conscious activities, we go toV aikul)thaloka.

236 Teachings of Lord Kapila ·We are part and parcel of Kt!?f;la, but somehow or other we haveforgotten this. In Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 20: 117) it is said:kmm bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukhaataeva maya tare deya sarhsara-dul;tkha"Forgetting Kt?f;la, the living entity has been attracted by the externalfeature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy [maya]gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence." Because we haveforgotten Kt?f;la, Kt?l;la has given us all these Vedas and PuraT)aS. Kt?l;laalso comes into this material world in order to remind us of Himself. Inthis Kali-yuga, people are forgetting Kt?f;la more and more. They are noteven interested in Him, but Kt?f;la is interested because we are His sons.A mad son may no longer be interested in his home, in his father ormother, yet the father never loses interest in his son. He is anxious becausehis boy has left home and is suffering. Similarly, Kt?l;la's sonleaves the spiritual sky and takes up one material body after another andin this way travels from one planet to another in different species of life.Therefore Kt?l;la comes to rescue him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEENTaking Shelter of Kff1J.l&,the Supreme ControllerTEXT 41ndnyatra mad-bhagavatab,pradhana-puesvaratatmanab, sarva-bhutanambhayam tivram nivartateTRANSLATIONThe terrible fear of birth and death can never be forsaken byanyone who resorts to any shelter other than Myself, for I am thealmighty Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the originalsource of all creation, and also the Supreme Soul of all souls.PURPORTIt is indicated herein that the cycle of birth and death cannot bestopped unless one is a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord. It is said,harim vind naiva srtim taranti. One cannot surpass the cycle of birth anddeath unless one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thesame concept is confirmed herewith: one may take to the system ofunderstanding the Absolute Truth by one's own imperfect sensoryspeculation, or one may try to realize the self by the mystic yoga process;but whatever one may do, unless he comes to the point of surrendering tothe Supreme Personality of Godhead, no process can give him liberation.One may ask if this means that those who are undergoing so muchpenance and austerity by strictly following the rules and regulations areendeavoring in vain. The answer is given by Srimad-Bhagavatam237

238 Teachings of Lord Kapila(10.2.32): ye nye 'ravindak$a vimukta-manina/:t. Lord Brahma andother demigods prayed to the Lord when a was in the womb ofDevaki: "My dear lotus-eyed Lord, there are persons who are puffed upwith the thought that they have become liberated or one with God orhave become God, but they are unintelligent." It is stated that their intelligence,whether high or low, is not even purified. With purified intelligence,a living entity cannot think otherwise than to surrender.Bhagavad-gita, therefore, confirms that purified intelligence arises in avery wise man. Bahtinam janmanam ante jiitinavan mam prapadyate.Mter many, many births, one who is actually advanced in intelligencesurrenders unto the Supreme Lord.Without surrendering, one cannot achieve liberation. The Bhiigavatamsays, "Those who are simply puffed up, thinking themselvesliberated by some nondevotional process, are not intelligent because theyhave not yet surrendered unto You. In spite of executing all kinds ofausterities and penances or even arriving at the brink of Brahmanrealization, they think that they are in the effulgence of Brahman. Butactually, because they have no transcendental activities, they fall down tomaterial activities." One should not be satisfied simply with knowingthat he is Brahman. He must engage himself in the service of theSupreme Brahman; that is bhakti. The engagement of Brahman shouldbe the service of Parabrahman. It is said that unless one becomes Brahman,one cannot serve Brahman. The Supreme Brahman is the SupremePersonality of Godhead, and the living entity is also Brahman. Withoutrealizing that he is Brahman, spirit soul, an eternal servitor of the Lord,if one simply thinks that he is Brahman, his realization is only theoretical.He has to realize and at the same time engage himself in the devotionalservice of the Lord; then he can exist in the Brahman status.Otherwise he falls down.The Bhagavatam says that because nondevotees neglect the transcendentalloving service of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead,their intelligence is not pure, and therefore they fall down. The livingentity must have some activity. If he does not engage in the activity oftranscendental service, he must fall down to material activity. As soon asone falls down to material activity, there is no rescue from the cycle ofbirth and death. It is stated here by Lord Kapila, "Without My mercy"(nanyatra mad-bhagavataiJ,}. The Lord is stated here to be Bhagavan,

238 Teachings of Lord Kapila(10.2.32): ye nye 'ravindak$a vimukta-manina/:t. Lord Brahma andother demigods prayed to the Lord when a was in the womb ofDevaki: "My dear lotus-eyed Lord, there are persons who are puffed upwith the thought that they have become liberated or one with God orhave become God, but they are unintelligent." It is stated that their intelligence,whether high or low, is not even purified. With purified intelligence,a living entity cannot think otherwise than to surrender.Bhagavad-gita, therefore, confirms that purified intelligence arises in avery wise man. Bahtinam janmanam ante jfidnavan mam prapadyate.Mter many, many births, one who is actually advanced in intelligencesurrenders unto the Supreme Lord.Without surrendering, one cannot achieve liberation. The Bhagavatamsays, "Those who are simply puffed up, thinking themselvesliberated by some nondevotional process, are not intelligent because theyhave not yet surrendered unto You. In spite of executing all kinds ofausterities and penances or even arriving at the brink of Brahmanrealization, they think that they are in the effulgence of Brahman. Butactually, because they have no transcendental activities, they fall down tomaterial activities." One should not be satisfied simply with knowingthat he is Brahman. He must engage himself in the service of theSupreme Brahman; that is bhakti. The engagement of Brahman shouldbe the service of Parabrahman. It is said that unless one becomes Brahman,one cannot serve Brahman. The Supreme Brahman is the SupremePersonality of Godhead, and the living entity is also Brahman. Withoutrealizing that he is Brahman, spirit soul, an eternal servitor of the Lord,if one simply thinks that he is Brahman, his realization is only theoretical.He has to realize and at the same time engage himself in the devotionalservice of the Lord; then he can exist in the Brahman status.Otherwise he falls down.The Bhagavatam says that because nondevotees neglect the transcendentalloving service of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead,their intelligence is not pure, and therefore they fall down. The livingentity must have some activity. If he does not engage in the activity oftranscendental service, he must fall down to material activity. As soon asone falls down to material activity, there is no rescue from the cycle ofbirth and death. It is stated here by Lord Kapila, "Without My mercy"(nanyatra mad-bhagavata/:t). The Lord is stated here to be Bhagavan,

Taking Shelter of fl].&, the Supreme Controller 239the Supreme Personality of Godhead, indicating that He is full of all opulencesand is therefore perfectly competent to deliver one from the cycleof birth and death. He is also called pradhana because He is theSupreme. He is equal to everyone, but to one who surrenders to Him Heis especially favorable. It is also confirmed in Bhagavad-g'ita that theLord is equal to everyone; no one is His enemy and no one is His friend.But to one who surrenders unto Him, He is especially inclined. By thegrace of the Lord, simply by surrendering unto Him one can get out ofthis cycle of birth and death. Otherwise, he may go on in many, manylives and may many times attempt other processes for liberation.-Presently we are so dull and foolish that we do not know what isbhayam and tivram. The word tivram means "very terrible," andbhayam means "very fearsome." We are entangled by a very terriblefear, but we have become so dull due to the spell of maya that we do notcare. At the time of death there are many troubles, and we become veryfearful. Sometimes, when a person is dying, he falls into a coma and liesunconscious. We do not know what kind of fearful test this person isundergoing. He may be dreaming so many things, or he may be crying.He cannot express what is going on. Those who are very sinful especiallydie in that way. After death, one has to enter into the womb of anothermother. That is also a very fearful stage. One becomes packed in a bag,and this bag is filled with stool and urine, and one has to remain packedin this airtight bag for nine months.This is a horrible situation, but we have forgotten all about it.Therefore l(r![!I).a says in Bhagavad-g'itd that our real trouble is janmamrtyu-birth and death. When the living entity is packed in the womb,unable to move, he prays to God, "Please relieve me from this horriblecondition. If You relieve me, I shall worship You." Finally, after ninemonths, the living entity emerges from the womb, and then he alsoundergoes so many troubles trying to adjust to the atmosphere of a newplanet. As an infant, he cries and cries, and he is totally dependent on hismother's mercy. Sometimes a mother cannot understand what the childwants. Sometimes an ant may be biting the child, but the mother thinksthat the child is hungry. There are bugs, worms, mosquitoes, stool,urine and so many things attacking the new body. These are thethreefold miseries, yet we think that we have made such progress. Weare being attacked moment after moment by one thing after another, yet

240 Teachings of Lord Kapilapeople close their eyes to birth, old age, disease and death. The atheistswant to forget these miseries, and therefore they like to think that thereis no life after death. They are like ostriches, who stick their head in theground when an enemy approaches.Although the living entity in the womb promises to worship KrI,la,when he is delivered from the womb he does not fulfill his promise. Assoon as he is born and grows up, he begins to acquire a good bankbalance, a wife and children and then begins to think that his problemsare solved and that he will live very happily. Actually his problems arenot solved. He may have some temporary facilities, but the main problemis still there. Every minute, every second, people are dying and going toYamaraja. Those who are living are thinking that they will not die. Theysee that their friends are dying, but somehow or other they think thatthey are eternal. Yudhithira Maharaja said that this was the most amazingthing in the world. No one thinks that he is going to die, althougheveryone else is dying.The living entity thinks that he is very happy in whatever body hegets. He may get the body of a dog or the body of a cat, but he is happy inhis body, and he does not want to lose it. This is called illusion. When anant sees danger, he will run like anything. This is because he values hisbody and does not want to lose it. Once Lord lndra, the King of theheavenly planets, was cursed by B:rhaspati to become a hog. He was goingabout on earth enjoying his hog body when finally Lord Brahma cameand told him, "My dear lndra, you have suffered enough. Now come. with me and return to your heavenly kingdom." lndra in the form of ahog said, "Where shall I go?" "To the heavens," Lord Brahma replied.It was then that lndra said, "No, I have my family and children. How canI go? I am very happy. Let me remain here." In this way, everyone isthinking that he is very happy, although he is in a horrible and fearsomecondition. However, one who is actually intelligent can understand thathe is not actually happy, that he is suffering. It is said that ignorance isbliss, but this is the bliss of a hog. When one actually comes to the understandingthat he is not actually happy in the material world, he can beginto relieve his suffering.There is no possibility of being liberated from suffering without takingshelter at KrI,la's lotus feet. People are thinking that they can relievesuffering through abortion, by killing the child within the womb. In this

Taking Shelter of 1\nl}.a, the Supreme Controller 241way they are committing one sin after another and becoming more andmore entangled. Consequently the aborted living entity will have to enterinto the womb of another mother in order to undergo the birth that he isdestined to take. Then, when he enters the womb of another mother, hemay again be killed, and for many years he may not be allowed to see thelight of the sun. In this Kali-yuga, people are becoming so sinful thatthere is no possibility of rescue unless one takes to _Kr1,1a consciousness.The entire human civilization is falling into the illusory :fire of maya.People fly into the :fire just like moths. When there is a beautiful fire,moths come from a long distance, enter it and go pop, pop, pop. In thisway one dies, takes birth and suffers and dies again.Yet _Kr1,1a and His devotees are so kind and compassionate that theyare unhappy to see all the misery of this material world. _Kr1,1a is thefather of all living entities, and He is very unhappy to see His sonssuffer. 1,1a therefore comes and canvasses: ''Why are you captivatedby this false, so-called happiness? Give up all of this and surrender toMe. Come to Me, and I will relieve you. You will then live happily, eternallyand blissfully. You will not have any want, nor will you be troubledby anything." For this reason _Kr1,1a comes. Actually He has no otherbusiness to carry out here because His agent prakrti does everything.Nonetheless, out of compassion _Kr1,1a comes in His original form or in anincarnation like Kapiladeva. _Kr1,1a also sends His representative, whosays, "You rascal! Simply take shelter of _Kr1,1a and be happy."_Kr1,1a comes once in a day of Brahma, and His incarnations also come,to educate foolish people who think that they are living happily on thisearth. Kapiladeva comes to propound this Sailkhya philosophy, which isunalloyed devotion to the Lord. Herein Kapiladeva says that one is condemnedto death unless he takes shelter of the Lord. There is no otherway to be saved. We are all in a very fearful situation, but we do notunderstand this. Under the spell of maya, we are thinking we are veryhappy, but this is not a fact. If we want relief from our dangerous situation,we have to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead andrevive our old connection with Him. What is that connection? We are allHis eternal servants. We should not foolishly think that we can becomeone with God or equal to God. This is all the result of rascaldom. Thebeginning of knowledge is to understand that we are the eternal sons andservants of _Kr1,1a. There is no difference between a son and a servant.

242 Teachings of Lord KapilaThe son serves the father, just as the servant serves the master. There isaffection between master and servant and son and father. The father alsoserves the son in so many ways; therefore the relationship is reciprocal.Caitanya Mahaprabhu has defined our original svarupa, our originalidentity, as that of eternal servant. People are artificially thinking, "I amindependent. I am no one's servant. I have become God. I have becomeBhagavan. I am this, or I am that."In the material world, it is not very pleasant to be a servant of anyone.We think that being God's servant is like this because we are materiallyinfected. We are thinking that being a servant of God is like being a servantof some man, but in the spiritual world the servant and the servedare the same. For instance, the guru is the servant of KrI).a, but he isaccepted as KrI).a.saad dharitvena samasta-sastrairuktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhib,kintu prabhor yab, priya eva tasyavande gurob, sri-caral;Uiravindam"The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord becausehe is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This isacknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities.Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such aspiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Sri Hari [KrI).a]."(Gurv-taka 7) This is the verdict of all sastras. The guru never says, "Iam KrI).a, I am God, I am Bhagavan." Rather, the guru says, "I am themost humble servant of the servant of the servant of God." He does noteven say that he is the direct servant. Rather, he is the servantone hundred times removed. Gopi-bhartub, pada-kamalayor dasadasanudasa.We should not try to become direct servants, for that is notpossible. First of all we must become the servant of the servant. The guruis the servant of K:rI).a, and if we become his servant, we become an actualbona fide servant. That is our real position. Therefore CaitanyaMahaprabhu prays:ayi nanda-tanuja kinkarampatitam mam vame bhavambudhau

Taking Shelter of Kf•a, the Supreme Controller 243"0 son of Nanda Maharaja, I am Your eternal servant, but somehow orother I have fallen into this ocean of birth and death." (Siksastaka 5)Caitanya Mahaprabhu addresses the Supreme Lord 1,1a as the son ofNanda Maharaja. 1,1a is very pleased if one addresses Him as the son ofVasudeva, Yasoda or Maharaja Nanda. 1,1a likes to be named in relationto His pure devotees. Therefore He is called Yasoda-nandana,Nanda-nandana, Vasudeva-nandana, Radhika-rama1,1a and so on. ThusCaitanya Mahaprabhu addresses 1,1a in this way. He says that althoughHe is 1,1a's eternal servant, somehow He has fallen into the ocean ofbirth and death, accepting one body after another, dying and being bornagain, not only in this planet but throughout the whole universe, inmany species of life. This is the situation with conditioned living entities,wandering from one life to another and from one planet to another formillions upon millions of years. We do not care about this because we saythat we are brave and not afraid. We are very proud in this way, but thisis a fool's pride. It is said, Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Inorder to save ourselves from this fearful situation, we must take shelterof the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the verdict of all thesastras, and 1,1a comes for this purpose and sends His devotees, whowork day and night to propagate this 1,1a consciousness movement.TEXT 42mad-bhayad vati vato yamsuryas tapati mad-bhayatvar§atindro dahaty agnirmrtyus carati mad-bhayatTRANSLATIONIt is because of My supremacy that the wind blows, out of fear ofMe; the sun shines out of fear of Me, and the lord of the clouds,Indra, sends forth showers out of fear of Me. Fire burns out offear of Me, and death goes about taking its toll out of fear of Me.PURPORTThe Supreme Personality of Godhead, 1,1a, says in Bhagavad-gitathat the natural laws are perfect because of His superintendence. No one

244 Teachings of Lord Kapilashould think that nature is working automatically, without superintendence.The Vedic literature says that the clouds are controlled by thedemigod Indra, heat is distributed by the sun-god, the soothingmoonlight is distributed by Candra and the air is blowing under the arrangementof the demigod Vayu. But above all these demigods is theSupreme Personality of Godhead, the chief living entity. Nityo nityanarilcetana§ cetananam. The demigods are also ordinary living entities, butdue to their faithfulness-their devotional service-they have been promotedto such posts. These different demigods, or directors, such asCandra, VaruQ.a and Vayu, are called adhikari-devata. The demigods aredepartmental heads. The government of the Supreme Lord consists notonly of one planet or two or three; there are millions of planets andmillions of universes. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has a hugegovernment, and He requires assistants. The demigods are consideredHis bodily limbs. These are described in Vedic literature. The sun-god,moon-god, fire-god and air-god are working under the direction ofthe Supreme Lord. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (9.10),mayadhya/cyer;w prakrti silyate sa-caracararri. The natural laws arebeing conducted under His superintendence. Because He is in the background,everything is being performed punctually and regularly.One who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead iscompletely protected from all other influences. He no longer serves or isobliged to anyone else. Of course he is not disobedient to anyone, but hisfull power of thought is absorbed in the service of the Lord. The statementsby the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kapila, that under Hisdirection the air is blowing, the fire is burning, the sun is givingheat, etc., are not sentimental. The impersonalist may say that theBhagavatam devotees create and imagine someone as the Supreme Personalityof Godhead and assign qualifications to Him; but actually it isneither imagination nor an imposition of artificial power in the name ofGodhead. In the Vedas it is said, bhi$asmad vata pavatel bhi$odetisilrya: "Out of fear of the Supreme Lord, the wind-god and the sun-godare acting." Bhi$asmad agniS cendra§ cal mrtyur dhavati paficama:"Agni, lndra and tyu are also acting under His direction." These arethe statements of the Vedas.If the demigods are subject to fear, what of ordinary living entities?Material life is not very happy because we are always fearful of some-

Taking Shelter of 1\.n;ta, the Supreme Controller 245thing. No one can say, "I am not afraid of anything." Everyone is afraidof something. There is not a bird, beast, human being or living entityalive that is not afraid of something. This is because we are absorbed inthe bodily conception, thinking, "I am this body." Since everyone isthinking in this way, everyone fears bodily destruction. When there wasan earthquake in Los Angeles, everyone ran out their houses screaming.Everyone was terrified, thinking, "Now death is coming!" This is materialnature. There are many events in nature that cause fear. There aregreat cyclones and tornadoes. There is excessive heat and excessive rain.There is flood and famine and war. Yet people are thinking of beinghappy on this planet.Modern scientists say that there are no demigods and that there is noGod, that all events are being carried out by nature. It is true that natureis working, but nature, after all, is nothing but matter. Matter cannotwork without being directed by a living being. We cannot say that matterworks independently. In the ocean we always see that there are greatwaves moving. Water is dull matter, but the air is pushing these greatwaves and dashing them onto the earth. Scientists say that nature worksin this way and that, but nature is not independent. We receive informationfrom authoritative sdstras that nature is moving under the directionof the demigods. So we cannot say that these processes are automaticallytaking place. Scientists admit that nature is working in a wonderful way,but, after all, nature is not under their control. The scientists may acceptor defy KtI)a, but they cannot defy the activities of nature. Everyone issubordinate to nature. Nature, however, is working under the directionof God; therefore everyone is subordinate to God.The sun, oceans, land, space and everything else in material creationare but manifestations of KtI)a's external energy. Nothing is independentof KtI)a or His energy. In Brahma-sarhhita (5.44) it is said thatmaterial nature is so powerful that it can create, maintain and destroy initself: Sr$#-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka. However, material natureis working just like a shadow. If we place our hand before a light, we cansee its shadow move on a wall. Similarly, material nature is working dueto the touch of spirit soul. It is not possible for an automobile to drive itself.A person, a spirit soul, must be within to push certain buttons. Dueto the touch of the spirit soul, the machine is moving. The entire universeis similarly moving due to the touch of God. According to the

246 Teachings of Lord Kapilasastras, the wind is blowing, the water is moving, the sun is shining andthe earth is revolving under the direction of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. If the directors of the different material elements do not workproperly, they are punished by their master, l?l,la.When l?l,la was present on this earth, He saw that Lord Indra, thelord of the heavens and of rain, was somewhat puffed up. l?l,latherefore advised His father Nanda Maharaja not to bother worshipingIndra. He told His father, "There is no need to offer sacrifices to Indra. Itis better to worship Govardhana Hill, which is the representative of God.The cows receive their grass and grains from Govardhana Hill; thereforeit is better to worship it." At first, Nanda Maharaja was not willing to dothis, but out of affection for l?l,la, he finally agreed. When Indra sawthat Nanda Maharaja was worshiping Govardhana Hill, he became veryangry and sent vicious clouds to inundate all of V:rndavana with a flood.l?l,la then showed Indra that his power was not even competent to dealwith the little finger of His left hand. Therefore l?l,la lifted GovardhanaHill with the small finger of His left hand and used it as an umbrella tosave all the people of V:rndavana from Indra's torrents. All of this is relatedin Srimad-Bhagavatam.Thus everyone is a servant. No one can actually claim to be master. Ifwe simply ' take shelter of K:r?I,Ia, we do not have to offer sacrifices tovarious demigods. If we water the root of a tree, we do not have to waterthe branches, twigs, flowers or fruits. If we supply food to the stomach,we do not have to feed the eyes, hands and legs separately. Similarly, ifwe worship l?l,la, the source of everything, no other worship isnecessary.Large amounts of wealth are necessary to perform sacrifices. In formerages, tons of food were offered in a fire as a sacrifice, but this is not possiblein this age. Therefore sarikirtana-yajiia, the chanting of the Harel?l,la maha-mantra, is recommended. Anyone can chant Hare K:r?I,Ia.There is no need for instruments, although Caitanya Mahaprabhu introducedthe mrdanga (drum) and karatalas (cymbals). Otherwise, clappingin itself is sufficient. Anyone can sit down with his family, claphands and chant Hare l?l,la, Hare l?l,la, l?l,la l?l,la, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This sarikirtana is veryeasy to perform. In the evening people go to restaurants and cinemas andwaste time and money at clubs and dances. They are not aware of the

"'Taking Shelter of fq.a, the Supreme Controller 24 7fearful situation of birth, old age, disease and death. People are carriedaway by the waves of material nature, and they have submitted to itslaws. We should not waste our time in this valuable human form butshould begin to solve our problems.Eventually everything on this earth will be annihilated. At present,three fourths of this earth is covered with water. In the beginning, theentire earth was covered with water, but gradually the water is dryingup, and more land is emerging. Since the land has emerged, we havecalculated that this is the Asian continent, this is North America, SouthAmerica, Africa and so on. Eventually there will be no water but onlyland, and this means that there will ultimately be destruction. Since therewill be no water, the heat will be scorching, and eventually the earth willbe burned to ashes. Then again there will be rainfall, and everything willbe mixed up again, and again there will be destruction. In this way thingscome into existence and are dissolved. Similarly, this body comes into existence,takes a nice form, and then is finally finished forever. We willthen have to get another body. The body is like a bubble. It is present forone moment, then it bursts and is gone forever.We simply take on one bubble after another, one body after another,and we think that we will become happy in this way because we are sofoolish. f?I,la comes as a person like us, but we are such rascals that wethink He is simply a man, and this is our misfortune. If we just surrenderunto f?I,la, we will no longer be subjected to the karma of differentbodies. Even if we attempt to render some devotional service toHim and fall down, we lose nothing and gain everything. A human life isguaranteed in our next birth. It is therefore to our benefit to acceptf?I,la.

CHAPTER EIGHTEENDevotional Service: The Final PerfectionTEXT 43jnana-vairagya-yuktenabhakti-yogena yoginab,lcyemaya piida-mulam mepraviSanty akuto-bhayamTRANSLATIONThe yogis, equipped with transcendental knowledge and renunciationand engaged in devotional service for their eternal benefit,take shelter at My lotus feet, and since I am the Lord, they are thuseligible to enter into the kingdom of Godhead without fear.PURPORTOne who wants to be liberated from the entanglement of this materialworld and go back home, back to Godhead, is actually a mystic yogi. Thewords explicitly used here are yuktena bhakti-yogena. Those yogis, ormystics, who engage in devotional service are first-class yogis. They aredescribed in Bhagavad-gitd as constantly thinking of the Lord, theSupreme Personality of Godhead, KtJ.la. These yogis are not withoutknowledge and renunciation. To become a bhakti-yogi means to automaticallyattain knowledge and renunciation. That is the consequentresult of bhakti-yoga. In the Bhagavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter,it is also confirmed that one who engages in devotional service ofVasudeva, KtJ.la, has complete transcendental knowledge and renunciation,and there is no further explanation for these attainments.Ahaituki-without reason, they come. Even if a person is completely illiterate,the transcendental knowledge of the scriptures is revealed unto249

250 Teachings of Lord Kapilahim because of his devotion. To anyone who has full faith in theSupreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master, all the importof the Vedic literatures is revealed. One doesn't have to seek separately;the yogis who engage in devotional service are full in knowledge andrenunciation. If there is a lack of knowledge and renunciation, it is to beunderstood that one is not engaged in full devotional service. The conclusionis that one cannot be sure of entrance into the spiritual realm-ineither the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence of the Lord or theVaikm.ltha planets within that Brahman effulgence-unless he is surrenderedunto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. The surrendered souls arecalled akuto-bhaya. They are doubtless and fearless, and their entranceinto the spiritual kingdom is guaranteed.Devotional service is most important because there is danger in everystep in this material world. At any moment, our life can be finished. Wemay be walking along very nicely, but at some moment we may slip andbreak our neck; therefore this planet is called Martyaloka, the planet ofdeath, the place where death is a certainty. Regardless of how strong orhealthy one may be, one cannot avoid death. One may exercise on thebeach daily, but one may die at any moment. There is no guarantee.Everyone wants health and security, but actually there is no security.There is simply a struggl.e for existence. People are struggling forsecurity, but in reality this is all foolishness. People are always fearfulbecause they have forgotten or rejected Qa. We have forgotten thatwe are Qa's eternal servants, His eternal parts and parcels, and thatwe have a most intimate relationship with Him. In the material world weare situated in asat, a nonpermanent situation. When a child has lost hisfather and mother, he is always in a fearful condition. He cries in thestreet, "Where is my father? Where is my mother?" If we no longerwant to be in such a fearful condition, we have to take shelter at the lotusfeet of KtQa. KtQa is begging us to come to Him because we are all Hissons. He says, "You are rotting here by repeatedly committing sins .. Youare changing from one body to another, and you are thinking that youare a human being, an American, this or that. The next moment you maybecome a dog or an insect." People are always thinking that they aresecure, and this is called maya, illusion.Knowledge, jiiana, means understanding our relationship with Qa.A wise man asks, "What is my duty to Qa?" Once we understand our

Devotional Service: The inal Perfection 251relationship, with .Kr?Q.a and our duty to Him, we naturally become reluctantto engage in material activities. This is called vairagya, detachmentfrom material activities. ]ftiina and vairagya can be awakened by bhaktiyoga.Bhakti means surrender unto .Kr?Q.a. Without surrendring to.Kr?Q.a, we cannot understand our situation . .Kr?Q.a reserves the right ofnot being exposed to fools and rascals. He is simply meant for the devotees.We cannot understand K:r?Q.a without becoming devotees.Material life means sex. People work hard all day in order to have alittle sex at night. In the material world everyone is suffering from thesarp arrow of Cupid. Madana, Cupid, shoots his arrow into men andwomen to make them mad after one another; however, when one actuallysees .Kr?Q.a, he sees Madana-mohana, the charmer of Cupid. Thenone is no longer pierced by Cupid's arrow. This means that one actuallybecomes fearless. One can then enter into bhakti-yoga and renounce thismaterial world. According to the siistras, there is sreyas and preyas.Sreyas is the ultimate goal. We should act in such a way that ultimatelywe will become happy. However, if we want immediate happiness anddisregard the future, we want preyas. Preyas is for unintelligent peopleand children. A child enjoys playing all day; he does not want to be sentto school to be educated. Education is sreyas, the ultimate goal. No one isinterested in this. The sastras instruct us to aim for sreyas and not becaptivated by preyas. The supreme sreyas is bhakti-yoga.In the material world we are struggling for existence with the hopethat someday in the future we will be happy. Yet we are bewildered. Ananimal in the desert sees a mirage, a shadow of water, and he runs afterthis shadow again and again. He runs further and further, and in thisway, as he crosses the hot sands, he becomes more and more thirsty andhe finally dies. Our struggle for existence is like this. We are thinking,"Let me go a little further. There will be water eventually. There willeventually be happiness." Yet there is no water in the desert. Those whoare unintelligent, who are like animals, seek happiness in the desert ofthe material world. This false attachment has to be given up by the processof bhakti-yoga. This must be taken up very seriously, not artificially. .Kr?Q.a in all seriousness wants to see whether one has finishedall his material desires. When .Kr?Q.a sees this, He is very pleased. We areactually busy with dharma, artha, kama and mok$a, but when wetranscend these, bhakti begins.

252 Teachings of Lord KapilaIf we study the history of the world, we see that it is simply a historyof struggle. Mankind attempts to relieve its miserable condition, but itsimply brings about another miserable condition. As we try to overcomeone problem, another problem arises. Our determination to renounce ourassociation with this material world is called mukti. Mukti means comingto the spiritual platform. Since we belong to the spiritual atmosphere, itis impossible for us to be happy in the material atmosphere. If a landanimal is placed in water, he will simply struggle for existence, despitebeing an expert swimmer. We have come into this material world togratify our senses, but our attempts will never be successful. If we actuallywant to attain a state beyond fear, we have to accept this bhaktiyogaprocess enunciated by Lord Kapiladeva.TEXT 44etavan eva loke 'sminpurilsaril nii)Sreyasodayab,tivre{Ul bhakti-yogenamano mayy arpitaril sthiramTRANSLATIONTherefore persons whose minds are fixed on the Lord engage inthe intensive practice of devotional service. That is the only meansto attain the final perfection of life.PURPORTHere the words mano mayy arpitam, which mean "the mind beingfixed on Me," are significant. One should fix his mind on the lotus feet of.i(r1,1a or His incarnation. To be fixed steadily in that freedom is the wayof liberation. Ambaria Maharaja is an example. He fixed his mind on thelotus feet of the Lord, he spoke only on the pastimes of the Lord, hesmelled only the flowers and tulasi offered to the Lord, he walked only tothe temple of the Lord, he engaged his hands in cleansing the temple, heengaged his tongue in tasting the foodstuff offered to the Lord, and heengaged his e!lrs in hearing the great pastimes of the Lord. In this way all

Devotional Service: The Final Perfection 253his senses were engaged. First of all, the mind should be engaged at thelotus feet of the Lord, very steadily and naturally. Because the mind isthe master of the senses, when the mind is engaged, all the senses areengaged. That is bhakti-yoga. Yoga means controlling the senses. Thesenses cannot be controlled in the proper sense of the term; they are alwaysagitated. This is true also with a child-how long can he be forcedto sit down silently? It is not possible. Even Arjuna said, caficalam himana kmta: "The mind is always agitated." The best course is to fixthe mind on the lotus feet of the Lord. Mano mayy arpitam sthiram. Ifone seriously engages in J}a consciousness, that is the highest perfecticnalstage. All J}a conscious activities are on the highest perfectionallevel of human life.This verse marks the conclusion of bhakti-yoga, as described by LordKapiladeva to His mother. Bhakti-yoga is the business of one advancedin jnana-vairagya, knowledge and renunciation. Sarvabhauma Bhattacaryahas explained bhakti-yoga as vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga.Bhakti-yoga begins when we accept J}a's instructions:sarva-dharman parityajyamam ekam sara-r:tam vraja"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me."(Bg. 18.66)We have to renounce all material engagements and accept the lotusfeet of J}a. We are making one plan after another to be happy in thismaterial world, but this place is certified by the Supreme Personality ofGodhead as dukhalayam a§asvatam, a place of misery. This materialworld is actually meant for misery, just as a prison house is meant forpunishment. Once we attain our constitutional position of brahma-bhuta,we can enter the kingdom of God, the spiritual world. By karma-yoga weattempt to get out of the gross body, and by jnana-yoga we attempt to getout of the subtle body, but by bhakti-yoga we can directly transcend boththe subtle body (mind, intelligence and ego) and the gross material body.Then we can be situated on the spiritual platform in our original, spiritualbody. As long as we are in the subtle and gross bodies, we are sufferingunder the three modes of material nature. Once we enter into the devotionalservice of the Lord, we are immediately situated on the platform

254 Teachings of Lord K.apilaof brahma-bhata.· Aham brahmasmi ("I am Brahman") is simplytheoretical knowledge, but when one actually renders devotional service,one is situated in practical knowledge. Then one is no longer on the materialplatform but on the Brahman platform.Prahlada Maharaja rendered the best service to his father,Hira1,1yakasipu, by having him killed by Lord N:rsimhadeva. Superficiallyit appeared that Prahlada Maharaja did not help his father, but this wasnot the case. In the sdstras it is said that if a person, even though ademon, is killed by God, he is immediately liberated. Prahlada Maharajawas thinking, "My father is so sinful and so much opposed to God consciousnessthat he might not be liberated." After Lord N:rsimha killedHira1,1yakasipu, Prahlada Maharaja told the Lord, "My dear Lord, may Iask one thing from You? My father was a great atheist, and he committedmany offenses at Your lotus feet. Now You have killed him. I request thathe be excused and be given liberation." Actually Hira1,1yakasipu wasalready liberated, yet his affectionate son was anxious to know whetherhe was liberated or not. It is confirmed by the Lord that not only does aVai1,1ava's father, but everyone for twenty-one generations before aVai1,1ava receives liberation. Thus by serving the Lord, one renders thebest service to his family, because twenty-one generations are liberated ifone becomes a pure Vai1,1ava.The yogi's real business is to focus his mind on l(:r1,1a. That is the realyoga system. There are many gymnastics performed by yogis, but all thisis recommended for those who are overly concerned with the body. Renderingservice to l(:r1,1a twenty-four hours daily is called bhakti-yoga,and that is real samadhi. People are working hard day and night to enjoysome results. A person in bhakti-yoga works hard day and night butoffers the results to l(:r1,1a. There is a great difference between a bhaktiyogiand an ordinary karmi. Ordinary karmis cannot understand that thebhaktas are on the transcendental platform.As we have stated before, there are innumerable forms of God­Rama, N:rsimha, Varaha, l(:r1,1a, Kapiladeva, Balarama and so on. Sometimesfoolish people ask, "You are worshiping l(:r1,1a. Why don't youworship Rama?" Actually there is no difference between K:r1,1a andRama, but everyone has his preference. For instance, Hanuman was particularlydevoted to Lord Ramacandra. The gopis are exclusively devotedto Lord l(:r1,1a. This does not make any real difference. The Lord appears

Devotional Service: The Final Perfection 255-'in different forms, but in all cases He is the Lord. Once l

256 Teachings of Lord Kapilahear to be purified. Unless one is purified, one cannot understand God.There are many contaminations within the heart, and the people in thisage are engaged in many sinful activities-illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxicationand gambling. The whole world is revolving about thesethings, yet despite this we have to spread this Kr!?:Q.a consciousness movement.There may be many obstacles, but they can all be transcended byKr?:Q.a's mercy. We only have to be determined in our devotion. The restwill follow. This is the essence of Lord Kapila's instructions to Hismother.

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The AuthorHis Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada appeared inthis world in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master,Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. BhaktisiddhantaSarasvati, a prominent religious scholar and the founder ofsixty-four Gauiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated youngman and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge.Srila Prabhupada became his student, and eleven years later (1933) atAllahabad he became his formally initiated disciple.At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati'fhakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledgethrough the English language. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupadawrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, assisted the GauiyaMatha in its work and, in 1944, without assistance, started an Englishfortnightly magazine, edited it, typed the manuscripts and checked thegalley proofs. He even distributed the individual copies freely and struggledto maintain the publication. Once begun, the magazine neverstopped; it is now being continued by his disciples in the West and ispublished in twelve languages.Recognizing Srila Prabhupada's philosophical learning and devotion,the Gam.iya VaiQ.ava Society honored him in 194 7 with the title"Bhaktivedanta." In 1950, at the age of fifty-four, Srila Prabhupadaretired from married life, adopting the vanaprastha (retired) order todevote more time to his studies and writing. Srila Prabhupada traveled tothe holy city of V:rndavana, where he lived in very humble circumstancesin the historic medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. There heengaged for several years in deep study and writing. He accepted the renouncedorder of life (sannyasa) in 1959. At Radha-Damodara, SrilaPrabhupada began work on his life's masterpiece: a multivolume translationof and commentary on the eighteen- thousand- verse Srimad­Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purar:uz). He also wrote Easy Journey to OtherPlanets.Mter publishing three volumes of Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupadacame to the United States, in 1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritualmaster. Since that time, His Divine Grace has written over sixty volumes259

260 Teachings of Lord Kapilaof authoritative translations, commentaries and summary studies of thephilosophical and religious classics of India.In 1965, when he first arrived by freighter in New York City, SrilaPrabhupli.da was practically penniless. It was after almost a year of greatdifficulty that he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousnessin July of 1966. Under his careful guidance, the Society hasgrown within a decade to a worldwide confederation of more than onehundred asramas, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities.In 1968, Srila Prabhupii.da created New V:rndii.vana, an experimentalVedic community in the hills of West Virginia. Inspired by the success ofNew V:rndii.vana, now a thriving farm community of more than one thousandacres, his students have since founded several similar communitiesin the United States and abroad.In 1972, His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary andsecondary education in the West by founding the Gurukula school inDallas, Texas. Since then, under his supervision, his disciples haveestablished children's schools throughout the United States and the restof the world. As of 1977, there are twenty gurukula schools worldwide,with the principal educational center now located in V:rndii.vana, India.Srila Prabhupii.da has also inspired the construction of several largeinternational cultural centers in India. The center at Sridhama Mayli.purin West Bengal is the site for a planned spiritual city, an ambitious projectfor which construction will extend over the next decade. InV:rndii.vana, India, is the magnificent K:rQa-Balarli.ma Temple and InternationalGuesthouse. There are also major cultural and educational centersin Bombay and the holy city of Puri in Orissa. Other centers areplanned in a dozen other important locations on the Subcontinent.Srila Prabhupii.da's most significant contribution, however, is hisbooks. Highly respected by the academic community for their authoritativeness,depth and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks innumerous college courses. His writings have been translated into twentythreelanguages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 exclusivelyto publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become theworld's largest publisher of books in the field of Indian reli ion and philosophy.Its principal project is the ongoing publication of Srila Prabhupii.da'scelebrated multivolume translation of and commentary onSrimad-Bhagavatam.

The Author 261In the past ten years, in spite of his advanced age, Srila Prabhupadahas circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have taken him tosix continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupadacontinues to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable libraryof Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.

ReferencesBhagavad-gitd, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10-11, 15, 16, 18-19, 22, 24-25, 26,27, 28,29, 32, 33, 34, 35,36, 37, 38,43-44,46,52, 54, 58,61,63,64,66, 70, 71, 73,74,85,86-87,88,89-90,94-95,95-96,98, 100, 102, 108-109, 112-113, 113-114, 117, 120, 121-122,127-128, 130, 131, 132, 133, 136-137, 139, 145, 148, 151-152,153, 160, 161, 174, 177, 181-182, 190, 202, 203, 208, 211, 217,218, 219, 225, 233, 238, 244, 253Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 24, 94, 121, 139Brahma-samhitii, 25, 34, 35, 47, 52, 57, 69, 86, 113, 115, 125, 154,162-163, 164, 178-179, 212, 224, 230, 245Brhan-niiradiya Purii1Ja, 3-4, 97Caitanya-bhagavata, 95Caitanya-caritamrta, 16, 17, 30, 53, 59,73-74,87, 100, 109, 110, 120,130, 139, 159, 164, 168, 172, 184, 199, 217, 236Ka!ha Upanad, 14, 73KrTJ-a-kar7Jamrta, 194-195Mahiibhiirata, 17MUT:u;laka Upanad, 33Narada-paiicaratra, 55, 106Padma Purii7J,a, 87, 141Si!aka, 70, 75, 183, 184, 186, 197, 204, 242-243263

264 Teachings of Lord KapilaSrimad-Bhagavatam, 3, 8, 9, 11, 17, 21-22, 23, 28, 33, 35, 36, 37, 44,47, 54, 65, 71, 73, 74,78-79,80,81, 96, 97, 108, 110, 115, 116,121,129,138,142,181,183,187,191-192,207-208,216,219,237-238Svetd.Svatara Upanad, 26, 138Vedanta-sutra, 38, 148Vu Pura7Ja, 7, 27-28

GlossaryAAcarya-a spiritual master who teaches by example.Adhibhautika miseries-miseries caused by other living entities.Adhidaivika miseries-miseries caused by natural disturbances.Adhyatmika miseries-miseries caused by the mind and body.Akutobhaya-fearless.Ar_rlma-the mystic perfection of becoming smaller than the smallest.Arali-a ceremony for greeting the Lord with offerings of food, lamps,fans, flowers and incense.Arcana-the devotional process of Deity worship.Asrama-the four spiritual orders of life: celibate student, householder,retired life and renounced life.Aliinga-yoga-the mystic yoga system propounded by Pataiijali in hisYoga-sutras.Asuras-atheistic demons.Avatiira-a descent of the Supreme Lord.BBhagavad-gita-the basic directions for spiritual life spoken by theLord Himself.Bhagavan-one who unlimitedly possesses all opulences; a term of addressfor the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Bhagavat-prasada-See: PrasadaBhajana-kriya-a regulated process of worshiping and rendering serviceto the Supreme Lord.Bhakta-a devotee.Bhakti-yoga-linking with the Supreme Lord by devotional service.Brahmacarya-celibate student life; the first order of Vedic spirituallife.Brahman-the Absolute Truth; especially the impersonal aspect of theAbsolute.Brahmat]a-one wise in the Vedas who can guide society; the first Vedicsocial order.Buddhi:.yoga-the practice of devotional service.265

266 Teachings of Lord KapilaDDasya-the servitorship relationship with the Lord.Dharma-eternal occupational duty; religious principles.EEkada8i-a special fast day for increased remembrance of K:r:Q.a, whichcomes on the eleventh day of both the waxing and waning moon.GGoloka (aloka)-the highest spiritual planet, containing K:r:Q.a'spersonal abodes, Dvaraka, Mathura and V :rndavana.Gopis-K:r:Q.a's cowherd girl friends, His most confidentialservitors.G:rhastha-regulated householder life; the second order of Vedicspiritual life.Gu-avatiras-Vi:Q.u, Brahma and Siva, the presiding deities of -thethree modes of nature.Guru-a spiritual master.Guru-kula-the school of Vedic learning; boys begin at the age of :fiveand live as celibate students, guided by a spiritual master.HHare a.mantra-See: Maha-mantraHatha-yoga-the system of practicing sitting postures for sense control.JJaya radhe-"All glories to Srimati Radhara:Q.i."Jiva-tattva-the living entities, atomic parts of the Lord.Jiiiina-yoga-the process of approaching the Supreme by mental speculation.KKacauris-a deep-fried pastry made of flour :filled with mashed dahlbeans or a vegetable.Kali-yuga (Age of Kali) -the present age, characterized by quarrel; itis last in the cycle of four and began :five thousand years ago.

Glossary 267Kapha-pitta-vayu-phlegm, bile and air, the three humors of the body.Karatiilas-hand cymbals used in kirtana.Karma-fruitive action, for which there is always reaction, good or bad.Karma-yoga-(I) action in devotional service; (2) action performed byone who knows that the goal of life is :Q.a but who is addicted tothe fruits of his activities.Karmi-a person satisfied with working hard for flickering sensegratification.Katha-an account or story.Kirtana-chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord.J;taloka-See: GolokaKatriya-a warrior or administrator; the second Vedic social order.Laghima-the yogic power to become light as a feather.LMMiidhurya-conjugal love relationship with the Lord.Maha-bhava-the highest stage of love of God.Maha-mantra-the great chanting for deliverance:Hare-K.r:Q.a, Hare K.r:Q.a, :Q.a :Q.a, Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.Mailgala-iirati-an early-morning ceremony in which various articles ofworship are offered to the Deity of the Lord.Mantra-a sound vibration that can deliver the mind from illusion.Mathura-Lord :Q.a's abode, surrounding V.rndavana, where He tookbirth and later returned to after performing His V.rndavanapastimes.Maya-illusion; forgetfulness of one's relationship with :Q.a.Mayavadis-impersonal philosophers who say that the Lord cannot havea transcendental body.Mrdailga-a clay drum used for congregational chanting.0Om tat sat-three transcendental syllables indicating the Supreme AbsoluteTruth, the Personality of Godhead.

268 Teachings of Lord KapilapParamparii-the chain of spiritual masters iri disciplic succession.Paravyoma-the spiritual sky.Pradhiina-the total material energy in its unmanifest state.Prapti-the yogic perfection of being able to attain anything one desires.Prasiida-food spiritualized by being offered to the Lord.Priya-loved one.RRasagulla-a Bengali sweet made of milk.sSac-cid-iinanda-vigraha-the Lord's transcendental form, which 1seternal, full of knowledge and bliss.Sakha-friend.Sakhya-friend relationship with the Lord.Saktyavesa-avatiiras-empowered incarnations of the Supreme Lord.Samsiira-the cycle of repeated birth and death.Sailkirtana-public chanting of the names of God, the approved yogaprocess for this age.Sannyiisa-renounced life; the fourth order of Vedic spiritual life.antal;t- saintly or devoted.Santa-rasa-a neutral relationship with the Supreme Lord.Siistras-revealed scriptures.Sat-eternal.Sattva-the quality of goodness.Sraddha-ceremony performed to release one's forefathers from hellishconditions of life.SravaQaril kirtanam viQol;t-the devotional processes of hearing andchanting about Lord Vi!?r:tU.Sudra-a laborer; the fourth of the Vedic social orders.Surabhi-spiritual cows, in the spiritual world, which yield unlimitedquantities of milk.Suta-son.Sviimi-one who controls his mind and senses; title of one in the renouncedorder of life.Svayam-avatiiras- See: Vr:tu-tattva

Glossary 269TTapasya-austerity; accepting some voluntary inconvenience for ahigher purpose.Tilaka-auspicious clay marks that sanctify a devotee's body as a templeof the Lord.Tulasi-a tree sacred to worshipers of Lord Vi1,1u.vVaiku'.ltha-the spiritual world.Vai!l'.lava-a devotee of Lord Vi1,1u, J(r1,1a.Vaisyas-farmers and merchants; the third Vedic social order.Vanaprastha-one who has retired from family life; the third order ofVedic spiritual life.Var'.la-the four occupational divisions of society: the intellectual class,the administrative class, the mercantile class, and the laborer class.Var'.lisrama-the Vedic social system of four social and four spiritualorders.V.atsalya-parental relationship with the Lord.Vedas-the original revealed scriptures, first spoken by the LordHimself.Vi!l'.lu, Lord-Ktl,la's expansion for the creation and maintenance ofthe material universes.Vi!l'.lu-tattva-the original Personality of Godhead's primary expansions,each of whom is equally God.V:rndivana-J(rl,la's personal abode, where He fully manifests Hisquality of sweetness.Vyisadeva-J(r1,1a's incarnation, at the end of Dvapara-yuga, for compilingthe Vedas.yYajiia-an activity performed to satisfy either Lord Vi1,1u or thedemigods.Yogi-a transcendentalist who, in one way or another, is striving forunion with the Supreme.Yugas-ages in the life of a universe, occurring in a repeated cycle offour.

Guide to Sanskrit PronunciationThroughout the centuries, the Sanskrit language has been written in avariety of alphabets. The mode of writing most widely used throughoutIndia, however, is called devanagari, which literally means "the citywriting of the devas, or gods." The devanagari alphabet consists offorty-eight characters, including thirteen vowels and thirty-five consonants.The ancient Sanskrit grammarians arranged the alphabet accordingto concise linguistic principles, and this arrangement has beenaccepted by all Western scholars. The system of transliteration used inthis book conforms to a system that scholars in the last fifty years havealmost universally accepted to indicate the pronunciation of eachSanskrit sound.The short vowel a is pronounced like the u in but; long ii like the a infar; and short i like the i in pin. Long i is pronounced as in pique, shortu as in pull, and long ft as in rule. The vowel r is pronounced like the riin rim. The vowel e is pronounced as in they; ai as in aisle; o as in go;and au as in how. The anusvara (rit), which is a pure nasal, is pronouncedlike the n in the French word bon, and visarga (), which is astrong aspirate, is pronounced as a final h sound. Thus a is pronouncedlike aha, and i like ihi.The guttural consonants-k, kh, g, gh, and Ii-are pronounced fromthe throat in much the same manner as in English. K is pronounced as inkite, kh as in Eckhart, g as in give, gh as in dig hard, and Ii as in sing.The palatal consonants-c, ch, j, jh, and ii-are pronounced from thepalate with the middle of the tongue. C is pronounced as in chair, ch asin staunch heart, j as in joy, jh as in hedgehog, and ii as in canyon. Thecerebral consonants-!, th, «J, «Jh, and -are pronounced with the tipof the tongue turned up and drawn back against the dome of the palate.T is pronounced as in tub, th as in light heart, cJ as in dove, «Jh as inred-hot, and as in nut. The dental consonants-t, th, d, db, and n­are pronounced in the same manner as the cerebrals but with the forepartof the tongue against the teeth. The labial consonants-p, ph, b,bh, and m-are pronounced with the lips. Pis pronounced as in pine,ph as in uphill, b as in bird, bh as in rub hard, and m as in mother. Thesemivowels-y, r, 1 and v-are pronounced as in yes, run, light and271

272 Teachings of Lord Kapilavine respectively. The sibilants-8, f and s-are pronounced, respectively,as in the German word spree hen and the English words shine andsun. The letter h is pronounced as in home.

Index of Sanskrit Verses1'he teachings of Lord Kapiladeva, as found in this volume, are derived from theSrimad-Bhagavatam, Third Canto, Chapter Twenty-five. All the originalSanskrit verses of this chapter are found in Teachings of Lord Kapiladeva. Thefollowing index constitutes a complete listing of the first and third lines of eachof these verses, arranged in English alphabetical order. The first column givesthe Sanskrit transliteration, and the second and third columns, respectively, listthe verse reference and page number for each verse.Text Pageaham mamabhimanotthai 16 105ajata-satrava santa 21 135animitta bhagavati 32 193asevayayam prakrter gw;tanam 27 167atha me eleva sammoham 10 63atho vibhatim mama mayavinas tam 37 221atmana sarva-bhatanam 41 237atmanam anu ye ceha232atyantoparatir yatra 13 83bhajanty ananyaya bhaktya 40 232bhaktya pumaii jata-viraga aindriyad 26 157ceta khalv asya bandhaya 15 lOScittasya yatto grahar;ze yoga-yukto 26 157devanam gur:w-linganam 32 193dhiyabhinandyatmavatam satam gatir 12 77dvaipayana-sakhas tv evam 4 31etdvan eva loke 'smin 44 252gur;zeu saktam bandhaya 15 105hrtamano hrta-prar;tams ca bhaktir 36 213imam lokam tathaivamum32iti sva-matur niravadyam ispitam 12 77jarayaty asu ya kosam 1 1jata svayam aja saad 33jijiidsayaham prakrte/:1 parasya ll 67jnana-vairagya-yuktena 18 119jnana-vairagya-yuktena 43kacit tvayy ucita bhakt* 28 1713939199249273

274 Teachings of Lord Kapilakapilas tattva-sankhyata 1 lkidrsa kati cangani 29 176k$emaya pada-malam me249lokasya tamasandhasya 9 59mad-asraya kathii mrta 23 143mad-bhayad vati vato yam 42 243mat-krte tyakta-karmliTJClS 22 140mayy ananyena bhavena 22 140na hy asya varmalW purilsiim 2 13naikatmatam me sprhayanti kecin 34 205na karhicin mat-para santa-rape 38 226nanyatra mad-bhagavata 41 237na yujyamlinaya bhaktya 19 123nirantaram svayam-jyotir 17 lllnirviQii nitaram bhamann 7 51paripa5yaty uddslnam llf 199pa§yanti te me ruciray amba santa 35 209pitari prasthite 'rayam 5 41prahedam viduram prlta 4 31prasangam ajaram pasam 20 128rIQiim srotu-kamdnam 14 93rupai divyani vara-pradani 35 209sac-cak$ur janmaniim ante 8 56sadrso 'sti siva panthd 19 123sa eva sadhu krto 20 128sangas tev atha te prarthya 24 148satam prasangan mama vlrya-samvido 25 157sattva evaika-manaso 32 193sriyam bhagavatlm vasprhayanti bhadram 37 221sukham buddhyeya durbodham 30 182sva-sutam devahuty aha 6 45tada purua atmdnam 17 llltad etan me vijanlhi 30 182ta ete sadhava sadhvi 24 148tair darsaniyavayavair udiira- 36 213taj-joa asv apavarga-vartmani 25 157tam dslnam akarmiilWm 6 45tam imam te pravak$yami 14 93tam tva gataham saralUlril sara yam ll 67tani me sraddadhiinasya 3 21tapanti vividhds tapa 23 144tasmin bindusare 'vatsid 5 41tasya tvam tamaso 'ndhasya 8 5643

"'Index of Sanskrit Verses275tattvamndyam yat pravadanti sankhyamtitiklava kdru;tikdtfvre;ta bhakti-yogenavaratindro dahaty agnirviditvartham kapilo m4tur itthamvisrjya sarvan an yams caviSrutau sruta-devasyavftam yad4 mana suddhamya adyo bhagavan pumsamyael yad vidhatte bhagavanyaya padam te nirva;tamyena sambh4vyam4nenaye 'nyonyato bhdgavatii/.l prasajyayeam aham priya atmii sutaS cayoga tldhyatmika pumsamyogena mayy arpitaya ca bhaktyayo 'vagraho 'ham mametftyyo yoga bhagavad-baJ;tO31214442314021693287343814271029189135252243189232131065921171512052268216763176

General IndexAAbhijiia defined, 36Abhyutthanam adharmasyaverse quoted, 4Abortion, 240-241Abrahma-bhuvanal lokaquoted, 225Absolute, J(rI).a as, 162-163Absolute Truthbeyond speculation, 189, 191, 192difficult subject matter, 182emanations from, as reality, 23-25personal vs. impersonal, 158qualification for knowing, 2story showing nature of, 230-231sun compared to, 218threefold realization of, 116, 177ultimate basis of, 45-47variegatedness in, 46-48Acaryasaccept J(rI).a as Supreme, 44-45five listed, 176See also: Spiritual masterAcchedyo yam adahyo yamverse quoted, 113Activityanimal & human, 137-138necessary for living beings, 238pious & impious, 122-123See also: Karma; WorkAdanta-gobhir vi.Satam tamisramquoted, 142Adau sraddhii tata sadhu-sangaquoted, 139Adhibhautika, adhidavika & adhyatmikadefined, 144Adhikari-devata defined, 244Adi-purU$a defined, 25Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupamql}oted, 25, 35, 69, 230Ady-antavanta kaunteyaverse quoted, 74Agamapayino 'nityasverse quoted, 145Age of Kali. See: Kali-yugaAhaituki defined, 249Aham adir hi devanamquoted, 22, 115Aham brahmasmi defined, 2, 4, 112, 124,169,254A ham sarvasya prabhavoquoted, 36A ham tvam sarva-papebhyoquoted, 73Ahankara itlyam meverse quoted, 25Ahankara-vimW)hatmaverse quoted, 89Ahany ahani bhataniquoted, 17Ahus tvam raya sarveverse quoted, 38Ahara defined, 114Akarma defined, 108Akhilatma defined, 124Alexander the Great, 198Amanina manadenaverse quoted, 183Amara ajiiaya guru haiid tara' ei desaquoted, 87Ambaria Maharaja, 144, 252-253America, 144Amrta defined, 160Amsadefined, 113Anadi karama-phale, pa4i' bhavan.wvajalequoted, 75277

"l278 Teachings of Lord KapilaAnalogiesanimals & modern society, 109ass & working man, 107avoiding water & detachment, 72bubble & body, 247business associates & devotee associates,130car & body, 235car wreck & bodily pain, 145cat & Lord, 149chewed sugarcane & material pleasure, 80crows & newspaper readers, 78-79disease & illusion, 119diseased eye & material attachment,150-151doctor & guru, 53drop & living being, 201drunkard & devotee, 104fire's warmth & devotional service, 69frog & speculator, 223gold & dharma, 6gold & soul, 5governor's visit & Lord's advent, 10hand & living being, 168healthy a,cts & self -realization, 124heat and light & Lord's energies, 7, 8honey in bottle & Vedic literatures, 207housewife & devotee, 220jewel & pure devotee, 222king & the Lord, 141king's ministers & devotees, 84kittens & devotees, 149lost child & forgetful souls, 250love for child & love for i(r1,1a, 164marriage & creation, 202-203microbes & soul, 114milk sweets & variegatedness, 48mirage & material happiness, 251mother & Vedas, 127moths & human beings, 241mountain & Absolute, 46-47ostriches & atheists, 240presidential meeting & seeing i(r1,1a, 211prison & material world, 168, 170, 253reflection & material world, 229restless child & senses, 253Analogiesroot & 1,1a, 246runaway son & fallen souls, 103, 203, 236sand castles & material world, 66schoolboy & devotee, 117shadow & nature, 245space travel & impersonal realization, 48sparks & living beings, 84stomach & i(r1,1a, 246stomach fire & devotional service, 200sun & Absolute Truth, 218sun particles & living being, 111-112thief & sense gratifier, 198tolerating surgery & penance, 153train seat & material world, 66waves & nature, 245Ananda-cinmaya-rasa defined, 219Ananda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasyaverse quoted, 162-163Ananda defined, 48, 116See also: BlissAnandamaya defined, 148Anandamayo 'bhycisatquoted, 48, 148, 202, 219Ananta defined, 14 .Anarthas defined, 104, 111Ancisaktasya vayanverse quoted, 24Ar.u;lantara-stha-paramdu-cayantara-sthamquoted, 86, 217verse quoted, 125Arigani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimantiverse quoted, 162-163Animalshumans contrasted to, 80, 137-138sadhu 's compassion for, 135, 136, 139sense gratification for, 54-55slaughter of, 109Animittd defined, 194, 196Annad bhavanti bhataniverse quoted, 27Anxiety. See: FearApara prakrti defined, 122Apareyam itas tv an yamverse quoted, 26Apavarga defined, 80

"lGeneral Index 279Api cet sudurdcaroverse quoted, 132Aradhaniiniirit saroearitquoted, 141Arcanam defined, 103See also: Deity form, worship ofArcanarit vandanarit dasyaritverse quoted, 22Arca-vigraha defined, 69, 210See also: Deity formArcayam eva harayeverse quoted, 216Arjunaacted for i(rQ.a, 122, 151i(rQ.a sided with, 190submissive to i(rQ.a, 171Artha defined, 194, 222Arto jijfidsur artharthiverse quoted, 160Aruhya krcchre pararit padarit tataquoted, 47, 116Asad-grahan defined, 78Asatdefined,23, 78,159Asat-sanga defined, 159Asat-sanga-tyaga, -ei vava-dcaraquoted, 139, 159Asito devalo vyasaverse quoted, 38Asocyan anva§ocas tvaritverse quoted, 174Asramas defined, 27Association with devotees. See: Devotees,associating withAsuras defined, 61, 209See also: DemonsAtaeva maya tare deya saritsara-dukhaverse quoted, 109, 236Ata pumbhir dvija-sre!haverse quoted, 151-152Ata sri-kmr.a-namadiquoted, 200verse quoted, 94Atha me deva sammohamverse quoted, 79Athapi te deva padambuja-dvayaversequoted, 187Athato brahma-jijfidsaquoted, 57,173Athava bahunaitenaverse quoted, 114Atheistscompared to ostriches, 240fear punishment, 169See also: Demons; 1m personalists; Kapila,atheist; MaterialistsAtma defined, 34, 84Atoms, Lord in, 125Attachmentcauses bondage, 138material vs. spiritual, 105, 128-129redirected vs. stopped, 149-151Austerity (penance)painful at first, 153transcendental result of, 8-9Authorities (mahajanas), twelve listed, 42,192Avavo gurur na syadverse quoted, 87Avajananti marit mii4haquoted, 4, 10verse quoted, 85Avataras defined, 23Avyaktad aJ,cj,a-sambhavaquoted, 116Avyakta hi gatir dukharitverse quoted, 218Avyakto ·ara ity uktasverse quoted, 19Ayi nanda-tanuja kirikararitquoted, 242verse quoted, 70Aya a eko 'piquoted, 110BBahilniirit janmaniim antequoted, 98, 138verse quoted, 6Bali Maharaja, 255Ba defined, 178/

280 Teachings of Lord KapilaBandhadefined, 100Battle of Kuruketra, 190Beings. See: Living entitiesBengali proverb on detachment, 16, 72Bhagavad-gitabeyond imperfections, 198commentaries on, by demons, 209illiterate brahmar_a read, 165increasing pleasure from, 14, 208in Mahiibharata, 44perfect knowledge in, 86quotations fromon attaining KrQa's abode, 18-19on attaining perfection, 96on being KrQa's friend, 98on birth & death, 16, 225on Brahman, 46, 213on brahmar_as, 2-3on death, 16on demigods, 22on demigods' source, 115on demons, 7lon devotees, 99-100, 148on disciplic succession, 29, 87, 185on equality of all beings, 136-137on eternal individual, 102, 202on fools who deride KrQa, 85on four types of pious meri, 160on freedom from fear, 94-95on goal of Vedas, 35, 161on great souls, 121-222on highest yoga, 88on impersonalists, 218on knowing KrQa, 18on KrQa as beyond modes, 5on KrQa giving relief, 73on KrQa's compassion, 127-128on KrQa's descent, 4on KrQa's energies, 7, 24-25, 28on KrQa's giving assistance, 181-182on KrQa's greatness, 114on KrQa's omniscience, 86on KrQa's superior energy, 26on KrQa's supremacy, 38on KrQa's waiting for us, 211Bhagavad-gitaquotations fromon lowborn persons, 43-44on material bodies, 32on material enjoyment, 74on material nature, 27on material world, 24on miscreants, 61on modes of nature, 90on nature's controller, 244on offerings to KrQa, 73on our original father, 203on preachers, 153on qualification to attain KrQa, 95-96on rareness of knowing KrQa, 10-11on receiving knowledge, 32on saints, 132on self -realization, 89on sense gratification, 130on soul, 113on soul beyond mind & intelligence,54on source of all worlds, 36on spiritual world, 58on supreme abode, 19on surrender, 6, 38, 219, 253on thinking of KrQa, 66on tolerance, 145on Vedic writings, 37on wise men, 1 7 4on work, 108-109on worshiping KrQa, 22, 94on yajfia, 27on yogamayii, 88on yogi's rebirth, 95treated as God, 224Bhagaviindefined, 14,38,85Kapila as, 4knowledge from, 198See also: KrQaBhagavatirh bhadriim defined, 222Bhagavat-prasiida/.1. defined, 182Bhagavata Purar_a. See: Srimad-Bhagavatam

General Index 281Bhagavat-tattva-svamsa defined, 26Bhajanty ananya-manasoverse quoted, 121-122Bhaktas. See: DevoteesBhaktidefined, 194,223,251See also: Devotional serviceBhakti-lata-bija defined, 59Bhakti-marga defined, 62Bhaktim mayi param krtvaverse quoted, 153Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhufor cultivating devotion, 161quoted on hearing process, 94quoted on lusty desires, 121quoted on utilization of energy, 24Bhaktir paresi'inubhavo viraktirquoted, 8, 74Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvaticited on petitioning God, 196cited on "scholars," 207Bhaktivinoda 'fhakuraquoted on living beings, 169quoted on material "ocean," 75Bhakto 'si me sakha cetiquoted, 98, 181Bhaktya mam abhijanatiquoted, 67, 98verse quoted, 18Bhiirata-bhumite haila manr,t.Sya-janma yaraverse quoted, 30Bhiiva defined, 104Bhav4ya1Ji ca bhataniverse quoted, 86Bhaviti'i na ca me tasmiidverse quoted, 153Bhayam defined, 239Bhiismiid agniS cendra§ caquoted, 244Bhasmiid vi'ita/:1 pavatequoted, 244Bhmadeva, 192Bhoga defined, 130BhogaiSvarja-prasaktani'irit.verse quoted, 130Bhramayan sarva-bhataniverse quoted, 32Bhrtya defined, 17Bhamir apo 'nalo vayu/:1quoted, 5verse quoted, 25Bilvamailgala 'fhiikura, 194-196Birthin good family, 162modes of nature determine, 233as no qualification, 53as painful, 239two types of, 9See also: Transmigration of the soulBliss (iinanda)as Bhagaviin realization, 219complete realization includes, 116ever-increasing, 179soul seeks, 48, 169in spiritual variety, 179Body, materialacquisition of. See: Transmigrationcompared to bubble, 247compared to car, 235destined for slaughter, 109dissolved by bhakti-yoga, 199, 200, 202fear caused by, 245gross & subtle, 200, 253maintenance of, 80-81miseries pertaining to, 144-147occupant vs. proprietor of, 34real identity beyond, 112soul beyond,5,52,89souls in, equality of, 136-137spiritual body vs., 170suitable to environment, 218worthless without soul, 175Bondage to matter, 128, 138See also: Illusion; Souls, conditionedBrahma, Lordbirth & life span of, 113disciplic succession from, 190-191KrQ.a beyond, 115post of, qualification for, 44quoted on original person, 61

282 Teachings of Lord KapilaBrahmii, Lord (continued)as Svayambhu, 192Brahma-bhata defined, 112Brahma-bhuta/J prasannatmaquoted, 120verse quoted, 46Brahma-bhayaya kalpatequoted, 213Brahmacaris (celibate students)as menial servants, 172strict life of, 131Brahma-jyoti defined, 112See also: Brahman effulgenceBrahmaloka, 101Brahman (impersonal Absolute)realization ofvia devotional service, 46, 238insufficient by itself, 2, 238theoretical & practical, 254See also: Self-realizationsource of, 52See also: Brahman effulgenceBrahman (spirit), identification with, 5Brahmar;w.s (priests & teachers)formerly unpayed, 230qualities of, 3, 100, 137illiterate, reading Bhagavad-gitii, 165Brahmar.u;la bhramite kona bhagyavan jivaverse quoted, 16, 59Brahman effulgenceimpersonalist's goal, 206individual soul vs., 112Lord concealed by, 124temporary elevation to, 177, 204Brahma-n!ha defined, 33Brahma-samhitaCaitanya accepted, 224quotations fromon Durgii, 154on Govinda & spiritual world, 179on KrQ.a's absolute nature, 162-163,230on KrQ.a's effulgence, 52on KrQ.a's incarnations, 69on Lord's omnipresence, 125Brahma-sarilhitaquotations fromon Maha-ViQ.u, 113,224on nature, 245on seeing KrQ.a, 57, 164on spiritual varieties, 47on supreme controller, 115on the unlimited, 35Brahma satyaril jagan mithyaquoted, 23, 47Brahma-siddhaye defined, 123, 124Brahma-slltra-padaiS caivaverse quoted, 37Brahmeti parami.itmetiquoted, 46Brahmins. See: Brahmar;w.sBrhan-naradiya Pur

General Index 283Caitanya Mahaprabhumission of, 74, 99prescribes five processes, 214-215principles of, 78, 79quotations fromon avoiding materialists, 159on becoming a guru, 87on being !).a's servant, 67, 70, 155on chanting Hare !).a, 184on desire for service only, 204on devotee association, 130on faithless persons, 100on gopis, 122on guru's grace, 184on humility, 183on illusioned beings, 109on love in separation, 186on sadhu 's association, 138-139on seed of devotion, 16, 59on seeing the Deity, 211on servants of !).a, 107,243on sleeping souls, 88on taking instructions, 53on tapasya for this age, 82on Vediinta-srltra, 172See also: Sika prayersRadhanil).i's emotions in, 35Sanatana approached, 58Caur unmilitarh yenaverse quoted, 127CaQakya Pai).Qitacited on envious souls, 140quoted on sadhu 's association, 139quoted on time, 110Candra,244Catur-vidha bhajante nuirhverse quoted, 160Celibate students. See: BrahmactirisCeto-darpar;za-marjanarh bhava-mahadiivagni-nirvapanamquoted, 82, 184Cluujiya va4r:zava-sevti nistara ptiyeche kebaquoted, 141Chanting the Supreme Lord's holy namesfor age of present, 3-4, 97Chanting the Supreme Lord's holy nameseffect of, 164-165open to everyone, 183qualifications for, 183sarikirtana (congregational chanting), 246simple process, 82sixteen rounds on beads, 110See also: Hare !).a mantraCharity, 64-65Cheaters, teachers as, 85-86Child's maturing attachments, 150Christianspraying of, 212, 222theistic conception of, 62Cintamal).i, 195CintamarJ.i-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrversequoted, 4 7, 178-179Cit defined, 116City life, 226Civilization, human. See: Kali-yuga; Society;V an:ui§rama-dharmaCleanliness, 1 06-107Comparisons. See: AnalogiesCompassionpreachers have, 153ofsadhu, 135-136,139Conditioned souls. See: Souls, conditionedConsciousnessattached to matter or !).a, 128-129polluted by modes of nature, 149, 150as soul's symptom, 175two directions of, 105, 128-129See also: Knowledge; SoulCow dung, cited in Bengali proverb, 16Cowherd boys, 226Cowsdifficulty maintaining, 83slaughter of, 109Creationby !).a's intelligence, 166of living beings, 202-203See also: Material worldCulture, human. See: Society; VarrJ.asramadharmaCupid, 251)

284 Teachings of Lord KapilaDDadami buddhi-yogarh tamquoted, 184verse quoted, 181-182, 211,Daivi hy ea gu1J.llmayiverse quoted, 28Daivi prakrti defined, 122, 196Dancing of l).a & gopis, 180Daridra-naraya"f.Ul defined, 48, 201,202.Dasya defined, 61, 108Deathat any moment, 250as artificial imposition, 131awareness of, necessary, 16everything lost at, 65as fearsome, 239, 245inevitable for all, 225as soul leaving body, 200See also: TransmigrationDeha-smrti nahi yara sarhsara-bandhanakahan taraquoted, 145Dehino 'smin yatha de hequoted, 55verse quoted, 89Deity form of the Supreme Lordaccepted as one's son, 228-229authenticity of, 210devotees reciprocate with, 210-213l).a present as, 69, 103meditation on, 214-215purpose & nature of, 94, 163worship ofDemigodsabsorption in, 82, 213-214along with hearing process, 214detachment by, 165liberation by, 213-214absent in spiritual world, 227debt to, 70devotees not obligated to, 246devotion to, as insufficient, 126senses work under, 194Demigodsas subordinate controllers, 244, 245Supreme Lord above, 154-155three primary, 22-23Demon(s)disturb devotees, 212for a father, 132mentality of, 132nature punishes, 71take pleasure in killing, 109Desirecannot be stopped, 129diverted toward l).a, 150-151as eternal, 55lusty, 117purification of, 197Destruction of Earth, 247Detachmentby bhakti-yoga (devotional service), 74,123-124,165,167,169-170,249guru teaches, 66by knowledge of l).a, 250-251proverb about, 72by self-realization, 119by serving Deity, 165as symptom of advancement, 8See also: RenunciationDevahiitiinquiries by, 51-64marries Kardama Muni, 41-42De vasdefined,23See also: DemigodsDevotees of the Supreme Lord (Vail).avas)accept world as real, 23-24act for l).a only, 152advanced, see l).a everywhere, 103associating withfor becoming renounced, 143for freedom, 149for hearing scripture, 207-208materialistic association vs., 130, 133recommend, 138-139value of, 130, 133, 157-161attachment to, value of, 128-130, 148, 149

General Index 285Devoteesattain knowledge & renunciation, 249beyond material designations, 181beyond material enjoyment, 221-222,225-226beyond modes of nature, 149beyond obligations, 244, 246beyond pain, 144-148beyond time, 227-229Bhagavatam meant for, 207classes of, analyzed, 213-216compared to kittens, 149compared to swans, 79compassionate toward all beings, 135, 136,139declare war on maya, 162Deities reciprocate with, 210Deity form attracts, 213-216desire service only, 197,232,233detachment in, 119-120, 234eagerness of, invokes K!'J1.a, 231enemies of, 135-136, 139-140falldown of, cause of, 162family of, as liberated, 254fathers of, may be hostile, 132good qualities of, 135-140humility in, 199identify as servants only, 155impart K!'J1.a's order, 152inclined to different forms of God, 255kani§!ha-adhikaris (third-class), 215, 216K!'J1.a approached via, 141K!'l).a as everything to, 234-235K!'J1.a beautified by, 82K!'J1.a easily known by, 18K!'l).a seen everywhere by, 164, 220in K!'J1.a's hands, 222liberation disinterests, 195, 196, 205Mayavadi philosophers vs., 205-207misdeeds by, result of, 233obey scripture, 136opulences of, increase, 226-227paramaharilsas, 79petition Lord for service only, 209preachers among, 153Devoteesprocess of becoming, 103, 155pure, symptoms of, 232, 233-234reject material happiness, 158-159remember K!'J1.a while suffering, 146renounce everything for the Lord,140-141see beyond brahmajyoti, 124as servants of servants, 242sincerity of, seen by K!'J1.a, 184time valuable to, 216-217tolerant, 132, 145ultimate goal of, 82violence against, 135-136, 139-140in V:rndavana, 166, 168as well-wishers of all, 153-154Devotional service to the Supreme Lord( bhakti-yoga)as absorption with Bhagavan, 199advancement in, symptom of, 74association of devotees for, 157-161authorities on, twelve listed, 191-192begins with self-realization, 119-120begins with tongue, 164-165benefit from, as everlasting, 95, 162, 247beyond gross & subtle bodies, 253beyond gymnastics, 32beyond jnana & hatha-yoga, 177, 190beyond liberation, 200beyond pious & impious activity, 122-123beyond self-realization, 124beyond sense gratifiers, 130as Brahman platform, 254Brahman realization combined with, 238bypasses lower realizations, 178Christian conception vs., 62compared to digestive fire, 200compared to fire's heat, 69criterions for, five given, 214-215Deity of K!'J1.a known by, 163detachment & knowledge by, ll9,122-124,249as devotee's sole desire, 204, 222, 226vs. devotional service to others, 126dissolves material body, 199, 200, 202

286 Teachings of Lord KapilaDevotional service (cont.)as easy process, 159education unnecessary for, 166essential for self-realization, 123-124eternal credit for, 95, 162, 247ever increasing, 227favorable vs. whimsical, 235full-time, 254goal & processes of, 177Hare Kra mantra plea for, 196-197hearing process essential in, 255invokes Kra's friendship, 127vs. jiii.ina & hatha-yoga, 177, 190knowledge & detachment by, 119,122-124,249Kra known only by, 67liberation by, 46liberation surpassed by, 193, 194mind must engage in, 106money for Kra in, 151motivated vs. motiveless, 181, 194,197necessitates recipient, 124Nectar of Devotion teaches, 161open to all, 95overpowers other desires, 167-168,169-170preaching of. See: Preaching Kra consciOusnessprocesses of, 21-22, 170purification via, 51-52, 55, 117regulative & automatic, 117renunciation by, 74, 123-124, 167,169-170,249sadhus engage in, 129sadhus propagate, 135as scientific, 219-220second chance to perfect, 95, 96seed of, 59seeing Kra as youth by, 195sense activities purified in, 51-52, 55senses inclined toward, 193, 194soul's natural propensity, 120-121submission necessary in, 183superiority of, 19symptom of advancement in, 74Devotional servicetwenty-four hours a day, 254unflinching, 232, 233-234whimsical vs. favorable, 235See also: Kra, love for; Kra, worshipDharmaof; Kra consciousnessdefined,5,6, 71,199See also: ReligionDharmam tu saad bhagavat-praitamquoted, 6, 71Dharmasya glani defined, 28Dhruva Maharaja, 181Disciplic succession (parampara)for approaching Kra, 185four listed, 190-191guru must be in, 33importance of, 190-191knowledge via, vs. mental speculation, 189,191,198Lord known via, 7necessity of, 29teaches Kra's words, 86-87from Vyasadeva, 38Distressduality as cause of, 83, 84, 90, 91See also: SufferingDivya defined, 183Dog of Sivananda Sena, 136Drunkard, devotee compared to, 104Dualityabsent in Absolute, 162-163,231happiness & distress, 83-84, 90-91Dukhiilayam a§asvatamquoted, 253Dukhavatdefined, 15Duratmiidefined, 121Durgaacts under Kra, 154status of, 57Duryodhana, 190Dutyperfection by, 96redirected toward Kra, 151-152Dvija-bandhus defined, 44Dvija defined, 9·

General Index 287EEarth planet, 24 7Easy Journey to Other Planets, cited on spaceEducationtravel, 48of children, 172immediate happiness vs., 251lacking in modern schools, 110modern, as degrading, 160spiritual, 31-35unnecessary for bhakti, 166Ego, false. See: False egoEka-desa-sthitasyagnerverse quoted, 7Ekale iSvara kmta, lira saba bhrtyaquoted, 17, 120, 168Ekdtmatdm defined, 205Eko bahundril yo vidadhdti klimlinquoted, 14, 73verse quoted, 14Eko ndraya(la dsitquoted, 23Eko 'py asau racayituril jagad-a1J4a,-kofirilverse quoted, 125Elements, gross & subtle, 200Empiric philosophers. See: Philosophers, empiricEnergy, material (maya)compared to prison, 168defined, 10,154,250determined to keep us bound, 142-143duty of, 204emanates from Kra, 36fear caused by, 244-245infection by, and cure, 169Kra's intelligence activates, 166living beings exploit, 68as Lord's agent, 64powerless on self-realized soul, 119-120punishes demons, 71service to, as wasted, 122source & utilization of, 24spirit activates, 245strength of, 162universities intensify, 160Energy, materialutilization of, 24See also: Material worldEnjoymentavailable to devotees, 221-222, 225-226beyond serving ourselves, 120-121by hearing about Kra, 160of impersonalists & devotees compared,206impersonalists seek, 48with Kra, 169, 203-204, 227-230living beings created for, 202-203material, as "chewing the chewed," 80Radharai as source of, 218-219by talking about Kra, 148See also: Pleasure; Happiness; Sense gratificationEnvy in sddhu 's enemies, 139-140Eternality (sat)attained via penance, 9as Brahman realization, 219cause of, 227of U!rd & His parts & parcels, 111-115of soul, 78Evaril parampara-praptamquoted, 87, 185verse quoted, 29, 33Evolution through species, 51Eyes to see God, 57, 62-63FaithFin Kra's words, 217in personal God, 60-61False egocause of, 64-65designations by, 1 07, 111"my" and "mine," 66Family lifedistasteful in material world, 203entanglement by, 65husband's duty to renounce, 41, 43, 44illusory nature of, 229Father, duty of, 80

288 Teachings of Lord KapilaFearat death, 239everyone subject to, 244-245Fighting, cause of, 66Flower, as Krl}a's creation, 166Food comes automatically, 80Fools come to material world, 161Freedom. See: LiberationFruitive activity. See: Karma; WorkFruitive workers. See: KarmisGGariyasi defined, 200Gatasun agatdsurii.S caverse quoted, 174Ghoantdv iti sarvato vraja-pure khedairmahd-vihvalauverse quoted, 186Girl friends of KrJ:}a. See: Gop isGoal of life, 15See also: Human lifeGod. See: Krl}a; Supersoul; Vil}uGoddess of fortune (Lakmi)disciplic succession from, 190-191fools want to marry, 202God realization. See: KrJ:}a, knowledge about;Krl}a consciousness"Gods." See: DemigodsGoloka eva nivasaty akhiliitma-bhata/:tquoted, 34, 125Golokera prema-dhana, hari-ndmasarikirtanaquoted, 99Goodness, mode of (sattva-gu(la)defined, 1, 2, 23knowledge expands in, 1, 2qualities of, listed, 152See also: Modes of material natureGopi-bhartu/:t pada-kamalayor ddsaddsanuddsaquoted, 242Gopis (cowherd girls)beyond piety & impiety, 122-123Gop isas confidential servitors, 180desire Krl}a exclusively, 254-255expand from Radharal}i, 219as fully renounced, 143highest lovers of Krl}a, 104Gosvamis, the six, 186Govardhana Hill, 246Government leaders, past & present, 29Govindam adi-puruaril tam aham bhajamiquoted, 61Gramya defined, 78Grhastha asrama. See: Family lifeGu(la defined, 138See also: Modes of material natureGuru defined, 33, 35, 90, 172See also: Spiritual masterGuru-kr(la-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bijaquoted, 184verse quoted, 16, 59Guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasanaverse quoted, 172Guru Nanak, 176Gurv-ataka, quoted on guru, 184HHarilsas defined, 79Hanuman, 181, 254Happiness (enjoyment)absent in world, 143by associating with Krl}a, 84available to devotees, 221-222, 225-226beyond temporary body, 247comes automatically, 15compared to mirage, 251duality gives rise to, 83-94, 90-91by hearing & chanting of Krl}a, 13, 14,147as illusion in this world, 240immediate vs. future, 251with KrJ:}a, 169, 203-204living beings created for, 202-203by pleasing Krl}a, 53-54

General Index 289Happinessby self-realization, 120See also: Bliss; Enjoyment; Sense gratifica­·tionHare l(rQ.a mantra (maha-mantra)for age of present, 97, 99, 101, 183,246analyzed, 196-197effect of, 82, 164ever fresh, 208humility in chanting, 183mundane sound vs., 179-180as only way, 97, 99, 101quoted, 101,102-103, 133, 196,200,214,246for remembering l(rQ.a, 190as special concession, 183understanding God via, 58Hare l(rQ.a movement. See: InternationalSociety for Krishna ConsciousnessHarer nama harer namaquoted, 82verse quoted, 3-4, 97, 184Haridasa 'fhakura, 146-147Hari hari viphale janama gonainuquoted, 98Harim vina naiva srtim tarantiquoted, 237Hari-nama-sarikirtana defined, 99Hatha-yoga. See: Mystic yogaHearingexperimenting vs., 127for knowing Brahman, 33of l(rQ.a. See: l(rQ.a, hearing aboutvalue of, 11Heavenly planets, 221He riidhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sunokutaverse quoted, 186Hetunanena kaunteyaverse quoted, 27Himalaya mountains, 153"Hindu," as concocted, 43HiraQ.yakasipuPrahlada's mercy on, 254Prahlada threatened by, 132History as constant struggle, 252Hliidini sakti defined, 218Hogshappiness for,240humans vs., 8Hrdy anta-stho hy abhadraQ.iverse quoted, 11Hrika defined, 194HrikeQ.a hrikesaversequoted, 55Human beingsin age of present, 3compared to animals, 137-138crowlike or swanlike, 79envious, 140four aspirations of, 222imperfections in, 198opinions of, value of, 198orders of life for, 27prime business of, 88problem after problem for, 252regulation for, 2sense control for, 55spirit ual lif e for, 88work for sex, 251See also: Human life; Society;Varama-dharmaHuman lifecriterion for, 52devotees assured of, 162not to be wasted, 246-247proper use of, 8-9, 77, 98-99, llO, ll1,131for purification, 108siidhus preach purpose of, 135-139Humilityfor chanting Hare l(rQ.a, 183of devotees, 199Ilcchanurilpam api yasya ca cetate saverse quoted, 154

290 Teachings of Lord KapilaIdentity as Brahman, 5See also: Self-realization; SoulIgnorancedestroyed by spiritual master, 56mode of, defined, 23mode of, symptoms of, 109See also: Illusion; MayaIllusion (maya)happiness as, 240-241material relationships as, 229lmpersonalists (Mayavadis)advocate total cessation, 47, 124afraid of relationships, 232consider KrI).a depleted, 230consider world false, 24Deity attracts, 214Deity rejected by, 210-211hearing from, forbidden, 159-160misinterpret scriptures, 206, 207monistic idea of, 201, 206need variegatedness, 47-48personalism vs., 158troublesome path of, 217-218water pot analogy of, 112Incarnations of KrI).a, 23, 69Independence from KrI).a, 203India, Marxist literature in, 81lndra, KingfloodedVfndavana, 246in hog body, 240Indragopadefmed, 18IndriyaJi paraJy ahurverse quoted, 54International Society for Krishna Consciousness(Kff?I).a consciousness movement)chanting & prasada distribution in, 167concerned with soul, 175in disciplic succession, 191doesn't manufacture philosophy, 198educational purpose in, 109, 110, 131, 134envious men disturb, 140facilitates avoiding materialists, 159facilitates good association, 139, 149,152-153facilitates hearing about .Kr?I).a, 11ISKCON (.Kr?I).a consciousness movement)Kr!?I).a maintains, 14-15meat-eating absent in, 150members offalldown possible for, 162as fortunate, 7, 59mundane news disinterests, 79never tired chanting, 179as spiritually advanced, 8must be spread, 256penance in, 152presents real philosophy, 30redirects work to Krf?I).a, 152rules & regulations in, 117for saving mankind, 243suffering absent in, 147tolerance in, 152Isavasyam idam sarvamquoted, 72, 122, 166Isvaradefined, 86, 115, 122Isvara/:1 parama/:1 krJa/:1quoted, 60, 115, 176, 201Isvara/:1 sarva-bhatanamquoted, 86, 128verse quoted, 32Isvare tad-adhineuverse quoted, 216Jagad-varadefined,26,JagAi & Madhai, 99]agatdefined,24Jaghanya-guJa-vrtti-sthtiverse quoted, 90Janaka Maharaja, 192]antiti tattvam bhagavan-mahimnoverse quoted, 187]anayaty asu vairtigyarhverse quoted, 121]anmady asya yato 'nvaytid itarata5 caquoted, 36]anma karma ca me divyamquoted, 19, 35, 85verse quoted, 18J

General Index 291]anma-mrtyu defined, 239]anma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhiquoted,16Janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakiiraverse quoted, 30Jesus Christ, 136, 212]iva-bhatam mahd-bahoverse quoted, 26]iva jaga, jiva jaga, goracanda balequoted, 88]ivas defined, 14, 112See also: Living entities; Soul(s)]ivera 'svarapa' haya-kr1Jera 'nitya-dasa'quoted, 67, 107]ivere krpdya kaild krTJ-a veda-purd1Javerse quoted, 110]iiana defined, 250See also: Knowledge; Philosophy]iidnam parama-guhyam meverse quoted, 219]iidnam vijiitinam astikyamverse quoted, 3]iidnidefined, 122See also: Philosophers, empiric]yoti defined, 112KKaivalya defined, 126Kalau nasty eva nasty evaverse quoted, 3-4, 97, 184Kalau sadra-sambhaval,lquoted, 3Kaler doa-nidhe rajannverse quoted, 183Kali-yuga (modern age)chanting process for, 97, 183, 246diminishing attributes in, 60-61envy in,140everyone sadra in, 3inquisitiveness absent in, 173lower modes prominent in, 150people's characteristics in, 3, 60-61,97,108,109,173Kali-yugaprocess of deliverance for, 97, 183, 246sinful activity in, 109, 241stamina absent in, 108var1Jd§rama-dharma difficult in, 185See also: Society, humanKama defined, 67, 110, 194See also: LustKamadinam kati na katidhd palita dumidesaquoted, 121Kandarpa-ko#-kamaniya-viSea-sobhamquoted, 179verse quoted, 179Kantha-adhikiiridefined, 215,216Kapiladeva, Lordfather of, 42as mahdjana, 42mission of, 1pleased with mother, 82as Supreme Lord, 59, 60Kapila, atheist, 2, 45Kara7Jam guJa-sarigo 'syaquoted, 89-90Kardama Muni, 41-43Karmadefined, 10, 108Krl).a beyond, 10living beings under, 17-18See also: Sinful activities; WorkKarma-kii/J4iya defined, 225Karma1Jd daiva-netre1Jaquoted, 10, 137Karmis (fruitive workers)compared to asses, 107vs. devotee, 253, 254Karatalas defined, 246KtiruTJika defined, 135, 153Katha Upanad, quoted on Krl).a, 73Kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sadra kene nayaverse quoted, 53Kings, saintly, 29Kintu prabhor yal,l priya eva tasyaverse quoted, 242Kirdta-hu1Jiindhra-pulinda-pulkaSaverse quoted, 96

292 Teachings of Lord KapilaKirtanad eva krr;wsyaverse quoted, 183Kirtanam defined, 22, 29, 255See also: ChantingKleso 'dhikataras teiimquoted, 218Knowledgein devotional service, 119-120, 123, 249via disciplic succession, 33,189,190-191,192, 198of Krl).a, 21, 22via guru (spiritual master), 31-39, 127,172, 198via hearing process, 127Lord disseminates, 1, 2, 198in mode of goodness, 1as Paramatma realization, 219vs. "personal opinion," 198qualification for having, 53speculativeas cheating, 86goal of, 177vs. knowledge from authorities, 127,172,189,191,198vs. knowledge from guru, 127, 172, 198Krl).a beyond, 223vs. surrendering to God, 237vs. worship in separation, 186-187spiritual, vs. ordinary knowledge, 57spiritual, vs. speculative, 127, 172, 189,191in Vediinta-satra, 37via Vedas as difficult, 192Kovida defined, 15Krodha defined, 67Krpaya tava piida-pankajaversequoted, 70Krl).a, Lord (Supreme Personality of Godhead)abode(s) of, 179, 217absolute nature of, 162-163acaryas accept, 7accepts offerings from afar, 212-213addressed in relation to devotees, 243advent of, beyond karma, 10Krl).a, Lordadvent of, purpose of, 1, 212, 241agents work for, 138all-knowing, 69, 86alone never, 84approached via guru, 184on Arjuna's side, 190arranges devotee's return home, 234assists from within & without, 181, 184atheists see, as death, 225attainable by all, 95-96attainment of, strength for, 142-143attraction to, as perfection, 182beautiful smile of, as life's goal, 82beauty of, 179, 212becoming "one" with, 120-121, 201-204begging from, 196-197beyond all others, 13beyond anxiety, 25beyond being understood, 35, 38beyond dark world, 127beyond demigods, 22-23, 154-155,244beyond imagination, 223beyond material senses, 183, 200beyond mundane eyes, 200bliss experienced with, 180bodily effulgence of, 52body of, 162-163, 212,213cannot be cheated, 133chanting about, 22, 94, 108, 246as charmer of Cupid, 251close by to help us, 127comes as death, 16compared to rich man, 222-223compared to sun, 111-115, 218conquered by devotees, 187as conscious living being, 36-37cowherd boys feel equal to, 226creates perfect flowers, 7creation activated by, 245-246Deity form of. See: Deity formdemons destroyed by, 212dependence on, 70desires soul's return home, 103devotees of. See: Devotees

General Index 293Kra,Lordd1sgmsed Himself before gopis, 255as Divine, 85energies of, Lord seen via, 7energies of, perfectly assist Him, 28energies of, threefold, 72energies of, utilization of, 24as enjoyer, 68, 101enjoying with, 203-204everything emanates from, 36expansions of, varieties of, 25-26, 168eyes of, 209facilitates our desire, 64faith in, 217features of, threefold, 218-219feeling separation from, 186form of, concealed by brahrrmjyoti, 124forms of, equality of, 254-255friend of poor, 231friends (cowherd) of, 226friendship with, infallible, 228giving work's results to, 151glorification of, 78-79, 206-208, 212gopis relation to, 122as Govinda, 14, 179, 212greatness of, 113-114happiness of, 54hearing aboutcombined with Deity worship, 214compared to nectar, 160effect of, 11as essential, 255as increasing pleasure, 14requires proper speaker, 159-160value of, 168, 170in heart of all, ,34, 86helpful friend to devotee, 127highest worshiper of, 88as H:rikesa, 194imitators of, 126incarnations of, 23, 69indirectly illusions living beings, 64as individual & expanded simultaneously,125,230-231Indra challenged, 246Kra, Lordas kaiSora-milrti, 195knowledge about, processes for, 21-22known by devotional service, 67, 98known by submission only, 223living beings compared & contrasted to, 60,102,111-115lotus feet of, meditation on, 252-253love foras absolute, 231-232anointing eyes with, 57, 62as highest love, 228kmra-prema, 164, 186, 187Kra seen via, 164in separation, 186spiritual sound heard via, 208in stages, 104in V:rndavana, 166, 168See also: Devotional service; K:ra consciOusnessas Madana-mohana, 251as maintainer of all, 13, 14as master, 17-18as master of senses, 194Mayiivadis claim to be, 115-116meditation on, 190, 220, 252-253mystic power of, 18name of, as identical with Him, 58, 164nature controlled by, 243-245never alone, 84offenses to, by impersonalists, 211-212offering our devotion to, 72-73omnipresent, 63, 103, 125, 163, 230one cannot become, 201, 202order of, as dharma, 6as original father, 203original person, 61as owner of everything, 72as Parabrahman, 126pastimes ofavailable to all, 155destroy life's miseries, 144, 148with gopis, 180as historical facts, 206-207lifting Govardhana Hill, 246

294 Teachings of Lord Kapila:Krl,la, Lord (continued)pastimes ofin Vflld:ivana, 219personal feature of, known via devotees,158personally comes to eager devotees, 231as person behind creation, 60pleasure potency of, 218-219prayers to, with chosen words, 212present everywhere, 103, 163processes for knowing, listed, 21-22protection by, offered to all, 222-223punishes big demons only, 71quoted on devotional service, 67as realized in three stages, 124relationship(s) withby choice, 234-235five kinds of, 61-62, 180as forgotten, 250in knowing Him as greater, 126never disrupted, 227-232remembrance of, in suffering, 146rescues fallen souls, 236revealed to all as God, 176as sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, 218-219sanction given by, 69-70sanctions devotee's neglect of duty, 141satisfied by varfama system, 27-28scripture verifies, 179seeing Him everywhere, 62-63seen by eyes of love, 57, 62seen via His energies, 7serves His devotee, 166as shelter, 69, 117strength to capture, 142-143as Supreme Lord, 6, 37, 44, 115, 154-155as supreme spiritual master, 228surrender to, 6, 71, 75, 98, 103, 122, 169,174,237-238,239,247,250thinking about, for highest yogis, 190thinking about, process of, 139, 160as Uttamasloka, 212as Vasudeva, 25Vedas for seeking, 127Vi1,1u originates from, 22Krl,la,Lordwitnesses all, 69worship of, as sufficient, 246yoga as linking with, 84, 85, 90as Y ogesvara, 18youthfulness of, 170, 195, 208Kmw. bhuli' sei jiva anddi-bahirmukhaverse quoted, 109, 236:Kr1,1a consciousnesscompared to drunken state, 104preaching of, sddhus engage in, 135, 139preaching of, superior to meditating, 153preaching of, tolerance needed in, 212See also: Devotional service:Kr1,1a consciousness movement. See: InternationalSociety for Krishna Consciousness:Kr1,1adasa Kaviraja, quoted on himself, 199Kr"(la-kan:tdmrta, quoted on liberation, 195Kr"(la-premd defined, 164, 186, 187Kr"(UJ.S tu bhagavdn svayamquoted, 7,23,38,44, 155,176,216Kme bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta hayaverse quoted, 217Ketra defined, 34Ketrajnarh cdpi mdrh viddhiquoted, 34Kipdmy ajasram a§ubhdnverse quoted, 71Kumara-sampradaya, 191Kunti, Queen, 146Lami-sahasra-sata-sambhramasevyamdnarhverse quoted, 47, 178-179Lava-mdtra sadhu-sarige sarva-siddhi hayaverse quoted, 130Law for mankind, 71Laws of nature, Lord controls, 243-245Leaders, past & present, 29Liberation (mukti)animallike society ignores, 80L

General Index 295Liberationby attachment to devotee, 128-130desire for, by frustration, 222by Deity form of Lord, 213-215by devotional service, 46, 199-200devotional service surpasses, 193, 194, 195five kinds of, 205by freedom from modes, 149for humans & animals, 135, 136by knowing KrI).a's pastimes, 179-180in lifetime, 168made easy in this age, 183personalist's path of, 158by self-realization, 119spiritual body regained at, 170via spiritual master, 56by surrender to God, 237-238,239for VaiI).ava's family, 254as valuable subject matter, 77Life from KrI).a, 36See also: Living entities; SoulLight vs. darkness, 52, 60Literatureon KrI).a, 155on Lord's pastimes as factual, 206, 207two types of, 78, 79, 81transcendental, ISKCON publishes, 110See also: Vedic literatureLiving entities (jivas)activity necessary for, 238iinanda (bliss) sought by, 116-117,202-203attached to something always, 129attachments of, to be redirected, 148-151blind to impending death, 240bodies of. See: Body, materialas Brahman, 5chase "mirage," 251compared to runaway sons, 103constitutional position of, 106, 1ll-ll5,168,213-214controlled by Lord's agents, 138controlled by nature, 169as created for pleasure, 202-203 -in earth, water, fire, etc., 218Living entitieseternal, 65eternal occupation of, 69false possessiveness of, 149in fear, 244-245fighting nature of, 66forgetfulness by, 64happiness illusion of, 240as imitation enjoyers, 68, 101imperfections of, 85-86as indebted, 70, 141individuality of, 201-204innumerable, 14KrI).a comes to rescue, 236as KrI).a's expansions, 26life spans of, 225love propensity in, 228, 235maintained by KrI).a, 14meant to be enjoyed, 101obligations of, 70, 141qualitatively equal KrI).a, 102rebelliousness of, 168siidhu'scompassion for, 135-136, 139as secondary controllers, 115as servants (of God), 17, 54, 67, 69,120-121,241-243sufferings of, listed, 144-145think they're happy, 240unsafe position of, 16worthwhile endeavor for, 15See also: Animals; Soui(s)Lobha defined, 110Logic, inductive, 189See also: Knowledge, speculativeLos Angeles earthquake, 245LoveLustin all beings, 228, 235of God. See: Devotional service; KrI).a,love for; KrI).a consciousnessmaterial vs. spiritual, 180as only requirement, 166spiritual, as absolute, 231Cupid causes, 251disqualification by, 117

296 Teachings of Lord KapilaLust (continued)kama, 67,110,194See also: Sex lifeMMad-bhaktirh labhate paramquoted, 120Madhavendra Puri, 191Madhvacarya, 191Madhyama-adhikari defined, 215, 216Mahiibharataquoted on death, 17for women, sadras, etc., 44Mahajanasdefined, 42, 192twelve listed, 191-192Mahajano yena gatal;r. sa panthal;r.quoted, 42Maha-mantra. See: Hare l(ra mantraMahatmanas tu mam parthaverse quoted, 121-122Mahatmas defined, 5, 121, 129Mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktesquoted, 129Maha-ViuBrahma born from, 224breathing of, 113Mahiyasarh pada-rajo- 'bh4ekamverse quoted, 142Maitreya i, 31Mamaivamso jiva-lokequoted, 113Mama janmani janmaniSvarequoted, 204verse quoted, 197Mama pauraiJi defined, 206Mam ca yo 'vyabhicare7Javerse quoted, 46Mam eva ye prapadyanteverse quoted, 28Mam hi partha vyapasrityaverse quoted, 43, 95-96Man. See: Human beings; SocietyManasas tu para buddhirverse quoted, 54Manda defined, 130Mandal;r. sumanda-matayoverse quoted, 3, 97Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktoquoted, 66, 94Mantra. See: Hare l(ra mantraManu, 192Manya-janama paiya,bhajiyaquoted, 99Manyandrh sahasreuverse quoted, 10-11radhii-kmw naMarriageas distasteful, 203Vedic principles for, 43Material elements, gross & subtle, 200Material energy. See: Energy, materialMaterialism, 99Materialists, associating with, 130, 133See also: Atheists; DemonsMaterial nature. See: NatureMaterial world"chewing the chewed" in, 80compared to desert, 251compared to heat & light, 7compared to prison, 19created by Kra's intelligence, 166danger & fear in, 250as darkness, 52destruction inevitable in, 229detachment from, 72duality in, 83-84, 90-91false possessiveness in, 149fools come to, 161happiness unobtainable in, 143misery in, 144-145, 253as reflection of reality, 229service misdirected in, 120-121service unpleasant in, 242struggle in, 251-252temporary, 23-24,65-66, 160See also: Energy, material; UniverseMatra-sparsas tu kaunteyaverse quoted, 145Mattal;r. parataram nanyatverse quoted, 6

General Index 297Maya (illusory material energy)defined, 10,154,250duty of, 204strength of, 162of universities, 160See also: Illusion; Energy, materialMayiidhyaeiJ.a prakrt*quoted, 244verse quoted, 27Maya-mugdha jivera nahi svata krTJ.a-jiidnaverse quoted, 110Mayara va.Se, yaccha bhese'quoted, 169Mayavadis. See: lmpersonalistsMayayapahrta-jnanaverse quoted, 61Mayi sarvam idam protamverse quoted, 6Meat-eating, 150Meditationon Deity form of Lord, 213-215falldown from, 178on !).a, 190, 220on !).a's lotus feet, 252-253preaching surpasses, 153"Merging" with God. See: OnenessMilk, 83Milk sweets, 48Minddifficult to control, 190fixed on !).a's lotus feet, 252-253formula for controlling, 157inclined to serve Lord, 193, 194over bodily pain, 145, 146purification of, 106-107Misery. See: SufferingMithya defined, 48, 125Modes of material naturehad association from, 149, 150bodies determined by, 89-90devotional service overpowers, 117,167-168,169-170influence of, at death, 233knowledge varies in, 1temples transcend, 226three predominators of, 22-23Modes of material natureSee also: Goodness; Ignorance; PassionMohadefined, 149Mohitam nabhijanatiquoted, 28verse quoted, 5Monism. See: OnenessMother, son's duty to, 41, 43, 44Mrdanga drum, 246Mrtyu sarva-hara.S cahamquoted 16, 133Muci defined, 95Muci haya suci haya yadi krTJ.a bhajeverse quoted, 95MiU;lhas defined, 4, 35, 61MiU;lho yam nabhijanativerse quoted, 88Muhammadans, 212Muktidefined , 24See also: LiberationMukti svayam mukulitanjali sevate 'smdtquoted, 194-195Mumuubhi parityagoverse quoted, 24Mu1J4aka Upanad, quoted on spiritualmaster, 33Mystic powersdevotees beyond, 221, 226of Kardama, 42Mystic yoga (ha!ha-yoga)devotional service surpasses, 190goal of, 177See also: Yoga; YogisNNa caiva na bhavyamaverse quoted, 202Na ca tasman manyeuverse quoted, 153Na dhanam na janam na sundarimverse quoted, 197Naham prakd.sa sarvasyaverse quoted, 88

298 Teachings of Lord KapilaNa hanyate hanyamane sarirequoted, 52Naaril matis tavad urukramanghririlverse quoted, 142Na jayate mriyate vii kadacitquoted, 102Na maril dkrtino ma(ihaverse quoted, 61Na mam karmaJi limpantiquoted, 17Namasyanta5 ca maril bhaktyaverse quoted, 22, 100Na mocayed ya samupeta-mrtyumquoted, 80Nana-sastra-vicaraJJaika-nipuJJau saddharma-sarilsthapakauquoted, 75Nanda Maharaja, 246Nanyanti no defined, 227Narada Muni, 192Narada-paiicaratra, quoted on devotional service,55Naradeva defined, 29Narayal,la, LordMayavadis claim to be, 115-116one cannot become, 201, 202See also: KrI,laNarayaJa paro 'vyaktatquoted, 85, 116Narottama dasa Thakuraquoted on approaching KrI,la, 141quoted on human body, 98-99Na sadhu manye yata atmano yamverse quoted, 54Nasav rir yasya mataril na bhinnamquoted, 192Nasayamy atma-bhava-sthoverse quoted, 127-128Nta-prayev abhadreuquoted, 110Na tad-bhakteu canyeuverse quoted, 216Na tad bhiisayate suryoverse quoted, 58Na tasya karyaril karaJaril ca vidyatequoted, 138Na tasya karyaril karaJaril ca vidyateverse quoted, 26Na te vidu svartha-gatiril hi vJJumquoted, 28, 29Nature (prakrti)governed by Lord, 243-245two types of, 122See also: Material energy (maya)Na tv evaharil jatu ndsarilverse quoted, 202Na yad vaca5 citra-padaril harer ya5overse quoted, 78-79Nayaril deho deha-bhajaril nrlokeverse quoted, 8-9"Nectar," topics of KrI,la as, 160Nectar of Devotion, The. See: Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu,all entriesNewspapers, 79Nigama-kalpataror galitaril phalamquoted, 9verse quoted, 81Nimbaditya-sampradaya, 191Nipat defined, 34Nirakara defined, 114Nirbandha krJJa-sambandheverse quoted, 24NirguJa defined, 226Nirmana-moha jita-sanga-doaquoted, 148NirviiJa defined, 124-125, 177-178,197NirviSea defined, 49Nitya sarva-gata stha7Jurverse quoted, 113Nityaril bhiigavata-sevayaquoted, 111Nitya-mukta defined, 170Nityananda Prabhuas attacked, 136mission of, 99Nityas defined, 225Nityo nityanaril cetana5 cetandniimquoted, 60, 84, 244verse quoted, 14, 34Nixon, Richard, 16Nrsimhadeva, Lord, 254

General Index 299Nunam pramattal;l kurute vikarmaquoted, 108verse quoted, 540Offenses of impersonalists, 211-212Om ajnana timirandhasyaverse quoted, 127om namo bhagavate vasudevayaquoted, 38, 111Onenessof the Absolute, 162-163devotee's view of, 205with God impossible, 201-204Opulence, devotees reject, 221-223, 225-226Orders of life (asramas), 27pPadma Pura"(Ulquoted on spiritual master, 87quoted on worship of devotee, 141Pain, tolerance of, 145Piiiicariitriki-vidhi defined, 215Pancasordhvam vanam vrajetquoted, 4Pai;U;lita defined, 58Paramaharhsadefined, 79subject matter for, 79Param bhavam ajiinantaquoted, 10verse quoted, 85Param brahma param dhamaquoted, 5verse quoted, 38Param drtvii nivartatequoted, 104Parampara defined, 86, 185See also: Disciplic successionParas tasmat tu bhavo 'nyoquoted, 117verse quoted, 19Parasya brahma"(Ull;l sakti.sverse quoted, 7Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyatequoted, 28, 138verse quoted, 26Paravyoma defined, 116Parikit Maharaja, 255Pasandidefined, 116Pasi. mode of (rajo-gu"(Ul)defined,23symptoms of, 109Pasu defined, 138Patram ppam phalam toyamverse quoted, 73Peace formula, 75Penance (austerity)painful in beginning, 153transcendental result of, 8-9Perfection defined, 198Philosophers, empiric"chunk" theory of, 60finally surrender to i(rQ.a, 122as nondevotees, 207useless arguments among, 192Philosophyof devotees (VaiQ.avism), 197See also: lmpersonalists; PhilosophersPibata bhiigavatam rasam ala yamverse quoted, 81Pious & impious acts, 122-123Pita na sa syiij janani na sa syatquoted, 80Planets, higher, 221, 225Pleasure. See: EnjoymentPra defined, 34Prabhasmi sa§i-suryayol;lquoted, 8Prabhu kahe-suna, sripiida, ihara kara"(Ulverse quoted, 172Prabodhananda Sarasvati, quoted on oneness,205Prahlada Maharajaas authority on bhakti, 192vs. his father, 132, 146merciful to father, 254quoted on being happy, 146

300 Teachings of Lord KapilaPrahlada Maharaja (cont.)quoted on desiring service only, 209quoted on guru, 142quoted on material world, 23tolerance of, 146Prahliido janako bhmoverse quoted, 191-192Prakasananda Sarasvati, 172Prakrte kriyamdl).dniverse quoted, 89Prakrti defined, 36, 57, 68Prapancikataya buddhyaverse quoted, 24Prasanndtmd defined, 122Prayel).dlpdya sabhyaverse quoted, 3, 97Preaching l).a consciousnesssddhus engage in, 135, 139superior to meditating, 153tolerance needed in, 212Prema-maitri-krpopeverse quoted, 216Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanenaquoted, 57, 164Preyas defined, 251Prostitute Cintiimal).i, 195Proverb on detachment, 16, 72Prthu Maharaja, 255Purhsa striya mithuni-bhdvam etamquoted, 65Puna puna§ carvita-carval).dniimquoted, 80PuJya-sraval).a-kirtanaquoted, 108Purdl).a defined, 170Pure devotees of the Lord. See: Devotees, purePurificationby chanting & reading Bhagavatam, 110by chanting l).a's names, 108by hearing of l).a, 108,255-256of mind, 106-107of senses, 54-56Purera kita haite muni se laghthaquoted, 199Pua defined, 68Puram sasvatam divyamverse quoted, 38Questionson transcendence, 31Qtranscendentalists relish, 77, 78RRiidhd-bhdva-dyuti defined, 35Riidharal).i, SrimatiCaitanya had emotions of, 35in Hare l).a mantra, 196as l).a's best servant, 54as l).a's consort, 25in mood of separation, 186as pleasure potency, 218-219Rajari defined, 29Rajo-gul).a (mode of passion)defined,23symptoms of, 109Riimananda Raya, 53, 185Riimanuja-sampradaya, 191Ramya kacid upasaniiquoted, 122Reality vs. reflection, 229Regulated living, 2Reincarnation. See: TransmigrationRelationshipsmaterial vs. spiritual, 227-232See also: Krl).a, relationships withReligion (dharma)authorities on, listed, 42as eternal occupation, 69genuine vs. manufactured, 93, 97-98,199"isms" of, cause suffering, 146as one, 6as surrender to l).a, 66, 71, 75Religionists, false, 208, 209

General Index 301Renunciationby bhakti-yoga (devotional service), 71,123-124,167,169-170,249of everything for Lord, 140, 141by impersonalists as false, 48maddening if premature, 143fonelf-realization, 119-120of temporary world, 66Retirementto forest, 226time of life for, 41, 43, 44, 66]J.jubhil! defined, 159]J.ibhir bahudhd gitamverse quoted, 37]J.i defined, 192Rudra-sampradaya, 191Ruk.miQi·KrQa, worship of, 255sSa bhagavdn svayam krI,Ull!quoted, 45Sac-cid-dnanda defined, 19, 20Sac-cid-dnanda-vigrahaquoted, 20Sacrifice (yajna)for age of present, 246of animals, 100-101Sad-dharma defined, 75$a4-gosvdmy-taka quoted, 186Siidhaval! defined, 149Sddhur eva sa mantavyal!verse quoted, 132Sddhu-sariga defined, 143, 150"Siidhu-sanga," "sddhu-sanga "-sarvasdstre kayaquoted, 138-139verse quoted, 130Sadhusdefined, 129,134-136,138-139,140,141See also: DevoteesSa eva sddhu krtoquoted, 138Sa gur,u'in samatityaitdnverse quoted, 46Saints. See: Devotees; MahiUmds; SadhusSa kdlaneha mahatdverse quoted, 29Sakhya defined, 61Sadd dharitvena samasta-sdstrairquoted, 184verse quoted, 242Sakti defined, 26Samal! sarveu bhilteuverse quoted, 46Samatvenaiva vietaverse quoted, 115-116Sarno damas tapal! saucamverse quoted, 3Sampraddyasdefined, 190See also: Disciplic successionSamsaradefined,68See also: TransmigrationSandtana defined, 113Sanatana Gosvamiexemplary behavior of, 58questions Lord Caitanya, 131renunciation by, 143Sailkaracaryaphilosophy of, 197quoted on Bhagavan, 85quoted on NarayaQa, 116Vedanta commentary of, 37Sailkhya philosophyKapila expounded, 2subject of, 68Sankhya-yoga defined, 189Sankirtana-yajna, 246defined,99See also: ChantingSannydsis, renunciation by, 140-141Santa defined, 154Santa-rasa defined, 61Santa-rilpa defined, 227Sa rahasyam tad-angam caverse quoted, 219

302 Teachings of Lord KapilaSarvabhauma Bhanacarya, 74,253Sarva-dehindm defined, 136Sarva-dhannan parityajyaquoted, 5, 34, 71, 219, 253SarvaiSvarya-pu17J.a defined, 230Sarvasya caharil hrdi sannivta/.1quoted, 86, 126Sarvatra haya nija ta-deva-sphartiverse quoted, 164Sarva-yonu kaunteyaverse quoted, 203Sarvopddhi-vininnuktarilverse quoted, 55Sastra. See: Scripture; Vedic literatureSatam prasangan mama virya-samvidoverse quoted, 207-208Satataril kirtayanto marilverse quoted, 22, 100Satdefined, 77-18, 116, 159$at-karma-nipur;w viproverse quoted, 87Sattva-gur;w. (mode of goodness)defined, 1,2,23knowledge expands in, 1, 2qualities of, listed, 152Scarcity, cause of, 70-71Science, devotional process as, 219-220Scientists, materialdefy God, 245misunderstand nature, 36Scripture (.sastra)as confusing, 192devotees obey, 136heard from devotees, 159!).a described in, 179misinterpretations of, 206, 207temple's duty to recite, 214-215See also: Vedic literatureSelf-realizationbeyond body, 5, 89, 200-201as Brahman realization, 5defined, 70, 111-115as devotional service, 119-120, 123via goodness mode, 1happiness follows, 169Self-realizationinsufficient by itself, 124by knowledge & renunciation, 119as prime subject matter, 77-78Sense gratificationin bad association, 130condemned, 51-52,54-55devotees uninterested in, 158-159devotional activity overpowers, 167-168in modern society, 130-131personal & extended, 198tendency toward, dangerous, 163See aLso: EnjoymentSensesas enjoyed or denied, 130-131inclined to work, 193, 194i(rQ.a beyond, 183, 200purification of, 6 7spiritual form beyond, 210spiritual kind of, 51-52, 54-56yoga for controlling, 253Servant in spiritual world, 241-242Service attitude as natural, 120Sevonmukhe hi jihvddauverse quoted, 94Sex lifeanimal vs. human,l38Bilvamailgala transcended, 195-196via Cupid's arrow, 251entanglement caused by, 65See aLso: LustSiddha defined, 11Siddhis defined, 42Sifakaprayers, 184,186,197,204Silpa-jfidna defined, 57Sincerity seen by KrQ.a, 185Sinful activitiesabortion among, 241atheists fear reaction to, 169defined, 64-65flourishing at present, 109fourfold, 59, 256purification from. See: Purificationreactions to, freedom from, 98results in fearful death, 239

General Index 303Sinful activitiessanction needed for, 69-70syas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannamquoted, 38, 17 4Sita-Rama, Vaiavas worship, 255Siva, Lordas authority, 192quoted on worshiping devotee, 141iva/;1 pantha defined, 124Sivananda Sena, 136, 154Snakes, 140Society, humanaccepts life's miseries, 133accustomed to sense gratification, 130-131animalistic, 80, 109, 130, 137-138blind leadership of, 29degraded, 3education of, process for, 9as harassed, 97lacks inquisitiveness, 173neglects spiritual life, 132orders of life for, 27painkillers in, 144sinful activities in, 109van:ullrama system needed in, 27working for a in, 152See also: Kali-yuga; Varr_ujSrama-dharmaSo 'mrtatviiya kalpatequoted, 160Soul(s)beyond material world, 175compared to spark, 84coverings (gross & subtle) of, 200effulgence, 112equality among, 136-137eternal, 52, 78linked with a, 84, 85, 88nature activated by, 245size & quality of, 111-115Supersoul different from, 34symptom of, 175See also: Living entitiesSouls, conditionedcause of miseries for, 78, 144-148consciousness misdirected in, 105Souls, conditionedSee also: Living entitiesSound, transcendental, 208See also: Chanting; Hare a mantraSpirit, infinite & infinitesimal, 111-115Spiritual body, 170Spiritual lifestarting point of, 163symptoms of, 8See also: Devotional service; a consciousnessSpiritual master (s)Absolute revealed by, 182-185accept a as Supreme, 44-45approaching, process for, 34-39, 171-172approaching, reason for, 58, 182-185attentive disciples please, 82destroy ignorance, 56-57detachment taught by, 66five listed, 17 6honored like Lord, 242importance of, 182-185initiation by, 9a approached via, 141-143as a's representative, 173-174, 184,242preaches from intermediate stage,215-216qualification for being, 31-35, 53, 87,198-199service to, out of love, 231Vedas assimilated by, 127Spiritual orders of life (asramas), 27Spiritual world (Vaikuha)absolute nature of, 230-231vs. birth & death, 19-20everyone loves a in, 166general description of, 47illuminated, 52inhabitants of, 47, 170relationships real in, 227-232sounds from, ever fresh, 208temples same as, 226time doesn't influence, 22variety in, 178-179

304 Teachings of Lord KapilaSraddhii defined, 217'Sraddha '-sabde-viSvasa kahe sudrl/.haniScayaverse quoted, 217Sraddhdvan bhajate yo mdrilverse quoted, 88Sraddhayanvita defined, 214Sravar:taril defined, 22, 29Sravar:taril kirtanaril VTJOquoted, 103,147,170verse quoted, 21Sreyas defined, 251Sri-kr§r:ta-caitanya-sarira-dhdriverse quoted, 73-74Srimad-Bhdgavatamauthor of, 37beyond human imperfections, 198compared to ripe mango, 81elevation to Tenth Canto of, 179-180for pure devotees, 207time utilized reading, 11 0treated as God, 224quotations fromon age of present, 3, 97on asslike beings, 81on becoming real parent, 80on Bhdgavatam, 81, llOon chanting in Kali-yuga, 183on "chewing the chewed," 80on confidential knowledge, 219on crow like words, 78-79on detachment, 8, 74, 121on devotees, 216on devotee's association, 129, 207-208on devotional processes, 21-22on hearing Bhagavatam, 110on hearing of K.rJ;ta, 11on human endeavor, 17on human life, 8on Kali-yuga, 3, 97on knowledge & detachment, 121on K.rJ;ta as beyond speculation, 187on liberation, 238on life's mission, 9on mahdjanas, 191Srimad-Bhagavatamquotations fromon proper attachment, 138on sense gratification, 54on sex attraction, 65on sinful races, 96on source of everything, 36-37on twelve authorities, 191-192Sri-sampradaya, 191Srr:tvataril sva-kathd kr§r:taverse quoted, 11Srotriyaril brahma-n'hamquoted, 33Sr§#-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir ekaquoted, 245verse quoted, 154Sruti defined, 127Stalin, 147Sthdne sthita defined, 33Sthdne sthita sruti-gata tanu-vanmanobhiquoted, 187Sthdvara-jangama dekhe, na dekhe tara miirtiverse quoted, 164Sthita-dhuli-sadrsaril vicintayaquoted, 75Stri-siidra-dvijabandhiinarilquoted, 44Striyo vaiSyas tathd siidrasverse quoted, 43, 95-96Struggle for existence, 251-252Students. See: BrahmacarisSubmissionfor approaching guru, 171-172for knowing KrQa, 223Suci haya muci haya yadi kr§r:ta tyajeverse quoted, 95Sucinam srimatam gehequoted, 95Siidras, in Kali-yuga, 3Sufferingas automatic, 17from birth & death, 239devotee transcends, 144-150of devotee vs. nondevotee, 144-148

General Index 305Sufferingduality causes, 83, 84, 90, 91foolish society accepts, 133independent desires cause, 203-204process for transcending, 145-150threefold, 57types & causes of, 144-145Suhrt defined, 143, 153Sukadeva Gosvamias authority, 192Bhiigavatamspoken by, 81Sun analogies. See: Analogies, sunSuni caiva svapake caverse quoted, 137Sunyayitaril jagat sarvamverse quoted, 186Supersoul (Paramiitmii)as second phase of Absolute, 178soul contrasted to, 34, 84Supreme Personality beyond, 124Supreme Lord. See: !).a; Maha-ViQ.u;NiirayaQ.a; Supersoul; Vil).uSvacchandiitmii defined, 23, 26Sva-dharma defined, 96Sva-karmar;ui tam abhyarcyaverse quoted, 96Svalpam apy asya dharmasyaquoted, 94-95Svamsas defined, 168Svanthitasya dharmasyaverse quoted, 151-152Svarupa defined, 242Svayambhar niirada sambhuverse quoted, 191-192Svetasvatara Upanadquoted on !).a's potencies, 26quoted on Lord's agents, 138Swans, transcendentalists compared to, 79TTad aham bhakty-upahrtamverse quoted, 73Tad-artham karma kaunteyaverse quoted, 108-109Tad brahma nkalam anantam a5ea-bhatarilverse quoted, 52Tad vayasam tirtham U.Santi manasaverse quoted, 78-79Tad viddhi praJipatenaquoted, 32Tad-vijnana defined, 32-33Tad-vijnaniirtham sa gurum evabhigacchetquoted, 9, 33Taj-joar;uid asv apavarga-vartmaniverse quoted, 207-208Talking, two types of, 78Tal labhyate dukhavad anyata sukhamquoted, 15verse quoted, 17Tamasi mii jyotir gamaquoted, 52Tamo-dviiraril yoitiim sangi-sangamquoted, 133Tamo-guJa (mode of ignorance)defined, 23symptoms of, 109Tan aham dvata kruriinverse quoted, 71Tapasyadefined,8,55,82easy in this age, 82See also: AusterityTapo divyam putraka yena sattvarilverse quoted, 8-9Tasaril brahma mahad yonirverse quoted, 203Tasmad gururil prapadyetaquoted, 33, 35, 53Tasmat kenapy upayenaquoted, 181Tasmiit paratararil deviquoted, 141Tasyaiva heto prayateta kovidaquoted, 15verse quoted, 17Tathii dehiintara-priiptirverse quoted, 89

306 Teachings of Lord KapilaTato miim tattvato jnatvaverse quoted, 19Tat-paratvena nirmalamquoted, 106Tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehindmquoted, 23Teachers, cheating, 85-86See also: Brahma'f}as; Spiritual masterTemples as beyond matter, 226Temple worship. See: Deity form, worship ofTedm evanukampdrthamverse quoted, 127-128Team satata-yuktandmverse quoted, 181-182, 211Thinking of Kra, 139Timecreation & destruction in, 247spiritual world free of, 226use of, 216value of, 110-111Titiava defined, 153Tivram defined, 239Tolerancein chanting Hare Kra, 183devotees need, 132in giving up bad habits, 153of pain, 145preaching work requires, 135-136, 140Trance (samadhi), devotional service as,254Transcendentalistsbest subject matter for, 77-78See also: Devotees; 1m personalists; ]nanis;YogisTransmigration of the soulin body after body, 89-90, 133-134by choice, 235freedom from, 102human life for ending, 137imperceivable, 175via modes of nature, 89-90qualifications determine, 137sense gratification causes, 163tribulation from, 108Trees, killing of, 78Tribhir gu'f}amayair bhavairverse quoted, 5Troad api sunicenaverse quoted, 183TrAvarta demon, 62Truth. See: Absolute Truth; KnowledgeTyaja durjana-samsargamquoted, 139Tyaktva de ham punar janmaquoted, 20, 177verse quoted, 18uUniversal form of the Lord, 165Universe (s)arrangement behind, 125"chunk" theory of, 60management of, 244, 245number & source of, 113, 223-224See also: Material worldOrdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthaverse quoted, 90Uttama-adhikdri defined, 215vv acamsi vaikuTJ.!ha-gu'f}dnuvar'f}anequoted, 144Vaikuha. See: Spiritual worldVairagya defined, 123, 170See also: RenunciationVairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yogaversequoted, 73-74Vaiava philosophy, 197Vaivas. See: DevoteesVaiava-sampradAya, 255Vanam gato yad dharim asrayetaquoted, 226Vanaprastha defined, 226Vandanam defined, 103Variety for enjoyment, 48, 204Var'f}aS defined, 27

General Index 307JlaraaravaUiverse quoted, 27Jl arama-dharmadefined, 27divisions of, 9as lost, 97, 185perfection by, 96for regulated society, 33retirement principle in, 42-43purpose of, 9, 152for world peace, 27Jl asudeva sarvam itiquoted, 169verse quoted, 6Jlasudeve bhagavativerse quoted, 121Jlatsalya defined, 62Vayu, 244Jl eda defined, 57Jledaharir. samatitaniverse quoted, 86JledaiS ca sarvair aham eva vedyaquoted, 35, 161Jleda nd maniyii bauddha haya ta' nastikaquoted, 100Jledanta-siltraauthor of, 36difficult to learn, 172-173quoted on bliss, 219quoted on Brahman, 36Vedic civilization. See: Jlarnd.Srama-dharma.Vedic literature (Jiedas)Bhiigavatam ripened fruit of, 81compared to bottle of honey, 207for elevation to goodness, 1formerly handwritten, 224hearing from, vs. speculating, 30, 127initiation in to, 9listed, 44, 192original yoga in, 93purpose of, 35, 110, 161regulated life via, 2worshiped as God, 224Jlellurir. kvantam aravinda-daliiyatiiarir.verse quoted, 179Jlibhinnarir.Sa defined, 26, 168Jlibhilti defined, 221Jlidya-vinaya-sampanneverse quoted, 137Jligraha defined, 201Jlikarma defined, 108Jlilasa defined, 214Violence against sadhus, 135-136, 139-140Jlira-rilpa defined, 165Viu, Lordequal to Kra, 255Kra origin of, 22pleased by one's work, 96J14llu Puriiquoted on Lord's energies, 7quoted on va711dSrama, 28Jl4llUT ariidhyate panthiiverse quoted, 28J14llur mahan sa iha yasya kalii-viSeoverse quoted, 113, 224Viusviimi-sampradaya, 191J14abhyiiham idarir. krtsnamverse quoted, 114Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, quoted onspiritual master, 182Jliyoga defined, 85Jlrajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta hailaseiquoted, 99V:rndavanaas blissful abode, 219devotee's pure love in, 166Kra as seen in, 226Vyasadeva, literatures by, 37Jlyavasayiitmikii buddh*verse quoted, 130War, cause of, 66wWealth, devotees reject, 221-223, 225-226Welfare activityofsadhus, 135-140for sense gratification, 167

308 Teachings of Lord KapilaWomenless intelligent, 182Vedic principles for, 43-44Words, worship by, 212Workasslike, 107done for ViI).u, 109by KrI).a's direction, 152See also: Karma; KarmisWorld peace, 27Worshipbest type of, 141See also: Deity form, worship ofyY ada yada hi dharmasyaverse quoted, 4Y ad gatva na nivartantequoted, 177verse quoted, 58Ya sa sarveu bhuteuverse quoted, 19Ya idam paramaril guhyarilverse quoted, 153Yajiiad bhavati parjanyoverse quoted, 27Yajiia defmed, 27, 138,141See also: SacrificeYajiia* salikirtana-praya*quoted, 97Yajnarthiit karmar.to 'nyatraverse quoted, 108-109Y amaraja, 169Yam prapya na nivartanteverse quoted, 19Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krr.ta-upadesa'quoted, 87Yasoda, 62Y as tu ndrayar.taril devarilverse quoted, 115-116Yas tv indragopam athavendram aho svakarmaquoted,17Y asyaika-niSvasita-kalam athavalambyaverse quoted, 113, 224Y asya prabha prabhavato jagad-aiJ4a-ko#­verse quoted, 52Y asyatma-buddh* ku'(tdpe tri-dhatukeverse quoted, 81Yata pravrttir bhutanamverse quoted, 96Yatatdm api siddhanamverse quoted, 10-11Yathartham upayunjataquoted, 234Yat karoi yad a5nasiverse quoted, 151Yato imani bhutani jayantequoted, 24Yat tapasyasi kaunteyaverse quoted, 151Yat tirtha-buddh* salile na karhicijverse quoted, 81Ye hi sarilsparsaja bhogaverse quoted, 74Yei krr.ta-tattva-vetta sei 'guru' hayaverse quoted, 53Ye 'nye ca papa yad-apasrayasrayaverse quoted, 96Ye 'nye 'ravindaa vimukta-maninaquoted, 238Yearil tv anta-gataril papamquoted, 98Yogadefined,84,85,90, 124easiest type of, 159goal & process of, 83-85, 88-91hatha, 32mystic, devotional service surpasses, 190mystic, goal of, 177original vs. concocted processes of, 93types of, three given, 177See also: YogisYogamaya defined, 88-89Yoginam p pi sarveamverse quoted, 88Yogischeaters posing as, 174, 208

-")General Index309Yogtfdevotees beyond, 18falldown of, 177, 178highest kind of, 190perfections of, listed, 83-84Yogurt gift, 230-231YQ§it-sangadefmed, 130Yo 'vagraho 'ham mametuyverse quoted, 79Yudhilhira MahArAja, quoted on death, 17Yug4yitarh nimeverse quoted, 186t'

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•TEACHINGS OFlORD l(t\PilAThe Son of DevahotiLONG AGO, in an age we know about only from the epicsof ancient India, the great sage Kapila made His appearanceon earth-from the womb of the saintly Devahuti. When herhusband left home to seek spiritual perfection in the foresDevahuti implored her divine son Kapila to lead her to enlightenmentLord Kapila then showed her the way of&mkhya-the analytical pathway to a higher understandingof the world, the self, and the ultimate source of everything.Here the world's most distinguished teacher of Vedicphilosophy and religion shows us just how relevant LordKapila's ancient teachings are to us today. Through the wayof Sdtikhya, as explained in this book, we learn about thequalities of the spiritual master, the science of meditation, thepsychology of consciousness, the symptoms of the self-realizedperson, the secret of transcendental knowledge, and the attainmentof s preme liberation.